Sea

I yearn to sleep
in your rocking arms, your whisper
a sailor can hear


This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Sea". I feel fortunate to have lived near the water most of my life. Part of my childhood and adulthood was spent near the Chesapeake Bay. Most of my adult life I've been around the Puget Sound. I can spend hours combing the beach and getting lost in the sights and sounds. I love walking the shoreline, hearing the waves and scent of saltwater. The shorebirds are a delight to watch.

Remember - IF

Swinging flooded her with happy memories! This topic comes at an appropriate time as I have had memories surfacing, mostly those deeply rooted ones, that have remained hidden, mingling with pain. So it is a joy to recall those happy times when innocence and imagination ruled.

This is a Photoshop/Illustrator piece I created in response to the weekly challenge at Illustration Friday. This week's topic is "Remember".

Happy Buddha

healing sun rays
caress me with blissful splendor
happy Buddha



I've also included this for Poetry Thursday. Thank you.

Earth Day

I love to consume
and see you overflowing
garbage dumpster

can we continue
to rape you with our selfishness
precious Mother Earth

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Earth Day"...."Be creative, be proactive."

I've also included this for Poetry Thursday. Thank you.

Be sure to check out the Ecological Footprint Quiz that helps put one's individual use of planetary resources in perspective. It indicates ones usage in acres needed to sustain one's life style rather than a carbon footprint. And factors in more than just autos and electricity.

Bipolar - IF

This is an Illustrator piece I created in response to the weekly challenge at Illustration Friday. This week's topic is "Polar". I decided to focus on Bipolar Disorder because, it is a reality many people live with, and my attempt is to bring a sense of the place some people who suffer from this may go at times. I can only imagine the challenges this brings to one's soul.

Thinking Blogger Award

I was tagged and awarded the "Thinking Blogger Award" by the wonderful, Ruby who is a fabulous woman that blogs out of Malaysia. I find her very uplifting and full of life. Thank you, Ruby for the award ;)

Now, I am to select 5 bloggers whom I feel deserve this award. It's hard to choose, but I just let them come to me, not 'thinking' too much about it as many bloggers make me think! For those awarded - see the participation rules at the end of this post.


Studio Lolo (Laurel) blogs out of Pacific Grove, CA. She is a fantastic artist who inspires me on many levels. The incredible paintings she posts for Illustration Friday are always moving, but she also includes heart-felt stories to go with her paintings. She is a retired veterinary technician and her love for animals is quite evident. I'd say she's a advocate for animal rights and has a heart of gold. Thank you, Laurel for all your kindness you share with us. "Replenishing Her Spirit" is the piece that really drew me to her.



Steve shares beautiful photos from New York City. I connected with his images immediately. His sensitivity to light drew me in and upon further investigation, I learned we have much in common; we both are attracted to Zen Buddhism, he doesn't watch TV, he has a concern for the well-being of others and I imagine he 'walks softly on the earth', giving our mother earth consideration. This is quite evident in his gorgeous photographs. I am always moved by his posts. Thank you, Steve, for your inspiration. This is the photo that caught my eye upon my first visit to his blog.



Lyrically Yours (Cathy Delaleu) is a moving and gifted writer out of New York City. Her way with words is breathtaking and her style is woven in sensuality. She recently published her book of poetry, "Wrapping Thoughts Beneath Emotive Rain". In addition to enjoying Cathy's poetry, I look forward to her down-home gratitude list. She makes me smile, cry and want to embrace myself and the world with such honesty and care she brings to fellow bloggers. Thank you, Cathy for taking me deeper into myself.



Cergie (Lucie) shows her lovely images from Cergy le Haut: Val d'Oise-Ile de France :France. I love exploring France through her blog. She has an incredible eye and I find her photos very intriguing. She shares interesting tidbits about her culture in her comments on my posts, so I am always learning from her. I admire her for posting in two languages! Lucie is very spirited and she brings joy to my life. Thank you, Cergie...Lucie. ;) This is the photo that caused me to pause and find out more about her.



Layla (aka Barbara) comes out of S. California and has several blogs. I found her at Gone But Not Forgotten, a cool blog dedicated to rock musicians that have died between 1969 and the present. Her love for classic rock goes deep. She took me back to my youth. Later I discovered her blog Writing From the Inside Out, that is filled with fun, thoughtful posts prompting questions which provoke one to express from the inside out. It's evident, her concern for others and our struggle through life. Barbara I find refreshing, thank you.


The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

Sunlight

waiting all winter
to open into your warm embrace
sunlight

Photosynthesis (photo=light, synthesis=putting together) has always fascinated me. Generally, it is the synthesis of glucose from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, with oxygen as a waste product. It is arguably the most important biochemical pathway known; nearly all life depends on it. It is an extremely complex process consisting of many coordinated biochemical reactions.

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Energy".

