This Is This Time

 

A very strange sight...some sort of crystalized sap on an Eucalyptus (Stringy Bark) tree. You'd think, upon seeing a tree trunk like this, that the 'sap' would be gooey. It wasn't. It felt like plastic. We were able to snap off a tiny piece easily.

Below is today's few minutes of fun, because we have to keep looking for that. This bit of 'fun' led to other thoughts too. because of today's Well visit, it also had me thinking about Community...about finding one's 'group' or 'tribe' and how that offers support, even if just in a moment of smiles. It had me thinking about Gratitude for these small moments, anonymous gestures...connections. Let's do it folks!

Why do Jeep Wrangler owners put miniature ducks on their dashboards?

LINK 3:17 minutes

It takes so little to make someone's day!

It's been a few days of heat and clouds and therefore, humidity. Now, here humidity is not what other areas of the country or world suffer with. Just to say, for us it has been a little humid. I've seen some faint, but lovely Sun Dogs. We talk about how we see them much more often than we did growing up. Change in climate? More awareness? No matter what, they are pretty cool to see.

Morning trees today. Crows, several crows call to me to come and take a look. There they are in the Sycamore Tree. There are 5 that I can spot hopping from branch to branch, hiding in the leaves. But, they are not hiding very well (or on purpose haha), because they are in constant conversation with each other.  Loudly 'talking' to each other. For the millionth time, I wish I spoke crow! I stand in the pleasant 75° air, listening. I can almost smell moisture in the air. Mmmm...so good.

Can you see them hidden within the leaves?

I spent a bit of time with Puppy this week. You met him a while back. I cleaned out as much of the old made of 'nuts sawdust stuffing' as I could. Shook him out over the porch railing, into the corridor. Ha. Then I cut up quilt batting into bitty pieces and stuffed him full again. I stitched him shut and repaired his pajamas (which I always loved, they're so cute!). I redressed him and wrote his tag story. What I did not do is fix his eye or ragged ears. They eye was hanging by a thread, but when I took him out of the bag...the eye was nowhere to be found. As a mender or a maker, I considered ways to address this. But, in the end, I decided to leave well enough alone. I recalled the book Dirty Bow Wow, which I posted about a while ago, and thought Puppy is 66 years old, he deserves to keep his well earned tatters!

He's waiting.

The green growth swallowed up the water! It's in there, under there...still moving...running under the bridge and towards the sea...but there are places today that you can't even see it.

89° - 13 lizards and one hawk in the dead tree-road to the bridge...and one teeny, green shield bug. 

When a bridge becomes a silhouette and the sky makes you heart expand. When teeny green bugs and lizards encourage you to mind your steps...it is a good day, isn't it?

The lizard above is on the top left rail, right at the post. Do you see it? There were so many teeny lizards today and almost every lizard was near...in or running into a hole of one kind or another. Today I learned that they run into and hide in the fence holes that hold the railings up. Who knew?!

So many tiny flower color variations at this time of year. From whitish, silverish, yellowish to some with purple still showing off.  It is good to embrace them all as beautiful.

How are you doing these days? How are you really doing?

 

May you go on all kinds of adventures

May you support others in their adventures as well

May you find and remain grateful for your people, wherever you go

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025

So Many Love Stories

 

Treading water between

memories of the past and

promises for the future

A funeral, a baby shower and in between

thousands of family photos to be sorted, treasured and shared or shredded

My head swims in the attached stories, both new and old

There is a season for this kind of work

I'm in that season right now

I am not drowning in it, just

treading water and embracing the many kinds of 

love stories

If you go to this LINK, you can read/listen to a beautiful poem titled:                                 "Great Granny Lucy and I"

Time is a circus, always packing up and moving away

~Ben Hecht

#9 Photo Trail

Photographs & Memories

LINK 2:08 minutes

How do you feel about your kept photographs? 

