a meadowlarks song
mws
drifting across the meadow
the day’s rising sun
the day’s rising sun
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this book of nature…
rose-colored clusters
ms
exploding starlike flowers
this book of natureSometimes we need to look closely to see the beauty of the natural world otherwise we may miss the gift she offers. I fall prey to that more than I like. Yet, when we do stop and look closely at the Showy Milkweed and its cluster of tiny starlike flowers, we can notice the details and intricacies of her unending creativity. I love this Book of Nature.
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haiku moment…
I didn’t know it, but I was having a ‘haiku moment’- a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves.
Margaret McGee, Haiku – The Sacred ArtI’ve been noticing a large amount of goose feathers in one area of the grass near the ponds. My first thought was a major conflict over stomping grounds but this morning there must have been 20 geese in that area. This suggested the large amount of feathers was due to the greater number of geese. Actually, it could be both. There were no signs of conflict this morning. All of them resting, sleeping in a calm and seemingly peaceful place. I just stood there for a moment feeling the calm, then picked up my camera and took the image offered. I’ll call it a haiku moment. It is cloudy and cool but no rain forecasted. Will meet my oldest daughter for lunch today. Hope you have a great day.
always alert while
ms
seemingly peaceful and calm
a haiku moment - clouds, haiku, landscape, natural areas, Photography, Pineridge Natural Area, sunrises, writing/reading
Our Buddha Nature
Sunrise this past Sunday morning haiku is not a poem,
R. H. Blyth
it is not literature;
it is a hand beckoning,
a door half-opened,
a mirror wiped clean.
It is a way of returning to nature,
to our moon nature,
our cherry blossom nature,
our falling leaf nature,
in short,
to our Buddha nature.I normally crop all my landscapes in 16 x 9 but this image is cropped in 16 x 10. It’s a subtle difference. So, fair warning as I may be on a new kick for awhile.
- clouds, haiku, horizons, landscape, natural areas, Pineridge Natural Area, reflections, sunrises, writing/reading
A New Dawn
scattered clouds gather
ms
over the eastern horizon
the gift of a new dawnMeadowlarks and robins were already singing when I arrived at Pineridge Natural Area this morning. I suspect they knew, just as I knew in my heart, the gift of this new day that was about to burst upon us. As I awaited in the dark, I had time to journal about what I was feeling and seeing. Again those words of awe and wonder came to mind. And then the sun burst forth to begin its journey from horizon to horizon. I pressed the shutter button on my camera hoping to capture some of what I was experiencing to share with you. I offered thanks. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
- clouds, haiku, landscape, natural areas, Pineridge Natural Area, reflections, sunrises, writing/reading
Simple two notes
two simple notes
ms
drifting over the meadow
a chickadee singsMuch like the snowflake, every morning sunrise is different. It seems to me that no two morning sunrises will ever be experienced the same. Each new dawn Nature provides a new canvas and uses every tool at her disposal in her creative task. Using the wind, temperature, light, the chickadees song, cloud shapes and patterns, maybe even knowing my intention and attitude that morning, she continuously offers an experience. We never know what she will offer. Maybe that mystery alone is what draws me out here.
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Built to make mistakes…
Rolland Moore Park – 2014 Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack of being wrong, we could never get anything useful done. We think our way along by choosing between right and wrong alternatives, and the wrong choices have to be made as frequently as the right ones. We get along in life this way. We are built to make mistakes, coded for error.
Lewis ThomasI’ve written about the subject of making mistakes in the past so I apologize for once more rambling on about them. Or is that a mistake? Seems that somewhere in my youth I learned that mistakes were bad and I began avoiding them at any cost. School was one place where we were measured by how many mistakes we made. There have been multiple times in my life I failed to try or finish due to my fear of making mistakes. I do not remember being taught that mistakes were essential at improving. Having said that though, I will also admit I was a decent shot in basketball but only because I tried again and again each time I missed a shot. I also did not jump on a bicycle and ride the first time. I had to crash and burn more than once. Rather silly when I look back at it where I considered mistakes were not allowed and where they were. I believe Thomas is spot on when he states that we are built to make mistakes, in all areas of our lives. My growth towards any perfection or accomplishing goals requires me to make mistakes, lots and lots of them. My photography pruves that. So due my attempts at haiku. So does my attempts ar creating good blogging content. Hope you had a wonderful day!
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Silent Predator
in pre-dawn light
mws
eyes pierce the world of darkness
silent predatorAwoke to a dusting of snow with more possible later this evening. I made my first venture to a coffee shop yesterday with my sister and came home a bit worn out. It was a good experience for me. This early morning image of the owl was taken in 2006 along the Peralta Trail in Arizona while on a visit to see my parents.
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My Friends Today
pen teeming with words
mws
brings forth this simple haiku
my friends for todayIt is another cold and overcast day. The wind has picked up which adds to the cold. I have no desire to be outside but want to stay curled up in my chair, wrapped in my blanket, reading and journaling with my companions. My FPOTD Fountain Pen of the Day is a Brown-marbled Pelikan M200 filled with Pelikan Smoky Quartz ink (and words). Life is good! Stay warm!
- Candid Portraits, coffee life, coffee shops, gratitude, haiku, Holidays, People/Portraits, writing/reading
Day of Thanksgiving
with hands of gratitude
ms
wrapped around coffee cups
they share morning time together
a simple conversation
sometimes without words
on this day of thanksgivingSince Mugs at the Oval was closed today I went to Mugs in Old Town. Streets were busy as they were having a foot race called the Turkey Trot. Being a people watcher I noticed a couple sitting across from me with their coffees. I was taken by their hands. So, I asked for and was given permission to take a couple images of their hands. Thank you, Scott and Michelle, and may you two have a wonderful day and life together!
I have much to be grateful for in my life. I regularly journal a gratitude list and that is what I will do throughout this day. I find it a great habit and can place me in a better mood when I list what I have rather than what I don’t have (or think I need). I put on a crock pot of andouille sausage and vegetable soup that is good for a cold day as today. Have reached out to family and friends through text messaging and calls letting them know I love them and they are on the lists! The sun came out so I got a walk in and burned some calories. No pie for me this year but an apple fritter made it to my plate.
