oh, happy day….
today—today’s the day
it’s a girl!
*
29,220 days
she’s an oldie but goodie—
hooray!🥳
My golden rules: Get curious. Tinker, play, explore. Discover something new. Go beyond what you think you know. Never stop learning.
2059. another old selfie
2058. bzzz…bzzz…buzz!
two bumble bees
among the flowers and the weeds
bzzz…bzzz…buzz!
Bumble bees live a simple life. All they need to be happy is a bit of food, some shelter and a few flowers among the weeds. Happiness comes from within.
2057. dreaming of butterflies
she’s gone away now
dreaming of butterflies….
thank you
“Dreaming of Butterflies” — 22x16” — Origami
She’s gone away now, my little paper doll, dreaming of butterflies. Fancy in her long robe of many colors patched together corner to corner, end to end, one by one by one. Thank you.
This piece was hanging on the gallery walls of a neighborhood restaurant where patrons gather to enjoy good food in good company surrounded by works of art for sale from many different artists. I am fortunate to be among the many artists. This piece was there only a short while—10 days—before someone saw her and took her home. I’m grateful. Now I am working on another paper doll, this one in lovely blue aizome papers.
2056. moondance
the time is right
it’s a fantabulous night
for romance 🎼
All those lines up in the sky like a musical score….and the moon, oh the moon. My mind flew away to that marvelous song by Van Morrison: Moondance
2055. smile!
just this one
in a field of daisies,
dares to bloom
Bold as sunshine…the leader of the pack!
2054. rice soup
rice soup
filling the picture nicely
yummm…
Too late to eat a hearty meal? Not in the mood for a big meal? Or too hot to cook? This light and tasty soup takes 15 minutes. It’s one of my quick & easy faves. Rice Soup: chicken broth, cooked rice, baby spinach, tofu, nori, cloud ear mushrooms, pine nuts, scallion.
2053. smelling roses
how many ways
to start a summer day
smelling roses
This morning I opened the windows wide and sat down in my reading chair, feeling the soft touch of morning air cool against my skin. Outside, I heard the crow who talks like he’s got something important to say, always, and the red bird serenading his mate across the way. Occasionally there’s the whoosh of a car on the road wheeling by…the quick patter of heavy feet of some runner running by out front…and the clackety-clack-clack on the rails behind the house of the early rush-hour train rushing by as I sit in my chair sipping French Roast, feeling good. Later on, I’ll go out to smell more roses.
2052. munch!
scurry-scurry
run-run, scurry-hurry, run—
stop-and-eat
Squirrels are the masters of stop and go! or go and stop! This one just sat there for the longest time, watching from the side of its eye, holding on to some nut. Munch! Munch!
2051. we go walking
we go walking
over and over again
and fall in love
Just on the other side of the busy city streets with cars and trucks and sirens rumbling by, lie these trees and flowers and rocks and the quiet creek endlessly streaming by. This is where we want to be.
2050. another selfie
who is that
looking back at me—
who?
Every time the brush meets the paper, I wonder what will be. I pick up the brush, look in the mirror and go….then see what comes. Did that really come from me? Or was it the brush doing the brush, or even the ink that had something to say. I wonder. It’s a good one to meditate on.
2049. life on a string
all on a string
how they float and flutter
400 white doves
“Life On A String”— 43x50”— Origami
Here’s a close-up view of the Origami piece in my earlier post No. 2039 now hanging in my bedroom. I love their gentle, silent motions…how these many birds sometimes stir softly, turn, and flutter on their long strings as I pass by. They make me think of an old movie I’ve seen more than once, “Life On a String,” a Chinese fable about an old blind musician, traveling the countryside with his young apprentice as he dreams of seeing once more before he dies. I wouldn’t mind seeing the movie again….it may be streaming on Netflix.
2048. on the road
hurry, honey!
can’t wait to get to bed and
cuddle😘
Have Gun will travel… have Spacesuit will travel….have Laptop will travel….have Kids will travel….have Music will travel….have Bed will travel!
2046. pretty as poison
hey look!
two flies….one flew away
this one didn’t
Hey, what’s that over there in the grass? A mushroom? It was. It was pretty large, 4”or 5”around. Hey, what’s this? A fly. Looks like it took a few bites. We took a picture and looked it up—Amanita Muscaria, it’s name comes from its common use to kill flies!
2045. looking back
going back. . .
stopping in for a visit
with an old friend
Here’s another old selfie. This one’s inspired by a Pierre Bonnard self-portrait. He’s one of my favorite French painters.
