Monday, December 28, 2009

Blue Moon This Thursday


Everytime there is a Blue Moon, when there are two full moons in one month, I think of this song made famous( to me at least) by Nancy Griffith:
(Patrick Alger & Gene Levine)

"I found your letter in my mailbox today
You were just checkin' if I was okay
And if I miss you, well, you know what they say...

Just once... in a very blue moon
Just once in a very blue moon
Just once... in a very blue moon
And I feel one comin' on soon

No need to tell me, you'd like to be friends
And help me get back on my feet again
If I miss you at all... it's just now and then

Just once... in a very blue moon
Just once in a very blue moon
Just once... in a very blue moon
And I feel one comin' on soon

There's a blue moon shinin'
When I am reminded of all we've been through
Such a blue moon... shinin'
Does it ever shine down on you?
You act as if it never hurt you at all
Like I'm the only one who's gettin' up from a fall
Don't you remember?
Can't you recall?

Just once... in a very blue moon
Just once in a very blue moon
Just once... in a very blue moon
And I feel one comin' on soon... just once... in a very
... blue moon"

I feel fortunate to have seen Nancy Griffith play live in the Cactus Cafe in Austin way back in the 80's when I lived there the first time. This song will forever be in my head and it always reminds me of all of my .... long-lost friends.
Happy Blue Moon Y'all

Vibrational Healing


Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Marcel Proust

The illustration above came from the website:
www.SoundHealingCenter.com
I still hope to go to school there or somewhere like it someday but in the meantime I am absorbing an amazing (new to me) book by Joy Gardner-Gordon entitled
"Vibrational Healing through the Chakras: with light,color,sound,crystals and aromatherapy".
Of course this book is about so much more than all of that but what a wonderful surprise to find it here in our little local library.
I have been doing alot of really profoundly colorful collages lately. This book explained to me that what I have been doing (basically) is self-therapy via my color collages. It brings so many of the alternative healing modalities that I have used and (somewhat) studied, full circle.
Thank You, Joy Gardener-Gordon. You can read about her work on www.highvibrations.net
I have written about this before, but I personally will be forever grateful for the Sound and Vibrational Healing given to me by Katie Briggs in Santa Cruz. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Katie. You can read more about her work and make an appointment on www.resonationacupuncture.com
Yes, it works and boy do I miss being able get my treatments.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Check out Geo's new Blog

I have mentioned this blogger b4 but now Geo has a new one that I enjoy reading ...right up there with Lloyd Kahn as my favorite.
http://trainrideoftheenigmas.blogspot.com/
Check it out. He always provokes laughter to bubble up from me and bounce out toward and disturb the other library bound computer users. Yeah, I am the crazy middle aged lady here in this cool little library always laughing at something or other (while trying to find a job).

Monday, December 21, 2009

This is an image from Bluemoon 43 I found today while searching for Winter Solstice images...from photobucket.

Resolution via the Dream State and Happy Solstice!!!!



The top picture is a picture from the local "Ocala Wildlife Sanctuary" website:
www.owls-ocalainc.org

I have always been drawn to Owls and feel fortuneate to have worked with injured birds of prey, early in my Environmental Educator/Naturalist career. There are lots of Owl sounds everynight here at my Dad's place in Florida...like this one....
The bottom picture is one I took on my mini-digi camera when I still lived at
'The Lighthouse".

“The truth often sounds paradoxical.” -Lao TzuAn




I have been having a good number of dreams lately that seem to somewhat resolve the unresolved aspects of my recent past. Many times in my life this has happened and I do believe that is a gift from the "Great spirit/God-dess/All-That -Is" to help us through difficult periods of growth in our lives that we cannot somehow reconcile in our everyday "Waking" lives.
These are dreams where I actually speak up for the various (perceived) injustices that have been done to me. In reality (for me at least) "standing up" merely serves to placate the EGO. Divine retribution comes around so they say...but still I wouldn't want to wish hurt, damage or gain revenge in any way, upon anyone.
Last night I made peace with a teenage daughter of one of the characters in my most recent personal growth drama. Although I do not agree with the addiction related -misogynist behaviors and actions of her father, I could never bring myself to speak judgmentally to her about the con that he is.
As a child survivor of divorce, I realized early on that saying negative things about another person (my mother about my Father in my case) just backfires. Gossip /judgements are just plain poison and can do so much damage. Everything does eventually come around, in whatever way the divine decides for it to manifest. People will eventually get the truth on their own. Wait, what is the truth?:) Nobody ever really "does " anything to us, we seem to set these dramas into motion ourselves....and that has been the hardest lesson of my life.
As for the teenage daughter( who I know will survive as she is /was a strong woman already), I saw the beautiful spirit/writer/artist/survivor in her and know that someday she will realize the truth about the situation...and the unfortuneate outcome that occured in my personal life, to be just another episode in the play (perhaps even melodrama) entitled "We are just another aspect of each other".
I have always travelled extensively in my dreams. Some of my recent dreams have also been very vivid and beautiful, showing me glimpses into my future: that I will find "the place" for me, I will find another job that suits my being and in a place where I am truly appreciated for who I am. Thank God/dess for balance.
Here's a poem passed on via Lloyd Kahn's blog:


