Hope 40

Hope 40

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

The huge rabbits that inhabit our land are always on the run. I guess they are foraging for food and avoiding predators, real and imagined, which is what I've been doing lately as well.  Only she does it without the angst that I have brought to our current situation. 

The constant awareness of danger that lurks who knows where is wearing me down. The invisible enemy is always on my mind. With so many conflicting instructions for staying safe, the threat of becoming infected or equally horrifying, infecting someone else is ever present. Fear is not good for one's well being.

As I happened upon this rabbit she stopped in her tracks, looking like a chocolate Easter bunny, hoping, I guess, that I wouldn't notice her presence.

When I got too close, she took off, safe for another day. That's her life and she does it well. 

Today in the pursuit of reducing angst,  I confided in dear friends, watched the wildlife cope with life, and painted through the afternoon. 

Safe for another day.

Hope 39

Hope 39

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com

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. 

Hope 38

Hope 38

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

The wildlife around us is a reminder that we are the newcomers. And that life goes on. The turkeys are strutting their stuff. The baby bluebirds are fledging the nest. The quail have a family of babies following them across the road. Deer are everywhere. Does and bucks come by regularly in separate groups. Turkeys have been strutting their stuff for weeks and rabbits appear out of nowhere. Mountain lions, a fox, coyote, and bobcat have all sauntered past our field cam placed in the meadow by Audobon Canyon Ranch's Living with Lions Project. The animals are not in quarantine. They are alive and well and thriving despite all the world's ills. And seeing them carrying on gives me hope.

Hope 37

Hope 37

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

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My watch stopped on Monday afternoon.

I pulled out the drawer that holds the few things belonging to my parents that I kept without knowing why. Their last driver's licenses, passports, and a few watches.  I reached in, picked up a watch, wound it up, and it started ticking.  After over 20 years, it keeps perfect time.  It seems so appropriate for old technology to come to the rescue during this time of upheaval.

In the morning I buckle the strap and wind the watch and think of all the mornings they did the same. It is a welcome moment, a link to them, to the past, to time gone by. 

Hope 36

Hope 36

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Dramatic sky, wind, clouds, and intermittent rain didn't stop us from walking over the hill yesterday to the big oak under which our parents' ashes are scattered. It, too, survived the firestorm, and is a cherished link to our childhood on this land.

My daughter who is far away was thinking of oaks that very day. She tells me that oak trees are said to be passageways between the physical and spirit world.  And I think, anything is possible.

Hope 35

Hope 35

Oil on Wood

6"X6"
Available for sale online from SusanLandor.com

A young Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog lives with a family of goats and a donkey in a pasture down the road. She is always glad to see passersby. She gets up and comes bounding over as if you are the best thing to happen all day, spreading love like syrup, a much needed dose of simple acceptance and joy. It feels good to be in the presence of a Dog.

Hope 34

Hope 34

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

SOLD

It has been raining off and on all day and the mood is similarly dreary.

I don't see how we ever move forward from this time standing still.

But.

Humans are adaptable. Surprisingly so. And also, humans are resourceful. There are good people  across the globe doing good things in their communities. And there are problem solving scientists in all corners of the world collaborating on research and solutions. Discoveries will be made. And we will celebrate again.

Hope 33

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I am seeing the same landscape every day. The same walk, along the same road, the same trees, the same deer family, the same birds, perching on the same branches.

But, it is different every day.

Today it rained and everything changed.

The light, the colors, the grasses, and even the birds. 

Being attuned to Nature is not all bad.

Goodby busyness. 

Hello enhanced reality.

Hope 32

Hope 32

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

This is for all mothers everywhere.

My mother. Your mother. All the mothers I know and love. My children who are and are becoming mothers.

Because.

Mothers = HOPE.

Hope 31

Hope 31

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I just happened to walk outside last night just as the moon was rising in the Valley of the Moon.

Big. Beautiful. Globe of goodness.

It feels like the world is ending 

But then...

Some small miracle reminds me to have faith. And patience. 

Hope 30

Hope 30

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

The green grasses have grown tall and are suddenly turning golden.

Summer is sneaking into view.

I will miss the lush green meadow. I don't like change.

But.

The warmth feels like all the hugs we are no longer giving or getting.  And seeing friends and family outside at a distance is possible and probable, and that is cause for celebration.  

Hope 29

Hope 29

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

I sat in the garden with a friend this afternoon. 20+ feet between us and weeks since we met in real life. But it was just like old times. Catching up with laughter, stories, advice, confidences -- the stuff that friendship is made of. Alive and well in this otherwise trying time. It did wonders for my outlook on life.

Hope 28

Hope 28

Oil on Wood

6"X6"

Out on a limb. Well that pretty much sums up where we are.

Where do we go from here?