24/365 Shadow Boxing

Sparring partners dance

 Across the sky - taunting as  

They jab, feint, parry.

 





23/365 Waking

Dreams entwine with dawn’s

Soft rays.  Sound intrudes chasing

Sleep into cold light.



22/365 A Welcome Change

Warm sun.  Soft winds.  Snow

Melting to clean, laughing streams.

Lift your face and smile.



21/365 Steadfast Flight

Silent wings carry

Geese unerringly homeward

Through the falling snow.



20/365 Waking

Landscape in grey and

White waits for sunrise to wake

The colors of day.



Happy Birthday

 

 

 

Birthday greetings for Jacob!

I'm not sure what's required of me in this situation.

Should I feel traumatized that my youngest has turned 30!?

Cards and confetti have been mailed

and though it seems impossible that 30 years have been

measured in this way

the reality is that they have not only passed

but they've been full:

 

 of happy and heartbreaking events

 

of old friends and new

 

of places and opportunities

 

of growth and change

 

of more than could be told.

 

Happy Birthday, Jacob.

Here's to another 30 years!!

 



19/365 Sundogs

Alight with wonder

Bright, arcing sundogs herd the

 Westering sun home.     



google images

 

 

 

 



Making lemonade

The bad news is

is that we hit our high temp for the day (6)

at about 7:30 this morning.

Wind chill factors out at around -17.

 

The good news is that the CPW

of my extravagantly expensive down coat

is becoming quite reasonable.

 

 

And for you photo junkies:

 

 

Here's Charlie,

debuting the new kitchen floor.

 





18/365 Snowy Day

Wisps of snowy lace

trail from rooflines to vanish,

Swirling on the wind.



17/365 Bedtime

Keening winds search the

Walls with icy fingers.  Cold

Feet find warmth in pairs.



16/365 Foggy Day

Distant pinpoints of

Light dance behind the murky

Veil of chill, grey fog.



Monday Morning

Another grey week followed by

another grey weekend bringing us to

another grey Monday.

Are you seeing the trend?

 

But the other day a package arrived.

 

 

Packages, as you know, travel with

their own sunshine.

Doesn't a package always put a smile on your face? 

 

I'd recently seen something on Pinterest

that I figured could be replicated at my house.

So I searched Amazon for that *just right* option and ordered this:

 

 

 

to apply to my washing machine.

 

 

 

The dryer has a funny lip under the door which kept me

from running the decal across its front...

 

Bright, cheerful, cheap - always a good combination -

providing a small spot of sunshine in a grey winter.

 

 

 

15/365 Rain

Mournful rivulets

trace a path down dusty panes -

dull, grey winter rain.



14/365 Dusk

Racing against the

setting sun, storm clouds crowd the

weary day’s last light.



13/365 Shadow Play

Sharply etched shadows

shift as the moon climbs behind

the slumbering trees.



12/365 Eastern Sky

 

Time quickens. Dawn’s grey

pearl fades as vibrant pinks spread

the word – a new day.



11/365

Swirling icy winds

play among bare-twigged branches

bent against the sky.



24 Hours

We hear it all the time -

 

the difference that 24 hours can make in a life.

 

News, or an event, whether

unexpected or

anxiously awaited

can truly change everything.

google images

 

 

Yesterday at this time I was excited,

full of anticipation and energy,

ready to tackle the day's projects.

 

I felt strong, confident, capable.

I performed my tasks at home and walked

to work with a sure, firm step.

 

And then, betrayal.

 

My knee buckled while I was working.

I don't even have an interesting story to tell.

I was simply walking from point A to point B.

There is no tale of derring-do

or athletic prowess gone awry

to chronicle my pain.

 

There was pain.

A reasonable, manageable pain.

 

What is unreasonable

is the effect this has had on me.

Yes, prudence would skip my morning workout. 

Skip painting the base cabinets.

But I find myself

reluctant

to trust the knee with ordinary expectations.

 

Suddenly I don't feel strong.

 

Even with the ordinary and inevitable

processes of aging

I've never felt vulnerable or challenged by

a brush with middle-age mortality.

The unwelcome spectre of change or limitation

 has never been an active threat.

Until today.

 

Even as I write this I recognize a certain level

of over-reaction.

I'm not given to over-reacting.

I'm calm and sensible.

It's only a wrenched knee for Pete's sake!

 

But most of us - even on our most rational days - look for

the small markers that may signal

a need for attention.

Today I'll adjust my plans

take it easy

probably even drive to work.

 I'll no doubt take an inventory of goals

and reasonable expectations;

make an examination of current routines.

There's a challenge here and I can already

sense a response.  

 

What do I need to do to safeguard

my expectations?

 

 

 

 

 



10/365 Dawn

Sharp white contrails pierce

dawn’s coral bands as heavy

eyes watch the sun rise.



9/365 Winter Sun

Winter sun shines bright

but false, telling shameless lies,

mocking my cold bones.