Blog ~ Ruffled Feathers

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Everything – ND #104

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Brutus Discovers Daffodils – Photo: L. Weikel

Everything

In the midst of everything (and I will leave it up to you to imagine what ‘everything’ might mean to me), I managed to experience some exquisite beauty today. And since it’s probably a safe bet that my definition of everything and your definition of everything probably share a great deal in common, I want to offer you a glimpse of what I saw today.

Remember when these little ones first came into our life back in October? They’ve grown so much, it’s hard to believe they’ve never experienced Spring before. All these intriguing flowers springing forth from the ground definitely have them flummoxed. This is especially true because both Pacha and Brutus (but especially Pacha) are seriously into eating sticks.

That means, of course, that when they start noticing delicacies poking their heads through the soil where they’ve never seen such plants before, they literally act as though they’re hallucinating. Their stubborn refusal to leave the plants alone and keep moving brought home to me the fact that they haven’t ever experienced the bonanza of sights and smells that Spring brings. I forgot! This is all new to them!

“Mmm. Smells good.” – Photo: L. Weikel

I’ve Given Up

There is no point in me saying, “Drop it!” anymore, especially after the warmth of this past weekend. Wow. Even I was taken by surprise by the transformation of our landscape. There is simply so much available now for puppies to put in their mouths! And who wouldn’t want to taste the rainbow?

But then I have a moment when I see Brutus really take in his first experience of daffodils and crocuses and I know why so many of us fall for newbies of every kind (kittens, puppies, babies…). It’s the innocence. It’s the pure delight in discovering something totally new that bends our senses.

“Mommy, I need to get just – a – little – closer!” Photo: L. Weikel

I Haven’t Forgotten

I’m still paying attention. The ‘everything’ I mentioned in my first paragraph continues to unfold all around us. But I’m taking a moment.

We are able to relish the circumstances Ukrainians are fighting to the death over at this very moment. War is not my personal experience in this moment. But beauty and joy are. Optimism and second chances and new horizons are, too.

I feel the suffering of others, but I also want to celebrate the relative peace I’m experiencing in this moment. It’s incumbent upon us to savor this. All of it.

Take a moment. Look around. Let your heart feel the hope that’s reflected in the daffodils and jonquils. Crocuses and wild violets.

(T+104)

Vernal Equinox – ND #103

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Magical Sunset at the Vernal Equinox – Photo: L. Weikel

Vernal Equinox

Given that today was the Vernal Equinox, I guess it only stands to reason that it was a quintessentially typical ‘Spring day.’ What I mean is that the energy of the day as reflected in the weather was warm, sunny, blustery, cool, bright, sunny, dark and weighed down by slate gray billowing clouds.

By the time I finally finished the spectacular distance retreat I’d attended all weekend and got dinner started, the dogs were dancing around the kitchen with their legs crossed. They desperately needed a walk. Yes, I’d  let them out at the breaks and played with them sporadically throughout the afternoon, but they’d saved their business for their daily walk and it was time to go.

There was something to this that made my heart flutter – Photo: L. Weikel

Reluctance

I looked out our kitchen door and could see ominous billows of dark gray clouds piling up in the distance. A couple of times I was lucky enough to snag a sighting of some breakthrough rays of sunshine beaming onto the Earth like searchlights from Mars. But then those holes would quickly disappear behind some quick maneuvering of cloud cover.

Given the cloud situation and the pall of darkness they cast over the early evening, I was reluctant to even ‘do a stop sign.’ ‘Doing a stop sign’ is the shortest distance Karl and I will usually walk if we’re extra tired or if choppy weather threatens to ‘rain’ down on us at any moment. It was bleak. It was obvious that even the pups weren’t sure whether we’d make it out tonight.

Luckily, we persevered. We put dinner on hold, hooked up our harnesses, and set off. And when I say ‘luckily’ we persevered, I mean the artistry we encountered on our walk was such a blessing to my soul that I can only call it fantastic good fortune that we took our walk at precisely that moment.

