Quote of the day: “Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” — Hafiz
I am experiencing a respite from the gut issues that have been haunting me for months. That, along with the beginnings of our spring thaw and a bunch of freesias I’ve been photographing for days, have lifted my spirits.
This morning I jazzed up my oatmeal with the addition of hemp hearts, cinnamon and flax milk. Wow! So good.
Even though we’re back below freezing today, I am contented with temperatures in the 20’s. I can see bare ground under the evergreen tree behind the house and there is even some grass visible and it’s green! And yesterday, the surface of the pond behind the house had a couple of large puddles of water on the surface. The melt is happening!
I am thankful that we are not experiencing roof leaks like many local businesses, schools and homes from the heavy snow/ice accumulation on rooftops. And the streets where I live are finally almost completely clear. Small blessings that make me smile.
Monday I sat out on the deck basking in the sunshine. While I was there I couldn’t resist playing around with my iPhone camera to make a selfie double-exposure – me and the big old willow tree in our back yard.
I love trees and have begun a tree photo project, so I was very interested when I saw a program on public television earlier this week about photographer, Mark Hirsch, from Dubuque, Iowa, who decided to do a project of photographing the same lone oak tree every day for a year using his iPhone. The result of his project is a book called That Tree.
It’s a great example of slowing down and seeing the true beauty that is all around us all the time. It is also a reminder of the power of creating a project with simple boundaries to push us to see differently and learn to photograph in new ways.
Gracie soaks up the sun this morning
Gracie has been basking in the spring sunlight too. I have been using a folding chair as an anchor for my favorite new photography gadget but now it’s become one of Gracie’s favorite perches.
My new photography gadget is called a Wimberly plamp. One end clamps to the tripod or another object which won’t move (like my folding chair) and the other end gently clamps a flower stem (or whatever) into position. I am really looking forward to using this for macro flower shots outdoors this spring and summer.
Agapanthus in front of kitchen window
My other-worldly agapanthus flower is starting to look a little scraggly but it still makes me smile every time I see it’s incredibly long stem sticking out of my tall white vase.
What makes you glad you’re alive? What small blessings light up your life today?
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