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.   🦊❤️ 

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1647. an oasis

a trough of plenty
water for drinking… bathing 
i’ll write a haiku 🦊❤️

As I looked at the hollowed out tree stump that was filled with water, I thought of the birds, foxes and other critters that would use this little oasis as a watering hole. It is an oasis for me because it fed me just what I needed to write a haiku. The daily practice of writing haiku has rewired my brain in ways I could not have imagined - everything is a potential haiku… 🦊❤️
 

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1646. stalemate

 

man and nature vie
competing for precious turf
neither gives an inch 🦊❤️

We are surrounded by signs and symptoms of the eternal struggle for “turf” that is intrinsic to life on earth. It’s not just man versus nature.  But man seems to be the most formidable opponent in the land grab game.  I remain hopeful by focusing on nature’s resilience despite the temporary losses it may suffer. When I see an abandoned factory that is overgrown by vines and trees and bushes and filled with birds and critters who find refuge there, it makes me smile. It’s like Rocky beating Apollo Creed.  Today’s photograph really made me smile… 🦊❤️

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1645. curbside memories

 

“set out to the curb”
a pedal powered singer
grandma loved polka  🦊❤️

I spotted an old Singer pedal powered sewing machine that someone had “set out to the curb” for the trash truck to pick up.  I stopped my car and pulled over to take a closer look.  My Grandma had one just like it. As I looked at it, I smiled as I remembered her pedaling away on her beloved machine as she listened to “Polka Party” on the radio. 🦊❤️



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1644. making little stones out of big rocks

 

at the stone quarry
earth’s rock blasted then beaten
into smithereens 🦊❤️
 
I love it whenever Yulan drives as we galavant here and there. It allows me to see the same old sights that I have seen many times before while driving in a more “experiential” way.  Yesterday's favorite “new view” sighting was an enormous mountain of gravel piled in the storage area of a local stone quarry. Uncountable nuggets of gravel have been being deposited at that location for years. Solid rock is blasted from the earth deep in the quarry, hauled out in massive trucks and crushed into gravel. What a process… 🦊❤️
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1643. special moments

 

running through the night
from six p.m. to six a.m.
then it’s tommy time 🦊❤️ 

When my son Kevin’s 12 hour, freezing, overnight training run wrapped up at 6:00 AM he showered up and we made our way up to feed and visit with our Guru Tommy.  Then… it was finally time to rest.   The great thing about life is that we have the freedom to create and experience our own particular brand of “special moments”. I am grateful for my family that provides me with ample opportunities to enrich my treasury of “special moments”. 🦊❤️

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1642. salt

 

salt, salt and more salt
an inch or foot prediction
salt, salt and more salt 🦊❤️

Regardless of whether an inch or a foot of snow is being predicted, you can rest assured that the salt and brine trucks will be spreading tons and tons of salt on the roads and parking lots. Many times incorrect predictions end up with no snow falling at all - but plenty of salt falls regardless.   Where does all that salt go when it washes away? I thought about that question as I stared at the creek, once crystal clear, now all cloudy and murky with a strange tint to it….. 🦊❤️
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