The Boomer Muse

Will Spring Bring Frogs or Princes?

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:55:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

This is the tiny stream in my garden. It flows into a tiny pond with an island large enough to hold one pine tree. In the spring, frogs emerge from their muddy slumber to sing of love and life. It takes only one day for these frozen guys to defrost and spring into life. We're not there yet, but my ears are pricked for their clarion call. In the meantime, I'm alert for opportunities for transformation. How about you? What do you want to transform this spring?

Take A Hike... With Me

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour
scroll down for it...

I went hiking to clear my head from all the reading and writing of late. Don't say I never take you anywhere. Come along...

The trail head was blocked but that didn't stop me. The deep, granular snow made for slow trekking and I wish I'd brought my snow shoes. I found a branch for an impromptu walking stick and soldiered on fueled by fresh air and chocolate. The sight of a warm-warmed log proved to good to pass up. Sitting was good but lying down was better. Way better...

If you could see the endless possibilities that await you today, you might feel more inclined to try a new approach. Instead of seeing things as obstacles or impossible, take a moment to breathe, turn inward and ask inside yourself, “What do you really want?” Wait for the answer. If it comes too quickly, it’s from your head and not your heart. Obstacles are often tainted with fear and limiting thinking. When your heart and your goals are aligned, you might find that the obstacles you face dissolve into joy, and nothing is holding you back. Go on...

Mandala Mondays - Spring Preview

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:50:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

To change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one's mind and psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use.

~Anais Nin

As we creep towards spring, I'm aware of longer, light-filled days. There's more light to see how dirty the house is. It begs for a spring cleaning, but also for decluttering. I want to let go of things that no longer serve me. Do I really need 87 teapots? Do I need to remain tight in the bud? I want to discard more than gloves, boots and scarves. I want to feel the clean, spring air through my hair and wash away foggy brain cells. The first snow drops from last month disappeared below a snow bank. Yesterday, their delicate Q-tip heads emerged pure and intact through winter debris.

They inspired today's mandala "Spring Preview". Look around you. What is your spring preview?

What I'm Reading This Week-- March 7, 2010 - Muses and Monsters Oh My!

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:22:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"Reading like writing is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to a book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it."
~Ben Okri

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday we were digging out of knee deep snow. Today, it's sunny with balmy mid 50's temps. I may be a reading addict but I'm not crazy. A quick spin on the keyboard and I'm so out of here.
Here's Johnny... again. Hmm, I forgot to return GQ with Johnny Depp on the cover to the library. Accident? I think not.

Nice to see women with meat on their bones like Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, but Oprah looks suspiciously slimmer. PhotoShop strikes again?

My writer brain will never be the same after reading last week's choice (scroll to to last Sunday to see pic). There aren't enough adjectives to describe the joy and wonder of Best European Fiction 2010. And, I still raving about the collection of essays by 30 brilliant writers about their muses and mentors in Mentors, Muses & Monsters. It's like a mini writer's workshop you can tuck in your bag.

In an informal survey of more than 50 editors and agents, author Cheryl Wyatt reports that 99% of them admit to only reading the first page of a submitted manuscript. If the story does not intrigue them in that first page, they won’t read on. That is true, but what happens to best selling writers who churn out a book a year? The same rules don't seem to apply.
I felt the need for some light reading and turned to chick lit writer Jane Green's latest but not greatest Dune Road. It starts strong but the multiple plot twists half way through made my head spin, which leads to skimming. Fast. For someone who reads as much as I do, it takes a lot to make me want to slow down and savor. That said, if I'd been lolling in a hammock with a mojito I may have fared better. The Asian influenced book jacket design made no stylistic sense for the theme or the setting. The title refers to a Gatsbyesque grand estate on Dune Road which is the home of one of the main characters, a reclusive writer.

Look at the beautiful book jacket of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Doesn't it draw you in? It captures the essence of this remarkable book. The jacket photo has a vintage feel but any lover of Paris knows the Luxembourg Garden replete with pea gravel and metal chairs looks the same today. In the novel, the narrative switches back and forth seamlessly between Nazi occupied Paris in 1942 and sixty years later. I've only made a dent, but I'm already entranced. The film rights are sold. I can't wait for the film and her next book. http://www.tatianaderosnay.com

Listen to the writer speak about her important book.

