Message in a Bottle. This vintage had kind of a harsh edge to it. Good legs, though.
Yup, another year gone by, another circle around the sun (Rodney Crowell). I’m finding all sorts of reasons to celebrate today. For one thing, Spring’s arrived on the prairie, no question about it. That’s a joy all in itself.
As a matter of fact, one flower does make it spring.
Today on my birthday I’m contemplating the nature of happiness in its many forms. Please join me in considering these 5 ways of finding happiness:
1) Happiness Through Creativity-Today’s happiness: finishing the Black Swan commission.
Untitled, Australian Black Swans, acrylic on board, 27″x15″
2) Happiness In Retrospect -as laid out by the Athenian sage Solon, to an unlucky Croesus and recorded in The Histories (5th Century BC) by Herodotus :
“He who possesses great store of riches is no nearer happiness than he who has what suffices for his daily needs, unless it so hap that luck attend upon him, and so he continue in the enjoyment of all his good things to the end of life. For many of the wealthiest men have been unfavoured of fortune, and many whose means were moderate have had excellent luck. Men of the former class excel those of the latter but in two respects; these last excel the former in many.
The wealthy man is better able to content his desires, and to bear up against a sudden buffet of calamity. The other has less ability to withstand these evils (from which, however, his good luck keeps him clear), but he enjoys all these following blessings: he is whole of limb, a stranger to disease, free from misfortune, happy in his children, and comely to look upon. If, in addition to all this, he end his life well, he is of a truth the man who may rightly be termed happy. Call him, however, until he die, not happy but fortunate. He who unites the greatest number of advantages, and retaining them to the day of his death, then dies peaceably, that man alone, sire, is, in my judgment, entitled to bear the name of ‘happy’.”
3) The Jack Lalanne School of Happiness– eat healthy, unprocessed food, exercise regularly, and most of all, keep smiling! Thanks to GTD in Academia via Boing Boing.
4) Be a Golden Retriever. The unbridled happiness of a silly dog with a brand new Woobie. This one can’t be achieved, it must be born into.
5) The Happiness You Make- Dance, sing, play, listen, smile, laugh, go a little nuts. Watch this video of swing-era Argentine guitarist Oscar Aleman, you’ll get the idea.
And a big Happy Birthday to Aretha Franklin, Flannery O’Conner, and of course, my niece Grace.
Drawing The Motmot 
Happy Birthday! I’ve been following your blog for about a year now and I think you have much to be happy about!
Cheers, my friend! Love the pics today. The swans are absolutely gorgeous! And Cody is regal, as usual, even playing with a new woobie. Happy Birthday; the best is yet to come.
We are still waiting for Spring to show up on the Northern Prairie we need to get rid of the 9″ of snow we got on Good Friday. 🙂
Yes and hear hear to the happiness one makes in life. You are among the best I’ve seen at manufacturing happiness. Simply following your myriad talents would be a full-time wonderful job. I lift a glass of Bitch to you, wondrous spirit!
Happy birthday! I really like those swans. You didn’t mention your cat–he steals the show in that one picture. Do you really read Herodotus?
I’m currently reading the Histories- I get the sense that Herodotus would have been a fun gossip. Highly recommended!
The cat’s name is Gizmo and is very opinionated as you can tell.
A glass raised to all of you, whatever you’re having!
Happy Birthday, neighbor.
Troy and Martha from Texas
Happy Happy Happy Birthday my friend!!! I can’t believe you didn’t mention it the other day! Its saved in perpetuity now and it won’t go unacknowledged again!
If riches are measured in intelligent thoughts — than you are wealthy beyond even….Oprah. If beauty is measured in creative output (as it is) than you are a goddess beyond the likes of anything Herodotus would have known. I too lift a glass – of fantastic Bordeaux that you would enjoy if you were here – and I toast to intelligent goddesses that live in Oklahoma, birthday wishes and all the beauty you bring to the world. Sante.
Well, happy belated birthday to you! I so enjoyed the videos — both of them!!
🙂
I just found your blog on Nature Blog and I love it! Jack Lalanne and woobies really resonate with me today.
Stephanie
http://world-bird-sanctuary.blogspot.com/
what a glorious post and just the thing i needed sitting in my chilly house in tulsa, pondering the garden and the spring that was here and now seems to have vanished.
i love them all, but #5 (and of course the golden, sweet creature) is marvelous. thank you.