09/13/2021

Speaking of relationships . . .

My guy and I are 70, 71 in fact. It's

rather beyond interesting to look back 

and see the changes in that infamous

dance of conjugal bliss.

When we were kids and shared our

first kiss, we were allowed to kiss,

but not touch. Frenching was frowned

upon; make no mistake! Anyone who

knew anything understood that this

was where babies came from!

'Twas expected of me to marry as a

virgin, after a suitable courtship and

parental approbation . . . and to stay

married, no matter what!

Divorce was a big no no, and I get

it. There are so many things that

deserve serious consideration in the

breaking up of a relationship.

Now, a hundred years later, my guy

and I have been together for over   

20 and we actually chose to jump 

the broom rather than have a legal 

marriage ceremony. 

I recognize that it's not about right

and wrong, just different customs,

eras and expectations. Still I must 

say, the changes we've witnessed 

in our 70 year span are downright 

intriguing!

ever wondering

is it whats right or whats wrong

or just what it is

09/12/2021

Dreams are made of this . . . perhaps 

reading is the trigger, who knows! 

This time I found myself in a

Confederate camp in days of  yore.

I was obviously a nurse of some kind.

All around me, fighting raged.

I could sense, more than see, soldiers

falling where they stood, even as they 

fired. 'Midst the smoke, I found myself 

almost overcome by the scent of battle.

I remember the sense of helplessness

I felt, an actual knowledge of some 

kind that anything I could do would

never be enough.

I longed for a tent in which to tend

the wounded. I yearned for water for

cleansing. Yet, all I could do was

stitch with no sedative. Running out

of gear, I recall even using the hem

of my uniform to wipe away blood.

My heart is filled with sorrow. My

cheeks are wet with tears and my

brain whispers, "Why oh why do

we still engage in war?"

Not quite sure I'll ever feel the same

about red and blue . . . so glad I only

wear black!

wipe away my tears

erase my pain ere i die

pray sing me a song

09/11/2021

Sooooo love me some surprises . . . 

and today was one of them! 

Did NOT expect our friends to come 

by as they spent the day at the Estes 

Park Tent City!

Oh my God, what amazing treasures!

And, I cannot believe they shared a 

couple of them! Amazing, glorious, 

wondrous, and entirely unexpected! 

Bless them!

Another fun surprise has been a 

compendium of nine books that  

I just finished. Decent plots; quite 

intriguing. 'Tis rather wondrous 

to find yourself in another world, 

living quite differently.

A fab surprise, got a postcard in 

the mail. Today, we mostly e-mail 

or just message on FB. I just loved 

opening the box and finding the 

card rather than a bill!

And at supper time, I opened the

fridge to see what might fall out. 

This time, there were some boxes 

of food my good friend from New 

Mexico brought. Great food! . . .

What a day for surprises!

color me hopeful 

so love me my surprises

see what today brings

09/10/2021

Been planning a special trip to the

Bermuda Triangle come Samhain;

that's Halloween to you!

The surrounding islands would make

for fun visits, maybe even hitting the

local shops for interesting wares and

their cafes for unusual treats!

Alas, I made the mistake of going to

the dentist yesterday . . . walking out

an hour later with a $9,000 prognosis

in hand . . . guess my upcoming vacay 

will have to be canceled!

The entire prospect of everything the

dentist wants to do to me so smacks

of world war type torture that perhaps 

I should schedule the ruckus around

Halloween! 'Twould be ever so fitting!

Who know, maybe I'll come out of 

this ordeal with a ghoulish smile;

make that smirk and fit right into

said holiday.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ~!@#$%^&*()_+<>?/

so disappointed

how old did we say i was

color me pouting

09/09/2021

I'm of two mind here! Alarms going

off everywhere, scaring the bejesus

out of me . . .

Oh my God, the yard is full of elk.

Stunning creatures and the baby is

beyond precious.

They're wending their way up the

stone walkway, eating everything

in their path . . . Oh NO, NOT my

precious, precious sunflowers! 

Damn it all to hell anyway!!! My 

d) all of the above, encouraged 

me to cut them yesterday, but I

simply couldn't bear to and now

they're hors d'oeurvres for our

early morn visitors.

On the other side of things, love

my 130 year old cabin in the 

woods and all of the wildlife it

attracts. I'm ever so blest . . . but

do they have to eat my sunflowers?

so loving my woods

special creatures of all kinds 

wildlife galore wow

09/08/2021

So interesting to suss out the things

we oldsters do in retirement . . .

So fun!

We just spent an entire afternoon

watching a series whilst drinking

margs. So fun!

I like the times we spend cooking

together in the kitchen. I cook the

vege dishes and he, the meat dishes.

Still, I like the eating together that

happens after the fact! So fun!

I enjoy the odd ride we take in the

mountains. I get a kick out of stopping

at different bits and pieces along our

way, some temptations to buy, others

to eat. So fun!

I love the spontaneity available whilst

on our adventures. A garage sale, an

antique store, a farmer's market . . . 

So fun!

And, best of all weekends with the

different kids in our fams. Me thinks

that's the most fun of all! So fun!

I refuse to even think about those 

pesky parts are aren't fun! Sooooo

NOT fun at all!

aging can be fun

a little scary as well

positive thoughts help

09/07/2021

Me thinks I should never, ever

watch the news! Makes me shed

tears it's so sad . . .

