Morning Surprises

A gentle splash turned my head. 

Two very large geese, goslings tightly bunched between, entered the quiet pond nestled in gently rolling greenery for a morning swim.

Gently, smoothly swimming into the middle, 

they turned and began a return trip.

Larry had told me of a pair of geese with three goslings,

so I was not surprised to see them,

only surprised to see more goslings.

At first I could only see two

then three

then four.

Finally, five little fuzzy yellow heads

cleared in my camera lens ~

all lined up between mom and dad,

or was it dad and mom.

No matter,

the goslings, obviously protected by their parents,

had strict instruction to stay in line.

Two pair of black watchful eyes

were kept on the human (that would be me) and the dog (Cleo)

on the gentle, grassy flowered hill.

                                   

“Our brightest blazes of gladness are 

        commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.”

-  Samuel Johnson, The Idler; Poems

Wildflowers and Family Time

Enjoyed time again today with Larry on a earlier morning walk, mist rising from a nearby pond.

A few brave buttercups scattered themselves in the dewy grass.

Wrote in my journal out on the patio, with dog and kitties, the sun high and oh, so warm ~ a lovely segue into the day.

Cleo stretched on the warm cement,

Mr. Wilson and Miss Fancy nowhere to be seen,

tiny birds scratched in the pine needles under the big pine.

A short attempt to move a hosta!

The soil thick with roots from an invading bush.

Shovel of little help - not to mention my arm strength.

In the afternoon, I shared a long meandering walk with Dana.
Stepping rather clumsily over the electric fence, 

I followed her deep in the pasture where tall trees and green meadows made shadowy magic.

We made a small jump across a trickling creek

both coming and going in our travels.

Green pastures were strewn with drifts of 

yellow buttercups

red clover

tiny mauve wild flowers

tiny white daisies
even some wild strawberries.

Back in the yard, a lovely bush in flower, 

sadly burned by frost,

called ‘grandfather’s whiskers’ continued bravely on.

A quiet evening of visiting,

a bit of TV, 

and early to bed.

“Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new.”

~ John Milton

Walking through Dew Soaked Grasses

A day of rest with a bit of jet lag lagging behind me.

Up, not so early,

saw Dana off on a 9 mile hike with Suzie and Kim.

I declined the ‘straight up’ trek with three very fit ladies!

Visited, checked the garden and walked through early morning with Larry.

Freezing temperatures last night destroyed all the new growth

on grapevines, but blueberries, saskatoons and blackberries are ok.

A much shorter gentler wander 

through dew soaked grasses with Cleo, his dog

then on my own for a quiet afternoon,

Tapped away on my Addictions writing project,

napped,

tidied the kitchen,

sorted through my belongings,

outside to take a couple of pictures. 

(this blog’s picture a couple of years old, early summer morning)

Then to a really quaint garden store - more rustic I guess - 

Larry chose bedding plants and a tomato cage

Susan nabbed two dozen free run eggs, from an Amish producer, and a jar of honey.

Home for supper, 

more visiting and now to bed.

“A quiet mind cureth all.”

- Robert Burton

On my way....

Early morning.

Final gathering and tidying.

Doors closed on rooms to keep any escaped dust bunnies from roaming willfully throughout the house waiting patiently to pounce at my good friend when she comes to check the house.

Suitcases 

overpacked - I’m certain.

underpacked - I’m also certain.

I won’t know until later what it might be,

but my anticonvulsants were packed last night

with extras in my carry on luggage.

Writing, planned for the hours in the air, was

replaced by a lot of napping instead!

It was an orderly - and very full - flight.

Here I am behind the camera in

this oh so neat restaurant

that I had been in last year,

a delicious spinach/strawberry/candied walnut salad 

topped with shrimp and deep fried goat cheese waiting to be devoured.

Surprise! Memory saved  - and accessible -  for both restaurant and the menu item.

This restaurant, also a book store, provides a view of shelves of books:

story 

science fiction

business

mystery

inspiration

self-help/wellness

romance.

An airport restaurant,

tables away from concourse and 

beeping airport noises 

throngs of arriving and departing passengers.

“The secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to 

a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget 

that which has made a deep impression on our minds.”

~ Tryon Edwards

Flying Two Kites!

Minor struggles with this blog tonight.

My choices?

Book group

Getting ready for vacation..

When in doubt - pick both!

My morning started slowly ~

Morning Pages

yoga (and a few exercises thrown in)

breakfast

then laundry started, to-do list made up, running errands.

a break for Book group in the afternoon

Under the Afghan Sky by Mellissa Fung

the impetus for lively discussion about

cultural differences,

amazing inner strength under unimaginable stress,

language barriers,

religious differences.

All the while, she never knew

where

when

why

in this age of instant communication

communication cut off from

friends

family 

employer

the outside world

anyone

A hole in the ground her housing for 28 days,

cookies and juice her only food

while her captors came and went.

Once home I continued ~

Laundry finished - washed, dried and put away as I

gathered myself and what is needed for each day ~

medications, socks, toothbrush, paper, pens

paying bills, 

eating up odds and ends - or throwing it in the freezer

empty the garbage - thank heavens tomorrow is garbage day!

Good night!

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

~ Ken Levine

At the Tax Office

The line up:

quiet 

orderly 

a few muffled grumbles

no sense of urgency....just yet

Still three weeks before the deadline 

Young and old with

folders, 

manilla envelopes

shoe boxes

brief cases.

Last year’s taxes wrap up 

the mandatory financial picture of 

personal business of life          

anchored to the politics of the country.

Signatures,

numbers, 

verified

validated

review of the previous year

tomorrow’s accountability for $$ spent

without showing the experience in

quality

form

function

needed to acquire and maintain those $$

$$ do not explain how each business transaction arrived

with a set of hopes or fears

joy or anxieties.

Reduced to a mere paper trail sent 

over the wires

or in the mail

it is only money.

"Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today."

~ Herman Wouk