kitty litter heaven.....

six yards of mulch........i've died and gone to kitty litter heaven......

nature's graffiti

"weeds are nature's graffiti."

~Janice Maeditere

remembering the innocence

of tiny parachutes

cast across the yard

with a mighty

blow

circles never end

"if you love someone

put their name in a circle

because hearts can be broken

but circles never end"

~unk

windows of the soul

"to look into the eyes of someone beholding beauty

is to look through the windows of the soul

anytime we catch a glimpse of soul

beauty is there

anytime we catch our breath

and feel.... "how beautiful!"

the soul is present"

~Jean Shinoda Bolen

a glimpse into the window of anne's soul.......

beautiful person

beautiful artist

...beautiful

a cup of blessing........

"never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful

for beauty is God's handwriting

a wayside sacrament

welcome it in every fair face

in every fair sky

in every flower

and thank God

for it as a cup of blessing"

~ralph waldo emerson

hippity hoppity...........

journey with a soaring spirit

"let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world

leave all thoughts of the world you knew before

let your soul take you where you long to be

close your eyes

let your spirit start to soar

and you'll live

as you've never lived before."

~ erich fromm

still journeying to where i'm supposed to be....

namaste

the flame bowed.....

i gaze upon this group

of women
in a circle
illuminated

by candle flame
these awe inspiring artists
their creative energy
whispers

my name
joined by the web
of our stories
these amazing entities
a pack

now
witnessing this wonder
the flame

bowed

dancing in yellow........

"whenever i wear yellow.......

i know why daffodils

dance........."

~ marjolein bastin

the daffodils around my cherry tree

have morphed into this new flower....

welcome...little one.....

the yin and the yang of life......

dark...light

strong...weak

sky...earth

water...land

the secret is balance

providence and destiny....

"we plan our lives according to a dream that came

to us in our childhood...and we find that life alters

our plans. and yet...at the end...from a rare height...

we also see that our dream was our fate. its just that

providence had other ideas as to how we would get there.

destiny plans a different route...or turns the dream around...

as if it were a riddle...and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't

have expected.

~ ben okri

stretching your soul

"your life is a sacred journey....

and it is about change...

growth...

discovery... movement... transformation...

continuously expanding your vision of what is possible...

stretching your soul...

learning to see clearly and deeply...

listening to your intuition...

taking courageous challenges at every step along the way.

you are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now...

and from here... you can only go forward...

shaping your life story

into a magnificent tale of triumph...

of healing ...

of courage...

of beauty...

of wisdom...

of power...

of dignity...

.....and of love."

~caroline adams

live your life in the manner of those

whose stories are told around campfires

by the teller of tales.......

.......rocks remember

"geologists have a saying.........rocks remember."

~neil armstrong

do you feel it?

the energy of the rocks.....

wouldn't you love to hear their story....

they whispered to me today......

"namaste: your spirit and my spirit

are one......"

....the highest fence

"fear is the highest fence."
~ dudley nichols

fear of failure

fear of success

fear of change

fear of stagnation

why do we fence ourselves off from the things we want?

my soul is from elsewhere....

"each has his past shut in him

like the leaves of a book

known to him by heart

and his friends can only

read the title."

~ virginia woolf

fragments gathered off the floor.....

mismatched pieces

glued….stapled….sewn

from fragments gathered off the floor

gently wrapped in thorns

by pierced…bleeding ….hands

to the sound of a closing door

faintly beating… with a limp

these fragile…. patched…. parts

safe within its shielding crown

………….my heart

the healing hands of nature.......

"if there is magic on this planet..........

it is contained in water."

~ loran eisely

i visit this place when i need

the healing hands of nature

the word "spiritual"

lays on my

tongue

the kindness of back roads.....

"the everyday kindness of the back roads more than

makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines."

~ charles kuralt

reaching out........

"a true friend is someone who reaches for your hand

and touches your heart........."

~ unk

this statue reached out to me today.....

it now graces my garden

dreaming of spring.......

"a garden that never died eventually would weary.

robbed of springtime... unacquainted with the extraordinary

perfume that rises from the soil after it's had it's rest...

the garden that winter doesn't visit is a dull place.

the return every spring of earth's first freshness

would never be kept if not for the frosts and rot

and ripe deaths of fall. so when i go out from the

garden for the last time in autumn....

i leave the gate open behind me."

~ michael pollan

looking forward to saying goodbye to

my winter garden....

and dreaming

of spring......

a step towards peace......

“the simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. a persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that

places harmony in one's life."

~ peace pilgrim

wishing you peace and well-being on this cold winter's day......

ball's shoe shop

"the shoe that fits one person pinches another;

there is no recipe for living

that suits all cases."

~ carl gustav jung

chasing shadows

"a shadow cannot ignore the sun that all day creates and moves it."

