MOCKINGBIRD

Yesterday we found this sweet Mockingbird in our yard, who had already crossed to the other side. Ava was with me when I found it so I decided to share with her what I usually do with animals who have crossed... but before I could even begin to tell her, she just knew. She said mom, it needs a nest, let me go make it one. Then she brought this bowl full of leaves to me. Then she said, it needs sticks, birdies like sticks. Then we picked fallen flowers off the ground and arranged them in an honoring way around the sweet bird. She wasn’t upset at all, like she innately knew that it’s death was a part of life. She did exactly what I would of done with her own instincts. It was so incredible to witness. We put the birdie under my moms angel statue for nature to take care of the rest.

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Then last night I hopped in the tub to pull some cards for the upcoming full moon eclipse. One of the cards I pulled was The Flyers, aka knight of wands in traditional decks. In this deck it speaks of coming into contact with a winged one, to gain more insight. I would definitely say that happened. So, on to the Mockingbird...

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Keynote: Finding your Sacred Song (soul purpose) + Recognition of your innate abilities... I have been getting so many messages lately about a change in course, transition in soul purpose, a new path... I don’t know what that looks like at the moment, but my hands are opening.

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After my dad died, I had some very specific + strong messages from the animal kingdom, especially the flyers. One of their dear friends told me one day that God will show up in ways we are willing to see, and from that moment my heart was set at ease with my connection to spirit. But I haven’t felt that deep connection in quite a while until recently, and the flyers have come again to open me back up to something grander. I may not connect with God in the way most do, but I feel the messages + inner knowing through nature. This is my connection to spirit.

HOW TO SLOW DOWN

Yesterday we played in the dirt + it was so good for my soul. I had been itching to get out and dig in the dirt for a few days but it has been rainy here this week. Yesterday the rain lifted, but it was still so yummy + dewy out all day. We ditched the gloves and sunk our hands into the moist soil, well at least I did. Ava just helped as long as her hands didn’t get dirty, lol. I’m trying to teach her to get dirty, but she does not like things to get dirty. As soon as she gets something on her clothes, she insists on changing them, and whenever her hands get dirty she has to wash them. I mean I guess that’s good, but I’m trying to teach her the opposite, ha ha! Get dirty little one, it’s good for your heart!

We pulled up some fresh dandelion leaves and made our first green smoothie of the season. I typically only like to drink smoothies in the warmer seasons. I never crave them in the winter. It kinda felt like a christening of spring yesterday for me. Then for dinner I pulled up some wild onion chives to chop up and put on our baked potato fries. They ended up being some of the best fries we’ve ever had.

I wore my mama’s mud boots which always make me feel connected to gardening. That woman LOVED her garden like her life. Almost every morning when her crops where in season when I would show up to her house for work (after high school when I worked for them) she would have to bring me out to her garden and show me everything first, always with these boots on. I miss the sacred land they had built their home on so deeply, and these boots walked alot of miles on that land with her feet in them. So anytime I put them on my feet I feel like I’m slipping into a part of her. I wish I had paid more attention back then to all she was telling me about her garden. And dear God I wish she was alive now to come help me create my own, she would LOVE it. But she can’t, so I’ll just wear her boots and think of her while I fumble around in the dirt. I may not know what I’m doing, but I do know the feeling I get when I put my hands in dirt and that is enough for me.

find a little bit of land somewhere and

plant a carrot seed. now sit down and

watch it grow. when it is fully grown

pull it up and eat it.

~stephen gaskin

CACTUS BLOSSOMS

One of my favorite times of year is when all the cacti here in Texas start blooming on the sides of the road in and in the fields by the hundreds.  About a month ago was this beautiful time here in the hill country.  I have a few patches in my backyard.  I could of spent hours just photographing their beauty from all angles.  I adore the peachy color the blossoms are right before fully blooming.

The sweet little plum cactus I have on my porch just blossomed too!  I'll share some photos of it soon.  I love taking photos of plants.  I just love plants.  Texas hillcountry landscapes will forever be in my heart.

2015 FLOOD

This week has been intense for those of us living in Texas.  Many areas have suffered from severe flooding, including my little dream town I want to move to one day, Wimberley.  More than 350 homes and businesses were flooded or wash completely away, and about a dozen people lost their lives.  The storm in continuing to bring its downfall throughout the east and beyond Texas.  So much of it happened so quickly there was no time to prepare.  Flash flooding is no joke!  I can't even imagine how scary it must of been for those who were swept away down the river in their homes, with furniture and what-not swirling around with them.  A few were lucky enough to be rescued, but others weren't so lucky, including children.  It breaks my heart. 

The house that we were going to stay at on vacation this weekend was swept away.  The family who was vacationing there had to be rescued off the roof!  That could of easily been us.  My family decided to go vacation somewhere else this weekend and I opted to stay home.  This week shook me up enough to not take any chances.  James and I got flooded out of the road to get back home on Saturday night.  Luckily we had wonderful friends we could stay with in town who took such good care of us, but it hit us hard.  The rain was not expected to stop all week and we were worried sick we wouldn't make it home to our animals, including our new kitten who was in a room all alone with only a single serving of food.  It poured and thundered all night and we did not sleep much at all that night.  Luckily the sun came out the next day and one of our low water crossings cleared up enough for them to let cars through.  Our other two crossings are still flooded with water 5 days later.  It happened so fast too... My bestie and I were on our way to Kerrville to see Emmylou Harris play at the folk festival.  It was pouring down rain on our way so we decided to turn around and hang out in Bandera for about an hour to see if things would change.  Neither of us thought it was flooding, and nobody at the wine bar seemed worried either.  I called James to come get me, and by the time he came the roads were already covered in water.  The 10 minutes it took to get back from town to our road, both ways home were completely flooded out and not drivable.  10 minutes.  That's all it took. 

The photos above are from the river by our house a few days after the flood.  The water had already gone down significantly.  The root in my teepee in the bottom photo I found in the debri.  There were roots everywhere. 

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the flood, and everyone is is still yet to be affected.  More storms may come through and the ground is already so saturated that it will flood alot easier the second time around.  Big Big prayers all around.