retinal perspectives

yellow roman candles

the middle photo reminds me of a favorite quote by Jack Kerouac:

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars .."

do you ever get on a photographic kick? apparently i am on one. it involves using light and aperture and blur and happy accidents and flowers to create photos that remind me of watercolor-y, impression-y, flower-y paintings. (the kind of photos that some people - oh the horror - might actually throw out.) this is a kick that i might stay on forever - because the resulting photos make me happy every time i look at them. and isn't that really one of the best criteria for photos?

you may see more of this batch. i am considering framing some of them for my bedroom or dining room. we are approaching the grey season in my beloved rainy pacific northwest - and i think that they would help to brighten a gloomy day.

a jar full of delight

"Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still."

"Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent."

"Every object, every being, is a jar full of delight."

-Rumi

creamsicles, dreamsicles

i bought a watermelon from the market this past weekend. one, 'tis the season for watermelon. two, i was contemplating giving up sugar for a time and wanted to have a very sweet substitute on hand. three, it was from a local grower.

imagine my surprise when i sliced into it and discovered its orange flesh.

have you ever eaten an orange creamsicle? (if not, i highly recommend you try one.) well, that is exactly what this melon reminds me of - both in look and in taste.

it gives real meaning to the phrase, "i'm loving it".

like cats and dogs

atlas made another kitty friend. this one lives just around the corner and is named tinkerbell. i think she is quite possibly the sweetest, softest kitty ever.

i think she realized that atlas was a lover, not a fighter, when she'd run into him off-leash and, instead of chasing her, he'd stand and stare - or else bounce down into a play bow and then run away.

they have become friends. really friends. almost every time we step outside the apartment (morning, noon, night), i hear her little bell ringing as she runs over to us to say hello. she gives atlas kisses on his nose, wraps herself around his legs, sniffs his tail, jumps up so she can rub against his chest, wanders under his belly .. she is even starting to let him sniff her.

they go for walks together. (well, with me too - since i'm attached to atlas.) atlas walks at her side (head turned towards her so she is always in sight) or behind her (nose at tail) or a few feet behind (so he can stay alert for direction changes).

last night, she even got a pizza crust out of the bushes for him. he was trying to paw it out and couldn't. the next thing i knew, she was pawing at it and finally teased it out. she sniffed it, and then left it for him.

i wish you could see them together.

me - i am just over the moon that atlas finally has a real kitty friend - just like he's always wanted.

i love the blues

 

oh yes, i do

a list of happy

oranges and cream gelato. a new stack of books from the library. the song "jungle drum" by emiliana torrini. long conversations with friends and sisters. fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. an orange gerbera daisy. clean sheets. kitty kisses for atlas. yummy yin yoga. a sandwich with dill pickle slices. blue skies. the neighbor kids clamoring to tell me their stories (and pet atlas). a blue jay. dodging spider webs while hiking downhill on the wildwood. balancing my checkbook. a small frog.

what makes you happy today?

i turn my gaze to the light

sparkles

of light

dancing across the waves

i turn my face

up

to the sun

to the Light

and laugh

thinking out loud

i think my computer is trying to tell me something .. i tried to write this post last night and safari kept dying on me. perhaps i need to not put off my computer purchase until next year.

there is a very strange smell by my front door. i cannot find it (and i've crawled around on hands and knees sniffing the carpet, picture that if you will). mostly it rather reminds me of a very ripe cantaloupe. i bought a cantaloupe yesterday, but it is not by the front door. if you have advice on locating smells, i could use some.

hot and muggy here. good for the tomatoes.

i was filling out a registration form for a yoga retreat and came to the field: religion. i wrote, "i don't know but i believe in Love." huh. didn't see that one coming.

sleep is lacking these days, so the words do not flow easily. i feel like i'm trying to catch very slippery teeny-tiny fish. did i mention that i have child-size hands? yeah .. not really catching anything.

this photo makes me oh-so-happy.

what makes you happy today?

a mile long

ignore the quality here .. i was just doing some photo paring and saw these photos. they made me chuckle because atlas looks like he's a mile long! no wonder he thinks my bed is his bed - it's just about his size.

no. 16

my response to the sixteenth challenge from The Four

to interpret the quote:

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo Da Vinci

(you may remember this photo as I posted it earlier this year on my old blog, but I thought it too fitting not to repost)