My favorite Drama Queen

Today I made the very short journey to the home of my creative, dream-interpreting, astrology-loving friend, Barbara Emery Johnson, who also lives here in Harwich.  Barbara is colorful, spirited and has a Master's Degree in Expressive Arts.  She facilitates psycho-drama as a form of psycho-therapy. This makes her Master Drama Queen in the best sense of the title.  Barbara and I taught a Mask making class together called 'DreamMask Expresso' (newspaper photos below) and I was a student  of two of her Fairytale workshops for adults.  In the fairytale workshops, the adults got to be children again and act out our favorite fairy tales like 'The Three Little Pigs', 'Goldilocks', etc. to discover the dreamlike quality of the fairy tales and their hidden meanings.  We were fortunate that the class was in The Harwich Junior Theater so, not only was it pulsing with creative energy, but we had access to all of the costumes and stage sets that filled the top floor of the building.  It was so relaxing and fun and a great way to forget daily troubles or at least look at them in a new light.
Anyway, a few months ago, Barbara picked up the DVD, 'Vision' for us and we were very excited to finally have the opportunity to see it together.  ('Vision' is a movie about the medieval nun and scholar Hildegard of Bingen.  Hildegard lived in the 12th century.  She had visions that gave her information on healing by using plants, stones, and music.   She'd be considered radical today, but as a nun in an extreme male-dominated culture, it was fascinating to see how she advanced her principles.) With the pouring rain outside, the dark, and the thunder, it was a perfect day to cozy up with a movie.  Barbara and her family hadn't used a physical DVD at their house in so long that playing it actually turned out to be an unexpected challenge.  So while Barbara was moving us from one TV to another; just like Goldilocks, I tried out the beds and couches in each of her  rooms that had a TV.  To an artist-type like me, Barbara's house is heaven.  It is filled with life, colors, art and creativity.  It's spectacular.

I had only about 5 minutes to take pictures at Barbara's before the movie started so here is what I grabbed to share with you:


This painting was done by Alex, Barbara's daughter.   It is inspired by Thomas Kinkade.  But I don't actually like his work; although I enjoy the imaginative quality of it.  THIS I love.



One small area of Barbara's living room; still festive from the holidays.

This is another painting by Alex.  It is actually painted on an old wooden box.

Don't you love this one?   I think this is also by Alex.  Barbara also has her work in the house along with her other daughter's work (Rose).  So these pieces are just a small taste of what her house has to offer

This painting really appeals to me, but what looks like the moon is actually the light on the glass as I took the photo.   I think I'm going to paint my own painting inspired by this one, with the moon in it.   It will be this month's Wolf moon which rose a few days ago as a huge and a bright orange ball hanging in the sky.

Peek- a- boo

One of the things that endears me to this photo is that Barbara never changed out of her slippers.   She was sure  we would only be photographed from the waist up.   Also, we weren't confident that a photo would even be included in the article.  BUT the next morning, there we were; Barbara's slippers and all!   This photo was large and it was a full page article on the front page of the 'Arts' section with a small photo and teaser on the cover page of the paper. 

The caption on this photo says, 'Masks can be creative, expressive and, ironically, revealing.'.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Our neighbor is a pirate

Meet Captain Blackstrap Molasses.    You may not think so, but he is a true pirate.   He kidnaps our spirits, steals our hearts and his creative, rebellious energy has attracted attention throughout the world. His ship, The Ghost of the Whydah, is on wheels and it's recent parking ticket was successfully auctioned on Ebay.   The winner, my son Jason, recognizes a deal when he sees it and he now has a bit of Cape Cod pirate history.    Capt. Blackstrap Molasses was recently featured in a video by the Cape Cod Times newspaper.  Some may say he is a local wack job with a strange perception of life.   You decide; you can watch it here:   http://youtu.be/11IqL3Yw9F4

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Saturday Farm snowbank

I think I'll make a snowman today!
- Posted using Iphone BlogPress; also on Facebook (Cindy Sauers and Island Cottage USVI)

The Blue Bottle Tree

It's beautiful in this morning's sunlight.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Perfect Day

During the night there was a loud storm with strong gusts of wild wind and sheets of rain that poured off the roof. At sunrise,though, a bright, warm, beautiful world opened up. Evidently It's Indian Summer and I am enjoying the perfect day.
Harry started our day right by making us a breakfast of omelets, then the Baa Brothers and I did a whole 15 minutes of fall clean up:

















Then, we went for a long walk:





(We are so grateful for our miles of conservation land just a short walk from Saturday Farm and this is such a gorgeous time of year. Sometimes we pack some wine and bread and cheese amd spend hours walking the trails. Harry never seems to mind all of the little stops I make to check things out or to take pictures.











(That's my buddy there, Handyman Harry.)





We didn't run across anyone on our walk except this artist working on the little wooden bridge.











(Our pc is broken, so I took all of these photos with my phone so I could upload them to this blog.)
Now, I'm on the couch writing to you and watching the game with Harry. Like I said -the perfect day. Tell me, what is your perfect day?
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sleeping in the Barn

On Sunday night our smoke alarm started chirping. A loud chirp with just enough time in between chirps that if you are exhausted you'll start to doze and then 'CHIRP!' you are snapped awake. The alarm is way up in the vaulted ceiling (which 'they' say is the smart place to put it) so I can't easily check it. It's wired in so I thought we would not have low battery warnings. Harry was sound asleep, completely unaware, until I woke him up. Why did I wake him up? I don't know. In retrospect, it was rude. I am used to Harry being able to fix everything, though, so... Well, once I woke him up, it chirped only a couple of times and then stopped. He said that it fixed itself.

'Are you sure?'
'Yes.'
'Are you sure that it isn't going to start again tomorrow night?'
'Yes.'