"If you have time to chatter


Read books


If you have time to read


Walk into mountain, desert and ocean


If you have time to walk


Sing Songs and dance


If you have time to dance


Sit quietly, you Happy Lucky Idiot."


Poet Nanao Sakai
who now rests in peace.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Lloyd Kahn again!!!!!

Check out lloyd's latest blogs. Just do it.
http://www.lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/
He really never ceases to amaze me.There is a cool new coffee label inspired
by him there and a really nice link to a Natural Building book.

Friday, December 11, 2009

"Be contented with what you possess in life; be thankful
for what does notbelong to you, for it is so much care the less;
but try to obtain what you need in life, and make the best
of every moment of your life."
Hazrat Inayat Khan*Gayan*

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Though you may not be able to change it,
you can handle an ugly situation beautifully.
Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
"Alchemical Wisdom"

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Eternal Spirit -- Earth-Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver;
source of all that is and that shall be; Father and Mother of us all.
Loving God, in whom is heaven. The hallowing of your name echoes
through the universe!
The New Zealand Prayer Book

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Winter Gardening in Florida

My Garden here is thriving. Lettuces, cabbages, radishes, peas, onions, oregano, parsley, dill, tomatoes in a mini hothouse I built, for now. Lots of pots of my attempts of doing perennials of cuttings and cactuses and other assorted succulants too. Looking around for baby trees to transplant. Harvesting citrus previously planted here is fun and tasty. A Lavender plant I planted here 4 years ago still alive and well:)
I was able to work for my old Rabbit/worm farm employer (12 years ago) for a few days, so the garden has benefitted from some rabbit manure and worm castings. Worm castings are like gold for plants, such an immediate difference. Send some prayers my way y'all, as I still don't have a "job". My job for now is spending time with my Dad and working on helping him clean up his place. I have a cell phone finally, so if you write to me at the email above, I can send it to you.
Hearing 2 kinds of owls, coyotes, a fox, armadillos and raccoons on a nightly basis is indeed wonderful. There is a large group of Sandhill cranes in the area as well and seeing them fly overhead is a real joy. My dreams are coming back!!!!! Yippee. Lots involve what I think are related to the Timucuan people who lived here for thousands of years pre- Ponce De Leon.

Oh and doing alot of collage....as soon as I can find a color xerox machine or scanner here in the sticks, I will post those as well. Peace, Annie B.

Monday, November 23, 2009

We are able to laugh when we achieve
detachment, if for only a moment.

May Sarton
We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all.
Dorothy Day
2 more quotes from gratefulness.com
I tend to like the ones that I am constantly working on myself.....
Happy Thansgiving to all....Annie B.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Landing again in Eden!!

