Oof. Working. Driving. Doing. These things leave little time for reading or updating as I’d like. But the trip is going well, if a bit slower than anticipated initially. When you stop to see and try to do as well, or the weather decides to become an obstacle, things change. Thankfully, there is not a…
This will be my fourth opportunity to cross our wonderful country. The first three times were pretty harried and hurried – the first a true unknown adventure full of break downs and roadside kindnesses in a dilapidated van (I didn’t know it at the time of purchase, but it had a blown head gasket!) which…
Trees are such an amazing part of our world. They provide shelter, shade, food, heat and suck up all of that carbon we’re emitting! These two caught my eye, appearing to be a long-time partnered couple, supporting each other through thick and thin. Or maybe he’s goosing her…knots? 🙂 Instead of the more sentimental limb…
Today’s trip to the lake was simply sublime, and a perfect post- work unwind. I love woods and water, especially the rocky shoreline type. So I was primed for some zen rock sitting, watching the water do its thing. I got so, so much more! First off, there is nothing like occupying a waterside picnic…
Some days are just made for observing. Today was one of those days. The above is looking out my doors a bit after sunrise. It takes a while to become fully sunlit due to the mountains and trees. It is usually very quiet, enough so that I can hear the hummingbirds while inside. I love…
Heh, maybe I should change the bus name! Monday at work is usually lightly peppered with meetings and then plenty of time to actually get work done instead of meeting to talk about getting work done. But today the merger and acquisition was formally announced, so a lot of post meeting time was spent by…
Today was a pretty good measure of what a non- work bus day looks like. Sleep in (I get up around 0430 on weekdays), coffee, read the digital newspaper, start puttering. The bus is energy independent in most situations, as I have 750 watts of solar on top, plus another 400 watts on stand alone…
Today was errand day, With the hope of picking up mail along with groceries, and a stint at the laundromat. Alas, mail is still in Denver, which means a return trip to civilization tomorrow:( Mail retrieval is a challenge on the road. I have a mail service, but then I have to pay to have…
Ah, I can remember when sixty was a distant thing, and how wise and patient I’d grow to be by that age – if indeed I’d live that long. Now that it’s here, what is it really like? Am I wiser? A life of ashes and rebuilding teaches one a great deal. Things like: Nothing…
And, it’s been a while since I wrote anything. I’ve been busy traveling, trying my hand at other forms of expression like watercolor (long way to go on that media!), Junk collage mixed media, alcohol inks, bone art, photography, and practicing looking at things differently. Today the real chill of fall is in the air,…
Just like going to the Doctor for a check up is not intimate when compared with the touch of one who knows you, neither is having professional movers wrangle your stuff from one place to another. But to have people who know me trail their fingers through my things is something quite different for me. It is…
When you begin to consider carrying all that you need on your back for a few months, the contents of your home begin to loom in the mind as well. The idea of ‘comfort’, ‘luxury’ or ‘morale’ items becomes a topic of thought. We really don’t think about these things day to day, just like…
Yesterday was a rare treat, a double-header with two of my daughters and my four grandsons, plus helping the third daughter watch shop by text 🙂 It was also a two restaurant meal day for me, which is exceedingly unusual. In the midst of my ‘fake hiking & camping’ fun I had a birthday luncheon…
Delicious Fall has fallen upon us for a brief spell and I am relishing it! Doors and sliders thrown open, fans positioned to bring all of that fresh, low humidity air in has really boosted my spirits. It makes working out an invigorating thing rather than a flirtation with heat stroke and misery. I wrote…
Okay, so there isn’t really a vortex in my life, but there are times as I stand beside my life and look at it that I could swear I can feel the sucking sounds at my feet and hear the power of the strength of the pull away from those things I desire to accomplish or…
Leave-taking is always bittersweet when it is a long-time friend who is often more family than actual family. I’ve spent a lovely nine days in the Midwest in marvelous company, been fed delicious food, gone out and about, and now am sitting in the airport waiting to return home via Chicago. The trip in was…
Hint: Click to full-size. “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir ~SE
