Keeping me happy

This morning I watched through the kitchen window, a squirrel in a dead tree on the creek bank. No more than a tall skinny pole without any branches. When I first noticed the squirrel, it ran to the top, sat on it’s hind quarters, and appeared to be eating something.

It leaped to the tiny branch of another tree, hanging upside down and exposing the pretty reddish gold fur of it’s belly, until the swaying of the branch slowed. With a flip of it’s tail, it righted itself and kept moving. A second squirrel appeared near the first. I watched the agile creatures, slightly envious. Seemingly weightless, with great flourishes of their fluffy tails, dancing among the treetops.

From the warmth of the kitchen, I watched as a lady cardinal was chased away from the suet block, by a small lady woodpecker. She was chased away by a small male woodpecker, who was expelled by the large male cardinal. Then the little female woodpecker came back and refused to be intimidated by the cardinal, and ate some suet.

I had put the summer’s remaining sweet potatoes in the oven, making the kitchen warm and sweet smelling as I enjoyed the avian entertainment.

I plucked a leaf from the cinnamon basil plant on the window sill, crushed it in my palm, and held it to my face. Herbs are the best kind of aroma therapy. And flowers are the best kind of visual therapy.

Photo by Susie Ford Rohr

There’s a creamy white amaryllis with 2 large blooms, and many more to come. A red one that should begin blooming in the next few days. The pretty red poinsettia has scarcely lost a leaf since I brought it home in November, and there are blooms on the red and white potted geraniums in the sun room.

Nearly everything I need to keep me happy until spring.

January 2023

Source: Story Hub written by Susie Ford Rohr

Thank You Note

Hi everybody.
I have to start by saying thanks
Thanks for a wonderful year
Not only to you, to God number one
To you number two 
And for all the wonderful things...
You know, when I look
at a beautiful day,
I’ll say, “God is there.”
I say it’s happy
because birds are tweetin’ ...
Sun i shinnin’ ...
Wind’s blowin’ ...
The leaves flyin’ ...

A fantastic monologue from the show “A Storm For Christmas.” It was perfect flick while viewing it during our snowstorm. Now back to liquid weather.

Playground

The garden is my playground

Fairytales still remain

To nurture nature with human nature

Catch me if you can

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” David Bowie

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Resident Ladybug in Basil

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures, great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Resident Hummingbird in my backyard

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver, Canada

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

Bumper crop

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

The world is our playground

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Alexander, Cecil Frances (1828 – 1895) wrote this poem to help explain to children the Apostles’ Creed’s opening words, a Christian statement of belief. She was known to be a generous woman who cared for the poor and opened a school for the deaf with her sister.

Canadian Loon vs American Eagle

A loon defends itself against a swooping bald eagle. (Jon Winslow)

Beaking news … fatal clash between a bald eagle and a loon protecting its chicks, Canada’s loonie mascot stabbed America’s national bird through the heart.

We know conflicts between bald eagles and loons have soared in recent years as a result of the recovery of our eagle population. We are seeing more and more eagle predation on loon chicks and even adult loons. Who would think a loon would stand a chance against such a powerful predator? (Blogspot)

Morning Wake Up Call

Note to me: Wake up early. Full Moon. April 16. 2020.

This is a rare day for me to get up early just to witness the full moon high up. Usually, the moon rises from the east and very low on the ground at night. With my balcony facing west, I get a good view.

Most days, I do nothing but watch the stillness of the morning. Breathing the fresh air, looking at the full moon waning as the dawn breaks, listening to the silence.

The sight of the garden is enough for me to brighten my day all year round. The poem I posted here is a reminder to plant my own garden, decorate my soul.

Again, from my balcony, there is plenty to amuse myself, especially the birds. Crows. Starlings. Finches. Woodpeckers. Robins. Seagulls. Sparrows. Hummingbirds. We feed them. Currently, the crow is busy building a nest on the holly tree. Crows are the least of my favourite because the smaller birds disappeared since they started nesting. And that’s ok. It’s only during the spring.

Life is short without coffee drinking from my precious cup. The cup’s original writing is, “Fortunately, there’s still sex.” I have to change that now.

Thinking of sex, one has to be mindful of sexually transmitted diseases. AIDS was the number one killer then, now it’s COVID, and you don’t even have to have sex!

So, the trending word now is CATS.

Our local SPCA is busy providing cats and dogs as companions for all those lonely people during this shelter in place.

Thank God, I have cats. I’m alone but not lonely.

And here they are, all over me, waking me up to feed them breakfast. The time is past 9 a.m.

Feeding my soul

 

Sometimes life just simplifies things for you. A slow healing foot and a clunky cast means: no running errands, no snowshoeing, no major home or studio projects, no trips, no February studio sale, not even very many crow walks around the neighbourhood. But what there is, waiting for me every day, is the garden. And […]

via Simple — The Urban Nature Enthusiast

Show me your true color.

We live beneath so many layers like an artichoke. Before we can get to the heart, we have to peel off so many layers. As I was walking by a ground covered with Ivy, a red mound was protruding between … Continue reading →

Choiceless

I choose you. All of you for gracing me to see the world through your lens., for opening my mind,  for expanding my heart and soul. Needless to say, choiceless. Thank you! For fun, the tag lines for the past … Continue reading →

Forget Me Not

30 days has September, April, June and November … April showers bring May flowers … Meanwhile, claimed there would be a Royal Mint collection of coin designs based on emojis … April fools joke. Honestly, today, April 1, 2019, the weather here in … Continue reading →

A light exists in spring

A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period – When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad On Solitary Fields That Science cannot overtake But Human Nature feels. It waits upon the Lawn, … Continue reading →

No man is an island.

