I was glad we took the dogs out for a long walk out at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge yesterday evening. Tonight we have a heavy overcast with showers about.
Had a nice sunset with the leftovers of a struggling Sunflower plant and the sky alive with Cranes and Geese.All that and a nice sunset to cap it off.
Manos en theos ††† jasL
Yes you do! As scary and unlawful as it may be!
And yes my dog Grace’s eyes are that blue. She is also gifted with total deafness. So unlike my wife, she doesn’t even have to pretend she can’t hear me. But they both have me wrapped around their pinkees!
Do dogs have pinkees? Or you can just roll with the urban dictionary of pinkee: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pinkee
monos en theos †† jim/james/jas/jimbo/jimmy jam/gymbo/jimber or kozmic kowboy…….a guy of many handles and still searching for who I am!
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!
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
Blessed Mother Teresa
One drop at a time…†…monos en theos…jim
I have spoken of missing the open skies of Southwest Tx. They might be a little harder to find here in North Central TX, but they are still here. You just have to look around and through all the trees.
A fitting end to a beautiful fall day.
Monos en Theos…jim
I grew up in West Texas. My family up and moved to the Dallas area when I was thirteen. I can remember this feeling that came over me of feeling a bit closed in. When you grow up with the open skies of West TX, it can be just a mite claustrophobic with all the trees and hills. You throw in a few days of solid cloud cover, with rain mixed in and well…I guess it is something that only someone from the vastness of open skies can relate to.
So, under wet and grey clouds, I had to pull up an old West Texas sunset to brighten the day…monos en theos…†…jim
Just as the sun sets to the west for rest.
So am I
I will be taking a respite from posting for a fortnight.
I know, BALDERDASH you scream!
You will survive, as will I.
Happy trails to you until we meet again…monos en theos…†…jim
Summer has ended
The sun has gone down
The field sits empty
Backstop vacant
Roy Hobbs never showed
& the mighty Casey has struck-out.
Someday are just empty & blue…†…monos en theos…jim
Last week I stumbled across a post that was entitled “The 10 photos that every photographer will attempt”. It had things like sunset at a beach, running water, fog, trees and several other cliches that we see all too often.
Somehow reading that articles caused a block to form. A resistance to produce an image of anything that might be considered trite. I sat this morning and bemoaned the task of finding a photo to post. All out of the fear of being perceived as having the same vision and producing meaningless images.
Out here in the desert and living in ranch country, windmills become a “go to” subject. I see a great sunset coming and I gravitate to the nearest windmill. Somehow they become the beach, the trees, the ordinary trite and overdone images of the west.
So with a bit of ado, I give you my latest windmill. I can’t help myself. Last week while in New Mexico, I even purchased a print of another photographer’s gorgeous print of what else, a windmill.
Try to crawl out of your box. en theos monos ††† jim
We had stopped near this small airport not so much as to make photos of a helicopter practicing touch and goes. But catching the light of the beacon as it rotated gave me such a sense of how we need beacons in our lives to bring us home. Sometimes they are not easy to find and other times they shine bring enough to bring you home.
Keep your eyes and heart open for your guiding beacon! en theos monos ††† 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...
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