The Hummingbirds Are Coming!

I awoke last night from a vivid dream. The hummingbirds just kept coming to me. At first just one, then another, and another, and another. Where were the feeders? They were buzzing all around my house and all around the shepherd's hooks where I hang the feeders. Little dark flashes of green with a splash of bright red kept streaking past my immediate and peripheral vision. They were flying back and forth in front of my windows. They were hitting the glass with their bodies and making loud squeaking noises with their tails like they do when they are courting the ladies. I know they have been spotted in our area by the Hummingbirds.net Migration Map, so I took the dream seriously and got my first feeder up this afternoon.

It looks kinda lonely, but in a month, the whole yard will be alive. Look at the Butterfly Bushes now, just starting to bud in the background here. I cut them back about a month ago.



If anyone would like more information on attracting, caring for and feeding hummingbirds, go to my Squidoo Lens; Five Steps To Happy Hummers. Don't delay! Now is the time to get your Hummingbird Haven set up!

Body Clipping By SnapDragon Stables

My 31 year TB/Paint, Rudy, is one of those horses that looks like a Shetland Pony even after wearing a heavy blanket all winter long. Each year, his coat gets longer and thicker and it takes forever to shed out, despite his daily medication for Cushing's Disease. The past few years, he suffered with near heat stroke during those heat waves we experienced here on the East Coast. Two weeks ago, I decided to Google "body clipping in Southern NJ". Boy, we really lucked out when SnapDragon Stables came up in the search! Their prices are very reasonable, they are experienced horse owners and are only a few miles from my place!
Here's a photo of my good friend Betsy (his 2nd rider) and Rudy a month ago. He looks like a big fuzzy bear. Look at those stumpy legs!

The 16H Shetland, before the makeover.

Ginger and Lauren went right to work uncovering the horse beneath the hair.



OMG - His legs still have a shape! It was like getting a brand new horse.

The time goes quickly as the transformation continues.

If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I'd swear it was a different animal!!

Here's a photo of the horse I used to know! Just look at that big bucket of hair he was hiding under!

We've had some wintery weather since the clipping, but rest assured, he is kept warm. He's got three blankets on in this photo.


I was so happy with the great job the girls did, the next day they came back and I got Rita body clipped too. Not nearly as dramatic, but will save me a lot of work.

Lauren and Ginger, thank you for a GREAT job and for a shed-free, allergy and maintenance reduced riding season!!! We all give you a stellar recommendation!

Here's a photo of Betsy and Rudy last week with the new spring/summer look.

Happy Happy Shed-Free Spring!!

P.S. SnapDragon Stables also offers riding lessons and "Affordable Horseplay" for children and beginners in a fun, stress free environment. ♡

April Fool's Day Weather

Ah Ha! April Fools,

I will show you that Spring is not here today!

"It is the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a sense of humor." ~ Max Eastman

Even the gods love jokes. ~Plato

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." ~ Japanese Proverb

The Power Of Love

For the past month, I have been listening to Rhonda Byrne's Audio Book, The Power. I recommend it highly for those who are open to changing the way they think and deal with life. Through easy to grasp stories and lessons, it teaches how to harness the greatest force in the universe; love. Tuning into the highest frequency of love and gratitude will change your entire life! All you have to do is be happy 51% of the time and it can and will change your attitude and your life. Just try it for a week or so. Think more about what you love than what you don't love. If something is irritating or frustrating, think of things that make you happy; things you love. This attitude shift not only makes you feel better, your feelings, whether good or bad, like a magnet, will attract like situations, people and events into your life. If you are feeling good, you are giving love, if you feel bad, you are not.

Negative feelings come from a lack of love:

boredom, irritation, disappointment, worry, criticism, anger, hate, envy, guilt, despair, fear

Positive feelings come from love:

love, gratitude, peace, joy, passion, excitement, enthusiasm, hope, satisfaction

Spring Equinox, March 20th, 2011

FYI - This Sunday marks the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox. It officially brings the "First Day Of Spring" here in the northern hemisphere. Day and night will be about equal in length on March 2oth because the sun will be positioned above the equator all over the world.

Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

Spring is Coming!

Here comes Kokopelli, the hunch backed, flute playing, Native American cultural spirit of Spring! He chases away Winter with song and dance and ushers in Spring and fertility. ☺ YAY!

I'm currently putting together a collection of illustrated design elements for iStock. Isolated on white, these "spot illustrations" will be easily arranged by designers. Colorful and hand painted, my Kokopellis are intended to show off the granulation of pigments with the contrast of rough, hard and soft edges. In transparent watercolor, there is often magic in translucent color transitions. High resolution photos of them can really show that off. Here's a small area of the image above. The possibilities are endless.

