A Fish Watches A Butterfly

Mike - Yes! Those images are definitely intrinsic to it! Love those warm weather things and all about them that are "in there" and don't have to be mentioned because we all know they are! Thanks for the reminder! - and especially for your always so great comments! Hugs.

SidKemp - How pleased am I that you've visited my hub and left such a pleasant comment! :-) Thank you!

Thank you, Audrey. It pleases me that you love it. My poetry covers such an appreciable expanse of time, and many of the times were highly vulnerable ones. Surprisingly it brought along a special clarity which has outlasted the reign of that vulnerability.

It feels especially good to be perceived. :-)

Need to alter the details, Michael, in my comment about your new profile picture, since now you've changed it and hardly includes a gorgeous chest, with or without the lawnmower tattoo! haha. tee hee. Hope it doesn't reflect your current state of being! J. Edgar is SO unlike my fine looking empire mike!

Oh, my dear snakeslane - thank you for coming by and for a delightful comment. This one really did feel magic. Well, perhaps they all do while they're evolving - right? Thank you. Hugs. :-)

hehe - :-)

Oh, Dallas - thank you. Oasis is truly a state of mind and being. Of course - that's A-A-A, and when it's also A, wow. So are YOU all of that! :-)

Hugs, my dear friend.

ahorseback, my friend! This is truly a touching and gratifying comment - and beautifully poetic too! Thank you!

Your monarchs! Wow. I wish I could lay hands on a photo (35mm, so not so easily located) of one of the ranch compound's mesquite trees totally covered with monarchs we found there as we drove in from one of our long (500 mile one-way) commutes from Dallas. We made that round trip many times a year then. Who would have expected monarchs to stop by on one of their sojourns south? They found water, though - and it's scarce out that way. One of many amazing surprises of nature!

If your monarchs remember my name, I'm so honored! How dear of you to have such a lovely thought! Maybe some of yours over the years were some who found refuge on my mesquite tree that year.

Oh, yes, Lilleyth - that movie is a tear-jerker, in many ways. But it's also a sto ry of triumph. She holds true to her principles, she never hides from or abandons who she is and she rises above general bigotry and personal sadness.

Throughout, the tender and passionate love story is deep and sweet. It could have had a happier 'ever-after' conclusion, but somehow as it did conclude, it rang much more true. Everything in real life doesn't always end happily ever after, but still people can and must go on, letting go of unfilled hope for what is NOT to happen and living fully and positively with what does happen and what IS.

Thank you so much for the visit and heart-felt comment.

Hello, Nell! How nice to see you! I've missed you. Thank you for coming over and reading this latest hub. Yes, I'm OK. Busy as can be, and that's a good thing, right? Enjoying LIFE. Hope you're doing well, too! Hugs.

I AM pleased to know that!, Ian! I can barely wait till it reaches the colonies! :-) (Am assuming you refer to acquiring the all-new second season, rather than the second segment of the first season, which DVD I do own, along with the first segment of it.)

Yes! Fitting - I'm absolutely in favor of the Chesterfield chair. The green would be lovely and would coordinate with your decor. Yes, you should splurge on it - it's a valuable long-term investment, not just a spur-of-the-moment whim! I had to see what I could find online for my own edification; found some sites with useful ideas, but now I find posting their links prohibited here. Oh well. Maybe I'll email them to you. No biggie.

Amaryllis is one of few bulbs not requiring the chilling before plantings, probably makes it suitable for our warm climate. It's a lovely bloom too. I'm fascinated with your experience with yours!

We've long had some volunteer lilies in the back yard which look very similar to amaryllis - with very long stems. Some are on one of my webpages, in fact. But they've not bloomed since 2008 and George's passing. sniff, sniff.

Speaking of whom, he had a very vigorous healthy Jade Plant (often referred to as an Air Plant because it literally gets its 'drinks' from the air). During cold months, it''s dry in here due to gas central heat. During hot weather, the central a/c also dries the air, which is otherwise rather humid in hot times.

The plant was so healthy, sitting in a windowsill enjoying the western sunlight, that he wondered what would become of it when it had filled up its vertical space! Sunny exposures are scarce in this house. And we were careful to not over-water it by both of us dribbling a few sprinkles on it when watering other house plants, just to make up for the dry conditions. But it managed to tolerate that.

But after he was gone, it began to lose leaves and break off pieces, whichI put into small bottles of water to root, and when they did, I replanted them with plenty of drainage as he had done the original one. I've maintained them, but they've remained sensitive. None thrives as his original plant did. But there's something valuable about their zest for life which I just can't relinquish, even though I'm not really a green thumb as George and Mother were.

I'm delighted that you ramble to me whenever. Goodness knows - I ramble all the time to you and no complaints ensue! One of many reasons you're beloved!

Gerry - ah. I came by one more time before I retire to bed - to listen to the music. It fits my feelings so. And glad I found you still up and visiting here.

Oh yes, we can and do propel ourselves to where we wish to be, no matter the barriers, even death itself. A bit of obsession helps the propulsion, perhaps. :-) Love persists in countless little and big things, so it does. It's amazing how many memories over so many years stay as fresh as when they first occurred.

It's my pleasure and treat for you to stop by, too.

I'm overjoyed to see you here, Ian! Perhaps this is enigmatic. It wasn't trying to be especially empirical, though. tee hee. Glad it's not! It really was just fun. The two pictures I've had for years and combined and enhanced for the lead picture just set its course. That the 'watches' might be the verb - well, what can I say - but guilty? I added another butterfly for the fish to 'watch', in fact.

THIS is amazing - another parallel in our lives. I can imagine your mother's bowl of lovely pastel hyacinths as you describe them. And my mother had a lovely antique chinese bulb bowl too, but it's round! In fact, I still have it, filled with rocks collected at the ranch. It is VERY heavy, even when empty. I'll take a picture and send you.

