“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” - Dolly Parton

Hello friends! I had my annual mammogram today, so this is your PSA to take care of yourself and get your screenings, especially if these things make you nervous (like me) and it’s easy to put them off. I was so happy to get the results after only 2 hours and know that all was ok! Last time I had to wait for a letter in the mail.

Here are my photo choices for today:

May your week be full of comforting and nurturing moments - and good news!

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Late summer. On the surface, it seems like a rather slow time of year when not much is happening. Yet, when I look closer, there is so much life happening before my eyes.

Young birds are EVERYWHERE in large packs. Flickers are playing in mud, in the sand, and in the grass. Exploring what they can and gently harassing their classmates at random.

Young bluebirds chase each other, catch bugs, and sometimes stop to watch the other birds with curiosity.

The eastern kingbird kindergarten is overflowing, and they are learning both bug-catching skills and their signature “how to run off competitors” skills at the same time. They aren’t called kingbirds for nothing.

I’ve seen more adult male orioles join the females and juveniles this week, and I delight in hearing their flute-like songs echo from the trees.

I have to look closely, because surprise birds may pop out at any moment. Catbirds, thrashers, woodpeckers, and maybe a cuckoo if I’m really lucky!

The water levels in the lake are extremely low right now, the lowest I’ve seen in years. I’m assuming they are working on the dam because it isn’t for lack of rain. This has given way to “mud flats” in places I usually can’t quite access, and the frogs seem to be enjoying it.

There are big youngsters around too. Young hawks occasionally zoom through. The turkey vulture numbers grow by the day, and the annual sports of vulture jousting and volleyball net walking are in full swing.

There are surprises to be had out over the lake too. Once in a while, the terns will make an appearance, and an osprey has been flying around every morning. This week, a few egrets have shown up, though they haven’t come close enough for good photos quite yet. September is the month of egrets, with a little luck!

Butterflies seem to peak this time of year, even if they mowed down more of the fields than I would like. The saddlebags dragonflies fly back and forth across the road in front of me, daring me to attempt to take their photo - an endeavor that is fun, despite the very low success rate, and often makes me “late” returning home.

In the fields and along the roadside, the color of late summer is gold as the goldenrod begins to flower in earnest. I have long craved this color this time of year, so much so that I painted my stairwell as close to this color as I could.

At my feeder, the ruby-throated hummingbirds have increased in number. Most days there are two or three vying for control of the magical flower that never goes dry. One young male has been consistent for a few weeks. I know him by the spots on his throat, and I call him my little prince.

Occasionally, an adult male will stop by. They seem less inclined to let me slide open the door and take their photo, and they don’t seem to try to do battle with the youngster. They just take a sip and move on.

One guy this week must have been particularly tired and thirsty. Not only did he let me take his photo, he also stared down the silly young boy. He quietly finished drinking before he departed.

We’ve had some cooler mornings, but summer will give us what I hope is the last hot blast this week. I’m ready for fall, but I’ve learned not to wish any days away. Life goes too fast as it is.

Every season has its challenges; every season has its gifts. I’m enjoying everything late summer has to offer, and the 4000 unprocessed photos on my computer prove it. All too soon, it will give way to fall.

What gifts are showing up in your part of the world right now?

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“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world.” - Dolly Parton

Hello friends. We lost another wise woman this week. Like Jane Goodall, her light will continue to inspire others for a long time. I can’t think of anyone who was a better example of being utterly and completely true to yourself AND completely and utterly accepting everyone else. She really shows how when we fiercly love ourselves, we are able to be really generous to others.

Here are my photo choices for today:

Did anyone stay up for the lunar eclipse last night? I’m sure I slept right through it because I just love sleep too much to give it up.

May we all find that place in us where we can be as generous of heart as Dolly Parton.

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“As long as you’re dancing, you can break the rules. Sometimes breaking the rules is just extending the rules. Sometimes there are no rules.” - Mary Oliver, “Three Things to Remember

Hello friends! Rules were made to be broken, right? At least some rules, some of the time. Otherwise nothing changes! The corollary is, learn the rules so you can break them with skill.

Here are my photo choices for today:

May you find a way to dance through your week.

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Quiet. A thin blanket of fog. Not so thick that I’d get wet, but just enough to dampen the sound. It’s cool for August, in the 60s, and even without a breeze it feels pleasant.

Young crows call from all around the lake. One here. One there. It’s as if someone strung twinkle lights all around the lake and they are making a sound one at a time.

