Little Poem

That money talks
I won't deny.
I heard it once,
It said, 'Goodbye.'
-- Richard Armour*

Pix today from 3.Oct.2010

Landscape of beauty

There was a wonderful interview with Krista Tippett and Irish poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, on NPR this morning. Mr. O'Donohue died in his sleep @ age 52, which should give us pause. My favorite parts of the show: "Where you are understood, you are at home." And, quoting from German mystic, Master Eckhart:

"There is a place in the soul — there is a place in the soul that neither time, nor space, nor no created thing can touch." And [O'Donohue] really thought that was amazing, and if you cash it out what it means is, that in — that your identity is not equivalent to your biography. And that there is a place in you where you have never been wounded, where there's still a sureness in you, where there's a seamlessness in you, and where there is a confidence and tranquility in you. And I think the intention of prayer and spirituality and love is now and again to visit that inner kind of sanctuary.

And finally, a prayer Mr. O'Donohue wrote for his mother when his father, her husband, died, the sentiments of which prayer I wish for you:

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

The entire transcript of Ms. Tippett's interview is here.

May you always have an invisible cloak of love around you to mind your life and a path of yellow moonlight to bring you home.

Toddle 1.Oct.2010

Shots from early Oct. toddle to acupuncture. Starting flowers in the front garden chez nous. Passed the Eliot Burying Ground that was open - first time I saw that - wonder if it's open the first of every month? Last pic is of my acupuncture group treatment room - took advantage of no one else being there to grab the shot.











Heading out soon for today's hike. 43F - they say it's raining but I think that's over. Andy's less than enthusiastic about going to the Stitch House Dorchester 20% off everything sale today - and the last thing I need is to buy more yarn - so I guess we'll give it a miss. At some point we'll have to take the meat off the turkey carcass to free up room in the fridge.

My psyche certainly doesn't like not practicing - I've been on a week-long fast prescribed by my Polarity practitioner in an effort to cure my left shoulder twinging and not a night's gone by that I haven't had a nightmare about not being able to find my music before a rehearsal, being late for a rehearsal, etc., etc. Today's the last day and tomorrow I start to ease into a regular regime again in the hope of being in shape and pain-free for the Nutcracker marathon weekend 12/10-12/2010. Fingers crossed.

30 Sept. 2010 bis

Shots again from 30.Sept.2010 as I wended my way up Melville Ave., snapping photos of houses that, if memory serves (and that won't take us far) I haven't posted before, as well as a couple shots of encroaching fall.










I've been dizzy since I got up this AM and, at the risk of ending up like a neighbor who was found passed out in the street with no ID a few months back, I'm heading out for a toddle, hoping that that will help clear the head. Don't worry, I'll bring my wallet.

30 Sept. 2010

Shots today include local flora & landscape-like tree bark. The whirly one I haven't a clue how I did.




Heading out now for Thanksgiving meal shopping. Hoping the stores aren't too crowded.

Still less than a week since Snitch left us. Missing her and feeling guilty but I have to believe she would only have gotten sicker and then who was I keeping her alive for really?

In memorium: Snitch

A sad day here for us. Snitch was such a wonderful companion - almost like a dog the way she always wanted to be where her people were. No more the scratching @ the bathroom door to be let in in the morning. No more that wonderful resonant purr. No more the puss sleeping on the schmata covering my pillows, visiting me while I knit, demanding attention, attention that I'm now so happy that I most often gave, no more the 5PM on the dot reminding that she was ready for dinner. So sad picking up her food bowls for the last time. The pain so fresh and rawly felt. Struggling with "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I find myself doing both. At the same time.

29.Sept.2010 bis

Shots from our yard & the neighborhood. What's wrong with the seafood/fish emporium sign?




Heading out soon for a toddle before the forecast rain hits. Right now the sun's shining. Tooter showing up this evening for some tutoring. Tomorrow heading out to NEU for more of same. Tootling & stitching and vacuuming on the docket as well for aujourd'hui.

Moi

And some shots from 29.Sept.2010. The self pic was taken @ a recent Melrose rehearsal whilst preparing for the Firebird, etc.






Heading up north to the Keefe piccolo doctor soon since my piccolo is in sad need of a check-up - binding B key, some of the top keys binding as well. Don't want to have the ingrain insecurity playing all those Nutcracker licks. I'll bring some stitching to work on while the MD does her work. Better bring my checkbook, too, since my one year of free tweaks is over. :|

En route acupuncture 24.Sept.2010

Shots taken mostly around Dudley Square whence I toddle from the bus stop to acupuncture. The audio store building, being in its 73rd year must be owned by its proprietor, else, being in the South End, a trendy hot-spot real estate-wise these days, it would surely have been gobbled up by some developer.





Tooter showing up soon for some tutorship. Then a toddle in today's lovely weather - forecast to reach 61F today though it's only 50F now. Then some tooting (yesterday's acupuncture treatment seems to have done wonders for the inflammation of left shoulder), laundry & stitching.