For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Ann-Christine encourages us to find the magical in our lives: According to Wikipedia, Magical can mean: ”…beautiful or delightful in a way that seems removed from everyday life.” She notes there may be other meanings, as you might guess with my selection of photos. Some photos are magical in their whimsy. Others are flat representations of awe-inspiring moments. One is a calm before the storm. They are all magical to me.
The Total Lunar Eclipse, or Blood Moon rising on Election Day 2022.
While not an award-winning photo of a Total Lunar Eclipse, I still feel a thrill when I see this photo, taken as it was with my (then) iPhone 8 Plus and a pair of binoculars. The moon is a force of magic and wonder, messing with the tides on our planet and in our bodies.
My iPhone was almost flat on the ground in order to get this photo.
Fungi always makes me think of fairies and folklore, and these pleated inkcaps entice me to image myself an inch tall running through a land where the mushrooms are as tall as redwoods.
The space between. Shot taken from airplane window on our return to Tallahassee from visiting family in New York, 2022.
I think of this photo as the calm before the storm, a magical space where, for a little while, my world was cushioned by soft clouds and endless blue. We were on our way back home after visiting my sister and family in New York. I didn’t know, at this peaceful moment, that the trip would be the last time I’d see my sister alive.
The horrible thistle is magical to me.
Anyone who has been following my blog for any length of time must know that I love the thistle. I know it’s called a “horrible thistle” because of the thick, sharp spines along the edges of its leaves. So, one looks but doesn’t touch. It’s still magical to me.
If we live here long enough, Raji might get to enjoy a blue bayou right outside our door.
Finally, a little magical whimsy: a photo of Raji superimposed on a photo taken at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. To stretch the idea of magic a little further, this kitty is himself magical. Although he still prefers not to be picked up, he is tolerating it more and has even developed a habit of curling up next to me on the loveseat when I’m reading, within arm’s reach of frequent pets and head scratches.
Now, what is Magical to you? Anything–people, places, and things, memories and feelings–are fair game. If you want to join in, please link to Ann-Christine’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you in the reader.
I always feel apprehensive when reviewing poetry, maybe more so than when I’m writing the poetry myself. Some time ago, I took an online writing course, and the instructor mentioned in passing that she liked writing poetry because you didn’t need to explain poetry like you would explain a story or an essay. While that idea frees me to write poetry, it definitely makes it more difficult to review poetry.
Poetry is like music, like art. You can admire the technique, the skill in putting words (or notes or paints) together in a pleasing way. But the poetry I’m attracted to does more than please me. It lifts me out of myself and sets me to ponder ideas and feelings I either hadn’t considered or had been afraid to acknowledge. So ends my long introduction to this review of Merril D. Smith’s book, River Ghosts.
Cover art by Jay Smith
But before I begin my review: Just look at that cover! River Ghosts is published by Nightingale & Sparrow, and what a gorgeous book to hold in my hands. When I first saw the cover on Smith’s blog, I knew I had to have a printed copy. I have not been disappointed. In fact, when I wasn’t reading Smith’s lovely poetry, I had her book displayed on a bookshelf so I could enjoy seeing the cover.
The first poem in this collection–“River Ghosts”–sets up the reader for a journey into the past and present, into if and when, with “echoes / over the river.” The reader is invited to “Observe again.” but also to “Now solve the problem.” And that’s just in the first two poems. Smith might not intend for the reader to “solve the problem” presented in all the poems, but she definitely intends (in my humble opinion) for the reader to observe again and again, whether she is observing “a train to hell,” a first love or dark matter. Like a river, these poems meander–at turns edging toward grief (“our mother stopped eating before she died, / now I hear her ghost-laugh in my dreams”), then sisterly fun (“we rubbed the laughing Buddha’s belly for good luck”), but always listing toward the mysteries of the universe, encompassing life and death:
Once some brilliant star breathed time
in the after-wake of explosion and danced across a universe
exploring eternity
The poems were compiled after Smith’s mother died of COVID-19 in April 2020, and so a number of the poems feature her mother in her youth and old age. She (and others long-deceased) also features as a ghost; not a scary, haunted ghost, but:
Not living,
no longer here,
yet not completely gone.
