“🎶 Sometimes you feeeeee-llike a nut!” Thalia belts out an old candy bar jingle. “Sometimes you don’t.” Nia’s deadpan reply elicits Cal’s laughter. “Remember… when we first started going to yoga classes… in the strip mall by the garden center? We worried that people would think of us as… weirdos…”
My longest standing practice has been a morning wander with a fourleg -- almost 30 years! Might not look great on a resume, but it's sure been good for my soul. 💜
Good morning, Morning Glory! The last paragraph of today’s love letter obviates any concern over resumes (curriculum vitae). 😁. Amongst the scholars of living in the present, open and honestly, right sized, you may be in the running for a Nobel Prize! Not for inventing dynamite as did Alfred Nobel, but for perseverance and dedication to living your best life while helping others live theirs. 🤔🥳
Thank you for your recognition of my efforts Gary. I am well aware of the gifts that have been given me to make what I do… doing what I love… possible. It is my hope that it ripples out in good ways to others. 💜
That said… We are forever in our lifetimes blessed with opportunities for growth?
Two stories I recently wrote for the book clearly demonstrate my inside struggles over which wolf I want to feed. Often, time and space are elemental to a solid (good?) choice?
I propose a song for the day, or any day: “Let The Sunshine In.” Performed by The Fifth Dimension in the musical “Aquarius.” The dawning of the Age of Aquarius referred to a time of “love, light, and humanity.” It was released in 1969 and reached #1 on pop charts. Sadly, that “age” passed quickly into anti-war protests and the machinations of the power hungry on all sides. Ignore that context; the song’s message is the message.
First, a request for illumination: What fruit or vegetable occurs at both ends of the bar? I thought blueberry. Then red cabbage. Then turnip. (Remember my red/green shortcomings.) Then rutabaga. Then I stopped as it felt I’d followed the bread crumbs way too far into the deep, dark forest!
Studying the weight lifter, and with a recent haircut, I guessed it was you! Whomever was intended, it served well to illustrate the work which dedication to a given practice requires. 🙂
Stumped again (or at least unrooted), the vegetation in the foreground by the weightlifter’s feet?? Scaling to the overall drawing I suspect they are a bit smaller than a quick glance suggests?
I find it heartening to be in the company of weirdos and eccentrics. 😬
Weathered hickory nuts. A black walnut stem makes the bar.
The “ground” is spring tree droppings(?). I intend to look up more about that, but haven’t gotten there yet. I collected the reddish-brown pieces at the park on Monday and the green ones in my neighborhood yesterday. Both are quite wilted from the time spent in my pocket! 😂
I was planting flowers in the planters by our backyard porch and found a nut like those, buried a couple inches down. After I finished the plantings I put the nut where our squirrel customers come, figuring it had to be one of theirs. Sure enough, one of our fuzzy-tailed visitors found the nut, was very excited, cleaned it off... then started making very casual, very disinterested (ha!) moves toward the planters! (Well, yes, if they were great hiding places the last time!) I tapped on the window, told him to keep moving, and he decided to take his nut elsewhere. <sigh>
I was planting flowers in the planters by our backyard porch and found a nut like those, buried a couple inches down. After I finished the plantings I put the nut where our squirrel customers come, figuring it had to be one of theirs. Sure enough, one of our fuzzy-tailed visitors found the nut, was very excited, cleaned it off... then started making very casual, very disinterested (ha!) moves toward the planters! (Well, yes, if they were great hiding places the last time!) I tapped on the window, told him to keep moving, and he decided to take his nut elsewhere. <sigh>
Communing with nature. Sigh. After years of watching the bushy-tails plunder our bird feeders I’m more inclined to commune with other creatures. I’ve sometimes longed for powers like those showcased in “Men Who Stare At Goats.”
I had, finally, found a seed feeder that defeats the squirrels! When they climb on, the doors go shut — ha, take THAT, fuzzy thieves! 😁
Then the deer found that seed tastes great. And they can reach the doors and stick in their tongues without activating the mechanism. And they can clean out 5 lbs of seed in two nights. <sigh>
Our enterprising squirrels learned to jump onto that kind of feeder from a nearby tree, jump to the ground below, and await seed fall. Good problem solvers, those tree rats!
Ah, yes, one of our tribe (whom I refer to as “Skippy the Wonder Squirrel”) discovered the jump and dump maneuver. Fortunately he takes bribes — “corn cobs” made with molded corn meal, that last a week or more. Well, until he found that the wing nut that held on the corn could be turned. 🙄 So now use thick copper wire to hold the corn.
Nature offers us so much to ponder and enjoy! This morning as Izzie and I eased into our morning walk, I saw a single strand of spider’s silk. A gentle breeze moved it up and down as the sun’s rays caused iridescent hues to glisten from it. For free!
