my continuing love affair with the moon

The Hunter's Moon of October 11 was so beautiful this week, and I was grateful for some clearing at night to be able to enjoy it. By Wednesday night, however, the clouds were obstinate so this is the best image I could get.

Not a great shot, but when I look at it I will remember seeing this October moon and a sky full of stars on Tuesday night when Bonbon and I went outside at midnight for her last trip in the grass before bed. I stood looking up at it all and she stood silently beside me and I thought: There will never again be this same sky..... a time will come in the next years when Bonbon will be a memory (I petted her then with that thought) .....my life seems to be on autopilot right now and I don't like this feeling of being out of control, but in the scheme of things I have as little real control over the ultimate outcome of my life as I do on the universe.

Quite likely, the feeling of powerlessness over the events in our lifetimes was, in part, what led people to the mystical arts to begin with. I saw this painting online and looked for a poem that might suit it, and I found one via the Yahoo community board (hence the poet's moniker).

So, here's to the powerful and serene Hunter's Moon of 2011, a real dream-maker.

2009 Hunter Moon 

Olga Perry

Hunters moon is here by Madame Houdini

Lunacy in rouge
Dry foliage of crimson and orange
Rustled beneath the hunters limbs
Provisions shall be needed for winter.

Somewhere a bonefire roars
Pagans and Druids held hands
And casted hexes and prayers.

From the window sill
I admired the crimson glory
Hunter's Moon is here.

.

Willow's pause in her "busy" day

When I get out of bed, Willow often moves right over to the spot where I have been sleeping. There, in her "mommy spot," she seems to have her soundest sleep of the day so I don't disturb her, and simply make the bed once she has jumped down.

Today I glanced into the bedroom and saw that she was not there so I stopped what I was doing in order to make the bed before she had a chance to settle back down there later.

I saw something dark on the sheet that looked like a cat toy but not one that I recognized so I was confused and moved toward it somewhat cautiously, which is altogether silly. I just wasn't sure what it was.

Then I got closer and.....Awwwww! 

I swear this kitty just melts my heart.

I love Willow so much!

 For me, one of the pleasures of cats' company is their devotion to bodily comfort. - Sir Compton Mackenzie

.

Friday Flash 55 -- His Dear Martha

Andrea and Kirk were lifelong friends, separated by 2700 miles. Andrea was happily married, so she worried about Kirk’s divorce.......until he emailed about Martha.

Now his Facebook profile made Andrea smile! In a Relationship, it read.

Kirk described Martha as "perfect."

"She's playful, but she doesn’t play around. I totally trust her," he said.

                           

See the latest posts of weekly FF55s (works of fiction in 55 words)

at Mr. KnowItAll, the G-Man.

I now share my life with the second Old English Sheepdog that Michael and I have owned.
You can view a short (.46) clip of Abby in her summer cut HERE -- and that post includes a link with the story about how we rescued her at age seven after our dear Woofles died.
And THIS POST shows a short (1.57) video of Abby and our chocolate Standard Poodle, Bonbon.
.

The Crystal Butterfly Lovers

Jack Frost
                -by Helen Bayley Davis

Someone painted pictures on my
     Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
     And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
     But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
     They vanished one by one.

* * *

I took this video of Abby and Bonbon (both ten-years-old) in our back yard on Thursday--our one day of falling snow this winter. It did not last long, but it was enchanting. The three giant Sequoias seemed pleased to welcome "crystal butterflies" where, in a few months, other butterflies of various colors and sizes will settle onto the boughs for sheltered naps on hot days.



Music (my latest favorite classical CD):  "Lagrimoso" movement from The Butterfly Lovers - Concerto for Violin, by Gang Chen and Zhanhao He. Gil Shahan-violin, Lan Shui-conductor, Singapore Symphony Orchestra


.

Old English Sheepdog posing as couch potato

Michael took these shots of Abby last week when I was away from the house. She has cozy dog pads on the living room rug for lounging during the day and is not usually allowed on the couch. Today, however, if she wants to I will let her sleep there while I continue painting the kitchen/office and while Michael puts in yet another weekend day at the office. I think we all need a day at the beach soon, that is what I think, and I think Abby is dreaming of that too.

For those of you who don't know how Abby came into our lives here is Abby's Story (it includes a photo of us at the Oregon coast)...

Paul McCartney has raised Old English Sheepdogs for years, loves them dearly, and wrote Martha my dear about one of his favorites...

