End of Year Post

point of view is everything

wishing you abundant happiness

(there is always One Good Thing)

I hope to return to posting in the New Year.

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Attitude Adjustment

I woke this morning thinking about the importance of attitude.

Attitudes are formed from life experiences and from expectations

set in place from childhood.

Confidence hinges on attitude.

Happiness depends on attitude.

Resilience relies on attitude.

Attitude affects performance.

Well-being or dis-ease are influenced by attitude.

Attitude determines how life is perceived and evaluated.

I can be negative or positive - the choice is mine to make.

I can close mind and heart against all that isn't "true" or "right."

Or, I can open mind and heart to understand and appreciate nuances.

My attitude is the only thing in life that is totally under my control.

If I'm having a "bad" day - my choice.

If I feel frustrated, angry, bitter - my choice.

If I judge harshly - my choice.

If I hate - my choice.

(The opposites are also true.)

I believe it's possible to alter attitude,

but it takes mindfulness and willingness to change.

Attitude begs me to ask the question,

"Why am I thinking, feeling, acting in a particular way?"

Moment by moment,

life demands adjustment.

Attitude determines responses 

to life's changing drama.

Snow adds whimsy to Yarrow which will soon be buried under white.

Nature hinges on change and adjustment.

The cycle demands adaptation.

Finding One Good Thing depends on your focus, your perception, your judgement.

Have you thought about your attitude lately?

Do you think it needs an adjustment?

Purpose and Focus

icicles on wild roses

sitting by the fire

typing with cold fingers

wind throwing snow pellets

rattling the windowpanes

perhaps a cup of tea

steam rising to my face

warmth leaking into my hands

is in order

more snow now than when this photo

of my husband was taken last week

we are able to cross country ski

John Deere is busy plowing

I'm participating in 21 Days of Gratitude

the first two sessions covered

purpose and focus

we all have a special purpose

sometimes we lose it

needing to find it once again

focus on the present moment

is still my struggle

but 

I'm slowly improving

 which is One Good Thing

be gentle with yourself - as I will be with myself

Seeds of Hope

summer blooms

in fall I sow seeds with fanciful names:

gay butterflies

red carpet sedum

origami columbine

sightseeing veronica 

thriller lady's mantle

victoria forget-me-not

noble and red flame lupine

violet and white gayfeather

mystica and rondo penstemon

silver carpet snow-in-summer

fruit punch, harem, pizzicato, and queen alexandra poppy

dreaming of summer blooming

wilting daisies keep me company

white upon white

hundreds of dreams now dormant:

seeds of hope

covered by snow

doze until spring

through trial and error

over 24 years at high altitude

my method is this:

wait until a snow that will form the base

mix seeds and sand in a pail

determine areas of sunlight and shade

fling the seed with all good wishes and plenty of hope

wait patiently for June when the first green shoots emerge

I believe in miracles

I believe in One Good Thing

(it's snowing hard at this moment - the seeds sleep)

Remembering Good Things

Snow and stillness...

The remodeling is nearing completion.

Sunlight and blowing snow filter through Spooky Woods as I walk.

Nature yields her gems.

A mama moose and her calf pay a visit.

I remember many good things.

A Week of Randomness

We're still in the midst of remodeling.

Patience is a much-needed commodity.

I removed everything from my entry wall for the painters.

My husband suggests I replace the antique photos of relatives

with some of my own photography.

Mmmm - we'll see.

I admire the perseverance of the Bristlecone Pine.

Though gnarled and bent, it yields and endures.

(However, lately, I'm less like the tree and more like the cones - bristly!)

Early in the week, I hiked a path of gold.

Thank goodness for the time I spend outdoors.

It renews my spirit.

Snow clouds approached yesterday as I took my walk.

This morning Angelica, my garden angel, wore a white shawl and muff.

I met a black bear on the trail this week.

I wrote about the encounter at Live and Learn.

I'm glad to say both the bear and I survived.

Thank you to my blog friend, Nancy,

who hosts

Random Five

Focusing on Good - Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Lots of Good Things this week:

Something Colorful

Just before our latest bout of cold and snow, we enjoyed vivid fall colors.

Light

Early morning,  the sun flared pink as we crossed McClure Pass.

You

Self Portrait, October 5, 2013

Sunny in Denver after the first hard frost overnight.

In Motion

We're babysitting Sam for several days.

Always in motion, it's hard to get a non-blurred photo.

Afternoon

Sam conked out in his stroller during an afternoon walk.

Shhhhh - please!

Thank you to Ashley Sisk for hosting

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Running Wild - Morning Glories - They Grow on You

Remember the story of Jack and his Beanstalk?

Well, my magic beans are Morning Glory seeds.

I threw a few in the dirt beside the house in Denver several years ago.

I had no idea they're so prolific.

Each spring, I yank tiny tendrils when they appear.

Every summer, the vines multiply.

Late this season, they overtook the Nasturtium.

They scaled the climbing rose.

Spiral threads reach toward the roof.

Pink and purple flowers peek jauntily through my windows.

They've turned my narrow side garden into a jungle.

They're uncontainable:

Glories of the Morning

Here's what I've learned:

I'm not going to win this battle.

I'm starting to marvel at their tenacity and perseverance.

I think maybe I'm even enjoying them!

They're starting to grow on me.

Be Safe...

