1589. perfect day to smile

 

it’s a special day

kev and hillary smile wide

our hearts do too 🦊❤️

Yesterday my son Kevin and his lovely girlfriend Hillary became engaged. It was the perfect way to bring the year to an end. It will be a perfect way for them to start the new year.  It was a day of joy and excitement.  It was the perfect day for lips and hearts to smile.  🦊❤️

1588. “do you hear what i hear?”

 

from somewhere out there

her ears pick up the faint honks

we look up… and wait 🦊❤️

This is the time of year that Yulan’s superior hearing becomes all too obvious to me. We will be walking along and suddenly she will stop, tilt her ear to the sky and slowly adjust the angle of her head so that her ears are in just the correct alignment with the honking that I cannot yet hear.  It is then that a smile appears on her face and she looks up and waits for the grand flyover to materialize.  I look up and wait too! 🦊❤️ 

1587. rainy daze

 

from my dry, warm car

i stare at the crumbling shack

in every raindrop 🦊❤️

There is nothing better than being early for an appointment on a chilly and rainy morning,  sitting in my nice warm car looking out of the window. A calming daze descends and everything outside becomes interesting. It brings back memories of being picked up by the school bus as a kid and looking out of the window watching familiar sites pass before my eyes all the while hoping the ride to school would go on forever. 🦊❤️

1586. little things

 

small things do matter

they create a little space

to feel something nice 🦊❤️

Yulan and I decided to go out for breakfast at the spur of the moment.  Our first choice was totally full of customers with people waiting. We drove around  in circles until we found a little diner.  It had lots of open seats. By that time we were both a little hungry and frustrated. It amazed me how much a simple napkin with “Have a Nice Day” and a rose embroidered on it helped to reset the morning to a relaxed mood.  By the way the food was very good! Have a nice day!!! 🦊❤️

1585. “the wind blows as it wishes…”

 

when i want to know

which way the wind’s a blowin’

i just peek outside 🦊❤️ 

 I have a weather vane of sorts in plain view of my apartment balcony. It is the tall brick smoke stack of the boiler at Chestnut Hill College.  It is a classic structure. The thick plumes of steam that billow sometimes rise undisturbed high into the sky. Other times the plume careens at the wind’s direction the moment it leaves the stack’s opening. The image is one of power and grace. It is also a reminder of the biblical verse, “The wind blows where it wishes…” That’s a good mini lesson in life to start each day off with. 🦊❤️

1584. running on empty

 

the galavantors 

coasting to a screeching stop

all our “get up” gone. 🦊❤️ 

This has been a crazy Christmas time for Yulan and I.  Too much to explain so I will not attempt to.  Last evening we enjoyed our annual Christmas/Hannukah celebration with our dear friends Gloria and Rick.  It was a great time as always.  Lots of great food, conversation and laughs.  Here we are taking a selfie, wearing our tin crowns while waiting for dessert, our tanks nearly on empty!! 🦊❤️

1583. christmas heroes

 

weather’s raw and cold

traveling their appointed route

like santa’s reindeer 🦊❤️

I’m always on the lookout for everyday heroes. It was a snowy, damp and raw Christmas Eve.  My current selection for hero designation are our local Springfield Twp Sanitation Workers who cling onto the back of the trucks regardless of the weather to pick up our trash. I was touched watching them to go about their appointed rounds yesterday morning - reliable as Santa’s reindeer.  Merry Christmas to everyone.  🦊❤️

1582. “i’ll handle the appetizer”

 

i can handle that

bring appetizer… no prob!

till four a.m. came 🦊❤️

We are really excited to be spending Christmas Eve day in North Jersey with my son Kev, his girlfriend Hillary and her family. I had the job of bringing an appetizer for the gathering.  I confidently told Yulan, “I will take care of the appetizer don’t worry about it!” For some reason I took great delight in “handling the appetizer”.   At 4:00AM I woke and thought “Did I get an appetizer or did I get an hors d’oeuvre at the market?” I did a quick Google and realized that an appetizer is different from an hors d’oeuvre.  I got the latter.  Well so be it.  We will laugh about it and remember this as the Christmas Eve that Dan “handled the appetizer”.  🦊❤️

1581. that moment before a thought forms

 

before a thought formed

a sense of first-timeness rose

what a place to be 🦊❤️

There is a magical place called “now”.  It exists before your thoughts catch up to what your eyes are seeing.  When you encounter it, there is no knowledge, understanding or familiarity with what is right before your eyes. That moment of being “part of it” is the ultimate in peace, stillness and rest.  I wish all of us that for whatever holiday we are celebrating this week.  🦊❤️

