Astonishing Nature!

Just look how the view from my window has changed from yesterday to today. The landscape was blue and green yesterday and see how it has changed to grey and white today after unexpected snowfall last night in the Twin Cities. If this is not magic, what is? I am accepting the change and amazed at the transformation🙏🏻.

Perhaps the meditative puppy knew about the upcoming snowfall! The wonders of nature is endless, if only we stop for a moment and look.

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls” – John Muir

Nature, you are awesome!

Just a Thought – The gap is the link?

When we see the glow between branches and watch the sky behind tiny clouds…when we enjoy the crevices in mountains and the moment before sunrise…

when we focus on the surface of a painting, outlines of human forms, the rest in a musical note, the space between words, the stillness joining two sounds and…the pause… linking two breaths and when we meditate in between chaos…we experience, there is something about the interval……the pause!

What is the quality of the pause, the gap? Is the gap the link to that? And why do we always ignore the gap?

Images: My Phone

A Date with Animals

Last weekend was fun for kids as we went to the Minnesota Zoo, home to over 4,800 animals in ecosystem based habitats. There were many endangered species, wild animals and other attractions including camel rides and walking with llamas. I got some snapshots of the enriching date to share with you🤗

Different Hues of the Lake

Every dusk looks dreamy, every dawn is magic… there is something about the lake at backside of my house. Today it is the colour of Krishna! So blue, so ethereal, so serene, took my breath away. Behold the hues!

And a few days back… it was like this charming reddish-yellow. Where does it get the colours from?

If only we had the time to look… we would see wonders everyday!

Messengers of Spring

After a long wintry wait, messengers of Spring flew by my home announcing – Spring is finally here!

The Lake heard them and began to melt!

A dainty flower blushed deep pink and adjusted the green frills around her.

Yellow grasses got up, shook off snow and embraced each other..

Kids got the message and took out their bikes…

A fitness enthusiast headed outdoors…

And….I brought out my brown chair to inhale the deep freshness of Spring! Yes, Spring is finally here. We’ve all got the message! 😀

(Pictures – Shivangi)

The Lake, Wild Flowers and Sunset!

Behold how the lake looks this summer after months of staying frozen and white! Yellow, white, purple and pink wild flowers outline the shimmery delight while the departing Sun gently touches it with scarlet and gold. Suddenly, it is full of life with sweet birds, butterflies and insects. Truly, what a transformation!

Below is the lake in winters….

Amazing, isn’t it! Change is the only constant!

Innocent Spring

After the season of perseverance (Winter), finally arrives the season of innocence (Spring). The Earth has shook off snow and our lake is finally blue. Kids are heading outdoors after a long hibernation and it is activity all around me. Last to last week, everything was still and quiet in Minnesota. Now, I can’t believe the transformation!

A variety of colorful birds are returning and I spotted this beauty – one of the first visitor in the Lake.

Meanwhile, the rest of my family is enjoying the advent of Summer in India. It is also the season of mangoes. Trees are laden with green, ripening mangoes, filling the air with a sweet aroma. Look at one of our lovely mango trees.

In Patna, our hometown, we have almost all the varieties of mangoes in our home – Mallika, Malda, Dusheri, Gulabkhas, Sukul, Bambai, Amrapali, Biju… And every alternate year it grows in abundance. Mouth watering pickles, sour sweet jams, jellies, mango bars get prepared to last throughout the year. My mother in law makes some absolutely amazing delights.

Almost a decade ago, as a newly wed, I was enthralled to pluck ripe yellow mangoes directly from the tree and relished it. Can I help missing India at this time of the year?

I am thankful that the Spring is finally here. And I am watching it gradually prepare for the exuberance of Summer time. Hope the Innocence of Spring enables us to sparkle from within!

Bye Bye Fall!

As colour and vibrancy give way to chill and stillness, sharing some last pictures of Fall this year! 

White Winter lurks just around the corner to envelope the Earth and force inhabitants into hibernation. We had snow shower yesterday.

 It is lovely to watch sublime beauty shrouding herself in white mystery! Saluting the ever changing Nature!

Intoxicating Red!

The intoxicating red hue of this wayside tree arrested our journey. We stopped to admire this happy tree😀.

And rich yellow gold kissed our feet as we lost ourselves in nature’s bounty.

Fall Colors this Morning!

Fall colors greeted me this morning as I walked to drop the little one to school. The Sun seemed to be in playful mood as it lit and subdued the nature’s canvas at intervals. Thought of sharing the delights with you.

From my apartment

Yellow leaves everywhere

A glorious tree

Another sweet tree

A hillock celebrating Fall

I hope you liked them all!

A walk in a Japanese Garden

My friend and fellow blogger Millie Thom‘s recent blog on a Japanese Garden inspired me to walk over to our nearby Japanese Garden this morning. This little 2-acre garden is a part of a community college campus. My son and I had a great time inhaling the rejuvenating air and admiring the refreshing views. Thanks Millie for the inspiration and hope you all like the clicks.

The Japanese garden is created to present a miniature and idealized view of nature. Rocks are symbolic of mountains while ponds can represent seas.

All the architectural elements and components including water, waterfall, stones, bridges, lanterns, benches, meditation shelter, plants, shrubs and trees etc have deep philosophical aspect too.

Love this striking red bridge!

A waterfall peeps through the foliage!

Little fish friends came over to say hello!

Another curved bridge!

A pathway.

Beyond the garden!

Check Millie’s lovely blog post here

The Onset of Autumn

Notice how the leaves of this tree are changing colour! This lovely tree, located right in front of my apartment, announces the onset of Autumn every year. Soon, Minnesota will deck up for a colouful and breathtaking Fall.

And this announcer tree will turn a glorious red at the peak of the season and will look like this – see pic below. (Clicked last Fall.)

How well John Keats said – Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run….

Ah, bliss!