“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind.” ~ Ashley Smith ~ ~ bumble bees buzzing radiant blossoms beckon the cycle of life ~ ~ Beth invited us to share photos of subjects that begin with the letter…
nature / photography / poetry
“I am a mushroom: on whom the dew of heaven drops now and then.” ~ John Ford ~ splashes of color fungi blossom explosion magical mushrooms ~ ~ The wonders of mushrooms and fungi continue to amaze me. They magically appear overnight, springing from vast hidden mycelium networks. They can grow on the ground, trees,…
~ Wonder, and it’s cousin awe, is a state of being that can transform our lives. I remember when I was traveling through our US National Parks with wonder as a constant companion. The beauty of our parks made it easy to find wonder. Later, living in Boulder, CO, I was mostly able to sustain…
~ fuzzy gosling walks parents dual protection intruder alert ~ Last week, Tina gave us a simple yet profound Lens Artists challenge called the Rule of Three. Images with three or more subjects, in odd numbers, are more appealing. Advertising takes full advantage of this rule with groups of three. And when I look back…
~ This week’s Lens-Artist challenge is perfect for me. I’ve been feeling stuck in my life, with the same boring routines repeated over and over. Egidio has invited us to pick one place and try to be creative in seeing things new. Maybe change your lenses, cameras, habits, or perspective. I chose to stay at…
Orange is a vibrant color that speaks to passion, warmth, and vitality. This gorgeous male Oriole caught my attention as I grabbed my cellphone and snapped a photo through my front window. The result is fun and shows off the orange nicely with the black car. ~ Ritva offered a fun Lens-Artist challenge this week…
~ rain water recharging flowing freely lakes, rivers, oceans aquafers, filling wells feeding plants , trees, fish, humans nourishing our body and soul cycles of giving and receiving the miracle of nature continues ~ ~ This week’s Lens-Artist challenge is looking back to John’s post On the water. We are revisiting all the ways water…
~ Four months after my post about the best and worst, I admit that my hope and engagement have diminished to new lows. There has been less blogging, less engagement, less socialization, and less hope. I know that gurus, spiritualists, and Native American wisdom speak to the idea that what we focus on grows. As…
~ early spring rainfall creeks and waterfalls flowing nature’s healing mode ~ ~ We had some much needed rain in early March. It brought a little relief to our parched creeks, lakes, and fields. We’ve had a much drier and warmer winter and early spring. I’ve never seen the grass and yards brown in early…
~ Reading this book was both hard and insightful. Zephyr Teachout’s premise is corporations have become too big and powerful, thereby dominating both our economic and political systems. Teachout argues that the consolidation of power in large corporations (monopolies) across sectors like agriculture, technology, and finance is a primary threat to American democracy, leading to…
“Where flowers bloom so does hope.” ~ Lady Bird Johnson ~ Spring has been bursting forth the last few weeks with spring rains, daffodils, red buds, and a profusion of buds and green everywhere. Here are a few photos from around town with nature’s gift of renewal, reminding us that we can begin again. ~…
From my perspective, our democracy is in deep decline. It has been for many years, and accelerating under the Trump administration. There has been an expansion of the executive power, abuse of presidential power, ignoring of the laws and procedures, extreme partisanship of agencies and government positions, and gerrymandering. Additionally, Trump and the media are…
~ I wish that I had a clear plan and purpose like so many other people. Instead, I allow life circumstances and my emotions to toss me around like a ship on stormy waters. This has been exaggerated by the chaotic nature of this political administration who seem intent on retribution, undermining democracy, personal gain,…
This post resonates with me deeply. It explains much of what I’m feeling. I also believe the chaos of our political and economic systems have pushed many of us into overwhelm and paralysis. Thankfully, there are steps we can take to acknowledge the feelings, ground in our bodies, find connections, and move to purposeful action.
~ This has been a hard post to write. I find myself less motivated to write and blog lately. After taking a break and enjoying it, I realized once again that I’ve lost my passion for blogging. My blog and some others I follow seem stale and repetitive. After blogging for 14 plus years, I…
writing to freedom 