Widen the perspective and soften your gaze and a Raccoon’s face is the Watcher – Photo: L. Weikel

A Work of Art

There’s no way I could’ve predicted we’d see any color in the sky when we left the house. As I mentioned, the clouds were dark and threatening, and approaching quickly. But when we rounded the corner and I turned to glance over my shoulder, my breath caught in my throat.

Those of you who’ve been reading my posts for any length of time know that I’m hardly a sunset newbie. Which is why the way tonight’s sunset pierced my heart and transported me to a place of numinous wonder took me by surprise. I don’t know if it was the unique hue or tone or the way the color seemed to emanate and at the same time reflect itself. It transported me. And somehow I felt a connection to something bigger.

And if the pups hadn’t needed a quick constitutional, I would’ve missed it completely.

Which does make me wonder what other wonders await a simple decision on my part to be seen and appreciated.

(T+103)

Spring Arrives Tomorrow – ND 102

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Approaching Thunderstorm – Photo: L. Weikel

Spring Arrives Tomorrow

It’s quiet tonight, and I even have the front door flung wide open to take in the sounds of whomever might still be awake. The peepers were in full throat earlier, but the only voice I hear now is the wind’s, sighing through the tops of the pine trees across the way. Perhaps all the creatures fell asleep when they hunkered down during the thunderstorm that rolled through earlier. Spring arrives tomorrow, riding the coattails of the lightning that lit up the sky tonight.

As much as I love the peepers and tree frogs, though, I’m rarely disappointed when silence is the prevailing theme for the evening. In this moment, I feel like silence is an especially rare gift that those of us lucky enough to have it should receive with gratitude – and awe.

Daffodils Amid Ice – Photo: L. Weikel

Life Bursts Forth

The warmth of the past two days has caused a virtual eruption from within the soil. Croci and daffodils bloomed in a cacophony of color yesterday. With so much of our attention on the war and carnage in Ukraine, it seems almost weird to witness Nature’s relentless surge toward expression.

Weird, but are any of us truly surprised? I doubt it. We all know, if we’re honest, that humans may end up killing ourselves. But Nature will almost certainly survive. (I’d say it’s certain, but I don’t want to jinx it. Never challenge our species in the whole ‘who can make things worse’ category. If anything, ‘We’re number one!’ when it comes to that. Woohoo!)

Full Virgo Moon

Last night, the moon reached her peak fullness. A neighbor had a lovely full moon fire in the middle of her forest. It was gorgeous to witness as we wrapped up an early evening walk. At first it seemed risky but it was clear she had built it just so and neither a tree nor a leaf budding forth was in danger of being singed. In fact, the flames licking upward caused deep orange shadows to dance on the bodies of all the trees serving as sentinels.

A moon cycle comes to its apex. A season of introspection and rejuvenation ends.

Let’s envision skies that are quiet and peaceful rippling out across the world. A new season. A new way of being.

And precisely as I wrote the words of that last sentence, the eerie, unexpected bray of a donkey echoed throughout our little hamlet.

(T+102)

Back to the ’80s – ND #101

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Duhnt, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt – Photo: L. Weikel

Back to the ’80s

I saw something in the sky early this evening that took me back to my law school days. Mind you, what I saw had nothing to do with law school, per se, but it did harken back to the ‘80s. To be more precise, 1980 and 1981 are probably the years I was suddenly flashing back to as I saw these clouds marching toward me.

Perhaps some of you can relate. (I don’t blame you if you don’t want to admit it.)

Look at those clouds at the top of this post. Tell me you don’t hear the subtle, droning beat (duh, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt, duhnt) (progressively but relentlessly getting faster and faster) as the clouds slowly advance on us from the west.

A Long Time Ago

Forgive me. I’m apparently having a flashback to the 14 months of my married life that we had no children to whom we owed some semblance of responsibility. In other words, I’m remembering, ever-so-vaguely, a time when we would hang out with my law school friends at Rootie’s or actually an even smaller dive bar near our apartment where we would eat massive quantities of Buffalo Chicken Wings (when they were only a ‘thing’ in Buffalo), drink Labatts beer, and play – you guessed it – Space Invaders.