~ rumi

no sun today to create..... or chase around.... shadows

spent my day in a bone chilling rain

i'm blessed to be able to come home

to a warm house

and a good cup

of joe......

the phoenix has risen!

what an absolutely BEAUTIFUL morning! i'm sitting on my porch with a great cup of joe....listening to a kzillion happy birds....and watching the sun rise. this day zeros out being sick for the last week......and even though my house looks like resurrection city......guess who's spending this awesome day OUTSIDE................

heartfelt......

"the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.....

they must be felt with the heart."

~ helen keller

wishing you a happy valentine's day........

dancing........

"every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing...

those with average eyes

would see as

fixed and still."

~ jalal al-din rumi

being among nature's gifts

makes my soul dance.......

calming the volcano......

"if your heart is a volcano....

how shall you expect

flowers to bloom?"

~kahlil gibran

i find that photography calms the volcano

in my heart....

a single step......

"the longest journey begins with a single step... not with a turn of the ignition key."

~edward abbey

consumed by silence.....

i have spent this last week consumed by silence. i sometimes wear silence like a shield.....i've found that most people recognize it as such and will honor the unspoken request to be left alone. these are the times that i fight the voice whispering in my ear to flee....where to...i haven't got a clue.....just that i need to go...away.....alone....searching.... for what...again....not a clue....just....something... always the seeker...filled with a wanderlust so strong that my body aches....the gypsy blood pulsing through my veins like a madness....seducing me to forsake family and friends to seek some higher life...

i become introspective during these times....devouring books by the dozens...looking for answers to my unknown questions....i anesthetize myself with alcohol.....overindulge in foods....self destruct....self destruct....self destruct....until i wake up shaking....bleary eyed....weak.....to a new day....and the sun is shining......and i'm still here.....where i'm expected to be. i'll rise....put on my mask....once more....quell my gypsy soul...and return to the drudgery of being my unauthenic self......

each time i resist the call.... i fade a little more.....dimmer...and.... dimmer...extinquishing the fire of my soul....bit by bit...knowing in my heart that if i don't feed that fire...then...one day... all that will be left will be charred...blackened pieces of who i was supposed to be....

and to that woman i want to say.......forgive me.

my sacred space......

lakota prayer

wakan tanka... great mystery

teach me how to trust

my heart

my mind

my intuition

my inner knowing

the senses of my body

the blessings of my spirit.

teach me to trust these things

so that i may enter my sacred space

and love beyond my fear

and thus walk in balance

with the passing of each glorious sun.

according to the native people... the sacred space is the space

between exhalation and inhalation.

to walk in balance is to have heaven (spirituality)

and earth (physicality) in harmony.

praying for harmony

seeking peace

still.....

the crazy ones......

here’s to the crazy ones...

the misfits... the rebels... the troublemakers.

the round pegs in the square holes.

the ones who see things differently.

they’re not fond of rules...

and they have no respect for the status quo.

you can praise them...disagree with them...quote them...

disbelieve them...glorify or vilify them.

about the only thing you can’t do is ignore them...

because they change things.

they invent...they imagine...they heal...

they explore...they create...they inspire.

they push the human race forward.

maybe they have to be crazy...

how else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?

or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?

or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

while some may see them as the crazy ones...

we see genius.

because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world...

are the ones who do.


(Advertisement for Apple Computer)

quietly listening to my heart.......

"listen to your heart....it knows all things....because it came from the Soul of the World...and it will one day return there. wherever your heart is....that is where you'll find your treasure."



"my heart is afraid that it will have to suffer........."



"fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself...no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.....because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."



"there is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."



"when you want something....all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

~ paulo coelho......the alchemist

this book..........another sign from the universe that i'm on the right path in my journey...the words are coursing through my blood..... with each beat of my knowing heart.....sending this seeker forward....staring down the eyes of fear.....for....."fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand........"

namaste - i honor your spirit which is also in me

breaking of the bread

a proverbial "breaking of the bread" this cold sunday morning.............my own special church...

it's not the barley or the wheat

it's not the oven or the heat

that makes this bread so good to eat

it's the needing and the sharing

that makes the meal complete

~ unk

a franciscan benediction

a franciscan benediction

may god bless you with DISCOMFORT at

easy answers, half-truths, and superficial

relationships so that you may live deep

within your heart.

may god bless you with ANGER at injustice,

oppression, and exploitation of people so that

you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

may god bless you with TEARS to shed for

those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation,

and war, so that you may reach out your hand

to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

and may god bless you with enough FOOLISHNESS

to believe that you can make a difference in this world

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

on this bitter cold winters night..... i am blessed with discomfort....anger....tears....and foolishness....and know in my heart that it's all a part of a greater plan for my life..... a metamorphosis...as i climb the precipitous roads on my journey to peace....the summit is ever in the distance....but it's there.....and i continue my pilgrimage........

the need for silence

"see how nature.....trees...flowers...grass....grows in silence.....see the stars....the moon...and the sun....how they move in silence....we need silence to be able to touch souls." ~ mother teresa

chosen

the universe is whispering
in my ear
it’s words
coursing through my blood
i lay down my sword
bow my head
arms lifted
supplication
love


i drink the message
intoxicated
humbled
fall
to my knees
gratitude
blessed
beyond words
indeed


i have been chosen
to serve
you
the universe
has gleamed
the way
mold me
shape me
breathe greatness
into my life
i am your clay

life's journey

"all of life is a journey....which paths we take....what we look back on....and what we look forward to....is up to us. we determine our destination....what kind of road we will take to get there...and how happy we are when we get there." ~ bob moawad

i love this view.........every time i travel this road..... it calls my name...........

listening to shadows

listening to shadows

sometimes
on quiet nights
you walk
across my heart
your whispering tread
playing
a staccato
of memories
within my head

when the footsteps fade
and we’re…. again
apart
i sip wine
listen to shadows
and the rending of my heart…

the journey

the journey

one day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice ....

