• natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  poems,  poetry,  seasons,  winter scenes

    It Is Enough

    March 25, 2023
    A couple inches of wet snow fell during the night, the best kind.
    Took this on my way home from the coffee shop at Pineridge Natural Area.

    Half of me is filled with bursting words
    and half of me is painfully shy.
    I crave solitude yet also crave people.
    I want to pour life and love into everything
    yet also nurture my self-care and go gently.
    I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision,
    yet also wish to sit and contemplate.

    This is the messiness of life – that we all carry multitudes,
    so must sit with the shifts.
    We are complicated creatures, and ultimately,
    the balance comes from this understanding.

    Be water.
    Flowing, flexible and soft.
    Subtly powerful and open.
    Wild and serene.
    Able to accept all changes,
    yet still led by the pull of steady tides.

    It is enough.

    Victoria Erickson

    I also experience the messiness of life she talks about in the above quote, those constant changes, challenges and especially the surprises. At this time of my life these changes and challenges are becoming more acceptable and in many ways I’m eager to face them with all the gifts and talents I’ve attained in life so far. Some of these challenges have become adventures. Not sure I would have said that 20 years ago but I do now. Hope you enjoy this quote by Victoria Erickson. I especially like this line, “I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision, yet also wish to sit and contemplate.” Hope you have a great weekend!

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  • Avian,  Canada Goose,  landscape,  poems,  poetry,  snow,  writing/reading

    Winter is not done…

    March 22, 2023

    Reminded this morning
    that winter is not done
    as big fluffy wet snowflakes
    descend on our world.

    Nature’s paintbrush dripping
    with pure white snowflakes
    drapes its blanket across
    the backs of the Geese.

    ms

    Had my follow up appointment with the cardiologist, Amy Dickinson, this morning and all is going well one week after the surgery. She said my heart sounds good and I’m progressing as expected. Will have an Echocardiogram on April 10th for a look-see inside then a one month follow up with the surgeon, Dr. Lazkani, on April 13th. I will begin a cardiac rehab in a week or two. She suggested I continue to increase my activity as tolerated. Also, have another blood draw on April 3rd then a meeting with the hematologist on April 6th and discuss how things are going in that area of my life. Thankfully, everything from the bone marrow biopsy came back negative. My world is much brighter today than 12 weeks ago. This mornings snow has continued throughout the day with no accumulation, but loving the moisture content it brings. Hoping you had a good day!

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  • landscape,  mountains,  Plants,  seasons,  sunsets,  trees,  winter scenes

    Post Surgery Update

    March 16, 2023
    A cold blue sunset back in February 2021

    Overcast skies dominate and it’s windy, definitely a bad hair day. Want to update my status after surgery. The TAVR procedure went well. They were done in just over an hour. Surgery started at 7:00 am and I was home about 5:00 pm. They fractured the original valve that was installed back in 2018 and inserted a new valve inside of that one. All done through the arteries. Amazing! My body seems to know nothing about a new aortic valve being installed. However, my groins are well aware of the three catheters invasive entry into my body, one in my wrist and one in each groin. I walk with pain, bent over like an old man, slow and deliberate, one foot in front of the other. Getting up and down from a chair is a slow process also. All tests done so far show the valve working perfectly and the gradient numbers of 40 we saw before surgery are now below 20. That tells us the heart is not working as hard pre surgery. I cannot say enough for the care I received from the medical staff and all the support and outreach from family and friends. Now comes the slow recovery process but this is nothing like I had with my open heart surgery four years ago. More to follow. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

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  • grass,  landscape,  natural areas,  Plants,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area,  seasons,  snow,  winter scenes

    Two Chipotle Peppers

    February 22, 2023
    Light snow at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area – March of 2022

    I put on a crockpot of chicken tortilla soup early this morning. As I was putting it together I decided to put in two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 🌶️ rather than one as it seems like that kind of day. It is lightly snowing and 5 degrees at the moment, 2 degrees colder than when I got up. It is a day to curl up in my chair, wrapped up in a blanket, a hot chai tea latte beside me, do a bit of reading and journaling then have a bowl of soup later. Planning on filing taxes later today and putting that $153 return into my savings account. Should bring my account balance up to about $156. 😂 Stay warm!! Stay dry!! And, have a super Awesome day!!

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  • poetry,  seasons,  shadows,  writing/reading

    Stay Warm

    January 28, 2023

    the warm sunlight enters my bedroom window,
    with shadows in contrast to the suns rays of happiness
    the morning begins

    clouds quietly move in and gray skies begin to dominate,
    promising a blanket of snow and cold temperatures
    the change begins

    without fanfare old man winter makes an appearance,
    and in the silence we listen for the first snowflakes
    the snow begins

    mws

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  • clouds,  Plants,  quotes,  seasons,  trees,  winter scenes

    This way…

    January 26, 2023

    “When we allow ourselves greater freedom in space and place than has come to be the norm, we create our own pathways of meaning and knowledge upon the land where we dwell. Wandering freely, we garner landmarks, presences, ecological awareness, a sense of kinship. Our brains and our hearts alike gather this knowledge as we become intimate with the paths that speak to us most strongly. Our footsteps in the outer world create an inner, wilder cartography that whispers, This way, this way…

    Lyanda Lynn Haupt

    I drove by these trees the other afternoon when it was cold and overcast. I vaguely remember how different they looked in an image I took this past fall. Not quite the same perspective and the change of seasons is quite obvious. Yet, each time I pass by I have an opportunity to draw more intimate with these trees and if I listen closely maybe hear their whisper, This way, this way…

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  • leaves,  Plants,  poems,  poetic journal,  quotes,  winter scenes,  writing/reading

    So Let Go

    December 17, 2022

    life is to be lived
    it’s our gift to the world
    so let go, fall freely

    and become who we were created to be

    mws

    It was bitter cold this morning, 7 degrees when I left the condo for coffee shop. Yet, clear blue skies and sunshine dominated the day. Today was winter graduation for some at Colorado State University so it was hectic around campus and a good reason to stay home. Expecting it to drop to 7 again tonight. Thankfully no wind. Stay warm and have a great day tomorrow. Live life!

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