This Is My Happy Place

This morning I took a book and a cup of tea and went out on the deck to sip, swing, read, and daydream. This Is My Happy Place where I soak in the beauty of the day, feel the soft breeze on my skin, smell the soft scents of early summer, and listen to the sounds of nature all around me. The time I spend on the deck is a deliberate search for enchantment, seeking to see and experience what is right with the world, not the many wrongs and terrors that could fill my thoughts. Our mental universe (which Read more…

Lush Morning Beauty

This morning I headed out early to Noerenberg Gardens overlooking Lake Minnetonka. I wanted to go early so that I could be back in time to participate in my weekly online Soma Yoga class at 11 am. The skies were overcast (perfect for flower photography), the air humid and warm, and the park filled with lush greens, pinks, purples and more. I took both of my cameras along and a knee pad to kneel on and I was in heaven photographing the lushness of it all. Floral Heaven The park has a kind of lilac with tinier flowers than normal Read more…

A Leap Into Summer

Looking around at all of the fully green trees and feeling the heat and humidity returning, it feels like we have taken a rapid A Leap Into Summer seemingly overnight. Today I packed up a small picnic lunch, a book, and my camera and headed to West Medicine Lake Park for a shady picnic and a bit of walking around with camera. Despite the fact that it was full sun at noon I made some photographs that I like. As I sat in the shady shelter beside the lake the breeze felt pleasant on my bare arms. I saw an Read more…

Bits and Pieces

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Yesterday we celebrated our forty-fifth wedding anniversary with our children and grandchildren so I haven’t been out and about with my camera for awhile. So today, I’m sharing some Bits and Pieces of the little at-home photos I’ve made during the past week. First of all, look at that blue jay! I’ve been seeing blue jays flying back and forth in our backyard a lot. I think they must have a nest in one of the trees there. But this morning I saw a patch of blue on the ground near the ferns and river birch Read more…

Nothing To Do But Breathe

This morning as I was meditating I found my mind going in a dozen different directions at once (not at all unusual for me). And then through the cacophony of thoughts I heard a voice in my mind that said, “There’s Nothing To Do But Breathe, that’s all you need to do.” So I breathed and I watched my thoughts flit here and there and I breathed some more. My days have been quiet recently. I’ve been having a lot of pain when I walk too much or do too much activity so I’m not doing as much moving around Read more…