An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Magpies do not sing as a robin or meadowlark, they chatter. Constantly. As soon as I arrive they will land on the fence in front of me while still in my car and jabber away, and sometimes making good eye contact. I’m going with the assumption they are happy to see me. Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!
Instructions for living life:
Mary Oliver
Pay attention
Be astonished
Tell about it
Good morning. Had a short night of sleep with lots of commentary going on in my head. It also could have been from the sugar coated cookie (well more than one) I ate couple of hours before bed. Made a chai latte this morning then headed to Pineridge NA to watch the sunrise. Had this rather chatty magpie join me to watch the sunrise. They were quite comfortable with me even when I stepped closer and moved to the side more so I could put the sunrise behind them. They posed for about a half dozen photos, jabbering almost the whole time. Wondering if I was moving too slow for them. 😁
Drove home realizing this may be the last bit of sunshine over the next 2-3 days. Weather app said we could see 15-25 inches, or more, of snow from this approaching storm beginning later today and into Saturday. When I hear things like that, I feel the need to put on a crockpot of Mild Yellow Curry Chicken and will have some tikka masala rice with it later this afternoon. Have a wonderful day!
“I have begun to look past reason, past the provable, in other directions. Now I think there is only one subject worth my attention and that is the precognition of the spiritual side of the world and, within this recognition, the condition of my own spiritual state. I am not talking about having faith necessarily, although one hopes to. What I mean by spirituality is not theology, but attitude.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream
I’ve mentioned before how I am experiencing more nights and mornings of disturbed sleep. Here is an example from a week ago. I awoke at 2:00 am, wide awake. I finally got up around 3:30 am and journaled for a half hour. I quietly prayed, taking in deep breaths. I finally got up, dressed and had my quiet centering prayer. Grabbed coffee then drove to Pineridge Natural Area to watch the sun rise. It was dark when I pulled up in the parking lot. I counted eight magpies perched on the branches of a barren tree and silhouetted against the predawn sky while the faint light accented the frozen reservoir. As the sun began to rise above the horizon the magpies leave their perch in search of food. I take a dozen photos but mostly just watch it all happen. Everything around me begins to brighten as the sun brings forth this new day. I watch a flock of geese fly above the horizon then divide in two groups and circle in search of fields to graze in. Nature on display. A few minutes later the sun has fully risen. Its warm rays are extending out to everything. The warmth feels good to my cold hands and feet. I’m in agreement with Mary Oliver that time in the spiritual side of the world tweaks of my attitude.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. 🎁
Smoke sits over the city, a haze that settles on everything. Not sure I will ever get used to the smell or the feel it leaves in my throat. A jogger this morning mentioned it was hard on their throat to run in this smoke. I read this mornings fire report and they do not expect to have containment of the Cameron Peak fire until October 31st. That’s a long time for us to deal with the smoke. I must admit the smoke has presented some nicely colored sunrises and sunsets. However, we are done with it already. I think the squawking magpies are done with it, also.
Seeing a lot of fire trucks from out of town as there are over 800 firefighters battling the fire. This past week I saw a school bus full of tired firefighters taking them to a hotel for a refreshing shower and comfortable bed before heading back to the front lines. Most of their tactics are to create barriers to limit the expansion of the fire and working to protect any structures. Sadly, part of the burn area has been a great location for aspen fall colors for many years.
Almost no wind this morning so the water on Dixon Reservoir was glassy smooth. The sun was bright orange through the smoky haze. Very quiet and still when I first arrived. After about 20 minutes a gentle breeze began to sway tree branches, leaves began to rustle while the grasses and sagebrush begin to dance along. The day begins to awaken. It’s going to be 90 degrees today and for the next two days then drop 65 degrees by Tuesday and possibly give us our first snowfall of this season, for sure our first frost. That will help with the fire. Hope you have a great weekend!