beauty

Stupendous – Day 1085

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Walk-Around – Photo: L. Weikel

Stupendous

I don’t think it’s hyperbolic for me to say that the fall foliage this year is utterly stupendous. With our rolling hills and twisty-turny back roads here in Pennsylvania, it’s not only possible but likely you’ll encounter one breathtaking scene after another.

It’s funny how our perceptions are relative. We have one field in particular that we pass on our walk-arounds (the two mile trek) that we often used to gauge the overall quality of the foliage any given year.  There used to be a magical tree in the midst of this field, and it was always more colorful, ethereal, and perfectly proportioned than any of the other trees. Sadly, I think it was about ten years ago now that that tree died.

But we still delight in the bank of trees lining the far edge of this field close to High Rocks.

With the abundance of spectacular color this year almost everywhere you look, I was a tad disappointed with the trees in ‘our spot.’ Nevertheless, while perhaps slightly muted in comparison, I still felt compelled to document their beauty. I’m glad I did – and I’m also glad I zoomed in on a few of the trees. It wasn’t until I actually paid attention to the details of the particular trees that I actually took in and appreciated the exquisite beauty right underneath my nose.

Stupendous – Photo: L. Weikel

Too Much of a Good Thing

Which makes me wonder if it really is possible to have too much of a good thing. When we lose perspective and think that every day is going to be blue skies, or when we start to take for granted the voice of the wind or the songs of crickets, the wild artistry of sunsets, or the protection of owls, we become dull. It starts to get harder for the magic to penetrate our preconceptions.

Is it possible that this might be true of our relationships, too? If we’re lucky enough to have one or two – or maybe even five or six – people in our lives with whom we can share our deepest, truest, most intimate selves and still be loved and cherished, is it possible to lose perspective? Because of our good fortune, is it possible to become dismissive? Is iwe may come to feel that that level of friendship and intimacy is far more easily obtainable than it really is?

And what if we look at those deepest friendships with more attention to the sweet and endearing details? Do they regain the vibrancy and life force that the closeup of the trees did, when I zoomed in on them?

Appreciating What We Have

I guess I’m feeling a pull to appreciate the loveliness (and love) that surrounds me. Perhaps I’ve lost sight of the utter charm of the details because I’m so profoundly fortunate in so many ways. There’s just sooooo  much goodness in the people around me I hold dear.

(T-26)

Unutterable Beauty – Day 1053

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 Sunset Filtered Only By Trees – Photo: L. Weikel

Unutterable Beauty

Last night I took a photo of the setting sun as its brilliant deep orange rays filtered through the trees on the edge of Stover State Park. I’m always questing to capture even a fraction of the unutterable beauty we encounter almost every day, especially when we walk. But my photos, although serviceable, only occasionally capture magic. Yesterday evening? I managed to capture a sunset akin to a rainbow, but not one.

My eyes keep calling me to return to this photo. My rational mind tells me I’ve taken a bazillion of these photos before. But for whatever reason, this particular one speaks to me in a way the others didn’t. Perhaps it’s the aubergine hues. They’re not often found spontaneously in sunsets. At least they’re not usually present in my photos of sunsets.

This photo has a magical tinge to it. That’s the only way I can describe it. Or maybe it’s not magical – maybe it’s more of a mystical vibe – almost as if I should almost be able to see into another realm if I look at it ‘just right.’

Road Trip

I had a chance to take a road trip today that took me west along Route I-80. As I passed through some of the mountains that ground and hold space for us here in Pennsylvania, I found my perspective shifting to such an extent that it felt like I was literally in the midst of a multi-dimensional work of art. The color palette selected by Mother Nature, coupled with what felt/looked like a skewed aspect to my depth perception almost made me pull onto the berm.

It didn’t look real. Or maybe it was all so acutely real that it made me ache with a longing I couldn’t identify.

I didn’t pull over. And I had no way of even trying to capture the essence of what I was experiencing in those moments. The best I can do is try to capture it with words, but even then, it just sounds like a paltry description of unutterable beauty as seen in my peripheral vision.

