630. morning meditation

suddenly

from nowhere up in the air 

slowly spinning 

*

no arms no wings

silvery body of light—

a slug!

I was walking along when suddenly something just ahead, up in the air, caught my eye. It was turning and turning ever so slowly, suspended in mid-air, for what seemed a long, long moment in time. Here’s a still photo. The video of the slug is lovely to watch, like an aerial ballet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t load it on my blog. I’ll try to load it directly on Facebook.

629. a koan

 

thoughts and feelings

or is it feelings and thoughts—

who are you?

“A koan is a paradoxical riddle used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reason and provoke enlightenment.”   

Life is worth taking a good look. Look close. Look close enough, you’ll see yourself in whatever you see. You are not your thoughts, but your thoughts are you.

(This is a sculpture. I saw it recently in an art gallery in New Hope. It immediately caught my attention. Later, in looking at this photo, it drew me in closer and carried me away.)

628. flower power

finding refuge

in a patch of sun drenched dew

mellow yellow

 

“Just living is not enough…. One must have sunshine freedom and a little flower.” Hans Christian Andersen 

627. bow ties

dazzled and daring

dressing in splendid style

elegant men

*

my my, oh my

looking all fine and dandy

classy dudes

*

it’s a guy thing

tie-ing things all together

pass out the cigars!

Origami Quilt: The Dandy Man - 12 x 12” - Paper

Dare to be different—find your own style. Be true to yourself. “There’s only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that’s not being talked about.” Oscar Wilde

 

626. then and now

still life

with yellow and green

remains of the day

Pondering: the seasons of life….the phases of the moon….yesterday, today….the poetry of this world.

625. cruisin’

c’mon c’mon

let’s take a spin in the wheels—

cruisin’

Nothing like having a best friend for hopping in the car and going for a ride, checking out all the cute dogs! BTW next time you’re cruisin’ for a good movie to watch, try “C’mon C’mon,” it’s a deeply moving look at life with fresh eyes from the perspectives of grownups and young children. It stars Joaquin Phoenix. It’s available on DVD and if you do get to see it, let me know what you think. 

624. Go green!

there they are—

thick and thin, straight and curvy

trees, trees, trees

 

Trees come in all sizes, shapes, varieties, shades of color. People come in all sizes shapes varieties shades of color. Save our trees, save our people. Go green!

623. having it all

dinner break—

cat, book, and bowl of fried rice

having it all!

 

Summertime, I enjoy sitting by the open window in my small studio with the fresh air and birdsongs and occasional train passing by along the railroad tracks running behind the house. I’ve been working on an origami piece with butterflies and flowers and butterflies. Willey has a sometimes habit of squeezing into the chair with me at dinner time. I love it!

622. birthday boy

at 17

he sang on street corners

doo wop

*

later on 

a photographer, dj, foodie,

Krishna yogi

*

Yulin

he was 30-something then,

today he’d be 77

Yulin was my brother. This picture was taken on his birthday forty some years ago. Today is his birthday. I’m recalling the time he said to me….”Lan, you and I and Mom and Pop, we were all together before, in another lifetime.” I’m hoping we’ll all meet up again, on the other side, hang together one more time, come alive and sing.

621. twilight

prettier than

green cheese or a walk on the moon

at twilight 

 

Imagination can be more engaging, more satisfying than knowledge….the pleasures of not knowing. What is this?

620. the big wave

“you can’t stop the waves

but you can learn how to surf”

so go do it!

[detail of a fantastic sculpture by Simone Spicer]

“Surfing is a kind of metaphor for the rest of your life. The extremely good stuff—chocolate and great sex and weddings and hilarious jokes—fills a small portion of an adult life. The rest of life is the paddling: work, paying bills, flossing, getting sick, and dying.” Jaimal Yogis

619. You go, Dad!

a bark and a woof

and a hip-hip-hip hooray—

king for a day!

