golden grass at sunrise
ms
meadowlarks sing of new day
early morning gift
This image was taken this past Sunday morning and is probably my favorite from the 139 images I brought home. Hope you enjoy it also. Have a great day.
New Day
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A Grateful Heart
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”77″ display=”basic_slideshow”]Today is my 71st birthday and this is how I started the day. I awoke early, just before 4:00 am, wide awake. Made a trip to the bathroom which is something we do more often when we reach this age. Got up at 4:01 am, had my quiet time, made a chai latte and headed to Weld County along County Roads 90 and 13.
The slideshow is a series of images as the morning progressed. You can click on the slideshow for a larger image and manually walk through the images. Nature gave me the most wonderful birthday gift with beautiful clouds, a colorful sunrise and a chorus of meadowlarks. I was surrounded and immersed in creation. Spending time in nature is our real home, as John Muir suggests. I have a full and grateful heart.
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Spiritual Practice
smoky haze on horizon
the sky an orange glow
return each morning
to witness the suns rise
birds sing morning greeting
now no longer just a visitor
it’s nature’s invitation
to breathe deeply, exhale
receive this blessing with
heart full of gratitudemornings spiritual practice
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Meadow of Gold
cloudless horizon
ms
chorus of song birds rising
in meadow of goldSadly this image shows the smoky haze sitting along the Colorado Front Range from all the fires burning in the southwest. The haze hovers just above the horizon combined with a mix of emission pollution. There are currently, 47 large fires that have burned 519,761 acres across the country, per the National Interagency Fire Center website. The haze gives everything a golden glow to it. Today is expected to be in the 90’s. Be safe, stay cool!
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Among the Salsify
among the salsify
ms
return to a sacred place
morning sunriseAwoke early so arrived at Pineridge Natural Area just after 5:00 am. It was already 69 degrees and hardly any breeze. Quiet all around me. A stillness. I walked down the trail from my bench to where there are several salsify plants and patiently waited with them for this morning’s sunrise. I take deep breaths, grateful for life. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
- gratitude, landscape, Mary Oliver, natural areas, Pineridge Natural Area, poems, sunrises, writing/reading
Invitation
Oh do you have time
Mary Oliver, “Invitation,”
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy
and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles
for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,
or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air
as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine
and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude –
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life. -
Morning at the Reservoir
quiet morning at the reservoir
ms
calm water mirrors predawn sky
as the sun nears the horizon
the meadow begins to come alive
song birds fill the nights silence
crescent moon surrenders to day
dark shadows give way to light
cherish this gift of awe and wonderI brought out the blue in this image, which makes it look unreal, so we could see the crescent moon better in the upper right corner. Interesting that I didn’t even see the moon when taking the image. 😁Have a great Sunday!