(T-58)

Unspeakable Beauty – Day 1034

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Waxing Moon in Scorpio 10 Sept 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Unspeakable Beauty

There’s something magical about September days. It’s possible to experience one or two and feel transformed simply by the unspeakable beauty and perfection that unfolds simply by ‘being.’

There’s going to be a lot of recalled trauma this weekend, especially tomorrow. Grief and sorrow will abound. Disappointment, regret, and rage will also be among the greatest hits.

Our feelings are our feelings. No one can reasonably tell us how we feel or how we ‘should’ feel. But there comes a time when the realization hits us that just feeling the feelings isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to purge them so they be transmuted or channel them into useful action.

Monarch sipping – Photo: L. Weikel

Be In Nature

If you do anything tomorrow, please: make a point of allowing yourself to be in nature. Seize the opportunity to bask in the warmth of the sun while a cool, refreshing breeze ruffles your hair and caresses your brow.

Take comfort from the birds and animals, trees and flowers and grasses with which we share this planet.

Remember to breathe.

Allow yourself to continue dreaming the dreams that only a few days ago you planted as seeds at the new moon. Look toward the west and the setting sun and pay attention to the crescent moon growing every single day. Know that it’s reflecting how your aspirations for the future, your passions for how you want to live your life are growing moment by moment. Ever so slightly, perhaps, but inexorably.

And all the while we’re surrounded by vibrant colors and astounding creatures that – if and when we notice them – make our human lives infinitely richer.

Bee finding the sweetness – Photo: L. Weikel

Find the Sweetness

So much has changed in the past twenty years. So much has changed in the past ten. It’s important to look back and appreciate what we’ve lived through, what we’ve endured, and what we’ve lost.

But it’s even more important to taste the sweetness of now.

(T-77)

Some Beautiful Things – Day 910

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Buttercup – Photo: L. Weikel

Some Beautiful Things

Between my walks yesterday and today (both of which I managed to get in just under the wire, dodging the rain), I managed to photograph some beautiful things. I just love how every once in a while I discover something small beside the road and when I zoom in on it, it appears even more exquisite than it did when I first glimpsed it.

Most of my walks lately have been silent. I wonder if this causes me to notice the little things even more. I don’t know.

The first flower I came upon today – which I don’t think I’ve written a post about before (although I may be wrong) – was the buttercup. I saw a flower being written about on Facebook a week or so ago, and the people writing were calling the yellow flowers buttercups. But they didn’t look like the buttercups I grew up with.

The ones I grew up with looked like the one above. I remember holding them under the chin of my friend Chris, or my mom, or even under my own wrist – you know, to see if it reflected yellow, which meant you ‘liked butter.’ Ha – I never was a big butter fan when I was younger. But I always loved the magic of buttercups.

Spartacus enjoyed tromping around on them today. I didn’t pick any, so I’m not sure if they reflected on him. But I do know he loves butter.

Spartacus Wondering What All the Fuss Is About – Photo: L. Weikel

Another Beauty

I’m not sure what wildflower this is, but it was a singlet – alone in the midst of a lot of greenery. I don’t remember seeing it yesterday, so it’s possible it only bloomed this morning.

Forgive me – I feel like I can get lost in the act of just staring into the faces of these wildflowers. They’re simply lovely.

Somehow or another, just seeing them today reminded me of the countryside in which I grew up. I have to wonder how it is that those days seem so long ago yet almost just yesterday.

Purple Wildflower Perfection – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-201)

Beauty and Grace – Day 821

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Vast Winter Sky – Photo: L.Weikel

Beauty and Grace

Beauty and grace. Remember those two words? They jumped off the page of The Ocean Oracle’s lwb (little white book) that accompanies the deck when I looked up the message conveyed by the Resilience card that appeared yesterday. I shuffled the deck and shuffled again, all the while keeping the Senate trial foremost in my mind – asking for guidance for us all.

And as we know, ‘Sea Heather – Resilience’ was the card that appeared as our watchword.

