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Anyone who knows me well, knows that I LOVE mackerel skies. Living in the southwestern desert, any sign of moisture in the air is a welcomed sight. A mackerel sky is a sign of changing weather. Where I live it usually indicates rainy, cooler weather to come. This afternoon we had a glorious mackerel sky (called that because it looks like the scales of the mackerel king fish), with rain and cooler weather in the forecast, of course. Snow in the high country and rain the valley. I always feel better under overcast skies and when it rains, regardless of the season. Lighting incense, playing mellow music, opening the doors and listening to the soft trickling of the fountain outside my studio and kitchen door takes me to magical, dreamy places. It is this time that I completely embrace life. Creativity flows effortlessly through me when the lights are low and the sun is hidden. I am inspired by the earth and sky. I become intoxicated on nature and the elements. There is no other high that can compare to a natural high. Memories of places where I have traveled surface that are associated with the weather that I have experienced in different places. Warm and balmy will always be Hawaii to me. Fog is California. Snow is Colorado and northern Arizona. Rain is every beautiful place where I have ever been. So, YES, my heart is singing under the mackerel sky!

~ “Mackerel sky, mackerel sky. Never long wet and never long dry” ~

I colored in a few mandalas from the Mandala Coloring Book while waiting for the temperatures to drop. The weather is beginning to cool down below 110 and there is a hint of Autumn in the air. Although, many people would disagree, I think that I tune into the subtle changes because I have been a desert rat most of my life. Soon we will be able to open the windows and have fresh air flowing through the house and studio. I know that I am pushing ahead of the season a little prematurely, but Autumn is my favorite time of year on the planet. I anxiously await the arrival of fall year after year. Thanks to winter for making it easier to say goodbye to Autumn! Then spring comes and is beautiful, but carries the threat of hot, hot days to come. I celebrate the end of summer!

Today I also began a new painting. Tomorrow the details will be ready to paint in. I’m liking what I’m seeing and loving what I’m feeling.