1691. keep your eye on the sky

 

some rough and tough times

but there’s still blue in the sky

my eye’s on the sky 🦊❤️

I was amazed by the deep crevices and rough texture of a huge tree’s bark. It reminded me of a vast, impassable mountain range. But then the deep blue sky caught my eye.  There were birds flying in the sky and beautiful clouds floating across the blueness. I forgot about the rough bark and kept my eyes on the sky… 🦊❤️

1690. the maestro

 

like a grand maestro

orchestrating the dark clouds

thun’drous crescendo  🦊❤️

During a quiet evening walk I was spellbound by the power and magnificence of a massive tree seeming to direct the incoming rain clouds. 🦊❤️

1689. “lesser” is more

 

lesser celandine 

there’s more and more day by day

then suddenly… gone! 🦊❤️

It’s the time of year for the very invasive ground cover, Lesser Celandine, to blanket just about every inch of free space in the woods. It is a fine illustration of what the term “exponential growth” means.  Its 15 minutes of fame is relatively short lived because it seems to magically “dissolve” back into the earth before you know it.  Not to worry - it will be back next year! 🦊❤️

1688. rescuing big mac

dropped along the way

dirty and soaked to the core

time for t.l.c. 🦊❤️

I have a soft spot for stuffed toys that are lost by their owners. I am convinced they have feelings too. The book “The Velveteen Rabbit” has left an indelible mark on my mind. 🦊❤️

1687. “x” marks the spot

 

searching for treasures

“how will i know when i’m close?”

“x” will mark the spot 🦊❤️

Sometime we find the “X” that is the proverbial mark that signals where our sought after treasure lays is in the most unlikely spot.  🦊❤️

1686. super hero

 

after a long day

of saving the earth from doom

some ice cream is due 🦊❤️

Saving the world takes lots work and worry.  Even a  super hero needs to take a break when the day is through to enjoy a nice dish of ice cream. 🦊❤️

1685. tiny straw man

the man on the street

preaching - preaching all day long

mainly to the choir 🦊❤️

My attention seems to be inordinately drawn to the teeny, weeny details that I encounter around me. They act as little “keys” that open my mind’s door… 🦊❤️

 

1684. carrying on

 

how well you’ve mended

the cuts and wounds from the past

you have carried on 🦊❤️

I was fascinated by this Sycamore tree’s contours, especially how well it had repaired the areas where limbs were cut off.  It is a stellar example of the value of “carrying on” in the face of unfortunate circumstances. The wound never completely went away but what remains of it is interesting and beautiful.  🦊❤️

1683. friends

 

like yin and yang

opposites bringing wholeness

felix… mr. blue 🦊❤️

A couple of days ago my friend’s new cat Felix was featured in my blog. His friend Mr. Blue was absent because of still being skittish in his new home.  My friend was able to capture some candid photos of their new dynamic feline duo and strongly hinted that I should feature them in a haiku.  Being a good friend (and easily persuaded) I complied! 🦊❤️

1682. land of make believe

 

on this chilly morn

the smell of cotton candy

permeates my mind 🦊❤️

Spring time is the time of awakening.  Everything takes on a fresh new appearance.  As I looked at two beautiful blooming Cherry trees, I imagined them masquerading as cotton candy treats. I think that I have been watching too many Mr. Rogers reruns on TV. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…” 🦊❤️

1681. felix the cat

 

so nimble so sleek

a shadow with four white paws

it’s felix the cat 🦊❤️

Our friends got two new cats recently. Today’s post features Felix only because Mr. Blue,  the other half of the feline duo is still getting used to his new home and is camera shy. Felix is sleek and nimble.  He reminds me of a blend of Doberman Pincher and River Otter! Actually he also reminds me of a flying squirrel as I watched him fly from atop a countertop to a cabinet quite a distance away! 🦊❤️

1680. a mind at play

 

it doesn’t take much

for playful minds to set a

table of plenty 🦊❤️

On a log bench at the side of the trail was a collection of  “groupings of things” that I assumed were meticulously assembled by a child.  Blades of grass, tiny slivers of rotten wood, twigs broken to the same size, a little pile of dirt and small pieces of a fungi filled the “table of plenty”. It was fascinating to look at. A beautifully arranged exhibit of   “ simple things” created by a mind at play… ah to be so lucky! 🦊❤️ 

