So long..

I suppose this post has been coming for a while now..  probably since our big move to Florida last summer.

I have come to the conclusion that the blog world is no longer a place I wish to spend so much of my time.  For a while it was a nice creative outlet, and the feedback and attention I received was nice.  But I've realized that the less I write about my life and hope that others will come and read about my life, the more I actually get out there and live my life.  And the more I do that, the less I want to come back and write about it.  I just want to keep living it.  And lets just be honest: my life is really only that  interesting to me, because it's mine.  I don't expect anyone else to want to read about it.  I've decided that I don't need to blog it all to the rest of the world because, frankly, no one really cares that much.  If you're a blogger, and you're honest about it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  Sure, I might have a few useful experiences that I could share here, and maybe someone somewhere might be inspired by them or learn something from them, but chances are higher that spambots will continue to roam my page, and leave me spam comments, while a few blogger friends will stop by and partially skim through my posts.  I dunno.  I guess blogging is just something I'm not into anymore.  I still love writing, that hasn't changed.  But blogging is something different.  And it's time for me to say good bye.

If you want to keep in touch, just find me here:

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook fan page (for my photography)

Flickr

Photography Blog

500px

Lots of hugs!!  See you out there in the interwebs! 

Sunny Sunday

It's been a beautiful, heart warming, sunny Sunday.  

We slept in til nearly noon..

..made sure Ishtar was celebrated properly..

Don't mind the after mess.

Later we went for a stroll with the pups, and ran into this package of pure adorable:

Thirteen ducklings.  Mama's going to be very busy!  

Erick went to work for a while, we made dinner, and now it's lounge on the couch time.  The pups are curled up by my side, and I'm photo editing while I job search.  Weird combination.  I need sugar with my sour, I guess.

Anyway, it's just been a lovely day, and I wanted to share it with you.  Hugs and happiness from my nest to yours!

It's Saturday afternoon.  A coffee mug sits to my right.  Tear inducing music plays from the stereo by the wall.  It isn't that its sound is sad.  It's just that it reminds me of how much I adore you.. forces me to think of what life would be like if I could no longer look up and see you sitting across the room from me..

It's Saturday afternoon.  Life is fragile.  Love is for always.

A Bug's Life

Ok, I'll admit it..

I've been hanging out with a lot of bugs lately...

No Turning Back

Just as the tips of her curious, mud splattered toes crept their way inches beyond the gate, a gust of wind whisked up the tattered hem of her skirt, and, throwing her off balance and a few feet further into the garden, she knew, with an almost palpable sort of certainty, that there was no turning back.

Milk, Trees, and Bumble Bees

I've been making loads of this lately.  It's so easy, and takes me the same amount of time to make as it would take me to run to the grocery and buy some.  We got this great jar at Ikea for just a couple of dollars, and it works perfectly.  

I've posted the recipe here before, but in case you missed it and want to make some almond milk at home, just:   

1.  Soak 1 cup of almonds in 5-6 cups of water overnight (or 6-8 hours)

2.  Blend the almonds and water together on high speed for two minutes or so.

3.  Strain the almonds out using a cheesecloth or strainer with holes small enough to hold the almond bits.

4.  Add sweeteners and/or spices to the milk and blend on high speed for one minute.  I use agave, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Should last about a week in the fridge.  Remember to keep the almond pieces and use them to sprinkle on salads, make almond cheese, put them in cookies or whatever else your creative heart desires them in.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My patio composting project is going well.  I have a small box on the patio (with basket weaving on the outside so it still looks pretty) where I put my kitchen scraps, leaves, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc.  I add some water every now and then to keep it moist, and it's been working great.  I added some of my composted soil to my avocado tree last week, and this week it has almost doubled in height.  It's incredible to see Nature at work!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Photography is going well.  I'm still out with my camera every chance I get.  How I wish I could just photograph full-time...  Did you know Sparrow Vision Photography has a Facebook page now?  Yes, I caved.  In other news, I got accepted as a contributor to ShutterStock, and will be applying to Getty Images this week.  Wish me luck, please!  

And, speaking of Luck, I'm wishing you lots!  Happy St. Patrick's Day, from me and my nest, and from Sparrow Vision Photography.  May you have a Beeautiful Sunday!

