Words and photos by Yvonne.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Ground Squirrels

 Ground squirrels aim for salvation
beneath earth's permissive crust


My friend Karen and I walk around the football field at the school most mornings.
This is the time of year little ground squirrels like to burrow down for the winter.
Quite a few entrances can be seen at the edge of the field now.  One day we spied
a little guy kicking out dirt and popping up now and then.  We couldn't get a photo.
 I know they are rodents,
and cause many problems for people, but I couldn't help
but smile when  I saw him.
Just one of God's creatures.

Savor the Day!
Yvonne



Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wing Dust

A small yellow moth
leaves wing dust
on my hand
like a bit of
powdered sunshine.


(Nature is amazing!)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Friday, October 21, 2011

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

After the Rain

Sage leaves dance in the light
and breathes color
into the shimmering air.
---
Yvonne

Monday, October 17, 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Butterflies

Butterflies...
self propelled flowers
...unknown

---
Yvonne

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Fairies

I could almost see fairies
from the corners of my eyes.


Yvonne

Monday, September 26, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Stones in summer

a clean white sheet
holds tight
waving in the scrub brush wind
***

young, green plants
nudge the under earth
awakening
***

drought cracks open wider
yearning for moisture
***

red tailed hawk
flashes across the sky
over dry, stubbled pasture

***
after harvest
dust devil whirls
dance
***

tangles of white fuzzy vines
cover the fence rows
looking like
grandpa's whiskers

***
old green metal chair
springs me
up and back
up and back

***
Savor the day!
Yvonne


Dog days of summer Stones

fast flying,
acrobatic
doves head for
water source

***
stressed landscape
receding
bone dry banks

***
blistering, stifling, arid days
push off the Mexican desert
enduring
***

coastal breezes
keeping scorcher days
bearable

***

Sunday, July 24, 2011

More small stones

Light against dark
tree trunks are
black silhouettes

***
whimsical, folkloric
value, mood
late day trees

***

knots, burls, texture
mesquite bark in
morning light

***
fabric
women's connection
to the earth

***
watching great birds in flight
stops my breath
for a few moments

***
brush stroke
a powerful thing

***
moonlight
a different lens
to the world

***
Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Many stones

Sense of wonder as
tot discovers first tadpole

***
Birds everywhere
putting binoculars to good use

***

Picnic over,
reluctantly leaving

***
 Blackbird cawing overhead,
ominous yet peaceful
***

Mustang grape vines blanket
canopies of river side trees
***

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pelicans, dry earth, and shadows

Hungry pelicans
scout with vigilance

***

Dry earth,
cracks, breaks, splits

***

Far reaching
end of day shadows
fade

***




 

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Photos, words, memories

Here are some photos and small stones from a beach trip.
The small stones are written in italics.
Stones are written when
one moment is paid attention to.
Photos can capture a moment as well.
As I walked along the beach I thought of words,
the history of this beach, and all the life
that is there, seen and unseen.
Look at the photos and read the stones separately,
and you realize it is the small things
that make life enjoyable.
***
(great blue heron)

***

Beds of oyster shells,
monuments to island Tancahuas.

***
(Seagulls at Port Aransas, Tx.)

***
Ghosts of
pirate adventurers
whispering

***
(sand dollar shell on the beach)

***
Medley of long thin legs
stand motionless
waiting for that
careless fish

***
(beautiful dunes and bright blue sky)

***
Sea gulls
snatching food
from each others beaks

***

(Port Isabel lighthouse)

***

Wherever you go,
I hope you savor the day,
and capture those moments
in photos,
in words,
or in memories.

Yvonne


Saturday, June 4, 2011

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Secret weapon

Secret weapons of sharp thorns
arm the profusion of
pink bougainvillea

Friday, April 22, 2011

Sea Gulls

Raucous cries of gulls
carry across the water
while soothing murmur of waves
continue on shore.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Like a Statue

 a bird stands motionless
for endless time
like a pillar of patience
knowing its reward


 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Horse of a different color

Heaven's wind
amidst wild horses
with plenty of rope

Horse of a Different Color
watercolor by Yvonne

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A River of Stones Book is Out!

I just received my hard cover copy
of the River of Stones January project book.
It is called
Pay Attention: A River of Stones
edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita.
I was so happy to see
 one of my small stones
 on page 13.

This is a Lulu.com book.
For more info you can visit
or

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Protected

Feather lined sanctuary
amidst thorns

(This is a cactus wren's nest)

Monday, February 28, 2011

Sidestepping

Sidestepping flower petals
that color the sidewalk.

