Language

Took this shot this morning on my way through the PSU campus. We have light! Blessed glorious light. I am attempting to soak it in and not take it for granted. Just like my ability to speak and read and communicate.

Such Tangled Webs

Yeah yeah, it has been a good long while. I have been focusing on my yoga teaching and not so much my photography lately... The other thing is that I am getting more picky about my pictures and only want to put up the very best and they are rare.

(Did you know that Dante only used one ellipses in The Divine Comedy? When I am not taking pictures I am taking a class on The Inferno and am enjoying the audiobook version as well as the Pinsky translation.)

This shot is from last Friday, a week ago and I took it with my phone. There had been a big storm a few days before and there was this massive seaweed extravaganza on the beach near where we were staying for our semi-annual getaway to Pacific City.

It was so lovely to get away...

Amazing Arrives in Many Forms

In my next human incarnation (if I am lucky enough to have one) I'd love to paint. This dahlia with its water droplets would be so wonderful to paint. (I took this with my phone this afternoon.)

Speaking of painting, I am reading The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal, which was recommended to me by both my sisters and I keep having to stop and look up paintings. Some of the descriptions in the book are a poet's dream come true.

And I didn't think I was interested in Japanese art particularly. He makes it come alive as well the mania for it in France after Japan was opened up to Europe.

I am reading a quite beat up library copy. You know when you read a real book when it is dark out, you actually need to have a light on. Amazing!

All Along the Watch Hour

My hard drive failed last weekend on my personal laptop and the whole week has been consumed with adventures in technology.

My home office looks a bit like a hacker's dream. (If they were a neat hacker). But! Almost all my files have been recovered and I have the software I need to do what I need to do.

I participated in a Kickstarter crowd fund for a movie about the amazing W.S. Merwin and received this link to a collage of projects that have been funded this way.

This would be a great thing to watch on the brand new HD monitor (that is way better than my television) that I currently have on loan. That and Disc One Season One of Game of Thrones. :)

Accelerated Time on the Flower Clock

For a world in the throes of climate change we are having a remarkably "normal" June here in Portland. The mornings are dark and gloomy and full of glare and the afternoons are either like that too or beautiful. Today we are having rain squalls. I was glad to have my rain pants on over at the track just a little while ago.

We are getting ready to run away for a few days to Camp Sherman. I can't even begin to say how much I am looking forward to the get away. Oh yeah.

Daisies and Lilies and Summer Oh My

We are just short of hydrangea on the flower clock as we move closer and closer to summer here in the Northern Hemisphere.

The fleet is in, we watched the sailors deploying out to Voodoo Donuts and the old town bars last night on the way home from my yoga class. The hookers were definitely ready. It was interesting to watch. Lots of female naval officers this year.

Both S. and Kes have fallen in the last two days. I am blaming it on allergens and the older inner ear. No more falls guys, okay?

All the work my teacher Olga is doing with videos and her online sequencing program seems to be paying off. Her latest video is here.
 

Perfect in the Language of Flowers

I need to learn all the Spanish terms for basic body parts, directions, and points of reference so I can give some instruction to my caregiver students that speak limited English. I am going to try Duolingo which is so cool. While one is learning a new language one is also helping translate all sorts of things on the web.

Not that I have time...

I am going to do this fun 5K walk/run on Saturday morning. It's a way to get my activity in early in the day and I get a whopping 75 points for participating from my work wellness incentive program. Sweet!

The Wild Heart Indeed

I went back for this shot this afternoon. I had noticed the poppies coming home on the bus from the store on Saturday but they are master light twisters and I was not happy with the shots I took Saturday at all.

"He was alone, unheeded, near to the wild heart of life.” James Joyce said that. :)

The Lady of the Lines was Marie Reiche. I have been thinking about the Nazca Lines a lot lately and it wasn't until I posted the poem yesterday over on my sister blog Meander and was walking across the river that it occurred to me that  poems have lines too. Duh. 

Life is full of mysteries.

Some More Green

I love the mash up of the clarity and the blur in this shot I just took across the street in the wild garden of the house no one lives in. I thought the page needed some more green.

Not sure if you can only hear this radio magazine of TED Talks here in the United States but I am enjoying the show very much.

Oh and one more link for Valerie June, she is playing here tonight at Waterfront Park. At first I wasn't sure but I have decided I adore her. :)

Onions and Asparagus Related??? Get Friendly with the Monocots

Picking up some fresh asparagus at the farmers market this weekend I starting thinking about what family it belongs to, like birds have families based on genetic similarities...

Turns out the taxonomy of this glorious spring vegetable has a story. Onions and Lilies and Aloe Vera and Agave used to all be lumped under Lilaceae. A story with a poem in it I bet.

Onions have recently been moved to Amaryllidaceae and asparagus to Aparagaceae. 

Whew! I am allergic to onions but that doesn't mean I can't photograph them. :)

Always It Is the Color

I went back for this shot of an orange rhododendron. For me it is always about the color. Right now I am looking out the window at all the various shades of green on all the street trees and the white and red rhodies planted out there.