Kitty Wisdom 101 - Zen and Now

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:42:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Cats are the original Zen masters. They aren't slaves to their egos, or anything else, except maybe catnip. They know how to focus, be grounded, serene and 110% alive. Meditation comes naturally. Perhaps they also practice positive affirmations? Domino, the outdoor feral shares on the porch with a sign of the popular affirmation "All is well in my world". And so it is, for now.

News & Mews
There have been no sightings of Rambo since the storm last week. Domino is happy and far more relaxed with the warmer weather and his wounds have healed (see right eye). I always know when he's feeling better when he grooms his dirty coat to snowy white. He is so mellow, he allowed Petey the Possum to eat his dinner last night, again. It's not his destiny to be a lap cat but he is looking less feral and do I dare say it, sweet?

Merlin had a bad case of cabin fever which needed to be cooled with a toss into a snow bank. He and Coco gets regular doses of cat nip and their favorite treat Greenies http://www.greenies.com

Coco's joint stiffness has improved to almost kittenish agility thanks to a product from Petco. I don't normally endorse products but this is worth a shout-out. This blog will always be ad-free and I am not paid to promote any product or service.

Excel Senior Vitamin Treats for cats are a soft-moist, mouth-watering, easy to feed vitamin and mineral daily supplement formulated specifically for senior cats’ nutritional needs. Contains the right amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, Glucosamine and Taurine for increased energy and overall good health. Irresistible tuna flavor. Sure to become a favorite in your senior cat’s daily routine!

Link of the Week and Cat Art of the Week is Zen http://www.zencatgallery.com

May you and your kitties enjoy and peaceful week!

Say Bye-Bye to Winter...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:37:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Last Friday, much of New York state was snowed in under a billowy duvet of the white stuff. Last night, I was in the city and couldn't find a snowball's worth. Nature is the ultimate quick change artist. That said, we have plenty of snow remaining in the 'burbs, but I can smell spring and I say, bring it on. I'm ready to welcome the first unfurlings of tulips, of tender shoots and brave new buds. But before we do, here's a final blast of winter. It's official. I won't be posting anymore snow pics this winter. It's time to make new tracks. Say bye bye...

2000 year-old Secret to Happiness

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:39:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Enough with the books on happiness already! The Happiness Project, The Happiness Makeover, The Pursuit of Happiness,The How of Happiness...They're everywhere, and it's not making me happy. There is nothing new under the sun, nothing that hasn't been said for thousands of years. Take it from Epictetus who was born a slave in AD 55, obtained his freedom (that'll make you happy) and founded a school of Stoic philosophy in Rome. He believed that the essence of philosophy is that happiness depends as little as possible on external things, and to stop worrying about things that are beyond our control. Happy now?

Success Secrets, Oh Deer..

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:34:00 GMT

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A double duty blog today. 1) photo quote de jour metaphor life lesson 2) Westchester Wednesdays news.

The other day, I spotted these two deer in between a question mark of snow on a tree stump. It begged an answer but what was the question? Their camouflage gave a small measure of safety but their eyes and ears stayed focused on me. As a life coach, I'm interested in what motivates people, and why some enjoy more success than others. Deer embody gentle sensitivity. They know when to hide, when to be still, and when be in the open. They have an acute awareness that successful people share. There is a time to speak up, to take center stage, and a time to take a back seat. Successful people comfortably know how to dance in and out of the shadows. It begins with awareness. For a deer, its awareness is nothing less than survival.

We have a lot of deer where I live in Westchester County, N.Y. Some might say too many. They chomp on our plants and flowers, spread Lyme disease and get hit by cars. Hunting with firearms is forbidden in the county, but there is talk of culling with crossbows.

If you live in the area, you might want learn more about the new measures taken by public and private land managers to deal with the ever growing population of white-tailed deer, during the next Conservation Café event, titled “What’s New? Managing Deer in Westchester County,” on Friday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y.

Following the program, attendees are invited to participate in an open discussion, dialogue regarding and exchange of ideas on deer management. Staff from Westchester County Parks will be on hand to discuss the parks department’s 2009 pilot deer bow hunting program as well.

Advance registration is requested by calling (914) 864-7047 (914) 864-7047 by March 10. Beverages will be served; participants should bring their own coffee mug. Carpooling is encouraged.

The Conservation Café and Conversations on Conservation (CoC) provide a forum for dialogue about current environmental issues. Private citizens, members of concerned organizations, municipal planners and others hear the latest information and have an opportunity to network.

