Love Grows

"Love grows by giving."

~ Elbert Hubbard

The Whole Universe

"God is a shorthand for everything. 

Like 'tout le monde,' there's the whole universe."

~ Kurt Vonnegut

Keep In the Sunlight

"Do not anticipate trouble, 

or worry about what may never happen. 

Keep in the sunlight."

~ Benjamin Franklin

The Art of Art

Looking eastward

"The art of art... is simplicity."

~ Walt Whitman

Simple Contemplation

Meditation, prayer, and an empty mind. 

The birds know the sky.

A Grand Teacher

"A garden is a grand teacher."

~ Gertrude Jekyll

Small little patches of work. My top garden is so huge, so I have many patches to tend to, but I am so satisfied by the baby steps, what I am able to do, with time and love.

Here's the result of two mornings -- yesterday and today -- waiting for the sunrise.

We are here for only a short time. Let's live with joy, show those we love that we do, and create our art.

Before

After

 "All gardens are a form of autobiography."
~ Robert Dash

The Glory of Friendship

"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, 

nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; 

it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one 

when you discover that someone else believes in you 

and is willing to trust you with a friendship."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cleaning the area around my rose bush in the front, waiting for the sun to rise. With all the rain and sunshine lately, I have work to do, but the work is satisfying.

I am thinking of my classmate Susi who lives in Washington State. She is my gardening mentor. Her plant knowledge and landscaping abilities are remarkable. She works hard, yet still finds time to believe in me. Often when some plant in the garden delights me, I send a thought of gratitude westward to her.

People who help us, who inspire us, change our lives forever. And if we are lucky, they remain life-long friends.

Rose petals in sunlight.

Humanity of the Moment

"Photography must contain one thing: 

the humanity of the moment."

~ Robert Frank

Our Honest Self

"I feel the greatest gift we can give to anybody 

is the gift of our honest self."

~ Fred Rogers

Even when the sun 

is blocked by clouds, 

the sky sings.

The clouds and fog are doing the tango. 

Quite a show to watch this morning!

Relentless Fidelity

"What the human eye observes casually and incuriously, 

the eye of the camera... notes with relentless fidelity." 

~ Berenice Abbott

Picture Anything

“You can take a good picture of anything. A bad one, too.” 

~ William Eggelston

Picture anything
A rose, a frying pan, a glove.
Your nail polish.
My sharpened pencil.

Good pictures
are talisman.

Attitude About Life

"It's the attitude about life, man. 

Looking at the light instead of the dark. 

Looking at love instead of fear. "

~ Quincy Jones

This Above All

“This above all: to thine own self be true, 

And it must follow, as the night the day, 

Thou canst not then be false to any man.” 

~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Mother's Love

Happy Mother's Day

"A mother's love for her child 

is like nothing else in the world.

It knows no law, no pity,

it dates all things and crushes down 

remorselessly all that stands in its path."

~ Agatha Christie

Meet It

"Life is a challenge. Meet it."

~ Sathya Sai Baba

How Do I Work?

"How do I work? I grope."

~ Albert Einstein

"It works if you work it."

~ Johnetta B. Cole

"Work is love made visible."

~ Kahlil Gibran

Little To Do With Living

"Time … has very little to do with living 

except at its beginning or near its end."

~ Phyllis Bottome

Attain Victory In Life

"Think straight 

with love, hope, and optimism 

and you will attain victory in life."

~ Norman Vincent Peale

The Air of Scientists

"Facts are the air of the scientists.

Without them you never can fly."

~ Ivan Pavlov

Ready to spread my annual mulch

Mulch Joy

Use Your Heart

"Use your heart to see."

~ John Neel

I am that bare tree
surrendering to
the love in the sky.

Benediction: 
Oh sun heart
Holy Spirit of the day
fill me with light.
Teach me to be me.

Fear From the Heart

"Friendship takes fear from the heart."

~ George Eliot

Write Hard and Clear

"Write hard and clear about what hurts."

~ Ernest Hemingway

Invisible Force

"Spirit is an invisible force made visible in all life."

~ Maya Angelou

Good Things

 "I believe that good things 

come to those who work."

~ Wilt Chamberlain

Independence

"Independence is happiness."

~ Susan B. Anthony

Lopping Day 5, So Much More to Do

Close To You

"The things that are close to you 

are the things you can photograph the best."

~ Sally Mann

Clouds, fog
haze and colors.

Light. All sunrises are beautiful but this morning's one is special.

Day 4 Lopping, Path Found

Enjoy It

"I work because I enjoy it."

~ Mary Tyler Moore

Listening, watching the birds nearby and the jets leaving  Asheville airport. 

Believes

"Man is what he believes."

~ Anton Chekhov

Love Makes the Ride Worthwhile

 "Love doesn't make the world go round, 

love is what makes the ride worthwhile." 

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning