TOO NEAR THE SUN

Great Frigate Bird - Photo by S. Auberle

"A book is like a man--clever and dull, brave and

cowardly, beautiful and ugly. For every flowering

thought there will be a page like a wet and mangy

mongrel, and for every looping flight a tap on the

wing and a reminder that wax cannot hold the

feathers firm too near the sun."

- John Steinbeck

MAGIC

Photo/Collage by S. Auberle

"The world is its own magic."

- Shunryu Suzuki

SOON

Photo by S. Auberle

"Winter, then spring.

It will happen.

It will be more beautiful

than you remember."

- Rod MacIver

Heron Dance

SUMMER DREAMING

Watercolor by S. Auberle

"What we did as we climbed, and what we talked of

matters not much.

Nor to what it led...something that life will not be

balked of

without rude reason till hope is dead, and feeling fled.

It filled but a minute.

But was there ever a time of such quality since, or

before in that hill's story?"

- Thomas Hardy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My Pisces birthday is coming up

in a few weeks. And I've been working

all week on a memoir/cookbook for my children,

which involves lots of old family photos.

I'd been thinking about my grandma a lot--

the fun we had as she taught me to cook,

and I was missing her and my mom.

I mention these things only as preface

to a slightly mysterious happening yesterday.

We probably have around 3,000 books

in our house, scattered everywhere--

on bookcases, tables, in boxes, etc.

I was standing in front of one of the bookcases

while waiting on someone to arrive and,

without forethought, reached out

and took a random book from the shelf.

As I opened it, several cards fell out of it.

I was surprised, because I don't usually

put cards in books, but there they were--

a card from my children when they were small;

a tag such as received with flowers,

from my husband;

a card from my beloved grandma,

who's been gone over thirty years,

and one from my mother

(card pictured above), which read

this wish is for your birthday,

the love is for always...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clearly, the cards had been in that book

for a long, long time.

As I read them, tears came to my eyes...

and then I noticed

the title of the book, by Ayn Rand:

We the Living...

IN THE DESERT WINTER NIGHT

Image by S. Auberle

"In the desert winter night, good and warm

in a duck down bag, the silence is so intense

that you can hear your own blood roar in your ears.

But louder than that by far is the mysterious roar

which I always identify with the roaring

of the diamond of wisdom, the mysterious roar

of silence itself, reminding you of something

you seem to have forgotten

in the stress of the days since birth."

- Jack Kerouac

Dharma Bums

WE WRITE

Photo by S. Auberle

"We write to taste life twice,

in the moment

and in retrospection."

- Anais Nin

MANDALA

Digital Image by S. Auberle

"Today, as I sit in the sun, big blue and purple fish

swim past me in the darkness of my empty mind,

this sea which opens within me

as soon as I close my eyes.

Delightful darkness, delightful sun,

shining on a world which,

for all I care, has already ended."

- Thomas Merton

FOR AWHILE

Digitally altered photo by S. Auberle

At the end of this very white winter

I'm feeling the need for color.

Also for quiet, so until I have something

more to say, just images for awhile.

-mimi

ELIZABETH

Unknown artist

ELIZABETH

they say, had the sight

my little great-grandmother

wild hair tamed down

no-nonsense black dress

glaring, daring the artist

to touch her soul.

They say Elizabeth's hair

was black as a new moon night

that she was a quiet woman

married to a carpenter

that she had four, quiet

round-cheeked children

that she died young, and

I wonder if she prayed

her rosary for the sight

or was it to escape those dark angels

begging, always begging, her to look?

- mimi

HUSH

Photo by S. Auberle

Sometimes this is enough:

three ravens in a tree

Louie and Ella on my headphones

for a late-afternoon walk

that pair of eagles on the lake

Summertime in my ears

sometimes this is enough...

But winter's here now

and livin's never easy

there's no one around

it's starting to snow

so hush little baby, don't you cry

Today this isn't enough

and I don't know why...

- mimi

WILLIE

Concert poster photo

Willie Nelson coming to town for a concert tomorrow

night. A few words of wisdom from his book: The Tao

of Willie:

"We'd probably all be a lot happier

if we'd just remember how lucky we are

to be alive on this beautiful planet."