A Winter Visit To Longwood Gardens

The day after we visited Old Philadelphia, we Sandy sisters headed off to Longwood Gardens. It was a cold and very windy day, quite a big difference from the day before! Fortunately we didn't have to do much walking outside.

Inside the greenhouses, it was warm, fragrant and colorful. The feeling of spring immediately lifted our spirits.

"The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size." ~ Gertrude S. Wister

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." ~ Terri Guillemets


"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~ Iris Murdoch


"Sisters are different flowers from the same garden." ~ Author Unknown

A Visit To Old Philadelphia

For my birthday ( week ☺), I suggested that my younger sister, Gaile, fly up from Florida for a visit. It didn't take a whole lot of coaxing since she really wanted to see some snow and had a "free" flight from Spirit Airlines. (Which ended up costing her around $100. round trip, but that's another story. Is anything ever really FREE?)

I picked Gaile up at the Atlantic City Airport on Tuesday, Feb. 15th. Boy how the time flew. Local sister, Denise Bush and I were wondering what we were going to do for entertainment while Gaile was visiting. Ha Ha, not to worry, we were busy non-stop the whole week!

With temperatures up in the high sixties during the day and no chance of snow for most of the week, Gaile had to make due with dirty snow piles and the little bit of virgin snow still covering my horse pasture.

Here are a few snapshots and highlights of a trip via the High Speedline to Philadelphia on Friday, February 18th. It was a wonderful day to tour the city as the temperatures climbed to almost 70 degrees in the afternoon! We started off with lunch at the historic and award winning, Old City Tavern.

We enjoyed delicious recipes passed down for centuries by famous colonists. I especially loved their custom brewed beer, homestyle biscuits and my crusty chicken pot pie. YUMM! I must go back again soon! This place is too good to be just for tourists!

After lunch we visited The Betsy Ross House, Elfreth's Alley and the National Liberty Museum.

Denise on left and Gaile on right in front of historic 18th century buildings.

We had an amazing day followed by a gourmet Lasagna dinner cooked at my house by Gaile. Having visitors always involves more cooking and eating, but it also gets you out exercising! Company gives us a break from our daily routines and makes us get out and enjoy life and take advantage of the local attractions!

The following Day was windy and cold, so we took a trip out to Longwood Gardens for some indoor Springtime pleasures. I'll post some highlights and photos from that trip here real soon!

Ancient Aliens and Earth's Most Mysterious Places

I love "Ancient Aliens" on the History channel on TV. This full length introduction gives you an overview of the entire 2010 series.



Episodes are based on ancient ruins, mysterious electromagnetic energy fields, and advanced technologies that date back over 14,000 years. Evidence indicates that more advanced than that of ancient Egypt, these cultures are much older than any scientists previously thought possible. This fascinating and powerful series has changed my view of Creator, angels, aliens, religion, celestial events and spirituality.

Here's a fifteen minute segment from the one I just saw this past week, Ancient Aliens - Underwater Worlds HD part 1.

FREE HUGS AROUND THE WORLD

I just watched this video again. I posted it to my facebook page last week because it made me cry when I watched it. This Italian account has 2,742,411 views and was uploaded in May of 2010. This leads me to believe that a lot of other people like hugging too! There are many versions of this, done over the years in different locations around the world which can be seen on YouTube. I'd love to try this sometime.

This second video is from September of 2006 and has 67,013,976 views. I think it is pretty good too. Which one do you like better and why?

More Wolf Killing Planned In Alaska

I just got a letter and petition from the Wilderness Society today that had an enormous amount of thought provoking replies. If you are concerned about wildlife protection and the connection between man vs. nature, I think it is worth the read.

This quoted passage showed up twice, so I thought I'd post it here.

"We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals.

Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."

This is taken From the Outermost House by Henry Beston.

A Horseman's (Or Woman's) Dream

My friends, Patty and Carole, just reduced the price of their gorgeous horse farm in beautiful Chatsworth, NJ.

The house is REALLY nice and every detail has been considered in the barn and the property. If you or someone you know might be interested, be sure to check out their web site here.

Great Spiritual Opportunity

I really enjoy getting Owen Waters' Articles on Spiritual Metaphysics every Sunday. Today's newsletter was a real gem.

Spiritual Trendsetters by Owen Waters:

"It is time for the world to stop being fearful. Fear breeds fear. Love breeds love. One cancels the other. Which will you choose – love or fear?

If you decide to create more love in your life, the approach is simple. Spiritual awareness enhances the natural flow of the universal consciousness called love. By developing your inner spiritual connection, you attract and transmit more pure, unconditional love and all things will be added to you because of this.

Your relationships will grow deeper and more harmonious. You will appreciate yourself more, simply for being the child of God that you are. You’ll prosper in your professional dealings as you become more creative and, therefore, more competent and more valuable to the people you serve.

