I can recall being 17 and not liking some parts of my body. Of course there were pimples, and my strong thighs seemed too big. It didn’t help that my brother teased me with “blubber butt” and my boyfriend called my face and nose “round”, not in a flattering way. Now, at 77, I love every part of my body that works, and am grateful for every day I have lived, even the hard ones.
March 8th marked 30 years since I bought my house – the little house in the woods on a little lake that has been my dream come true. As I walked around my yard the other day, I was drawn to the wood here and there, no longer covered with snow, but weathered and beautiful. I remembered how I used to “antique” things. All kinds of items, small or large, whether painted wood, plastic, or metal, I liked them so much more with that old, weathered look. Dry-brushed paint, speckle-sprayed, or sponged-on colors looked more real to me than a single, smooth, “perfect” color. Living in my own home and being an excellent scavenger (if I do say so myself) has allowed me to luxuriate in the real thing!
Maybe it’s my preference for all things natural. After all, how often do we see a single color, with no texture or variation in Mother Nature’s palette? Wood and water, sky and stone, foliage, fur, and feathers – their beauty is in their abundance of ever-changing elements.
I have come to appreciate the same in myself. You may have seen my poem Lines in my book, Enchanted. I’ve changed it a bit now that I see more lines and spots in the mirror.
Lines another year, a few more lines in the face looking back from the mirror
life lends her hand with meticulous care to etch the legends there of lucid days of lusty nights of messages shared about wrongs, about rights of laughter that lingers of smiles that last of longing of learning of leaving the past
I know that new freckles old scars and fine lines are the legible passage of time full of lessons and blessings that wipe away tears in this gift of a life I call mine
My dock is weathered because it’s lucky enough to exist in wind, sun, and water! So am I!The chair on my dock must have been yellow before I found it on the curb. This fits me better. Those golden screws are like the golden sun that holds my parts together.This chair is no longer safe to sit in, but might make a beautiful frame!My love for the simple, the old, the wabi sabi has given me a solid handle on my frugal life.This barn door, once a deep red, is reclaiming the beauty of the trees from which it came.Shutters clatter and laugh in the face of the weather they are meant to keep out.Once a rocking chair, weather has freed this “bent wood” to bend to its own artistic heart.Mother Nature welcomes her children back home…to their interdependent family…dressing them up for the party…reminding them that they have more life to give.More lines in my face, but hey — more lines in print, too! More gray in my hair, but hey — I’ve got hair, and lots of it! More fat in my belly, but hey — who will notice under my dress and jewelry gifted from friends in Africa! I don’t look so good in a swim suit, but hey — I have Greenie to swim with! I had a speck of cancer for a minute, but hey — it’s gone! I have less strength, less energy, but hey – good friends help me hang my precious memories on walls. I am lucky. I am grateful. Like weathered wood, I have more to give. So do you. Happy Birthdays to us!
Big thanks to Anthony V. Hall for taking this and other photos at my November African exhibit opening. Big thanks to Greg Andres, wherever you are, for taking the one of me in the … 60s? 70s?
You may have seen my little letter on my January 23rd Facebook post among so many postings by concerned (or outraged, to be honest) MInnesotans. The pictures there and the first six here are from the memorial space where I sang with a small group in remembrance of Renee Good, a peaceful protester shot multiple times and killed by ICE while in her car. On January 24th, Alex Pretti, another innocent citizen, was shot ten times while face down on the street. The next 15 photos show you some of the thousands of signs carried in the January30th march against ICE. The energy there was positive and exhilarating. As marches, small and large, continue to speak to the world, I encourage you to find a friend or 10 and join in. We are stronger, better, wiser, safer together.