Around the neighborhood, The Habitat Island, an island was created as part of the development at Southeast False Creek, site of the 2010 Winter Games Athletes Village. It’s an urban sanctuary not just for people but as well as birds, insects, … Continue reading →

The nature of Emerald Isle

“It’s the one place on earth heaven had kissed with melody, mirth, and meadow and mist.  ~ Irish Proverb.” Never have I seen so many shades of green in this rolling hills of Dingle Peninsula. According to the song Johnny … Continue reading →

The Fall of Autumn

When Autumn arrives, I have to remember to revere the glory of what was before: in spring, the earth is waking up to life; in summer, the world is basking on the light and warmth of the sun. Spring and … Continue reading →

Family Portrait

At my friend’s place in the suburbs, I was feeding an adult raccoon with grapes. It went away for a while. Maybe it had its fill, or maybe grapes are not part of the raccoon’s diet. A few minutes later, … Continue reading →

Family Portrait

Dad, Mom and Me Source Photo by Pedro Jargue Krebs via Smithonian

Is it time to rest?

I think I have forgotten to rest. Keeping myself busy to escape from the busyness of the mind and the turmoil of the world. Digging, planting, watering. Gardening may seem to be laborious, but it relaxes me. Summer is finally … Continue reading →

Flocks

  From a distance, I saw people flocking together by the pond. The ducks and geese must be back at the pond to give their babies their first swimming lesson. If not, these people are at the pond using it as … Continue reading →

As far as eyes could see, yet always drawn nearer.

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There is something about looking at the vastness of water on earth. It has a mesmerizing effect between heaven and water. Hypnotic. Walking on the beach or sailing around, looking at the horizon as far as eyes could see, there … Continue reading →

What moves me, moves others.

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“Let’s go for Vitamin N.” a teacher exclaimed to the students. The students’ disposition immediately changed to jubilation. Vitamin N stands for Nature. Nature is just across the school, a park. A walk in the park, running around the trees, … Continue reading →

In Praise of Men

There are certain movements men do that I can see how graceful they are. More graceful than females do. It’s their feminine side that they do not want to admit.

They are beautiful. Beautiful in the sense that they don’t have to prove their masculinity. The beauty that oozes with sublime humility where fellow-men can watch with quiet admiration.

Where is the beauty in them?

The beauty exists in my mind how rounded they are. Not just how nice they are to stop, pause and be photographed. It is how gracious they are in accepting a stranger in their environment.

Emerging elegantly from the depth of an ancient tree enriches how life mysteriously unfolds my memory of Cuba ever so gracefully.

Not for the faint of hearts

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CAUTION: Enter at your own risk, the sign says. Somewhere in the jungle of Cuba, to reach the other side of the mountain, we have to enter a narrow cave. This is not for the faint-hearted. Scared? We are the … Continue reading →

The Giver and The Receiver

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For two years, I’ve waited when the birds will return. Lo and behold, I heard chirping and saw this little guy checking our the bird house. Who is more jubilant? Needless to say, me! Trying so many ways to give nature … Continue reading →

When leaving becomes arriving

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THE JOURNEY Above the mountains the geese turn into the light again Painting their black silhouettes on an open sky. Sometimes everything has to be inscribed across the heavens so you can find the one line already written inside you. … Continue reading →

The Earth is Our Sanctuary

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Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light. Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory. Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning. Earth teach me caring ~ … Continue reading →

The land that glows

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It is the land that glows and expands. There are so many possibilities what one can do here. It is one of the most beautiful lands I’ve ever seen. Cuba meaning “Land”. In its simplicity, this is a place that … Continue reading →

What brings you here?

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One human being, one heart, one love? Our heart is bigger than having one love. But it is Love. For love is boundless.   He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts Rest assured this … Continue reading →

Until far off the bells

The Fawn  by Mary Oliver

Sunday morning and mellow as precious metal
The church bells rang, but I went
To the woods instead.

A fawn, too new
For fear, rose from the grass
And stood with its spots blazing,
And knowing no way but words,
No trick but music,
I sang to him.

He listened.
His small hooves struck the grass.
Oh what is holiness?

The fawn came closer,
Walked to my hands, to my knees.

I did not touch him.
I only sang, and when the doe came back
Calling out to him dolefully
And he turned and followed her into the trees,
Still I sang,
Not knowing how to end such a joyful text,

Until far off the bells once more tipped and tumbled
And rang through the morning, announcing
The going forth of the blessed.

In Training

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Voss would visit the arboretum whenever he had a free moment over the course of about a year. He would choose one tree to focus on each day and sit for hours on end, face-to-face with these epic yet small … Continue reading →

Snow in June?

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Our city is really off when it comes to weather. This winter we hardly had any snow but last year, we had snow in June. It’s definitely off-season to see snow in June especially in Vancouver. Daily, I take this route going home … Continue reading →

Symmetrical Tail Feathers

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The symmetry of the peacock’s tail has been studied, researched and calculated by mathematicians, photographers, doctors, artist and many find it fascinating with its perfect beauty. I am unsure what’s the point of measuring the tail and feathers of the peacock. They are missing out … Continue reading →

Weather forecast

The Drop at Vancouver Convention Centre

Rain. Never ending rain.

