1867. do your own thing!

two cyclamen 

sitting on the windowsill, each

doing its own thing

 

Cyclamen, members of the primrose family, grow well in the garden or indoors with blossoms that bloom upside down! Inside cyclamen make good houseplants that can flower nearly continuously thru every season. These two flowers always cheer me. They’re the same and yet. One red one pink, one bigger one smaller, one taller one shorter, one older one younger. Nothing shy or bashful about the little one, she gets right in there and struts her stuff!

1866. anticipation

counting down,

thinking about the good times

 it’s never too early! 

“Anticipation is the purest form of pleasure.” It’s a reliable tool that can be used to create a better emotional mood, to motivate you to persevere thru challenges, and help you to enjoy your journey thru life. It’s good to have something to look forward to. . .celebrating a birthday, graduation or anniversary. . .a weekend or day off from work. . .planning a holiday or vacation. . .reading a good book. . .visiting with family or friends. . .dining out at a favorite restaurant. . .exploring a new idea. . .even simply sleeping in!🤗

 

1865. super-duper!

in bright sunlight

the white oak in autumn

turns coppery

 

Standing back to take it all in, that white oak tree is super-duper, beyond superlatives. Just look at it! To give you a better sense of its magnitude, look at the base of the tree, just left of the trunk, and zoom in, really zoom in, on the teeny-tiny bit of white. That’s Dan standing there!

1864. now and then

an old woman

goes out to view the setting sun

one more time 

 

This time of year, Sunday means football day. I’ve always liked football and I enjoy watching a good game. I remember how as a young girl it was so fun to go out and play touch football with all the kids around the corner from my old house. Yesterday, inbetween games, I went out for a walk to move after sitting inside for hours. I got in my steps for the day, breathed in the fresh air, and looked around. This time of year with shorter days and colder temperatures, especially as the sun goes down, the skies are so beautiful.

1863. music man

no need for fortune

or fame, just makin’ music

and singin’ his song

That’s Dan, he’s my kinda man. 🎶

1862. momijigari

on the trail, red leaves

stopping me in my tracks—

momijigari🍁 

 

Momijigari, “red leaf hunting,” is the cultural tradition in Japan of viewing the changing leaves of autumn. It is a quiet activity that reflects deep appreciation of Nature’s fleeting beauty and honors the passage of time and impermanence of life. 

1861. peace

gentle giant

symbol of peace, goodwill

and harmony

“Peace Be With You” —11x9” — Origami

Peace begins with each one of us.  “When you make peace within yourself, you make peace with the world.” Maha Ghosananda

1860. at the Michener

from every angle

so much to observe and share

wow! wow! wow!

That’s Rachel and Gloria absorbed in observing the fabulous collection of art by Peter Paone on display at the Michener Museum, now thru March 15, 2026. This exhibition, “Not So Still Life,” of acrylic paintings is gorgeously stunning, exciting, inspiring. I must go see it again!

1859. sun or moon?

on the forest floor

one orange mushroom glowing

like the setting sun

-or-

is that the harvest moon

coming down, coming down

to the ground?! 

Among the withering leaves, fresh life springs up. Life goes on.

1858. salute to Conan

a super hero

on and off the battlefield—

this is Conan

 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—I love dogs. I have long admired their loyalty and aliveness, their keen sense of awareness, and love of play. Military service dogs are whole other breed. I’ve read books, listened to stories, watched movies. Their intelligence and uncanny smarts, their grace, agility, skill, dedication and selfless service are incomparable. 

Conan was a veteran of the US Special Operations Command, and served in 50 combat missions. He was awarded the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Honor. I painted his portrait in 2020, a 10x8” acrylic. 

1857. together

flying high…inch by inch

the snail and the butterfly—

far out!