1679. momentum

 

slowly- now quickly

the blank winter woods fills up

going, going green! 🦊❤️

Just a couple of days ago I said, “Look - the trees are starting to pop!” Today I said, “Boom! Look at all of that green exploding!”  The momentum of spring has been unleashed… 🦊❤️

1678. mr. rogers neighborhood

 

henrietta cat 

mr. rogers favorite kitty

never out of style 🦊❤️

***

henrietta cat

lives in a make believe clock

because she’s timeless 🦊❤️

My television watching tastes have become almost completely detached from the current reality of the world.  Pluto TV has a Mr. Rogers channel and it is the ultimate tranquilizer in my case.  While I love all of the characters, Henrietta is my “meow meow” fave.  🦊❤️

1677. patience

 

sitting patiently

waiting to spread its roots deep

in the rich brown earth 🦊❤️

The community garden near my apartment is bustling with activity! Gardeners are raking, tilling, and putting up fences. I could not resist taking a photograph of a potted flower sitting on a chair waiting to be planted! Happy growing little flower! 🦊❤️

1676. eyes of a hunter

when his eyes met mine

i felt a chill enter me

and i looked away 🦊❤️

 Yesterday as I was walking on a trail, a Red Tailed Hawk crashed through the brush and perched on a low hanging limb. I got close and made weird sounds to get its attention so I could get a good shot of its face. When I succeeded, our eyes locked and in that moment I felt a  chill up my spine and had to look away! So much for getting its attention. 🦊❤️

1675. wisdom of water

 

ripples in the creek

stirring up the froth and foam

the flow moves them on🦊❤️

Creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans are overflowing with the things that are fine analogies for life and living. 🦊❤️

1674. snow?

 

is that snow i see?

no way on such a warm day

it’s just milkweed 🦊❤️

Yesterday it was glorious in the meadow. We stood and watched a snowstorm of milkweed “Santas” be carried away by the wind. 🦊❤️

1673. achoo achoo

 

it’s the time of year

that car windshields turn yellow

and “achoos” abound 🦊❤️

As I walked outside after a rainy night, I noticed that all of the puddles on the parking lot had become “pollen pools”. Its time to make sure that there is plenty of windshield washer fluid in the car and lots of Kleenex in the apartment.  Achoooo! 🦊❤️ 

1672. requiem

 

still warm to the touch

his last peck still echoing

we lay him to rest 🦊❤️

***

from the hollow tree

a rat-tat-tat echos out

“there he is! see him?” 🦊❤️

The sound of woodpeckers pounding away at trees always causes us to stop, look and listen.  We’ve come to love their sound, their look and their power.  Yesterday we were sad to encounter a fallen woodpecker on our Sunday morning walk. It allowed us to pay respect to a creature we have really come to love as we laid him to rest.  🦊❤️

1671. some days are like that

 

blus’try windy night

but not for our boy tommy

he’s snug as a bug 🦊❤️

I told Yulan that I had nothing “worthwhile” to write a haiku about this morning. She responded, “Just post anything - no one will notice!”  I have to think about that…. 🦊❤️ 

1670. bff killing time

pizza’s almost here 

with a little time to kill

thank god for cell phones 🦊❤️

***

patiently waiting

to share a hot pizza pie

best friends forever 🦊❤️

I got a chuckle out of watching two young boys waiting for their pizza at our local pizza joint. Best friends forever (BFF). I mean that the boys are best friends with each other not that they are best friends with their phones… hopefully. Lol.  🦊❤️

1669. peripheral vision

 

in my eye’s corner

a stream of diamonds flow by

and the sun breaks through 🦊❤️

While doing Qi Gong outside with friends I try to  keep focus on an object “out there” which helps me maintain balance. But inevitably something subtle catches my attention from the corner of my eye. It is usually something that is eye opening and interesting. So while it is of great value to have a steady focus on what you are looking at, there may be even greater value in seeing as much with our peripheral vision as well as our laser focusing vision. This goes for our mental and emotional focus as well. 🦊❤️

