Weekword: Lagniappe

This weeks weekword is Lagniappe, which means something extra, a litle extra with your purchase or a little girt. To read more about it, go to Upside Down B who is hosting this week's weekword.

I've been overcommitted for several weeks and unable to participate, but I did have a possible thought for this week's word, which is pronounced Lan-yap.

Since people rarely get snail mail anymore, I like to offer a little treat when someone is down (or for a birthday or other occasion.) I send a handmade card and in it, I include another card for their use to send to someone else. Mail art.

I purchased some envelopes just large enough to hold two or three cards and sometimes, I even have glassines to put them in.

Depending on the situation, they might be very serious, or they might be silly.

I hope this fits the theme, I'm not really sure.

Have a good week. Mary :-D

Art in progress

I love doing art! It's so satisfying and a great way t spend a snowy evening. This piece is for a book I am working on for my grandson. it's not done yet.

Stay safe and warm!

Dragonfly Symbiosis

Dragonfly Symbiosis

A Story for Gretchen

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved to go out in the woods and meditate. One of her favorite places to sit in ZaZen was Lycopodium Knoll, a small rise in the sandy woods above Blue Heron Lagoon. The knoll was covered with lycopodia, and the girl would sit with her back to a red maple and her middle finger touching her thumb and her hands resting on her knees. And sit.

One day, however, her serenity was disturbed by deerfly. The deerflies buzzed nosily around and kept landing on the girl’s arms and shoulders. They were trying to bite her.

Suddenly, there was a much larger, louder buzzing and a huge insect landed on her knee. In its mandibles was a deer fly. The dragonfly noisily chomped down the deerfly and a moment later, zipped out and snagged another. When it had eaten that one, it snagged a third, and continued until it had eaten the entire platoon

Then the dragonfly sat calmly on the girl’s knee waiting. Each time another deerfly or mosquito homed in on the girl, the dragonfly captured it and ate it. The girl acted as a food magnet for the dragonfly and the dragonfly protected the girl from insect bites. And this is a true story. Mary Stebbins Taitt (Click image to view larger.) This is a collaboration with Gretchen Owen.

Happy Valentine's Day! A Bit of silliness

Hope you have FUN and LOVE!

Me, by Andrea

Andrea, at Something Different, posted this portrait of me. :-D

WeekWord: CYNOSURE

Junebug is hosting the WeekWord this week:  cynosure:  a guide, a center of attention, the tail of the dog, a comic book city in a bubble. Cynosure is not a word in my daily vocabulary.  But it relates to the title of my blog,No Polar Coordinates.  The Pole Star, or North star, Polaris, is a guide for mariners and hikers, but this is an unthemed blog of ramblings and thoughts, art and photos, etc,, thus the name.

I worked as a planetarium director for many years, and as a solo hiker on trail-less mountains.  The pole star is important to me.

Creativity is another cynosure in my life.

Cynosures for me:  Love, honesty, the environment, honoring commitments.  I have no time to think right now.

I will sign up for the WeekWord if time allows. (Unfinished post)

Weekword: Therapeutic

This week's Weekword is Therapeutic, and is being hosted over at Domestic Scribbles.  I am hoping to play along.  I didn't sign up yet, because I have so much on my plate.

We had a snowstorm, and I've been shoveling snow this morning,  This is going to sound a bit strange to some, but I find shoveling snow to be therapeutic, assuming I'm not sick or there's not too much of it or I'm not in desperate rush.  It's hard work and any reasonable physical exercise makes me feel better.  I have to concentrate on what I am doing to some extent, which means I have to put my worrying aside.  It is satisfying work, because it is useful, and I clearly see my progress.  Acedia may say that if I wait long enough, the snow will melt on its own, which is true, but in the meantime, it may be impossible to get out of the driveway and the walking may become hazardous.  Someone close to me died as a result of a fall on ice that was formed by melting snow.

Baths and showers are therapeutic for me!  The warmth, the ahhh of it.

HUGS.

Poetry!

Art!

Nature!

Smiles!

This page is under construction.  It is UNfinished.

Shoveling

The blizzard wasn't all that blizzardiscious, but there was a snowstorm. The first thing I did this morning, before breakfast or yoga or anything else was put on my windpants and warm Harley boots and go out and shovel.  I cleaned half (a narrow path)) along the walk to the front door first, and partially shoveled the front porch, so that the mailman and package carriers could get to us. Then I attacked the snow at the end of the drive, heavy and hard from the plow. Phew! I soon discovered that in spite of it being 16 degrees F, I was dressed too warmly!!

Then, I made a path to the back door, which is the door we actually use, so we and our regular guests could go in and out without wading.  Then, I shoveled the driveway up to the door so my sweetie could get his car in when he comes home.  By this time, I was hot, sweaty and tired.  I had shoveled for 32 minutes and decided to take a break.

That's maybe less than half the driveway, so I will be out shoveling again later and then I need to shovel at the office.  I won't need to walk for exercise!!!

I'm already starting to have issues between our house and Deeana's with the Angle Of Repose.

Later:

More shoveling:  I went out a couple hours later--it had snowed 2 more inches--I re-shoveled everything I'd already shoveled, widened the sidewalk to the front door, shoveled the porch more, and then started toward my car which is in the back of the driveway. I shoveled 22 more minutes and decided that was enough for now.  Puff pant.  ML, Mary Louise, My mother-in-law, says I shouldn't shovel because I'm too old and might have a heart attack.  But PB left without more than a grunt and no offer to shovel.  If he did offer, he'd probably want to be paid.  (Who's paying ME?)

The car is still snowed in--snowbound--which means I am trapped if there's an emergency.  But I don't want to bring an emergency on by shoveling too far past the comfort point.

3:30 PM, just back in from another 31 minutes of shoveling snow and the driveway at home is still not cleaned off.  And I haven't even started at the office yet.  85 minutes so far!    The first thing I had to do is re-shovel what I'd already shoveled.  It is, though, gloriously pretty!  And lots of good healthy exercise, though ML called again and is worried I'll have a heart attack.  I don't feel like I'm in danger . . .