754. jammin’


hooping & howling
ghosts & goblins & ghouls
it’s halloweenπŸ‘» 
*
wah-hoo! wah-hoo!
hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho!
ho-halloween!πŸ‘» 






 

753. where’s my treat?


halloween eve 
rising up from the graveyard—
the hand
*
“hey, you
trick or treat
smell my feet”



Did you know? 1/4 of all the candy sold annually in the US is purchased for Halloween! πŸ‘»☠️πŸŽƒ







752. me, myself & i


after all
it’s good to be alone
on and off 




Even when I think I’m alone I’m not really alone…. there’s always my other self or me nearby.




751. a koan


leaves on leaves 
looking out over the creek
the water leaves 


 

Looking out over the creek, it’s hard to tell where the water begins and where it ends. It all looks the same. The end of something is always the beginning of something. Without endings there would be no beginnings. Without beginnings there would be no endings. Everything is everything….or is it?!





750. morticia



putting on 
my best halloween face 
who needs a mask!πŸ‘Ή



Four days to Halloween πŸ‘»πŸ‘»πŸ‘»πŸ‘»
Little barn cat, doing her best to look scary—
M-E-O-W-W-W-L-L-L….!!!!





749. BFFs


after all,
nothing like a good road trip
and a bath!



Road trips can make you or break you! 

This is a scene from “Dog.”  In the movie, Lulu and Brett are retired Army Rangers who set out onto a 5-day road-trip filled with adventure—fun….fighting….friendship….and furry bonding. This movie stars Channing Tatum who, in 2008, really did rescue a dog named Lulu. The movie is dedicated to her.




748. green and gold



standing guard
over the hidden treasure
bamboo




The Chinese have long treasured mushrooms and bamboo. Ancient traditions value mushrooms as symbols of immortality and bamboo for loyalty and moral integrity.





 

747. bunny buddha


standing guard
at the top of the stairway
bunny buddha 
*
sit with it
sit with it
sit with it
*
in doubt?
don’t run….just sit with it
feel to heal




“Even though you want to run. Even though it’s heavy and difficult. Even though you’re not quite sure of the way through. Healing happens through feeling”—Tiny Buddha





746. racked out


taking a break
racked out on a lazy lawn—
41 wheels


 

2 bicycles 🚲  + 2 skateboards πŸ›Ή  + 2 pairs of roller skatesπŸ›Ό  and a tricycle = 41 wheels πŸ›ž !!!

On a walk around the neighborhood, all it took was just one look to transport me back to the good old days when I was a kid rolling around on roller skates, listening to the organ music, circling round and round on the hardwood floors at the old indoor roller skating rink. 





745. casting the runes


don’t fret the past
don’t stress about the future
look deep into now




(“Past, Present, Future” — 7 x 9” - Gouache and Ink)

The past has passed. The future is elusive. All we ever really have is the present, here and now. What matters is to have a true present. Casting Runes is an ancient tool for discerning and gaining insight into the challenges and potentials of present circumstances in order to choose a sound course of action.

The inscription here reads: Life is change and growth. It takes a long time to grow in wisdom. Trust in the struggle—struggle is essential. Lift up the self by the Self, and don’t let the self droop down. For the Self is the self’s only friend. And the self is the Self’s only foe. (These words are taken from the The Book of Runes, by Ralph H. Blum.)



744. cool & the gang!



hey, you there
c’mon in, join the gang—
let’s party!




Ten days to go to Halloween! πŸ‘» πŸ‘»πŸ‘»
A walk thru the neighborhood and I lose count of all the Halloween decorations. Looks like everyone wants to have fun!






743. naked ladies!!


woof! woof!
hey look: purple blossoms—
naked ladies!!




That’s Ruffer, Ace Sniffer!  Those purple blossoms are autumn crocus flowers, also known as “naked ladies” because the blossoms come up from the ground and open up to reveal themselves without leaves.

(The answer to yesterday’s riddle: Why do gorillas have large nostrils? Because they have large fingers!  Oh, gross! πŸ˜†)
 




742. riddle #1


a riddle a day
helps you find the right way
take a guess—
*
why
do gorillas have large
nostrils?

 


One day walking thru the woods and meadows of Wissahickon Park, I spotted pink ribbons tied to wooden stakes planted along the trails. A closer look revealed riddles written on one side….and hidden on the other side, the answers. That day I found three riddles posted—here’s the first. Take a guess at the answer here—I’ll post it tomorrow.




741. still here


yup, still here
together forever—BF
best friends 
*
even old souls
need to get out now and then
getting d’s 

 

Yay! 13 days and counting down to Halloween….and we’re still here! πŸŽƒ πŸ‘» 





740. a moment in time


surprise!
way down there, staggering me
a dandy stag

 


Walking along the sidewalk, something made me glance down over the old wooden fence into the field below and there he was, his unwavering eyes boldly staring….he had me. We stayed there a while, not moving, breathing the air, and gazing with wonder, just the two of us. 





