Many Branches; One Tree

Many branches; one tree. Would you agree that this describes humanity? Aren’t we all connected? I have to believe we are.

I took this photo while outside waiting for Daisy to do her business. (Either hubby or I go out with her when it’s dark because there’s been a raccoon roaming around the neighborhood lately, and we don’t want any confrontations).

When I uploaded this to my computer, it revealed the numerous branches, large and small, standing in the light … all connected to the same source. Just like us.

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

The Eyes of the Future

I’ve been trying to get a shot of this stone statue for quite a while but each time I want to stop, there’s usually a lot of cars behind me.  (Busy road).  No place to pull off.

So yesterday, I set out from home with the intention of getting a shot.  I specifically put it out to the universe that there would be no cars behind me and I would be able to pull over.  Lo and behold!  No cars, and I even spied a driveway that I never noticed before.  Pulling in was a breeze and no worries about getting hit from behind.

I added a slight illustration effect so that the writing under the wings would be visible.  Click on the image to enlarge but if you can’t for some reason, it says: “The eyes of the future are looking back at us. To protect what is wild is to protect what is gentle.”

The palm tree shot was taken right across the street in stark contrast to the desert scene.  Namaste’

Last Sunset

IF WHAT I SAY RESONATES WITH YOU, IT IS MERELY BECAUSE WE ARE BOTH BRANCHES ON THE SAME TREE ~ W. B. Yeats

I meant to post this yesterday but got caught up in efforts to save the donkeys from the roping competition in Van Horn, TX, and I’m happy to say that all of our combined efforts worked.  Take a look: http://www.the7msnranch.com/

A while back I posted a picture of a eucalyptus tree in our back yard that was dying.  At one time it was so beautiful and gave such great shade, but alas, no more.  This is the farewell image; the last time the sun set on our tree.  They came to cut it down and now it’s firewood.  But we asked it to remove its spirit and transfer its energy somewhere else before the chain saws started in.  Bittersweet.  Namaste’

Pathways

While driving, I had to make a u-turn and found myself here. It’s an entrance to a gated community and I thought it was so lovely, so of course I whipped out the camera.  I like how the light was streaming slightly through the tree onto the flowers. Whoever lives behind those gates has a very picturesque pathway to use going to and from home.  I hope all your pathways in life are picture perfect.  Namaste’

 

 

Venus Transit and the Color Green

Before I get into today’s post, I just want to thank you, my fellow bloggers and faithful readers, for the time you take to LIKE and comment on my posts.  It feels so good to be part of such a wonderful community of people, many of whom I’ve never met but feel a definite closeness with.    If I don’t get back to you right away, please forgive me.  Sometimes it gets overwhelming and yet I just can’t stop following all of the blogs I do.  They’re all great!!!

Maybe this Venus Transit, which is the energy of love and the balancing of feminine and masculine energies is having more of an impact than we ever imagined 🙂  It’s taking place tonight between 6:00 and sunset my time in Arizona.  Click here for viewing information.  As always, never look directly at the sun.  Use those viewing glasses or do what I’m going to do … watch the coverage of it on the internet after it’s over.

Today I wanted to do something in the color green.  I don’t know why really but I love the color, so finding this shot of the palms felt just right.  I found them at a mall where it’s nice and cool … yeah, baby!

I looked up what green means and here’s what I found:  Green is the color of nature and health. It represents growth, nature, money, fertility and safety. Green is a relaxing color that is easy on the eye and has a healing power to it. It is often used to represent anything having to do with health. Many pharmaceutical and nutritional companies use green in their logos and material to advertise safe natural products. Dark green is commonly associated with the military, money, finance, and banking. However it can also be associated with being new or inexperienced as being green or a “green horn”. Green is becoming a very popular color in design for web sites.  If you have a favorite color and want to see what is symbolizes, here’s the source I used: http://www.digitalskratch.com/color-psychology.php

I edited this photograph, using a pencil sketch effect, in fotosketcher and am pleased with the effect it produced.  Namaste’ and Happy Venus Transit 🙂

Such a Happy Guy

Well, here he is … the guy that sits on the bench (just across the street from the girl with the stop sign from yesterday’s post). I think he’s way too happy about reading that newspaper.  But wait!  Maybe, just maybe he has adopted my mantra:  “There’s good news today.”  Apparently he found some, judging by that big smile on his face.  Good for you, Happy Guy!

