I've only made one so far, but...



New set of necklaces on the way. I have six pendants in total - two "Faith", two "Trust" and two "Love" ones. The one pictured is a "Love" one.


Close-up of the oriental writing


The reverse side, with "Love"


And this one is a "Trust" one, though I made this one for myself:




I don't know who I am making the other ones for. Maybe they'll be giveaways...

On a beautiful hill in the country lived a young oak tree. This tree was planted several years ago, though the humans who planted it left the land in search of better opportunities in the city. The tree had a few happy years, enjoying the spring and summer, then having a beautiful autumn and surviving the winter. It was steadily growing here, the ground was fertile and the land was lush and giving.

One autumn day, a group of local kids found the tree on the hill. They were not respectful to Nature and found cruel ways to have fun. The kids decided to pick on this tree, breaking off it's beautiful limbs, cutting deep into it's trunk with pocket knives, and even using spray paint to write terrible graffiti all over the tree's body. They did not know the damage they were doing, nor did they even care. Trees don't have feelings, they're not really living. They're just things put here for them to destroy in their boredom.

They would never realize how wrong they were. The kids rode off on their bikes, leaving the tree behind. They would never come back to this tree again, but instead would find other trees to wreck.

The tree clinged to life. It had lost many of it's limbs, making it difficult to gather sunlight. It's roots were cut and stabbed repeatedly, a few of them unable to pull nutrients from the soil. The paint that covered it entered deep into it's body through the deep cuts, poisoning and killing it from the inside.

The tree died that afternoon, no longer the beautiful gift of Nature it was, but a grave sight of death. The remaining leaves fell from the top of the tree, and it rose from the hill much like an obelisk...much like a tombstone.

A few months passed, and during the early spring, a young doe approached the dead tree. She saw the deep gashes and strange markings that covered it, and she began to cry. "Oh my friend, what have they done to you?", she asked.

From the SciFi TV show "Face Off". Enjoy

The trees are alive.
Do you see them living?
Watch them carefully as they sway in the wind.
And to the open and untrained eyes,
You would think they were moving on their own.
Understand that they really are, through time.

The trees are alive.
Do you hear them living?
They are always calling out
Their leaves rustling and disturbing the quiet.
And together they all create
A symphony with their voices.

The trees are alive.
Do you smell them living?
They are always giving us a gift,
And we give them that of our own.
Oxygen for Carbon Dioxide,
Human breaths for tree breaths.

The trees are alive.
Do you taste them living?
They willingly give away their work,
A vibrant variety of tastes for us all.
Sweet, bitter, tart, savory...
The trees are quite the culinary artists.

The trees are alive.
Do you feel them living?
They are always around us, much like guardians.
Let them know that you appreciate their life.
Press your hand on the bark of a tree,
And feel the pulse within - both yours and its.

Please note, this topic talks a lot about religion and my views. I want this topic to shed some light on a rising issue I have been noticing - religious intolerance. This is in no way an attack on anyone or any religion or denomination. Please understand I am only trying to help.

Yesterday I was a pall bearer for a funeral. It was for a boss of my mom's when she was 16, and she was a very nice lady named Helen who lived until her 90's. She died of pneumonia.

The funeral was at a Lutheran church. I'm Catholic but open-minded when it comes to other denominations and even other religions. I actively practice Buddhism and have a lot of respect for most other denominations of Christians as well as Hindus, Wiccans, Muslims, and most other religions. There are very few that I do not like.

Anyway, I've decided that whenever I have to do something like this where it's at a church other than my own and they offer communion, I have decided to take it without any remorse. I believe that I am worshiping God regardless of denomination. I know this will seem like a shock to some, but it's my view on it. I was very, very surprised at how similar the Lutheran service was to my own Catholic mass. I've been to a Baptist service but it was very different than I am accustomed to.

So after attending to the funeral, I have decided to be an advocate for religious understanding and tolerance. I don't like using the word 'tolerance' because it sounds like I'm saying there's something wrong with other religions or denominations of Christianity. This is what I really mean by all of this:

As Christians we are taught to practice unconditional love. However, I'm starting to notice that some denominations of Christianity express ignorance and hatred toward other denominations and other religions. I can explain this based on my own experiences from going to a Catholic high school - one of my teachers told us that Buddhists worship Buddha.

