White Owl Island

Golden Flowers
Originally uploaded by FranSb.

Today the priestesses on our island
have been weaving sunlight and green
A quilt of gentle warmth in hope
that the Gypsy queen will come once more
dance with them her graceful saraband
and rest at midnight under the white moon

I am wondering where I might go
to plant a tree
A tree to remember a little dog
Will I plant a tree to remember her on Owl Island?
Or will I choose to go to the Hermitage?
Or perhaps I will plant one in my garden!

Last night at midnight I drove my friend
Angela to a Vetinary Hospital in Werribee
A large outer suburb of Melbourne.
Some 30ks from where we live.

Desdemona was a 5yr old Dachshund
Short legs and a long fat belly
We called her Dessie for short
She was Jessie Dog’s best friend
She thought Jessie was her Dog Mother
She nuzzled Jessies eyes,ears and nose
As well as at the other end too
She slept in our beds at all times in the night

She had a massive brain shut down and was paralised
Her eyes told us she was in pain
We wrapped her in her blanket,
And with Jessie dog on board
We crossed the Westgate Bridge
that joins the east with the west in Melbourne

20 minutes later we entered the training hospital
through the emergency entrance.
Three vets on duty and four vet nurses.
Angie laid Dessies limp body on the treatment table
A decision was not hard to make
No recovery was possible
So a small needle in her leg put her to sleep
In the arms of her loved owner

We came home dug a hole near the fish pond
Where she loved to watch the fish
Wrapped in her favourit blanket
we lowered her in very gently after lots of hugs and kisses
Her little plaque with her name on
and her few toys went in as well
Angie could make this decision
that was so hard knowing
In her 5 years of life she had
lived it to the fullest
Her fiesty loveable dog
was at peace.

We are now a threesome
having travlled,walked,loved and played
as a foursome for some 5 years
Our memories will become stronger
as time goes by
I know for now it is a time to grieve.
To shed many tears ,to wish she was still here
To try and keep busy
but still watch where we walk
in case we trip over Dessie Dog
who was always in the kitchen
looking for a morsel that might have dropped
on to the floor.
We will see her there we will see her here
She will be with us for a long time to come

Lois (Muse of the Sea) Monday 27th March 2006.

A ‘view’ of Owl Island
Actually taken near the Antarctic by unknown photographer

We all need time alone. Even those of us who are social butterflies need some time to ourselves. Solitude is necessary for meditation and quiet reflection. We also may choose to isolate ourselves when we are busy and need to meet a deadline. We may cherish time alone when we want to give ourselves over to art or music, lose ourselves in a good book, or delve into a personal project. Having time to ourselves allows us to focus completely on our yoga practice or get into the zone while running or strength training. Sometimes we need to be alone to simply do nothing but enjoy the sound of silence. Our alone time revitalizes and replenishes us, grounding us in our own company.

Yet, too much isolation, especially when our intention is to hide, withdraw, or not deal with the realities of our lives is not physically, mentally, or spiritually healthy. It is during moments like these when being in isolation takes us away from our lives, rather than enhancing it. If anything, too much isolation can create a buffer whereby we don’t have to deal with our problems. Sometimes, pushing ourselves to deal with our issues and be in our lives, rather than isolate, is one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves.

Also, just as it is important for us to have our “alone” time, we need to remember that as human beings, we are by nature social creatures that thrive on human contact. Our lives cannot occur in a vacuum, and we cannot fully live in this world without interacting with others. Consider using isolation as time spent for rest, reinvigoration, and personal growth. Isolation can then not only empower you, but it can allow you to return to your work and your relationships restored and ready for life. from Daily OM

Two of my favourite books are Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton and Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg. I have been enjoying the ’solitude’ of Owl Island where I have been sketching and spending quality solitary time.

This week consider escaping from the madness of society, take some ‘alone time’ and share your thoughts and feelings here, at Riversleigh, lwithin the sanctuary of the Lemurian Hermitage or in the Salon du Soul.

I have been out and about with my sketch book and visited the big bollards near the jetty and White Owl Farm. It was the most lovely day out. I had my bag, with some sandwiches and a drink tucked inside and slept to the sound of the ocean pounding near the bedroom window when I finally got back to my hideaway retreat.

squirrels’ evening
Originally uploaded by FranSb.

This is the photo of our ancestors that we keep in the storeroom.

- George and Tiny

George and Tiny

There they are,
see their bushy tails, but wait,
where are they now?
They move so fast,
are there one moment
and gone the next—

oh, I see them, high up in that old oak,
on those highest branches,
see, they’re looking down on us
and chattering as if we’re to blame
for whatever it is that bothers them.
Cheeky little devils that they are—

I can’t help but admire their
carefree life, or is it as it seems?
They have their foes
just like we have enemies,
but they seem, somehow,
to manage better than we do—

despite our sophistication,
our weapons of mass destruction,
yes, we have them, too.
The squirrels though,
despite their size and their seemingly
carefree lives, know how to make the most—

of play … it’s all a game, you see,
the hunting and gathering of seeds and nuts,
though deadly serious, it is a game
to be played often and every day.
So, George and Tiny, thank you,
thank you for inviting me to share your tree,
and wonder if you don’t have it right
with your tiny brains and bushy tails—
yes, I think you have it right.

Vi Jones
©March 21, 2006

Vi’s plumbago quilt
Originally uploaded by FranSb.

Vi’s quilt for the hammock beneath the wide tree
where George and Tiny have promised to welcome her.

Lois, this one is for you….

Squirrel Antics

Oh, to be a squirrel—
to race up and down
and round about—
high up in the trees,
noisily acclaiming
your presence
from the branches—

then down again to gather
nuts and seeds for your stash,
and hiding them in haste
here and there and everywhere.
Chasing one another,
chittering and chattering,
flicking that gorgeous bushy tail—

to see the humans
ooh and aah,
and little children
delighting in your antics,
for though they chase you,
they can never catch you.
You have not a care, or so it seems—

though I know you have
unfriendly neighbors like
owls on silent wings, hawks, too,
and foxes, but you’re at home
in wilderness or park, and
I would give a sack of gold
to be a squirrel for a day.

Vi Jones
©March 20, 2006

Squirreling away
Originally uploaded by FranSb.

Please don’t let the owls know that we are hiding on their island. I hope one of the dear visitors will hang her hammock On our tree and keep our store room safe. We promise not to chew the ropes or drop from the branches onto your quilt. Tiny says you can have two of his best pecans for your desert.

Signed: Tiny and George, residents.