Pathways

 

“Pathways” by Rainer Maria Rilke

Understand, I’ll slip quietly
away from the noisy crowd
when I see the pale
stars rising, blooming, over the oaks.

I’ll pursue solitary pathways
through the pale twilit meadows,
with only this one dream:

You come too.

Join me as we wander roads less traveled, into the unknown. What will we find just beyond the bend in the road? What beauty lies there? Hold my hand and I will walk with you.

Sometimes the path is rocky, curved or straight, and sometimes it takes us through the dark night until we reach the light.

Wherever we travel, wherever we walk, let's walk together. Let's share the darkness and the light.

Happy sharing and walking with dear ones through life's ups and downs. Sometimes the road is less travels and sometimes it is a bit crowded. Keep walking and stop to take in the view. The view can be more beautiful as you notice what you notice.

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

 

As the sun went down over the river I danced in the moonlight.

 If you cannot find me, look for me in the warm breezes of a walk by the sea or laying on the mossy cushion in the woods, under the trees or looking to the sky on a full moon night, I will dance. Look no further than your own memories of a peaceful time, where the sun warms your body and you can giggle with delight. Hold hands and dance with nature in your soul.

Dream of sails billowing in the wind. Wrap yourself in JOY.

 With a walk by the sea, embrace the sounds of the waves as they rumble over rocks and sand. Feel the mist upon your face.

And always hold a song in your heart.
Focus on the glimmers of light in darkness and turmoil.

Sing!

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Trees

 

 

 

Yesterday I again walked through the garden at my house. I wanted some pictures of "the tree" in the backyard. The character of this old tree is amazing. In places it looks like it is pregnant. There are holes where critters live or have lived. It has a history of bees, birds, squirrels and raccoons.

Trees – by Joyce Kilmer

written in 1913

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

 

My mother loved poems and this is one I remember her sharing with me. Trees sends a strong message against deforestation. It highlights how trees are important to all living creatures. The poet says that if trees are cut, then there will be no shadow, no forest, and no shelter for the birds and insects. Trees planted throughout a city can lower the temperature by several degrees. Trees intrigue me with their different shapes and character. I love painting them when doing my small watercolors.

 

 

Scrolling through the past few months of pictures on my phone I see plenty of trees. I love noticing trees around me. One thing I enjoy even in my apartment now is looking out and seeing trees. I am a "tree hugger" for sure. Thankfully here in Oregon many others love trees too. Do you have trees surrounding you? Are you a "tree hugger"? I hope so!

 Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Autumn and Hope

 

 

Thoughts by Jacqueline Bouvier (Kennedy) in 1943

I love the Autumn,

And yet I cannot say

All the thoughts and things

That make one feel this way.

 

I love walking on the angry shore,

To watch the angry sea;

Where summer people were before,

But now there's only me.

 

I love wood fires at night

That have a ruddy glow

I stare at the flames

And think of long ago. 

I love the feeling down inside me

That says to run away

To come and be a gypsy

And laugh the gypsy way.

The tangy taste of apples,

The snowy mist at morn,

The wanderlust inside you

When you hear the huntsman's horn.

Nostalgia-that's the Autumn,

Dreaming through September

Just a million lovely things

I always will remember.

 

To me, this sounds a bit melancholy. "I always will remember." Through different seasons of my life I have said "pay attention" for this will be a memory some day. Each adventure I have taken, a memory now resides.

In these dark times, the memories, noticing small things of beauty, will get me by.

Yes, I am sad today. Sad for my country, sad to let those things of beauty go. But hope comes in the morning and I must still have hope and notice what I notice of beauty and delight. 

Sending love,

Marilyn

Autumn or Fall?

 Autumn or Fall, which word do you use to describe this time of transition from the heat of summer to the cold of winter?

The description from the dictionary says, "Autumn and fall are used interchangeably as words for the season between summer and winter. Both are used in American and British English, but fall occurs more often in American English. Autumn is considered the more formal name for the season."

I allowed many of the pictures to be dark just because this just feels like the season of dark.

Yesterday my "live-in gardener" and I enjoyed a drive in the country. We picked a small logging town not far from Portland. A place we had not explored before. The colors of the season were all about us.

 Doesn't Main Street just look like so many small towns in America?

This is Vernonia, Oregon, USA

Emily Brontë

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

There is a beautiful 21 mile hiking/biking trail which we walked for a little while. We both agreed to return on a warmer day in spring time. There was no one around and the colors were beautiful.

We even found this apple/blueberry farm. In the background you can see the blueberry leaves turning red.

An old railroad that goes nowhere, as the tracks had been removed across the road. Yet, It was fun to see and imagine a time in the past when trains traveled this way carrying the logs.

It just felt like we were entering a portal of colors and stepping into another realm.

Enjoy the beauty of Autumn/Fall around you, wherever you are. Savor the day and get out and explore.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Word Magic

 A day late, but celebrating Spring Equinox with the word BLOOM

The definition of BLOOM is "

a flower, especially one cultivated for its beauty."

