No leaves, yet

This could almost be a fall picture except that I took it this afternoon.  It's the end of April.  We are having a very late spring but no tornadoes or violent storms, thank goodness. My heart goes out to those experiencing enormous loss and devastation.  The fact of the matter is that we never know when tragedy might strike.  We tend to believe that it will happen to someone else but in the blink of an eye it can happen to us.

Practicing gratitude helps us through our darker days.

Dr. Tom Costa says, "You cannot be grateful and unhappy at the same time!"  Try it and see if it's true.

I'm grateful for all the beautiful skies that show up around the world on SkyWatch Friday.

A day in my world

Spring weather in Utah is unpredictable to say the least. Early morning fog enveloped Castle Cove.  Last night and again in the afternoon we had rain, then hail.  As you can see, the snow is not entirely gone yet.

This view changes with the seasons, is always breath-taking in its beauty and is one of the reasons why we love living here.

I had time this morning to do a little painting project.  I am taking classes on art journaling called 21 Secrets.   Connie, from Dirty Footprints Studio is our talented hostess.  It's helping me get my creative juices flowing and it's a lot of fun. I love learning new things.

Every morning I let the ducks out of their coop and into their pen.  They don't mind the wet weather.

Amy is wondering why I am taking a picture of our little office.  That's my desk.  We try not to back into each other too often.  We work in a rural mental health facility.  Amy is a case manager for people who are seriously and persistently mentally ill.  I am a Family Resource Facilitator and work with families who have children with mental health and/or behavior problems.  It's a good thing we are compatible!

That's a little piece of My World.  Go see what the world looks like in other places!  It's never boring.

Strut your Stuff!

It's mating season for wild turkeys!

 Aren't they handsome?

Infinity

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.


When I was about 15 years old I contemplated the vast night sky and felt very, very small.  It was the first time I placed myself in the context of The Universe.  I was a little frightened and unnerved to feel utterly insignificant.

Now, many years later, I have a completely different perspective.  I feel perfectly inter-connected.  Scientifically it's been proven that we are composed of the same molecules as the stars!  It feels infinitely comforting to know that I am a part of something so beautiful, magical and majestic.

I feel extremely grateful today to be a part of everything that exists, to be able to recognize the nature of reality.  It's fleeting and ever-changing, exquisitely complex, and dazzling.

Rain

I was sitting in the car waiting for me husband to get his hearing aids checked at the VA.

I watched the rain pouring down, running in fleeting rivulets and thought about the nature of impermanence.

Nothing lasts, nothing remains forever, life is transitory and changing from moment to moment.  It's so easy to forget this, to get caught in rushing through life, not observing each moment for the gift that it is.  Watching the rain reminded me.

 "Let the rain kiss you.
  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
  Let the rain sing you a lullaby." -- Langston Hughes

Nature's Frames

George Eliot said, "If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heartbeat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence."

Wouldn't it be something to experience the natural world so intensely that we could hear the roar on the other side of silence?

I love walking around my neighborhood, especially now that most of the snow is gone.  Little green shoots are sprouting out of the ground, the birds are singing and life is beginning anew.  Spring energy is hopeful, gentle at times, joyful, and a welcome relief after a long winter.  Always.

SkyWatch Friday!

Afternoon Moon

Townsend's Solitaire