Put simply.. I am grateful.

 “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

I took my first winter walk in the woods behind my house a few days ago and the photo above just a small example of the beauty that was all around. I, immediately upon starting out realized how much I missed being in my woods. Each season in the woods has a different look and feel to it. The winter is no exception except to say that it may be my favorite time to visit. There are no flowers to see or leaves to gaze up to. You can’t smell the earth and foliage in the same way as in the warmer months but yet I find that it is even more magical in this current season of cold winds and softly drifting snow. The way the low sunlight peaks through the trees casting long shadows. It’s as if the sun’s rays are playing peek a boo and every new step you take they are in a different hiding spot peeking out just enough to see a glimpse of them. The quiet is also mesmerizing.. it is so still and silent only broken by the creaks and groans of the trees all around. Even the birds must be trying to conserve their energy through the long winter for they are quiet as well.. or maybe they are just as much in awe  as I am of my surroundings..

For this walk I am grateful and I can’t wait as I sit here at my desk at work to get back out there and feel the serenity I felt the other day.

~ Peace ~

What a week..

I didn’t realize until today that it’s been one week since I last posted! Wow.. for all the many thousands of readers (not) sorry. It’s been a very busy last week. Yesterday was my first day home all day since last week and it was lovely. So here I am today catching up on what I haven’t been able to do online.

The above photo was from our ice storm last week. It was taken at sundown and it was beautiful. The skies were shades of pinks and blues and those colors were set off by all the snow/ice all around which added to make some unusual hues. I drove around after the storm for about two hours and got a few nice shots. While I wanted to get more I wasn’t able to because most of the shots I wanted I had to pull over on the side of the road and there wasn’t any room to pull over. However, I was able to see some beautiful scenery and I had timed it so I could see it all against the back drop of the setting sun which had oh so thoughtfully come out after the storm.

I should be posting pretty regularly for the next week or so..

Hope everyone is making the best of this Holiday Season.

~ Peace ~

Beyond the the fields we know

“An Irish writer, Lord Dunsany coined the phrase ‘Beyond the fields we know’ to describe fairy land, and that’s always appealed to me. First there’s the comfort of the fields we do know, the idea that’s familiar and friendly. Home. Then there’s the otherness of what lies beyond them that so aptly describes what I imagine the alien topography of fairyland to be. The grass is always greener in the next field over, the old saying goes. More appealing, more vibrant. But perhaps it’s more dangerous as well. No reason not to explore it, but it’s worthwhile to keep in mind that one should perhaps take care.”

From the Book of short stories Moonlight and Vine

” The Fields beyond the fields”

Charles De Lint