The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. – Albert Einstein

In a celebration of fantasy, imagination and artistic creation, the Florence Griswold Museum has transformed its grounds into a wee faerie village in the land of the Wizard of Oz and invited its visitors to open their minds to the world of day dreams. Visitors enjoy faerie-sized scenes from the Land of the Munchkins, through … More The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. – Albert Einstein

Think about a seed. Once it lands, it’s stuck. It can’t move to find better soil, moisture or sunlight. It’s able to create every part of itself to grow and reproduce with the help of air, water and sun. – David Suzuki

Heaven only knows how this little cantaloupe seed landed in the middle of a hot sandy beach. Maybe the remains of a child’s picnic, dropped by a passing bird, or the gift of the winds. One way or another, it did what seeds do — nurtured a beginning into a blessing of tomorrow. “Keep on sowing your seed, for … More Think about a seed. Once it lands, it’s stuck. It can’t move to find better soil, moisture or sunlight. It’s able to create every part of itself to grow and reproduce with the help of air, water and sun. – David Suzuki

Change is the handmaiden Nature requires to do her miracles with. – Mark Twain

Handmaiden moths, with their striking colors and transparent wings, mimic venomous wasps in their body shape and the position in which they hold their wings. They are, however, harmless and beautiful creatures, day flying members of the Arctiidae or Tiger moth family—seen here performing their domestic duties in true handmaiden manner in the flower gardens … More Change is the handmaiden Nature requires to do her miracles with. – Mark Twain

Observe her powers of purpose, intuition and grace

Readers of Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro may see the leopard as portraying grace, strength, courage and dignity, as an animal that pounces with purpose, lightening speed and accuracy. Capturing this archetypal hunter’s beauty through the lens of a camera is a quest in its own right. Known to hunt during the dark edges of … More Observe her powers of purpose, intuition and grace

A bird is three things: Feathers, flight and song, and feathers are the least of these. – Marjorie Allen Seiffert

And yet it was the watercolored feathers of this Lilac Breasted Roller, perched on a post in the grasses of Tanzania, that above all, beyond its clear call and acrobatic flight, captured my heart. * * * Lilac breasted roller, Tanzania. Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2010.

Taste entertains our tongues, satisfies our bellies, stirs our minds.

“Because they’re connected, taste and smell evoke joy in a way that your other senses can’t…If you want to experience joy, stop, slow down, and begin to pay attention to what you taste and smell when you’re making breakfast, when you’re in a restaurant, when you’re having wine, when you’re outside and it’s the beginning … More Taste entertains our tongues, satisfies our bellies, stirs our minds.

Nocturnal Art

Labor Day marks the ceremonial closing of summer, preserved through the calligraphy of fireworks, collapsing past seasonal glory into messages and dreams of tomorrow, flinging them across the sky. * * * Photos by Jan Logozzo, © 2013

Flight of the Monarch

He was named for rulers and kings, and drank the sweet nectar of the rose, but it was the way he floated and soared on those magnificent Renaissance wings— frescoes of orange and black—that never failed to give rise to the dreams of a wingless child. ******* “Flight of the Monarch” by Mary O’Connor from … More Flight of the Monarch