Deer Mother...

When I made my reindeer I knew that the females were the ones who kept their antlers in the winter.

So I gave her a feminine Sami name meaning 'quiet,' to honour the majestic and powerful and all being magical creatures we associate the winter season with.

Introducing Jaska...

After blog hopping this morning I found the most interesting post by Gather a local Victoria

blog produced by two women who clearly know how to research and put out a gorgeous blog.

They are truly passionate about which they write about! 

I urge you to check out there archives...so interesting and

many tasty recipes made from local, wild crafted ingredients!

So I found this enlightening post all about the Deer Mother in legend, folklore and history...

https://gathervictoria.com/2014/12/04/doe-a-deer-a-female-deer-the-spirit-of-mother-christmas/comment-page-3/#comment-4911

So grab a mug of tea and spend the time to have a look through the beautiful images

and learn all about this engaging tale of the Deer Mother.

I guess it explains a lot on a former sculpture I made...Finns Nordic dream...

I had no idea about all of the folklore regarding birds in the antlers and such!

(this sculpture is sold)

(p.s...Jaska is now available in my etsy shop here

an update...

Limner spoke of not deleting drafts and this was one I was working on for something else when I forgot to delete the draft!
So for you Limner (and anyone else who might have wondered!)

'Sue'

Tugwell Creek Honeyfarm

Sooke, B.C

 (taken on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I was supposed to be taking photos of bees but this lovely gal poked her head out of a little sheep shed)  

Thanks Limner for alerting the press!!

there is always light somewhere in the world...

Amidst these dark and evil days in the world,

I am recharged by light.

Not in the physical sense of the word so much as the feeling of the word.

There are two definitions of the noun:

light

noun

1. 1.the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.

   "the light of the sun"

   synonyms:

   illumination, brightness, luminescence, luminosity, shining, gleaming, gleam, brilliance,  radiance, luster, glowing, glow, blaze, glare, dazzle;
2. 2.understanding of a problem or mystery; enlightenment.

   "she saw light dawn on the woman's face"

   synonyms:

   aspect, angle, slant, approach, interpretation, viewpoint, standpoint, context,  hue, complexion

So in this context, I speak of the second meaning.

You'll get my drift as I go on.

I had an urge to go thrift shopping the other day and it was just one of those lucky days.

1. The old wood bobbins were a thrill, since I collect them and at $5 a piece, a steal!
2. Also from the same shop was the little Wade Irish mustard/salt pot. $6.
3. I just learned that they started producing this pottery in Ireland in 1946.
4. More serendipity on that later!
5. On to the next shop!
6. As I was leaving empty handed, I glanced up on a shelf and the little book
7. caught my eye...'The Turf-Cutters Donkey Goes Visiting'.
8. I picked it up for $1.95  before even looking inside, just for the cover.
9. As I was paying for it I commented on the sweet little cup and saucer that
10. happened to be at the front (I thought it was someone elses purchase).
11. The shop keeper said "isn't that the sweetest thing? You can
12. have it for $1. It has a crack in the saucer".
13. I of course took it home to maybe plant a little succulent in it.
14. The scene of the country cottage...hmmm, is there a theme happening here???
15. One more shop to go and I found the fabric to cover cushions...already cut to size: $2
16. 
    When I got home, mug of tea in hand, I began exploring the little book.
17. 
    It belonged to this young lady...
18. 
    ...and lo and behold it was given to her by Eunice,
19. Christmas   1946!
20. The same year that the Wade Irish Pottery began production!
21. 
    How about them apples!
22. The colour plates in it are quite lovely...
23. 
    ...worthy of colour photo copies to frame...
24. 
    This one will be perfect for the upcoming "season of spooky malarkey!"
25. as a blogger friend, Ciara commented this morning...more on her in a bit...
26. 
27. 
    There are some cute little black and white illustrations throughout as well...
28. 
    
    
    
    So here's the kicker...this morning when I opened my Instagram comments there
29. was this one from milkmoonmama:
30. 
    
31. 'Ooh ''tis the season for spooky malarkey! Little story here (bear with me): I spent Wednesday morning unpacking an entire library that was rescued from a house that was being cleared out following the Elder owners passing away a few years back. The friend who rescued it didn't know what to do with it but kept it until our little school came along and he was delighted to donate it (as were we!) So there I was, unpacking and lovingly cleaning each book, and the entire contents are nature, natural history, geographical, gardening, and Irish interest, dating from the 80's and backwards. And there it was, the single novel, one I had forgotten the existence of since I read it age 9 - The Turf Cutters Donkey by Patricia Lynch. A little electric moment into my childhood. I was charmed and delighted. And now this! You've made my day. How lovely to feel this connection across the ocean. Have a lovely weekend! 😘'

 

Many years ago Ciara and I 'met' via our blogs and followed each other through

various turning points in our lives.

She would post the most moving prose along with her heartwarming photos of

The Motherland (Ireland) and I got to know her and her family and her thoughts on life,

learning, love and philosophy.

It is indeed a big, bad scary world out there but it is also this:

Friends and kindred spirits can be found in the most unique ways.

I urge you to open your heart to these happenings and see the LIGHT 

that this sad but beautiful world has to offer.

  

Thank you Ciara for giving me yet one more reason to

believe in the good.

💚

Tiny noises...

Past rusty railroad tracks...

 ...up the unused drive...

 ...where once you could hear voices and farm plows, 

it's only the sounds of us and the pups and the birds.

 We meander where busy lives once existed...

 Sapsuckers are the busy ones now...

 The colours, the textures of the past greet us at the gate...

 Someone long ago took time to plant these wee autumn crocus' and 

for many years watched them come up every September...

 These are scenes from a life abandoned...

 Tiny noises play in our heads...

 ...the low of cattle, the cluck of chickens

 For a hundred years this was a place...

 ...linked strongly to a life of farming

 Now weathered and disappearing...

 What happens when lives fade away?

 It was a home...

 And as always we look closer...

 try to hear those distant voices...

 Wishing the grasses would rustle up the story through the breeze...

 But the sounds grow fainter...

 The past keeps her stories to herself for now

 But this life abandoned has had some visitors today, who think about it, 

wonder and maybe keep the tiny noises turned up again, just a notch or two.