The Mourning Dove

There is a mourning dove that sits by itself on the high wire in front of my house.

I noticed it the other day while stepping out to walk the dog.

I also noticed that the leaves are starting to change colors.

I've picked up a few that have really spoken to me; a green one shot through with a vein of yellow and bright red down the center and another one just shy of being red so it almost appeared to be pink.

There are yellow ones freckled with little brown dots, and crunchy brown ones too. One street over there are flame red ones already on the ground.

We won't get any really good color on the trees until middle to late October

I am a visual person so when I see something in nature that catches my eye I must have it.

Mostly I decorate with these items. I'll put a few leaves and acorns in a bowl or 

maybe tuck them in to a little corner next to some books.

I do this with rocks and twigs, seashells and feathers...whatever strikes my fancy.

So anyway about that Mourning Dove...

It followed me and the dog on our walk around the block.

It landed on telephone poles and fences and even on a neighbors TV antenna on their roof.

As we rounded the corner towards home I noticed a feather on the ground.

Smooth and round on the tip, gray and slightly fuzzy near the quill end.

The fuzzy gray tiny feathers caught my eye as they fluttered in the breeze.

I stepped over it and kept walking for a few paces, then I stopped and turned around.

The feather was gone...I looked for it but it must have floated off on the breeze.

Turning back around and starting for home I looked up and there was that solitary Mourning Dove perched on a high wire directly over my head.

That's when the thought came to me that maybe the feather had been a gift.

"Here's a piece of me to keep with you".

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When I got home I looked up Mourning Doves and found this-

7 Dove Spiritual Meanings

Around the world, doves hold important spiritual meanings for people. Not only are they referenced in the Bible, but ancient Indigenous cultures revered them as well. On a personal level, seeing a dove can carry spiritual meanings. Some even believe they hold message from their spirit guides just as angel numbers do. Here are some of those possibly messages:

1. Your angels are validating that you are on the right path. The dove doesn’t lose their way. And if you keep your faith, you will find your way.

2. If you are single, your romantic soulmate is looking for you. It is the nature of soulmates to find each other. Do things to increase your odds that the two of you will connect.

3. If you are in an established bond, the dove signifies that the bond with your soulmate is eternal. Treat them with gratitude and care.

4. Be pure of heart in your words and actions. This is the mark of an enlightened soul.

5. You are in the process of a spiritual awakening.

6. A loved one who has passed is reaching out to let you know they are present and that they are at peace.

7. Keep the faith in your higher power and know that the universe if wise and loving.

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Now I don't know if that was him or not but it sure gave me a nice feeling.

Guess I'll be on the lookout for more feathers.

Love, Lolly

On the Homefront

 The rehab on my house is coming along nicely.

Ceilings have been replaced or painted as the case may be, both of the upstairs bedroom walls  have been white washed and all of the carpet on the second level has been torn out.

Paneling in the TV room was removed and we found a ton of damage to these old 1910 plaster/lath walls. We also found 4 or 5 layers of old hand stamped wallpaper under those panels. We tried to remove some of the layers to see what was underneath. I felt like an archeologist peeling back that old paper. You could almost see each decade in the prints that had been chosen. 

We took pictures before we covered it up.

So new paneling was put up and we tried to white wash it but it didn't take.

Deb and I spent 7 hours scraping the paint back off.

The good news is that the TV room looks just as good without the white wash on the walls.

The new flooring going in the TV room doesn't match as well anymore but whatever.

Deb, Kate and I have been going with a lot of Plan B's. 

It's easier than fretting about Plan A not working.

When it comes to old houses you gotta roll with the punches and work with what ya got.

The only rooms that aren't being rehabbed are my bedroom and the bathroom.

These two rooms have become my sanctuaries lately. I sleep, eat and relax on my bed and I still have a working bathroom so I can take my Epsom salt baths after the construction guys leave.

Everything else is complete chaos. The furniture is gone, closets are emptied and the contents of my entire kitchen are in boxes in the sitting room. Kate is wonderful at keeping me on this planet.

You know what really helps me?  When I work along side them; painting, scraping, hauling boxes.

The work is hard and sweaty and dirty but the days go by in a flash!

And the feeling of accomplishment, of a job well done, sits right in my soul.

The depression is lifting. I'm no longer eating or sleeping the day away.

I've unclenched my hands, and my anxiety is quiet.

I still don't feel Art or Jesus around me yet. but that's okay.

Maybe they're busy elsewhere. Lord knows this World is burning down around us.

There are plenty of small fires to keep them both occupied for decades.

In the mean time I'll keep rehabbing this old house and I'll trust the wait.

Love, Lolly