Hoppity-hop!

The Grasshopper

Perhaps it is like a child who wants to jump from the swing and land on a cloud. One leap and he's landed on a plaid seersucker sky.   

Isn't it adorable?

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The four baby birds I'd been observing up high in the bush in our garden have grown and flown away. They've probably got their own little high-rise nests someone near by. In the meantime, I discovered that a smaller bird with a lower nest now has little ones to take care of. Three tiny ones are just now starting to get their feathers and look adorable. Here are two of them:

Stone 23:   Fledglings sporting thin, feathery mohawks peep as mother bird gathers worms.

Animals, animals, animals. (18-22)

This photo by Katarina Hofke.

As the cat relaxes on the sun-warmed macadam, slivers of shadows from the wrought iron gate paint new stripes across her fur.

With the blue lighting, the bat's wings look thin and crumpled like pieces of burnt paper.

As all the horses continue to graze, the curious foal trots over to greet me, and I become the "stone". 

Walking along the wooded path, I brush up against a tiny branch. On it a snail, attached to the backside of a leaf, begins to uncoil from its shell, its antennae moving back and forth as if waving "hello".

            Sometimes life is a rocky road, whether you are man, mouse or beetle.
                                                      Just keep going.

Blowing in the breeze

 The breeze gently folds the top petal of the poppy down like a mother putting a cap on a childs head, protecting its face from the blazing sun.

July 15 and 16

To Infinity ...and beyond!

Honey bees and bumble bees busily gather nectar, flying from one big blue sphere to the next like astronauts visiting a string of planets. One zooms right past my ear. Buzzzzzz! Flower globes, astronauts, buzzing...it somehow makes me think of Buzz Lightyear. Imagine all those humming insects hollering, "To infinity...and beyond!"


July 16

 

Ivy twists around the tree, covering it so well that one can barely see the bark. 

Four feet off the ground a snail holds on tight as it sleeps in its

 spiral-shaped shell.

Stones in a Row

The River of Stones is flowing and is already at its halfway point. Many people are participating and the most recently posted stones can be found here.  I am a bit behind with posting, so here are my "stones" from the past few days.

Day 11

The afternoon sun shines down on the playground. As the temperature rises, all little pirates abandon ship.





Day 12

A cluster of orange berries dangle from the tree, each one the taste of poison to human lips but to another the sweet bounty of summer--God's way of providing balance

Day 13

Light shining on the farmer's field reminds me of the lines "amber waves of grain" and I think about home.


Day 14

Seeds attached to white fluffy parachutes--
I want to blow as hard as I can
and make a hundred wishes.

Tenth Summer Stone

How unusual. The butterfly's middle looks like it has been painted with white-out or blotched with bleach.  Bright veined wing tips--one golden yellow, the other slightly more orange--look like separate entities touching opposite edges of a foreign achromatic mass. Perhaps this unusual coloring helps protect it from predators, confusing them, but it only served to get my attention. Sometimes there is beauty in imperfection.

Ninth Summer Stone

Body arched upon the thistle's lavender flowerhead, the bee carefully gathers sweet nectar.

Eighth Summer Stone

Keeping my distance, I remain as still as can be, but mother bird hears my camera zoom adjust--she adjusts her view, too.

Seventh Summer Stone

                                                  one lone ripe berry
                                                       my patience
                                                           tested.
                                                    

Sixth stone

The house is full of the scent of blueberry muffins baking,
and I am a child once again.

Fifth Stone - watching

A bird sits on the fence only a foot away.
I stay still, wait, listen to it sing as it watches me.
After three minutes I slowly walk by.
Unphased the bird continues chirping its song,
watching, watching, watching me go.
I wonder if I am the bird's stone.

Fourth Stone

parking lot
trucker sleeps against window
one sun-red cheek

July River of Stone #3 - rusty tussock moth larva

Those four mountains you carry upon your elongated, red spotted body look like yellowed paint brushes. The bristly protruding hairs, spikey tail, and hairy antennae make you look fierce.   Yet, you are beautiful in a way and certainly more interesting than the brown moth you will become. 

July River of Stones #2 - one day after the hail storm

The zucchinni plant looks like someone used it for target practice. No evidence of the perpetrator remains.

July River of Stones #1

Scattered beneath the red currants, July hail looks like giant white berries.

Days are growing longer.
Birds rejoice with song.
Lined up in rows,
hundreds of golden Forsythia stars
signal the coming of Spring.

Evening Stone

The waxing crescent moon sits in the star-filled sky; a beautiful sliver of evening wonder.

Breakfast

Pale toast and boiled water with coffee grounds floating in it.
I subdue my laugh, because it really is the thought that counts.
And she included my favorite jam. How sweet.

River of Stones - Day 31

January comes to a close with frost-covered fields and gardens.
Bleached skies and clouded breath suggest winter is here to stay,
but growing on a bush like a faint whisper of hope
the woolly pussy willows tell me spring is on the way.

River of Stones - Day 30

High tension lines look like strings holding up the tower
as if an electrified marionette for a giant or for the gods,
but we all know it only plays puppet to the ever-growing,
never ending show of human consumption. 

River of Stones - Day 29

A white scratch etched upon the perfect blue sky--
        the result of a jet flying by--
              reminds me all scars fade with time.

River of Stones - Day 28

Two days have come and gone without my posting a stone.Why? It is not as if writing about a single moment of observation is a difficult task. The task can be completed in two minutes. To be honest, I am not sure why. Perhaps it lies in selfishness. I'm like a little girl who came home on her birthday, opened the door and found the puppy she'd been longing for. She picks it up and holds it close, perhaps a bit too tightly at first, not wanting to let go. For the moment, the whole world exists of soft fluffy fur. Yes. That's it.  I am lost in the moment, holding my stones tight. Some stones are just too precious to skim across the surface of the river.

