Almost sunset, cattail world, breathe the magic...
Last night I left our patient propped up on the couch listening to National Public Radio, the ice machine whirring freezing cold blasts of water around his new knee replacement, his knee elevated properly above the heart for maximum anti-swelling advantage.
I bopped down the road in the approaching dusk, advising Barry that I would return in an hour or so, would he be fine?
We arranged for a DVD-watching date, and off I loped, camera in hand, traipsing toward the Eagle Pond more than a half mile away.
Readers, I took 94 photos in that hour. Click, click, clickety-click.
Now it’s Friday afternoon and I just don’t have any time or energy to edit those 94 photos, gosh, no, not with a sink-load of dirty dishes and all sorts of chores to accomplish.
I also have another blog in the mental hopper ready to type up, but, yes, you’ve guessed it, no time or energy to do it yet. In this blog yet-to-be-written blog you’ll meet a lovely young blogger who keeps getting shanghaied to foreign ports, I kid you not. She also writes a delicious vegan blog with recipes-to-die-for. You’ll meet her soon. She’s actually from our neck of the woods, transporting herself to San Francisco several years ago.
So what did I have time for today in the blogging world? ONE photo. A cattail photo from last night’s venture. It’s a magical photo though, half earth and half underwater. I will prove its magical effects if you like. Stare at it for several minutes while breathing deeply.
See what I mean? You felt it, didn’t you?
You did, didn’t you?
I wasn’t the only one, was I?
That’s what can happen On Magical Golden Cattail Pond. More photos later. Don’t know if they will arise embedded with magic, though…
Off to do dishes NOW. No more postponing! On to the Magical Silver Kitchen Sink…
Lake Superior Spirit 
Love the photograph – I just love glass top water and how it reflects. You could flip the picture over and hardly notice any difference. 🙂
I love reflections. Love, Reflections. Isn’t it cool how the world can be turned upside down and it’s the same thing?
Wonderful picture, now I want to have this as my desktop wallpaper!
Thank you for sharing!
Hurray! The magic is now on your desktop. Heaven knows what will happen in your life now Kira…
Kathy your picture really is magical! It’s SO beautiful! You are blessed indeed to live in such a lovely place. If I leave the house and go walking here, it’s city streets and not even a pretty part of town (it’s one of the industrial areas, not to mention the fairground area). Now if my vehicle worked, I could drive to the Nature Center out on the East side of town and walk the trails there and THAT is my little piece of local heaven! But, the vehicle doesn’t work, nor do my knees. If I make it out there at all this summer, it’ll be to walk the easiest of trails, not the adventurous, nearly hidden trails I love. *sigh…. But at least it’ll soon be time to go dig in the garden and make the yard a little more inviting. And like you…it is a busy time for me here….cleaning up the house before birthday celebrations for my Alex tomorrow (how cool is this…it’s Alex’s birthday (he’ll be 12) and it’s also Rick’s birthday!) and then next Friday, my oldest son Ben will be here with the band because they are performing at a bar in town. So, I’ll have a house full that night. Must get busy!!
Thanks again for the bit of magic today….it really lifted my spirits on this gloomy day. ♥
You make me think how lucky we are…to be able to walk down the road and find such beauty. Yes, I shouldn’t take it for granted. (why do we humans take our circumstances for granted too often?) I wish that you could walk on trails. How I wish that. But, since wishes are so often wishes, I wish Alex a Happy 12th birthday! ENJOY, Mama and Son! Happy lifted spirits, dear Brenda.
Thank you Kathy! I’ll tell Alex about your birthday wishes for him 🙂 I’m scrambling to get the house ready and the baking done and at the same time help Alex with the mountain of homework he came home with. Not to mention the fact that his teacher said she wouldn’t have time to allow him to type much next week (he needs to type his science fair report at school because I do not have the right program here on my computer–and the report is due next Friday) so we’ll be going to my sister’s on Sunday so he can type there but it’ll be a 1 day trip so he has to type FAST. He has 12 pages of handwritten material to type so it’ll be a big job for him. Say a little prayer for fast and efficient fingers!
Ohhhhhh – it IS magical. I clicked on it to see a larger view and it takes my breath away…….. Dusk around the water’s edge is a special time and place, isn’t it?
I was hoping someone might appreciate the magic of it, Barbara. You may be the person! It is such a special place/time on water’s edge…
This is perfect! Is Eagle Pond on the East side of the road after Beesley turns North?
I am trying to figure this out, John. East? North? Um, yes. I think so?
Lovely reflection. I love this shot!
glad you like the reflection, Lynne. So did I!
Beautiful. I’m so glad you carved out a little time for yourself. I remember being pretty exhausted for a while.
It takes a lot longer dealing with and posting 94 pictures than it does taking them. Haha.
Whatever did we do before digital cameras?
Maybe we read more books.
It was good to get out of the house for a little while, Christine. You know all about dealing with all those photos, don’t you? Yes. We read MANY more books. 🙂
Beautiful. ‘Nuff said.
Glad you paused by the shore and reflected, Editor.
Hope your sink is as magical as your photo, Kathy. Good for the blood pressure.
Umm, Barb, it IS a stretch of the imagination to make the sink as magical as the Eagle Pond. I tried, but probably did not succeed…lol…
Nice image, Kathy.
