 This cute little mobile belonged to my late Mother. It was originally strung with black thread which promptly broke apart once I hung it up because of age. (I don't think she hung this mobile up in quite some time.) It made it into my hands and I enjoy it immensely as something to treasure from my childhood. I restrung it with fishing line. It is hanging on my enclosed screen porch. The little letters clink in the Gulf breeze as if to really say "Boo!". I don't decorate nearly as much as my Mother did. I used to decorate more myself but I find just a couple things do the trick! Just a little reminder of the times we celebrate. Also, I live in much smaller spaces these days and so everything is scaled down.  Of course, I painted my pumpkins. Fall is a little different in Florida compared to where I grew up. I had to add some Nature Coast flavor to this celebration. Hope yours is a treat! Happy Halloween!
I never dreamed I wouldn't have a career. Surely, I thought I would be forever involved in graphic design or some sort of arts with a stable, weekly paycheck. It has taken me the last 20 years to realize this simply isn't the case ... I ... just ... don't ... have ... a career. I've picked up and put down many things ... graphic design, working in a library — co-op — gallery — gift store, landscaping, but for whatever reason none of these things stuck. Do I work? Absolutely! I work supporting my husband and our company (canisgear.com and 6dollarcollars.com). I bag our products in a pinch. I work on customer relations. I design new patterns for our leashes and collars. I take and/or touch up our product photos. I am the catch all for whatever odd, necessary jobs there are in maintaining a business. I allow my husband to streamline. I facilitate his day however and whenever I can. I cook, I clean, I maintain. I used to work at worrying how little monetary contribution I make to our empire, but I now accept my role. It's humble but it is also quite important and frankly, we work well together. We've been through a LOT of ups and downs but have persevered through all. I have a new peace within and I'm trying to be still and listen to what plans God has for me. JEREMIAH 29:11 NLT "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." I have an Etsy store and I paint, sure, and will always paint. But with a $30 sale maybe every three months, or a $200 sale once or twice per year, I am certainly not bringing home the dough. That's okay. As I said before ... peace. However, meet my latest creative endeavor ... sourdough bread baking — now THAT is dough, baby! This is the kinda dough I'm bringing to the table. This is a garlic dill pickle loaf I just baked this morning.  Mmmmelt some butter on that! Did my loaves always look this way? Oh no! There were many trials and errors. Errors make for excellent croutons. Crackers are good. Sourdough pancakes are even better ... The point is, it took me a long time to find my way in sourdough baking. It took me a long time to accept that I don't have a career. It took me a long time to embrace the process of watercolor and creating. It took me a long time to get over the Catholic church and find my way back to God. It took me a long time to settle down. It took me a long time to have some semblance of a tropical garden. I just kept on trying and keeping on. The difference now, is that I listen for guidance from the Holy Spirit. I began with a starter. (I wish all things could begin with a starter — a little magic formula to start the process.) In this case, sprouted whole wheat flour, all purpose non-bleached white flour, and water. You mix these things together and expose them to the air — the magic of the universe — God. With a little time and feeding, you birth a living culture in a jar. Only then, can you start making dough.  The dough? A mixture of flour, water, and salt, or any other flavors I have a hankering for ... Sometimes olives and rosemary. Other ideas: jalapeño and cheesy nutritional yeast; dried cranberry and walnuts; orange zest and chocolate. The dough has to be stretched and folded multiple times. I stretch and fold seven times because seven is a very symbolic number in the Bible. Then I let the dough rise and ferment for about two hours before I shape it. The shaped dough then proofs either another few hours, or overnight in the fridge, depending on my schedule.  Olive & Rosemary When it's finally time to bake, I score the bread with a lame (or razor, or very sharp knife). I usually create a spiral because of the symbolism of the circle of life. This is because when the dough is shaped properly, it has a very taut surface and the gases need to escape during the baking process, so why not have them escape where you want them to instead of a potential blow out.  Sourdough bread baking is a humbling, spiritual process. There are so many correlations one can draw from this process that pertain to life.  We are stretched and folded through the days of our lives. We must be patient in our process. We rise and ferment given time. We proof, we bake, we become crusty. We have deep scores from our experiences and try to escape at times. We become many different loaves with many different flavors. We become a routine, a ritual. We may burn, we may not rise as high as we'd like, but hopefully we always nourish. EXODUS 16: 11-15 NLT
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the Israelite's complaints. Now tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'" That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked each other. They had no idea what it was And Moses told them, "It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. Mirriam-Webster Online 10/20/21 Artist: a person who creates art (such as painting, sculpture, music, or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination Deplorable: deserving censure or contempt: wretched Censure: official strong criticism Contempt: a feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approval Webster's New World Dictionary Print ©1994 Artist: a person who works in , or is skilled in the techniques of, any of the fine arts esp. in painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. 2. a person who does anything very well, with imagination and a feeling for form, effect, etc. Deplorable: wretched, very bad Censure: condemning as wrong; strong disapproval 2. a judgement or resolution condemning a person for misconduct; specif. an official expression of disapproval passed by legislature Contempt: the feeling or attitude of one who looks down on somebody or something as being low, mean, or unworthy; scorn 2. the condition of being despised or scorned 3. the punishable act of showing disrespect for the authority or dignity of a court (or legislature), as by disobedience, unruliness, etc. in full contempt of court (or congress, etc.) It is interesting to me that these definitions today, online, do not include the mention of authority, legislature, or congress but maintain the word official. The word Artist is now associated with the word creative as well as imagination but maintains skill. Three of these words — deplorable, censure, contempt — seem to permeate the soil of today's society. Hmmm, our society is soiled. Obviously, I took a long break from blogging, and I am taking a permanent break from Facebook and Instagram. So you must meet me here. Now that my break from writing is over, I warn you, much has changed about/within me. I am no longer the naive "Violet Fern" discovering gardening. I am defined like the words above. When I write from now on, the reader is going to see the very definition of me — not a safely edited, conformed social media version. You may find it refreshing as I have, or you may want to "cancel" me. Either way, I am back to writing about my favorite subjects, gardening & art, but in truth and light. Truth Bomb: I am a deplorable artist — a conservative, unruly, God fearing, Christian artist. A new piece in progress both on paper and in reality. It is called The Prayer Room.   I am in the process of creating this space for real in my garden. A place where I can sit and pray, by pray, I mean study the Bible. I am going to construct a wooden cross which I will place among the garden plantings and paint with designs. Much like a peace pole, but not to "uplift, empower and elevate the human consciousness to embrace the oneness of our global family." My peace cross will uplift, empower and elevate the one holy spirit within me and praise the Kingdom of God. EPHESIANS 4: 3-4 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. WRITTEN APPROXIMATELY AD 60 BY PAUL   All quoted verse is from the Bible I'm currently studying: the New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition
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COLOSSIANS 3:23
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. All quoted verse is from the Bible I am currently studying: The New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition
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