1405. bottlebrush buckeye

 

drawn into your lair

by your enchanting fragrance

bottlebrush buckeye 🦊❤️

Yesterday while walking on a trail segment I rarely haunt, I stopped and lingered in the amazing fragrance that surrounded me. It belonged to a bush named the “Bottlebrush Buckeye”.  The name is perfectly matched to its blossom’s shape. 🦊❤️

1404. subtle things

 

only faintly there

the snake’s slithering footprint

a line in the sand 🦊❤️

I think the key to discovering the subtle wonders around us is to stop looking so hard… instead just look. 🦊❤️

1403. waiting…

 

at the ocean’s edge

four little scotes stand and stare

waiting for momma 🦊❤️

We observed four little Black Scotes (I think) waddling aimlessly around on the beach. They went in circles. Squawked. Looked here.  Looked there.  Stared at the incoming waves.  As we walked on, we remembered the dead adult bird that we saw earlier in the area.  We took one last look from afar, turned and kept walking, hoping our fears were not true.  🦊❤️

1403. age

 

over one hundred

ring after ring after ring

i ponder my age 🦊❤️

I’m continuing to work on my latest Wissahickon Wonder landscape entitled “Showing Its Age”.  I developed a  bracket that allows me to rotate the 40”x30” canvas on my studio wall so that I can paint the over 100 growth rings with much less effort and frustration. I love mixing making art with my need to “invent” things. Painting age rings prompted me to ponder the years gone and the years ahead. Sobering. 🦊❤️

1402. plain and simple

 

some puzzle building

 “bill ding” in the center ring

fun… plain and simple 🦊❤️

On our weekend away we built puzzles.  We also played with an old wooden stacking toy named “Bill Ding”. The old wooden stacking toy is no longer being manufactured and used sets can be purchased for pretty high prices.  The round puzzle we started had us going in circles so we decided to call it quits, but not before Bill Ding performed in the puzzles ring (circus reference lol). Has anyone out there ever heard of “Bill Ding”? 🦊❤️

1401. in any kind of weather

 

hot and cold weather

hovering just above it

hunkering below 🦊❤️

It was good to spend time sitting on a rock beside Tommy yesterday.  It was a cooler and very breezy day. Today will be warmer. One day at a time. 🦊❤️

1400. that’s what rakes are for

 

life’s sandstorms will blow

your zen garden will un-zen

that’s why there are rakes 🦊❤️

As I fiddled with our friend’s Zen Garden I thought about our wonderful weekend that was punctuated by Tommy the cat’s disappearance and subsequent return. I am thankful for all of the rakes that I had access to to assist with Tommy’s situation while we were away. I am especially grateful to our friend Dr. Andrea Orsher for her help in guiding me in knowing what questions to ask and things to look for while communicating with people at home who were helping with Tommy.  🦊❤️ 

(Tommy update… he will go to Vet today to be checked out as he is still not back to being Tommy)

1399. the art of aging

 

time is an artist…

it sculpts what the eyes can see

back to what it is 🦊❤️

We spent a wonderful weekend with our friends at their place in Barnegat Light. We  had lots of food, laughs and wonderful conversation.  In the course of a discussion about religion and life, my friend Rick said, “Have you noticed that the older you get, the more  you become who you “really” are?” I really appreciate that thought… 🦊❤️

 

1398. until tomorrow

 

on the empty road

the sun’s golden glow travels

until the day’s end 🦊❤️

The sun’s orange glow is always a sight to see. 🦊❤️

1397. par avion

 

                             Photo by Rob Orsher

how many starlings

does it take to send airmail?

apparently three 🦊❤️

My friend Rob texted me this photo yesterday morning. The moment I saw it I knew it had to be the featured photo in today’s haiku post.  I think it’s funny! Hope you do too.  🦊❤️

1396. razor’s edge

 

green turned to yellow

line of demarcation

like a razor’s edge 🦊❤️

From my favorite stone bridge vantage point I saw deep green cut to brilliant yellow on a razor’s edge in the creek below.   I spent a second or two trying to figure out why… but I decided to just look at it and enjoy. 🦊❤️

1395. a “cool” thought

 

a moss covered rock

nestled deeply in the earth

tip of an iceberg 🦊❤️

The trail was oppressively hot and sticky. I spied a moss covered rock embedded into the ground. I bent down to touch it. I stopped just short of making contact with its verdant veneer when I felt a refreshing, radiating coolness meet my open palm.  The thought “tip of an iceberg” appeared and the visualization accompanying it cooled the air on the trail. 🦊❤️ 

1394. “showing its age” work in progress

 

an in your face view

head on and showing its age

(growth rings pending) 🦊❤️

The latest in my “Wissahickon Wonders” landscape series is a slow going work in progress.  The title is “Showing Its Age”.  It is an acrylic on a 40”x30” stretched canvas. Yulan calls the view of the simple fallen tree “in your face”.  Lots more work to do on this one.  Painting the growth rings will be an adventure.  🦊❤️

1393. the overthinker

 

my mind is a wrench

that must tighten and loosen

all life’s nuts and bolts 🦊❤️

We all grew up in ways that required us to use a variety of “tools” to negotiate and maintain our lives. Now I generally use a “wrench” to figure out what’s up with “things”.  I used to use a “hammer” primarily but life taught me that hammers don’t usually work. Too much damage usually results.  I continue to try to use my “wrench” more skillfully, but every once in a while I still use it like a “hammer”… Progress… not perfection.  🦊❤️