I see the young bluebirds and flickers, but it’s as if their sounds somehow don’t disturb the silence at all. It seems all the creatures are respecting this hush, this glorious - and rare - quiet.

I thought about trying to record the silence and quickly realized this is more of an energy, a feeling, and anyway, how does one record quiet? Instead, I let my mind rest in the solitude.

This is the thing I’ve been learning, and forgetting, and learning again this summer. That my mind can rest. That my mind NEEDS to rest. That every part of me is happier when my mind is willing to rest, if even for a few moments.

The wind picks up, gently, easing away the fog. The bird sounds grow louder as they too seem to sense the sunlight is about to find them.

The young birds chatter more than they sing, and this time of year there is less birdsong than there was a couple of months ago. I’m ever so grateful for the singers who keep singing after the spring mating season is done. Indigo buntings, cardinals, Carolina wrens, meadowlarks, and the occasional oriole seem to sing just for the pure pleasure of it.

I’m learning that my mind can rest in these sounds, too. With music and song, my mind seems to say ah, yes, I can float here the way the body floats on water. Even more so if I allow my body to rock, sway, and move gently to the music.

As the sun appears, the birds get busier. The flickers are busy finding whatever it is they find in the dirt. There are a half dozen or more of them, mostly youngsters, which is spectacularly typical for this time of year.

Can I use superlatives with the word typical? Because what’s typical is also quite grand and fills my heart with joy.

Bluebirds are now flitting back and forth from the grass to anywhere they can perch. Catching bugs is to a young bluebird like a video game is to a teenager - great fun, requiring some concentration, but with plenty of moments to chase each other around, too.

Near the shore, I notice two small birds fly in. Sandpipers! The first little peeps I’ve seen this year. I didn’t see many (did I see any?) this spring, so I hope the fall migration pattern makes up for it!

Out on the lake, two Forster’s terns have been vying for control of a buoy. There are a dozen other buoys, but they always want the same one. One youngster tries to land on a float in the water, but it’s clearly too slippery. It is fun to watch the youngsters learn.

I wonder sometimes if birds can rest their mind when they are floating on the air. I think I could, if I only had the wings to try.

Sunrise has moved back 45 minutes now, but my body is still asking for a turtle start to my mornings. I feel better when I give myself some loving attention and move slowly before getting out the door. As the mornings cool, the sunrise colors pull harder, and I really want to be out in the pinks of the early morning.

Whatever time I get out, I am so grateful for the walk. I am so grateful for this park, for the lake, for the access I have to all this beauty. I’m so grateful for a body that can do this.

As I’m writing, there are two juvenile male ruby-throated hummingbirds chasing each other around near my feeder. A chickadee decided to dart in and try to get a drink from the ant moat, and they promptly chased him all around the tree too.

Indeed, the typical is also wonderful. Every day I hope for more typical days like this.

What typical things in your world do you also find wonderful?

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“That’s what sport is. That’s what life is, isn’t it? A series of chances.” - Rebecca in Ted Lasso

Hello friends! I had the photos in this post but completely forgot I needed to write the opening and closing because I was watching Ted Lasso. Sorry not sorry! If you don’t watch Ted Lasso, I highly recommend it.

Meanwhile, I did have the photos done! Here we go:

Let’s end with another Season 4 quote from Ted Lasso: “Sometimes home is just a state of mind.” May we all feel at home, whatever that means to us.

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“Have to be mindful of chicks and tiggers!” - said by me this morning when I was thinking of ticks and chiggers, but from now on I’m saying it this way!

Hello friends! We’ve made it to a new week. We were lucky enough to have a cool front come through, so it’s much nicer than it was last week! You take what you can get in August!

Here are my photo choices for today:

May ease and delight appear on your path this week as much as possible.

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Hello friends! Not feeling my best this weekend, so I’m giving my writing brain a break. I do have new photos to share!

May we find joy in unexpected places this week.

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“Life is to be lived, not controlled.” - Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Hello friends! We are in the middle of an intense heat wave and I’m definitely ready for it to cool off! Still thinking about all those who are facing fires, smoke, drought, floods, and all other forms of challenges.

Here are my photo choices for today:

May ease fill your body and mind this weekend.

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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello friends! Monday has been a whirlwind; I’m hoping the rest of the week slows down, just a little. Thank goodness for birds and all the other beauties!

Here are my photo choices for today:

May you find many moments of stillness even in the midst of a busy day.

