My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
end of september
mws
first frost on the windshield
wearing warmer socks
It was 36 degrees this morning at 6:15 am. I consider that cold, so I layered my clothing. I wore some nice warm socks with my sandals. Wind blew hard early today, allowing us to enjoy our Colorado blue skies. This afternoon the winds died down and the smoke moved back in, no more blue skies. This is not the new normal!!
Had a dusting of snow late yesterday then fog and a heavy frost early this morning. Things were white and sparkling in the sun when all covered with frost and snow. The air was sparkling with ice crystals. These frost crystals about a have inch long.The beauty of a Winter Wonderland.
A Blessing of Solitude
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
“May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.”
““The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
Albert Einstein
Made a short walk at Riverbend Ponds just to find some images to bring home. These ponds are a popular place for fishing, primarily for bass. Needless to say not many anglers out there today.
“But no matter the medicinal virtues of being a true friend or sustaining a long close relationship with another, the ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone.” David Whyte
… but the good news is we’re suppose to reach a high of 23 degrees to day. After seeing this on my phone app, I bundled up and headed for the bus. There was no desire to scrape ice and snow off the windshield of my car and deal with traffic or parking. This storm brought us 4 inches of snow, making everything have that beautiful winter scene. But, dang the cold! Anyway….
I find it interesting how people handle our weather in different ways. Now the “younger” fellow in the above image must be able to handle the cold better than me. I actually counted four bicyclists, all younger, on my walk over here. A quick thought/question ran through my mind, did one of their parents drop them on their heads when they were “younger?”
I realize these bicyclists ride a bicycle to work or class for health reasons, to save fossil fuel, avoid traffic and parking and maybe because of the image, while I google homes for sale in Phoenix from the warmth of a favorite coffee shop. And, with cold hands download images, try and type this post, eat a chocolate croissant and sip on my mocha latte. Yep, we handle the cold differently! Have an awesome day!
“Let’s work to enjoy every sunrise and every sunset
Beth Frates
to the maximum degree possible,
soaking it all in, mindfully.”
I believe each day is a chance for gratitude, not that I do that each morning. It’s progress I’m after. This morning started out with a red sky in the east but has been cold and overcast with a chance of snow. So that red sky offered a moment of gratitude. I am also grateful for this small little condo I have. It is a cozy one bedroom, one bath place of about 760 square feet. It’s just right for a slothful bachelor to keep “sorta” clean. I am grateful for the wicker rocker I’m sitting in that looks out from my bedroom bay window. This window faces south/southeast so with morning sun coming in I have a place for quiet time in the sun. Yes, feeling some gratitude this morning. Stay warm!
It’s still cold here as can bee seen in the above image. Most ponds and slow moving streams are still thick with ice. However we are predicted to have three days of temperatures in the high 40’s with clouds. I needed to have my emissions tested yesterday so I stopped at the Riverbend ponds because of the look those clouds were giving me.
I took this image on the bus ride the other morning. The sunrise was a pretty red and pink so I shot towards the east and included one of the riders. I like how it came out as it made it an abstract image. We have been cold ever since the Thanksgiving snowstorm that left us with 15 inches of snow. We’ve had a couple of days reach above 50 degrees but most days hoover around 40 degrees. Due to the cold and the amount of snow it is taking time to melt the snow, which is not the norm for Colorado. There are still piles of plowed snow along the campus that are still 6 feet tall. I confess I’m looking forward to warmer weather.
“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” ―