1580. first

 

i sat and sipped tea

watching cars be cleared of snow 

mine used to be first… 🦊❤️

I sat watching my neighbors clear their cars of the year’s first accumulation of snow.  I was still in my recently purchased pajama bottoms that are super baggy and very warm. I could see the morning sun was already starting to crystalize the snow into a more solid coating.  My cup of ginger lemon tea with honey and lemon tasted good.  I thought about why being the “first” to clean my car on a snowy morning was so very important to me for years. I realized that it still is important to me.   I called Yulan and shared my observation.  We laughed. After we hung up I continued to ponder the question. Later that evening I bundled up and cleared my car of the frozen snow.  🦊❤️

1579. when toys were toys

 

rusted hulks of toys

rescued and made new again

sadly not for play…🦊❤️

I have had extra time in my hands recently and have been binge watching “Chip Channel Restorations” on youtube. The channel is all about “Chip” restoring absolutely rusted and broken toys to mint condition. His skill and expertise is mind blowing.  As I watched the videos I recalled the magical fun I had as a kid playing with simple trucks and cars out in the dirt.  Building roads, hauling and dumping dirt and sometimes demolishing the toys when war games were being played. It made me think about the fact that these simple toys, non electronic and unsophisticated were simply prompts  to build creativity and imagination in my brain. Too bad Chip’s restored toys will most likely never again end up in a little kids hand to be rolling around in the dirt and mud. Rather they will be safely stored on a shelf after purchased for a very high price…. 🦊❤️

1578. drones, drones, drones

 

awakened from sleep

two eerie blue lights closed in

drones? maybe worse?? 

My sleep has been very restless lately.  I suddenly woke in the middle of the night with a fuzzy mind and fuzzier eyes.  I saw two eerie blue lights appearing to be closing in on my bed.  My first thought went to “drones?” Then I instantaneously realized that the lights were operating lights on my room humidifier.  Who says that drones, or maybe worse can’t be so very small they could zoom around inside our homes.  Actually it would be pretty cool!!! I eventually drifted off to sleep after snapping a picture of my overnight “sighting” for today’s blog. 🦊❤️

1577. faux fun

 

on this rainy night

my faux wood burning stove roars

mmmm this tea tastes good 🦊❤️

I love my fake wood burning stove.  A real mood setter!! 🦊❤️

1576. just keeps on ticking

my mom’s alarm clock

puts me to bed… wakes me up

time ticking away 🦊❤️

 One of my most cherished possessions is my Mother’s alarm clock. Her clock and her well worn Rosary Beads are just about the only two items that became mine after her passing 23 years ago.  It is nice having her alarm clock at my bedside. It puts me to bed and wakes me up daily. The tic-tocking drives Yulan bonkers so she graciously wears cotton in her ears when sleeping. 🦊❤️

1575. warmth over style

 

it’s not about style

staying warm is the ticket

whatever it takes 🦊❤️

I had to chuckle as I looked at Yulan getting ready for our chilly pre-breakfast walk on Sunday.  Wearing a pair of my sweatpants that are about 8 sizes too big, rolled up two times at the waist - she looked like David Byrne of The Talking Heads in his “Big Suit”.  Warm is where it’s at!!! 🦊❤️

1574. industrial strength

there’s no grease or grime

on her haunting factories

just stunning colors 🦊❤️

Yesterday we visited the Michener Museum in Doylestown Pa.  We went to see the work of Bucks County artist Charlotte Shatz. Her sculptures and large paintings of local factories were stunning.  We sat and sat just taking in the precision of her paintings and her very stunning color palette.  It was very inspirational.  I hope that local folks will visit the exhibit named “Industrial Strength”.  Sadly the artist died at the ripe age of 94 as the exhibit was being planned. 🦊❤️

1573. toasty tommy

 

freezing night ahead

but tommy will be toasty

we’ll sleep tight tonight 🦊❤️

I am grateful when we are able to convince Tommy to spend the night in the nature center whenever really cold and harsh weather is happening.  I sleep better when I know he is tucked into his cat bed and is nice and toasty. Oh for the little triumphs and pleasures in life. 🦊❤️

1572. warming the bones

 

a bitter cold day

but the sun warms the sidewalk

a brown snake loiters 🦊❤️

As I walked I shrugged my shoulders tightly to protect my neck from the wind and cold temperatures. There were fallen twigs and branches littering the sidewalk.  Suddenly I saw a beautiful brown snake, looking like a fallen twig, curled up on the sidewalk. The cold blooded creature was taking full advantage of the sun drenched concrete to warm itself.  How perfect this all is I thought.  After observing the snake for a few moments, I re-shrugged my shoulders and imagined the sun’s rays penetrating my layers of clothing to warm my body - just like the snake.  🦊❤️

