02/13/2025

Alas, 'tis o'dark thirty and the

gift of rest has yet been given

moi . . . 

I lay here, watching the temps

slip down and down. 0.1° No!

Scary, and most likely frozen 

pipes. Oh well, 'tis Mr. Winter's 

time after all!

Mind journeys down memory

lane; so wish it wouldn't! Bad

times and good, naughty and

nice, yet Santa never comes.

When sleep finally shows its

hand, I am assailed with yet

another kind of dark. So hate

me the mares of the night.

Finally awakening a couple

of hours later, I find myself

exhausted and half broken.

Then my guy wishes me a 

happy day and asks if I'd like

pancakes in bed on the morrow

to celebrate Valentine's Day.

That would be the light of day 

peeking its heart up after such 

a difficult night . . .

 . . . blessed be!

02/12/2025

Sitting here at o' dark 30 and 2° . . .

Methinks 'tis time to go back!

Back to an amazing childhood

memory!

We lived in the Orchard Mesa

area in a tiny home, but home

it 'twas! My folks were canners

and with such a tiny home, it

was decided we best have a

root celler. 

I kept asking my dad what he

was doing; suggested I sit on

the backdoor steps and watch

the surprise coming to fruition.

As I watched intently, he dug

out a space in the back yard

about 9' x 9' and about 5' deep.

He then tamped the earth until

satisfied. Next, he built shelves

on either side of the hole with

a path down the middle. Both

sets of shelves stuck out above

the ground.

He then built a set of rounded

dome like rafters attached to 

the shelves. Once done to his

satisfaction, he then threw a

stiff canvas over the lot. This

he tacked down on the rafters.

I saw him mixing some of the

earth with water. He began

smoothing the mud over the

canvas 'til completely covered.

Then he simply shoveled the

rest of the dug out earth over

the entire mound.

Dad came and sat beside me 

as we ate sandwiches mom

prepared. He asked me what

I thought? I didn't really know.

If I'd known the word space

ship, bet that's what I would

have answered.

After sandwiches, he said to

hold tight, just one more thing

to do. He slit open the canvas

where apparently there was to

be a door. Then he cut out that

specific space.

He hammered some boards

on the ground for a bit and 

then hoisted up his creation.

Now I could see it was a door.

He attached the hinges, shut

the door and suddenly . . .

we had a root celler.

He and mom began carrying

out boxes and boxes of jars

filled with summer fruits for

the winter. 'Twas then my dad

carried me over to see the

surprise, as he called it. 

I knelt at the door and looked

in. Even now I can remember

the beauty. All those shining

jars of fruit in all their glory.

I promptly burst into tears.

I didn't understand why. It

was a long day watching

this miracle appear in front

of my eyes. I now think I

was ever so moved by the

entire experience . . .

02/11/2025

"Be patient with me - I'm some-

where between losing my mind

and finding my soul." ~A Shea

I am in awe of this truth! I am

equally in awe of the patience

my friends show me hanging

on with all my Libra ups and

downs!!!

Methinks I need to interview

other Libras to see if they are

able to stay in balance. One 

of my Libra friends seems to 

have found that balance. The 

only thing I've ever seen rock 

her is grief. My heart so goes

out to her.

In thinking about A. Shea's bit

of wisdom, guess there's naught

wrong with losing a time to time

losing streak! Finding the soul,

that's an amazingly wondrous

thing.

My guess would be, everyone

is on this swing! All of us fight

daily for that gift of wholeness.

In fact, I've actually come to

believe it's a life long journey.

Being on the other end of the

life stick, I intend to spend my

days seeking this wholeness,

balance, if you will!

Here's to that daily fight . . .

02/10/2025

"What do we live for, if not

to make life less difficult for

each other?" ~George Eliot

I get that we live in troubled

times. There's a lot of 'not so

pretty' out there. Still, I find

much beauty in friendship.

I'm not allowed to drive due

to petit mal seizures that assail

me. So, friends come to me.

No small feat as we live nigh

onto kingdom come!

There are flowers on my table,

cards in the mailbox, well-

wishing e-mails, and just drop

bys. 

Friends say they're on the way

to market and can they bring

anything. Bless their hearts! I

always say, "Bring yourselves

and we'll share a few."

Indeed, I am with George Eliot

on this one. Still people in this

world making it a beautiful

place to be. Sooooo love them!

02/09/2025

"The world around you

is only beautiful when 

you are at peace with

the world within you."

~Anonymous

Sooooo need to remember 

this bit of wisdom ever and 

always!

Often find myself wondering

about that inner world. With 

the way I go on and on about

life and all the etceteras, 'tis 

a wonder it doesn't rebel and 

blow up all over creation!

At the back of my mind, I'm

struggling . . . 

'Remember your values, stay 

on the path, choose right over 

comfortable, be calm, hang in

there!'

The list goes on . . .

So pray I have enough time 

to learn my lessons well!!!

02/08/2025

"The only response to the chaos

of these times is to show up

with more light." #SpiritJunkie

Have to admit it . . . I have felt

the chaos, blamed it on winter.

Hardly fair to winter, is it!