.

Abby is our Old English Sheepdog

Mike put this video together last summer of our Old English Sheepdog, Abby, but she's enjoyed the same spot in the sun this summer. It's her favorite place to nap during the day.

Abby had her ninth birthday recently. Some of you may remember my earlier post, Abby's Story, about our bringing her into our family via a Rescue group. There was the saddest loss in the group this past May. Steve Schott died suddenly. He was the man who fostered Abby not once, but twice, and who, as president of Texas Old English Sheepdog Rescue, was instrumental in the vitality of the group . We still miss his calls and emails. The last time we spoke on the phone he lamented, "You know, some of the first Sheepies that I placed into homes are beginning to die." But there are many Sheepies all across the United States still living their lives happily with families who rescued them, all because of Steve. He had a heart full of love and compassion, and I think of him often when I look at our precious Abby. What a great legacy.

• If you'd like to know more about the wonderful organization where we found Abby click here for Texas Old English Sheepdog Rescue.

• Once there, please notice the special memorial page for the wonderful Steve Schott.

• Also, if any of my readers are in the Houston, Texas, area please consider the special appeal for a foster home for a dog named "Tank." If you can help out, or know anyone who can, well ..... that would be super.

• There are rescue groups for nearly any breed of dog. And don't forget your local animal shelter, where many dogs and cats await homes...or would appreciate your time as a volunteer.

.

and the award goes to.....

Kim at Perfectly Cursed Life recently honored me with the Kreativ award. It's quite something, and so are the accompanying instructions!

1. Post the award on your blog, and link to the person who gave you the award.
2. List seven things you love.
3. List seven blogs you love.
4. E-mail or comment on those blogs to let the people know you’ve given them the award.



It's early in the morning and I'm really tired so here come the first seven things I love that pop into my brain:

1. Sleep
2. Willow on my pillow, purring
3. the gorgeous Asian-inspired wind chimes my sister gave to me some years ago that hang near the bedroom window
4. the vintage high-boy dresser that belonged to my grandmother, then to my mother, and now to me that stores my pajamas
5. the sound of the morning paper being delivered
6. the quiet of the night, most nights
7. a handy sound machine that I have set on ocean waves to soothe when nights aren't quiet


And here are seven blogs I love and to whom I pass on the Kreativ Blogger Award, because I so appreciate their creativity, ingenuity, humor, and beauty:

1. a little red hen

2. Freckled Writer

3. Francessa's Thinking

4. Inner Journey of a Dreamweaver

5. Inside Candy

6. The Watercats & All the Things

7. fluxlife





.

Make Our Garden Grow

You've been a fool and so have I
But come I'll be your wife
And let us try before we die
To make some sense of life
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow

I thought the world was sugar cake
For so our master said
But now I'll teach my hands to bake
Our loaf of daily bread
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow

Let dreamers dream what worlds they please
Those Edens can't be found
The sweetest flowers
The fairest trees 
Are grown in solid ground
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow
-from Candide






We planted our small garden last weekend. It seems late but it was our best timing given the extremely wet month of May. I read that because of the kind of spring we've had it actually isn't too late to put in a garden in this valley.

We bought a lot behind and to the side of our house in 2001 from the woman who intended to quarter her property and sell off the three empty lots for development (one quarter contains the house next door where she'd lived for decades). We're not talking large lots here, and if we hadn't saved the one next to us three giant Sequoias would have been sacrificed for a small house and garage. That is indeed what happened to the two other empty lots, and one contained a fourth Sequoia that, when felled, shook the entire block. A neighbor teenage girl methodically counted the 77 rings on that tree, and since the survivors were the same size we knew their age too. It's more than an honor to share our time here with these three giants who will be 80 years old this year.

There's a clearing in the lot that gets sun most of the day in the summer and that's where we planted our garden. It's next to the old potting shed that came with the lot. The shed enchants me and I think it holds a lot of promise but we haven't done anything with it yet except to store potting and yard supplies, and shelter stray cats.

Abby was our only pet to show interest in the creation of a garden. She lay down in between the garden space and the potting shed and supervised our work. The three of us had a beautiful day!

The experience over the weekend reminded me of "Make Our Garden Grow" from Candide by Leonard Bernstein. I tested many YouTube videos today and there are some marvelous versions of the song. But this one by Barbra Streisand was the only to get to the heart of us, Mike and me, and our days in the sun together.

.