It Was A Bit Windy Last Night!

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

 Did I mention it was a bit windy last night? Yeah, it was! Here you see the aftermath of the high winds, that followed the rainstorm, as it makes it's way down to Los Angeles! We were lucky, no trees fell on or around us. We didn't lose power, well, unless you count that less than 10 seconds of electrical blip we experienced around 6:00 P.M. Thursday night! We did however lose a beloved member of the family... my garden swing that my mother-in-law gave me for my 40th birthday!

Goodness, I loved that swing! Alan and I enjoyed many a warm autumn afternoon reading, while relaxing in the rose garden, on the swing. When I saw it's damage yesterday morning, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad, as I thought about all the memories of sitting on the swing with Elvis, both as he was a young cat, and in his final days. That simple garden swing meant a lot to me, but at the same time, I can't help but marvel at the irony, that while the swing was absolutely shredded, and twisted and pulled apart, the scarecrow only managed to lose her paper braids and hat! And looky there... Minnie Mouse, and my white lamb are still standing! :)

Who says Mother Nature doesn't have a sense of humor?

LOL.

But to make up for her wrath, she did manage to leave exactly two fully blooming roses left on the vines. One from my dark red rose Beloved, and one from the gorgeous, Red/Gold rose! I lost roses off of all the other rose bushes, so seeing those two roses, full with petals, made me very happy! And hey, even Paul, the Japanese Maple, is doing okay! As situations go... the windstorm, and it's aftermath, could have been much, much worse!




I really do have a GRATEFUL heart!

Mood: Happy, Grateful

~Me :)

The Fall

"Enchantment and fulfillment were on the gold and garnet horizon... autumn's breath, a dormant dream reawakened, a yearning nearly satiated, a tender thank you with a brush of the lips, and a connection as fingers touch and go hand in hand."

~Donna Lynn Hope

 As I write this, the wind is blowing wildly outside! I am afraid that when I get out of bed in the morning, and open my window, I will find that all of the leaves on the trees in the yard have fallen to the ground overnight! The wind is fierce enough tonight that I can tell some damage has been done to the rose garden. My garden swing is turned over, and the top is shredded, but what makes my heart sink is that it has apparently landed on top of my Apricot Nectar rose bush.

Sigh.

It's possible that the garden swing is simply resting over the top of the roses... I am keeping a good thought. Hey, if that is all that happens to me I will be lucky! I am watching the news, and they are reporting trees toppling over all over the East Bay, and as you might imagine... some deaths from debris flying about! Believe me, as much as I am worried about my roses, I am thankful... and grateful... we are safe and warm in our little cottage! 

   It's Fall. 

One reason I prefer to call this season Autumn.

It's like Fall is treacherous, but Autumn is serenity.


The news just reported that the winds are blowing at between 45 and 70 mph, and the weather warning is in place until 10:00 a.m today! What's disconcerting is that sometimes tonight, I have been hearing a rather ghostly moan. I know it's just the wind. It's just the wind. Still, the weather seems angry tonight! It's a difficult emotion to miss! And relatively speaking... the night is still young!

Stay Tuned. Pictures To Follow!

Mood: Jittery

~Me :)

Update: Winds in the Oakland Hills are at 65mph but at Alpine Meadows, in Placer County, they are currently at 120mph at 2:18 am EST! Check out my Twitter feed on the sidebar to see the weather graphic I just retweeted from @LiveDoppler7HD



 

Rain, Mud, Thankfulness

"On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same time... half time."

~Unknown

                                       :)



 The last couple days it's been wet! Really wet! Pouring rain! Lovely, cold, festive, pouring rain! God how I love the smell of rain! The wet leaves, even the mud, makes me smile. It's not always ideal for taking photos, especially with all the extra traffic moving about, but still, I got a few acceptable photos that show how gorgeous the rain has made everything! I am hoping for rain next week for Thanksgiving, and so far it's looking really promising! It's going to be a nice, cozy holiday! What more could a girl ask for?

Mood: Thankful!




~Me :)

Art About Town: Oakland "Oakland Super Heroes" (A Mural Project)

"Oakland Super Heroes"
San Pablo Avenue
West Oakland, California
November 19th, 2013

"What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which terrible disease of loneliness can be cured."

~Kurt Vonnegut


This amazing mural, part of the, Oakland Superheroes Mural Project, so colorful, and certainly profound, can be found on an underpass of the 580 freeway, on San Pablo avenue, on the Oakland/Emeryville border. It was commissioned by the Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc., whose mission is to build healthy communities, by breaking the cycle of violence by encouraging healthy communication through artistic expression. This mural in the series, was painted by several artists, one being Colin David Harris. You can read about his participation in the project by clicking the link below. It makes for inspiring reading!