The inhumane tactics of ICE agents and the abundance of powerfully creative yet peaceful resistance captured the attention of the nation and beyond. Marches, words, songs, and videos effectively demanded the withdrawal of most of the troops. But because we must not be silent in the face of continuing lies, lawlessness, and inhumanity, I’m posting my words again with just a few of the thousands of voices raised in protest at January 30th’s march against ICE. Who knows how long my blog will exist, but I want it to reflect how I feel about this troubling time in our history before I post a more fun birthday essay.
This Little Light of Mine
I’d planned to write myself a birthday blog to celebrate and share the joys of getting older. Stay tuned for that. But I’m compelled to shine some light on the darkness that has invaded the bright snowy land of Minnesota. I can’t be silent with my friends, neighbors, and country suffering and in grave danger.
Let me start by saying how proud I am of my fellow Minnesotans. While thousands are marching peacefully in the streets, others are bringing food, diapers, and other necessities to folks legitimately afraid to leave their homes. Many are speaking truth and singing hope, even as the federal government has shown how dangerous that can be. I have been hurting, but also lifted up by the little lights of others – the smiles of strangers and hugs from friends and like-minded acquaintances. Minnesota Nice is real.
I feel I owe this to my friends around the country and world, since it’s likely you are getting lies, or at least not getting the whole story. There is no justification for what ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is doing here in Minneapolis. The video accounts we’ve seen and stories we’ve heard from trusted friends are too numerous and heartbreaking to recount, but they prove this surge of 3,000 federal agents is committing more crime than it’s preventing.
ICE is not going after the worst of the worst, (most of whom were already in prison) but anyone of color, with or without papers. Masked and armed with guns and chemicals, they are breaking windows and doors, assaulting and detaining even citizens and children, without the required warrants, dragging people to detainment centers here or in Texas and Florida, where their civil rights continue to be denied. The failure of agents to offer identification enables them and imposters to commit crimes like theft, physical and sexual assault, and abduction. Our bodies, hearts, and economy are suffering as ICE’s cruel tactics force people to hide in their homes, quiet and dark, afraid to go to work, school, medical appointments, or stores, much less seeking the social balm we all need. Teachers and caregivers strive to comfort children living with the kind of fear that leaves lasting wounds.
If this lawlessness and cruelty is not enough to make you worry for yourself, please consider the administration’s wanton threats to sovereign nations in the Americas and Europe, including our allies, Canada and Greenland. By abandoning the rule of law and separation of powers that has sustained our democracy and peace they are upsetting the rules-based international order and destroying trust in the United States. Face it. We are no longer respected or believed. For a much deeper analysis with verified sources I strongly encourage you to read and listen to the knowledge and wisdom put forth daily by political historian Heather Cox Richardson.
You may feel your little light is not important, but let it shine, friends. It’s not too late to be on the right side of history. Followers might be forgiven for believing the lies that put him in office, but for ignoring his dangerously diminishing moral, mental, and emotional state? The present crisis rises above any political affiliation and demands that we work together as Americans to save us all from tyranny and the natural world from devastation.
I believe with my whole heart and mind that Jesus weeps, along with every sincere person of every faith or no faith who has a compassionate, unselfish heart. Let our tears clear our eyes and strengthen our resolve. We can do this, for love is stronger than hate.
To see the thirsty earth dressed in white, to smell the fresh snow and feel the kiss of the cold — these remind me why I love Minnesota. But by now you all know how much I loved my trips to Kenya and Tanzania. To show my gratitude for that amazing experience, I accepted an invitation to exhibit my photos.
Whether you’ll be hunting for bargains all day or avoiding the crowds, consider joining me from 4 to 6 to celebrate and enjoy my African exhibit at Burnhaven Library. I’ve framed and hung 24 of my favorite photos from my safaris, but I can’t resist also showing you some videos to give you the feel of being there. I’ll answer questions but am hoping for conversation. So many of you know much more than I! Sorry, the library doesn’t allow alcohol, but I will bring snacks and lots of pictures like this to make us all happy.
Just three of so many elephants we saw, happy that hunting wildlife is illegal in Kenya. So am I!