1571. just let it be

 

stinkbug on my wall

i debate about his fate

now he is my friend 🦊❤️

In the early morning I was sitting on my couch composing my blog post for the day. I noticed a “stinkbug” crawling across my wall.  I got up, approach him with the intention of making him go “bye bye”.  As I began to reach out to grab him, I suddenly decided to just let him be. I went back to writing my blog. The next thing I knew I felt a small thud on my forehead. The stinkbug made a direct hit on me then simply landed on my sleeve and sat there.  He lingered for a moment then flew to the end table and sat on the handle of my coffee cup, seeming to look at me.  He has shown up again and again throughout the day. I choose to believe that he and I were meant to be friends.  🦊❤️ 

1570. cozy buddhas

 

rain wildly whipping

two buddhas stay warm and dry

one smiles… one dozes 🦊❤️ 

There is nothing like a windy and rainy day to bring out the need for being cozy.  Yulan has a cozy corner that was fully occupied by her two favorite Buddhas last evening.  But then again… they are cozy and happy every day!!! 🦊❤️

1569. diorama

 

as the fog rolled in

a diorama appeared

i was part of it 🦊❤️

A thick fog rolled in and everything seemed to take on a new look.  All of a sudden it seemed like I was walking around in a grade school diorama project.  It was pretty cool. 🦊❤️

1568. hibernation

 

all the veggies picked

poles and posts plucked from the ground

now… hibernation 🦊❤️

Today was a dreary and chilly day.  The community garden has been cleared of its poles, deer fences and  remaining vegetation.  It was a perfect day for the plots to lapse into a long winter’s sleep to rejuvenate for next years bounty. 🦊❤️

1567. apparition

 

on the small town street

lady of  guadalupe

makes an appearance 🦊❤️

In 1531 Mary, the mother of Jesus, made herself present to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego. During her appearance she gave him a rose along with a request to present to President of Mexico. When he presented the rose to the president that was wrapped in his serape, there was an image of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” mysteriously printed on the serape. Yesterday we encountered a procession through the streets of our favorite little town as we left dinner. One of the people in the procession presented Yulan with a red rose. Of all of the Marian apparitions, Our Lady of Guadalupe is my favorite to ponder. Her apparition is celebrated officially on December 12th. 🦊❤️

1566. unsung

 

patrolling the lot

working so diligently

i will sing his song 🦊❤️

I want to dedicate this post to a man who has been working as a shopping cart attendant for many years at a large local food store.  In addition to a developmental disability he has a number of very significant physical/orthopedic disabilities that impair his ability to walk. I have watched him work tirelessly and meticulously in every kind of weather. He is a model employee in my estimation.  I admire his work ethic and his unwavering focus on his job.  Workers like this man are a rarity. He deserves to have his song sung - so I will. (I could pontificate on why I think that mostly all shopping cart attendant jobs are done by folks with disabilities is a shameful practice… but I won’t)   🦊❤️

1565. when will i learn?

 

when i stopped thinking

‘bout how to make it just so

things began to go 🦊❤️

I have a painting that has been a work in progress for over 6 months. I just couldn’t get it done. Then it dawned on me that my mind was too wrapped up in making it “just so” for those who would eventually see it.  When I allowed myself to simply be the person who uses a paint brush and paint moment by moment to just make marks on the canvas, things began to roll. I have learned this lesson over and over again. When will I learn it for good?  This is a small segment of the work in progress. 🦊❤️

1564. favorite dessert

 

after the pho’s gone

we linger and chew the fat

shedding light on life 🦊❤️

We rarely have dessert after eating dinner out. Actually we rarely have dessert whether dinner is in or out.  What we do have however is interesting conversation after dining out - lasting long after we take our last bites of food. There is no better dessert than gabbing with Yulan.  Luckily we are regulars at our favorite Pho restaurant and they don’t mind our lingering. 🦊❤️

1563. trees and people

 

trees and people break

wind and worries take a toll

hanging by a thread 🦊❤️

I was moved when I saw this tree yesterday. It seemed to say a lot.  Nature is inspirational in many ways. It inspires wonder and awe.  It also illustrates the less awesome facets of life and living.  It is all part of the landscape. 🦊❤️

