Morning Chores

Up in the morning
at the crack of dawn
chores to do
work to get done
Fill the feeders
pull the weeds
water flowers
paint the eaves
Dig a hole
to plant a maple (tree)

Charge the tractor
cut the brush
Wait! Morning is over;
Time for lunch.

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June

both bloom and gloom
these days of June
early morning rain;
Sunny afternoon

Masked Bandit

Here at Dobbs' Retreat we're used to seeing lots of deer and turkey; last fall a moose visited and once I even saw a cub bear standing at the rim of our property like he owned the place. But yesterday when I looked out my window and saw a racoon looking back at me I was completely captivated by his deep, dark colored eyes peering through his trademark black mask. I was reminded of the mask Don Diego wore after transforming himself into Zorro and wondered if he didn't get the idea for his famous mask from Raccoon, the original 'masked' bandit.

I've read about raccoons, but have never seen one up close and personal. I was surprised at his large size, bigger than my Beagle, Sam and Missy, our Australian Shepherd. His foxlike face is handsome and tapers to a pointed muzzle; his bushy ringed tail is beautiful and I'm sure considered very fashionable in the animal world.

The name raccoon is derived from the Indian word 'Aroughcun', which translates, 'he who scratches with his hands'. Although I didn't see him use his hands to do any scraching, I did observe his cautious nature as he slyly moved from one hiding spot to another, and his climbing agility as he quickly scampered up a tree when Sam and Missy got whiff of his scent.

I recalled hearing that the intelligence and dexterity is such that a raccoon can pick an avocado from a tree, aim and throw it at a barking dog. I watched for a few minutes hoping our travelling raccoon wouldn't start bombarding Missy and Sam with pinecones, then remembered that raccoons have five toes on both their forepaws and hind feet giving them the ability to open all kinds of things including zippers, trash cans and unlocked doorknobs. Yikes ! All of a sudden watching for pelting pinecones became less important while locked doors became a priority. I had a strong sense the wandering raccoon made a better outside visitor than an indoor intruder.

The Artist

I'm neither an artist or art critic, but do know I prefer the works of Monet, Manet and Mary Cassatt over Picasso,Dali and Chagall.

My friend Diana is an artist. From an early age she looked at red, orange, yellow, blue and indigo and saw more than just Crayola crayons in a box, she saw the beauty of a rainbow and wanted to paint the spectrum of light across a blank canvas, or when coming upon spring wildflowers blooming in an open field her thoughts inately turned to tint and shade; composition, the arrangement of lines, color and form.

With each stroke of the brush the artist gives part of herself; sharing her temperment and talent.

In the past few months I have been privileged to see pictures of Diana's art studio and many of her paintings: portraits, landscapes, and still life. A particular favorite is a painting of two women walking arm in arm down an old country road. I imagine they are friends, or perhaps sisters. One is wearing a yellow raincoat, the other a blue jacket. They are huddled together under a red umbrella; the dirt road is puddled from the rain, the sky overhead heavy and dark. An old farm house is on the right; I wonder if one of the women live there, or just passing by.

Diana's most recent water color is another favorite: Two grade school girls playing croquet at a park in Bixby Hills. Diana captured the pastel colored pinafores they were wearing and the bright, sunny afternoon with perfect balance. The green leaves of the tree and hue of the grass are so vibrant. I could almost hear the girls giggle and chatter back and forth as they played their game. Looking at Diana's painting made me think of the Disney movie 'Mary Poppins' when Bert, Mary Poppins and the Banks'children walked into the picture Bert was drawing on the parkway; Diana's painting is inviting like that, I wanted to step right into the picture.

The Swiss artist Paul Klee once said, " Color possess me. I don't have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter".

Diana Rivers, like Paul Klee, is one with color; She is a painter.

Early Sun and Baby Birds

Night to morning
Dark to light
My eyes open
to a burst of sunshine
filling the room
through an uncovered window
It is 4 a.m.

Baby birds
cheep a little, chirp a lot ;
their chorus grows louder
and louder
as they wait
for mama to bring food.

The chorus over
there is no sound;
Just silence
signaling
baby birds being fed.

Much too late (or early ?)
sleep is gone
Fully awake i move
from bed to bath
ready to begin
a bright new day;
Already tired from
early morning sun
and Baby Bird Serenade

WORDS

The Beegees 1968 song "Words" has always been one of my favorites; I particularly like the lyrics : "It's only words and words are all I have to take your heart away". I was thinking about the use of words today, and how certain words can sometimes mean different things to different people, especially when trying to express feelings or convey a point of view. Sadly, I know there's been times I've hurt a friend or family member because the word I used wasn't interpreted in the way I intended, and vice- versa.

Some words are harsh and critical thrown at another like a hand grenade in the heat of battle, breaking a person's spirit. The better words are more like a soothing balm giving relief to aching muscles ; they encourage and uplift another. What child doesn't grow taller when her parent says to her, " I'm so proud of you", or a friend that says, 'I like you because..", or the husband telling his wife , "I'd marry you all over again". But perhaps the best words are, " I'm sorry", "I forgive you", and "I love you unconditionally, now and forever".

Emily Dickinsen wrote:

"A word is dead when it it is said some say.
I say it just begins to live that day"

Whether our words live for good or bad depends on us and the words we choose to use.

Expectations

Pummelled
Tumbled
Humbled
By words, or lack of
that hold me down
am i so unwise
to persevere; to lift myself
again to rise?

Battered
Scattered
Shattered
By expectations
never met
of dreams
schemes
moonbeams
streaming, gleaming
in the dark of night.