Catching Up

Summer is over and fall is running out of time.

Snow has fallen on the high peaks and (luckily) has melted.

Temperatures are cooler - winter is beckoning.

My pansy boxes and container plants thrived through summer and fall.

Wildflowers were spectacular.

I miss their vibrant blooms.

Our 59th wedding anniversary was in August.

We spent several days in Vail celebrating.

Moose continue to pass through our property.

Fall is the time for rut so we must be extra-mindful when outdoors.

I love seeing the snow clouds hover over the peaks.

However, I'm happy to see the white disappear again!

Winter lasts a long, long time at high altitude.

The views in fall are breathtaking.

Gold predominates.

I keep active and look forward to the blessings of each day.

Searching for the positive continues as my focus.

Good things are not hard to find.

I look, listen, and stay present.

The choice between gratitude or dissatisfaction is easy.

I choose gratitude - I hope you do too:

find one good thing - pass it on

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Celebrate!

I  celebrate a high altitude summer:

globe flowers

paintbrush

paintbrush and senecio

trails beckon

junco eggs in our backdoor wreath

life is renewed

In March, I had a medical emergency:

two ambulance rides
two hospitals
two procedures

Now I'm back in the mountainous landscape I love.

I'm feeling well and continue to regain strength.

I celebrate July 4th - America's Birthday.

My one good thing today is the gift of life.

I turned 81 in May.

Each day is a new beginning.

Thank you for visiting.

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February - This and That (and Lucinda B Rabbit)

Over the last 3 days, we received 2 1/2' (76.2 cm) of snow.

Bob was outside moving snow all morning.

my touring skis point toward Red Mountain.

We woke just as dawn was pinking the southern sky.

The Moon was still casting a glow.

We expect more snow over the next couple days.

We depend on winter snowpack during summer wildfire season.

Some of my long-time blog friends remember Lucinda B Rabbit.

She was often featured on my other blog Live and Learn (now private).

She celebrated a birthday recently.

I helped her blow out her candles.

Since she is ageless, she prefers not to reveal which birthday we celebrated.

A 12 year old girl in our neighborhood is raising chickens.

She brought me some eggs recently.

They're almost too pretty to eat. (Almost....)

Snow, Lucinda, and gifted eggs are my One Good Things today.

Lucinda wants to remind all her friends that 

(sometimes)...

"It's good to be bad!"

Thanks for visiting!

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PS In January I celebrated my 15 year anniversary post heart attack. If you're at all interested click on "heart attack" in labels. I mostly posted on the Live and Learn blog but have a few posts on One Good Thing describing my experience.

Goodbye January

Winter provides a spectacular backdrop for sunsets over the Tenmile Range.

In the morning, I watch the moon hang over Imperial Peak.

My routine is to sit and have coffee as I read emails and plan my day.

We spend as much time as possible outdoors.

I walk for an hour or more while Bob downhill skis.

It's necessary to wear spikes on my hiking boots to get traction on ice and snow.

At 80, we're committed to keep moving.

We enjoy having family visit.

It seems quiet when they leave.

Our grandchildren are all young adults now except the youngest who is 12.

Luckily, they no longer need my supervision!

As blue washes the landscape, I say goodbye to the day.

There is often a splash of alpenglow on Red Mountain.

The panorama of Nature is my One Good Thing today.

I hope wherever you live in the world, Nature offers you beauty.

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End of 2024

 Winter settles in to stay for awhile.

We take a short trip to Vail to celebrate Bob's 80th.

The village is quiet before the influx of holiday tourists.

We dine at our favorite restaurant.

Returning home, family surprises Bob on his big day.

By the end of December, we have feet of snow on the ground.

I wear spikes on my hiking boots to take my walks.

Our white landscape is punctuated by blue-sky days.

Early morning sunrises are my favorite.

I watch dawn creep toward Red Mountain.

Family is my One Good Thing today...and always.

Goodbye 2024!

full moon hangs over Imperial Peak as dawn spreads a pink glow.

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Update

I last posted in July.

We've been feeling fine.

The days pass quickly - I think more quickly now that I'm 80!

In August, while the Shasta Daisies were blooming, Bob and I celebrated our 58th anniversary.

During September, our container plants and perennials still flourished.

