My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
I enjoyed this particular morning with predawn pink clouds over Dixon Reservoir. Then while driving to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area a nice buck bounced across the road and up the hill, with such grace. Wild turkeys grazed nearby, with one watchful eye on me. My peeps were everywhere; squirrels, robins, meadowlarks, and now baristas.
The inner spirit is who I really am. My body is alive in this nature and exists in its frame. I do not need to be spiritual to find this. I only need to stop believing that the ego, the small self, is me. If I do, a different knowing emerges which has a largeness and a certain beauty. It is an expression of power and love beyond the usual definitions. To live in its knowledge is to know yourself to be free.
from A NEW SET OF EYES by Paula D’Arcy
This is fern-leaf yarrow, and is an upright, clump-forming yarrow that is native to the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan and is in the sunflower family. Interestingly one name listed for them is nosebleed. (?) It is considered an invasive species by some states in the US. And, man is still not on that list. I find these plants in almost every natural area I visit. I really like how they look and the pollinators seem to like them also, as you can see with the heavily laden bee in this image.
I’m in a place in life where I resonate with the above quote. This process of uncovering who I really am, this knowing who I am, is exciting and freeing. Interesting that this bee does not consider what political party to belong to, what church to attend, what it’s favorite band is this week, and the other stuff we place in our lives. It lives in the knowledge of what it is and the life it is meant to live. It is free!
It’s interesting that I have used the word interesting three times in this post. Now four. 😂
“May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference.”
John O’Donohue
Took a drive up over Bingham Hill. I see this view each time I pass through but have never stopped because there is no place to pull over. Well, because it looked so lush and green on this particular day, I decided to stop even with part of my car on the road and put on my flashers. Took about six photos then moved on. Glad I did and no cars came by, this time. 😂
My day begins in the sanctuary of my home.
ms
with the quiet of prayer and meditation.
Then I make my way to the sanctuary
of a local natural area.
My feathered sisters and brothers greet me as the goldfinches,
house finches, chickadees, meadowlarks, magpies,
robins, swallows all sing songs of joy this morning.
I watch their amazing aerial antics as they snatch insects in midair
or playfully chase one another from branch to branch.
My eyes catch that patient fisherman, the Great Blue Heron,
who silently wades in the shallow waters of Dixon Reservoir.
A pair of mallards cruise the waters of the reservoir
sending their delicate wavelets to shore.
A noisey crow pesters a red-tail hawk, both adrift in the baby blue sky.
Two bashful cottontails step from their hiding place
to nibble on blades of grass.
My soul now filled with nature’s delights
and the mind cleared of intrusive thoughts,
I make my way to one of my coffee shop sanctuaries.
Two young squirrels pause their wrestling
to keep a watchful eye on me as I enter this sanctuary
then scamper up a tree.
Now sitting in a favorite chair enjoying my mocha latte,
crafted with love by Emma.
I now put pen to paper in my journal
taking note of the ordinary gifts
given in my morning sanctuaries.
green blades of grass
ms
swaying in the mornings wind
new life emerging
We have been seeing temperatures in the 90s for several days. Could see rain today. Happy Father’s Day!
These two images were taken about 12 hours apart and at nearly the same location on the same day. This is how my day started and ended and was full of wonderful moments in between. So much beauty in this world when we live each moment, one moment at a time. Happy Sunday!
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
David Attenborough
I am a believer that my time in the natural world makes life worth living! There are those times when I find myself in a dark place. Lots of triggers to take me there. Thankfully I have found, and now regularly take, trips to a natural area or just a walk around the neighborhood listening to birds sing that will lift me out of those dark places. When I move my focus on nature, changes always happen within my soul.
This Eastern Kingbird, at least that’s what I think it is, is not all that common in this area as we are at the edge of their migration patterns. We have many more of the Western Kingbirds. They are similar in shape but very different colors.