It’s simply a choice. To develop love, start by ignoring the fears that face the rest of the world. Don’t let those issues of fear bring you down. That’s what they’re designed to do. If you let them bring you down, they will disempower you.

Instead, focus on what will make a difference within yourself. Your domain – the realm under your control – is within you. You can change that which is within yourself. Other people are outside of your domain, so change that which you can – that which is within yourself. Then, paradoxically, you will also effect positive change in the world because you are part of the global mind consciousness.

Just as there is an atmospheric belt around the world, there is also a mind belt around the world. This mind belt is constantly fed by the thoughts and emotions of every human upon the planet. People are like radio transmitters and receivers, only the energy is mind energy, not radio waves. You constantly receive mind energy from the collective mind belt, process it through your own consciousness and transmit it back into the mind belt.

Mind energy consists of thoughts and feelings. It is a definite energy, even though it is much more subtle than physical energies like light or electricity. Mind energy is conditioned and directed by human will.

You can be affected by the collective mind belt or you can decide for yourself how you will react to life’s events. Choose now whether you will be affected by every twist and turn in the game of life, or whether you will be one of the few who create the game.

Independent thinkers are the trendsetters in the mind belt. The way you think affects every other human upon the planet. The way you feel affects every other human upon the planet.

Because higher frequencies of thought and feeling have much more power than lower frequency ones, the unconditional love that you generate through your spiritual practices has a huge influence upon humanity.

Choose the development of love through regular, dedicated spiritual practices and you will be changing the world. Make spiritual growth your number one priority in life. At the end of the day, it’s the one thing that really counts."

© Owen Waters

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Subscribe to the FREE Infinite Being Newsletter here. It is full of spiritual insights for the New Reality, emailed to you every Sunday.

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See more inspiring articles and books on Spiritual Metaphysics on the Infinite Being Website.

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Denise Bush Photography - 2010 Gallery Is Live!

My sister, Denise Bush, just updated her website to include her 2010 Image Gallery. The group includes 42 of her favorite photos from the past year. It is a high caliber collection of natural images that in me evokes pleasure and strong emotion. Her vision and voice is strong. Excuse me for bragging, but I am very proud of her. See her amazing virtual exhibit by clicking here:

Denise Bush Photography – 2010 Gallery

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Discover the cosmos through A.P.O.D.! "Each day a different photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer." I just love these images. The awesome colors, designs and mystery really gets my creative juices flowing. This photo is one of my favorites from NASA's Hubble Heritage Collection. Yesterday I made a slideshow using iPhoto and some of these images. With music from Pink Floyd, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", my new 27" iMac monitor can now take me away on a "Magical Mystery Tour". See my 2008 Astronomy Favorites From APOD video set to the music of Cusco on YouTube here. Oh, and be sure to watch it in full screen mode and turn up your speakers! Enjoy!!

Cardinals Heat Up The Winter Landscape

There's not many sights as pretty as Cardinals in the snow. Although they number in the millions, there is nothing common about Cardinals. They mate for life and it’s not unusual to spot Mr. and Mrs. Red with their extended family dining at our backyard feeders. They also eat spiders, fruits, berries, insects and wild seeds so they are not seen as often in other seasons when these foods are available. At a bird feeder, Cardinal's favorite food by far, is the black oil sunflower seed. Although they prefer to eat on the ground or low in the bushes, you won’t have to coax them to stop at the nearest hanging feeder with a platform for a quick snack or a leisurely evening meal, in the winter. Cardinals do not migrate, preferring to stay put as long as there is plenty of good food and a water source for them. It's easy to provide a few essential comforts to give them every reason for making their home in your backyard this winter! We have a group of ladies who occasionally stop on the road by our house with binoculars and count the cardinals in our yard. One reported that they counted 11 one day. It's hit or miss. Where there's one, there's usually a few, but they come and go throughout the day. Last time I saw the cardinal watchers stop, there wasn't a speck of red to be found.

Keep the feeders filled during winter with a good quality seed when natural foods are hard to find. Get the best you can afford. The cheap kinds just have a lot of filler that nobody likes.

Provide a source of water. (I purchased an inexpensive bird bath de-icer for $25. which makes the job much easier.)

Did you know that the Cardinal is the state bird for seven states? They are; Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

Do you have them where you live?

"Happy New Year!"

"The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays and was not always January 1, which is purely arbitrary. Observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years go, the New Year began with the first New Moon after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring), a more logical time to begin a new year." ~ wilstar.com

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More quotations on the "The New Year":

"I made no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me." ~ Anaïs Nin

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Reposted from my January 2007 Spirit Art Letters.

