Yesterday, I drove 100 miles down to the south Jersey shore to hang out with friends I hadn’t seen in three or four years. We walked the boards, ate french fries and ice cream, and people watched. It was sunny and windy and hot. Later on I drove home thru thunderstorms all the way, hands gripping the wheel, holding on to my breath, and when I got home looked up at the sky. What a sky!
Everyone’s happy-go-lucky on the beach at the Jersey shore! I quick ran down and took another few pictures of the whole gang.
Walking along the wooded trail, late summer’s humid heat slowed me down enough to spot that bee, dancing like a tiny pugilist all around those flowers, like Muhammad Ali. I couldn’t hear it, but I’m sure it was buzzing. In size, that tiny bee was maybe one-fourth the size of my pinky fingernail, the aster blossoms barely an inch.
Muggy morning walking through the woods, my mind trips back to 1957 and the launching of Sputnik, the beginning of the Space Age.
I returned to the woods again to walk. I hadn’t been there in quite a while. Meandering along the rolling path, pausing here and there to take in the smells and sounds. I breathed in the warm, moist earthy atmosphere. It was like being home again.
For a long while, I stood there watching and listening to their classic ko-caw…ko-awing sounds in rhythm like a gathering of monks in black robes chanting in meditation. A flock of crows at the top of the tree, their morning voices clear and strong rising and falling in perfect time with the lifting and fluttering of their wings like leaves rustling in the morning breeze. Mesmerizing.
Curiosity is more important than knowledge….is the key to problem-solving….is the mother of wisdom….staves off boredom and negativity….frees the mind, keeps it fresh and happy.
The sun rising up over and over again, no matter what. Amazing!🌞
What makes zinnias so great? Easy to grow…quick to bloom…low maintenance…vibrant variety of colors…resistant to deer…long blooming from summer to frost…favorite of pollinators, especially bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds…multitudinous petals, each one a seed.
The old withered willow, no longer green, but the dove doesn’t mind. It has the advantage over me.
This last haiku is by Issa, one of the four great Haiku poets. He has long been honored by the Japanese for his compassion and tender love for children and animals.
Tommy and The Gang posing for a framily photo.
Through the trees and tangle of woody branches, the soft morning sun warming the cool waters of the creek. Our footsteps silent on the trail as here and there we catch the scene. Flap! A muffled sound over by the water. We look but see nothing…then a second soft slap and just in time we glimpse the long, long legs and feathery tail lifting up and away. Two herons. Two partners side by side, in harmony. Even though we didn’t get a picture of the herons, just knowing they were there together is delightful.
Here’s a furry tale: The meow and the mouse meet in the house. Oh, no! The mouse said, “Hurry! Hurry! Gotta scurry! Gotta get home! The meow said, “Yum! Yum! In the tum. A roly poly furry one! The meow and mouse face off—hearts pounding, furs furying, spit spluttering….then they stop and take a deep breath, look deep into each other’s eyes and all-of-a-sudden realize friends are better than foes. 🐭❤️🐱