 

May you keep the memories, even if not the photos

May you celebrate each life well lived

May you celebrate the arrival of each new life

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025

Flowers Ah-Ha!

 

Flowers were actually dancing in the breeze this day!

Becoming Myself

LINK 15:54 minutes

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

― Mary Oliver

I've been listening to this CD in the car...a lot! We have a history together. The song "Flowers" is a real favorite because it has such deep, meaningful teaching memories for me.

When I worked with Kindergarten students, they had a 'required' rest time. They didn't sleep... ever. So, I had the daily opportunity to introduce them to all kinds of music. Music they most likely would not have heard otherwise. I played a wide variety of music and particular artists that were more on the 'listen while resting' side of things. This CD was most loved, but we listened to Carlos Nakai flute music and the greatest hits of Louis Armstrong - where "What a Wonderful World" was beloved - they were often inspired to draw rainbows after their introduction to this song 🙂. There were many others, but you get the point.

This song, "Flowers" has such fond memories for me...I even played it for J. on the way to City Park the other day. haha It got stuck in his head and I have heard little Ah-Ha's! escape.

My kindergarten students would lay on their mats in the darkened Childcare Building...resting. When this song played, I would hear tiny 5 year old voices popping up around the room - singing Ah-Ha! I could see their little bodies wiggle with the joy of this song (so much for resting, eh?! haha) and then came another round of Ah-Ha's! I can still picture this scene.

I loved teaching. Being with the children (of all ages) brought me just as much joy over the years. Joy and connections in our shared experiences. Some of those run so deep that my old co-workers (really friends at this point) still talk about them. The ability to be present and make such meaning is a value beyond words.

As I've listened, I've thought a lot about Deb, as a fellow teacher and about Marti as a dance lover (track #9)! And...so many grandchildren for all.

You can listen to "Flowers" HERE (the words are there too)

This is the CD it is on.

Connections are the fiber of our existence. I've added the word to the Word Cloth, which is getting very full of great words!

How do you build connections? 

 

May you hold close the very best memories

May you sing along with life

May you collect important words as you go

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025

Meaningful Memories

 

Time with my sister...going through old family photos, letters etc. I love her view from her deck, the 'canyon' side of the development. Places to hang out filled with trees and plant life. No hawk this day, but usually there is at least one soaring over the canyon. I could get lost out there.

Down By The Riverside Pete Seeger 7 24 1963

LINK 8:43 minutes

Somewhere in that crowd of campers on the hill (below), is little teeny me...singing my heart out! All of this time that I craved a tangible representation for what is in my heart...all of this time my sister had this old photo in her album. It was tricky getting an image of it here and it is not a great, or even a good photo, as far as quality...but as far as heart, it has it in the billions. 

As I've mentioned before, every day at the end of our camping adventures, we gathered on 'the hill' to sing folk/protest and some camp songs. The counselors played guitars and led us in song. I can still hear the 'knock, knock' on those guitars during "Down by the Riverside". Watching this video from that era, I'm surprised by how stuffy and still so many of these folks looked during parts of it. Some men with their arms crossed across their chests do not look ready for compromise, love and peace! When little me sang, I felt surrounded in camaraderie and love. I sang with wild abandon, or that's how I felt anyway. However, I did notice that many of the video's comments are a pure love fest! (as always, watch on you tube to see comments)

My older sister and me. I believe that the hill behind us is the one that led to the hike to the "waterfall" AKA The Los Angeles Aqueduct. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that is what this is pictured here, maybe my sister can correct me if I'm wrong. And if we don't remember exactly, we will call that memory good enough. Ha.

Below is the Marge Mobile, a station wagon my mom drove to pick up other campers for the day. It broke down often, adding to her stress (I'm sure) and our memories. She even wrote a song parody about it and the busses breaking down: "Breakdown" - sung to the tune of "Downtown". She was great at creating parody songs. That's little me with these two siblings.