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As Taylor Swift said, “Things will change, can you feel it now?” (“Changes”) One of my favorite things about aligning with the rhythm of nature is noticing the subtle shifts that happen before the bigger shifts that everyone notices. Just as the weather turns really hot, in what feels truly like mid-summer, the first fall migrants begin to trickle through.

I’ve said so many times that spring migration is an all-out sprint, but fall migration is long and languid. Does it seem odd to talk about fall migration now? Does it seem “early”?

I’ve come to understand that it isn’t early, and it also isn’t late. Birds begin to move this time of year. The purple martins have disappeared from our area now, leaving right on schedule at the end of July.

I last saw my male hummingbird with the full ruby throat about a week ago. A female (I think) and at least one young male have taken his place at my feeders. This time of year it’s really hard to tell the difference unless the young male has started to get his little throat rubies.

I feel a little bad that I didn’t get to uncover the flowers before my little prince left, but I am glad I saved them from the beetles so the women and children could enjoy them!

I had one salvia plant that had never grown or bloomed since I planted it in the pots in April. Mostly because I was too lazy to do anything else about it, partly because it never looked completely dead, I kept watering it. To my surprise, it has sprouted new flowers this week! Just in time for the hummingbird migration.

We had big storms on Wednesday night, and a cold front that came in with them. A “cold front” in July just means it’s bearable for a couple of days, but it can bring birds with it. This one brought terns! I’ve seen Caspian terns, Forster’s terns, and black terns the last few days. They didn’t really come close enough for good photos, but I was so excited to see and hear them!

There are plenty of young birds out exploring the world now too, and I can’t always tell which might be migrants and which were raised locally. We could say the same about humans, couldn’t we? They belong here regardless.

There have been plenty of “grassland” birds around, even varieties I didn’t see much of in the spring or early summer. I’m always excited to see mockingbirds, scissor-tailed flycatchers, and a multitude of meadowlarks!

“Baby birds” come in all sizes. I’ve said for years that the mamma Cooper’s hawks send their youngsters out with instructions to follow the crows around and learn how to navigate the world. I hope to see some crow-hawk interactions soon!

This time of year is also prime time for butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, and dew drop art. Abundance overflows, just as it does at the farmers market.

This is also when the summer feathers start to fall to make way for the winter plumage. If you’ve been here long, you know that feathers are one of my favorite things to photograph!

Every season has it’s gifts, every season has it’s challenges. The heat of August will soon give way to the coolness of fall. In the meantime, there are so many gems to be discovered!

What treasures are showing up for you this time of year?

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“Please, let me stuff myself full with beauty, drink light for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner - never again take a Tuesday for granted.” - Julia Fehrenbacher

Hello friends! We had a big storm Sunday night that I was not expecting, so my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders as I’m writing this. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix, though!

Here are my photo choices for today:

I’m wishing for a quiet weekend, full of sweetness.

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“When you are content to be simply yourself, and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.” - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8

Hello friends! I’m starting this morning at the voting booth, voting for our state parks and against the efforts to limit democracy. Seems like a good way to start the day!

Here are my photo choices for today:

May this week be filled with many moments of contentment, even if we only imagine them.

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What would it feel like to be content in this moment?

Even though my breath isn’t smooth, my hip hurts, and the house sparrows have built a nest in my fireplace vent that I have no idea how to extricate?

Even if it’s too hot and there’s not enough time and the cucumber has a bad spot all through the middle of it?

Could I feel content simply with the sensation of the blessed air conditioning gently moving across my skin?

Could I feel content that my salvia, which I thought had died, has suddenly begun to produce new flowers just in time for the hummingbird migration?

A juvenile male hummingbird has arrived and is taking his chances sneaking into the feeder, hoping to evade the ever-watchful adult male who has been here all summer.

I recognize contentment mingled with delight as the feeling I have when I am absorbed in watching the little boys chase each other around.

Birds often seem content to simply sit on a branch and preen. Nothing to do, for at least a moment. Just a little self-care or maybe self-soothing. I could use more of that!

In this state, their bodies soften, and their eyes relax. They are not “on alert”, not scanning for bugs or other birds. This is the state I want to embody.

Birds don’t remain in this state all the time, but they return to it again and again. I want to return to it again and again, building a pathway so it is easily accessed.

Could it be that contentment is a practice, and that I have been practicing discontent my entire life?

I have lived a life of striving and “trying hard”, which our culture seems to think are virtues. Contentment is definitely not my default setting. But perhaps, just perhaps, it can be cultivated.

