Before & After #5

Before & After #5...AKA 2 Days...AKA Day/Night:

Thursday's moon follows me home and greets me broadly as I exit my car.

Mid-day work walks on my lunch break offer a time to contemplate or communicate with loved ones.

Today I notice new growth.

I head over to the street were I know a Jacaranda tree is in bloom.

There are many of these beautiful trees along my commute or daily walk.

There she is!  So pretty and I know she has left many many flowers 

on the ground for me to collect.   I think I will try dying with them.

I gather up a small collection to experiment with.

Aren't they a beautiful color?

Friday's moon welcomes me...sitting on the wire.

"Seek Balance" I always say!

Friday night, I get out my small pot.  The one you met here.

A piece of white cotton and a piece of gorgeous velvet from Deanna.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What a beautiful golden color!

Each night when I get home, the new geraniums greet me.

Purchased near the beach on Mother's Day, they are a happy addition to my homecomings.

I love returning home.

One day he notices the cement around them and shows me, 

knowing my mind will go to dying!!

Maybe that's next!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013

10 Minute Drill #24 ~ Apricots

A quick post of my abundant apricot tree!

I can't believe how many there are this year.

They've already started to change color.

This post was inspired by Deb over at Bee Creative.

Her garden is always a treat to visit.

My guy is busy keeping the birds and squirrels at bay a bit.

Although, there are many to share this year!

In the past the critters have had a feast and we've had nothing.

I can't wait to eat some...they are the best apricots ever!

Ahhh...beautiful spring!

 I am so grateful.

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013

In a Fog

The days have been a blur...sleep, eat, work, eat, shower...

and trying to keep contact in the online community.

I'm afraid I've not done a very good job of that.

So, for that I apologize.

And for the fact that all my recent posts feel like they must be boring readers like crazy.

Seems Like I am in that cycle of overwhelm right now.

Maybe these recent post are more for me keeping track of days.

There have been passings and illness and general strife between others in my world.

It's taxing, to put it mildly.

I have nothing enlightening or profound to say about any of this.

It just is and I'll just roll with it until it is no longer this, but instead something else.

Today I visited with an elderly aunt.

She is quite ill.

Really she has begun her journey of ending.

We both held inside our words that would capture the very big and very deep feelings that we may not see each other again.

But, we held hands and when it was time for me to leave, we hugged good.

And we knew why.

We talked about family and current daily happenings and those who have already passed on.

We talked about one left behind and her deep sense of loss.

I shared photos of loved ones she hadn't seen in many years and places she'd never visited.

Places she would never see and loved ones she may not see again.

I sat and waited quietly while she left her lunch in the bathroom.

She did not want to speak of her own illness and lack of treatment options.

No specifics were mentioned.

They didn't need to be.

I'm left holding so many of those feelings in a heavy heart.

I've not yet had this experience of knowing I may not see a loved one again, as I have to return to the obligations of my day to day life.

So, to think of her, alone in her apartment, not feeling well, 

as I commute and work and eat and compute and sleep and stitch and write and 

talk or visit with other friends & family members...

well, it's weird.

Here is an old photo, from March 1981.

(I feel awkward sharing today's picture)

The baby is my, now grown, son.

I'm the child-looking mom with my in-laws, grandmother and this special aunt.

She said, "I remember that skirt.  I loved it and wore it for years".

So, isn't that really the truth of what it comes down to?

Some memories, some love...and some time spent together.

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©1981/2013

10 Minute Drill #23 ~ More Sky

Too pretty to pass up sharing this 

little fingernail moon!

Experimented with the flash...

enjoyed the warm night air.

It was very hot here today and 

it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow!  Which version do you like best?  I couldn't decide, as usual!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013

A Little Night Music

 This post is dedicated to Valerianna of RavenWood Forest.

If you have not yet seen her work, take a look...she's amazing!

Now that I know her mystical, dreamy, powerful work...

I think of her when the sky calls out in a watercolor wash.

Here are some more sky photos for you to enjoy.

(Yes, I know my last post was sky pictures too!)

I seem to notice the sky so much while on my daily commute.  

It's a wonderful view!

This is the first photo I take as I head home.

The mountain and sky bring Valerianna to mind.  This mountain peak is really far off in the distance, but I've zoomed and cropped so you all can see the view that caught my eye.

As I get on the road, the mountain stands tall among the gray sky and mist.

Mist turns to rain.

The sky shifted between soft and muted and firelight brilliance.

The expanse and magic remained huge.

Then drama entered!  Stark and strong.

Do you see the eyes hanging on my windshield?

I love this view of the long road toward the mountain.

This is a favorite part of the commute for me.  It's where the traffic, power lines, storefront congestion, sidewalks, and people all thin out.

It's more rural...more peaceful...more me.

When I get closer to the mountain is where I may be lucky enough to see a rider out for an evening horse-walk.

It means I'm almost around the mountain to home.

By the time I'm rolling around the mountain, the sky has become a lovely shade of sky-blue-pink.

And as I've done this whole week prior to Mother's Day,

I think of my mom.

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013

Fire and Sunset

There's a big fire near the coast.  It started yesterday.

It was at 10, 000 acres when I left for work.

It's at 28,000 acres as of this typing. 

 Driving home was dramatic.

The sun looked like a ball of fire

  

The setting sun played peek-a-boo with buildings and trees, and the power lines 

and traffic of the city.

 

 

The sky melted from blue to smoke.

Even in the face of vast danger and misfortune...

there is beauty.

 

The contrails from a passing plane shine fluorescent in the evening haze.

Even in the face of uncertainty...

there is great hope.

Gratitude goes out to all of the emergency personnel and others who step up and work so hard in these difficult situations.

 

On a lighter note:

Upon seeing the patch on the knee of my jeans, a little guy (21 months old) in my class pointed and said "Ouchie".  

update:

This post was written on May 5th...but did not get posted for some reason.  My computer is acting very slow, so I guess I just didn't realize it had not posted before I shut down.  When I went to write today's post...SURPRISE...here was this one waiting!!!  So, soon enough~another post will be popping up.  I don't usually post so close together, but it does seem as if I've been binge posting lately!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013

Second Anniversary UPDATE

For those of you who commented on my 

2nd Anniversary post (you can see that here)

I held the drawing, names on vintage water colored paper (done by me years ago, you can see it in this post

 ...gathered together

A clothespin keeps the secret of each name.

Until one is chosen...

 

And the winner is...

Yvette of Feathers From Heaven

Congratulations Yvette!  Please email me with your address and anything else you'd like me to put in my thinking cap while working on your gift!

Thank you for being a part of pomegranate trail,

Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2013