whoop-de-doo!
move over, make room for me
calls the bee
*
franklinia
blooming in the sun,
sunny side up!
1418. whoop-de-doo
1417. traffic jam
what’s this!
a tongue, a turtle, a shoe—
which way to go?
Morning hike on the trails…It can get a little crowded!😘
1416. triple play
three of us
taking pictures of me
just playin’
Three of us: there’s Dan, Tony, and me. Last evening enjoying good company and dining with friends, Tony pulled out his pizza glasses and said….here, put these on, let’s take a picture!
1415. curious
in the dried up creek
a small pool of water shimmers
with goldfish
Walking around the neighborhood, I always stop to look down into the old creek beds. Mostly they are dry with nothing much of interest to see other than stones and small rocks or fallen leaves and even old golf balls. But I look anyway. One time I saw a deer alone drinking water after the rain….another time a black and grey tiger-striped cat stepping my way, looking up at me….and there was a dead thing, too, unrecognizable. Yesterday looking down, I took a second look and sure enough there were goldfishes swimming around in a small pool of water. Where did they come from?
1414. sign post
at the roadside
stopping to let traffic rush by….
a butterfly
At the side of the road we stopped at the traffic sign and spotted on top of the fence post a butterfly, motionless—sleeping? meditating? pausing for the camera?! 🦋
1413. fireworks 💥
red sky at night
the stars line up to play—
fireworks!💥
Inspired by the traditional Amish quilt pattern known as Bethlehem Stars, my latest Origami Composition is paper on fabric. Stars are made from hand cut papers, 3” square, eight sheets individually folded then pieced together to form 8-pointed stars. The outer border is made from 1-1/2” squares rolled and tipped with gold. I love the simple elegance of this piece. I hope you enjoy it.
(This will be among the many origami pieces included in my joint art exhibit with Dan next month—more information soon to follow.)
1412. hearts and flowers
hearts and flowers
all done with this puzzle….
and cigarettes too
After nearly 20 years of smoking cigarettes, I quit. That was 40 years ago. In a high school sorority and wanting to fit in, I began smoking Virginia Slims. Later I married and switched to my husband’s brand, Marlboro. I remember my father, on seeing a Marlboro billboard, once asked, “Where is Marlboro Country?” I switched brands again, this time to Phantom. They were British. They came in a sleek box, deep blue with a gold oval-shaped label, pure tobacco, no chemicals no additives. I loved Phantoms—handling the box, lifting the lid, sniffing them and smoking. Yet I gave them up. It wasn’t easy. At work, I was a bit of a wreck but kept busy. What got me through at home was building jigsaw puzzles at night. I don’t smoke anymore but I do enjoy a puzzle now and then.
1411. here today, gone tomorrow
morning glories
climbing up a chain link fence….
summer is fading
1410. as above, so below
stars up in the sky
here and there around the moon—
frogs down in the bog
Sometimes looking up at the sky at night there’s the moon alone but as I shift my focus slightly off to the side, I catch a star and then another star…and then another. Peering down into the pond, there was the bric-a-brac of water, leaves, twigs and stems and then as my eyes lingered, a frog appeared, and then another—one…two…three…five. Slowing down, taking my time, there’s more to enjoy.
1409. just playin’
end of the day,
sun goes down and moon goes up—
is that sun or moon?
“Every day you play with the light of the universe.” Pablo Neruda
1408. free and easy
the crow there
and me here—
nothing fancy
Some days there’s not much to think about or write about. Perfect.
1407. inch by inch
first lessons
on how to ride standing up—
what a sky!
Crossing the street my eyes were looking over to the right at the sky, when I heard from the left a faint,“look out!” I turned. A young boy pedaling his bike was headed my way. I stepped back. “Thank you,” I called out. “You’re welcome,” he said as he rolled by in front of me—blue t-shirt, big helmet, little training wheels. I waited and watched as he slowly approached eyeing the hill then made his way—climbing step by step, up and up, inch by inch…
1406. bees, bees
bees, bees—
look at that bee chowing down
on surf and turf!
That’s Tommy’s surf & turf supper. I didn’t know bees like to eat meat. And another thing… I didn’t know bees have five eyes, two in front and three on top of the head. Learn something new all the time!
1405. birds
unmistakable,
the eerie cry of a hawk—
not a cloud in the sky
Gray morning. Outside the air is cool and warm. It’s the humidity. A new bird in the tree next to the window is calling over and over, softly—ssweeeeeee…ssweeeeeee…ssweeeeeee… I wonder what it is. The call of a hawk, something that I’ve heard many times, is sharp like a scream—kee-eeee-ahh…kee-eee-arr…kee-eeee-arr…
1404. people watching
people watching—
what would we all do
without our phones
1403. sweet or sour?
magnolia flowers
have all turned to fruit—
sweet or sour?
