Slow Change

A drive today, to someplace we haven't been in quite some time, many years really.

We have driven by the turnout on some drives North though.

Blue skies, sunshine and 67 degrees...perfect. 

It's actually an old paved road, so an easier stroll (a walk-about? a hike?). Plants grow up through the old asphalt, showing us how Mother Nature would reclaim if humans were gone. The sage and other native plants were larger than last time and rather dusty-dry looking. Yet, the vast land also looks timeless. There were beautiful succulents, tons of Yucca plants in various stages of dying off and even this beautiful Bay Tree (above).

I took the 'word cloth' with me, so I could try to get a decent photo of the whole thing. The lighting in my house isn't great and I have no outdoor space, so this was a good solution. Plus, Jude reminded me of cloth ceremony, which I haven't done in so long.

Others before us did art of their own.

A bright sun, in a brilliant sky

Trees thinking it's spring

Far off islands in the reservoir

Litter turns out to be a howling wolf, which I take to throw out - but decide it may be a good collage piece (thinking of Dee and Acey). Ahrooo....

May you keep a wide view and lean in for a closer look

May you take art with you, wherever you go

May you howl

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2021

Gifts - Part 2

Still considering gifts of all kinds. This was on my mind in my last post, but I was quite excited to share the book and the gift of inspiration, which led to my self-haircut. 

Today, I have some gifts of nature, but just a a few, from our short walk.

The gift of blooms in the winter sun

The gift of snow on distant mountains

The gift of bright new grass at the base of a tree

❤❤❤

I'm grateful to be a "noticer" - a gift in itself, so I love appreciate nature in my neighborhood.

I did spring for two copies of the book:
The boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse   

Both for birthdays, one for a dear 25 year old and the other for a dear 37 year old & her two total gems of hers. Both have shared history with me. Both have shared some tough times with me, the older gal is in hard times now. I've mentioned her here before, lit a candle for her. Both true gifts to me and perhaps I to them as well. Sometimes one has to balance the cost and the need or reward. This time friendship won. It always does. It is the best gift of all.

 I feel a new word coming on.

❤❤❤

May you discover many gifts, which are free or affordable and always from the heart.

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2021

 

How We See

 

Only my third walk of this new year,

so already my everyday goal fell apart.

That's okay, the pressure is relieved right off the bat. 

With me today, no camera but that in my silly flip phone, just the words of vision coming to mind. Just phrases concocted to share that vision, if possible.

 

While walking, I see, I look, I absorb without the concern of framing the shot.

I walk with the words of friends in my head, as I consider the posts of Dee and Liz.

What do I see on these asphalt trails? How do I feel?

I walk with my words in my head.

 

It is a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and a gentle temperature of about 70 degrees that welcomes me, encouraging me to stroll and BE in the moment.

9 crows and the remaining leaves on very bare trees dance on a cool breeze.

I pause as that breeze moves through me too, telling myself that I must do this more often.

I must make time, make the effort to be out, to be within...to be in the moment and in nature.

 

My eyes roam from sky to ground, finding beauty.

Treasures like a variety of seed pods gathered at the base of trees, an unknown fruit, red and round, and fallen leaves - both retaining some color and crunchy brown - capture my attention, calling for closer examination.

 

But, I would less than truthful if I only spoke to beauty today.

These days are a mixed bag, at best.

For my eyes also catch mask-less neighbors also out walking and such. More not wearing, than wearing, even now among the current surge in our county.

My ears picked up snippets of conversation as I cross the road that cause me to wonder,

whose side are they on?

I immediately dislike these thoughts entering my mind.

I immediately dislike that fear can come so easily and trust not at all.

Because you never know.
 

Because what we see, how we see is based on perception. 

Yours, mine and ours.

With each perceived vision, comes a lifetime of layered experiences, ideas and ideologies...

genetic histories, what we carry with us.

I came back home with more dire news 'breaking'.

 

I did use my trusty flip-phone to capture this sign on a neighborhood gate, as the phrase left me wondering and I wanted to remember it, to consider later...

maybe with different eyes.

 

May you spend time outside and within

May you notice beauty, but still recognize the ugly

May you be safe

With an extra helping of love in these trying times

xo  

 Photographs by NAE ©2021 

Days of Pendulum

 

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the heel and toes are made with textured fabric.

