retinal perspectives

five senses friday: farmers market edition

sight: a white-faced clown in a green polka-dot suit, balloon animals

sound: the happy laughter of children playing in the fountain

touch: firm yellow beans

smell: ripe berries, fresh flowers

taste: nachos made to order with crispy tortilla chips, slightly salty beef, tomato salsa, guacamole, lettuce, cilantro, and sour cream (i valiantly finished the entire plate so that none of the deliciousness would be lost)

feelin' hot, hot, hot

yup, this is me

though i think my tongue may actually be scraping the ground by now

i love a parade

a pet parade, that is

this parade is hosted by gayle @ planet m files and elk @ red or gray depends on the day

won't you join in too!

(this photo shows atlas in happier times - a few days ago - before the heat descended upon us. now he wanders around looking like he's dying. i coerced him into the bathtub last night, thinking that some water would help cool him off. let's just say that he was not appreciative of my attempt to help.)

wanted: hot buttered epiphanies

so the other day, i stumbled across a blog about something called shiva nata. apparently it's a form of movement that essentially restructures your brain. the thing that really caught me (besides the promise of near-constant epiphanies) was the fact that you are not supposed to master it. ever. it will always, always be hard.

oooooooh. to a (recovering) perfectionist, that does not sound good at all. in fact, it sounds horrible! perfectionism is my pattern and when i can't master something (or even figure it out) in what i consider a timely manner, i get frustrated. i know this. which is why i also knew i needed this practice and ordered the starter kit. (besides, it promised lots of epiphanies and fitness and balance and coordination; i figured there was nothing to lose.)

anyway, for the past three days, i've spent three or four minutes every morning trying to memorize the arm movements while i wait for the dvd to arrive. omg .. when i finish, i can feel the energy in the air around me - it is thick and heavy and palpable. i sit right down to meditate and i can immediately see the colors and shapes and movements and images behind my eyes that tell me my energy is flowing. clearly, this is going to be an interesting ride.

oh happy day

whenever i visit a farmers' market, i marvel at the booths filled with tubs of glorious flowers. i never buy a bouquet though. i am just not a fan of large mixed bouquets. too much extra stuff - and flowers that i don't really want mixed in with flowers that i do want.

i was walking by a similar booth this weekend and saw the owner gathering up an armful of pink and purple blooms. when i marveled at the colors, the woman waiting said that the owner would put together whatever kind of bouquet i wanted. (why did i never think to ask!)

i came home from the market with a giant bouquet full of peonies (i think - my flower knowledge is pretty slim) in various shades of pink and purple.

oh happy day.

no. 14

my response to the fourteenth challenge from The Four

to interpret the quote:

"you come from the poor South, where my soul began; in that high sky your mother is still washing clothes with my mother. That's why I chose you, companera." - Pablo Neruda

up, up, and away

happy thursday!

i wish you blue skies

a warm yellow sun

and brightly colored balloons

weimaraner wednesday

i realize that i refer to atlas as puppy

but i suppose i should note that he is actually 6

the other day, i thought i saw white hairs on his chin

(sniffle)

it's just that i've called him puppy for so long, it's hard to change

(and doggy just doesn't have the same loving ring to it)

no matter how old he is

he will always be my beloved little puppy

meet maryjane

she lives just down the street. we run into her every day - she seems to always be out and about.

maryjane, i am sorry to say, is a tease. she wiggles around on her back, belly right under atlas' nose, but when he finally tries to sniff 'hello', she calmly gets up and walks away - leaving the poor pup hanging.

you can see how fearless she is - because atlas and i really were that close.

the most beautiful room(s) in the world

i thought i'd share my latest bit of interior decorating with you. i am so very pleased with it. (truthfully, i am actually giddy with pleasure. if i go missing, i am likely firmly planted in my living room, staring ever so happily at the wall.)

in case you're wondering - the photos of the orange juice and the raspberries are from simply photo; the photo of the apricots is from gabrielle kai photography. (both have lovely photos in their shops - you should take a look.) the remainder are my own photos.