• Canada Goose,  gratitude,  Humor,  winter scenes

    Sleeping-in

    January 15, 2024

    At 6:37 am my weather app said it was 0°, wind was out of the north at 11 mph, humidity was at 83%, wind chill at −17° and light snow was falling. Later at 7:13 am I was enjoying a mocha latte at Mugs and had to snicker at the insane individuals who would be out in this weather, unless they were my barista or the city snowplow driver. Told my baristas, Emma and Jess, that I needed to have a conversation with McCabe and Marlie (the owners) about paying them double-time for working on days like this. They thought it was a great idea! When I got home I noticed the geese were sleeping in late so I quietly took three images. They looked so comfortable I didn’t want to wake them. Now at my computer, slippers on, furnace running, sipping on a hot chai tea and have a grateful heart! ❤️ Going to be a day for reading and writing. Looks like most of the country is cold today so stay warm!!!

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  • coffee life,  gratitude,  I am learning...,  latte art,  quotes

    Showing off!

    December 29, 2023

    Understanding of the self only arises in relationship, in watching yourself in relationship to people, ideas, and things; to trees, the earth, and the world around you and within you. Relationship is the mirror in which the self is revealed. Without self-knowledge there is no basis for right thought and action.

    Jiddu Krishnamurti

    Well, Hannah out did herself, showing off again, this morning with her latte art. I wonder sometimes if the reason I order mocha lattes is because of the artwork or because I enjoy their flavor. Think I’ll just go with both!

    We have clear blue skies and temperatures in the high teens but expecting it to warm up into the high 40’s. I love the mornings when the sun shines in my front room window, spreading its light across the floor and furniture. It is something I look forward to it each day. Depending on the time of year also determines the length of time I get to enjoy it.

    Relationships have become a vital learning experience in my life over the past 20 plus years. I am learning how to improve them, how to nurture them and how to build relationships with others who are different from me. I am learning to embrace relationships I would not expect to have, such as all my baristas. I am learning to repair damaged and broken relationships. And with the advent of the internet I’m also learning to embrace virtual relationships. I must also include the relationship I have with God, this unknown HIgher Power, that something I cannot define or comprehend, as well as a renewed relationship with all of creation. And, I am learning to be someone healthy in a relationship. As this year comes to a close I find I have a grateful heart for the gift of relationships in the year. 

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  • clouds,  Family,  gratitude,  musings,  prayer,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Thanks Mom…

    August 19, 2023

    Perfect does not mean perfect actions in a perfect world, but appropriate actions in an imperfect one.

    R.H. Blyth

    Two years ago today my mother died in her sleep after a couple weeks in hospice. So, of course I’m thinking about her today, as are my sisters and dad. There are moments of sadness but there are those good memories mixed in. I must say I am grateful for the foundation she laid for the person I have become, although I’m far from being perfect. Hopefully I live with appropriate actions and words, seeds she planted. Thanks mom!! I miss you!!

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  Avian,  Canada Goose,  gratitude,  landscape,  natural areas,  sunrises

    Such a Beautiful World

    May 28, 2023

    I enjoyed a quiet predawn at Arapaho Bend Natural Area this morning. I was the only one there other than the geese, some Great Blue Herons along the far shore and a couple of pelicans. None of us was very talkative.

    We had more rain and thunderstorms yesterday, in fact the weather was severe on the eastern plains. However the weather brought winds helping to clear out the smoke and haze. Quite the contrast this morning. Nature seemed to take a deep breath, relax and gives us the gifts of a clear predawn sky, a sunrise and the promise of a new day.

    After spending time in these sanctuaries I feel the inadequacy of offering any words expressing the feelings I experience, yet I try. If there is one word to express my feelings it’s gratitude. Pretty simple. Such a beautiful world we live in when we take the time to experience it. Now going to meet a friend for a late lunch. Have a great day!!

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  • gratitude,  landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    One of my favorite…

    May 26, 2023

    Sitting on this rock, watching the sunrise with awe and wonder. The grass around me is wet from the mornings dew and also from the rain we had yesterday. The temperature is perfect. There is almost no wind. I take sips of my chai latte, listening to a meadowlark perched atop the fence singing its morning praise. The sun rises behind the clouds, offering hints of pink and letting me know the new day is here. I’m grateful for this moment, this place, this experience, this life, all the green that surrounds me, the clouds, the new day, even the cold hard rock I’m sitting on. This is one of my favorite times of the day… one of my favorite places…

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  • gratitude,  landscape,  poems,  poetry,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    accept the gifts offered

    May 23, 2023

    eerie sunrises the past few days as
    we continue to experience the smoke
    from the Canadian forest fires

    weather app said clear skies
    but what that really meant
    was we had no clouds

    from a nearby fence post
    a meadowlark sings benediction
    greeting the dawn of this new day

    from a place of prayer, hope
    and a heart of gratitude
    I accept the gifts offered

    ms

    Happy Birthday Sheree!!!

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  • flowers,  gratitude,  Plants,  poems,  poetry

    The Gift of Knowing You

    May 21, 2023
    Blue Flax along the Poudre River

    I read of a man who stood to speak
    At the funeral of a friend
    He referred to the dates on the tombstone
    From the beginning…to the end

    He noted that first came the date of birth
    And spoke the following date with tears,
    But he said what mattered most of all
    Was the dash between those years

    For that dash represents all the time
    That they spent alive on earth.
    And now only those who loved them
    Know what that little line is worth

    For it matters not, how much we own,
    The cars…the house…the cash.
    What matters is how we live and love
    And how we spend our dash.

    So, think about this long and hard.
    Are there things you’d like to change?
    For you never know how much time is left
    That can still be rearranged.

    If we could just slow down enough
    To consider what’s true and real
    And always try to understand
    The way other people feel.

    And be less quick to anger
    And show appreciation more
    And love the people in our lives
    Like we’ve never loved before.

    If we treat each other with respect
    And more often wear a smile,
    Remembering this special dash
    Might only last a little while

    So, when your eulogy is being read
    With your life’s actions to rehash…
    Would you be proud of the things they say
    About how you spent YOUR dash?

    The Dash Poem (By Linda Ellis)

    This poem was read at the Celebration of Life yesterday for our friend and loved one, Antonella (Toni). The poem does call us to think about how we want to live out all of our years in between those two significant dates of birth and death. I remember her smile, that grin which sometimes had that mischievous look. I am grateful to have received the gift of knowing you. You will be missed, my friend! 😢

    Here is a link to a recording of the author reading the poem.

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