Ice~~ing

When Winter breaks out

that special palette;

the one with glimmer and shine,

Out I trek.

No thoughts to

health or self.

There is magic to be

CAPTURED.

Quick!

It will be gone.

One too many sunbeams,

clouds parting for

extra seconds,

the magic kingdom

disappears.

I hurry.

To capture worlds trapped

within frozen droplets,

To see the cross

between snow

and frost.

(don't breathe~~all will melt~~this is not the real world)

And find a star

in leaf debris.

Autumn ashes made beautiful again

by this frozen

kiss.

Photos captured

as diamonds dance

in the frigid air.

I am in 

Fairy-Land.

And all will pass.....

.....too fast.

Blink.

It is gone.

I dance in the diamond-glitter,

let the shards of

frigid

fall on my face.

And quickly retreat.

Magic only lasts

so long.

Pure Gold....

Fall is in the air.

In the morning, I hear it's whisper.

Gold begins to take the landscape,

Touches of crimson 

Kiss the trees.

The morning sun rises

Through veils of 

Drifting fog.

Autumn is gently approaching.

The promise of cool,

Of color,

Of chilly nights and 

Crisp days.

Apples and pumpkins

Brighten the days before

The dark and cold of

Winter.

It is a sweet smell,

This, the passing of another year.

Mingled aromas of leaves,

Earth and harvest.

Sweet upon the palate.

Delight upon the eyes.

Welcome to the colors of fire,

That dance wildly

For too short a time.

Before the whites and grays

Of the earth's long

Sleep.

Nature Resurrecting

Something wonderful is afoot this year.

I am seeing a Resurrection Garden.

Bitten and left for dead by a late freeze,

Nature again proves it's resilience.

This wisteria~~top decimated from cold~~

Bravely pops out leaves and a fragrant flower bunch

low on the vine as the top

begins it's transformation as well.

Blackberry blossoms and bees.

Bees which had swarmed my Weeping Cherry,

only to vanish in the cold.

They have returned in abundance and

dance merrily on the warm breezes.

Fragile creatures as they are,

May Apples lean toward the sun

in the cool and lush shadows

of small wooded areas.

Air redolent with the rich smell

of earth and wood humus.

No perfume can match.

Multiflora rose hedge, considered by many

noxious, a haven for birds,

scents the air with it's plethora of blossoms.

Like being wrapped in a

massive corsage.

Goats beard (another so-called weed)

has braved the cold and offered up

a globe of seeds.

Gaze and see the future...finer than

crystal.

My *railroad rose*~~named for where I dug it~~

which has not bloomed for years.

A blossom of perfection, 

a petticoat of buds.

Amazing.

And my peach/pink iris.

Long gone from the flowerbed.

Happily nodding to me,

urging me out with camera,

smiling as I focus.

I think God's Garden is one of many Miracles.

He knows no weeds or preferential

plants....

just the beauty that sustains.

Returning, from the harshest conditions.

Bringing 

Faith, 

Hope,

unconditional Joy.

Savoring each moment.

Reminding myself of the blessing 

of

EVERY DAY.

Pax....  

Light And Shadow

I've been shooting photos as I've had the chance and lately there has been a lot of contrast in them. Light and shadow; color and neutral. I began thinking how this is sort of like life, and people, in general......
As above with the violet leaves, some people are able to glow deeply through any adversity. They seek that bright spot of light and grow. They are troopers. Their zest for life is infectious. 

Some are protected quite well but can only produce a single bloom. When the petals fall, they stand surrounded by what will envelope them and seldom seem to notice.
Rather than blossoming abundantly they limit themselves to one shot, and occasionally not even that. Their buds are nipped from a stray frost, they are swallowed from bound roots of their own making. The leaves close; the fruit withers.

Some are like the photo above, which for the most part describes my friends~~full, exuberant, putting joy into the world and just exploding with the delight of life. A group that, brought together, make a fragrant and exceptional addition to the path we all walk. (I would hope these for anyone!)
The brave, busting out even in the cold, they live their life in a state of grace. Their happiness is contagious. 

Those who seem to flourish the most beautifully may live in rocky soil, and never complain. They are so deeply grounded that all one sees is the delight of the blossom. Quiet and true, they don't intentionally draw undue attention nor intrude.
They just love.
Always.
Deeply.

And then there is me.....the stem that bends with the wind. Accepting the change and still standing, even as parts of the *old me* are gently being peeled away, flying off, not to be seen again.
But the root here is so deep~~blooms will come again.
Through sun and rain, hot and cold.
Waiting patiently with my face to the sky.
Happy in simplicity.
Wrapped in the tall grass.
Warmed by the sun.


