Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “neat.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Neato, Cheeto, Frito Lay
Far out, groovy, those were the days
No cell phones, lap tops, or video games
No presidents calling people names.
If you called and I was out
You’d have to try again.
No caller ID or voice mail.
You hoped it was a friend.
Playing in the sun
Or hanging in the room
Listening to vinly
My how time has zoomed!
I think I’ll just leave it at that for my attempt at Stream of Consciousness poetry. Thought about writing about how I’ve never been a neat freak. Never will be, but then, it’s all relative. My kids probably think I am. But no. My home is an eclectic mix of rustic farmhouse, vintage, with a hint of hobbit in the living room and my hippie corner in the guest room.
The record player and albums are close to 50 years old
Oh! I did some art recently. Got myself to a class at a little studio on Main Street and ended up with this tree:
Star Willow
I added another strand of leaves since taking this photo. Not sure if I like it better or not, but who cares? At least I got back to making art.
Nature is not neat. Nature’s designs have symmetry, which can be neat. But nature is neat in the slang sense of being cool, groovy, and far out.
Another thing I did that I’ve been wanting to do besides art, is I went hiking with my daughter Ayla to my favorite spot so far: The Lower Cascades of Hanging Rock State Park. My favorite thing there was watching the sunlight reflected on the rock walls around the pool. Talk about a natural high!
I’m not sure if you can see the video. It says it’s private. ??? Can you see them if you click the arrow? There are two videos before the photos.
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “portrait.” Use it way you’d like. Have fun!
Where have all the portraits gone? I still have photos of grandkids scattered around the house and old school pictures of my kids. They still do school pictures, but I have not liked the ones I see lately. So many pictures these days are on our phones or digitally exist in the cloud of something along with our laptops.
The portrait setting on my phone takes good pictures sometimes by blurring the background when you want to focus on one item. I experimented with this today on this apple blossom.
Looking at it now, it seems to have a lot of white on it. Is that fungus? I probably should have sprayed it with neem oil before the blossoms. Now I have to wait till the blossoms are gone because I don’t want to disturb the potential pollinators.
Last spring, I was horrified to find Japanese beetles all over our two little apple trees, devouring the leaves, so I’ve been ready with the neem oil, which is good for bugs as well as fungus, if I recall correctly. I’m going to look at the little apple trees every day and be ready. That’s my goal. The neem oil is supposed to be more eco-friendly than some other options.
I’ll probably think of something else I would like to write about later with the prompt. But maybe not. Maybe that’s it.
Oh, yeah, I was thinking right after reading the prompt about a portrait of America and Norman Rockwell. My parents had a book of Norman Rockwell paintings. The book was falling apart, having provided many hours of enjoyment, so before letting it go, I took photos of my favorite pictures and will look for them in a minute. The stream of consciousness is pulling me along.
Portrait of America. Wasn’t that a TV show?
“America, where are you now, don’t you care about your sons and daughters? Don’t you know, we need you now, we can’t fight alone against the monster….”
That was from possibly the hardest rock album I ever owned. Steppenwolf, Monster. from 1969.
Okay, it’s not really hard rock, just hard truth.
Norman Rockwell was a very talented artist. Many of his paintings were funny. Some were serious, and some were dramatic. I decided to play it safe and just share his most iconic paintings along with the inscription from Mom to Dad.
Inscription
We have choices. Many choices.
Sometimes I just want to take care of my apple trees.
Sometimes I do a little more.
~~~
For more streams of consciousness, visit out host, Linda G. Hill by clicking the link below:
David and I took Marley for a walk on the back road we get to by going up the hill behind our back yard. The light is always interesting there. We felt the trees waiting for spring. The biggest tree below was full of red buds. I don’t if it’s a “Red Bud” tree though since they are usually smaller and bud later. David says it’s probably a maple.
Red buds waiting for spring
I asked friends on Facebook for help identifying the trees planted as a border by a neighbor and they turned out to be Japanese Cedars (pictured below.)
Japanese Cedar
The next photo is enlarged to see the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “chapter.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
One of the things I enjoyed when writing Trust the Timing, was organizing chapters. My favorite chapters were after the rebound from hell when I learned to love myself better and then of course when David found me again after 39 years. I guess I like organizing things in chapters. Not that I’m a neat person by any means.
Even if we’re not writing a book, it can be helpful to think of starting a new chapter in life, or at least turning the page and moving on from what was hard with lessons learned and still being learned. Moving from the coast to the foothills of NC was definitely a new chapter, maybe even a new part of the book of my life.
