TracyDove.com

If life is a piece of cake, mine would definitely be a tall, layered, rainbow cake with lots of frosting and sprinkles. Looking around my home, I realized how layered everything is. Although, I LOVE the look and feel of an uncluttered space, I cannot survive very long in an empty space before adorning it with patterns and prints and creations, (preferably handmade) large and small. One picture or painting on the wall would never do. They must be accompanied by prayer flags or other pieces of art. And, by the way, that empty space next to the “lovers” painting, above, is now holding a beautiful Frida Kalho portrait. It hangs above our bed and that small, empty wall space was driving me crazy!

I even created a small, hippie room for my guests to stay in with the walls covered in hippie tapestries. It is actually, quite a peaceful room considering all of the patterns that are hung in there.

Sometimes, after watching a marathon of “Hoarders“, I will go through the house, dismantling everything and filling up boxes to donate to Goodwill and friends. It does feel good to accomplish a good house cleansing, complete with a good saging. It also feels great to donate to a great cause and pass things onto friends. Of course, over time “things” begin to collect again~only to repeat the process.

At my half century mark in life, I realized that the first half of life we accumulate things and the second half of life we spend trying to get rid of things. Everything that I surround myself with now is either something I love or something that serves a purpose at this moment in time. If I don’t need it or love it I pass it on. I could probably open up a pretty cool Free Store all by myself! lol

There has been a little too much on my plate lately and there comes a point when everything becomes one big, foggy. blur. When reality becomes too real and life crashes down pretty hard, I have to take a second or third look to see the magic in everything. Today it all came flooding back to me of how easy and free and beautiful life is. Fortunately, I found myself at Fantasia ~ a magikal place. They have everything to open my mind’s eye and please my senses. They carry gems, incense, beautiful art, everything magikal and magical. After feeding my head, I ended up at That’s A Wrap to feed my body with some healthy grub. I love a place that has giant jars of free water with cucumber slices in it. It is so refreshing in this part of the country, especially this time of year.

Now, with a clear mind, fed head and nourished body I can breathe easier and feel my feet on the ground again. This should make the conditions perfect for taking the next step towards creating some new art. I have all of these visions floating around my mind and running through my veins. There is no possible way that I will ever capture it all in one lifetime, so I figure that much of it is for my own personal pleasure. However, if enough bits and pieces make their way onto canvas or paper or take some other form, I will be satisfied enough.

When you are stuck in the heaviness of circumstances in life, take a moment to get out and away to get recharged ~ a little goes a long way.

oh, yah…… and shop locally!

El Mirage Fourth Friday was Hawaiian Night, last month. Tere Bingham and I had the privilege of showing our art in the main gallery that night (the gallery show will run through June 18th). It was a magical night, filled with music, art, dance, food and happy people. There were food vendors, artisan vendors and entertainment  from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the square that is in the middle of the center. This is a place for families to go and have a good time. There was also a painting demonstration booth. So many things going on that I surely missed a lot of it because I was staying near the gallery visiting and meeting new and familiar faces. I was thrilled to have finally met up with some kindred spirits there. Alicia Bay Laurel began the entertainment by singing Hawaiian songs with her sweet style. It was delightful.

Bookmark the next fourth Friday of the month and try to get out to this hidden, little gem of a place in El Mirage. 6p.m.-9p.m. is when the party is rocking. Gather up the family and be prepared to enjoy yourself!

We have come full circle and spring has come once more. Everything is is bloom or sprouting. I still have many seeds to plant. The summer heat sneaks up on us so quickly, so it is urgent that the seeds get in the soil as soon as possible to ensure their full potential. I may be too late for some of them. This year I have decided to plant mostly in containers. There will be much less weeding and bending to do and I actually want the grass to grow around the pots so I can walk barefoot on the soft, cool grass in the summertime.

My husband’s grandmother used to sit in the old, metal chair that was given to us when she passed away. I painted it fire engine red and then painted her name on the back to honor her. She can sit in our secret, sacred garden space for eternity now, watching the vegetables and flowers grow. I’d like to think that her spirit watches over the garden.

This year we have potatoes, snap peas, beets, swiss chard, yellow squash, fennel, chamomile, lemon grass, basil, aloe vera, okra, sunflowers, grapes, and many other things that are still coming up. I’ll make another blog entry in a month or so with a progress report. I am thrilled to be able to have so many things growing in pots with so much room to spare. This garden has plenty of room for growth. I plan on planting another tree in the corner, that started as a seed dropped from a neighbor’s tree into a pot on my front patio. This is how we have obtained a few of the trees that are standing tall in our yards now! Free trees are fabulous!

