1605. wanderings

i love this tree

no longer splendid….

what now? 

I’ve been working on this one for days. I think it’s done…

Emptiness is the best part of everything. I think. It’s what catches the eye, inviting imagination to come, to wander and wonder about some bird, or perhaps some other kind of creature, who took it upon itself to poke a hole in this tree that had been growing tall for 60 or 70 years, maybe  longer, and changed its course giving it a new meaning and purpose. All this time, it was busy being a tree, and now what?

Where am I? What am I doing now? Why am I here? The tree doesn’t ask, it just goes along with the flow of whatever comes along today, and today, and today. Why can’t I?  Some days I need answers. Some days I simply enjoy the imperfections.  

And Leonard Cohen said, “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

1604. woof!

yo-hey!

here’s one for the blog—

woof! woof!

Pulled over to the side of the road, a big high-top van, big paws on the wheel, sits with a big Saint Bernard in the driver’s seat. He barks, it shakes, I keep going….but not before I take a picture.😘

1603. forbidden drive

chairs placed just so

waiting for the parade to pass by

best views in town

 

A favorite venue for walkers, strollers, dogs, runners, hikers, and cyclists, Forbidden Drive is a 7-mile-long rolling gravel and asphalt trail that runs alongside the Wissahickon Creek along the outskirts of Philadelphia. It has a ton of picturesque views and is source to countless single-track trails that run up into wooded hills and sprawling open meadows. The best part is “no vehicle traffic allowed.” That’s where it gets its name.

1602. david & goliath

young shepherd 

goes up against the giant

undaunted 

Tap-tap-tap…tap-tap…tap-tap…tap-tap-tap.  It took a while for me to see where the sounds were coming from. Later on, looking at my photo, I immediately thought of David and Goliath. It’s not the size of the challenge but the size of your own heart that matters.

1601. daffodils

daffodils

so young and fragrant, like spring….

my wrinkled hand

*

daffodils 

holing up in a water bottle

tsk! tsk!

Every year around this time, you can find small bunches of daffodils to buy and take home. I just love these early symbols of Spring. My water bottle was the only thing on hand with just the right size choke (neck) to hold these daffodils. Think I’ll go to the thrift store to look around for a vase or two. 😉

 

1600. let’s romp

tall grasses

sparrows swing high, swing low….

reminiscing

“A Little Fun In The Sun” — 9x16” — Origami 

A breezy sunny day, outside sparrows are frolicking on tall summer grasses at the bottom of the hill that runs along the railroad tracks behind the old house. Taking turns, the sparrows romp—clinging to the long blades, bobbing up and down, jumping on then off, bouncing over and over, shaking and twittering! 

Wished I could go outside and play with them, but simply waved. I didn’t take a picture, this is my memory from last summer.

1599. eyes to eyes

far apart

keeping our distance

eyes to eyes

 

We stand a long time, simply gazing eyes to eyes. I like to imagine that one day we might slowly walk toward each other, step by step, pause….then bow. 

1598. Bonnie & Clyde

house cat

quiet as a mouse

watching tv 

I was cat sitting Bonnie & Clyde. That’s Bonnie, her brother is Clyde. We were all just hanging out. I feel very lucky.  

1597. snow

take a gander

here’s one last picture of snow

isn’t it pretty?

*

bye bye winter

thank you for all the snow—

honk if you like snow!!

The last day of the second month of the year 2025. Winter is almost over. The snow’s all gone now. It was a good winter for snow—not too much, not too little. HONK!

1596. still life

still life

the piney smell of pine….

lingering 

 

Winter is nearly over. It’s in the air. Nestled together on the soft earth beneath my feet—pale underside bark of wood, sprig of faded green, silvery lichen, and a single crusty cone.  This once was a giant.

In the beginning, there was only the writing, or at least it appeared to me as writing burnished into a very small piece of wood. I pulled out my camera to take a picture for a closer look….then looked around on the ground nearby. Only then did I realize it was more than just a piece of wood and I wanted somehow to honor it in a post….

1595. when we were young

 

if only I could say,

let’s talk about the old days

when we were young

When we were young, we were the best of friends. We played together, traveled together, explored, discovered and learned together. When it was time to go to school, I only wanted to go with him to first grade but I wrote all my numbers backwards, so they put me in kindergarten. Years later, I remember the time we were just talking about this and that and my brother said to me, “Lan, you and I and Mom and Pop, we were all together in another lifetime…and we’ll be together again.” I can hear him even now, smiling. 😊 

1594. take my picture!

out in the cold

“take my picture!” it beckons,

old carwash

Old car wash—looks like it could use a good wash!

1593. the lineup!

everybody!

hands up against the wall!

the lineup😆

 

I didn’t do this. This was in Dan‘s kitchen. What in the world was he thinking?!😆

1592. what joy!

ten thousand snowflakes

outside in the cold, what joy

to disappear!

 

….well, almost! 

The snow’s all gone now. I think maybe it won’t snow again this winter, but who knows!

1591. hopalong

the grey bunny

on the white snow 

hopping along

Gazing down into the creek, frozen over with snow and ice, I spotted the grey bunny.  I named him, Hopalong. 