And damn – I have to say, Space Invaders was so. much. fun. Why? Because it was light years better than PONG. Oh my goodness. I couldn’t stand Pong. But did I play it? Of course I did!

I can still hear the sterile, electronic, “bloot, bloot, bloot” of the joyless back-and-forth game that sort of resembled a game of ping pong (hence its name) if you closed your eyes and pretended you were living in the age of The Jetsons.

If not Space Invaders, then? – Photo: L. Weikel

Where Was I?

Oh. Right. The clouds I saw tonight. Wow – what a segue, eh?

Well, if you’re still with me, perhaps you, too, can see in these clouds a resemblance to the Space Invaders of yore. It’s so weird to look at those clouds, remember the drumbeat of the relentless approach of those aliens from space, and recall the feeling that we – young adults coming of age at the dawn of the 1980s – were badass futurists mastering the cutting edge of electronic entertainment.

I’ll refrain from further comment…but just leave this here:

(T+101)

Sweet Pleasure – ND #100

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
I wore these guys out tonight! – Photo: L. Weikel

Sweet Pleasure

I went down a rabbit hole tonight and only realized about ten minutes ago that it was past midnight already. Experiencing this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I’m annoyed that I got so caught up in what I was doing that I lost track of time. But on the other hand, the experience of diving into an activity and becoming so immersed in it that I lose track of time is a profoundly sweet pleasure.

Having this experience makes me realize just how rare it’s become in my life, and that makes me sad. Of course, I could make different choices and create more opportunities for indulging in such focus. Perhaps I will. But if I’m honest with myself, I probably won’t.

Part of the reason for that is that I don’t live in a vacuum. I live with Karl and we’ve settled into certain routines and ways of coping with how we manage the outside world. We’ve become comfortable in our ruts.

New Choices

Losing myself in the act of learning something new tonight really has me reflecting upon how much our lives have changed over the years. I realize (with some relief, I might add) that I do still have a reasonably decent attention span. I know it’s dwindled to some extent by virtue of all the electronics in my life and the irritatingly addictive dopamine effect of checking for email or ‘breaking news’ or text messages.

But at least I’ve not lost it altogether.

Realizing this, I’m feeling a yearning to reclaim some of my time. Perhaps make some new and different choices on where I place my attention.

I don’t want to mourn the dreams I have yet to fulfill just because I’m unwilling to turn off our television. Perhaps there’s a compromise I can negotiate with myself (and Karl).

Perhaps this whole unexpected conversation with myself is a reflection of something I need to give up at this time of the Virgo full moon. It’s the last full moon of winter. Spring arrives on Sunday.

Seems like a perfect time to make some new choices.

(T+100)

Need Some Distraction – ND #99

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Rawhide Offering – Photo: L. Weikel

Need Some Distraction

I do believe the four legged creatures with whom I share my life are realizing that I (and perhaps you) need some distraction from the world at large. To that end, we can all give Brutus and Pacha – and the ever-suffering Tigger – our sincere appreciation.

Who knows what I was going to write about tonight. It’s a mystery. If I did have an idea, it flew out the window when, the moment I sat down and opened my laptop, Brutus jumped up and accosted Tigger, who was snoozing on the back of the couch.

“Tigger? Do you like it?” – Photo: L. Weikel

Don’t get me wrong. It was not an aggressive assault, but rather an enthusiastic one. One that could only be perpetrated by a puppy who’s loved and abided patiently by the elders in the household. Especially Tigger.

When I realized what was being played out before my wondering eyes, I tried my best to capture the saga with my iPhone. The problem with that is the sad fact that these puppies have grown up with an iPhone in my hand, and I swear they stop what they’re doing as soon as they see it. Or they look the other way. Or they move from the adorable position I’ve found them in and immediately pretend to be doing something else.

They’re devil dogs!

 

Brutus: Play With Me!

