Illumination

All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.

Leo Tolstoy

View fullsize

Catch

On the beach one morning

I am wallowing in

darkness. It is

Vast and heavy

and threatens to swallow me-

until a golden retriever

runs up and rolls in it.

I laugh,

forgetting,

then stop to watch the sun rise

with her owner

in silence.

Moons and years pass by and are gone forever, but a beautiful moment shimmers through life a ray of light.” – Franz Grillparzer

Continuum

Light falls on the edges,

Dances on water.

illuminates the moon,

and makes the city shine.

It creates dark silhouettes,

and kisses crows’ wings

It casts warm shadows over everything.

I’m reading a book called Zen Camera, by David Ulrich. One of the early practices is about observing light, so this post is inspired by that.

Thank you for being here!

Living with Dragons

“… it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them."

Ursula K. Le Guin

January 21, 2023 - Miami Beach - Iggy making himself at home

The Dragons Move In

In the morning

Green dragons appeared

Under the canopy of palms

Absorbing sunshine and heat,

Nestling into the branches,

Adopting our trees as their home-

Shy roommates.

January 21, 2023 - Posing for the camera.

January 21, 2023. I came back from a sunrise yoga class on the beach to find an iguana - no two iguanas - resting in a palm tree next to the balcony of my apartment. One was bigger than the other; so I assumed it was a male, and the smaller one female. Iggy and Ivy. Ivy was much shyer than Iggy, climbing out of sight when I approached, so I couldn’t get a clear picture this morning.

They are amazing, like little dragons, with their long spiny backs and tails. Herbivores, I read. The flap under Iggy’s head looks like a folded scarf, his claws are so long and flexible, they look like fingers. When he moves, he curls his body and wraps his tail around it. Sleek little devil. His eyes are such a beautiful golden brown. Ivy is brighter green with smaller eyes and a smaller head, and less variation of color. I hope they stay around for a while. I love to watch them.

January 22, 2023 - Ivy branching out.

January 22, 2023. Today I got a picture of Ivy. She moved into a different palm tree, which was right outside my kitchen window, so I took her picture from inside to avoid scaring her off. The light was so bright, I had a hard time getting her in focus, but I managed at least this once.

I learned that Iguanas have a third eye on the top of their heads that connects to their pineal gland. (Facts About Iguanas: Information, Pictures & Video (activewild.com)) It doesn’t produce images, but they can detect light and motion with it, which explains why they know I’m coming even when it seems like they’re looking away from me.

January 23, 2023 - Together.

January 23, 2023. Ivy, (or another small iguana?) returned to the palm tree where Iggy has been staying. She leaves for part of the day, but he is always there - moving from place to place around the tree.

January 24, 2023 - Iguana climbing a tree in Marjory Stoneman Beach Park.

January 24, 2023. It’s funny how you start seeing something more often once you’ve turned your attention to it. I was walking in the park today and an iguana ran across the grass to a palm tree and climbed up at a run. He was fast and big, with a really long tail. I read they can shed part of their tails if necessary and then grow them back. So, if anything grabs him by the tail; he can make it fall off to get away.

He was a colorful beast, multiple shades of green, yellow, brown and orange. I wonder if they get more colorful as they get older; I didn’t see anything about that in my reading. He also looked pretty healthy and strong. I guess they can live up to 20 years in the wild.

January 24, 2023 - A third iguana, Ivan, arrived this morning,

When I came back to the apartment after walking through the park, there was a third iguana, in a different tree, resting there. This one was smaller than ivy, but more colorful. I’m calling him Ivan. He actually seems to be smiling in this picture and looking at me sideways with those sweet golden-brown eyes. I am in heaven. I love them hanging around the house, keeping wary company with me. I try not to check on them too often, in case I scare them away.

I’ve heard that iguanas are considered an invasive species in Florida, destroying and eating native vegetation and ruining landscapes. The state encourages people to get rid of them, either by hiring an extermination company or using a legal method of extermination themselves. I could never do it. These palm trees need trimming anyway.