If you’re still looking for a unique gift, I’ll have my 2026 calendars (wall and desk), my Dutch birthday calendars, my hand-made reusable cards, and my book, Enchanted: Reflections from a joyfully Green and Frugally Rich Life, there to buy. My framed photos are also for sale and you can order prints for only ten or twenty dollars. Yes, I feel so lucky to have been there, I want others to be able to enjoy and dream, as I did for so many years. Here are just a few of my favorites.
The famous Ngorongoro crater, looking like a painting.A red powder puff flower, just one of many fascinating plants.I call this “Longing for Kilimanjaro.” Can you see it on the horizon?Craig, the oldest tusker in Kenya, sent to me by my friend Solomon. The Great Rift Valley from one of our flights. Can you see the bomas?“I’ve got your back.” Zebras must always be watching for hungry cats.
*This is not a library-sponsored event. I will give the program at 4 and shortly after 5. The library closes at 5, but I will let you in if you need to come after 5.
Burnhaven Library 1101 CR 42, Burnsville, MN 55306 Friday, November 28th, 4 to 6 pm
Above, from left, Solomon’s mother, me, Mama Mary, and Solomon in front of their house.
I wrote a blog post but hoped it could reach more people. Thanks to Tad Johnson for turning it into an interview and publishing it in the local papers. Here’s the result, with a few extra photos. You can see more of Kenya and Tanzania this Saturday, May 10th, noon to 5:00 at the Lakeville Art Center. Click here for information on the Downtown Lakeville Art Crawl and all the artists. I’ll have photos, my hand-made photo cards, birthday calendars, and my book – which is needed now more than ever! Enchanted – Reflections from a Joyfully Green and Frugally Rich Life
LAKEVILLE WOMAN THINKS OF KENYAN FRIENDS ON EARTH DAY On Earth Day, longtime Lakeville resident Holly Jorgensen found a way to connect her Minnesota community to her Maasai tribe friends half a world away in southern Kenya.
A chance meeting with a Maasai man during her nine-day African safari in January 2024 led to striking up a friendship with Solomon and her eventual return this spring to Kenya to meet more of her Maasai friends she has stayed in touch with online in the past year.
Jorgensen, who authored the book “Enchanted: Reflections from a Joyfully Green and Frugally Rich Life,” has always been interested in how humans can reduce their impact on the Earth, but her visit to Africa deepened her exploration.
The Maasai, a nomadic tribe that lives in areas of Kenya and Tanzania, leave behind virtually no environmental footprint other than the ones they make in grounds surrounding their villages.
After learning more about the Maasai, Jorgensen felt their way of living would be a good message to share during Earth Day close to home and she returned the favor by bringing Lakeville Friends of the Environment Earth Day T-shirts to her Maasai friends on her trip in February and March.
“I was hesitant to offer T-shirts to people who wore much more beautiful and meaningful traditional clothing, but was encouraged to bring them by people in the know,” she said. “I told the family I was bringing Earth Day shirts because I so respected the Maasai way of living lightly on the Earth. I also hoped it might be a small connection between Kenya and Lakeville. Whatever their reason, they graciously accepted them with appreciation.”
Jorgensen’s connection to the Maasai started during her 2024 safari when she visited a village. Later, she saw Solomon, a Maasai warrior, standing guard outside between the hotel and the wilds of Amboseli.
Despite the language barrier, Jorgensen struck up a conversation with him and the two exchanged phone numbers.
“When he asked me for my number, I thought, why not? I could always block him if need be,” she said. “When our group was leaving and everyone was saying ‘Good-bye,’ he said: “See you later!” I thought, no, you won’t. But Solomon was right. Our brief but regular communications on WhatsApp are just part of all that compelled me to return to Africa in 2025.
“I had always been intrigued by indigenous communities and respected their unique lifestyles and relationships with animals,” she said. “I’ve always been curious and enjoy meeting people — especially ones I can learn from.”
