inside the tip jar
a twenty dollar bill—
hmmm. . .
Taking a second look inside the tip jar at the neighborhood eatery and ice cream spot. 👀
2165. hmmm. . .
Taking a second look inside the tip jar at the neighborhood eatery and ice cream spot. 👀
2164. summer’s glories
summer’s glories
pink, orange, lavender, blue…white
the long goodbye
The Barnes Arboretum, outside Frances M. Maguire Art Museum. I visited the museum and 12-acre arboretum for the first time and was impressed by these long-lasting summer blossoms together with the museum’s fine collection of African artifacts, European stained glass, Colonial Mexican paintings, and works by Andy Warhol.
2163. all day rain
waking up
amid soft sounds of morning rain
i linger awhile in bed
“Dancing In The Rain” — 13x11” — Origami
Here’s a rainy day picture for today’s all day rain. A timely reminder of my upcoming art exhibition, October 16 thru December 19, featuring 35 one-of-a-kind origami compositions. Hope you can visit the show.
2162. in step
crossing the road
twelve feet and two wagging tails
in step
Ridge Pike at Bells Mill Road. The thing that really caught my attention at first was their floppy bedroom slippers. You can’t see them in this picture. Sitting in my car waiting for the red light to turn, I was late in grabbing my camera.
2161. like a tree
standing tall
eyes open, feeling, breathing
like a tree
Here and there, near and far, heaven and earth. My body made of earth and water, air, space, my own thoughts, my own fingerprints. It’s interesting, my mind drifting like clouds, the tree and I made of the same kind of stuff.
2160. a deer
here i am
and there she was
in the rain
I found a new trail. It ran alongside the dried out creek behind the two little league baseball fields. I was curious. Then off in the distance appeared a deer, ambling slowly, crossing over the trail here and there to feed, and heading in my direction. I stayed still, just watching, not wanting to disturb her. It began to rain. I turned around, walked back and headed home. If my mother were still alive, I’d say, “Guess what I saw today…Let’s go for a walk.”
2159. mellow fellow
mellow fellow
time after time no matter what
he just smiles
Some things don’t quite fit into the picture. Some things are just bigger than life!😘
2158. cool
four american flags
a birdhouse and two feeders
face full of whiskers
….and more. This morning, I went out early to walk and look around. I saw siamese Simon, waved to Michelle who plays mahjong, was introduced to Enzo, sweet little golden doodle. So much to say and to see just walking about my old village neighborhood.
2157. tiny giants
tiny giants
between darkness and daylight
waiting for stars
Utility poles standing tall, like tiny giants making their way in the early evening sky, looking up. . .waiting for the stars to guide the way.
2156. the look of love
nose to nose
holding his face in her hands
out of time
The back hatch of the car rose up slowly all the way up and out popped a shiny dark head right up to her face.
2155. what’s this?!!
what’s this, says mikey
am i seeing double?!
even triple!!!
All my thoughts and imaginings: the finest papers cut into perfect square pieces…hands and fingers touching, turning lifting, twisting, folding, over and over. That’s all my work laid out on the floor, lined up for an upcoming exhibit of origami compositions. There should be about 30 framed pieces in all. I’m excited. Please come and look and see—where and when: Lincoln Woods Apartments Community Room, 9801 Germantown Avenue, Lafayette Hill PA. October 16 thru December 19, viewing 10AM—3PM Monday to Friday.
2154. little raccoon
hello, there
little raccoon, where’d you come from?
where will you go?
Raccoon! A little raccoon heading my way, walking toward me one step at a time…step, pause…step, pause…a little too slowly, too carefully, his right foot not touching the ground, held high, as though in pain. “Where did you come from, little one?” All alone, was he sad, did he need comfort? I wanted to hold him but I didn’t. I simply stayed awhile watching, holding him in my thoughts and hopes that he be graced by heaven’s tender arms.
2153. true happiness
true happiness
lies in all the details
of daily life
One of my teeth needed to go. Waiting 15 minutes for the lidocaine to take effect and numb my gums, all I could do was sit there and stare at the surgeon’s tools. Then I remembered this: “The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” Somehow, I wasn’t quite feeling it that day.😘
2152. at the carnival 2.
at the carnival
weeding the cosmos—
lady in pink
Apart from the crowd, finding the perfect quiet spot to focus on the universe in her hand.
2151. at the carnival
at the carnival
rides, games, bingo, food and more
people people people
*
spending their
nickels, dimes, and paper dollars
for ten thousand laughs
Friday night at the annual Holy Martyrs Carnival in Oreland. Tonight’s the last night, 6 to 10PM.
