Flashlight In Darkness

There is no darkness so deep ...
That a light can't reach -
And touch your heart.

Deconstruction Moss

The old "temporary" addition to the back of the house was rotten. It had to go. Saturday was the work party, and my sister, brother-in-law, and a wonderful friend of my parents came to tear it down. The guys did the heavy stuff (I think they had too much fun!) while us girls carted away loads of debris, and mom did the food thing.

As Beth and I did a final clean-up of the smaller stuff, we were amazed when we saw this piece of moss hanging from a nail - on the piece of wood I was getting ready to throw onto the burn pile.

Hand Me a Tissue, Please?

A little down time ... waiting for mom to get out of the doctor's office. I decided to go for a walk. As always, my camera was with me.

Next to the curb at the other end of the parking lot, I saw something white in the bushes. I walked closer. Sure enough, someone had thrown their tissue into the bushes next to the curb.

While I do adore finding unique and random hearts, I don't always appreciate the context. Finding a used tissue outside a doctors office and community health office is not what I like to see.

Even if it is in the shape of a heart!

Clever Spider

On a misty morning last week, I found this huge spider lair in the vacant parking lot across the street.

What a clever spider to make his home in the shape of a heart!

A Heart Nonetheless ...

A paper bag on the floor ...
A little kitty being box trained ...
Oops ...


'Nuff said?

Soggy Paper Towel

One of the hazards of trying to fill a dumpster in the blinding pouring rain ... things like paper towels get dropped on the sidewalk without being noticed.

Until the rain stops and the sun starts to slowly dry out the hearts left behind ...

The Heart To Let Go and Move On

Letting go is hard.
Holding on is harder.
This is the lesson I am learning.
Dumpsters full of stuff.
Garbage cans full of stuff.

Here is the moment
Where I find the heart to go on.

Partly Cloudy Afternoon

My sister Beth and I spent a day together, cleaning my parents' house in preparation for their return after their accident.

Afternoon came, and we had accomplished much! Up until the point when we both looked up and saw the clouds. We raced for our cameras and spent much of the rest of the day discovering one miracle after another. Like this beautiful heart.


Thank you, sissie, for such a wonderful day!

Roadside Stump

Bell Road. A small, curvy, dangerous road. It is popular with motorcyclists and teenagers out for a joyriding thrill.

I was walking along Bell Road when I spotted this stump, complete with animal-carved heart.

It was worth the walk!

Glowing Heart Cloud

The clouds were fantastic that early evening. I found so many beautiful designs and images. Then I spotted the heart - it seemed to glow.

I also saw a sheep(?) jumping out of the heart. What do you see?

Plastic Wrap

Someone enjoyed a piece of candy.
But somehow dropped the wrapper.
It blew about in the wind.
And ended up in my heart.

Another Tiffi Heart

We found this beautiful heart high up in a cedar tree.

Yesterday I got to spend some time at the park with my beautiful niece Tiffani. We played on the playground, then explored the woods. We ate blackberries, admired beautiful flowers, enjoyed nature -- even when we had to brush off the spiders/webs that we ran into.

Thank you for a wonderful time, Tiffani. I 'heart' you!!!

Insulation Dedication

I spent part of yesterday wandering around the abandoned church (across the street) with a veterinarian from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. You see, I found some birds. Dead birds. Four dead owls and a Cooper's hawk. I was very worried that something or someone was killing these beautiful birds.

Turns out the owls were fledgelings and probably died of natural causes - most likely starvation. They came out of the nest too early and wandered around the massive building. The parents couldn't find them to feed them, and they died. The hawk apparently tried to exit the building through one of the few remaining windows and broke its neck.

I thank Dr. Vandenburg for driving all the way out here to investigate. He was patient and kind, and taught me much about the beautiful birds of this area. He also took the birds with him to further investigate ... just in case.

During our walk, I found a piece of insulation and couldn't resist the heart. It helped dry the tears in my eyes.

At the Playground

When I find a carved 'tree heart', my imagination starts on a journey ... I wonder who carved it; was their sweetheart with them? Did their 'happily ever after' ever happen? Maybe it was a little girl, bored with playing on the swings, who decided to draw a simple heart. Does she remember?

I wonder if, years from now, the person(s) who carved this heart will return. Will the heart tree still be there?

I wonder ...