What If...

What if the only things you had today were the things you were grateful for yesterday?  I wasn’t outwardly grateful, yesterday.  I don’t think I even expressed thank you more than a couple times—once for my menu and maybe again for the bill when it came and for someone holding the door for me.  I don’t know, maybe I said it a few more times, 

but that isn’t gratitude in the real sense. 

  

Gratitude is something to be thoughtful about; pensive perhaps.  If I was only thankful for a menu and a dinner bill, I’d be dead this morning.  I should be thankful for breathing.  I’d be sitting here holding my breath until I turned blue and eventually pass out.  
 How many things do we take for granted every single minute of every single day?  I didn’t express gratitude for my home, my car, the gas in my car, or my closet bursting with clothes.  In the morning I would be sitting here all warm and.... no I wouldn’t be sitting here actually.. I’d be on the curb wearing rags. 
I didn’t express gratitude for my home.  I didn’t express gratitude in being able to draw or play my cello.  I wouldn’t have my cello this morning or my art.  I didn’t express gratitude for my pups—no wagging tails or happy licks for me this morning.   I didn’t express gratitude for the food in my refrigerator or the heritage turkey waiting to be roasted.  No, I’d be hungry this morning and all day today.  

The list is endless in what I should be grateful for… highest on my list would be breathing of course, but my wonderful family and dear friends come at the top of the list.  I can’t imagine waking up this morning without a single one of them.  They, are what I am thankful for.  I hope this means that tomorrow all these things will be here for me… 

💗

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

What is Your Heaven?

What is your Heaven? 

My hair stylist and I had this discussion, not too long ago.  I was intrigued with the thought and so,
I played along.
If you could design your own heaven, what would it look like? 

My heaven?   

Sunshine and rain showers.  

A majestic shady oak tree and a thick patch of grass with a softly worn quilt on which I'd curl up with a book so good, I wouldn't ever want the story to end.  

Wide open spaces with flower-filled meadows and the singing of red winged blackbirds

At the touch of a button, I could change the scene to

a white sand beach with ocean waves 

creeping up to where I sit, washing my footprints away.

Seagulls squawking, "mine! mine!"... no, let's scratch that one.

A lap-full of grandchildren and puppies that never grow up.

And they never leave messes only kisses.

Okay, the kids can leave messes, but no puppy messes.

I would be able to speak fluent French.
Why French?

Well, it would be important to be able to speak French in my little French Café,

where I would serve (and enjoy)
Crême Patissêrie

and
endless cappuccinos
without getting fat or jittery.
Along with a little French accordion music playing in the background.

And a

an hour glass that never runs out....

 

What is your heaven?

Murmuration

Something special.

Murmuration from Islands & Rivers on Vimeo.

Home Again, Home Again.....

Jiggety Jig... 

 Where did the summer go? 

We had an odd sort of a summer up here in the beautiful north woods

of Minnesota.  

We arrived to witness the blossoming of 

Spring.   

A family of Canadian Geese go from goslings to full grown-ready-to-fly

geese.

A loon family raising their family of chicks and lose two of them to a mother eagle.

We traveled to Scotland in June.

Oh, such a splendid trip to Bonnie Scotland.

 It was a hot, dry summer by northern Minnesota standards.

Still lovely when one considers the alternative 

of 

the hot dry deserts of Arizona.

I grew beautiful sunflowers and oodles of heirloom tomatoes.

A funny Asian bean about a foot long 

and three cherries!

The birds or bears ate my beautiful blueberries.

And my raspberry bushes never produced a single berry.

We never fished.

  

We tell people, when they ask: 

how can you live on a lake and not fish? 

we simply love the view.

And I love my log cabin.

Alas,

The winds are changing, fall is around the bend 

and 

it's time to head back to where my other 

loves are.

I suspect many changes will be hidden 

in the winds

over the next nine months.

                                                                         

Quirky, but I Love Flash Mobs

I don't know why, but I Love Flash Mobs I got this one in an email from Hubby and SMIL.  

Cool stuff! 

I'm so excited!! 

I am playing in a chamber group of cellists through Scottsdale Community College! 

 My cello teacher hooked me up and we're going to perform this piece for our concert.

  Portland Cello Project:Denmark

The Portland Cello Project - Denmark (Live on KEXP)

Here are the actual cellists performing the piece

Home Sweet Home

Buddy has a new home!!  

Here's my happy boy grazing on some nice green grass--

a far cry from before!

He has a lovely indoor/outdoor stall with 

plenty of fresh bedding 

and 

three meals a day.

The text I got today said he has a new pasture mate too!

A sweet little filly named Twitch.

Rumor has it, Buddy is quite smitten with his new lady friend.

  ♡

 One of Buddy's new stable mates.  This beauty is huge!!  He measures at about 18 hands.

I'm thinking I'd like to ride him one day... but I think he needs a little more training.

♥

 Buddy is being rehabilitated at the moment.  Something horrible happened to him at his previous home, that has caused him to be lame in his hindquarters.  

Sadly, I can't ride him for awhile and I even tried lungeing him and that was causing my boy to not feel so good.  

So, I have retained a chiropractor--well respected in the horsey world--to come take a look at Buddy and see if he can relieve some of his soreness.

Eventually, my dream would be to take him on a trail ride such as the one shown above.

Alas, that might be a long way off.

☹

The other very bright spot in in my life is this shining face, below.

 My sweet granddaughter... loved spending the weekend with my Cammie Bear and my Kids.

Kory and I really packed it in... moved my horse, had a Cam Day, 

spent time with my Sister and Niece and Nephew,

Took in a Diamondback's game

and settled my Buddy into his new home.

Family and my loving pets make life worthwhile.

 

Moving Day!

I'm pretty psyched today.   

Buddy is moving to his new stable!  

My youngest and I are flying to the desert to help get Buddy moved.  

Every horse should have proper care.  I won't go into details of his current stable, but it is missing the mark.  

By a long shot.  

My new stable owner says he will have a clean bed and dinner 

waiting for him when he gets there tonight. 

I'll post again after his move and let you know how it went..

with pictures too.

Here are a couple shots of his new place.

 Here's his new home!!  He has indoor and outdoor digs. Love it!

 

 

 

 He's heading to greener pastures today....

❤

Thanks to my sister for her input on Buddy's stable...