“Far Out!” — 8x8” — Origami

I created this piece and only later discovered a children’s book titled, “The Snail and The Butterfly,” a heartwarming story about a snail who wants to fly and an old butterfly who questions why. The moral of the story: curiosity and wisdom together will take you far on the journey of life. Far out! 🐌&🦋 

1856. here’s mikey!

commercial timeout: 

…so mikey rolls over for

a little catnap!

Slept in…got up late…no new picture to post…so, here’s Mikey again. Sunday football, time out for a commercial and she rolls over for a quick cat nap.😽

1855. a 1000 words

not moving a hair

the dog just sitting there with

a 20 dollar bill

 

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Last night Dan sent me this picture. Now there’s a story! The old dog, he looks like the sweetest puppy, passively sitting there, cute as can be, a 20 dollar bill tucked in his harness. I wonder what he’s up to. 

1854. look and see

orange in the leaves

orange in the chilly pond—

it must be autumn

*

taking time to look

what’s there in front of my eyes?

i see goldfishes!

Things were moving there deep down in the chilly pond. Zoom in, look close, find the slender, bright orange shapes just like the orange leaves, but they’re not leaves. See the goldfish! 

 

1853. night at the movies

movie: sorta special

but the moon—oh, the moon

super special!

 

Inside we were the only two people in the theater watching the movie “Nouvelle Vague,” like a private screening, sorta special. Dan got up right in front of the screen and took a pose. Outside after the movie, I looked up at the nighttime sky, hoping to find Orion. All I could see was the full moon, it was really special. They said it was a supermoon, the biggest brightest moon of the year!🤩

1852. together

one small step for man

one small step for man’s best friend

together all the way

 

“If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together.” Life is much better together.

1851. the little tree

in the meadow

the little tree, all alone

pretty as a peach

“The beauty of life is in small details, not in big events.” — Jim Jarmusch

1850. catnap

mikey likes to sleep

with one paw over her eye

and glitter ball close😽

 Hey, will somebody please close the curtains!

1849. ah haa!

stopped at the stop sign

looking up and looking down

blowing bubbles

 

Driving around, looking around. So what if half the time I don’t know what I’m looking for. Sooner or later, something always shows up. It’s not always easy. I just have to make sure to get outside and look around. . .at the flowers, the trees, and listen to birds who keep on singing no matter what. 

1849. November 1

six thirty-three am

something popped into my head:

o - r - i - o - n

I was just sitting here in my reading chair this morning when “Orion” popped into my head. Orion is my favorite constellation of stars. I used to look up into the nighttime sky to see the Mighty Warrior’s stance, legs long and wide, bow and arrow taking aim. It always inspired me. Orion is visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months, rising from the east around November and reaching its highest point in the southern sky around March.  Today is November 1. . .time to start looking!

(This is an old drawing that came to me in a class where the teacher said, put some dots on the paper, then connect them.)

1848. happy halloween!🎃

rising up 

over the old haunted house—

a pumpkin moon!

When in doubt, start with a smile. It was Mother Teresa, who said, “Peace begins with a smile.”

 

1847. home

things look different

this early in the morning,

opening my eyes

Waiting at the red light, I looked out thru the window to the left and saw the rising sun. Beautiful, I thought to myself. The wide open field, the grasses, the trees, the hazy clouds, and shimmery sun. It’s so beautiful. . .and it’s where I live. Home. I gave a nod to the sun and drove on.

Ordinarily, I don’t like to go out driving this early in the morning. Sometimes, I suppose, it’s good to get out of your comfort zone to realize where you are, to appreciate home.

1846. orange sky

mom and the girls

under the stars and the moons

flying kites

 

“Flying Kitties” — 6-1/2x6” - Origami Composition 

Last week when I posted 1837. “Samurai Bandits” with the old dog, Agatha said, “Nice, but where’s the cat?!” So, Agatha, this one’s for you!😽

Here’s Agatha—

1845. Mr. & Mrs. P

out back on the slope

the Mr. and the Mrs.

pumpkins, please 

My upstairs neighbor decorated the hallway with two Halloween 🎃🎃, but he had to take them outside because they were “going bad.” He told me he forgot to coat their insides with vaseline to preserve them for Halloween. He said it really works every time! So there’s a tip for anyone who wants to know how to keep their pumpkins going for the holidays.