The toe is velvet, which is so soft! There is some of the old shorts corduroy behind his name.

I had planned on putting a snowflake or two or so, but it is not going to work out, as I seemed to have lost the little baggie with the last couple in it and pandemic snowflake shopping just won't happen. Good enough.

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 I took a little walk again today. Much shorter, on orders by my bones & muscles ;)

I had to really encourage myself to get out there, but I was spurred on by comments from my last post, and posts of yours as well. I remind myself how often I read about Dee's walks with dog, Jude's walks to know rock and more, Saskia's walks near waterways, Grace's walks with land & tree...Penny's walks with Rusty Pups and Mo's walking explorations through museums and her beloved mountains.

Anyway, I carry this inspiration (and more!) with me and that of Michelle and all of her City Walks and her kind comments to me here on the trail. 

Today I really had Liz on my mind. I reflected on her last post, which held an acorn & feather, as I had done in my previous post.  This gave me an idea for a game, because I am working real hard to swing that pendulum towards positive. I didn't have my camera today, so I imagined my answers to Scavenger Hunt Clues in words alone. I'll include the Clues list, in case you want to play too!

1. Find/Tell of something that surprised you.
2. Find/Tell of something that delighted you.
3. Find/Tell of something you see as beautiful.
4. Find/Tell of something that inspired you.
5. Find/Tell of something you see as remarkable.

↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ ↡ 

1.  I was surprised by a power pole about a block from home. The exact moment I was walking by said pole, I heard a very loud rattling, falling sound (Imagine the sound of a rain stick, just really loud! It made me jump). I stopped and looked at the wooden pole and noticed strapped beside it, a large PVC pipe. My mind flew to conclusions to solve the puzzle. We have lots of woodpeckers around here, was it that? Did a woodpecker drop acorns down that PVC? But, no, I did see any birds. My next consideration was, did I hear some sort of electrical surge? That did not seem right to me because the sound didn't match the idea. So, I guess I will have to just remain surprised! 
2. Something that delighted me was bumping into an old friend and ECE gal outside of her home. We hadn't seen each other in years, so there was lots of catching up to do. We sat in the beautiful warm sun on her bleachers garden bottom bench. There were dozens of plants between us, which made social distancing so much more delightful!
3. Today I walked up my own street about 3/4 mile, where a gate ends the through street. I walked beyond the gate and sat down on the curb in the quiet of this car-less road. I saw crows and turkey vultures circling some distance away. Round and round they floated on invisible air currents, miles up in the blue sky. I always find this not only beautiful, but so calming, sentering. Beautiful can mean many things.
4. I was inspired by my friends gardens, not only on the bleachers, but throughout her front yard. Raised beds growing a wide variety of winter vegetables, chimes and yard art included at this last house on the road. As we chatted, several people walked or drove by on this dead end street, most waving saying "Hi" or stopping to chat. Green growing things, friendships and friendly neighbors are always inspiring.
5. I found it remarkable to see a clear top-teeth retainer, flattened in the street. I have one of these retainers, I know what they cost! Remarkable that it just lay squashed in the street!
   

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I found a beautiful leaf that I was compelled to carry home with me so I could share it with you.

I found it to check off every number on the Clues List: 

surprised, delighted, beautiful, inspired & remarkable.

 

Isn't she a beauty?!

The colors caught my eye, but the green stitched veins are what really fascinated me!

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Always within the day these days, the pendulum swings quietly.

The news cycle and adult concerns keep it real, 

which is why the walks and our friendships are so important.  

 

The following deep-heart writing comes from 

Jen Lee 

I get updates, info and writings from her in my email.

The last few writings have been very touching.

This one fits my mood of late.

We need to be gentle with ourselves and our loved ones.

These have been hard times and you can't ignore that.

Maybe you lost a friend to this pandemic. Maybe you lost three. Maybe your best friend just got a lung transplant at age sixteen, or you heard that terrible word: inoperable.

Maybe you are staring down the long double barrel of autumn and winter and wondering who we will be on the other side, and who will be there with us.

Some days I think of everyone I've ever loved. I am thinking of the unspoken or unsaid things and they rise and fall in me like waves.

The sound it makes is: thank you . . . thank you . . . thank you.

