Bald eagle
Good evening.
It’s a dreary dismal night here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Not raining now, but damp and dark.
We just finished eating wild leek curry. Anyone surprised? I steamed some wild leeks-carrots-celery and added some pre-packaged chili curry. Over brown rice. Add an ear of fresh corn.
River reflections
Tonight’s photos come courtesy of yesterday or the day before or maybe the day before. Anyone else losing time? You know how when you’re in your 20’s time seems to actually be manageable? Then, suddenly, as we age, time starts jumping around. It starts scurrying! It starts wagging its tail at us. Pretty soon it’s barking. And we’ve lost track. One day blends into the next. Is today Friday? And how can we be sure? We know the calendar says Friday, but could it be lying?
Close up: Spring. Background: Swirl of river.
Thus, we’re all standing at the Friday cusp peering into the weekend. Do we all have plans for the weekend? Or do you (like me) have an open couple of days staring you in the face?
I used to get worried about Too Much Time. What to do; what to do?
These days I know the hours will pass like lightning. Now you see them, now you don’t.
What are you doing this weekend?
Fast-moving spring river
I am watching a DVD called “Young Victoria”. It’s quite good. I would tell you what’s happening now, except that might give the plot away.
Tomorrow night: the movie “Precious”. All I know is that Oprah liked it. Hope it’s good. That will be Saturday night’s activity. Along with a bowl of popcorn. Yum.
Look closely. Closer. Even closer. What do you see?
See that photo? I know it’s not very good quality. Ordinarily I wouldn’t publish it. Except–look!–can you see the pine spider sitting near the green root? Yikes! I didn’t even see the spider until Afterward. Do you ever wonder how much you don’t see at the time?
And while we're talking insects...what kind of creature is this?
The above insect also provided some entertainment as it waltzed across my pants. What was it? A flying ant? Will some insect-professor happen to pause by this blog and provide identification? Wouldn’t that be nice?
Wishing all of you a great weekend. May you learn things you didn’t know yesterday. May you see things you never even dreamed about (like the above insect.) May you look under rocks and into the tops of trees. May an eagle fly above you. May you feel gratitude, down to your tippy-toes.
P.S. Yes, the first photo is a bald eagle. Even though you can’t see the white tail feathers. I could see them clearly. It was lunching on a road-kill deer before it sky-rocketed toward the heavens, trying to get away from the photographer.
Lake Superior Spirit 
Kathy – I love the “River Reflections” photograph!
No open days staring me in the face. My weekend is Sun/Mon and I’ll be working on edits, writing my bun’s off. And I’ll love every moment of it!
Thank you for the beautiful blessing at the end of today’s post. I especially like, “May you feel gratitude, down to your tippy-toes.”
We got a DVD from the library and are going to see “Death at a Funeral” this evening (sounds gruesome, but it’s a comedy).
(And by the way, I’m fairly confident the calendar’s lying) …
I hope you have (or had) a nice weekend, Laurie. Hope you enjoy your weekend. Hope you didn’t write and edit so much that you missed the sunlight and forget-me-nots and the ravens. Hope you thoroughly enjoyed that movie too!
Kathy – I love to write, as you well know writing can be therapeutic. But I don’t miss much while I’m doing it. I sit smack-dab in front of a window and am cheered on by an ancient oak. I’m also nudged and nuzzled periodically by three wet muzzles who coax me outdoors to play.
I just toggled over here from your fresh blog post (https://upwoods.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/turn-off-your-computer/#comment-3000) and am meeting you half-way on your challenge. Whoohoo!
Hello Kathy and Laurie, thought you might enjoy reading Hiro Boga’s comments on this at http://hiroboga.com. Her title is Slay the Ice-Cream Dragon: Healing Internet Hangover (April 29th).
The oak sounds lovely…and the doggies, too! Glad to hear you’re meeting the challenge!
I see a spider.
Gorgeous reflection picture. I think we miss heaps of stuff…
But it is wonderful when we slow down and finally see them.
Happy weekend to you – I hope to spend the day in the garden on Saturday.
Dawn, bet you are enjoying relaxing in your garden. Glad you could see the spider. I LOVED that reflection picture, too.
Kathy
You never cease to amaze me. Just when I am thinking you can’t possibly top what you just posted, you rise again with a another great one.
As for the spider! I did not see it at first until I picked up the netbook and brought it closer, and then I said, ohhhhhhhh wow!
I also accidently clicked the wrong key and the flying insect Zoomed in on the picture. Try it….I think you might be wright, looks like a flying ant.
Kim
Why, Kim, thank you. I love writing what happens in these days. If you look at one angle it looks like nothing is happening. If you turn the kaleidescope, it looks like amazing things are happening all the time! Including flying ants. Or whatever they are.
I had some help seeing something rare. I heard a song, and beautiful song with a little chirp percussion. Not a song I hear regularly. I had to go look.
There was something red/orange flitting among white/pink apple blossoms! Black and white wings!
A Baltimore Oriole. I don’t think they live here on my place. I have seen them in May about 3 times, one sighting. They come with the apple blossoms and move North.
Today was the day, and I was home and paying attention!