In her poem “Family Ghosts,” Smith makes clear her calling and intent:
Subsisting, existing
their ghost voices sing to me
I hear them
I feel them–ancestors calling me,
this is what we do, generate, create the songs of our hearts forever.
These are poems I will be turning to often as I seek comfort when my own family members become “not living, / no longer here.” I will find comfort in knowing that they are “not completely gone.” Smith demonstrates how a writer could (and, perhaps, should) allow ancestors to speak through her, echoing through the years, so we always remember not just when but if.
Hello, everyone. Gee, I feel like I should re-introduce myself since my blogging has been on the down-low lately. But, yeah, I don’t really want to do that. While my blog is about me, it’s not entirely about me. Take from it what you will.
Firstly, there is better living through drugs. The Gabapentin I was prescribed does seem to reduce my neck pain to a more manageable level. I’m still trying to get away with as minimal a dosage as possible, mainly because I don’t like being drug-dependent, but then there is that quality-of-life thing to think about. Case in point: one of the “side effects” of Gabapentin is it reduces anxiety. To feel less anxious and more calm seems hard to come by naturally these days.
Although I don’t want to be drug-dependent, I’ve also started taking Excedrin first thing in the morning. The dosages of acetaminophen and aspirin do not reduce any of my arthritic pain (although it did do wonders when I recently had one of the worst headaches of my whole life). The caffeine does get me a slight boost when coupled with my morning tea, but here’s the real reason I take it: My 98-year-old mother has been taking Excedrin regularly for years. We had a little conversation about that.
Mom: “I got up about five-thirty and took an Excedrin and went back to bed. Then I was got up again and I took another.”
Me: “Why? Did you have a headache?”
Mom: “No, I just like taking Excedrin.”
Me: ?
Mom: “You know I don’t drink coffee.”
Me: “Oh. So, instead of having a cup of coffee in the morning, you take an Excedrin.”
Mom: “Yes, yes, I guess I do.”
Did I mention that not only is my mom 98, but she’s also the healthiest one in our family? Some might argue that there’s no causal effect of Excedrin on my mother’s health, but I’m taking it anyway.
Another source of support is coming from book publishers:
The Ukrainian Book Institute, now with the support of the Federation of European Publishers and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, has reiterated its request for help from the global publishing community to raise money to publish and distribute Ukrainian-language books for the several million refugees who have fled Ukraine after Russia’s invasion nearly a month ago. Donations can be made online.
You know I love to knit so I was thrilled to find sock knitting patterns. Not only did I purchase a few patterns, but I think I made a friend. Vicky from DC13EcoFriendlyLife, located in Kharkiv, Ukraine, gifted me a free knitting pattern just because I bought a set of patterns from her.
Now the bike rides.
I went on two bike rides recently. One on my Peugeot road bike. It had been a long while since I was on that bike. I can only take it out on paved roads, not the rugged, rutty, stony, grassy trails of the refuge. So, after two days of steady rain, I jumped at the opportunity to go for a bike ride with my husband. We got a treat when we stopped at the St. Marks City Park.
Gobble, gobble.Pecking away.
According to my Merlin Bird ID app, these are “wild turkeys.” They didn’t seem wild to us as we were able to get very close to them. In fact, while we were admiring the birds, a hawk swooped down and startled all four of us. I imagine that, when he got close enough, the hawk realized that he couldn’t haul away a bird this size. But the drama was enough to make the birds head back to the safety of the trees.
On the way home from the bike ride, my husband (wanting to avoid rush hour traffic) suggested having dinner at the Wakulla Springs Lodge. We walked the grounds for a few minutes after dinner, enjoying the Golden Hour. I wish I had taken some photos but I only have this one:
A stately White Ash tree at the Golden Hour
A few days later, we went on another bike ride, this time to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. I am so grateful for that refuge. It really is a heaven on earth. Wildflowers, lilies, and thistles were in abundance. Enjoy!
