that january morning (to the north)

the north side
seems to beckon

"come hither,
yes, enter"

give not fear a favor
by holding back

that january morning (to the south)

the tire swing
waits patiently

she is not
unwanted

this is merely
the season
of rest

that january morning (to the west)

january
is almost
over

i daresay
i will
miss her

she has been nothing
but good
to me

*One morning, this past week I woke to a wonderland of blue haze. The picture above is the scene I saw from my living room window. I hurriedly grabbed a jacket and my camera and slipped on my husband’s house shoes. Fog has always intrigued me and I knew the landscape would be changing every second as the sun made her way onto the scene. The next few days will feature the landscape around my house “that January morning”. I hope you enjoy.

**The photo below features my adventure for week #4….making those fabulous chocolate chip zuchinni muffins in my brand new “muffin top pan”. After all, an adventure doesn’t have to be BIG, COSTLY, or EXTRAVAGANT…(though those are fun too.) An adventure can be the smallest and coziest of things.

piano day

Today is my day to go to the Manor where I play piano over the lunch hour for the folks who are in “assisted” living there. I’ve decided it is one of the most important things I do all week. AND, one of the most enjoyable. The following excerpts from my journal reveal some reasons why:

Ed quietly sets the small carton of ice cream on the top of the piano as he sits down beside me. “For you” his eyes twinkle. Such a lovely man —gone on ahead now. But I remember him, oh so clearly. . . singing “Home on the Range”, “Oh, You Beautiful Doll,” and so many others. I’ve never known a nicer gentleman.

Marjorie is almost blind. She needs her walker too. She makes her way some days across the dining room just to say “thanks for coming”. She’s expressed her doubts to me, in tiny little snippets. Marjorie is honest, tenacious, and tender in a strong way. To sum it up, she’s wonderful.

Mike loved the Irish tunes—but I remember him best for singing “Silent Night ” in German. What a lovely rich voice he had. I hardly noticed the oxygen canister, hoses and wheelchair.

*The image above is an illustration by Pierre Le-Tan from the book Lessons for Grown-ups from Children’s Books. Quotations collected by Amy Gash. The quote at the bottom of the illustration is this:


“Find something to make his heart sing, little one…For an old man that is the best gift.”
                          ~Sumi’s Special happening, Yoshiko Uchida, 1966

before sunrise (blue series #11)

before the blaze
of orange

there hangs a haze
of blue

yes, gently
comes
the morning



*This image reminds me of something i read several years ago. I don't remember the book but the author was making a point that one should "go" with one's gifts. She realized that she had longed to impart "enthusiasm" to  the world when, in fact, her gift was "peace." So if you are blue, be blue. If you are orange, be the brightest orange you can be. All the colors are extraordianry and all the colors complement one another in making the world a beautiful place.

**I am including a 2nd photo today as i think it shows such beautiful shades of blue that my series didn't capture.  It is entitled "Art in Ice" and was taken by Harold Green, a friend i met at a photogrpahy workshop last fall. He is an amazing photographer and wonderful inspiration. To see more of the beautiful images he has taken all over the world go to:
http://web.me.com/haroldgreen40/Photography/Home.html

encased (blue series #10)

God above
what power
you show me

in the simple scenes
of a
creekbed

blue shirts (blue series # 9)

i never see blue shirts
without thinking
of my youngest son
who looks so
good in them

he has those
"baby blues"

and they are
filled
with thoughtfulness

he's one of those people
whose eyes
are very noticeable

because

they look straight
into your heart
every time you
speak


*"The first duty of love, is to listen."   ~Paul Tillich