Bird Tweets

Day 277 Giving Thanks. Dinner at The Nest.

I love this time of year. I remember my mother and my two grandmothers preparing the food for our Thanksgiving dinner. The table would be set for 12 with my mother's best china. It was white with an aqua and silver design on each plate. Her wedding sliver laid out in proper order next to each person's place at the table.

I saw that aqua china for the last time when i was at my dad's this past summer. I can't even remember if one of my sisters boxed it up for themselves or if it stayed with the house or went to Goodwill. The week spent closing up my father's house is already blurred in my memory which surprises me a little.  Why didn't i take that china for myself? At the time nothing like that seemed to matter much. The magnitude of my father's death washed out the value in what seemed to be small details. Now as i contemplate giving thanks this year i wish i had my mother's china to look at so that i could remember more vividly the days of being a young child watching the creation of the Thanksgiving dinner with great anticipation. I loved mashed potatoes and my grandmother's gravy best :)

If i had the power to send real blessings i would send them to you. But i don't have that power. I am sending instead good wishes and prayers which i do have the power to give. 

If you were here at my house i would cook you a magnificent dinner while you sat in the living room, across from the kitchen where i I could see you. I would be standing at the counter facing you while i worked, listening to you chat about the good, the best, the simple things in your lives You would offer to help several times over and i would shoo you away knowing what it means to be given the small gift of having dinner cooked for you. You know how good food tastes when someone else does the cooking right?

I would serve you the best pumpkin pie you ever ate and would make up little food packages of leftovers for you to take home. I would say farewell at the front door, one person at a time, giving hugs, making plans to see one another soon, finally waving to the last car as it pulls out of the drive.

The house would be almost quiet, holding the merest echo of the laughter and words that were shared this night. It would still be warm and cozy with the fire burning in the grate. I would sit finally and feel the success of the evening. You all felt loved. You each one took away a refreshed feeling of hope and gratitude for another year. I know that is how it would go because i know how you all are. You are caring and fun. You are intelligent and conscious of your place in the world. You are the most extraordinary people. Friends, neighbors, bloggers, writers, artists. I am so blessed to have found you all! 

love, robin

p.s. if i could i would take you on a walk along this lane. We would feel the chill wind blow through our scarves and hats and each time we stepped out from beneath the towering trees we would turn our faces upward, eyes closed and comment on the warmth that remains from the sun. It would be a glorious walk to take with you :)

Day 276 The Making of Sparrow Cottage

As mentioned in my previous post i spent the past weekend at the beach partaking in fun, friendship and too much food while Natalie of Vintage Sparrow and Leah performed a "Natalie-styled makeover" of this cottage. All went smooth except for the fact that i was the only person who was unable to work for 18 hours straight without falling over and crying like a tired baby. These people are very into hard labor seemingly for their own pleasure and entertainment. 

But even with out my full time supervision the end result was astonishingly perfect in every way.  I think I should move right on to the introducing the crew.

This one is SELF explanatory i think. Any questions?

Although the three stooges were around for much of the work they spent most of their free time in a supine position. They were however entertaining none-the-less for being useless.

It was a good thing we had this person along.Meet Steve, Leah's husband. He started out as an innocent bystander but like most men, found it difficult to stand by and not 'help.' We did allow him to voice his two cents worth in the design process however he had "no comment." Since the dogs were out of commission we requested he do the heavy lifting and the mathematics that were needed. He was gracious and good humored

The next three images are freebies. Although we all intended to dress in our 'sunday best' for working on the cottage our sense of style deteriorated as the day progressed. Since I would never want to present my lovely girlfriends as anything other than their most beautiful selves i thought it only fair that you see them without paint in their hair (a paint fight between Leah and Natalie was one of the highlights of the day) after a shower and smiling.  It was dirty, grimy and sweaty work so that by the time the job was complete we all looked a little bit different than we do in these photos.. 

Lovely Leah.

Pretty Natalie

and the three of us.

Everyone had a role. Everyone had a job assignment. My role is self explanatory at the beginning of this post. Somebody had to be in charge.... So the CEo of Everybody assigned George to be the official Boss dog.

The Designer.

