1204. life on earth



two lizards
in good company
spooning




Peering into the glass to see what was there, I quickly picked up my camera. Lizards—three lizards!

Some of us walk, some of us fly, some crawl on bellies. We’re always on the move….we eat, we sleep, we make love. And we all seek warmth and comfort in good company.  We’re all on the same planet! 🌎 





1203. the champ!


little pugilist
waking from a dream
sports a shiner!
*
better
to have stayed in bed—
the black eye!





Mikey gives a knockout punch! ðŸū  One night I looked at her and saw the blackeye. Oh, no!  I tried to rub it off, thinking she had gotten into something, some kind of schmutz, but it wouldn’t rub off. Her shiner lasted til the end of the week. It’s a mystery what happened, but one thing’s for sure— Mikey’s a winner all the way!ðŸ˜―

(pugilist: a boxer, person who fights with fists)






1202. on the go!

 


hey folks,
hop on board—
let’s go for a ride!
*
don’t be a slug
get out your pony, and
go for a ride!
*
c’mon c’mon
shake a leg
let’s roll!



Bikers always look fancy-free and ready for a good time!

By the way, “C’mon C’mon” is a sweet, thought-provoking film about what it means to be an adult and a kid in today’s world. Here’s a film trailer: https://www.google.com/search?q=c%27mon+c%27mon+movie&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari





1201. travelers


over empty fields
no travelers on the road
but the birds up high

 


“Months and days are eternal travelers, as are the years that come and go….” and so the birds traveling across the sky, ever searching for greener grasses. Every day is a journey home.  




1200. november garden

 
as autumn ends
bouquet of flowers and leaves
ever blooming
*
flowers & leaves
painted on a page
after Sadhya

 


“Flowers and Leaves…after Sadhya” - 8x8” - Watercolor

Joy…hope…sorrow…renewal…celebrations of life. Through all seasons of life and living, flowers and trees remain endless sources of inspiration—especially from Sadhya’s garden.




1199. 3 to 1



three male ducks 
close on the tail of a female—
is it mating season?
*
four ducks:
three males and a female
quack! quack!




Once again, we were crossing over the Wissahickon Creek Bridge and, stopping to look down on the chilly water, we saw several ducks paddling leisurely along the waters, heading west—three males and a female. Hmm….the beginning of a haiku. 😘



1198. it’s a new day


some days it’s enough
just to wake up alive again—
here comes the sun!



 
It’s early and the curtains are still drawn. I can hear the rain outside. Rainy, foggy, misty, cloudy, gloomy, gloomy, gloomy—day after day—that’s how it’s been here. And now another day of all day rain predicted. I just had to see the sun again, if only on my screen. As long as I have my camera roll, I can find a little sunshine. The sun makes all the difference, doesn’t it? 😘





1197. sweet and silly



a quiet moment
waving for the camera—
just like mom




A quiet dinner—stir-fried minced pork and string beans with peanuts and a bowl of white rice, sipping brandied sweet vermouth and a cup of green tea—listening to the smooth, silky sounds of Johnny Hartman, Etta Jones, and Ella. Feeling mellow, I paused eating, picked up my camera and waved. A sweet, silly thing to do…. just like my mom. I like that part of me.

Snapshot of Mom after winning a game of Solitaire!




1195. livin’ the life



fenced in
foot tracks everywhere—
free as birds
*
every day is a journey
home is wherever they are—
a life of wandering



 

Rain is due to fall here the next two days, so I wanted to get in one last look at the snow.






1194. the little boxer


peck-peck…peck-peck…peck
pecking with hardy gusto
sparring with snow




On a chilly morning filled with icy stillness, it was the soft, dull sounds of a little bird perched high on a bare branch pecking away at a tiny frozen clump of snow. I watched and listened a while, my thoughts drifting away into pleasant visions of a boxer sparring with his punching bag—jab-jab…jab-jab...jab.  

I once visited Muhammad Ali at his training camp in the Poconos, and watched him sparring in the ring.  Marvelous.





 

1193. mr. frosty



six inches of snow
and for the first time in years—
heeeere’s Frosty!☃️ 




It’s 2024 and for the first time in years, we have two good candidates worth voting for. Here are this year’s candidates for “Mr. Frosty.” There’s Traditional Frosty and Nuevo Frosty. Who gets your vote? 





1192. hooray & boo


no school today 
winter storm warnings—
hooray!




Severe weather alerts, 4–10” of snow falling down, bitter cold temperatures, icy road warnings, school closings, business closings, service disruptions. And the view from my window: Thrilled by the storm, all the little children sliding and flopping down the little hill over and over as the TV camera crew films for the day’s local news.  I watch and wonder at the power of nature to bring both consternations and joys in the way of the storm. 




 

1191. the red door


sunshine or rain, ice or snow
things happen when they happen—
the wind blows






The red door. There is a long history behind the meaning of front doors painted red: welcomeness, refuge, protection, safety, warmth, pride, luck, love.





 

1190. setting goals


mingling around
a single sheet of paper
smiling voices





Setting goals. Foretelling fortunes of a kind, this Post-It easel pad was on display at the local library, inviting people to declare their New Year’s resolutions promising to do something new or something differently in the year ahead.  I was especially moved by the voice that said, “Love My Dad.”  Though my dad isn’t here any longer, this prompted me to say….thank you, Pop, for being my Pop and for bringing me to America, I love you.♥️

Taking my time to read all the entries, I wondered how many of these would turn into guiding posts for others who stopped by to read.



1189. Oswaldo’s flowers



sunny flowers
on a rainy day
let it rain
*
how delightful— 
gay colored flowers blooming 
on my drawing pad





“Oswaldo’s Flowers” - 14x11” - Ink & Water Color 

Here’s my latest painting. It makes me happy. Please enjoy it!





