1325. nothing fancy


nothing fancy
but they sure smell sweet
yellow roses





My mind and imagination are still reeling from the incredible engineering feat of the old Bethlehem Steel  plant that we visited earlier this week. I continue to browse through the many photographs taken that day, viewing them with a sense of wonder. Here is another picture I took while there on the grounds of the factory. It makes me smile.😊 





1324. going green


tall and proud 
rusted out giants of man
going green

 


At the feet of abandoned turbines and towers made by man, native grasses and shrubs and flowers growing green. Like it or not, Nature always wins out.




1323. out of this world


smoke stacks 
all the way up to the sky….
speechless



Yesterday we drove to Bethlehem, PA and walked around the 10-acre campus of the former Bethlehem Steel company. I was awestruck by the structural grandeur and corrodent beauty of what had once been one of the world’s largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. I almost couldn’t take it all in—iron and steel, endless walkways all the way up to the sky. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It was pure art, marvelously magnificent!




1322. morning offering



fallen leaves
yesterday’s dreams
gone now





This morning’s offering. Old faded leaves and an empty wooden bench sitting quietly.

A haiku is a short Japanese poem that captures a fleeting moment in time, written in three lines more or less and containing 17 syllables or sound bites. Sometimes fewer words offer more.





1321. good eye!


is it or isn’t it,
on top of the stump rot,
alive?


Walking along the woods, we were shooting the breeze.  I stopped and pointed 30 feet away, deep in the shadows, a silhouette….”Hey, look, a squirrel!” Closer, 20 feet away….”No it isn’t, it’s not moving.” Closer still and still not moving. I clicked the shutter one final time just as it jumped and disappeared.  A chipmunk.

“Good eye!” she said.



1320. what if….



moonlight on the water
the scent of flowers in the wind
and snow in summer 



I paused, looked up at those trees and thought for just a moment, what if….so I brought them home. Green is green and white is white—sometimes things look prettier in black and white.







1319. wishes


stars
a pocketful of stars…
make a wish!



Making wishes.




1318. always



red maples
under the red maples…
too many to count
*
holding on
fluttering in cool breezes…
soon they will fall 


 


Appreciating every day events. No need to travel far and wide to see something of beauty and wonder. Truth is always at hand.




1317. pretty funny


rain falls
and flowers open….
it’s spring!



 

A spider is a spider is a spider—but not this one. It’s a Spiderwort. What a funny name for a pretty flower. When I was little, I was afraid of spiders. I still am—but not this one. 




1316. I spy!


orange, orange
as far as the eye can see….
and just one bee

 


Playing a game of I Spy—the bee and I. Can you find him?🐝




1315. dreaming….



50 feet up
in the air: heaven’s chopsticks…
big as the moon!

 


Now all I need is a bowl of rice big as the moon!🌕 




 

1314. coquette



spring breeze…
ruffling its petals—
white peony



 

So ladylike, it sways in the cool spring breeze, fluttering its petals like a petticoat—white peony.




1313. the road to home



step by step
the long road to home—
seeing stars ⭐️ ⭐️



I made a wish for 1,000 mornings….and when they’re gone 1,000 more….




1312. rat-a-tat-tat!!!


the woodpecker
ever steady as he goes—
obeys the law
*
the woodpecker
pecks and pecks and pecks and 
flies away






Standing in place—legs steady, and yet: head going 13 to 15 mph….20 pecks per second….8,000 to 12,000 times per day. Whew!!!




1311. good neighbors


standing guard
at the top of the grassy knoll
old souls at rest


 


Across the street from the old tree in yesterday’s blog was the old cemetery—another reminder of times past and so many souls who used to be. And I thought….how would it feel to just be, what would it be like to live in a world at peace. Wouldn’t it be nice to slow down and relax and just live with a sense of belonging, neighbor to neighbor….for a little while, anyway.




1310. reminiscing



the tree
and all it’s used-to-be….
posing for a picture

 


Passing by the cemetery, I glimpsed this old tree with stumps of trunk cut down and carefully placed along the ground all around the base. I stopped the car, drove back, found a nearby place to park and walked over. The tree still had some life. It was beautiful. I stood a while just looking. It brought me back to those times of looking at old pictures, of places or of people, and thinking of how things used to be.





1309. me & my shadow


step by step
on a thousand tiny legs
behind and in front

 



What did one leg say to the other leg? Alone we can do little….together we can move the world! Let’s do it!

(This is a screenshot I took from a video sent to me by a FB friend. Many thanks, Mary!)




1308. sundown


blaze of sky
putting out the light—
end of the day
*
the beauty of
no color…no sound…
what a world!





Again, looking out the window…. This was just around the corner from home—you don’t have to go very far to travel to beautiful places.




