In that strange world of synchronicity, I found this article today. It comes after spending the last three days thinking about birthdays and their implications. While I have no intention of walking around the world, I'm inspired (and in such a timely manner) by this man's dream.

This year will be the big 60 for me, and I've been making plans for my birthday. I've never wanted birthday parties - birthdays were not very important to me, and although I enjoy having my girls (and now grandchildren) home for a celebratory dinner with us, a party was never my thing.

This year, however, I'm going to have one because this next decade seems a huge adventure. When I turned 50, I made big changes in my life and have reaped great benefits from those changes. My life has been so rewarding since I retired (one of the decisions I made was early retirement). While there have been great griefs, challenges, and changes during this decade, I've loved it-- felt freer, younger, happier.

While I made some significant decisions when I turned 50, the date itself held nothing special for me, was not really noted. This year will be different. Turning 60 will entail further challenges and rewards, and moving into this next decade seems quite exciting to me -- and seems of more consequence, more import than any previous decade. No doubt, the experience I've gained along the way and the increased awareness of time flying, influence my feelings that this birthday deserves a celebration and a sense of commitment.

So...I'm doing some evaluation, some planning and listing, some goal-setting. Planning and goal-setting for the date itself and for the decade to follow. I have 6 months to think about it.

On the subject of crones... :) and my first crone

As I've repeated (ad nauseum), I love myth, folk lore, fairy tales, Jungian archetypes, symbols, etc. I discovered this link to another subject that, uh, interests me. Here are a few books I really need to read (I'll post the complete list on my book blog):

Bolen, Jean Shinoda (2003) Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women. York Beach, Maine: Red Wheel/Weiser

Bolen, Jean Shinoda (1998) Close to the Bone. New York: Scribner

Bolen, Jean Shinoda (1995) Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Pilgrimage. New York: Harper San Francisco

Brewi, Janice and Brennan, Anne (1988) Mid-Life Spirituality and Jungian Archetypes. York Beach, Maine: Nicolas-Hays

(here she is checking on the first of the Homestead Purple Verbena and with a little Photoshop magic) click on image to enlarge

Chinen, Allan B. (1989) Once upon a Midlife: Classic Stories and Mythic Tales to Illuminate the Middle Years. Wilmette, IL: Chiron

Chinen, Allan B. (1989) In the Ever After: Fairy Tales and the Second Half of Life. Wilmette, IL: Chiron

Pretat, Jane R. (1994) Coming To Age: The Croning Years and Late-Life Transformation. Toronto: Inner City Books

Damn! I really should have stock in Amazon!

Garden Girl and the Crone

Thanks to all of you for the nice comments on Garden Girl. I started out with the idea of using that pink striped for tights, then I wanted to use some bright batik scraps against the black. Had know specific figure or character in mind until the garden started developing, blossom by blossom. Then the figure became something else, with the garden element, she became something kind of magical.

During those months that I couldn't seem to create anything--a long dry spell with only oven mitts and a table topper to show for it, WIP girl was just one more project I didn't want to work on.

Maybe the handquilting on the baby quilt helped get me back in the mood. No doubt, the myths I've been reading (especially The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, which I raved about here and here on my book blog) were part of the inspiration to continue the magical aspect. Maybe the girl is a descendant of the Green Man, a gentler version. Or a hedge witch, a master of flowers and herbs, perfumes and remedies.

Fran, I know she'd love your wild gardens; she would be right at home in Toad Haven Annex. She just finished a chapter on drought tolerant plants.

For those of you who thought she might be me: Nope. I'm the Garden Crone. Remember me?