The brown lizard moved first. Her camouflage was on point but the flick of her tail gave her away, caught my attention, caught my eye, drew me nearer; camera raised to capture her…. if only for a moment, if only on film. It was after the fact, as I edited, zoomed and cropped that I noticed the second lizard. I was startled to see her there in the left hand corner of the frame. She had attempted to blend not with the garden but with the hose. Unable to match the artificial hue she should have been easy to target, … Continue reading More Than Meets The Eye

We attend the sunrise service. Enter this holy place by the stained glass light of sun, filtered through scattered clouds. A congregation of gulls take day old bread communion while a choir of terns tear the pages from the hymnal, sing a song of praise passed down to them since the first tern gave thanks for the first sunrise. We rub a rosary of rough edged shells and smooth stones between our fingers, place the broken bits in our pockets to be repaired or discarded later. Are drawn to the alter of the sea; baptized in the surf, confess our … Continue reading Sunday Morning Service

I have two dogs. One always on the left out of focus and fuzzy. Content to fade into the background. Content to do his own thing. The other commands the near right frame. Razor sharp. In focus, edges rarely blurred. One, fascinated with small things. Looking down, studying the ground alert to the smallest of movements making friends with shadows and earthworms. The other, head in the clouds. Looking up, watching for grand displays; squirrels jumping from tree to tree, birds taking flight. Somewhere in the middle, at the visible horizon, where the sky and Earth appear to meet, where … Continue reading Somewhere In The Middle

“Looking good.” “You at it again?” “These trees will work you.” “It’s a never ending job….” It IS a never ending job and a never ending parade of people passing by with suggestions, anecdotes and words of encouragement. The job at hand (raking and sweeping the sidewalks that surround the house) has been ongoing for the last few weeks (although I think the last of the needles have finally dropped and we now have the upper hand.) During this process I have received LOTS of advice and learned a thing or two. “You should get yourself some headphones. Listen to … Continue reading Skimming The Surface

It is no secret to those who know me that I love to sing. I like to imagine my life is a musical and every conversation is a number that should be sung. Loudly. I sing in the morning and I sing at night. I sing in the shower and in the car. I sing to my husband, my pets, my teapot, my oven. I sing to the lady running the cash register at the local grocery store and to the elderly man in the produce department trying to determine if the avocados are ripe (“they are not, they are … Continue reading Sing Out Loud

My resolution for the New Year (although I am prone to failing at these things….) is to really take notice. There is so much small wonder in the world that we overlook in our quest for the “big.” Our “big” break. The “big” picture. Go “big” or go home. The next “big” thing just around the corner. Here is what I have learned about the corner. The one the next “big” thing is around. That corner is blind. There is no way to see what is around it until you step around the sharp edges, the ninety degree angle, and … Continue reading Blind Corner

Autumn was rough. I am not going to lie. The temperature was up and down and all over the board. We had trees dropping needles (STILL getting used to that and STILL cleaning it all up) and blooming all at the same time. We had sun. We had rain. We had sleepy eyed lizard blinking up at us from under the dense ferns asking if it was spring, hungry mosquitoes convinced it was summer and dogs refusing to go out because it was “too brisk.” We were in hats and gloves walking in the morning, and short sleeves and sun … Continue reading Winter is Coming

Be the change you wish to see in the world……” Australia is burning. The ocean is boiling. The climate is changing. Mother Earth has had enough of her ungrateful children and she is about to turn up the heat and be rid of us all. Life will continue without us. Life always finds a way. The life that survives will survive until ego and bravado get in the way. Until it attempts to surpass and betray its creator. Until it stumbles out into the world, self aware with something to prove; motherless monsters sewn together out of spare parts. Until … Continue reading Tiki Drinks On Venus