• leaves,  lifestyles,  Plants,  quotes

    One of those moments

    November 9, 2022

    “Don’t ask the world to change….you change first.”

    Anthony de Mello

    It was one of those moments. The ground around me was changing every second as leaves from the elm trees were constantly descending everywhere. I took three photos before I stopped and settled into just being the observer of the beautiful moment I was experiencing. If you look closely you will see one leaf in mid-descent just to the left of center.

    Had a wonderful lunch with my oldest daughter today. We talked about those questions we all seem to ask, “What do I want to do or be when I grow up?” She is one of many who have attained the career goals, the family, home, cars, money and more. She now asks what else is there? Seems I’ve reached a point where things do not have the value of the past. What’s important are those things I cannot grasp but only experience and live: peace, serenity, love, compassion, family, friends, journaling, photography, and… you can fill the rest of the list. Sounds like changes are about to happen in her life.

    It’s been a cold day. Finished my steps and I’m in for the evening. Will have a Zoom chat with a friend who just moved back east.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons

    Say whatever prayers you choose….

    November 8, 2022

    Perhaps we should all settle down and think about what’s good in the world and what we want to do here. If we find this planet and its history and its story to be sacred, let’s preserve and nourish it, and then we can go home at night and say whatever prayers we choose.

    Ursula Goodenough

    Another lovely day in Colorado. It was a brisk 30 degrees this morning but we reached a nice 65 degrees. Blue skies and sunshine dominated. I attended, and enjoyed, a brunch with a few of my high school classmates, something we will do on a monthly basis. Had a good time and of course picked from the seniors menu. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do when you’re seniors. Later this afternoon I wandered around the pond with my camera for fall colors and soaked up the sun before it settled behind the mountains. This simple scene, through its beauty and existence, stirred something within me. It’s through these sacred experiences I feel I’m changed forever. And, my words fall short. Hope you had a good day and say whatever prayers you choose before bed.

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  • architecture,  shadows

    Mystery in the Shadows

    November 7, 2022

    There is mystery in the shadows of a photograph. Something is there that cannot be seen as light does not reach it. Death is a mystery of shadows for me. I do not know what is beyond the door of death, in those shadows. I no longer adhere to the belief of my childhood religion. Yet there is within me, some voice, some hidden intuition, that lets me know there is more beyond our door of death. My cousin, Kevin, was buried today. His Christian belief and that of his family is different than mine. I respect their belief. I treasure his life, the gift he was to this world, the times I shared with him in our youth and as adults, and I pray with and for him. Yes, the mystery in the shadows. I feel much love tonight!

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  fountain pens,  journal,  writing/reading

    Enough about my Sunday

    November 6, 2022

    I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep last night. Began this day with my quiet meditation and prayer time. I watched a blazing pink and red sky from my window this morning. Breathtaking gift. Then headed to the coffee shop to visit my baristas, Emma and Megan. They made me a favorite, an Old Town mocha, extra hot. When I returned home I made a bowl of Irish Oats with strawberries and blueberries. Overcast skies then dominated the rest of the day. So, it became a day for journaling and I started rereading Annie Dillard’s book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. I started reading her book a couple years ago but for some reason could not finish it. A cold wind has blown today causing the few remaining leaves to let go of their grip and take flight where the wind chooses. The Canada Geese were sitting on the pond earlier in an attempt to over talk one another. Not sure anyone was listening, except me! Glad they settled down. My hands and feet have been cold all day, which is normal for this time of the year. Had a couple of meetings and just got home from the last one. I’m in for the night. It was a good Sunday. Hoping you had a good day. 

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  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Love the Gifts

    November 5, 2022

    “That is not the way it should be. Good leaders wait to be called and they give up their power when they are no longer needed. Selfish men and fools put themselves first and keep their power until someone throws them out. It is no good to have a way where selfish men and fools fight with each other to be leaders, while the good ones watch.”

    Kent Nerburn

    Drove to Windsor early this morning to meet Eric for coffee and conversation. Had to stop and take a few images of the predawn sky. Love the gifts of creation. Early this afternoon I sat at Mugs in the warm sunlight. Leaves fall and dance all around me. It is a beautiful fall day. Nature is all around us when we look. Meeting a friend at 4:30 pm then an evening of reading. Hope you are having a good weekend!

    I voted for the good ones today.

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  • fall season,  landscape,  Plants,  seasons,  snow,  street photography,  trees

    First Snowfall of the Year

    November 4, 2022
    CSU Oval

    According to DIA we had our first measurable snowfall yesterday and through the night. They showed 4.5 inches at the airport while Fort Collins had maybe an inch. Still lovely and refreshing. Roads are clear so I easily made it to the coffee shop. As expected a few regulars there braving the weather on their bicycles. Not me! The sun was shining brightly by 9:00 am which allowed the more hardy souls to shed their jackets. Not me! I tell you this white stuff sure pulls out the fall colors.

    I received word this morning that my cousin, Kevin, died of a heart attack yesterday evening. No details on a service but if anyway possible I would like to attend. So, I could be making a road trip to the panhandle of Texas.

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  • fall season,  leaves,  musings,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons,  Thomas Berry,  writing/reading

    They’re gone

    November 3, 2022

    Any being can benefit only if the larger context of its existence benefits. This law can be seen in the honey bee and the flower. Both benefit when the bee comes to drink the nectar of the flower: the flower is fertilised, the bee obtains what it needs for making its honey.

    The tree is nourished by the soil; the tree nourishes the soil with its leaves.

    It is the ancient law of reciprocity. Whoever gives must also receive.

    Thomas Berry

    One of the most beautiful experiences of fall for me is watching all those leaves being scattered everywhere by the winds. I also know some of you feel the same way. Where they land and how they land provides colors and patterns that are my eye candy or even Leaf Creatures. Sadly, they’re now gone, or at least most of them. The landscapers came through yesterday and spent hours blowing leaves around, mowing them up or bagging them up. Leaves have a purpose in life and part of that purpose is to decay on the ground and provide nutrients for more life. The purpose for those leaves has been altered.

    According to the EPA, yard trimmings, which include leaves, created about 35.4 million tons of waste in 2018. This analysis resulted in an estimate of 22.3 million tons of yard trimmings composted or wood waste mulched in 2018 with a 63 percent composting rate. In 2018, landfills received about 10.5 million tons of yard trimmings, which comprised 7.2 percent of all material specific waste landfilled. That composting rate is a good number, much more than I expected. But, no matter how you look at it that is a lot of yard trimmings.

    Removing leaves in the fall is a task that many homeowners perform without question. Whether the leaves absolutely need to be cleaned up at this time is debatable. From an ecological standpoint, the answer to this question is no. However, if someone intends to have and maintain a healthy lawn beneath their trees, they really should try to remove them before the winter or mulch them. I will not enter into that the debate because my vote would be to remove the lawns. Let’s have some good old dirt to track in the house, some wildflowers, and beautiful gardens. Enough of my ranting!

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