Jorgensen wrote about her frugal lifestyle in her book and maintains a blog at hollyonthelake.com, but she said “in Kenya were people who had much less impact on the Earth and climate, had many fewer material goods, yet were beautiful, gracious, friendly, and seemed happier than many Americans.”
The Maasai live in homes made of mud, cow dung and sticks, allowing the homes to “melt back into the Earth” when they need to move.
“I wouldn’t suggest we Minnesotans could or should live like that, but seeing them makes one wonder just how big and fancy our homes need to be,” she said. “What materials might be kinder to the Earth than the ones we use and discard, use and discard, use and discard?”
She said the Maasai raise cows, goats, and sheep, but they rarely kill them for meat. They drink milk and, as strange as it sounds, blood from the animals. When an animal is killed, they use nearly all that the animal offers to make food, blankets, clothes, and other items.
During her recent trip, Jorgensen visited Solomon’s family and received three special beadwork necklaces and several bracelets from his wife, who thanked Jorgensen for paying for their daughter’s school fees and hospital visit after the girl fainted.
“When I asked Solomon’s younger brother what was the best thing about being Maasai, he didn’t hesitate before saying ‘family.’ He went on about how they live together, share what they have, take care of each other, and respect elders for their wisdom and vision concerning the Earth,” she said.
She said she’s no expert on the ancient culture, as the more she learns the more she realizes how little she knows about it.
“What I do know is how truly indigenous — meaning ‘of the land’ — they are, even as they are forced or choose to adopt some modern ways,” she said.
Jorgensen has always had an affinity for nature, but said her African safari made her fall in love with the whole Earth.
She said during her visit she didn’t experience the dry, cracked ground from droughts or raging rivers from floods.
“But reading, watching documentaries, and staying in touch with African friends, I can’t ignore the fact that climate events are increasingly murderous to precious lives, both human and wild. So forgive me if I keep attempting to speak for the Earth as I share photos of its splendid, yet vulnerable inhabitants.”
Jorgensen, who will have some of her African photos on display during the Lakeville Art Crawl on May 10 and a Burnhaven Library exhibit in November and December, said Solomon recounted to his family his first meeting with Jorgensen in the grassland.
“In his soft voice and Maa language (interpreted by teacher Ann) he said ‘I couldn’t understand your language, but I could see your heart,’ “ Jorgensen said. “I was overwhelmed and humbled by the way they honored me. I resolved to strive for whatever Solomon saw in me that first day. Was it openness? I hoped to develop the gift of seeing into hearts, or, at the very least, acknowledging the heart in every body, regardless of how different their appearance, language, or customs.”
Tad Johnson is a managing editor of Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune
Solomon, Mama Mary, their pastor, friends, and their youngest son by the open doorway to their home.
Solomon’s younger brother, Benjamin, helped us translate. Solomon’s daughter, Faith, (not pictured) works with AMREF promoting the girlchild’s health and rights.
Solomon’s son is wearing a jacket my mother made and Mama Mary holds a small quilt that I made, with pictures of northern animals on it. Along with the T shirts and some twinkling solar-powered lights to keep the lions away, they seemed appropriate gifts, knowing they would give me precious traditional hand-made beadwork. I suspect she learned beading from her mother, as I learned quilting from mine. Are you surprised they would wear anything warm? I was, but the rangers wore sweaters all day and it gets “cold” at night.
Daughter Mary was at school, where we visited earlier. This is lovely teacher Ann, who translated for us.
The trees in Kenya are famously photogenic, but don’t supply a lot of wood, as our white pine do. That explains a lot.
