Away I went, into old photos in search of a few in particular...and what joy in finding the one above. I always liked this shot and the fact that I left the people in, allowing them to add so much to the overall feel. There were so many folks there appreciating the sunset. We did too.
Then I went away on a you tube video trip. This time going someplace I will never see in person. It was beautiful. The cherry trees are something else!
On the other hand, today I went away to take a small walk at the Little Free Library trail. The last time we were there it was filled with goats making an easy task of clearing brush on the hillsides.
The hills before us on the road were lush, a variety of butterflies and dragonflies were everywhere...a large raven(?) and turkey vultures (above)...warmth on the back of my neck...a place to relax.
The purple sage was in glorious bloom and smelled so good! The evidence of the goat's work was obvious.
Today I think: thank goodness for nature and art. Both have the capacity to soothe and teach, for they both are reliably always there (soothing), but also always changing (teaching). This is a good balance for me.
What things support you when you need it?
May you allow yourself to be taught
May you embrace being soothed when needed
May you hold what is important to you in heart & hand
This is kinda where its at, where I'm at...walking in the building and seeing the above roses out front...I was sent down the thought trail of noticing fading beauty. The pale, yellowing & fading color, the fact that these roses are in some form of dying, decaying...coming to the end of their life cycle...AND are so very beautiful. Gosh I loved falling into this moment. I've long seen the beauty in such lifespans of plants and people. I have photographed dying pomegranates still on the tree and flopped over sunflowers - hanging on to their last moments...dried up thistles, still standing tall. Beautiful.
We finally stopped in time for me to grab a photo of the profusely blooming purple sage on our Thursday short drive. The hills have held so much purple sage recently. On this Thursday, there was a large hawk in a small tree too.
The Siddis of Karnataka and the dying art of making Kawandi quilts | Documentary Film | THE WEEK
The little bridge compass was still there, just over the railing, on the ledge. It still works.
I opted not to photograph the empty nest. But, I also opted to bring the binoculars with me to check the nearby trees for owl relocation. I could not see anything to suggest owl life in the dense oaks and cottonwoods near to their old home. The bridge felt a bit emptier knowing this time is over.
It was also quite empty of people today. We had a lazy stroll to the 'fence change', counting lizards as we went. There were also many swallows, busy ants, crying hawks and a very low flying turkey vulture. The temperature was perfect for a walk.
Here is some owl information I found after Tina suggested that maybe the owls had moved to a new spot.
*Owls generally do not change nests during the same breeding season once eggs are laid, but they often leave or change nests if they are forced out due to safety issues, such as a falling, deteriorated nest. While they typically reuse successful sites over multiple years, they often relocate if the nest falls apart or is destroyed.
*Forced Relocation: Because many owls (like Great Horned Owls) do not build their own nests, they use old, repurposed nests from hawks or crows. If these nests fall due to wind or damage, the parents are forced to abandon them, sometimes requiring human intervention for "re-nesting"
*Fledging Behavior: As owlets grow and become more active, they may "tumble out" of their nests before they can fly, causing them to move from the original nesting spot to branches nearby.
*Yearly Reuse: Owls tend to return to the same successful nesting territory year after year, but not necessarily the exact same nest structure if it has deteriorated.
*Parents often push their young out of the nest through passive neglect after a few weeks, encouraging them to fledge.
~ All sourced from google AI, which links to FB groups or Reddit conversations...because I'm too tired or lazy to do this any better than that today. The same is true of the info below.
I also learned that owls can recognize faces (people), so I thought of Grace's comment that they know me 🙂 Perhaps.
*Yes, owls can recognize individual humans. They are highly perceptive birds that distinguish between trusted people (like regular caretakers or local residents) and strangers. They rely on facial features, posture, voice, and overall silhouette to identify individuals
*Key Details on Owl Recognition
Facial Memory: Owls can memorize specific human faces and associate them with past experiences. If a person is calm and non-threatening, an owl may tolerate their presence or even allow closer approaches.
Visual Triggers: Because their eyes are fixed in their sockets, they rely heavily on the whole picture. Drastic visual changes, like a sudden haircut or a massive change in clothing silhouette, can confuse an owl and make you look like a stranger to them
.
Vocal Recognition: Owls can learn and respond to the specific voices of people who interact with them frequently
We saw a very cool old Ford pick up truck. A 1954 or perhaps 1956? I love this color blue! When I was a young mom, we had one from one of those years (I never can remember). It was bare bones, sitting out front in various stages of rusting & refurbishing - that would never be even close to complete. Never. If it had become something, we planned for it to be for our son, who is now 45 and has not known or sat in it since he was 5 months old. Time is like that.
I've cleaned out and shredded some old paperwork, installed a new shower liner curtain and done more work in the new glue book...I've been listening to music of the 1970's which makes me want to weep with the memories of days gone by.
These are just a few pages. I'm not ready to post the others yet. Each of them has a story. A good, or at least decent enough story. I'm enjoying finding them.
I'm just finding my way this week. Good enough. How was your week?
The brilliance of the garden-fountain area stopped me in my tracks. A nearby restaurant, a meeting ground...time spent with a very long time friend. A good friend and a long conversation = priceless!
I'm still working in the color glue books, adding to the pink one most recently. I added a funky, white-haired DJ, making music with a hedgehog and an insistent bird, who does not understand why this elder doesn't want a berry! 😂
I also began a new glue book. This one is bigger and spiral bound. The other differences (so far) are: I am not planning on adding a lot of printed words (we'll see, haha), I'm leaving some of the words of explanation from the original source, not as much silly, surreal images - so far...certain themes, values and ideas have been coming forth to be worked into the book. I've added a few of my own photographs, which I don't do in the mini-composition books, because their pages are much thinner. I've also practiced wrapping the larger papers from one side of a page to the other (front and back).
I will again leave some blank pages, places to write or add images or doodle...or color in. Here are just a few of the pages so far.
The pages as photographed here are not necessarily complete. I just snapped a few pics.
They are also, as with the color books, quite imperfect...crooked cuts, trapped air bubbles, tiny tears - hidden in the gluing process.
Today I noticed trees blooming right outside our building's front door. They looked beautiful in the afternoon sun.
A local parking lot had these beautiful blooms, which I have now discovered are on a Myrtle-leaf Milkwort.
I took a quick screenshot from this SOURCE, as I've always had a thing for the ROLODEX...not as a tool for addresses, but as an avenue for art. I've enjoyed the fact that both Jude and Grace have one, to use as they wish. The one pictured here is not my particular style, but I can appreciate that the maker had some fun working on it. What would you use a Rolodex for? Besides art (painting, drawing), my brainstorming comes up with prompts or 'story starters', swatching or samples, favorites (fabric, images...?), family history stories...a particular color or ? There is something about turning that wheel and seeing where you land that I am attracted to. ha.
I'm thick into the 'blue glue book'...more on that soon.
I saw the America's Got Talent video and first heard this song HERE. But, I'm posting a "softer" version here -even if her AGT performance was amazing. A song for anyone who is or has ever grieved a loved one. She wrote it for her baby nephew when he passed from meningitis at almost one year old. her voice is so haunting and pain-filled and beautiful.
Her channel can be found here, where you can find other versions and other songs too. The "official version" from 10 years ago is equally heartbreaking, if not more so.
Stephanie Rainey - Please Don't Go (Live at St. Lukes Church)
The empty crow's (?) nest looked like it has a bit added to it. Mmm?
While we strolled the path, someone left a meaty drumstick on the bridge, possibly for Owly (as it was placed below her nest)? That was a surprise to see.
