February 28, 2013

I'm lichen it


It's bad when you carry a pun around in your head for over a week. And you'd think that would be time enough to change your mind about using it. But no. I have called this post 'I'm lichen it'.

These are photos I have taken during the past couple of weeks on my walks with Meeko. It's amazing the treasures you can find, even in a relatively barren winter forest.

I like how interactions on the internet can subtly change us or alter our perspective. I'm grateful for the international band of creative people I follow whether on their blogs, Facebook, Etsy or Twitter. Lisa Solomon is a California-based visual artist and professor who seems to have a million creative projects on the go. I know her mostly on Twitter which seems kind of weird to say. :) One of her projects that struck me with its simplicity and beauty is her 'look up and down' series of daily photos she posts on her Tumblr account. If you start thinking and looking that way, for instance while walking your dog or doing one of the other routines in your day, you start to see things that you might have missed.

And I can't look at lichen or fungi without thinking of Margie, which I mean as an absolute compliment and I think she will understand that. (Some don't feel that way. Emma asked me why I take photos of those 'things'.)

So here are some of my 'ups and downs' from recent forest walks.
A gorgeous wasp nest that was so high up in the trees, I had never noticed it. It looks like some sort of exotic hat.
Meeko accidentally disturbed a flock of mourning doves so they flew up into the trees giving me a photo opportunity. They spend most of their time on the ground. They are such beautiful birds yet are so goofy in terms of their behaviour. I love them.
A very ordinary cement block that seemed very beautiful with its cracks, texture and snow cover.
And here's who I see most often when I look down:

We had more snow overnight. Heavy, thick snow. Meeko doesn't tire of it. I am less enchanted by it these days. Spring on my mind. In between winter walks with my faithful companion, I've been working on paintings and will do a more art-related post soon.

Don't forget to look 'up and down' this week!







16 comments:

  1. I'm lichen it too ~ the pun and the photos! Amazing stuff nature has on hand, if only we busy humans slow down long enough to notice!
    *High five* Meeko ~ I love the snow too! :))

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    1. Well Meeko is lichen you, Melody. He loves to 'high five'! It really helps to take a few minutes every now and then to appreciate nature. It can turn my mood around!

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  2. Nature is so pretty and I love Meekos face! :-)

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  3. I love lichen and Margie did that for me too, it comes in some amazing colours and can tell you so much about the atmosphere from years back, (so I saw on a programme recently). Your photos are lovely, thanks for showing us, you still have lots of snow, we have had a few sunny days here. This morning the birds were twittering like crazy, it was music to my ears, as for some reason this winter has been sooooo long, cold, grey, freezing, wet, muddy, yuk!
    Meeko is just lovely as always, my Jet is 13 on Sunday!! He gets a Birthday Bonio :)

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    1. A very happy birthday to Jet! xoxo from me and Meeko!

      I love when the birds start telling us spring is coming. :)

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  4. Oh, and i will be looking up and down! I like commenting on your blog as I don't have to do that infuriating copying of a number and some skewed letters that are impossible to read!!! How come?

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    1. Those robot checks can drive me to tears (the photos are so blurry of the numbers, it's not just robots who can't read them). I'll send you an email about what I did. :)

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  5. Yes, you are right, Lisa has a very unique way of looking at things, and she is a great source of inspiration. The photos are lovely, and Meeko I am sure loves helping out with your photo sessions! XX

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    1. It's nice to have inspiration from others. You do that for me too. :)

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  6. i can't wait to look down in the forest with lilith this spring and summer. I am sure she is going to notice even more than me since the ground is a heck of a lot closer to her :) Have a beautiful weekend.

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    1. She can tell you what the fairies are saying. :) xo

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  7. Anonymous4:09 AM EST

    Hello Kathleen,
    Thank you for visiting my blog. I see that we like and are inspired by the same things.
    Have a nice day

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    1. Kindred spirits for sure. So nice of you to visit here. :)

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  8. I'm diggin the lichen!

    Such beautiful atmospheric photos Kathleen!!

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    1. A lot of people are lichen the lichen. I can't stop...

      My favourite of those photos is the cattail against the blue green background. It almost looks like a painting already.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and to leave me a comment. I love reading them. -- Kathleen

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