*the small details

When I opened the window in the morning, a pleasant breeze came into the room. Right now, the temperature is just perfect, and the wind feels so refreshing. It makes me really look forward to the fall days ahead of us. Almost all the apples have been rotting on the tree because of the intense weather, but I tried to cut off the parts that still looked good to start making some vinegar. Yesterday, I glazed my new ceramic pieces, and just a moment ago, I turned on the kiln. It took longer than expected to glaze all the pieces because of the many imprints I made, but now I’m really glad that everything is done and hopefully, the day after tomorrow, I’ll be able to hold the finished pieces in my hands.

When looking at the first black-and-white picture, the knothole in the wood of the barn, I was once again reminded of how much I prefer the little joys to the grand ones. Love lives in the smallest details. What do you think?

☙

*shadows of the cosmos

Some more black-and-white photos from my latest roll of film.

Yesterday I was lying in the shade under the butterfly lilac with a good book, and I could finally feel that particular calm that usually settles in during August, when the light begins to change and the air suddenly feels slightly different, as if autumn were just around the corner. It felt like a deep sigh of relief in my soul, and I hope my body will follow soon, too, and that everything will start to be a little easier. I found another bat today in the early morning hours. It was lying flat on the concrete, and I thought it was dead, but when I gently touched it with a piece of cloth, it opened its mouth and seemed overall more lively than the last one. I placed it in a warm cloth inside a box to keep it safe, and soon we will bring it to the kind man who helped me last time. I really hope it will have a better chance to survive!

Addendum:

This time, the new bat is a juvenile male. He was severely dehydrated and malnourished, but otherwise had no injuries. He responded well to care and has now been released back into the wild. The animals are suffering from the extreme heat and are therefore more likely to put themselves in danger, as the heat drives them out of their hiding places and forces them to search for water more frequently. I'm so happy the little guy made it!

☙

*when time stands still

Every time I get a black-and-white film back from development, I wonder why I don’t shoot black and white more often. There’s just something so timeless about it. Especially in summer, when I tend to feel overwhelmed by all the colors around me, the absence of color in my photos makes me feel calm and more at ease.

☙

*poems cannot be forced

Gedichte kann man nicht erzwingen,

nur demütig empfangen

aus dem Schoße der Ewigkeit.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

~

Poems cannot be forced,

only humbly received

from the bosom of eternity.

{Claudia Voglhuber}

☙

*a serious soul

Nichts Schöneres als eine ernste Seele,

die, was sie schaut, gelassen andern spiegelt

und alle Kraft, die reich ihr innewohnt,

allein ins Leuchten dieses Spiegels legt.

{Christian Morgenstern}

Nothing more beautiful than a serious soul,

which calmly reflects what it sees to others

and puts all the strength that is within

into the light of this mirror.

☙

*Call it Causelessly Merry

Summer is a loud time, colorwise and in other ways, too. So I loaded my zenit B camera with a black & white film and was really pleased with the results. The timeless feeling b&w film is creating, is matchless.

My sister recently shared a poem with me, that I wanted to share here as well, it directly speaks from my soul.

Call it Causelessly Merry 

I am glad that clouds are traveling cross the skies

And that it rains, hails, freezes, and snows.

I am glad also during the green season’s rise,

When wild roses are blooming and elder shows

That blackbirds are whistling, and bees are humming,

That midges are biting and bluebottles are drumming,

That red air balloons are rising into the blue

And that the sparrows are speaking and the fish stillness pursue.

 

And I am glad that the moon is up in the sky

And that the sun is rising every new day, high

And that autumn follows summer and spring follows winter

Pleases me. There is sense in it, isn’t there?

I know, the smart ones won’t buy that

But not all can be understood through the head!

I am glad and that is life’s aim.

I am glad before all that I am.

 

All is tidy and cheerful inside me

The corridor is sparking, the flames poked high

On such days, we climb the ladder, you see

That leads from the earth into the sky

Up there we can, as taught us our mothers,

Because we love ourselves – also love all others.

I am glad that I never quite

Seem to get used to all beautiful, miraculous sight.

That everything remains so amazing, and new!

I am glad to be glad, aren’t you?

{Mascha Kaléko}

Where do you experience the greatest joys in your life?

For me it's never the big events that I feel deeply in my heart. It's always the most mundane and unexpected moments that touch me the most, like playing with the wind, cleaning spider poo off the rooms floor corner, a little bird taking a bath in a puddle, the sight of the crescent moon, when it is so thin that it is almost invisible, a slight touch from a dear hand, a smile to a stranger, the first moment my feet touch the water when taking a bath, a snow flake landing silently on my arm, little holes bitten by a bug into a leaf, the scent of all the wild grasses around, closing the eyes at the end of the day. All this  – and much more.

☙

*what is given

It is possible, I suppose that sometime

we will learn everything

there is to learn: what the world is, for example,

and what it means. I think this as I am crossing

from one field to another, in summer, and the

mockingbird is mocking me, as one who either

knows enough already or knows enough to be

perfectly content not knowing. Song being born

of quest he knows this: he must turn silent

were he suddenly assaulted with answers. Instead

oh hear his wild, caustic, tender warbling ceaselessly

unanswered. At my feet the white-petalled daisies display

the small suns of their center piece, their -- if you don't

mind my saying so -- their hearts. Of course

I could be wrong, perhaps their hearts are pale and

narrow and hidden in the roots. What do I know?

But this: it is heaven itself to take what is given,

to see what is plain; what the sun lights up willingly;

for example -- I think this

as I reach down, not to pick but merely to touch --

the suitability of the field for the daisies, and the

daisies for the field.

{Mary Oliver}

☙

*fluffy seeds in the wind

Softness and harshness

are so close to each other in nature.

I often think about that.

Like with this thistle: 

So full of thorns,

but when it starts to develop seeds

it turns into this incredible soft ball

which is so nice to touch,

like a fluffy bunny tail.

On that day I took out the bike for the first time after months, the sunflowers were already withered and the old farmer that I met on my way showed me his wonderment that I wanted to take pictures of them when they were not "pretty" anymore. I had a hard time explaining him that I like this advanced stage of sunflowers and he also thought that I'm going to build up a tent when I got my tripod out of the bag which was really funny. I can see how the tripod has similarities to the rods of a tent though.

☙

*Endure, bear with

Dulde, trage.

Bessere Tage

werden kommen.

Alles muss frommen

denen, die fest sind.

Herz, altes Kind,

dulde, trage.

{Christian Morgenstern}

I tried to translate it into English:

Endure, bear with.

Better days

will come.

Everything has to be in use

to those who are firm.

Heart, old child,

endure, bear with.

☙

*August happy list

My black&white film is finally developed and I think it's time for a little happy list to turn the focus into the right direction:

• a bit of very welcome rain

• a big toad in our garden after not seeing one for years

• having a campfire under a starry sky with shooting stars 

• making simple soap with dried lavender from the garden

• receiving mail from caring souls

• harvesting the first zucchini

• time in my herb & flower garden

• crocheting a strap for my camera

• joining Marie's fantasy book club (starting in autumn)

☙

*hiding in the clover field

Things that made me happy lately:

• harvesting the first potatoes together with R.

• observing a hummingbird hawk moth

• fresh mushrooms from the forest for lunch

• starting to crochet a little again

• mist above the lake

• a heather plant for my window sill

• flying in my dreams

☙

What's on your "happy list"?