Tag: trees

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Beautiful Isle

Why in the world did a Portugese ship travel past Taiwan, back in the 15th century??

The ship captain’s log aptly named Taiwan “Ilha Formosa,” meaning “Beautiful Isle.” Well, it certainly is a gorgeous land. Wow. On my recent trip there, I was stunned by the many, many ways in which Taiwan is so very beautiful. Long, pristine pebble beaches line the East shore, the water of which can be every bit as bright a turquoise as the Caribbean or as dark and wild as the Pacific gets. And somehow, the clouds above were especially voluptuous, making combined vistas that were just amazing. How many hours could I spend there, just looking? To borrow from Joni Mitchell, “I could drink a case of you, darling, and I would still be on my feet.”

Oh, then there are the forests and woodlands, the trees, so very many trees, almost all of which you don’t see here in the Midwest. Around 58% of Taiwan is covered with trees or bamboo! Palm trees with coconuts, acacias, camphor, red and yellow cypress. I especially loved the remarkable banyan trees that conjured up a song my mother taught us kids, “We’ll Build a Bungalow,” which I then sang over and over again as I rode my bike along those Taiwan roads. Okay, it now appears that the bungalow is “underneath a bamboo tree,” rather than banyan, as I thought, but I had fun singing, anyway. Besides, banyan makes more sense. Bamboo is not even a tree! I like my version better.

Then there’s all the tropical jungle vegetation, almost all of which I could not name. Bananas! Bananas grow right by the road, along with other fruits and all sorts of things I did not recognize. I saw orchids growing on the trunks of trees! We passed tea and coffee plantations on our bikes, and so many shimmering rice paddies. I felt like 90% of what I saw on that trip was new to me and that, alone, was enchanting. It was so green there that I’ve been guilty of begrudging our trees their bareness, since I’m home. Soon, I tell myself, soon . . .

Taiwan is nearly two thirds mountains. Mountains, mostly covered with trees, rise up next to or not far from the beaches, clouds resting contentedly on them much of the time we were there.

I had no idea that Taiwan was such a beautiful, beautiful country. Is it me or do we just not hear that much about its natural beauty? We hardly saw any other Westerners on our entire trip. Why are we not beckoned to visit lovely Taiwan, I wonder? Everyone and their monkey goes to Thailand and Vietnam, it seems. Taiwan doesn’t seem to be a destination for us Westerners. I would love to go back. I’d like to see more of the stunning Taroko Gorge and visit lovely Sun Moon Lake and get all the way down to the southern tip and see what’s there. So much gorgeousness in such a small place!

I have looked for quotes about Taiwan and almost everything I’ve found is political, rather than about the beauty of the place. Astounding.

“The world is simple and beautiful.” – Female Taiwanese Pew Research Center respondent, age 72 (asked what makes life meaningful)

“This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.” ― Paolo Coehlo

“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” ― Lovelle Drachman

If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. If you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”

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Hibernating

Do you find yourself sleeping more these days? I do. Lord! Lately I’ve had marathon sleeps–8 or 9 hours night after night–with record amounts of deep and REM sleep, according to my Fitbit. And then, too, I could easily nap in the afternoon–not at all like me. More like a bear. Or Miles.

At first I put it down to the busyness, stress and exhaustion of the last few weeks, getting ready for my solo show, visitors and Thanksgiving. Maybe I’m just catching up? Or what about allergies? Perhaps now that I get weekly allergy shots I’ll sleep rather than sneeze my way through the winter.

I rebelled against the change to cold weather, as usual, but now I have to admit I’m loving this late fall–the bare branches of trees against a sky that’s bright blue, solid white with clouds, or bursting into color at dawn. But wait a minute! I haven’t been seeing the dawn lately. Day after day I’ve been fast asleep. Just thinking of it now makes me a little wistful for my bed.

I love the early sunset and the long nights, being in for the night by 5:00, preferably in pajamas by 7:30, bed by 9:00. I love the coziness of lighted windows and porches in the dark. One does not even have occasion to use the word “cozy” in spring and summer. I’m almost disappointed that we’re already so close to the Winter Solstice, the return of the light and longer days.

So for now everything about this time of year feels just right. We have four very distinct seasons where I live and each has its own beauty. Oh, I might be singing a different tune when the temperature is 1, feels like -10. But that can be an adventure in its own right. Can we get through it?? There’s always some reward. Right now the reward is that I have a bed and dogs to share it with. I make my own schedule, so I really can sleep for hours if I want. How great is that? Life is good. Sleep is good. Zzzzzz.

Here is one of my favorite passages from the excellent J.M. Barrie book, Peter Pan.

“Mrs. Darling first heard of Peter when she was tidying up her children’s minds. It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during the day. If you could keep awake (but of course you can’t) you would see your own mother doing this and you would find it very interesting to watch. It’s quite like tidying up drawers. You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on Earth you picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet, pressing this to her cheek, as if it were a nice kitten, and hurriedly stowing that out of sight. When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out the prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Think of Mrs. Darling as a part of you, doing this for yourself every night. Wouldn’t it be so nice?

