1294. two birds


two birds
fly across the sky….
misty morning




….far off in space and time, between heaven and earth—where are they going? 







 

1293. love & romance



tears and bliss
piercing the fabrics
stitch by stitch

 



This is a detail of an old Double Wedding Ring quilt. It was likely made by a mother or a grandmother and gifted to a child engaged to be married as a symbol of love and romance, along with reminders of the joys and responsibilities of family and home. Zooming in to see the details of the many fine patterns in countless stitches made by hand, I couldn’t help but wonder at the thoughts and feelings this woman must have stirred up from memories of her own lifetime in marriage. Are women still taking the time to do this…. 





1292. oh, well!


daffodils—
🌼 uhmm, yumm
tasty!😽


 

Daffodils!  Here one day….gone the next!😻




1291. Siku



breathing in
the earth and the sun—
a toast to life!
*
ahh, yesss—
fresh air, sunshine, and flowers
this life agrees with me!



That’s Siku, she is one happy dog. 🐶 One look at her and all I can do is smile.😃 




1290. spring


leaves….
leaves, leaves, leaves leaves 
nothing but leaves

 


Spring:  young leaves, green leaves, red leaves—look! point! click!—all the way up to the sky….a beautiful moment to remember. Tucking this away for a rainy day. Days, weeks, years go by; we’re young and then one day we’re old. It’s the moments we choose to remember and share that matter. 




1289. final farewell



oh, ho….
what’s this?
a spine!





Walking along the trail and….wait a minute—was that a bone? Turning around and walking back….looking down more closely—that’s a spine! Whose spine?!

Life and death on the trails.




1288. from the heart


farewell….
waving and waving
to the very end

 


There’s grandma waving as the school bus rolls by. Waving on and on and on—so many waves from the heart. Beginning the day waving goodbye. How we say goodbye matters. 




1287. Texas



no,
all the flowers in Texas 
can’t compare




I confess, I stole the middle line in my haiku from something I once read and have been waiting to use ever since. This flower with its dwindling, fading heart-shaped leaves immediately caught my eye. Its unusual placement in the pot and slanting gesture spoke of a companionable sensitivity toward the withering leaves yet, just look at it—how bold and bright the flower is….and the size!—kinda like Texas, don’t you think!😘

red flower
in the flower pot—
like Texas








1286. man cave


at last—
finding some peace and quiet
in his car




Ahh yes…it’s Spring. Everywhere in the woods, everyone enjoying the scenery: walking, running, hiking, biking, walking dogs, or riding horses….even snoozing, too!





1285. man and nature


steel and wires
birdsong and feathers
coexisting 




Spring in the meadow: steel and wires, birdsong and feathers—coexisting. Overlooking Andorra Meadow in the Wissahickon Woods, one sees hundred-foot radio towers off in the distance. Far enough away from the city, bluebirds are nesting now in the meadow, taking time out to enjoy nature.





1284. splendid


chilly chilly
mountain of raindrops
under the sun
*
marvelous—
every drop of rain
sparkles!

 


But how?? Walking down the stairs, that black car immediately caught my attention. It sparkled. Then I looked around and saw that it was the only car covered with rain drops. How did that happen?!!




1283. just listen


a bird perched,
on top of the world
singing
*
all here
right here, right now
the bird


 


Walking along and all of a sudden, the music is there that was there all along. From time to time, now and then, make time to stop and just listen, listen to the music that’s always there. “Music is life itself.”




1282. spring outlook


spring outlook:
there’s a good chance of rain—
get ready!




Taking no chances….You can never be too ready for rain! ☔️




1281. patch of blue


out of the blue
things come and things go….
patch of blue

 


Out of the blue things come and things go….sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. 

John Steinbeck once said that a great teacher is a great artist. I’ve come to believe that Life is the Great Teacher of what it means to be human, to learn for oneself the many facets of desire and ambition. Even an ambition so simple as living a good life of feeling satisfied and healthy brings with it obstacles. And how we must all experience the obstacles standing in the way of ambition that reveal the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice. And how, when skies are grey, we are challenged to keep our eyes, hearts and minds on the patch of blue.





1280. no couch potato


there’s Mikey,
waiting to tee off
with the masters




Grabbing a front-row seat—there’s Mikey, settling down and settling in, leisurely waiting for the final round of the 2024 Masters golf tournament to begin. When it comes to watching golf, Mikey’s no couch potato—she likes to get in close to the action, almost like being there. It was a great afternoon of golf!





1279. Sunday morning


still life
on top of the tool cabinet….
together 




Sunday morning: American flag, auto part, miter saw, river rocks, little bird houses, and dove. I always look forward to Sunday mornings. Sunday mornings feel special.






1278. long and short


some folks are tall
some folks are short… 
that’s it




Some trees are short, some trees grow tall. Some days go by in a flash, some days linger on. Some stories are short, some stories drag on and on. That’s it. That’s the long and the short of it. I got nothing more to say.😘





1277. it’s summer! well almost!


YAY!!!
Mister Softee’s here—
it’s summer!



Last night, I heard the unmistakable sound of the musical jingle and went to look out the window. There was the Mister Softee truck, loaded up with soft-serve ice cream treats—a sure sign of summer.  Decisions, decisions….what to get: soft-serve ice cream sundaes, cones and soda floats, cups, shakes, banana boats! Wowee!!!




1276. wondering….


On a walk around the neighborhood….there was the Village Hawk perched high on a rotted out limb of an old tree. Then I spotted a little bird all the way up at the top. Then they took off.


chilly clouds
hurrying—the village hawk
and little one



I wonder now….was that a small bird keeping a safe distance or was it a young hawk learning how to be a hawk?





1275. some days




going, going
going round and round in circles—
which way to go?



Some days are like that.



 

1274. in the woods


every day, every day
one or two leaves will fall
without a sound
*
softly, softly
they come….and they go—
bunnies





“In the Woods” — 16 x 20” — Origami Art

Days come and go. In the woods, leaves fall from trees, bunnies appear then disappear.  I go on walking….grateful for each day.




1273. wanderlust


On my way into the pharmacy, I stopped and thought to myself, hey, look at that car—it sure has been around. I was curious so I went around back. Gee….44 travel decals! For a second I thought about waiting outside to meet the driver, shake hands, and say, “Where to next?”😃
i look, just look
can’t do anything else….
just keep walking





 


1272. Christmas in April



strolling 
thru the arboretum….thinking
of Christmas 

 


Here’s a Sunday morning picture. It makes me think of how growing up, my favorite holidays always were Christmas and My Birthday!🥳 




1271. thrilling


two geese
or twenty geese, or just one…
up in the air


 


Sometimes it’s the clamor of countless geese overhead that thrills me….sometimes it’s just one. I love how they fly—with dash and panache at the top of their lungs. What it must feel like….




1270. seeing double



after the rains
a new pond and more trees
seeing double




Yesterday on my walk around the neighborhood: a new pond that wasn’t there before, three new houses, and four more trees. Funny, isn’t it, how just a little thing like 72 hours of rain can turn things upside down!




1269. a new dawn



meditating 
by candlelight
the birds outside 

 



It’s been rain upon rain upon rain, three days of steady rains and now it’s quiet. The birds are singing. 





1267. the beauty of early mornings



purring, purring
swooosh swooosh zhoomh….
silence



 

The cat by my side is purring….the sound of cars rushing by in the rain….in the rain, the train whistle blows on and on. Early mornings everything is haiku, in my eyes.




1266. the big game


up there
in all that blue sky
two big X’s


 

One X across from another X, diagonally. Are they playing tic-tac-toe?