• clouds,  flutes,  horizons,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  poems,  writing/reading

    Sacred Time

    This is my Jon Norris flute in the key of G# that is made from Ambrosia Maple.

    Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
    Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
    Take down a musical instrument.
    Let the beauty we love be what we do.
    There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

    Rumi

    I made another trip to Pineridge Natural Area today about mid morning. Things were rather quiet there. I walked out to the bench and sat down to let nature share a sacred moment with me. I then did some journaling, played the flute and took a few photos. With the light cloud cover it provided lovely diffused light. The sun was still warm but a cool breeze was just what I needed. So was the journaling and flute playing. They say showers are possible around 3 pm.

  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Saturday Morning

    “Certain things in life simply have to be experienced -and never explained.”

    Paulo Coelho, Maktub

    I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area this morning to watch and photograph the predawn colors and the sunrise. It was a good experience and a good way to start my Saturday or any day for that matter. I then headed to Windsor and met Eric for coffee. I hope you have had a good Saturday!

  • bicycle rides,  bicycling,  nature,  quotes

    Ability to Love

    What makes us human
    is not our mind, but our heart,
    not our ability to think
    but ability to love.

    Henri Nouwen

    There was a wonderful feeling of fall this morning on my ride to the coffee shop. A light fog settled over the grass at Rolland Moore park and this tree was showing signs of the color changes. But the most telling was the coolness in the air. It felt and smelled like fall. It will not be long and I will be wearing heavier clothing on my ride. I hope you’re having a good day!

  • nature,  Plants,  quotes

    Significant Gifts

    “The most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked. Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days.”

    Sue Monk Kidd

    … even salsify.

  • grass,  Plants,  quotes

    “We” rather than “I”

    “In a gift economy, wealth is understood as having enough to share, and the practice for dealing with abundance is to give it away. In fact, status is determined not by how much one accumulates, but by how much one gives away. The currency in a gift economy is relationship, which is expressed as gratitude, as interdependence and the ongoing cycles of reciprocity. A gift economy nurtures the community bonds that enhance mutual well-being; the economic unit is “we” rather than “I” as all flourishing is mutual.”

    Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
    Backlit Foxtail Barley (Hordeum jubatum)

    It looks to me like the Foxtail Barley has a better grasp of the meaning of “We” than we do.

  • Avian,  meadowlark,  quotes

    … it has a song

    Meadowlark from June 2023

    “A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

    Chinese Proverb

    It has been a hot day for us but clouds did move in to cool us down and it has turned into a lovely evening.
    I hope you have a wonderful weekend.