I forgot to take a selfie. That didn’t matter. I found myself in other determined and bright faces. I will remember standing there on the Capitol steps, as I remember standing against the Vietnam war and for civil rights. Flags of all kinds waved bravely in the cool, crisp wind and warm sun. The numbers were too vast to take in with my camera, eyes, mind or heart, but somehow putting all those words on all those signs seemed to loosen their grips on our aching souls. In bold and clever paint, blunt reality replaced promising lies. Creativity built camaraderie. Terrifying boogeymen became hilarious. Profound and profane words worked together for good. Scribbles on cardboard and works of art danced on sticks held high above 25,000 heads. Heads dizzied with cognitive dissonance, anger, and fear were welcomed into a community of kindness, clarity, action, and hope. They – WE – four million people across America and overseas – calledout cruelty, corruption, and corporate control and calledfor compassion and rule of law.
This was the largest demonstration in United States history. Now we need to vote out the traitors and hold the crooks accountable.
(I know these zebras were in my last post, but their pose inspired my holiday verse.)
Let's all come together Raise our eyes to the skies Seek the light of truth Nurture peace in every heart Choose joy and show it Celebrate love and grow it
Knowing how caring you are, I suspect that got your attention. But is it true? Well, sort of. Let’s fact-check it. My medical chart says “fall from horse”. I’m not an expert rider, but not as incompetent as that makes me sound. Did the horse throw me? That implies intent. My dear friend Mary’s horse Nikki is a good, sweet horse and would never intentionally hurt me. So what happened?
Fear. Something in the woods spooked her, and she spun. I flew off and landed hard. Horses are prey animals, surviving by being hyper aware of their surroundings and reacting with lightning speed. So who’s at fault? No-one. Did I end up at the hospital? Yes, after passing out at the post office and hitting my head yet again, this time without a helmet. The CT scan showed a good hard head and a fractured lumbar vertebra.
How am I feeling? Incredibly lucky. I didn’t pass out in the woods. Nikki didn’t run far and we were able to walk her and Dallas back to the trailer. My hip only started to hurt at Mary’s. She didn’t have any ice but gave me a bag of frozen enchiladas to put in my pants. I didn’t pass out on the hour-long drive home! When I did pass out, I had stopped to mail a book at the post office, only blocks from the hospital. A kind man yelled “Call 911” and said “You fainted and hit your head.” Then he whispered “You had an accident,” pointing to my wet pants. I assured him, “Oh, that’s just the enchiladas melting.” I’m sure that made him think I had a concussion, but I didn’t, so it just gave us a much-needed laugh later. Dear friends Carol and Mike brought me and my car home. I can still say I’ve never spent a night in a hospital. I can still say I’ve never broken a bone, since the fracture was a relatively minor one. Pain? Clearly, it was severe enough to make me faint, and the doc prescribed an opioid. But I didn’t need it. The bruise was a spectacular purple, green, and yellow painting from waist to knee, but not as painful as you’d expect. I was, and still am, just very tired. Which makes it a bit easier to follow doctor’s orders – no bending, twisting, heavy lifting, yardwork, vacuuming, swimming, long walks. Dang! But that means more time to work on Greenie’s book. Oh, and the bill? Thank God (and Democrats) for Medicare and insurance! Yes, I am extremely grateful the adventure wasn’t worse!
The moral of the story? Unfounded fear is dangerous. Whatever Nikki thought she saw caused fear, which had serious consequences for me. Mary always walks her horses back to “fact check” the terrifying log, rock, or squirrel, alleviating the imagined danger.
So why the dramatic headline? To illustrate what our fear-mongering presidential candidate would have done, along with mentioning that the horse was black and vicious, the post office was at fault, and the ER was spending your money on a careless old childless cat lady – none of which is true. Well, the horse is black (and beautiful!) and I am a childless cat lady. Thank goodness! I have Leo and Lucky to snuggle with and friends to help with chores while I recover.