To be honest, I could easily see how we as a people will need to be resilient in the face of the absurdity we’re going to be asked to accept as legitimate legal argument. Indeed, with respect to our republic as a whole, this definition of resilience from Dictionary.com sets the bar:

“3. the ability of a system or organization to respond to or recover readily from a crisis, disruptive process, etc.”

We’re being asked to respond to and recover readily from an insurrection incited by our own president in a desperate bid to retain power by use of mob violence; an insurrection waged upon our very system of government unlike anything since the Civil War itself.

It’s obvious how our resilience as a nation is being tested.

But Beauty and Grace?

Which brings me back to the sentence that haunted the edges of my mind since I wrote my post last night. “Let your beauty and grace shine through in even the most extreme environments.”

I had a feeling I knew where that beauty and grace might shine through. They are not words that would readily leap to mind in a Senate trial based upon an insurrection in which seven people have lost their lives and hundreds have sustained injuries – many horrific.

But there it was. Beauty and grace. The initial closing argument of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D – Maryland), the lead Impeachment Manager of the House of Representatives, on the simple question of the Constitutionality of the Senate hearing this case, exemplified the essence of these two words. His belief in the resilience of our form of government, his obvious and heartfelt love for our nation and his belief in the principles and integrity upon which it was founded couldn’t have been more eloquently stated.

Beauty and grace. Resilience personified.

And yet? Forty four Senators voted as if they had not listened to a single word.

If accountability is what we require for our nation to sustain its resilience, my heart is hurting this night. Our future is in the balance.

(T-290)

Mushroom Family – Day 706

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Mushroom Family – Photo: L. Weikel

Mushroom Family

Standing on the flagstones leading to our home the other day, I looked up. Lo and behold, a mushroom family beautifully revealed itself, cradled in the arms of one of our beloved, aging maple trees.

I’m pretty certain mushrooms have made an appearance in the crook of that tree before, but I swear they weren’t golden caps with brown highlights. At least they weren’t as juicy looking.

Mushrooms from October 28-29, 2019 – Photo: L.Weikel

Ah! I found a photo – and sure enough, it was almost exactly a year ago: October 29, 2019, when I first discovered a pack of mushrooms living in our tree and wrote about it. (What? You didn’t realize mushrooms run in packs? How could you possibly not know that?)

Anyway, based on what the mushrooms looked like last year, I have a feeling these recent specimens simply need some time to mature. By October 29th, their appearance will shift and mellow and they will look as griseled as their ancestors did last year. Only now it looks like the family has grown!

The Maple Tree

I actually got a kick out of the opportunity to explore the beauty of our maple tree, the one that serves as host to these fantastic fungi. By taking a variety of photos that show off its craggy personality and late stage ability to still show a bit of color, it felt good to shower some love and attention on this tree. Like Sheila, it feels like we only have a short time left to revel in and appreciate its contribution to the overall personality of our home.

Simply Lovely – Photo: L. Weikel

It’s interesting to me that the appearance of the mushrooms was the precipitating force that led me to take these intriguing portraits of this grand maple.

Looks Like a Protective Ent to Me – Photo: L. Weikel

Unintended Consequence

Funny how that works. We think we’re doing something for a particular, specific reason. Something catches our eye or we love the way something sounds. We take photos, we record audio; and then – unexpectedly – we realize that what we’ve captured was something completely different than what we expected.

I’ve already spoken of how that phenomenon seems to be an undercurrent to all my cloud photos. I just never know what’s going to show up when I chase clouds and try to capture their souls.

The anima of this tree is obvious, as I’m sure you perceive as well. I’m just grateful for the appearance of that attention-seeking mushroom family, for it’s through documenting them that I paid some much-deserved attention on our maple.

It makes me wonder where else in my life this principle operates.

(T-405)

Schitt’s Creek – Day 653

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Promise on the Horizon – Photo: L. Weikel

Schitt’s Creek

In an effort to avoid as much deliberately-induced anxiety as possible, Karl and I decided to abstain from political fare this week. We’re choosing instead to rely primarily on video clips embedded in news articles for a recap of the state of our country as viewed by the Republican Party. Which brings me to what we’ve been watching instead: Schitt’s Creek.

