Day 194: Treasured Images

August 1, 2012August 1, 2012 | Aspergers Girls

I took the images at the 625-acre Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve in Washington, USA. Soils formed as glaciers melted about 11,000 years ago. This site protects native ecosystems and rare plants and animals. There are many theories about how the mounds of earth formed. My favorite is the giant gopher theory!

This is an interesting video about the mounds:

and laughing…here’s what it looks like MOST of the year:

Images

I imagine your voice as the sea alive in the deep night
A rhythmic strength, a moonlight lullaby
I imagine your presence the solid branch set across clear stream
A place to cross over, a passageway to the other side
I imagine your taste the ripe fruit cleansed and divided whole
A sugar to tongue, a craving reborn
I imagine your chest the mossy grass of midsummer
A softness to palm, a tingle to my skin
I imagine your hands the breeze through the evergreen of cedar
A visiting ebb, a caress between limbs
I imagine your lips the cotton candy of youth
A melting satisfaction, a spiral of sweetness
I imagine your soul the wings of the monarch
A flawless design, a freedom to flight
I imagine your movement the rapids over boulder
A cleansing crush, a cool rush of nature
I imagine your image the reflection in still pond
A mirror to myself, a partner to my imagining

~~~~~

Samantha Craft, August 2012

Day 188: You

July 25, 2012April 3, 2013 | Aspergers Girls

DSCN0566 — Washington State Park
by Sam Craft

You

I searched a thousand love songs

I thumbed through printed prose

I edged my mind round poems thick

All words that rhymed with rose

In storybook or tale

The answer did not rest

And so I tried with might

To search through nature vast

From animal to tree

From sky to crumbled rock

I walked from path to path

I tracked the soaring hawk

In vain I hung head low

In sorrow and in shame

I had not found the answer

And had to start again

This time I looked at art

Communicated form

To marble, paint, and print

To oddities adorned

To everything that came

To everything I saw

I could not find the answer

Not hanging on a wall

My legs they soon grew tired

My heart it gave a thump

My mind was spinning top

My throat it felt a lump

How could I describe you

And show you how I cared

Declare my adoration

When you weren’t anywhere

And so I found a tree

So very tall, and sat

And took a deep breath in

And thought of this and that

I reasoned and I volleyed

I cursed and threw a fit

I hollered and I worried

And even gasped a bit

Until the answer flew

Smack straight into my heart

And suddenly I knew

How to piece together parts

I found you weren’t outside me

Not anywhere I’d looked

Not locked within the words

Of any single book

I saw you clearly now

In everything you are

The golden thread of hope

My brilliant shining star

A source that danced within

My ever waking dream

Inspirer of wishes

Interwoven in my seams

Sam Craft

July 2012

I’m kind of in a music mode….hehehehe 🙂

Day 121: Violet in the Morning

May 25, 2012May 25, 2012 | Aspergers Girls

(Teacher says: Music I posted in comment section is a must to play while reading.)

This is Violet in the Morning. My little Labradoodle. I also call her Spastic Colon, but I thought the title Spastic Colon in the Morning might give you the wrong idea. I am carrying her in my arms in this photo. That is my scarf. And, yes, those are her very sad eyes. This is my first time taking a camera on a walk since I moved to Washington. Violet was initially very excited to walk. She showed me this by jumping up and down about three feet off the ground and wrestling with her leash. But once we were outside the front door, she didn’t seem too happy. She was tugging, and pulling, and shivering. I thought she must be cold and said, “You’re a dog. Toughen up!” And I giggled. Because giggling in the morning is fun.

This is my tree. I call him Fred or Sheldon. I can’t decide. He doesn’t care, because trees will go by any name, as long as you hug them.

When I passed this tree Violet was still shaking. A few blocks later and she was pulling back on her leash. Being the logical gal I am, I thought to myself, “Hmmmm. Maybe she senses danger. Like a mountain lion or wild leash-free dog.” I was still a bit clueless and exaggerating events in my mind.

About the time I reached this stump, I leaned down and soothed Violet with gentle pats, and reassured her she had a fur coat to keep her warm and that there was no pending danger.

This crow was watching us outside the lama barn. We kept walking, Violet shivering and tugging, and me clicking away happily.

Flowers by my home

Early Morning Mist. Can’t beat this calming scene.

One of my favorite properties. They have outdoor weddings here sometimes.

About the time I captured these ducks flying overhead, and was thinking I wish I had an audio recorder to capture all the bird sounds, I realized poor Violet wasn’t cold or scared. In fact, she was having a doggy seizure! This wasn’t her first. So I scooped her up and held her. And I continued the walk with her in my arms.

I have a friend who I promised to carry in my thoughts today. So as I carried my doggy, I imagined I was carrying the person’s burdens. This worked for quite sometime.

This scene caught my eye. The two friends, the dog being held, but then I noticed the broken leg. Made me wonder a bit about things.

Me wondering about life.

Fake seagull in ivy

Neighbor’s yard

Fish atop a mailbox

Hidden School Bus

Old Bus Stop

Here comes the sun

I had to keep setting Violet down because my neck and back were aching something terrible. She was sweet. Just sat there and smiled up at me.

Interestingly, this was the least violent seizure she has had.

Here are photos of my favorite part of the walk. To me, this is one of the loveliest places in the whole world. I carried Violet most of the way. First down the hill and then back up, sometimes in a cradled position and sometimes like a baby slung over my shoulder. She shivered. But with every step I took with her, she calmed more down. I kept my friend in my mind. It was a very enlightening experience. Especially considering my sensory issues of having dog breath in my face and my physical issues of having difficulty lifting things. I was quite happy and pleased with the way the walk turned out. I reflected on the way life is—how we never know what to expect—and that sometimes it is best to just make the best of things. And so we walked on.