I’m sorry if I worried you for a moment, but I do hope you will check the facts and vote for honesty and integrity. Haitians are not eating our pets. Immigrants commit crimes at a significantly lower rate than American-born citizens. Our economy would collapse and food prices would soar without immigrant labor. It was Trump who blocked the bipartisan immigration reform bill, only to have something to rant about. The last election was not stolen, yet he incited a deadly insurrection and refused to stop it for several tortuous hours. Are you against abortion? No one, ever, will force you to have one. But women and girls are dying for lack of reproductive health care. The economy is strong. The markets are strong. Inflation is going down. Wages are going up.
You think Trump will help the economy? 82 Nobel Prize winners in economics and science say he’s a danger to our country. He rescinded 100 environmental protections while in office and still refuses to recognize the existential threat of climate change. With devastating wars around the world, we need a rational, respected, honest, informed, and compassionate leader. Not a racist convicted felon with six bankruptcies whose own chiefs of staff and 200 top Republicans warn us how narcissistic, mentally unstable, and dangerous he is.
One last thing: I believe with my whole heart that Christ weeps every time con man Trump claims to be a Christian.
I’d hoped to share more African animals on this blog, but figured my friends would want to know about my latest animal encounter, even if it wasn’t as magical as some or as terrible as the headline made it sound. I also feel I have a responsibility to plead with you to VOTE. Give Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the chance to prove that truth, compassion, and joy are more powerful than lies, greed, and chaos.
Okay, here’s one gorgeous lion looking up in peace and optimism. Please stay tuned for a true story about the lion in Rwanda who saved a woman from genocide. Yes, even a lion can be powerful and compassionate.
Uncommon
A sunset is doubled when reflected in a lake
So, too, a glowing moon
But oh, to see that sacred art
In the magical mirror of the ruby red eye
Of the mystical common loon
May the wonders of Mother Nature
decorate your heart and your holidays
with beauty, light, and love
While searching my photos for a holiday picture, this one suggested a red tree ornament reflecting candlelight. But it’s natural, which is always my preference. I was delighted to photograph a loon close to my canoe. Discovering the sunset while editing the picture was one of those happy surprises.
Another was being asked to do three photo/poem exhibits in 2023. It kept me busy, but I was honored to be able to share my work. Many thanks to all who encouraged me in so many ways. I will be taking my exhibit at Burnhaven Library down this Sunday, and this is one that will go back up on my wall while I’m missing the snow.
The totally open water on my lake this December is a surprise, but not a happy one. I would be selfish to complain when others around the world suffer devastating effects of climate change and war. Yet I can’t help but wonder how it is affecting my fish friends – Greenie, Slim, and others. I swam nearly every day last summer, often with them, and took lots of underwater video. I’m making progress on Greenie’s chapter book about our eight summers together. Will there be a ninth? I sure hope so.
Yes, that's Greenie, a summer picture dressed up for the holidays with a little editing. I didn't look as good as he does, but I so appreciated celebrating the special lights of Hanukkah, Solstice, and Christmas with friends and family, and will do the same on New Year’s Eve.
Let us all wish everyone, everyone, everywhere,
all creatures, great and small
Peace on Earth, Good Will to All
Holly
Goodbye pumpkins, hello snow! Greenie and Slim have gone deep ahead of the ice. Red and Pinkalicious have been visiting the vine by my kitchen window. The deer are gobbling up the last of my simple gardens. There’s always a friend around if we keep our eyes and ears open.
My theme continues as I prepare for Sunday’s opening of my photo/poetry exhibit, (details below) so I will keep this short. It’s both a joy and a challenge to share my images and thoughts. It’s so encouraging when people say I should be charging more for my art. But as I look at the 60 pics in all kinds and sizes of frames filling my living room as I sort them for areas of the library, one thought prevails. I would love to know they will grace other people’s walls, perhaps after being wrapped as a gift. So I’m keeping my prices down with that in mind.
But lest I sound like an advertisement, know that I would LOVE to have you just come to the library during November and December to relax as you peruse the pictures and poetry. I’m not making a lot of cards since I have no venue for them beyond Sunday, but I already have one special order and and am open to making more. And of course my book, Enchanted – Reflections from a Joyfully Green and Frugally Rich Life is always available from me.