This is the first of three stories I will write as 'conclusions' for my Deadly Trio. These are set in the near future, so that means that this story will not affect other writings I may do of my Deadly Trio that are set present date. Anyway, enjoy

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"Listen, Nekumbra...", the dragon spoke, looking around. She had to make sure Iugulare wasn't around. The afternoon light in the Birch Forest provided enough cover for their conversation to go unnoticed. "I've wasted too much time on this planet, I have my own problem to deal with."

The spider doe tilted her head, "What? What is going on?", she asked.

Anirapio closed her eyes, and told Nekumbra the situation on her home planet, Ibuzon. She told her about the decreasing food, the extinctions, her species' unusually high metabolism...the whole deal.

"Oh my gods...why didn't you tell anyone about this before?", Nekumbra asked.

The dragon shook her head, "I don't know, I don't know! I thought Iugulare would help me with this, but she's been too busy trying to catch Quad...", then her eyes widened, "Wait, I have an idea." The dragon's face contorted in a way that made her look happier. "Quad's practically immortal, right? He comes back to life after he dies. I've seen this before. And Iugulare is obsessed with capturing him. So what if I took Quad back to Ibuzon with me? My brethren could hunt him down over and over, feeding off of him for generations until we find a better solution."

"How will we get him, and you, back to your planet?", Nekumbra asked.

"Easy. Just ask Iugulare. She was the one who figured it out.", Anirapio replied.

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Iugulare met with them quickly, and the plan was set.

This is a gift to a friend of mine named Nala_91 from IT/FH, who plays a lioness in the game.

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She moved slowly, silently. Her body was in the shadows, she was well trained. He didn't see her, at least not yet.

The deer raised his head for a moment. What did he hear? Nothing...it was nothing...He continued eating, his ears still perked, his mind still slightly alert.

Nala considered all the possibilities. Would she charge directly and kill him without a chance to run, or would he spot her. Would she lead him toward the river where he'd slow down and be easier to capture there? If he ran, she would give chase, but she didn't know his speed. The deer was heavier, bulkier, than most others.

He's easy prey..., she thought to herself, and continued moving. She decided she would charge at him, he would be too slow for her.

Closer...closer...

Her heart was pounding so loud she thought he could hear it. She made sure she wouldn't step on anything that would give her away - she had to maneuver around twigs lying on the ground that would snap if she stepped on them. She was so close that his stench was much thicker. She gagged just slightly, the deer must have eaten something that made him smell worse than she thought.

He raised his head again. She kept still. Did he hear her? Should she spring at him now? Let him lower his head one more time, let him lower his guard...

The deer slowly lowered his head and ate one more strand of grass.

Nala pounced on him. She was much, much closer than he realized, her fur camouflaged her well in the surroundings. He wasn't expecting the lioness' attack, and without a chance to run he was tackled.

The lioness wrapped her mouth around his neck. The deer closed his eyes, letting out a surprised sigh.

"Tag.", Nala said under her breath.

"You're good.", Quad replied.

I think I've done this like two or three times before, but it's always fun.

Questions for me or my deer/baddies?

Here's the font colors for responses, ect...

Me - white
Quad - red
Wolf Quad - darkred
Zephyr - lightblue
Pent - tan
Trunks - lightgrey
Blixt - lightgreen

Iugulare - grey
Anirapio - darkgreen
Nekumbra - gold


Once again, ask away *nodnodnod*

I see the tiny four-petaled flowers growing in the grass, collectively creating blankets of pale violet.
I see the little red berries on the bushes, blending red and green together like natural artwork.
I see the black berries hang down from tree limbs like grapes, safe until the day they choose to drop.
I see small trees covered in closed buds, ready to burst into color and bring forth floral beauty.
I see the newborn pinecones upon the taller trees, still growing to be the tree they dream to be.
I see Winter losing it's deathly grasp, and the very first signs of Spring's growing life.
I see myself, one who has planted the seeds upon the dead land, and now I see the first sprouts.

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I had to share it! It does have some bad language so be warned. Enjoy




Here's another one, don't know what is being said since I don't have sound right now but it looked funny so here ya go:






Yes, that is what antlers are used for.




And springboks pronking is friggin adorable! I love how their white tummies contract when they do it, it looks so silly! Dunno why there's a tiny bit with a horny stag at the end (get it? horny stag. haha!) *shrug* but I love the springboks pronking!