Gleaner Tree Hearts for Howard

There are some beautiful old trees at the new Gleaners site ... and I found these hearts there. Too bad I didn't look further up, then I might have been able to tell you what kind of trees these are! Thank you Howard for helping me see these beautiful hearts.

Rain Soaked Heart

The pounding rain has stripped the remaining blossoms from the wild cherry tree. I bid farewell to my beautiful cherry blossom hearts, knowing that soon I will be enjoying yet another gift from this tree.

Kildeer Nest

Kildeer lay their eggs in scooped out gravel nests in the middle of fields and parking lots. If you get too close they protect their eggs and their young by pretending to have a broken wing and leading you in the opposite direction. When I realized the kildeer were in nesting season, I stayed away from the parking lot across the street. Now that they have led their cute little babies into the grassy areas to hide, I decided to find a nest. And look -- the one I found was shaped like a heart!

Caught in Tree

There are cherry blossom hearts all over the driveway now. They are also caught in the trees and bushes nearby ... where I found this heart, held tightly by the tree it landed on.

Going Bananas!

This poor banana got left out too long, and started to get spotty. But look! One of those spots looks suspiciously like a heart!!!

Broken Window Reflection

Morning sunlight filtering through the trees and the newly broken glass at the abandoned church creates a somewhat distorted, but clearly visible, heart.

Cherry Blossom Time!

I really like cherry blossoms. They herald Spring in my driveway. After they have served their purpose, we can dance in the petals showering down upon us, covering the earth with delicate beauty.

I found this heart on one of the lower branches of the huge cherry tree. There are probably more up there, but I like this one.

Dam Beaver!

There is a park down by the Willamette River in Milwaukie that has been fighting a very public beaver issue. Most of the trees along the water's edge are gone ... with the remaining ones gnawed ... some nearly in half! I found this heart at the base of a tree further up the bank ... that pesky beaver created a cute little heart, don't you think?

Bark Hearts

I found a heart in a piece of tree bark left beside the road. Only later did I realize that there is another smaller heart tucked right alongside it ... close to it's heart.

Fallen Heart

There is a little grove of alder trees near the driveway that are dropping their catkins in preparation for full late spring leafdom. The ground is covered beneath the trees. I knew there had to be a heart here somewhere, and look! I found one! In case you wonder, they fell from the tree this way!

Broken Mirror Reflection

Walking past the deserted loading dock, is that a heart I see reflected onto the wall?

I venture closer ... Yes! The sun is hitting a broken mirror just right, throwing this reflection onto the concrete ...

Then the sun hides behind a gathering cloud ... the heart slowly fades away.
But it stays with me.

Tiffi's Birthday Table

We had a birthday party for Tiffi last night ... it was so fun! As we were cleaning up the cupcake sprinkles, I noticed these delightful hearts. I think Tiffi had a good time, don't you?

Colorado Rocks!

When my kids and I lived in Colorado Springs, we took every spare moment to explore. We didn't have much money, but we found plenty of things to do. The Garden of the Gods was one of our favorite haunts, as well as Fountain Creek, and the many backroads of the Pikes Peak area. On one of our many trips, we picked up this beautiful rock, which we gave to my mom and dad. I never before realized it was a heart! ... I guess that's appropriate, since a piece of my heart will always stay in Colorado Springs.

Sawed Off Heart

I saw this heart from the road. Had to jump the ditch, fight my way through blackberry vines, and lean on a fence to get a good shot. It was worth it!

Bird Nest Heart

Twice a year I am required to work at the Gleaner's Warehouse. This requires hours of back breaking work, hefting around heavy boxes and filling numerous orders of food ... helping to feed the hungry people who are depending on delivery of these "gleaned" items. Well worth the hard work!

I took a break during a lull, and walked around the parking lot, stretching out the kinks in my back ... looking around, as always, for the hearts that define my life right now. I found none.

Then a bird flew overhead ... landing in a nest high atop a tree. There it was! My heart! Right in front of me all the time. Well, right above me all the time!

Unspoken Hearts

We shared the makeshift bench for a few minutes.
Long enough for her to finish the cigarette she was holding.
The other hand clutched a picture ... very tattered and worn
Like it had been looked at a thousand times.

She stubbed out her smoke and stood.
For the first time, she met my eyes.
Hers were filled with tears, unshed.
Then she left.

Not a word was spoken, there was nothing to say.
But somehow, our hearts touched.

Trumped By Tiffi!

My challenge for Tiffi -- find a heart in this room. There are a bunch! Like the one on her sister's skirt.

She did one better -- she found the heart I had missed -- the back of the high chair in the corner. Good eye, Tiff!

Knotted Twine

This twine has lost it's usefulness, and was long ago discarded. I uncovered it yesterday, when I glimpsed the heart hidden beneath a layer of dead dry leaves. Sometimes "useless" becomes "useful" ... it's all in the perception!

Confused Mushroom

I found this fantastic mushroom in the woods yesterday. It looks to be trying to turn itself inside-out ... and creating a cute little heart in the process!

Or ... could it be that one of the forest fairies is growing a springtime party dress?

Well in Hand

Sometimes the old doorknob comes loose, letting in little bits of sunshine in the morning. I couldn't believe it when I followed the light with my hand -- and ended up with a heart!

Strawberries

Look what I found this morning when I started to cut up a strawberry for my breakfast!

We Carved Our Names ...

Remember the tree
Where we carved our names
Hearts intertwined
Promising
To love each other
Forever?

Well, the tree died.

I'm so sorry ... but whenever I see initials carved into a tree with a heart, I think of this horrible poem from my youth. Why is it I can remember this, but half the time I can't remember my own name until I check my driver's license???

Birch Bark

I found this amazing heart up in a birch tree. It was created when the bark of this birch tree started peeling, revealing the two sides of the heart.

Upon closer inspection I see so much more in this tree. I see a guy with an oriental hat. I see several faces. What do you see?

Tic Tac Toe Mushroom

I can't decide whether this mushroom heart is tempting me to stop and play a little word game, or if it harbors a hidden coded message! Wonder what it would be ... Don't step on me?

The Cat Ate My Heart!

I heard the distinctive crinkling of a bag of potato chips ... MY Potato Chips! I rushed to confront the bandit, and found the cat -- his entire head stuck inside this little bitty bag, happily crunching away. When he pulled his head out, he dropped one of the chips -- a cute little heart!