Showing posts with label plant life. Show all posts

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Light, Shadow and Heat

Light, Shadow and Heat...

Three words holding meaning in many world and living contexts. Nature, art, photography...emotional or spiritual life. Going towards the light...in the heat of the moment...shadow relationships. Everywhere one lands there is Light, Shadow and Heat.

Slightly cooler in the morning, but the heat of the day still stands strong. The photos above are from the drive "up to the gate". You've seen it all before. It's a good place to soak in some nature when it is too hot to walk. The clouds hung on the edges of the surrounding mountains, threatening - but nary a drop of rain falls. This is common. I frequently try to capture that which can't be captured. I adore these clouds. Leaves shimmer in the sun and shadows swallow the dry creek bed, where an injured tree and a lone patio table present a hot August still life.

Clouds hang in the sky, just beyond the bridge. The wild river flows clear and completely disappears in the green growth now. Hidden beneath the shining wet leaves, moving towards the sea.

On Wednesdays, there is a Farmer's Market at our local hospital. It is more of a food vendor event, with a little produce. We got fresh sourdough bread and a cake-like chocolate chip & walnut cookie, along with strawberries and blueberries. It was all yummy!

The City Park clouds danced across the sky, while the brand new grocery carts stood at attention, ready for service. 😄 No crazy wheels on these babies! The swallows have moved on, but the local grocery crows yuck it up as always.

My garden of weaving has grown and flourished. 3 Medicine Bags in the garden and one ready to party!

I've been missing my rosemary bush at the old place as a place to photograph in the daylight. So, today I went to the patio to try for better, truer light.

Above, from left to right: "Wild Garden"..."Midnight in the Garden"..."Nature's Blooms"

Below: "Party!" This one is made for someone who likes black & white, has a great sense of humor and believes in having fun!

I've had a really good time weaving again. I'm deciding on colors for the next one and will happily take suggestions! My yarn stash is narrowing down to colors I love best and use the most...blues, greens, browns, so I'm getting creative with color mixing. The black here will not be used again, because it is a mess! There is black fuzz everywhere!

Weaving the Party Bag was a good activity while the power was out, again. It went out for about one hour on August 7th. Today it was out for over 2 hours. It is hot to have no power, but I'm thankful it did not last that long. The last time it went out, I walked up front to get information. A few residents were gathering in the lobby. The elevator was out, with someone in it! Another resident was trying to get help for her neighbor as she was stuck in her partly raised up electric chair (one of those chairs that raises the seat, putting the human on their feet). She could not get out on her own and the neighbor could not support her weight to help her. While we've often talked about the perks - or not- of living with an elevator, I had never considered an electric chair! We checked battery sizes for our flashlights and plan to get some new ones to freshen them up. But, I hope power outages don't become a regular thing!

The yarn below is one of my all time favorites. I absolutely love it. I have had this one skein for years, using it here and there. Some of you may even know it personally. I love the colors and the little curly cues. I had a little girl in my classroom years ago that had curls like these!

What are you up to in the hot days of summer?

May you stay strong in the light

May you breeze through the shadows

May you survive the heat

#goodenough

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Busy? Circling?

There is nothing so wise as a circle

~Rainer Maria Rilke

It has been hot, still. There have been days of clouds, causing higher humidity than we are used to. We usually have a "dry" heat compared to other places in the country. Anyway, the weather (and air quality) has really gotten me off my walking game. I refuse to be too hard on myself for this. When we get into the car the thermometer reads hotter, just from sitting there. The we play the guessing game on where it will land after a mile or two of driving. Yesterday it read 108, got down to 103 - or something like that (I've sort of lost track).

I watched two of the "Whispers in the Garden" videos (below). Every one is so beautiful...magical...and so much love and dedication on the part of the gardener. Amazing really. I then popped over to his channel and watched this one, his most recent and discovered that he has been unwell. I don't watch this channel on a regular basis, so I had no idea...which is such a good reminder about not really knowing what others may be going through. Anyway, his gardens and all that he films are so lovely and just the respite on hot summer days. I could post so many of them here, as each one is so fulfilling in some way.

She offered her most precious thing...and they said No

LINK 25:51 minutes

Around here, our gardener has been working so hard to tidy Everything up. The building owners were set for a visit/walk through last week and everything got new paint, raking or a trim. These grasses look like they got an at home haircut by an untrained parent!