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"mend my life!"

each voice cried.

but you didn't stop.

you knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

it was already late enough,

and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

but little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do ...

determined to save

the only life you could save.

~ mary oliver ~

a grey winters day........

grey days always find me quieter than usual....i tend to fold in on myself....not so much gloomy...or depressed....but...reflective....contemplative.....philosophical...

perhaps these are the times that my inner psyche is recharging .....a small holiday from the many daily wars i wage with myself...

i pulled over at this boat landing between calls today and drank in the grey dullness of the water.... while the rain poured in the window of my car.....even on this bone chilling...rainy day.... being near water nourished my soul.....as the crows sang to me a cacophony song of peace....

my ambition.........

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands...." 1 Thessalonians 4:11

muscari

since the weather has warmed enough to get outside today i took a stroll around the yard to see if i could tell what i've lost to the unusual cold we've had here. there are quite a few of my "chillrens" that aren't looking like they'll be here come spring.....sadly.....my newest cryptomeria is one of them.....i pray she'll prove me wrong.......

but.........look what i stumbled across back near the woods.....the muscari have decided to make an appearance....

only a gardener would get drunk on the elixir of this sight......welcome back little ones.....i pause in celebration of your return....and anxiously await your coronation of purple crown......

singing to my soul.........

i sit…quietly reading….on this pale winter’s morning….when i am drawn back into the present by the vociferous singing of a male cardinal......perched on a skeletal limb of my hydrangea bush. how can i even explain how this birds "singing" gladdens my soul…so reminiscent of warm summer mornings…his brilliant red a spot of glorious color in my sleeping garden…what an amazingly beautiful gift i have been given this day... to visualize summer as i hibernate in the overpowering grey of winter.........

absolute attention........

"absolute attention is prayer.........if one looks long enough at almost anything.....looks with absolute attention at a flower....a stone...the bark of a tree.....grass.....snow.......a cloud.....something like revelation takes place. something is "given".....and perhaps that something is always a reality outside the self. we are aware of GOD only when we cease to be aware of ourselves....not in the negative sense of denying the self....but in the sense of losing self in admiration and joy." ~ may sarton

in the sad and tender light of this winter's day.....i am humbled by the riches GOD has given me.....and lose myself in the admiration and joy of this day.........

eric joisel

there is origami......and then there is ERIC JOISEL origami............awesome!

feeding my soul........

i don’t know what it is about this time of the year that causes our skies to become transformed into great works of art…….i had to pull off the side of the road on my journey home this evening…. to bask in the colors of this day’s end….it smites me with it’s beauty…and nourishes my soul……….

january 9, 2010

i am lost in my shopping
picking up items to nourish my body
the good parmesan cheese
some wine
my favorite tortilla soup
a pot of flowers to soothe my soul
i turn the corner and you’re standing before me
my heart starts like some frightened winged thing
how are you i ask…as i pass on by
you answer to my back… in that voice you use to distance yourself
then i feel the warmth of your hand on my shoulder
but i just walk away
my mind explodes with white hot lights
and my heart draws in upon itself
i find myself in the check out line……hurry….hurry
please….. just let me get out of here
on the drive home i feel the electricity of your touch on my shoulder
and when i reach the safety of my house
i remove my sweater and hold the spot that you touched to my face
and swallow down the grief rising in my chest

saturday morning supplications........

saturday morning has decided not to offer up it's usual morning sunrise..... floating over the tops of my cyprus trees.... there's no semblance of warmth on another bitterly cold day.... instead i look out over a misty grey frost covered morning as i plan my day. my old tom cat sits on the doorstep.... hunched against the cold..... in silent commensuration....as i listen to a small sparrow's fussing chatter because i've let the birdfeeder run out of seed again. i feel we all ....the three of us..... are quietly sending up supplications for spring....and warm weather.

as i sat..... earlier.... having my breakfast of toast and local honey..... i was reminded of a poem by julian huxley:

"like sudden blossom on the naked trees

memories shoot; the place is all alive

with questing thoughts that like spring-quickended bees

find and bear back rememberance to my hive."

on this cold winter morning.......i'm remembering warm sunny mornings full of bird song and the smell of flowers.....and feeling the ache of the cold in these old bones..........

the pancake project

art created out of pancakes......who'd of thunk it?

check out more pancake art here.