She Is Still Here

Yesterday was Earth Day. How many people noticed amidst the rhetoric surrounding the Covid19 epidemic along with all of its political implications? I saw few posts or mentions of it. It was also my grandson’s birthday. He was supposed to be visiting us for the first time this month but now that is not possible.

We have to pay attention now. We are stewards of God’s Earth which is suffering at this time with the threat of every protection put into place being revoked.

Do you enjoy the sunshine, the cool breeze on a Spring day, the blooming flowers and the bounty of the Earth? Then pay attention! We are all responsible.

Check out my post On Blogger for some of the things we might miss should we continue to ignore our responsibility.
Staying alive is primary but will do us no good without a home to live on.

Take care my friends.

Cheryl

If You Think

If you think that nature is accidental, without order or purpose, or that what we do has no impact on its metabolism, then you aren’t looking closely…

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We are all leaders and followers, explorers and sages, lost and found, stumbling around in a daze, the days float by like wispy clouds across the landscape of evolution, revolution simmers within the soul of forgotten dreams, what seems to be is not and up is down, the quaking ground disintegrates while we dance upon its face and disgrace the toils of our ancestors, blaming them for not foreseeing our arrogance and gluttony, the litany of progress and technology drowning out the cacophony of the Earth’s despairing cry-“Hear me!”

Every living thing, every cell within existence, is part of the never ending chain. What seems minuscule to us is in turn herculean to another, right down to a single celled organism. You can’t idolize Science when it heals you, gives you technology and progress, then deny it when it tells you something that is frightening, undeniable and imminent.

Look closely. It isn’t just about you or me. There are others who stand to lose and be lost, generations denied their own opportunities if we don’t accept responsibility and work for change.

Please…don’t break the chain.

Look closely at this image. At first glance the tiny photo-bomber seems like an ant. It isn’t. It is just a tinier version, looking up to our tiny friend who looks up to another who looks up to another, who looks up…

The Garden Party #conservation #photography #nature

Whenever I feel discouraged, which seems to be a lot these days, I go outside. Nature never changes its course. It doesn’t whine about the weather, but behaves accordingly. It doesn’t beg for attention because it is too busy trying to stay alive.

There is much comfort in watching bees going about their business or taking awhile to sleep in the folds of a blossom. Watching bird couples scout for food and then share what they find with each other speaks to cooperation and partnership better than any human interaction I have seen lately.

I can feel the trees breathing from where I sit, far beneath their branches; and I cringe to think how ignorant are those who can’t accept that we need their presence for the very oxygen that we enjoy. It’s not simply that we can’t all get up and run to a rally or pledge large sums of money to conservation efforts. The heartbreaking truth is that so many turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that this world is dying beneath the crushing weight of our careless humanity.

It is the same philosophy that addresses the messes left in a grocery store or a discarded half full shopping cart. The “Oh they pay someone to do that,” theory to support apathy extends to global and political problems. The idea that “nature will take care of itself” or “we’ll leave that to the experts” is a copout of the worst kind. Will someone clean up behind you at WalMart? Most of the time. This issue is not about ‘someone’ fixing things. It is about the plague of disregard that is spreading its fingers insidiously over the world.

They are right about one thing. Nature will take care of itself. If Biblical history is to be believed, it once rained for forty days and forty nights to cleanse the planet. If Science is to be believed there have been other catastrophic weather purges since the dawn of time. Make no mistake. Earth will survive, and no matter how many guns you have stashed, no matter how many properties you own across the globe or how much money is stacked in the digital memory of your bank account, it will not save you from Nature’s unraveling.

Well, we started out with a bang and perhaps we shall end with one. Or maybe just a collective surprised whimper.

I love my little piece of Nature and will do whatever I can to preserve it. It think I’ll start by having a party..a garden party. Here are a few of my guests!

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The beauty queens!
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The Itsy Bitsy Spider can dance!
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The workers never stop
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The Faerie
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The cleanup crew
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The Lovers

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Hit it Ricky!
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Sharing is caring
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Looking his best.

Y’all come back now, y’hear?

Inconspicuous #SoCS #Photography

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Where?” I ask, holding my breath and my macro lens in anticipation of something wonderful.

He points to something among the tomato leaves. I see a fine wisp of silk gently swaying but nothing else.

”I can’t see anything,” I repeat, moving carefully closer and raising the lens just in case.

“Just below my finger here,” he places his finger slightly closer with a careful instruction as to what leaf I should be looking at. “She has a yellow marking,” he adds.

With each of our movements she scrambles protectively and I up my stealth meter.

