Laine's Blog, Thinking Out Loud

Good Morning

 

 

Good Morning!

 

or

Good Morning, is that coffee you have there?

 

or

 

Good morni...no, don't put the umbrella back now, no, I'm in here...gotta go!

 

 

 

 

The Moon and Venus

 

 

The moon gets so close to the sun that once a month she disappears for a few days.

There is always a big smile when she returns - a cheshire smile.

I wonder what they are up to?

By the time that our lovely satellite gets to Venus, she's still smiling!

It must be nice to be the moon and be so happy, visiting all the planets

and having a sleep-over with the sun.

 

 

Out of Your Element

 

 

Have you ever felt like you were out of your element?

These two unlikely tourists know the feeling.

They were found on the steps of a museum in Key West, Florida,

and from the looks of them their cab couldn't come fast enough.

 

Sometimes the holidays can push you out of your comfort zone.

You might feel like you don't have enough __________ (fill in the blank).

But you do. 

The truth is that your love, your kindness, and your thoughtfulness are all that you really do have to give,

and these are yours to share as you wish.

When you do it changes things,

and you might even help the strangers on the stairs to smile and feel more at their ease.

 

 

See? I think that he is smiling!

Sort of, almost...

 

 

 

This photograph was taken in March, 2008 and the sculpture is by, J. Seward Johnson, entitled, "God Bless America". It is Johnson's interpretation of the Grant Woods' painting, "American Gothic". The building behind them is the Custom House in Key West, Florida, which houses the Key West Art and Historical Society.

 

Believe in Something

 

Graffiti, love it or hate it.

 

There was a secret Chinese restaurant in downtown Baltimore years ago

that was on the second floor of a narrow brick building, down the street from Shermann's Bookstore.

When you gave your order to the waitress, she would immediately call it back to the kitchen in Chinese, nice and loud,

as the small room was always crowded and noisy. In the stair well, there was usually a line of people anxious to be seated.

While waiting, the good people of Baltimore would write on the walls.

My favorite installment was this one:

 

"To do is to be." - Socrates

"To be is to do." - Sartre

"Do, be, do, be, do." - Sinatra

 

Is it soup or art?

And speaking of art, if you must go shopping today or tomorrow or soon,

do be a smart shopper and remember that artists, craftspeople, and the shopkeepers who support them,

are people too and they might have that perfect something you didn't know you needed!

 

And, do believe in something, even if it's the wind.

 

 

 

 

 

Giving Thanks

 

 

Blessings in Disguise

 

An early morning thunderstorm left these beautiful clouds for the rising sun to shine upon.

 

May all the storms in our lives be blessings in disguise.

 

 

Pelican - Simply Living

 

 

According to some observers the pelican will actually enter the water upside down in order to catch the fish.

 

Imagine a pelican in the grocery store asking the pelican behind the counter,

"Is that fish wild or farm raised?"

The pelican behind the counter stands on his head and says,

"They came in fresh this morning, catch of the day!"

The first pelican is skeptical, but buys a dozen anyway, because, well, she has a family to feed.

 

The so called lower species seem to have things figured out much more simply than we bipeds with the complex brains.

Wake up in the morning, stretch, fluff up your feathers, shuck off the night with a shudder and you're ready for takeoff.

On your way to the beach you catch the wind over the ridge of dunes and glide gracefully over the sleepy cottages and rows of sea oats.

Then over to the ocean, and you find yourself riding the waves, your wing tips touching the water.

Ahhhh...you see fish, so you climb up the ladder of the sky just enough to let yourself drop and dive and you slice the surface of the ocean with your beak and

GULP! Breakfast!

Then you're airborne again, daring the waves to curl over you.

Like one note among many on a musical scale, you catch up to your friends and together you luxuriate in the sensual pleasure of being alive,

of being completely in your body, doing exactly what you were meant to do.

And so the day goes on into night.

 

Meanwhile the bipeds, also known as humans, are trying to figure out if they can afford fish today and

hoping that there is enough left over for some beer too.

 

 

The Angels Can't Say No

 

 

Angel's Trumpets, that's what these magnificent flowers are called.

They are blooming all over St. Augustine now.

Maybe we can invite the angels to come and play for us on these delicate instruments,

and be blessed with their songs.

We are in need of angels here and everywhere.

 

This is the week that our attention goes to giving thanks and we turn our thoughts to sharing -

our love, friendship, time, food and drink.

It's a time to be gentle with each other,

to recognize our fellow travelers on this journey called life and be grateful.

And maybe we should keep an ear out for the tender sound of angel's trumpets.

Once invited, the angels can't say no!

 

 

 

More Determination

 

Squirrels appear to have magnets or Velcro on the bottoms of their feet.

They really do fly from tree to tree, defying gravity.

And they never ever give up.

 

 

Getting Grounded

 

 

 

Living close to water with the ocean breezes, the need for grounding arises from time to time.

In Florida the live oak tree, so grand and elegant, is the perfect antidote.

Well over 200 years old, these living monuments surprise and amaze with their sprawling limbs, thick crusty trunks and roots that reach deep into the earth.

Here you find comfort, grace, and strength in a perfect combination to soothe the wind blown heart and soul.

 

In this season the acorns are falling to assure the cycle of life.

It brings to mind some words of wisdom from a man who is no longer young,

"Remember that the mighty oak was once a little nut!"

Reassuring words for the dreamers among us!

 

 

Written on the Wind

    

 

These clouds look as though they could be organized into words,

words that are literally written on the wind.

