Autumn Leaves

And Autumn did say.
“Why the hurry, such a hurry
Why such haste to end the day
Slow down, slow down I say
Look around
For there’s so much beauty,
just waiting to be found.”
Athey Thompson

It’s time to take a few deep breaths, slow down, and discover joy in fallen crimson leaves, joined together by a sudden gust of wind.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

It seems like eons ago that we had that heatwave I thought would never end, but the temp has cooled down quite a bit.

We still haven’t had any rain, but it’s a comfortable Southern California autumn with cool evenings and pleasantly warm days, not too hot or too cold.

Like Goldilocks found Baby Bear’s bowl of oatmeal in The Three Bears, it’s “just right.”

Let Them Be

Ever so gently
Just as we
Shall be
Let them all be
Let the ladybirds on a rose bush be
Let the worms deep down in the earth be
Let all the little creatures come to me
Let all the elementals come to see
Ever so knowingly
Just as we
Shall be
Let them all be

A little poem by Athey Thompson
Art by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and Elaine Bayley

Don’t Ever Forget

And, when we grow up
We must not forget
That hidden down deep
Within us
Is our forever inner child
Resting, silently
Forever waiting
Forever hoping
That one day
We shall, remember it

A Poem Written by Athey Thompson
Art curated from Pinterest

Light After Dark

There in the wild darkness
Is the silence
And, after the silence
Comes the light

A New Dawn, a little poem by Athey Thompson
Artist:Elisabeth Ladwig

Little Monday Thoughts

Some of the times
There are no words,
so let us just sit here in the silence.
Together in the silence we shall be.

Little thoughts by Athey Thompson
Art by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Do You Wonder, Too?

I wonder
What would we do
If upon the flicker of a light
Our dreams did come true

A Little Poem by Athey Thompson / Art curated from Pinterest

May Day is Ah-MAY-Zing!

Gather all the little children
With May flowers in their hair
For they shall dance
Around the maypole
For they shall dance
The day away

May Day blessings to all – A little May Day poem by Athey Thompson

For me, the month of May is the BEST not only because of Mother’s Day but it’s also my birthday month.

Last year Mother’s Day and my birthday fell on the same day. It’s an extra special treat for my two favorite days to be combined into one celebration.

The best known modern May Day traditions include dancing around the maypole and crowning the May Queen. Fading in popularity is the tradition of giving of “May baskets”, small baskets of candy or flowers. I think we should revive that adorable custom, don’t you?

Just in time for May Day, I found an adorable porcelain flower basket at Goodwill for about three dollars and I HAD to bring it home with me.

So far, this month started off in an ah-MAY-zing way.

Since it wasn’t a great video, I won’t post it, but THREE coyotes came to visit last night– THREE! — all together, and early this morning at first light, another coyote visit was captured on my wildlife camera. That’s NEVER happened before and I am soso excited.

The weather is warming up; all the fruit trees are flowering, the roses and ceanothus and lavender are in bloom, and baby birds are hatching.

Beltane, which takes also takes place on May 1st, is a celebration of the abundance of Earth and the forces of Nature. Bonfires are traditionally set to engender a sense of connection with ourselves and all living beings, but that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do in our wildfire ravaged state, so the flame from a safe candle must suffice.

Happy May Day and Happy Beltane!

Miracles and Magic

Let’s go
To where the magic waits for us
Where our hopes, our dreams
Our wishes. Come true.
Athey Thompson

Yesterday was a magical day full of miracles.

In the garden, I looked up in a tree and saw two hawks mating! (I didn’t take any photos to protect their privacy.) Last night one of the wild baby bunnies was on the deck and scratched at the screen door like it wanted to come in the house (I didn’t open the door, but I was tempted), and the third miracle is that my adorable little vireos are once again nesting in a brand new bird house!

Vireo

“And as to me, I know nothing else but miracles” — Walt Whitman

Do You See?

And, finally I see
There right in front of me
Waiting peacefully
Was a bright new day

A little poem written by Athey Thompson
Art curated from Pinterest

Enchanted

In my dreams…

Those Enchanted places
Where the past shall always be
Where the past shall linger
Quietly, in the present.

Poem by Athey Thompson
Art by Lucy Campbell