Sponsors are Westchester County’s Parks and Planning departments, Friends of Westchester County Parks, Pace University, Teatown Lake Reservation, the Greenburgh Nature Center, Westchester Land Trust and Federated Conservationists of Westchester County.

The Westchester County Center is located at 198 Central Avenue in White Plains, adjacent to Route 119 (Tarrytown Road) and the Bronx River Parkway. Parking in the County Center lot is $5 per car before 9 a.m. Information about the County Center can be found at www.countycenter.biz.

Full Moon Madness - Me and Jack Nicholson

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:14:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

The current full moon is making its presence felt even through thick cloud cover. My brain feels fried extra crisp (creepy dreams like being in bed with Jack Nicholson!) No, we didn't have sex, but still. It was like being with his character in The Shining. I'm counting the minutes to yoga class this afternoon. Well, at least the full moon provided a jolt of creativity to make this image with my guru Amma, the hugging saint. How does the full moon affect you? Are you feeling extra loony today?

To understand its influence I'm quoting astrologer Molly Hall, "This Full Moon is in Virgo, the earth sign that's flexible (mutable), always striving for wholeness. Virgo is process oriented, focused on the broken bits and pieces. In this time when many of us feel shattered and dis-illusion ed, Virgo energy guides us to the healing balm for what ails us. And the overall cosmic players this Full Moon hint at a spiritual remedy.

Virgo is the hermit that lives by its own inner light, and sense of morality. In an irreverent world, Virgo can seem downright old-fashioned. We can reclaim what's wholesome and pure this Full Moon, and resolve to protect ourselves from any kind of polluting influences.

Out of this drive for purity comes the drive to strip away everything fake and unnatural. Virgo reveals workable daily practices, that can give us some sense of order and stability. It's about establishing a rhythm that you're devoted to, but that's flexible enough to adapt to the rapid changes in society.

Some Virgo (Moon)-Pisces(Sun) themes:

Searching for soul food through art, literature, music.
Committing to daily practice, to bring shape to what's in the imagination.
Establishing habits that integrate spirituality into your daily life.
Devoting your time or talents to a higher cause.
Marrying technique with the transcendent.
Analyze your dreams.

Pisces Mandala-- Dream On!

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:19:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

In honor of all my fishy friends and Mandala Monday, today's quote de jour is from Einstein, the ultimate in dreamy Pisceans.

A talented astrologer and artist Jude Cowell who draws fish better than I do is at http://www.dreamyfishart.blogspot.com

What I'm Reading This Week -- February 28, 2010.

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:05:00 GMT

Quote de jour
“Nobody ever committed suicide while reading a good book, but many have while trying to write one.”
~Robert Byrne

The best thing about being snowbound and unplugged this week was the luxury to read. A lot. I caught up with last week's selections and an avalanche of magazines. With a view like this, what else is there to do? Swinging will have to wait.

This week's media Gestalt of the world. I'm not the only one who is a magazine junkie. Flipping through scads of magazines is the secret creative fuel for writers, designers and artists who need a quick hit of inspiration. For me, it's has to be a broad mix. I may read about the Sphinx in one magazine and snake bracelets in another which triggers memories of a film, which in turn sparks dialogue for a story I writing. It's a never ending interactive circle. See what sparks your imagination from these covers.

Short fiction is enjoying a wee renaissance. I'm loving this wonderfully diverse compilation of thirty stories in Best European Fiction 2010. The stark, minimalist cover is quintessential European. It's edited by Bosnian American fiction writer Aleksandar Hemon who happens to have a cool website http://www.aleksandarhemon.com

Stomy Weather...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"When you're used to hearing purring and suddenly it's gone, it's hard to silence the blaring sound of sadness.
~Missy Altijd

So much water under the bridge, or should I say, snow? Mystery week ended with my disappearance. Funny how no internet service can do that, and no heat, or hot water. The song "Stormy Weather" feels appropriate and not just because of surviving the strangest snow storm I can recall. There's been mega cat loss in my family. My brother's cat died recently and this week, my mother's beloved Missu was put to sleep. Missu was a pretty but anti-social tortoiseshell who hid anytime someone visited. My mother thankfully has one cat left but she's bereft. What unnerves me is that Missu and my cats are the same age. The savage storm of the past few days made me painfully aware of how tenuous life is.