The Drop pays homage to the element of water and the untamable forces of nature which are omnipresent in Vancouver.

Omnipresent? More like “ever-present”.

I’m longing for winter. You know, the snow flakes.

Everyday, I will accomplish one thing

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To accomplish one thing, everyday is an achievement enough. And that I did. Something ordinary. It started with a small garden that has taken a life of its own. As I dig the earth, I buried a lot of troubles in the … Continue reading →

The Sacred Journey of Salmon, Bald Eagles and A Bear

Salute to the Sockeye “Song for the Salmon” ~ Salmon Society

Photo by: Fred Zhang published by National Geographic October 23, 2014 Daily Dozen

“Sockeye salmon is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning. Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,600 km. Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton. Sockeye salmon are semelparous, dying after they spawn. Photo location: Sorrento, BC, Canada”

One of my co-workers went to a salmon festival last month to witness the famous salmon run. The rain was shining (raining hard) and the temperature was above normal (balmy). Needless to say, there wasn’t much to see and she came home disappointed.

For salmon’s survival, the water temperature has to be between 3 to 15 Celsius and it influences the incubation rate of the eggs and the time they hatch.

And here comes November, a perfect weather. The salmon braved swimming upstream, spawned and stop eating. They are just too tired from the ordeal of migrating to fresh water, have no more energy and died.

With an abundance of salmon along the river, this is a perfect season for the bald eagles and the bears to feed on them. What better way to have a Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival but watch out for the bears!

Photographer: Danny Chan ~ 1st Place Winner

As for the bear, I am deeply saddened by the news yesterday that a West Coast express train hit a bear.

The Real Thing

A Juvenile Hummingbird

A young hummingbird came up so close to me saying Good Morning. This one is fearless and asked me to go away. The ruckus sound it created was enough to send the cats scurrying away. All things considered, it was breakfast time for the bird.

Let me be

Hummingbird Wood Carving

“Let me be,
was all I wanted.
Be what I am,
no matter how I am.”
― Henry Miller, Stand Still Like the Hummingbird

via: Goodreads

I am happy and I always will be.

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   Totem Pole Mother is the Beaver because she is hardworking, looking after the children, cooking, cleaning and everything else. Little sister is the loon because she goes up to her room and reads all by herself. Sometimes she goes … Continue reading →

What A Wonderful World

I always love his work.
I remember him in Jurassic Park.
I watched this video a hundred times.

In memory of David Attenborough.

5 AM Morning Alarm

Squawking of baby crows
Screaming caw, caw, caw
Feed me, feed me, feed
Non-stop all day.

Q: What do crows drink to stay awake?
A: CAWfee.

The Peace Of Wild Things

The Peace of Wild Things

BY WENDELL BERRY

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

via: Poetry Foundation

 

 

Life in a series of small things

“If you will stay close to nature,
to its simplicity, to the small
things hardly noticeable,
those things can unexpectedly
become great and immeasurable.”
—  Rainer Maria Rilke

Ten Thousands Buttercups

Photo: Buttercup by Alex J. White

Through Darkness, Into the Light BY PARKER J. PALMER 

I recently talked with a friend who’s spent time in the same deep darkness that I’ve known from time to time. In the course of our conversation, she shared a beautiful poem with me — a poem she wrote about an experience that helped her come through that darkness back into the light.

As the poem itself says, this may not be for you. But I wanted to share it here, with her permission, knowing that if the poem brings light to only one other person, I’ll be glad I passed it along. I know it brought light to me.

Untitled
by Willow Harth

This poem is not meant for you
unless you too have been underground
choking on your life’s debris, and
playing peek-a-boo with death seriously

then the surprise of ten thousand buttercups
out of nowhere on every side where they’d
never been before on my daily walk
might have had the effect on you it did on me

because suddenly

I wanted to understand how these particular
flowers came to be—the whole evolutionary
history of mosses, ferns and angiosperms,
the miracle of photosynthesis and DNA, not

to mention the longings of the Milky Way
to reflect itself in the form called flowers and
in these buttercups, which seemed like a
visitation from the sun, urging me to tell you, in
case like me you had forgotten

we are the universe’s latest way of blooming.

 

Source: On Being With Krista Tippett

Beauty in Nature

 Enjoy the sensory beauty of the world we live in as Helen Keller did.

Helen Keller had an acute sense of smell. She loved being in nature and the fragrance of flowers. One scent she was particularly fond of was the fresh scent of eucalyptus leaves

I who am blind can give one
hint to those who see
one admonition to those who
would make full use of the gift of sight.

Use your eyes as if tomorrow
you would be stricken blind
and the same method can
be applied to the other senses.

Hear the music of voices
the song of a bird
the mighty strains of an orchestra
as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow.

Touch each object you want to touch
as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail.

Smell the perfume of flowers
taste with relish each morsel
as if tomorrow you could
never smell and taste again.

Make the most of every sense
glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty
which the world reveals to you through
the several means of contact which Nature provides.

 

Note: This is an entry from The Open Door – Helen Keller  and not a poem.
Source: AFB: American Foundation for the Blind

 

 

Joy is like a Bee

The flower garden

On top of Echinacea

Joy is like a bee

Fireflies and Stars

Time Fireflies Photograph by Ionut Burloiu

Fireflies in the Garden

By Robert Frost 

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,

And here on earth come emulating flies,

That though they never equal stars in size,

(And they were never really stars at heart)

Achieve at times a very star-like start.

