Hallowed Tree

Perhaps because they're a big part of every Christmas season, trees have been on my mind lately. When not decorating our homes, trees are life-sustaining and long-lasting but vulnerable to fire-prone temperatures as well as the constant construction that is happening in my world. I have watched healthy trees cut down and seen the snaggly dinosaur teeth of machinery yank out roots with no thought to the importance of a tree. Mitigating climate change, trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, storing the carbon within the tree itself and the surrounding soil, to then release oxygen into the atmosphere. This is one reason why Canada has plans to plant 2 billion trees over 10 years. Below are a few modest, some might say hallowed, trees in my neighbourhood.

Trees provide us with an array of gifts.

People find santuary under trees; some pin their starry-eyed wishes onto the branches.

Trees offer shade from the sun and a canopy when it rains.

Strong branches can make the perfect swing, inviting young and old to be playful.

Some trees bear apples and others baubles.

Even when leaves fall, bare branches sway in the breeze with unwavering symmetry.

Trees decorate the sky with little fanfare, softening the harshest parts of solar glare.

Woodsy trees have many uses.

Lumber is the major resource for home builders and birds alike.

Many items can be created from the warm woodiness of a tree.

Most fences in British Columbia are, indeed, crafted from wood.

Trees have a clever way of replicating themselves.

Pets are attracted to trees like bees to honey.

Many in my neck of the woods prefer big trees to big houses.

A walk among the trees brings us back to our oneness with nature.

Trees need to be rooted in proper soil to accomplish the jobs they were meant to do. We don't want them to burn or fall in a storm. It was many years ago when Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people." 

Explore more at SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

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View From The Sixteenth Floor

A gloom sometimes hangs over Vancouver City, a happy place for many despite clouds.

The mugginess and drizzles that come this time of year suit my innermost self perfectly. This type of weather wraps around me like a cozy blanket.

Through the window of an office building downtown, I enjoyed the view from the sixteenth floor. North Shore Mountains (top photo) peeked behind a curtain of gray. I saw roofs of homes alongside ships afloat at False Creek, a narrow inlet in the city. 

Boats unmoored as well as technical issues with my computer and more had me reflecting that sometimes we don't know which direction to take so we stay put even when things feel a little wobbly ...  somewhat like Vancouver House appeared to be but was not. With its twisted design, the creative building stood out among other highrises.

I pondered which apartments bought by investors in this prime area sat empty at a time when affordable housing is hard to find. The B.C. government instigated a slight vacancy tax penalty to discourage such practices. The windows stared back at me blankly from buildings tall as trees cemented at the horizon.

From my window back home, clouds less grim appeared as the day came to a close. The picture below is of our pet who added joy to the holidays and has since passed away. Wishing all those who celebrate a Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Explore more at SKYWATCH, My Corner of The World and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOPE YOUR DAY SPARKLES

Priceless

"Someone has a great fire in his soul and nobody ever comes to warm themselves at it, and passers-by see nothing but a little smoke ... " - from Van Gogh Letters

There is often something we don't have but want, no matter what walk of life. Dreams big and small play in our minds, whether the yearning is for better health, wealth, companionship or fame. Some dream of escaping war or poverty or having a safe bed in which to rest. Endless dreams drift in and out of our waking hours amid realities that can take us down harsh roads. Vincent Van Gogh, this week's prompt at Poets and Storytellers United, had no income. His paintings were viewed as worthless and he died dejected. He'd be shocked to know his work was worth millions today not only because it stirs emotions but because of his personal tragic story. The fruits of his passion were savoured only after his death and decades later at exhibits such as one I visited HERE.

Sometimes dreams do come true but too late for the dreamer ...

making any breath taken with awe and wonder, even in moments unfulfilled, priceless.

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United and SKYWATCH. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

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From Sea To Sky

On my way to getting an updated Covid shot, I saw the Whaling Wall in White Rock. Painted by Robert Wyland, the creatures brought to mind a recent article about plastic. Largely dependent on fossil fuel extraction, it is not only in the fish we eat, it seems to have permeated the clouds. The enduring ingredient to buttress our everyday products has turned into a micro-superpower gone rogue. I wonder, now that plastics have likely penetrated our DNA, will that translate into more resiliency for us somehow? I could do with more plasticity as I age. Kidding aside, there are serious implications that have little to do with vanity. All this, and war news as winter looms, influenced my poem.

Sun-cast stars on the sea, as if by a fairy's wand, moved me from worries to wonder. 

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

Hope Set Sail

"False hope is a creeping vine." - from Plainsong, Horizon Forbidden West

   

There are as many types of clouds as facets to people. Pleasant, placid, edgy, flighty, still, stirred, puffed up, dreary, grim, thin, thick, thunderous, sullen, silver-lined, fiery, flimsy, rain-swollen, squalid, woolly, dreamy, moon-struck, sun-streaked, cotton candy clouds have swept over my horizons. This week's Poets and Storytellers United prompt are grammatical tools, i.e. "adjectives and adverbs". There would be little language left without these descriptive devices. So naturally a few found their way into my post and poem. News of the day was also my prompt. Cries for better situations are at universal levels. There are more personal hopes and prayers than glints in the ocean at a time when we most need healing actions, life's "verbs", to instill real hope and change.

   

Some photos were taken locally and others during my Alaska cruise years ago. ⛅ 

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, and SKYWATCH. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

Heroes & Helpers

I am no butterfly fluttering freely, independent of all else, though I sometimes imagine I am. The Poets and Storyteller United prompt "I couldn't have done it without you" had me realizing how accidentally or purposely many lift me up along the way.

Interdependent no matter how strong our "wings" might feel, we are effected and assisted by what others do. From a chain of unknown folk who facilitate daily comforts, to those who spread supportive messages and etch wiser paths to tread, to nearby and virtual friends and strangers. Personally, I don't know what I would do without each and everyone of you.

Of course, our four-legged friends bring an especially warm glow to the shadows.

And lest we forget ... Remembrance Day in Canada is on November 11th. The poppies we wear, tiny expressions honouring those who fought for just causes. The grievances leading to two world wars have dug us into the mire of current hostilities. What would we do without those who fight our battles or intrepid reporters exposing devastation within combat areas or humanitarians and doctors stepping into danger, bringing critical aid to people in war zones. We can't do life without heroes and helpers.

Yet what a marvelous dream if everyone everywhere put down their arms, stopped this mad destruction of the planet, life and structures. Most agree protecting the homeland from invaders is instinctual even noble. But when innocents are crushed in the lines of fire and the lines between righteous defender and ruthless aggressor blur ... generals can't do war without soldiers we send into battle. Let's evolve to inspire a better way. 

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 

Check out my sites: Postcards from Penelope Puddle and Musings of A Puddlist In B.C.

Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.