Category: photo

  • because some flowers are good eating…


    broccoli, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: a closeup of a head of broccoli growing in my garden.

    This ‘flower’ turned out to be pretty tasty. I ate it for lunch on Saturday :) My goal, once the school pressure lets down a bit, is to eat one meal/day from the garden this summer. And I think I just might pull it off. :)

    One of you, on your response to the pilgrimgirl survey, suggested that I should write about school more often. Hmmm….probably not going to happen. At least not anytime soon. Blogging is my escape from school. From the pressure that is building as my Qualifying Exams are looming. A respite from the many hours each day that I am reading, taking notes, writing mock responses to possible exam questions.

    My other escapes from studying? The gym and the garden. Lifting weights does a lot to relieve the pressure. Sometimes I actually imagine myself pushing all the stress out through my arms as I’m bench pressing. It’s lovely to get that ‘release.’ The garden, well, that probably doesn’t need explaining. A few minutes with the sun shining on my face, getting dirt under my nails, running my hands through the lavender, well that’s a feeling so tangibly relaxing that it seems almost sinful.

    How do you relax when life builds up on your shoulders?

    I would really be interested in ideas you have for relaxing before bed. I find myself rehashing all I’ve studied the minute my head hits the pillow. Sleep is far distant and elusive. But at the same time I know sleep is what I most need during this stressful time…I also know that this stress is not an isolated thing, that academia is a path that will continue to be pressure-filled, as there will be deadlines, job talks, conferences, and all manner of difficulties that I need to get used to. I’m hoping that I can continue to build a storehouse of stress-relieving skills that will serve me now and on into the future….

  • proclivities


    pink&purple, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: Close-up of a small purple flower with pink stamens.

    Recently we watched the movie “Amazing Grace” (which I highly recommend to each of you). The main character, Wilberforce, realizes that he could easily spend his life enjoying nature–studying spiderwebs and gazing into flowers. He find so much satisfaction in his communion with the natural world. Yet he comes to realize that this isn’t his mission in life. Instead, he becomes a politician and is instrumental in ending the British slave trade.

    Some days I feel like I lose myself in a flower. Time flies by while I’m in my garden and I start to only care about growing things. The rest of life seems so mundane in comparison. Yet I also have this feeling that I am supposed to do so much more. That gardening is important, even bedrock, for my life. But it’s not the whole of it. There are books to write, and children to raise, and friends to meet. And the flowers will continue to grow. Whether I am wholly absorbed in them or not.

  • my cowboy


    cowboy weejeeham!, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Dear GameBoy:

    So tomorrow is a big day for my big boy. Another birthday! I’ve loaded up a few fun pictures here for you to enjoy, to tell part of the story of how special you are to me and to our family (click on the photo above to see more pics).

    You have many passions, but the one that seems to override all of them is your love for other people. You’ve been a devoted big brother and a joy to your Dad and me. Above all, your smile can melt away any grumpiness around you. You have the gift of making others feel happy. And you tell great jokes, too!

    One of my favorite memories of you happened when you were just a wee one. You appeared one afternoon in the living room with a cowboy hat and vest on and announced that you was no longer yourself, instead you were “Cowboy Weejeeham!” We soon discovered that the cowboy had many adventures. He appeared often and shared his stories, some of which we’ve recorded in a book. Cowboy had a sidekick, a young boy named Kree, and a horse, and a bird that followed him everywhere. When we relocated from Utah to California, Cowboy Weejeeham and his posse went on ahead of us to clear the way of any potential dangers. We felt so happy to have the brave Cowboy as our loyal family friend!

    One thing that makes this birthday year particularly bittersweet for me, is that I can’t help but reflect back to when I turned your same age. Just five days before my birthday I was diagnosed with bone cancer. The day before my birthday I received the news that my leg would be amputated soon. When I was released from the hospital on my ‘special day’ I came home to a house full of balloons, gifts, and friends who’d gathered for a surprise party. What I remember about that day was that I was so ill (having already started chemotherapy) that I was unable to even take a few sips of 7-Up, much less eat cake or any other treats. I couldn’t open my gifts because my arms & hands were bandaged with thick layers of gauze (the chemo caused swollen red lumps and sores where it had leaked from my veins into the surrounding tissue). I appreciated the attention of my friends and family members, but what I most wanted was to rest, to be away from the celebration. To have time to make sense of how my world had completely turned upside down and would never be the same.

    Many years later my world completely turned upside down again when you were born, Buddy. It has never been the same again and that is precisely what brings me so much joy now. On the day you were born your father and I learned just how big love can be. And we continue to learn that each new day we spend with you.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

    Love,
    Mom

  • berry-to-be


    berry-to-be, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: closeup photo of a small white flower

    This past year, because of no rain (whatsoever) during the winter, the blackberry vines that line the garden fences have not grown. I had pretty much given up hope of any blackberry cobbler this spring (usually this time of year we are bringing home berries by the bucketful–we even have the last cup or two of last year’s crop still in our freezer).

    However, yesterday I found a small area of thriving blackberry vines flowering near the left side of my front garden fence. So we may not get berries by the pound, but I suspect we’ll still enjoy a few blackberries before the spring is over.

    We’ll experience the joy of quality rather than quantity.