2044. for the love of life
new life grows
as the old fades away
tenderly
2043. shopping for shoes….
close to the road
black cows in green grasses
in the rain
On the way home, after shopping for shoes, I was driving through the farm and saw them there close to the road—cows, black cows. I drove on thinking to myself, that might’ve been a good picture there. I’d seen those black cows many times but never so close to the road. I kept driving. I passed by a number of goats on the left and a small flock of wooly sheep on the right far off in the middle of the pasture, and more cows. It was one of those days, rainy and chilly outside. The animals never seem to mind. Why should I? I turned around.
2042. strawberry fields
i’m tellin’ ya
them’s are strawberries
strawberries!
Thinking they might be strawberries, I took a picture of these flowers along the meadow in the woods. They are. Here’s what I read about them. Strawberries are members of the rose family. They have about 200 seeds, all on the outside. Strawberries are powerful tooth whiteners; they contain vitamin C which fights plaque. Eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange. The Frence traditionally serve newlyweds a soup made from strawberries at the wedding breakfast, since they are considered aphrodisiac!❣️Aren’t they pretty?
2041. does she or doesn’t she?
there she goes again
turning all yellow mellow
like a buttercup
*
i do, i do
i really like butter—
how about you?
It’s natural to play. One would be wise to appreciate play, for therein lies possibilities for creativity and discovery. It’s true that some of our best ideas can come while tinkering or faffing, or taking a bath, or eating breakfast, sipping tea or coffee, or simply doing nothing! Reminder to play.
2040. yin and yang ☯️
such a mixed bag
a tree is a tree is a tree
….and yet
This is a closeup of the honey locust tree. Soft-sharp, light-dark, tender-tough, clear and fuzzy, so fuzzy. Life can be like this little by little or even all at once. Lao Tzu said, If you want to know about life, look to nature. Life abounds in complementary contrasts.
2039. praying for peace
under heaven
four hundred white doves flutter
like falling snow
White doves are an international symbol for peace. The world needs more peace. Peace begins with each one of us. “If we want more peace, we have to be peace. Peace is a practice, not a hope.” Thich Nhat Hanh
2038. talking to myself….
nowadays,
some days I say to myself
what’s going on?
When things get you down, as sometimes they must, get out, go out, get in the fresh air and sunshine….look up at the sky, look at the trees, the flowers, the bees….and listen to the birds who go on singing, no matter what. Get hope. Nothing can be done without hope. Have something to hope for, work for, reach for….and take action. Make yourself a person who can attain that hope and remember: Hope plus action makes things happen.
2037. copycat!
copycat!
who does she think she is!
harumphh!
Here she is again with another old self-portrait. Hah! Who does she think she is? Paul-a Gaugin?!!!
2036. sweet clover
down to the ground
in a bed of sweet clover
like a honey bee
Oh, sunny day—a picture of a picture to ponder. What would it be like to be a bee? Emily Dickinson said, “The lovely flowers embarrass me. They make me regret. I am not a bee.” I wonder if she ever sat down close, like Dan, in a field of flowers to smell the sweet clover and see the bees….
2035. they say….
cats live nine lives
isn’t that wonderful!
what about frogs?
Here’s something I saw posted on a page-a-day-calendar the other day: “Some frogs freeze solid in winter, then thaw in spring.” I couldn’t wait to make some frogs!🐸
2034. for Dan
in search of herself
leafing thru an old sketchbook
turning green
*
the moon was green,
the moon was green.
a loan spotted cow gazing
up at the moon…
jumped
Back in 2000 something I made a decision to do 100 self-portraits. Of course, I never finished. But this morning paging through an old sketchbook, I found a few of those old pastel drawings, along with a silly verse. (Dan always tells me: “If you don’t have a good picture to post, just do something!” So, this one’s for Dan!😘
2033. tulip tree
many a winter night
it arrives and says for a moment:
i am still here*
Tulip Trees are good native pollinators, blooming May thru June. They grow very fast up to 25 feet each year. They serve as tall shade trees, 60 to 90 feet and much higher, and can live 200 to 300 years and longer.
* This poem is the closing verse from “The Tulip Tree,” by William Stafford.
2032. oh noo….🫣
oh noo….there they go
all over the kitchen floor—
red raspberries!