Origami picture: “You Go, Dad!” — 5 x 7” — paper

Hooray for all Dads everywhere! Happy Father’s Day!❤️

618. undaunted

in midair

leaping up and up and up

long way to go

 

[Tap on the picture to zoom in closer.]

(Barely an inch long, I could see the eyes, elbows, and long legs on the bark of the oak rising 40 or 50 feet in the air, and the fantastic feet leaping up and up and up the tree like an ultra runner trekking up the mountain terrain. Oh, the thrill of it all—nothing like a good challenge!)

617. after the rains

like soldiers 

in sync to the rhythm and beat

millipedes

(“Millipede” is Latin for “thousand feet.” Having two pairs of legs on each segment of their long bodies, some with as many as 1,200 legs, millipedes are Nature’s composters.  You can see these slow-moving creatures throughout the woods after the rains, making their way to higher ground climbing up and up rocks and trees.)

 

616. seek, and you shall find

village seekers

congregating high above

the hermit’s cave

(Inside every tree there is a story, full of wonder, full of promise and hope….just like people.)

 

615. pastime pleasures

hot stuff

smaller than a grain of white rice

tiny red mite

*

on a mission

hot footing it down the tree

mighty tiny mite

*

1/16 of an inch

small enough to tuck neatly

into my poems

*

just saying….

i could go on and on and on

but i’ll stop here

 

(Just three lines, over and over, playing around with thoughts and words. So many ways to say, I love you, little red mite racing down the tree. Pastime pleasures. What a gift this little red mite gave me! 🙏🏼)

614. up in the air

how many lives

must be lost before we can

truly be free?

*

one thing’s for sure—

everything‘s up in the air

and life goes on

(Everything changes. Everything’s always up in the air….and the story keeps going.)

 

613. smorgasbord

seated

at the end of the long table

feasting my eyes

*

no favorites here:

color, line, shape, or form

savoring them all

(I took this picture at the Michener Museum and later on saw my shadowed reflection way back in the center ….what fun! A museum visit is always a feast for the eyes.)

612. rainy day #3

on a rainy day

sunshine and blossoms….

reminiscing

 

(Everybody needs a rainy day once in a while.  Looks like it’s going to rain all day. Make it a just doin’ day kinda day.  Just stay in: sleep late, make yourself an extra cuppa coffee, read or write or paint or just doodle around, daydream a little, pick up the phone to call a friend you haven’t heard from in a while, sit down and pray or meditate or just listen to the rain, turn on the Discovery channel and learn something new, listen to music or get out the old guitar and sing, bake some chocolate chip cookies, stretch and breathe, sit down and talk to your cat or dog, binge on something not too fattening, play a game with the kids or husband or wife, try smiling little or a lot and laughing, and don’t forget to say I love you.)

611. 1. 2. 3.

1. the grass grows

2. the sun’s always shining

3. it’s my birthday

🥳 

Origami picture: “Life is Good” — 5x7” — paper, pastel, water color, gold threads

Today’s my birthday—76 years and I’m happy to be old. Life is good and there’s much to be grateful for. Grasses go on growing and the sun is always shining, even if you can’t see it. When things get me down, I go outside and look at the trees and flowers, I breathe in the fresh air, and I look up at the sky and smile. 

I’ll die some day, for sure. I’m not afraid. Makes me think about what really matters here and now. Reminds me to keep my life simple and stay close to the people and things that make me happy and that bring me peace. I just want to live a good life so that I can have a good death too.

I’ve heard it said that we make our own heaven or hell right here on earth—I think that’s true. I’ve also heard that when you get old, there’s nothing to look forward to any more—I don’t buy that. Here’s a poem:

One day I’ll go

back to Prague or even China

if only in my mind.

One day I’ll die

but I’m not in any hurry

not yet, not yet.

And when I go, I’ll 

find love again and laughter

again and again.