This weekend other than teaching I am very much looking forward to puttering and hanging out with my cat man Sam, who is the very best color of orange there is. :)

My Camera Will Be With Me

While cruising through my recent pictures last night I decided that I just plain like this one. Yes there is an iris picture about 4 posts ago but there is just something about the composition here that makes my eye happy.

I won this odd sort of secret award at work for a project I have been nurturing and protecting for the last few years that is manifesting and my prize is a free day off. Kes and I are going birding tomorrow out by the cemetery where we buried Mr. Finch almost exactly four years ago.

By Any Other Name

I posted a shot of this same rose last May but I like this one better. Taking a break from fast track walking and powering up Marqaum Hill and practicing yoga for myself I just went out after work today and wandered around with the camera.

Me thinks I need to do that more often.

You already have enough links. Carry on. :)

Going Gluten Free?

This was last Friday in Pacific City in the afternoon. Ah.

My link today is the great interview with the Test Kitchen Folks about gluten free cooking. I still eat some gluten but Kes and I were having a discussion about whole wheat pasta and it reminded me of this fascinating interview.

Anybody want some fresh dill? I have extra. :) I made a light soup with peas and a carrot and very fresh local asparagus.

Out on the Edge

Out at the Oregon Coast on our semi-annual vacation. Gorgeous weather the first few days. Now it is raining and blowing but Patience and Bob, our loyal house Western Gulls are out there begging for a snack. We don't feed them, except maybe some leftover salad greens on our last day, so they eventually go off to greener pastures so to speak.

We've been eating pistachios and have discovered this clever way to open pesky nuts that pose challenge (we are calling them distachios) without messing with one's nails or doing dangerous things with knives... Very cool.

Can Something Delicate Be Spectacular?

These peony tulips are just appearing in the neighborhood this year. I wish this were a better shot of this most spectacular flower. But you get the idea. Hopefully I'll be here with the camera to try again next year.

Impermanence is on my mind today.

It is a perfect fit between the tulips and the roses.

No link today. Too much to do in the midst of all this moody spring weather.

How About Never?

I am not sure why but I have officially decided that yellow is the color of this Easter. Just took this out in the neighborhood. If you have any familiarity with Portland Oregon you will know that it is practically unheard of for us to have a dry Easter.

This week marks my 16th year here and I remember one other dry relatively warm Easter Sunday.

I was thinking about this interview with Bob Mankoff, (the cartoon editor of The New Yorker), this morning. It is worth listening to because besides being funny (and apparently laughter is good for the aging brain, Facebook told me so) it is also interesting.

To me that is an intoxicating brew. But then I am addled by unexpected natural light. Happy bunny woven basket, colored eggs in the grass, resurrection and renewal day!

The Iris Hour

If you were to go back and quickly look at all the pictures posted here on this space you would see that I am a woman who lives in a world that is demarcated by the flower clock.

Now is the sweet window between tulip and rose where there are blossoms swirling everywhere in the damp cool wind.

My link today is about a fellow in England, not afraid to say what I find myself thinking sometimes lately, that this very well might be the end of the world as we know it, that it is too late, that there is not enough will to turn the ship around and do enough to save us from the absolute ravages of climate change. While I ponder all this I continue to try to celebrate in every way I know how the beauty that surrounds us and the abundance I was ever so fortunate to be born into.

Tuliplandia and Virtuosity

The world I live in is full of tulips right now.

This is amazing, it is not a cello, it is a double bass!  TianYang Liu. Well worth the 4 minutes it takes to watch it. 

Gorgeous spring day here in Portland. The kind one dreams of all winter long. So nice to be able to get out and about a bit.

Smooth Sailing

One of the pear trees out back blooming into the warming afternoon today.

I was reading this yesterday, a profile of Peter Matthiessen when the scroll came across that he had died.

May his passage through the place between lives be swift and direct. His passage through this most recent life was quite complicated indeed. He wrote about it so beautifully.

Wish Fulfillment

I took this last Sunday. I just love the light. We have only glare now but it is dry and I will be virtuous and walk the track midday.

In a few weeks I switch back to a three days at home, two days in the office schedule and that is most conducive to being out on the track more often.

No link today. Been busy. Settling in to teaching my weekly caregiver stretching and relaxation class up at the children's hospital. Each time I learn a little more about what works and what they need and I enjoy that challenge.

Connecting Where We Can

I wander a lot. I try to wander with my camera in my hand. Today I did that and I gasped with joy when I saw how this shot of a cat near the yoga studio came out this afternoon. I am putting it here because if you click on it you can see it full sized.

Here is a link to a slideshow about a community of beekeepers in Boston. We find connection to the natural world where we can.

Don't Forget Earth Hour

Very Zen. The tree right outside my home office window this evening.

Next year I am so going to organize an Earth Hour yoga class. By candle light or maybe even by flashlight.

Haven't had time to develop my yoga warm up for bird watching practice yet but in the meantime here is an excellent half hour practice by my beloved teacher all about the neck and shoulders.