We only started watching this show, which ran for five seasons, about six weeks ago. It just aired its last episode on Netflix this past April – and I’m pretty sure we started watching it because of the affection expressed by viewers who seemed genuinely sad to see it end.

It took us a couple episodes to get into it, but the campy characters and their affectations are both over-the-top and endearing. There’s no violence or ugliness. It’s mostly about relationships, primarily superficial ones, but some of them are particularly playful and truly fun to watch develop.

Most importantly, though, the show is an easy, light, and playful escape from, well, the shit’s creek we find ourselves up, especially as Americans, if we’re clear-eyed and honest. And just catching some of the clips from the two evenings of the RNC extravaganza so far, makes it clear (if it wasn’t already) that we’re navigating without a paddle.

(No. I couldn’t leave it. It had to be said. You knew it was coming. I tried to muzzle myself but, in the end, I couldn’t resist.)

The truth is, we’ve streamed an especially generous number of episodes of Schitt’s Creek over the past couple of days – and the irony just had to translate into a blog post.

The Alternative

The alternative to me making lame jokes about the name of a television series and extolling its efficacy in allowing our minds to slip into neutral for an evening is – you guessed it – more cloud sharing.

Tonight we witnessed some towering specimens of magnificence, which then gradually gave forth to some startlingly ominous and threatening banks of darkness. And yes, the metaphors weren’t lost on us.

It was as if we were witnessing a water vapor enhanced exposition of the soaring visions painted last week juxtaposed against the oppressive boogeymen of fear and oppression on offer this week. What was most remarkable, perhaps, was the rapidity with which the transformation occurred.

Looking NW – Photo: L. Weikel

A Warning

All of which feels like an essential reminder and warning to all of us. Things can change dramatically (in a myriad of ways) in the blink of an eye. We make assumptions at our peril.

We mustn’t be afraid – but we also must, at the same time, remain vigilant and steadfast in what we know to be of greatest importance in life. We’re living in unprecedented times, and we’re being asked to choose the world we want to both create and leave as our legacy.

Do we choose to see and build on the beauty? On love? Or will we focus on the darkness, the fear, and the division?

It’s up to us. And our choices are our paddle.

Looking NE – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-458)

Beauty – Day 595

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Anniversary Clouds – Photo: L. Weikel

Beauty

What a day we enjoyed today, mostly just hanging out with each other. Isn’t that the beauty of a relationship that’s celebrating 40 years of official togetherness? (We knew each other for three years before we tied the knot, so there are a few years of ‘unofficial’ togetherness, too…wink wink.)

But honestly, the best part about Karl and our relationship is how much I enjoy just being with him. Sitting on the porch, reading together, picking cards, laughing, snarking, watching the birds, cursing the squirrels, dreaming more dreams, wondering what’s next on our adventure agenda.

Anniversary Clouds 2 – Photo: L. Weikel

We really only did two things today: (1) We purchased a wonderfully deep and melodic wind chime, something of beauty to remind us of our milestone every day; and (2) took a walk. Of course. Because it’s the sacred little things we do that make all our lives both magical and worth the effort.

I share with you the blockbuster clouds that accompanied us on our journey today.

Love to all of you who sent us a happy thought or two today. We mirror them back to you with joy!

And hang on to your hats, everyone. I have a feeling this week is going to be…raucous.

Anniversary Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-516)

Lifted My Spirits – Day 562

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Sunlit Forest – Photo: L. Weikel

Lifted My Spirits

I’m so relieved that the weather today was as bright and warm as it was. I needed it. It lifted my spirits.

I can’t figure out why I was feeling so down today. The Memorial Day weekend was pleasant enough. I missed seeing our kids, but there have been other holidays, pre-Covid-19, when we weren’t able to get together. So it’s not as if it felt like the gaping hole in our summer opening extravaganza that I know other people experienced.

And we did manage to walk every day, despite initial calls for rain. Thank goodness!

Today was hard, though.

Ugly Out There

The best I can figure is that I’m starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the ugliness ‘out there.’

