pink death

Halloween is almost upon us....yippee!
Be sure to come trick-or-treat @ mi casa!


















Seems ' White Death' morphed into 'Pink Death' this year.

She floats to your door and knocks a faint little jingle. When you open your door, she greets you with a warm smile, a pink scythe, a twinkle in her eye and giggles galore.

She whispers into your ear, "Your time has come! Tee hee!!! Its gonna be fun!!! Tee hee...Hurry up, let's go!!! This is what you've been waiting for all your life!!! Its called death...its the best part!!! The Grand Finale. Come on! I'll show you the way..."

floating away

*click on the picture to view 4 real*











Drenched in a flood of coruscant gratitude yesterday, I felt a need to let Siva know how much I appreciate him. Where does one send a message to the universe? ...how about, EVERYWHERE? Wrote it all out in a "thank you" note and set it a blaze... words floating away in whispers of smoke.

elegant equines

Hired by the Boulder County Horse Association last week to photograph an event they were hosting.
Here are a few of the images:

Thru His Eyes

















Number 38



















At the Gate













Number 23













Gate Keeper














On the Fence
















Telling Secrets

zazou day

Happy Birthday 2 you ma·de·moi·selle ZAZOU!!!

happy divali

The night is black, kindle the lamp of love with my devotion.
-Rabindranath Tagore


















Divali was last night and we totally celebrated. I cleaned the house the entire day, baked, made a happy kolam and gave gifts. Lila set up the shrine and lit the candles and then we chanted some Sanskrit verses to the Goddess Laksmi and to Jyoti (light).

The word "Divali" comes from the Sanskrit word "deepavali" -- "deepa" meaning light and"avali" meaning a row. This refers to the small ‘diva lamps’ that are lit at sunset, illuminating the darkness and heralding the onset of winter.













During the festival of Divali (the 14th day of the dark half of Aashwayuja) we create beauty and flood the house (the heart) with light as the invocation of Sri Lakshmi (Goddess of abundance, beauty and divine manifestation). We ask her to pour into our hearts, penetrate the darkness and conquer all fear and ignorance. This self-enlightenment is celebrated by cleaning the house, bathing, anointing the body with sandalwood oil, wearing new clothes, burning incense, making joyous sounds, lighting lamps, drawing kolam and offering prasad. This is also an auspicious day to start new ventures, as the goddess will bestow blessings of prosperity, success and abundance.













With our devotion we kindle the divine "Lakshmi-Blaze" within.

silver lining

Nice clouds float overhead, how bout if we don't ever doubt the 'silver lining', k?

The man was gone last night thus I partook in a delightful evening of making a dinner that had nothing to do with anyone but myself. It ended up being vegan black berry waffles and salad. The silliest dish I could muster...aint life is grand.

I trust I don't need to post a photo of their purple glory but here's the recipe:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 way ripe mashed up banana
1 1/4 cup soy or almond milk
1 tbsp sweetness [i used agave but do what you gotta do]
1 cup black berries

sift dry ingredients together
mash banana
add the sweetness
mix wet and dry
don't over stir it
pour quantity into hot oiled waffle iron
and yum...

it only made about 3 waffles but ...whoa!

rioting @ your door

... I know the kind of lyrics your
Soul most likes. I know which sounds will become
Resplendent... and bring such pleasure
Your feet will jump and whirl.

When anything touches or enters your body
Never say it is not God, for He is
Just trying to get close.

I have no use for divine patience -- my lips are always
Burning and everywhere. I am running from every corner
Of this world and sky wanting to kiss you;

I am every particle of dust and wheat -- you and I
Are ground from His Own Body. I am rioting at your door;
I am spinning in midair like golden falling leaves
Trying to win your glance.

I am sweetly rolling against your walls and shores
All night, even though you are asleep. I am singing from
The mouths of animals and birds honoring our
beloved's promise and need: to let
you know the Truth.

My dear, when anything touches or enters your body
Never say it is not God, for He and I are
Just trying to get close to you.

God and I are rushing
From every corner of existence, needing to say,
"We are yours."