There’s Good News Today!

The photo below actually won a contest for me last year.  The photo had to show contrast of some kind, so I asked my WS (wonderful spouse) to pose with Happy Guy.  I titled it FLESH AND BRONZE. The prize was 500 professionally designed business cards and I was very pleased.  Namaste’

Contrast – starring WS and Happy Guy

The Heart on Fire Award

I have been terribly behind on the awards that my blogger friends have kindly bestowed upon me, so today is the day I begin to catch up.

Thanks to Jeremy for the Heart on Fire Award.  Please visit Jeremy’s blog if you haven’t already.  His photos and descriptions are uniquely inspiring and creative.  To keep this award, I have to share seven facts about myself:

1. Reading and writing have both been my life-long passions, whether it’s a hard-bound book, a paper-back, reading/writing an article or blog, or reading a book on my Kindle Fire. Thanks to my WS (wonderful spouse) for that beautiful Christmas present.
2. I worked in the staffing industry for 25 years – started out by being a temp.
3. I co-authored a book with my WS about how to find a job using staffing services.
4. I’m a huge fan of Neale Donald Walsh – having read every single Conversations with God book in his series.
5. I am proud to be “owned” by two wonderful mutts, Foxy and Daisy.
6. Being a believer that humans simply can’t be the only forms of intelligent life in our universe, I’m a student of anything that points to the truth of that.
7. Taking pictures has always been a thrill for me and this is the time in my life that it has evolved into a passion.
8. My uncle taught me the most about taking good photographs with my very first SLR camera, a Pentax K1000.  It was a completely manual film camera which I took on a trip with him, my mom and my kids back in the 70’s.  At one point we were so engrossed in photographing the indoor pool at Hearst Castle that the tour bus almost left without us 🙂  And he held onto my legs while I leaned over a cliff at Big Sur to get just the right shot of the pounding surf at sunset.

OK, you got an extra tidbit thrown in for good measure.  And now I’d like to recommend some blogs for this award (in no particular order).  Please take a look yourself.  They’re pretty cool.  Note to nominees:  don’t feel bad if you don’t have the time to go through the procedure for this award.  Just know that I think highly of your blogs.

• in my back pocket
• nick exposed
• a window into the woods
• laviebohemeart
• gaia 365
• ramblings
• photographyofnia

Today’s photo is of my favorite mesquite tree, backlit by the sun, illuminating part of the Tortolita Mountains.  Click to enlarge. Namaste’

Dazzle ‘Em with Your Footwork, Daisy

If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went ~ Will Rogers

I just couldn’t resist taking this shot of Daisy trying to convince a lizard to come down out of the tree.  She does her little dance around the tree base and then finally stands up with her two front paws on the tree trunk.  Then she sits down (like when she wants a treat), thinking that if she sits pretty, the lizard might magically run down the tree and into her mouth.  NOT!  But every day she keeps on dancing. I have to give her credit for her tenacity, and her animated personality is so entertaining for us humans.  Good luck, Daisy.  Click the photo to enlarge. Namaste’

The Best Laid Plans

The plans I had for visiting my folks today turned out to be taking my stepfather to the E.R.  Long story but it seems as though he might have some issues with this heart as well as a hefty case of bronchitis.  So it was a long day and since they admitted him for a few days worth of tests and observation, I thought I would grab a bite to eat at a drive-through on my way home.   I hadn’t taken today’s photo yet, but there was a palm tree staring at me while I was in line, saying “I’m swaying for you … take my picture.”   Namaste’

 

Palm Sunday

In honor of Palm Sunday, I thought I would just do a photo of the palm in our own back yard.  As you can see, it definitely needs a trim.

Side note: several of my subscribers are having trouble viewing some of my pics, which tells me I need to make them smaller.  When you get the email notification, just click on the title of that day’s post to take you right to my blog site.

Happy Palm Sunday.  Be blessed and Namaste.

Under The Back Yard Palm