There are many more, but these are a few of my favorites.
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge- The Windows of Paris
Month: September 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge: Sustainability in layers- Earthships & Beyond
If you drive west outside of Taos, New Mexico, you will pass by a development of “Earthships” or radically sustainable buildings made from layers of recycled materials. they are also artistic wonders. Also tucked in the New Mexico landscape, there are individual artists that share the same vision.
Saying Good Riddance to Summer
It used to be my favorite season until the last couple of summers. We here in Oregon have suffered unusually high sustained temperatures with our wildlands burning. It’s been tough on the psyche on many levels. Autumn is my new best friend.
Oregon Summer 2017
The summer left Oregon in haste
Like an old friend that paid a visit
Then had a falling out
The rains of autumn quickly came to take her place
Quenching the land’s thirst with violent downpours
The summer had betrayed us
Bringing unrelenting heat and drought
Thousands of acres of parched forests burned with such intensity
It filled the hot air for days with acrid smoke
Staining the sky, stinging our eyes, making us cough
We longed for the familiar temperate comfort of the season
In a gentle land
Safe from extremes, full of verdant beauty
But now our ramparts have been breached and we are unsure
As we wade through this occupation of climate extremes
The summer left in a hurry
Maybe to gather strength for next year?
Whatever the reason
As the leaves tinge with orange and yellow
Our relief is palpable as we wake with the morning’s new chill
We welcome the prelude to winter’s coming
Crow Vision
For the 24 years I have lived on my tiny farm in rural Oregon, I have witnessed a gathering of crows in the Eastern sky late in the days of the warmer months. They are always flying South, as with some purpose. Sadly, the woodland hills have been stripped in recent years for vineyards, so the nightly event has gotten smaller. I’ve always wondered where they go and what mischief they might be up to. Finally, I’ve gotten around to write about it.
THE CROWS COME AT SUNSET
From all corners of the sky
Black silhouettes winging together as a noisy flock
On their way to their secret destination
Which I long to know
I imagine they are sent from the spirit world
Spies in the sleek bodies of birds
Black as shiny coal
From beak to tail
They find their nightly roost
In the high branches of leafy trees
An avian barroom full of raucous cawing and flapping of wings
As they share the events of their day
The news comes as far as the cold lands of the Far North
To the dry, pastel arroyos of the Southwest
all the way to the crowded cities of the East
Stories they observed from the world of humans
Comedies born from intelligence gone bad
The jokes and stories are centuries old
recycled with different characters
Told with such squawking hilarity
That feathers loosen in the crows’ wild animations
And float earthward beneath the branches
The party goes on as the sky turns dusky to dark
Stars slowly appear
The birds’ black eyes grow heavy and their voices silent
Then all that can be heard is the sound of crow breathing
And the song of crickets that welcome the night
A Time for Play
I’m in between right now. That means I am in a lull between past projects and ones yet to be revealed. This is a perfect opportunity for play which often leads to inspiration. One of my guilty pleasures is taking a selection of cast off junk and combining it into something artsy. It’s akin to child’s play- no expectations, just fun.
I’ve been eyeing an round, rusty old grill on an equally rusty burn barrel at the back fence line of my property. Last week I decided to see what I could do with it.
“Grateful God”
I was especially happy that I could incorporate the pieces of a favorite ceramic plate that I made years ago and then recently broke. Also included are some old springs, washers, a silver bracelet, a hawk feather, jute, a scrap of copper & a couple of glass moonstones for eyes. It’s now hanging on the outside of my studio. I call it ‘Grateful God.”
A BLESSING
May the light of your soul guide you
May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do, the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do
May you never become lost in bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert,
Approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected
May your soul calm console, and renew you.
John o’Donoghue
Anam Cara
By Alanna Pass 