Photography by Eugenio Recuenco
Come on, those leaves aren’t going to jump in themselves. Time to have some fun. Happy Friday! 
PS Check out the big beautiful full moon tonight (Hunter’s Moon) and the eclipse that accompanies it! Read about it here.
Photography by Vladimir Fedotko
“In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.” — Patti Smith
Midnight Skiing (or, The Song That I Can Hear Behind His Voice)
By Annette Marie Hyder
He says the snow looks like diamonds sparkling in the moonlight,
says there is a hushed whisper of angel song in the whoosh of ski on track.
Says I will feel my wings unfurl as I hurtle down the slope,
3 sets — 1 each for shoulders, hips, and feet.
Tells me if I have water skied (he knows I have) that I can do this —
makes me think of the iron grip my thighs took to ride each wave
how it began with steady rising
and firm control of every drop-filled detail.
Says it will be much like that but with powdered sugar replacing wetness.
He neglects to itemize the cold.
But for a song like the one he mentioned at the start —
the one that I
can hear behind his voice —
for a song like that and three sets of
wings I will embrace the cold
thrill of midnight skiing beneath the moon whilst riding on the wind.
Why would you want to be outside in the biting cold weather from now until February 3? The 2013 Saint Paul Winter Carnival is here with the following compelling reasons (and don’t forget hot chocolate!):
Find out more, dates and times for events and entertainment, at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival website. See what the excitement is about and maybe you, like Persian poet Hafiz, will catch the happy virus.
The Happy Virus
By Hafiz of Shiraz
I caught the happy virus last night
When I was out singing beneath the stars.
It is remarkably contagious —
So kiss me.
Photo by Jasmine Rain Hyder
Purple, yellow, black and sage, color this rainy bumblebee page
Wending our way in the rain with red rainboots and a shared umbrella, my daughter and I came across this busy bumblebee. He hit every one of those flowers while we watched. He looked like he was intoxicated by the nectar, not so much breezing from flower to flower as bumping like a black and yellow go-kart from sip to sip. So many flowers, so little time…
Photo courtesy of Inhabitat
Dumpster diving
There is something so appealing about the images of this guerrilla design project of swimming pools made out of old dumpsters. The dumpsters have been completely cleaned and repurposed. Look at the image gallery and read the article here.
Photo courtesy of Inhabitat
tanka with kigo
Annette Marie Hyder
when summer heat makes
water filled receptacles
wink invitingly
dumpster bin diving looks cool
the ultimate urban pool
Remember, when you were little, hanging over the side of a piece of furniture (maybe your bed or the living room couch) upside down? I loved how that vantage point made door lintels look like steps that needed climbing over and furniture look glued to the “ceiling” of the floor.
Or if you were outside, maybe you’d hang upside down from a swing or the monkey bars or a tree. The sky looked like a deep pool of blue that you could fall into if you let go of your perch.
My daughter and I stopped by the park and she insisted that I hang upside down with her. One of the neat things about having a child is the way they beckon you into a country of delight and discovery that you’ve been to before — but which is always fun to visit again.
Sometimes a change in perspective is just the catalyst needed to cross the threshold of imagination.
