DAY 2 of a Seven Day Bouquet, yellow flowers. “So far as seeing things is an art, it is the art of keeping your eyes and ears open. The art of nature is all in the direction of concealment. The birds, the animals, all the wild creatures, for the most part try to … Continue reading A Seven Day Bouquet: Day 2
When the late spring green deepens, the landscape turns from thin and twiggy to lush and bold, and the coming summer skies begin to dance. It is a certain refrain of the season during an uncertain time. And while the confident scene of the larger landscape comforts, it blends many of nature’s treasures into a … Continue reading A Seven Day Bouquet: Day 1
She folds towels like the mom I watched as a child — aligning corners, sweeping her fingers across the terry, smoothing before flipping for a final fold, her accomplishment culminating in a smile of satisfaction. Before dementia, her folds had purpose, a mother caring for her family. Now she folds while not knowing why. A … Continue reading A Practice Run to the Finish Line
My friend’s phone rang. When she answered, another friend asked, “Is Karen just devastated?” The bark looked the same. Skin of decades. Protecting. Rough and furrowed. Covering — like lined up and laid out potato chips, the wavy edges lifted as if exfoliating, peeling open trails that if followed could share stories from every season. … Continue reading A Tree is Nice
When I walk on a sunlit day, I sense God smiling down in sunshine. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The earth laughs in flowers.” Over the past weeks while witnessing the sedums in bloom, I’ve seen the earth cracking up and beaming back a thanks to above. The smiling down is more than a singular sunbeam … Continue reading Sedums Again!
What a pallet upon which to place tiny treasures. The bursting of spring across the landscape is a painterly expression attributed to one artist. The view changes at each moment in millions of moves — the budding leaves and flowers, the emerging colors, and the sprouting blades and … Continue reading Spring, See it with the Heart
He is Risen. Known. Believed. Loved. HAPPY EASTER
I stood at the edge of the gorge and glimpsed spring. The grass was dead and matted but through the brown blades popped purple and white flowers — anemones. Single flowers atop a slender stem, Anemone, berlandieri, are among the early spring bloomers in the Hill Country. They are lovely, ranging in color from white … Continue reading Go Shake in the Sun… with Exhilaration
It’s winter for a short time more and the ranch is wearing winter colors — cold blues, shades of gray, and gentle browns bitten by freeze. I love a winter day that points to spring while carrying along memories of fall. Today I am in my swing, a favorite spot to write, looking out … Continue reading Come Walk Through the Grass
Happy Thanksgiving! Take a walk. Look closer. (Can you find the Thanksgiving guest in the photo below?) Set aside your troubles. Marvel at the little treasures in nature. Appreciate the days. Don't be afraid. Enjoy the beauty around you. Celebrate the harvest. Gasp at God's glorious creation. Let your light shine. Spend time with friends … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving 2018!