New York Chocolat Other Sweets

I made her do it. It was all melted in my back pack and I did not care if I got it all over me and I convinced Sandy she did not care either. So we licked it and got chocolat all over. It was fun to be little girls again on a walk in the sun in the early spring.
The next photos are portraits of my new sweet friends, the 350 sprouting seedlings I have in my greenhouse. We are talking heirloom purple tomatoes, arugula, morning glories, mesclun, califlowers, brocs and manymore. They are quite a crew. Outgrowing their cradles and demanding bigger peat pots. They teach me so much about being an individual. Some sprout up overnight. Some take days and days and days. Some like it cool and some love it hot. Maybe they are just reflecting my many moods.... And the laughing daffodils. With shining faces, looking at the garden and I swear they sing. They have asked if I can get them into the Agape International Choir. Since I want to do that too, maybe we will all ship ourselves out to Culver City (city of Los Angeles).
Last night I thought about what I would pray for if I decided to pray. I answered myself "I would pray to hear the voice of God in my head like I used to. To have a closer relationship with God within". Deciding not to venture out to dance, I laid on the couch with the summer type breezes caressing me and I heard, "I AM HERE". I AM HERE. And it was here and is here and everywhere all at once, loving me and loving each one of us. To feel this is a gift of a prayer - a sweet sincere prayer on a sweet saturday night. May everyone who reads this be open to this sweetness; chocolat, singing plants, friends walking and the peace of feeling God's presence.

Accepting Love

Here I am now, living in Kingston, New York. Just a few miles away the Catskill mountains lounge serenely waiting for snow to nuzzle them. And in another direction, the Shawangunk mountains are, in their purity, holding the energy of the original lay of the land when natives were here. I have fully given over to making and creating and quiet contemplation. In the past few weeks I put away many pears from my tree, some in jars for jam, gorgeous red peppers, and have mucho chicken stock frozen, waiting for cold winter evenings to warm up the insides.

All in all the fall has been a beauty so far and more to come. The dancing here is outrageously good with local venues attracting a night crowd of experienced dancers who are dedicated to twirling and stepping to the rhythms of zydeco, my favorite, waltz, contra, salsa, west and east coast swing, country and western, English country, squares and of course I am still doing African here with Pam and Mimo and several drummers.

And what's all this about accepting love? It came to me today that so many of us are surrounded by it and don't even know it and don't let it in even when it comes and hits us upside the head. Well, not literally, but the feeling of love is always in the air and I just think that if one is interested it is good to start by opening up and feeling it inside and all around and hold onto that feeling and it will permeate and become value added -- a treasure that we have been wanting for a long time. A longing that consumerism has not been able to satisfy. So I for one am going to open up and accept that feeling of love and see what happens, become permeable. It might be the only true antidote for fear. It's gonna be good.

These photos are from this summer at the Ashokan Reservoir which is surrounded by the Catskills and of Doug and his beautiful sculptural property in Vermont with dear Pixley.