You are going to get a ton of pictures today. None of them will be of my hair. Even though it’s pretty damn entertaining right now. If I were a dog and showed up in Emma’s salon, she’d shave my head. Well, maybe not, but it’s a close call.
Speaking of beloved pets. Wanna see our friend Ryon and his lovely companion? Of course you do.
Shadow!
Very long story, that of Shadow and his guy, not all of which I’m real clear on. Doesn’t matter. You can see how happy they both are. That’s all that counts.
Love and happiness, very important. Childhood friends, also very important. Below is one* of the views that Whitney promised me from when we stopped to see her on our way home last month.
*Another is our last one of the post.
We don’t know who lives in that house behind them, but it’s lovely. As are these girls.
Today took me (and my messy hair) several places we didn’t plan on going. Interesting how that works out. I met a delightful business owner named Jane.
Where The Cotton Mill used to be,
on Willamette Street.
She runs a shop called Mary Jane Collection, as you can see on this sign: Classic Couture For Curvy Women. It was her first day open! I hope she does really well there. (She is still working on the inside but already it’s super nice. Local folks, go see her. She also has nice gift items and exquisite jewelery at VERY reasonable prices.)
Second of the season.
It was a walking day, as I mentioned last time. A full 90 minutes, up and down hills, along the canal, and through the park (you know how I love the park). The light was stunning in so many places. There have been scattered clouds and showers the past few days, making smells vibrant and loud.
That truck was NOT the only Foreign Plate du jour (it WAS the closest to our house though). There was also a Why-Oh-Mee. As well as one each from Kansas, Alaska, Indiana, Florida, and Massachusetts.
For even better perspective.
That is the water bottle which came with the belt pack we recently purchased at the sporting goods sale. I am now a major fan of having pockets strapped around my waist. Unfortunately, I was also majorly startled when my phone vibrated nearly directly over my freaking kidney as Dan sent me a text. It felt like some sort of creepy alive thing was clamoring up my hip. Very disconcerting! On the plus side, I totally knew I had a message.
The bad news is, my body heat tends to warm up the items I’m hauling around. There was what-seemed-to-me-to-be an excessive (and potentially dangerous) amount of condensation on the camera when I unloaded everything later. We have an idea on how to solve this. Will keep you posted. As far as comfort goes, I love it. And plan on embarrassing my children by wearing it around far too often.
On our card altar today we have a message from the category of
“Land Dwellers:
Cheetah, Lion, Cobra, Kangaroo, Hare, Wolf, Rhino, Mountain Goat, Llama, Wild Boar, Wild Horse, Scarab Beetle, Baboon, and Tortoise.
A great number of our messengers live on the earth’s varied terrain and have adapted in very specific ways to the other animals, birds, flowers, rocks, insects, and climate they are confronted with.
Cheetah has taken the form of a sight hound to sprint at 70 miles – over 110 kilometers – per hour, Tortoise makes her carapace her fortress, Baboon’s sexual desires are broadcast through vivid-colored fleshy swellings of purple and red. None is better than another, for all are perfect in their world. The lesson these animal messengers teach is that there are myriad ways to live and infinite paths to choose, all with their own validity.
We are not all geniuses – we cannot all be film stars, city millionaires, or even Buddhist monks – but we all can choose paths and lifestyles to suit our own intrinsic nature….. no way is right, no way wrong, and finally only we can choose….. “
“Scarab Beetle ~
What is unregarded or discarded holds a secret, a seed of creation.
Armored shining jewel, Egypt’s sacred symbol, Scarab generates life from the waste of others. Look at what you discard or even despise, for within its form lie the germs of creation. For some this may mean procreation; for others, artistic creation as symbolized by the flowering of the seeds buried in Scarab’s ball of dung.
Consider also those unregarded in the river of your life. One may be the catalyst for a new endeavor, another hold unguessed-at knowledge, or even the secret that will unlock your heart.”
I think that, for me, bugs are similar to birds, as far as symbolism goes. I admire them, and honour them, from afar, and not in real life. There have been some absolutely gorgeously rendered versions of this holy image throughout the ages. Encrusted with so many gem stones that the item becomes nearly priceless. Even though the imagery all goes back to a little creature who shoves around balls of poo.
Here, I’m leaving you with this Daily Dog, because I need to find the detangler bottle and attempt to brush my ratty hair. (See, that’s the problem. I haven’t run a comb or any other sort of styling device through it in, in so long that now I can’t even remember the last time.)
In the California sunshine.
Note to Megan: look over Em’s left shoulder in this shot, you can see THE sheriff. Probably not quite like your main character, but this guy certainly did answer that burning question we had.
Today’s Deck:
Animal Messages – Seek Inspiration From Your Animal Guides by Susie Green
