jubilee

“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”

― Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

I discover that I am drawn to capture feelings rather than perfection with my camera. I seek out beauty along with moments of deep love. I think about what might jog my memory in years to come - dinner on the deck as summer fades, along with the glow of the black eyed susan’s in the neighbors garden. I like the idea of wiping the slate clean in the fall before the harshness of winter sets in, but mostly I love the word jubilee and what it sparks inside of me.

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seeking

“And maybe it’s like that with every important aspect of your life. Whatever it is you are pursuing, whatever it is you are seeking, whatever it is you are creating, be careful not to quit too soon.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

glow in the dark legos

I make it through the first month of daily photos, pausing often to regroup. It takes me awhile to remove restrictions from old 365 projects I have done by reminding myself often to do what feels right. I keep the end project in mind and allow the photos to speak for themselves, while I seek proof, nostalgia and maybe some grace along the way.

Baker

Brandon brought us crab! 

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day 17

“A late summer garden has a tranquility found no other time of the year.”

- William F. Longgood

anemone

***

It was a beautiful evening, after a few days of rain. I was in my pajamas but the “project” pulled me outside with my camera and purpose. I was so glad I listened.

summer rain

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.
- Sylvia Plath

The rain arrives mid-day and never gives up.

***

nothing but vegetables

A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.
-Gertrude Stein

I tell him … this will be my last vegetable garden! He just looks at me and laughs.

listening

"I'm here to be me, which is taking a great deal longer than I had hoped."

— Anne Lamott 

The three of them come for dinner. We make burgers and eat outside. It has been awhile, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like myself. I can feel the shift of the seasons deep within my bones, along with a bit of calm. I walk the yard with my camera most days, and I pull it out and do my best to capture the love between my son and his son. I slow down, asking myself over and over, how do you want to spend this moment? The answers rise, if I just clear a pathway to listen.

easy going

"Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious."

— Will Rogers

I have an early morning appointment with my physical therapist today. She is easy to talk to and we laugh and make jokes between me counting to 30, and her deciding what to make me do next. We are both pleased with my progress and talk about how a few more sessions should do it. I come out an hour later feeling alive and happy. I think about this on my way home and decide to try not to take life so serious. I wonder if she understands how her easy-going personality is a bonus to her patients.

***