I was sitting on the truck tailgate while grilling some chicken. It was late afternoon and the sunlight was doing its selective highlighting . I had a good day at work and was now in my jeans (it really doesn't get any better than the jeans after a day of work attire), and I noticed the neighbor's cat stalking something.
My eye caught two bluebirds pecking in some fresh sawdust. A giant red-headed woodpecker soared in from stage right and found a tree trunk. A few obese carpenter bees hovered in front. I was aware of the intense beauty and action of nature. I looked up high in the trees as a squirrel lept along the branch highway.
A sudden feeling of gratitude; a wave really, enveloped me. All was peaceful and everything was right. God, I love those moments. Alive, awake, and aware.
I captured a few of these Carolina moments with my cell phone camera. C'mon along. It won't take long.
The first is the view from my garage while sitting on my truck tailgate.
The walkway to the hot tub. Decking constructed by moi.
And finally, the evening sun high up in the backyard oaks.
Thanks for joining me for this evening walk about the yard.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Annie Keeghan
Margaret Feike
Little Kate
Michelle Coulter
Tony Wang
Pierre Angiel
Salon.com
Comments
BTW, my daughter is studying about the original colonies and the Southern Colonies and they mentioned North and South Carolina. Talk about serendipity!
Rated
there is nothing like jeans after a hard day and there is nothing like expressing gratitude while living absolutely in the present moment. thank you so much for sharing this. i had one of those moments during the pup walk. love love love and gratitude
JK – thanks for stopping by. Snow? I would slit my wrists ( a figure of speech)!!
OE – thanks for coming along.
jane – nothing prettier than flowering cherries. It is beautiful here but the pollen season is in full swing too.
BBE – you make me laugh (sometimes). That fence actually does the trick. Primary invaders are deer – they’re everywhere around here!
l&p – I confess that I did download these into pucasa3 and “touch them up” a little. It’s free.
scupper – good to see you. Thanks for “setting a spell.”
voicegal – when are you coming home to Chapel Hill?
George S – life is funny. I’m always fantasizing about going to a major metropolitan area…
onecorgi – I sorta’ recall the tune. Was it Carolina or California? I should know that one.
mamoore – glad you could come by.
Trudge – I think we were 13th. Come on over anytime.
jim – nothing like a little walk after working all day. Thanks for stopping by.
My favorite shot is the magical pathway to your hot tub. Beautiful deck work and the hanging lantern is enchanting. Gives me ideas of naked tiptoeing down this path.
Pawed for those wonderful moments!
Ablonde – I like the way you think.
LadyM – thanks for coming by. Always good to see you.
Great piece, great pics! Rated for ... well, everything!
Your piece reminds me of something I wrote a few years back. With apologies, I'll post it here:
The tops of the trees
Are alive with song.
The coffee tastes bitterly fine.
My wife sits beside me,
Still fresh from her bath.
I can smell the soap on her skin.
It is Saturday morning.
There are weeds in the beds
That need pulling.
There are fish in the pond
That need catching.
There are books in the stack
That need reading.
There are family and friends
That need loving.
What am I to do today?
I think I'll do it all.
A cardinal screams down from the top of an oak,
And alights on the foot of a feeder.
Takes a sunflower seed from the trough in his beak
And returns to his previous perch.
Soon, his voice rings out in song.
He's singing his thanks to me.
I look at my wife,
At the dogs
And the birds.
It is Saturday morning.
The sun's moving high
Through the leaves in the trees.
The birds move in small silhouettes.
The day's growing warmer
With each passing minute.
The coffee is kicking in.
I get up from my chair
And survey my kingdom,
Thinking,
"Yes! I'll do it all!"
Notes – good to see you. I am indeed blessed.
"It was late afternoon and the sunlight was doing its selective highlighting . " Perfection.
(And JK, bite your tongue. Hard.)
Rated
Lea – thanks for the camera comment from a real pro. I love all your travel pics and posts.
sandra – I appreciate the comment, and I want a ride in that yellow Miata.
Tom – life IS good!! Good to see you.
Annette – thanks for the comment and noticing the deck. Of course I did claim credit for building it.
B1 – Spring is on the way to the “Sun Parlor” of Canada. Low 90’s this weekend.
Buffy – thanks for he comments!
scupper – you are welcome to stay anytime!!
Snow Geese
Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last!
What a task
to ask
of anything, or anyone,
yet it is ours,
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
One fall day I heard
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound
I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was
a flock of snow geese, winging it
faster than the ones we usually see,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
so they were, in part at least, golden. I
held my breath
as we do
sometimes
to stop time
when something wonderful
has touched us
as with a match,
which is lit, and bright,
but does not hurt
in the common way,
but delightfully,
as if delight
were the most serious thing
you ever felt.
The geese
flew on,
I have never seen them again.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won't.
It doesn't matter.
What matters
is that, when I saw them,
I saw them
as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.