"The Rainbow River is located in the southwest corner of Marion County Florida, about 20 miles southwest of Ocala, 100 miles northwest of Orlando and 100 miles north of the Tampa Bay area. It is formed by a first magnitude spring that is ranked fourth in the state for volume of discharge. In addition to the springs located at the headwaters, there are many smaller springs that discharge from numerous caves, rock crevices, and sand boils the entire length of the river. The Rainbow River is a gently winding river that is 5.7 miles long and merges with the Withlacoochee River at Dunnellon Florida. The headwaters is the anchor for the Rainbow Springs State Park. This first magnitude spring is not one large vent but is numerous vents that issue 400 - 600 million gallons of crystalline water every day. The Rainbow Springs State Park is a popular destination to swim, snorkel, canoe, picnic, or stroll on the walking paths to enjoy the many plants and animals that abound here.
Once named Wekiwa Creek, Blue Spring, and Blue Run, archaeological evidence indicates that the waters of the Rainbow River have attracted and sustained human inhabitants for over 10,000 years. The crystal clear water, abundant with fish, wildlife and vegetation along with the constant water temperature of 73 degrees, has attracted a number of modern day activities.
The springs became popular in the late 1880’s when hard rock phosphate was discovered in the area. A small community called Juliette flourished near the springs during this "boomtown" era. In the 1930’s the spring was developed as a tourist attraction. Sea walls, a lodge, gift shop, the waterfalls, and a reptile exhibit were developed. Under new ownership, the real heyday for the attraction occurred in the 1960’s. During that time activity greatly increased with glass-bottomed boat rides, riverboat rides, log raft rides, a gift shop and cafe, an aviary, a leaf-shaped gondola/monorail system, a horse rodeo, and submarine boat tours. Not faring well when traffic began using I-75 instead of U.S. Highway 41, with many tourists heading to a new attraction called Disney World, the attraction closed in 1974.
The entire Rainbow River was designated as a Registered Natural Landmark in 1972, an Aquatic Preserve in 1986, and an "Outstanding Florida Waterway" in 1987. The state purchased the original area that was the Rainbow Springs Attraction in 1990. Volunteers cleared the overgrown park and opened the park on weekends to the public. The Florida Park Service officially opened Rainbow Springs State Park on a full time basis on March 9, 1995.
Rainbow Springs State Park is comprised of 1,459.07 upland acres (which includes around 100 acres of wetlands) and 12.83 submerged acres. The most significant natural feature is the first magnitude headspring basin which produces between 400 - 600 million gallons of fresh water per day, forming the Rainbow River. The looking glass waters of Rainbow Springs come from several vents, not one large bubbling spring. The river itself supports a wide variety of fish , wildlife, and plants, many within easy viewing by visitors. In total, the park contains 11 distinct natural communities, including sandhills, flatwoods, upland mixed forests, and hydric hammocks. Visitors are able to see a variety of wildflowers in season; oak, longleaf pines, magnolia, dogwood, redbud, and hickory trees; gray squirrels, red-shoulder hawks, swallowtail kites, barred owls, whitetail deer, and a wide variety of wading birds. The relative peace and quiet of the winter season offers much for the nature enthusiast. There is an interpretive room located in the visitor center displaying historical, natural, and cultural resources of the park."
I can't wait to swim here again. Spending some time for a while with my dear old Dad.
Peace, Annie B.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Yet another very inspiring site for

Organic Farm-Sound Healing-Earth Healing :

http://www.organic-sacred-earth.co.uk/sound_healing.htm#Top

Friday, November 6, 2009

Another great old illustration from vintage moth
I love everything about the movement to use old images for new collages. I glow inside (with inspiration) to look at what some folks have done and to see things being done more (again) encaustically. Today while looking over vintage moth some more, I found this amazing blog...with challenges to you assembling lovers out there called "Steffies Stuff" very inspiring!!!

I Love Mermaids! This is one of the copyright free vintage pictures available on
www.thevintagemoth.blogspot.com that I previously blogged...
"God bless the grass that grows through the crack
they roll the cement over and they try to keep it back."
Malvina Reynolds via stevie v

Thursday, November 5, 2009


"The same pain that can blemish our personality
can act as a creative force,
burnishing it into an object of delight. "

Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Alchemical Wisdom

Tuesday, November 3, 2009


This is actually the top half of a picture that my Mom took years ago. It is the "heartland" of forest from my childhood. Nearly every weekend in the summer, I ran free there with 20 plus cousins. I am pretty sure this is where I became a young Naturalist. It's a beautiful example of what Ohio's colors are like in the fall.

reblog

"Love alone can unite living beings
so as to complete and fulfill them
for it alone joins them by what is deepest in themselves.
All we need is to imagine
our ability to love developing
until it embraces the totality of men and of the Earth."
Teilhard De Chardin

Sunday, November 1, 2009



Earlier this year, the day that two of my friends had their first child, I embarked upon my first project of making an old book into a new "art book" like I had seen in many books about the subject. This one is for Kai and his two parents. The left side mostly represents his Chinese side and the right his Swedish. I reused the Year of the Ox collage because he is a baby boy Ox. I tried to fill it with Love and Blessings from many different cultures.

Rabbit, Rabbit!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Joshua Tree

My Favorite Roadside Sculpture Joshua Tree

I could live here...

Indian Cove


my pile that week




"Heal Thyself"


Today is the 15th Anniversary of my survival . On October 31st, 1994 I was diagnosed with and had surgery for , a grapefruit sized tumor on my right Ovary. I knew as soon as I woke up from surgery that there was no way in hell I was going to do chemotherapy or radiation.


