December

to make joy

bring joy

find joy

that is one of life's

greatest gifts

take a moment

Sour Cherry Pie Rug

I have a

veritable

forest

of sour

cherry trees

thoughtfully planted

by dining birds and gathering squirrels

In spring

these trees transform into

fragrant clouds of blossom white

And in summer

they are lit

with fiery globes of

butter yellow

salmon

cheery cherry red

hung against a bright blue sky

Oh joy!

the Oriental lilies

are all a bloom

greenhouse warm and perfumed

luscious colors

shapes and scents

pure hedonistic pleasure

abounds

Lion's Paw

Edelweiss

you can see why

it inspired a song.

This one

grown from a packet of seeds

souvenir of a traveling friend,

blooms every year.

And every year

I drink it in

all in awe

that it continues to exist

despite being far away

from it's natural habitat.

The ability to not only survive

but, adapt and thrive

is a humbling and inspiring

thing to witness.

Make a Wish

Ever since

i was a kid,

my second favorite thing

about the 4th of July

is having a box of sparklers

in hand.

There is a certain ceremony

that takes place

before you strike the match

and set the sparks in motion.

It's the moment when you

close your eyes

and think about something

that you really really want.

and then,

with your wand

of miniature stars firing,

you write it across the sky.

P.S.

that wonderful painting in the photo?

it's by amazing Jill Mayberg

Dance While Driving Responsibly

I had a show in Iowa last week

and so i drove and drove and drove.

At one point

somewhere in Wyoming...

after an 11 hour stretch,

with two more to go before bedtime

I found myself with the windows down

stereo cranked to a most excellent

classic rock station

which, at the moment was belting out

"Love the One Your With" by CSN

with me singing along...loudly.

A freight truck doing at least 80

passed me on the left

while simultaeously,

a long line of boxcars

rumbled by on the right

and all around us

was wide open space

that should've been oh so quiet

but wasn't.

We make a lot of noise

transporting all of our stuff

from point a to point b.

Mom's Mother's Mother's etc. Rhubarb Pie

Family came to visit

and it being June

with rhubarb abounding,

I baked a pie.

The same pie that my

mom's mother's mother's etc.

has been baking for

well...forever.

The insides might have changed

over the years.

But, the crust

is exactly the same

down to the three stalks of wheat

cut into the top.

It's a beautiful design,

before the butter melts it out of shape.

And somewhere,

tucked into my DNA

there is a story to go with it.

I just wish I knew what it was.

And since it is always good

to have something to wish for,

there is a certain sense of joy

in being part of some great

long-standing

never to be solved mystery.

A Perfect Day

I used to think

that a perfect day

was a day full of

your favorite activities.

But, now i know

that a perfect day

can be a day

that isn't about me at all.

That person grinning from ear to ear

is my baby brother.

He'll soon turn 43

but, that's not what he is smiling about.

Last Tuesday, he graduated from OHSU

with his bachelors degree in nursing.

On Wednesday,

he interviewed for his dream job

and three hours later,

they called to offer him the position.

The room where he interviewed

overlooked an outdoor concrete staircase

that he had spent many cold,

rainy days building just 5 1/2 years ago.

It was the perfect image to hold in his mind

as he talked about why he wanted

to work at and be part of OHSU.

I like to think about the symbolism of a staircase.

How they help us to navigate steep and difficult slopes.

How they make it easier for us to get to our destination.

I like to think that

that staircase helped my brother

follow his long ago dream

of working in the medical profession.

Ask a discontented person

how many perfect days they think they're

entitled to.

They will have a number for you.

Other folks know

that if even one perfect day

comes along in their lifetime,

an extraordinary thing has occured.

A feeling to be taken in and marveled over.

Last Wednesday was a perfect day.

Not just for my brother

but also,

for everyone who loves him.

Functional Art #2

This old

water line cover

brings me such joy

each time I happen

to walk by it.

So simple so beautiful

so well-made.

They could have made it plain

so grateful that they didn't.

Permission to Play

Today,

I was thinking about how

at this time of year

my "to do" list

exceeds my life expectancy

and that made me think about a lot of things.

Saturdays for example,

they really do exist for a reason.

People do their "to do" lists on Saturday

if you have a Saturday...which i don't.

And of course that fact,

started me thinking about Cinderella

who also didn't have Saturdays...

you know the story.

But what you don't know,

is that it's not about being rescued by a prince.

It's about having permission to play.

He gives her permission to play.

So, i'm going out to get me a Saturday...

the kind you spend playing in the garden

because, who has time to wait for a prince?

Breathe Deeply Often

trees more blossoms

than leaves

birds and bees

Two reasons I Wish I Had a Pet Cougar

Two tulips

those are them.

The only two

out of a hundred

just ready to bloom

tangerine beauties

left behind

by the marauding

neighborhood herd of deer.

If I had a pet cougar, I'd name her "Tulip".

Freeport, Texas

Couple days ago, I sat in an

old pick-up on a warm sunny day and the scent of it worked a certain magic.

Eye's closed, it was 1966 and I was headed to the beach for the very first time in my grandfather's 1946 Dodge 2 door sedan...the designated vehicle for such journey's. It was a car that welcomed sandy feet and buckets of shells, its trunk permanently packed with blankets and digging tools. Like a rocket headed for the moon, that old car transported me to a new universe.

Thank-you Dorothy

I recently had to spend some time at the hospital getting my thyroid tested...nothing serious mind you. If some body part has to mal-function, the thyroid is realtively easy to fix. So, i shouldnt have been scared. But i was....just a little bit.

I mean, people are always going into hospitals...they just don't always come out.

I chose my clothing appropriately.

A pair of ruby slippers

and even though it was supposed to hit 70 degrees

i also wore a super power cape

red of course

it could've been a tie

a red power tie

So, thank-you Dorothy

for showing all of us that

even though we have the power within

it's good to have a visual reminder.

Ode to Spring

Thank you spring

for all these things:

planting seeds

walking barefoot

so many smiles on a beautiful day

tiny new leaves

thunderstorms

every door and window in my house open

wide

pussy willows

rhubarb pie

the smell and feel of line-dried sheets

renegade flowers in my lawn

tree frogs

daffodils

driving with the windows down

the sound of birds after the silence

of winter

calves and colts and lambs

warm, misty rains to sit in

more and more color until the world is

green green green

Functional Art

The fact that we live in a time where we describe anything that is functional, well-crafted and beautiful as "art" says a lot about life in the 21st century.

I worry about us. Our need for speed and instant gratification, that we equate cheap with good. I miss T.V. Repairmen...I miss everyone who used to repair things. Our lives should be full of things worth repairing.

The Power of Color

a robins egg

the caribbean

a box from Tiffany and Co.

that certain shade of blue

not often seen by most

making it rare

and thus,

desired

a color that evokes a promise

of spring

a place to relax

long awaited treasure

a color to make all your dreams come true

Green Eggs and Glass

Lori and Russell Ford happen to be glassblowers with a flock of chickens and a cow or two. They live about a 1/2 mile from me, with lots of other people's cows between us. Yesterday, I wandered down to their place to pick-up a dozen eggs. Lori has one Araucana chicken who lays the most beautiful greenish/blue eggs. I love opening the carton and seeing 1 or 2 of those magical eggs nestled in with all the other lovely shades of brown. It's not everywhere that you can buy a dozen eggs and a handblown glass to match!

The Return of Color

yellow buttercups

amongst still brown

just thinking about turning green

grass