Over the past week or so, Brutus has become adamant about wanting – no, needing – to play in the evening when Karl and I are both in the process of folding our tents. There have been a few times recently when he has hopped on the couch and presented a squeaky toy literally in my face when I’ve dozed off watching a program. It’s a new phase that I hope he grows out of quickly.

I’m selfishly relieved, however, to see that he’s extending his gambit of frivolity to the feline kingdom as well. How he manages not to get scratched silly, I can only chalk up to remarkable fortitude and patience on Tigger’s part.

Tonight’s effort was a spontaneous sharing of the braided rawhide chew toy I gave to the pups this morning in order to distract them from demolishing a pair of Karl’s reading glasses. He hopped onto the couch and dumped it on Tigger’s back.

Tigger ignored him. What braided rawhide?

Pacha coyly flirted with him from the seat of the couch. “I like the look of that braid, Tigger,” she growled softly. Tigger didn’t bite. Instead, he gave Pacha a baleful glance and returned to the dreamtime.

“Give me strength.” – Photo: L. Weikel

 

Brutus brought yet another offering – this time one of their favorite squeaky toys.

Tigger feigned sleep.

“Need some distraction? How ’bout this one? I LOVE this one!” Photo: L. Weikel

Undaunted, Brutus brought yet another chew toy from across the room and dropped it on Tigger’s side. Nothing.

I wondered how long this was going to last and thought Brutus might start burying Tigger with his and his sister’s vast collection of squeakers and chew toys. But no. Moments later, he became bored and – as puppies and toddlers are wont to do – pretty much dropped in his tracks and fell asleep.

And that’s what I intend to do as well.

(T+99)

Mother Nature’s Artwork – ND #98

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Ice Doodles – Photo: L. Weikel

Mother Nature’s Artwork

We’re all familiar with Mother Nature’s artwork in the sky: from the Cloud Beings who show up when we need them to the stunning sunsets painted across the sky that take our breath away. But tonight I’d like to celebrate the artistry that’s channeled when temperatures plunge then climb – and plunge again. Sometimes, I swear there’s a pen and ink artist working out their creative urges in the between and they’re using puddles and streams to express it.

All of these photos were taken the same night (Monday night), yet to me they seem to reflect vastly different facets of a March evening. They actually almost seem to reflect different climates! But they were all taken within a radius of two miles or so.

I can’t decide which photo I’d like to include at the top of this post. Do I go with the stunning color of a blood orange sunset reflected in roadside puddles? Or do I lead with an iced-over puddle that sort of hits me in the gut by how it reminds me of cartoon doodles that Karl used to draw on bits of paper and in notebooks I still randomly discover?

Icicles Too

Then there are the icicles dripping from the rocky ledges overhanging a creek that flows into the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River). I regret that I am unable to name this creek at the moment, but I can attest to its loveliness.

Pacha and Brutus were still able to find a snow drift to jump into yesterday (although tonight it was much less fun to play in). Speaking of which – can you believe it? They actually have grown to love playing in the snow. Aaah, seven month olds!

Snow Shenanigans – Photo: L. Weikel

With temperatures expected near 70 degrees tomorrow, I doubt we’ll find any more icy puddle doodles or icicles. Indeed, these may have been the last of the season (although I doubt it).

Oh! Which reminds me. I found the shortest little daffodil blooming in the neighbors’ grass today. I was going to call it the littlest daffodil, but it’s definitely a full-size daffodil (as opposed to the true miniatures I’ve seen). But its stem just never seemed to grow and the bloom is nestled amongst blades of grass.

Shortest Daffodil – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+98)

Meet Jackson – ND #97

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 6 Comments
Jackson – Hero Hound – Photo: L. Weikel

Meet Jackson

Meet Jackson. Jackson is a Rat Terrier who loses his mind every single time we walk past his house. He’s so ‘on alert’ that he begins talking smack at us before we’re even near his family’s property line. As we walk by, he chases us from one end of his house to the other, through the side door, out along the family’s fence and back again. He tears back into the house and jumps onto the back of a couch threatening us with imminent shredding as he glares and bares his teeth and stamps his feet at us through the home’s picture window. (Over and over again. Relentlessly.)

