My mind is always racing

chasing its tail

embracing every trail

like a mix of happy rabbits

until I am blazing new trails

cluttered with old tales

like an avenging angel of excavation

and exploration

no stone unturned

every new leaf upended

turned over

carefully examined

cataloged

itemized

prized open

scrutinized

then released

until every thought is running free

wildly organic

like a manic menu of mangled memories

until there is nothing left to remember

every thought shredded

deconstructed

then reconstructed

like a limbic lego landscape

encircled by infinite horizons

and roads that lead to nowhere

or to everywhere

paths to a million-million destinations

or just one

the same one

that brilliant conclusion

inevitable

When you start to feel like

every day is the same

each day

a mere carbon copy of

the day before

Remember

it’s not true

in fact

every day is new

there has never been

TODAY

before

ever

in the entire history

of humankind

TODAY

is new

the clichés aren’t just clichés

Yesterday is gone

You can look forward

You should look forward

anticipate

expect

see

newness

goodness

freshness

When the sun comes up

on a brand new day

it is a debut

every time

TODAY

has its own name

different from every other day

ever

Celebrate

every day’s

eponymous debut

Sometimes

I want the earth to stop turning

I want time to stand still

I want the madness

Yes, I said madness

I want the madness

to cease

and

desist

When I was a teen

I wrote a poem

I don’t have it anymore

but

I remember

the phrase

“cutting myself off at the past”

like

turning back

to a simpler time

if my memory serves

which I will grant

it doesn’t always

and

sometimes

the past

affects

the present

too much

Sometimes

I need

less noise

(in my head)

and

more quiet

(all around)

I need

the devilish dervishness

of life

to sit down and shut up

I need

to be still

I need to breathe

For any and all who may have noticed: I have been otherwise occupied for a while, but the photos and the poetry live on! I need to get my schedule figured out, otherwise I will either continue the silence, or I will be posting at midnight – which will be quite a feat because I will almost certainly be asleep then.

Nevertheless, please stand by. Thank you for your patience. Coming soon to a device near you. Batteries not included. Some assembly required.

Sincerely,

Ed (aka boromax aka FastEddie)

The moon is still gracing the sky when I am walking a little before sunrise.

The glorious sun is making its daily entrance

on the only time THIS day will ever happen!

A rose needs no other name

but if you wish to describe the varieties…

Various neighbors are nurturing these beauties.

Our own roses are not yet blooming.

Soon ours will also be peddling their glorious scent and sight!

Meanwhile…

Here come the cherries….

…and the first blooms on our new lemon tree!

And the sun greets on another new day

I once opened a fortune cookie

to find the following message

on that tiny slip of paper

“A ship in harbor is safe,

but that is not what ships are built for.”

(apparently attributable to John Shedd)

~>-X-<~

I have never forgotten that statement.

~>-X-<~

Safety is an honorable principle.

But it remains true

that we must

be willing to take risks,

which are always inherently unsafe,

in order to achieve

to accomplish

to create

to explore

to discover

to invent

to share

in fact, really,

to DO at all

~>-X-<~

At some point,

we must hold our breath

and say,

“Here goes!”

or we will never know

what might have been

achieved.

~>-X-<~

Playing it safe

could be dangerous.

The irises keep calling me

to come enjoy their splendor

They strike an irresistible pose

They primp and preen and glimmer

They put on quite a show these irises

enough to make one wonder

Where are they getting their instructions?

Pretty sure it all comes natural.

BONUS PIC

For all who ventured this deeply into the tale of the sirenic irises.

I was delighted to attend a retirement luncheon (not mine, yet) the other day

in an ACTUAL restaurant

I mean, inside

maskless

with other patrons

mere feet away

’twas a true delight

PLUS

free hand sanitizer

at the end of the counter

The citrus blooms are fragrant

they attract the busy bees

I close my eyes and listen

to them buzzing ’round the trees

before too long the fruit will grow

bright orange spheres a-plenty

too many for our household

come pick your one and twenty

They are tasty, juicy, sweet, delicious

we can hardly eat them fast enough

and all the neighbors thank us

when we bring bags full of citrus stuff

And the irises have made their stand

they are lovely, tall, and proud

they are gathered ‘neath a palm tree

in dappled shade they’re bowed

they seem happy gathered there

drinking in the sun

communing with the nearby plants

bringing smiles to everyone

There you are

the sights, the smells, the sounds

of a garden growing, thriving, blooming,

bringing peace

singing joy

whispering aahhhhhh….

Last week we drove up to Yosemite National Park. We live about an hour and a half away. Always an amazing adventure filled with sight after sight of stunning natural beauty. Actually, I’d say “beauty” is absolutely putting it mildly. Like… seriously mildly.

Half-Dome in the distance; El Capitan on the left a bit closer. Yes, there was still snow.

Pretty sure this is Horsetail Falls.

Driving thru the Valley, we are surrounded by gorgeous huge trees and mountains.

Horsetail Falls from another angle. Also, notice the pillar of rock rising up from the face of this massive granite mountain. You can see its shadow.

The sun was setting as we drove down from the mountains.

Cell tower and trees. Fuzzy because, well… phone camera and moving vehicle.

And the full moon was rising in the east.

There seems to be a lot of interest in promoting plant-based diet regimens these days. This blog post would fit comfortably in the plant-based category; but I am not sure how much of what is pictured here is edible, healthy, or nutritious. Maybe the geraniums?

This is a shrub that is planted all around the parking lot where I work.

Our orchids still look scrumptious. There’s a bit of Dexter the pooch in this shot.

Magenta geraniums in our front garden.

And these lovely pink geraniums, too!

This succulent is hanging on a wooden fence.

We all hear that we should stop and smell the roses. It is true. We should breathe deeply, look around us, and enjoy the loveliness of nature. Every. Day.