My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
I’ve never been too excited about Halloween and that’s true today. However, I know that there are many who feel differently and celebrate the day with enthusiasm and style. I’m making another assumption but with masks as a requirement for much of the world we probably will see more people dressed down from previous years, or not. Anyway, enjoy your Saturday and the candy corn pieces.
grateful for the gifts
mws
rising from within the soul
unspoken words
Reflecting this morning on the gift of words that appear on pages when I journal. This led me to reflect on the words I read from the blogs I follow, the words that rise within you. When you share what you’re feeling, your experiences, what you see, and the joys and struggles of your daily lives, I see them as a gift of unspoken words now heard. So, thank you!
morning walk on campus
mws
shadows cast across the snow
blue wintery day
cold feet even in socks
mws
my hands always cold
cold wintery morning
sky a mix of grays and blues
while the sun tries to shine
it’s warming rays upon us.
made hot Irish Oats
sprinkled with raisins and pecans
good start to the day
A much needed snowfall began falling last night and has fallen all day. Along with the snow comes the cold. We’re at about 12 degrees now and will be in single digits tonight. I say much needed snow because it will help in quelling some of the fire activity from spreading. It will not however put out the fires. Forest fires will smolder under snow then blow up again after the melt. I do find it interesting to hear people being excited about the snow because of the fires. Normally people are put off with the first major snowfall as it means the coming of winter and cold. What I hear today is, “Bring it on!”
One day back in 2008 I found a Townsend Medalist Rollerball Pen made by Cross on the streets of Crystal City in Washington DC. It was very similar to this one except it was all silver. It was probably one of the nicest writing instruments I’d every used at that time in my life. By having a fine writing instrument I began to journal more and more often. I used it for a few months and then I lost it. I found the exact pen except with gold trim at Reagan Airport a couple weeks later and bought it. That’s what you see in this image. I’ve since moved on to fountain pens for an even more enjoyable writing experience.
For me there are three factors that have helped me in my journaling. One is to have a nice writing instrument. The second is to find a journal you like, physical size and paper weight. The third is to carry them both with you at all times and use them. Words will appear.
This is my second post today because I wanted to share the sad affairs we are experiencing due to the fires in Colorado. I took this image today about 1:00 pm. The East Troublesome fire that began a week ago, erupted on Wednesday afternoon due to high winds, plenty of beetle killed pine and very dry conditions. It jumped from 19,000 acres to over 125,000 acres by Thursday morning, a rate of about 6,000 acres an hour. The town of Grand Lake was evacuated yesterday evening. As of 1:00 pm this afternoon the fire had jumped the Continental Divide and was burning in the upper reaches of Rocky Mountain National Park. They have confirmed active flames in Forest Canyon just west of Moraine Park. It has now clearly jumped the Continental Divide and is burning on both east and west sides of the Divide. Estes Park has been put on mandatory evacuations. People are evacuating so Highway 36, 34 and 7 are a mess. I saw a video a while ago of elk heading east, they’re evacuating also. The sky looks apocalyptic.
dewdrops adorn leaves
mws
including one dressed in violet
brightens the new day
I give thanks for arriving
On Waking
Safely in a new dawn,
For the gift of eyes
To see the world,
The gift of mind
To feel at home
In my life,
The waves of possibility
Breaking on the shore of dawn,
The harvest of the past
That awaits my hunger,
And all the furtherings
This new day will bring.
by John O’Donohue
“Teach the children. We don’t matter so much, but the children do. Show them daisies and the pale hepatica. Teach them the taste of sassafras and wintergreen. The lives of the blue sailors, mallow, sunbursts, the moccasin flowers. And the frisky ones–inkberry, lamb’s quarters, blueberries. And the aromatic ones–rosemary, oregano. Give them peppermint to put in their pockets as they go to school. Give them the fields and the woods and the possibility of the world salvaged from the lords of profit. Stand them in the stream, head them upstream, rejoice as they learn to love this green space they live in, its sticks and leaves and then the silent, beautiful blossoms. Attention is the beginning of devotion.”
Mary Oliver
I bought a new used book which arrived on Saturday. It’s title is Upstream by Mary Oliver and a series of essays. So far I’m liking it and relate to her spiritual connectedness to nature. So, fair warning you may see a few quotes from the book.