Naturally, we’re friendly with Jackson’s mommy and daddy, and we’ve often commiserated on the relentless cacophony of yipping and yapping he hurls at anyone who even thinks about approaching within a quarter mile perimeter of his home. And yes, I mean ‘his’ home. He hurls abuse at and wards off everyone from his home and his mommy – even his daddy gets the Jackson treatment.

Jackson – Ever Vigilant – Photo: L. Weikel

 

Heroic Hound

Jackson’s parents assure us that they can almost – sometimes – block out the constant stream of verbal doggie outrage. I believe it; I’m sure it’s true, because sometimes I am so fascinated by his antics that I barely hear the smack talk. Indeed, the predictability of his outrage makes me smile. I would miss him if he didn’t zoom back and forth issuing threats of our imminent demise – every single time he sees us.

He’s a protector.

And over the weekend, he earned his place as Hero Hound in the Annals of Canine Hearth and Home Defense.

As his mommy relayed to me this evening, yesterday afternoon yet another of the usual background noises of her home unexpectedly took on a different tenor. All of a sudden, she realized that the usual clucking of her chickens sounded peculiar. Through the window of her back door, she saw a hawk circling above her brood and then swoop down and land on one of her chickens. She opened the door with the intention of yelling at the hawk when Jackson-the-Wildman tore out the door. Before she could even set one foot outside, he pounced on the hawk and tore it off ‘his’ chicken. Nothing but the hawk’s self-esteem was wounded in the process.

Jackson, meanwhile, stood proudly beside his rattled charge, his tiny tan chest swelling with the heart of a lion on the savannah who’s just defended his pride from the threat of jackals.

Probably Doing Recon – Photo: L. Weikel

Reward

Jackson feasted on a dinner of scrambled eggs last night. His hen gratefully offered them as tribute to her protector. Her hero.

I think we can all agree, Jackson is without a doubt a really Good Boy. And his home is safer because of him.

Jackson – Always Ready to Take You On – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+97)

Ides of March – ND #96

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Et tu, Brute? – Photo: L. Weikel

Ides of March

We’re starting a new week. I wonder what’s in store for us, collectively, as the week begins with the Ides of March? (Well, technically the Ides are on Tuesday, but close enough.) And then, only three days later, the moon reaches her fullness – bringing who knows what to completion and conclusion? And then, one day after that, the Spring Equinox.

That’s the thing about time – it just keeps on keeping on. Sometimes it feels like it’s whizzing by and other times it feels like we’re in an inescapable slog through quicksand. It’s even deceptive in the sense that it may feel like we’re living in an interminable, static loop and then suddenly, we look around and realize everything has changed.

It feels like the coming week could be one of those. One that feels like nothing is changing and yet when we reach its end, we’ll look back and realize everything has.

A Guide for the Week

Given that this week holds the potential for a lot of upheaval and change, I thought I’d choose a card for us to have as a guide to what’s in store as the week unfolds. No matter what happens, perhaps this card – and its foundation – can help us make sense of the chaos.

The deck I decided to pull from is The Naked Heart Tarot* by Jillian C. Wilde.

Two of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Main Card: Two of Swords ~ “Inner Struggle”

“Two swords are tied up with an anchor, suggesting that in order to move forward, you need to make a decision that may be weighing heavily upon you.

The Message:  The Two of Swords represents a time when you are battling with a decision on how to best move forward. You feel so anchored by the weight of a choice or point of view that it slowly pulls you down, and keeps you stuck. You may feel roped to an internal struggle between your head and your heart, not knowing which has your best interest in mind. Your heart may already know what to do, but you are feeling unable to let your guard down and commit without having all the information needed to make a comfortable decision. Sometimes, a choice just needs to be made, and it takes a leap of faith. No matter how hard or painful the choice is, you must make it. Once it is made, you must anchor yourself to the choice. It is the only way to move forward with peace and a new beginning. Ultimately you can make no wrong decision. Under the guidance of the Universe, you will always be nudged back to where you belong.”