1668. purrfectly peaceful

 

the cat stands… stretches

turns around… and lays back down

ahh… to be at peace 🦊❤️

I love to sit and watch Mikey sleep/rest. The peacefulness of her stillness is contagious. It makes me want to purr. 🦊❤️

1667. all together now

 

spring winds on the move

grasses sway this way… then that…

“all together now” 🦊❤️

Is it any wonder that early civilizations considered the unseen forces that blew earthy things from here to there as divinely generated? The golden grasses in the meadow, dancing at the direction of the heavenly winds, made me feel that way yesterday. “All together now!” I could hear it whisper… 🦊❤️

1666. warm, warmer, warmest

 

tired of being cold

these old bones get stiff too fast

solved… a heated vest! 🦊❤️

The need to be warm seems to grow in me as the years unfold. I have become accustomed to wearing ever increasing layers of clothing to stay toasty.  But all that changed yesterday when my heated vest arrived at my doorstep. Warm, warmer, warmest at my disposal by a simple press of the color coded logo on the chest area of the vest! Wow! I am a happy camper!! 🦊❤️

1665. facebook work is never done

 

with nimble fingers

and subtle smile on her lips

she’s texting away  🦊❤️

I remember when I first met Yulan she did not own a cellular phone. She was a committed “Never Cellphoner”.  Her landline was my only way of reaching her. But Oh how times have changed! Now I have a little fun by asking her, “Are you doing your Facebook work?” She responds with a subtle smile and say’s “Yup!” without missing a plunk on her screen.  🦊❤️

1664. a jackpot sighting

 

armada of deer

steaming across the cold creek

sight not often seen 🦊❤️

Again, from my bridge top observation spot I was treated to another surprise, wonderful sighting.  A herd of deer making their way down a steep embankment to gingerly enter the cold creek to cross to the other side.  This spot on the bridge has paid huge dividends in memorable moments over the years. Yesterday’s payout was a really big one!!!! 🦊❤️

1663. Information overload

 

it is everywhere

information overload

is there no escape? 🦊❤️ 

The bulletin board jam packed with overlapping flyers announcing this and that caught my eye. The  phrase “information overload” came to mind. So many opinions, so many prognosticators, so many spin doctors, so many experts, so few fact, so many fear mongers,  so many insults, so many copy and pasters. Bombarded by radio, TV, social media, podcasts, newspapers, flyers, talking heads, bulletin boards, graffiti and word of mouth. Sigh… 🦊❤️

1662. delightful details

 

it’s not the big things

that stop me dead in my tracks

little details do… 🦊❤️

Our recent visit to the Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn provided us with the opportunity to see lots of beautiful medieval art, architecture and stained glass work that made us stop and stare. But it was the attention to the smallest details that really caught my eye. Even the light switches and outlets were skillfully painted throughout the museum to blend in to the stone walls and room encompassing mosaics. Some say the “devil is in the details”. I say, “delight is in the details”. 🦊❤️ 

1661. grief

from a block of stone

the ancient artist captures 

the madonna’s grief 🦊❤️

 Yesterday we visited the Glencairn Museum, once the amazing home of the Pitcairn family, in Bryn Athyn. The castle like home was filled with medieval art work and stained glass. A piece of stone work that blew me away was a statue of The Madonna being illuminated by a  lamp on a table.  Its face of grief is very powerful and fitting in this season of Lent.  The museum is definitely a place we will return to!! 🦊❤️

1660. a thorny predicament

 

girded for battle

its message is loud and clear

“better stay away!” 🦊❤️

The Honey Locust tree is indeed a formidable tree. Rugged bark and countless long and sharp thorns everywhere on its trunk, limbs and branches. Most that I have run into are usually covered with thick vines of ivy. Despite its lethal look and characteristics, birds freely fly through its branches and perch amid the thorns. What can we learn from the Honey Locust tree and the birds? 🦊❤️

1659. rise and shine

the alarm clock sounds

tender green shoots rise and shine

from their winter sleep  🦊❤️

I look at the still bare trees towering over me.  Then I look at the ground under my feet. The ground is becoming covered with patches of tender green shoots that are breaking through the earth’s surface.  Little islands of early spring life rising up as they hear nature’s alarm clock sounding. 🦊❤️

1658. “wake up, wake up!”

