2079. to love one’s work

 

my cousin johnny

soon he’ll have 25 years

the mayor of walmart 🦊❤️

This weekend we returned to my hometown of Monongahela to celebrate my Mon Valley Catholic class’s joint 75th birthday celebration. We also spent lots of time visiting with many of my cousins.  A really special event was visiting with my cousin Johnny while he was working his shift at Walmart. He absolutely loves his job and was proud to let us know that he will soon celebrate his 25 year anniversary working there. It was totally refreshing listening to him talk so enthusiastically about his work.  Congratulations Johnny!! 🦊❤️

2078. hitchin’ a ride

 

tired of hoppin’ ‘round

hitchen’ a ride on a tire

round and round he goes 🦊❤️

I had to chuckle at the sight of a grasshopper hitching a ride on the tire of a car. Round and round he goes. 🦊❤️

2077. birthday party

 

candles once all lit

one by one they lose their flame

in life’s wind tunnel 🦊❤️

Yesterday we attended a surprise birthday party of a woman from our apartment complex. There is nothing like a bunch of “oldsters” celebrating birthdays. A great time reminiscing about the good old days but at the same time being grateful for the good day we are still enjoying. 🦊❤️ 

2076. look and look again

 

like a big green leaf

had to look thrice to be sure

“look… a katydid!!!” 🦊❤️

No matter how many times I spot a Katydid, I always have to look at least two times to be sure! 🦊❤️

2075. for eno

 

we lit a candle

to lift our prayers to heaven

he was lifted too 🦊❤️

My son Jeff and his wife Anna just lost their beloved dog Eno to a sudden onset medical condition. Yulan and I lit a candle to raise some prayers for his recovery.  Our prayers were not answered as we wished them to be - rather Eno was lifted up along with the prayers. Rest in peace Eno. You will be terribly missed. 🦊❤️

2074. the mighty rose

green trees start to brown

mornings start to have a chill…

… roses still unfurl 🦊❤️

As the world starts to brown for fall… the fragrance of roses blooming still can be enjoyed. Stop… smell them. 🦊❤️

2073. fleeting fortunes

 

once adorned a home

now enthroned atop a heap

fortune is fleeting 🦊❤️

It is amazing how many life lessons that can be gathered from the everyday observations. 🦊❤️

2072. “movin’ on up”

 

some need a ladder

to make their way to the top

others… rise like air 🦊❤️

Do you know someone who has seemingly “made it to the top” with little or no effort? 🦊❤️

2071. “last man standing”

 

the lone last flower

persevering through the days

loneliness its prize 🦊❤️

Slowly, slowly the summer is creeping to its end. Once vibrant trees leaves, bushes and flowers are in a contest to stay the course - complete the race - outlast the rest to be the last one standing.   🦊❤️

2070. standing at attention

 

soldiers in a row

all ears and ready to go

lean and mean machines 🦊❤️

What a show of force the endless ranks of green and lean corn displayed!! 🦊❤️

2069. circles of life

 

right before my eyes

his’try year after year

beginning… till end 🦊❤️

It is quite amazing that the life of a tree is documented in such a detailed way… 🦊❤️

2068. onlooker

 

from my eye’s corner

the stare of a hunkrin’ buck

pulls me back to now 🦊❤️

As I walked along in the company of my busy mind, an unexpected onlooker brought me into the moment. 🦊❤️ 

2067. stories in paper

 

from a little square

her skilled fingers fashion forms

that tell a story 🦊❤️

I love being the first to see Yulan’s latest origami creation! She is so dedicated to her paper folding passion. 🦊❤️

2066. opposing views

 

‘neath the sprawling tree

opposing views can be had

…simply pick a seat 🦊❤️

On our morning walk we encountered an interesting sight involving two red Adirondack chairs facing in opposite directions. Between the chairs stood a massive tree… immovable and deeply rooted. The phrase “opposing views” popped into my mind. The state of the world. 🦊❤️

2065. stairway to heaven…

 

life’s such a journey

one thing leads to another

stairway to heaven??? 🦊❤️

Nearly a year ago I started the process of doing everything that needed to be done to be able to have our civil marriage blessed in the Catholic Church that I attended. Many delays and disappointments cropped up along the way as mentioned in a previous post. During that time of delay and disappointment a number of opportunities sprung up that I could never have imagined happening for me with the parish. When it was discovered that I was an artist, I was invited to create a large graphic that would define a wall in the narthex of the church where parishioners leave donations for a number of missions in the Kensington area of Philly. So this week we had our wedding blessed (finally) and my wall graphic was hung. It has been a “heavenly” week!! 🦊❤️ 

2064. ignore the thorns

ignoring the thorns

a monarch butterfly feasts

to its heart’s content 🦊❤️

As I sauntered along, a tiny burst of colors caught my eye.  There on a viciously thorny weed, a beautiful Monarch Butterfly was fluttering and feasting. What a study in opposites… 🦊❤️
 

2063. holy matrimony

 

at our ripe old age

 making our way to ask god

to bestow his blessings 🦊❤️

After many months of anticipation, planning, delays, roadblocks and disappointments Yulan and I finally were able to have our marriage blessed in my Catholic parish, St. Genevieves. We are so grateful to our dear friends Rick and Gloria for being witnesses of our happy celebration.  🦊❤️

2062. baby and the bath water

 

they kept the baby

and they kept the bath water

but threw out the tub! 🦊❤️

I had to laugh when I saw a baby’s bathtub at the curbside  for the trash man. Did you ever hear the saying, “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water?” Now you have!!!! Lol🦊❤️

2061. play ball!!

on the mound waiting

the pitcher hoping to throw

a goose egg game ! 🦊❤️

 I got a kick out of seeing a team of Canadian Geese fly in to a freshly manicured ball field to play the local team of ducks.  The pitcher was anxious to throw his first no hit game! That is a “goose egg game” in Goose lingo! Lol🦊❤️

2060. the last

 

what a lonely place

to be the last to be called

to float all alone 🦊❤️

I looked at the last Cheerio floating in the sea of low fat milk. If it had feelings, “what would it be feeling?” I thought. Like the last kid called in a pick up baseball game maybe. Or maybe totally at peace in the quiet of a beautiful pool on a summer day. I wonder… 🦊❤️