Pax....

Flitting In.....

....For a quick Hello.
I've been sidelined with allergies, and when I haven't been walking with my head in a cloud, I've held my breath and ventured out for a few photos.
Things are blooming rapidly and then quickly disappearing~~I cannot believe the speed that we've moved to Summer, with the occasional cold night still.
I *thought* I would have the project done to post here that I had started the other day, but alas, damp weather and multiple layers of medium makes for slow drying.
Today I had to give in and let it sit.
It will be an interesting story though when I get it done, because everything....well....that's for another blog post.
Hope y'all are having warm days, soft breezes and beautiful flowers to succumb to their parfum.

(I am still having issues with Blogger not loading blogs or comment boxes~~please bear with me. I try and visit and comment, but this one has me stumped!)




Pax....

A Door Opens As One Closes

If it is early in the morning (my time) and you are reading this, I am at my last chemo treatment. 
What do you say? How do you express the odd emotions that run rampant at a time like this? The day everything changes in the short term.....
I am closing this door, and know another awaits me.


I want to shine like the forsythia in the early sun, glow from within, feel my life come back together, savor each second. 
I never want to forget the path I've walked to get to this day, and I want that path to continue far, far into the future.
Here's to many, many new doors opening.
For us all, each and every one.
And sunshine in abundance too.


Pax....

Chance Meetings....

Good Morning friend of mine...

Too long since we have danced among

the light and shadow.

Long fingers reaching to embrace me.

You coax the little leaves

from their winter home.

They nestle in last year,

and your attentive warmth.

All await your return~~

many ready to burst in fragrant

passion with your 

warm embrace.

The mantle of twigs and mulch,

slowly withdrawn.

Skeletal leaf shawls 

slowly laid aside.

You bring beauty to even the

simplest of things~~

Last year's remnants

glow like diamonds

but are simply

glass....

The silken Cherry 

blushes in your morning kisses.

Dramatic.

Without shame

but glorious with shadow.

 

And from the depths,

overnight,

the most passionate of tiny faces

emerges, turns,

and smiles back at you with 

glee.

Welcome Sol!

(tomorrow? shall we

meet again?

same place.

with passion.)

Pax....

 

Signs Of Life....

Searching for signs that Spring is here....

Camera lonesome and on the ready, I walk.

Eyes sharp to find even the smallest tidbit of green.

This change of seasons has been too long,

Too hard,

Far too many ups and downs.

Finding beauty in the most unexpected places.

Finding joy in life daily.

Pax....

The Quiet Monday.....

It is very quiet, this August fog that greets me in the early morning. A buffer to the noise from roads a mile or more away.....

....I watch the sun come up and light the land with gold, reflecting in the  moisture-rich air....

....The view framed by porch posts as if by a paper easel used to print photos....

....Shadows and boards become an interesting mix of abstract line....a simple pleasure magnified....

....A visitor, sunning to dry off. (it has been years since I have been graced with a Walking Stick  in my garden....and the butterflies have returned in abundance)

....Lilies sweet adding scent to the moment. A bundle most lovely; a bouquet by Nature herself....

....And charming, graceful, the hearts so damp with dew....Redbud, yes, but so much more....

....Mallows, fashionable with glittering water drop necklace....bright frilly skirts waiting to dry and dance in the breeze....

....As my horizon clears, I pull myself back into the real world of studio and work. But saving all these little miracles, and sharing near and far.
May your Monday be magical.
See the beauty that surrounds you; capture the moment.


Pax....

Sometimes, Silence

Sometimes I remain silent in a meditation.

Life becomes cluttered and what I would say perhaps need not be said.

Things are barbed and sharp......exterior and interior forces keeping me bound.

None the less, I bloom. In drought, I still bloom....brightly and full.

And retreat quietly in the twilight to ponder the twists of life,

still rewarded with a lovely vision. 

I wait.

And mull this moment.

Remnants Of The Week......

The week has flown here, and I feel I have only captured tidbits through my camera lens, to save and savor later.

Sharing a few.....it was a week of beauty.

All exquisite proof of why I need to get out of the studio more often and enjoy some of the lushness of the garden before it fades.
My habit of evening photo shooting has returned; this morning I shared coffee with the cool breezes and birds visiting the yard. Robins, brown thrashers, a red-winged blackbird, sparrows of many variations.
Life pushes forward......I think perhaps our ultimate purpose is not to miss it.
Here's to all there is to see~~and hoping you make time to see it!





Pax....