A chop suey of doors from the past.. leaving the city and making my way into the countryside, with fall around the corner, and the pumpkin latte’s appearing on menus …soon the doorways will be festive with colours of fall… of all things I saw a sign the other day for pumpkin spice noodles!!! That is a stretch even for my imagination, certainly for my taste buds.
Chinese Lanterns, celebrations, happiness, they are such a joyful plant, I have the little lanterns at the entrance to my home, and in the house. I know fall is not far when they begin to show up, their happy colour peeking out from the green leaves. There is a lot of unhappiness in the world these days – share a smile, spread happiness – be open to listening – the only constant in life is change.
Think “now is the time” Instead of “it’s no use now” don’t give up by thinking it’s too late. Tell yourself that there is more that can be done.
Perfect Liberty 2022.7
Always and forever
Is Chinese lantern plant edible?
The fruits are edible and suprisingly, are higher in vitamin C than lemons. Care should be taken though, as all other parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant also has a long history of medicinal uses.
Don’t let circumstances sway your decision. It does not help to overthink things. Sometimes we just need to make up our minds and move forward.
Perfect Liberty 2022.6
Be in the present – Belong …. practice mindfulness…
“Love is not something we give or get; it is something we nurture and grow.. a connection that can be cultivated between two people only if it exists within each one of them.
How long does it take for mushrooms to grow, and what determines how the fungus will take shape? Finding these little gems took my mind away from the annoying conversations it was having .. Really I had been thinking of totally irksome information that had come into my gray matter over the course of the last few weeks. I was out in the woods, having a lovely walk … doing what I don’t usually do, I was going the wrong way along the trail towards the bog boardwalk. (the boardwalk has signs that clearly indicate we are wanted to travel it in the direction indicated by the arrows) My reasoning was that I was not going to take the boardwalk, I was walking the path towards it and then planning on taking the trail that leads off in the opposite direction.
My plan and what actually happened are two different things. I’ve been tired lately, I have had a lot going on around me, my walk this morning was to let my thoughts clear, and let the morning air, clear and unclutter the gray cells. That said, I think the thoughts were all vying for the exit and rushing towards it at the same time.
When walking this way (my first time to do so) I had to look at my surroundings differently, I decided to take the small path that led me between very tall evergreens. (looking for wood for me to carve).. I was checking every fallen branch and log I came to. It was a short enough detour, but I was now juggling pieces of wood that I had picked up, and realizing that I would have to head back, since now I had my arms full carrying my “finds”. I came out unto the main path I had previously been on and there before me was the remains of a tree that had fallen during the storm, … while the main trunk had been removed from the path, cut into pieces and moved away from the area, there were still interesting pieces lying there for me to pick through, I had to put down what I was carrying, in doing so, I found the fungi seen above.
The feeling of exhaustion and the overwhelming parade of nattering that had been happening in my head, vanished. I was totally captured by the interesting pattern and textures of the fungi.
The best timing is when you notice. When you notice something, it is God sending you a message. Act right away so you don’t miss good timing
Perfect Liberty 2022.5
Sometimes we have to break away from the clutter and senseless chatter that happens when we go too long without taking a Me break. It is easy to get caught up in the “must do” “need to do” things that we think are so important… they are not. Our well being is what is important. think about it. You, yourself and only you … are responsible for your happiness and state of mind, YOU are the director of your life,
Every morning, as you all know .. I am out in the woods having my time with the birds/wildlife at one of the many NCC green spaces. There are two that I go to on a regular basis, where I feed during the winter season… with the big storm we had, everyone has had to adjust. (including the animals) The chipmunks are busy gathering. We’ve had a few mornings now where the nip in the air is refreshing. The chipmunks and squirrels are battling it out with the blue jays for the nuts and peanuts in a shell that get distributed when I do my morning round. These little critters can pack a lot of peanuts in their cheeks making their cuteness even more adorable.
Take action without thinking too hard. No matter how hard you try to foresee the future, you really don’t know how things will turn out.. Do your best and see how it plays out.
Num has just returned from a trip home to Thailand, he shared some amazing pictures which over time you will get to see some of my favourites .. but please indulge yourself, visit his Instagram to see some of the amazing shots he got while there. the next picture of his, was taken during one of his early morning strolls.
Thailand – good morning – by NumOttawa
Your smile is what’s needed. a smile invites happiness and cheer and is essential to energize others as well as yourself.
I’m an artist that likes to have my supplies around me, it inspires me, when I’m working on something I like to be able to simply reach out and grab whatever it is I’m looking for, or think I want. I’m focused on the project at hand, nothing else. During one of my outings the other day I heard a grumble and turned to see a dragon in distress. It had been put on a shelf with Halloween decorations and wasn’t happy being sandwiched between a bat and a rat that were one could easily see, not of his “vintage”
Seeing his distress and displeasure I walked over and took a closure look at him. His claws had been broken off and his tail was missing some of his scales, otherwise he grumbled he was fine and was having difficulty accepting his fate at having been cast aside.
Yes I agreed, I could understand his frustration at being replaced, and being cast aside, but I did explain, his previous owners had not not just tossed him out, they brought him to a place where he could possibly find another home. I pointed out his grumpy attitude certainly wouldn’t endear him to another possible owner.
Clever dragon gave me a shrewd look….” since YOU heard my complaining, and you’ve come over to see what I’m all about, don’t YOU think you should save me from this fate… after all… you know how and can?” Hmm good question, and it was true… of all the people who were around, I was the only one who was paying attention to him. It was the end of August, not too many people were searching out decorations for Halloween, besides he had likely been in someone’s garden, looks like he had been a water feature.
Yes, he came home with me. Now he is fixed up ready to be outside again where he can enjoy the visiting birds and wildlife that frequent the yard.
We all grow old, we all change with the passing seasons, and friends/family fall away, people go on with their lives, and we are left to cope with ours. Dragon felt rejection, I hope in tending to his wounds, listening to him, he will enjoy the next phase of his existence and return to his positive self… After all, as he pointed out.. dragons have feelings too.
Discover each person’s unique qualities. When we approach people with respect, we can understand them better and see their special qualities.
Perfect Liberty 2022.2
Enjoy the process and savour it. The feeling you have when you’ve seen something through to the end is awesome, but the true joy lies in the actual execution of the plan.
This is where I spend a few minutes each day weeding… pulling out the growth in that one area .. slowly the small birds, the nuthatch, chickadees .. are coming to see if some offerings have been put down, The Doves love cleaning up the “floor”… the blue jays are back watching for me to arrive… have even caught sight of black birds .. the wild turkeys are of course still around, they had several months of little to no traffic.. now the cars and humans are returning.
Let’s have a humble mind. Once you think, “that’s good enough,” you become blind to the opportunities to be more creative.
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.