First thing, as soon as the box of raspberries dropped down and spilled all over the carpet I said to myself, take a picture! Then I quickly googled, Do raspberries stain?….Yes, Raspberries, notoriously stain white clothing, leaving red or purple marks due to their natural pigments! Oh noo…there goes the pretty white-colored carpet! Funny, how when something happens now the first thing I do is pick up my phone.📱😘
2031. just chillin!
it’s tuesday
another chilly day
just chillin’
“Enjoy Your Day” — 10x8 — Origami
Time to get up and I don’t have a new picture to post today, so here’s an oldie but goodie to start the day. Enjoy your day!😻
2030. what is spiritual?
in the midst
of the mist above the trees
the rain waits
“If the rain comes down, if the mud fills our shoes, or if we kneel down on the grass to light incense and pray – the very act of being fully present in our lives is spirituality enough, for being present is to acknowledge that everything is spiritual.”
2029. moms
moms are love
there’s no one like mom
hooray for moms
Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!😻
2028. for rent
for rent:
cozy cabin in the woods
$500/month
Thinking back, I can remember paying $400/month for rent 50 years ago. $500/month today sounds like a pretty good deal.😘 Anyone interested?
2027. perspectives
pondering
yet another way to look
at things
“Unexpected events can set you back or set you up. It’s all a matter of perspective.”
2026. school daze
school daze:
a school of fish or is it fishes
in a daze
“Unfinished Business” — 10x13” — Origami
Is it fish or fishes?….or swishy wishes! Unfinished business. I don’t know where they’re headed but I made all these fishes and they just had to get up, stretch their fins, shake their tails, and go for a swim!😘
2025. the moon
the sun comes up
and the moon quietly slips away
trading places
*
still half asleep
gazing at the morning moon
this old dog
*
the moon
oh, the moon
oh…
The moon does not fight.
It attacks no one.
It does not worry.
It keeps to its course,
but by it’s very nature, it gently influences.
Deng Ming-Dao
2024. sunday strolling
what’s real?
is the real question—
who cares!
Fat and happy, strolling along on a Sunday morning without a care in the world—gobble-gobble…gobble-gobble-gobble…gobble… 🦃
2023. tiny miracles
exploding
like sunny little starbursts
happy-go-lucky
Golden Alexander—one of the easiest, fussy-free native plants to grow for pollinators, especially butterflies and bees—blooms April to June.
2023. Tree House 🏡
day by day
go out to the woods and walk….
and breathe it all in
“My Peaceful Place” — 5x10” — Origami
A forest of green trees, the sun and the moon, birds flying high, a peaceful place to lay my head down to rest and call home. My heart is home.
2022. behind bars
the sun goes down
the night lights light up
and flowers glow
Pansy flowers with their tender velvet cheeks and sweet kitten faces are a favorite of mine. This makes me want to do something with pansies, make them with paper or paint them. Purple, orange, golden yellow, pale blue. Hmmm….🤩
2021. library talk
tell us
what you love about
the library:
*
“i ❤️ books…board games…play
mr. robbie…mrs. jen…my co-workers
everything! everything!”
I saw this poster at the library—58 sticky notes talking about reasons to love the library. And outside, just outside the front door, a man, a tall man, standing there leaning against the railing holding a cup of half-eaten yogurt in one hand and a cell phone in the other talking animatedly….”that’s an easy million, think what you could do with a million dollars!”🤑
Here are more reasons to love libraries—they offer puzzles, dvd’s, audiobooks on loan, lectures, classes and talks, pinochle and mahjong meetups, trips, museum passes, access to computers, after-school programs, pre-school programs. And all free of charge.
2020. giant
some kind of giant
black, white, and red on top
striking a pose
I admire the pileated woodpecker. Tall and proud, brazenly bold, its booming sounds echoing through the tallest trees, like some kind of giant banging a heavy fist on solid wood again and again. Unmistakable. It stops me every time. I look and look and watch its powerful beak stab and stop, stab and stop, determined to get the job done. I think of the giant woodpecker as a solitary soul. I rarely see more than one as I do with most other birds except, of course, the great Heron. But this time there were two giants together, both with gorgeous red top feathers and most likely life mates together. That’s a good way to travel. Together.
2019. meowzers!
cuddle up,
it looks like an inside day….
meowzers!
It’s Sunday morning and cold outside—feels like 33°! Inside the fire is going. It’s cozy warm and the cats are huddled together, warm and toasty. There’s Tommy and Tammy and Rascal and Phantom.😸😻🙀😽 Dan’s been busy. 😘❤️
2018. care to dance?
pretty girls
all dressed up for saturday night
care to dance?
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