The Dreaming Tree The art, photography & dreams of Lana Gramlich. Also notes on nature sciences (astronomy, parklands, etc.,) & dream related subjects. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 12 0 69 3115

Articles from The Dreaming Tree

Nature at the Hermitage 2007-12-07 21:57:00 Our temperatures went back up into the 80s today, so the green tree frogs have come back out to feast near any outside lights this evening. On the right; "4 rat bastards have lunch." (I'm trying to be more Zen about the squirrels, I swear!) Close up of a stink bug on the patio door & "chickadee in a tree."Two cardinal pairs near our lone, unused birdhouse. (I'm not really upset that it's unused, considering the local raccoons, opossums, snakes, etc.) Note; This picture was taken in Summer & doesn't reflect the increasingly leafless views out back these days.Our forcast low tonight is 63F--with dense fog. Dense fog is my favorite, so I think a night hike's in order... ...

Irruptive Bird & Last Night's Dream; Football 2007-12-07 08:43:00 An English woman was discussing the differences between American & European football (although she meant rugby, on the European side.)I obviously needed my sleep last night, as this snippet was the last thing I was dreaming before I woke. After a few days of research I can safely assert that we've had a new visitor to the Hermitage; a female rose-breasted grosbeak. They're not usually found in our area, although I'm not alone in spotting one here. Although I'd taken pictures, the bird ended up mostly obscured behind some vegetation (from my vantage point.)The picture is me, Simpsonized. It took me months to get that website to work & considering the picture I'd submitted, I'd say it didn't actually work this time, either. I seem to have been provided with a generic face & was allowed to customize to the best of my ability. Still, close enough. ... Amp

St. Tammany Art Rant 2007-12-06 23:37:00 In a previous post on my old, harsher blog, I mentioned "Lies the St. Tammany Art Association Told Me." Regardless, I went ahead & joined the group (& sold a painting at a recent show.) Unfortunately I grow increasingly unimpressed with them. Most recently;1. Their website's suddenly gone. I don't know if part of my dues included the site in any way, but it's loss certainly hurts us all--after all, that's how I found out about the group to begin with.2. Their blog hasn't been updated since May. Not only are the posts outdated, but the contact info is, as well. For all intents & purposes, this blog might as well not exist at all.3. Tonight I got spam from another member, advertising a "last minute sale" on their pottery. It appears all the members got it, as she put everyone's address in the "To:" line, further compromising all of our privacy.4. My painting sold Nov. 17th, at which time I was assured that someone would contact about getting me my money. It's been almost 3 weeks n ...

Last Night's Dream; Woodland Adventures & the Pluto Permit 2007-12-06 09:10:00 I was with D.D., in a large building in a wooded area with large clearings. Either I lived there or we'd been going there for years. People were starting to build mansions throughout the area, which made me sad. We went down to a large, expensive, wooden dining room table in the woods with a female friend of his. 2 more tables were just around the bend, on a path. We sat & talked about boats sinking in frigid water. I imagined it in my head, seeing a yacht listing to one side, dumping its overdressed passengers in the water. I mused, "How bad would that suck?" We soon left, heading back where we'd come from. We stopped at a convenience store in a mansion on the way. Inside, an older woman broke up with an older man who I knew already from the neighborhood. It was because he'd opened the store. She assumed it meant he couldn't take care of her in the manner to which she was accustomed (although the guy was loaded, in reality.) Although perturbed, he wasn't terribly upset. He seemed ... Amp

Sunset & Last Night's Dream; B&E, Kids Playing 2007-12-05 09:48:00 I was with others. We went to a house on the water. The residents weren’t there. We wandered around inside, then went outside. No one was being disrespectful, taking or destroying anything. As I watched ducks in the water near the edge of the property a man & woman approached, wearing coats & carrying grocery bags. They wanted to know what we were doing there. I realized they were the residents & although I commented on the beauty of their place, I let someone else do the explaining. The residents were more understanding than I would have thought. Later I was outside, along side of a building. I’d set up some things that kids were going to come & play with (i.e.; my carefully orchestrated setup was going to be completely destroyed.) Fortunately I was able to get them to reset everything when they were done.The sunset photo was taken out my living room window while I was in Canada. There's something about the colors in the painting it inspired that plays games with my brain. I quit ... Amp

Robert Bateman 2007-12-04 18:15:00 If you're not familiar with Robert Bateman, he's a Canadian naturalist & master artist, whose paintings look more like photographs. When I see talent like his, it almost makes me want to put my own brushes away. Although the show he discusses in this video is long over, there are some stunning examples of his artwork (particularly toward the end,) as well as interesting comments from the artist, himself. Enjoy. ...

Last Night's Dream; Office, Necklace, Boy & Flying Fish 2007-12-04 15:56:00 I was outside of my old manager's office. Through the windows I saw a couple of people (including a pro-football player?) were inside. They waved me in & I took them up on it. The office was small & odd shaped with lots of papers on the walls. Soon my old manager came & I excused myself for lack of room. It took me a minute to figure out how to unlock the door, during which I got a phone call that my necklace was ready. I asked what had been done to it, but the woman on the phone wasn't very helpful. She mentioned that it hadn't been plated. On my way to pick it up I ended up in an outdoor maze of stores, many of them Mexican in style & signage. I stopped at an ATM outside of a Mexican store. I had trouble & when I asked for help, the Mexican woman indicated that I couldn't get money there. I decided to leave the area, but had trouble finding my way out of the area. I figured it out & ended up in a grassy clearing in the woods. Two men were there with guns, harassing a young boy (6 ... Amp

Levity Break; Bob Ross Has Issues 2007-12-03 16:56:00 Although I have a deep respect & admiration for the late Bob Ross, I also got a kick out of this irreverent little video (particularly when he decides where to put the lighthouse.) ...

