White Thunder

Of all the things I've ever seen,
Of all the dreams I've ever dreamed,
The finest sight that's come to me,
White horses wild beside the sea
They ran across the trackless sand
In that remote, forgotten land,
And in their running they were free
Beside the boundless, unchained sea.

They raced the first light of the day
And surged across a shallow bay
To feed at ease in grassy plains
With wind alone to groom their manes.

No barn or stable was their home.
No one could govern where they roamed.
They galloped on the fenceless tracts
With no ones burden on their backs.

And each swift horse was nature's child
At home on land forever wild,
And each wild horse was meant to be
At home on land forever free.

(author unknown)

Size: 8 x 10 canvas (no frame)
The item sells for $250.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Observation

A Fox is seen as totems throughout the world:
the Chinese believed they could take human form,
in Egypt the fox brought favor from the gods,
there was a fox god in Peru, foxes help the dead get to the next life in Persia,
Cherokees, Hopi other American Indian tribes believed in its healing power;

the Apache credited the fox with giving man fire.

Foxes are highly adaptable creatures who will move into urban surroundings when, their habitat is encroached on by humans. They maintain a territory, but it greatly decreases when they live in urban areas as opposed to hill country. Each territory is kept by one family group, which consists of a dog fox, vixen, and their cubs. If there is a good food supply than the family group can expand to include a few other adults. Nevertheless, only one vixen will produce cubs in the group. As for food, foxes are not too picky eating anything from earthworms, crabs, and fruit to small mammals. They bury the excess prey to eat when the food supply is short.

Fox's clever nature makes it a master of camouflage. When hunted by hounds, Fox will psyche them out by doubling back on its own trail, and run around in circles to break the scent. It has the amazing ability to meld into the background, allowing it to quietly observe the situation around them.

Fox comes to us when we need to slip out of a situation so we can be silent witness to what is really taking place behind the scenes. We need to use our cleverness to our advantage, but we must remember to be discreet. Fox asks us to carefully look at where we are coming from, so we can remember to approach things with a clear conscious.

Size: 5 x 7 canvas (no frame)

The item sells for $50.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock

Hidden Secrets

This is my first 8 x 10 canvas painting. I’m so use to wood and rock it took me a little time to adjust. Hope you like it.

Keeper of the ancient secrets,

Teacher of the hidden skills,

Open my heart and mind to wisdom,

Fill my days with strengthened will.

Reveal the fearful truth of being,

The part of us we fail to see.

O lynx of smiling, hidden secrets,

Bring aid and wisdom now to me.

The Lynx lives in forested, mountainous regions far from dense human populations. When young, lynx spend time in trees. In winter, when many animals hibernate or migrate, these cats remain active. Their large, furry feet, serve as snowshoes. Their coat becomes paler and their fur thickens. Only during extremely bad weather do these lynx take shelter in caves, hollow logs, and trees.

Eurasian lynx are shy, secretive cats. Eurasian lynx may live to be 10-12 years old, though they typically live for much less. They are solitary animals. Females hunt with their young in order to teach them proper techniques.

A male's home range usually overlaps several different females' home ranges. Lynx mark their boundaries by urinating on rocks, trees, and stumps. When the time comes to mate, these odors help the male to locate potential females.

In Eurasian lynx, hunting methods are learned by observation and practice. Rather than smelling their prey, lynx depend on their extraordinary sense of hearing along with sight. Eurasian lynx spend time grooming themselves in order to keep clean and scratch on surface in order to keep their claws sharp. They are most active in early morning and late afternoon.

Winter brings both problems and advantages to Eurasian lynx populations. These cats can be easily seen against the snow in wintertime because of the lack of grass to hide behind. They resort to hiding behind rocks at this time of the year. Moving through the snow is easy for these cats because of their large, fur-covered feet that prevent them from sinking into the snow. When Eurasian lynx are discovered by a predator, they stand still and stare.

Size: 8 x 10 canvas (no frame)

The item sells for $250.00

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock