"Back in the Desert Again..."

The Autumnal Desert...day(above)...and night (below)

...and what a scorcher of a day we had yesterday...

a record breaking 107 degrees!

It is supposed to be the same today too.

The best part about this extended heat is that

the nights cool down

very nicely

and

the Fall season is here.

(So...this heat cannot last forever...now can it?)

Fingers and toes crossed...:)
Have a beautifully "autumnal" Cactus Monday all!

"Autumn's the mellow time."
~William Allingham

"Pulse Points of Prayer..."

...Another in my Sacred Heart ATC Milagros Collection.

This post is sent directly from my heart to you,

Aunt Gretchen.

You have been in my thoughts

and in all of our

prayers

these past few weeks.

May you continue to grow stronger and stronger each day.

You are loved greatly by so very many.

May God bless you!

"In prayer

it is better to have a heart without words

than words

without a heart."
~Mahatma Gandhi

"Warmest Autumn Wishes..."

...to each and every one!!!

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."
~William Cullen Bryant

"Thankful Thursday...(#13)...

So thankful for...

breathtaking views while racing the sun after a predawn

flight departure from Illinois Tuesday...

...and sleepily arriving at sunrise in my warm, dry beautiful Arizona... ...and being taken by surprise by an unpopulated baggage area
at Sky Harbor Airport
in Phoenix! No lines! WooHoo!
I was then greeted at home by these lovely ATCs I requested from
Cynthia in North Carolina.

(She also sent along several extra surprises too!

I will scan and post them next Thursday...) This awaited me also...
a surprise I won in a lucky draw raffle giveaway
from Cheryl in Utah.

Isn't this a clever idea...

everyone she traded cards with was entered in the drawing!

Also tucked away was this lotus beauty from Marianne in the Netherlands. I have such a lovely, lovely collection of her cards... I must remember one of these day to post them all together for you to see!

Then from the east coast and the artistic hand of Laurel
these sweet little tassels arrived...
crows and all on the envelope with a little note
on one of Marianne's mandala cards.
I love how our art treasures
sometimes travel full circle in our lives,
don't you?
...And last, but not least...
...a heartfelt postcard from my 7 year old twin neices
while on vacation in Hawaii!
Oooooh MY!
What a delightful homecoming indeed!
Now I am off to post, and draw, and paint, and trade, and visit,
and catch up with all of you.
Thanks for "sticking around" while I have been gone! :)

"Homeward Bound..."

...leaving the green, green grass of Illinois...

in the wee hours of the morning

tomorrow...

with the full moon as my pilot...

and dreams of

returning to a new "normal" in my brain...:)

Happy Cactus Monday all!

"I long,

as does every human being,

to be at home wherever I find myself."
~Maya Angelou

"An Agave Heart..."

...and the sacred Heart Milagros ATC series continues...

See the entire collection here...:)

"In art

the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can inspire."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"For Homegrown Summer Tomatoes..."

...ripe from a midwest garden...I am most Thankful!

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest."
~William Blake

"Wordless Wednesday...(#12)..."

"Midwest Sunshine..."

Have a bright-eyed beautiful Blooming Tuesday all!

"May all your weeds be wildflowers"

~Anoymous

"Forgive..."

me for not having an actual cactus to post today for

Cactus Monday. LOL :)

Since we extended our Illinois trip until next week

my portfolio of "postable prickly plants"

both in my camera and

on my flash drive

are just about down to nothing...

and

being without a scanner is

has become

a nagging thorn in my side...:)

Waa! Waa!

So... since forgiveness starts at home

and is all about

softening the "pricklies"...

and

smoothing out the sharp edges

and

removing all those proverbial thorns...

this heart was designed

"in the true spirit of a Cactus Monday"

and posted here today

as an introduction to the first in my

Heart Mantra ATC series...

"Forgive."

"Forgiveness does not change the past,

but it does enlarge the

future. "

~Paul Boese

"A Flaming Heart Torch..."

...to add to my Sacred Heart Milagros ATC Collection...

ignited

soulfully from my imagination.

The entire series can be viewed here.

“Sometimes our light goes out

but is blown into flame by another human being.

Each of us owes deepest thanks to those

who have rekindled

this light.”
~Albert Schweitzer

My deepest thanks to so many of you...:)

"Mythical Fruit..."

...the legendary apple of Adam and Eve fame...

reinterpreted here

all fanciful and romantically heart-shaped

as an artsy ATC for the

Swirls and Curls Swap at iATC.

“Ever since Eve gave Adam the apple,

there has been a misunderstanding between the sexes about gifts.”
~Nan Robertson

"In Rememberance..."

...of those souls lost

in the tragic events of eight years ago

on this day...

September 11, 2001.

May our fractured hearts and stunned senses of normal

continue to heal and grow

and blossom

into a peaceful hopeful vision of the future.

(An actual accounting of my morning on that fateful day

may be read here.)

I wish each of you...peace.

"An Early View..."

...I have totally forgotton how richly dense

a foggy Illinois morning

could be!

(See other sky views around the world here!)

"It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world.

Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog."
~Joseph Conrad

"A Katiwampus View..."

...of a framed cactus piece

which normally hangs in my laundry room

here in Illinois...

but unless I climbed atop the newly repaired washer

this was the only way I could get a shot of it!

Best click on image to enlarge...:)

Alas...we have made an "about face" with our original travel plans

and have decided just yesterday afternoon to

extend our trip for another two weeks...

which give me a new laundry list of things I would like to accomplish...

Isn't that always the way???

Happy Cactus Monday...

May your laundry lists today be short and manageable!

"After enlightenment, the laundry."
~Zen Proverb

"Turquoise and Coral Inlay..."

...in yet another southwest silvery Sunday

Navajo inspired Sacred Heart

milagros ATC card...

Ckick HERE to see the entire series...

Enjoy!

"To the illumined man or woman,

a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same."
~Bhagavad Gita

"Ancient Sun..."

...made for the Zentangle Swap at Illustrated ATCs.

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
~Buddha

Thankful Thursday...(#11)..."

"Ahhhhh..."

to enjoy...at long last...

some spectacular, dry weather filled with

sunny, bright, "Colorado like" days...each delicately spiced with

a hint of autumn in the air.

Mellow daytime temps mesmerize my spirit

and lure me away to a delightful state of idleness.

I continue to peer out at this lush world of green around me

and sit wide eyed...and childlike...

totally amazed by its vibrancy and variation.

Clear, cool nights...crackling fires in the fireplace...and

sleeping under a down comforter...the windows just cracked open...

have transformed me into one

cozy, comfortable, homey state of happiness.

So very much has added rich color, texture and flavor to the memories

painted in my heart of this Illinois trip...

I gently breathe each one in...

and slowly exhale each out with a long and satisfyingly thankful

"Ahhhhh!" :)

"Good days are to be gathered like grapes,

to be trodden and bottled into wine

and kept for age

to sip at ease beside the fire.

If the traveler has vintaged well,

he need trouble to wander no longer;

the ruby moments glow in his glass at will."
~Freya Stark

(French adventurer and explorer...1893-1993)

"Almost Wordless Wednesday...(#11)..."

GRRRR!!!!! &%*J!)?!!!!!!

What Next!!!!

"Expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised."
~Denis Waitley

"A Midnight Black..."

Blossoming Mandala...

the first card of the Black Velvet Mandala ATC series.

Happy Blooming Tuesday!