Fortune - IF

It's always interesting getting one's fortune told by a palm reader. It's been ages since I've had mine read. Regardless whether one believes in this, you can still take time to look at your hand, examine the lines, shape and texture. Imagine how many hands you’ve held with it. What stories do your hands have to tell?

This is an Illustrator piece I created in response to the weekly challenge at Illustration Friday. This week's topic is "Fortune".

Bridge of Life

molded by seasons
of joy and sadness, I have walked
the bridge of life

midway through my life
I come ready, ripe for changes
I cross the bridge

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Bridges".

I've also included this for Poetry Thursday. Thank you.

Green Vines - IF

leafy patterns
swirling and twirling
looking out my window

This is in response to the weekly challenge at Illustration Friday. This week's topic is "Green".

Light Through Clouds

Spring Sounds

our afternoon walk
through the breezy arboretum
pink petals whispering

---

my shuffling feet
on the path, almost as noisy
as the chirping bush

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Spring/Fall Songs".

Afternoon Walk

Along my afternoon walk



I looked up and saw a lovely pink flower reaching for the sky



and a robin conversing with a tree



at my feet a puddle playing with stones




and a little closer a wooly bear caterpillar nibbling!



I came to a river



and crossed a bridge.


This is more than a simple image-guided poem; it reflects a time in life, a place we come to for change and balance. What does this post reflect or provoke in you? Where did the walk take you? Thanks to Poetry Thursday for their inspiration. This week's prompt is "Our favorite day of the week".

My favorite day of the week is any day I take a walk in nature.

Poppy

March poppy teaches perseverance.

I was totally surprised to find this poppy blooming so early in the spring. It's fragile, but persistent! We can learn from it...

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Short & Sweet (One Line Haiku)".

Veggies with Curry Leaves

Ingredients
Serves 4
15ml/1 tsp oil
6 curry leaves
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 dried red chillies
1.5ml/1/4 tsp onion seeds
1.5ml/1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 fresh green chillies
115g/4 oz/1/2 cup canned red kidney beans, drained
1 medium carrot, cut into strips
50g/2 oz green beans, sliced diagonally
1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
5ml/1 tsp salt
30ml/2 tbsp lemon juice

1) Heat oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan. Add the curry leaves, garlic cloves, dried chillies and onion and fenugreek seeds.

2) When these ingredients turn a shade darker, add the chillies, kidney beans, carrot strips, green beans and pepper strips, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and lemon juice. Lower the heat, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.

3) Transfer the hot curry to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Nutritional Notes (per portion)
Energy 79K cals/331KJ
Fat 3.30g
Saturated Fat 0.37g
Carbohydrate 9.70g
Fibre 2.60g

This post is prompted by Shrig, who wanted to swap yummy Indian cuisine recipes! This is a very tasty and quick vegetarian dish I love to cook from one of my favorite recipe books, "Healthy Indian Cooking", by Shehzad Husain and Manisha Kanani. I adore this book, it really does have some healthy, but very tasty recipes. It has taught me a lot about spices. I guess I like it spicy ; )

Crow

perched on a treetop
amidst winter grey sky
old crow

I wanted to "paint a picture with words", so one could see the scene without the image. I kept it simple like the photo.

This is my first time to post with Poetry Thursday, this week's prompt is "Image Inspired".

Spring Haiga

Haiga

Breath

take a moment
to notice the warmth of your
exhalation
---
slow down to reflect
on the subtle pause between your
in and out breaths
---
late at night
when all is quite in my bed
my heart valve clicks

This is in gracious response to One Deep Breath, this week's prompt is "Breath / Breathing". I have returned to my pranayama (breath work) practice since attending class with my wonderful yoga teacher. I find it both soothing and invigorating. The breath can teach us so much about ourselves. My last haiku is connected to the first two in that for the longest time, I had difficulty with my pranayama practice because I would get scared when I'd focus on the clicking of my mechanical heart valve. It sounds silly, because it's a good thing it is making a noise- as I am alive and my heart is pumping! But, I have slowly come to terms with my fears around my heart surgeries. Be still and watch your breath....

Feminine Art

I bought a print at the National Gallery of Art when I was about 20, not knowing anything about the artist (only that they inspired me immensely), and it wasn't until several years later when I "accidentally" stumbled upon an extensive exhibit at the NGA, did I realize who the painter of the print was, and how powerful an artist they were. The piece was "Grey Line with Black Blue and Yellow", by Georgia O'Keeffe. I have to admit, after that show - my life changed.
Georgia O'Keeffe has always been my favorite female artist.

This is my response to the challenge "Feminine Art" at Inspire Me Thursday in honor of Women’s History Month. I thought it would be fun to create some digital collages using O'Keeffe's own flower paintings while incorporating her face within them.

Early Spring

Some pics from my walk the other day... I feel lucky living in the PNW, with all the rain we get, we are blessed with an early Spring, and it lasts for quite a while.