739. feeling itchy!



oh, so pretty….
wish i could bundle them up
and take them home
*
autumn leaves
pretty is as pretty does—
pretty poison!

 

Be careful what you wish for….you can look but better not touch! That’s poison ivy!!





738. the life of Mikey



fresh fruit & flowers
and a soft easy chair….ah, yes
that’s livin’ the life



(Livin’ the Life - 10 x 8” - origami mixed media)

Some say that a dog is man’s best friend….but if you ask me, I’d rather be a cat!😽




737. me & the ant


feast or famine
seeing things differently—
me & the ant
*
to me:
these little-bitty mushrooms
cute, but I’d starve!
*
to the ant:
these super-duper mushrooms
oh boy, what a feast!



 
When I stop to think about it, these tiny mushrooms, tinier than my finger nail, might be enough to feed a village of ants. 🐜 🐜🐜🐜🐜  After all ants are omnivorous, they’ll eat just about anything—all kinds of meats, plants, and fungi, too—just like us!






736. ‘tis the season


hey, look!
just in time for Halloween—
orange mushrooms




Hey, look—orange mushrooms….just in time for Halloween! I’ll look for red at Christmas time.πŸ„ 




735. everything



all is red
or blue or gray, only the moon
is green, green cheese




In time, everything changes. Shooting stars and bolts of lightning….magic tricks and clouds and bubbles…. morning dew and fog.  Everything comes and everything goes, only the going allows the coming. Let it all go and enjoy the show!😘




734. home


under a tree
little green house and pink roof
who lives there?
*
look again—
 it’s not just a pretty house,
it’s somebody’s home




“A house is made of walls and beams, a home is built with love and dreams.”  Happy to be home.





733. up in the air



seven bunks, like
snowwhite and the seven dwarfs
hangin’ out




Out on a Sunday stroll through Fort Washington Park, I caught a glimpse of an unusual bedroom scene…. they caught me gawking! πŸ˜‰ What will people think of next!





732. waving goodbye




all hands on deck
frost on the pumpkin now
waving goodbye 




Overnight frost and summer is gone….time to air out the garden gloves and put them to bed. Goodbye to Summer!





 

731. the marauder



the marauder
walking the wooden plank
upside down!




A summer leftover picture:  This cicada, no longer singing, must have flown off to greener pastures, leaving its exoskeleton behind. 






730. a little thrill




bird or boat—
or rocketship to the moon—
or superman?
*
which one’s better
the big picture or details—
you tell me




What would you give to fly like a bird on wings way up high or set sail and cruise through wide blue waves across the sky? How about an astronaut….or even Superman?

Out the door on the way to my car, I looked up—up in the sky it was moving fast, so very fast, like it was on a mission to the moon!—right then I stopped in the middle of the street, dropped my bags and pulled out my phone….

You don’t necessarily need to go very far for a little thrill—just step outside and look up.





729. poof the magic snake!



where’d it go?
did it slither away? or 
just go poof!



How could this be ? Clearly this shadow of an impression once was a snake, and yet how did the snake slither away and still leave a perfect impression? Snakes just slither, don’t they….or do they, like dragons, go poof?!

 




728. the long, long walk



….i’m getting soaked
….wish he’d walk a little faster
….this isn’t fun!




Rainy Day #5–and the mutt keeps muttering….



 

727. do rainbows have wings?


4 days and 4 nights
rain upon rain upon rain
will it ever end?
*
when in doubt
look up, look up at the sky—
there’s a rainbow




It’s been raining now for 4 days and 4 nights and things are feeling very soggy—at least it’s not 40 days and 40 nights! 

One summer day, driving around I looked up and saw this rainbow in the sky. I parked the car and took this picture. Today seems a perfect day to share it. If you take the time to look, just look carefully, you’ll find the rainbow….is there a rainbow in every cloud?




 

726. sunday sermon


wind outside
rustling, resting, rustling,
and the rain… 
*
raindrops
tapping on the window
and the tree….
*
bed of green
and a single rosy leaf
doing its thing!
🍁 



I love chilly, rainy, gray autumn mornings when I don’t have to go out, when I can just stay inside. Inside where it’s warm and cozy, listening to the wind, looking out thru the window at the rain and the leaves blowing and billowing, blowing and billowing, sipping coffee and reading poetry, feeling satisfied and happy, too. 


 



725. clean clothes


clean clothes 
hanging out on the line
smiling




Whenever I see clothes hanging outside to dry in some backyard somewhere in the fresh air and grass, I linger awhile and smile. In my mind’s eye, she’s right there hanging the shirts and pants and socks, and humming. Funny….the simple things that make me think of home and mom. 
 



724. weather report ☔️ ☔️☔️


hey, you—
it’s a three umbrella day
rain, rain, rain
☔️☔️☔️

 

Ugh! I just got up and I’m feeling droopy already!