Delicately Opening

May 27, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Closed signs turn cautiouslytrepidation persists –are openings wise at this time? Spring ignores man’s conflictsdelicately asserts her voicedelivers a message of renewal A reminder to all hearts to set aside worryopen anew to the wonders around us –all else will fall in place in its own time. (For A Photo A Week Challenge: opening; and […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #97: risk-reward

May 25, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Ric is taking advantage of warm weather and stripping the deck. I am inside, fighting an insomnia induced hangover, trying to complete tasks with two ranting dogs underfoot. They want to be outside; I want to be in bed. Ric just wants to get the job done. In the background, Andrew Cuomo is telling people […]

Stop the Spinning

May 24, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Call it circling, call it dancing, it’s all the same – I end up at the same point. Caught between the idealism of expectation and the harshness of reality. One has lofty goals, the other invites limitations. I once believed, not in circles, but in spirals – a continual movement marking progress. Now, with time […]

Art That Warms the Heart

May 22, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

What I miss most right now is sharing art time with my granddaughters. These creations are the work of seven-year-old Sloane. (For Cee’s On The Hunt For Joy: Let kids decorate.)

Passing The Time

May 20, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Pursuing feathered inspiration takes me to quiet rural settings. At home, I pour over images, and “picturate” as my husband calls it – altering the photos to create something new. I spend time daily, crafting poetry, inspired by images, or dreams, or prompts. Often I combine the poems with the artistic photos: I’m also spending […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #96: circling

May 18, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

I reach out to Mother only to discover she is missing; she has gone in search of me.The dream unsettles me. I capture the essence by writing it down, then set the words aside, not knowing where to begin. The sorrow lingers. I remember the moment I knew I’d been displaced in my mother’s life. […]

Weaving Bits and Pieces

May 17, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Nuances of nostalgiajaggedsuccumbingcubesunsuspectingnourishmentmoving and openingI distractWe grappleunder constructionmeaning percolatesthis is lifethese bits and pieces of aresurrectiondragons and time machinesticket stubsscattered. Every week I challenge you with a focus, and every week you amaze. ‘Bits and pieces’ was the prompt this week, and the diverse responses, woven together, created this glimpse of life’s bits and pieces. […]

Early Morning Recharge

May 15, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

The dogs stir at the first hint of daylight. I rise with them, grumbling about lack of sleep, until the sun emerges full and bright – something we haven’t seen in awhile. “I used to be a morning person,” I say out loud. I’m am feeling the unrest of being shut in. Ric emerges just […]

The Crop and Finish

May 13, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Taken last winter in Texas, this image of a Great Egret coming in for a landing just felt too busy to me, so when I saw Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Cropping the Shot; I decided to give it a try. As much as I like the other two birds in the photo, the egret really is […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #95: bits and pieces

May 11, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

“What’s happening with your camera?” I asked Ric on our last outing. He has a new one, and left the old one for repair, possibly passing it on to me. “It’s lost in the pandemic.” “Oh,… yeah.” Processing the backload of photos, I come across pics of my mom from our last visit, before her […]

Over It!

One day it’s so mild that I don’t bother with a coat, the next we wake up to snow on the ground. The plants pushing up through the soil seem a little more patient than me – as if they are humouring nature’s fickleness. I’m ready for clear change. A pair of finches just flew […]

Present Distance

I’ve lived the fog of distance –life’s highway a series of hillsdestination without promise Have learned that acceptance gains perspective,that climates change, and hope sustains,and that in the stillness dreams renew. Now I travel quieter paths, appreciatespace, have surrendered to a slower pace –certain that this too will change. (image my own)