Atamasco Lily (Zephyranthes atamasco)Purple thistle (Cirsium horridulum)Where there be thistles, there be bumblebees.Coastal Mock Vervain (Glandularia marítima) A big “maybe” on this one. My otherwise reliable iSeek app simply could not give me more than Verbena Family classification.Southeastern Sneezeweed (I kid you not.) (Helenium pinnatifidum)Southern Dewberry (Rubus trivialis)Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)Blue Flag Iris (Iris Virginica)ViewRaji (Felis catus)
The Rascals beat out the Beatles as my favorite music group when I was growing. I had a major crush on Felix.
Many thanks to everyone who commented on my Monday post and provided me with sage advice. Ironically (maybe?), on Wednesday, before I got around to responding to comments, I made myself work on my novel a bit. I wrote about 600 words. Then I rewarded myself by reading the comments. Surprise, surprise (to no one), most of you suggested I write about 500 words a day. Well, golly gee, I had just written 600! And then today (Thursday), I wrote another 982. I do believe I’m grooving. My daily goal going forward will be 500 words. If I’m inspired and write more, well, that’s icing. But if I write at least 500, I can stop guilting myself for having (and needing) other interests.
Speaking of other interests and the multiple ways I’ve been avoiding writing, I forgot to mention exercise. In mid-July, my husband and I rejoined our local gym, and we have been faithfully going there three times a week, working out for an hour-and-a-half to two hours. We’re retired so we can take all the time we want. I’ve lost some weight and gained some muscle in the process. Given all that’s happened to my sister, I am even more focused on building strong muscles.
And then there’s the bike riding, which we did Tuesday. What a beautiful day. And, as it was a weekday, we saw few people.
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As it happens, when we go for bike rides, my mind wanders and often I think of my novel. That’s what I did on Tuesday so I was primed to do some writing on Wednesday.
Your encouragement helped as well as it always does.
A bit of good news before I close this post. Maxine had a checkup today and her creatine values have dropped yet again, to 4.4. Still elevated, but a hell of a lot better than 6.9. Her urine is still clear of bacteria, but the vet wants us to do two more weeks of the twice daily antibiotic injections. Apparently, that is the regimen. Who are we to argue? She promised that if Max’s urine is still clear after two weeks, then we can stop. We might even be able to reduce her subcutaneous fluids. The only real disappointing news is that now she has anemia so new meds (yay!) for the next two weeks. That cat is turning into a poster child for the pharmaceutical industry.
But she’s doing good. She really is. She’s peeing and pooping in the litter boxes more often than not. She’s steady on her feet and generally trots to her meals (food is her reason for being). She’s still sleeping a lot, but not when there’s food around. I don’t have high expectations for her, as she does have chronic kidney disease, but she really seems to be enjoying a better quality of life than she was a month ago. We are grateful.
Maxine chilling out after her morning with the vet.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Stony Bayou, March 29, 2021
I’ve been down this dike before with you. I often veer off our path gaping at clouds in the wide blue sky, shuttering a desire to leave my bike and explore the bayous. It’s why we’re here, to feel the expanse of nature, the filling of our souls. Often ordinary but glorious cumulus clouds fill the sky.
There are clouds today but these clouds are clearly foreign, such an exotic clutter against the blue cloth of the sky. Thin cotton rolls layer above our heads. Is this what they call a “mackerel sky,” I wonder but don’t ask out loud. You wouldn’t hear me anyway. You’re too far ahead. I always fall behind when we travel this dike. I want to stretch my arms, embrace the whole of the sky. I fall in love with these clouds like I fell in love with you.
***
I’m participating in Merril’s prompt for dVerse Prosery Monday. Click here if you want to join in. Frankly, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I seem to be attracted to challenges where I’m limited to 144 words or less. I suspect it’s because I’m working on a novel … lol.
This week, Patti has us thinking about size–from large to small. Her instructions (or suggestions, depending on how compliant you aim to be … (smile)): For this challenge, pick a color and select several photos that feature that color. Start with a photo of a big subject in that color (for example, a wall) and move all the way down to a small subject in that same color (for example, an earring).
I was initially stumped until I started looking at how others were meeting the challenge. The dim bulb in my head got a little brighter.
