Hope 95

 Hope 95

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Fog blanketed the bay this morning. There was softness in the air, and I felt a welcome sense of deep down calm. Little by little light is returning to our world, and I, for one, am quietly ecstatic.

Hope 94

Hope 94

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

It is a new day and I am more hopeful than ever.

Hope 93

 Hope 93

Oil on Wood

 6"x6"

Last Thursday my friend and I sat by the bay on a warm afternoon to celebrate her birthday. We wore masks and kept our distance, but that didn't diminish the laughter and camaraderie that comes with shared history and the enduring bond of friendship. 

Today a big baby boy was born to a dear young friend. 

One by one my friends and I are getting vaccinated.

And tomorrow competent and compassionate leadership comes to Washington. 

Hope is bubbling up everywhere, and I am weeping quiet tears of joy.

Hope 92

 Hope 92

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Little by little, the days are getting longer.

Playing with my granddaughter under her magnolia tree last week I saw this lone bud open before my eyes. 

Spring will come.

Hope 91

 Hope 91

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I took a long walk over the hill and through the vineyards this morning. The sun was comforting and recent rains have turned everything green. There is hope in that, and in seeing new growth as Nature taking its course. Again. 

Hope 90

 Hope 90

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Are there more birds these days, or are we just more attuned to their chirping? 

Are they trying to tell us something? Or have they always been broadcasting the same message, and we are just now paying attention?

"I am here. I am here. I am here." 

Hope 89

 Hope 89

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

She's back! 

Happy New Year.

This is what I wrote when she first showed up in May. back when she became the subject of "Hope 39."

"A female peacock (peahen) showed up on our doorstep this weekend. Everything about her reminded me of my mother. Elegant, exotic, beautiful, present, with a deeply soothing spirit. Even the crest on her head looked like something my mother might have worn to adorn her topknot. She stayed around for two days, watching us and us her. Then, just like that, she was gone."