Hyacinths of Knowledge

I dug this one up from the archives. Not that it's particularly old, but its been out of sight for awhile. I sent this watercolor home in a document box when I said my goodbyes to Israel for the first time. I had it hanging in my cubicle there, and it would receive compliments from time to time when people stopped by to ask questions or have a chat. To me it was never quite right visually, the greens particularly, but still people liked it. My interest was more in the quote "... Sow the seeds of divine wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green from the holy city of the heart." I like the imagery of the heart being composed of pure soil from which things such as wisdom can grow like beautiful flowers. However, it takes a certain attitude to cultivate it.

I think we can all do with a little tending. May our hearts spring up with good things in 2013 (and forever and beyond).

Weekend wrap up

 Bahji

This past weekend I had both Friday and Saturday off, what a novelty. Since my husband and I are leaving Haifa soon, our schedules are quickly filling up, more than when we left the first time last year. I'm glad to have a second chance at connecting with people who I may not even had gotten to know very well before. Yesterday we went to Bahji, which was nice. I'll miss those peaceful moments.

One of the things I like doing is taking note of any new birds I come across in my routine. When we were walking back to the Bahji Visitors' Centre, we came across some bird tracks in the sand.

Not much further away were the same ones but tiny!

Well, it is spring, isn't it? On our way back out to the road a pair of Spur-winged Lapwings swooped at us after we got too close trying to take their photo. It quickly occurred to us that they must have built their nest on the mulch covered traffic island. Funny that they chose there of all places. 

At it again

Springtime equals freshness and rejuvenation. Which means I'm in the process of seeing what's possible with the blog layout again--at least that's my excuse. Because I'm not that keen on learning the ins and outs of template design and customizable whatnots, I will probably not get much further than changing colors or contemplating fonts, but it's just a heads up for those repeat readers out there. For those who may not have come upon this before, hello :) 

It's been just over three months since I've started this little blog. Not very long I know, but it's been awhile since I've put consistent effort into a project. Thanks to those who have expressed their interest and appreciation. Knowing that someone may be checking in from time to time helps to keep the momentum going :) 

Succulents

Went out walking during my lunch hour. I've since moved from the Midwest to the Middle East, temporarily at least. Back in Haifa, Israel to serve at the Baha'i World Centre. Interestingly enough it's warmer back home than it is here at the moment. Still, I'm glad to be back close to one of my favourite seasons--Spring. I passed by a stretch of various succulents and decided to spend some time sketching a few of them. If you're not familiar with them, they're basically fleshy plants that retain water, like the aloe. There's so many different kinds of these plants and other wildlife in the area, it might be interesting to make note of as many as I can during the few months I am here.