Moss Whispers

This little guy, I’ll call him Mr. Jingle for now, has appeared in The Hillock of my mind off and on. My own grown children are encouraging me to illustrate a little ‘jingle book’ I’ve been growing, so here’s my first attempt at page one’s illustration. And of course the eye of the mind and the brush of the heart are already calling me to rewrite the text! aggh! How does one EVER finish anything when ‘evolution’ takes over!!! Does survival of the fittest really mean survival of the finishers? I hope not, for I will NEVER get Mr. Jingle to the top of the stairs!!!  I guess I’m not experiencing writer’s block, but rather writer’s detours! or distractions?!!!!  Reader’s tip: Italics is my mind and the process. ‘Straight lettering’ will represent my evolving text. Enjoy! And please give me feedback so I can learn!

I climb up the steps

To my room in the tree.

It’s been a full day.

For you and for me!

I would be remiss if I didn’t also share with you the next part of Lennie Leftover’s story. Here is a picture of him at the end of the night when the party is almost over…

As we know too well how the sun’s rays bring each of us to a ripe old age…to a snow person, life moves extremely fast! Lennie, now is transfiguring to another form…evaporating all good times to be distilled in time for future generations of goodness and good times!

No worries, Lennie, you’ll ‘be back some day!’ I’m headed to The Hillock to find you and all your darling descendants! Thanks for slices of snow moments for us all! Oh that we ALL could be as Flakey as you, dear one!

This morning billowy snowflakes were dancing from the sky when I awoke from my winter sleep! The snowflakes startled my mind to billow forth ALL snow critters frozen in time past.

This little man appeared on a giant rock by OUR front walkway. He was about 48 snowcentimeters tall and hIs name was Lennie Leftover, a self-made little man from the leftover snow on the northernmost side of our house.

He was getting all decked out to go to a ‘snow person party’ in town! Top hats have always held a special place on snow heads  for parties ‘downtown’. Must continue traditions of tipping his hat to all ‘traffic cops’ at stoplights!

I’m wondering whether any of his descendants will be showing up down at The Hillock today…

To my surprise a few days ago, a tiny kitchen appeared. It happened so fast, I haven’t even had time to water color it! And with each passing day it seems to absorb more gold from the sunlight, almost as if it’s on fire itself. It’s on the western side of The Hillock, directly across from Slab, the Potter’s outdoor kiln. And nearby is a raised cauldron of hot colored stones. Hmm. wonder how these two ‘stoves connect…the potter’s kiln ‘stove’ and this outdoor kitchen? Just a skip or two down the hill from the small stove is a relatively huge grinder…nothing in it right now…so we don’t know what it grinds…mystery kitchen…mystery ingredients. hmmm…

One rare night, one of those ‘blue moons’, I was walking when I heard some rustling over near a stump by The Hillock. This was a feathery sort of rustle, slipping through the silence like an owl hunting for prey. I quickly turned my head, and to my surprise, I saw three tiny twig people dancing ‘in the light of the ‘blue moon’. I blinked to make sure I was awake, and they were still there! This is the best I could do to capture them in my memory, for just then a true owl gave it’s mooncall and they were off! into thin air!

Rarely do humans ever see many of the dwellers at The Hillock, yet there’s one quite bold fellow who prances by with such glee that even the the grasses chortle! There’s something about his smile that brings familiar tones to the air and gives the impression that he ‘knows’ …not sure what he knows, but he looks quite confident about it. To be ‘comfortable in his own skin’ barely expresses how truly relaxed he is with himself and his surrounds. Adventure is his favorite word and even the oldest of things are greeted with brand new enthusiasm.

On the northernmost side of The Hillock, near the Main Cobble Stoneway, all the waters of the hillside gather in a pool of ripples by the MoonLightHouse. Though the Hillock is populated mostly by unseen inhabitants, there’s another world not even seen by the ‘unseen’…the world under the glistening ripples of water that reflect the moon hovering akin the twinkling stars. And contrary to popular belief, the waters underneath are filled with the most brilliant of colors and the most magical of all creatures. Here is a glimpse of one such creature, Critter Seahorse, himself! He is the father of all starry nights, as the stars we see in the sky are really reflections of what twinkle upwards from his magical pocket! His underwater adventures leave waves that affect every creature in The Hillock.

More towards Hillock Middle, on a mound facing the Castle of the Heart a new kitchen has appeared . The name, CLARA, is molded on the big oven door. It’s open as if someone has been working on the cook fire. Sofar, the only clue about this kitchen is that there is a trail (or is it a fence?) of stone hearts growing from one side of the Two Stone Pillars and heading westward up the hillside toward what I’ll call for now, The Kitchen of Clara. Hmmm…again I wonder about the chef? who eats food from this kitchen? and what gourmet surprises come from here? Just as the watercolors are still coming together, so will the whole puzzle need to arrange itself together over time…we’ll see…or maybe you already know how it comes together? Let me know if you discover any new pieces.

Kitchens seem to be emerging more rapidly than any other outdoor ‘rooms’ around the Hillock! Sofar, I’ve spotted two! no, three! a tiny one just popped up!

This is the first kitchen I noticed on a walk one day a few years ago. This one must be The Queen’s Kitchen? Interesting that it has stone steps leading up to an iron stove at the base of another large tree on a central western knoll. Similarly, the Stone Door with the sculpted Queen is atop another set of stone steps climbing to the base of the largest tree and both are facing eastward. Not shown in this painting, but present in real form are the kitchen tools hanging above on the tree. Little is known yet about who actually cooks here except the chef must add a musical touch to his concoctions, based on ‘a hint of musical spices’ on the stovetop. Attached as a stovepipe is some part of a horn, not sure if it’s a french horn or from some other country? And atop the stove is a whistling kettle with a heart on the front….hmmm… a heart?
For now, we’ll have to settle for such clues to give us a taste of who cooks here? what delectables? what ingredients? and who partakes of such symphonious scrumptiuals?

At the centermost peak of The Hillock, just past the Two Stone Pillars, ramble stone steps climbing to the base of the Wise Old Tree. On the North Side of the tree at the top of the steps is a stone door gathering moss. What’s behind it or how to open it are not common knowledge. Those that make it through the Valley of Ashes and past Char, the guardian of the gates, are greeted by this series of stone steps held together with mossy mortar. With each step towards the ancient arch, wrinkled feelings forged by life, slowly smooth… leaving one’s whole being open to a willing wonder that’s been waiting to surface. As eyes and hearts refocus, clearly appears on the stone’s surface, a statue of Queen, herself, sculpted in detail on the front of the door. Nevermind a door knob or hinges. This door doesn’t function as we know doors to do. To hillock inhabitants, save only a few of the wisely intuitive, this central stone remains a mysterious monument to some primal presence on this hillock. And even for them, each is privy to only one piece of such knowledge. Perhaps a better use of ones time when near these beautiful steps, is to savor their natural beauty, their combinations of colors and shapes, and the views from such a high vantage point, rather than spending one’s time and energy trying to figure out how to open the door. From the top step, eyes can practically view a 360, except for directly behind the tree where The Artist paints the western sunsets. Still it’s hard to keep imaginations from climbing higher and delving deeper into the Mystery of the Stone Door in the Wise Old Tree. Questions and ponderings are best solved on this mossy hillock by not ‘trying to figure it out.’