Ten of Swords – Naked Heart Tarot* – (c) Jillian C. Wilde

Foundation Card (Underneath): Ten of Swords ~ “Resolve and Release”

“The rat lies on its side as ten swords are driven down from above piercing its spirit, hinting that the end is near.

The Message: The Ten of Swords represents a time of completion when a much-needed ending to a conversation, idea or discussion is necessary. You’ve already been through every detail, argument, theory, and solution there is to offer, and now you are starting to cycle through them again. Rat energy reminds you that it is time to purge old ways and victim mentality, release the clutter and the story attached to the situation, so you can allow room for new beginnings. Going back through it and over it all will not bring you any closer to resolution. It is time to get to the heart of the wound, and cut out the drama, and bring things to completion. Time to release and let it go. Agree to disagree or just bury it in the past, so at this stage, you can more forward. You may feel a sense of resistance or sadness as you go through the process, but it is also an opportunity to reflect upon valuable insights. All is not lost, it is a chance to drop the weight of the mental baggage that has cut so deeply into you, give it to the Universe and let it go. The worst is over.”

My Take

These cards almost certainly have application in one form or another to our own individual lives and circumstances, since we’re each a microcosm of the macrocosm (living out those adages “as above, so below” and “as within so without”). But the broader implication, the prospect of even weightier decisions becoming necessary regarding global circumstances, is obvious.

It seems to me that the longer we postpone making the choices we fear (but which inevitably must be made), the anchor only becomes heavier.

The hope I see in these cards (and there is some) is the prospect for peace in the top card – and the realization that the worst is over in the foundation card. But for the worst to be over, the difficult choice must be made.

Let’s hold in our hearts a vision that the ‘powers that be’ make the highest and best choice for all of us, individually, nationally, and culturally, for humanity, the Earth, and all Her children. We just might be at that place in our evolution.

*affiliate link

(T+96)

Effects of Stress – ND #95

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Like Pacha, I just want to hide my head – Photo: L. Weikel

Effects of Stress

Sometimes the effects of stress we’re feeling come out in ways we don’t expect. And sometimes we don’t even realize we’re feeling stress, since technically, for all intents and purposes, we’re doing well.

I know that’s true with me. I’ve noticed over the past several days that my jaw and teeth ache on one side in particular – and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’ve been clenching my teeth while I sleep. It’s become obvious I’m going to have to resurrect my mouth guard from the bowels of my bedside table.

Let’s face it: I have no reason to clench my teeth. Sure, we’re all at risk – all of us, all over the world – when the amoral brutality of an unchecked dictator continues unabated. This is especially true when you consider that he has more nuclear weapons than anyone else in the world at his disposal. But that’s such a broad-stroked, bordering-on-amorphous threat to our existence that it’s honestly not something I feel warrants clenched teeth.

That’s why I’m surprised I’m clenching.

The Innocents

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not just kids and animals. Given the fabricated pretext of the invasion, I doubt you could characterize anyone in Ukraine as ‘guilty’ of provoking the Russian war on Ukraine. But the images of families being split up, mothers lugging babies and toddlers, and people carrying their pets miles and miles (because they’re family too) brings me to an edge within myself.

I feel stress when even considering how we would manage transporting our three cats and two pups if faced with similar forced refugee circumstances. What if we had to run to Massachusetts or New Mexico or Oregon for safety? How would we keep our family of familiars safe and together? How would we all manage to weather the brutal cold and snowstorm that’s hitting our area at this very moment?

Yes, from thousands of miles away, we can make donations of money or items needed to rebuild lives after escaping with essentially nothing but the clothes on their backs. Diapers, sanitary products, warm clothes, food – for people and for those beloved pets – can at least be provided in a stop-gap fashion. But there’s so much to life and living we take for granted. Right down to the ache in my face from clenching my teeth. It’s nothing compared to the pain and wounds of those enduring this hell first-hand.

I want to end on a positive thought – but all I can think is, “Peace Eagles.”

(T+95)