ASHES AND SNOW

PHOTO BY GEOFFREY COLBERT

Some, very few, gifted artists have the ability to stop you dead in your tracks and leave you so stunned you forget that time exists. I am in awe of such creative genius, the sort that can lift you up and transport you to a whole other plane of perception. It is otherworldly, like seeing through a fourth dimension.

Using a layered presentation of photographs, journals and poetic, hauntingly beautiful voices, Mr. Colbert paints a picture of possibility, of what can exist between us and the animals that share our planet.

See for yourself here. Its like being let in on the most incredible secret, as if Mr. Colbert took my hand, then placed his index finger across his lips to quiet me and said..."Let me show you something wondrous."

Prepare to be astonished. I will claim this gift when the installation opens again. Maybe I'll see you there.

HOLY CRAP!

OK, OK, I'll take a couple dozen cases.

From my friend Gerri, who is out to save the world, one cookie at a time. Whatever it takes.

Women’s Aid Organizations from Half the Sky

Women’s Aid Organizations from Half the Sky

See the faces of hope here.

Please take a moment to use the two links above and see how these organizations are helping women around the world to help themselves. While there, scroll down to see what the Washington Post book reviews and others are saying.

This link is provided by the publisher, Alfred P. Knopf, in conjunction with the release of "Half the Sky", one of the most important books of our generation. I hope you will add it to your reading list as soon as possible.

All women, at one time or another, have been at the least marginalized and at the worst, murdered. We all have benefited from a lifetime of sisterhood linking us to those who provide a helping hand; from a mother, a sister, a girlfriend, a teacher, or to an organization that through our combined solidarity, moves us forward.

Incredibly brave and resilient women who have survived the most unimaginable cruelty need our help. Please stand up and be counted so that our sisters can stand as well. They will never break the chain or abuse this trust. Their lives depend on it.

This post is Arizona Sky Blue - the same sky that covers and connects us all. Under it's canopy, all our futures are interwoven.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Johnson and Perkins "Antigua" Rose

This is my favorite rose of all time. It was a gift, almost fifteen years ago. The buds are a deep pink color that top long, sturdy branches. It seems so small then, hardly capable of the show to come. As it begins to open, the petals reveal a lighter shade of pink with a hint of lightest yellow. These two colors then combine to form the most gorgeous shrimp color that lightens as it approaches the center which is the brightest sunny yellow. Just like a new day dawning, it fills my hand to overflowing. I have always thought of this rose as a long stemmed sunrise. Nothing, I thought, would be this beautiful in the desert. Its just too dry, too hot, for this sort of delicate, ethereal beauty to exist.

Was I ever wrong. Meet a rose of the desert.

Rainbow Cactus Variety - Strawberry Hedgehog

This photo has not been enhanced in any way. It is almost unbelievable as it is. Like a fireworks display, this rose begins immediately with an "in your face" intensity that defies belief, amazes you for what seems like an instant, and then is gone. It's petal shapes appear still wet and newly formed, sculpted from the purest pools of color. It is like the brilliant last hurrah of a sunset, the light infused sun's palette brimming with all the saturation it can muster.

Like a sunrise or a sunset, both beginnings and endings hold the promise of tomorrow.