One woman, one tiny yard, and a vision no one saw coming

LINK 38:04 minutes

The wall next door has been turned into an ashtray. Gross. What a harsh difference between these lovers of the land in the videos and this glaring statement close to home. What kind of people would do this anyway?

In other notes, I've been slowly turning those colorful squares into...something. I've been busy writing notes and using colorful tape to seal them safely inside until they reach their destination. A feel good activity for me.

In reflecting on the lives of those who journal (in some way - however loosely that may be), I realized that over the past few (several?) years, I too have been writing more and more. Again, not in a typical diary fashion, but I was actually surprised at the different "books" I have. Along with my New Solution datebook holder, I have two small everything arty books (which hold art ideas, quotes, addresses and lists)...the Black Lists Book (a goofy book of lists of anything and everything I can think of: pets we've had, body parts missing, place we love...etc. there is a list for each of us, for each subject) ** Go here for more on A BOOK OF LISTS...the gifted tan drawing journal, which you've seen pages of here...and medical and a PT tracking spaces. I've gotten a chuckle out of the fact that this has organically grown, with me having no idea it is a "thing" folks do (even if my particulars are very, very different). It is comical to me. I have other journal books just waiting for some sort of need or inspiration.

I'm also very slowly rereading two books. Blue Highways and The Tao of Pooh. Additionally, I finally bit the bullet and ordered a used copy of Sacred Circles - which comes with a historical story (of course). I had this book back in the late 1990's-early 2000's. It was a time of discovering new parts of myself and it caught my interest. I read much of it, but knew I did not have folks to start any idea of a Sacred Circle with, but read it as something intriguing to me alone. Anyway, in around 2007, I shared the book with a like minded co-worker, knowing how it would speak to her. I never got it back. I wanted it back. She even one time explained to me that her philosophy was that if she did not get a personally loaned book back, it only meant that the other person needed it more. Is that how she justified keeping my book? At the time I was nowhere close to practicing that philosophy (well before I started giving away so many personally important things) and I was mad. Years later, I left that job and so had no way to get my book returned. This is the same woman to whom I loaned my whole writing/collection of weaving with children ideas/related book titles notebook to - and who then passed it off as her own. Why did I ever think we were like-minded? The problem then began...I could not recall the exact title or the author's name. As the years went by, it all became more and more fuzzy and I could only recall the most basic outline of the book. Anyway, in my many searches, I always paused at the one linked here...is this it? I would wonder. It sounded familiar and the 1998 copyright date fit...so is it? Like I said, I finally took the gamble and have just begun to flip through it. Is it the same book? I think so, but I am not 100% sure, yet. It does feel familiar. I actually bought it with the idea of satisfying my curiosity and then passing it on to someone in particular. However, I'd forgotten that it is filled with quotes and interior stories. I may need more time with it.

When sisters gather

and the wind/breath/spirit blows

and seeds are scattered

and nurturing happens even when we are unaware

Margee'

How do you broaden your circle? How do you keep your circle safe?

May you circle around

May you circle within

May you circle with trusted others

#goodenough

Sunday, July 19, 2026

To The Coast

Off we went to the coast...a drive we had not done in some time. Time was spent noticing the many changes on the highway that had once been my daily commute. The photo above shows another hilltop gone...razed, cut clean to make way for new homes. The amount of traffic blew my mind. So many people and they are building new homes for more! So many valid concerns about roads and infrastructure, the environment etc. etc.

The air was so refreshing! The last time we were here was the day I donated the La Conchita quilt. It was winter and cold. Friday was really lovely. It smelled so good!

A few driftwood homes, the cries of seagulls and crows - along with the little song of a small bird too. I enjoyed seeing others there enjoying their day too.

Rounding a bend, a smiling face had me smiling too! The fire pit seating area is now down to the pit and the log chair, with a few scattered pieces.

Where one can see forever! Where does your eye land when you are in nature?

It took several minutes to find this little one who was chirp, chirp, chirping!

Small rock buildings and small boys playing nearby...crow takes off - love those dangling legs!

I had not planned to make any more Power Sticks, but the driftwood called to me once again. So, I guess my heart is still in creating those.

On the way home we stopped to see the beautiful flowers planted alongside the crops. I could not recall seeing this from commuting years. As soon as I opened the door to take photos, the sweet scent of peppers jumped up to great me! It was glorious!