Tenacity – Part II, Showing Up Every Day and Hanging on

Happiness is a Red Balloon

“There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Balloons are designed to teach small children this.”
~ Terry Pratchett

This has been a summer of choosing to hang on, even through periods of wanting to let go, cut my losses, and retire to the Canary Islands.

Well, not quite. I’m definitely not retiring and I’m definitely not traveling to the Canary Islands, although I hear they are charming and have black, sandy beaches.

But I have had plenty of conversations with Arizona, as it continues to beckon me home.

I am home AND I am not home.

It’s a delicate – and difficult – balancing act to connect with two disparate parts of the country as my “home”. Even with strong, well-thought out reasons for being/living/working in the Midwest half the year and in the Southwest the other half, it can be a bit crazy-making at times.

“When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

So what could be better than to tie a knot at the end of a red balloon, and hang on while appreciating great moments in Wisconsin — walking the Capitol Square, shooting the flower-laden prairie. Be busy. Be still. Be in the present.

I’m keeping an eye out for red balloons!

After all, everything looks brighter when one’s guide is a big, red balloon!

Harvest at the Farmers Market – A Sunday Series

Peppers of All Kinds at the Dane County Farmers Market

Peppers of All Kinds © 2012 Bo Mackison

“As autumn returns to earth’s northern hemisphere,
and day and night are briefly,
but perfectly,
balanced at the equinox,
may we remember anew how fragile life is —-
human life, surely,
but also the lives of all other creatures,
trees and plants,
waters and winds. (cont.)

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomatoes © 2012 Bo Mackison

May we make wise choices in how and what we harvest,
may earth’s weather turn kinder,
may there be enough food for all creatures,
may the diminishing light in our daytime skies
be met by an increasing compassion and tolerance
in our hearts.” ~ Kathleen Jenks

White Mushrooms

White Mushrooms © 2012 Bo Mackison

Shall I not have intelligence with the earth?
Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Many Colors of Peppers

Many Peppers © 2012 Bo Mackison

“I trust in Nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility.
Spring shall plant and Autumn garner to the ends of time.”
~ Robert Browning

Cartons of Tomatoes

Cartons of Tomatoes © 2012 Bo Mackison

It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.
~ Lewis Grizzard

Bunches and Bunches of Radishes

Bunches of Radishes © 2012 Bo Mackison

“The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple.”
~ Doris Janzen Longacre

What better way to say goodbye to summer and hello to autumn than to stroll around the Farmers’ Market, gathering peppers and potatoes, pumpkins and squash in our string bags, tucking bags of squeaky cheese curds and a jar of freshly pickled relish in our pockets, greeting the farmers we’ve been visiting all summer while they tell us of tonight’s weather prediction – a hard frost in the low lying regions.

We bought a huge bunch of flowers after we heard the forecast for a hard freeze. If it gets that cold, there will be no more fresh flowers at any of the vendors’ stalls next week.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is celebrating the autumn equinox by giving thanks for the bountiful harvest and setting her table with a bouquet of some of the last garden flowers of the year.

The Hans Christian Heg Statue

Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol

Hans Christian Heg, a statue of Norweigian immmigrant who was a soldier in the Civil War. A prominent statue on the grounds of the State Capitol, and one I’ve photographed repeatedly without ever liking the results. Somehow, the snow and the white stone set the dark statue off to its best advantage, and I finally have my photo.

Capitol Reflection

Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol

A walk around the Capitol Square usually provides a few views of the State Capitol in the office building windows. I love a good reflection.

Capitol at Dusk

Capitol at Dusk

Capitol at Dusk ©2008 Bo Mackison

Walked around the Capitol Square on Monday evening. It wasn’t your typical mid-June stroll – I had on jeans and a heavy sweatshirt – but it was a pleasant night, a tad windy. I dragged my tripod and camera around for a couple of hours. Shot the sunset over Lake Mendota, the flooding in the Tenney Locks area, and finally wandered around the Capitol.

Set this up at dusk just as the Capitol Building’s lights turned on, and managed this shot while positioned in the middle of Washington Avenue. The drivers of the passing cars were kind enough to avoid hitting me and my tripod, though “my Sherpa” was keeping watch.. No editing this time.