Zen Cat Art

Lemon Owls...

I sliced some lemons for a "ladies tea" last Friday and there were a few slices left over.  I thought I would make iced tea out of the tea left in the pot.  So the ice tea never happened and they sat in their dish for another day until it was time for them to go.  But I was reluctant, they were so thin and yellow and cheerful looking.  As I held this little guy up against the light, it looked like a little owl face to me.  And anyone who knows me will tell you that if you put two eyes on a paper bag, I will name it.  So I propped him up on the cactus that sits on the window over my sink.  And there he is, making me smile while I do dishes.  Not a bad thing.  Really.

His name is Kabosu.  (Japanese for lemon)

Cutting the lemon
the knife
leaves a little cathedral:
alcoves unguessed by the eye
that open acidulous glass
to the light; topazes
riding the droplets,
altars,
aromatic facades.
~from A Lemon by Pablo Neruda

How to hold a moon...

In a tangle of branches...

In a web...

In a nest...

In black lace...

Surrounded by feathers...

It is a full moon tonight and I am thinking about the moon...

A day of reflection...

It's time for me today to go slow and take a look around me.  


A time to see what the past year looked like and what I would like the next one to look like.  

I always want things to be "better."  But since life is always a mixed bag and sometimes the very things we think are bad turn out good and vice versa - I think my aim will be to be more peaceful.   
 
It is Yom Kippur. 

Cameras & Begonias...

 
I carry a camera where ever I go.  It's in my purse when I go to the post office, stop & shop and the dentist.  It's on the table when I quilt.  When I have tea in the morning on the porch, it's next to my tea cup.  My first camera was a Nikon FM metal body, that got me through my painting/photography BFA.  I moved up to a Nikon 20/20 with auto-focus and thought I had reached the big time.  I took great shots but  it weighed a lot without the lenses so got a top-of-the-line point and shoot to carry around. 

A little Olympus C-50 and she was sweet and digital.  Photoshop 3 (that will date me) and a color printer and I was in heaven.  Then it was an Olympus C-7000 and Adobe CS and we grew up together, into the digital age without looking back.  And now....

Ta Da! Nikon s9100!  She's a cutie and does exactly what I want her to do.  12.1 mega pixels and an 18X wide lens with great image stabilization and HD movie capability.  So what was the first thing I took a picture of?

Since she was a birthday present and a celebration was involved...
 
It had to be lobster.

And just for a bit of fun...a bit of soft focus sepia.

I really need to read the manual.  But playing is so much more fun!!

PS The stunning begonia belongs to Robin and hangs on her front porch.  It's a beauty!  

Happy New Year!

A new year.  Time to reflect on the old year and look forward to the new one.  A sorting process - it is more about keeping the things that are comfortable, that worked, that fed me and letting go of what did not.  Making resolutions; it sounds too strick.  Already I am rebelling against it.  I just need to settle in and be aware of what works for me - in my life, in my art.  To be present in each moment so that I am fully alive for a full year - a year that will never come again. 

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?  
~Mary Oliver 

Full Moon...

 
The moving Moon went up the sky.
And nowhere did abide;
Softly she was going up,
And a star or two beside-

From The Rime of the Acient Mariner

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Basho's friend...

We surprised each other this morning.  I thought he was a rock when I picked him up, perfectly camouflaged against my deck.  We both jumped and he hopped into one of my old pansy pots and hid under a stem.

 
Into the old pond
A frog suddenly plunges.
The sound of water.
~Basho

Morning Walk...

I haven't been out walking in the nature preserve near my house since before Christmas.  First it was Christmas crazies, then we went to NC to see the kids, then I had a bad bout of bronchitis/asthma issues, then there were snow days and minus three degree days and putting down floor days and a few can't get moving days.  But this morning Phil and I headed out early.  We go in the back way that leads to the path that circles "Little Pond."  Picture a lolly pop - we are walking up the stick - and just before we get to the candy we see this...

Now entering wonderland...and we did.
 
A winter wonderland in white.
 
The boardwalk takes you out over the pond.
 
The water wasn't that high but it looks as if some of the boardwalk sunk.
 
You might not remember my post about "What stops you?" and we were determined to keep going but as we ventured out there was an ominous cracking sound so we turned around mid-cross - comforting ourselves with the fact that no one else was even out there (not a car in the lot - very unusual) and there was hot coffee waiting at home.    

Frost Stars...

This morning there was frost on the porch rail.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see those little frost stars that are the magic of winter.  When I took the picture I didn't notice that rail needs scraping and painting - all I saw was the stars.  I probably need some scraping and painting myself but the best thing about the people who love you, is all they see is your stars.    
  

Winter - Part Two

The road I live on is about three miles long.  My house is nestled in a cathedral of oak trees about half way up.  It's a beautiful road.  When I drive down toward town early in the morning there a few places that catch the sun light and take my breath away.  When I saw this I had to turn the car around and take the photograph.  The photos don't do it justice. 

It was stunning.  I stood there until I realized my feet were cold and I was going to be late. 

When I came back from my appointment I took a picture of the stream on the other side of the road.

Spring and fall may be famous for their colors but sunlight glinting on the snow.  Ice crystals on the windows. 

Lovely, just lovely!