We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes~

Saturday, December 30

Riding the Rails

Love train travel! It's like being in suspended animation. On trains there is a whole other reality.

Thursday, December 28

Beautiful Baubbles, Blue Bags & Boxes

these are a few of my favorite things

Wednesday, December 27

Tuesday, December 26

Monday, December 25

Saturday, December 23

Friday, December 22

Tuesday, December 19

Most Unhappy Gato

But doesn't he look adorable?

Monday, December 18

Christmas Memories

As a kid, I loved sleeping under the tree.

Mom would let me bring a few blankets or a sleeping bag and a pillow and make me a bed on the floor.

I would stare up at the ornaments, dazzled by all the reflections.

Dreaming of multicolored snowflakes.

Sunday, December 17

Saturday, December 16

Friday, December 15

Wednesday, December 13

Little Known Fact:

The shepherds that came to see the baby Jesus were Gingerbread men! Who knew?

Tuesday, December 12

Lost Buds

Boarding the train, I spotted these 2 blooms laying by the opposite door.
I wondered, had they been discarded as useless, pointless even? Or, was there someone lamenting 2 long stems nestled in amongst 10 other beauties?
But I knew as I stooped to capture this photo, these roses were truly lost.

Monday, December 11

A Riff on Passion

Passion.

That word.

That feeling.

Seeing someone playing music with passion. Eyes closed, lips moving, body in rhythm. To watch someone play the sax or the harmonica - ecstasy! Singing with passion; is there any greater joy than to watch someone singing for the sheer release of it? Actually seeing them let it all hang out in their voice. Even when singing to themselves, the soul is bare in their passionate voices.

Any art made with passion feeds my soul. From Pollack to Van Gogh, Nan Golden to Ansel Adams, Degas to Annie Liebovitz... from my 5 year old niece to the guy on the train who draws profiles of his fellow passengers.

Poetry. Literature. Even an irreverent bit of erotica. The written word that has a voice of it's own. That writing which takes on a life separate from the page, lodged in the imagination of the reader.

Listening to someone speaking with passion... I don't usually care what they talk about. Oh, you say you are really excited about the two new varieties of seaweed you've found that grow off the southern tip of Iceland? Well, tell me why that is... I'll listen for a while just to hear that thing that happens to the voice when it's infused with passion.

I'll listen and I will jones for more.

I'll listen and get excited.

Saturday, December 9

Last Night's Dream

An enormous tree descended
Rooted, as it was, in the heavens
Dark, slender branches twisted
Bearing frozen blossoms of Moondust
I lay mesmerized on a bed of sand
Toes digging with half-hearted effort
To shake off this enchantment

"Friday night, I'm going nowhere..."

"...all the lights are turning green to red. Turning over t.v. stations, situations running thru my head."

Friday, December 8

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
-Willy Wanka-

Grandpap and Grammy Little

...have moved into my office bathroom!

Grandpap and Pup

Reading by the sink.

Beat the Cold Fashions

Cannot get enough of this Hat!

19 degrees in NYC

With a "real feel" of -3 degrees!

Thursday, December 7

Well Earned Reward

after a long and stress filled day... Slainte!

Wednesday, December 6

Looks kinda shady

This Joker

Has been hanging around the hood.

Sunny and Cold

With a fair chance of spotting embroidery.

Tuesday, December 5

Morning Haiku

Pushing onto train
Navigate fleece and down coats -
Urban labyrinth.

Monday, December 4

Dapper Dan

Don't Ask Me Why


... but this gentleman just pleased me ever so when I saw him as I boarded the train tonight.

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Sunday, December 3

It's Beginning...

To look a LOT like Xmas!

Every catalog is unique.

This it what comes from shopping at home.

Saturday, December 2

Yum!

Joy

Have you ever watched a dog rolling on it's back in the grass?
Have you ever watched a cat stretching itself in the sunlight?
Watched the way their bodies arch and quiver?

That's what Joy looks like to me.

Thursday, November 30

Wooly Flowers

Beautiful blooms for Indian Summer!

70 degrees on the last day of November... Seriously not right.

Wednesday, November 29

and now a message from Lord Byron:

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well:
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.

"Someone has come to me out of the past, reviving a feeling long since forgotten... What - what is this I'm feeling? Is it pain? Panic? Hunger? Am I hungry? Who's hungry?" - Debi in Grosse Pointe Blank

Tuesday, November 28

Yummy

Strawberries and cream.

Sunday, November 26

Sometimes we don't hear the way our own life is enriching a greater harmony.
Sometimes it is those around us who are deaf.

Holiday Traffic!

Joy.

Saturday, November 25

Another Thanksgiving Dinner...

that couldnt be beat. Well, actually it kicked the last ones booty!

Friday, November 24

You can get Anything you Want

@ Alices Restaurant... A Thanksgiving i will not soon forget. And that i am most thankful for.

Wednesday, November 22

"Give me the beat boys, and free my soul.
I want to get lost in your rock-n-roll, and drift away."

The Mean Reds

these aint no ordinary blues i got

Tuesday, November 21

Sunday, November 19

Still noodling around...

An Old Friend of Mine...


just chillin' at home today with her guitar.

Saturday, November 18

These Lil Piggies...

have taken time out to pamper themselves. ;-)