I planned to tell you there was snow on the high peaks this week.

But now this instead:

I left early as is my habit to exercise before breakfast.

I noticed what seemed to be scrapes through the pine needles blanketing the trail.

I examined a few but couldn't decide what had made them.

A bear?

I'd seen bear tracks in the mud earlier in the week.

I became more alert but kept climbing.

My purpose with this exercise is to raise my heart rate.

I bring it up by running and lower it again by walking.

It's a good way to strengthen the heart.

Suddenly, I heard a noise and saw movement above me on the trail.

My adrenalin rising, I realized that it was just a little boy.

I surprised him as he surprised me.

About 7 years old, dressed in a navy blue sweat shirt, he focused on the trail.

I could tell he was wary - what child doesn't know not to trust a stranger?

In a cheery (I hoped) voice, I quietly asked, "How are you this morning?"

As he passed me, eyes still averted, he answered shyly, "Fine."

It was then I noticed someone following him.

Oh - a parent, I thought. 

But no.

It was a duplicate little dark-haired boy in blue who may have been 10.

This boy was headed straight for me, pulled by an energetic Lab puppy.

I knelt and held my hands out to the puppy who wriggled a greeting.

"You have a new puppy!" I enthused.

"Yes."

But, I could tell this older child was also frightened of me.

I pointed the puppy's black sausage body down the trail toward the younger child.

His attention diverted, the puppy immediately began pulling big brother down the trail.

I suddenly realized that the scrapes I'd seen earlier

were from the puppy bracing as he lunged on the leash. 

I watched the three of them disappear around a curve.

Moving upward again, I expected to come upon their slowpoke parent.

Nobody appeared.

I began to worry.

What were 2 little boys and a puppy doing alone on the trail?

 It was early and too far from habitation.

Off the main trail there are many minor trails.

People are constantly getting lost on them.

My house is at the bottom of one of the minor trails.

Adults often appear in my back yard needing directions.

As I kept moving and thinking, I couldn't conceive of parents

allowing these young children to wander this far by themselves on the trail.

I wouldn't trust that my own grandchildren

who have navigated the trails with me for years

could find their way back home alone.

Children of this age have no sense of direction.

I became more and more uneasy.

I began to think of my own childhood.

I was a latchkey kid. 

I roamed in what I now realize were remote and dangerous locations.

But, I wouldn't want my grandchildren to take the same chances.

What the heck were these boys doing with a small puppy so far from supervision?

I turned around and started downward.

I visualized the children and the dog and silently implored,

"Be safe."

"Be safe."

"Be safe."

For good measure, I thought of each of my grandchildren, too.

"Be safe."

I never found the children.

I'm sure they ended up back where they started.

Perhaps there was hot cocoa.

Maybe they retold their adventure.

Would they mention a white-haired lady?

I cannot get them out of my mind.

Tonight, I'll watch the news.

I'll hope there is no mention of missing children and a lost puppy.

May the safety of children be my One Good Thing today.

Goodbye Journals

We're having some remodeling done.

Lots of discarding and housecleaning is happening. 

My journals covering 20+ years are (were) stored in boxes.

At certain points in my life, I wrote 2 pages a day in black ink on lined notebook paper.

Lots of the pages were written during my 30's, 40's, and beginning 50's. 

I've been fluctuating about what to do with those stacks of notebooks. 

I spent a bit of time over the past year randomly reading through them.

A few days ago, I spent hours destroying them.

Thoughts of my grandchildren finding them after I'm dead helped me decide. 

At first, I fed the handwritten pages slowly into the shredder to determine if I would vacillate.

Hours later, the shredder was jammed and over-heated.

That's when the frenzy started!

I began hand-tearing and scissoring as fast as I could.

Finally - the job was finished! 

I felt nothing but relief. 

The next morning, when my son called, I mentioned an incident from his childhood

 that I'd read during shredding.

His voice got a smile in it - he remembered the scene well - a happy memory.

So, I realized that though the journals are gone,

for those who matter, the memories remain.

Life goes on.

No regrets.

(That's One Good Thing) 

A Samuel Celebration

how quickly a year has passed

sweet Samuel is 1 year old

Happy Birthday Sam!

you are always Grammy's One Good Thing

Sunflower Days

morning in the city

alley cruising on garbage day

scavenger man nods and smiles

me working up a sweat

him all business

sentry of sunflowers

keeping watch

One Good Thing - a sunflower day

Spending time in Denver over the Labor Day weekend, I rise early to exercise before heat bears down on the city. A Latino man in a white pickup is out early, too. I "meet" him several times as I run my route. He enters and exits the alleys, looking for cast-offs left behind garages and on curbs. We "recognize" each other in passing. 

A sunflower morning unfolds for us both.

(iPhone 5 photo edited with Snapseed and Titlefx)

Wabi-Sabi - Summit County, CO, Mining Structures

the patina of age 

a worn and simple beauty: 

One Good Thing

(mining structures from the 1800's in and around Breckenridge, CO)

Taking Time...

Summer at altitude is short and sweet.

I'll stop posting for awhile.

Nature beckons.

I'll find One Good Thing each day -
I hope you do, too.

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Arnica Joy

Happiness is:

morning light 

a dance of yellow

wildflower smiles

mellow dusk

Arnica with Lupine

The Heart Leaf Arnica are blooming.

They make me happy.

What made you happy today?