 

1844. goldfish creek

a deer in the trees

and two more in the creek, but

no little goldfish

 

The air was crisp, the water clear enough and tasty. This is the creek nearby where I’ve watched little goldfish swimming around. It’s a mystery where they come from. Somehow they seem to just appear with the water as the creek fills then just disappear as the creek dries up. From the time I was little, I’ve always loved watching them, there bright orangey animal bodies. It cheers me to see them swimming around and around, they seem so happy and free. So every now and then I walk to the creek hoping to see the goldfish again.

1843. hey, little darlin’

here comes the sun🌞 

here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo

say, it’s all right

“Here Comes The Sun” — You gotta love that song, no matter who sings it, The Beatles or Hight Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone. Every morning, no matter what, the sun comes up grinning and lights up the world. If it is your nature to be happy, go step outside early in the morning and listen to the music rising up in the airy sky.

1842. don’t touch!

something beautiful

caught my eye. . .a rainbow hugging

that slender tree

Walking along the trail in the woods, something beautiful caught my eye like a rainbow of color wrapped around a slender tree. I smiled. I looked again and thought, oh no, stand back, it’s poison, and you know what that means! Even so, I was a reluctant to leave. It was so pretty. . .and you know what they sometimes say about “pretty.” All those colors—the green and gold and red and rust and bronze—the way they wrapped around the trunk all the way from the bottom ground then leaf by leaf up the trunk. Like I said, I didn’t want to leave, so I took a picture so I could zoom in and get close, real close.

1841. all the little pumpkins

56 pumpkins

all lined up waiting to be blessed

by Mother Mary

I smiled when I saw this single row of little pumpkins lined up in front of the Mother Mary Statue across the street from the Catholic Church. There were 56 in all, that likely had been painted by the children of the nursery school there. I couldn’t help but imagine the sweetness of the vision of so many children all carrying their pumpkins and laying them down one by one, possibly with a simple prayer in their hearts. 🙏🏻🥰

1840. fallen giant

once was a giant—

emptiness of an old pine

no longer standing

 

Coming to a fallen tree, Dan climbed up onto a stone pillar to take a picture, honoring the giant pine that used to be. Here is his picture:

1839. classroom in the woods.

the teacher called out—

put your pencil on your head!…

and the trees leaned in

 

It does my heart good to see classrooms of children camped out in the woods writing about what they see and think and feel. As we were walking by, the teacher here called out, “If you’re finished writing, put your pencil on your heads!” That sure got my attention. I think kids naturally like to make things up, they like to write, but even so, it must not be easy to gather the attention of 20 or 25 eager minds and bodies out in the open each doing their own thing. Hats off to school teachers!

1838. end of the day

quiet as mice

as the sun settles down—

ducks by the creek 

 

On our way home, catching a glimpse of time, the sun on its way down, a small family of ducks settling in at the edge of the creek secure for the nighttime dark and cold. 

1837. home sweet home

the old dog,

being just a dog, always barks

at samurai bandits

“Samurai Bandits” — 6x6” — Origami Composition 

There was an old house facing south, six by six. It looked warm and cozy with lights all over the place, indoors and out, and a red door for good luck. In the front yard there was a black dog by the gate and the dog, being just an old dog, was flying kites looking up at waves in the sky and barking at samurai bandits hiding out in the clouds all the way up to the heavens. Having fun.

1836. hitchhiking?

a little pony

standing with two umbrellas—

scratching my head

Yesterday morning standing on the sidewalk in full view of the cars passing by all day, a 2-foot pony with two umbrellas like it might be hitchhiking if only it had a little thumb! Driving by again hours later it was still there…. I quick pulled out my camera and snapped a picture. Just a pony is just a pony, but a pony with two umbrellas, now that’s something to think about! Does anyone know anything about the symbolism of ponies with umbrellas?

