July 7, 2013

July 5, 2013

  • House Finch (female)

    http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id

    Despoiler

    Before the squirrel,

    pulled by the scent 

    of nut and berry suet, 

    you flew onto 

    wrought iron perch and

    devoured a mid-day buffet. 

    Before the baffle

    thundered downward

    to freshly cut fescue,

    dismantled by pesky rodent,

    the scene was serene.

    Now replaced by squeaks 

    of squirrel and friend

    and greedy gobbles

    the tasty morsels disappear. 

    Your heavenly banquet  

    depleted.

July 3, 2013

  • Mindfulness Moment of the Day

    This morning my daughter, who is visiting, said that her mindfulness e-mail of the day was to “look closely at a flower.” 

    I went with her as we looked first at the fresh blooms of the butterfly bush. http://www.garden.org/plantguide/?q=show&id=2091

    The butterfly bush is one of my favorites because it is easy to grow, cheap to purchase, and comes in a variety of colors.

    Delicate in white

    Succulent to bee and bird

    Queen of the garden


    Cleome was another bloom of interest.  These volunteers captured our attention. http://www.gardenguides.com/77-cleome-spider-flower-garden-basics-flower-annual-cleome-hasslerana.html

    Also known as the spider flower they come in a variety of colors also.  Some are all white, all lavender or two-tones like those in the photo. 

    Queen Anne’s Lace is a plant my wife has been wanting for years.  They grow wild in meadows and ditches, at least in TN and KY.

    http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=daca6

    Also called wild carrot it is considered an invasive weed in many states and grows in every state in the union except Alaska. 

    This is the Crape Myrtle (yes that is considered the correct spelling!). These lovely bushes did not grow where I grew up and I have come to love them.

    They are a southern plant and come in a variety of types and colors.  We have four in our yard. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/crapemyrtlefaq2.html

    If you didn’t get a chance to be mindful as you looked at a flower today I hope you will pick your favorite from these four photos and appreciate the beauty it can present to you. 

June 29, 2013

  •                     

    Photo does not necessarily relate to the poem!

    Orange Sky

    It is one of those strange evenings

    when orange clouds fill the sky.

    It is an end of the day 

    when showers bring out 

    newspaper umbrellas

    as people race to their cars

    with an arm full of groceries.

     

    A girl with wide hips and 

    soulful eyes walks her dog

    unaware of my presence and 

    without notice of the blazing sky.

     

    To her, I am transparent

    as I stand on one leg

    like a seagull perched

    on a post in sea breeze

    and a smilie wide in hope

    her eyes will find me

    aching for her to ache for 

    me.

June 28, 2013

June 27, 2013

  • Magnolia

     

     

                                                                      

    Her love was easy

    And loving her was easy

    Like smelling magnolia

     

June 25, 2013

June 24, 2013

  • Focus

    Focus is an app that allows one to “play” with the http://coppertino.com/focus/ focus app to add depth or blur to a photo.  I’ve given a couple

    of example of adding blur to the same photo with two of the option on the Focus app.   What do you think?  Check out the link for more information 

    about what this app might do for your photos.  I imagine there are other similar apps for pc/s and there is always the gold standard — photoshop.

June 22, 2013

June 18, 2013