rock, crystal or plain ole magic?

I’m beginning to think that very little in life should ever be labelled “just a ______.”

Ain’t the universe truly grand?

bird cages

I came upon this tree, in the front yard of a stranger’s house. It was festooned with a multitude of cages both practical and surreal. It had a mate as well, bedecked with even more birdhouses. I heard no chirps from happy inhabitants but I was not dismayed. I don’t think that’s the point.

a thin air view

And then I love coming home.

clouds

Doesn’t it look like the sky is trying to tell us something?

What do you see?

sun + flowers = sunflowers aka perfection

How can one not have a fabulous day when these are in the world?

And, in one random moment, I looked up.

looking up to see a flowering tree

Pleasure is always there, waiting to be noticed and embraced.

Snail No. 1

I have a snail obsession, I confess.

They cover the tops of bushes early in the day, catching the night’s dew drops before the sun has its way.

Then, they defy their reputation for sluggishness by disappearing from sight by mid-morning.

Snail No. 2

I don’t know what I would do if one day they were gone…

Perhaps order escargot for lunch?

a beach at twilight

The end of the day. The end of the weekend. The end of summer.

This is just an unnamed Southern California beach and sliver of sunset, captured at dusk on a Sunday from the upper deck of a train speeding home.

Beautiful. Wistful. Too brief.

a dash of color is almost as good as a sip of water

So many firsts today! It’s the first day of the month – August. It’s the first day of the week – Monday. And it’s the first day of The August Break, created by Susannah Conway.

It’s also the first day after a long hike. The above picture should be memento enough of a delightful day spent traversing a burbling creek, multiple times; sharing the discovery of salamanders, tadpoles, fallen acorns and rocks with a precocious four-year-old; trudging up exposed, dry hillsides sporting runaway-truck-ramp type grades; and glorying in being immersed in nature, complete with waterfalls, only a few miles from Hollywood. My calf muscles, however, have decided I need a deeper reminder than that achieved with an iPhone and Instagram.

Since I can’t pass on my aching legs, blistered feet and slight sunburn to you glorious folks, I hope you enjoy this burst of color that greeted us on the way down the hill and mocked us on the way back up. Also, happy Blooming Monday.

How was your weekend?

le skunk

Pepe Le Pew
may be my favorite cartoon
animal
beast
savage
lover.

But the skunk
who waddles over brambles
and noses under fences
as I trudge, or
dare I say it,
waddle myself
up the hill
at dusk –
I should know better –
does not receive
my innocent infatuation.

Curiosity.
Wariness.
Appreciation
at a safe distance.
These mark my response to
the wild creature,
not so wild,
that could raise its tail
and leave me
in a pungent mist of
disillusionment
and regret,
tears streaming down my face,
unable to escape
the symptoms of his rejection and
craving
a pen and ink drawing of
romance.

“Don’t move, darling. I want to remember you just as you are…”

On behalf of One Shot Wednesday.