The Assistant Boss.

The Assistant to the Designer and Assistant to the Boss. Reported directly to the CEO of Everybody. Let's get on with the dirty work.

An epiphany of brilliance in the category of design was had by Leah regarding the question that was keeping everyone on edge; "what do we do about the ugly floor?" so the assistant to the Designer and assistant to the Boss said "let's paint it."

Nothing will discourage these girls from accomplishing the desired effect.

As the day wore on to evening we were in the final stages of completion. This process, the finishing touches took the longest by far.

Welcome to Sparrow Cottage

Step into the room.

Look to your right.

Walk across the room

Look to your left.

Look to your right.

Turn around and look behind you.

Walk to the door to call out to your girlfriends.

Pile into the feathered bed, pull up the linen sheets and congratulate yourselves on great teamwork.

I am grateful for you both. Natalie you are a brilliant artist. The vision you had in your mind for the cottage turned out exactly the way you expected. You can be very proud. Thank you Leah for being the most generous friend in the world. Thank you both for the hilarity, the creative inspiration and for your sincere friendship.

love, robin

Day 275 Grateful For Laughter

Today i am off to the beach with my two friends Leah and Natalie who make me laugh so hard...yes you guessed it...i think my ribs will crack. Ha! i bet you thought i was going to say something else:)

Natalie, Leah.

Natalie is doing a 'Natalie style makeover' of this cottage for Leah. Although i have been pretty sick this week I refuse to miss this carnival. I will be playing photojournalist and have also agreed to help with the paint. And they really wanted me to come because i am providing the nourishment. Tomato Soup Cake and Minestrone with butter-flake rolls on the side.

And  these two, highly intelligent creatures, Marco and Zippy, will be providing us with technical assistance on 'home decorating with a favored pet' in mind as well as mathematical assistance with basic building construction. They are in charge of cutting the barn wood to the proper size. They love playing with hammers and nails. I loved to build forts too as a kid didn't you?!

I will be back home on Monday to share the results! 

What projects are you digging into this weekend? And who is helping you?

love, robin

Day 274 Grateful For The Winged Queen for a Day!

What a perfect month for celebrating the spirit and art of our friend Susanna of Susanna's Sketchbook!  Susanna is the creative genius behind the art project titled Winged Messengers. Many of you have heard of her project but those of you who have not yet had the pleasure will be astounded at the simple beauty of this world wide project. 

Morgan McLaughlin dubbed the wings the "Heralds of Humanity" in her Somerset Life article this past Winter of 2009 which i think a brilliant description. The intention of the project begins with Susanna's desire to infuse the world with random acts of kindness, encouragement and hope. From the seed of this small idea a huge flock of winged messages have flown over the globe bringing love, humor and sweet surprises to the unsuspecting strangers who discover their "message" in random public places.

Susanna's heart is as sweet and generous as the messages themselves. The project is brilliantly collaborative. There is the inspiration, the creator, the message, the bearer and the receiver. And the flight of each messenger is guided by the grace of humble generosity.

The winged message i have been given to pass along is "you are trusted."  This has a deeply personal meaning in my life. I thank you sweet Susanna for the gift of wings. I will handle them with reverence and care, keeping faith that they will guide me in finding them the proper home and owner for the next step of their journey around the world. For now they sit quietly upon my table waiting with patience to fulfill their destiny of gifting trust.Love, robin

Visit the other Queen for a Day Participants:

A Room of One's Own

Alice in Paris Loves Tea

Come Sit By My Fire

Four Ravens

Ilka's Attic

Kristin Rexter

Lili M.

Mo'a Romig_Boyles

Persisting Stars

Rochambeau

Rodrigvitz Style

Shiny New Pictures

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Some Pink Flowers

Soul Aperture

Sweet Indigo Life

That House

The World Examining Works

Visually Oriented

Metaphorical Magpie

Day 273 November is for Gratitude & Girlfriends

My friend Jeanie is using the month of November to remind herself and her readers of what she is grateful for in life. I think that is the most perfect idea! While contemplating how i wanted to follow her lead i found myself thinking of  the women in my life that inspire, teach and delight me. I realized that even if i were to post each and every day of the month of November it would not be nearly enough time for me to describe all that i am grateful for from these cherished friendships. In fact this project may need to stretch to the end of the year :) 

I feel very passionate about my girlfriends. 

   passion |ˈpa sh ən|

1. strong and barely controllable emotion :  • a state or outburst of  emotion fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, eagerness, zeal, zealousness, vigor, fire, fieriness, energy, fervency, animation, spirit, spiritedness.

