1225. glow of another year

 

remembering well

that first time your glow lit me

mica speckled cat 🦊❤️

Years ago as we left the woods I saw this glowing cat basking in the sun right in the middle of the trail.  Upon closer inspection his fur was littered with the mica chips that are so bountiful in the soil on the trails.  It was a very important day for us.  And here we all are at the end of another year. Looking forward to the next one ahead.    🦊❤️

1224. rebel yell

 

like billy idol

i strap on my spiked collar

then played “rebel yell” 🦊❤️

My grandkids slept over and we had a great time.  While I’m not super thrilled with the current phase of dress styles, that doesn't mean I can’t lighten up and have some fun!! I always liked Billy Idol’s look!! (BTW “Rebel Yell” is Idol’s second album. The title was inspired by a meeting with the Rolling Stones where they drank Rebel Yell Bourbon)  🦊❤️

1223. winds come and go

 

when the winds are still

they maintain a soft embrace

not so when they blow 🦊❤️

It is fascinating to observe the subtle interaction    between seemingly separate things in nature. In this case two trees that touch each other gently until the wind begins to blow.  Then, like people, they rub each other the wrong way!  🦊❤️

1222. overnight

 

dark morning chill

rains been falling hard all night

a trash truck roaring 🦊❤️

As the world sleeps, workers move through the night doing important things. They are generally an unheralded  group of workers. Yet… have them stop doing their night crawling jobs and their importance will be very evident in the light of day.  Thank you… 🦊❤️

1221. quicksilver memories

 

remembering the days

my light body on winged feet

running forever 🦊❤️

I was walking in Morris Arboretum yesterday.  There is a beautiful monument and sculpture of Mercury.  I stood for quite awhile looking at it, especially the winged feet on Mercury’s thin body.  I thought fondly of my days of running sub-three hour marathons and occasional “runner’s high” experiences.  Of all of the “Dans” I have been over my lifetime, being a runner is most deeply embedded in my being. Everything changes… 🦊❤️

1220. christmas morning treasure

 

all these fallen things

lovingly arranged just so

on this christmas day 🦊❤️

It was a foggy Christmas morning as I took an early hike.  I immediately stumbled upon this little shrine on the side of the trail. Amazing how something so mysterious and enchanting can be constructed with little things just laying around.  🦊❤️

1219. twas the night before christmas

 

night before christmas 

we go up into the woods

“merry christmas tom!!!!!!!” 🦊❤️

It was a perfect Christmas Eve for us.  Under a cloudy but moonlit sky, we celebrated Christmas Eve with Tommy the cat!   We brought along our Dollar Store Christmas tree and lights.  It was perfect.  Yulan, Kev and I felt a special glow to Christmas as we hung out with Tommy waiting for Santa!! Merry Christmas all! 🦊❤️

1218. thinking of my mom

 

walking through the woods

a spindly tree root clinging

thinking of my mom 🦊❤️

As a little kid I was very clingy to my Mom.  I was as they say “tied to her apron strings”.  As I was walking through the woods yesterday, absorbing the energy of nature, I was overcome with a longing to hear from my Mom and Grandma from above.  It was a deep and hopeful feeling… but no contact. It was only after reviewing my day’s photos that I saw the significance of the photo featured in today’s post.  It was me and my Mom.  Merry Christmas Mom.  Tell Grandma I love her.  🦊❤️ 

1217. deep in silence

 

there was a deep silence

there were no cars and no planes

there was just me… here 🦊❤️

Silence in the woods is a wonderful thing. But silence that reigns on a once busy street or sidewalk can be an out of this world experience. No cars, people, or planes in the sky leaves me feeling like I’m the only person on the planet. It was extraordinarily still in all ways during a stroll yesterday.  It felt like Christmas was in the air. 🦊❤️

1216. at the water’s edge

 

etched on verdant moss

tender deer paths traveling

to the water’s edge 🦊❤️

Day after day the deer make their way to the water’s edge. I imagine how nice the soft moss must feel on their hoofs as they make their silent journeys. 🦊❤️

