I mean gosh. Just look at those baby birds. Look at them! I found this little nest in the blue spruce today (which was no small feat of nest finding, let me tell you, it was a prickly old mess inside that labyrinthe of branches) and nearly squealed for joy! I didn’t want to traumatize the poor fuzzy little things so I repressed my squawk of elation however, I believe my soul sounded like a tuba on the seashore:
Bumpa-bum-bum-boompa-boompa!
Once my soul was finished playing the tuba on the seashore, I was struck by the miracle of the fact that little things this delicate, helpless and blind grow up to be birds that soar and sing wild songs. Then I remembered how all humans begin as tiny little fragile, helpless things. Even though we grow up into adulthood, there is still and always a little part of us that is breakable, naked and tender and that’s why we should all do our very best to love each other, even when we break each others hearts and murder tiny portions of each others souls…because once, we were all tiny little baby things that could do no wrong, and there’s still a remainder of that reality inside of us all.
I’m a real birdbrain lately. While being a birdbrain, I’ve been painting little self-portraits with my watercolor paints and finally all the sketchbook work I’ve been doing has made its way into metal:
[sterling, copper, graphite, enamel, mule deer antler tip & 23 karat gold]
This self-portrait really looks nothing like me, but it looks like how I feel. Which is why I love it.
gorgeous chickadee,
the photos on the baby birds makes me want to squawk with joy…they are adorable.
And that self portrait is just stunning
Love you
xoxoxoxoxo
M
Thank you, M. LOVE it when you stop by. xx
Oh.
What a glorious wee find.
Love the new work. A good portrait of soul-self.
Lots o’ love to you.
Love back at you, sister! x
second paragraph is absolutely beautiful and oh-so-true
Thank you!
Wow! Just…Wow!! Where on earth did you find this nest? I know, I know, In a blue spruce, but how did you know? Not that I’m looking for your answer, I just wonder how it is that we/you are drawn to this, this amazingness on this earth….i believe, strongly that it is just in you, naturally! It is just there, thank you.
Thank you for these pictures, they are so amazing these tiny little creatures. Love them.
And your jewels….well thats a whole other story!! Um….. Wow! Way cool! I like your art work/illustrations, but I especially like the way you put it all together. The chain, with the long chain, the beautiful bail, oh and the dark blue back piece! Yeah, good!
You know, I think that finding things in nature is about being simultaneously observant and curious. I saw one of the dogs sitting under the blue spruce, looking up through the branches. I immediately thought there might be an owl or some other kind of bird in the tree. So I walked over, peered up through the branches and then pulled the lower branches down one by one until I found this little nest. I found another nest while I was at it but it looked to be a robin nest and the young were long gone.
You just have to keep your eyes open to the world around you and when you see something out of the ordinary in terms of animal behavior, you should check it out! That’s how you find things!
I put in for an elk tag this fall and I told RW the other day that I’m nervous I’ll be a bad hunter. He told me am naturally a tremendously observant person while out in nature and all I have to do to find elk is channel all of my power of observance into looking for only ONE thing. I felt much better after he told me this and I think I’ll be an excellent elk hunter.
Thanks for your dear and kind compliments. xx
adorable little birds – there seem to be babies all around these days. i like how your self-portrait is more a reflection of how you feel than what you actually look like.
It’s my favorite way to work on self portraits.
a sweet reminder, especially given the events of this weekend past.
as always: i can count on you for Good Orderly Direction.
[i ADORE that self portrait locket! it’s SO you. xx]
HA HA!
I’ll do my best to continue to give you Good Orderly Direction! xx
Oh Plumey,
That pendant is a treasure. I love the hint of blue in your mane, the bird happily nestled a’top. Also, just quietly, smiling because my soul plays tuba on the seashore too.
I knew we were tuba kindreds. I’m always on the lookout for used tubas…never know when you might find one. And there’s plenty of storage space in Miss Maple so I can bring my tuba on roadtrips. No problem. xx
Love the heartfelt words about the baby birds. Doesn’t nature have a beautiful way of making us feel humble and extraordinary all at once?
I call those moments *tinyhuge*. They’re vital.
It does too look like you, you beautiful, caring, birdie brain you. And reminding us of how fragile we can be and what a little love can do for our soul.
Now I’m starting to think it maybe does look like me. One of my best friends told me it looks just like me on the telly the other night while we were chatting. I am very out of touch with how I actually LOOK, physically. It always feels like a surprise when I see myself in the mirror…
Oh, the cuteness! They’re so little and odd looking. I especially like the next stage of little birds, where their feathers have half grown, and they look awkward to our eyes but totally rock it like its their thing. Love it. 🙂
They are SO ODD looking. They already look so much larger and fuzzier today and I can see tiny little feathers beginning beneath their skin. Trust me when I say, it takes all of my self control to not set up camp beneath the blue spruce. I want to look at them all hours of the day!
What a treat…I identify with your thumping heart and I love the self-portrait It is darling dear J. xx
Heart thumper!!!
Thank you, Mona. x
..takes one to know one! ;o)
Can I also ‘link’ to you on my blog next week? Steal a pic or two from here… and say how wonderful you are?
xo
Mel
needle and nest
Yes! I would be honored and blessed by that! Thank you for asking. xx
I feel I must say hello. I have been searching for a beautiful blog that was centered around the NW, hoping for a focus in Idaho. I lived in Idaho for a few years and must say I miss it dearly. You could say I left my heart in Idaho. So thank you for transporting me to a place that I love. Seeing a picture (in a previous post) of Scout Mountain reminded me of so many tiny adventures.
Melissa! Welcome here! You will be hard pressed to find a blogger who loves Idaho more than I do though my current location may slightly disprove that statement. We’ll be home to the potato nation in the fall when the fire season is finished! Thanks for popping by.
lovin’ that necklace crazy-much!
it’s such an exclamation of joy!
and climbing to a mountain summit today i found a robin on the nest that she had built on a windowsill at 12,000 feet! i guess she wanted to be ‘far from the madding crowd’, eh?
what an indomitable spirit!
Thanks for the necklace love, sweet thing. It is a joyful piece. I tailored the design to my exact needs…the girls at the coffee shop love it! 🙂
What a special find on your mountain! 12 000ft!??? That bird has good lungs. All the more reason to be like a bird…
xx
Just catching up on my reading… so sweet xxo
but Dang, I want to see that ring on your finger 😉