If you’d like to see my new paintings online, go here. If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. If you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. And if someone forwarded this one to you, you can sign up here to receive the letters right in your Inbox. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”

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Obstacles

I am often struck by the sight of a tree that has grown over, through, and around a wire fence or other obstacle. Someone’s put up a fence and a tree that was either already there or has since sprung up has continued to grow in spite of the obstacle. That tree, determined to grow and evolve from seed to sapling to towering, thick-trunked being, has gone about its business and kept right on growing. I feel bad for the tree, but I admire its silent determination.

“If seeds saw dirt as their enemy, they would lose out on the opportunity to grow.” Matshona Dhliwayo

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The tree has, in a way, made that bit of fence a part of itself just as obstacles, faced and overcome, become parts of us. While the fence is most likely not good for the tree, the tree appears to be thriving in spite of it, just as we, too, are usually able to do. Think about it. You can probably name a few difficult things you’ve overcome. You likely haven’t forgotten them. You might be reminded of them every single day. Or you may still be working on them. Maybe they’re buried somewhere inside your being. In any case, they have probably changed you in some ways, possibly even for the better. And here you still are. You are the beautiful, imperfect you that you are because of all the people, things, and situations–good or bad–that you’ve encountered in life.

“If a flower perseveres through concrete, you can persevere through anything.”

― Matshona Dhliwayo

NM980 Fierce

If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. And if you like this letter, you’ll find past letters and poems on my blog.

It’s nice for me to think of you out there, reading this. Whatever our obstacles are right now, and there are certainly many, I hope we all find ways to rise above and grow in spite of them, just like all those noble trees.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”

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A Large Amount of Gratitude

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”

— A.A.Milne

My heart, too, is holding a rather large amount of Gratitude lately. Yes, it’s 2020, a challenging year. The coronavirus changed everything for everyone, world over. Wow. But in this difficult year I have been lucky in very many ways, most of them directly because of the very thing that made this a challenging year.

I am almost ashamed to admit how happy and content I am, of late. Yes, if I look at the world as a whole, things can look pretty bleak. But I try not to listen to all of that too much of the time, remembering that right here in my little world, I am lucky, happy, safe and sound.

This morning in the woods where I walk with my dog Miles I said, aloud, “Oh my God, I’m happy.” It was a cloudy, chilly day, too. But there is so much everywhere to love. There are certain trees. I wrap my arms around one particular tree each morning, pressing my body into a me-shaped indentation in the huge trunk. It feels very comforting, especially now, when we are warned against hugging each other. Here’s a photo of it but I’m certain you can’t really see the lovely concave place that fits me perfectly. I even like pressing my cheek to the rough old bark. I feel a thrumming inside there, and then of course, in my heart. It feels like meditation.

My meditation tree.

So now I sound like a total goofball. Well.

Beautiful wet sycamore up close. I love how the bark does.

On Thanksgiving morning I make a list of all I’m thankful for. Why not? Why not just put it all down on paper? It feels really great to do. I’ve been doing it for so long now that I would miss it if I didn’t. I put all sorts of things on that list, including trees. It seems right and good to do so. We have miracles all around us and we owe it to them and to ourselves to acknowledge them. Several trees will be on my list, along with other things big and little that give me a light heart. That list is always very long and I think it might just be even longer this year.

This card, ENC310 Dance is available on my Ampersand Cards website.

So thank you for reading this (now I’m thankful for that!) and I hope you have an intimate but wonderful little Thanksgiving in this year of 2020.

Kay

P.S. If you are looking for cards or art, you can find all of that at Ampersand Cards.

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Rain in the Night

Lovely rain arrived in the night

bringing gifts for the birds

surprises me waking to wet leaves

shiny streets a cloud-laden sky one

red cardinal perched on the top of

the Queen of Hearts’ head singing

no doubt about the greatness of rain

of Life as he knows it

of True Love babies and hope

of the particularities of this day.

And as the sun peers out from

its cloudy home the trees’ dripping

leaves flash all glitzed up as if for

a gala event the name of which

I cannot know but to which I

most fervently wish to be invited.

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Look and Learn

Two squirrels give chase

up and down the black walnut tree

where they were born.

How many generations of squirrels

have nested in that old tree?

I am told that the leaves of certain trees

will turn themselves over in

anticipation of a storm.  Why?

And dragonflies live underwater

for five years before surfacing

and being dragonflies, only to fly

and mate for a single summer!

I could spend a lifetime looking

and learning and yet what I’ve

gathered by the time I go could

easily be likened to a single

strand of a dandelion puff

in the grand scheme of things.

And so. How could one ever

be finished with this world?

Or grow tired of it?

I hope I never do.