 

that old warrior 

endured another winter

“will you wake this spring?” 🦊❤️

Now is the time of year that I start looking at old weatherworn and battered trees as I walk around and ask, “Will you wake from winter’s sleep and produce leaves in spring?”  🦊❤️

1657. ancient aliens

 

a night to ponder

pyramids… ancient spacemen

mysteries unsolved 🦊❤️

Last night I attended “Ancient Aliens Live” with my future family-in-laws at the Keswick Theater in Glenside. It was a great night of allowing the mind to wander and wonder about the possibilities of how this all started along with other like-minded people. “Beam me up Scotty!” 🦊❤️

1656. a matter of perspective

 

see the moon perching

atop the sycamore tree?

all is perspective… 🦊❤️

The wisest people strive to understand other people’s differing  perspectives rather than trying to convince them that their perspectives are wrong.  🦊❤️

1655. here today… gone tomorrow

 

was only yesterday

a fallen tree squatted here

the rains came… it’s gone 🦊❤️

The view of the creek from the stone bridge is ever changing. Over the years many fallen trees have been carried to this location, taken up temporary residence, then swept away downstream when heavy rains come.  Water is powerful. Everything changes.  Big obstacles eventually move on. Nature is relentless.  🦊❤️

1654. making music

 

like a bow and strings

two trees play an eerie tune

on these windy days 🦊❤️

If you listen closely on windy days, you may hear the eerie sounds produced by the trunks or limbs of trees rubbing together as they sway in the wind. With a little observation you can see the location where the rubbing is occurring. The area is usually bare and smooth from years of  playing their music. There are plenty of performances in the windy month of March and tickets are free.  🦊❤️

1653. the canvas call out

 

big blobs of color

a new way of expression

where will it take me 🦊❤️

***

new ways taking shape

dif’rent from the way it was

let’s see where it goes 🦊❤️

Change comes when the “same old same old” has “gotten old”. The canvas calls out for something new. Take a deep breath… see where it goes. Such is all in life. 🦊❤️ 

1652. . feather weight

 

laying on the ground

i just had to pick it up

light as a feather 🦊❤️

I saw this “growth” on the ground.  It really caught my eye because it was grayish green in color. I love that shade of green. But the moment I picked it up I forgot about its color and was wowwed by its weightlessness.  I still am so I wrote it a haiku. 🦊❤️

1651. take a break from today’s headlines

 

some limbs grow real straight

others bend this way and that way

this one smiled at me 🦊❤️

Nature will smile at you regardless of your race, religion, political affiliation, etc., etc., etc, etc.  It will accept you, inspire you and nurture you regardless of which “club” you belong to. Most importantly, nature will make you smile. Take a break from the news and tune in to nature’s podcast. 🦊❤️

1650. gold rush

 

the once red catkin

turning yellow with pollen

driving the bees mad 🦊❤️

I learned a couple of weeks ago that “catkin” are the red tassels that hang from Alder trees.  Yesterday I learned that the catkins eventually become goldmines of yellow pollen that is collected by bees.  It was a real “Gold Rush” day at the mines for the bees yesterday. What will I accidentally learn today? 🦊❤️

1649. morning stillness

 

they sit quietly

i sit and watch quietly

morning quiet rules 🦊❤️

It is the time of year that the Turtle Dove couple return to haunt my balcony. They are usually sitting side by side atop my tool cabinet. We all sit quietly in the morning stillness. 🦊❤️ 

1648. the big bang

 

bird chirps fill the air

the first snow bells are poppin’

spring’s not far away 🦊❤️

I saw a single solitary huddle of Snow Bells during a walk yesterday. The ground everywhere else was still brown - absent of any signs of these beautiful clues of approaching springtime. It was like seeing the first moment - the “Big Bang” of the annual explosion of Snow Bells.   🦊❤️