The color I choose is pink. When I was in my late 50s, I had an obsession with the color pink. I was buying pink clothes, pink laptop covers, pink yarn, pink fabric. I drank pink lemonade. My desire for pink ran amok. I think it was because I actually hated pink when I was a little girl. Blue was my color then. So maybe my obsession was just making up for lost time.
Tina asks us to go from large to small, here goes …
Here’s a variety of pink in a light quilt that I made many years ago. In the photo, I am under the quilt. Wendy is cradled by my legs, her nightly routine.
Smaller than my quilt is one of my favorite shirts, which is mostly pink. It’s made of quick-dry fabric making it a great travel shirt, and the color has not faded at all in the many years I’ve had it. Whenever I need a visual pick-me-up, this shirt does it for me.
Smaller than my shirt is … wait! What’s Maxine doing here? No, she’s not pink-colored, but she does have a connection to the color pink.
Maxine’s story
Maxine showed up on our back porch in January 2009 and refused to leave (she knows a sucker when she sees one … or two). We made the usual effort to try and find her original staff. After a few days of no response to our inquiries, we took her to our vet to see if she was chipped. Yes, she was! We learned then that Maxine hailed from Miami (only about 400 miles south of Tallahassee), that she had been adopted in 2004 (making her five whole years old), and … wait for it …
her original name was Pink.
However, she’s forever Maxine (or Max or Maxie) to us.
Smaller than a cat–! I bet you all were wondering when I was going to sneak flowers into this challenge. I recently purchased this Gerbera daisy (aka Barberton Daisy). I could look at it all day and every day … which, actually, I do since it’s on my deck.
The flowers of my Madagascar Periwinkle are definitely smaller than the Gerbera Daisy.
Lastly, smaller than them all, one of my favorite earrings in pinkish glass.
I hope you enjoyed my answer to this week’s challenge. Remember, if you wish to participate in the From Large to Small, be sure to link to Patti’s original post and include the “Lens-Artists” tag.
Personal note: I’ve closed comments on this post. My husband is scheduled for back surgery on Friday. Although it is outpatient surgery and a relatively simple procedure, I need and want to give him undivided attention now and through his recovery. I know you all understand.
Stay safe, well, and happy. Be sure to tell the important people in your life that you love them.
For this week’s photography challenge, Diane of the Rambling Ranger is “talking about Mother Nature untouched and untrammeled, allowed to get on with her work without human help or hindrance.” Now that’s a real challenge, especially here in Florida where evidence of human help or hindrance is in overwhelming abundance. But Diane further notes that, “Even if your only access to the natural world is the local park, you will certainly find something wild in your world.” Okay, well, I do have some parks and forests around, and human help that I just can’t help but show.
In early April, my husband and I drove to a segment of the Apalachicola National Forest, expecting to find a field of pitcher plants, or more correctly, a Savannah wetland of pitcher plants. What we found instead were charred remains.
Above is my husband on the search for bugs and pitcher plants.
What we didn’t know was that the U.S. Forest Service had conducted a prescribed burn in the area back in late February. Prescribed burns are necessary to reduce the risk of wildfires and to maintain a unique ecosystem such as the Savannah wetland. Even though we were disappointed, I found good subjects to photograph.
Life on the rebound, especially among the pines.
Above are remnants of a hunting party, or maybe just a party. I actually did some trash pick-up while we were out, although I didn’t have enough bags to pick up this assortment of burned-out bottles. But see the green shoots … nothing can keep Mother Nature down for long.
A few weeks later, we returned.
What a difference six weeks can make! We were thrilled to find green everywhere and pitcher plants in abundance!
Pitcher plants are carnivorous, needing to get their nutrients from the insects that crawl into the pitcher part of the plant where they drown and are slowly digested. (It takes all kinds.) You can learn more about them here.
Looks like a moth is becoming food for this pitcher plant.
Tuberous grasspink
Including my hand for scale
Snakemouth or rose pogonia
Flowers were everywhere as well, such as these tiny orchids (above).
Mimosa pudica
Orange milkwort (?)