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I know, I missed last week. Last Monday was a no-work day and almost a no-computer day too. Hopefully y’all were off doing fun things like dancing, grilling, grabbing some end-of-summer fun. I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus due to stress, and hope to be back writing again soon. In the meantime,…
Quoting Berry from Word and Flesh: “The religion and the environmentalism of the highly industrialized countries are at bottom a sham, because they make it their business to fight against something that they do not really want to destroy. We all live by robbing nature, but our standard of living demands that the robbery shall…
A bit of beauty from my garden for my readers ******************************** I sometimes write about topics that are difficult to face, things one wishes to turn away from, bury, ignore. Some read, some don’t. Either is okay with me. What does matter is if something I have written helps another person. In truth, reality is…
I. Can’t. Stop. (smile) This is one of my favorite weekly posts, sharing music that someone may not have stumbled upon yet. Music does so much for us: mentally and emotionally. It is often the backdrop of many writers of all genres. Today I want to introduce you to one of the pianists that form…
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Another week has flown by in our lives. What did you do differently this week than last week? What did you see, smell, hear, or say – that made a difference? I know, it’s annoying these questions. It’s Friday and you just want the damn week over, and some entertainment to help with that. I…
Nikon D100 – Alley – 7.2014
~SE
Everyone should start their Monday with a little Reggae mon 🙂 This week’s artist is a personal favorite of mine primarily because it is one of his songs that became my personal theme song a few years back. I enjoy this genre very much, finding the music uplifting, catchy and very easily stuck in your…
Today I thought I’d pull in one of my artist favorites that is quite a bit different from the ones I’ve introduced in the past. Music is truly a smorgasbord for me, and I find things to like in almost every genre. This artist I listen to often when I’m doing things that require a…
I’m rambling today, with thoughts flowing in and out of my mind as I sit in the briefly temperate morning out of the sun, watching the comings and goings of wildlife (used broadly) on the patio of the micro-haus. Dividing the thoughts up into bits and bobs – penny for your thoughts? From the Observatory…
It is almost time. My apartment looks worse than usual (tiny thing that it is) because of all of the camping gear staged around. Tarps. Sleeping bag. Sleeping mat. Food bags. Hiking boots. Portable generators. Chargers. And so it goes. Looking at all of the ‘stuff’, I thought that possibly ‘primitive camping trip’ might perhaps…
While I await the final timeline on my outing in March due to work issues, my mind has turned to prep for the trip. Since this most likely will be my only vacation this year, I want to squeeze all of the good things that I can from it. So far I’ve contacted an online…
Sometimes I believe in serendipity. Sometimes I believe that serendipity actually knows where I live. This is one of those times. When a writer writes, we really toss our inner selves out into the light waves of the universe to be bandied about a bit in the head space of others. Some people skim over…
As we await the arrival of yet another new life into the family, I have been watching my grandson. His constant chatter, his unwavering trust, his energy, his enthusiasm – ah, youth. That empty canvas awaiting life to make its strokes – long, short, jagged, sweeping- onto the frame that will become our life-long perspective.…
This has been a tough week for me. Thankfully, although I live in the city for now, I still have places that I can feast my eyes on woods, water, wildlife and other things that bring me peace. I miss the quiet of the woodlands, the really dark nights, the opportunity to have a…
While I continue to build my homestead in my mind, there is just such a drag of time. Time usually seems to fly by these days, with 2013 passing so quickly it feels like I hardly blinked, yet, when an idea lies far out near the horizon, time seems to just sloooooooow down. It is…
Anyone who has followed my blog for a month or more knows that homesteading, the euphemism for ‘simpler times’, is the dream that I desire to return to. It has been a few years since I lived that life, 2011 to be exact. Previously embarked on by me and my husband, it is a lifestyle…
It has been such a long time since I breathed in and smelled countryside. But I am experiencing it this weekend. The last time really was my visit to Sunflower Solace back in May of last year. That’s a long time to go without being in the country. A long time without starry nights untainted…
Sunflower Solace Farm 