1392. warning- disgusting content

 

may be a sure sign…

like abusing animals

of an un-right mind 🦊❤️

Woke up to this in our apartment parking lot this morning.  I think that littering should be more actively prosecuted and that convicted litterers, in addition to a fine or jail time, should have to wear a big red “L” like Hester Prynne had to wear a big red “A” in the book the “The Scarlet Letter”.  Sorry… littering and litterers are a raw nerve for me.  🦊❤️

1391. island hopping

 

some islands of shade

on this sunny summer day

we pick up the pace 🦊❤️

The question is, “Do we keep it slow and steady for the duration or do we dash quickly to reach the refreshing islands of shade along the way?” Seems that there is a life lesson in the question. 🦊❤️

1390. i can fly

 

like a bird in flight

i look down into the green

time to be a bird 🦊❤️

The vantage point that is immediately behind my apartment offers me a birds eye view of the landscape from 40 feet up.  Everyday I spend a few moments in bird mode, looking down to enjoy whatever season it is. 🦊❤️

1389. rita to the rescue

 

“how’s this for service?

“i’ve worked here for eleven years!”

a breath of fresh air 🦊❤️

I was sitting in a McDonalds waiting for a Big Mac Meal to be delivered to my table that I ordered from the kiosk (that I hate using). I was thinking, “I have no idea what I will post for a haiku tomorrow…”. As I looked out the window I heard, “How’s this for service?”  I turned and was met with a huge smile and the pleasant face of Rita. She took control and totally engaged me in her peace and harmony. She told me how much she loves meeting and serving people in her job.  She’s been doing it for eleven years and that she loves it. Rita you were the highlight of my day… thank you for the huge breath of your fresh air that you gave me yesterday. 🙏🦊❤️

1388. cape may sun #4

 

they watch the sun rise

the little girl’s eyes watch me

i watch them watching 🦊❤️

I love writing haiku that are simply a documentation of what is right before my eyes. Simple and unadorned can be refreshing. 🦊❤️

1387. cape may sun #3

 

as she predicted

another day is dawning

“… fish in a barrel!”  🦊❤️

As I looked out of our hotel window at the shops below I silently chuckled.  The glow of the dawning sun behind the Psychic’s storefront brought to mind the saying, “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.” as I wondered if the Psychic predicted the day’s dawn! 🦊❤️

1386. cape may sun #2

 

the treasure hunter

pulls his head out of the sand

finds gold in the sky 🦊❤️

We walked the beach at sunrise.  There was a solitary “treasure hunter” scanning the sand  with his metal detector.  Suddenly he dropped his detector and pulled out his phone to capture the day’s erupting sun. I thought it was a moment of meaning and reflection. I hope you do too. 🦊❤️

1385. cape may sun #1

 

one brave warrior

rises at dawn for battle

unrelenting sun 🦊❤️

The sun and the sea go together I think.  So I am going to post a series of Cape May sun related haiku the next few days. Today’s photograph immediately brought to mind Don Quixote. He battled windmills.  The brave solo umbrella begins his battle at dawn with the relentless sun. 🦊❤️ 

1384. ocean trance

 

standing and staring

after a while there’s no sound

just an ocean trance 🦊❤️

Every time I see the ocean, it’s like the first time. I find myself staring at the waves arriving one after another. Their rhythmic pounding becomes quiet… then I wake and realize it’s the ocean. 🦊❤️  

1383. morning’s sounds

 

silence is broken

mourning dove sobbing is first

then tweets… next my thoughts 🦊❤️

The first moments of morning awareness are generally heralded in by the soothing yet haunting sobs of a Mourning Dove, followed by an ever growing chorus of various other tweets.  Then… my mind shifts into gear.  🦊❤️   

1382. cedar trees sitting in

 

on this cloudy day

cedar trees do the sun’s job

such a golden glow 🦊❤️

I could not help but stand and stare at a stand of Cedar trees on a cloudy morning.  They were working hard sitting in for the sun.  🦊❤️

1381. break from life

 

the passersby pass

he takes a drag on his smoke

and makes smoke rings rise 🦊❤️

For some, a busy sidewalk is no excuse to speed up living. 🦊❤️

1380. following the sun

 

unfolding at dawn

your radar tracking the sun

till the day is done 🦊❤️

So many little things to notice, like flowers following the sun as it changes its position in the sky as the day rolls on.  Then at sundown, folding their petal’s inward until they unfold as the next day’s sun appears.  🦊❤️

1379. sunday surprise

 

through the sunday streets

saint francis of paola

followed by his peeps 🦊❤️

There is always something new that greets us when we have our weekly Sunday dinner in Ambler. We arrived just in time to see the annual parade honoring Saint Francis of Paola that is organized by the  St. Francis Society of Ambler. The parade has an Italian horn band, a giant statue of St. Francis and large group of people who snake their way through town.  It ends at a gathering where 1,000 pounds of pasta is blessed and served to attendees. It was a very uplifting event to witness.  Maybe next year we’ll attend the parade and eat lots of blessed pasta.  🦊❤️

1378. smell of linden

 

the smell of linden

my quick pace grinds to a crawl

then to a stop… breathe… 🦊❤️

Yesterday the Linden Trees erupted and the air filled with their magical fragrance.  Do yourself a favor. Go find a Linden Tree and just stand under it and enjoy. 🦊❤️

1377. bethlehem steel #3 (leaf springs)

 

leaf springs shoulder tons

tempered plates from small to large

teamwork at its best 🦊❤️

I saw these leaf springs on one of the ore hoppers at the Bethlehem Steel Plant. I fondly remembered working at Liggett’s Spring and Axle factory where I operated a press brake that cut long bars of steel into specific sizes so that various types of leaf springs could be made.  I wondered if these were from my work during the Liggett’s days?  I decided that they were, regardless of facts. 🦊❤️