Today I honor William Butler Yeats


WHEN YOU ARE OLD

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows, deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

W.B. Yeats
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HE WISHES FOR THE CLOTHS OF HEAVEN

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softely because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats

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"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree................"

hoala honu (awaken, turtle) 

Hawaii

follow me 

Kumu Koa

Kumu - 1) foundation ,base,trunk or 2)teacher or 3)beginning, source, origin
Koa - 1) brave, fearless or 2) soldier or warrior or 3)endemic forest tree


This giant tree, native only to Hawaii, was used for generations for the great canoes that carried Hawaiians in their sea-going ventures. Today, there are NO Koa trees of the size required to fashion a large canoe, but with continued reforestation, perhaps future generations will know of its true nobility.

Hawaii
Botany

Koa 

a photo by my son, Will - above the valleys of the kings 

Two words to eliminate from our vocabulary?


A few years ago, in the parking lot of Costco's (which, by the way, has almost become the town center due to its "bargain" prices - much to the detriment of our locally-owned business enterprises) I met an older woman who was struggling with loading her purchases into her pick-up truck. We helped her a little and so struck up a conversation. I forget her name but I recall something of our conversation. She told us how she used to dance with Fred Astaire and that now she is awaiting her hip replacement surgeries. And how she decided at once, upon visiting the Big Island with her husband, that it would be their home. She is now widowed and owns and operates a small botanical garden and cafe', which sadly are falling into disrepair as her physical limitations increase.

When speaking of her philosophy of life, she had the following to say. Every night, before going to sleep, she reviews the day and considers her MOTIVES....not whether her actions and deeds were right or in line with her priorities, but what her MOTIVATIONS for those deeds might be.....

and.... she said that she has eliminated two key words from her vocablury:
"WHY" and "TRY"

She says that she no longer asks "why?" as it is a useless and endless question - things simply are the way they are.

And she doesn't use the word "try" any longer, either. She will do or not do - trying implies that she has a ready-made excuse if she should fail, or make a partially-committed intention, which is no commitment at all.

She didn't tell us how she came to this philosophy, whether she learned it from a book, from a teacher or religion, or from her own personal experience; but I suspect that her evening reflections and her earnest intentions have given her strength and courage in meeting the challenges of her life.

if you look closely, you may see the spider's web 

Akaka Falls  

Walking to Akaka Falls

yesterday, I encountered a woman (Barbara) who was struggling with the steepness of the path. She was huffing and puffing, and had stopped to catch her breath while her party continued on without her. I paused to say hello and to give her a little encouragement. Barbara said she thought she was about to have a coronary attack and I told her, "no, just go slowly and stop when you need. There is much more to be seen if you take the way slower." She then remarked what a perfect place it would be to die in and I agreed, it is like the Garden of Paradise. Then Barbara told me that when she died, she wanted to be cremated and to have her ashes sprinkled into the wind, in just such a place as where we found ourselves yesterday. She says she wants to become a cloud, pointing to the sky and the fluffy clouds that were passing by. Then, her loved ones would be able to say, "look, there goes Barbara".

And so....later that day, in a highland meadow, feeling the wind ruffle through my hair, wondering whose voice it carried to me, and again gazing at the clouds, I considered, what a perfect day it would be to die .................. isn't it odd that when life seems the most rich and the most full, that we consider our deaths? I consider that I live well in order to die well. It was then that I saw the owl, gliding over the field and into the forest. (yes, owls are active during daylight hours, too, here)

Death apparently has passed me by for another day and another place.

PS - I just read Steven Barnes' post from Friday and he mentions, too, living well in order to die well - seems that Barbara and I are not the only ones! (http://darkush.blogspot.com/)

I was more intrigued by these tiny falls from a mountain spring - these falls that I can touch and feel blessed by 

Ohia Lehua growing in a lava field 

The Ohia Lehua is the first to appear on new lava - a harbinger of new life and fertility - the tree's name is Ohia and its blossom is called Lehua

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The Legend of Ohia and Lehua

One day Pele, the goddess of the volcano, met a handsome young man named Ohia. She desired to have him as her sweetheart. He confessed that he already was in love with another young girl, Lehua. This enraged Pele and she used her magical powers to transform the young man into the ugly Ohia tree. Lehua was terribly sad and pleaded with Pele to return the young man back to his human form. Pele refused so Lehua begged the gods to help her to be reunited with Ohia. Instead of changing Ohia back to a human, the gods transformed Lehua into a lovely red blossom to adorn the Ohia tree. Now when anyone picks a Lehua blossom, it will rain because the lovers have been separated.

Hawaii
Botany

Why are these mushrooms growing in a circle? Please reply if you have any idea 

Botany

My son Will, broke his neck last June in a diving accident. Not only did he survive, he thrives. He didn't know I took this photo Sunday afternoon- it was a very windy day - Will, the willow! 


spirit

feet of clay 

Funny, I live in a colorful world - our landscape is vibrant and lush - yet my dreams are in black and white these days - I somehow knew that I'd be passing through these "dark days" - where I dredge up old griefs that I want exorcised finally and completely- and where I battle the bitterness and cynicism that seeks to creep into my being- cynicism must be reserved only for the youthful - it is sure death for those of us in middle-age and further.

Today we hold our dying cat - Pumpkin the obese and schizophrenic - who is the most affectionate and companionable cat when indoors - and the most skittish and unsociable when outdoors - when she wakes she cries out and seeks our company - and then falls into purring and kittenish kneading when comforted - and then finally sleeps again - she's not going to the vet - no euthanasia for Pumpkin and no decisions made by any other than God as to when, how or why.