Thursday, February 28, 2008

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

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

SOON

























Photo by S. Auberle

"Winter, then spring.
It will happen.
It will be more beautiful
than you remember."
- Rod MacIver
Heron Dance

Monday, February 25, 2008

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

Sunday, February 24, 2008

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...

Friday, February 22, 2008

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

Thursday, February 21, 2008

WE WRITE

























Photo by S. Auberle

"We write to taste life twice,
in the moment
and in retrospection."
- Anais Nin

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

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

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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

Monday, February 18, 2008

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

Saturday, February 16, 2008

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

Friday, February 15, 2008

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."

Thursday, February 14, 2008

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

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

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...

Sunday, February 10, 2008

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

Saturday, February 09, 2008

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

Thursday, February 07, 2008

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...

Saturday, February 02, 2008

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