Only, of course, they can’t sustain the part.

 

An allegory between the stars and the fireflies:
We may want to shoot for the stars and be like fireflies to shine like the stars but I say just be yourself, you will shine with your inner light.

Image credit to: Ionut Burloiu of Italy for having chosen as one of the best contributors of “After Midnight” Your Shot assignment at National Geographic.  Thank you Ionut for allowing me to share your photo of my memorable childhood.

My hand in contrast with …

I know that in many things I am not like others, but I do not know what I really am like.

Man cannot compare himself with any other creature; he is not a monkey, not a cow, not a tree. I am a man. But what is it to be that?

Like every other being, I am a splinter of the infinite deity, but I cannot contrast myself with any animal, any plant or any stone.

Only a mythical being has a range greater than man’s. How then can man form any definite opinions about himself? ~  Carl Gustav Jung

A Summer Day

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

What?

What ????
Who !!!
Funny ???
Me !!!

You look funny, too.
First thing Monday morning.

Image Photograph by Michael Duggan, thank you.

All Around Us.

We don’t have to go far to find the treasure we are seeking.
There is beauty and goodness right where we are.
And only when we can see the beauty and goodness
that are close by can we recognize beauty and goodness
on our travels far and wide.

There are trees and flowers to enjoy, paintings and sculptures to admire;
most of all there are people who smile, play, and show kindness and gentleness.
They are all around us, to be recognized as free gifts to receive in gratitude.

Our temptation is to collect all the beauty and goodness
surrounding us as helpful information we can use for our projects.
But then we cannot enjoy it, and we soon find that
we need a vacation to restore ourselves.

Let’s try to see the beauty and goodness in front of us
before we go elsewhere to look for it.

by: Henri Nouwen

I’m in the garden

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~ e.e. cummings”

How much nature do you need?  For me, I need it!

When I am not working, I spend most of my time in nature.  Being in nature makes me happier, healthier and peaceful. Nature can be just our backyard.  One can spend the entire weekend gardening getting my hands dirty.  And that’s exactly what I did this past long weekend.

David Suzuki suggests that we take the nature challenge by going outside to:

• smell the flowers
• find the bug
• fly a kite
• write and sketch in the park
• identify the trees
• birding
• listen to the wind
• skip some stones
• get my feet wet
• take photos

And much more.

More than likely, I will be spending more time outside and it will take me away from WordPress.  So my friends, if you don’t hear from me, I’m in the garden.

In the field of the Lord

A Martian Cometh

The Martians heard my scream and sent a representative to discuss what problems we are experiencing in Canada.  I am a bit leery with this creature, I think it is more interested with my cats.

 

Source: Manhattan Cat Specialists

Messenger of love

For bees, the flower is the fountain of life.
For flowers. the bee is the messenger of love.

~Kahlil Gibran

 

Leave your “i” behind.

Canada’s renowned scientist David Suzuki received an Award for Science from the U.S. National Wildlife Federation calling him “one of our strongest allies north of the border.” 

“Our highest priorities must be the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil that provides food and the biodiversity that keeps us alive and healthy.”   – Dr. David Suzuki

He is also a nature enthusiast that makes use realize that nature is good for all of us. It’s a known fact that we benefit by spending more time outdoors than spending more face time. I can attest to that.

Being at work 7 hours a day in front of the computer contributes very little for my well-being.  The minute I take coffee and lunch breaks that means green time for me. A walk around the block can depressurized me and calms me down.  Spending time in nature reduces the negative results of automatic thoughts and redirects my mind to being playful and extrovert.

This is plain science and all I need is me as the guinea pig.

For the month of May, David Suzuki launched the 30 x 30 Nature challenge by spending 30 minutes in nature for 30 days. That is doable.  I extend this challenge whoever reads this wherever you are in planet earth.  This is not limited to Canadians.

So I say to you, get off your butt, walk away from the computer, go outside, breath and relax.  Not to mention, unplug yourself from any gadgets and open your ears to the sound around you.  Leave your “I” behind. No iPhone, iPod or iPad.  Can you do that?

Then come back and tell me what you did in 30 minutes and how it fells. See that space below for comment?  That is for you.

The letters in a school

For the month of April, some of the letters in the bulletin boards are about whales, bears and dragonflies.  These animals stand for respect, cooperation, kindness and courage.  The students wrote what they think regarding the nature of things.

What the children wrote is based on the circle of coexistence and cooperation of nature. It is a partnership of students, teachers, staff, elders and families in the community.  As a community, they can learn what these animals can teach them in life.

Letters are not enough, the children worked with their hands by creating papier-mâché which is more fun than writing, in my opinion.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin

This is love and nothing else.

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

 

Robert Frost, from Robert Frost: Collected Poems, Prose, and Plays (Library of America).

Thank you David Lose for sharing another inspired poem.
Photo Credit: Karma Tube

Feeding the heart

Today is  new day.
I am creature of habit
Bird watching weather permitting
Standing at the entrance of the park
With a handful of bird seeds
The seeds will feed the birds
The joy of birds feeding
Will feed my heart.

Image source: Barb Markway

I ponder myself in the cosmos

I walked with giants
And talked with ancestors
As I looked down the millennia
At the branching and twisting of the Tree of life
Immersed in Deep Time
I contemplate
My relatives, now extinct for aeons
And those who teeter on the edge today
I stand humbled
Heart heavy with grief
And ponder my place in the cosmos.