This world is filled with the magic of what it means to be alive. Slow down….let wonder enter your mind. Here’s a quote by Albert Einstein: “Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.”
1402. shiny eyes
young campers
a hiking we will go
hi-ho…hi-ho!
Up ahead, the unmistakable sound of young voices—calling, chattering, laughing. Twenty or thirty girls and boys were headed my way approaching single file on the trail. I pull out my phone. “Hey, are you taking pictures?” “Want your picture taken?” “No…. “Yes!” And like flies to the light, they gathered with shiny eyes.
1401. celebration of life
she winks and
he’s got goose bumps all over….
love story
Trees are so alive. It’s not until trees are bare of leaves that you can see what’s going on deep inside, in their personalities and the way that they lean and bend and sometimes even curl and break out with excitement. I immediately saw a special something going on between these two old trees!😘
1403.
the meadow
half empty….half full—
which is it?
1400. cardinal flower
opening
from the bottom up—
red
1399. finding the moon
old friends
taking a ride on the boat
viewing the moon
*
like an old friend
following me wherever i go—
the moon
Whether traveling by car or boat or on foot and from time to time turning to look up into the sky, I find the moon is there, seems always to be right there….like an old friend.
1398. the king
a deer
his horns covered over with fur—
is cold weather coming?
*
a deer
famous for beautiful eyes
staring at me
More often than not, deer when they see you, will turn and quickly run away—but not this one. This striking deer, standing in stillness down there in the tall grasses, simply stared at me, eye to eye, in full command of the situation….like a king!
1397. summer storm
outside it’s storming
inside it’s cozy and calm
and purring
Winds blowing, clouds raining, early in bed and reading, reaching over to give Mikey a pat on the head. Purring.
1396. tomato sandwiches
yesterday’s lunch…
traveling all the way back
to 1965
My first real job out of high school was working in a General Electric factory close to home just outside Trenton, New Jersey. I was a clerk in the shipping department and I remember Jim Purdy. Tall and slim, Jim was a mild-mannered man with wavy dark hair, and every day for lunch he carried a brown paper bag filled with two sandwiches of sliced red tomatoes on soft white bread. That was nearly 60 years ago and even now I can see him sitting down, quietly eating his two tomato sandwiches. Jersey tomatoes are the best! 🍅 🍅
1395. sensual
quiet morning
it’s a rainy, lazy kinda day….
taking it all in
Quiet morning—I opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Soft rain—it stirs all the senses. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Touch it. Taste it. Delicious! I love waking up to rain.
1394. tattoos
out in the open
flexing tattoos head to toe—
motorbike
Soon as I saw this motorbike, my face broke out in a smile! 😃 I wonder if the rider’s covered in tattoos too….
1393. looking ahead
mountain high way
as far as the eye can see….
step by step
Winding its way up and up, no end in sight, the path goes on and on, higher and higher. Just keep going…. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt
1392. look out!👀
loaded—
that tree trunk is loaded
with poison ivy!
Whizzing traffic on one side of us, poison ivy growing like weeds on the other side of us. YIKES!😱 Overnight rains had left the wooden walkway slick and slippery so we walked out on the paved roadway careful to stay close to the traffic rail. Sunday morning not too much traffic, yet we still needed to be mindful of intermittent cars whizzing by. Then my eye caught sight of the lush cover of leaves all the way up the trunk of that tree. For sure, money doesn’t grow on trees but poison ivy sure can!
1391. patchwork sky
dark night
stars spin across the sky
four by four
“Dark Night: Stars Spin Across the Sky” — 9 x 9” — Origami Art
Inspired by the classic four-patch quilt design, these patch blocks come together from three- and two-inch sheets of paper, each folded 10 times, then painted with gold to create 4-pointed stars spinning across the sky before falling into place to create a patchwork sky. I like this little piece….hope you like it, too.
1390. today….114
resting now
in a bed of silvery leaves
leader of the pack
My father was born on August 3rd—today he’d be 114. He was the leader of a troupe of acrobatic contortionists who entertained with amazing feats of balance, agility, and strength. They toured in the 1930s and 1940s performing in circuses and night clubs, known throughout Europe as Su Yee and in America as the Ming Sing Stars.
1389. secrets
faces—
looking this way and that way
click!
“A picture is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” Diane Arbus
(This is a picture I took of a picture that was part of a photography exhibition at the Berman Museum of Art. Unfortunately, Facebook removed this post today. They said it did not fit their code.)
1388. three woman
three women:
tall…medium…and a small
in butterfly boots