look what I can do mom!

thank you for mornings. amen.

AMEN ever wondered about it... it is added at the end of prayers 
without much thought, 
like a period...finished.  

Old English from Late Latin.   From Ecclesastical Greek amen, 
from Hebrew amen "truth" 
used adverbially as an expression of agreement, 
from Semitic root a-m-n 
"to be trustworthy,confirm, support".  

Used in Old English only at the end of Gospels, 
otherwise translated as Soolic! or Swahit ys or Sy!  

As an expression of concurrence after prayers, it is recorded from early 13th century.

the mind is strong

Here I am inside early afternoon.  
Why? Because although my mind is strong, 

 my body is weak...

raking,  carrying and spreading compost, peat moss, weeding,

 moving rocks for 3 days has left me unable

 to rake, carry, spread weed or move any more right now.

the path to be -- the rocks have been found, dug up and moved into place.

  Many tasks to complete that will be done another day, not today.

  That is really hard to fathom and accept.  

I am not sure which day was the day that I found

 I could no longer work a full days hard labor.  

Rock moving, digging and raking seem to be the hardest tasks. 

If I ration myself, things get done in bits and pieces.  

All good things in time is what they say.  
They who, I wonder.

no need to wander

Each morning I am amazed to find myself in this most special spot....

no wonder I don't wander much or far. 

 I am content surrounded by the beauty of the land, 

mountains, rivers, trees, clouds, stars, winds, shadows and wildlife.

"True affluence is not needing anything."

Gary Snyder

chimchimmeny..

No heat and no hot water while masons did their magic and made us a chimney.  

the land and I

It is a responsibility to be a good steward of the land.  

   Before I pick up my tools and go “work”, I look at it from all sides, 
north, east, south and west  
I consider 
how what I do today will impact the earth, trees, rocks, birds.    

The trees and rocks have been on this piece of land 
far longer than I.  
I am the newcomer here.

I ask creator to guide my hand.  
And I ask permission of the rocks and trees before I work. 
 When I am finished, I thank them 

 I stop often maybe every ten feet or 10 minutes to clean up, 
to tidy what I have done.  
Each time I stop I reevaluate to be assured that all is well, 
that I am not taking too much, or too little, 
that what is being done is being done in a good way.

 Each of these steps is a meditation.   

At the end of the day I want to leave the work area better
 than when I walked into it  
for I might never pass this way again, 

but anyone walking in behind me will find it pleasing to their eye and soul.

  Clearing up little bit by little bit means
 I can walk away, leave the job at any time
 and know no mess is left behind. 
To me this is important.  Do I always do this?  I try.   

I want the land
 easy to walk, 
easy on the eyes 
~ comfortable, comforting and uplifting.
It is my home, my church, my universe, a park, a school, all in one.

Until I learned I was a guest here on the land, not an owner …
until I learned to respect all those that had been here for millennium 
working the land did not fall into place.  
This is an ongoing lesson for me remembering my place, 
treating each tree, rock with respect, 
working slowly, 
taking care (care taking)the land.  

We play god 
when we take the life of a tree, or move a rock or limb a tree. 

Each little thing we do impacts the universe.

 A huge responsibility when you consider it that way.

With beauty before me,

May I walk

With beauty behind me,

May I walk

With beauty above me,

May I walk

With beauty below me,

May I walk

With beauty all around me,

May I walk

Wandering on a trail of beauty,

Lively, I walk.

Navajo

can you believe 5 years?

April 22nd -----Shunka Wakan's 5th birthday.  

One of 13 puppies, he was to be my female black Great Dane.  

Not the biggest dog in the litter and from what I hear 

from Brad the breeder not the baddest, 

but Shunka was a royal challenge.  

Do not let the cute face fool you.....

He was chosen by Tim. 

  

  So innocent ~ oh so bad!!!

Played and played and played till he fell down and slept and slept.....

Fast athletic

And thank god for Kong balls....

Naming him did not come easily.  I wanted "Motley", but lost out to 

Shunka (dog) Wakan (sacred) the Lakota word for horse

but he is our Mr. Pig for so many reasons.

Big he may be but not the bravest!

the many faces of our "baby".  

happy dance

Warm temps and heavy rains and winds have ushered in a lovely spring day

 complete with flowers.  

grass is growing, birds singing....spring is busting out all over......

Happy happy.  

long legged beastie

This is a picture of a viola.  At least that was my intent.  

The viola which was in the foreground was out of focus. 

 The dog who happened to trot by became my replacement subject with a little crop. 

 No waste here, we recycle!

Words of wisdom arrive in the morning mail...oh that I am wise and hear and live by the words~ Everything you say should be true,  but not everything true should be said

and this......

the pretty in the snow

You want flowers in the yard here in Maine right now you carry them outside.  The ice and sleet do showcase this well don't they?

day by day

Another bird is back the swallow! 

 Little by little our friends are returning to the land.

This is so exciting to see the geese and ducks go over

and watch the birds in the fields 

Do people in warmer climates pay attention, get excited by each bird 

or do they just take it for granted?  

 

heart wood oak

what is with the butterflies

This spring which has been slow and cold

 I have seen butterflies, little ones, big one, yellow and black, and orange. 

 It doesn't seem normal. 

 Don't butterflies need flowers and nectar?
And while we are at it, Robins.  We have more robins this year than any year I remember.  Not complaining about any of our guests, 
just observing.

spring happening

Have been at last able to really work in the woods clearing the cutting along the wall.  Can't do the bottom as snow is still there and much is still buried.  

Doesn't it feel good to be out and about.  

This is the area that may be cut.  Trees are definitely in the view.  Tim wants to cut the white birch for firewood, but there are masses of trees.  

Will this be accomplished in my lifetime I wonder.

they have finally bloomed!  

old friend

This Christmas Thanksgiving, Valentines, Easter cactus has been with me a long time.  

Lord only knows when and where I got it. 

 Maybe in Joppa from Ralph Barnett's greenhouse when he was closing 30 years ago?  

It is truly a jewel.  

It blooms when it wants 

which seems to be often which is why I labeled it with all the holidays.  

Here it is April and again blooms.  

I am not the best plant mother and neglect feeding and watering it 

and perhaps that is what it prefers.  

It is a wonderful presence in my life.  

ups and downs

This first week of April has brought us cold nights which makes the pond freeze. As soon as the sun is up it warms and the ice goes off.  

beyond

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.

It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.

It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition

and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge.

This is the dimension of imagination.

It is an area which we call the twilight zone.

evening views