1215. a thing or three

 

any given day

something new will show its head

maybe even three 🦊❤️

Everyday, without much effort beyond just keeping your eyes open, new sights will be seen. 🦊❤️

1214. coming and going

 

as quick as it came

it was gone in double quick

then came the cold winds 🦊❤️

I am still in a state of wonder regarding the rapid fire changes in our weather over the last couple of days.  I found the flooding in our back wooded area mysterious and haunting, like a prehistoric setting.  Now it is dry and the cold winds are helping to dry it out.  🦊❤️

1213. the rains came

 

over night the rains

came fast and furiously

shimmering dawn lights 🦊❤️

When I saw the flood waters yesterday morning, and the current of confusion that flowed on the highways around my apartment, it brought me back to my childhood days when the flooding of the Monongahela River would occur.  The smell of “blue mud” and the sound of rushing water… 🦊❤️

1212. timeless humor

 cartoon fav’rite

the rocky n’ bullwinkle show

such high brow humor 🦊❤️

Yesterday was a perfectly rainy day.  It was a good day to settle into the 1960, season one of the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show.  Even as a kid I recognized that the show’s humor was something new… something special. As an adult, I marvel even more at the multi-layers of humor in each and every segment.  Timeless… like MAD Magazine.  🦊❤️

1211. habitats

 

mikey meets tommy

each in their territory

neither was impressed 🦊❤️

As usual I Facetime Yulan as I feed Tommy in the early AM. I thought it a good time to introduce Tommy and Mikey. Each was in their own wild habitat. Mikey keeping an eye on an enlightened elephant and a bowl of fish and Tommy vigilantly watching for foxes, birds, squirrels and dogs.  Neither gave each other the time of day.  🦊❤️

father and daughter among the trees

holding on so tight

same eyed… we both look ahead

to be held so tight  🦊❤️

There is no better place to be with ourselves than on the trails, among the trees. They tell us all we need to know about this life we live. Look closely. Open up and let the trees in.  🦊❤️

 

1210. spice it up

 

a lackluster meal

transformed to a tasty treat

a sprinkle of spice 🦊❤️

Been thinking a lot about food these days.  Been binge watching  Japanese restaurant cooks doing their jobs.  Too much time on my hands.  🦊❤️

1209. american sycamore

 

there’s a special tree

american sycamore

it lights up the woods 🦊❤️

This American Sycamore, brilliantly white in patches, is immediately behind my apartment. As you can see it appears to be the only one in this area. It demonstrates that all it takes is one glowing tree in the drab winter woods to brighten it up.  Be that American Sycamore… 🦊❤️ 

1208. knitting together a post

 

A lost minion cap

tended by a gnarly tree

despicable tree 🦊❤️

Recently I’ve not had the opportunity to get many inspiring photos. I did take this one last week. It is a yellow ski cap with one eye. I did some googling and discovered it represents a character (minion) from the movie, “Despicable Me”. I didn’t do much more research on the movie and I did the best I could to piece together a post. I’m not sure what it means… but somedays all you can do is do something… anything. 🦊❤️

 

1207. cornucopia

 

cornucopia

of the living and the dead

smell of the rich earth 🦊❤️

“Cornucopia” is another great, 5 syllable haiku word.  I wish I could write more haiku, like this one, where the last line ties it all together. 🦊❤️

1206. states of grace

 

solid, liquid, gas

frosty ponders his three states

god loves all of them 🦊❤️

Sensitizing oneself to the presence of interesting juxtapositions of things in space is a wonderful skill to develop if you write haiku.  Plus…. “juxtaposition” is a 5 syllable word and perfectly suited for the first or third line of a haiku.  🦊❤️

1205. ‘tis the seasons

soon the third day lights

christmas tunes fill the cafe

frank and sammy croon 🦊❤️

It was great to hear old school Christmas songs over the cafe speakers. All of the young workers were singing along, and quite well I must add.  There were plenty of Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. I thought of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. as I took it all in. 🦊❤️ 