I was suspicious because this sounded too much like me. I expect 'reality' from Harry. I am not used to having to be The Realist. If the car doesn't start I just go in the house and let it nap for awhile in hopes that it will feel better when I go out to start it again in a couple of hours. So, of course, 4:00 am this morning :
'CHIRP!'

I didn't want to wake Harry, so I took my pillow and shuffled off to our Barn. I haven't slept in the barn since Harry and I slept up in the loft while he was building Holly House; it's now my studio space and sometimes our children stay overnight there. But it is my sanctuary and it was beautiful waking up there this morning with the stove glowing. Here are some pictures for you.(Ellen, this angel reminds me of you. Yeah, you, my friend in Germany.)

Why Sheep?

This post is for my urban friends and some of my artist friends who ask me 1) How did I even think of getting sheep and why? 2) Is it taking away from my art?
Farm animals appeal to me because they are generally working animals that give more than they take, which is why farmers have them - you have to be very practical to make a living as a farmer; you can't afford to keep animals that take resources and don't give back. Working with animals and giving animals the opportunity to work with us is a way of bringing mystery and magic into our life. A farm animal can give us that and affection, delight, joy and practical, tangible gifts like wool, fertilizer,mowing, weeding, eggs, milk, cheese... the list goes on and on. I'd mention meat and leather, but that is obvious and I'm a vegetarian so I'll leave that for someone else. :-) We need to be aware that animals can live without us, but we cannot live without them. I believe they are happy to work with us, but they do not need to be slaves to us and we do not need to be slaves to them either. They have a lot to teach us and give to us.
The other day my friend, Jenny, brought her daughter Emma over because Emma wanted to ride in the wagon. It was a big success. Jenny asked me how this fit into my life. And, actually, you know what? I realize that I believe this is art. It gives to people most if not all of the pleasure that I want people to get from my other creative work and I approached it like I do an art project. I had a vision of the Baa Brothers pulling a wagon and then I pulled together the media (the wagon, harness, etc) and worked to achieve it for the visual and tactile delight. I believe that if people have time with the Baa Boys (and other animals) they will be changed, delighted, touched, brought into the present moment....

The Baa Brothers on Youtube pulling a wagon

Here they are and I'm very excited that they've been able to pull the wagon so well and at such a nice pace to pull children. If anyone knows of anyone else who has taught their sheep to pull a wagon or a cart, I am very interested in communicating with someone who has done this before.
Here is the Youtube link to see the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTkP3xVYr1I
Two Sheep Pulling a Wagon

Uncle Eddie's World - The Time Machine

This beautiful flying horse flies above the entrance gate to Eddie's garden that is pictured below.
Welcome to Eddie's World! When this gate opens it has a tremendous squeak. It is the most beautiful squeak I've ever heard.

(See more pictures of Eddie's gardens and Eddie's castles in an earlier post.)
Hello everybody! I took my friend, Mame, to Eddie's Garden for her birthday. Every time I'm there, I'm delighted to find something new. This time Eddie opened the door to a little shed and showed us his time machine. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it's very heavy and it goes on your head. Eddie said that so far he has only been able to go back in time 3 minutes. Once I had it on, I asked Mame for the time - I went back 3 minutes too! Actually, I think a time machine that fits on your head is entirely appropriate - time really is all in our heads anyway. If we can stay focused on the present instead of the past or the future, we'd have all the time we need!

Here it is!

Deborah Ann's Rainbow

Yesterday was another beautiful day and the Baa Brothers and I went out at lunch to visit Deborah Ann at her Rainbow- a wonderful shop in Dennisport attached to The Dennisport Natural Market. You can check out her website at http://www.deborahannsrainbow.com. She says she stocks her store with items for the inner spirit and that's definitely true for me. She has books, crystals, CDs, DVDs, calendars, cards, toys, Cape Cod gifts, oracle and tarot cards, chimes.... she fits a lot into s small shop and I visit her whenever I need a gift or an uplift. I also took an art/spirit class at Deborah Ann's Rainbow this week called Soul Collage taught by Brenda Fernandez. I loved it. In the above photo we're trying to get the boys to face the camera. It's not easy because they want to go into the shop. 'After all,' they say,'why are we here?' And, yes; as you noticed in the picture, my hair completely changed color this summer. I think it must be angel hair. :-)

'Do you think after this photo, Bromley, they are finally going to let us shop for our inner spirit?'

The boys are back! Sheep pulling a wagon!

I'm so proud of them! It took them about 15 minutes to get the hang of it. I need to get them both hooked up to the wagon at the same time, though, because the one not pulling is causing some mischief. I think they love it. Doesn't Bromley (first photo) look proud?

Fritz's Marbles

I haven't had a chance to take the Baa Brothers to Fritz Glass yet, but you must go. He is an amazing glass blower and you can watch him work right there in his shop. Fritz and his wife, June, are very friendly too. Hillary Rodham Clinton decorated the White House Christmas tree with his glass.
It is a long walk or very short drive from Saturday Farm on Upper County Road.
Here's his link
http://www.fritzglass.com/

Be kind to yourself and sweet dreams.

Saturday Farm roses

Roses pretty much surround Saturday Farm. The old rambling roses in the side yard are at their best right now so I took this picture today. It was a little overcast....

Meanness and Grace

Does it seem to you that people are more gracious this year? Harry and I have the opportunity to meet a lot of people through friends, work, and vacation rentals. This year people have been more gracious than ever. It's wonderful. What have you noticed? I want to hear; please comment..
(The above mean photo is of my cat, Smudge. This was taken last year. She's a little sweeter this year :-) Below are photos of grace that I took at Watkins Farm, Jason and his granny, and a couple singing to each other at Pleasant Bay Nursing (where his granny is now).)