River of Stones - Day 25

Lunch-time: A golden sun glows in the vast blue sky. A beautiful day. He tells me he plans on taking a bike ride after work.

Closing time: A hazy backdrop sets the scene for giant flakes cascading to the ground. Squiggly slide marks already decorate the road. He tells me to drive safely and I nod, both of us knowing how quickly things can change.

River of Stones- Day 24

I slow as I turn onto the street, knowing the crosswalk lies in the middle and not at the end of the road. Sure enough, there they are. Four men and three women wait and listen. I stop, watch them make their way to the other side. Two have only linked arms to guide them; the others have their canes. They leave the blind community center and head toward town. Funny how they always seem to cross my path at the perfect times, always a reminder to slow down. To stop and see all the beauty life has to offer. To give gratitude.

River of Stones - Day 23

The soft fleece scarf and knit hat serve their purpose but the air slaps my face. Toes concealed in lined boots still feel the cold and gloved hands are wrapped around handles bars in a half frozen grip. I feel like I am sitting on a seat of ice. Shifting gears I follow him uphill. I keep pedalling, faster and faster, waiting for the blood to circulate, to pump heat through my body. Winter bicycle rides are a killer until the muscles warm.  

River of Stones - Day 22

Wet fur scrambling away upon tiny clawed feet.
Hamsters don't like baths.



(note: medicated bath per veternarian orders to clear skin infection. We would never subject our dwarf hamster to anything she didn't like unless necessary)

River of Stones - Day 21

Night at the movie theater--
a romantic comedy.
Our eyes are glued to the screen,
mouths spilling with laughter.
All the while you hold my hand.
Our own love story plays on.

River of Stones - Day 20

A little boy wearing a pink tutu.
The chatter begins.

River of Stones - Day 19

A mass of marine iguanas with rough black skin
and white salt wigs dominate the rocky shore.
One raises his head, shows his sharp teeth,
and I wonder--smile or warning with silent roar?

 A bird with yellow eyes and aquamarine feet--
the blue-footed booby bird is awfully neat.


A little lizard suns himself upon the back of a sea lion. Snap! A perfect photo.





© PhotoXpress.com

River of Stones - Day 18

Returned test. Beaming with pride she finally realizes what I've told her all along--she can do it.

River of Stones - Day 17

Thick with frost, the lawn appears to have grown white fur.

River of Stones - Day 16

Low rooted branches along the banks are decorated with plastic and assorted litter, a reminder of how high the river rose. One twig extends over the water, a giant white cloth dangling upon it. Memories of last week's flood are almost betrayed as I laugh, the image of a bordering tree raising a white flag just too funny.

River of Stones - Day 15

I can't remember what was said but it made me smile. One of those bright-eyed, edges-of-the-lips-curl-up and teeth-show-while-laughing kind of smiles. He said, "I love that smile".
I wonder if he realizes that without him this smile would not exist?

River of Stones - Day 14

The rain has stopped. Roads are open once again. Overlooking the town, there is little evidence of yesterday's flood. It's a bit eery. I feel like I've stepped into the twilight zone.

River of Stones - Day 13

The picture in nature's frame transformed last night.
Land is no longer hidden under pristine layers of white.
Continuous heavy rain pulled back winter's snowy veil of flakes
leaving farmer's fields decorated with temporary lakes
and roads awash with massive puddles. The town is full

of workers, policeman evacuating children from school,

firemen trying to control the flooding. People desperately try

to reach their destination, come to a halt and sigh--

ROAD CLOSED.

River of Stones - Day 12

               Illness appears as red and white dotted tonsils,
               swollen and painful.
               Fever creates duelling echos of sweat and chills.
               Coughs often join in with the headache's throbbing beat..
               Today I remain at home. My girl needs her mommy.

River of Stones - Day 11

                              Behold the majestic evergreens all lined up in a row
                              like cheeky forest princesses standing barefoot in the snow.               
                              Wearing their finest lace shaws over pine needle gowns,
                              they try to poke passing clouds with their pointed crowns.

River of Stones - Day 10

Before words were spoken,
    before the embrace,
          the look on her face
    as I walked in the door,
said it all.

River of Stones - Day 9

                     From
                  this perspective
                        the tree branches
              reach down,
                     gnarly wood lightning
              hitting the town.

River of Stones - Day 8

               In the garden
               melting snow resembles
               a mass of white continents
               floating in an ocean of green.

River of Stones -Day 7

               Through fields of white

               a trail extends to the sky--

               a lone tree watches

               as winter hikers pass by.

River of Stones - Day 6

                                         Eighteen years together--
                                               only the beginnings of forever.

                                       (my anniversary today...Love you, Stefan!)

River of Stones - Day 5

          The bush in winter--
               full of snow-capped berries,
                    waiting for birds to pick it clean.

River of Stones - Day 4

through the fog
the street comes to me
in tiny blocks of vision,
the tops of bordering trees
nothing more than memories

River of Stones - Day 3

                          
holding her hamster,
     gently cupped hands
          express her love

       

River of Stones - Day 2

                                                        6 o'clock this morning
                                                        the rumble of snow sliding off the roof
                                                        replaces my alarm clock,
                                                        instantly jolting me into consciousness

My Very First Stone

Evening ushers the hazy afternoon away
by separating the snowy earth from the sky
with a beautiful pink horizon.