(the photo is my ink pouring with negative watercolor on top)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

I am a collector...


 Senses tickled...
texture, color, taste, smell...
life.

(What you see in the fish planter
is date palm tree inflorescence,
and the tall woody things leaning against the wall
is like a giant seed pod
from the date palm)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Austere Beauty

Crosses
memories
lives lived
spare and
 desolate 
a kind of
austere beauty


Friday, February 11, 2011

shedding its warmth

The kindly sun
 sheds its warmth
across my face
as I step into
the day.
--watercolor by Yvonne--



Friday, February 4, 2011

He Carved....

He carved his angel
and as each sliver
fell to the ground
like feathers of
soft down
he felt
at peace

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Memories

The icy somber tempest
on squares of window glass
create memories
of savoring Bordeaux.


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Different colors

Can't bring to mind
all the different colors
that
sustain you in my soul.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Small Stones 25-30

Puddle ducks by the hundreds
web footed and in mass
sing their dawns chorus
in the freshwater shallows
of winter

 _______________________________

The feathered tall blue hunter
wades with movements imperceptible
patience...patience
in his vigilant pursuit

                                            ____________________________                                              

 Sharp repeated taps
like Morse code
awaken me
my eyes open
and focus toward the sound
at my window
finding the little sparrow
who had scattered my dreams
...and I smile

____________________________________

Clouds float in a rose madder wash
and as the sun is setting
a hawk dives
and plays its part in the
amazing orchestra of nature

_______________________________

Large, round
awe-inspiring leaves
flat and unsinkable
landing fields for dragonflies
home to many
mud bottom pond dwellers

_____________________________

The dampness chills me
as the wispy tendrils of fog
seep in
Then a welcoming and gentle
Zephyr-like breeze
limits its presence

Small Stones 19-24

A fragile wildflower
grows from a split
in the silver-gray stone
its roots thriving happily

__________________________________

Ground soaking rain of late
set the silver gray ceniza abloom
with diminutive rose-purple flowers
saying thank you

_________________________________

The queen palm spreads its fronds
creating a lacy and delicate shade
bestowing the harsh landscape below
with a bit of enchantment.

__________________

Morning light and shadows
becoming whimsically elongated
then leisurely withdraws
the enchantment of reflection
as the day progresses

___________________________________________

Jackrabbits hurrying along
following the illuminated
veined roadmaps of their ears
 to a warm location
before the sable darkness
comes and
erases the course


_______________________________

Sepia toned
discolored
blemished
subjects sitting properly
some standing unbent
dubious faces of the past
looking back at me
evocative

Small Stones 14-18


 Sun streaming into my window
introducing shadows of leaf shapes
opaque silhouettes that resemble
Japanese calligraphy
_______________________________________

Soft fuzzy heads
of purple fountain grass
dance in the gentle winds
swaying back and forth
bewitching
the full wolf moon
and me


Soaring from broken woodlands
to summits of oak trees
scanning the world below
the Cooper's Hawk
finds it's ultimate perch and
adorns the top of the telephone pole
that leans into lost voices



Taking pleasure in the sunshine
the banana tree unfurls
stretches its large leaves
out into the world
looking at the birds
and the rose colored clouds
that sail above it at dawn

dark obsidian sky
broken only by
a handful of
constellations
dotted with twinkle

Small Stones 10-13

Tiny chapel
shelters gravesite and
candlelit altar
which holds
handwritten testaments
of faith
and gratitude.

Worn splints
and crutches,
pain and sorrow
stay behind...
now just castaways.

 _________________________________________________________

Savoring the slightly sweet liquid...
rich, with a slight taste of
mulberry, spice
and smooth vanilla,
watching the beads
roll transparent
down my glass.


Like some leafy creature,
exotic and large,
the philodendron's arms
safeguard a small
and timid creature
underneath its 
green and
somber veil.


Fog rolls serenely in,
and the misty lunar light
becomes radiant
while the quietude and stillness
seem to unearth my soul.

Small Stones 5-9

Noble live oak,
winter green and full,
acorns have fallen
to its base,
adorning the shadow quilt
of speckled light,
on saplings
wee and delicate.


Fox tail ferns
living a carefree life
in a front porch pot
with fronds extending
to welcome me home


Small mesquite residents,
sing their melodious birdsongs
teakettle teakettle teakettle
and
cheery cheery cheery
good morning reminders


Rain and thunder
interrupt my repose.
I gaze through my window
smiling at the
wet round drops
 collected in square holes
of the window screen.


Palm trees stand upright
 where the earth and sky meet
and create silhouettes
against a Prussian blue
almost night