 

1204. shhhh…

 

deeply in the fog

a fox is screaming its bark

“shhhh…… can you hear it?” 🦊❤️

I was at Tommy’s early Saturday morning feeding him. I always Facetime Yulan while I’m there so she can get her Tommy fix. This morning the fog was thick and a fox was screaming ( barking is the correct term) somewhere out there in the woods. I held the phone into the air for Yulan to hear. She could only hear the birds chirping. Oh well. 🦊❤️

1203. thanks for the moment

 

your murder* flew off

but you stayed behind to pose

you’re picture perfect 🦊❤️

* thanks to my friend Peggy, I learned the term murder in reference a group of crows. I used it here

My eyes and mind are on auto pilot in haiku mode all day long. This morning I encountered a group of crows in a tree. The “haiku alert” sounded. As I approached they flew off one by one… except for this one. Honestly I think this solitary bird in the tangle of branches is awesome. Thank you for the moment Mr. Crow. 🦊❤️

1202. qigong in the snow

 we moved in silence

our limbs quite like tangled trees

yet graceful like snow 🦊❤️

The morning was cold with an extended period of snow flurries. Our dwindled group still met and practiced qigong in the crisp morning air, being bathed by the softly falling snow. 🦊❤️

1201. the growing storm

 

two geese join the “v”

four more wings to slice the air

plus plenty more honks 🦊❤️

Oh what it must feel like to join the squadron of cruising geese as they slice through the empty, cold sky. What a trip it must be. Honk honk! 🦊❤️

1200. being true to oneself

 

all has faded brown

‘cept for that stubborn bamboo

it knows its own mind 🦊❤️

It was very heartening to see the ever expanding stand of bamboo glowing green in the seasonal brown blur. It made me think of the value of being true to oneself when situations arise that tempt us to be otherwise.   🦊❤️

1199. footsie

 

it’s saturday night

our chinese takeout settles

while we play footsie 🦊❤️

There is nothing like warm socks and flannel pajamas on a cold and rainy Saturday night. 🦊❤️

1198. and then… and then… and….

 

i sit and i stare

bending and leaning and straight

and then… there’s the fog 🦊❤️

I was sitting and petting Tommy in the early morning fog. Tommy was purring softly. A falling walnut clunked on a picnic table.   A woodpecker was pounding and two squirrels were running up and down trees. Trees were going every which way into the sky. I could have sat and saw and heard something amazing forever… and there would always be more… 🦊❤️

1197. be off line now (“be here now”)

wearing a warm hat

and warming his mala beads

what is his mantra? 🦊❤️

Me and everyone else were on our favorite devices as we sipped our coffee. Then a man in a warm hat meditating on his Mala Beads slowly walked by.  He was on his own device. It radiated, “OMMMM”.  🦊❤️

1196. make mine decaf

 

dancing coffee beans

reminding me of the days

of caffeine jitters 🦊❤️

I seem to be one of those people who have to steer clear of things that dull the senses or pep them up.  “Medium decaf please.” 🦊❤️

1195. apricity

 

in the morning sun

even the treacherous thorns

are worth gazing at 🦊❤️

The morning sun is the great transformer.  Whenever I am at races with my kids and they are suffering through a long, cold and lonely night of running in the woods, I always tell them, “The sun will be up soon and things will be easier.” And most of the time it is… 🦊❤️

(My friend Sadhya taught me a new word today. Apricity - warmth of the sun in winter)

1194. life is never “wrong”

 

sweet black and white cat

in the wild golden grasses

living her nine lives 🦊❤️

“How could such a pretty cat be living out in the woods?”, I thought. Her face is so sweet and pleasing. It just didn’t seem right… but it is.  🦊❤️

1193. lighthouse in the sky

 

not even the sea…

that murky brew of grey tones

can dim your wavelengths 🦊❤️

Like the sea, the sky is an ocean of poetry waiting to be written. 🦊❤️

1192. lunar landing

 

i got on my knees

my eyes real close to the sand

voyage to the moon 🦊❤️

An empty beach in the off season is a great place to allow your imagination to run free. You can go from sea level to the surface of the moon… and never leave earth. 🦊❤️

1191. shifting sands

 

tides come and they go

storms rage then they settle down

we are not in charge 🦊❤️

It gives me great pause… and hope to believe that the power of nature’s forces will withstand anything that is thrown at them. Nature can be detoured… but it will continue on and life will come into balance with where ever the detour leads to.  🦊❤️

1190. “so what ya gonna do about it??”