-Hafiz

bodhi tree

Me mum recently gifted me an entire forest worth of bodhi trees which she had grown. My job was to distribute them to the dance students. Then the pleading cries for "more information" came pouring in, so here ya'll go with your info on the ficus religiosa:

At the western side of Bodhgaya in India, stands a large and historic Pipal Tree (ficus religiosa) known throughout history as the Bodhi Tree, under which the Shakyamuni Buddha, then known as Gautama, attained Enlightnment 2500 years ago.

The Buddha, had been practicing austerities for six years in the area near Bodhgaya. Finally understanding that this could not lead to realization, he abandoned his austerities and in the nearby village of Senani (now also known as Sujata) the Brahmin girl Sujata offered him milk rice. Strengthened by this, he took some kusha grass for a mat and sat under the Pipal Tree facing east. He resolved not to rise until he attained Enlightenment.

As he sat in deep meditation Mara, Lord of Illusion, symbolizing the delusions of one's own mind tried tirelessly to distract him from his purpose. Buddha then touched the Earth, calling it to bear witness to the countless lifetimes of virtue that led him to this place.

The earth shook confirming the truth of his words. Mara unleashed her army of demons to distract and tempt him from his purpose, but Gautama triumphed over the inner obstacles and the power of his compassion transformed the demons' weapons into flowers. His mind was utterly subdued.

For seven days after the Enlightenment, Buddha continued to meditate under the tree without moving from his seat. Another week passed in walking meditation, and for a third the Buddha contemplated under the Bodhi tree.

The earliest records on the tree are in the 'Kalingabodhi Jataka', which gives a vivid description of the tree and the surrounding area prior to the Enlightenment, and the 'Asokavadana', which relates the story of King Asoka's (3rd century B.C) conversion to Buddhism. His subsequent worship under the sacred tree apparently angered his queen to the point where she ordered the tree to be felled. Ashoka then piled up earth around the stump and poured milk on its roots. The tree miraculously revived and grew to a height of 37 metres. He then surrounded the tree with a stone wall some three meters high for its protection.

The bodhi tree is a representation of our journey to infinity. As the seed which begins tiny and hard grows open and free, so should the mind and heart. The tree is rooted in the ground but grows beyond the ground, as it perceives its environment, cares about it, and ultimately leaves the limitations of the body and matter behind. The branches reach towards the heaven yet the vines of the banyan reach towards the earth. Such is the state of mankind - always being pulled in many directions.

Kingdom Plantae

Plants Subkingdom Tracheobionta

Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta

Seed plants Division Magnoliophyta –

Flowering plants Class Magnoliopsida

Dicotyledons Subclass Hamamelidae

Order Urticales

Family Moraceae

Mulberry family Genus Ficus L.

fig Species Ficus religiosa L.

Height:
over 40 ft. (12 m)

Spacing:
30-40 ft. (9-12 m)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7� C (35� F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5� C (40� F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun

Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

skunk pies

Oh thank goodness! The new camera was obliging enough to let me swap the memory card into a different venue and chisel the photos out from there. Now I have some catching up to do as there is yet another photo shoot today. Shall we begin with a bit of the macabre? At the onset of October I am all a flutter of anticipation for the approaching Hallows Eve. I'll be making a full on Dios Del Muertos dinner the following day and thus, researching the culinary extravaganza that occurs in places like Oaxaca and Ixtapa, yes I read cookbooks for fun.














This photo [sorry for its lack of focus, I'm not yet adept with the depth of field on the new lens] is an action shot from a dinner a few nights ago. It seemed obvious that if I were to foray into the realms of Mexicano delectablosos [yes, I know that's not a word] that I should invoke the Goddess of the land, thus the Virgin of Guadalupe sits on the stove watching over the poblanos and posole.



















OK! Back to the macabre angle; a recent walk thru the cemetery turned into quite the odd photo shoot, it began with this amusing sign.














And then ventured past this beautiful lichen....
I'm so lichen it.










For the grand finale; you know how magpies are black and white? And you know how skunks are black and white? Well there's something about 3 magpies eating a dead skunk in a graveyard that is just totally over the top. I couldn't have even dreamed this one up! I took a whole series of "in flight" shoots but I'll spare you fragile kiddies the morbidity of it all.













And just so you don't all walk away thinking I've gone off the deep end, I DID of course take photos of flowers as well! These ones with the weird striped petals were at the front gate. Will anyone venture a guess as to why this happens? No, it wasn't paint.