Monday, July 20, 2009

Yesterday's Stroll + A Poem



I started my Sunday Stroll (suggested by Aisling just click on her name) and I noticed this stunning yellow fire hydrant. I'm sort of glad it isn't in MY yard.



The neighbors who live here, have been working on their roof and I thought they were just replacing rotting shingles, but I was delighted to see this balcony they added. I like to think that someone poetic comes out here at night and dreams big dreams. Notice the glass balls.



This is a bike rickshaw and I have never noticed it before. Pretty, huh?



I have never seen people come in or go out of this house, but it is always dressed so festively and is always in perfect repair. It's a favorite of mine.



And . . . it is the only place I see Shirley Poppies. This year - just this one.



Reality: the fight against the hot weather. Not every one's garden is lush.



Hello, Bunny Number One!



And Bunny Number Two! Please don't hop up to my house and eat my pansies!



Some people make the most of our few bodies of water.



Thank you Dept. of Parks and Recreation, for watering our pretty park!



Let's go over the bridge! Watch out for the troll!



Let's stop and look down at the creek. Maybe we'll see a muskrat. I've only seen one, but let's hope!



Here's the rocky, tumble-y place where the creek falls.



A pretty hide-a-way!



A fun corner for summer yard games!



A small reminder that fall will come.







A house for a grandma





Wild in the suburbs




Let's take this scruffy path to the park!




If you feel like running and skipping (and singing The Hills are Alive) do it here!




Let's have some tea and a tiny muffin, do you want to?




Cool art for the kids, huh?





And here's the EARTH. Climb on!




Let's go over this bridge into the giant tree fort!







If you brought your roller blades, we can do some tricks here. Not me. I broke my wrist that way.








And here we'll stop to play checkers. The board is painted on our table!




And a Lake of Shining Waters!







I love how this landscaping surrounds the house like a fortress.





I think some super stars live here.





I know, I know, school starts soon.



Okay, dear house, I bless you.



A welcoming garden gate





I love the hollyhocks! They are high-flyers!




Up close and personal





Phlox! VERY pretty!



The eye of the squirrel!



Almost home! Hello, pretty tree!

And here's the poem I promised Aisling. It's a gift to her for her good idea of a bunch of Sunday strolls. I hope you'll go and take the other strolls, linked on her comments.

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.


Happy Monday!
xopp

18 comments:

Marcie said...

There is so much to see! What a wonderful excursion... flowers, nature, wildlife, art, homes, color, fresh air... all the good things.

I'd like to play checkers, please... oh and sing "The Hills are Alive" loud and ringingly!

Is that lake really called "Lake of Shining Waters?" The lake near our house has an ugly adrupt little name, so when my daughters were small we called it the "Lake of Shining Waters." :)

Thanks for sharing your stroll!

Robin said...

Great neighborhood shots. I really like the sculpture of the hands holding the rock.

Baley Petersen said...

Lovely! ahhhh Mary Oliver...memories of college poetry classes.

Scrappy quilter said...

Wonder pictures. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment on my blog.

R said...

I wouldn't say trying to roller blade down a drive way was a "trick" but i still love you.

Elizabethd said...

Oh how lovely, I felt I had strolled with you. I want to visit the Grandma's house, looks so sweet!

Pom Pom said...

Great comments! Aisling, the little lake/pond is not called the Lake of Shining Waters, but I like to say that because of Anne of Green Gables! Jenny, it WAS a trick for me! Chrissey, I took all those poetry classes, too. Loved them. My favorite collections lately are in Garrison Keillor's Good Poems (1 and 2)! Elizabeth, I love the little house for Grandma, too! Hi Robin! I am so impressed with the art at the park. It's smack dab in the middle of the climbing toy structures! So nice!

Missy said...

What a fabulous strolling area you have! The park is tdf....and Anne of Green Gables is a favorite book around here.

Marcie said...

I commented earlier and then rushed off to school... I forgot to say how much I loved the poem, especially "the world offers itself to your imagination." :)

Bobbi & Noe said...

Beautiful Pictures! I love nature pictures.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Wonderful pictures--you have a great eye. Watch out for those rabbits--we've got a tribe over here and they're eating my flowers!

Love Mary Oliver! Thanks for sharing.

frances

Anonymous said...

I loved coming along on the stroll with you ~ so pretty!

Blessings,
Sharon

Karen said...

Just happened upon your blog--and what a treat. I loved going for a walk with you through your world. Thank you so much for showing us so much beauty!

Anonymous said...

Such a pretty walk! Thanks for sharing..xx

Cut&Alter said...

It looks like you live in a really beautiful place - isn't funny how sometimes you miss little bits of beauty when you are absorbed in 'everday life'. Many thanks for sharing. x

The dB family said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful walk! I felt like I went on the walk with you!

Barbara said...

Interesting tour but this Grandma would have a hard time finding space for her belongings in the sweet little 'grandma house'

Lynn said...

You live in a lovely spot:) Thanks for sharing!

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