• flowers,  Plants,  poems

    The Storm Has Passed

    Salsify found at Pineridge Natural Area last week

    There is buried within us
    a beauty hidden so deep
    that we would think
    it would sleep forever.
    But there are those,
    whose eyes so luminous shine,
    they reflect upon our universe
    the light of the Divine. 

    Reflection by Edwina Gateley

    High winds began around 7:00 pm last night. About the time I went to bed we were experiencing lightning, thunder, rain and hail.  Made for a rather noisy night. This morning it is overcast, gusting winds and cold at 48 degrees. Does not feel close to what we’d expect of a June morning but the storm has passed.

    I sit here watching the trees sway with the wind. As clouds move east, patches of blue sky appear allowing the light of the sun to peek through clouds. I choose to see it as a promise of a brighter day.

    I have met people whom the poet is describing and what a difference they make in this world. They are the ones who shine their light when the darkness of the storm is all we see. I believe more people are shining that much needed Divine light in our world. So, I choose to see that as a promise this morning. Maybe the storm of our troubled world has passed over.

  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  poems,  poetic journal,  writing/reading

    This Gift of Wonder

    Storm clouds on the canvas

    Fascinating, clouds on the horizon
    causing me to stop, to feel them deeply
    within, yet so far in the distance.

    Such power visible on the canvas sky
    hail, rain, thunder, lightning
    forever playing with color and form.

    With awe, I watch the creator create
    while I, a child caught in enchantment 
    accepting this gift of wonder.

    ms

    Happy Birthday, Sheree. You are such a gift of wonder! I love you! ❤️ 

  • landscape

    It finally happened….

    On a wet and rainy day

    We have been spoiled the past three days with sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s. I even sat outside in the sun the past two days and journaled. I was amazed at the difference in our world when the constant use of machines is cut in half. I could sit there and here the wind blowing through the branches with perfect clarity since there was almost not background traffic noise. Many do not know what true silence is.

    This morning is overcast and much cooler. Rain mixed with snow is predicted for later this afternoon and evening. Already have one walk in and plan on a second early this afternoon.

    Just to let you know I did attack that pile of stuff in the corner yesterday and pretty much have it looking good. Threw a lot of it away. Yes, it finally happened.

  • Albert Einstein,  fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  quotes

    I’m impressed…

    This time the artist, Nature, used the tools of leaves and freezing rain to create these two images. I’m impressed. I can’t do that! However, I can take a digital copy of it.

    “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” 

    Albert Einstein
  • Creativity,  Dewdrops,  landscape,  leaves,  Metro Parks,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes

    Growth in my Photography

    Morning dew on the leaves at Inniswood Gardens

    “I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” 

    Rainer Maria Rilke

    While living in the Westerville, Ohio area I was exposed to nature areas that were so different from my home state of Colorado. I was enthralled with all the green, the insects , the soft diffused light and the amount of rain. I was not used to all the rain and for sure had to adjust to the overcast skies. I cans still in my memory recall the distinct fragrance these forested areas offered, telling me how alive they were.

    At the time I was traveling 3-4 days then home for 3-4 days. These extended days off gave me the opportunity to explore the Metro Parks in around the Westerville area. I found two  parks within about 10 minutes of my apartment so I ventured into those worlds on regular basis. One was Inniswood Gardens and the other was Blendon Woods. And, the days I was traveling were opportunities to explore new cities, peoples, cultures and almost unlimited photo opportunities. It was during this time I feel I began to grow emotionally and spiritually which in turn allowed my view of the world to grow. And, this emotional and spiritual growth was the seed to the growth of my photography. 

  • clouds,  landscape

    Storm clouds or squalls

    Storm clouds on Colorado’s eastern plains taken in 2011

    “It takes a real storm in the average person’s life to make him realize how much worrying he has done over the squalls.” Bruce Barton

    I am learning the storm clouds I see on my inner horizons of life may be nothing more than squalls.  These squalls could be depression, worry, fear, loneliness, insecurities, fatigue, catastrophizing. On the other hand, the storms in life are things like illness, loss, or death, suffering, a broken camera lens, or a memory card failure. Ya know, true storms!