Burnt trees

Why?

My Jade Cat

Last Tuesday my Jade died--renal failure. She had an inoperable tumor on her left kidney. For 14 years she allowed us to share her daily life. She was mostly a porch kitty, eschewing the comforts of indoor living in order to reign supreme over our yard. Only one month ago I remarked that she didn't look a day over 9. I hope that she wasn't in pain a long time without my noticing. Animals just don't show their aches and pains the way we do. Dogs show more than cats, probably because we have corrupted them more. Our cats retain much of their individuality. Anyway, here are a few pics of my sweet Jade from her years with us.

Colorful Breakfast

1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 grated carrot
1 grated apple
1 orange, separated into small pieces with membrane removed

Mix together. Top individual servings with chopped pecans, raisins, and granola. If you add more granola than I do, a little almond milk can be added to the mix.

I like the  natural sweetness of the carrot/apple combination. The recipe can be varied by substituting different nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.), adding dried cranberries instead of raisins, or using different types of granola. Homemade granola is great, but I've been using some Kashi Mountain Medley that someone at work gave to me. He said that it was "too healthy" for him. Can you ever be too healthy?

This makes enough for 2-3 people or if you're eating alone, it will keep for a day or two in the 'frig'. The orange prevents the apple from turning dark.

Last Rose of Summer

I just had to clip this one. My rose bushes are great in the Spring, but then they don't do much. Parental neglect probably plays a part in their lack of enthusiastic blooming.This was a late fall surprise, a nice gift from the universe.

My darling rose, thank you for sharing your beauty on this late fall day.

Day planner wisdom

"Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone."
  --Leo Tolstoy

Do you believe this was the daily quote in my day planner? It blew me away.

The weather is so beautiful right now. It's perfect for bike riding, running, walking around staring up at the clouds. I've been doing all of those things. Lately my schedule is:  wake up, feed the animals, feed myself (and drink coffee), then paint for an hour or two, run with the dogs (I just started running again, so it's run--walk--run--walk. I feel good, though, running a little farther every day.), then back home to do any  necessary housework and get ready for work. I think this must be my favorite time of year. The threat of a coming frost looms ahead, so every warm day is treasured.

I still have a lot of work to get all the plants ready to go into the greenhouse. My bicycle has been living there all summer; it needs a new home for winter. I'm not worried. Everything will be finished in time. I'm learning that if I stress about the lack of time, time runs out. If I keep repeating that there is plenty of time, no worries, everything I need to do gets done with a new focus and care. Amazing. It really is all about attitude.

Breathe deeply, love fully, and enjoy each moment.
Serena

Summer Paintings

Since I can't play piano, I've been painting.

I admit the tree is my favorite. I park my car in front of it, so I've spent a lot of time gazing upon it. Ahhhh, yeah, I did exaggerate some features, but that's how I see it.

Don't ask me where the bird came from--or the leaf genie. Lately I see faces everywhere.

Miracles: a definition

"A miracle (from the Latin mirari, to wonder), at a first and very rough approximation, is an event that is not explicable by natural causes alone. A reported miracle excites wonder because it appears to require, as its cause, something beyond the reach of human action and natural causes."

from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

I like this definition. I think of a miracle as a wondrous event which occurs and is totally beyond my control. For me, this can be as simple as the sprouting of a seed. Sure, I may have planted the seed, kept it watered and watched expectantly, but it is not in my power to make that tiny green shoot appear.

Last week I witnessed baby wrens taking their first flight out of the nest in my bromeliads. Natural, right? Well, this was the third nest of babies these wrens hatched this year and these were the only ones who lived long enough to take flight. And the real miracle is that I happened to be looking out the window at the moment they popped out of the nest. Wow! I couldn't stop smiling for an hour. I've never seen anything like it. Those babies were sailing from tree to tree, not landing on many branches but flying right into the trunks and hanging on. How Mama and Papa kept up with them, I can't begin to imagine. That would be much worse than chasing a toddler around . (Excuse me, that would be three toddlers!) And yes, Papa does take equal responsibility for feeding the kids.

The power of love has to be a miracle. Where does it come from? The more you give away, the more you possess. What kind of weirdo accounting is that? I can't explain it and it certainly is way beyond my control. Well, not entirely. We can each create love and share it with all creatures. Send it out into the universe and who knows what might happen.

Sending love across the miles . . . .