Sunday, October 30, 2011

...10.30.11...









By Carl Jessee

Jack Frost took his paintbrush
as he sailed across the sky
so every morning as the sun comes up
his artwork greets the eye
there's reds and gold's and yellows
all of a breath taking view
but no matter how hard he tries
he can never make leaves turn blue
so when you're in bed sleeping
and outside everything seems faint
just remember at midnight
Jack Frost begins to paint

the hours of folly are
measured by the clock.
but of wisdom
no clock can measure.
~william blake
*********
the morning sun
has given way to grey.
precious are the moments
that we take the time to witness.
breathe in.
be apart of.
blue sitting on my lap.
purring.
drinking my second cup of coffee.
as i look over my shoulder,
out the window.
watching the last of the fall leaves.
fall.
welcome to coffee hour.
welcome to this Sunday morning.
just BE.
robin.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

...an awakened person...





living in awakened awareness
is a little like being in love,
when boundaries between self and loved one disappear.
awareness removes the boundaries between all of us
yet our sense of self is enhanced.
an awakened person is deeply tranquil,
but has a zestful appreciation for life's wonders.
~1,001 ways to live in the moment

a zestful appreciation.
for life's wonders.
this speaks to my being today.
it seems to echo around me.
is where you can appreciate shadows
from around the world.
may something speak to your being today.
just BE.
robin.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

...10.23.11










 The Word
Tony Hoagland
Down near the bottom
of the crossed-out list
of things you have to do today,
between “green thread”
and “broccoli” you find
that you have penciled “sunlight.”
Resting on the page, the word
is as beautiful, it touches you
as if you had a friend
and sunlight were a present
he had sent you from some place distant
as this morning—to cheer you up,
and to remind you that,
among your duties, pleasure
is a thing,
that also needs accomplishing
Do you remember?
that time and light are kinds
of love, and love
is no less practical
than a coffee grinder
or a safe spare tire?
Tomorrow you may be utterly
without a clue
but today you get a telegram,
from the heart in exile
proclaiming that the kingdom
still exists,
the king and queen alive,
still speaking to their children,
—to any one among them
who can find the time,
to sit out in the sun and listen.


yesterday.
three robins came to visit.
if you know me.
you know.
how happy that makes me.
it's those simple things.
like...
 ...a single berry on an asparagus plant.
...a clothespin with a web on it.
...a black-eyed susan-still beautiful, past it's time.
...an oak leaf as art.
...that i cherish.
stop.
take the time.
to sit out in the sun and listen.
welcome to coffee hour.
welcome to this Sunday morning.
just BE.
robin.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

...darkness and light...

battling against darkness
is of little use to the seeker.
taking arms against the negative
brings the negative into your heart.
what you must do instead is let in the light.
~1,001 ways to live in the moment


today we find ourselves
wrapped in a soft blanket of mist.
with the sun patiently waiting.
to slip through the folds.
frost heavy.
leaves that can no longer hang on.
falling gently to the ground.
light + objects = shadows
join us down under for SSS.
have you caught your wish leaf yet?
just BE.
robin.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

...10.16.11...


it's said that each time
you catch a fall leaf
as it drops from a tree,
you win a wish for the coming year.
and there are few
more hilarious,
live-in-the-moment activities
than chasing leaves around
on a golden autumn afternoon.
catching them is harder
than you think,
but each time you succeed,
close your eyes,
and make your wish.
~1,001 ways to live in the moment






where the fallen...
and the newly blossomed
meet. 


the time between.
the color starting.
to it's fullest glory.
to an empty tree.
was about eight days.
and now.
many more have followed suit.
the color.
is fading to grey.
once again.
sleep is coming.
once again.
sound will be taken over.
by silence.

God gave us memories so we might have roses in december. ~ J.M. Barrie

welcome to coffee hour.
welcome to this Sunday morning.
just BE.
robin.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

...seeing beauty in a multiplicity of patches...


"young lovers seek perfection.
 old lovers learn the art of sewing shreds together
and of seeing beauty in a multiplicity of patches."
 from the movie
How to Make an American Quilt 1995
today fall
is presenting it's ugly side.
cold, wet, windy.
the leaves.
are void of their.
vibrant color.
it is a good day to spend.
with a quilt.
it's a good day to check out shadows.
from around the world.
a quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul. 
 ~author unknown
just BE.
robin.