Pilot Mountain, aka Jomeokee
Life…… At 70, it seems like this is getting late in my book of life. Not the end, I hope, but there’s a lot more behind me than ahead of me. Then again, who knows what happens after death? Another life? I’d like to see all my dogs and live in a cabin in the woods with them. That would be my heaven. My family members can visit of course, sit on the front porch…., or live there, too if it’s a big cabin. No pearly gates for me, but a big cabin, lots of trees and a lake, that would work well. I’d have like a long vacation in that cabin before any new assignments, like as a guardian angel. God knows I owe them.
Why am I thinking about death? Well, it’s a part of life, right? The Buddhist monks I’m following online and in spirit teach that nothing is permanent. I like their idea of doing good works in someone’s name to deal with the grief of losing that someone.
Did you think you’d get away with not reading about the Walk for Peace in this post? Oh well. The venerable monks are on my mind a lot as they approach Washington DC, having walked through heat, cold, snow and rain after leaving Texas in the fall. I’ve been worried about who in Washington would welcome them and worried about their safety.
Well, I didn’t have to worry so much (my lifelong lesson). I recently found out the venerable monks will be welcomed at the National Cathedral in an interfaith ceremony on Tuesday. I saw this Thursday night on the FB page of Bishop Mariann Budde who asked our current president to have mercy on those who were afraid when she gave the inaugural homily at the cathedral. Makes me proud to be an Episcopalian.
The monks will also be going to the Lincoln Memorial, which is fitting. On Wednesday from 4:30 – 7:30 there’s a loving kindness mediation planned. Can you imagine thousands and thousands of people in the US and around the world meditation on loving kindness at the same time?
Maybe we can start a new chapter in the United States of America, a chapter of loving kindness and more peace. What a wonderful world it would be. I know it might take time, but Anything is possible.
I’m not expecting perfection, but we can do better. It starts with each one of us, individually.
In the meantime, lets enjoy the gifts of the present.
We’ve had a lot of snow lately:
May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace.
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “something you enjoyed.” Write about something you thoroughly enjoyed. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
We’ve had some wonderful weather here lately that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. The air is crisp and the sunshine has made blue, blue skies. My favorite place has turned golden.
Can you thoroughly enjoy something even though there’s a little fear, like when I step outside at night, usually with Marley, to look up at the stars. We have a fenced in yard, and there’s not much to be afraid of except I have such a vivid imagination. Still, the enjoyment definitely reigns supreme over the fear. That also applies to our most recent hike.
There’s enjoyment in knowing and sharing that I MET MY GOAL to hike the Pilot Knob Trail before my 70th birthday next month. We hiked the trail on Tuesday. The weather was perfect with highs in the mid 60s and plenty of sunshine.
The Pilot Knob Trail goes around the base of Pilot Mountain, aka, Jomeokee, which is a “metamorphic quartzite monadnock” sticking up out of the surrounding hill.
Pilot Mountain, aka Jomeokee
Jomeokee means “The Great Guide,” in Native American, likely the Saura tribe that lived in this area. You’re not allowed to climb the big pinnacle, which I might have tried in my 30s, but I enjoyed seeing and touching the rock. Rocks are cool. I collected them in my childhood and even now have a rock or two sitting around on a bookcase or in a dish with seashells in my house. I especially like the sparkly ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed touching and seeing the big rock formations and the views at around 2000 feet, as long as I stopped to look at them. The biggest challenge was not all the steps going up, or even down, but my fear of heights really kicked in when the trail narrowed and I looked out toward the horizon. I’ve always had a fear of heights, and it may be worse now since I have some dizziness issues. Fortunately, my balance is good from doing yoga, and I’ve done some dizziness exercises (need to do more.) I am also grateful for David’s patience and support. He kept asking me, “Where are your feet?” A good question for wandering minds with too much ample imagination. He asked what I was afraid of, and I realized I was afraid of falling. It helped when I actually looked at the nearby slopes and saw they were a little more gradual than my imagination imagined when I looked out in the distance.
David even offered to have me walk on the inside next to the rising walls of Jomeokee with him on the outside. I didn’t like the idea of him being that close to the edge even if the drops weren’t that sheer, but I took him up on it once or twice. David is amazingly fit for 68, plus he was walking Marley on a leash the whole hike. Thankfully Marley was a good boy – he’s about to be 10 this month! I assured David that I wasn’t going to freeze or anything like that. I knew I could do this. I just had to take my time and keep my eyes on the trail and my feet, leaning into Jomeokee when the trail narrowed. I could only look at the views if I stopped in a place where I felt safe which were available many times.
If I do this trail again, I want to have hiking poles and do it at a time when there aren’t so many people. This is peak time for the fall autumn colors, and there were busloads of school kids on the trail. I like kids, but they can be unpredictable. We stopped a lot to let groups pass us.
The gallery has a few photos from the approach and the south side of Jomeokee. I’ll share photos from the north face another time.
stepsand more stepsThis is what I came here forLooking straight upFeeling safe here…and here.A Room with a View…David and Marley
I think I’ll enjoy the autumn colors in my comfort zone for a while.