1188. city living


it’s snowing…yay!
next door it’s snow-blowing…boo!
it’s 5am
*
i smiled
i groaned 
oh well




I smiled…I frowned…I threw up my hands. What a way to start the day! 

Woke up at 5 and pulled up the shade….it was snowing….pretty and peaceful and silent….then my neighbor next door pulled out his leaf-blower to blow off the snow from his pickup, his trash cans, his sidewalk, and the ground all around. Oh, well…



1187. sunday sermon


congregating: 
ducks, geese, and the great heron
sharing the word 

 


It was Sunday morning. Perched on the branch of a very large tree overhanging the Wissahickon Creek, we spotted the great heron. Like a pastor in the pulpit, the heron was silently gazing out over the congregation of wild birds passing through as they leisurely paddled by along the icy waters. First the ducks, three green-headed males with a single female, all followed by a few small groups of geese with black heads and white cheeks as their long necks swiveled to look around here and there. Several of the geese lingered there slowly circling just under the heron. Were they listening to this week’s sermon, I wonder.





1186. first flowers


old broken fence
hundreds of little white bells—
dingle-dangles!


 


On yesterday’s walk around the neighborhood, an old broken down fence got my attention, then I spotted bunches of fresh green leaves with little white flowers popping up from the ground—first flowers of the new year! I don’t know if they were snow bells or snow drops or snow flakes. I’ll just call them dingle-dangles!




1185. being there….


seed pods
far removed from the city
waiting for spring





“Waiting is a gift—if you do it right. It’s being there in the ‘not quite yet time.’ Being there, with all your heart, present with every fiber of your being, present to the ‘now’—in patience….in quietness….in peace.” Sister Kathryn Gates

I made an end-of-the-year gift to Medical Mission Sisters, whose mission is to bring justice and healing to women, children, and men in 17 countries on five continents. I received a lovely thank you letter that contained the words above, which I wanted to share.



1184. inside out




no moon tonight
yet i feel it in my bones
drops of rain
*
all night long 
rain falling in buckets
outside and inside




Restless. Waking up unable to sleep—listening to my breathing and the rain, I got out of the bed, turned on some lights, looked out the window, took a few pictures. Later on, I saw what the camera saw—the dual images of rain running outside and rain drops inside.





1183. heading north


heading north
stopping to pose for a picture:
mr. claus
*
lingering a while
with a wink and a smile….
a fond farewell


 

See you next time—Ho! Ho!




1182. growing flowers



wintry rains
and there’s nowhere to go—
growing flowers




I don’t know why, but coloring always settles me down and makes me feel happy. It just does. Some say, it’s impossible to color and worry at the same time. I’d have to agree. 

This is my latest work in progress. These are water color pencils which are fun to use, as the colors will become more vibrant when I water the flowers—literally and figuratively! 





1181. a touch of pink


that old tree
still has a touch of pink
like a young girl

 


Strolling through the Arboretum, I couldn’t help but notice how much green there was in the garden this time of year, with temperatures in the 20s and forecast of snow. All the green, and then seeing that old tree with just a touch of pink, made me think of spring and feeling young again.




1180. birds and whales


watching the eagles
smoke-colored clouds drifting by
one after the other

 

Yesterday, watching the Eagles-Giants football game on the tv screen, my eyes kept drifting outside to the clouds in the sky passing by. Singular and quite large, they made me think of blue whales traveling like a caravan across the southern sky. They were beautiful. The home-team played poorly and lost the game. Oh, well. And I didn’t take a picture of the game or those beautiful smoke-colored clouds. Oh, well.  Anyway, I do like this picture.

 




1179. people!


people today
just don’t understand:
we need more trees

 


“Two Crows” - 5x7” - Origami Collage

Two crows sitting in a tree. Crows have a lot to say, even the little ones. 





1178. passing thoughts



buried in concrete
a stranger reaching out
tenderly





A little late—but not too late—I see it: a bit of kindness. 
I was sitting in a long line of cars waiting to turn onto the highway, and as the red light turned green and the line of cars slowly moved forward, something just ahead caught my eye. Right away quickly picking up my camera, I clicked just in time.

Just goes to show you, you never know when a little kindness might be waiting for you just ahead….keep your eyes open. And remember….be kind to yourself. 




1177. the truth of art


i look
and see a sculpture on the wall
sad but beautiful




My eyes lingered long on this section of a long, long line of people walking.  This sculpture is from a current exhibition in Doylestown at the Michener Museum: “Visualizing Lenape Histories”)





1176. which one?



click
in the blink of an eye
still life with hands
*
still life with hands
in the blink of an eye
click





Which one is better?  I couldn’t decide. So I posted both.  What do you think?



 

1175. trying times


no ding…no ding
send a text…try again…again…
she stuck out her tongue




Out of nowhere, his ding wouldn’t ding, was driving him nuts.  He said, “send me a text,” and still no ding. “Try again.” She did; no ding. “Go to the Verizon Store,” she said. He refused. (He’s a stubborn fellow.) “Try again!” No ding. “Again!” (He was driving her nuts!)😝

Well, he finally figured it out in his settings:  all along, his text notifications were on silent mode.ðŸĪŠ




1174. diversity


standing in stillness
as the sun slowly descends 
a runner runs by
*
look….yes, you say
it’s only the sun again—
but, oh, what a sun


 

No matter how much or how many times I look at the sky, it’s never the same. The sun suns, and the runner runs by without a glance and i, i just look on in silence. Everything does its thing.




1173. on New Year’s Day


in spite of the cold
one summer flower holds on
waving




Holding promise of new things to come!
 
Happy New Year everyone! Let’s all do good things together in 2024!