Here’s a short film about being old and happy. It ends with a rendition of the song, “Don’t Let the Old Man In.” I hope you enjoy it—be sure to skip the ads and enlarge the the video.  https://youtu.be/Gy82mvVLdho

610. ahead of its time?

orange and black

getting ready for halloween? 🎃 

october in june 

 

(Walking through the woods, I’m always on the lookout. I become a kid again. There’s always something new to discover—like this black and orange bug! I wonder what it is. 

Discovery is the fountain of youth….never stop learning.)

609. the hare & the dog

look out!

here comes a wild bunny

bing - bang - boom

*

on the run

rolling in then rolling out—

outlaw bunny

*

the wild one

staring at me like a

one-eyed Jack

(Here’s the tale:  Unbeknownst to either one of us—he, romping and rolling through the meadow and me, strolling along the trail—we were heading toward an impasse. Rounding the bend, I saw him racing in at me. We stop, eye to eye, and in a split second, he spins around….races away….stops dead still. Staring.  Wissahickon Standoff 🐰—🐶! )

 

608. i looked up, there it was….

halfway to heaven

shrill, siren screech of a hawk….

delightful!

 

(Sound of a hawk….unmistakable.  I stopped and look up….searching.

At the end of the day do you ever look back and ask yourself: What delighted you? What amazed you? What made you laugh? What made you feel grateful? Pay attention, stop all that thinking, tune in to your senses, come alive. This life is wild and wonderful.)

607. souvenirs

 

looking and listening 

at the Woodmere Museum— 

on the same page

(On Saturday, I went to the opening of the Annual Juried Exhibition at Woodmere Museum. It was a festive event. This year’s art was good….the people watching was great!)

606. strong legs!

hey, look 

she’s got strong legs

what a woman!

hey, look

holding on for the picture—

what a bug!

(You never know when strong legs will come in handy. She’s a yogi. 🧘‍♀️ 🐛 )

605. Mount Fuji

holding my breath

seeing something wonderful—

the big fish 

“Fuji In the Mist” - 4” x 6” - paper, oil pastel, graphite

Here’s a small origami picture. It’s a big fave of mine. 

 

604. more butterflies

listen to me:

let’s fly together again

next time around

(I keep seeing butterflies….

There they were at the bottom of the long hill—two big beautiful butterflies flitting and fluttering all around, catching my attention, then floating down to the ground with wings spread wide, side by side, tremoring softly softly, tenderly together, like old lovers. 

“If there is life after the earth-life, will you come with me? Even then? Since we’re bound to be something why not together. Imagine!” These words open the poem, West Wind, by Mary Oliver.)

603. Cedars House Trail

white butterfly

taking a morning siesta—

or was it a ghost?

 

(This side of winter, you don’t see much white on the brown walking trails in the woods, yet there I was walking along the Cedars House Trail and there it was white as a ghost, not anything worth thinking about, not really, and yet my feet stopped in their tracks….

I looked down, then got down on my knees for a closer look. It was a white butterfly, still as stone, like a mummy laid out to rest. I found two broken twigs slowly sliding one under each delicate wing, lifting it off the trail so it wouldn’t be crushed under foot unseen and unknown by anyone but me. I laid it carefully down on the side of a fallen tree and for a moment a faint flutter, like a soft sigh, shuddered across its two wonderful wings.)

602. falling in line

marching to the beat

of their own little drums….

keeping the peace

(A walk in the woods always brings peace.)

601. Lassie

lassie

i remember lassie—

lucky me

(The weather has changed—we’re having a heatwave so I’ve changed my walking—I walk after the sun goes down, slowly, meandering around the neighborhood. Yesterday I met this very manly dog. Winston was his name.  He’d just come home from the groomer. Isn’t he handsome? Immediately I thought of Lassie—I’m dating myself here, and that’s okay because I loved that old tv show. “Lassie” was the best show ever. It may have been America’s fave. Oh, I also thought of Winston Churchill.)