…they opened their wings
softly and stepped
over every dark thing.
Mary Oliver
Sitting at the top of a tree near the lagoon, this lone egret seems deep in thought and as bewildered as I am about the time change; like why is it almost dark at 5pm?
Same, egret, same.
“Trade me a memory,” the butterfly said
A memory that’s heavy and harsh,
And I’ll sit and I’ll listen and try my sweet best
To lighten the load on your heart.
From a poem by Becky Hemsley+Art by Amanda Cass
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Lao Tzu
Leaf Loss / Bare Bones / Blue Sky
This ash tree started out forty years ago in a five-gallon pot as a housewarming gift. As soon as the leaves begin to drop–in just a day or two– the branches will become bare and I’ll have a LOT of raking to do.
“Simplicity is the final achievement.
Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Coco Chanel
Abscission is the reason why leaves fall. Scientists believe that a reduction in sunlight leads to the reduction of chlorophyll in the leaf due to a reduction in photosynthesis and this may trigger the abscission of leaves. The actual process occurs when the weaker cells near the petiole are pushed off by the stronger cells beneath them.
That’s a lot for my brain to process and right now all I want to do is quietly savor the stark, elegantly naked branches.
It reminds me of my little vase of twigs and another example of ma https://enchantedseashells.com/2020/10/25/ma-the-space-between-things
“Nature is pleased with simplicity.” Frederic Chopin:
As pretty as it is all dressed in green, the artistry of bare bone branches are stunning in their strength of simplicity,
I see the graceful arms of a dancer against a backdrop of the bluest sky of the year.
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasure.” Isaac Newton
Lately, I’ve been thinking about T-I-M-E. Time flies. I hate to be late; I like to be ON TIME. Does time really exist at all or have we been brainwashed to think iit does?
Too much thinking about time as ephemeral makes me anxious. Too much thinking about anything does the same thing. My non-logical mind has determined that TIME itself isn’t the issue; THINKING about it IS and it makes my brain melt, just like Dali’s clocks.
“Time doesn’t exist, clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct.”
— David Foster Wallace
“It takes just one unattended moment for an hour to pass.”
― Sherod Santos, Square Inch Hours: Poems
Santos was born in South Carolina, graduated from San Diego State University, and studied at the University of California, Irvine. I never met him when I attended SDSU, but I knew ABOUT him; all of us who studied creative writing and poetry knew about “Rod” Santos and W.S. Merwin and Glover Davis, who was actually my professor.
David Foster Wallace was an acclaimed American writer known for his fiction, nonfiction, and critical essays that explored the complexities of consciousness, irony, and the human condition. Wallace wrote the novel Infinite Jest.
“The Persistence of Memory” is an iconic 1931 surrealist oil painting by Salvador Dalí, famous for its “melting” clocks draped over a desolate, dream-like landscape inspired by his Catalonian home. The painting uses a paranoiac-critical method to explore the subconscious, with the distorted clocks symbolizing the fluidity and subjectivity of time, influenced by Freudian psychology and potentially Einstein’s theory of relativity. From Google.
Could Leon Russell’s version of As Time Goes By be the best ever? I think so…mature Leon was awesome, too.
I don’t think I ever knew there were more verses. I’m not sure if this is the original or if someone added to it, but it’s lovely.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is set,
And the grass with dew is wet,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see where to go
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark
Lights the traveler in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
The Star by Jane Taylor
Art from Pinterest
As long as there are bluebirds, there will be miracles and a way to find happiness.
Quote curated from Pinterest: Credit to the writer.
Art by Ida Rentoul Outwaite
Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable. —Mary Oliver
Words by Mary Oliver – Art by Leonardo Di Aetherhart – Curated from Novelicious
Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. — Rumi
Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. — Rumi
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and it holds significant spiritual symbolism. It represents the triumph of light over darkness, new beginnings, and the peak of nature’s abundance. Here are three of my favorite things…
🌻 Summer Solstice Mantra:
Om Hrim Shivaya Namaha
This is a powerful invocation of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy). The bija sound “Hrim” amplifies the transformative power of Om Namah Shivaya, making it especially resonant at this sun-drenched turning point in the year.
🌻 Solar Plexus Chakra:
Another way to celebrate the summer solstice is to embrace our inner light by connecting with our solar plexus chakra. Awaken to and be aware of our inner radiance and true power.
The solar plexus chakra–Manipura–is where we derive our sense of self and personal autonomy. It’s our distinct source of personal power that allows us to live life freely and authentically. Associated with a bright yellow color, we can empower our solar plexus chakra by meditating and with yoga poses like the plank and variations of warrior, or any pose that focuses on our core strength.
Summer Stars
Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
So near you are, summer stars,
So near, strumming, strumming,
So lazy and hum-strumming.
–Carl Sandburg
I updated this post to honor the life and genius of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson. You can’t write about a surfer girl without that song in your head, right? Listen to Surfer Girl at the end ⬇️
Riding the waves, enchanted fairy-girl style…
A girl adrift, where sunlight streams,
Through liquid glass, a world of dreams.
She dances free, a silver thread,
In currents soft, where fishes fed.
The water whispers, soft and low,
As gentle eddies gently flow.
A world of wonder, cool and deep,
Where secrets sleep and shadows creep.
Art: Ida Rentoul Outhwaite Poem: Author unknown
“Do you love me, do you, surfer girl?”