As if being treated to a fabulous Mexican food lunch for my birthday from a kindred sister friend wasn’t enough, we stumbled upon a delightful surprise location of Lotions and Potions. Back in the day, I was a die hard fan of Lotions and Potions.  It was the 1970’s and natural lotions, massage oils, shampoos, conditioners and custom scented fragrances were all the hippie rage. When I moved to California, I continued to order these products from Phoenix until one opened up in Laguna Beach. Of course, my favorite scents were “Nature’s Scent” and “Moon Flower”. I was happy to find that after all these years they are still favorites among customers!  My friend also treated me to another favorite, A,D,E lotion scented with Nature’s Scent and the lovely woman helping us gave us a gratitude gift of a small sample of fragrance. of course, I chose Moonflower. Immediately, I was back in the 70’s and feeling young and free again.

Sharon Muir is the owner/operator of this shop as well as an aromatherapist and owner of Aroma Terra. She was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I look forward to getting a little more lotions and potions back into my daily life again and am so glad that the Universe led me to this little piece of heaven in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.  They can easily be found on line, which makes everything a lot easier, but it certainly doesn’t allow for the experience of breathing in all of the beautiful fragrances that are available…… and there are MANY. Check this place out and your heart will soar.

Three seasons have come gone and Spring is in full force again. Spring fever is beginning to come over me. The flowers and trees are blooming, birds are singing, everything is alive and harmonious. Little by little I have been planting April flowers and little by little they are blooming. The scarecrow lady that I began creating a few months ago is closer to complete and standing in my backyard, waiting for a paper mache crow to rest on her shoulder. I have yet to put that together and am waiting for a creative burst of energy before that will be done.

“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it,
it’s your world for the moment.”
~O’Keefe, Georgia

Good morning star shine! The coffee Gods are smiling on me today as I woke up to find this rainbow light shining next to the coffeemaker. It is coming from a prism hanging in the kitchen window, of course, but I have never been greeted by it before. The “Frida Kahlo” nightlight is always on and I expect to see that as I turn the corner and make my way into the kitchen for my morning Joe. I keep my home dark and lit with salt rock lamps and nightlights to avoid vision problems and seizures, but this happy rainbow greeting was just what I needed to start this day. This day that I swore off answering the phone and getting dressed. This day that I swore off leaving the boundaries of my sacred space.This day that I swore off greeting the day. Well, not surprisingly, the day decided to greet ME, regardless of the oaths I took! So, hello coffee, hello spring morning, hello rainbow light!

When we moved to Phoenix in 1964, south Phoenix was mostly agriculture and Japanese flower fields. I can remember many Sunday drives with my parents, driving down Baseline Road, soaking up the fragrance and visions of fields of beautiful flowers. We would stop in at a shop or two and walk the fields lost in our thoughts. The last Japanese flower grower closed down several years ago and south Phoenix has continuously been developing, adding to our urban sprawl. One place that has remained a constant breath of fresh air is The Farm at South Mountain. Twelve acres of a peaceful sanctuary lined with pecan trees still thrives in a rapidly fading agricultural environment.

It was only fitting that the day my father’s body was being returned to ash, that my family visited this south Phoenix heaven on earth. He is the one that brought us to the southwest, after all. We ate lunch on the cafe patio (the Farm Kitchen) and quietly strolled the grounds, picking up pecans that had fallen from the trees. A visit through The Cottage, a little artist shop in the back of the property, proved to be a great reward. We had just missed a quilt show that was there the weekend before. My mother and my eldest sister are quilters, an art that I have not mastered and a talent that I was not blessed with. However, I definitely am an admirer of this art form!

Bare trees begin to bud again, flowers bloom, and everything is beginning to become fully alive as Spring approaches in this beautiful, desert valley of the sun. The circle of life continues on and what a joy it is to be a part of everything.

Today I gathered nine, fresh eggs from the chickens at my sister’s house. Her hens are laying a lot right now and the eggs are plenty! I took her a load of egg cartons and she sent me home with 18 eggs. Super exchange, if you ask me. Her gardens are in full bloom with the perfect balance, as well as many new seeds and seedlings forming the finest full circle of desert gardening. There is always something in season at her place. I also left with a bag of dried artichoke flowers, dried peppers, okra and some dried citrus slices. These are things that I will most likely use in a crafted piece of garden art for my patio or kitchen.

A short amount of time spent gathering eggs and strolling through my sister’s garden inspires me in a huge way. Currently, I am gardening in containers. No bending, weeding, or digging is required and it is body friendly in every way. Herbs, vegetables and flowers can be planted in almost anything above ground. If you are like me, you have more empty pots than you do plants. This year I aim to fill and plant every single one of mine. Then water them, love them and watch them grow. When we are ready to bring the chickens into our small corner of the world, we will have fabulous manure for the compost. I get excited just thinking about it all!

~ She’s got “eggs” and she knows how to use them ~