Last Night's Dream; Love & Snow, Terrorism, Buddhism, Lunar NM & Electrolytes 2007-12-03 09:05:00 I was with C.G. outside at night. It started snowing. An old boyfriend came into my life. Soon I decided to leave C.G. to marry them. He wasn’t terribly upset about it. I figured we’d been married such a short time we could probably get an annulment. After hanging out with the other guy for a while I felt badly about my decision, realized I should stay married to C.G. & I knew the reason why. Without hesitation I went back to explain my realization to C.G., who took me back (to my relief!) It started snowing, again. Later I reported potential terrorism to someone at an airport. They sent me to a tent city nearby & told me to pick out whatever I’d like. Things were somewhat disorganized; on tables, in boxes, loose in piles on the ground. All of it belonged to other people, however. Most of the stuff had to do with Buddhism--many of the papers were other peoples’ certificates of Buddhism. I didn’t take anything, as it just wasn’t right. Yet later I saw a New Mexico style flag ... Amp

Big Branch Marsh Nat'l Wildlife Refuge 2007-12-02 17:10:00 Welcome! Swamp=flooded forest. Marsh=flooded grassland. Now you know the difference, too! Save Louisiana's wetlands.Lily pads as far as the eye can see. One of at least a dozen hairy woodpeckers.A belted kingfisher. We also saw a king rail & numerous anoles. ...

Katrina Leftovers at Bayou Lacombe 2007-12-02 16:43:00 On our way to a wildlife refuge today, we got sidetracked around Bayou Lacombe somewhere...I'm often struck by the seemingly precise geometry to be found in nature;We discovered 3 houses that had been hastily abandoned in the face of Hurricane Katrina & were never returned to again. Wandering around the area felt like exploring a post-apocalyptic world quickly being overtaken by nature.Long-dead turtle along side an abandoned, algae-filled pool.More than 2 years after Katrina; blue tarps still on the roof.Unused & overgrown tree swing. Out back we also found a clay pigeon launcher (with the top clay pigeon in the stack sun-bleached,) & a debris filled rowboat near the river.Among the piles of abandoned belongings, the dart in the board seemed to suggest a particularly hasty exit.On our way out of this area, an immature bald eagle swooped so low & close over the hood of my car that we almost hit it with the windshield. It was huge, with at least a 6' wingspan. Unfortunately I didn't ...

Crowned Cranes & Last Night's Dream; Mid-East, Construction & Chihuahua 2007-12-02 16:32:00 I was in Iran or Iraq. I didn’t have my visa, so I couldn’t leave. A man in construction was working in a high place. I got a Chihuahua from an animal shelter.(I didn't recall much of my dream, as I didn't sleep very well last night.)I painted the crowned cranes over 10 years ago & gave them to my Uncle as a gift. Unfortunately he passed away in 2005. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to that painting as years go by. Sometimes I think I should do another version for myself. ... Amp

Fairview-Riverside State Park 2007-12-01 21:41:00 It was our first visit to Fairview-Riverside State Park park today. Although the breeze was nice, it wasn't enough to blow away the clouds. Still, it was a good day. Here are some pictures.Note the speed limit; not 35, not 40, but 36. What's up with that?A downy woodpecker.Cypress in the Tchefuncte River.The Tchefuncte River seen from the back of Otis House.Southern symbols; a brown pelican & Spanish moss.An egret.An artistic photo; "Reflection."(Clicking on thumbnails here used to bring up the larger version of the picture. These days, however, I get prompted to download the picture to my hard drive. Anyone know if Blogger changed something, or is it just me?) ...

"Old Man and the Sea" & Last Night's Dream; Sundaes, Tiger Attack & the Psychic 2007-12-01 21:32:00 I was inside somewhere with mom. She was annoying me to the point of anger. I decided to make some ice cream sundaes. Once they were ready, I took them outside to bring one to someone else. Little did I know I'd gone into a tiger’s enclosure. It ran at me, ferocious, & leapt, reaching with outstretched claws. Fortunately it's paws had tan-colored mitts on them that kept the claws contained. Still, I moved away & hustled out of the enclosure ASAP. When I got where I was going, I ran into C.G., who told me about a dream he'd had. I left him to do something else & ran into a psychic, who said, matter-of-factly, "C.G. already told you his dream." Being a skeptic by nature, I was surprised that he knew this. He also told me that C.G. would tell me something at 6 or 7am. I looked forward to seeing what it would be.The part about the psychic was certainly inspired by half-watching the final episode of "America's Psychic Challenge" around 2am.The painting above is entitled, "Old Man & th ... Amp

*Putting on Publicity Agent's Hat* 2007-11-30 12:31:00 (We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to promote my husband's work...)The 3rd book in Charles Gramlich's "Talera Cycle" was recently released in print. If you're in the area, he has a signing coming up at 6:30pm on Jan. 14, 2008 at the Slidell branch of the St. Tammany Parish Library. Be there or be square! If you're not in the area, all of his books are available at local booksellers or through Amazon & other, online retailers. They make great Christmas gifts! ...