A Wrench, a Bicycle and a Philosophical Photographer

(With a flower thrown in for good measure.)

I thought of this little one today and remembered I'd never posted it here. 

I was out with my camera this morning, trying to get pictures of the carpenter bees who feed on my wooden glider. Those things are hard to get, about the time the camera focuses on their tiny little body, they move. I gave up on that and moved on to taking pics of an old rusty wrench and my son's bicycle parts. Then I went in to PSE and added layers and textures to them. I want to learn to make my own textures eventually, but for now I am using some of the free ones Kim Klassen sends out. She has a class which maybe eventually I will get to take.

I believe this one is my favorite of the bicycle pictures. This was my son's bicycle. We bought it for Christmas for him a year ago. Now it resides on the patio as part of our decor.

A quote from Pema Chodron: "In meditation and in our daily lives there are three qualities that we can nurture, cultivate, and bring out. We already possess these, but they can be ripened: precision, gentleness, and the ability to let go."

No, I don't think I need to let go of my memories. I do owe a debt of gratitude to my dear son for helping me to learn lessons in letting go of things that were not mine to hold. 

Excuse the pun, but it was, at times, a wrenching experience.

What can be said about a wrench propped up on a fence reaching for the sky?

I think I brought the wrench home from my grandparents' house after they both were gone. The other possibility is that I borrowed it from dad, didn't return it, and now have let it get all rusty and stuff. Ooops. No, I really think it came from my grandfather's tools. There were a couple of wood files I brought home too. I'm not sure but I think those are in the garage somewhere. I am not too good at keeping up with some of my mementos of the dead, meaningful as they are to me.

I'm trying to be all cheery and philosophical but let me just tell you, life sucks sometimes. Not all the time, thankfully, but sometimes.

Having said that, I do believe I am on the cusp of something, or at least, I am hopeful that I am. On the edge of something. Let's hope I don't fall off.

I'm working on my self. That's what it is. There are lessons being learned and observations being made and things hoped for but not quite seen.