Last night, just before settling down to write about my love of Ents, I saw the video of the woman in Central Park, who earlier yesterday rabidly threatened to call 911 to report a man who was taking video of her breaking the leash law in an area devoted to birding. I’m sure most of you know all about her very obvious use of her white privilege to threaten this man for daring to video her flaunting the park rules.

It sickened me to see how she treated this man.

And then there’s the horrific story of the man in Minneapolis who was murdered by police officers, one of whom literally had his knee on the man’s neck as the man cried out that he couldn’t breathe. I could not bring myself to watch the video of that incident. Merely seeing the still shot of the cop with his knee on the man’s neck was enough to make me want to throw up. This type of stuff happens every day. Almost always with impunity, although apparently – hopefully – not this time. But it all makes me wonder how black and brown people do not despair of such cruelty. How do any of us not despair of this cruelty to one another?

So no, I’m not going to link to either of these videos. If you haven’t seen them, they are pretty much everywhere. Which may be why I was feeling more and more depressed today as the day wore on.

Between those two incidents and the videos of people spitting on or verbally abusing clerks who were trying to enforce mask use in their stores, or people deliberately defying public health recommendations… I don’t know. I just felt profoundly sad over the state of humanity.

Took a Walk

So Karl and I took another one of our walks. I’m sharing a couple photos I took. The beauty we encountered was heartening and peaceful. Once again, walking lifted my spirits. Once again, Mother Earth reminded me of the beauty that surrounds us if we take the time and make the effort to look for it.

As usual, walking brings me peace. Here’s a recent article reinforcing just how and why walking is so great for us – especially now.

I’m going to keep on walking. If you haven’t walked in a while, I urge you to go for it. It helps. And we all need all the help we can get right now.

Rhododendron – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-549)

A Tragic Blur – Day 502

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A Blur of Green – Photo: L. Weikel

A Tragic Blur

It’s becoming a tragic blur. Every day we’re hearing about more and more people losing their lives to the Coronavirus pandemic that’s exploding in our country. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, and two weeks from now (April 10th– it’s a date) we’ll wish we were only experiencing the rate of positive tests and deaths we’re reporting and lamenting today. Today’s anguish will seem ‘aspirational’ to our future selves.

If you stay off social media and refuse to turn on your tv or radio, it’s easy to both be a responsible citizen, practicing social distancing and remaining in the orbit of your home, and lose complete track of the insanity unfolding in hospitals all over the country, but especially in New York City. The nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, and emergency personnel of all stripes who are operating in overdrive, attempting to meet the tidal wave of need that’s overcoming our cities, are operating within that tragic blur. All they see are people in fear and distress, unable to breathe, desperate for care and compassion.

No filter – Photo: L. Weikel

Guilt of Relative Ease

And here I am, ostensibly doing my best to ‘flatten the curve’ and keep our local hospitals from suffering the same fate as New York’s and becoming inundated with new Covid-19 patients. My sacrifice – if you can even call it that, which I for one honestly cannot in good conscience do – is to refrain from going anywhere other than the grocery store or the pharmacy (to neither of which places I’ve gone in a week). Hardly a sacrifice.

No, I can’t sit in the same room with my son and daughter-in-law, or give them a hug when they appear at our door bearing gifts of pizza and pierogies. But they’re not sick and neither are we. And I want it to stay that way. If not touching or sitting in the same room as them for a couple of weeks or months will do the trick? I’m all for it.

Compared to the horrors of the hospitals? There is none.

Treasure the Little Things

So in honor of those who are in the trenches, in honor of the people who are working slavishly day in and day out trying to save as many lives as possible without having the right equipment or survival mechanisms at their disposal, I try to treasure the little things.

In honor of those who are tragically losing their lives every day, I am trying to appreciate the beauty that surrounds this place where I am forced to stay for not only my own good, but the good of my family, community, county, and state.

What do I see when I pay exquisite attention?

Beauty. Innocence. Magnificence. Agelessness.

And that quality I always seem to come back to no matter how hard I try to focus my attention elsewhere: love.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-609)