“Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It’s ordinary to love the beautiful, but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it takes much to love these colors — and there’s nothing ordinary about any of them. But wow, aren’t…
Category: if you lived here
Perfect
Another stop on my day off: the Missouri Botanical Garden. A perfect place on a perfect day. But honestly, if I only saw the Autumn Crocus, I would’ve been totally happy.
Sweet on St. Louis
If you visit or live in St. Louis, there are a few non-negotiable foods to try: toasted ravioli, Imo’s pizza (you just have to try it, you don’t have to like it), Ted Drewes frozen custard and gooey butter cake. I knew that gooey butter cake originated in St. Louis, but I didn’t realize that…
More than enough
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – anonymous The universal challenge to cultivate happiness is to list three things from each day for which we are grateful. Heck, I don’t even need a full day to generate that list; I just need a run in the park.
Jewel Box
You’d never guess by looking around at the beauty in our world that anything is remotely amiss right now. Sunsets still glow. Flowers still bloom. And Forest Park is still perfect. One of my favorite places in the park is the Jewel Box — and one of my favorite times to visit is when her…
Distance and Presence
“Presence is more than just being there.” – Malcolm Forbes The past several months have been challenging for everyone in a myriad of ways — work, kids, isolation, basic safety, etc. While I’ve adjusted well to the remote work environment and have had the unexpected blessing of my children’s company at different times over the…
Meet Me in St. Louis
This weekend, I briefly explored downtown with my younger son, taking in some of the temporary graffiti art — and some permanent art accents on some old buildings. I love this town.
Weekend According to the iPhone
Just a few scenes from the weekend: the Botanical Garden yesterday, Forest Park on Friday (and today), and Rockwoods Reservation today.
Moments
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brené Brown The anxiety, isolation, sadness and uncertainty of our current circumstances make happiness seem like kind of a tough pursuit. Contentment or even staying afloat from day to day…
Mother’s Day
Just in time for Mother’s Day, I finally got to see one of my kids for the first time in quite some time. It’s difficult enough to get together now that they’re grown and on their own, but it’s been impossible with a pandemic thrown into the mix. But lucky for me, I got to…
No Filter
Our local park is currently candy-colored…
All Day, Every Day
…is Earth Day. Since I began working from home, I’ve been able to get a good look at the wildlife that shares our backyard. These are just a few samples that I took last week.
These are a few of my favorite things…
Friday brought my birthday celebration – and a day that included so many of my favorite things: a day off from work beautiful weather “Art in Bloom” at the Saint Louis Art Museum lunch at the Fountain on Locust (and dill pickle soup!) the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden a first visit to…
Look up
A few scenes from an unexpected trip to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis this afternoon. What a breathtakingly beautiful place. With a design containing more than 41.5 million mosaic tiles in 7,000 colors that took 76 years to complete, that ceiling is stunning. I have never seen so many people looking up with their…
February
Yesterday, I went for a hike in layers and took photos of ice on a lake. Today, I went to the park for my long run without a jacket and put the car’s top down on the way home. Welcome to February in Missouri.
Unplug
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you.” – Anne Lamott After several highly stressful weeks (months, really) at work, I was recently able to take a day off with no objective other than to decompress. No obligations, no special occasion, no appointments…just an ordinary day. And it was…
Scenes From Sunday’s Run in the Park
This was a cold one. Fun, but cold. And how much do I love running in Forest Park. I put in six miles today on paths completely cleared from ice and snow. How great is that?
Wonderful
“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet.” I spotted a new bridge today along a route that I’ve run countless times. Our lives and routines don’t have to be mundane or boring. We only have to keep looking around and be open to the…
Patterns
Looking back over a recent trip to the Botanical Garden, I realized that I’d unintentionally taken a lot of similar photos. Lots of patterns… And then there’s a behavioral pattern. 🙂 I never forget to take this photo.
Holiday Recap – Decorations Edition
Maybe it’s just me, but I think this year has been one of the most beautiful for Christmas lights in a long time. Day… …or night. (Okay, Cousin Eddie isn’t beautiful, but how hilarious is that??) (Tried videos because still photos just wouldn’t do. Hopefully they work.) The City Garden never disappoints. Santa baby had…
Hint
“My favorite color is October.” It’s just the beginning, but fall is starting its show…. P.S. That’s a hornet’s nest at the top of the frame in the above photo. Yikes.
