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)