However, nights became colder.

We had snow flurries that whitened the peaks.

By October, aspen leaves put on their show.

We enjoyed a spectacular fall.

Moose began to mate so we were very cautious and watchful when outdoors.

The pre-dawn Hunter Moon glowed above Imperial Peak.

In the beginning of November, we got back-to-back snowstorms.

Breckenridge Ski Area opened for the season.

dusk and moon-rise over Red Mountain

My changing Colorado landscape is my One Good Thing today.

There will be snow on the ground at my house through May.

We are blessed by white.

I hope you're well and continue to be active.

May love and peace abide with you.

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Small Stone - 31 - The End

 lightning and torrential rain batter the peaks

a rainbow at Red Mountain at dusk

hope for a new day

During July, I've heard from many long-time visitors to One Good Thing.

All of you are my good things this month.

Thank you for reading the Small Stones.

May love and peace abide with you.

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Small Stone - 30 - Bear Scratch Tree

On a recent hike close to home, we came upon a bear scratch tree.  Bears use trees to mark territory and also to scratch their backs. They both bite and claw the tree. This marking was new because the sap was still bleeding where the bear had damaged the bark. We've seen paw prints and scat on our property but so far this summer, haven't seen a bear. The new tree marking makes us more alert to predators roaming where we roam. Black bears usually try to avoid conflict. I've had several close encounters, and the bears never showed aggression, though in one instance a huge male bear was too close and too curious. I don't want to encounter a mother with cubs. I like seeing bears, but only when I'm inside and they're outside.

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Small Stone - 29 - Survival (Not Necessarily of the Fittest)

 Lately, I've been watching 2 tiny chipmunks play in the the rock wall outside my dining window. They try to climb stalks of grass to get to the seedheads and fall over backward when the stems can't hold them.

They make me laugh. 

A few days ago, one of the foxes that come through the property regularly trotted past the window. Suddenly, it stopped, jumped straight up in the air, and pounced downward. Then it began trotting away - with a small chipmunk dangling from its jaws. I know that it's survival of the fittest in Nature. 

But - my chipmunk!

The fox stopped where I could still see it - I assumed the chipmunk was going to be lunch. But, suddenly the chipmunk was free, and the fox was chasing it. Both chipmunks and foxes are super-fast. In a few seconds, the fox was again carrying the chipmunk. This happened several more times. I finally realized the fox was playing with the chipmunk (though I'm sure for chippy it was torture). 

Suddenly, the fox rushed to the base of a nearby tree. The chipmunk was free and climbing. The fox jumped against the trunk but couldn't reach it. After waiting a few minutes, the fox meandered off into the meadow. I couldn't see the chipmunk in the tree, but I assume its tiny heart was beating fast.

My heart rate was also up.

Chippy 1 - Foxy 0

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Small Stone - 28 - Straightforward

 sometimes I'm led to walk straight forward and sometimes I'm led to be straightforward

the former is easy - the latter sometimes difficult

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Small Stone - 27 - Undaunted

Fireweed is setting the hillsides ablaze. It makes a statement:

 "No matter the conditions, I intend to bloom."

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Small Stone - 26 - The Whole Picture

 looking outward expands my viewpoint and calms my worries

sky, clouds, mountains, trees, meadow, fence

all are important in the final composition

remember: we are all part of the whole

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Small Stone - 25 - Celebrate

sometimes the sky is enough reason to celebrate

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Small Stone - 24 - Chiffonade

I had to slice my fresh basil into ribbons for a pasta casserole.
The word "chiffonade" came into my mind.
Have I ever used the word previously?

I don't think so!

I tried it out in silent mode as I sliced - "chiffonade, chiffonade, chiffonade..."

Nicely done, I thought - now I'm a French chef!

At dinner, if Bob says, "Wow! This is delicious! Did you do something different?"

I'll smile and say, 

 

"Chiffonade."

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Small Stone - 23 - Intricate

The Cornhusk Lily is blooming.

Some years it doesn't flower and only puts out leaves.

But, this year  - a bonanza!

They grow in a meadow surrounded by purple Monkshood and golden Asters.

From a distance they remind me of candelabras - they seem to glow from within.

Nature's intricacy is on display.

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