Monday Morning Musings:
Sunrise and Clouds, Delaware River at West Deptford, NJ
Eagles
I dream of eagles
soaring high, circling in the cerulean sky
over the rippling river, rushing
away from life’s ferocious frosts and fevers,
the fripperies, the vain vagaries of the villain
the anxiety, angst, and annoyances of the now.
The forests moan,
the seas seethe,
we mourn mothers, grandmothers—
generations gone
and wisdom withered, lost forever,
but passed along
are rituals, even as new ones
are created in novel circumstances–
in strange new worlds
we recreate, renovate, and originate—
old and new combine, migrants
become established
citizens of settled worlds. No need
to fly south, or north, east, west—
until the predators come, once again.
Still, the sun rises, rousing us with repeated rhythms,
the familiar and the strange merge in each day,
a deer leaps over a fence in front of you,
You never know who you’ll see during a morning walk.
a flower blooms where there was nothing the day before,
the geese honk, rise in synchronized rhythm,
to settle, sailing further down the river, both seeming endless,
and over them, the eagles soar, sharp-clawed, fierce,
but mated for life, dancing in the air,
the way we can only dream of,
and yet, I’m rooted
like the giant oak, my branches spread wide, sheltering
my dreams and memories
that fall, scattered
like acorns, perhaps carried to new places,
to grow and live again.
It’s been a strange week or so—or perhaps a strange few months. Last week began with the anniversary of my mom’s birth. Everything is so unsettled. We never gave her a real memorial, but I did bake a chocolate cake (her favorite), and we had a virtual dinner with our daughters with a meal I thought she would have liked, lasagna, garlic bread, and good bottle of wine I’d been saving.
We had days that went from sun to storms, sometimes within a few minutes. Then yesterday, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and my mood was much better, too. We went to Hillcreek Farm, where they opened a wine garden—reservations required to limit the number of people, and the servers were masked, as were we when we left the table.
I can’t get the spacing right, and I can’t spend any more time on this today. Sorry!
Auburn Roads Vineyards Wine Garden at Hillcreek Farm
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Spacing issues or not, I can feel your frustration with the world and all its crazy that we are living. And I can also feel your decision to also see the beauty in it as a counter-action.
Might I suggest you simply go through the Admin page and drop the pain in the ass block? To play with your spacing, you need only choose the “Text” tab and remove that which you do not want or add where you do…
Thank you very much, Dale. Yes, that’s it exactly.
I DID go through the Admin page, and I still couldn’t get the spacing right, and I can’t figure out how to group the photos better either. . . I spent way too much time on this today, and I need to get other stuff done.
I could feel it.
Dang. We’ll have to have a face-to-face chitchat so I can help you 😉
Haha. I’ll figure it out eventually.
Gotcha
Glad you took time over this Merril because it’s lovely, spacing notwithstanding 🙂 some excellent rhythm in between –
Thank you very much, Susan!
Gorgeous photos and the poetic verse that follows is simply elegant. Thank you for sharing and brightening the day!
Thank you so much, Gwen, for your lovely comment!
Who cares about the spacing…this was a spectacular post, Merril! I loved your musings and the stunning photos. I’m in envy of your gorgeous walking space. I always love your Instagram shots. What a great picture of you and your husband! As for the solo of him…he’s hilarious!
Thank you so much, Jill. I love your enthusiasm! ❤️. Yes, he’s funny.😀
I have no doubt he keeps you laughing, Merril! 🙂
😀
That pasta looks yummy. Your photos almost always look so peaceful though, as though your “eye” is always watching for the most restful sights it can find. We all need a lot of that these days!
Thank you, Luanne. The lasagna was good–and since it was for just the two of us, we have a couple meal’s worth in the freezer for another time. 😀
Interesting about the photos. I’d say I’m looking more for beauty–or even soul-stirring–if that doesn’t sound too pretentious (I mean things that stir me, like seeing eagles)–but I’m glad you find them peaceful!
Yes, very peaceful. The water views and sky views do that. The water because I don’t have it here. And the sky because the sun is so hot here right now.
That makes sense.
It’s ritual that helps us make sense of the world, give it context.
Yes, very true. Thanks, Ken.
That first photo is stunning! It’s always the same story, whatever happens, the sun always rises and the birds do what they have to do regardless.
I remember not being able to get the text and photos in a sensible order with the very old editor too.
Thank you! That photo was from this mornin.
Yes, you’re right about whatever happens.
I tried the block first. . .either way, it’s a pain. 😏
I haven’t tried anything more complicated than poem + image and the keyboard combination for posting works fine.
The keyboard combination works fine for posting just the poem, but it got messed up when I tried to add photos, and anything else–originally I had a quotation that I ended-up deleting.
I remember with the old editor trying to get photos aligned on different sides with the text next to them and it went all over the place.
Yes. Sigh.
Beautiful words, scenic images, and forget about the spacing. We’ve all been there. I’m touched by your taking time to honor your mother with foods she would have enjoyed. Yet, underlying everything we do during these tense and stressful days is the haunting sense that this is the biggest crisis we’ve faced in many decades. Hang in there!
Thank you so much for your very kind words, Sherrey!
Every time I see one of your Delaware River photos I think I really need to go see it in person. So many lines from your musing resonated, each in a different way. The picture of you and your husband made the post!
Thank you so much, Liz. I’m pleased you like the photos. It might not seem so special in person, but it’s my little nearby area of nature.
We had a good time getting out–it’s such a rare thing these days.
Love the photos and the poetry. The ancestors are smiling at you today. ❤️❤️❤️
Awww–thank you so much, Colleen! ❤️
Lovely photography and poetry – for some reason, despite the proliferation of alliteration, ‘the geese honk, rise in synchronized rhythm,’ is my favourite like. Goofy is fun, too
Thank you so much–and I’m pleased you shared your favorite line. Yes, goofy is fun. 😀
🙂
I so love the lines, “and yet, I’m rooted like the giant oak, my branches spread wide, sheltering my dreams and memories.” We cast our net each day for the miracles each day offers…there too, we discover our ‘umbrella of hope’; our dreams and memories shelter us in life’s storms.
Linda, thank you so much! Yes, that is all so true.
I really did get to see a wondrous sight this morning–an eagle perched on a tree in the park. It was so close. I could see his/her face, the eyes, wing feathers ruffling. It was so cool!
I love that meal! I know the wine. OMG…
Anyway…
It’s about your gorgeous photos and the poignant prose, that I always seem to adore.
Today is the same. I collect some of your scattered acorns.
Thank you so much, Resa, that’s very kind.
Yes, that wine was delicious. My husband got it for me for a present, and I’d been saving it.
Nice!
A beautiful post! Love the deer in your neighborhood and your Queen of Everything cup!!
Thank you so much, Dwight!
Yesterday I got a shot of an eagle perched on a treetop. I never saw one so close before!
That is really great!