1590. beyond the pale

two geese

flying along through the mist

imagine…

*

i wouldn’t need a thing

if i could fly with you forever,

not even a penny

“If there is life after the Earth life, will you come with me even then? Since we’re bound to be something, why not together?” These words from  a poem by Mary Oliver immediately brought to mind a picture I had taken of two wild geese flying high, together.

Yes, there is so much enmity and suspicion all around in this world, but that’s not all there is. Yes, “There is life without love. It is not worth a bent penny…”

1589. step by step

he said she said:

no you can’t oh yes I can

and i will i will!

….hike up all the way up all the way up to that star!🌟 
 

1588. paradise now

standing tall

the gentle giant sings—

let’s all get along

“Let’s All Get Along” — 11x13-1/2” — Origami 

Birds flying high, monkeys swing low, and a mischief of mice. Like a preacher with his congregation, the gentle giant sings: Old things new, grey skies blue, it’s a good day now. Let the wind blow, let the sun shine, let the moon glow. It’s a good day now, let’s sing a song, let’s all get along….let’s all get along!

1587. street minstrel

street minstrel 

plays his solitary song

the walls lean in

*

no one to hear, but 

maybe a pigeon or two

up in the eaves 

“Make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sings along” Mama Cass. (My picture of a picture in a museum.) 

1586. the wind blows

over the rise

like a flock of geese heading home

turning white

The wind blows. “Listen closely to the wind. It is the sound of the leaves in the trees, dancing and writing poetry across the sky.”

1585. stuff happens!

oh, no!

that fish jumped out of the pond

and lost all its color!

 

Stuff happens! Sometimes all you can do is just smile.😆

1584. short night

 

short night 

the end of a long

foggy day

*

short night

his stomach was on the fritz

chicken soup

*

short night

i was red, he was green

parcheesi

*

short night

he beat me again

two out of three

*

short night

a movie: no cussin’ no sex

tender mercies

*

short night

end of a just another day

lights out 

Buson is another great haiku poet. He was also a very distinguished painter. His poems are painterly in several senses—visually intense with a certain cool and powerful aesthetic detachment and a love of color. In his writing, there is also a sense of life playing out. This morning i came across a series of eleven haiku that all begin with the line, “the short night”. I was inspired. 

1583. all my hearts!

these are for you 

i love you with all my hearts!

it’s Valentine’s Day 

All my hearts! Soon as I saw these, I thought of you. They wouldn’t fit in my car, so this picture will have to do!  I love you….big time!😊💝💝💝💝💝💝💝

1582. souvenirs

yesterday’s snow

came and left without a fuss….

it’s raining now

Things come and things go, that’s life. It’s good to take pictures to remember the little happinesses that can pass us by.

1581. snowflakes ❄️

quick:

stick out your tongue….

yum!

Eating snowflakes! More snow last night, one or two inches, not enough for a snowman.  Here’s an old winter haiku by Basho, Japan’s best known haiku poet: 

come, let’s go 

snow-viewing 

till we’re buried!

1580. so what!

cars and trucks speed by

on northwestern avenue

….so what!

It’s pleasant to stroll along Northwestern Avenue by the woods and the waters of the creek. I like to enjoy the peace and quiet there. But when the cars and trucks speed by, it’s easy to feel crowded, annoyed….so I recall the heron who sits by the creek day by day meditating on the sites and sounds of life as it is and I say to myself, so what!

1579. we won!

head coach 

his smile says it all—

we won!

 

What a win! Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl LIX 40 — 22! From start to finish—a game to remember!

1578. icy rain

brrrrrr….

the tree branches freeze

in the icy rain

*

icy rain

come in, sit down my friend

have a cup of tea

 

Glad I didn’t have to go out last night. 🥶

1577. the big squeeze

ahhh…

the vine and the tree

so in love

That’s probably a poison ivy vine that is slowly, slowly choking the tree, squeezing every bit of life out of the tree. But there’s something beautiful here, so here’s another story. It’s romantic, the way the vine wraps around the tree, the way they appear to snuggle and embrace arm in arm like old lusty lovers. Over and over, days pass….years go by….things go round and round. This is life.

1576. trading places

winter winds

old tree fluttering….no

they’re not leaves

 

Big old sycamore. On the bare branches, nothing but feathers now to bring color and warmth and life to the tree. (I took this picture thru the windshield of my car—zoom in for a closer look.)

Sometimes, I enjoy amusing myself imagining that I can lift off and fly up and away with the birds across the big sky. Now I might try sitting up in the tree with them, gazing down at all the traffic rushing by.😘 Hmm…

1575. rambling

 

the bed 

is dry just enough

for a pumpkin 

The creek winds its way through our village. Walking around, I always stop to look down into the creek beds—there are several—wondering what might be found there. Sometimes there’s water or ice, but usually not. There’s always rocks and leaves and golf balls! Once there was some kind of splattered animal, dark and dried out and I remember a deer drinking and a cat that was stepping its way across rocks looking up at me with curious eyes. One morning after rain, there was a small school of tiny orange fishes—the next day gone. Today, again something orange there. I took a picture. You can’t really see the pumpkin, you have to zoom in and squint a little, but the rock bed is pretty, if you like rocks.