Mother always planted the bulbs in it among some small rocks. I remember her bulbs in it from my childhood, Amaryllis, especially. I suppose the very warm climate where we lived helped to determine her choices, though she had a "green thumb" and could grow anything. I so vividly remember that little bowl and the lovely flowers coming up out of it. You've reminded me of a dear memory, my dear. But I regret not knowing the hyacinth scent. Perhaps I'll track down some bulls and replace the ranch rocks in the bowl, though I think I gave up using it for planting because of a slight crack in the bowl. I'll look for a replacement.

OH - "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" opens in Dallas on May 5th!! I'll just go by myself if I can't interest Val in seeing it. She's so enamored with Daniel Craig, especially as James Bond, that his flicks seem to be the only ones she wants to go see, the few times we go to a show, which are the few times I go to any movie-theater show. ho-hum.

If you get a chance to see "The Way We Were", you might like it.

Thank you for the visit. I've been concerned about you! Hope all is well!

Ah, Martie - I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. I may read it again myself and listen to the music before I go to bed - not quite yet - right now it's 10:30PM here - but some relaxation sounds good. Hugs and hope all is well for you.

Ah - there YOU are! I'm pleased you came by. Brightens my day, Christopher. What a nice way of giving a compliment. I'm smiling.

I let the candle burn so long that it had begun to sputter; when I blew it out, it sputtered a bit on my face and glasses! Duh. Now I'm just leaving the container open without being lit so the lovely aroma that permeates it can still waft about. It was a gift, but I may have to track down where to get another one!

I confess there are a lot of butterflies in my house, some I inherited (bathroom wallpapers chosen by my predecessor) and a few other representatives here and there. Somehow each carries some sentiment with it, and certainly my poetry about them carries lots of sentiment from the time and setting of their creation. Yet butterflies haven't been my 'thing' as much as ladybugs! :-) But there's not a ladybug in here! Ladybugs are more amusing, too!

Thanks for the visit, my friend.

DRBJ, dear friend -- Thank you for such a lovely compliment. You raised my day several notches! I'm glad you like my whimsical thing, and I agree about Streisand! Her voice is always a wonderful addition!

Hugs. . . .

Thank you so much, Pamela! They really are a precious gift.

A memorable event one year was when we arrived at the remote southwest Texas ranch to see our compound's mesquite trees covered with Monarchs, - pausing from their bi-annual transit to or from north/south, to drink of the rare source of water in the compound, - the only water source for many miles around.

Hard to realize how tenacious and resourceful they are, with their delicate wings and wispy antennae!

Chris! I check on your site from time to time, hoping you may be there for a bit - but it's been awhile. So I'm pleased to learn that you sometimes drop by even if you've not commented. :-))

I hope your more vital and urgent pursuits are yielding good results, Chris. They surely require dedication and full attention. More power to you! Thank you for taking time to stop and to comment now!

Maja - I'm pleased to see you! What you say about 'The Way We Were' is so. Humans have evolved but there are remnants of all the basic instincts and many reactions are almost automatic. Emotions are so basic. We moderate them. We discipline them. But they make us ALIVE so we dearkt cherish them, too.

Problems can arise when there are opposing needs& cherished values which just don't fall into line with what we may consider our higher needs & values. Then we have a jugging act to do! We do our best when that occurs.

If our honest desire is to help, not to hurt, and to reach toward our own 'best', we still find a need for diligence, and of course, we don't want to or, perhaps, need to - sacrifice being fully ALIVE in the process. But it's challenging at times.

As they say, no one said it would be easy, this wonderful experience called LIFE! And - it really isn't for sissies. lol.

It's very good when we can avoid incriminations (for self or others) which seem inevitably to only further complicate and burden the business of fully living well and productively. Perhaps it's like they say, Babe Ruth struck more outs than home-runs, but it's the homers that count and define his memory. We can compare that with the challenges of this thing called living.

Thank you for visiting and sharing your poignant response to my hub. It's always good to touch base with YOU! Hugs.

Whoo-hoo! What fun! N-joy! :-) And thank you. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, as well. You'll love his photography.

Michael - I figured you'd key into the music, especially the one by Giant - though I used it only because I key into it! Its message is right on & I'm not too stuffy to appreciate it.

Love your new profile pic. But ;-( ca n't see the lawnmower and other whimsical tattoos on that nice chest! I know a relative who would surely envy it, in any case, possibly tattoos and all. :-) er - that is you, isn't it? I didn't know you had one on your bicep.

Alan -ah. Who else but you could comment so truly. And it's a lovely poem, too - just what's needed when I wonder if I interfere & shouldn't. Thank you. (By the way, empire mike who has commented here is my beloved step-son who lives in Colorado; - mountains like yours in Oregon, maybe. Perhaps you might give his hubs a peek while you're hubhopping or recognize him if he happens upon yours.)

WOW! Hyacinths. I'm not really familiar with their scent, but judging by their appearance, it should be quite lovely. And the loveliest thing is that you had an olfactory sense somehow evoked by or in anticipation of this hub, which I so wished I could have included in it! WOW! I'm really pleased about that.

And the remainder of your impression pleases me even more. I hope you also listened to the music in it. They validate the sweetness part AND the whimsical! Yes, I'm frequently transmitting both in my stuff, though it's not always quite so detectible. Glad you 'got it' in this one. I hoped you would! Hugs, dear Michael. Thank you for a delightful response, and the first, besides! (I actually do rock, y'know - at least in a relative sense - after all, blah-blah-blah -- I'm not so much from a 'rocking' generation - at least not by current standards. hehe)