The future? I have a good start on Greenie’s book and am anxious to get back to work on it. I have more VERY exciting news, but I’ll save that for later. Here’s a picture to make you smile and a couple of the more philosophical new pieces for my exhibit.
Eye to eye with Greenie under the water as it got colder. “I’ll miss you this winter!”
Milkweed Message
I’m holding on to so much stuff
While some don’t have enough
To live a simple life
Within a humble home
Why?
It’s time to let my treasures go
So they can travel on the wind
Until they find a place to grow
While I embrace
The calm of empty space
Holly Jorgensen
Angeleaf
All summer long, despite the drought,
gazillions of leaves spent their mornings and eves
capturing carbon and gifting us life.
Now they go out in blazes of glorious oranges and deep reds
even as we lie asleep in our beds.
I, too, am in the autumn of my years
but tears are not my thing.
I'd rather sing a song of hope
that my transition from this earthly home
might have a fraction of the grit and grace
of a leaf as she leaves this lovely place
and lets herself be blown
to yet another mysterious, miraculous unknown.
Holly Jorgensen
Exhibit details:
On display November through December, 2023
Opening reception: 1:30 to 4:30 pm, Sunday, November 5th, 2023 Central STANDARD time!
I will give brief presentations at 1:40, 2:40, and 3:40
Burnhaven Library, 1101 County Rd 42 W, Burnsville, MN 55306
I'd love to see you there!
What? Another fishy picture for the holidays? Yup, I couldn’t resist this one of Slim and Greenie dancing in the moonlight. You may have read the poem it inspired when I posted it on Facebook. But in truth, it wasn’t the moonlight giving them that magical glow. For seven summers I’d been lamenting evenings when it was just too dark to get a decent photo of my underwater friends. Then it struck me. I have a flash! Duh. Suddenly I had a new way into their twilight world. A little editing brought out their smiles and the magic of this unique couple. So what it says to me today is this: remember what resources you have and “Shine a light!” We’ve been through dark times and surely face more. How often do we have something at hand that can brighten a moment, an hour, a year, a life? Bless the stroke of luck that opens our eyes to it.
I’m still working on a book about Greenie and friends. If you read my blog or newsletters, you know that I can blame the delay on the little bit of cancer I had, sucking up my time and energy. I’m fine now, and immensely grateful. But that scare also motivated me to share what I have while I can. So I posted a few of my lullabies on Facebook, hoping someone might be touched and guided. My friend Marty Winkler is putting one of them on her next album! I framed and entered some photos in the county fair, hoping someone might look more closely at Mother Nature’s other children. Their uniqueness led to an invitation to do my first exhibit! It will be at the Minnesota Valley Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, opening on February 12th. Stay in touch for details if you’d like to join us.
My fish friends are under the ice now, but my cardinal friend Red is back on the vine outside my window and my deer friends visit often. My trail cams show shyer visitors – beaver, opossum, raccoon, fox, coyote, and more. My cats Lucky and Leo are great company with their snuggles and antics. I have deeply enjoyed connecting with human friends, too, as we share bumps and breezes, laughter and music, on this precious road of life. But the brightest light shines from the new baby in the family! My niece Kym had a little boy, known as Sprout, who is already an athletic, outdoorsy, adorable wonder, like his parents.
I wish you all the very best as we step into 2023. May the holidays help you to discover the “flash” you need to light the world around you in the twilight moments. May you rest well in the darkness, and wake to the miracle of another day.
Peace and Joy, Holly
PS – If you are not getting my occasional newsletters, I may have an old email address for you or they may go into your junk folder, since they come through Mailchimp. If you want to, please go to hollyonthelake.com and subscribe. Then watch for a letter with details of the upcoming exhibit and add me to your safe senders. Thank you!
