Discovering Beauty in Everyday Life

A fall day  is simpy conspiratorial.   The leaves and twigs, the  late squirrels and stiff blue sky are throwing  beauty  at us again.   Did you see those red filligried leaves with whispy points? And the striped ones and those tie-dyed ones?  How can they do it? And the fallen leaves, some dry by now.  Ok.  Do this for me:  Grab a handful of the dry and noisy leaves. Crumple them into your hands and inhale the medicine of fall.  Remember? 

We are alright after all~ And thank you, Universe, for sparrows.

I bravely ordered tulips from a Holland site.  But they will not ship until October 30th-November 20th, and we know that means we may have to plant in a dying moon.  Let's check to see if we might succeed anyway:   [check, check, check...] AHA!  I have found a reference . How to Garden by Moon Phases.  Decreasing Light -- Full moon to dark of the moon http://www.plantea.com/planting-moon-phases.htm Plant bulbs P lant crops that grow below the ground, such as potatoes, carrots Cultivate weeds P lant biennials and perennials because they need strong roots Eliminate slugs P rune shrubs

It's hard to resist a catalog picture, even though we know it's all for show and doesn't tell the truth.  B ut wait until we find out own tulips, or somebody elses if ours somehow don't appear.  Then we'll know what a REAL tulip looks like.  Or maybe a real sparrow.

Here are three photos of my feather on three spots of pavement within a yard of one another. How lucky to find such a feather amid the cemented urban cacophony.

Here, it's wet and rainy.  Cold and windy. This is not the weather for planting!  But if the ground is not too wet, then watch the growing moon.  Wait only a week or so for the beautiful weather,  and follow all directions, especially if you expect a winter freeze.  Any area that drains well will work, if it is lit by the early spring sun,   and we dig down 6 to 8 inches .

There's no denying the time for action is upon us. We must go forth and aquire our bulb(s). For those who already have a bulb in their possession, it is time to settle on a site. Now is also the time to consider branching out in the direction of a daffodil, since daffodils also fare well in vacant spots. Here’s an example of a successful tulip, encountered in the wild.   It is heartbreakingly beautiful

It's time for our next Human Race Experiment. Although Originally designed for extra-terrestrial encounters, it has also worked here. First, find something you like from the natural world: A Leaf, a Twig, A spice, a sprig, a feather or a flower, for example. 1. Find a person you encounter in your daily life. 2. Smile, and say “Look at this _________ I found. Isn’t it interesting? 3. Wait patiently for two seconds. I know, but try it.          (ONE one thousand, TWO one thousand) 4. Observe the results with care. You may take a note if you wish. Contratulations! A contact has been safely made with a nearby human!

See that rainbow? How low it is in the fountain? There is no time to waste, It's TULIP TIME!! The best time to plant is on a growing moon, and we have no time to lose.   1. Carefully consider your supply possibilities. 2. Locate a grower you trust, go online, or go down the street to a flower shop. 3. Begin to select a bulb in your mind.  Fat, firm, alive with a tulip. 4. Search your mind for a vacant place nearby, facing the Spring Sun.   Congratulations, The Hunt Is On!

An e-pal asked, “Were you in Carmel California?”   Yes. Yes, I was. I swam among the trees in the kelp forest, with a scuba tank. It seemed close this morning. What do we do with the bubbles of acquaintance? Those spheres of influence that do not intersect? And when we find an old friend whose been there too, what then? I need to share the beauty, and yours as well.  So when you read these brief and incidental lines, take heart. Guest Photo By L.C. of  Chicago and Santa Fe

Guest Feather by L.C. of Chicago and Santa Fe!  How do you like my Guest Feather? I won’t be getting a photo of my polka dot feather until next week, and in the meanwhile, this beautiful one has agreed to stand in it’s stead. It was donated by a seagull who was passing by that way.

Guest Post Guest post, C.M. San Francisco It is fall here too. The evening air is cool, and the wind on the bay has lost its summer force. Here native leaves do not wither in fall but slowly fade, still green, awaiting quenching winter rains to spring back their verdancy. The trees that change are mostly foreign hybrids -- sumac, maple, beech -- favoured by fussy horticulturists and nostalgic wanderers. Sometimes one turns a corner and finds a tunnel of sun-drenched yellows and resplendent reds overarching a quiet suburban street.

Darn!   I left my feather at work.  I want to take it's picture. I found it on the sidewalk.  It is dark grey, about 4 1/2  inches long.  It has polka dot rows on either side.  You'll love it, and here's what happened to me at the deli I always go to. I went there for coffee, and I said, "Look at this feather.  Isn't it pretty?  Do you know if it's a pigeon feather?"    S he said unh unh, however  it's spelled.  She agreed it was polka dotted.  I forgot about this coversation, and I went back in the afternoon. "How's your feather?" she asked me,   "Oh, it's ok, it's in my office." She was happy, and  I think that's amazing! 

Ok, do this for me.  Go outside (if possible) and pick or find a nice green leaf.  A blade of grass or a weed or a green twig will do, if need be.  Ask first, as plants are sensitive. Crumple and crunch up the leaf, or surrogate.  Now smell deeply of the aroma of green.  There is no way else to describe it.

I found another leaf, and I refer to my Tree Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area . This probably isn’t a tricky leaf for an experienced leaf-ologist, but I have my guide and I look carefully. chapter:  Leaves alternately arranged, simple, lobed: Group 13. I find a similarly shaped leaf. “Alternate, oval or oblong 2 1/2 to 5 inch leaves [check], with 11 or more shallow to deep triangular or oblong lobes [check, 14 lobes, Check, triangular]. Central main vein [check] with secondary veins extending to lobe tips [check!]; lustrous, dark green above, downy below. Lustrous, Downey, Oh yes. Check! I have a tiny remnant of a Turkey Oak. Here's a picture. It's of an amber one, since today it is fall.

Now I have space for today and cannot capture it. The words are paltry, yet this is the most beautiful day! Clean blue; clouds to take home and cuddle in. Cool, soft and crisp edges everywhere. Leaves waiting for their turn to add a new genre to fall, and I am tinged with the colors of it all.

Do you have so much to say that it seems impossible? I know I feel as though there’s no place to put today’s blue sky, or the new yellows in the honey locust tree across the street, or today’s window box. I remember the first columbines, full of early summer. They look out of place at first to a Colorado girl, with their yellows and violet. I look more carefully along with a friend, and I begin to see these rowdy flowers, city-born and city-bred, through new eyes. And here’s the truth of the matter! Photo by Barbara Fisher