crunch time

as you all (should) know by now, i am working on a STILL book. (woot! woot!)  i have my first draft of the manuscript due to my editor on march 1st. i thought i was ahead of schedule, until i recently pulled the whole thing apart in order to simplify it. so i am no longer ahead of schedule, but sort of , kind of, behind schedule. in other words, it’s crunch time. so, i will be still be showing up here every day (because i will never break the chain).  but for the next two weeks i will be putting a little less time into each days image. i think it will be an interesting experiment–will my quickly dashed off images stand up to my more deliberate photos?  i have a hunch they may. it will be interesting if you see a difference. there is even a chnace that they get better, because i will be working on pure intuition, with no inner critic, and no intellectual over-thinking going on. let’s see what happens. consider this image day 1 or our two week experiment.

dried flower petals

a warm welcome home

i am still getting settled back in after being away for a week. i’ve received a warm welcome home–quite literally–with unseasonably warm weather in the 40s all week. the snow is melting and sounds of tinkling meltwater flood me with memories of my childhood and walking to the bus stop to that evocative sound every spring. so, while it may look like raindrops on those cedar tips, it is indeed melting snow. which reminds me, this is the time of year when cardinals turn a brilliant red in preparation for mating season in march. they achieve this heightened color when the dusty gray tips of their feathers on their necks and backs wear off revealing a much brighter red than we see in fall and winter. their crimson red against the dark green of the cedars is one of the first signs of spring.

cedar tips with melting snow

full circle

i am just back from california. i stayed at a remarkable and unique home one mile from the entrance to joshua tree national park. if you are on instagram, go check out my post about the house (@maryjohoffman).  it is worth the 3 minute diversion, i promise.  anyway, i am back with you. i did indeed gather a bag full of dessert debris. but i was unable to play with my cache today…hopefully tomorrow. in the meantime, one more circle for you to enjoy–this time a ringed target in (northern) winter colors. 🎯

circles are divine

‘God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere’ (Hermes Trismegistus)

winter stems and paper birch circles

circles symbolize the cycle of time

circles are not just geometrical symbols but are also what makes life possible. the sun is a circle, and so is the moon, and even more importantly, so is the cycle of life. circles are an intricate part of nature; time occurs in repetitive cycles in the form of days, months, and years, and seasons of the year occur in repetitive cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

cedar tips and juniper berries