late afternoon (Hot Hot July series)

this evening
when you see
the sun set in the west

say a goodbye
to hot hot
july

*The layers in this image illustrate for me the feeling of the air on a hot July evening in Kansas. The air hangs low and heavy but the setting sun brings a quiet peace to the land.

heirlooms (Hot Hot July Series)

This morning I met with a group of close friends for coffee. We meet once a month and always have a wide variety of topics to cover during our time together. For example, today’s topics included but were not limited to: Machu Picchu, neighborhood crime, the loss of loved ones, street construction, books we were reading, pickleball, bear attacks, childhood pranks etc.etc.etc. There was much laughter.

When I arrived home later and began to consider a post for today, I came across this photo taken at the farmer’s market. It seemed to fit with my morning experience. These tomatoes are “heirloom” tomatoes and what makes them different is that they are not hybrids. They are tomatoes of the most original kind. Any changes in genetics (unlike most other tomatoes) are strictly from natural cross pollination.

“Hmm, like my friends” I thought……”of the most original kind”. And weren’t we “cross pollinating” this morning?

Heirlooms are sweet, and colorful just like my friends. But if it weren’t for the “heat” of summer, there would be no “ripening”. There would be no “yield.” So thanks July. Perhaps you have a good part to play in my life, after all.



granita (Hot Hot July series)

So, I’ve been fighting this HOT summer dry spell and truth be known, I’ve been losing. Some people struggle with light deprivation in the winter. They count down the days to spring. I struggle from nature deprivation in the summer. The heat and humidity drive me inside during the day and I often find myself in a sort of summer spiral, languishing like the maples in my front yard. Thank goodness for cool early mornings. Without them, I fear I would wilt away.

Today, I decided (take note: DECIDED) to fight again (after quitting for a day or two.) “Okay, ” I told myself…..“think of something cool and refreshing, then do something creative with it. Bring something into the world that wouldn’t have been there except for this (another) scorching day.” I guess one could say: function like the underground resistance. Go along with what is happening and then, pull a surprise attack from within! :)

This is a photo of my first homemade “Granita”. It’s blueberry with a sprig of mint on top. It’s cool, refreshing, and beautiful. Touche’ JULY!



corn (Hot Hot July series)

see her reaching

up

up

into the light blue sky

high above

earth's troubles

i hope i too

reach high

when harvest is

nigh

on the road (Hot Hot July series)

sometimes
the road looks
endless

and there are only
two things
that seem certain

heat
and the horizon

keep walking friend

that which seems to have
no end
is really the top of a hill

with miles of valley green
below

ravished and regal



















I took these two images on my walk yesterday morning. Today I juxtapose them as an illustration of suffering and beauty…..so often found side by side. When I saw the remains of the leaf ravished by the locust I couldn’t help but think of the tragedy in Norway we all heard about on the news this week. How many families there have been stripped of the life they were enjoying. How many dreams vanquished? Thinking of it, is almost more than one can bear. As I wrote to a friend in an e-mail recently:


I come back to beauty in the midst of such news. The fact that there is such beauty in the world speaks of something beyond hurt and tragedy. And i love the verse in Phillipians that speaks about thinking on things that are good, right, true, and beautiful. Of course, we can't help but be faced with the tragic and thus must think on it as well....BUT coming back to the "beautiful" is a balm to the soul.

As I view the photo of my neighbor’s horse this morning, I am struck by the compassion i see through the softness of her muzzle and eyes. Her expression, is truly a comforting thing.

I hope you are comforted today.

morning gift (Hot Hot July Series)



this morning

i find the deck

damp

from early morning

rain

lovely clouds hang low

as

water gurgles in the

guttering

lo, i am met

with

miracle

at the pickleball court (HOT HOT July series)



Give me gatorade

a towel

and some friends

Let me play pickleball

till my time on earth

ends

:)

*This morning was pickleball "round robin" morning. And again it's over 100 degrees. But these pickleball people are a tough bunch and they do love their pickleball. (Did you notice the switch from "staying cool in July" to "HOT HOT July"? Sometimes you just have to "go" with a thing.) If you are HOT today, i hope you are Hot and Happy!





in the stacks (staying cool in July series)



yesterday i found myself

in the library's biography section

seeking sanctuary

from another sweltering 100 plus day

the first thing i noticed

was a striking book cover

a simple line drawing it was, with

James Joyce written beneath the

handsome face

then i saw Billie Holiday

looking sophisticated and sure

my eyes continued scanning

before stopping on the words:

The Real Story 

and Tiger's sober face

he was followed by Virginia Woolf

and preceded by

Natalie Woods

yesterday in the stacks

i concluded that

i'd rather be battling

the heat and humidity of

eastern Kansas

than the pressure, perfectionism,

and clamor

of fame

being an unknown middle aged

kansas woman

has it's

advantages

baling time (staying cool in July series)

it's baling time
swathers, balers,
and pick ups
criss cross the land

leaving again
  
  beauty

in their wake

*Not only are haybales on the hillsides beautiful, but witnessing the farmers at work in the early mornings and evenings when the air is a bit cooler is a beautiful sight as well. 





