It is the Fourth of July. I am not going to bore you with one more flag photo or rant about neither our grand Freedom nor the decline of such.
It is hot and Clovis has the right idea. He spends hours with his head darn near in the grill of the Vornado fan. He puts off going for a cooling drink as when he does Grace (our other dog) quickly occupies the vacant space.
It is a dog eat dog world. Enjoy your Freedoms and stay safe……………..monos en theos ††† james
While it is using some old images, I’ve been playing with the magic powers of Photoshop CS6. Working on finding a new route eventual into collage and multi-medium creations. Taking an online course with Kelly Rae Roberts,(http://www.kellyraeroberts.com/) who just does some blow me away work and trying to find new avenues to travel.“
“I get symptoms . . . I’ll start to get in trouble . . . When you don’t do your work, vices start to creep into your life—and they get worse and worse and worse. They start out with potato chips and wind up with crack smoking or something like that.” Steven Pressfield. (http://www.stevenpressfield.com)
Find you path! monos en theos
So sorry for the lapse in posting. I have been burning at both ends, well trying to. But really burning at one end and letting the other smolder.
“We cannot hold a torch to light another person’s path without brightening our own.”
Ben Sweetland
Monos en theos…†…jim
“When you find your path, you must ignore fear. You need to have the courage to risk mistakes. But once you are on that road… run, run, run, and don’t stop til you’ve reached its end.”
― José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
giddy up…†…monos en theos…jim
Dream, when you’re feeling blue
Dream, that’s the thing to do
Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air
You’ll find your share of memories there
So dream when the day is through
Dream, and they might come true
Things never are as bad as they seem
So dream, dream, dream…Ella Fitzgerald
Amen Amen Amen……monos en theos…†…jim
One of the ruminating rituals of fall is when catching a flash of orange and black of the Southern flight of monarch. Seeing their serpentining flitter of their constant three steps forward and two steps back journey south.
I seem to be a little east of the main concourse and really only get to see two or three a day on the migratory route. I can remember a time as a child in Odessa TX when we were in the midsts of the main stream of the flight. Monarchs roosted on most every bush and the blaze of color truly had an impact on my wayward mind. Literally thousands of the beautiful creatures gathering in mass surely for no other reason than my delight.
I was not a library kind of kiddo, but I was off to the row off big books for information. I wanting to know where they were going and why. I stared with the wow factor of an image of a man standing high in the Sierra Madres. His arms out stretched and his body entirely engulfed with butterflies. He looking to be a mummy encased in Monarch butterflies. I longed to be in that place. I have always been plagued with the curse of wanting more and thousand of butterflies on a bush in my back yard now seemed small potatoes.
Now as age has calmed just a tad of the always wanting more. I am fully content to have the pleasure of seeing just one winging his way South against the prevailing winds. It is a small gift of bewilderment that I get to catch a photo as they refuel for flight.
Yet, I still long the stand on that Mexico mountain shrouded in such a glorious gift.
monos en theos…†…jim
Has anyone ever asked you to blow on a dandelion and make a wish? If you live in an area where dandelions grow, the chances are you have made a wish on them at some point, but did you ever wonder where that tradition originated and what the meaning behind it was?
Although the exact origin of the dandelion mythology isn’t known, we do know that these myths go back centuries and can be traced to the ancient Celts and the French. In fact, the name “dandelion” is an interpretation of the original French word for the flower dent de lion meaning “lion’s tooth”. For ages people have made wishes on dandelion seeds in the hopes of them coming true. Much of this may be attributed to the medicinal properties of dandelions. Before modern medicine, dandelions were used to treat infections, liver disease, cancer, and was used as a diuretic. Because the dandelion seemed like such a magical herb, folklore began to develop around the bright flower developing into the dandelions myths of today.
Wishes
Dandelions bloom a bright yellow/orange color but change into gray/white seeds when they are ready to disperse. The gray/white seeds are what you blow on to make a wish. You are supposed to think really hard on your wish and then blow off all of the white seeds, sending your wish flying into the air in a beautiful display. If there are no seeds left on your stem then your wish will come true.
Luck
It is widely believed that if a bride used dandelions in her bridal bouquet then her marriage will have good luck. Or if you dream about dandelions that your will be blessed with good luck.
Growth
Children often make a game out of trying to find the tallest dandelion in the field because traditional mythology holds that the length of the dandelion a child picked was equal to the number of inches they would grow in the next year.
Romance
Many people believe that if you blow every seed of the dandelion off while thinking of a loved one it means that they love you back. Another legend is that if you pick one seed off the bloom and concentrate every ounce of love you feel for someone and them blow it in the direction of where you loved one is, they will feel your love. Conversely, if you then blow on the bloom and there is at least one remaining seed on it, it means your loved one is thinking of you too.
Dandelions are cheerful, bright, and magical flowers, but most people look at them and see nothing but weeds. Next time you look at a dandelion and see nothing but a weed, think about how magical they can be. And if you don’t believe in magic, then think about all the medicinal properties of dandelions, many of which, are still used today. And, if you still look at them as weeds, pick one up, blow, and make a wish that your yard will be free of weeds!
I have always been aware of my hands. From an early age as I viewed my hands outstretched in front of me, I somehow felt that the image of my hands would always be there. That one would be able to frame the present through those same hands and measure the passage of time by seeing the change upon the frame.
My hands now carry the scars and memories of my life. As do most everyones. I have always heard that the eyes are the window to our soul, but I believe the hands expose a more detailed view of our story.
My hands are stiffening with age. They carry the pain of arthritis. Having never thrown a punch in my life, I still somehow question how I could even have the grip to toss a baseball, much less a punch.
Deadheading flowers in the garden is about as tough a foe as I deal with.
It is a marvel to find details of life within the wrinkles of time.
What story do your hands tell?…monos en theos…†…jim
where words and watercolor soar together
Freelance Writer • Columnist• Blogger at Unwanting
Photographers living with or affected by mental health challenges; supporting each other one photograph at a time.
The closet exhibitionist comes out into the light...
Modern Therapy for the Modern Woman
An Occasional Diary of Everyday Life and Travel in the U.K. and sometimes elsewhere
Jane's Lens
Beats Stumbling Around in Silence
Tips, slips, stumbles, and leaps on the creative journey
One Poet's Writing Practice
A FellowTraveler in God's Kingdom
Tips for photography (and kayaks) ©Galen Leeds Photography
Shades of Gray - Denison TX 