A quiet Monday ...10 hours to be exact creating the language of the trees...

I arrived at 10:30 AM and settled in for a wonderful day of work.  Fawn , the security guard brought me a lunch and my dear friend Abby showed up with a mission to come and paint on her sunset trees.  I am getting a bit spoiled ...and this week I have a few more generous artists coming in to work on their individual contributions ...one brushstroke at a time.  The process is coming together and I will  be happy to share more finished panels as soon as I reinforce, interface, grommet and weight each panel to fit the selected trees. The arboretum was very quiet today due to Memorial Day family reunions and cookouts.  The Dawes staff had a well deserved holiday with their individual families...a moment to reflect and share gratitude for all who have served our nation.   After ten hours I came home around 8:30 pm to baked chicken, broccoli and homemade mashed potatoes ....   thank you dear Ken for the nourishment you give to my body and my spirit.  I could not do this work with out your loving support.

On the drive home, twelve short miles I witness the birth of the new summer.  People of the neighborhoods were sitting on their front porches chatting and sharing the day's events.  I could almost hear the clink of the ice cubes in the tall glasses of iced tea as they sat around small tables or in swings or even on the front porch steps.  The little children embraced their last minutes before bedtime and dances with the fireflies who were  begin to twinkle in the evening glow.  The sky became a glorious pink with crimson edges and the electric sun set in the western sky.  The humidity is heavy and a soft flowing mist is caressing  over the Licking River as a large Blue Heron seems to be standing guard as the night enters the tree tops like a winged angel.  Yes, I did have a 10 hour day but I am so grateful to be able to create in a sacred green shelter under the cathedral of whispering trees and Nature's symphony of bird songs.  The meadowlark sang her song of deep appreciation for her day of safely protecting her young fledglings.  The Canadian Geese swam and paraded their young around the pond in the last reflections of the pure light of this precious day.  Imagine and Live in Peace,  Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart