infinite

solo post - L, Nikon / Canon

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” - e.e. cummings

spring or winter

solo post - L, Nikon 50mm

Early spring? More winter? I'm fine with more winter.

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

humble/ fancy

block print card by young Leslye and a handcrafted German sheep

This weekend has been filled with many activities - from a quite evening at home looking through old photographs and old handmade Christmas cards, attending a magnificent performance of traditional Chinese dance "Chinese New Year Spectacular" with some friends at our new Cobb Performing Arts Center, shopping at the crowded mall searching for the perfect gifts, wrapping presents together and then watching the movie "The Fall" (if you haven't seen it I recommend it). While looking through my childhood photos and cards I remembered the simpler times we enjoyed when we made our own cards and ornaments and made many of our gifts; we enjoyed staying home and baking together and putting together puzzles; sitting, warm, by a fire listening to my mom read a Christmas story. I don't remember there being a lot of t.v. watching and frantic Christmas shopping or the desire to always be on the go (of course, that's a child's recollection). It seems it was a slower paced life back then - at least that's the way I see it now in comparison. I'd like to slow down and enjoy the simple things like we did when I was a child.  / today was somewhat stressful for me - i have a hard time knowing what to get people, especially when they give no hints (mom!), and that makes me stressed. but mom and i did end up finding a few things that we think people will like and then we wrapped presents together. i like wrapping things so that even the most ordinary looks special. remember playing the white elephant gift exchange game when you wrap the gift to look all big and fancy when what's inside is usually just a silly little gimmick? we play the white elephant every year in our family but we give nice gifts. i've been to many a party where this game is played and i've gotten some really crazy stuff - sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing, and every once in a while you get something you actually like. have you played this game?

The above is one of the handmade cards from my younger years. Inside the card I included this poem (I don't remember where I got it):

Animals knew Him
In His first sleep,
Donkey and cow,
The wool-soft sheep.

The humblest beasts
Gave Him their heat,
And shared the straw
Beneath their feet.

Creatures were kind
In that cold place.
They gave Him warmth.
He gives us grace.

bearer of hope / symbol of love

hope and love - symbols of the ginkgo

She's back. And how uncanny is this? We both took photos of ginkgo trees without talk before hand - we even framed them the same and each with a house (mine's a bird house).
It seems as though the ginkgo in our yard turned yellow over night and it will drop all of it's leaves in one night too. I love the way ginkgo leaves are shaped and the way they are attached to the tree in little groups- springing out like a bundle of yellow paper fans. / ginkgo trees surround my art building - to me they provide inspiration. i have enjoyed watching their colors change and a part of me that will miss the leaves when they fall - until spring.

"Late in November, on a single night
Not even near to freezing, the ginkgo trees
That stand along the walk drop all their leaves
In one consent, and neither to rain nor to wind
But as though to time alone: the golden and green
Leaves litter the lawn today, that yesterday
Had spread aloft their fluttering fans of light. "
- first stanza of poem by Howard Nemerov from "The Western Approaches" , 1975

piles of orange / piles of purple

Looks like we both had chores - crazy again - the similaritiesAs I was sweeping the deck of all those poplar leaves, I thought of the poem Taylor wrote about that poplar tree when we built this house. She was 10 yrs old and the builders wanted to cut down this huge poplar tree, she was so upset about it that we didn't cut it down.

She won't like me posting the poem but I'm going to anyway.

The Old Poplar Tree & Jesus

The Old Poplar Tree standing so beautiful and bold

The wind whips through its leaves

It stands out among all the rest

It surely is the best

When I see it standing so tall and bold

It makes me want to hold it in my heart

When I see it standing so majestically

It makes me want to be like it too

And when the other trees complain about

being whipped around by the wind

The Old Poplar Tree stands tall and bold

but never boasts

It also shelters many things

To me the Old Poplar Tree reminds me of Jesus

Jesus stands out among the rest

He really is the best

When I think of Him so bold and true

It makes me want to be like Him too, so I do

When I see Him so majestically

It makes me want hold him in my heart, so I do

And when some other people complain

Jesus stands tall but never boasts

Jesus shelters many things

ME & YOU

written 4/22/2000

/ it's pretty ridiculous how much of my laundry load is dominated by purple. well, for that matter my closet as well.