Bee Fly, Bishop’s Weed, and Wowza Clover 6/5/17

I heard a neat interview today about beetles found in the La Brea tar-pits that still survive today called La Brea Beetles Revisited.  Check it out here.  Our friends today are the cool customer I used to call a teddy bear fly that I found out is a type of bee fly, the bishop’s weed blossom that it was hanging out in, and a white clover blossom that turned out to be a wowza portrait.  Enjoy 🙂
sit snowy blossoms
while I land upon your leaves
I am a bee fly
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
insects sip from me
I help to fix the soil
I am a clover
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Bee Fly Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Ladybug, Ladybug 6/4/17

A hot and windy day so far with ladybugs making new ladybugs 😉  Also aphids in the first photo and another lone ladybug cruising along.
we are so grateful
for ladybugs and others
who help us garden
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Lovely Ladybug Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

3 Days of Roses 5/27 – 5/29

My neighbors have lovely roses that have done spectacularly this spring because of all the rain we’ve had.  I took the above photo on Saturday the 27th, the following photo on Sunday the 28th, and the last on Memorial Day (the 29th).  I hope you had a lovely day of remembering. The above bud lived on a bush across the street and the others on my next door neighbors’ bush.
roses remember
gorgeous colours unfolding
grace the neighborhood
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Memorial Day Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Small and Smaller 5/25/17

After yesterday’s photos of canyon trees, reservoir, and cloudscapes, this morning’s captures of little friends in my yard and my neighbors’ are a contrast in size.  Also we see the first opening milkweed blossoms.  The above little leafhopper on milkweed is the tiniest of today’s friends.  The grasshopper is tiny, too.
milkweed leafhopper
grasshopper at the neighbors’
tiny little friends
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017

A little shower then sunshine then overcast again brought some refreshment to milkweed and other plants and friends.
Here’s the first blossoms!
a monarch’s breakfast
and promise for new sweet meals
blossoming milkweed
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
wee-est grasshopper
on purple little daisy
what are you seeing?
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
The hummingbird is the largest of today’s friends and is happily partaking at the feeder.  There was a downy young hummer, too, though I didn’t get a photo.  I didn’t think the male helped with raising babies, yet I’ve noticed that the male hangs out by the nesting area.  They nest in a little juniper and Oregon grape thicket, so I can’t actually see or observe the nest.

sipping the nectar
o hummingbird hummingbird
do you have babies?
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
little leafhopper
are you refreshed by the rain?
will you be drinking?
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017

Namaste, Bright Late Spring Blessings, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Little Mountain Pass 5-24-17

I was graced to be able to have a quick visit to a canyon close to home, Emigration  Canyon.  Here is Little Dell Reservoir from Little Mountain Pass (all of today’s photos are in Little Mountain Pass).
The wind was blowing fiercely and I only had 2 good photos of these grasses with Little Dell in the background.
Clouds were moving across the sky leading to stormy clouds, brief rain, and high wind.  When I got back into the valley I heard from some folks about their misadventures in gusty winds that were blowing up to 75 mph.  I have shots from blue sky and clouds to stormy skies.  The ant on the spent blossom of an unfamiliar mountain shrub is pretty awesome (as I didn’t think I had a good ant photo).
up in the canyon
a little ant forages
no staring at clouds
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
less than an hour
winds whip up and chase the trees
blow off fluffy clouds
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Nighty Night Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Sunrise Sunset 5/21/17

I was greeted by a double rainbow at dawn this morning 🙂  Here we look west.
here’s all the colours
pouring right down from the clouds
blessing all creatures
~ Raven Ariana SImons ©2017
o double rainbow
what do you see from the sky?
all the Earth’s children
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Evening brought a lovely sunset.  Here we look east.
It was interesting to find the rainbows in the west at dawn and the sunset clouds in the east reflecting light as the sun set.
billowing sunset
clouds moving across mountain
peek out between leaves
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017

This cloud looked a lot like an alpaca 😉
Cheers, Namaste, Nama Amida Butsu, Bright Lovely Sky Blessings
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
Raven

Red Flowers and Friends 5-19-17

This is geum also known as avens.  A lovely flower in my neighbors’ yard.
A dianthus and tiny baby grasshopper also live at my neighbors’ place close to the geum.
this day is waning
moving closer to midnight
I collect my thoughts
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
dove and grasshopper
red red geum and dianthus
add a honeybee
~ Raven Ariana Simon ©2017
Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu, Bright Bee Blessing
Our Hearts Give Thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Inner Iris 6-18-17

Today it was quite chilly with brief periods of sun. The sunlight allowed me to take today’s photos.  I have found that entire white iris are challenging for me to photograph, so I was pleased and grateful to capture portraits of these beauties before they are done for the season.  They live in my neighbor’s yard.
cool sunshine glitters
bouncing off iris petals
sparkling enjoyment
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
late afternoon light
allows a glimpse within
soft inner iris
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
I love this little fly that look like he/she is looking out over a vast expanse.
This hover fly says “hi” from a neighbor’s flower and looks nice with the iris photos. Amazing that these insects were out in the cold!
wee friends in the cold
pollinating champions
both are little flies
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
Bright Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!

Surprise! It Snowed! 5-17-17

I woke up to snow this morning and had to wait until first light to take some photos to
share with you.  It was swiftly melting and I discovered how challenging it is to take photos in the gloaming dawn.  It is also my anniversary today for the 28th year I’ve lived with my husband.  We celebrate 26th years of marriage in August.  Here is his gift.
I love it!  So cute and I so enjoy the dandelion and little pollinators and refreshing innocence.  When we met I wanted him to be my playmate and would sing him a little song my grandfather (the one in my photo in the “Cultivating Compassion and Kindness (About)” page of this blog) would sing to me, called “O Little Playmate“.  I’m grateful to have found the little video in the link to share with those of you who’d like to check out the song.
o dearest playmate
you came out to play with me
and make sweet music
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
I feel so very grateful to you, o husband of mine, even in the cold rain and snow 😉
together for years
so very long yet so short
the passage of time
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017
adventures we’ve had
exciting sometimes scary
nature comforts us
~ Raven Ariana Simons ©2017

Like every couple we’ve had mixed blessings through out the years and it takes work to make a coupleship and a marriage.  I appreciate that we both have love in our hearts, work on gratitude, compassion, and kindness.  Strive to forgive.  Appreciate Grace, Mystery, and Beauty.  Love our family, pets, friends, and the creatures in our yard (that star in most of my photos) and the world at large, while appreciating trees, fungi, soil organisms, water, air, and all that keeps us alive on mama Earth. Work on realizing mistakes are information and opportunities to learn and grow (great because we both make lots of mistakes).  Love to play and create. Love lifelong learning.  Desire to foster creativity in others when we have a chance and do other acts of Service.

Happy Anniversary, Hubby, may we enjoy many more years together and continue to be blessed with double celebrations (insert heart here)!
Bright Snowy Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks to the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven

Yellow Flowers 5-15-17

I saw a hawk today in the maple tree that overhangs my yard.  It had prey.  A large (relative to the sizes of finches and robins) bird landed on the other side of the trunk and I believe it was another hawk and perhaps the mate of the one I could see. I wasn’t able to get a look because of where it settled in the maple. They both took off as I tried to get closer for photos.

follow the iris
to yellow tulips in May
sweet spring is still here
~©2017 Raven Ariana Simons

Bright Spring Blessings, Namaste, Namu Amida Butsu
Our hearts give thanks for the Grace in the Universe!
~ Raven