1562. perpetual meditation

 

with each breaking wave

countless grains of sand arranged

in infinite ways 🦊❤️

The ocean is a place where immensity, never ending variety and perpetual change can be absorbed and pondered.  It is a place where the stillness and quiet between breaking waves can become a meditation for those who simply stand on the beach and do nothing but stand on the beach.  🦊❤️

1561. sudden first ice

 

down there in the gulch

tender greens caught by surprise

by a sudden ice 🦊❤️

I couldn’t help but notice the unseasonal, delicate green sprouts that were encased in a crust of ice that had formed on the swampy ground. Things change quickly and in unexpected ways in nature. It is good to take notice of these sudden unexpected turns.  They are lessons being taught… 🦊❤️

1560. dreams

 

some dreams have come true

some are yet to come to life

some… get tossed away 🦊❤️ 

Photo opportunities are everywhere - even in trash dumpsters.  I like to think that they are all worthy of a haiku! 🦊❤️ 

1559. coincidental…

 

shadow on a wall

car lights capture barren trees

shadows overlap 🦊❤️ 

Saturday night we usually have takeout Chinese dinner and watch a movie at my apartment. We were planning on watching the Wim Wender’s movie “Perfect Days” for the third or fourth time. A wonderful movie about a man who cleans toilets in Tokyo and who is in love with trees.   As I arrived home with our Chinese takeout, I was struck by the shadows of trees that a car’s lights in our parking lot were casting on my apartment building wall.  They were intricate and seemed to darken where the shadows overlapped each other.  Fast forward to the movie…. Throughout the movie the main characters dreams were broadcast and they always included blurred images and shadows of trees.  Later in the movie someone asked him if when shadows overlap, do they darken at the points where they overlap? It was at that moment that the coincidence of the shadows on my apt wall and the content of the movie hit me. I showed Yulan my picture as I answered the question with my own proof! I just thought it a strange coincidence…. 🦊❤️

1558. generosity of spirit

 

on a blus’try day

hunk’rin down’s the thing to do

tommy knows the drill 🦊❤️

Someone donated a new outdoor hutch for Tommy. It came just in time as the temperatures drop. It is roomier, insulated,  has a rear door for escape in case of attacks from other critters and has plenty of room for his new and  larger heated pet pad.  Many people are drawn to Tommy because of what he offers to them.  He has nothing but he has something for everyone who comes to seek him out. People want to return the favor by giving back to him. 🦊❤️

1557. people watching people

she pulls her chair close

they look…they smile…and they chat

but they mostly look… 🦊❤️

We love to people watch regardless of where we may be. Our annual Thanksgiving visit to Cape May is possibly our favorite place to people watch.  I found the couple in today’s featured photograph especially interesting and endearing. They toggled between looking, talking and smiling. When they chatted, they seemed to be fully engaged. The man had a very nice smile and great head nodding that seemed to acknowledge the woman’s every word. When they turned on their people watching mode, they both demonstrated that they were experienced at the craft, watching with little or no indication that they were watching each and every move of the passersby. I wondered if Yulan and I were being watched as we watched others ? My guess is -  yes… 🦊❤️

1556. young boy on a cold beach

 

a cold morning’s beach

a young boy sits all alone

what is on his mind? 🦊❤️

It was a cold and windy morning on the beach. We were layered in clothing. Yet a boy of maybe 12 or 13 was sitting on the wet sand, pant’s bottoms drenched, one pant leg pulled up.  He was scrawling something in the sand with a shell. My first thought was, “He must be freezing - why am I so cold!”  Then I wondered, “what is he thinking about?”  Is he sad? Is he a genius thinking about some new invention and figuring out the math in the sand? Why isn’t he looking at his cell phone like everyone else on the beach this early morning? It’s funny how sights like this make me think way too much about what might be going on. Truth is… I saw myself in my boyhood years in this young boy’s early morning on a cold beach. I’ll bet he is a very interesting boy. 🦊❤️

1555. sunset with a seagull

 

a searing sunset

such a perfect backdrop for

a solo seagull 🦊❤️

Yulan and I are in Cape May for a couple of days.  It has become our regular Thanksgiving get away. We see it as a time to reflect on and give thanks for our good lives. We are always thankful for the seagulls and the sunrises and sunsets here that provide us with great photo opportunities for our blogs.  🦊❤️

1554. happy being just another carp

 

a once privileged life

swimming in the pristine pond

now… in the muddy creek 🦊❤️

Every now and again I spot a beautiful and radiant golden Koi swimming in the Wissahickon Creek.  Every time I see it I wonder again about where it came from and how it made its way into the creek. Koi are just a fancy type of Carp. They usually are purchased and live their lives in protected ponds and lakes to add spice to gardens and estates.  It does my heart good to watch it swimming with the “common” Carp in the creek.  My guess is that the Koi is much, much happier being free in the  mainstream of life with the “regular” folks!!! 🦊❤️