January 24, 2023 - Iggy Stretching out, while eyeing me sideways.

Green dragon, wary,

in the palm tree next to me-

I will not slay you.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

“I do not care what comes after; I have seen the dragons on the wind of morning.”

Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore

Savoring Transition

Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and an inclination to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day. But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it? In a way, the savoring must come first.

E. B. WHITE

December 29, 2022 - Geese calling and flying overhead

December 29, 2022. My Birthday. I stopped by the pier near The Red Dock in Saugatuck to get a look at the frozen water, when a flock of geese flew overhead. I heard them before I saw them. Noisy and lovely.

December 29, 2022- A Squirrel figuring out his next move.

December 29, 2022. The squirrels are back at the bird feeders. They hid up in their nests during the blizzard and the birds had the feeders all to themselves. Even though squirrels are a little greedy and I have to replenish the food more often again, I have to admit, I love to watch them. They are ingenious and athletic, and just a little bit crazy. I still try to make it difficult for them; but I don’t chase them off. Much.

December 29, 2022 - Hanging by the tips of his toes.

December 31, 2022 - Heart of Birch in the woods.

December 31, 2022. Last day of the year, and I woke up feeling blue. It happens to me every year around this time, holidays, my birthday, year’s end…

I found a quote by Khalil Gibran, “Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.” That feels apt. December 31 is a day of transition and sometimes transition is hard.

I decided to take a walk in the woods behind my house, if not to feel better, at least to clear my head. I saw the white outline of a heart I made from birch remnants earlier in the year and decided to fill it in with more fallen pieces of birch. Doing things like this makes me feel a little lighter because it keeps my mind and body occupied while I’m “working” and I know it will make my neighbors smile later.

December 31, 2022 - The deer re-emerge from the woods.

December 31, 2022. Later in the day, the deer re-emerged. During the snowstorm and frigid weather before and during Christmas, they kept to the woods, where they could stay out of the wind and blowing snow, and huddle together. They didn’t reappear in my yard right away, even after the storm passed, maybe because they know they are more visible against the white backdrop. The snow is all melted now. I was happy to see them wandering through my yard again, especially the little one below, who broke her leg a few weeks ago. I am so glad she’s alive and healing.

December 31, 2022 - Young doe recovering from a foot injury eyeing me.

Waiting for Spring

Behind the black gate

obscured by mist, the trees sleep

in a gold meadow.

January 1, 2023 - Trees framed in metal, curtained in fog - like a secret garden.

“January is the month for dreaming.” - JEAN HERSEY

January 1, 2023. First morning of the year the lake shore area looked like a foggy dream world. I decided not to make specific resolutions this year the way I normally have, but to focus on some broader themes.

The first one, savor, was chosen for me by my friend Wendy. I love this. It is why I chose the quote by EB White at the beginning of this post. This morning I savored the fog in all its mystery.

The second is listen. Not unlike savoring, it requires attention and appreciation. Today, listening, I heard the blue jay’s piercing cry (hawk-like) through the fog because I decided not to wear headphones while running.

The third and fourth are slow down and deepen relationships. I want to slow down, doing one thing at a time, instead of multi-tasking, hurrying from task to task; place to place. I want to deepen my relationships, because it is too easy to take my husband, family and friends for granted and forget that at any moment; they could be taken away from me. In the end, only love matters.

We’ll see how the year unfolds.

January 1, 2023 - Mournful Angel

January 3, 2023 - Morning in Miami Beach.

January 2, 2023. My first sunrise in Miami Beach after a long day of travel (and delays) yesterday. I try to make it out for every sunrise when I’m here. The beach is not crowded so early, and I see a lot of familiar faces, “the sunrise crew,” as I think of them. The sun rises earlier here than in Michigan, but it is worth getting up extra early for.