Summer Pondering

Well it looks like my posts are getting few and far between. I suppose the next two months will be like this with less time for pondering and drawing.

Do you like the title of the above book? I suppose I am always looking for a manual to learn  how to live right so I end up with no regrets. I am starting to learn that you have to figure it out day by day, week by week etc. And even if there was a manual- it would be pretty boring just to follow along a pre- configured path. 

I did like what Montagne had to say on many subjects. Here are some of his ideas about reading. Don't make an effort with reading or writing. "If I encounter difficulties in reading, I do not gnaw my nails over them: I leave them there. I do nothing without gaiety." He abandoned whatever bored him. He believed everything should be approached in "gentleness and freedom, without rigor and constraint." I myself am newly converted to this idea. I used to think I had to improve myself (and that involved some struggle). Now I'm starting to think life should come more naturally and we are little vessels here to soak up the sights, sounds and wonders while we are here.

Anyone have any thoughts to this mysterious adventure we are on and "how to live".

Little Bear

Lately I've been getting inspired by shows like "Little Bear" and "Franklin". (I know, an odd source of inspiration for a 40 year old woman, but my life is a little limited these days). For those of you who have seen these shows, do you ever think about how well these animals keep their homes? I've also been struck by how fulfilling it looks to keep ones life "cottage simple". Mother Bear doesn't seem stressed about her career choices or keeping up with the Jones'. I used to feel a similar nostalgia when I thought back to the "Little House on the Prairie" stories. How lovely it seemed to keep your house as neat as a pin and a sanctuary from the elements.