A mood of melancholy has followed me around like a dark cloud the past couple of weeks. It probably has a lot to do with the anticipated move out-of-state for our son and daughter-in-law drawing ever closer.
Tuesday Laurie of Speaking from the Heart, posed the question, “What’s been your most recent surprise?” Well, the night before Tim gave me the dragonfly pendant pictured at the right. Laurie hinted that she wanted to see it, so….
Other recent gifts have been a long phone call from my daughter and of course, this new web domain from my son. I feel blessed and full of gratitude, and yet, still blue. I’m also taking more steps on a path to vegetarianism and am engaged in a pensive, inner spiritual struggle. Planning to write a post about that soon…
Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonfly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:
So this winged hour is dropped to us from above.
~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti
(Silent Noon)
I went up to visit my father Tuesday, and stayed overnight, returning yesterday morning. Visiting him always leaves me sad as there is so little I can do to make his life easier. My only hope is that my presence somehow makes him feel as comforted as the presence of my own children makes me feel…
Bernie, my sister Beverly, and I took a walk in the woods Wednesday morning. Bernie is showing his age and was in a little funk himself. If you haven’t been introduced to Bernie yet, you can find his story here.
Lately I’ve thought a lot about “my” hemlock tree, which I climbed all the time when I was a child. I loved to sit high up in it and absorb its energy and have now been wondering what its energy would feel like these days. Part of me wants to climb it again, for old times’ sake, but I’d have to bother someone for a ladder to get to the lowest branch and I question my agility and this stage of my life. The tree has been under attack and weakened from an infestation of the hemlock woolly adelgid, which my brother-in-law, who is a botanist, is trying to control. So I took a picture to show where Hurricane Gloria snapped its crown off in 1985. You can see where new growth has filled in above the break, in about the middle of the photo.
When I got home and uploaded the picture I was delighted to find it full of orbs! Orbs have been on my mind recently, too, since seeing Kathy’s picture of a golden brown orb on her post at Lake Superior Spirit. I think the orbs are a good sign that my tree still has some healing energy. Maybe I will bother someone about a ladder… Later on, walking along the path to the mailbox, I thought this little clearing looked pretty so I snapped another picture, and didn’t realize until I got home that it was full of orbs, too.
But that was it for surprise orb photos. The hemlock below has not fared so well, and has become an ideal place for woodpeckers to drill for insects…
I liked the texture I found in a pile of scrap lumber by the shed…
And to end on a more cheerful note, a pretty flowering sedum in Beverly’s rock garden…
The second picture, with all the orbs in it, looking at Grandpas mailboxes; isn’t that about where Mary is buried? It’s funny, I was just thinking about/missing her last night.
Oh, Larisa, I’m so happy you left a comment that shed some light on this picture for me! Yes! I had just stopped at Mary’s gravestone and was fondly remembering some of the sweet and quirky things she used to do. When I stepped away, the pretty scene presented itself and I took the picture. When I got home and saw the orbs I was scratching my head trying to think why there would be so many orbs around Grandpa’s mailboxes. 🙂 But now I understand, they were there because of Mary, and I’m so glad she decided to visit you in your thoughts soon after I visited her grave. I almost didn’t include the picture in the post, but I’m glad I did because your observation helped me to finally make the connection.
Glad to help! 🙂
I have been fairly obsessed with cats over the past month or so; been spending a lot of time thinking about Mary. I watch the stray cats live in the alley behind my apartment. They are only about 10 feet from my window and it’s hard to watch them struggle through life. I looked up the symbolism of domestic cats today and it said they are guardians of the home. Suddenly it made a lot of sense why I am so obsessed with them lately; I am struggling to find a sense of *home* in my recently highly nomadic life. Perhaps my desire to have a cat is really a desire to have a home.
It is hard, witnessing the suffering and struggling of other creatures, isn’t it… I can see why you feel like a nomad at this point in time and I hope that you will feel settled in your hoped-for new home, soon! ♥hugs♥
Barbara – The dragonfly pendant is stunning, absolutely stunning! In the world of “totems,” dragonfly represents change. Here’s a link to one of my favorite sites that will provide you with many more details: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-dragonfly.html
I think having a good sit in your tree is precisely what the doctor ordered. You don’t have to go up high — just to the lowest sturdy limb that the ladder will take you to.
And the orbs….wonderful!
Thank you, Laurie! There are a lot of changes afoot in our extended families. I enjoyed exploring your link to Avia’s website about signs and symbolic meanings- especially this reminder: “Lastly it should be noted that the Dragonfly lives a short life, and it knows it must live to the fullest with what it has. This lesson is huge for each of us.”
Yes, I do think I will be bothering someone for a ladder next time I go for a visit. 🙂 If my tree could survive this long after losing its crown and years of fighting pestilence, I’m sure it has a lot to teach me…
Oh yes. The tree is definitely calling you. It is interesting how our minds will find all sorts of reasons why we shouldn’t follow. If you hadn’t glimpsed the orbs, perhaps you might not have listened. Speaking of symbolism, perhaps getting up a bit high in the tree–just the lowest sturdy limb–might be enough to lift your mood and gain a larger perspective. Since we’re all One, perhaps all of us are being urged to find a tree to climb. I am looking our the window, seeing if any are calling me to get off the ground for a while. **smile**
Kathy, it’s so true, I probably would have abandoned the idea of climbing my tree as too impractical (logical part of brain) if the orbs hadn’t beckoned me with their presence. I like the symbolism you pointed out, getting up a bit high in the tree as a means to lift my mood and gain a larger perspective… October 7 looks like it will be moving day for Nate & Shea. I’m trying very hard to focus on the larger perspective! Please let me know if you find yourself climbing any of your trees. Did your kids climb them when they were growing up?
The dragonfly pendant is beautiful. Your tree reminds me of the tree I used to climb when I was a girl. I used to sit up in that tree for hours, daydreaming, reading, or pretending I was a spy or something. lol! I wonder if the tree is still there. My brother and his wife bought my parents’ home and the wife has torn down most of the trees, shrubs, etc. I might have to go by next time we’re out east and look.
I love your orbs. 🙂
Thank you, Robin. 🙂 It sounds like you have a similar connection to your tree – I hope it isn’t one of the ones your sister-in-law took down! Like you I spent hours in my tree, daydreaming and wondering and often feeling time stand still… Being there satisfied a deep spiritual hunger that I couldn’t explain very well then, or even now…
Hi Barbara. Your title ‘blue thread’ seems to weave through your words and the tone of the photos. I always think dragonflies are like needles, sewing their way through their habitat. Jane
I love how blue represents water and the sky, our little blue planet, the source of life. It also seems to be a bit of a paradox, suggesting at times melancholy and at other times serenity. I’m glad you noticed the blue thread, Jane!
Speaking of dragonflies being like needles, I learned that “the Norwegian word for dragonflies is ‘Øyenstikker’, which literally means Eye Poker.” 🙂
http://www.ingebrita.net/2010/07/07/talk-of-the-flower/