Mask Maker Shop Retablo by Nicario JiminezWith a strange way of walkingExcerpt from Dead to the World by Patti Smith
And a strange way of breathing
Less than a breath of shimmer and smoke
The life in his fingers unwound my existence
Dead to the world alive I awoke
The spirits that are mentioned
The myths that have been shorn
Everything we've been through
And the colors worn
Every chasm entered
Every story wound
And wild leaves are falling
Falling to the ground
Excerpt from Wild Leaves by Patti Smith
Through the empty arch comes a wind, a mental wind blowing relentlessly over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents...announcing the constant baptism of newly created things.
Frederico Garcia Lorca, In Search of Duende
He appeared to think for a long time. Then he said, "I went out yesterday. I wanted to drop something on the ground the way the trees do. Dead leaves reactivate the soil, you know. They don't rake leaves in the forest, only in the suburbs. It's against nature and foolhardy to rake leaves. I pulled out a strand of my hair and left it in the grass."Excerpt from Horace and Margaret's Fifty-second by Charles Baxter
Max loves it when I drop a sparkly gemstone and it goes rolling across the floor. Now, if he'd only tell me exactly where it went.
Peruvian Opal, Smoky Quartz, Carnelian BraceletIf you catch a fragrance of the unseen,
like that, you will not be able
to be contained.
You will be out in empty sky.
Any beauty the world has, any desire,
will easily be yours.
As you live deeper in the heart,
the mirror gets clearer and cleaner.
I don't know what he is, but, I miss him. He used to live in our little gold fish pond. I watched him grow from a tiny little non descript brown thing sitting on a lily pad into a big whatever he is over the course of 2 years. He finally got too big to hide in the crevices between the rocks. He's been missing for weeks. Maybe he moved into the big koi pond next door.
Jasper is usually considered as chalcedony, though, some scientists place it in the quartz family.
Metaphysical attributes:
Jasper is considered by some to be a protector stone, clearing negativity and assisting in becoming grounded. It is believed to be representative of the elemental nature of humanity, providing a connection to physical realities.
Beautiful, earthy Jasper, hand made silver beads and various cuts of Turquoise, a smoky grey Agate and a rutilated Quartz surround a 3-dimensional Pendant. I constructed the Pendant out of Precious Metal Clay - .999 Fine Silver.
This one of a kind necklace is available in my etsy shop.
All my soldering and polishing is done outside in a little log cabin, so my feathered and four legged companions are not exposed to any harmful fumes or particles.
Yes, we actually live in the city, 7 minutes from downtown Charlotte. Our tiny neighborhood is a refuge from the grid lock traffic and never ending condo construction and road expansion that is gobbling up all the quaint old neighborhoods and rapidly disappearing undeveloped land.
My rings are made from 100% recycled eco-friendly precious metals.
Unfortunately, the mining of precious metals generates enormous environmental waste which contaminates our water and soil, endangering the health and lives of humans and animals.
I purchase my gold and silver sheet and wire from a refiner and manufacturer who has been providing socially and environmentally-responsible products to metalsmiths and jewelers for over 95 years.
Their precious metals are 100% recycled. By using a newly developed gold refining process their waste products are reduced by 75%. Their refinery operates at the highest standards in the industry and does not release harmful particulates or waste water into the environment.
Lila, my Blue and Gold Macaw is my youngest parrot. We've been companions since she was just a baby, almost 8 years. Her favorite activities are swinging, dancing and snuggling. Her musical preference is Jazz. One of her favorite songs is Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus. Eyes flaring and bobbing up and down in time to the beat, she'll join in with an atonal yell right on que. Mingus would dig it.
Click the links above to see more about Macaws and Mingus.
Max is my laid back Blue Front Amazon. His favorite activities are eating, chopping wood, eating, taking a bath, eating and singing. He has a wonderful aromatic scent that he emits when excited. If I ask him if I can smell him, he is happy to run over and press his head beneath my nose.
We listen to the radio and CD's most of the day while I'm working. Max prefers female vocalists that run the gamut from Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams to Opera.
Don't forget to click the words in colored type for more information and photos!
This is my Quaker Parrot, Carlito. His favorite activities are arranging and fighting with his toys, taking a bath, and talking to me all day while I work. He has the largest vocabulary of my 3 parrots and doesn't hesitate to tell me what he wants. He knows that by repetition and increasing volume, I will finally relent and do his bidding.
To read a wonderful story about these incredible Parrots, The Wild Parrots of Brooklyn, please click the colored type to go to the site. There are lots of great photos and even a link to a song about them on youTube. Enjoy!
Parrots are incredibly affectionate and highly intelligent and emotional creatures. They need lots of love and intellectual stimulation. They are a lifetime commitment. Most parrots will outlive their owners. I do not advocate getting a pet parrot unless you are willing to commit to giving them what they deserve. If you don't like vacuuming and cleaning twice a day (like me), or, if you like going on frequent vacations, please don't get a parrot.
Organic Rock Crystal, mined from the earth, is one of my favorite stones. Click on Rock Crystal to read more about Quartz.
Free of inclusions, this AAA quality crystal sparkles and shimmers like a diamond! It is believed by some to be a mystical stone that increases the force of thought for sending and receiving energy, information and vibrations.
This one of a kind necklace is available in my etsy shop.
My beautiful Whippets, Jasper & Gabrielle.
