• leaves,  love,  poems,  shadows,  snow

    … and never looks away

    October 30, 2023
    A small part of our amazing winter wonderland this morning

    I stand in the midst of creation’s wheel
    And watch in wonder the quiet majesty of its turning.
    We are in the care of a love without limit or definition
    Under the protection of a love that never looks away.

    Steven Charleston

    It is Monday morning and we have fresh snow on the ground, clear blue skies and sunshine. I am grateful to be a witness to this beautiful winter wonderland. Today I am missing my mother who would have been 92 today. I also can say I miss her with a love that is without limits. Not sure I would have said that as a teenager which makes me grateful for my growing maturity. I’m also grateful for the belief that there is a caring love (and I speak of love as an action word, not a noun) that never looks away. I have experienced such love in family, friends and nature. So, I pray today for the gift of sharing with a love I’ve experienced which is without limits and never looks away. 

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  • fall season,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons,  trees

    Imagination

    November 13, 2022

    “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”

    William Blake

    The only constant is change and this morning was a prime example. It’s all worked out and been a good day. Have new chair for my bedroom that sits looking out my bay window and will use it for my quiet times, reading and journaling. Fits my buttocks! 😂 The above photo was taken on campus this past week. Love my tree friends! Now that the leaves are mostly gone we can see where the squirrels nests are. On my walk I smiled as leaves danced along side me in the wind. I am not taking my laptop to Phoenix this week so you will have a reprieve from my blog posts for four days. Have a great week.

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  mountains

    Trust Me…

    September 15, 2022

    This was taken north of Rock Springs, Wyoming along US Highway 191 on my trip to West Yellowstone last month. A lot of open sagebrush, no trees and almost endless blue sky. You can see for miles and the sagebrush dominates the landscape. You may look at this and think of it as a barren and desolate place, especially if you’re from anywhere east of the Mississippi where trees abound. And when you stop to take in this view you won’t believe the silence that surrounds you. But, even though it is a rugged and harsh environment what you see is a complex of ecosystem. These sagebrush ecosystems provide important food and cover for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and especially winter habitat for big game species and other wildlife. So probably somewhere in this image is a Black-footed Ferret, Great Basin Gopher Snake, White-tailed Prairie Dog, Greater Short-horned Lizard, Red-tailed hawk or Sage Thrasher. And trust me, somewhere in there is an ant or two or three…

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  • Avian,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area

    … all the above

    May 11, 2022

    I have seen several Bullock’s Orioles around Dixon Reservoir at Pineridge Natural Area over the past week. This morning I walked on the west side of the reservoir along the water’s edge. I gratefully accepted this lovely image and the song that accompanied it. The males are a bright orange and easily seen by this new bird watcher. When I got home and saw this image I began to wonder if they sing their morning song of joy because they like the color they have be given, or they like to sing, or they’re happy or all the above?

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  • landscape,  seasons,  snow,  trees,  winter scenes

    Keeping Peace Alive

    February 26, 2022
    More blue skies

    With our our country’s political strife, the pandemic and world violence it is vital for us to keep our inner peace and sanity. So, I wanted to share a question with you that I came across yesterday. I am going to use it as a seed in my meditations and to journal about over the next few days. How are you keeping peace alive in your heart and mind?

    Here are some of my ways: quiet time, prayer and meditation, time with nature, journaling, reading, photography, poetry, early mornings at coffee shops, healthy conversations with friends, daily walks and more… which is pretty much what I do every day. I must admit I’m concerned what impact our worlds insanity has on everyone especially those immediately impacted. It’s demonstrated to me how far reaching our actions have on others. Therefore, whatever simple actions I can do to keep peace within my heart and mind matters. And, I have no idea how my actions or words or prayers can reach out into the universe and positively affect others. Maybe just taking a “one-breath” meditation throughout the day will clear the mind, keeping peace alive in our hearts and minds and the world.

    We may get above 32 degrees today for the first time in 4 days. As my sister would say, I’m esscited!!!!

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