Happy new year!

"What does this song mean? My whole life I don't know what this song means. Should auld acquaintance be forgot. Does that mean that we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we happened to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot?"

-Harry Burns, When Harry Met Sally

Castles and cities

"Frost grows on the window glass, forming whorl patterns of lovely translucent geometry. Breathe on the glass, and you give frost more ammunition. Now it can build castles and cities and whole ice continents with your breath’s vapor." - Vera Nazarian,

I took this photo of downtown Minneapolis, MN looking through a frosty window in January, 2013. Winter is a fact of life in the Midwest. Might as well embrace it.

Coincidence? I think not.

“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.” ― Erma Bombeck

Photo: tom turkey spotted in May of 2012 at Ft Snelling State Park in Minnesota.

Cinderella redux

“Single ladies, the only thing we need to be rescued from is the notion that we need to be rescued.” ― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

I saw this shoe in the middle of the sidewalk this morning and Cinderella immediately came to mind. 

November arrived, cold as frozen iron

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix I took this photo at Loring Park in Minneapolis, MN. Most grass is covered by a blanket of leaves these days and it is lovely.

Watch the leaves turn

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn." - Elizabeth Lawrence

Photo: Street light and path next to LaSalle Community Garden in Minneapolis, MN.

My favorite month

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

More gold

"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons." - Jim Bishop My favorite season is in full effect. This photo features the spire of Hennepin Ave UMC in Minneapolis, MN.

Quite true!

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” ― C.S. Lewis

Photo taken at the gardens in Loring Park. Minneapolis, MN.

Releasing ourselves from the past

 

"We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it."  - Rick Warren

It is difficult to escape the past. It can haunt our minds. It has literally affected our brains and cells. However, we can seek out help to manage intrusive thoughts and place the past in proper context, diminishing its power. 

Photo: Coneflower remnants near Cedar Lake, Minneapolis, MN.

Summer 2013, soon to be a memory

Those of us in the Midwest are surely ready for autumn. Summer is heading out with a wallop of heat all week before Labor Day. Nonetheless, every season has its charms.

Photo: Chalk drawing on the footbridge in Loring Park. Minneapolis, MN.

Perspective

“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

Photo taken in eastern Nebraska, Washington County. August 2013

Be content

“Not every lake dreams to be an ocean. Blessed are the ones who are happy with whom they are.”
 ― Mehmet Murat ildan

I like this quote because while ambition is useful, it is not the source of happiness. If you don't have peace and contentedness in your heart now, you will not have it when you have more riches or a spouse or children, etc.  

Photo: Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Summer, 2013

spices from a million flowers

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.” ― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

Bumblebee on goldenrod, taken in Minnesota, 2008

What to do with the time

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Photo: Coneflowers by Peavey Fountain, Minneapolis, MN

Perseverance

“With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.” -Sir Thomas Buxton
I took this photo from a sidewalk on a hill. The parking lot adjacent to it ends up being a foot or so below eye level and one can see many things which usually go unnoticed. Like these weeds that have rooted themselves in cement surrounding a median spike. I love how nature does that. It clings tight in unlikely places and flourishes. That's not always so easy as a human. So I'll take examples on how to do it anywhere I see them.

Transformation

Non sum qualis eram; I am not what I used to be.

The time is always ripe...

 

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”- Nelson Mandela

The more things you will know...

 

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

This photo is of a "Little Free Library" in Minneapolis, MN. They are all over the world. Check out the official site for locations and info on creating one. 

Summer afternoon... bliss

“Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” - Henry James


Photo taken near Two River Overlook in St. Paul, MN. June, 2013

True Story

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” ― Charles M. Schulz

Mmm, chocolate. Photo from candy dish from an Easter past.

Nonsense!

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”
- Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

Here, here! I agree. I took the original pic a few years back at Loring Park in Minneapolis. The squirrels of the park are rather well known and quite tame. 

Happy little goslings

“Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” ― Guillaume Apollinaire

This photo was taken in May, 2013 near Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, MN.

Spring dandy

“If people did not love one another, I really don't see what use there would be in having any spring.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

I took the photo this morning at Loring Park in Minneapolis. They were out mowing so it was a quick shot before all the dandelions were gone. I'm sure they'll be back soon enough. 

Rain is grace

"Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be  no life." - John Updike

The photo was taken in my parents' backyard in October of 2006. On some Spring days, I need to remind myself that rain is a Good Thing.

Not enough keys

"It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered--so many locks not enough keys." ― Sarah Dessen, Lock and Key

Photo back story: I took this photo in November of 2008 on a meandering stroll near Hennepin Ave in downtown Minneapolis. It was just a rusty lock and chain that caught my eye.

Thinking of Boston tonight...

