• Dewdrops,  leaves,  Plants,  poems,  quotes

    Exploring..

    August 26, 2025
    Hemp dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) covered in dew

    We shall not cease from exploration,
    and the end of all our exploring
    will be to arrive where we started
    and know the place for the first time.

    T.S. Eliot

    It was a cool bicycle ride on this August morning. The temperature was at 56 degrees and the humidity was over 90% when I mounted the red steed and headed for the coffee shop. I could see the fog lazily drifting along the eastern horizon but we had none here. I had never thought of my bicycling as a form of exploration but I am coming to see that it is. It is not much different than walking the trails, at least at the meandering speed I pedal. I needed to stop on the way home and photograph these (Apocynum cannabinum) leaves covered in dew along Spring Creek Trail. The leaves and stems are quite lovely but probably not something to put in your salad ( see the link). I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

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  • leaves,  nature,  Plants,  quotes

    … that catch my eye

    August 3, 2025

    Silence is the indispensable climate for all revelation;
    noise renders it absolutely impossible.

    Anonymous

    As I wandered around the ponds I found these cottonwood leaves just hanging around. I suspect the wind has probably torn them away from their branch and they now hang across the branch of another tree. Such is nature, continuously and silently creating new scenes that catch my eye. I hope you enjoy your Sunday!

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  • insects,  leaves,  Plants

    Japanese Beetle

    August 2, 2025
    Japanese Beetle feasting on a tree leaf

    I’ve been noticing these bugs a lot this year. They are stunning in color and vibrancy. A Google search tells me this is a Japanese beetle. It is not considered a pest in its native Japan, but in North America and some regions of Europe, it is a noted pest to roughly 300 species of plants. Some of these plants include roses, grapes, hops, canna, crape myrtles, birch trees, linden trees, and others. The adult beetles damage plants by skeletonizing the foliage, as you can see in this image, as well as, at times, feeding on a plant’s fruit. When I took my camera for a walk this morning I took a few photos of them. Interesting that if you enlarge the photo you can see my reflection in its head.

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  • leaves,  Plants,  quotes

    Cottonwood Leaves

    July 20, 2025

    In this age of compulsive reverence for the written word… people… are missing what is before their eyes… Everywhere, if you keep your mind open, you will find the truth in words not written down. So never let the printed page be your master.

    Doris Lessing

    It is a hot day here and looks to be hot everywhere. I took the long-cut home from coffee this morning via Spring Creek Park on the bicycle and worked up a good sweat. It is already 85 degrees here. I am cooking spaghetti with shrimp and mushroom alfredo for my lunch as a treat today. It sounded good to me. Then I found out it was National Ice Cream Day! Sigh!

    We had some gusty winds a couple days ago so a few branches blew down from the cottonwood trees. I get a bit excited when this happens because I know the coloration of these leaves will turn from green to brown then to gray in just 2-3 days. Seems the details in the leaves pop more or maybe it’s their unspoken words I’m hearing. I thought I’d share it with you. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and stay cool!!

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    Weathering

    December 27, 2024

    When I left the condo this morning it was 36 degrees, clear skies and dry so it was a morning to bicycle to the coffee shop. A bright waning crescent moon hung in the southern darkness. The wind was blowing causing flags on campus to stand erect into the eastern sunrise and also made my bedaling tougher. The lovely Winter was my barista this morning and made me a spicy chai to start my day. A beautiful day is taking shape here in Colorado.

    “This tells me two fundamental truths: one, that in order to evolve and grow, we must be prepared to face the erosive aspects of life. Two, it’s the weathering that creates the finest landscape of our lives, shaping us and defining us over time.”

    Ruth Allen

    There is a knowing within me that I am evolving. The obstacles of life, the weathering, has shaped who I am. And, I would venture to say everything else in the universe. The weathering of my life’s storms is allowing me to experience the inner landscape of my life. Grateful for this time in my life and my inner landscape! Have a wonderful day!!!

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    I Love This World

    December 17, 2024
    A sprinkling of frost

    You must learn one thing.
    The world was made to be free in.
    Give up all the other worlds
    Except the one in which you belong.

    David Whyte

    We have 45° and overcast skies this morning. Now at Mugs. Emily is my barista. An Old Town Mocha is my morning beverage of choice. My ride to coffee was wonderful, except when riding north into the wind. It’s going to be a laid back day and the only one I can live in. I will get together with Duane for brunch later this morning. Then the rest of my day is pretty much free for journaling and reading. May you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!!

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    To Love Another

    November 28, 2024

    “… for one human being to love another… is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.”

    Rainer Maria Rilke

    May you be filled with gratitude, pie, and love!
    Happy Thanksgiving!!

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  • frost,  leaves,  quotes

    The Morning’s Frost

    November 17, 2024

    Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.

    Robin Wall Kimmerer

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  • fall season,  leaves,  quotes

    Tell the Tale

    November 11, 2024

    It feels like we are living in a time of apocalypse,
    an age when everything we take for granted is starting to collapse around us.
    It feels like the end of the world.…
    This situation is nothing new for me as a Native American.
    My ancestors already lived through an apocalypse.…
    Native American culture in North America has been through the collapse of civilization
    and lived to tell the tale.

    Steven Charleston, We Survived the End of the World: Lessons from Native America on Apocalypse and Hope
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