How often does a conversation start with all that is wrong? How often do we actually share the small moments where we are or were content?

A little voice inside my head wants to equate complacency with contentment, but I suspect that is a false equivalence. It wants to throw in words like lazy and unmotivated as icing on the distasteful cake. Whew, the programming is strong.

Constant notifications, “breaking news,” and the ever-pressing “attention economy” tell us we should never be content. Perhaps then, contentment is a form of rebellion. A way to say, “you can’t have my peace.”

Maybe contentment can be cultivated like gratitude. Not by ignoring the challenges, but by finding moments of settling amidst them. Maybe contentment makes gratitude easier to access - or the other way around.

Rather than asking, “Am I content right now?” I have started periodically asking, “What if I were content right now?” It’s an invitation that can be met honestly while still opening the door to possibility.

Where do you find contentment in your day? In your week? In your life? What does contentment feel like?

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“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” - Leonard Bernstein

Hello friends! It always seems like Friday sneaks up on me before I’ve done what I wanted to do for the week. Here are today’s photo choices:

May your weekend provide easy, heart-filled connection.

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Instead of asking “did I get enough done today?” ask yourself “did I treat myself like someone I love today?” (From the daily Buddhist social media post)

Hello friends! It’s been “don’t take the camera because it’s tempting to stay out too long” and “cook dinner at breakfast so you don’t have to heat up the house later” hot here. Fortunately, those “feels like” temperatures are supposed to drop back from 110-120 F to the mid-90s. Whew. I have no idea how my European friends managed this without AC!

Here are my photo choices for today:

May your challenges be easily resolved and your heart be light.

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“Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. Sometimes it all comes together…” (And sometimes it doesn’t.) (From “The Bug” by Mary Chapin Carpenter)

Well, friends, I had been working on a piece of writing for several days, and it just wouldn’t come together. So today, it’s “just” photos. But let’s be honest, that’s the best part anyway! Ironically, I was writing (again) about my lifelong habit of trying too hard and holding on and my desire to create a new habit of letting go.

So, I am practicing letting go of the struggle and sharing the part that came easily:

May you toss whatever is stressing you this week into the wind and dance like the falling leaves.

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“Today, she celebrates all the times she was shaky and unsure, and showed up anyway…” - from “Redefining Success” by Julia Fehrenbacher

Hello friends. This quote seemed perfect for my week! We’ve had a few amazingly cool days, which is so appreciated in July! The heat will come back, but I’m celebrating this while it’s here.

Here are my photo choices for today:

My mantra for this weekend is “I am building a habit of letting go.”

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“I try to be good but sometimes a person just has to break out and act like the wild and springy thing one used to be.” - Mary Oliver, from “Green, Green is My Sister’s House”

Hello friends! It’s hot. Tomorrow we get cooler north winds (cool for July), but they are going to come filled wtih wildfire smoke. So, it’s going to be a week for limiting outdoor activities for sure. I’ve got some stressful (for me) things to do the next few days, so wish me luck! Sending love to everyone dealing with challenging conditions - and let’s face it, that’s probably everyone.

Here are my photo choices for today:

May you breathe easy this week, at least in the in-between moments.

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Hello friends! I keep trying to write a post and it keeps not happening this week, so I’m going to pivot. I’m going to share some questions I’ve been pondering. Maybe these will spark something interesting for you - or maybe you’ll just enjoy today’s photos. I’d love to hear from you if you care to share your thoughts on the questions too!

Question #1: What are one or two core values that guide you in your life? (If you need ideas, a quick internet search of core values will give you many different lists. Narrow down your list - and don’t overthink it for now.)

Question #2: How do these core values influence your daily activities?

Question #3: If you look at the things you do regularly, how do those things support your values?

Question #4: If you were to think about your values while doing simple tasks (like washing the dishes or going for a walk), would it shift how you do the task?

Question #5: Are there things you think you “should” be doing that you are not? Do those things align with or support your values?

Question #6: Could the things you do regularly and the things you don’t do that you think you should possibly point to a different value or purpose you haven’t acknowledged?

I can say these questions are very fuzzy for me, even though I’ve done values exercises many times. That’s why I find them interesting! I would love to know what you all think my key values are based on my Substack?

Ok, that’s it for now, though I could always ask more questions! If that was too much deep thought, please go and enjoy the rest of your day now!

May you find moments in your week that feel full of meaning - for no reason at all.

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