I visited a park today that, once I stepped through its gates, it felt like I was walking back in time. It felt like the kind of place where a poet would write…or an artist would paint…or a musician would find inspiration. A magical, hopelessly romantic place. There are several areas in which you can…
Category: if you lived here
Sunday with Sculptures
What a perfect day for a long walk in the local sculpture park.
Howdy, neighbor
After receiving a lovely visitor recently, a new visitor has been making regular appearances out back. So much so that I’m wondering if he’s actually a neighbor/resident. He’s noisy, twitchy and bosses the other birds around. But he’s pretty neat and I hope he’s happy in the neighborhood.
Whoo’s there
Check out this spectacular visitor to my back yard over the weekend. He first dropped in late Friday afternoon, his arrival announced by a flurry of irritable crows and bluejays squawking and bouncing about. When he showed up again on Saturday, he had an even crankier antagonist — a very large red-tailed hawk. I couldn’t…
Purina Pet Parade
St. Louis does a lot of things well, but we do Mardi Gras REALLY well. The Purina Pet Parade always gets the lengthy celebration started on the best note – and today was a gorgeous day for it. So my younger son, Finn and I piled into the car and headed to Soulard. What a…
Imperfections and grace
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging. Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we are all in this together.” – Brene Brown Lawd have mercy, I have been SO aware of my imperfections lately. And for whatever reason, I’ve been thinking about it a…
Minions and Memories
“The truth is, not everyone can change the entire world, and not everyone needs too. All we can do is give as much love in our lives as possible, treat ourselves kindly, and leave the world a more positive place than we entered it. That is all I can ask of myself, and I try…
Happier
“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.” – George Santayana This park looks so cool any time of year. Fascinating shapes when the trees are completely bare. Nature’s garland. Perfect reflections. And always a smile.
Sunday Scenes
Today’s leaf report: while most colors are past their peak, there’s still quite a bit of beauty and the gingko tress are just getting warmed up. There’s still some red out there! And hearts, of course.
Golden
Yesterday I was able to close the day with a stroll around the park with my younger son. Golden hour, gorgeous weather. It was perfect. I honestly believe the light is different this time of year. It’s like viewing the world through a colored filter.
This and that
“It is the small joys and little pleasures that the greatest of our days are built.” – Mary Anne Radmacher Day thirty actually had a number of small joys – something I don’t always say about a Monday. But today was kinda fun for a myriad of simple reasons. Anyway, just a very nice day….
Big Deal
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryant We’re seeing hints of traditional fall colors popping up here and there, but it is an unhurried transition. In the meantime, check out this unconventional color palette from the park today. And the butterflies and bees enjoy it every bit as much as the human visitors…
Must be October
The above cardinal from yesterday was my day twenty-three delight. This lovely creature lingered in my back yard for much of the afternoon, his unmistakable song drifting through my screen door. I think he likes the berries on that tree. Of course, if you live in St. Louis, a cardinal in October means something very…
Rainy Sunday
“May you do what is right and kind, for others and yourself. May you attend to your responsibilities but also remember to make time for rest and play. May you listen for what your heart tells you is true and let it guide you. May your coffee and your humor be strong and plentiful, and…
Finn’s fairy find
Today’s walk is brought to you by the letter F. Day three of unexpected joy and delight…Finn finds a fairy village! I knew there was a fairy house in a yard at a corner along one of my routes, but Finn discovered that we just needed to turn down the street to find an entire…
Dream
Please remember: Your job is the dream of the unemployed. Your house is the dream of the homeless. Your smile is the dream of the depressed. Your health is the dream of those who are sick. Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity. Find something to be grateful for. I saw that reminder…
Great, Glorious Pieces of Good
“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. I re-read passages from my favorite books. I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious…
Extraordinary
“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 Otherwise known as a walk in the park.
Special Day
“Your life journey is a special one. Cherish every single day of your life, because if you won’t, who will? Time flies so quickly and every day is a blessing. Don’t take it for granted. As you wake up every day, put your heart into every breath of yours. Be grateful to be able to…
Look Again
I was going through my photos from yesterday to clean up my phone when I got to this one. I hadn’t paid much attention to it before because my focus was on all the dogs. But then I honed in on the gentleman seated to the left. This is now my new favorite photo from…
Purina Pet Parade
St. Louis, specifically the Soulard neighborhood, is known for throwing an amazing Mardi Gras celebration. But in all the years we’ve lived here, remarkably we’ve never participated in any of the festivities – including the annual Purina Pet Parade. But we remedied that today. Originally, I’d signed us up to walk in the parade with…
Good Stuff
“The true happiness of your life lies not in the events that are happening, but rather in the quality of your own thoughts. Train your brain to see the beauty around you, to notice the little details, to see the good in people. Positivity is a choice. Your choice.” — @highperspective So, the Lou got…
Sunday with the Snow People
We didn’t get a lot of snow, but that didn’t stop St. Louisans from making the absolute most of what was there. People still went sledding down Art Hill, as evidenced by the myriad of tracks. And people still built snow people — lots of snow people. Little snow people. A Wilford Brimley snow person….
hey there, friends 