  • it’s a shy one


    poppy, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: close-up of an orange flower

    I found this flower, a poppy I believe, in my neighbor’s garden. I just leaned over the fence and snapped this quick photo. It wasn’t quite open all the way, perhaps because the sun wasn’t shining today.

  • barelegged and barefooted


    wee blossom, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: a pink blossom surrounded by small pink buds w/greenery in the background.

    This weekend I took the skin off of my leg. It’s been summery warm here and I prefer the skinless look when I’m wearing shorts and short-er skirts. It’s been interesting to see the reactions of those around me who aren’t used to seeing my hardware (that metal bits that lurk underneath the cosmesis). But there’s also something completely satisfying about being ‘up front’ with my bionic-ness. As if to show that I’m secure with who I am and my body’s difference.

    One of the benefits of skinlessness is that I can go barefoot without shredding the stockings that cover my foam legcovering. So this weekend I planted and worked on my front and back porch barefoot. What a lovely feeling, even when there was a bit of mud squishing underfoot. And tonite I got back late from yoga and I wanted to run a quick load of laundry (because tomorrow is the first day of classes and I do want to be wearing some clean pants when I’m facing 150 undergrads in the morning). So I set out for the laundry room (in the building next door) barefoot. Feeling the cool, but not cold, pavement of the sidewalk and relishing the light of the full moon that made it easy to see my way. I walked even slower on the way home, ignoring the people who I passed who probably thought this legless shoeless woman wandering around in the dark and muttering at the moon was just plain crazy. Because going barefoot just does that to me, especially after a nearly-perfect yoga session and as I contemplate the excitement of a new school term. Yes, barefootedness is just lovely that way.

  • some pretty flowers


    wedding cake, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: a closeup of a round wedding cake decorated with frosting branches and sugary pink blossoms.

    This was the cake at a Quaker Wedding that we attended on Saturday. Friends marry somewhat differently than other denominations. There is no preacher or other authority figure to lead the service. Rather, the wedding party and guests gather in silence, then the couple rise and speak their vows to each other. There is a suggested form for these vows that fairly similar to that of other denominations. However, from what I understand, the couple is welcome to modify these words to suit their desires.

    After the vows, the silence continues but it is punctuated by those in the congregation who feel moved by the Spirit to speak. Yesterday some Friends gave marriage advice, some expressed their love for the bride & groom, and one Friend sang the refrain from “You Light Up My Life.” When the Meeting ended, the couple signed their marriage certificate to seal their vows. Then everyone in attendance signed the certificate as the witnesses to the marriage (it’s a fairly large piece of paper–more like a poster–to accommodate everyone’s signature).

    For those who are interested…attire at this event ranged from very casual to somewhat formal. Some women wore sundresses and some men wore slacks with dress shirts, though the bulk of the group was dressed more casually. The bride wore a simple ivory-colored lacy sleeveless dress and a long strand of pearls. The groom wore a suit.

    Photo by CatGirl

  • wormz


    wormz, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Picture: a closeup of some worms in my compost bin.

    This photo is for the the three crazy people that I live with. They are at the table adjacent to where I’m typing right now, playing some kind of wormy computer game.

    Me, these are the only kinds of worms that capture my attention. These critters live in one of the three compost bins on my back porch. They make the rich fertilizer that makes my plants grow so pretty and strong. :)

  • on the streets of paris


    on the streets of paris, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Catgirl took this picture. She is an extraordinary artist who’s taught me many things about ‘seeing small’ and using the macro setting on the digital camera. I am so lucky to have her in my life!

    FYI, today is the last day to TAKE THE SURVEY. Don’t delay, because prizes await a few lucky respondents (I’ve decided to increase the number of prizes to three, because I’ve been so thrilled by your replies. You people are so cool! :)

  • translucent


    blue, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    This flower is called ‘blue fairy.’ I think it lives up to its name quite well.

    Today it was supposed to rain, but it never did. I planned my day all indoors, thinking that out-of-doors wouldn’t be an option. Now I’m feeling antsy and cooped-up. Too much studying, methinks.

    Tomorrow I will plan to head to the gym first thing. To get out some of this extra energy left over from today. And then I will head to the garden to visit my new plants. :)

    Update: The garden was gorgeous this morning. Lot of weeds, though, that I’ll need to attack soon. Oh, and my garden neighbor disposed of the dead gopher that’s been molderin’ under my favorite rosebush. Yay for brave garden neighbors (I was way too chicken to move the rotting carcass. bleh.)

    Don’t forget to take the survey

  • what I wore to church today


    what I wore to church today, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    For a few years I’ve been coveting this belt–the buckle is the seatbelt from a Mustang. So John picked it up for me yesterday as a random surprise (john: you rock!). So of course I had to wear it to church today so I could feel extra fancy as I worshiped in Friends’ Meeting.

    Note: I drove a vintage 70s mustang in high school, courtesy of my deceased grandpa (it’d been his car until his death). That car was coo-oool, down to the peeling-off vinyl on the top and to the driver’s side door that came completely off the hinges whenever it was opened (I often entered the car ‘Dukes of Hazard’ style to avoid the door issue). My nostalgia for the “Crus-tang” is still strong. And now I can revel in that each time I put on my pants. :)

  • on simplicity…


    peach blossom, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Manifest plainness,
    Embrace simplicity,
    Reduce selfishness,
    Have few desires.
    ~ Lao-tzu (604 BC – 531 BC), The Way of Lao-tzu