2150. standing tall
standing tall
blowing in the wind
dahlias
Seasons change. Summer ends turning over to Fall. Temperatures fall, overnight it seems, and the wind blows bringing things to an end, falling down to the ground—leaves on trees and summer flowers, cicadas, crickets, beetles, fireflies, too. Yet some things stand tall and keep blowing in the wind.
Dahlias are known for standing out in a crowd. They like to stand tall, some as high as 6 feet with blossoms 8 to 12 inches across! The dahlia flower is a symbol of inner strength and perseverance in times of adversity and in 1963 was declared the National Flower of Mexico.
2148. to be a pig
cars, trucks, trailers
whiz by morning, noon, and night
pigs go on chillin’
On the go—minute by minute 60, 70, 80 miles an hour—cars, trucks, long-distance trailers whizzing by endlessly. On the other side of the turnpike guardrail, pigs on the farm loll about in the fresh air surrounded by grassy green fields and the blue mountains and the wide open sky, nowhere to go nothing to do just chilling, fat and happy, endlessly. Oh, to be a pig…🐷 😘
2147. steps
across the creek
the old stone steps going
nowhere
This makes me think of an old black and white photograph of a long stairwell—it was beautiful. My brother had been standing at the top of the stairwell looking all the way down. I wonder what he would’ve done with these steps. The marble in his photo looked so soft and deep and very white, I wanted to touch it. I wish I still had that photo. I miss my brother. Here’s to Yulin.❣️
2146. happy 75!!!
dan, tom, harry
ann, maureen, patty, joyce, pat
happy 75!!!
We traveled back to Monongahela to celebrate Dan’s reunion with highschool classmates, all born in 1951 and celebrating their 75th birthday in 2026. What a wonderful party with everyone smiling, shaking hands, hugging, laughing, sharing stories and recounting memories, memories, memories!!!
2145. autumn
orange and gold
a blanket of blanketflower
it must be autumn
Gaillardia, Fire Wheel, Sundance, Indian Blanketflower. The state flower of Oklahoma.
2144. dots
eating dots
cherry, orange, lemon, lime—
one by one
“As long as I’m alive, I will continue to try to understand more, because the work of the heart is never done.” Muhammad Ali
2143. pool party
let’s party!
everybody into the pool!
WOWEE WOW!!!
Once a puppy always a puppy. A puppy is a puppy. No matter how old or well-trained or well-behaved, a part of him remains a puppy: running and jumping into the air, spinning, wagging, humping, panting, sighing, chasing balls, begging treats and sniffing out where the hot dogs are and soft pretzels too. WOWEE WOW!!! Yesterday’s end-of-summer Puppy Pool Party was a blast. There must’ve been 15 or 20 dogs, big ones, small ones racing around smiling silly, splashing, swimming, shaking off and splattering water onto all of us owners and onlookers. WOWEE WOW!!!
2142. last night’s moon
i’m looking
i’m always looking
oh, there’s the moon
Last night’s moon. It was beautiful. And so close to home, I had to take a picture. It’s not a pretty picture. I don’t mind. You’ll have to believe me, it was beautiful.
2141. wigwams
camping out
in their modern-day wigwams
the lenni lenape
Colorful campsite. A short distance away, all their cars were parked along the gravel road at the edge of the woods. The license plate on every car was from Delaware. This made me wonder if these campers were descended from the Lenape Tribe, also known as the Delaware Nation, the indigenous “Original People” of the Greater Delaware Valley. I also read that the Lenni Lenape were highly regarded by other Native American nations and were given the name “Grandfathers” for their respected roles as peacemakers and elders.
2140. about a leaf
two eyes and ears
oh no! what’s happened to my nose
cries the elephant
*
like you and me
every leaf has a story to tell—
think about it
What to write about these leaves… Leaves, leaves, nothing but leaves…but wait a minute, that leaf has eyes, sad and lonely little eyes, looking down and out and in the dumps. Makes me wonder…Do leaves on trees have feelings? Do leaves feel sad when they leave their tree and tumble all the way down, all the way down to the ground?
2140. she—he
words just won’t come—
she shuts down her phone
for the ‘nth time!