Watching the poor souls dealing

with storms, hurricanes and floods

just makes me cringe. I can't even

imagine the courage it must take

to soldier on when everything you

own is ravaged and taken.

The absolute worst . . . those lives

lost! How to help? What can we

actually do? Prayers are not enough;

action is needed. I know shekels are

lacking, along with health care and

rebuilding.

Let's all join in doing whatever we

can to help. I pray God steps in and

gives a hand!

pray lend me strength lord

people in times of trouble

im all out of faith

09/06/2021

Pets ahoy . . .

Spent the weekend with pets and

loved every moment of it. Kept

asking myself, "When did we stop

having them?" My guy says we 

all had pets while our kids were

growing up and that it was quite

important for them to have these

different learning experiences.

I actually get that! Playing with

dogs especially, training them, 

walking them everyday . . . all 

good! So, I asked him why don't 

we have a dog or two, or better 

yet, a couple of cats?

He explained that as retired

oldsters, we need to be free to

go at any moment, roam around,

have fun and not worry about

animals or getting someone

to take care of them. Me thinks

that was quite sneaky of him,

right?!

So, when we visit our daughter,

I'll just have to get my dog fix!

a hound dog or two

here kitty kitty kitty

loving me my pets

09/05/2021

Colorado is such an amazing

state. Living in the mountains,

we are graced with aspens,

pine trees, rivers and streams,

to say naught of the forest

bouquets of wildflowers.

And the . . .

 . . . you take a drive and

are assailed by an entirely

different geography. The

Colorado plains are absolutely

unreal! Mountains are visible

in the far background.

And then . . .

 . . . you take a look around!

360 degrees of sky and clouds

right down to the ground!

Let me add that I have never

seen sunrises and sunsets

more spectacular! Wow!

And then . . .

 . . . just choose a road, a

highway or byway and see

where it takes you. You will

have no idea whether you'll

be surprised by small country

towns, or amazing cities.

Oh beautiful, colorful Colorado!

I am ever so fortunate to live

here. You have graced my life

with such beauty and adventure.

I can hardly wait until the next

one!

we are invited

oh to endure such wonder

allow me to stay

09/04/2021

"She has always had a thing for full

moons, a sky full of stars and freedom."

~j. iron word

Me thinks he's talking about moi again!

Love this author, his work, his content.

And, I so appreciate how he honors both

the She and Mother Nature.

Both are interesting, exciting and even

changeable. Yesterday, we awoke to

such a beautiful day. We got outside

early to enjoy . . . and no more had we

sat down, than we received a torrential 

rain and pounding hail.

Obviously, we made a run for it; we 

watched this amazing summer storm

with a kind of awe. And the thing is,

it lasted! Once finished, the ground

was so covered in hail, it looked like

snow.

Capricious she may be, but we needed

the moisture and are grateful for it. The

water in the pond rose roughly 4". 

autumn approaches

soon to bid summer adieu 

hard to say goodbye 

09/03/2021

"We breathe air exhaled from trees

whose leaves are made of starlight.

Our veins echo the patterns of rivers,

branches, and root systems. We are

not a part of Nature. We are Nature!"

~Marysia Miernowska

How I love our Mother Nature! As

a small child, my father used to take

us out. I recall everything from short

walks to long hikes. We rested when

needed. Mom always packed picnics.

It may have been the same food, but

it tasted better outdoors!

I remember that sometimes my bro

and I would become querulous, Mom

and dad would exchange that secret

parental look and off to the hills we

would go. Amazing! They were so

wise.

Even though this was prior to any

littering campaign, my parents were

sticklers about leaving zero trace of

our presence. I so honor them for

that! 

Just now, I'm feeling a tad querulous!

Me thinks a trip out in Mother Nature

is just what the doc ordered!

let me walk in you

so loving me my mother

remedy for ills

09/02/2021

Get into the habit of asking

yourself, "Does this support 

the life I'm trying to create?"

Beautiful Mess

Fab reminder! Me thinks I needed

this! At 101, I'm somewhere 'twixt

and 'tween, 'Will I ever learn what

I need to learn' and death!

Pondering just how much of life is 

existing as opposed to actually living.

Making that effort to live more and

exist less, striving for balance . . . 

if that's even possible.

Wonder if I might just make the odd

New Year's resolution in September?!

It is back to school month, after all!

So here goes . . .

3) Live a little more; exist a tad less.

2) Honor both being and becoming.

1) Remember, love matters above all.

So, here's moi, still learning,

still learning . . .

09/01/2021

Perhaps 'twas a day like any other,

but it wasn't actually, it was a true 

gift of a day. A former colleague, 

lo these many years not seen, shared 

a few delicious hours and memories 

with me.

What a delight to sift through those

few stories of students and fellow

teachers that we loved throughout

the years of teaching and counseling. 

Whilst enjoying the delightful repast

she provided, we chuckled, belly

laughed, sighed . . . even shed a few 

tears.

One of the blessings derived from 

the day was the reiteration of a

career well chosen, enjoyed and

revered. 

Indeed, it has been so hard for me  

to let go; I loved teaching ever so 

much. My students meant the world 

to me, but today was a reminder that 

it is time, time to bid adieu to that

part of my life.

Perhaps the best part of today . . .

a professional colleague may

have come to visit, but she left 

as a friend.

*Dedicated to Patricia Salas,

phenomenal teacher and counselor.