Winter is here...

I LOVE this picture

~

Doesn't it just say it all

the best of winter goodness
The best of the holiday season

~

But for me

I am not ready
for the 'holiday season'

~
I'm not ready

to decorate

shop

bake

wrap
send

~

but I will

~

somehow

get it all done

~

but 

only the minimum

this year

~

curious to see

what

my bottom line

will be

Mailchit King Fisher

The Pinocchio of Birds

I love this little guy
he is no bigger than
a hummingbird
~
 A bit shy
and awkward
he keeps to himself
~
Soaking up the
morning sun
~
He is not concerned
with the size of his beak
the color of his plumage
the value of his nest
~
This guy's attraction is about
his ability to display competence
in the business of living that
makes him attractive
~
Oh that we were
judged by the
same
standard

A photographers bucket list must include...AFRICA

Orphan cub

There is no place in the world

like Africa

~

Aside from childbirth

I have never experienced

anything more raw, wild and

and touching upon the infinite

~
 the untamed, untouched, and 

lonely beauty of this dark continent

~

both breathtaking and brutal

I was in awe of both 

man and nature 

~

their ability to
survive and thrive

on nothing more than

 their senses
as guides

Illusions...

Family

has gone back

their own homes

and busy lives

~

the house is quiet

~

leftovers in the fridge

serving dishes put away

and recipes filed

~

everything is back

in its place

organized

ordered

~

as if 

it didn't happen

~

except for

the evidence

of my full and heavy

heart

What if...

What if we knew without a doubt when...

suffering illness 

 overwhelming loss 

 heart is breaking 

 struggling with a decision

~ 

What if when

 consumed with worry 

for our children 

our future

the planet

~

Or when

 treated unfairly 

buried in doubt

awash in sorrow

filled with rage

wrestling with injustice

engulfed with loneliness

 isolation

~

And

on the brink of despair

the edge of tolerance

end of patience

finished 

done

~

What if

in those most

critical and personal moments

we knew we were suspended in the embrace

of the strong arms of a benevolent and peaceful angel

~

Could we then 

in that moment of refuge

find the courage and strength

 to endure

Be aware of what lays beneath the surface...

Sometimes

the most obvious solutions

to our most heartfelt desires lay

not buried deep within

but float

just beneath 

the surface waiting

for us to notice the 

enormity of our possibilities

Artful skies....

Life whispers.
Listen closely.

Sunset...

Some people say I am lucky 

to live where I do

all things considered

I guess I am
~

but it is lonely business

to stand at the beach at sunset
~

it is like

being called unexpectedly

to stand before god

Some things just make my heart sing...



Do you like my new hat?



A Walk in the Woods...

Aspen grove

couldn't you follow this trail forever

forget about politics

wall street

the office

war

~

in stillness

~

remember

what is important

necessary

vital

~

and then somehow

find the courage

to take action

to preserve

this place

of peace

within

Sisters...



I can tell you anything



remember when

she was

your best friend

she didn't mind 

your stinky breath

and she giggled when 

you farted

~

remember how 

she listened 

to everything you said

as if she cared

as if

what you said

 was important

~

she who 

slathered your back with lotion

and then drew pictures 

making you guess what she had drawn

~

Remember how 

the two of you

were inseparable 

as if she were your secret twin

~

remember growing up

growing apart

moving

away

~

but

always

carrying her

in

your heart

A Little Splash of Color...

no bigger than a knuckle

he sat
catching the suns rays
until
he could catch a bug

What Will Bee Will Be....

  

unless there is something happening behind the scene

i didn't notice anything change on 11.11.11

maybe its because 11 is not my number

maybe next year when it is 12.12.12

those are my lucky numbers 

so since nothing

"happened"

i decided

to follow the 

zen of the bee 

i decided to focus on

the nectar, the flower, and to gathering 

i decided to stay on task, to focus in the moment 

i decided to stay more in tune my nature and my instincts
to be in purposeful industry

Letting go...

the beauty of letting go

My Heart Goes Walking...



Kaitlyn 8 months



"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. 

It is to decide forever

to have your heart go walking outside your body."

~ Elizabeth Stone

Simply toes

Kieran

Memoires wash over me
like a gentle surge from the sea
sun, sand, family, fun, footprints, tide pools
joy

 

Put On Your Dancing Shoes

Lauren  Age 3

"Please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


She 
is almost four 
and I am not her mother.
I am her Nana so I see her differently.
I see her as perfection just standing there. 
I watch as she stands poised waiting for instruction. 
Her eyes are wide, her expression eager.
She is so adorable I want to cry. 
I want to snatch her up and run away with her to
somewhere safe, 
where her feelings will never be hurt, 
somewhere where she can just be herself and 
never, ever change. 
Somewhere where she can't be 
caught up in the expectations of others. 
My heart hurts just thinking about it. 
I know...the fears are all mine. 
They are tangled 
with memories of my childhood,
with my hurts and heartbreaks.
And I have to remind myself
 she is not me.
She is full of 
spit and vinegar.
 Self assured.
Determined. 
Supported.
Loved. 

Sweet November

 I love this time of year

It is a delicious secret 

that is not being passed around 

It is a time to catch one's breath

 between Halloween and Christmas

 November is the highly underrated month
It is a sweet sigh

  A wonderful surprise

The deep tones of golden, russet, and scarlet 

Smells of cinnamon, spices, bonfires, and burning leaves 

A time to harvest pumpkins, apples, and tether cornstalks.

The temperatures rise and fall

Time to reflect, and revel in the dwindling light
before the bitter bite of winters chill

African Sunset

"One should absorb the colour of life."
-Oscar Wilde

My Religion...

Stillness


When I was a child
church was sitting on hard pews, in forced silence,
listening to men
 preach of sin, weakness, and depravity.
It frightened me.
It made me think we are all bad,
lost
hopeless.
Now in my fifties
I prefer to sit on a mossy log
among the most glorious of creation and
listen to the love
spoken in the stillness of the forest.
I am humbled, grateful, and joyous.
I am filled
with hope, love, peace.
I am committed to walk softly, thoughtfully,
and with awareness.
Without guilt.