Mornings by the Sea

We've spent a couple of mornings by the ocean, watching the sun rise since I last wrote.  Today we got Internet again (double fist pump), so I'm finally able to share a glimpse of these magical mornings.  Also, I hear BlogLovin' is the new Google Reader as of ..soon?..  ..I put a link over on the sidebar, so we can still be friends once Google Reader is gone.  I hope all is well for you pretties.  Sending Love and Hugs!

Shop Update

Namaste and good Monday morning, sweet friends.

This is just a quick post to say how happy I am to be offering five new pieces in Sparrow Vision Photography's print shop. I've been out as often as my time and schedule allow, snapping what catches my eye in the natural world around me. It's something that makes my heart smile, and I'm happy to share some of Earth's treasures with you.

Remember, these can be purchased as prints, on canvas, or as a digital download, which gives you the rights to use the photograph for any personal use: phone cases, mugs, prints, screen savers, photo gifts, or whatever else you have that needs a little decoration.

If you know anyone who is in the market for home or office decor, housewarming gifts, birthday, or anniversary gifts, would you mind sending them my way? Just click on the little pink tab over on the right hand side of this page that says "Photography" or visit: http://sparrowvisionphotos.storenvy.com Many, many thanks and warm blessings to all of you who have helped me spread the word so far. SVP would be nothing without you!

I hope these pieces light up your homes, and bring a little nugget of Nature to your everyday lives.

Much love and many thanks,
JS

Kitchen Scraps

I've decided to get serious about my patio gardening. And by serious, I mean not just putting some dirt in pots, poking holes in the dirt, dropping in seeds, covering them, watering them, and hoping for the best.

This hasn't gotten me very far in the past.

It isn't easy to garden on a patio, but I'm determined to make it work. I've been doing some reading and research, and have realized that a large part of my problem is my soil. My plants are having a hard time surviving because their soil isn't giving them enough nutrients. I've been just popping by the local Home Depot, or wherever, and picking up a bag of regular soil that has no Miracle Grow or any of that poison added to it, and a bag of manure to mix in for nutrients.

As I was researching last night I realized (and I don't know why I didn't think of this before) that animal manure isn't exactly the best source of nutrients for plants. Basically for many of the same reasons I decided to become vegan. Antibiotics, pesticides, GMOs, etc. That stuff is all in animal poo too, and who wants their tomatoes using that to live off of? Some animal manure is ok, I guess, but you can get much more nutrients for your soil from other organic matter. Regular soil is fine to plant in too, but has already been stripped of its nutrients by the time it gets put in that bag they sell at Home Depot. Decomposing organic matter contains the nutrients plants need to thrive. The circle of life, you know?

Enter: Composting.

Yes, I have a new project. Creating a low cost, effective, apartment friendly compost. If you have any ideas for me, or you've done this before, your info would be gratefully received.

In other news, we found a new farmer's market yesterday, which was orange heaps of fun!

Only a daydream..

Often, I daydream that I am Karana, the young Indian woman born in Scott O'Dell's imagination, who was left to survive on an island all alone when her tribe left to sail East. When I am Karana, I am stranded as she was, only Erick is there too, so I am not alone. There are only our voices to recognize; only the strength of our hands and a persevering kind of love to help us survive.

We greet each morning without the desperate need for money to jump start us into the day's action. There is no job to rush away to. We have no coins in our worn and ragged pockets. Even if we did, they would only fall through the holes, and bury themselves in the sand. Money is not needed here. Only love, and a will to exist. Instead, the wonder of the rising sun, creeping up over the crease between sea and sky wakes us, and She who paints the morning sky inspires us to our feet.

We spend the morning gathering food, tending our gardens, and making wood carvings while the waves crash and come to kiss our feet. We explore Nature, and face her dangers hand in hand, making friends with Earth's creatures as we go. In the evenings we share the work of our hands, the fruits that the Earth has allowed us to borrow. We know that one day we will give back and nourish her too.

The sky painter arrives soon after our meal to finish her day's work, and send us to rest in each other's arms with colorful visions of tomorrow. The sea otter of The Island of the Blue Dolphins swim a little closer to the water's edge when the sun goes down, and we often fall asleep to the sound of their playful splashes.



..only a daydream out of someone else's novel..it's a place I can go as often as I wish..