BUT OF COURSE

Photo by S. Auberle

It's Valentine's Day, who can resist? A few offbeat quotes
from Sara Ban Breathnach's book--Romancing the Ordinary:

"Accustom yourself to continually make

many acts of love for they enkindle and melt the soul."

- St. Teresa of Avila

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is the loving, not the loved,

woman who feels lovable."

- Jessamyn West

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"One knows what one has lost,

but not what one may find."

- George Sand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Love charms are temporary things

if your mojo ain't total."

- Toni Cade Bambara

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"For believe me, the more one is,

the richer is all one experiences.

And whoever wants to have deep love

in his life must collect and save for it

and gather honey."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

DUFFY'S PUB

Photo by S. Auberle

DUFFY'S PUB

not near as interesting as it sounds

like it should be set on a green, misty hill

in Ireland--County Clare, perhaps

instead it's a tiny bar in the Comfort Inn

Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a blizzard

but it is comfortable, especially when

you look outside and inside

these people may become very familiar to me

over the next hours-- we gather round the fireplace

drink coffee, read the newspaper, fret

over what--that we're warm and comfortable

and drinking coffee when over fifty people

have died in the southern end of this storm

when Jim, who I do not know, other than

from conversation at the next table is gone too

and his wake was supposed to be today

one of those where the place is overflowing and

Holy Christ, he's younger than me--brain tumor

and he was such an honest guy--why you could trust him

with anything and his wife, she made the best

cinnamon rolls I've ever tasted

and my fortune cookie from last night's Chinese

says you will travel far and wide

but not today and the TV is saying

there's a nine mile stretch in Kentucky

where every home is flattened...

EDEN

Digitally altered photo by S. Auberle

EDEN

Dearest Adam,

I had such a wonderful dream last night!

There we were, among the plants

and I was helping you name artichokes

when I saw a new fig tree

shining just outside the garden

and Adam, I believe in dreams!

I think this is a sign--it's time

for us to move on, get a little place of our own.

Our apples are wormy

and the weather's turning cold.

Yes, my darling, we've been happy here,

but all good things must end.

My fig leaves have been packed for days

and, frankly, this snake is on my last nerve...

-your loving Eve

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My darling Eve,

As soon as I finish naming this fruit

we'll hit the road. Did you pack for me?

We won't need a map, since I know the way

to San Jose--wait, that's a song--

that hasn't been written yet,

but never mind, my darling,

you are so wise--what with figuring out

that artichokes are edible and

how to eat them without injury

and let's not even talk about lobster,

well, you are my dream woman

the only woman for me...

- Always, Adam

HOORAY

"A Star is Born" - S. Auberle 2007

Hooray for two things:
First, I have returned from my snowbound airport adventure and am back in the sunny Southwest, and

Second: today is the Second Anniversary of this blog! Yes, cause for celebration, I think. I like being out here in the blogosphere, visiting around the world, having my say, and still believe in this one small effort to put my version of beauty into a world that most definitely needs every drop...

Thanks to all you who are out there reading me, and especially Arem Arvinson (Ralph Murre) who got me started on this blogging path. For some fine reading and photos, take a look at his blog and all the others listed on my links. And for now:

"Let us read and let us dance

two amusements that will never

do any harm to the world."

- Voltaire

FRIENDLY SKIES UPDATE

Photo by S. Auberle

No, this is not the Arctic tundra, but it's what my world has looked like for the past two days. For those of you noting my absence, I have been stranded in a blizzard at a major midwest airport. Quite an experience, and also opportunity for people watching, till at last a shuttle arrived to lurch through the white-out and unplowed streets to the last hotel room in town, for which I was exceedingly grateful--not looking forward to a night in those uncomfortable airport chairs. WHY do they put arms on all of them so you can't stretch out?

Hoping to get out today--stay tuned...

IT TAKES A MORNING

Photo by S. Auberle

IT TAKES A MORNING

when the windchill

is thirty-five below zero

to appreciate simple things:

an egg fried plain in butter

licking honey from the spoon

that stirred the jasmine tea

my blue door

in morning sunlight

the knowing that if I had ten more lives

it wouldn't be enough

to write all I want to say

about you and me

or feel the heat of your skin

on mine often enough

to last this thing called Eternity

whatever that may be

- mimi