fresh air

  two hours to spend at the river on a milky-sunny midwinter afternoon.  what to do with my pocket of time, then?  rain has been frequent - feeling like it is raining every other day here, or more often than that - and the water levels along the river banks have been high.  this means piles of sticks to dig through.  i love doing this, love sorting through and finding the straight and sturdy sticks that have been decorated by beavers stripping the surfaces of bark...  such a lovely pattern.  i carry them in a bundle the whole way back to the car.  once back home, i tie them with a small bit of velvet ribbon sent all the way from finland, ribbon the color of tree bark in winter light.  maybe i'll leave them standing in the corner where i stood them on end beside a table lamp; maybe i will hang them above a favorite painting, i know just the one.  maybe i will drill holes in them and hang them with pearls, like rain or ice.   maybe i'll dangle jewelry from them, to photograph, to display.  whatever the case, i'll look at them and always remember the quiet two hours at the edge of the river, spent searching for heart rock valentines, searching for patterns in sticks, being quiet, seeing no one, loving the time there alone in the winter milky grey light with my pup.

Comments

[Molly Vollmer]

One of those good days. There's a weak sun here today. I can gather some seed heads from the grasses.

[Tina in McLeansville]

a perfect way to spend the day....deep gulps of life! enjoy. hugs....xo

[susan]

such joy.
it's in the 50's here today - downright balmy for New England. think I'll take a long walk. no river :(
but we do have a huge field and woods beyond.
love to you, nina. and thank you for this happy post.

xo dusan

[Cynthia]

How wonderful to live near a river!

[Monica]

I am savoring this blog post as I savor the soup for my lunch made by my dear boyfriend - they are both warming my spirit on this cool day!

I will be sure to keep on the lookout for the sticks in a future post, no doubt transformed by your creative magic Nina =-)

[Dinahsoar]

I love your artistic creative ideas for using these beautiful sticks. I'd have never thought of this. You can be sure I will be looking at sticks and other objects of nature in a totally different way.

This is one of the many reasons I love reading the blogs of artistic creative people...there's a chance that some of their creativity will rub off on me.

[tracey]

If I go for a walk, a stick or a rock comes home with me. As you know from my experience last month, no more bird remains will come home with me though :)

[Mary G.]

What nice sticks -- I never knew beavers transformed branches with their teeth.

Today outside Washington DC was beautiful, with lush blue skies. A perfect day for a walk in suburbia for me, checking the early spring progress in yards as I pass.

[sandra]

sticks and stones...you got it goin on...

[carol]

making every moment special.......you really do that........

[SusanS]

Maybe you'll paint a couple of them with stripes of beautiful colors...

[Lorraine]

I just read this after I wrote you. I chuckle about the sticks.... All you née is string! :0)

[gloria martin]

Lovely treasure! xo

[christina]

ah, i love that....listening to the quite.

[delila]

lately the spring has been on my mind. the scents of it and earthy colors. but winter is good too.

there is such a wonderful gifts in a woodland.

[Emily]

I love the idea of hanging pearls from the branches. I'm covered in snow here. Not a stick to be found........

[julie]

two hours at the river after rain, rain and more rain -- i am sure you found all sorts of treasures.

[bev b]

love the patterns on these twigs. i know you will use them to their potential!