Doot-To-Do

Shop for beans
and guacamole,

Feed the dog,
take out the trash,
snack on cashews,
read Ogden Nash.

Water the garden,
check the mail,
watch a short movie,
sip ginger ale.

Or grapefruit juice.

Eat cold chow mein
And chocolate cake.

Apply for a passport,
pack for a trip,
call your mother,
have a quick dip.

time for sleep.

one human: thinking

Don't believe everything you think. Seems to be the inverse of telling our stories.

Story-telling gives shape to existence, makes sense of chaos, reflects perception and sometimes Truth.

How to harmonize that with the freedom from suffering that can be found by dropping my stories? Letting go of defensive walls by not believing everything I think?

Happy St. David's Day

Take a moment to imagine here a photo of the daffodils blooming in my backyard. The photo Google is making it so difficult to post. 

It's been fun. But it looks like Oh My, Oma! is pulling down the shades, turning out the lights, and closing the doors. 

Keep doing all the good things you are doing.

Tissue By the Sheik

The one on the left ----> over there---->up there---^

Well, OK, she was on my left -- your right.

Yeah. That one. She's my baby.

When she was a few years younger 

she would request: "Tissue by the sheik?"

Which translated meant, "Can I kiss you on the cheek?"

or "Will you kiss me on the cheek?"

Sigh.

This photo was snapped not too long ago just before 

she headed off on her next great adventure.

She's out of reach for another year and some

and I'm really missing her these days.

When we meet again you can be sure 

there will be plenty of tissue by the sheik.

Walking to the End of September

Don't worry. It's just a ten-mile walk.

Autumn is a great time to visit Sequoia National Park.

No mosquitoes.

Blue skies. Pleasant temperatures day and night.

Good fishing holes. Like Emerald Lake.

Or Aster Lake.

Or Heather Lake.

See you later, September. 

We will remember you fondly as we walk forward into October.

Inspired By: Mirror Lab

Wish my dad was around so I could talk with him about this. 

Roger Angel at the University of Arizona has worked out some 
solutions to problems of astronomical proportions. 

Inspired by: Drawing From Memory

Oma's Art School is underway. Self-instruction, line drawings, watercolor, studying works that speak to me, restraining the chattering monkey mind that says this is silly. Putting the Red Elephant Journal created earlier to good use at last.

I have found helpful and inspiring this beautiful book and remarkable memoir of artist Allen Say, about whom I knew nothing before encountering this book. It is published by Scholastic Press and geared to middle grade children, but I would recommend it for adults and children of every age.