Rings of Circles & Circles of Rings...

Rings.
Stones.
Circles.
Rocks.

I have only had a couple/few rings in my life made of gold or platinum, with or without precious or semi-precious stones.

My sister gave me a ring some twenty plus years ago made of gold.
Never seen anything like it.
Ornate & old looking, I am sure, from the day it was made.
A tiny little sapphire surrounded by a small square which was cornered in hearts, surrounded by a small rectangle and more hearts....all enclosed by more hearts & boxes.
One sapphire, repeated four corners & thirteen hearts in all.
I wore it daily until I broke it, collapsing one corner of the heart shaped filigree.
Three jewelers have told me that they would not repair it.
So I keep it in a special little cardboard box I got on my eighteenth birthday.

My engagement ring was made of gold & platinum.
It has a small little round diamond with clarity much better than my own and an ornate squared setting. Ironically enough, just before I asked for divorce, the platinum setting popped on one side, separating itself from the band. A circle wide open. It now lays folded in some tissue & stuffed into an envelope in an unfrequented drawer.

My mother gave me an antique platinum band with three small diamonds in a beautiful setting. I have worn it faithfully for years until last week. The jeweler told me 'You can't break platinum.'
I reached in my pocket, pulled out a folded & torn corner of an envelope & passed it to him...'Well, I'll be damned.' In it lay the platinum band from my mother. He referred me to another jeweler...and I dropped it back into the paper pouch.

Before going home, I stopped by a vintage shop. There I saw a little sign.
It read.... 'The things that matter the most in life aren't things at all.'

Profoundly true.
I pulled on the Joe-made peace sign that hangs by leather from my neck.
I looked down at the little leather band that now sat solo around my finger.
I rubbed the jade that the leather held.
I thought of the good health that the jade represents.

I thought of my brothers, my sisters, my life & mortality...
Everything means something...

and I remembered that those rings may be broken,
but the circle is not...

(image is of jade, silver & leather ring made by awesome spirit at earthlypossessions)

Peace Signs

I should have known...
I should have known last night when I walked in the front door and a crystal cognac fell from it's perch
or last night when I was lugging firewood in and a two and a half inch flying roach tried to escape the mound of wood in my grasp by seeking shelter on me.
I should have known when Smokie was overly demanding of attention & Vilulah was overly withdrawn.
I should have known when I dreamed of showering and having the water back up to my ankles with black dog hair floating on the surface, with which I felt all I could do was scoop it up and throw it onto an old newspaper spread out on the floor.
I should have known when my car broke down and I had to get her to the shop and call a friend to come fetch me this morning.
Yep.
And I should have known when I got back and heard an abrupt slam, only to find that a storm window had collapsed.
And I damn sure should have known when I heard a hissing sound, just to discover that despite the fact that I left all my spigots and faucetts dripping, my pipes had burst.
My house, my dogs, my pipes, my windows, my crystal, my dreams, even the bugs in my yard were telling me, warning me, prepping me...
so when I popped open my mail... I knew.
But it's all good.
I had scooped up the palmetto bug and threw him outback to the wood pile & I had swept up the shards of crystal.
I left the window at 3/4's respecting my houses wishes for fresh air.
I had the car repaired and have done my best to fix the busted pipe...we'll see how she does in the AM.
I have loved on Smokie until he was tired & lured Vilulah out of the corner.
Then, I finally dropped the mail in the trash.

Walking past my palm sized heart shaped rock I found on trash day, I thought about how fortunate I truly am.

Come Out & Play ... Let's Play In The Street Again

The house I lived the longest in as a child had the gift of time on it's side. Located just a few blocks from the downtown district of our community, our little street kept (and still keeps) a red brick road.
The nostalgia I have for growing up under expansive oak trees and on the ripple-ly, dipple-ly brick road led me to buying my little chateau under the oaks and paving my own driveway and walkways out of brick today.
But the street I live on now, long ago went from dirt to pavement....laying a path for new experiences for the child in me.
For thirty cents, I picked up the most entertaining twelve pack a girl could possibly scoop up. There were reds, blues, purples, yellows, greens, pinks and more.
Last weeks message, left at the four way stop was 'Stop In the Name of Love.'
This weeks words were 'Let the Love Light Shine On'

Oh....How much fun to play in the streets again!

(Pixies for Peace Artwork by my Hippie Love ... Singleton)

Full Color Muted by Shades of Gray

Last week I saw two rainbows, one which was a double rainbow. Weird...it was raining neither time & both were seen right before sunset...

This is a picture of one taken while driving...so the color is diffused from the windsheild.

Being privileged enough to catch a glimpse of a rainbow, or a shooting star, always makes me feel like Mother Nature is bestowing a gift upon me or maybe like she is giving me a sign.

In hindsight, I take these rainbow sightings as a sign...

...in the deep, dark, murky shades of gray out there... there is beautiful color on the horizon

The paperwork is done ...divorce has really just begun when the papers are signed. It's hard folks, under the best of terms, it's hard.