• landscape,  meadow,  natural areas,  nature,  poems,  poetry,  sunrises

    Only the meadow remains…

    This morning’s sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    In the early morning hours
    I sit in silence with the meadow and
    allow her to embrace me.

    I share the dawn of this new day
    while listening to the owl’s cry
    echo through the meadow.

    This shared intimacy with the meadow
    has a way of giving birth to new life
    in the ground of my being.
    … I am, therefore, never the same!

    And, I hear in this sacred place
    an unspoken invitation to return again
    each time bringing an awareness that
    each short visit is but a passing moment.

    So, whenever and while I still can
    I will sit with the meadow
    until only the meadow remains.1This was inspired from a poem written by Li Po (Zazen on Ching-t’ing Mountain) in the book Poetry of Presence: An Anthology of Mindfulness Poems.

    mws
  • landscape,  natural areas,  nature,  quotes,  snow

    It’s dang cold…

    It was -8 degrees at 5 am. I told my barista this morning that anyone who’s out in this weather has got to be nuts, crazy, wack-o, insane, stupid, and definitely not to be trusted. They agreed but were glad to see at least one crazy irregular show up, even if it was me! It looks like everyone in the nation is just as cold! I’m enjoying my Old Town mocha. Stay warm.

    “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love …”

    Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
  • nature,  Photography,  prints

    Canvas Prints

    Our friend, Earl, suggested in one of his comments on the posting of this image back on January 20th to maybe print and frame it. I rarely print my images. But after thinking about this I decided a canvas print would suffice for my needs. Plus, I have never made a canvas print of one of my images. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and ordered this image and a second one on canvas.

    In September I posted this image taken at the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I chose this as the second image because it is darker and carries a different mood so I could see the difference between the two. Both canvas prints were made by Fine Art America. These are my first ever canvas prints. If I ever make more canvas prints I would like more details in the shadows and highlights. Earl, also mentioned using a floating frame which I really like but the cost was a bit more. Maybe next time.

  • landscape,  nature,  quotes,  silence

    It was time to go…

    Silence is somehow at the very foundation of all reality.

    Richard Rohr

    I was restless yesterday afternoon so I grabbed my camera gear and headed to Prospect Ponds. The wind has been blowing all day so I bundled up, but knowing I would not stay long. I’m too old to endure too much cold. I was pleased to find plenty of silence and very few people (smarter than me?). I met up with a couple of the park rangers and asked if they could shut off the wind. They laughed and told me they already did but it was going to take a few minutes for it to take effect. Wasn’t what I wanted to hear but I admired their quick response and humor. As I took this image of the ice patterns on the pond I realized how cold I was getting. It was time to go. Enjoy your Sunday and stay warm!!

  • landscape,  natural areas,  nature,  quotes,  sunsets

    Time Well Spent!

    A waxing crescent moon at sunset from the Cathy Fromme Nature Area – 1/3/2024

    “…some changes happen deep down inside of you. And the truth is, only you know about them. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

    Judy Blume

    I can find myself in a funk, or drifting into one, every once in a while. When that happens I need something to lift my spirits besides sitting at home reading a book or journaling so I opted for time at Cathy Fromme Prairie Nature Area and let the quiet touch my soul. Nature threw up a few clouds against the sky, offered a warm golden glow on the horizon and hung a thin waxing crescent moon above. Even though I felt the cold it was time well spent. For me, each time I enter into the presence of nature there can be a change within me: mind, body, heart and attitude. Some may notice a change in me while others will have no clue. The important thing is that I do. It’s time well spent! 

  • fog,  landscape,  nature,  quotes

    A More Spacious World

    A cold and frost covered sunrise – October 2012

    In humility, with wisdom and compassion, we make a more spacious world, where the experience of our communion and connection has fewer barriers and becomes more possible.

    Kathleen Dowling-Singh
  • landscape,  nature,  quotes,  sunrises

    Sunrise over the farm

    We have always preferred to believe that the spirit of God is not breathed into humans alone, but that the whole created universe shares in the immortal perfection of its maker.

    Ohiyesa (Charles A. Eastman)

    This morning’s drive to meet Eric was a gift. The predawn colors began as pink, shifting to red then orange before the sun burst over the horizon. About all I could do was stand there and smile. Actually, let’s call it more of a grin! It’s mornings like this that make my aches and pains of aging and where I somehow find the gumption to brave the cold, all worthwhile. So, I watched the predawn colors, listened to the silence, then witnessed the sunrise over the farm. A wonderful start to my day. May you enjoy your weekend!

  • Avian,  nature,  quotes

    I hope so!!

    Western Kingbird – June 2023

    The American people may solve their problems themselves, and so save the world a catastrophe, but not by insisting that the government do their work for them. No man will ever be whole and dignified and free except in the knowledge that the men around him are whole and dignified and free, and that the world itself is free of contempt and misuse.

    Wendell Berry, Hidden Wound

    Spending time in nature has taught me how birds embrace freedom. The life of this Western Kingbird is not without peril, requiring a constant alertness or its life can end quickly in the talons of some raptor. But, I’m not sure they worry about the price of gas or a quart of milk, or increases in property taxes and insurance, or the prison of their corporate lives. And there seems to be no indication they feel more dignified or less dignified than their neighbor. They perch on the same barbed wire fence and pursue the same insects as all their neighbors. I seriously doubt it’s concerned if its song of repeated bursts of “chits” and chattering is more enjoyable, or less, than the meadowlarks or the magpies. It seems they sing from a heart that is free of its role in the contempt and misuse of the world. I desire to think it’s a song of joy, wonder, pleasure, trust or hope! At least I hope so!!