 It does my heart so much good to see art in neighborhoods that need a little extra love. It has long been my feeling that art can save a person, like no other coping mechanism. I know it has been a big part of my personal healing over the years. Well, communities are made up of individuals, and we can all use a way to express ourselves sometimes, when mere words fail us. Communities on a whole are not much different than the individual in that respect! Lives are saved, by taking one small inspiring step at a time. I applaud this project, and look forward to seeing more murals as they are added along San Pablo avenue.

The mural on it's own is amazing, but the other day while I was admiring it, I happened to see this chair sitting to the far left of it. To me, it brought the whole scene to another level. There was just something touching about that beautiful, lonely, lost chair, seeming out of place at first glance, but upon deeper reflection, is really right where it should be. An art piece unto itself! Someone designed that chair, someone bought it, and alas, someone discarded it. But the inner beauty lives on. It has character, you can see it in it's imperfection, in it's weariness. I don't know... it just fits the scene somehow. Some will look at it as an old piece of unwanted furniture, but when I look at it, I see a story, a life, a spirit...

Thoughts?

Feel free to tell me what you think. You are more than welcome to leave me your comments, in the thread for this post. I would like to know what your thoughts are on art being used to find common ground, and healing in communities. 



 Artist Interview: Colin David Harris (Oaktown Art)

Attitudinal Healing Connection

Oakland Superheroes Mural Project

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Walking In Autumn In 2005

The Wooden Bridge
Cull Canyon Park, Castro Valley, Ca
Autumn, 2005

"I am made for autumn. Summer and I have a fickle relationship, but everything about autumn is perfect to me. Wooly jumpers, Wellington boot, scarves, think first, then thick, socks. The low slanting light, the crisp mornings, the chill in my fingers, those last warm sunny days before the rain and the wind. Her moody hues and subdued palate punctuated every now and again by a brilliant orange, scarlet or copper goodbye. She is my true love."

~Alys Fowler

I am posting from the archives today. I have been crazy busy with trying to get everything put back into the computer. The programs, the passwords, the speed dials, you name it! And as if putting all the stuff back in it's proper place wasn't taking enough of my time, factor in the piece of malware I accidentally downloaded last night! It's called do.Search. It isn't quite malicious enough to be considered a virus, but beastly it is all the same! Basically, it attaches itself to all your browsers, and sends you ads from certain companys you probably had no use for... ever! Desperate much? Anyway, it hides so well in your system, that removing it on your own is pretty much impossible. So, what could I do? I had to purchase and download a special utility to remove it! Sheesh! What a world! At least it's all kinds of beautiful outside! Hopefully I will get back outside tomorrow to do some brand new photography. Who knows, maybe I will take a walk on this very same bridge, and up date how it looks this year!

Wish me luck!

Mood: Slightly irritated, but otherwise HAPPY.

~Me :)

Mourning The Leaves

Autumn Sunset
November 13th 2013

"Speeding along I-10 last summer, heading west, I chased the sunset, thinking if I kept up I could extend my day indefinitely, or at least until I hit a major body of water."

~Jarod Kintz, A Story That Talks About Talking Is Like Chatter To Chattering Teeth, And Every Set Of Dentures Can Attest To The Fact That No...

I took these photos on the same day. Just look at that color! The swirling lines of autumn crimson! It sure reminds me of what I enjoy most about the last part of autumn, and the entirety of winter, the sunsets! When the leaves fall away, and the color is no longer in the trees, I swear the leaves live on in the sunsets! Maybe that's where the souls of the leaves go, after their earthly life ends. Into the heaven, to light the way as the cold winter days end early.

Isn't that a nice thought?

Well, I think it is. :) It makes mourning the leaves so much easier!

Autumn Leaf Gallery
November 13th 2013

Time goes by so fast! At least all those fast moving days end in gorgeous sunsets!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

From One Full Moon Till Another

Full Beaver or Full Frosty Moon
November 17th, 2013
Fuji FinePix S2950

"Sometimes, I think of the sun and the moon as lovers who rarely meet, always chase, and almost always miss one another. But once in a while they do catch up, and kiss, and the world stares in awe of their eclipse."

~Unknown

I love photographing the moon! I enjoy looking at the moon and the stars and wondering if anyone is looking back! I believe there are little green men out there somewhere, who look down on us, sometimes with amusement, and sometimes with disdain. I believe that one day, everything will make sense, both to us, and whoever happens to be watching. I am not sure if it will be in my lifetime, but one day we earthlings will have our very own, The Day The Earth Stood Still, moment. Until then, I will just continue to watch the sky when I can, and photograph the moon, when I can, and wish for a space ship to land in my yard! LOL. Of course I would settle for a small piece of a meteor, I am not picky!

By the way, if you are wondering why November's full moon is called the Full Beaver Moon, pay a visit to the Farmer's Almanac to read all about it! 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)