December 23, 2010

December


to make joy
bring joy
find joy

that is one of life's
greatest gifts

take a moment

July 28, 2010

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

July 21, 2010

Oh joy!


the Oriental lilies
are all a bloom
greenhouse warm and perfumed
luscious colors
shapes and scents
pure hedonistic pleasure
abounds

July 13, 2010

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.

July 07, 2010

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

June 30, 2010

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.

June 17, 2010

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.


June 09, 2010

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.


June 02, 2010

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.

May 24, 2010

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?

May 18, 2010

Breathe Deeply Often



trees more blossoms
than leaves

birds and bees

May 09, 2010

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".

April 29, 2010

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.

April 23, 2010

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.

April 17, 2010

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

April 07, 2010

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.

March 31, 2010

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

March 24, 2010

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!

March 19, 2010

The Return of Color


yellow buttercups
amongst still brown
just thinking about turning green
grass