“Ah! I see her now,” I whisper, relieved and excited by yet another miraculous minuscule inhabitant in my little garden. Snap. I take a photo, just in case she disappears into miniature oblivion before I can manage a better shot.

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She does have yellow markings! If I can just get close enough without alarming her spidey senses….

 

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Yes! She will pose for the crazy camera lady. Her mother must have warned her of the perils in living here.

’You must be brave,’ she advised, ‘and always look your finest. This could be your chance to shine before all the world and to change the hearts of humans towards our kind. I shall always be with you, little one,” the mother’s voice faded into the blue as her tiny creation floated away on the silken strand of separation.

“Now, I must be inconspicuous,” the tiny one reminded herself. “Just blend in and be singularly magnificent.” She took a deep breath and began weaving….

Inconspicuous

unobtrusive, camaflouged, concealed, hidden, indistinct, insignificant, low-key, ordinary, plain, quiet, retiring, secretive, shy, subtle, tenous, modest, unassuming, unemphatic, unostentatious..

 

Inconspicuous

With unobtrusive brilliance she was born,

on an unassuming cloudless Summer morn,

her presence cleverly concealed

as her mother sought to shield

her tender newness.

She camaflouged the nest

and delivered her bequest

to the plain and modest few

that she barely even knew.

”My children,” she delivered

as they blinked and softly shivered,

”You must leave, I cannot follow

for my path leads to the hollow.”

(she looks to the soft earth)

”Keep yourself concealed

and soon shall be revealed

the wonder of your unimposing

walk through Mother’s world.

Although you be discretional

you’ll surely be exceptional

as long as you remain

unnoticed, unseen, plain.

But when She comes,

who has the eye

to see your beauty

by and by,

do not run!

Stand as brave as she

and as unimposing be

to share an ordinary

glimpse of life’s perfection.”

 

Then they floated out of sight,

unnoticed, to their plight

like dust drifting through the air

to their future,

who knows where

Cheryl KP copyright

Today’s post brought to you by Linda Hill’s SoCS prompt

 

This touching scene from one of my favorite children’s books put to film says it all…

 

Today’s prompt was the word where.

Use it to begin the post and for bonus points end the post with it as well. Visit Linda’s blog for more great prompts and the chance to meet some amazing bloggers.

If you’re thirsty, hop over to the bar today and chack out Dan’s world. His recent project is turning out quite nicely!

 

 

 

 

Tiny Environmentalist

Everyone recycles in the land of Pura Vida!

Or…..

 

Gotta find a home!  Crabs who take up plastic houses help to save the planet.

Please. Don’t toss your debris away carelessly. Costa Rica even has recycle bins at the beach!

There are a lot of living things depending on our wisdom.

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The Soul of Spring #SoCS

In these very troubled days for our world, life has become a roller coaster of emotions for many people, even those who perhaps don’t acknowledge such things. Depression, mood swings, panic attacks and listlessness are all signs of discomfort of the heart, mind and soul. 

This prolonged Winter, along with its erratic weather patterns and anomolies, haven’t helped the situation much. We, as a species, are a contradiction of emotions and desires. While we love the freedom to explore at will and throw caution to the wind for a thrill when we choose, we also love and need constancy in our often fragile existence.

Things like the sun rising each day, our feet staying planted firmly on the ground, and the seasons changing on time are touchstones for the human psyche.

 

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Besides the health benefits of sunlight each day, our souls thrive in the light. Studies have shown the negative effects that light deprivation have on both physical and mental health. This has been a long and trying dormant season for so many people. Even though we aren’t buried in snow here, there have been too many gray and gloomy cold days for this human’s soul. 

Hope reigns supreme, however, as Ms. spring is trying to stretch her stiff and frozen fingers, stretching towards the light for energy and inspiration. I see glimpses of her smile.

 

 

Her sole purpose is to renew this world, to work her magic over the dead, brown earth and paint the landscape with beauty and color once more.

I know she’s near

so do not fear…

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Perhaps her soul is weary

at the thought of what’s to come…

 

 

If the human’s don’t remember

where their sustenance comes from.

If every hair on every head

is numbered, as is said,

why is wisdom blind

and we can’t even find

a common ground?

 

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No wonder She is timid, slow to come.

But come, she will, for Nature does not fail.

Her soul knows joy in Creation,

love of life, her sole motivation

and we should be ever thankful

for her grace- her place

within the dream.

