Tag Archives: green

Tiny (Green) Love Story: SOL23 Day 17

Inspired by NYT Tiny Love stories, here’s my attempt at an 100 word love story.

We met over green beer oh-so-many years ago. A college St. Patrick’s Day party before I was old enough to (legally) drink. With the luck of the shamrock, our chemistry was immediate. The room narrowed and it was only him and me. The beer lost, connection found. We talked and talked, clearly blessed by the gift of gab–another part of our green beer, Irish-themed meeting?  Love at first sip, at first sight…or maybe the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Many years, two sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandsons later, we’re still inseparable. Leprechaun green beer luck?

Earth Day Green: Day 22

I spent a beautiful spring morning walking a low-tide beach…the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day.  I watched pelicans swoop and soar, children squeal and run, surfers wait and balance, the waves ebb and flow.  The salty air and sun on my shoulders are the perfect antidote for those worries that creep in and invade the mind as work piles up and time feels short.

Thinking about poetry this afternoon I found myself reflecting on Earth Day and the importance of taking care of this wondrous planet where we live.  I remembered my wonder during spring break as I experienced the greens of Oregon; greens that are not my everyday experience here in San Diego.  I had spent a day listing all the green words I could come up with as we traveled from the coast of Oregon to the mountains.  Although I’m not sure this is an actual poem, I took time today to figure out a way to categorized those greens…and there are a lot of them!  It certainly is not an exhaustive list…I’m interested to know what green words you, kind reader, might add to my list, as well as what categories I have not yet considered.  So here it is…a list poem of sorts.

Categories of Green

Tree Green

Fir

Ash

Oak

Birch

Maple

Pine

Animal Green

Frog

Cricket

Alligator

Grasshopper

Turtle

Snake

Praying Mantis

Forest Green

Tree

Bud

Fern

Bud

Ivy

Vine

Lichen

Moss

Fruit and Vegetable Green

Broccoli

Bean

Granny Smith

Lettuce

Avocado

Lime

Olive

Mint

Pea

Ocean Green

Sea foam

Turquoise

Algae

Teal

Seaweed

Farm Green

Crop

Alfalfa

Meadow

Clover

Field

Grass

Gem Green

Emerald

Citron

Jade

Turquoise

Peridot

Malachite

Color Green

Chartreuse

Kelly

Loden

Sage

Kelly

Harlequin

Irish Green

Ireland

Kelly

Shamrock

Leprechaun

Symbol Green

Traffic Light

Recycling

Money

Jealousy

Greed

 

Douillard 2018

Oregon green

And an Earth Day themed student poem:

Things to do if You Are a Leaf

 

Photosynthesize,

lay back, relax,

feel the rays of light feed veins

when you fall, twirl like a ballerina

as light as a feather

when you turn brown and curl up

then crunch, you’re pieces.

 

Kalani

I’m looking forward to learning more greens and green categories…feel free to leave your ideas in the comments!  Happy Earth Day!

Exploring Green: March Photo-a-Day Challenge

As we enter March, thoughts of spring fill our minds along with images of all things green.  And even though I live in southern California, a place that winter skipped entirely this year, spring invites lighter and brighter colors, the suggestion of new life, and a sense of renewal.  And then there is that all-things-green March holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, a day where everyone is a little bit Irish and a whole lot of green.

And besides color, green is a word with many different meanings and connotations.  It conveys environmentalism and jealousy, youthful inexperience and prosperity.  So for our March #sdawpphotovoices Photo-a-Day Challenge, let’s explore all of the possibilities of green.  The photos do not have to feature the color green, although some might, but instead the goal is to capture the multiplicity of meanings that green might convey.  Here’s some ideas to play around with…and each section ends with an invitation to explore and include something not specifically named.

Week 1: Nature, Vivacity and Life

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1  conservation

2  environment

3  living

4  nature

5  vivacity

6  preserve

7  what else?

Week 2: Springtime, Freshness, and Hope

8  fresh

9  spring

10  emerging

11  blooming

12  hope

13  wonder

14  what else?

Week 3: Fairies, Dragons, and Monsters

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(This picture has me thinking of mermaids!)

15  fairies

16  dragons

17 Leprechauns

18  monsters

19  imagination

20  creatures

21  what else?

Week 4: Jealousy and Envy

22  jealousy

23  envy

24  greed

25  permission

26  safety

27  covet

28  what else?

Bonus Days: Youth and Inexperience

29  youth

30  inexperience

31  what else?

After you shoot, post a photo each day with the hashtag #sdawpphotovoices to Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Google+ and/or Facebook (the more the better!), so that we can all enjoy the posts.  If you are game for some more playfulness, compose a blog post about a photo, a week’s worth of photos, write a photo essay, make a video or slideshow or try a learning walk!  (More about learning walks here and here) You are invited to create a pingback by linking to this url or post your blog address in the comment section.  It’s fun for me to see what others are doing with the same prompts I am using!

Our goal is to play, share with each other, and learn from each other as we shoot our own photos and study the photos others shoot.  Each week includes six suggestions to explore…and one free choice.  You are welcome to follow them in order, mix them up, or exchange them for something that emerges for you as you explore green this month.  You can post every day, once a week, or even sporadically throughout the month…whatever works in your life.  Be sure to share and tag your photos with #sdawpphotovoices so we can find them!

Basketball Hoop with #Green Backboard

This week’s photo-a-day theme was green.  Finding green was easy…plants and trees are everywhere!  The challenge for me was to find interesting photographic subjects beyond the beautiful plants, leaves, stems, and buds that caught my eye.

And I took some beautiful pictures this week.  (Check out yesterday’s post for some examples)  And I also took a number of photos this week that I like and didn’t post.  I have a great one of green tomatoes that I’ve been tempted to use.

So I’m going to highlight my most puzzling photo for the week.  I took this photo of a ragged basketball hoop with a green backboard at a local elementary school where I attended a workshop this week.  The school is older, but well kept.  There are interesting art installations on the grounds and a super cute garden.  The only thing that seemed out of place was this particular basketball hoop with the green backboard.

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There were other basketball hoops nearby–all white, and with intact nets.  So why is this one green?  And why has the torn net not been replaced?  I think there is a story here…or at least one developing in my mind.  What story does this image suggest to you?

And then…this is the perfect picture as green ends and we move to blue…