1688. soft as silk


tied up, it loosens
untied, it tangles so—
my husband’s hair
*
in the morning breeze
silvery blossoms, soft as silk
flutter to the ground
*
cherry blossoms
tumbling down
to the ground


 


From the introduction to Kokinshu, anthology of Japanese poetry commissioned by Emperor Daigo around the year 905:  “Poetry in Japan begins with the human heart as its seed and words as its leaves. It arises when people are inspired by what they see and hear to give voice to the feelings that come forth from the multitude of events in their lives…”





1687. wake up!


can’t stop yawning
making the bed this morning 🥱 
all hands and feet

 



Making the bed this morning, still half asleep. The blanket’s talking to me: Wake up! Wake up! Take my picture! 😘




1686. damp, damp, damp


waiting for the sun
to come back out again
everything hurts





Rain, rain, rain again. Feeling achy, foggy, sluggish, don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? Here are some suggestions from TCM: Avoid icy foods and beverages, fried foods, bananas, cheese. Eat more barley, red beans, oats, brown rice, roasted meats, asparagus, carrots, green tea, and use onions, ginger, garlic. Exercise moderately to promote energy circulation.




1685. waiting room


the little dog
in the waiting room
waiting
*
his & hers
her handbag, his carrier bag
and him
*
the little dog
all eyes
people watching 




Yesterday’s story….that’s it.




1684. farewell


she lingers
holding on to spring 
magnolia blossom 
*
white magnolia
no longer white, the beauty
of old age




Holding on, withering magnolia blossoms, signaling a farewell to Spring.




1683. party hats 🥳


at the end of the day
all lined up, ready to party….
hold on to your hats!






Getting ready to party big. This little Buddha knows how to have a good time. Someone once asked me, “What do you do with origami?” Throw a party!🥳




 

1682. meditation


empty puzzle
every piece the same, and yet
it’s puzzling





Hmmm…. What’s this? I couldn’t take my eyes off of this blank picture puzzle. No picture, no color, nothing to really see and yet my eye kept on roaming from place to place, piece by piece. Every piece the same yet it’s blank—point-blank, blank stare, blank check, blank slate, blank page, blank mind. My mind went blank. Nothing to know, nothing to think. What do you think? 





1681. tete-a-tete


face to face
lingering for a moment
two women




In the silence not a word was spoken, and yet. 




1680. rain & shine


rain, rain, rain
rain, rain, rain, rain, rain….
here comes the sun!

 



All we’ve had for days and days is rain, nothing but rain and I didn’t have a picture to post. I had to scroll back aways to find this. Here comes the sun!🌞 






1679. turtle thoughts


here a turtle, there a turtle
everywhere a turtle turtle
ee i ee i ooh!

 

All those turtles made me think of that fun old song, “Old Macdonald Had a Farm”— with a moo-moo, quack-quack, cluck-cluck, oink-oink sounds. Then I thought to myself: what sound does a turtle make?  Click on the link and take a listen:

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+sound+do+turtles+make%3F&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:14afa47c,vid:KxwlUNdgotg,st:0




1678. in my dreams



i walk 50 feet
down the street and surprise—
i’m in Japan




Walking on my way home just down the street from where I live, a sweet fragrance caught my attention. There was a Japanese Snowbell tree with its profusion of pretty white blossoms swinging in the breeze just like little bells.  In East Asia the flowers and fruits from these trees have been used to treat toothaches, sore throats, and coughs…and also in traditional fishing to stun fish and make them easier to catch!




1677. kickball


just one kick
just one good kick and
you’re a winner
*
next player up:
she kicks the ball way up high…
but forgets to run!


 


Yesterday, out for an after-dinner walkabout, I spotted a bunch of kids playing kickball on the street. I walked over, stopped awhile to watch, recalling my own school  days long ago when we played kickball in the school gym.  Just like that girl, I could still see myself kicking the ball sky high and running the bases—they were bowling pins. Then I called out to these kids, “Hey, I used to play kickball!”  A voice shot back, “Wanna play now?” 




1676. blown away


wind blows over and over
skeleton takes a tumble over 
over and over!


 


Blown away! Heavy winds all day. That skeleton needs a little meat on its bones. It doesn’t pay to be too thin.😉


1675. it’s spring


wild ducks paddling
mom and all her ducklings 
all nine of them


 

Now and then shifting her head to look back at her brood, mom and her family of ducklings gliding along on Wissahickon Creek.




1674. redbird



it’s spring—
the red bird wakes up
and sings

 


“RedBird Sings Her Own Song - 8x10” -  Origami Composition

If I could be the bird in the tree for just one day, let me be red. (This is a follow-up to post 1665. Thank you, my friends, for your encouragements.)




1673. seeing double


after the rains
looking down into the creek
seeing double 



 

Three days of rainfall and the dry creek bed has filled up. It’s prettier than a painting. Standing on the old stone bridge, taking a picture….if I lean over far enough, could I see my own face and take a selfie? I’d better not. 



