I look into

   the mirror 

   eye to eye with me

   The woman who

   I gaze upon 

   has changed again 

I see   

   It could be

   the adventure

   of finding 

   who I am

   The woman who 

   saw yesterday  

sees it

quite differently

   The weekly photo challenge:  Project In The Works was suggested by PhotoGraphics.  Join in or check it out.

   Pick up a piece and see if it fits.  Turn it this way, then that way as each shape and color is scrutinized, placed, and sometimes changed again.  Choose a color then close your eyes and see the image you're going to create.  "Is that it?  Maybe I'll just flow with the color. Yes! Pick it up and find it's place."  I've been playing in the art of mosaic.  

  Miss A was creating her own mosaic and was asking me questions as she found herself feeling unsure as to what comes next or frustrated because it wasn't a project to rush through.  My responses told me why I love the art.  It's a companion to my outlook about living. 

   "One piece at at time.  Maybe you'll need to adjust it a bit, but you won't know until you try."

   "I have learned that the pieces don't have to be the same in order for them to fit."

   "Step back and take a look at the whole picture before you make up your mind."

   "Sometimes the pieces are completely different from what you started out with in the beginning."

   "Stick with it. You will learn by experience. This one is will help you learn as you make choices."

   "I know it's easy to lose your focus with all the choices and ideas around you, but when you do, you'll feel good inside and it will help you know that you can finish what you start."

   "What if you mess up?  Start again and maybe get a bit of advice if your not sure what comes next."

   "What if it falls apart after putting it together?  Maybe it wasn't meant to last forever. I would suggest that the next time you try to change it up for the better.  We live and learn.  Sometimes experience is the best teacher."

   Hm. I surely do love the art of life!  Someone hand me that broken plate over there, and let's create something beautiful.

   I found myself close to tears as we spoke today.  I had to have a talk with myself before I called to make a bit of a game plan for how the conversation would flow. When we hung up about an hour later, I wept.  Time has brought a change in our relationship.  It use to be her listening to all my news and supporting my choices.  Now I feel that it's my turn to do the listening and hopefully supporting her choices.  Where did the time go?  I know, I can answer this myself.  The time has become a lifetime.  

   My eighty eight year old Mom is showing her age.  I knew it was coming a few years back, but I pushed it out of my mind in denial I'm sure. Now it's in my face and I've made a plan.  It's her turn to talk about whatever she wants.  It's her turn to repeat as many stories she wishes to repeat.  I'll wait in silence as she gathers her thoughts and maybe strays from the conversation.  I'll tell her I love her and thank her for being my Mom. 

   When I close my eyes I see us driving down the road on our way to school together.  She was a teacher at a preschool and I was a student. She was my teacher. We'd visit and laugh on the way to and from school.  That was many lessons and many years ago, but I'll be pulling that connection, that bond we created many years ago to the front as we go through this time in both of our lives. 

   The opportunity for giving our love is circling around us all the time.  We pick and choose how and when we will step in that circle at times.  Other times, we're thrown into the circle and we gasp for air as we try to adjust.  The love continues to circle though, and I know it will lead the way.

   Have you ever been reading someone's post, and as you start to comment you realize that you are blogging your own post on their site?  That's what I almost did today on SaintVi's.  I stopped myself and thanked her for the inspiration, then came back home to write.  Funny thing happened on the way back home to Jaynebug's place.  I had actually started writing the post as a comment to Vi, so I copied it, or rather thought I had and as I went to paste it into a post, I played back my hand movements and remember hitting save instead.  I truly am self entertaining in a "bumbledorf" (visualize your own version here) sort of way.

   I opened the door to a beautiful November day.  The warmth hit my face and I said a silent thank you.  I plan to get out into this day!

   "About last night dear"   I had a blast!  The weather was excellent and the neighbor's were all out as families in most cases, except for the few preteens on their own.  Teen Dude was with other teens and his friend's wonderful Grandma who was driving them to haunted houses all over the county.  She is a gift from the heavens!  Hoops and Miss A went treating with the neighbors after Hoops (10) (bless his heart) informed me that I was responsible for staying home to take care of our neighbors.

   "They'll be expecting us to scare them Mom.  You have to be here for them."   Such logic can not be argued with, right?

   Now the kids had set up a routine that had them "maning" several things to create the effect of spooky and fun.  What I discovered was a circle around the garden to keep the effects going was my best course of action.  Start with the smoke machine, then over to the sensor that set off the pirate head yelling, "Go back, your falling into a traaaaaaappppp" and other advice for the haunter to consider.  After waving my hands in front of his face, I moved up to the porch and squeezed the spider sac that lite up and shook (creepy). Finally the flying ghoul guy equipped with another sensor.  I looked like I was a waving fanatic.  Something had to change. 

