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Last night I had the awesome pleasure of joining some friends around the fire pit in their backyard. I love fire. Seriously. I have always had an affinity for fire... and it is very natural for me to be able to start and keep a fire going. As a kid/ early teen... I also had alot of premonitions and dreams revolving around fire.

So ... needless to say... it has always played a somewhat important role in my life.

According to Wiki... "Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions, from pre-history to modern day, and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world, along with air, water, and other forces of nature."

Ceremonial fire also plays a huge role in several religions and traditions all around the world. One tradition that is close to my heart... is the practice of writing down your troubles... things that bother you... things that seem to be in the way... and then to burn those in the fire... a sort of symbolic gesture in getting rid of those things. And so... in this season of winter... while you are gazing upon your individual fires... perhaps it is also a time to relinquish some of your troubles in the flames...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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These past couple of weeks have been really rough... what with having some family drama, me being sick, BAJ being sick, and trying to catch up on all kinds of things. One of the things that really got put on the back burner this past year has been the yard. The plants all died in the front yard; partially from a blight that hit us... and partly from a broken drip system. The back yard has always been sort of a sand dune with a bunch of trees... but one of the things I have always wanted back there was a fire pit. And so... the past few days we had a couple friends come over who graciously helped us out with the irrigation system ( which now works )... with the yard (which is now free of everything dead )

... and with my dream of a fire pit ( which I now have ).

Life is good.

And tonight I made a beef roast (marinated in a rose chardonnay overnight... and accented with fresh sage whilst cooking), boiled golden potatoes and sweet potatoes, mushroom gravy, and a kabocha squash ( stuffed with Woodstock bread from Great Harvest Bread Co. -- made into toast, toasted macadamia nuts, slices of summer squash, purple onions, celery, and topped with fresh Romano cheese), and finished with organic "Night Sky" coffee from Satellite cafe ...

and a toasty fire in the fireplace.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

( The last photo here is my photo for the day. It is of the first fire in the fireplace for this season.

It is basically straight out of the camera-- just a little color saturation---

... with a layer placed on top for a little added umph )

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-----> photo by Elaine A. Russell

Today there was a tragic shooting here in ABQ. I'm sure this kind of thing happens every day..... somewhere..... and that is the worst revelation of all.....

A gunman opened fire today at a business right near where my hubby works. He killed 5 people, injured 4 more, and then killed himself. Police are theorizing that it was a domestic violence case that spilled over into the workplace this am.
While I am majorly impressed with the speed with which the authorities closed in on the tragedy (they responded within 3 minutes)..... it still wasn't enough time to save all the people involved.
How quickly time passes... and how much tragedy can fill such a short amount of time...

If we learn nothing else from this event... I hope that it brings home to many many people tonight how very precious life is. How wonderful life can be... and how quickly it can be cut short.

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...today I didn't even get out of bed til 4pm. I have been sick, and I seem to be sleeping (or trying to sleep) more than usual. My hours are totally mixed up and confused... my sleep pattern... erratic at best. I have some pretty vivid dreams... and occasionally they are quite disturbing. So when I woke up, I quickly tried to do some housekeeping... and then I despaired because I thought I had lost what little light was left for me to take a photo for the day.... and then I went outside.

What had appeared to be a totally dull, lifeless, and blah kind of day inside.... was certainly not what was happening in reality outside....

These two photos I took of some items I have hanging on my front patio. The green wire globe is a set of wind chimes that I got several years ago... they make a beautiful tinkling noise in the wind. The globe and wire contraption is an art piece I got off of Craigslist about 3yrs ago. When it twirls, it gives the illusion that the glass globe is moving up and down the wire spirals.... It is an awesome effect.



These are the views from my driveway... looking south. It was just beginning to turn into a stunning sunset, and the clouds were on fire in multiple shades ...turning from pink to burnt orange in a matter of minutes...



And then I drove out to the edge of the housing neighborhoods... and this was our view looking westward....



So for now.... goodnight my friends...Stay warm. Rest well. And try to enjoy the beauty that is around us all... all the time....

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(photos by Elaine A. Russell)

Well... what I had planned on being a very busy day.... turned out very differently indeed. My old friend insomnia decided to change things around and spice things up a bit ... so I ended up sleeping through the major part of the day.

But... the hubby, daughter and I had a fabulous dinner at Chili's (a burger with blue cheese and fries for me)... and a post dinner white chocolate mocha from Starbuck's. ... so there is no way I am complaining.

Today is the first day of February... I am excited at the prospect of a full, new month.
"February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the old Roman calendar."...Wiki

Today & tomorrow are also traditional days to celebrate Imbolc... if you are so inclined...

"Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1 (or February 12, according to the Old Calendar), which falls (three days before) midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Perhaps originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day.

Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the North American Groundhog Day.

Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months." ... from Wiki

... or you can celebrate Candlemas... http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03245b.htm .

So many interesting events at this time of year....

So sit back, enjoy a good fire, have a cup of tea... and be refreshed.

Fire -- Chinese element

photo by Elaine A. Russell

Fire (Wu Xing)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fire (Chinese: 火; pinyin: huǒ), is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosper stage.[1] Fire is the second one of Wu Xing.
Fire is yang in character, its motion is upward and its energy is expansive. It is associated with the planet Mars, summer, south, daylight and heat and the color red. (Red is associated with extreme luck). It also stands for the heart, tongue, and pulse. Its negative emotion is hate, while its positive emotion is joy. The Primal Spirit of fire is represented by the Red Pheasant or Phoenix.
In Chinese thought Fire is associated with the qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence; however, it is also connected to restlessness. The fire element provides, warmth, enthusiasm and creativity, however an excess of it can bring aggression, impatience and impulsive behavior. In the same way, fire provides heat and warmth, however an excess can also burn. In the conquest cycle, fire overcomes metal, and in turn is overcome by water. In the birth and nurturing cycle, fire burns to earth, and is sparked by wood igniting.

new beginnings

-------------- ---------------------------------photo by Elaine Russell

After much introspection and with a heavy heart, I have decided to leave the Wooden Cow Gallery and Art Space. It is my fervent hope that they will continue to be a shining light in ABQ for all kinds of art, and I wish them the very very best.
Sometimes; it is just time to move on. I believe in the concept and ideals that were the initial spark of what is now such a fantastic gallery. Having been involved in the process since its inception, it is very hard to let go of something that has been so close to my heart. It has been a ton of work, but it has all been worth it in the end to be able to see something that started out as a dream, and see it blossom and become a stunningly active place that embraces all forms and spectrums of the art community.

I also know without a doubt that it is possible to bring such dreams to life.. and that is an encouragement to us all.

The last show was fantastic.. and it was wonderful that such a great artist, Ren Adams, was selected as the featured artist. As one of the creators of the Wooden Cow, she is an inspiration to us all that alot of work, and some very cool ideals can indeed become a reality.

New year... new ventures... constant inspiration.... This is going to be an interesting year.