For things taught and kindnesses shown. For recognition and togetherness and making the world a more hospitable place for our strange and wondrous selves. For acceptance and this feeling of carrying in our hearts and being carried by others.

I do not know what to tell you. Maybe that tears come quickly for us in these days. Our voices break in the middle of so many sentences.

I want to say there is something about violins that gives this feeling voice. There is something about the blanket of night that makes it easier to say.

I imagine us always saying thank you, or I love you, as if every other sentence were these in code. To the liquor store owner passing wine bottles through bulletproof glass. The super who reminds me of my dad calling me by name as I walk by. The courier arriving with the medicine at 10 pm at night. The bus driver delivering me home safely and the old man waving through the barbershop window.

Our heart of hearts, our home base, or the safe harbor we dropped anchor into.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. 

Copyright © 2020 Jen Lee, All rights reserved.

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May you appreciate the highs and the lows

May you find a way to play

May you embrace folks & birds

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020

 

The Counts Are In

Well folks, the counts are in.

I've heard from each and every bone and muscle and it is unanimous...

I'm old!

Let me fill you in.

 

Today I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. While J was at the grocery store, I decided to clean the almost empty fridge. Not a job I spontaneously do. But, I did. Then, I decided that I really need to Get Out! So, I decided to go for a walk. A big walk, for me these days.

I've wanted to walk "up to the gate" near my house for a really, really long time. I used to walk there all the time, then work, commute, life got in the way.

My body noticed the years it's been between walks there,                                                            even though it's only a few miles there and back.

These last months, I've not gotten the exercise I used to or that I should. But, I decided to push myself anyway (knowing I'd hurt tonight, which I do), because my spirit needed this.

Here are many pics:

I headed up my street, accompanied by gorgeous clouds! It was about 60 degrees with a nice breeze. A beautiful day.   

Off onto neighboring streets, a statue I'd not seen before and some wild turkeys I heard before seeing them perched in an oak...plus the dirt part of the road not taken (well, not for a few years!)

I rounded the corner to the familiar road to the gate. The first house on the left, a small one bedroom I've always loved looks a bit worse for the wear, but it has a new windmill thingy. I love those for some strange reason. :)

Almost to the gate, a small bird on the fence of an empty lot I used to imagine a home upon and the gift of a feather (red tail hawk, I do believe)

I sat on my old rock down by the gate for a while. I wondered at the blue skies and huge, old trees. Even though this is just a sidewalk-less street in a suburban town, it has been a get-away for me for over twenty-one years, ever since I moved to this side of town. I've missed being there. I've needed to be there.

The road back home.

 

There were lots of acorns, a few pumpkins and some beautiful flowers too!

 

While we don't get gobs of Fall Color around here, I always notice and appreciate the bits we've got! Soon after I got home, it rained lightly...and then hailed for a few minutes, before the bright skies returned. The sunset was pink tonight :)

 

May you find resolve when you need it

May you get out when you need to

May you go in when you need to

May you remember you are loved

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020

Little Walk - Big Plant

On our walk yesterday, or the day before...

we noticed one of the Century plants bursting upwards.

A different one than

you last saw here.

Today I brought my camera.

Look how tall it is!

This is a two story building, mind you.

Crazy!

 Look at it next to the Palm tree!

Perspective with J's hand

Other beautiful growth was noted as well.

 A strange story:

Two days ago when we walked, tree trimmers, trimming the trees shown in the photo above.

There is a driveway there, to the left of this photo.

Anyway, on the sidewalk, there at the base of the block wall 

(which is topped with the wood you see here), under the Jacaranda tree,

lay a dead crow, wings tucked close to its body.

As I commented over at Dee's, I couldn't look and so walked around it out in the road.

Yesterday, the sidewalk was clear, no crow.

I wondered briefly about who had done the clean up?

The tree trimmers?

I let, well I insisted my mind not stay there considering how the crow was honored or not.

Today when we walked, there, close to the same spot under the Jacaranda tree, 

on the sidewalk, but closer to the road...

another dead crow.

Back to where the Century plants live,

there are also these lovelies.

I don't know what they are, but I love 'em!

They are so colorful and cheerful.

Among all the strange

May you also notice the beautiful

Be well

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020