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. 🦊❤️  

1543. stark contrast

 

on the city street

a touch of delicacy

descends from above 🦊❤️

The city is a cornucopia of scenes waiting to be captured on “film”.  This photograph was the highlight of our recent visit to the City of Brotherly Love.  🦊❤️

1542. looking from a higher place

 

from my bridge-top perch 

i witness the heron rise

my heart skips a beat 🦊❤️

Everyone needs a special elevated vantage point where they can look down on the earth and become excited and captivated by what they see.  My place is a humble bridge over a creek. My heart has skipped many beats there. 🦊❤️

1541. another butterfly effect post

 

yesterday…

today…

butterfly wings flapped 

way across the big blue sea

winds arrived today 🦊❤️ 

I love the concept of “The Butterfly Effect”. This is probably the 3rd or 4th post I have done on it. The first picture in today’s post was taken Monday. The second is a photo of the exact spot Tuesday.  I stood in the whipping wind and smiled as I looked at the bare sidewalk and thought of the butterfly that flapped its wings long ago and far away. 🦊❤️

1540. seeing it your way

 

you’re perfectly free

to look at what you’re seeing

and see it your way 🦊❤️

Looking is the physical act of directing your eyes. Seeing is becoming aware of what your eyes are perceiving. If it isn’t miraculous enough that we are able to look and see… we are then able to take in all of that visual stimuli and make sense of it and go beyond the obvious and experience our own personal interpretation of it.  What do you see? 🦊❤️

1539. a silent place

 

red glow of votives

incense in the silent air

holy saints stand watch 🦊❤️

Yesterday, we made an unplanned visit to the shrine of St. Rita of Cascia while in Philadelphia visiting a friend’s art show closing.  The shrine was silent. Two people sat in prayer in the small chapel. We wrote prayer intentions and placed them in a basket that held hundreds of other requests.  I bought a medal of St. Anthony, the patron saint of my childhood parish. I bought Yulan a medal of The Infant of Prague because that is her city of birth. Then we left and walked quietly to our car. 🙏❤️

1538. dancing with the sun

 

as the sun retires

delicate flowers ready

themselves to turn in 🦊❤️

I love observing the dance that the sun does with all things in nature. Flowers open and close on cue because that is what flowers do.  Birds start chirping and stop at its signal.  These are the things that you can count on… 🦊❤️

1537. our sailing ship

 

an island of trees

a high tide of waving gold

under a blue sky 🦊❤️

We stood in silence looking at the autumn meadow. It was awash in a sea of golden waves that were breaking on a tiny island of naked trees. We visited the vision for a short time… then we pulled up anchor and sailed on. 🦊❤️

1536. silly pumpkin haiku

 

pumpkins gathering

for a late afternoon treat

none will order pie 🦊❤️

Every now and then I just can’t come up with a coherent haiku that will sync up with the photo. Today is one of those days. So the haiku is simply silly.  It has no meaning. It has no lesson. It has no clever twist. So… go ahead and conjure up some crazy thought as you enjoy today’s best effort. 🦊❤️

1535. what’s your story?

 

through the mean dark sky

a ray from a spaceship blazed

made me run away 🦊❤️

through the cloud filled sky

a ray of sunshine escaped

just to light my way 🦊❤️

The story that you tell yourself is up to you. Write it well. Life is short. 🦊❤️

1534. being in autumn

 

he’s an autumn leaf

one with the golden carpet

perfectly at home 🦊❤️

I absolutely love watching Tommy be in the moment of every season of the year. Autumn is my favorite season however. He truly becomes one with his environment as the landscape morphs to gold. He becomes invisible, only being seen when he wants to be seen.  🦊❤️

1533. “post no bills - or lies”

 

ye olde town crier

was once a pole and staples

oh how times have changed… 🦊❤️

We live at a time when it is very easy to propagate useful information to our little worlds.  More importantly it is FAR too easy to spread useless, distorted and untrue information.  Be a discerning recipient as well as a prudent purveyor of “facts”. 🦊❤️

1532. “signs, signs everywhere signs…”

 

i ran a long race

my car climbed mt. washington

my kid aced preschool 🦊❤️

I was talking to someone recently about the tendency of some individuals who do really heroic and consequential things in their lives to never talk about them. Examples are WW2 veterans who earned Purple Hearts. Brave citizens who saved scores of people from death. Generous people who contribute greatly to those in need even though they have little themselves.  We now live in a time where we are predisposed to advertise and proclaim just about everything we do, monumental or mundane, with a sticker, sign, logo, badge, tattoo, t-shirt or facebook post. I am guilty of what I write about today.  Thank God for those who do what they do and are simply quiet about it. I admire you… 🦊❤️

1531. “butterfly effect” - part 1 (google it)

 

a long time ago

it left its mark on the world

a mighty oak leaf 🦊❤️

EVERYTHING leaves an impression and contributes to how life unfolds. Some impressions and effects can be seen clearly, some faintly, some not seen at all. 🦊❤️

1530. keep on keepin’ on

leaning into life

pushing forward through the days

days that become years 🦊❤️

You will know persistence and resilience when you see it. 🦊❤️

1529. dreamy start to the day

 

the morning’s dampness

gently enveloping you

“are we in a dream?” 🦊❤️

The morning air was heavy with moisture. The conditions were perfect to create a dreamlike scene for a mysterious horse to make an appearance in. There is nothing better than starting the day by being captivated by a magical scene created by nature. 🦊❤️