Hahn Horticulture Garden,Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA- January 1, 2012
Well lit from all angles.
Early evening light can give a great glow to things. This photo is off my cell phone from our walk earlier this evening- these cell phones are pretty darn amazing. I will never be able to blow it up to 18x 30, but heck, it sure is fun to throw it into photoshop; give it a bit of digital love and post it here.
So, I keep thinking it is winter, and I over dressed. Again. I ended up taking off my hat and mittens, and carrying my coat. Once home, we had a nice New Years Eve dinner and were about ready to go to bed at about 10:30. It was then we realized our dog had wet the couch. In her defense, she had been run really hard on our walk, and then drank lots of water. The upside of all this? First I used a bad word- just once and under my breath. Then I was able to attempt to implement use of my new word for the upcoming year. Oh yes, I have a word, a word I have been pondering for about 3 days now- that is a lot of pondering for me. Last year my word was balance. I feel like balance evolved into this years word- pause.
Pause... gives me lots of opportunity to try to get to balance again.
I thought about using joy - but decided to save that for 2030.
I thought about trust- and decided I was not that evolved yet.
So right there, with two damp cushions and clueless dog-(she was so sleepy, she was not aware of what had happened.) I was able to pull out my new word - pause. A bit premature -but balance was all used up. In hindsight, I am thrilled that I did not need to face the word joy at this moment.
Pause, breathe, tug. Tug, tug, tug- pause... breathe. I paused long enough to observe, as the white cushion finally exploded out of the deep brown cover, it reminded me of a milkweed. After I got the covers into the wash and was tucked into bed, I collected the observation into words- a small stone.
Pause, breathe, tug. Tug, tug, tug- pause... breathe. I paused long enough to observe, as the white cushion finally exploded out of the deep brown cover, it reminded me of a milkweed. After I got the covers into the wash and was tucked into bed, I collected the observation into words- a small stone.
I am indebted to Fiona and Kaspa for offering another way to see- even the messy things in life. Thanks Fiona and Kaspa!
December 31, 2011... 11PM - Small Stones
inside out by Teri H Hoover
Stubborn cushion covers
clinging for dear life,
as I try to remove them.
Finally a layer of white batting,
a milkweed exploding
in
inside out by Teri H Hoover
Stubborn cushion covers
clinging for dear life,
as I try to remove them.
Finally a layer of white batting,
a milkweed exploding
in
all
directions.
directions.
Blessings one and all- I am looking forward to a year full of pauses-Pepper, my black lab agrees totally.
beautiful in every way: the photo (lit from every angle), your story (so simple and true), the word (pause) and the resultant small stone. reading this has brightened my day!
ReplyDelete(mavis from wowh)
Great post Teri! I love how you weave the different elements together. And your word "pause" - something we all should do, frequently. What a great idea to have a special word for each year! I have seen lately that quite a few bloggers do that. Never heard of it before. I really have to think about that. It should be possible to adopt a word for the year even if it becomes mid-January? :-) Looking forward to sharing more over the coming month, and maybe further into the year.
ReplyDeleteAnd just like that an opportunity to pause....I appreciate the way you found your word [or it found you?]. I am still looking for mine ~
ReplyDeleteWelcome Mavis- it is so nice to have you here! I really enjoyed how this bit came together.
ReplyDeleteInger- I get great pleasure when my writing bits weave together... and that is what it felt like. And I think a new word in mid January would be just fine!
ReplyDeleteSharon- You know there were other words... but this one like you said found me. I feel it may not be active enough. But just as I finish typing this I think, in the pause I am creating room for prayerful action, and not just reacting.
ReplyDeleteTeri - I love this post and your new word 'pause' - such a necessary thing to do before we choose what thought and action we're going to employ!
ReplyDeleteLiz - it was not the word I wanted to choose-- I wanted something more zippy. I am always so thankful for your visits.
ReplyDeleteWow - "pause" came to the rescue. Good one, Teri! (Hope the pup didn't make you pause anymore after that!)
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I've told you that your writing is at least as good as your photography, which is saying something. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how you found your word.
ReplyDeleteHey George- This photo is filled with hope. And follows your last one (the one of the Christmas tree) perfectly. From darkness to light... perfection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words over at my place, I always get a bit nervous when I feel like I am "talking" too much in my blog posts. You really made me feel so much better. Happy New Year to you and Betsy. xo teri