We walked around the perimeter of my sister's housing development...canyon views on one side and The Valley on full view on the other side. It was just warming up and way cooler than at my place, so a very nice walk. Lots of trees and flowers to appreciate.

She had an extra camera, no longer in use...so now I have a new one, which is great as my camera has been barely hanging on. I tried playing with it a bit on the walk, but there is going to be a learning curve, even if it is very similar to mine.

The Valley view. It's been a while since I got to see these views. I never tire of them.

Where do you want to visit, that you've not been to in a long time? Where would you visit if you could, a place that no longer exists?

 

May you take in the views in the moment

May you closely inspect your memories

May you travel well, however it is that you travel

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025

Current History

 

I met a long time friend yesterday. We shared a long lunch, long memories and current thoughts. Laughs, "NO WAY!!" exclamations, frustration, sadness...friendship.

Here is the Heart Tree again and the inspired stencil drawing, all colored in. I discovered there are actually 2 more preprinted pages left. I wonder what will come to them?

There was a fountain outside of the restaurant, where the water sounds, sights soothed.

I was lucky enough to hear that teaching materials I had passed on to her years ago are in full use and adored by the children in her class. Isn't that wonderful?!!

One in particular has inspired me to complete an idea started 21 years ago! Oh my.

I had worked with another friend to make the "Three Little Pigs" pillow sets (one for each of us). The printed story fabric was the inspiration. Each pillow used this fabric, along with speciality fabrics (brick, sticks, straw etc.) to create 'story pillows'. We made a fourth pillow inspired by the book The Fourth Little Pig by Teresa Celsi. 

Why of course there needed to be a fourth pig then...a Female pig! So we made her a stone/rock house. But, I never did make HER. So, I've begun the process to do so. My general plan is to use the green pig #3 above as a base, making new overalls/hat to adhere to her. We'll see. Each pig and the wolf are made by fusing the printed cloth image to Warm & Natural Batting. At the time I thought the figures could be used with the pillows or a flannel board story set. 

In searching for batting and appropriate fabric, I came across so many fabric memories. This small wall hanging was made by the pillow making friend as a goodby gift when I left that school. The back is off white fabric with stars, signed with loving messages from my co-workers of long ago, some of whom I am still friends with after all of these years. She had added tiny charms that pertained to me and our time together (a spider web & spider, a sun, a moon, bare feet and 3 feathers). I smiled that she'd included bare feet and of course, I love the feathers most of all. Again, "lucky" comes to mind. 

I was never much of a 'fountain' person, until I discovered the one near the bridge. I more often craved natural water...rivers, lakes, ocean. But, recently I've also been drawn to the movement, bubbling sounds and clarity of these city fountains...even dipping my hand in to be carried away, if only in my head.

I also found this old 'sampler'...created in my first Jude Hill class, "Whispering Hearts". This was back when I'd just started this blog and I posted a tiny mention of that HERE. I revisited that stars & moon pillowcase again today too. Ha. 

There was a lot about this cloth that I'd forgotten, but the parts I remembered have been very deeply engrained into my spirit. I can see that I was in process of adding 'wings' to one of the hearts and I had forgotten that I'd added 'power' to this cloth. I've left it out to work on it some more.

Both...both of these cloths have resurfaced at just the right time. I really needed them right now.

🩶 🩶 🩶 🩶 🩶

How can you accept in, even welcome in what is needed?

 

May you look at the old with current eyes

May you dip your hand in

May you open your heart to yourself

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025 

#goodenough

2025

 2025...

Happy New Year everyone. May 2025 bring each of you exactly what you need, want, desire.

The old trivet above states "Good Luck" on the horseshoe. It was once solid painted black and is now becoming rust...perhaps soon to be dust. 

The January 2025 Hallmark Datebook drawing is my wish for now, meaning out of the fireworks and into the flow.