                              I couldn't resist visiting the "BLOOM" in my garden.

William Wordsworth, ‘Lines Written in Early Spring‘.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:—
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure…

“I am in awe of flowers.
Not because of their colors,
but because even though they
have dirt in their roots,
they still grow.
They still bloom.”
― D. Antoinette Foy

 I must admit this is my favorite time of year. Not only is it my birthday, but it is when the earth wakes and flowers begin to BLOOM. I cannot resist snapping their pictures as they pose so beautifully for me. The new shades of green with the touches of yellow, pinks, and reds just make my heart sing and I want to dance through the beds of flowers.

BLOOM was happy for me to visit and celebrate this day.

With cup of tea in hand, my nose leaned closely to smell, I celebrated this day with a smile, a bit of laughter, and a dance along the way. 

                             Happy Spring Equinox, dear friends!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

Praise the Rain

By Joy Harjo

Praise the rain; the seagull dive

The curl of plant, the raven talk—

Praise the hurt, the house slack

The stand of trees, the dignity—

Praise the dark, the moon cradle

The sky fall, the bear sleep—

Praise the mist, the warrior name

The earth eclipse, the fired leap—

Praise the backwards, upward sky

The baby cry, the spirit food—

Praise canoe, the fish rush

The hole for frog, the upside-down—

Praise the day, the cloud cup

The mind flat, forget it all—

Praise crazy. Praise sad.

Praise the path on which we're led.

Praise the roads on earth and water.

Praise the eater and the eaten.

Praise beginnings; praise the end.

Praise the song and praise the singer.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.

 

This is indeed the season of rain and a few snow flurries.

How is the weather where you live?

Just a few days ago the chrysanthemums were still blooming in the my garden.

Yesterday we had a very unusual, early snow.

I must run outside and see how my flowers have survived.

The rain and moisture is so good for the garden.

The snow and rain with a few Christmas twinkling lights has

me in the spirit of the season.

 

Have a a great week, dear friends!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

When I go walking in my neighborhood I walk by a deserted university campus very near my home. In the garden are winter camellias in bloom. They just make me smile. Looking forward to a day next year when the campus again has students roaming the grounds. For now neighbors enjoy walking there and noticing flowers, berries, gorgeous trees, and picking up pinecones and seed pods. I do believe this year I will have a wooden bowl of pinecones and seed pods to decorate my home.

 Lingering in Happiness

After rain after many days without rain,

it stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees,

and the dampness there, married now to gravity,

falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground

where it will disappear---but not, of course, vanish

except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,

and the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss; 

a few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole's tunnel;

and soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,

will feel themselves being touched.

~Mary Oliver

Why I Wake Early

I just thought Mary Oliver would have some special word to say today as we approach Thanksgiving. I really loved these words and images. Can you imagine touching a stone buried for a thousand years?  

In the same family as the flower above, but a different variety is blooming in my own garden. It is camellia sininsis, better known as a tea plant. Can you see the similarities and differences between the two flowers?
 

Have a most delightful week preparing for the season of joy, family, and warm things to sip.

A Gift for You - A Flower and a Poem

 

On Saturday I visited Swan Island Dahlia Farm here in Oregon. I snapped about 80 pictures; so I am sure you will see more another day. I felt like the two that showed the sky that day perfectly fit the poem.

Over the Weather

We forget about the spaciousness

above the clouds

but it's up there. The sun's up there too.

When words we hear don't fit the day,

when we worry

what we did or didn't do,

what if we close our eyes,

say any word we love

that makes us feel calm,

slip it into the atmosphere

and rise?

Cream miles of quiet,

Giant swoop of blue.

~Naomi Shihab Nye

 

Do you love dahlias? More and more I have fallen in love with them.

It was a perfect day to wander the farm full of flowers.

Dear ones, Go out there and find a flower and spacious skies today and ENJOY!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

Flowers by the Pacific Ocean

Gratitude List

Praise be this morning for sleeping late,

the sandy sheets, the ocean air,

the midnight storm that blew its waters in.

Praise be the morning swim, mid-tide,

the clear sands underneath our feet,

the dogs who leap into the waves,

their fur, sticky with salt,

the ball we throw again and again.

Praise be the green tea with honey,

the bread we dip in finest olive oil,

the eggs we fry, Praise be the reeds,

gold and pink in the summer light,

the sand between our toes,

our swimsuits, flapping in the breeze.

~Laura Foley, How to Love in World, Poems of Gratitude and Hope

Flowers by the Atlantic Ocean. You don't see the sea in the picture, but just over that horizon is water flowing free.
 

Doesn't those words just conjure up summer images of delight? 

What would you add to the summer gratitude list? 

An isolated walk by the sea in the early morning delights my soul.

In the poem green tea is mentioned. For me it would be a cup of a good black tea. Oh how I would love a fine bread dipped in olive oil or sand between my toes as I walk by the sea. My heart would sing with joy to notice these delights.

Welcome to a new week, dear friends!