wedding hair

I've been wrapping up some of my wedding crafts (including some awesome handmade cake stands) and getting details like hair attended to.  These are some pictures my dear little mama snapped of my intended wedding hairstyle.  It will have a white orchid and black feathers in it on my wedding day.

summer lovelies

I've been quite busy again with the impeding wedding and the impending  move.  However, I take time to walk along the trail near my house now and then to see what I might discover.  There are lots of lovely, tiny  things hidden in the grass.

Moving and marrying

My love and I are having a wedding and then moving to the other side of the country entirely.  I have not only been busy with the impeding move, but with sightseeing.

It may seem odd to go sightseeing so close to home, but it occurred to me that in my 15 years in Colorado, there have been a lot of things I've missed.  I think most people probably go on vacations away from home and take far less time to look at what is actually around them.  We've discovered a lot of loveliness on our recent adventures.  I hope we can fit in a few more before the wedding.

This is a lovely dried seedpod we discovered while exploring.  I wanted to take it home with me, but it was park land, so that would be naughty.  My love photographed it for me instead.

I get dancey sometimes.  (I think I'd just done a pirouette.)

1908

This postcard was used in 1908.  It appears Mr. Earl Fulk had a friend who liked to write upside down.

Ancient Mariner

I made a larger version of this to print for my wall after my recent re-reading of Coleridge's poem. I thought it would serve as a reminder to be gentle and kind in my dealings with others and the world around me.  (Bird image from The Graphics Fairy.)

Coleridge's poem Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner has always been one of my favorites.  My father recited bits and pieces of it to me throughout my childhood.  When I got older and finally sat down and read it through, I was impressed by its beauty as well as the thoughts and values expressed by it.

The Romantic movement in literature and art, with its emphasis on nature, appeals to me greatly.  Coleridge's poem ties the idea of the sacredness of nature to an almost medieval version of Christianity with saints and hermits and prayers to the Virgin Mary.  Harmony with nature and respect for it are equated with goodness.  It is also a tale of redemption in a way.  Through his experiences and the penance that follows them, the mariner not only redeems himself, but comes to have a greater understanding and love of nature.


The poem at Project Gutenberg

Shy lady

This image was taken from a turn of the century postcard in my collection.  I chose this one for the color of the lady's dress and her elaborate hair comb.  She looks to me as if she is not quite sure what to make of her suitor.  Note the sweet little bird couple in the nearby tree.

Sweet Spring

When I was a young girl, I hated spring. It was cold and damp, the flowers were slow to bloom, and the world was gray with a haze of green creeping over it far too slowly. Somehow I find that has changed now that I am a little older.

Spring is gray and cold in my part of the world, but it symbolizes so many things for me. Rebirth, new life and the power of nature and beauty shine through even the damp drear of springtime. Persistent, brave little flowers manage to peep out of the earth, although the temperature is discouragingly cold.

Life has many endings and many days without sunlight or cheer. New beginnings are difficult and the world is harsh and cold, yet beauty always manages to find its way.