 

What would the universe like to say to us today?

 

 

 

Fishing in the Big Pond

    

 

A great blue heron can often be seen fishing on this beach.

There is a marsh just over the dune in front of her that would seem to provide an easy feast for a heron,

but there she is, hunting in the ocean, getting bumped around by the waves on her spindly legs.

 She lands the fish - not every time - but she gets her prey often enough.

Her perseverance pays off.

 

Is there one thing that you are steadfast about pursuing in your life?

Are you prepared to withstand the oncoming waves, and the undertow?

Whatever it takes to stay close to your dreams, do it,

even if to others it seems like you might be fishing in the wrong pond, do it for you.

Persevere until you land that special fish that nourishes your soul,

again and again and again.

 

If you haven't yet found a dream to pursue, be steadfast in finding one.

Your life will blossom for the effort.

 

 

Frog Prince

 

 

Have you ever noticed how frogs will sing right before it rains?

 

This frog must be a prince, because what frog in his right mind would have an umbrella?

A fat and happy prince at that.

 

It's just about the silliest thing I've ever seen!

 

Happy Monday!

 

 

 

Potato Chips

 

(Apologies to anyone who is on a diet!)

Aren't these beautiful!

Hand cooked at the Hon Fest in Baltimore, back in the spring.

 

 

The Spider's Web

 

 

Is the spider who spun this web waiting in ambush in the vortex at the center, or is she so confident

that dinner will come sooner or later that she is napping there?

This web is very close to the ground. The filaments are probably very sticky.

If you were a little thing and got caught in it, you might not escape.

 

Our demons seem to wait in ambush for us. They set little traps and just when we get comfortable in the world,

they wake up from their naps and pounce on us, or laugh as we struggle in their sticky webs.

What to do? Run and hide? Stay and fight?

Ideally, we could play a game with them...

"Whack the demon!"

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

"Bye, bye, demon, until the next time."

If that doesn't work, go for a long walk in the wind or to the gym.

That usually helps. Eventually they go away and you remember what a swell person you really, truly are.

It can be sticky though. So, if you find yourself in a demon's clutches, hang in there and

try not to be too serious!

 

 

 

Squirrel at the Door

 

"Hey, you forgot to put the seed out.

I can see you in there. You forgot to put the seed out.

Can I come in?

I bet I could find it and save you the trouble of carrying it outside.

I can see you - is that a cat in there? Is that you, Dj?

Hi Dj, can you get the bird seed?

Dj, can you hear me? I'm here, over here, by the door.

Is somebody cooking?

That smells good.

I'm over here!

Hey!"

 

 

 

Sea Spray

 

 

Sometimes it's all that a soul needs - sea spray, salty air, the wind, and your toes in the sand.

It's good medicine.

 

Do you have a favorite place?

Is it near the ocean, on a river, or in the mountains?

Open space or sheltered by beautiful trees?

Perhaps it's a city, alive with energy?

 

Whatever it is, take two before bedtime and call me in the morning!

 

 

The Atmosphere is Our Spacesuit

 

 

Perhaps this little sphere has fallen out of some distant orbit and plopped into the ocean

where it washed ashore with the tide, picking up a few hitchhikers along the way.

Insignificant from a block away, it becomes a fascinating object to scavengers on the beach.

 

If the sun had eyes would it ever be able to see the little planet that we live on from so far away?

Earth would be such a tiny thing that it wouldn't even look like a speck of dust among the billions of stars in our galaxy.

Yet the sun provides us with life as we know it - everything depends on its energy and heat.

Is it any wonder that the early humans worshipped our very own star?

Did the sun notice or feel the gratitude?

 

Our astronauts came back from space with the unique vision and understanding that the earth is like a large spacecraft,

orbiting the sun, and that care needed to be taken to sustain the supply of air and water necessary for survival.

The atmosphere is, after all, our spacesuit!

 

 

 

Points of reference:

The little planet in the first photo was about the size of a golf ball.

The average distance between the sun and the earth is 92,935,700 miles, also known as one astronomical unit.

Light travels that distance in 8 1/2 minutes.

 

The Hokey Pokey

 

What do we look like to the butterfly -

clumsy, mobile trees with no nectar to recommend us?

 

If butterflies only live two weeks or so, and some trees live 300+ years,

then the span of one human life must look to the tree the way that the butterfly's life looks to us - brief!

So,

What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?

 

 

Friends

 

Life can be overwhelming at times - aging parents, sick children, losing a treasured pet.

Even joy can flood the heart, so much beauty, so much love, so complex.

That's where our friends come in.

They walk with us even when we are apart and help us to make sense of our mortal lives.

 

Where would we be without our friends?

Here's to old friends, new friends and the friends we are about to meet!

Salut!

 

A Good Day in Iceland...For a Cat!

 

A little lamp to keep her warm and decorative carousel horses

to keep her company.

Yes, there are cats in Iceland and this one has a pretty nice view of the snow

covered lava hills in Grindavik, a small town between Reykjavik

and the airport, near the Blue Lagoon.

 

Does she notice the two bundled up tourists walking by

on this chilly November day, or is she so focused on her grooming,

that she doesn't see?

 

Will someone be coming home to her soon?

With fish?

 

 

 

Cool Man with Baby Carriage

 

"Jeez, will this baby ever take a nap? I've been up and down the beach 7 times & she's still awake!"

 

 

by Susan Bean Wirth