– Andrew Jones
(written after a visit to the Mammoths exhibition at Edinburgh museum 13/2/14)

Source: Carol in Africa

My Name

One night when the lawn was a golden green
and the marbled moonlit trees rose like fresh memorials
in the scented air, and the whole countryside pulsed
with the chirr and murmur of insects, I lay in the grass
feeling the great distances open above me, and wondered
what I would become—and where I would find myself—
and though I barely existed, I felt for an instant
that the vast star-clustered sky was mine, and I heard
my name as if for the first time, heard it the way
one hears the wind or the rain, but faint and far off
as though it belonged not to me but to the silence
from which it had come and to which it would go.

Mark Strand, “My Name,” The New Yorker,  April 11, 2005

Tequila!

Did I get your attention?  Nope, I am not serving Tequila.  Instead this is an introduction to an American Woodcock dancing to the tune of Tequila!

Tim Flanigan  This is a hen that has been caught by a winter storm that is preventing her from probing for her earthworm diet. The “dance” is actually a form of seismographic testing in an attempt to encourage an earthworm to move so that her ultra-sensitive feet can detect it and she can probe for it. She normally eats nearly her body weight in worms daily. This bird is in trouble.

Oh dear, I hope the bird will find other ways to forage.

Walking in the light

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Awake from your slumber! Arise from your sleep! A new day is dawning for all those who weep. The people in darkness have seen a great light. The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.   Let us build the … Continue reading →

Reflection after the storm

Memories came flooding in, seeping out of my memory bank.  The earthquake, the storm, death, then calm.

Being born in the Philippines Mother nature rules.  Nature does not discriminate, from the young and old, from the poor and rich, from the ordinary to famous folks; we are all affected.  One of the saving graces, I now live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.  Hardly any storm but plenty of rain and cloudy days.From what I can remember, Father was swept away by the sea, never to be found.  Was there a storm at the time that caused ragging waves?  I still have yet to know.  Mother had a nervous breakdown when Father died.  Was it his death or the thought of having to care for 13 children, the youngest four months old.  I was only four years old.  Most of my memory is vague maybe it was buried with Father in the sea.

Flying debris, the tin roof blown by the mighty wind, trees falling down, roaring of the wind, torrential rain and flooding are the effects of nature passing through.

Then came Ruby Tower crashing down.  It was intensity 7.7 in the Richter scale.  People rushing out of their homes.  Me standing by the canal, the water creating a whirlpool and saw a huge rock emerged from the ground.

We were spared from these disasters except Father.

The Voice of God in a Great Storm

A Psalm of David. (Psalm 29) 

 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy array. 

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, upon many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful,
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, 

and Sir′ion like a young wild ox. 

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 

The voice of the Lord makes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forests bare;
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace! 

 This is a  Day of Grace.

 

Related Articles:

• After the storm
• Day of Grace
• Psalm of sublime grandeur
• The night Manila Rattled and Rolled
• The night Manila Rattled and Rolled
• Casiguran Earthquake  intensity 7.7
• Christchurch Earthquake intensity 6.3
• Typhoons in the Philippines
• Huffington Post: Images of Before and After the Typhoon

Flora and Fauna

This gallery contains 5 photos.

The walk to Camino de Santiago would be incomplete should I did not stop and smell the roses. It’s not about putting in 21 clicks a day.  It’s not how fast I can reach the top of the mountain.  It’s not how much … Continue reading →

August 20, 2013 ~ Blue Moon

Tonight is blue moon.  Look and enjoy this once in a blue moon moment. 

 

Blue moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own 

Blue moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for 

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the moon it turned to gold 

Blue moon
Now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own 

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the moon had turned to gold 

Blue moon
Now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own 

Blue moon
Now I’m no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Nature at its best

Nature, what nature? 

Being born in a third world country, Philippines, especially in a poor family nature consist of playing in the garbage dump, abandoned lots and slum area. 

There’s hardly any nature where I lived unless I go visit neighbours who have gardens.  I am lucky enough to have a girlfriend whose family allows me to sleep over at their mansion.  

Sabrina is her name.  

In a child’s mind, the house is a jungle.  There is so much vegetation.  A housekeeper waters the garden almost every day to keep it lush.  They have a dog.  It was fun to have a playmate and to be accepted by this rich family. 

Part of playing is going to the dumpsites.  This is FUN.  We collected tons of waste materials to sell for recycling.  Found some parts to build us a scooter.  Collected Coke bottle caps for the Coke versus Pepsi challenge.  The more we collected Coke bottle caps, we won free movie passes. 

In the slum area, we run around on the board walk like horses.  During rainy season, there are so many amphibians to play with such as crabs, tadpoles, dragon flies, water spiders and much more.  At night-time, we hunt for fireflies and put them in a bottle.  We used the bottle as a flashlight.

 Ah, what a memory.  Now this is nature at its best. 

We may be poor but we know how to live the good life.

 

Related Links:

• Fireflies:  Photo credit from My Pretty Pics
• Philippines: To give you an idea.  Click on the link.
• Daily Prompt: Nature

If you are happy, clap your hand

What would it take to be happy?  

I wish I have an answer for that or a formula.  For me, I noticed that spending time with children and nature brings inner joy.  A simple gesture of waving at the kid next door watching me do gardening is enough.  No laughter, just a wave and a smile. 

Spending more time outside, in the garden, makes me feel happy. Will all that fresh air regardless of the heavy labour of trimming the hedges, I feel happy. 