1672. digging in



meow!
whiskers and a bowl of catnip 
co-mingling


 


Nothing like a little catnip to start your day. Looks like Mikey is liking it!😻




1671. mellow



in a mood….
it’s a soft, quiet, rainy,
lovely day 

 


Perfect for staying in, listening, feeling, reading, dreaming….and watching a mellow, super good movie, Perfect Days.  Think I will. 




1670. armageddon?


gathering together
armies of humans and flowers
who will win?



 


Traveling around, I have been seeing open fields being infiltrated by multitudes of dandelion puffs, ready to be blown by the winds to lift off and seed the soil.  Could this be the beginning of ‘a new heaven and earth’? Are we nearing the time when Nature will take over and restore the Earth to its original beauty, where peace and justice will prevail once more? 





1669. hey, look….


up in the sky—
is that a bird? a plane? a fish?
nope—it’s a blimp!


 


A blimp sighting can be pretty cool! They’re super-huge—150 to 200 feet in length, 60 feet tall, 50 feet wide. There’s something almost magical about seeing this humongous ‘thing’ floating up in the sky. I can’t remember the last time I saw one. A couple of days ago when I first saw this blimp hovering in the air, like treading water, I drove around out of my way trying to get a good picture. I learned later that it was up there taking aerial views of the Truist Golf Championship that was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. 




1668. momma’s hands


in the kitchen
my mother’s hand tenderly
guiding me


at the kitchen table
playing a game of solitaire 
always a winner





My momma’s hands. Her handwritten recipe for vegetarian pumpkin pie and her winning hand at solitaire.  My mom is my hero. I always remember the time she told me, “You know what you do with fear, Mimmy….you hit it on the nose with a hammer!”  Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!♥️





1667. sleeping in….



underneath it all
nothing like a good snooze
that’s the bottom line 

 



Saturday morning, It’s cold outside:  48° and it feels like 40°.  Sleeping in….that’s the report from here. Good thing I had this picture and poem all ready to post.





1666. tractor



tractor
tilling the open field
making all kinds of noises




Early morning, the sun is up and already 80 degrees. It’s hot and this farmhand is dressed for the occasion:  a trucker cap to shield his head and face, full-length sleeves and trousers covering his arms and legs down to his socks and heavy boots, and a red bandanna. Looks like it’s going to be a long hard sweaty day. I’ll bet a shower at the end of the day is gonna feel great!





 

1665. getting started


superman
turns out to be just a
flash-in-the-pan
 



That’s a line from an old Broadway tune, I Can’t Get Started. Lately I’ve been feeling pretty stuck creatively with my art. Thoughts pop up of what I’d like to do, but then Inspiration and Motivation just aren’t kicking in. It’s a bit frustrating, and puzzling too. 

I was going to say more here about my inner process but decided to keep this short and simple. So here’s a start I’m working on now. It’s a thought about a bird—if I could be a bird in the tree….I’m crossing my fingers and digging in. Wish me luck!🍀 




1664. hmmm…


leaves are green
these flowers are green….
it must be spring 

 


On yesterday’s walk about, I turned a corner, looked over and said to myself, look green flowers, hmmm. These are dogwood flowers and Google says that “dogwoods are white, pink, or red.” Hmmm… 🤔 




1663. a moment in time


flower power—
the best seats in the house
front and center






Flower Power! Pretty flowers opening themselves to life just as it is. I’m flower sitting this week for a friend. I brought her potted cyclamen home with me and put them on the sill of the front window. From time to time, I just stand there looking out thru the window watching with the flowers all the people and cars and trucks and birds and bunnies passing by….and the sky and the trees, taking it all in. That’s all. 









1662. white tulip


a white tulip
admiring its bright silhouette…. 
me and my shadow



 

Earlier this Spring, week after week two times a week I passed by this flower, a single white tulip, all alone in the open flower bed. I couldn’t help but wonder how or why it was there. Who would plant just one tulip bulb? Was it lonely or was it enjoying the solitude? I saw the shadow and thought about that old song,”Me and My Shadow.” Now the tulip is gone and so is its shadow. Will they be back again next year? I’ll have to wait and see.



1661. smile


and here…. 
so many tiny red lips—
never too old





Smile. Never too old to play with dolls. Never too late to create your own story. Life comes alive when you smile.  





1660. remember to play!


no! no! no! no!
two’s company, three’s a crowd
little squirrels





At first, we spotted a couple of squirrels, tucked together like kittens—they were little ones, holding on tight to a telephone pole, upside down. After a minute, We saw a tiny foot reaching up from behind the metal brace wrapped around the pole….then a nose appeared, then a head, another arm and a third little squirrel popped up and crawled out. Then they all played and played.
 🐿️🐿️🐿️







1659. winging it!


outta my way!
says the little sparrow
lifting off….




 
Down at my feet, little sparrow on its way up, up, up. In a flurry, in a hurry. Eat and run, eat and run. Winging it! 🪽 



 


1658. leaves and shadows


chilly winds
how the shadows appear 
….then disappear 




The modern man stops his walking to read a message on his iPhone….and the shadows shake. Just a thought.😘