~~~
For more streams,
visit our persevering host, Linda Hill (FEEL BETTER SOON!)
Today’sprompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “alarm.” Use it as a noun, use it as a verb or an adverb or an adjective, use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Don’t be alarmed, but I think there’s a giant monster in the trees! Do you see it? There in the middle of the treetops?
This guy looks scary, because he’s got a scary expression on his face. Why is it a he? I don’t know. If it was an Ent like from The Lord of the Rings, that would be cool. Maybe he’s angry because people are cutting down so many trees.
But not HERE, Tree Monster! So, chill out! This is a safe place for trees. I was trying to take a picture of the blue, blue sky, and you showed up. I’m sorry people are cutting down so many trees. Maybe you’ve been traumatized by too many alarms coming through the underground network, lost too many friends.
We should only use the trees that have fallen down. Buy used furniture. I know my man buys new wood for some projects, but I won’t. And he repurposes a lot.
I know you give us oxygen, clean our air, and make homes for birds… and humans take you all for granted.
Relax, tree monster. Let’s be friends. You’re safe here. I’ll try to help.
~~~
Here are some photos from a recent day trip about two hours west of us where the fall colors were starting to pop out.
The falling lights remind me of Spanish moss back east.“More please.”
We ate lunch at Kaye’s by the River in Newland, NC. David and Marley enjoyed the breakfast buffet. I had spinach salad with pecans and cran-raisins, and we all had fries. Then David walked Marley on the bridge over the “river.” Marley has been afraid to walk on bridges, but he’s getting better with practice.
“Coincidence means only a connection that’s not seen. Roots meet underground.”
Charlotte Armstrong
You may have seen a couple of these photos in Saturday’s SoCS post about Pilot Mountain State Park near our home in North Carolina. I’m focusing on the roots for Thursday Tree Love. Being able to see embedded, live roots gives a glimpse to the vast underground world where trees connect in ways we can only imagine.
View of Pilot Mountain from Little Pinnacle Overlook
Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “toe/tow.” Use one, use both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points for using both. Have fun!
Standing toe to toe is supposed to be serious, like matching someone’s strength, facing someone, head on. I don’t know, I’m not looking it up. Helen Ready’s song, “I am Woman” mentions it I think. I will look that up to make sure.
It’s in verse 3:
I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin’ arms across the land But I’m still an embryo With a long, long way to go Until I make my brother understand.
Okay, I just looked up standing toe to toe and it does mean willingness for direct confrontation.
The thing is, it sounds kinda funny to me. Someone in authority once said to one my kids, “I’ll go toe to toe with you!” It was tense at the time, but now we laugh about it. Going toe to toe sounds like some kind of twistery dance move.
Where am I going with this stream?
I don’t like direct confrontation, or confrontation at all for that matter. But maybe it could be useful when applied to a challenge with a fear you want to overcome. Facing a challenge, one step at a time. One toe at a time.
Yesterday, we went to Pilot Mountain State Park to an easy overlook. Then we took a look at the Pilot Knob Trail which is a goal of mine. It loops around the base of the quartzitemonadnock that is Pilot Mountain, aka, Jomeokee, the great guide since it was a landmark used by the Saura Indians once upon a time.
The trail is just 8/10 of a mile and is rated at moderate difficulty. I only did about one third of the trail yesterday because my heel has been hurting, and I didn’t want to push it (what with my osteoporosis and all) along the steep steps down and up again. Walking up steeps steps or hills is a physical challenge I don’t mind so much. Walking down steep steps or hills is a mental/balance challenge that feels much more difficult for me. But at least I gave it a first try to get the lay of the land. Some parts were easy, and I think it’s going to be lovely once I get up to the base of Jomeokee.
So here’s the goal: To hike the Pilot Knob Trail by the time I’m 70 years old which will be this December, so I have four months. I’m going to do more balance exercises and research whether hiking poles help with doing downhill. Did I mention I have a fear of heights? The mental challenges of this hike will be bigger than the physical challenges. The important thing is that, when the time comes, I will take my time. It’s not a race. I will take all the time I need, one toe at a time.
Hopefully, I won’t need a tow.
These are some photos from yesterday’s hike. The first photo is from where I cropped the header photo. If you look closely, you can see some of the steps going up to the base of Jomeokee.
Pilot Mountain/Jomeokeean easy stretchtree roots on the trailmoss like a tiny forest
The last photo above is where I decided to stop. I’d already gone down and up a lot of steps and decided to save the rest for next time. I have a feeling I’ll be sitting down to rest on a regular basis. You can see the rising monadnock through the trees on the right.
Well, I guess I owe it to Helen Reddy (may she rest in peace, joy, and music) to include her song from the early 1970s. It’s inspired me with courage more than once.
Anything is Possible! 