For readers expecting Cat Saturday and Kitty Wisdom 101, sorry, all I have is this shot of Domino baffled by the storm from hell.

The past 48 hours felt like going...

This was the view early yesterday morning. The silent white landscape looked moonscape meets post nuclear apocalypse. My creative muse did cartwheels until saw the damage. Heartbreaking holocaust of my favorite trees. Nature has no favorites. I won't go into the gory details. More photos to come. Despite major damage, the startling beauty trumped all.

For now, I sink into gratitude for... the guys who fixed the furnace today, for hot water in anticipation of a hot shower (my first in three days), for kind neighbors, for Ron from Jamaica who carried a ladder in knee-deep snow to repair a torn cable wire, for cats who double as hot water bottles and you for reading.

The Most Beautiful Thing is...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:43:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour
Mystery week continues... and with a slight of hand the winter storm raging outside my window has transformed into summer. I needed a shock of color to jump start my anemic inner and outer landscapes today. This is the time of year, I literally crave fresh flowers, but the ones in my vase don't smell as good the honey sweet memory of this flower I'd photographed last summer. Did you know your brain cannot discern the difference between a real flower and one from your imagination? That's why I feel it's important to take of what visual images are in your home or office. Are they beautiful or inspiring? Sad, weird or plain ugly? Take a good look around you. The images, photos or art work have more impact than you may realize. Enjoy these words from Einstein as you ponder what you think is beautiful.

The Final Mystery

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:04:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Mystery theme week continues with a question for you. Are men or women more mysterious?

Birds Of Sorrow

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:39:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

I spotting these birds flying over the cemetery last week. They comfortably swooped down and played amongst the grave stones. They weren't graves to them, but quiet spaces where they wouldn't be disturbed. I thought of the old Chinese proverb about birds of sorrow as they relate to depression. The black mood can swoop down and roost, building nest of despair, or not.
Black moods may seem mysterious. They sometime come out of nowhere, but there is no mystery if you play detective. As someone with a long history of black moods, I've learned to be on the alert for dark birds circling above my head. The best way to avoid them roosting is to simply move. They can't build nest if you take action. Identify the source (usually unexpressed anger), express what you're feeling and move on.

Mandala Mondays -- Angel Dove & Mystery Week

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:18:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds."
~Anton Chekov

I won't tell you what you'll find here this week because it's Mystery Week. I'm on deadline and won't have as much time to blog, but I have some some goodies up my sleeve for you this week.
For Mandala Monday, we have a angel dove mandala. When I was drawing the central symbol I wanted something amorphous. I left it open to the viewer to decide. What did you first notice:a bird like a dove or an angel? Or something else?

What I'm Reading This Week-- February 21, 2010

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:37:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."
~Richard Steele, Tatler, 1710
In that case, my reading is like training for the Olympics.

True confession #1: I don't post pics of everything I read. You mean there's more? Yes. I skim tons more for research for myself and others. True confession #2 I sometimes enjoy arranging the covers to create a narrative more than actually reading the magazine. How can you not love the round shapes from a happy face, to a bomb, to a cupcake?

Okay, enough fun and games. Books: I've barely cracked open any of these and unless I invent a 25th hour, they will not get more than a cursory skim. If any grab me, I'll let you know next week.

The bright slim memoir The Bag Lady Papers by Alexandra Penney is getting oodles of press. Its success should replenish the writer's coffers from losing her fortune to Bernie Madoff. I don't feel too sorry for her. Going from owning three homes to one is not poor. Perhaps she should read Priceless by William Poundstone about the hidden psychology of value and what money and prices really mean. Who knew there were jobs like "price consultants" who convince consumers to pay more for less? I feel I have my money's worth already. Cute cover too.

The bland cover design of Mentor's Muses & Monsters by Elizabeth Benedict http://www.elizabethbenedict.com

hides an exciting buffet of essays by thirty writers of all stripes and flavors. Writers from Joyce Carol Oates to Jonathan Safran Foer dish about who influenced their writing. A quick skim gleaned juicy insights, and I can't wait to dig in and devour the whole book.