One needs to have some range of motion to do it but I highly recommend this practice.

Thank You Mr. Lewis

I didn't take this. One of the guys in my Beginning Birder II class took it with his SLR yesterday afternoon. This is a Lewis's Woodpecker. A very auspicious bird to see in Western Oregon. This guy was in a gnarly old oak down just outside the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge near Salem.

I am sure the bird has a native name too.

It took 12 of us about 12 minutes of very concentrated peering to find him but once we did it was very exciting. I had seen one a few years ago at Powell Butte with Kes but still this one was a joy to watch.

My link today is for this cool new program for learning to identify birds by their songs called Lark Wire. I am so going to try this out when I find anything that vaguely resembles spare time. :)

Scant Protection

Took this earlier in the day. It was drizzling and a guy was standing under a sister tree to this one smoking a cigarette and looking at his cell phone. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, no coat or hat.

I mentioned laughing as I walked by that the tree was giving him scant protection and he looked up and said..."it's okay I am a born Oregonian."

It was interesting to me that he was taking shelter under a tree that was beautiful but only had maybe eight leaves on it.

Ah, Nature. Here is a link to a wonderful short video of an Irish Kingfisher, ummm fishing." and here is a link to the whole program.

Winter Flower Box

One of the four colorful winter flower boxes down at the Waldorf School near here.

This is so cool I had to share it...

Writer's Residencies on Trains

I want to apply.

Like now. I wonder if I can get a very modest grant for cat sitting while I am away. :)

Even More Color Makes It Into the World

What a difference a week makes. :)

I took this on my walk between spring like rain squalls after work today.

At noon I walked the track fast in some very heavy rain. Much motivation to keep moving there. (And to actually buy those waterproof pants I keep forgetting to order.)

And this evening a lunar yoga practice just for me. An old favorite I have been doing for years.

Nice. And if you don't have the time or inclination for that, try this 5 minute workout at your desk.

Snow Day

This shot shows off Sammy's deep orange. He is still a handsome guy even with arthritis, a heart murmur and kidney disease. I am so glad I got reorders on all his medical supplies last week.

We have had a world of finches at the feeders today. He has live bird TV out that window and a heated bed under the blanket so he is pretty comfortable most of the time.

Speaking of live birds... here are the National Audubon top 100 bird photos. Oh I do want to come back as a male wildlife photographer in my next human incarnation. I don't think I get to choose but just in case I am placing my order now....

Hawthorne Shadow

I took this last Saturday from the Hawthorne Bridge. If you look carefully you can see the shadow of the bridge structure on the water. What an amazing day, to have so much light in January! (I can say that now we have had a little rain without feeling too guilty.)

I'm teaching a neck and shoulder release yoga class tomorrow night 5:30pm and 12:30pm Sunday. Potentials Yoga Studio. Looking forward to it.

Wabi Sabi

I'm feeling my age today. Face to face with a lifetime of insecurities. Took this shot this afternoon out and about. I like all the imperfections and to me it looks a bit like a brush painting.

To compensate I am taking a break and watching Sherlock from broadcast last week.

It is lovely to have two days in a row off. And the unexpected sun has been a guilty pleasure.

Mural Love

Trying to take advantage of the gorgeous dry winter days we are experiencing I walked over to Oaks Bottom and made the full loop this afternoon. This is a shot of part of the Mausoleum mural from right underneath it on the trail. They've done lots of restoration on that trail since I was over there last. It is very nice. One doesn't need to slog through the mud quite so often.

Today I have a link! This interesting reflection on anxiety from the current issue of the New Yorker.

No Link Again

I took this about three hours ago down at Riverfront Park. The wind gusts got stronger and stronger but the light was absolutely fabulous and I am proud of the composition here.

I just had one student in my new yoga class on Sunday but we had a blast. She is not shy, we've worked privately, so it is a sweet deal for her. She says she is coming tomorrow night and might bring her husband. I've worked with couples before and they bring unique challenges to the mat but also lots of laughter.

Local Color Returns

I like the way you can see the white eye band on the female wood duck here in this shot I took at Crystal Springs. I saw blooming camellias across the street today! There is hope for a robust spring yet. Yesterday it was just budding hydrangea stalks. Color returns to our world.

What a gorgeous MLK day here in Portland.

So rare to have sun in January. On a holiday no less. Almost unheard of.

Winter Light

The Springwater Corridor on New Years Day as in ummm, yesterday. In the afternoon. You'd have to have been here in Portland lately to realize how unusual the light is. Lovely lovely light. We have been living in a cloud, a heavy wet cloud full of particulate matter.

I hate to say it, but what we need is some good old fashioned rain. Our snowpack could sure use some beefing up.

So how I missed this video when 18 million other folks didn't, is beyond me but just in case you are one of the three remaining people left on earth that hasn't seen this video from the space station, enjoy! The interview is fun too. Turns out that my walking companion yesterday shipped out as a young man in the Navy with two of Chris Hafdield's shuttle crew mates that went on to become astronauts.

How cool is that?