What's Your BMI (Body Mass Index)?

Here's an easy chart from RealAge to calculate your Body Mass Index. Anything over 30% body fat can lead to a host of health issues. All you need to know is your height, weight and waist size. I think it's good to know if weight loss should be considered an issue.

A White (Day After) Christmas

It's the day after Christmas and we're receiving our first big snowstorm of the season here on the East coast. It's a good opportunity to just relax, recharge and and stay warm inside. I've been going through my reading list here on Blogger and perusing some of my friends' holiday posts. Wow, I am so lucky to have found such a productive and creative bunch to follow! It's especially nice to see what others have written and to feel that holiday connection. There are so many words and images to inspire and sooth my spirit here. Meanwhile, the wind whirls big drifts of the white stuff all around the house. I watch the clock, keep an eye on the build up and wonder how much shoveling I'll have to do to get back to the barn for the dinner time and nightly feedings. Looks like I'd better sign off soon while there's still some daylight and go find my knee high winter boots! For those of you experiencing wintery weather, enjoy it. For those of you with warmer weather, appreciate it!

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring." ~ George Santayana

"The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches." ~ e.e. cummings

"A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but just look what they can do when they stick together!" ~ Author Unknown

"Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while." ~ Kin Hubbard

Holiday Happiness

"HAPPY HOLIDAYS!" IS THE MOST COMMON GREETING OF THE SEASON.

So, what is happiness and how do we get it?

Abraham Lincoln said that people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. It is a simple statement that yields a wealth of truth. Situations constantly change. The way we deal with physical pain, fear, frustration, stress, loneliness and other negative situations, directly determines our state of mind and ultimately our own degree of happiness. Someone once told me; "It's not so much what happens to you, as how you react to what happens to you, that determines your happiness in life".

"We create our own happiness." ~ Walt Disney

"It takes wit, interest and energy to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is a great activity. One must be open and alive. It is the greatest feat man has to accomplish, and spirits must flow." ~ Robert Henri

Reposted from my 1/12/09 Spirit Art Letter.

Easy Mock EggNog

I just made myself an easy holiday drink and thought I would share my recipe with you here today.

1) ripe banana
1-2) scoops vanilla ice cream
1-2) cups milk

Mix in blender

Garnish with nutmeg

I know it sounds crazy, but I think it is amazing how yummy it tastes and how much it resembles EggNog! Give it a try and let me know what you think!


See all my snowman illustrations available for royalty free licensing from iStock here.

First Snow

See more snow quotes at "The Quote Garden".

Remember To Be Kind

The Holiday Season is upon us and one of the important things to remember is to be kind. The gift of kindness can be as simple as a smile or a compliment.  This quote by Robert Brault , has really stuck in mind ever since I read it. He said; "Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true."

"A kind word is like a Spring day."  ~Russian Proverb "Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer."  ~Mignon McLaughlin Excerpted here from my '09 Spirit Art Letters.

The Basic Ingredients of Time & Love

See my snowman images available from iStock here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of year reminds us all that we have so much to be grateful for. Deep and sincere gratitude is something I don't think, feel or voice as often as I should. Giving thanks throughout the day is a wonderful way to live. Please join me this week in a more conscious attitude of gratitude!

Some quotations on Gratitude:

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. " ~ Cicero

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. " ~ Meister Eckhart

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. " ~ G.K. Chesterton

This text from my November 19th 2007 Spirit Art Letter.

Many Blessings

See more of my seasonal images available for licensing here.

Giving Thanks

See more fall images here.

Action Packed Halloween 2010

From October 24th to October 31st my parents and sister Gaile, visited my other sister, Denise and I and our families here in NJ. Living in "the hell hole" as Gaile calls it, they all really miss the change of seasons and especially the fall foliage. You couldn't have hit it at a better time than last week! The color here was peek. I don't believe New England could be any prettier. The temperatures were mild and for the most part, very pleasant. We all had an action packed week which included pumpkin picking and carving . . .


bonfire, family gatherings with great food, picnic lunches, walks in the woods and always great dinners. And as an 80th / 78th birthday gift from us daughters to our parents, an all expense paid, overnight trip to Cape May New Jersey. The trip included more great meals, front row seats to a hilarious play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), at the Cape May Stage, (where my dad and mom even got picked to participate in the show), a little bird watching and a great private tour through the Cape May County Museum. The next night, an 80th and 78th birthday PIRATE PARTY was fun for all.


After my parent's departure in their motor home, we sisters spent the last day at Grounds For Sculpture,


followed by a trip to Borgota for dinner and some gambling fun. One last picnic lunch on Sunday and it was over until the next time we meet up again. I've put a little slide show together with some of my point and shoot snapshots if you'd like to see more here.