hello spider,
oh my, what bright eyes you have—
the better to see you
*
come close,
come closer now, my dear
heh, heh, heh….
661. bumblebee
bumblebee
blowing in on warm breezes
flower hopping
*
tasting sweetness
and looking up at the sky
taking it all in
*
high and low
swirling round and round….
swooning
660. morning prayers
facing east
worshiping the rising sun
three birds and i
According to Eastern traditions, facing in the direction of east when praying represents heaven in various ways. It symbolizes a longing for salvation, guiding our hearts and our understandings.
659. the show-off
showing off—
four wings are better than two
a dragonfly
On top of the world….if you’ve got it, flaunt it!
658. goodbye goodbye
goodbye goodbye
to the beautiful doe, the one
that got away
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. Sometimes winning is losing. Sometimes losing is winning. In life there’ll always be winning and losing….just don’t quit.
657. it’s all good
no fish, no breeze
no shade from the blazing sun
no one in sight
*
casting shadows
east to west, north to south
three trees
*
making friends
gazing out at the water
how cool
Santoka felt that haiku was life itself—“For me, to live is to make haiku. Haiku is my life.” His three precepts were: Don’t waste anything, don’t get angry, don’t complain. He wrote about day-to-day life, accepting everything that came his way, without complaining or clinging to ideas of self or others, good or bad, life or death. This was not easy.
I agree, it’s not easy. And right now, I’m just doing my best to accept the heat and make most of it.
656. sunday sermon
still life
with a red-and-blue bike….
the rooster crows
Sunday morning: 8 o’clock and the sun was already brighter than bright. I went out for a walk before breakfast, hoping to find a good picture….I got an earful!: Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!….
655. looking up, no clouds in sight
hotter than hot
no complaints and no regrets
it’s a beautiful day
*
you’re the sunflower
standing tall in the sun
i go and you stay
*
you stay and I go
standing zen and walking zen
sunflower and i
Taking a lesson from the sunflower who does not complain and has no regrets, happy enough just to wake up and be alive today.
654. too many minds! 🤪
can’t turn it off
goofy thoughts keep piling up—
help! 🤪
I think the heat is getting to me!
653. hope
two butterflies
busy being butterflies
filled with hope
Hope plus action makes things happen. “There will always be flowers for those who seek them”— Henri Matisse
652. down by the river
green all around
blue oars in the water
sweat on my chin
*
two views
one sunny, one in the shade
the rower and i
Catching the sites along the Schuylkill River Trail.
651. a simple day
summer sun
three bunnies, seven butterflies
half a moon
*
sun comes up
everything shines, comes alive
sun goes down
Love is like a sunny day….don’t let a cloud chase it away.
650. yikes! 😱
heat wave
doing my best to keep cool
going naked
Weather forecast: 92 - 96 - 96 - 95 - 98 - 98!!!! 😱
649. the tiger roars 🐯
little feet
dressed in embroidered silk
the tiger roars
Long ago in the Qing Dynasty in China, 1880s AD, children were dressed in tiger-head shoes with the hopes of being protected from disease and disaster and growing up filled with the robust and dynamic spirit of the tiger, “king of beasts.”
These shoes, from the collection of the Allentown Art Museum, are currently on display along with other traditional shoes from cultures around the world.
648. cicada sonata
whiskers to whiskers
four ears, four eyes on the prize—
cicada sonata
Nothing like having a best friend to share life’s simple pleasures.
647. stop…look…listen
what do I do?!
yikes! i’m caught in the middle—
Be still…
I wonder now, was the frog posing for us, gifting us with these photos, or was it simply following its instinct to survive. In moments of doubt and indecision, the best thing to do is: stop…look…and listen—listen to your inner voice.
646. ooops!
jiminy cricket!
on top of the mailbox—
where’s the grass?!
Gosh, darn, there I go again setting my sites/sights too high!!
645. and the leaf whispered….
wrinkled and ripe,
it’s been a long colorful life….
full of peace now
“Into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” John Muir
644. summer
looking up
all over the sky, nothing
but sky
*
chirp chirp chirp-er-ree
clackety-clack, clackety-clack
caw caw caww….w
643. heaven….
heaven
is right here under our feet—
go out and walk
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”—Henry David Thoreau
My new trail shoes….cool looking, aren’t they? I’ve always been faithful to Brooks trail shoes and this year, for some reason, it felt time for a change, also something colorful. These are Nike Trail Wild Horse (!) shoes. Love the name. Wearing them makes my feet happy and when my feet are happy, so’s everything else in me happy. And when I go out and walk in the woods and the meadows, all‘s right in the world.
642. time-out
out of sync
stumped, stymied, stupefied—
time-out
*
black & white
two hands in total darkness
empty mind
This morning: the heart was willing, but the mind just wasn’t. I couldn’t think of what to do, so I scrolled through my pictures and came across this one from a while back. Two hands, one eye 👁, and a nose— what was I thinking?
641. the mountaineer
step-by-step
up and up, all the way up
the mountaineer
640. beautiful
gray morning
breathing in….breathing out
in the rain
*
white cat
grooming its whiskers
beautiful
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” Thich Nhat Hanh
639. I had a dream….
two butterflies
one white, and the other black—
how they flutter
Just think, if men were butterflies, we’d have Flower Guards not National Guards.
638. to sing or not to sing….
too many cars
too much asphalt and steel—
out on a limb
Waiting for the winds of change, the song bird keeps on singing—no matter what. One moment can change everything—pay attention—don’t give up!
637. the turtle
smiling to myself
not a worry in the world—
still as a Buddha
Turtle on the river rock. What is he thinking, what is he feeling, what does he do all day—that turtle, who can easily outlive me, no doubt—what is his secret, I wondered….and the turtle spoke:
Don’t be in such a hurry, be patient my friend, just slow down, enjoy today, and remember to smile.
635. two views
arms and legs
looking down….and looking up
as above, so below
The iron fence, on its weighty white bones, dreaming, day after day after day, of far-off adventure while the cute little bugger keeps striding merrily along, one boney green leg after another. Hmmm….
634. July 4 #3
fire crackers
exploding in color
red white & blue
Sumac trees exploding in color. Their fiery-red fruits are loaded with tiny berries that have long been used as a seasoning in Middle Eastern cooking. Sumac fruits have a tangy taste with a hint of citrus and are packed with health benefits. The dried spice has an anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory effect which supports metabolic and cardiovascular health. Nature is the grandest healer!
633. July 4 #2
July 4th Eve
street swept clean and flags well hung
slice of moon
All’s quiet waiting for the fireworks to begin. The stage is set: streets swept clean, flags well hung, a place for everything and everything in its place—sweet anticipation.
Ever since I was a kid I loved fireworks—the flash and sparkle, the bang and the boom of it all filling my eyes and ears and heart. After all these years, now that I am old, I still feel the same. I suppose some things don’t ever change, I guess I’m still a kid at heart.
632. July 4 #1
slice of moon….and
night lights lighting up the sky
Fourth of July
It’s a long holiday weekend. I thought I’d do a holiday post each day. Friday night in Ambler. It feels good to be dining out and celebrating. No matter how bad things appear to be you can always find something to celebrate.
“Always look on the bright side of life!” Monty Python says it best. Here’s a video—click on the link, skip the ads, and enlarge the size: https://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M
631. wissahickon christmas tree
curiosities
hanging from the tips of leaves
ornamental style
*
heavy as feathers
hanging ‘round the little oak—
they’re not acorns