Sooooo love the idea of seeking

the light! And, I do sometimes 

forget that light is indeed every-

where. It's all down to looking!

-a mom helping her little one

cross the street

-the neighbor waving a hello

although we've never spoken

-friends coming over for a few

-son welcoming us to bathe and

wash clothes when water is out.

-Sunday calls from my daughter

There have to be dozens more

if I'd only look to actually see!

I'm ever so guilty of head down,

eyes blind during winter. Yet, I

look out at this fresh blanket of

snow, see its cleansing beauty.

I am determined to see the light.

May mean lighting a candle or a

few in my own dark . . . so be it!

02/07/2025

"Some days I am goddess.

Some days I am wild child,

Some days I am a fragile mess,

Most days I am a bit of all three.

But every day, I am here, trying."

~s.c lourie

Doubt very much if I would 

measure up for the goddess

portion of Lourie's poem, but

I find her words most inspiring.

Methinks we tend to forget

being cognizant and working

towards a goal counts for

something. Indeed they do;

they matter!

Sooooo, here's to our days of

seeking growth, trying our

hardest . . .

 - - -

S.C. Lourie is a poet, writer, 

artist, and journaling coach.

She is known for her work on

Butterflies and Pebbles and 

her book Goddess Women

Butterfly Human. Wikipedia

02/06/2025

"There is something inspiring

about those who don't want to

cause harm, who treat others

with gentleness, and who are

always expanding their 

perspective." ~Yung Pueblo

Just who I want to be when I

grow up . . .

02/05/2025

"The moment you let go 

is the moment everything 

aligns." ~The Universe

Good sound sentiment and

advice!

I began hearing about this

letting go business when 

I was in college. It felt a 

bit faddish, to tell the truth. 

Still, I believe it as become

something to strive for. It's

serious! It matters!

Alas, I don't seem to be one

very good at this letting go

business. Not that I harbor

or hang on! Don't even think

about this unless something

reminds me.

Not sure if this has to do with

my nature, my birth sign, the

way I was reared, or just what.

I'm never unkind, just wary.

Rather like that old adage, 'Do 

me once and it's your fault. Do

me twice and it's mine." or

some such.

Lots to think about and I am

trying . . .

02/04/2025

"Some hearts are suns

in graying skies

that rise

to warm the world."

~A. Shea

Somewhere 'twixt and

'tween hard winter days

and the loss of water for

over two weeks, I have

been much moved by

those family and friends

lending a helping hand.

I know it's easy to get

lost in the negativity of

whatever issue we each

have to deal with. So 

hope to rise above that

and spend more time in

all the good that came

about.

People lead such busy

lives! I haven't been

retired long enough to

have forgotten all the

rushing, doing, trying 

to keep up.

Hence my gratitude to

those who stepped out 

of their own busy box to

do for us and our needs.

May I never forget those

bright lights in my own 

dark nights!

So hope I can take my

turn by helping someone

else. 

02/03/2025

"When the well is dry, we'll

know the worth of water."

~Benjamin Franklin

I'm almost scared to say it.

We have water!!!

Woke up in the early hours

and heard water. What a

sound! Lovely, lovely sound!

We've been without water 

for 15 days. You'd actually

have to experience this to

understand it completely.

Trips to the store to buy

drinking water. Neighbors 

bringing water for all the

whatevers. Praise the gods

we were able to shower at

my son's.

Alas, low temps next week,

so we may be starting all

over again. We're off today

to buy heaters for under the

floor and in the well. 

Seems every winter my guy 

tries different things to keep 

this from happening. Might

just come from living in a

145 year old cabin!

For now, I'm surrounded by

the ambrosia of water. Ever

so grateful . . .

02/02/25 - Imbolc

"We celebrate the returning

of light, the hope of spring

coming back, life beginning

to stir once more within the

cold earth below. Imbolc,

a fire festival, is a welcome

reminder that this dark and

cold time will not last and

it will soon break." ~Ara

Sooooo love me my Imbolc! 

A halfway point 'twixt and 

'tween winter and spring. A

reminder that the dark time

is truly coming to an end.

No, I am not putting down

the dark time. I've come to

understand that it's a very

necessary interlude of rest.

Still . . .

I'm about half convinced 

that the sun peeks out a tad

earlier, that the day lasts a

bit longer.

For me, Imbolc signifies

Lady Brighid brings back

the light . . . most glorious

of gifts; make no mistake!

Happy Imbolc!

02/01/25 - Imbolc Eve, Brigid, Faughart - Feb 1, 525 AD

Today, we celebrate Brigid,

albeit goddess or saint.

The below quotes will help

to put you in the picture . . .

"Brigid, a pagan goddess

from pre-Christian Ireland

was associated with poetry,

healing, and fire." Wikipedia

"St. Brigid is the patroness

saint of Ireland. She was 

the abbess who founded the 

abbey of Kildare." Wikipedia

"In 1969, Brigid was one of

93 saints removed from the

universal calendar; her feast

day was officially revoked."

Wikipedia

What an amazing path she

walked. Particularly loved

in the Americas. today, we

honor her, albeit Pagan or

Catholic.  

Bless our beloved mother.

Celebrate her today, on the

morrow, each and every 

day.