painted lady

HUMP Day Haiku

This species of butterfly isn’t a “regular”

in this part of Northwest Washington.

I witnessed a spring migration in 1992 and again in 2005.

I’ve never seen one of these this late in the season.

It feasted on the lobelia on my front porch

and the fall asters around the corner.

What a delightful surprise.

October sunshine

brings an unexpected guest

a painted lady!





A Million Smiles

A recent visit with a friend and her daughter

at my city's local park gave me the opportunity

to do my first "people" photo shoot.
What a delight it was to watch and simply

capture the moments.

Million Smiles Playground

coaxed many great big ones from

Miss Norah Noelle

nearby Fishtrap Creek

enticed this bare-footed girl

to wade the shallows

clouds

With my husband off on an adventure,

I quietly enjoyed my morning coffee while sitting outside

and watching these interesting clouds float by.

Saturday morning

watching odd-shaped wisps of clouds

drift across the sky

spiders

HUMP Day Haiku

No, I didn't fall off the planet!

Joining Helen once again for this week's HDH.

Midway through cutting off hosta bloom stalks,

I realized this spider had been using them to secure his web.

(I was REALLY thankful he hadn’t gotten in my hair or

crawled up my arm or... shudder... something worse.)

I left the remaining stalks uncut, 

feeling sorry I had caused so much damage to the web.

Not to worry.

The next morning, a new one was in place.

itsy, bitsy...not!

this industrious spider

rebuilt in one day

waning summer days

ramp up spider construction

webs blocking passage

inside an ‘Iceberg’

rests this tiny arachnid

no phobias here!

rejoice

Like the many travellers I see pulling trailers or driving motor homes,

I think my creativity is on vacation.

With some effort, I've composed a haiku this week.

Hope you're all having a great summer. 

the bird is a blur

the admonition is clear

rejoice in the Lord!

the sparrow

not even a bird

like this small sparrow can hide

from God who made it

if a sparrow’s plight

is known to God who made it

how much more is yours?

re-purposed equine footwear

My husband made several of these by special request

for a horse-loving couple's upcoming outdoor wedding.

I got two for my garden.

 

 

horses go shoeless

hearts are welded together

art for the garden

July and it's still raining

I don't like to whine, but....

rain, rain, go AWAY!

I want to tend my garden

sit in warm sunshine

daisies grow taller

lush green grass too wet to cut

plants flourish with rain

red salvia

for you, tiny one

flame red salvia attracts

feeding both of us

first day of summer

Anticipating...

(No feathered creatures were harmed

in the production of this photo).

first day of summer

will it bring the sun for us?

we are drowning here!

clouds at 5:00 a.m.

On days when my husband works, the alarm gets me up at 5:00 a.m.

Most mornings, it's pretty mundane, but one day recently,

I was greeted by this colorful display.

 

 

imminent sunrise

painted clouds vivid colors

soon followed the rain

cottonwood blizzard

The edge of this bird bath, salvia, and geranium buds

all sport cottonwood seeds. It's drifted against the curb and

has turned the lawn into white polka-dotted green.  

I hope you're not allergic!

June’s phenomenon

a fluffy blizzard of white

sticks to everything!

'Peace' ...a metaphor

while tightly budded

in its infant stage of life

holes were formed in ‘Peace’

Blessing

This week I’ve used a photo taken by a young man

who was one of my daughter’s classmates.

He and his family are in Liberia, their second extended stay there.

On their first trip (which partly was for the purpose of adoption) 

they met an orphan who they fell in love with.

She was adopted by Rusty’s family and they named her Blessing.

This shot of her just makes me feel good all over;

an image of pure joy.

what is a Blessing?

one loved little girl doing

cartwheels in the sand

Rusty is the construction manager for the ELWA hospital in

Monrovia, Liberia. (ELWA = Eternal Love Winning Africa).

 The work is being done through Samaritan’s Purse.
The project will take three years.

Goldfinch

Last week held some wonderfully warmer days.

While I lounged on the couch, recovering from a cold,

I left the door open to hear bird activity in the back yard.

This American Goldfinch spent the better part of the day

perched in the neighbor’s maple tree singing away.

I know he was advertising for a female, 

but I enjoyed it, too. He was very well camouflaged,

blending with the emerging leaves and seed pods (samara).

I borrowed the description from

A Field Guide to Western Birds by Roger Tory Peterson.

“Song: sustained, clear, light

...Canary-like” melody

singing just for me?

seedling

“X” marks its birthplace

rooted where it can’t survive

concrete cracks don’t care

rain drops

I was practicing my macro shots on Sunday

and took these of Lady's Mantle and Bleeding Heart.

 I thought of someone who's counted another sad anniversary.

The depth of that sorrow must reach beyond what can be measured.

But I also saw beauty surpassing anything Liz Taylor ever wore.

lingering rain drops

mirror the heart’s aching tears

some wounds never heal

nature’s cleansing rain

left tiny glittering drops

like liquid diamonds



Skagit Valley high

acres of tulips

vivid rainbow of colors

Skagit Valley high

armed with our Canons

we shot hundreds of photos

day with my daughter

wren

standing very still

my eyes search the underbrush

patience brings reward

daffodils

golden daffodils

bathed in the evening sunshine

declare “spring is here!”

very early on the third day

Mary came while it was dark

but

You weren't there

how early, Lord, did You leave the tomb?

at three?

maybe two?

how early?

one?

poised at the edge of Heaven

was the Father eager

for the last stroke of midnight to resound?

before its echo faded

before the third day exhaled one breath

did He say to You

come home,

Son?

why not?

why wait?

Your work was done

Abba loved You too much to leave You there

one moment

 longer

the innocent Son

guilty

Bar-abbas

(son of the father)

set free

innocent

Jesus

Son of the Father

condemned

hands

 that healed

pierced

Abba

Father

forgive them

feet

 that delivered good news

crippled

My God!

why

have You forsaken Me?

chest

 that held a heart of love

stabbed

it

is

finished

this innocent died

the guilty were

set free

Passover moon

the full moon

 lights my sleeplessness

wrestling for comfort

I remember

tonight is Passover

Passover!

my Lord prayed in the garden

the full moon

lighting His face

glistening on the great drops of sweat

as He wrestled with God

 Father,

if it is possible

take this cup from Me

Passover!

1400 years earlier

the full moon

lit the bloodstained doorposts of Israel

as God’s Spirit

passed over Egypt

the Hebrews were spared

the cup of God’s wrath

 not what I want,

Father,

but Your will be done

 could you not keep watch with Me

for one hour?

I wrestle to pray

 in the moonlight

Christ’s blood stains my doorpost

I am spared

 the cup of God’s wrath

was poured out

on Him

(2010)

April Fools' Day

My husband’s been working long hours,

including all of the past weekend.

The weather’s been too wet to work in the garden

or go on a photo shoot. I’ve felt like a lonely, caged animal.

Hearing birdsong in spite of this nastiness

reminded me to have a more positive attitude.

Thankfully, Sunday's early morning rain (wet, sloppy snow)

quit and there were periods of sun during the day.

So I took myself on a “shoot” and

improved my attitude 100%.

still dark, wet and cold

robins herald the new day

cheer-up, cheer-ee, Kim!

 

bathed in brief sunlight

salmonberry blossoms drip

from this morning’s rain