   Since I was also on pumpkin candle, and other assorted candle duty in the yard, I had my handy dandy, snap on lighter.  It's one of those long ones.  Looks like a little ray gun.  Anyway...I knew the waving and squeezing was going to take too long.  It had already proved that with the first ten times around the yard.  I had to find my rhythm.  It came as I made the 11th round (thanks 11) I positioned the smoke button so it was at arms length.  Set the smoke, move past the pirate head and flick out my elbow. Now he's yelling his advice as I reach the spider sac that I bump with my hip, and making a sweeping motion with my arm I tap the top of the ghoul with the lighter (unlit, no fire dances for me)  I got into it then.  Found the reason for the rhyme. 

   I laughed with neighbors I don't know.  We spoke of the weather where conversations can start, and we all found a bit of community in my spooky little garden that the kids set up.  Maybe the spirits got something going.  Maybe they just encourage.  Happy November. Onward! 

   From the middle I spin the threads of life.                                              

                                              Webs

                                                  Webs

                                                       Webs   

Need Nurture Know

Spinning Weaving Connecting  

Seeking Searching Yearning

Reaching Gathering Storing

 Open Vision Create

                                                  Webs

                                                      Webs

                                                          Webs

Need Nurture Know

From the middle I spin.

   It's The King's birthday.  Time to roll out the red carpet right to the pier.  The sun is shining, the weather warm, and we're going out in it.  He's aged like fine wine.  At the perfect stage for the harvest, but will be creating even more from this place in the process.   His thought for his birthday,  "In a long relationship with life, the time over all is great, and only moments when you wish it was over.  The great makes it all worth while." 

  Miss A gave him a stuffed shark as they call each other "shark bait ooohaha."  He's been entertaining me with him all morning.  Got the thing to smile. If you have nothing to celebrate today, feel free to join our celebration of a life.  Here's to The King and all the rest of us.

  In my home I consider the family "wildlife." We whistle like birds and try our vocals with chittering and cawing from time to time.  We speak seal when we go to the pier and converse with the gang of wet ones.   I blame myself and at the same time, am proud of these animal languages my children can speak.  After all, we share the Earth with them.  It's good to have a second, third and fourth language.  

       We met this guy on the trail.  He was busy gathering his daily score of edibles.  Miss A and he connected as she slowed her skipping to thoughtful quiet stepping as they eyed each other.  She made almost purring noises in adoration of this guy.  She tried his language next. Chattering in squirrel speak. He cocked his head from side to side wondering about this Miss A creature.  He let her pass then turned tail and disappeared.

   Old Guy Jay hung out with us for the summer.  He hid peanuts that we still find all over the yard.  When the kids would go out to jump on the trampoline, he'd fly down from the tree and sit perched on the chair.  He watched them with his head going up and down along with their jumps.  I haven't seen him in a while.  Might be in physical therapy for neck strain.

    This fella is very curious about people.  Whether you speak in his language or your own, he patiently listens with puppy like eyes and then jumps into the water and does somersaults to entertain who ever is watching.  He can also steal fish off your line in one bite. 

  These are his buddies, and cousins, and uncles, and aunts, and advisors.  They are crowded onto a boat dock.  The fence was put up to keep the seals and sea lions off.  "How's that working out?"  The rascals got the gate opened this time and were piling themselves onto the dock to rest.  When they can't get it opened from throwing themselves against it, they jump over it and pile in.  Oh yeah...the signs say, "Keep the gate closed to keep the seals off" or something like that.  It pays to be all muscle.

   The other night I drove over to the high school to pick up Teen Dude.  He was in dress rehearsal for his current show.  I was early so I sat in the car looking over photos as I waited.  It was about 7:30pm and the light was fading from the sky.  A car drove up and this creature jumped out of the car and skip hopped over to the concrete wall and sat down.  I watched him as he fidgeted like a young kid waiting and it was highly amusing.  He looked like a wild creature separated from his pack.  He'd scratch his face and turn his head.  Pressed his fingers...er...claws together impatiently.  In the dark, he was sort of eerie looking too.  I got out of the car and went to the vehicle to ask permission to take his picture.  Wolfboy told me he was waiting to freak out his brother.  His brother wasn't the one who got freaked.   One of the gals in Teen Dudes class came out, didn't notice the Wolfboy and she sat at the opposite end of the concrete wall.  I said to myself, "Wait for it," and she slowly looked around and her gaze stopped on the Wolfboy.  She did a double take, then her eyes got huge (I could see the whites of them from my car), and she said, "What the heck is that?" in a very shocked voice.  It was hysterical watching it play out.  I sat in my car alone laughing my head off. 