1307. yesterday’s rain



water falls and
deepens….makes a little lake
just where it is
*
in the tiny lake
raindrops spatter one by one….
like snowflakes

 


Sitting in the passenger seat, entertaining myself with a gaze out the window, watching rain fall, drop by drop filling the lake, emptying my mind….a sudden realization—the ah ha moment!—every raindrop was different….like snowflakes. 




1306. flowers on the wind


walking along….
scent of flowers on the wind
stops me
*
not much to look at
but those little white flowers
knock me out!



 

Every now and then walking thru the wooded trails brimming over with trees and grasses and leaves, the scent of flowery fragrance fills my senses compelling me to stop and looking around for something white. The most fragrant flowers are white.  





1305. just sayin’


what do you think?
said one cat to the other….
i think we look good!

 



“Lookin’ Good!” - 12x9” - Origami Collage

Just sayin…  I couldn’t resist having a little fun with this.  It’s my latest art piece and it sure does make me happy just looking at it.  Here’s something that I read this morning:  “Creativity is Intelligence, having fun!” Albert Einstein said that. I can’t speak for Intelligence, but I sure do have a whole lotta fun creating with paper! 🙃




1304. stop action!


a clap of thunder 
and she can’t get away
fast enough





I heard the thunder and then I saw her….RUN!!! Mikey is afraid of thunder…. just like my mom was afraid of thunder!




1303. sleight of hand


seeing a flower
dreaming of the moon….
the deep sea swirls





Holding a seashell up to the light, rainbow colors held in white. 





1302. impressive


hopping along
me and my shadow
up in the air 





Nowhere to go, nothing to do but wait until I was called for my appointment. 

A little sparrow flew down landing next to me on the seat, no doubt hoping for a tidbit or snack of some kind.  I watched the little bird make its way quickly across the row of seats….hop-hop…hop-hop…hop-hop…up in the air! I picked up my phone to google “sparrow.” I learned that sparrows are more than 100,000 years old and today are more abundant than humans. They follow us wherever we go. They’ve been seen feeding on the 80th floor of the Empire State building and have been spotted breeding 2,000 feet underground in a mine in England. 

WOW, I’m impressed!




1301. wallflowers


pitchforks and shovels 
at the community gardens
like wallflowers 

 


This picture takes me back to the old community meeting hall and Friday night socials when all the neighborhood kids went dancing on Friday nights. I can see them now….young teens just standing around or hanging back leaning against the wall—the boys, too shy to ask for a dance, and the girls nervously hoping and waiting to be asked. I was one of them. Social scenes sure have changed. 




1300. dreaming of Christmas!


a star full of stars
the fireplace glows red and rust
chocolate chip cookies
*
just one look
and i tumble all the way back
to my childhood 




“Dreaming of Christmas!” - 8x10” - Origami collage

Here’s my latest art piece. When I was growing up, Christmas was one of my two favorite holidays. It still is. Even though this isn’t the way Christmas was when I was little, just one look and I tumble all the way back to childhood: a star full of stars, the fireplace glowing red and rust, a tray filled with chocolate chip cookies, and the dogs. I don’t much care for chocolate chip cookies, but for him I’d make an exception.😘 Ummm….i can smell the cookies now!




1299. dogwood


morning meadow
dogwood blossoms 
tumbling down



Just a pretty picture to share on a quiet gray, rainy Sunday morning. 




 

1298. POP!



suddenly
all by itself
POP!

 



My fascination never ends for finding mushrooms in the woods. They seem to just pop up—usually in bunches or sometimes alone—here and there and everywhere. Where do things come from? Where do they go? Things can appear and disappear in a flash, in moment, in a day, in a lifetime. Every day matters. 

Deng Ming-Dao once said, “Every day passes whether you participate or not. If you are not careful, at the end of your life you may have only regrets.”





1297. TGIF


got up late
not much to say….
it’s ok


 


Got up late…. No picture to post…. Not much to say…. It’s OK. 




1296. a true story


ten thousand leaves
and a single eye 👁️ leans in
for a closer look
*
that’s Jack,
one-eyed Jack, winking at me—
i wave and walk by 




People think of trees as ‘just trees’ and quickly pass them by without a second thought. Not me. Trees are alive, just like me. They have their feet and trunks and arms and ears and eyes, just like me….they have their feelings, too. Early mornings trees wake up, rub their eyes, stretch up, way up to the sky. Just like me. I walk through the woods and watch them grow and change from season to season, year after year. With some, I make friends and even give them names. This one’s Jack!😘





1295. peace & quiet


how long 
does it take to get to heaven?
….not long at all





Morning in the meadow….the dove and I.