the lavendar farm (staying cool in July series)

the soft hue of the lavendar
brought refreshement
to the eyes

and her subtle fragrance
a settling
to the mind

*While many flowers are languishing in July, it is the month of the lavendar harvest. In addition to the refreshement found from looking at the field, i could almost feel the swish of air from this butterfly's wings:



early morning dew



even in july

there is early morning

dew

*We've been having quite a heat wave here.  The grasses are turning brown. But in early morning's light, i see droplets of mercy among them.



whispered at the aquariaum (staying cool in July series)

i would

if i could

jump in with you

i'd glide too

through

your turquoise

wonderland

july sunset (staying cool in July series)



This image doesn’t exactly make one feel cool. But I think it is a cool image. J And when I stepped out onto the deck to take the picture I was delighted by the cool of evening after the scorching day. Almost makes the heat worth the delightful surprise of a summer evening breeze.

The following two images are of the same sunset.







 



ice play (staying cool in July series)



it was a scorching day

so i took some ice from the freezer

and began

to play

*To the clump of ice i took from the freezer, i added a couple of drops of food coloring. Wish i would have had more colors on hand! I noticed in the photo below, a winsome little bulldog in the lower left corner!!















See him?

Hmmm, i guess what i gained from this exercise was the reminder that if one looks closely at anything, one can see amazing things. Seems to be a theme with me lately. :) Hope you see amazing things today.





wildflowers (staying cool in July series)

i found this scene
across the road

across my
very
road


*When i came across this image i had taken a month or so ago, i was spellbound for a moment. "Oh, open your eyes," I say to myself. "Every day wherever you are.....open your eyes."

twig and berries (staying cool in July series)



twig of subtle brown

amidst magenta berries

delicate and strong

*This image reminds me of a Japanese watercolor; thus the haiku. In case you have forgotten the rules for haiku as i had, they are:

The first and last lines contain 5 syallables, the middle line contains 7 syllables.

If you have a favorite haiku, please share. :)



droplets (staying cool in July series)

the ground is hard

the cement driveway
too hot
for barefoot

my least favorite time of year

yes, give me winter’s blustery howling
cold
over this smothering humidity

but my house is cool
for that I am grateful

and I am grateful too
that the horrendous heat
has given me reason

to stay inside
and play
with color, shape

and
line


*The technical difficulties experienced last week and the weekend visit of an old friend have gotten me out of my groove in regards to the blog. However, because of today’s scorching temperature and high humidity I gave myself permission to “play” with some images I had taken a few months ago. What a marvelous time I’ve had. Looking forward to sharing some fun stuff with you in the days to come as a result of “staying cool in July”. I chose this image to kick off the series as the water droplets remind me of summer showers and the shade of blue is so invitingly cool.

art in motion (man-made patterns series)

I didn’t want you


From the beginning
I Thought
NO! don’t scatter
Scraps of metal
Across this sacred prairie

Don’t clutter up my view

Don’t
Don’t
Don’t

But now that I see you
I can say

You have
more than one way

to contribute

furrows (man-made patterns series)



Having grown up on a farm, i find myself taken back in time by scenes such as these. I also find myself “taken” in general by the beauty of fields that have been tilled, ploughed, disked or freshly planted. The lines and shadows created by the farmer and his implements are truly works of art.

In addition to appreciating this unique beauty for its own sake, I appreciate the idea of “furrows” and the symbolism they portray. Who among us hasn’t felt the breaking of our hearts by life’s implements of loss, disappointment, grief, or pain. And who among us has not seen “new life” emerge when we have entrusted ourselves to the master husbandman.



 

fence posts (man made patterns series)

This image was captured along Interstate 70. The man made rows of fence posts add an interesting layer to the lines of the landscape and horizon. When man and nature work hand in hand the results are pleasing to the eye as well as to the soul.

*If you happen to follow the blog on a regular basis, you've noticed a lapse in postings. This was due to technical problems. I'm returning to the "man-made patterns series" for a few more postings and then will be on to something new. As i've already completed my intial year's worth of daily postings there may be other "break" periods to come. If and when, i decide to discontinue the blog, however, i will post something to that effect. So keep checking in, until then. :) Thanks for taking time in your day to check it out.

raindrops in july

oh, if i could
i would photograph for you

the refreshment found
in this day's cool front

the hope
bestowed by
raindrops


*Some things cannot be captrued by an SLR or an I-Phone. They are only experienced by the heart.

weavings (man made patterns series)

And so

while nature weaves her patterns

in leaves, trees and

butterfly wings

we too weave

with things like wool,

straw

and

memory