Dear Mom (in lieu of a Hallmark card and durable, unscented roses....)

Dear Mom

I am in awe

Of your grace

your dignity

your lightning mind

And the fierce curiosity

I find embedded

Like shining ore

In deep veins

In the dark times

If I dig down

Embedded

Like shining ore

In subterranean caverns

In the marrow of my bones

This golden fire

This blood sacrifice

This bountiful heart

This bedrock
These are your gifts to me

And all I can offer

Is this pale reflection

And the solemn promise

To be the mother for my daughters

That you have been for me

Love beyond measure

Your daughter in flesh and spirit

mary

Michael 'n Ubu, best buds

iris 'n dew

foggy morning, view of yard from north

Annabelle 'n Ubu bowling cats (Turtle and Spook)

baby corns emerging in the field to our north

So. Well, these were posted later than the ones in the next post, as bandwidth freed itself up. It's a satellite and networking thing, I think.

All pix were from this morning, foggy and blessed-cool. Michael and Ubu aren't really in the same picture: I fused 'em. Not bad, eh? I love Photoshop! Makes me look like a pro, which I decidedly am NOT. Real photographers study their craft for years and hide in dark rooms until even their family knows them not. I, on the other hand, point this digi-thing and click my mouse. So not fair!

Of course, portrait painters were probably a bit miffed by photographers to begin with, so it all comes back around...

I plan to leave for Kerrville eeearrrly next Saturday morning and return two Saturdays from then if I have enough stamina to last that long...

Later!

hey all! Mom, those are beeauooooteeful flowers -- what the heck are they? I want to live near the red rocks too, but the ones I love are covered by condos... Remember Del Mar Terrace?

I just realized yesterday that mother's day is tomorrow! OH NO! Mom, you are so far away, and I have nothing in the mail. Heck, I don't even have your address! Isn't that the sillyest thing?

I am trying to get on Zaadz, but keep getting "bad response from server," which uncannily resembles my experience posting in the pods lately. It is getting to where I don't dast have a dark thought, or the light-vultures will be on me like stink on carcass.

Oh no! They say. Too sad! they say. Finger-pointing! they say. Well. I say, just try to shut me up now! hehe.

I didn't know it was my job to spread only sunshine. Even though sometimes that actually feels appropriate, and then sunshine is my game, and a perfectly good game. But don't I have the right to express the sorrow and see the suffering? If we can't acknowledge what we do that causes pain, then who the heck are we?

Brings to mind Animal Farm. Were there creatures who staunchly give the humans the benefit of the doubt and refuse to acknowledge the food chain? Too far back in the mists of time for me to remember specifically. But it is hard to imagine that Orwell would have missed that trick...

I wanted the pictures to go on the bottom: here. But no, they load on top. Mom, you arranged your pictures cool. How did you do that?

Any way, these are a few from what I shot this morning: first is an iris in my front yard, second is dew on grass, hehe, and third is sawfly caterpillars climbing up the loblolly. If you click on the pictures, you can see them close-up. Very cool!

then I had to quit uploading because I was hogging the bandwidth. More later!

love you all!

Maya, if you hear me, I hope all is well in the wild beyonds, and have a wunnerful time!!!

Mom, I will call you on Mother's Day! With a surprise... (shhhh)