Carla, I would love to see a baltimore oriole! so much! We rarely see them here, either. We’ve probably seen them about three times, too. Glad to hear that you were blessed with an appearance. How marvelous!
We miss a whole lot most of the time. I know that when I run I see some of it, but if I walk I see more. I doubt I ever see it all.
Great reflecting water photo! My favorite of this series. Though that bald eagle is pretty spectacular too…
Dawn, when I took a wilderness survival class we were taught to move really slowly. The slower we move, the more we see. But guess what happened today. Barry and I were running through the woods–really quite fast–and I noticed a jack-in-the-pulpit at full speed. Later came back and photographed it. Will try to post those photos later. Amazing that it was spotted while running fast.
Good Morning!
I really liked Young Victoria! Our river here is very ‘floodish’, and difficult to get more than steel gray images, so far. What causes that rust color in the water? Here, it’s the old coal mines.
elisa
Elisa, I was just thinking about you yesterday. I liked Young Victoria, too! It was a great movie. Really good. so glad she married….ooops, better not give it away. I think the rust color in the water here is caused by minerals like copper and iron. there are a lot of minerals mined around here. So good to hear from you!!
Good Saturday morning! Time and seeing, Perspective, perception, there seems to be a theme going around here in these blogs?
According to Conversations with God Book 1 Time is discussed in this manner: “Within the realm of sublime relationships nothing which exists has an opposite. All Is one, and everything progresses from one to the other in a never-ending circle.
Time is such a sublime realm, in which what you call past, present and future exist inter-relationally”… pg 31.
My weekend started last night with The Juried Art Show Exhibition Opening and Reception, followed by a meal in a very loud bar, with friends and a group of sports fans cheering on the Flyers to their win.
Today Saturday, I had more things planned than I could possibly get done. Two photo adventures, in different directions, a gathering of local crafters and artist, farmers market, etc.
I have something planned for tomorrow but I can’t remember what that is at them moment.
My days do blend into each other, the day and or time are really unimportant, it is the quality and usefulness of the time used. And Kathy I think you use your time very creatively and expressively!
The Eagle shot is great, I really like Spring ! Great work!
I am Love, Jeff
Jeff, I love that Conversations with God quote. There is some wisdom in those books… That never-ending circle of life…
I hope you had fun at the Juried Art Show Opening. And it sounds like your Saturday is full and exciting, too! I love it when we can use our time creatively and expressively. And thanks about the eagle shot. I was amazed to even capture it with the camera. It took one look at me and bolted for the heavens!
Hi Kathy, once again…YUM!! And thank you so much for your weekend blessings. They immediately lightened my day. I once read that a blessing is a conversation of recognition between ourself and ourself-within-another. A soft, warming breeze that invites us to open our windows and doors and let the stuffiness out and new life in. In any language, it’s a lovely gift. Thank you.
Weekend plans? Well, I should be packing and getting thoughts and travel plans in order but that’s not happening, at least not yet. We have a young mockingbird who has been enthusiatically sharing his impressive repertoire with us for the last week or so…starting around 1:00 am and still going strong at first light. Bless his lusty young heart!! Many yawns and maybe a nap seem to be the order of the day.
Hope you enjoy your movies and a very Happy Weekend to you:)
Colleen, that is a lovely way to put it. Will try to remember what you said…a blessing is a conversation of recognition between ourself and ourself-within-another. Yes!!
I have loved hearing mockingbirds in Florida and California. We don’t have any here. They are so versatile and sound so neat. I am sorry they started around 1:00 a.m. though!!
Colleen, thanks for that link! I liked reading what she had to say…guess we’re not alone in this… 🙂
Colleen — WOW! All of her classes (http://hiroboga.com/programs/) sound terrific. Thank you for the link!
I’m here late but am content that I go so much done yesterday….after ailing on Mother’s Day weekend, it was delightful to putter in the garden, take a meandering walk in the middle of the day, read in the sunshine….ahhhh, life is good!
Time does pass swiftly though most of the time, I feel that I’ve slowed to a comfortable pace through it and am blessed with contentedness.
Now I want to know…..WHY were you and Barry running through the woods? You just throw that out there and give us none of the details?!?!? :}
Cindy, I guess it didn’t register that you were ailing on Mother’s Day weekend. Glad you are feeling better now and enjoying these wonderful days. And blessed with contentedness! That is a fine gift from Life.
As for running through the woods, I told Barry your question. He said, “We weren’t running through the woods, Kathy.” I said, “I distinctly remember running through the woods in order to avoid being spotted as we went to the morel mushroom place.” He said, “We were not running.” I said, “But I can remember flying over the jack-n-the-pulpit. If not running…going awfully fast.”
So the truth lies somewhere between running and walking. Ha ha!
“As we age, time starts jumping around.” Is that what’s going on?! I loved Young Victoria, too. And have been blessed to see a Baltimore Oriole a couple of times at Dad’s bird feeders. I think they might be moving north a bit with climate change…
Glad to hear you liked the movie, too, Barbara. I haven’t gotten around to watching Precious yet. A strange small bird was just fluttering at the window. It looked like a miniatrue baltimore oriole. Must go look it up in the bird book. Or else it was a VERY orange finch!