1574. the witness

leaves

a hundred thousand, all gone now

….swept by the wind

 

By the edge of the creek, the waters flow and the trail travels on….wind blows and leaves its witness behind.  

1573. a quickee

oldie but goodie:

two humps and a nose….

it’ll have to do!

I don’t have a picture ready to post today, so here’s a quickee—an oldie from last summer at the Cape May Zoo. Now, here’s a joke:  How do you offer a camel a cup of tea?….One hump or two?😆

1572. work in progress

in the studio

one thing leads to another

feeling outnumbered!

 

Paper wants to be more than just paper. It’s true.

If you take a sheet of paper, cut it into a square, then cut that into a triangle and, for instance, fold that triangle into a mouse, and then another and another and before you know it, you can have a field of many mouses. You could stop there or you could go back and use the square to make a white elephant! I was inspired by a story I heard about a campground in Africa that was overrun by a plague of mice. This piece isn’t finished yet.

1571. playing possum

squirrel 

up a tree

playing possum 

 

Amazing how a squirrel can move from stillness to top speed then stop and freeze in a blink of an eye. Did you know that they can run as fast as 20 miles per hour?!

1570. reflecting

taking a break

and disappearing 

into my phone

 

Everywhere you look people are in their phones.📱 “Creativity is just connecting things.” Steve Jobs

1569. winter wind

feather buddha 

just sitting there

winter wind

“Be patient. Everything comes in the right moment.”

1568. sipping sake

winter rose

resting on the windowsill

sipping sake

*

before the petals

of last summer’s red rose

purple wisteria

*

counting the days

longing for springtime 

planting rose seeds

Shiki, one of the four great masters of Japanese Haiku, upon noticing a vase of wisteria blossoms on his desk, exclaimed to himself, “What elegance, what loveliness!” and before he knew it, was recalling romantic tales of long ago. He became inspired to write. Here is translation of a tanka (5-line form) from his 10-Poem Sequence on Wisteria Blossoms: 

if you stick the stems

in strong sake

the wilted flowers

of the the wisteria

will bloom again like new

1567. slow and easy

meandering….

grasses no longer green

sniffing anyway

 

Every season has a mood. It’s winter. 

1566. this one!

this one!

i want this one,

said the little girl

 

Checking out at the supermarket, bagging my food, I happened to look a short distance away over by the pet food: big cats! There were five or six of them just hanging around….20 or 30 inches across, all mounted on heavy-duty poster board, displayed 8 feet high. She looked up at them, one by one, then said to herself, I want this one!

When life gets to feel a little too home drum, open your eyes and look around.😘

1565. hooray!

chilly morning

here comes the sun….

the eagles won!

Yesterday’s sun….the Eagles won…. hooray! And what a win—55 to 23! 🦅 Hooray!

1564. looking

oak tree

falling into itself, leaves 

inside and out

What is it about emptiness that makes us want to look inside?  What is it about not knowing, wondering, that intrigues? Isn’t it interesting how not knowing can be more fun than knowing, how ideas can be more interesting than proven facts. If I knew everything, what would be the point of looking?

1563. he said…she said

the truth comes out

in the light of the moon

scary!😱 

 

He said:  “You can be pretty scary sometimes!”

She said:  “Not true!”

He said:  “You don't see yourself.”

She said:  “You’re wrong. You don’t really see me.”

He said:  “Oh, yes I do. Look!”👀 

1562. winter poem

on this road 

one traveler traveled on…

one still here

 

We are born, we all have our turn on this earth, we live, we work, we love, and then we must let go and leave….even leaves. 

1561. looking for the heron

winter geese

too many to count

quiet as mice

 

Many days now and no sign of the blue heron. Crossing over the road to look down from the bridge on the other side of the icy creek, all I see is a gathering of geese….and not one honk.

1560. bird by bird

listen to me:

the way to get started is

bird by bird!

Since before Christmas, I’ve been in a creative slump with my origami. It’s like this:  I’d get a spark…then it fizzled. I’d try this, then that...then go brush my teeth, or go out for a walk. Nothing was working. I just couldn’t get started.  Then one day last week, I recalled how Anne Lamott wrote about her brother, who was ten at the time, how he was trying to write a report on birds for a school assignment. It was due the next day, and he was surrounded by pencils, papers and books on birds at the kitchen table, in tears. His father sat down beside him, put an arm around his shoulder and said, “Bird by bird, Buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”   So I started just to fold again—bird by bird.

By the way, I loved Anne Lamott’s book, “Bird By Bird—some instructions on writing and life.”

 

1559. that’s no lie

yak, yak, yak, yak,

yak….hey, that’s no hawk

that’s a crow!

 

Taneda Santoka (1882-1940), a wandering beggar poet, preferred bold, decisive works. He felt that poets must honestly express every aspect of their experience. He declared:

“When an art becomes intense, loneliness comes forth, clarity comes forth, strangeness comes forth—if it doesn’t go that far, it’s a lie.”