Coreopsis nudata–Georgia tickseed
This last (but not least) flower, I call “Jill’s Flower” because I think of her whenever I see a pretty combination of purple and yellow. (Y’all know I mean Jill Weatherholt.)
So, this is as wild as I get, folks. Given my achy-breaky knees, it was hard enough to squat down to get close and personal with the orchids, and then get back up.
I hope you enjoyed this walk on Marie’s wild side and will visit other photographers participating in this challenge.
If you care to join in, please remember to use the Lens-Artist tag and link to Diane’s original post (here). And heads up, next week’s challenge will be hosted by Patti and the “rules” are as follows: “From Large to Small. Here are the details: Pick a color and take several photos that feature that color. Start with a photo of a big subject in that color (for example, a wall) and move all the way down to a small subject in that same color (for example, an earring).“
This week, the challenge is from Tina at Travels and Trifles: “we are returning to the color wheel and its cooler members, which include blue (primary) green (secondary) and blue-green or blue-violet aka purple (tertiary). A visit to the web on the subject will take you deep into the emotions said to result from exposure to these and other colors. For this week’s purposes, let’s simply explore the many ways the cooler colors appear in our world.”
Let’s hear it for green and blue!
Hydrangeas are in full bloom in my neighborhood. The top two photos are from a corner bush on one street, the bottom from across my house. One of the many things I love about hydrangeas is how you can have different colors–from true blue to bluish purple to light purple–in the same bush.
This sign (above photo) has been up for the past year. You know why. I love seeing it.
This treasure (above photo) was spotted on our walk at the Timberlane Ravine where I had seen an assortment of figurines. (Story about that is here.) Some of the figurines are there, some have been taken, some have been added. It’s a thing, apparently, and I might participate by leaving one of my figurines there someday.
Here’s one of my own lovelies, a pot of Lobelia which we bought not just because it’s so pretty, but it’s supposed to attract hummingbirds. I haven’t seen the two hummingbirds that visit us seek out the Lobelia, but we also put out sugar water for them. Why go for a sip when you can have a big gulp?
I hope you enjoyed my contribution to the challenge. If you wish to participate, please remember to link your response to Tina’s original post and to use the Lens-Artists Tag. Next week’s challenge will be hosted by Dianne Millard of Rambling Ranger. Be sure to check out her blog and watch for her post next week.
I like this quote that Leya cites in kicking off this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge:
In one sentence, I’d describe myself as indescribable. But, I wouldn’t end it with a period. I’d end it with three dots. – Jason Schwartzman
I like the quote because, as anyone who’s read a lot of my comments should know, I use ellipses (…) a lot. I use them often incorrectly, but I persist because, well, …
This week’s theme is Spots and Dots, and Leya wants us to have fun with it. I cannot resist fun.
First up, a spotted and dotted leaf on spotted and dotted ground.
I know! I’ve clinched the challenge! I could stop right here, but I have more.
This is one of my favorite photos and some of you have already seen it featured on my blog: A morning glory with raindrops.
I’ve also shared this photo before: Sawfly larvae. I believe it was last spring when we came upon a small pine tree that was covered with these larvae. We were fascinated by them, having never seen them before. Unfortunately, they are known to decimate trees, particularly young pines.
This critter may well be a White-Marked Tussock Moth caterpillar of the “look but don’t touch” variety. Apparently their fur is covered with chemicals that can cause allergic reactions. Good thing I instinctively do not try to pet anything that is not a cat or dog. Still, I think this caterpillar is lovely with its orange dots and white spots. Occasionally I see them among my potted plants. I was chauffeuring this one to a tree in our yard.
Okay, these are not really dots or spots unless you want to say you spot some turtles in the water. In the years of B.C.B.R. (Before COVID, Before Retirement), I used to frequent this pond near my former office building. These bathing beauties (as I love to call them) would often be sunbathing at the pond’s edge. As soon as I came into their view, plop, plop, plop! One by one they would plop into the water and linger there until I had gone around the bend and out of sight.
Thank you, Leya, for this week’s fun challenge! If you, my Dear Readers, wish to participate in this challenge, don’t forget to link to Leya’s original post and include the Lens-Artists tag.
Marie at 1 Write Way 