While I have a penchant for fresh off the press books. Many are bestsellers or flavors de jour. That said, I like going back and visiting old friends, or books from long, dead writers I haven't read. There's a dearth of books about cats and dogs lately, so I was delighted find a book from 1933 about a dog. Not just any dog, but a cocker spaniel given by Vita Sackville-West to poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It's written with sly humor and charm writer by Virgina Woolf. The dog's name and the title of the book is Flush. I bet if a modern new edition was published with a zippy cover and cute photo of a cocker spaniel, it would be a bestseller.

Kitty Wisdom 101 - Miss February

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:34:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour
( For a friend who just stopped smoking.)

News & Mews
Domino is enjoying sunbathing and his nurturing his inner peace-maker by sharing his dinner with young Petey the Possum.

Merlin and Coco enjoy being snuggle buddies, but Coco is often a hissing hellion with Merlin for no good reason.

Our Cat of the Month AKA Miss February is Maggie, a sleek and scintillating Tuxedo kitty. She lives with her dad, Franklin who took these captivating impressionistic photos. He shared a few tidbits about Maggie. "Maggie is three and a half years old. My mother's housekeeper knew someone who had just had a bunch of kittens, and was helping give them away. So mother brought me this tiny little baby kitten as a surprise. I fell in love. She was adopted in my house, in Nampa, Idaho.

Maggie's purrsonality is that she is one of the sweetest cats you're ever likely to see. But she's
shy around people, and doesn't like dogs or other cats. She loves to get on chests and will stay on a person's arms, walking all over them just so she can rub and purr on a chest. Gentle as can be, and sweeter than sugar, she is the High Lady of the house, to be sure."

Link of the week http://www.us.myletsadopt.com/

My favorite new group on Facebook is Lets Adopt. Originally started in Turkey, this renegade group uses social media to help spread the word about pet rescue and adoption. They have gone global with branches in France, Germany, Canada and the U.S. Visit, click and save an animal. Spread the word and until next time, feel good. Pet a cat.

Circle of Life

Layla Morgan Wilde — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:22:00 GMT

Quote de jour

“We think of things in a straight line: birth-life-death. That’s not really how it works. You take those ends and you bend it into a circle so it’s birth-life-death-REbirth. So you have to be prepared when you lose something – when you go through a divorce, when your mother dies, when you lose your house you have to understand that nature has it no other way. There is a rebirth. The death is painful. It doesn’t change the pain of the death. But you gotta stay awake and stay focused for what’s the rebirth that God is about to offer you.”

~Will Smith

This quote brings our week's theme "What goes around comes around" full circle. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, it's hard to deny the circular nature of life. What goes up, must come down and all that. I believe from every loss, there is gain. There is growth if you allow yourself to embrace the loss, and not hold on to what could have been.

Late yesterday afternoon I went to a local cemetery to photograph my favorite stone angels.
The light piercing the darkening clouds was nothing short of glorious. I noticed a car trailing me. There were no other visitors and the gates were about to close. The driver rolled down his window and asked in a tone reserved for difficult children and the psychotic, "I'm the manager. What are you taking pictures of?"
It's not the first time a cemetery worker thinks I'm a weirdo.
"You don't get many cemetery buffs?" I said in all innocence.
"No." He shot me a "Get out of Dodge" look. I half expect to see a shotgun.
"I love the angels," I said.

He's not convinced. I ramble on about light and form and context. I see beauty. He sees morbidity. What do you see?

"It's not about the graves. It's an artistic thing."
"We're closing."
He's still looking at me as if I'm related to Nosferatu and escorts me out.
Undaunted, I stop by the pet cemetery, smile at this sign and call it a day.

Here We Go Again...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:25:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

It's Christmas in July. I mean, February, digging through my lost and found photo archives. I'd taken this pic with tomatoes in early autumn. I hope it brightens your mood if you're still digging snow. You don't need to be a gardener to appreciate to cyclical nature of well... nature. To all of you who requested more recent snow pics. Here you go...
My next door neighbor is an architect who like the minimalist style in snowmen.

Only 112 days to summer...

Hot seat, anyone? My on-going experiment in documenting decay.

Coffee, tea or snow?

The sky has turned a sublime shade of cobalt.

I must confess; as much as I like summer, I'm loving the blanket of snow for what's it's covering. I'd been lazy putting the garden to bed properly in the fall. There are no short cuts with lawn or garden work. The circle of seasons keeps rolling with or without us. What didn't get done will be rearing its ugly head once the snow melts. For now, I'm happy with what I have.