Think Like a Tree

I do love taking pictures of trees. I looked back over my blog posts and realized how many I have done on trees. They can take on a character of their own with the help of the camera. I also discovered this poem today. It was a reminder to me of why I like trees.

Think Like a Tree

by Karen I. Shragg

Soak up the sun

Affirm life's magic

Be graceful in the wind

Stand tall after a storm

Feel refreshed after it rains

Grow strong without notice

Be prepared for each season

Provide shelter to strangers

Hang tough through a cold spell

Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring

Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky

Be still long enough to

hear your own leaves rustling.

Moliere's "The Miser" A Smash Hit at The Sixth Street Theater

"The Miser" by Moliere opened last week-end at the Sixth Street Theater in Wallace, Idaho. My brother-in-law PKR masterfully directed and entertained the audience in the main role of Harpagon in this romantic farce. Here he is sharing the stage with La Fleche, played by Frank Peretti. My sister Silver Valley Girl was delightful in the role of Frosine, the matchmaker. Using her irresistible charm she created high drama as events of the play unfolded. She also put some love in the air. This comedy relief was created by my niece The Princess playing Harpagon's daughter Elise as she stuffed all the food she could get into her mouth. Food was scarce in the household of The Miser.

Here she is again my with my other two nieces. Z2 and Kiki Aru. They played Brindavoine and La Merluche, both servants to The Miser. Luke Crigger is in the background.

They opened to sold-out audiences and I can say that this family member laughed ( I think a bit too loudly) and enjoyed the whole production. It was inspiring to see the whole family in the production together. If you live in the Inland Empire and want ticket information you can go to my sister's blog here , see more pictures I took of the play here and for ticket information go to http://www.sixthstreetmelodrama.com/ .

Bravo to the cast and the behind the scene people. It was a fine production.

Weekend Snapshots: Jacob's Gulch

I took a walk along the grounds at the high school in my hometown this week-end. Jacob's Creek runs under the upper stories of the school toward the Coeur d'Alene River. The clouds, fog,and stark trees created a black and white feel yesterday.
Annie fit the theme as she crossed the bridge to head down "The Trail".
Enjoy other Weekend Snapshots here.

Photo Hunt: Wooden

I am visiting my childhood home in Kellogg this week-end. Wooden hardwood floors that have been waxed and polished with care by my mother for forty-five years still hold their beauty as I stand in my childhood bedroom doorway.

When carpet was added to the steps a wooden rail was added for safety. The wooden spindles were the only thing to grab before.

The wooden raised beds in Mom's yard appear to be topped with loaves of white bread while they wait for the spring thaw.

To find other photo hunters go here.

Sunday Scribblings: Passion for Poetry

" The poem is a little myth of man's capacity of making his life meaningful. And in the end, the poem is not a thing we see-it is , rather, a light by which we may see- and what we see it life."

-Robert Penn Warren

The topic for Sunday Scribblings this week is passion. Warren's quote is a reminder how poetry helps us see life. Since I was a small child I have been immersed in poetry. I pictured the vivid images of Robert Lewis Stevenson's words as my mother read from A Child's Garden of Verses. Mrs. T. in sixth grade introduced me to John Greenleaf Whittier and Walt Whitman. Lines of poetry found their way into my journals and empty books as I tried to find solace during quiet moments in college. Poetry is always a part of my classroom instruction. Files on my computer and cabinet are filled with copies of poetry that have stayed with me long after the first read. When the opportunity arises I attend poetry workshops.

Words are carefully chosen in poetry. Sound and rhythm can determine the lasting effect of a poem. Lessons are revealed and themes remain after enjoying a good poem. My passion for poetry inspires all my writing and provides " a light by which I may see-and what I see is life."

Here is one from my files:

What the Living Do

Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days,

some utensil probably fell down there.

And the Drano won’t work but smells dangerous, and the

crusty dishes have piled up

waiting for the plumber I still haven’t called. This is the

Everyday we spoke of.

It’s winter again: the sky’s a deep headstrong blue,

and the sunlight pours through

the open living room windows because the heat’s on too

high in here, and I can’t turn it off.

For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in

the street, the bag breaking,

I’ve been thinking: This is what the living do. And

yesterday, hurrying along those wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my

coffee down my wrist and sleeve,

I thought it again, and again later, when buying a hairbrush:

This is it.

Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you

called that yearning.

What you finally gave up. We want the spring to come and

the winter to pass. We want

whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss – we want more

and more and then more of it.

But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of

myself in the window glass,

say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m

gripped by a cherishing so deep

for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat

that I’m speechless:
I am living, I remember you.

-Marie Howe, from her 1998 collection What the Living Do

to read other Sunday Scribblings about passion go here.

Evening Sky, But Better Morning Sky

We had a perfect view of the lunar eclipse, but I don't have a perfect camera for taking distance shots. I did like the way the moon peeked through the pine needles though.
Early this morning the sky was much easier to photograph. The fog hung over the lake and the sun just began to creep up over the mountains east of us.
Awhile later JEJ was quick enough to catch a woodpecker at the sky high water dish. The fog had lifted from the lake to make more clouds above the mountains. The morning temperatures are still staying about 19 or 20 degrees at sunrise, but fortunately the sun came out for most of the day. The days are getting longer and longer. Yes!