   You just never know what the local wildlife will do, but it's always fun to watch and be part of it when you can.  The weekly photo challenge: Wildlife In Your Area was suggested by HereAreLindasPhotos. 

   There's a familiar sound underfoot. "Crack, Crunch, Crunch, Snap, Crunch, Crunch!" There's a call that lifts our head upward. A crow is sitting on the top of the street light.  He and his buddies have been raiding the walnut grove down the road. They drop them from up high to crack them in the street.  Half broken shells lay out before us as we make our way.  Almost in unison we say, "It must be October."  We notice more spider webs from yard to yard and talk about letting our own get thick for Halloween.

   Let's see there was the rose bush that after further inspection from counting the rose hips was found to be holding a few more buds.  More aware now, we found and gently put our noses into roses.  They had a "toss your head back with your nose full of aroma" effect.  We responded with dramatic flair.  

    There was the broken asphalt next to the bird of paradise plant.  It was pushing out from the roots...some new growth in response to the warm weather.  We quietly watched a hummingbird hovering above the fountain in the center of a yard.  Hoops saw it first and waved us into silence as he pointed and shushed us at the same time. We saw that nature still finds a way. 

   We experienced the amazing phenomenon that happens with the appearance of a perfect "kick down the sidewalk" rock, that when kicked out of range, another rock appears for the next kick.  I had forgotten that for some reason.  Miss A had us listen to the music that the rainbird made as it watered the field across from our bus.  We tried a few songs with it as it "chichichi chhhhhhhhi'd."  And did you know that a semi squashed pine cone makes a perfect soccer ball for a quick game or two while waiting for the bus?  It worked so well, I saw it got slipped into the backpack as we boarded the bus.  Miss A looked  to see if I noticed.  I swung my head the other way and greeted our bus driver.   He cheerfully informed me that it was rider appreciation week and the ride was on the house.   

  That's it. Those are the things we didn't miss today because we walked, and talked, and noticed things along the way.

  I saw them spread across the sky quietly adding a happy, colorful energy to the air space.  My sight shifted to the crowd and I saw a baby in a stroller twisting his body around in his seat to gaze up at them.  His father was speaking to someone as he kept straightening the child in his seat and saying repeatedly, "Stop squirming." He didn't follow the little one's view to understand his restless movement.  He didn't even look at his hands flailing upward.  The silent communications that can give so much information when seen. 

   I found myself a spot on the lawn and looked around at the people gathered.  I saw a father and his daughter lying on their backs and pointing toward the balloons dancing over their heads.  He was saying something, and her feet would go up in the sky and she giggled and let her feet fall toward her daddy.  They laughed together as they shared this special moment. Their smiles went on forever.  I wondered if this father would have noticed his daughter as a baby twisting in her seat and flailing her arms as he spoke to a friend.  Would he have followed her gaze? 

   As I go through life with my eyes wide open, I'm reflective about how much I've learned through time, and effort, and plenty of missed opportunities to understand a situation better.  I let life happen in a bit slower motion as I respond to what's happening around me.  I tend to look for more clues to help me understand. We do get better at our connections when we know the ropes a bit better and are willing to make adjustments in how we respond to the people in our lives. 

   I think I'll look for this father and son duo as they grow and learn together in my community.  I'll see if their connections have evolved into a more balanced relationship given some time.  A little study in the human condition that surrounds us all.  Will they not "hear" each other as time goes on?  Will this man eventually look beyond his own needs as his son can verbally communicate what he's looking at?  Will he constantly have his personal needs satisfied first, before shifting his attention to the toddler, the child, the youth, the teen, the man his son will become?  And what sort of man will the guy become, who was once a baby in a stroller, who twisted to see the colorful life in balloons as they danced in the sky overhead? 

   And what of the father and daughter?  Will they lose their fabulous connection as she grows into a woman?  Will he someday tell the story of their time in the park, laughing and playing as the balloons flew above them? Will he mention it in a card to her as she leaves home for college? Will he remind her of that day as he prepares himself to to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day?  Will the memory be lost completely over time?

  Time will pass and tell it's story.  I hold a space for both of them to have a good ending to the connections they've made along the way. Connecting with others can start at any age and takes a bit of experience to get better at it.  If not yesterday, today is a new day too.