One thing for sure which I cannot explain, having a deep prayerful life provides pure joy.  Praying while gardening and full of gratitude, just for today is enough. 

Have a wonderful day. 

To close, off here is a children song.

Painted Sky ~ It’s twilight time

Heavenly shades of night is falling
It’s twilight time  ….
A fleeting moment of painted sky sang by the Platters is dreamy. 

When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator. ~Mahatma Gandhi

Bella Remy Photography of Hoof Beats and Foot Prints captured this dream picture and posted it in Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting.  I love the picture so much that Bella, with her generosity, sent me a print of this magnificent heavenly shades. 

This is the second time that Emily of Bella Remy Photography sent me her photography.  The first photo I received was a great Wise Owl I posted in Colour me happy.  

With grateful heart, thank you, Emily.  Now the Owl will look good beside the painted sky. 

Emily’s site is full of happiness and I enjoy being there. Come, visit, join us and see for yourself. 

 

Related links:

• Emily’s site: Hoof Beats and Foot Prints
• Emily’s WPC: Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting
• Seeker’s post: Colour me happy
• YouTube: twilight time

 

Curves ~ Flaunt It

Have only one rule: 

Be your wild 

Naramata 2013 ~ Peacock front

 courageous 

brilliant self 

Naramata 2013 – Peacock back

 every single day. 

Naramata 2013 – Up close and personal

No matter what.

Fleeting Childhood Moments

Naramata 2013 ~ Okanagan Lake

 Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.  ~~ Diane Ackerman

You. Outside. In Nature.

It’s already May 23 and it wasn’t that long ago since we started the Nature Challenge. 

Have you seen so much greenery lately being outside?  What about those cute little feathered babies waddling around or constantly asking for “feed me, feed me” birds.  Don’t forget to check out what’s sprouting from Mother Earth.  

Oh, there are so many bees kissing the flowers of Rhododendrons.  The white butterflies are fluttering and the poppies are poppying.  Is there such word poppying?  I made that up. 

Congratulations, you have made three weeks on being in Nature.  Now grab your camera and start taking pictures and send them to Photo Challenge: Finding Peace in Nature. 

Here’s a picture of peace during the Big One Earthquake Drill.  As you can see, nothing fazes this one. 

Relax

I mean nothing! 

What is the BIG deal?

 

 Related Article:

• 30×30 Nature Challenge

CATastrophy – The Incident

Mr. Frenchie, Mr. Polish (Room 307) and Mr. Scottie (Room 308) were in high alert when Mr. MIA took the cat back.  The three men keep surveillance on the status of the cat.  How can they see what’s happening behind closed curtains?  Who knows what’s happening inside Mr. MIA’s apartment? 

Mr. MIA is a smoker, and he smokes in the balcony.  At the same time, he was trying to play with the cat with a stick.  Mr. Polish is a smoker as well, and he was observing them across from his balcony.  According to Mr. Polish, the next thing happened, Mr. MIA hit the cat.  He instinctively shouted at Mr. MIA.  Mr. Scottie heard the commotion.   And he joined in. 

Have you ever dealt with a Scottish person?  Indescribable.  He marched down and went next to the building where Mr. MIA is.  He called him a #$%& P-I-G etc.

 I didn’t know Mr. Scottie knew Mr. MIA’s name?

 Mr. PIG!  

Mr. Frenchie came out of the balcony, too.  Three against one PIG.  Mr. PIG tail between his leg, surrendered and gave up the cat to Mr. Frenchie.  

In the meantime, the cat is in bad condition.  The cat does not want to be touch at all.  If you do, those nails come out and will draw blood to anyone who dared to touch her.  She was severely hurt.  

This was the incident that Ms. Room 307 told me.  My advice to her was to take the cat first thing Monday morning to check on the cat, and I will help pay for the vet’s bill. 

According to the vet, the cat is hurt and maybe needed to be X-rayed.  In the meantime, she was given a pain-killer, a shot of antibiotics and intravenous fluids.  The cat was so dehydrated.

Akeyla – the Nurse

 For now, the nameless cat is with Mr. Frenchie.  I visited the cat, and she is hiding in the cupboard at the moment.  Hopefully, with the help of Mr. Frenchie’s nurse, Akeyla, the nameless one will come around. 

Thank you all for your concerns, compassion and support.  

I will give you an update on the situation.  In the meantime, we are keeping vigil, including our prayerful dog wearing her head veil to go to church.  I will wear my cat scarf to work today to keep the nameless cat in prayers.

Dog wearing a prayer veil

My cat scarf

 P.S.  My head hurts from this ordeal.  Hopefully, Tylenol will do the trick.

 

Related articles

• Cat ~ Woman (3psbyseeker.wordpress.com)
• Tension headaches

30×30 at Play

This is the third week of David Suzuki’s challenge to take 30 minutes of outdoor activity daily for the month of May.  I am having so much fun with the challenge.

He has the right idea for the child in me ~ Playtime.  Of course, I have a playmate, my nephew’s son; Baby James.

 

Here are a few games you can play in nature as suggested by David:

•Hunt for bugs! Try to spot one you’ve never seen before, then find out what it is. (Be sure to put the bugs back where you found them.)

•Grab that kite that’s been gathering dust and fly it in a nearby park.

•Indulge your inner child, and climb a tree or roll down a hill. Or better yet, take a child with you.

•Go on a simple nature scavenger hunt. Search for something feathered, something with legs, something very old, and something changing.