Today's love letter was inspired by: https://www.gapingvoid.com/blog/2023/04/13/what-is-your-practice/
My longest standing practice has been a morning wander with a fourleg -- almost 30 years! Might not look great on a resume, but it's sure been good for my soul. 💜
Good morning, Morning Glory! The last paragraph of today’s love letter obviates any concern over resumes (curriculum vitae). 😁. Amongst the scholars of living in the present, open and honestly, right sized, you may be in the running for a Nobel Prize! Not for inventing dynamite as did Alfred Nobel, but for perseverance and dedication to living your best life while helping others live theirs. 🤔🥳
Thank you for your recognition of my efforts Gary. I am well aware of the gifts that have been given me to make what I do… doing what I love… possible. It is my hope that it ripples out in good ways to others. 💜
That said… We are forever in our lifetimes blessed with opportunities for growth?
Two stories I recently wrote for the book clearly demonstrate my inside struggles over which wolf I want to feed. Often, time and space are elemental to a solid (good?) choice?
I propose a song for the day, or any day: “Let The Sunshine In.” Performed by The Fifth Dimension in the musical “Aquarius.” The dawning of the Age of Aquarius referred to a time of “love, light, and humanity.” It was released in 1969 and reached #1 on pop charts. Sadly, that “age” passed quickly into anti-war protests and the machinations of the power hungry on all sides. Ignore that context; the song’s message is the message.
First, a request for illumination: What fruit or vegetable occurs at both ends of the bar? I thought blueberry. Then red cabbage. Then turnip. (Remember my red/green shortcomings.) Then rutabaga. Then I stopped as it felt I’d followed the bread crumbs way too far into the deep, dark forest!
Studying the weight lifter, and with a recent haircut, I guessed it was you! Whomever was intended, it served well to illustrate the work which dedication to a given practice requires. 🙂
Stumped again (or at least unrooted), the vegetation in the foreground by the weightlifter’s feet?? Scaling to the overall drawing I suspect they are a bit smaller than a quick glance suggests?
I find it heartening to be in the company of weirdos and eccentrics. 😬
Weathered hickory nuts. A black walnut stem makes the bar.
The “ground” is spring tree droppings(?). I intend to look up more about that, but haven’t gotten there yet. I collected the reddish-brown pieces at the park on Monday and the green ones in my neighborhood yesterday. Both are quite wilted from the time spent in my pocket! 😂
Hickory nuts! Wow, I wasn’t even close.
I was planting flowers in the planters by our backyard porch and found a nut like those, buried a couple inches down. After I finished the plantings I put the nut where our squirrel customers come, figuring it had to be one of theirs. Sure enough, one of our fuzzy-tailed visitors found the nut, was very excited, cleaned it off... then started making very casual, very disinterested (ha!) moves toward the planters! (Well, yes, if they were great hiding places the last time!) I tapped on the window, told him to keep moving, and he decided to take his nut elsewhere. <sigh>
Hickory nuts! Wow, I wasn’t even close.
I was planting flowers in the planters by our backyard porch and found a nut like those, buried a couple inches down. After I finished the plantings I put the nut where our squirrel customers come, figuring it had to be one of theirs. Sure enough, one of our fuzzy-tailed visitors found the nut, was very excited, cleaned it off... then started making very casual, very disinterested (ha!) moves toward the planters! (Well, yes, if they were great hiding places the last time!) I tapped on the window, told him to keep moving, and he decided to take his nut elsewhere. <sigh>
Communing with nature. Sigh. After years of watching the bushy-tails plunder our bird feeders I’m more inclined to commune with other creatures. I’ve sometimes longed for powers like those showcased in “Men Who Stare At Goats.”
I had, finally, found a seed feeder that defeats the squirrels! When they climb on, the doors go shut — ha, take THAT, fuzzy thieves! 😁
Then the deer found that seed tastes great. And they can reach the doors and stick in their tongues without activating the mechanism. And they can clean out 5 lbs of seed in two nights. <sigh>
Our enterprising squirrels learned to jump onto that kind of feeder from a nearby tree, jump to the ground below, and await seed fall. Good problem solvers, those tree rats!
Ah, yes, one of our tribe (whom I refer to as “Skippy the Wonder Squirrel”) discovered the jump and dump maneuver. Fortunately he takes bribes — “corn cobs” made with molded corn meal, that last a week or more. Well, until he found that the wing nut that held on the corn could be turned. 🙄 So now use thick copper wire to hold the corn.
Quite an enterprising use of Nature’s bounty as art supplies.
Nature offers us so much to ponder and enjoy! This morning as Izzie and I eased into our morning walk, I saw a single strand of spider’s silk. A gentle breeze moved it up and down as the sun’s rays caused iridescent hues to glisten from it. For free!