1553. old eagle eye

 

we just stand and look

eagle eye yulan scores a

heron in a tree 🦊❤️

Yulan is an expert “looker”.  More times than not we will be on one of our galavants scanning for a good subject to photograph. Yesterday we were standing trying to see deer that are experts at being invisible in the brush. I heard her say, “Is that a leaf up in that tree? No!!! It’s the heron!!”  It was our friend the Blue Heron who is usually wading in the nearby creek. I call her “old eagle eye”. 🦊❤️

1552. the value of becoming small

 

another day ends

the sky filling with nighttime

the sun flickers out 🦊❤️

There is nothing like looking up into an angry sky as nighttime blows out the sun’s final flickers. The immensity of it all becomes all too obvious and your smallness can be felt if you take just a moment to be still in its midst. A healthy dose of humility and wonder goes a long way to ease a worried mind. 🦊❤️ 

1551. making old new again

through good times and bad

my trusty ikea couch

got some t.l.c. 🦊❤️

My 30+ year old IKEA couch got some much needed TLC recently.  It is was the sole piece of furniture that I brought with me from my previous life 15 years ago. I am very lucky to have a neighbor who is a very skilled person when it comes to sewing.  Yulan and I went out and got some upholstery fabric and Elizabeth made a brand new fitted cover for my beloved couch. Making the old new again. 🦊❤️ 

1550. having fun yet?

 

inside the split rails

two horses romping? railing?

are they having fun? 🦊❤️

I stood in the chilly morning drizzle and watched the interactions between two horses at the local stable. I could not tell if they were having a spat or were having fun. One thing for sure, the chilly rain wasn’t stopping them from doing what they were doing. Maybe my friend Mary Ellyn Kunz who is my go to horse person can give us the low down on what was going down!  🦊❤️ 

1549. mistaken identity

 

there is a pigeon

in the tree soooo close to me

no… a cooper’s hawk 🦊❤️

As I was walking along lost in thoughts, I was suddenly jolted into the moment by a flash of movement immediately to my left. There was a split second of blankness then the word “pigeon” entered my mind. It was not a pigeon, it was a Cooper’s Hawk.  It perched within feet of me and stood perfectly still as I took a photo.  This has been my lucky week when it comes to awesome wildlife sightings.  🦊❤️

1548. heavenly deliberation

a conclave of clouds

assemble in the heavens

will they vote for rain? 🦊❤️ 

When I looked up at the sky this morning I was blown away by the immense gathering of puffs of white clouds filling the sky.  We haven’t had rain for quite a long time. I was hoping that the conclave of clouds that was assembled in the sky was voting on granting rain for the day - like the conclave of Cardinals electing a new Pope. Both are “heavenly decisions”. Lol 🦊❤️

1547. never ending newness

 

the row house kitty

taking in another day…

as if it’s the first 🦊❤️

I love cats. As they watch daily routines unfold, they act as if the “same old same old” is being experienced for the first time ever. They remain curious and engaged with what is surely familiar to them. But… when it’s time to snooze… the curiosity switch is turned off and peaceful sleep is upon them.  Oh to be a cat! 🦊❤️ 

1546. neighborhood wildlife

 

friday… a heron

saturday… tommy the cat

sunday… bald eagle 🦊❤️

We have been on a roll the last week when it comes to sighting cool wildlife in our neck of the woods.What might show up this week? I never stop hoping to see a wayward bear or one of the many coyotes that are around.  Regardless… we always have Tommy! 🦊❤️

1545. sweet gum balls

 

just like fingerprints

all there is - is so unique

infinite designs 🦊❤️

It was a windy morning and Sweet Gum balls littered the trail.  They are so beautiful that I hated to step on them as we passed through their debris field.  I was moved to turn back, pick one up and look at it closely.  It didn’t take long for a thought about the geometric and sculptural uniqueness and beauty of its form to appear.   This spring-boarded my thoughts to the inconceivable realization that EVERYTHING everywhere possesses its own uniqueness. No two Sweet Gum ball, no two blades of grass, no two flies, no two anything are exactly alike. I know this narrative is an exercise in expounding on the mundane… but regardless… WOW! 🦊❤️

1544. politics as a religion

 

like grains in silos

groupings of likeminded folks

separate… distinct… 🦊❤️

When the word “siloing” became the new buzz word while I was still working, I didn’t care for it for some reason. I care for it even less now. 🦊❤️