I was very fortunate at the time to be surrounded by folks in Sonoma Co who were herbalists and knew the healing power of plants. I was also very lucky to have not had a great deal of pain (unlike many of you out there who have gone through hell and back to survive). Two weeks after surgery, I was back hiking with kids and teaching about Redwood trees. To attempt to keep the "cancer cells that were found in the wash" from reproducing and spreading, I prepared and took tea that was a combination of Burdock root, Slippery elm bark, Sheep sorrel and turkish rhubarb. This formula (rumored to have been passed down by the Ojibway but similiar formulas existed in the cures of other midwestern Indian peoples) is commonly called The Essiac Formula. It was made famous in the u.s. and in Canada by a nurse, one Renee Caisse, who took on cancer patients in Canada that doctors had completely given up on, and healed them by golly!


I also had access to a clinic in Oakland called "The Charlotte Maxwell Clinic" http://www.charlottemaxwell.org/ that was/is an amazing oasis providing alternatives to western medicine for low income women with cancer. The environmental education program I worked for at the time did not provide me with insurance, so I qualified. So a few Saturdays a month , I would go there and receive free acupuncture, massage, reiki, chinese medicine, organic produce, flax seed oil etc. The CMC ( at that time ) was run by volunteer bodyworkers and herbalists .


I also stuck to things (for a while) like rice and miso and alot of seaweed soup. The previous summer I had been working on an Organic csa farm and eating straight from the ground, so I believe that this also helped by body to fight the reoccurance. My surgery was paid for by the county, because I could not.


The hardest part of the entire ordeal for me was that the (overkill) surgery induced the onset of menopause. I chose herbal medicines for that too, deciding never to go the route of estrogen replacement therapy. I don't know how to say what I want to say here in any other way than a short two word phrase (author unknown) who said "Heal thyself".


Regarding the current debate on all forms of media regarding government supported healing:

All I can say is : Healthcare Shmealthcare. Sadly, I do not have access to any of these forms of alternative bodywork at this time, and yes they are not accessible to alot of the population. It is long overdue for these forms of alternative healing to be recognized and I do not want to participate in any (so-called) healthcare system that does not provide them.

For now, I will continue to search out, harvest and prepare my own medicinals, practice self massage/acupressure and practice the little that I know about energy work with movement, taking walks, doing art, playing music and singing , laughing as much as possible.

Friday, October 30, 2009


Fragment of a previously posted collage

murals




"Sunflower Woman" Mural



St. Bernard's Corning, Ohio






I have often thought that much of my artwork is meant to be viewed from a distance.

These are some current ideas that I have for murals. Know anyone with an empty old

brick wall and the funds to support such a project?

Lizards of the 4 directions
Mural Proposal

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Picture edited in "paint" of my altar while working for Great Smoky Mountains Institute



My "gratefully dead pumpkins" photo of the compost pile post Halloween, Jones Gulch, USA


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

scenes from along the way...

I have been very fortunate in my life to live in and travel to some
pretty amazing places . Here are some of my
photos of some of these places and some other quirky things
I have seen along the road...
Lake Rousseau Dunnellon, Florida



Lake Dunmore, Vermont


North bank of the Columbia
Washington State

Above tree line on the Jewell Trail
Mt. Washington New Hampshire


A sign in one of my favorite places
Joshua Tree , California

more pictures from places in my heart


On my ride from Seattle to Santa Cruz

North Coast of California

Near Rockport, California

Russian Gulch




Yucca Plant in So Cal

My old favorite souvenir stand in Galveston, Texas
Most likely swept away in a hurricane

Back when I worked for the Austin Parks Dept
I was in charge of this traveling group
called the Senior Travelers. They started me off on the path
of traveling. I drove them in a bus to attractions all over
Central Texas. Yep, that's the Alamo.


A sign in Austin

Bluebonnets in the Texas Hill country

White Oak ,Yellow Springs, Ohio

Backroad West Central Indiana


Old Barn outside of Danville,Indiana


A covered bridge while kayaking on the Eel River
AKA Big Walnut Creek, Indiana


July Creek, Lake Quinault Olympic Peninsula

My favorite cave on North Pescadero Beach, Cali
An Old friend that I am trying to restore
(somewhere near Moab )


Same cave as above, looking out



A sculpture on the side of the road near 29 Palms , California
In the middle is an Octagon. I will use this for a model
for my roof beams someday...
Joshua Tree is one of my favorite places to go to be absolutely alone.
These are some rocks in Indian Cove.

More rocks in Indian cove. Such a magical place.

Santa Cruz a few years ago...

South Rim of the Grand Canyon


Somewhere along the Colorado in Utah


Jack Kerouac in the tv in my old Columbus apartment