899. anticipation

the ultimate test

my mind hung in public space

risking stranger’s eyes 🦊❤️👀

In a little over a month my first “real” art exhibit will open. I am excited and also nervous. I started my self taught journey into painting 4 years ago as an exercise in personal growth. I said to Yulan, “I feel like painting a portrait” She said, “Ok, lets go to the art store.” We went to the art store. Some 300 portraits and 25 large landscapes later… here I am looking at the upcoming exhibit as another exercise in personal growth. It seems as we grow, we eventually get to another first step in a new adventure into personal growth. 🦊❤️

 

898. spy balloon mystery solved

high up in the sky

a suspect orb drifts on by

it’s a mad, mad world  🦊❤️

When I saw the full moon last evening I thought about the televised images of the mysterious balloon high above the USA. It was then that I imagined it was the legendary Alfred E. Neumann in the basket of a hot air balloon looking down and laughing. Saying, “What me worry?” 🦊❤️

 

897. and then we are gone…

our perfect shadows

so black and so crisp - alas

erased by a cloud 🦊❤️

Shadows fascinate me. I especially love shadows that are the result of a clear sky, and a perfectly positioned sun. Shadows that move are the best to watch. But then… a rogue cloud rolls in. That’s life... 🦊❤️

 

896. snuggling oneself

green pachysandra

hunker down in winter’s brown

hugging themselves warm 🦊❤️

Pachysandra plants remain green in winter’s brownness.  Yet, whenever the temperatures plummet, they pull their leaves closer to themselves to conserve moisture and warmth. They are like the tiny alpine tundra plants that survive brutally harsh temperatures and winds. Today in the coldness is a good day for us to do the same. 🦊❤️  

 

895. in a bob ross world (for my friend joe)

in a bob ross world

little cabins can pop up

wherever you’d like  🦊❤️

I posted the birdhouse that is in today’s post the other day while the creek was flooded. Today it is marooned on a sandy island. It reminded me of the little houses, cabins and old barns that Bob Ross would suddenly decide to paint in a landscape painting that appeared to be complete. As he painted them I would begin to paint the mental picture of myself inhabiting them. I loved the life lessons that he taught as he painted. “It’s your painting and you can do as you please.” 🦊❤️

894. a forgotten bench tale

a dusting of snow

finding rest on a cold night

time to rise and shine  🦊❤️

There is a little folding bench that has been abandoned in the park. It’s been there for a week or so. This morning it was covered with a dusting of weary snow that fell overnight. The rising sun was beaming through the trees and was headed straight toward the bench to rest a while after its 93,000,000 mile journey. The snow quickly rose back into the sky to fall again another day.  The forgotten bench felt a warm feeling knowing he was finding new friends  🦊❤️

893. morning brew series (1)

sitting on a stool

hostage to the coffee’s spell

a mood to savor 🦊❤️

For years during my morning commute I jealously wanted to be the ones who sat behind the windows of warmly lit rooms reading the newspaper and sipping their morning coffee. Or the ones sitting in small coffee shops listening to other’s idle chatter or soft music while watching morning commuters like me winding their ways to work. Now I am one of those people. It was worth the wait. Most grateful. 🦊❤️

Backyard Beans Coffee Company, 22 East Butler Ave. Ambler, Pa. Great place to start the day regardless of your work status!