•Invite family or friends for an after-dinner stroll down a green street.

•This weekend, take a hike in a local park or conservation area.

•Head to the nearest woods for a “forest bath.” This Japanese practice improves sleep and increases vigor.

•Get your feet wet: head to the nearest body of water and dip your toes in.

•How long has it been since you’ve skipped stones? Visit your nearest creek or pond and try your hand.

•Make a mud pie. You know you want to.

•Take a walk in a park or a forest and search for animal homes. What kind of creatures lives there?

Most importantly, have fun!

Related links:

• 30 x 30 Nature Challenge
• Howyadoing

Sweet Woodruff to the Rescue

Every year, I tell myself I will slow down in gardening.  But one cannot help it because the birds need feeding.  Aside from that, there is a menagerie of animals that come and go in our backyard. 

When I started gardening in this complex, the owner does not want to invest any money on the surrounding area.  Looking down from the balcony for the longest time is a sorry sight.  One day, Father Winter came and destroyed the hedging.  Needless to say, the owner must cut down most of the shrubs.  When it was cleared cut, it left an ugly dry arid patch all over the place.  It was worse. 

How do I remedy this?  What would grow on this god forsaken piece of land?  Finally, I told the manager that I will start gardening.  Poppies were the best plant to regenerate the earth.  That’s all I grew, poppies.  After a couple of years, the earthworms came back.  Then I became ambitious.  I planted and I planted and I planted from seedlings to bulbs to shrubs.  It was beautiful. 

Ambition can trigger negative emotions from others I found out. 

There is someone who has light fingers and heavy hands.  Flowers in bloom were being dead headed and broken branches.  It hurts to see plants being desecrated when they took every ounce of their energy to bring joy to the world.  For goodness sake, they are harmless.  

How do I beat this murderous scum of the earth?  Sweet woodruff to the rescue.  I planted them all over the place.  This is one tough plant;  the more it’s dead headed, the vigorous it will grow. 

Okay, murderer, whoever you are, knock yourself out.

Meditation:

The master was known to favor action over withdrawal. But he always insisted on “Enlightened” action. 

The disciples wanted to know what “Enlightened” meant. Did it mean “right-intentioned”? 

“Oh no,” said the Master. “Think how right-intentioned the monkey is when he lifts a fish from the river to save it from the watery grave.” ~ Anthony de Mello, S.J.

MORSEL: The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. ~ Marcel Proust

Howyadoing?

Having fun yet?  Enjoying the outdoors?  Feeling good? 

Well, if you are not, do something.  Get out there. 

Weekend was spent doing gardening and with family.  I think I had an overdose of family activities.  Or I think it was heat stroke due to unseasonable summer like weather.  I could spend all day in the garden and still not be able to see all the miracles in a small patch of land.  All of these activities made me feel good. 

Walking underneath a sakura tree when the wind is blowing, it feels as if it’s snowing.  This little girl sure knows how to have the joy of  falling blossoms on her. 

David Suzuki FB

David Suzuki FB

This is week two of 30×30 David Suzuki Nature Challenge.  Join, come and live the Nature Challenge.

 

 

Related articles

• David Suzuki Foundation challenges Canadians to get outside (beaconnews.ca)
• 30x30Nature Challenge

Meals on Wheels

Didn’t I just tell you that I prefer to spend outdoors on 30×30 Nature Challenge?  Well, I do.  Even on lunch break, I don’t chin wag with my colleagues and sit around at our lunch room or at the Food Fair.  Instead, I go search for the best Meals on Wheels. 

Hot dog stands.  These kiosks are so popular and the line-up would measure up as long as a football field.  Well, I am exaggerating.  Maybe, there are at least four people ahead of me. 

When it comes to line up, I prefer to entertain myself rather than get cranky waiting to be served because I am so hungry.  All I can think is that MSG on the hot dog.  It is so tasty and salty.  I just love the savoury flavour of a hot dog.  Jumbo dog is the best with all the trimmings. 

Anyway, to entertain myself, I either speak to the person in front or behind me as my victim.  If only they know, tee hee.  

There was this tall person in front of me and I crank up my head to say “Hello up there”.  He was towering over me.  And he seemed to be delighted with my opening line, (this is not a pick up line, ok!) and we started talking.  We talked about this and that.  To be a good conversationalist, I make sure I get the other person talking more that I do.  And he did talked a lot about himself. 

What I remembered the most was how he spent time with his son taking him on a helicopter ride to see an aerial view of Whistler Mountain.  To see the grandeur of the forest, the Gondola moving from one peak to another, the bears running around and to land on the glacier was an experience and a half for his son. 

Our conversation was cut short because he has to order and bid adieu.  That was the end of our intimate brief encounter. 

The following week, hot dog time again.  I just have to get rid of this craving.  There was hardly any line up and I saw this big poster of a man posted on the stand.  I asked the vendor if that is the owner of the stand and that I remember talking to him last week.  

“Do you mean you don’t know this person?” the vendor exclaimed.
“Am I supposed to know him?” I responded with a quizzical facial expression.
“What? Don’t you really know him?” he asked again.
“Does he know who Perpetua the seeker is?” I questioned the vendor. 

The vendor laughed at my retort. 

Guess who that man was.  No other than…. 

 You guess it right.  Tom Selleck. What do I know?  

Related reference:

• Biography Channel:  Tom Selleck

 

 

30 x 30 Nature Challenge

Number 30 represents the number of days in the month of May.  The next 30 is the number of minutes it takes to be healthy.  And you may want to add 30 easy steps in attaining a healthy and happy lifestyle that cost a cinch. 

