Greeted by a crow, a new book and a stitched heart.

I woke this morning craving a long leisurely walk and not my fast paced for fitness walk, the warm sunshine was just what I needed today to help me decide to go for the slow paced walk. Does it sound odd for someone to crave a walk? 

I opted to walk in  my favorite park and was greeted by a lovely black crow poking around the dirt I have long believed the crow to symbolize transformation and lately that seems to be at the forefront of my life right now.

The sun was warm but air was cooler than I thought it would be though no breeze blowing so walking without a sweat shirt was fine.  I passed several pregnant women on my stroll sure signs Spring is on the way. There were several moms with little ones playing in the playground area.  I love the sounds of children's voices at play and their laughter while I walk along the path, so full of life and joy.

I notice this large rock at the edge of the basketball court so out of place sitting there just being a rock. I would have liked to carry it along with me but I still had plenty of walking to do and nothing to put it in. My hands would have suffered carrying it and I have enough trouble with my fingers.

Some of the trees are looking very wintry and others are still full and green I think it's one of the things I like about Florida is not all the trees lose their leaves.

I have always loved trees and can spend hours just looking at them, it's a kind of mediation I suppose and often I'm wondering what stories they could tell if only the trees could speak.

I love big old knots and little caves in the trunk I bet you can find a sprite or fairy in there if you look close enough. Oh the things I imagine while I am walking often become ideas for an embroidery or  a quilted wall hanging, or a short story or poem, even a piece of jewelry or pottery. The ideas fill my head till I'm fairly swooning yet more then half lost before I get home.   But that doesn't matter, what does matter is the ideas and inspiration keep coming.

What I'm reading on this wonderful Wednesday:  for the Try Something New Challenge  https://theherdpresents.blogspot.com/2017/12/try-something-new-challenge.html
I'm reading a new to me author, Ellen Stimson, the book is Mud Season and it has me laughing out loud and commiserating with some of the circumstances.  The Herb Quarterly isn't new to me or part of the challenge but I am reading this as well.

In between reading, writing a few letters and walking in the park I'm stitching a cute little Valentine for absolutely no reason except a friend sent me the pattern so I thought I would stitch it up, put it a hoop and send it back to her completed, hopefully in time for Valentine's Day.

I finished the embroidery on the sun piece so now I need a hoop and backing fabric to finish it off  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

For both projects I used 100% cotton fabric and variegated embroidery floss, both are made on scrap fabric the Valentine is on muslin and the sun on a heavy cotton.