"I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." - Anne Frank

A fresh try

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”  - J.B. Priestley

Photo backstory: Eastern Comma butterfly at Heron Haven, Omaha, Nebraska, 2007.

Let the Rain Kiss You

April is a mixed bag in the Midwest. Here in Minnesota, we've had snow and rain this first week and there's plenty more in the forecast. We have cabin fever. We want to get outside but we need an umbrella handy as well as layers due to the chill. Spring is on its way; the blackbirds' songs have informed me of that. And so, I must be patient, and remember Hughes' words and embrace the rain.

 Photo backstory: wild iris at Ft. Snelling State Park, Minnesota, 2009.

Just Living is Not Enough

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” ― Hans Christian Andersen

Photo backstory: Red Admiral on coneflower, Heron Haven, Omaha, NE, 2007

Even the False Spring

 

"When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest." 

- Ernest Hemingway

The photo was taken in April of 2010 at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. I'm not sure if there's crocus about to bloom as early this year. They may be under several inches of snow. With snow still in the 10 day forecast, it feels like a false spring, indeed.

I am!

Who is ready for Spring????
Photo: yellow-rumped warbler at Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield, MN, April 2009

A chipper thought

"When the going gets tough, the tough make cookies." - Erma Bombeck

Not much of a photo back story for this one. Just some comfort food one afternoon. :)

I believe in pink

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”- Audrey Heburn

Mmm, chocolate...

"Forget love! I'd rather fall in chocolate." - Sandra K. Dykes

Sounds good to me. :)

Photo backstory: I was making brownies for a potluck a few years back and took a moment to snap a pic before licking the beaters.

More to life

"There is more to life than simply increasing its speed." - Mahatma Gandhi

That is the truth. Too many times I sought to follow the examples of workaholics or the lure of greed that drives people to gain more temporally. It is not nearly so shiny and appealing up close. The stress is not worth it. Relationships, solace, peace... those are worth more than gold.

Photo back story: This is a mourning cloak I photographed in April of 2011 along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. They are one of the first butterflies to appear in the Midwest in Spring and a welcome sight.

Getting over it

 

The first time I heard the expression, "Build a bridge and get over it." was on a BBS (showing my age here). Someone wouldn't let a situation be diffused and another person responded with this phrase. It might not be the most helpful thing to say to someone else but I've found it a good reminder for myself. More than saying "get over it," it says to put in the effort to get to the other side of "it." Find a way.

Turn your Faces to the Sun

"Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun." - Kahlil Gibran

I photographed these asters at Heron Haven in Omaha in May, 2009. Such a prolific wildflower but I never tire of seeing them. In light of the impending snow storm hitting the Midwest over the next few days, I'm thinking about Spring. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Haha! :) Signage from Feb. 2006 at the now defunct MJ's in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

For every love

“For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.” - Ivan Panin

A collection of hearts and love from my photo archives. Happy Valentine's week.

The shape of the soul

"We picture love as heart-shaped because we do not know the shape of the soul." - Robert Brault

I happened upon this painted tree stump in 2009 near Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. It was a serendipitous find... much like love is. :)

A little cheese with your whine?

"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse." - Jeffrey R. Holland

This is one of those quotes I did a double take when I first heard it. Then I smiled and laughed.

Little things

Why not learn to enjoy the little things, there are so many. 

A quote from an unknown source. True, so true. I decided to have a cup of hot cocoa each winter night in 2013. It's a little thing that has grown in value each night. Photo backstory: White-breasted nuthatch at MN Valley NWR in Bloomington, Minnesota.

4 of 4 meerkats agree

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” - Ferris Bueller

Indeed, it does, Ferris. This has always been a favorite quote.

Photo backstory: Meerkats in 2008 at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, NE.

Mmm, pizza

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." - Yogi Berra

As a pizza connoisseur, this cracks me up every time I read it! :) The pic is one I took at Punch Pizza in northeast Minneapolis in 2008.

Honoring his legacy today

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. I took this photo in Omaha, Nebraska in 2009 the day after a big Christmas snow storm.

Winter: so little to do?

"Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do -- or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so." -Stanley Crawford

I think it's ok to do a little hibernating in winter. How else are we gonna have the energy for the rest of the year? :)

Winter is on my head

 

"Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart." - Victor Hugo

I have come to appreciate all seasons though spring and autumn hold more affection in my heart than winter and summer. 

Photo backstory: It was taken in March of 2006 on the last day of winter - at least according to the calendar. Mother Nature had other plans.

Incompatible addictions

"Be thoughtful of others and you will not be shy, for they are incompatible addictions." - Robert Brault True enough. Being thoughtful, being the change, requires reaching out.

An Invincible Summer

"In the depts of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." - Albert Camus

I took this photo in December of 2010 during a storm that dumped around 2 feet of snow on the twin cities. Had I no memories in my heart of summer, it would have been difficult to bear winter that season! :)