For the next 30 consecutive days, David Suzuki came up with this brilliant idea how we can connect with nature.  The more we connect with nature, the smarter, healthier and happy we become.  He further stated that getting outside even makes us nicer and more likely to clean up the planet let alone our act.  Staying indoors will give us the cabin fever and you know what it does do to your disposition in life. 

I can attest to what David is saying since I wander around, meander or plainly loiter on this earth.  During my coffee and lunch breaks, I go outside the board; rain or shine.  I definitely need to go out and be in touch with nature.  Call me a snob, call me unsociable, call me a loner, I prefer to be out walking, taking a peek what is coming out of Mother Earth, listening to the birds singing, feeling that wind on my face, basking on the early morning sun, and much more. 

But of course, going out takes so much effort, eh?  Nah, rest assure David made it more possible for us to have fun and for your benefit.  And the benefit has a ripple effect.  Only you can discover this benefit once you take the challenge. 

So, I say, come and join the challenge even though it’s a Canadian Challenge.  You can also partake in your own country and encourage others.  Join, come and live the Nature Challenge. 

 

Related articles

• Stressed at Work? Add a Daily Dose of Green (theepochtimes.com)
• Healthy Kids Need Time in Nature (theepochtimes.com)
• 30X30 Nature Challenge (livingwellatuhn.com)

WPC Lunchtime: Meatless Friday

I always pack my lunch.  Being Friday and feasting on a meatless Friday due to Lent season, the menu is: 

Sautéed mushroom and  canned salmon topped with shallots and garlic
Rice for a little bit of carbohydrates
Cut fresh pineapple
Ambrosia apple to cleanse my palate 

Walla:  Lunch fit for a Princess. 

 Having a brain freeze all day, I did not eat lunch.  I had a couple of oranges instead and went out for a walk.  Should it have been a sunny day, this is my favorite place to eat lunch; with nature. 

 Escargot anyone?

 Needless to say, I had my lunch for supper.

Monday Evening – The World is Our Playground

 

Butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies
grasshoppers and beetles
these are all that we need
as our little playmates for entertainment
in the field of the Lord. 

Tadpoles and frogs
lizards and spiders
we hunt them down
in the abandoned lot
in the field of the Lord. 

The world is our playground
nature makes us joyful
the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain
these are our brothers and sisters
as we play in the field of the Lord. 

When the wind blows, we fly a kite
when the rain falls, there goes our paper boat
when the sun shines, we run to the beach
when the moon rises, we play hide and seek
The world is our playground. 

Full of laughter and wonder
There is so much freedom for running around
We use our imagination to make up a game
No need for seesaw or swing
A merry-go-round is unheard of. 

We can go anywhere in the world
And play a game
In the field of the Lord.

 

This is in response to Daily Prompt – Ode.   Come and Join, it’s fun.

 

Sorry about this morning, woke up on the wrong side of the bed :(.  Feeling much better now.  Ah, it’s fun to be playful, don’t need a playground after all.  Good Evening, folks. 😀

News Worthy: Something to Chirp About

Move over Princess Kate, there’s more important event happening at Queens Park, New Westminster, BC.  It’s better than a royal event; it’s a rarity, for people who are nature lover. 

It’s a bird, not superman.  It’s a rare red flanked blue tail bird from Siberia that winters in Japan and made an emergency landing in my neighbourhood.  This little thing must have been charged with Eveready Battery: it kept going and going and going.  Or maybe the break wasn’t working.  I just love the beauty of all things small and wonderful.
With my canine nose sensitivity, I managed to track down Mr. Gordon and asked him if I can use his photos and quote him.  He gladly agreed and then I let go of his pants.  Yup, this is another power of canine: teeth biting the hem of his pants.

Thank you Mr. Gordon and these are his pictures.  What a beauty!  For more pictures, click on The Canadian Warbler.blogspot.ca 

 

Courtesy of Mr. Gordon

Courtesy of Mr. Gordon

Courtesy of Mr. Gordon

 

On the other hand, I wonder if the bird misses its flock.  I am feeling lonely for the bird being alone by itself.  I hope it will find its group and be reunited with them.  God speed little birdie.

And here is the clip of the news  Global News Video  and  Vancouver Sun. 

Enjoy.

 

 Related Links:

The Canadian Warbler.blogspot.ca

Burnaby Bird Guy.wordpress.com

I think I shall never see…

When I look outside my balcony towards north, facing the horizon, I could see Grouse Mountain of North Vancouver. When it’s covered with snow on a beautiful sunny winter day like today, it’s spectacular.  I feel like making a trip and climb the Grouse grind.  Not. 

I cannot due to just being plain lazy.  Then I look down below.  Sigh.  My beautiful tree is no longer there.  I gave that tree a hug all the time.  I love watching the squirrels going round and round the branches.  The racoon checking out the tree at night for food.   My winged friends make it their home to nest. 

When it starts to flower and seeds, so much pollen floating in the air.  Much too much pinecones and don’t mind if I have to rake them out.  The beetles in summer months come out at night.  Lucy and Maurice the cats exercised their hunting skills. 

One year, Father Winter came with a vengeance, covered the tree with snowy splendor.  And then… sad, the branches cannot carry the load of white powdery stuff.  Needless to say, I bid goodbye to the tree and all I have left is this memory. 

“Royal Oak” Tree