She: “Some mornings I’ve got nothing. I just can’t think of anything to say.” 😝
He: “Yeah yeah. Just do something.” 😘
2139. bedazzled
so at home
there’s nothing she doesn’t know
the deer in the woods
*
those incredible eyes
those coal-tipped ears and nose
they dazzle me
2138. kitchen window
pinecone, kitty buddha
two golden pears, cup of green leaves
little poems
All kitties know how to meditate. Aren’t we all buddhas? Two golden pears lean in, blushing with rosy cheeks. Green leaves never ask for much to be happy, only sunshine and water. Pinecones go on forever—symbols of immortality, fertility, creativity, protection.
2137. the lawn mower
mowing the yard
blade by blade—
the groundhog
It was a warm sunny day. I looked out thru the window back behind the house where the railroad tracks run. There he was pulling with sharpened teeth, happily gnashing grasses and chomping away mouthful by mouthful. I grabbed my phone to take a picture. He paused, turned his head, looked back at me then quickly waddled away up the slope and disappeared into the tall bushes near the tracks. Curious, I Googled and learned: A groundhog has four strong self-sharpening teeth crowded to the front of its mouth, can eat up to a pound and a half of grass every day, and can make a fast getaway running up to 10mph!
2136. beautiful
you make the fire
i’ll show you something wonderful:
a big ball of snow
*
let’s have a cup of tea
i’ll show you something awesome:
a giant snowball
Every day, I’m still looking for God and I’m still finding him everywhere, in the dust, in the flower beds. . . so begins a poem by Mary Oliver, “On Traveling to Beautiful Places.”
Above, the first haiku was written by Matsuo Basho, the greatest contributor to the development of haiku literature.
2135. a squirrel
what fun to be
a squirrel sitting in the tree
staring at me
Lately, I’ve been paying closer attention to squirrels in the woods. They appear to be more intentionally active now, scurrying, scurrying, chittering, churling, squirreling away acorns and acorns. Surely a sign of changes to come.
2134. up and up
making its way
up and up the car tire
inch by inch
This is an American Dagger Caterpillar, looks cute and fuzzy but don’t touch—it’s poisonous! I wonder if it mistook this tire for a tree, or maybe it wants to go for a ride!😉
2133. leaning in
leaning in
ready for the today’s rains
tiny umbrellas
Tucked away down beside the paved walkway, tiny parasola mushrooms, like the three musketeers leaning in, winking with mischievous smiles, tipping their hats for anyone willing to get down on hands and knees to take their photo.
2132. wait a minute
it’s 90°—
60 pounds of ice melt waiting
hmmm….
Just outside the waiting room: Sun’s up. Skies are clear and hot. It’s 90° and there’s 60 pounds of ice melt waiting. Whoa, wait a minute… Is it supposed to snow? Hey, I know everything changes but, wait a minute! 😆
2131. look! look!
look! look!
humungous fungus
it’s alive!
This mushroom popped up recently on a front lawn in my village. My foot wears a size 9 1/2 shoe and this mushroom is big enough to eat it, but this is nothing. Bigger yet is the world’s largest known fungus. It spans 3-1/2 square miles, about the size of 1600 football fields! It grows mostly underground and is alive and well in Oregon.
2130. red
at my feet
quiet as a feather
a red feather
*
no longer floating
fluttering, flying, winging
singing
Walking along in the woods, down on the ground at my feet—what color! Red. My fave. What is that? Is that a feather? Is it real? Who cares. It’s so red. So bright. So bold brilliant blazing vivid vibrant intense sheeny shiny flashy smashy. I’m getting carried away.😘
2129. curly
hey, wait a minute
i saw your post about me—
thanks a lot!
There he is again, curl in his tail heading my way. Looks like he’s got something on his mind. He’s smiling, I don’t know why but why not. I’ve seen him before hanging around that red truck. I don’t know his name, I’ll call him Curly.
2128. keep going
walk the plank
and at the end of the plank
another plank
The old black cat growing older every year keeps going. One life leads to another.
2127. destination unknown
tail up, nose straight ahead
all four paws to the ground—
no dust on his feet!
Looks like he’s on a mission. Where’s he headed? Makes me think about traveling. I was reading about the random way rocks tumble down to the ground, how the rain spills out from the clouds up high, why the flashing fishes splash across the raging creek. I’m just rambling. Cats are different. Nothing a cat does is random. I’ve been paying attention to cats a long time. Pay attention to something long enough, and you can fall in love.
2126. home run
across the infield
approaching the green
a black crow
Across the infield, approaching the green, slowly step by step by step goes a black crow without a sound…then takes off like a line drive home run soaring way high above the centerfield fence. I clapped.
2125. moments in time
some moments
are better than others….
and sweeter
“Moments In Time” — 25 x 15” — Origami
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