Monday, October 10, 2011

...dreaming on milkweed fluff...






"you cannot tread the path
until you become the path yourself"
zen saying


i did gather.
milkweed fluff.
i did put them in my pillow.
i believe that my dreams.
last night.
took me along on the wind.
softly.
effortlessly.
peacefully.
just BE.
robin.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

...10.9.11...












Be Mindful of the Moment
 Neil Harding McAlister
  
The here and now is all we hold through times of joy and sorrow.
We may watch fulsome years unfold -- or may not see tomorrow.
Be mindful of the moment. Pay attention to each one.
The past has fled beyond our grasp, the future’s yet to come.

There is no way to measure what ensuing days might bring,
So seize the utmost pleasure found in every daily thing.
The road of life is far too short: no need to travel fast.
Investigate the wonders that lie strewn along the path.

The tender leaves on springtime trees, rough pebbles on the ground,
The snowflakes drifting on the breeze that fall without a sound,    
Are all unique and precious, if we take the time to see.                
No two have been identical in all eternity.

Is this not true of people too? Be mindful, then, of each.
Both strangers and those close to you have useful things to teach.
The two of us part richer if we pass the time of day,
And don’t just brush each other off, then hurry on our way.

Preoccupied by urgent schemes of business, love or power,
By gambling on our future dreams, we lose the present hour.
A life is forged of moments linked together like a chain.
Live each in full -- for down this road we shall not pass again.


 many great moments.
were shared yesterday.
a beautiful october day.
spending time with sarah.
football.
family time.
laughter.
hugs.
i love you(s).
it is the moments.
that add up.
to the memories.
it is the moments.
for which we are blessed with.
welcome to coffee hour.
welcome to this Sunday morning.
just BE.
robin.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

...useful wild greens to learn...


Most people know milkweed simply as food for the monarch butterfly's caterpillar, or as a tenacious, pesky weed of hayfields. If those butterflies weren't so beautiful, and if their annual migration to Mexico weren't so amazing, few people would care what happened to this herb. But milkweed isn't your average weed.
*****
In World War II, schoolchildren across the Midwest collected thousands of pounds of milkweed fluff to stuff life preservers for the armed forces in the Pacific, because kapok, the normal material used for this purpose, came from Japanese-occupied Indonesia and was unavailable. Today, you can buy pillows, jackets, and comforters stuffed with this material, which is wonderfully soft and has a higher insulative value than goose down, from a company called Ogallala Down, in Ogallala, Nebraska. Some people believe that milkweed will become an important fiber crop, as one of its attributes is that it is perennial and therefore does not need to be replanted every year. Milkweed stalks also produce a coarse, sisal-like fiber that can be used for twine, which varies in strength from one plant to the next. This possibility has been little explored commercially, but it was well known to Native Americans.
*****
The milkweed that we are talking about here is the common milkweed Asclepias syriaca. There are numerous other species of milkweed in North America, but common milkweed is by far the best known. It is abundant in the whole area east of the shortgrass prairies, north of the Deep South, and south of the boreal forests of Canada. It is a common sight of roadsides, fencerows, meadows, sunny woods, and abandoned fields. Common milkweed produces pairs of large, oblong, thick leaves all along its unbranching stem, which is typically three to six feet tall. Both the flowers and the okra-like pods are quite distinctive, as is this herb's growth form. When broken, all parts of the plant produce a white latex, but there are many other plants with this characteristic. Overall, milkweed is a beautiful and very distinctive plant.
I am amazed that, as much attention as milkweed has received as a fiber crop and a butterfly planting, so little has been said about its use as food. Ethnographic records show that common milkweed was eaten as a vegetable by tribes throughout its range. It provides edible shoots (like asparagus), flower bud clusters (like broccoli), and immature pods (like okra). The soft silk inside the immature pods is a unique food, and the flowers are also edible. Milkweed conveniently provides one or more edible parts from late spring until late summer, making it one of the most useful wild greens to learn.
Forager's Harvest 2003


and learn i just did.
i LOVE milkweeds.
they grow happily around the back of the house.
and in the fields.
i love when the caterpillar comes
and stay awhile on the leaves.
and i am always a fan of
watching the monarchs flutter around.
i think i might go gather milkweed fluff
for a pillow!!
you can go see more shadows.
it is going to be a gorgeous fall day
in northern michigan.
lower 80's.
definitely a good day to gather fluff.
just BE.
robin.