I stitched last night, on the eve of a new year...May you be Healthy, still unfinished. Today I wrote postcards to the little grandchildren. I plan to continue this new tradition (from 2024) of one postcard each month to each grandchild. For January 1 chose the Carson Valley Inn, in Carson Valley, NV and Virginia City, NV. I wonder what other postcards will come forward through the new year?

 What do you wish for or plan for the new year?

May you stay connected

May you go with the flow

May you live in each moment

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025 

#goodenough

Honey - A Gift - A Tradition

 

We went on a drive today. Something we haven't really done in years. We stopped first at the Honey Farm. Their Sage Honey is so good and the 'working bee hive' was fun to see again.

This is the old 2005 photo of the "La Conchita Quilt", as it is known around here. The colors of the rainy sky have faded a lot over the past 20 years. But, I also don't think this was ever a true representation of the blue color.

And, yes...it has been 20 years since that awful day, when so many lost their lives and the others had their lives changed forever. 

I've written about it so many times here, so feel free to put La Conchita into the search bar to see more. There are other old pics of this quilt in that search.

Every time I write about it, I discover something new. Today it was this BOOK.

The Pacific ocean shimmers at 65 MPH, the coast near La Conchita

XL VENTURA SWELL | C-Street Ventura, CA | A Surf Film 12.22.24

LINK 3:38 minutes

Now, here we are coming up on January 10, 2025 - the 20 year Anniversary and I've done something I've thought of doing for years. I took this quilt and donated it to the community which inspired it.

For years I considered ways...who...how...and finally landed on a plan. After watching many, many videos, I decided that if I got the quilt to the unofficial mayor of La Conchita, he would know what to do. He did. There is a local community organization there and he said he would get it to them.

Anyway, I asked neighbors walking their dogs which house was his and they kindly pointed me in the right direction. I knocked on the door, confirmed that it was he I was seeking and let him know I had a gift for the community. I asked him if he would accept it. He answered quickly that he would love to. I got it out of the car and brought it to his front door. 

There we stood talking, me a total stranger and him a man in his 70's who lived through the disaster. He seemed very touched that I would bring this to them and said more than once that it was beautiful (cloth or action? - Both?). I shared a bit about the representational figures. We both winced and sighed at the mention of Jimmie Wallet. I shared the reason of the naming of the quilt on the tag and offered him the card I'd written to the community.

I can't describe the joy I felt in finally taking this action after so many years of planning to do so. I feel like the quilt is where it belongs. I had a 20 year turn and it was time to pass it on.

La Conchita Bells Toll 01.10.2015@1:20pm

LINK 1:40 minutes

From flames to leaves...More hearts

The next stop was our Emma Wood. We couldn't remember the last time we were there, so many life things have been in the way. It was cool and very foggy. We were surprised at how the coast had changed. There was more driftwood than I've ever seen in one place! The recent huge waves have done their work! The trail along the bluff was gone and that whole area was filled with rocks. He scrambled over part of that trail, I did not.

It was literally completely covered in driftwood! So solid, it was pretty easy to walk on!

The inland trail (VS the bluff trail, now gone) heading North. Gulls flew in.

We came upon a fire pit and rustic seating area and took a moment to rest, chat and watch the sea.

I collected a few pieces for Power Sticks and who knows what else and then we made our way over the railroad tracks and back to the car.

Looking South - Looking North

One quilt block rock, one stick, one rock and one bridge... 

The colors in this piece are quite amazing. The drive through Heritage Valley brought back so many memories of my long commuting days. I love that area through wide open space, earth filled with orchards and fields of food growing...'fruit' stands sprinkled along the way, hawks & cops hiding, but seen. I thanked (aloud) the farm workers out there in the fields. Closer to home, contrails again cross the sky. You knew there'd be a bright blue sky, right?!

What or where makes your heart sing?

May you get out once and a while 

May you wrap yourself in things and places you adore

May you do this with your beloveds 

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2024 

#goodenough