Earth – Page 83 – Life Is Full of Sweet Spots

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. — John Muir

August 8, 2013

Elephants are particularly social animals, living in tight matriarchial family groups. When a calf is born, adults and others of the herd will gather around the newborn, touching and caressing it with their trunks. Quick to stand and follow their mother and family herd, newborns are the center of attention in their family groups and … More Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. — John Muir

Fresh beauty opens one’s eyes wherever it is really seen ̶ John Muir

August 5, 2013

Ornamental grasses ease the business of observation. The feather of their curves softens neighoring edges and corners. Their barely perceptible brush with the breeze is the music of meditation. * * * Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2013

Beauty in the presentation

July 29, 2013

Exotic Bloom a Biomechanical Hybrid

July 22, 2013

There is a surprising exotic bloom on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT, a place once frequented by the Lyme Art Colony and known today as America’s center of Impressionism. Dubbed the Anticipator by its sculptor, Matthew Geller, it combines bionic metal limbs with a Star Magnolia tree planted in … More Exotic Bloom a Biomechanical Hybrid

Ray of Sunshine

July 15, 2013

I came upon this ray of sunshine, skipping from sunrise to sunrise, refusing to set, to leave me alone. — from Dreams of a Wingless Child by Mary O’Connor © 2007. ********** Photo © 2013, Mary O’Connor

Serengeti Sunrise

July 11, 2013

Symbolically, Acacia trees represent immortality, innocence, initiation of life. Considered sacred by the ancient Hebrews, its wood was said to be used by Moses to build the Ark of Covenant. A thorny tree, it is believed to have been used to make the crown of Christ. On the Serengeti, where this photo was taken, it shelters the … More Serengeti Sunrise

It’s the quiet little places that tend to set us straight.

July 8, 2013

Big Screen Performance

July 1, 2013

One of the sky theater’s most popular performances is that of the rainbow. An optical phenomenon of refracted sun rays reflected in air borne droplets of water, rainbows tell us a storm is over, a clear day is ahead—or, for the wishful thinkers and idealists among us, that there is a pot of gold at its … More Big Screen Performance

A Lesson from the Peony

June 20, 2013

The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu. It means, simply, most beautiful. The poet Sensei Ogui finds a lesson in its moment of lifetime: Peonies bloom on peony trees. A cat doesn’t become a chicken. Tulips are tulips, not roses. Why can’t we realize this true fact? That to be me is great. … More A Lesson from the Peony

Twenty Minutes a Day

June 17, 2013

Appreciate the splendor of nature. This is what Thoreau would have us do. Look up and around, he would tell us, look to the west, to the wild, to the hills to the fields. Studies by professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan of the University of Michigan support his philosophy, telling us that all it takes is … More Twenty Minutes a Day