Gorgeous day in the neighborhood

What is it about nature that brings rest to your soul?  A few weeks ago l was shocked  by the cycle of the worms eating the oak leaves, leaving them bare and gray.......Today those oak leaf eatin worms have completed their cycle and are beauriful white moths floating through the air.  As for the trees, they to have recoverd and are once again green, lush and beautiful.......ah.......California oaks.........

Other  Creatures in nature that speak to my soul are the snake. l love the  cycle of knowing they can shed their skin.  Reminds me of how many times l have tried or needed to recreate myself.  Other lessons l have learned and respect for who they are is the sea horse.  Such little creatures surviving in the big ocean of water and reminding me of the depth we all must face internally .

The birds are everywhere, but l must wait till early evening before the red tail hawks fly over or perch in the top of the trees that l can  watch from the deck.  ln the meantime the many, many different sounds l am listening to as l write  are the different musical sounds of the birds that are now in the trees.  All this is such a gift and all l have had to do is open my windows to see, enjoy, listen, hear nature very finely tuned...........

Readjusment

Tonight as l sit here thinking about living in two countries l am realizing it takes just a bit of adjusting when you are in one or the other.  Where does one begin?  Maybe it is with the food,  or the money, or  the language,  or the  clothes which brings me to the weather.  l seem to be very attached to warmer weather.  l feel healthier, lighter, maybe even a bit happier.

The other adjustment is leaving friends and  renewing relationships  with the friends in either country you left  a half year or more.  Everybody changes, ages, and either country you are in, life goes on whether you are there or not.

The bottom line is at this particular time l would not miss the adventure of living in either country.  Way to many adventures and readjusting  in either country is just one small bump in the life of a gypsy.

Mystery of the Oak Worms

My travels have brought me from one coast to another and l now find myself in  Central California. Driving the road  that hugs the Big Sur Coast from Carmel to Gorda is always a challenge.  The wild profusions of natures colors blend and contrast the sea,  mountains,  clouds,  sky on rare sunny days.
l found myself driving with another amiga on the coast recently soaking this beauty into my bones and being so grateful for  the sun showing me more richly the beauty of the Coast.

Whenever l return to this area l am flooded with years of memories of past parties, old friends, poets, drummers, singers, artists. As people have changed, moved on, died, the coast is still the coast and it is still as breathtaking as ever.

East  of the Big Sur Coast  mountain range is  an area known as Carmel Valley.  From Big Sur people hike into the upper Carmel Valley.  Along the way are small natural hot springs. Driving from the mountains of the upper valley  into the area known as the Carmel Valley village is another area known as Robles Del Rio.  This is where they mystery truly begins.

Crossing the Carmel River bridge, past Rosies Cracker Barrel, l was struck by the bare oak trees all over the mountainside...........Worms, worms, and more worms,   ate all the leaves off the stately old oak trees, leaving them bare. My first reaction was shock.  All the  stately old oaks bare......  Now, l join with others waiting as the worms after making their cocoons, the weather warms up hatch and become moths.  l will have to wait for another year to pass before the leaves will return, but so will the worms as they have for years...................