Glad you enjoyed, Gerry. Bet you remember the Eagle Pond from the outdoor blog…maybe?
THE BLUE HERON IS BACK AND FLEW UP AND FLEW AROUND IN IT’S LANGUID MANNER JUST FOR MEEEEEEEEEEE (of course just for me)
I just read about a blue heron at Christine’s blog (up above)–the woman whose husband just had double knee surgery a couple months ago. I would love to see a blue heron. We have a rookery on the way to town, and who knows, maybe they are nesting?
Absolutely love this photo!
Glad you like it, Senora Ruth!
Lovely photograph! Thanks for sharing it!
It’s worth sharing if folks like you enjoy it, Cindy.
Beautiful, peaceful, quiet. I dared not breathe lest I spoil the silence. Why is it called Eagle Pond?
I hardly dared breathe last night, either, Bonnie. It is called the Eagle Pond, because, errr, that’s what I named it years ago. 🙂 A bald eagle often sits above the still waters in pine trees. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a picture of the eagle reflected in the pond?
Absolutely. Eagles are so majestic. Perhaps one will show up, and serendipity will happen, and you will get another perfect picture.
Magical beautiful too.
I am glad you like it,Connie.
Wonderful reflection .. very peaceful and yes, magical.
Hi bearyweather. I’ll bet you see a lot of cattail ponds in your neck of the woods.
No, not really because there are no ponds around here, just lakes.
Cattails are along the road in the wet areas, rivers and creeks, and some of the smaller lakes might have some along the edge on one end (too far for my lens). I did get a reflection picture of the cattails along the creek the other day … but, it is nothing like yours … the water in the creek was only about 3 feet wide and moving (I might post it any way- if it grows on me).
Let me know if you post it, bearyweather. I don’t want to miss your cattail shot.
Cattails are always magical, and perhaps doubly so at dusk. Did you hear any critters in their midst? As a child I always like to trek to the creek out back to gather cattails that I would then peel apart. I used to imagine making a pillow out of all the fluff.
I never imagined anything nearly so elegant about a sink full of dishes 😉
I didn’t hear critters, Heather. Was listening for those croaking frogs, or tree toads, but they were auspiciously silent. You should make a pillow out of the fluff now and lay your head upon it when you’re weary or stressed. (tee hee about the sink full of dishes. Trying to make all things sacred…)
Ohh, peaceful and idyllic. Ommmmmm….
It felt so idyllic. Glad to share it with you. I can almost see you sitting cross-legged by the shore. Oh wait a sec, maybe you’re taking pics, too? 🙂
Alas, I haven’t been able to take any photos for a month now… My beloved camera is at the repair shop (it didn’t survive the long trip all that well), and it has been sooo hard to be separated from her. I feel quite bereft.
I can’t imagine how you’re feeling, Reggie. Hope the camera soon gets fixed.
Beautiful! What makes it so beautiful to me is how it represents silence. Oh, I know being in a setting like that isn’t necessarily silent with the frogs and birds and who-knows-what snapping twigs in the thicket. But there are no cars or TV. The phone isn’t ringing. The washing machine isn’t running. Just…silence. *sigh*
Sara, wishing you magical silence in your days. Just a small carved space, perhaps, but silence that soothes you so very deeply.
Kathy, I think it’s the vertical lines of the cattails that make it such a calming pondscape. Some days it seems like there’s only enough time and energy to take photos or blog. And the more wonderful the phototaking experience, the harder it is to choose one or two blog posts to create from all the images.
You are right about that, Amy-Lynn. I certainly was overwhelmed by the 90-some photos. However, the next morning there was an open space when suddenly it was actually peaceful to wander through the pond photos and choose.
Cattails + water = reflections, pretty birds and water fowl appearing as if from nowhere, peace, harmony, life in many stages, the call of the wild.
The call of the wild. I like that, Carol. The equation of nature…
Good stuff to reflect on Kathy …
Thank you,Sybil.
Kathy,
Once again days behind. But what a beautiful photograph to catch up on first. You have captured that magic…
early evening walks are always kind of special and they are different then the morning… the light comes from a different angle, the shadows play around the edges hiding the faeries at play…
Jeff, those early evening walks are so special. The golden light, and, oh yes, the faeries at play. I saw a couple of them shimmering at the edge of the pond. Don’t worry–you won’t have to fall behind for the next few months. 🙂
Kathy, such a beautiful photo! I don’t know what else to say.
It did turn out kind of cool, didn’t it, Colleen? Thank you. It says thank you.
All you needed for this post was that one magical photo. 🙂
Thank goodness one magical photo appeared, Robin!
Aye, I know of the fatigue you talk about. It will get done, in time, always in time.
I’ll bet you do know about that fatigue, Scott. And you’re right–the timing is always right in the long run.
I really don’t think we have cattails in Australia, but I often see them on my USA friend’s blogs. They must be a favourite to photograph. And now they are here, growing magically, in this magical pond! I love it when you make magic happen, Kathy. 🙂
Really, Joanne? You don’t have cattails in Australia? I never once thought about such a thing. They are magic because they are filled with magic fluff. Like the softest down of feathers. Also you can wish upon the fluff and blow them into Dreamland. Honest. I wouldn’t make that up. 🙂
Wonderful Reflections both in the photo and in my head!
Thank you, Linda!