 

1835. under the covers

hiding out

two eyes, a nose and whiskers

under the covers

Early mornings are dark now and chilly and all I wanna do is stay in bed under the warm covers later and later and even after I get up all I wanna do is get back into bed and stay under the covers. I’m weight there with you, Mikey!😻😘

 

1834. lady butterfly

butterflies 

flutter, flutter, flutter by

lady butterfly

 

“Lady Butterfly” — 18x12” — Origami Composition 

Softly, softly swaying, smiling her shiny eyes, dreaming her dreamy dreams, Lady Butterfly.

1833. today’s the day!

today’s the day!

today’s the day, all day long!

happy birthday dan!

 

He’s my heart of  hearts!💖 Wishing Dan a wonderful day all day long!🥳 

1832. totally tickled

in the shower 

tickling me all over—

baby spiders!

My cats have always enjoyed chewing on house plants, so the safest safe place to hang out in my home is in the shower. And this spider plant is totally tickled!

1831. feeling buzzy

bumble bee

think i’ll just stay down awhile

feeling buzzy

 

I just couldn’t get it together this morning. You know what they say, “Better late than never!”

1830. do you hear cicadas?

rain keeps falling

and my ears keep ringing….

chilly morning

*

standing face to face

with the stone cold Buddha….

are his ears ringing, too?

According to the web ringing in the ears is common for people, and cats and dogs too. But what about Buddhas with their large ears?

 

1829. Skylar

surprise! surprise!

s - k - y - b - l - u - e

say “hello!”

Say “hello!” Well, he wouldn’t, though he’s a good talker but on his own terms! That’s Skylar, named for his sky blue color. He’s a Blue Indian Ringneck Parrot, getting his daily D’s hiking up on Andorra Meadow in the Wissahickon. What a surprise! You just never know who you’ll meet on a hike through the woods. 

1828. double take

final cut

reaching out for one last big bite

sneaky snaky tree

 

Walking along the trail, she did a double take. That fallen tree resembled a huge serpent ready to take a deadly bite out of that other tree! He quick pulled out his camera to take a shot….she did the same!😘

1827. it’s autumn

it’s mighty cold

and all the leaves are turning red 🍂

woohoo!

 

It’s 38° this morning and 21 days till Halloween. Red’s my favorite color. Just sayin’! 👻 

1826. kinda magical

before dawn

outside my front window

three deer

 

How many times I’ve looked out the front window and watched people passing by, or cars and trucks  or fire engines or the morning school bus taking children to school. This  morning, it was still dark as I was just about to sit down in my reading chair when I looked out the window and saw three deer under the street light standing there on the grass, leisurely feeding on the acorns fallen from the tree next door. Now and then they raised heads carefully to look around.  I wished them well and said a prayer for their safe return home to the woods nearby. A few minutes later, I looked again and they were gone. 

It’s kinda magical to me to be living in close proximity to the beauty in nature’s wild animals and now and again to observe deer and foxes and rabbits and herons and hawks, and Canadian geese flying high from golf club to golf club! And it’s reassuring, too.

1825. the host

autumn sprouts

clamoring to blossom and bloom

before the first frost

 

Taking up residence, three or four different kinds of young greens, sprouting around this tall trunk of a dead tree. Hmmm. . .it’s autumn now, not springtime. How unusual. Will they all be winter hardy? Could this be a sign of yet warmer temperatures to come? Hmmm. . .

1824. holy moly!

holy moly!

my mouth is puckering—

flying dragons!

Cold hardy, the Hardy Orange Tree. It’s also named the Flying Dragon Tree, with fruits too bitter and sour to eat but if you dare, you might live forever like the majestic, heavenly Flying Phoenix in Chinese Mythology.