Meet professional photographer Lara, who's charitable work as a portrait photographer is integral to everything she does in her community. Leah the painter who's home is fast becoming the place i go in my neighborhood to find conversation and a good laugh. She is a clothing designer extraordinaire who is preparing a collection for release that will take your breath away with it's practical yet flatteringly styled look for every woman.  She is a cottage home designer and recognized as the woman who can show you how to remodel your home in fabulous style without begging the bank to mortgage your first child. That's Debi laughing and looking beautiful. She is the natural model for Leah's line of clothes and co-onwner of Worthy Goods with her friend Laurie. You've already met Natalie , famous keeper of chickens and maker of chubby charms. Her home has become a regular school house for all things creative and crafty that we want her to teach us. Generous beyond belief!

I'm telling you these girls have a spark and  zest for life that is incredible! And can they ever JUMP!!! I am grateful for my girlfriends :)

love, robin

Day 272 The Color of Joy

Good morning! Aren't these yellow boots just the perfect foot fashion for Autumn?! The feet inside them belong to my sweet friend Elizabeth. She was wearing a fabulously stylish coat as well that day but i forgot to take a photograph above foot level. Last week Elizabeth and i went for a walk along the river with Atlas. And as it turns out we had met for the very first time almost exactly one year ago to the date and done that exact same walk. Kismet!

I adore Elizabeth. She has the kind of heart that sings out to everyone around her.  She is of the belief that life is full of joyful possibilities if only we become willing to step off the edge of the predictable and prescribed path and traipse off into the field of the unknown. Elizabeth is a daring spirit. Not everyone in her life appreciates that about her but i have to tell you this woman knows all about courage and about how to listen to the whispering inner voice. She is an inspiration. And always fun to be with :)

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. ~Buddha"

These oak leaves were right at eye level and i nearly fell over from the brilliant glow as i attempted to capture the light. Wow. I hope you all have an Elizabeth in your own lives with whom you can enjoy the light of Autumn.

love, robin

Day 271 The Art of Photography

Excerpts from friends who's commented on my last post:

"We are not short on words in this world we are short on silence and empty spaces." Laura

" I have no more ability to bear an untold story. My prayers go out to all those who have no voice today." Erinlove, robin

Day 270 Locked up

I am sooo stuck. I cannot seem to wrap my mind around words that will tell my stories.

I have so many to share you know. For example almost a month ago i went to the beach with four women that i met....you guessed it...from blogging :) and had a most incredible experience of sisterly love and fun. And the images are quite amazing. I just clicked my heart out which meant each image was filled with the light of love along with the light of the autumn sunset.  Even as i am writing this i want to go back to my files and get those images ready just to show you the loveliness of girlish friendship. 

But i just can't seem to gather my thoughts.  My head is full of white noise  and everything that comes to the front of my mind is so slippery that before i can grab hold and slap it down on paper it is gone. Literally. Poof, gone. I can hardly talk for fear of losing my place mid-sentence.  It is a little worrisome but i am just going to say that it is most likely caused from an extreme love of life. I think i might be overstimulated for my age. No honestly! I spend  the beginning of my day being excited about being alive, planning all the things i want to do, see, experience and share. I start  the day with the positive intention that i will take care of the daily tasks  and prepare for uninterrupted time to do whatever my heart yearns for that day.  But then i swear i look at the clock and it is noon and i can't even recall if i actually accomplished anything important. My husband calls that sort of behavior "getting ready to get ready."  I'm guilty, very guilty of that sort of runaround.

But here is what i am thinking as i write this.... i actually might let images speak for me for a time and see what comes. Yes i will do that. Post pictures and say only what comes easily for awhile. Ok that's my story for the time being and i'm sticking to it!

love, robin