 

you standing your ground

 dos and the don’t… not for you

you make your own rules 🦊❤️

I love seagulls. They are immune to the rules. They live free and easy and oh what a view they have of us who have to follow the rules. (And they can stand on one leg forever)  🦊❤️

1189. forever looking

 

when i first saw it

i just looked and looked and looked

and i always will 🦊❤️

When I saw Yulan’s candid shot of me in her awesome post yesterday, I was struck by the fact that the ocean is and will always be a source of never ending wonder and mystery to me. I edited her awesome photograph slightly to use in my post today.   No matter how many times I see the ocean, it’s like the first time.  🦊❤️

Yulan’s Post

1188. a fun thanksgiving

 

football on one screen

national dog show on the other

to our own rhythms  🦊❤️

1187. thanksgiving thoughts

 

life’s not a straight line

it is full of twists and turns

bow your head… give thanks 🦊❤️

Regardless of the twists, turns, convolutions, undulations, dead ends, no ends,  and the what’s nexts of life… bow your head to God, god, g_d, the universe, nature, wonder or whatever floats your boat and give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving. 🦊❤️

1186. ‘tis the season

 

‘tis the time of year

when gloves and hats start to bloom

from branches of trees 🦊❤️

 Cold weather is creeping in and lost gloves and hats are appearing on branches in the woods, left there by thoughtful hikers who find them, hoping their owners will see them. I lost my favorite ski hat 5 or 6 years ago.  I still wait for it to show up one of these days, left there for me to find. 🦊❤️

1185. haiku worthy

japanese maples

in a lush patch of bamboo

so very haiku 🦊❤️

Some days all I see and feel are haiku. Yesterday was one of those days. 🦊❤️

 

1184. reflecting on a reflection

my mind went swimming

watching that tree shimmering

in the creek’s ripples 🦊❤️

It was a chilly fall morning as I stood on the stone bridge just looking down. The depth and clarity of a leaning tree’s reflection on the water’s surface was mind blowing. It unleashed a cavalcade of wonder about everything I was looking at. I looked over at Yulan and saw her lost in her own world of wonder.  “Stop and smell the roses”, I thought.  🦊❤️ 

 

1183. cozy

 

a tiny doorway

leading to a humble home

so cozy i’ll bet…🦊❤️

On a recent walk I spotted this perfect entrance to a critter’s home. There was fresh excavation debris scattered in front of the opening. I thought about what it must be like to be the dweller as they watched rain and snow falling outside. For the remainder of the walk I noticed just how many homes are in holes everywhere I looked.  The word cozy kept coming to mind.  🦊❤️ 

1182. before you melt

 

your aura of frost

thawing fast… there’s little time

i rush to save you 🦊❤️

While doing Dong Stick in the park, I watched the sun quickly melting the frost that was knitted overnight on the edge of a fallen leaf. “There is tomorrow’s haiku” my mind kept urging.  Finally I stopped mid-movement, took out my phone and bent down to capture the moment. My teacher Paul looked at me. He only smiled.  Good to be among those who “get it”. 🦊❤️

1181. indelible

 

on his too old arm

his too young daughter now blooms

indelible ink 🦊❤️

I spent time with my friend Rob, as he got his first tattoo at age 72. It is a special tattoo honoring his love for his daughter Rebecca who died much, much too young in her life.  She is now blooming, along with her favorite flower, the sunflower on his arm. I’m sure Rebecca is very happy. 🦊❤️