 

As for me, I am heading into the #Free48 with my soul full of hope and my sole reason for getting up to find and appreciate the beauty in this world. Maybe do a bit of my own creating too. 😉

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Beaded sculpture, maybe the next light catcher. I call her Mermaid Rising
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Blackberry Mug Cake! So easy, so good
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I love my coffee in the evening. Oh! That is a yummy Carrot Cake for two recipe.

Oh, and maybe to find some good food and a nice brew.

 

As always, thanks #Wahlburger’s at The Battery.

This post brought to you by Linda Hill. Her #SoCS prompt for today was soul/sole. Check out her blog for all the great prompts and posts from other bloggers there.

And if you need a cold brew and some techno talk, join Dan A of No Facilities. But, be warned, the good bartender is off today. 😏

Affirmative, Captain #SoCS

We need to get this straight. I will affirm here and now that I have felt less than inspired in the last week. I’m working on the novel-still…maybe forever..but really loving the progress. It is just not something one can easily do at the end of a work day or week, popping from pragmatic, ordered thinking into fanatstical dreaming reality.

Affirmative, Captain.

I mean I usually can, but lately the world has just felt so…heavy. I affirm I am not a fan of old Man Winter. And I love men in general. Just not sadistsic, self indulgent, harsh and cold troublemaking men. Just why Mother Nature has him in her circle is beyond me. But then, taste in friends is always quite subjective isn’t it? It takes all kinds of people to make a world. If we were all alike we would either be hugely bored or constantly fighting ourselves.

 

I affirm that life is wearying at times, and when I was younger I held older people in the highest regard, seeking their wisdom, understanding and encouragement. For the most part I am exposed to situations in which older people are viewed and treated as outdated, stupid or at best uninformed, and gulity of some heinous crime of destruction that most of them are completely unaware. Perhaps the crime is just being older than 30. I thank God each day my children are not this way.

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When I was in the Christian church growing up, we were taught to always put yourself in others’ shoes, to empathize and express compassion. There was a humbleness in being a child of God. I suppose there has always been a double edged sword aspect to religion..any of them, just as there is duality of spirit within each of us. I just know that I would rather stand quietly alone, with my hand in His, than stand with a mob of angry, accusatory, self righteous finger pointers whose main goal is to be the best, the biggest and the chosen. Since when did being a Christian become a popularity contest?

I affirm that God’s greatest gifts exist all around us, that peace can be found in the tiniest miracle of life, that entertainment is free in Mother Nature if you just take a moment to breathe and to feel her presence. Soul healing does not exist in a book or a prayer. It is in your own hands, the ones given to you in this life. Perhaps we should stop shouting, ”God, save us!”

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Maybe it’s time to whisper, “God help us to save ourselves.” We have to stop making our own messes then blaming everyone else for them,  which includes..

No, honey, the devil did not make you do it. We all have a choice and the light and dark exists in every one of us.

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affirm that when I love someone it is forever, even if you choose to cast me aside. Anyone who has ever found a place in my heart will remain there forever, and my family means more to me than anything. If they hurt, I hurt. When they are in pain, it is mine. When they are happy, my world is perfect. I know no other way.

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I love the friends I have made here, in this magical realm of blogging, where like minds can meet and feel less alone, share ideas and laughs. We all do such a wonderful job of encouraging, lifting one another up and being there. Thank you to any and all who have done this for me. And if you feel like a beer check out Dan’s frozen corner of the world. Now, he has some Winter tales…

I affirm that I am ready for Spring, budding flowers, buzzing insects and balmy breezes. Meanwhile, we can always dream..in fact I must insist that you dream with me, or we might not see her face again!

 

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What do you see when you step outside?

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Thanks to Linda Hill and her #SoCS prompt, ‘affirm’.

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Heartbeat

I stand in the presence of a memory

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Wishing it were my own.

It feels as though it is somehow.

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Every step brings me closer, every breath becomes one with the pulse of Mother Earth.

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And then I am there, magnificence reaching toward the sky.

Step by step, towards the summit I climb..

 

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Imagine a world where survival means community

and days unfold as a green, gold and azure panorama..

 

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The sky above, the grass below, as life moves in between.

Danger lurks in shadows in the form of angry beasts!

Eat or be eaten as days fade into night.

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There is great comfort in knowing how the river flows,

its winding path and where it goes.

Can you imagine a world not knowing what lay ahead?  Such peace can only be found in oblivion. And beauty.

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Would that we still slept, dreaming perfection in Spirit’s web of bright Creation.

If we knew, would we have changed a thing?

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I like to think so….

Photos were taken on a recent day trip to the Etowah Archeological Site and Museum near Cartersville, GA. It was simply beautiful and peaceful there.

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