Perculating Cobwebs, Cleaning & Bees

Moving along with the artichoke theme, I notice that even housekeepers in the wild have dust and cobweb buildup, carcasses in the folds, and general shrouding.  Helps me know that I am not alone.

Can the end of summer really be two rows down on the calendar?  Oh dismay!  Perhaps the worst thing is that this also means the National Elections move closer, and in this movement all the horrific negativity present in our culture is ready to inundate every nook and cranny of wired communications, written, spoken, advertised and generally poured into our proverbial coffee cups.  Daily.  Moment to moment.

Do not despair, LPC!  There is art to be discovered.  Painting to splash.  Words to play.  Hugs to embrace.  Images to stop in time.  Abstract to engage.

I enjoy my daily foray into FB (Facebook).  I am steeling myself for the endless political postings.  Perhaps I will relax, and "block" them, which can be done painlessly.  Or perhaps I will leave them for my own personal growth!  At times it is apparent that certain ruts in my brain have fossilized, and a good shaking vibrates newness into the area.

Polarized political punditing (hahaha!) has gone on since the invention of the mouth and movement of air.   Harm and good have  been the result.  Period.  For Ever.

The Workess Bees head out for the morning pollen gathering.  Their morning ritual dances communicate direction, type, color, and best route to the pollen source.  If something changes, like a gardener cutting the sunflowers, this information is added, the Bees share freely and make the necessary adjustments to keep the pollen flowing into the honey factory.

No.  They do not argue.  Or call each other names.  Or worry about who married who, or sexual preference or if pot is medicine.

I do not believe that I have ever noticed a worried Honey Bee.  I have found them exhausted and dying, but even then they do not appear distressed.  Just done.

Funny, but I was going to write about something else, though for the life of me, I cannot remember what that was.

Have a day filled with purpose, affection, good work and clear communication.

I love you!
xoxoLPC

Gratitude & Freedom

I can hardly stand how beautiful the artichoke is, regardless of season.  On my morning walk-about I pass them, some fallen over, others completely spent, with shreds of lavender still attached.  Their unabashed wearing of their best purple robes, daily, is inspiring.

My first born used to "twiddle" a strand of hair while she sucked her thumb wrinkled.  Something about this twisted crown made me think of her.  Of that.

I am preparing for a Poetry Reading.  It seems ironic, in that I have not "polished" any poems for over a year.  I have been painting.  Yes.  And helping run an art gallery.  Have been thinking.  Writing daily, sometimes pages, sometimes, just the date:  today is Friday.  My Mom used to look up from her game of solitaire and ask me, "What is today?  Tuesday?"  Perhaps it was a ruse, so that I wouldn't notice her sly moves.

My poetry is mostly about relationship and nature.  Or the nature of relationship.  Or about some guy(a couple of decades ago) that rose like a myth out of a steaming Oregon hot spring, who was nature, but not relationship.

Honey Bees have what seems like a magical relationship to their environment.  They read the landscape, they dance to communicate with one another, they are part of a large community which is, in fact, their home. I heard recently (more NPR education), that the drones are actually females.  Why does this not surprise me?

I love how the Bees love the artichokes.  We share that love.

How Did the Rose?

How

did the rose

ever open its heart

and give to this world all of its beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light against its being,

otherwise we all remain too

frightened.

***

Hafiz

This little fuzzy is a mystery.  Who is she?  Looks like a cucumber?  A melon?  Just so cute, at this stage.

Looking up at my sunflower I noticed a whole gaggle of pollinators, including the little native bee.  All busy, all with bright yellow pollen piling up in their leg-bags!

Can you see the light from within?  Looks as though this fig is glowing!  Usually I am not allowed any of the First Figs, as the Orioles, Starlings, Mockingbirds and Woodpeckers all gorge their way through the whole crop in one or two days.  This morning I scored!

Which brings me to the whole point of July 4th:  

The Gratitude List

1. Thank You God.
2. Thank You for all that IS today.
3. Thank You, this Life is full.
4. Thank You for this garden.
5. I am grateful for exaltation and exploration.
6. I am grateful for morning, noon, and yes, the evening.
7. I am grateful for neighbors, community, and our country.
8. I am grateful for landscape, tree and blade of grass.
9. I am grateful for generosity, friendship and love.
10. I am grateful for figs.

I love you.

xoxoLPC

Teasles

Just a little photo-essay from a roadside stop.

Love you.

xoxo

LPC

For Dev... On the Way to Rebekah's 8th Grade Graduation

Junior and I were ready, and waiting.

Dev finally came out the door.

Twice or three times.

Then, ta daaaa!  The Graduate!

 

Ok.  Now we have to hurry, because 5 minutes ago

we were supposed to be there.

Noooooo!  No more photos!

(Isn't she so dang cute???)

Congratulations!  

xoxoLPC

Musing Morning

Last week our neighbor had her grass cut.  Porfiro left a patch out in the field, and upon questioning, replied, "There is a turkey setting there..."  So I went tippy-toe around the patch, twice.  I couldn't see any turkey.  So, I went in closer, around again.  Then I stopped.  To get a better feel for the situation.  I let my eyes rest, and looked down at my feet (being extremely too close) to see the white bars of her tail feathers about 8 inches from my red Crocks.  I could see her head, too.  I raised my camera, and BOOM!  She was outta there, huge in her fury and chaos and pandemonium.

Oh Goddess.  Forgive me.  What was I thinking?  I wish I'd have stayed with the original shot, this one, of her little piece of meadow which Porfiro left for her.  I am trusting that she went back to her nest, and is settled down in there, peacefully.  I am staying away.

Mary is officially a 6th Grader as of yesterday.  Hers is a precious class of twelve students, and I heard deep appreciation from the words of their teachers.  They will be missed.  And everyone blesses their journey.  Gosh.  From here, it seems that life speeds up a couple of warps, doesn't it?

Lively is an understatement.

Which leads me to my Morning Meditation Room.  The back orchard has become such a haven.  I have been spending hours out there, planting, moving compost, staring into the Borage blue, listening to hundreds of birds all at the same time.

We built a planter box, with a wire bottom, to keep the voracious gophers out of the peppers and beans.  Oh awful rodent: starts at the bottom and chows the whole plant down into its hole, gobbles it whole, leaving me the name tag.  ANCHO gone missing.

So I have over-planted my raised bed.  With anticipation!  I can hardly wait for the medley of plants.  Here is the list:

• Ancho Peppers
• Chinese Long Red Beans
• Rattlesnake Pole Beans
• Dill
• Cukes
• Simpson Lettuce
• Rhubarb Chard
• Teddy Bear Sunflowers
• Carrots!

It is a pretty big bed.  (smile)

Oh and tomatoes!  But they are not in the bed.  We will maybe show those to you tomorrow.  

Yep.  I am back in the garden.

xoxoLPC

Healdsburg FFA Parade

This one quit, and no amount of cranking could get it going again.

So, everybody out, and push!  This may have been the longest parade ever for these guys.

 I've been told to not photograph strangers, but I couldn't help myself!

OH!  It's the Dancing Mary!!!

...and friends!

Mary is prone to the giggles.

And we are glad of it!

I don't know.  Couldn't spell or pronounce these guys.  Let's just call him the Bottle Guy.

Really.  It was the best parade, ever.

xoxoLPC