Celebrate Life

a last celebration as light and life ebbs

a family emergency - I'm helping with grandchildren

my computer time is limited

no further postings for a short while

though mindfulness continues

(comments closed)

Frigid Views

pale blue opacity - icy stalagmites reach for a silvery sliver of moon

small stone

Mindful Writing Challenge

fingers aching painfully from the cold, I took a few quick photos and headed for warmth

this is a small portion of the Ice Castle along the Riverwalk in Breckenridge, taken about 8:30 AM with the Moon still hanging in the western sky 

Narcissus Blooming

simplicity

a virginal purity

each petal exquisite

a glowing presence 

invisibly gathering 

sustenance

The bulb was such a small, gnarled, ugly lump. Who knew what was waiting inside, eager for release? Who can believe its transformation? Who would guess a winter blooming can give such pleasure?

(I like the roots nearly as much as the flowers!)

Mindful Writing Challenge

Dappled Light in Winter

on forest duff

a flickering of dappled light

soothes me

Mindful Writing Challenge

Back to cold and snow but still reliving the memories...

Zen Garden

zen garden

the eyes rest

the spirit calms

to have the rake in hand

perhaps before dawn or

just at dusk before sunset

the tines flowing around rock

streams and mountains forming

from the most essential elements

moving slowly, carefully

each moment a blessing

a kinetic meditation

Mindful Writing Challenge

the Zen Garden in winter, Denver Botanic Garden

Warmth in Winter - Hallelujah!

In the flickering light of winter woods, the Hallelujah Chorus plays a silent loop through my brain. Suddenly, I realize I'm humming along.

  

Denver Botanic Garden, mid afternoon, nothing much on my mind - except a praise song

Mindful Writing Challenge

What's Your Story?

tickle of dried grass

weak winter sun
warming the pages

Walking through a pocket park in the city, I noticed a young man lying on the grass reading a paperback book. It was a mild day - maybe in the low 50's. He had long haired pulled into a ponytail and strong arms bared to the sun. There was an old-style scooter some distance from him, looking like it was made from a hodgepodge of discarded trike parts. Both the man and the scooter seemed like separate entities, brought together by the light and the sheltering trees. I walked until I framed the photo with both the man and the trike, the globe lights in the background adding a feeling of nostalgia. I don't often take photos of strangers, though I'm acutely aware of them, watching and sometimes listening as I tell myself silent stories about what I'm seeing. We all have stories, some intensely private, others displayed for the world to interpret.

Mindful Writing Challenge

I took this photo zooming a bit on the iPhone which degraded the clarity. I wanted only ambiance.  I like the feel of it, so I decided to make it part of my Small Stone today. (Edited in Snapseed and TitleFix.) 

Blast of Cold (Or - Blasted Cold) in Breckenridge

Screaming down the flue, groaning in the eaves, rattling the windows, intruding in my dreams, wind blasts against the house. Shivering, I rise silently in indigo light to watch another chilly dawn. (The color rose doesn't always portend warmth.)

Mindful Writing Challenge

I ventured outdoors to downhill ski both yesterday and today. Windchill made riding the lifts uncomfortable even though the sun shone and the sky was blue. We'll take a break from the wind by spending the weekend in the city. It's supposed to be in the 50's. Yippee!

Cabin Fever

snow sticks like foam to evergreens

drifts sculpt the roofline

wind howls a lament

cabin fever

Mindful Writing Challenge

I've been cooped inside for days due to gale force winds and drifting snow. We've gotten over 2' of snow in 2 days. Should be great skiing if the wind ever quits!

Night Snow from Inside

standing in the kitchen's warmth

watching cold needles of snow 

falling through darkness

small stone

Mindful Writing Challenge

(self portrait reflected in kitchen window looking out to the snow)

Wreath Penance - Mindful Writing Challenge

a scraping sound in the night

wind clanging through metal

long-ago gift from a friend

wakes me on stormy nights

though I vow to remove it

the kitty wreath remains

welcoming each new day

oblivious to weather

(and my sleep)

small stone

Mindful Writing Challenge

Dawn Lights the Forest

A winter storm keeps me close to the fire. Wind gusts are predicted to 75 miles an hour.  Breckenridge is hosting the final Olympic trials for Snowboard and Slope Style.

The winners will compete in Russia (there is a large continent of Russian athletes here). Teams from all over the world converge on Peak 8. Luckily, there's an abundance of snow, but the wind chills are brutal.  Standing to await your turn in the half pipe must be torture. The force of the wind is dangerous to the competitors. These are highly trained athletes, but Nature is having her say. In the end, after all the work and all the training, winning sometimes hinges on luck and weather. 

wind and snow

snow and wind

dawn's conflagration

merely an illusion of warmth 

small stone

Mindful Writing Challenge

Not All Birds Head South - Mindful Writing Challenge

bundled against cold's brittle presence

vivid splash of color in the forest

my own bright snowbird

my granddaughter heads out to ski

small stone

Mindful Writing Challenge 

Celebrating My Beating Heart

celebrate

only now, this moment

my beating heart

It's been 4 years since my heart attack - I write about it at

Live and Learn

Small Stone - Mindful Writing Challenge

The Shroud of Winter in Breckenridge, CO (Our World)

weight of cold

stark bare-bones

shroud of frigid

 cocoons the forest

plummeting temperatures

gusting winds 

frenzy and stillness

winter's tug of war

linking to:

Our World

I'm mindful of the cold in Breckenridge, CO. Throughout the month of January, I join with others around the world to write small stones for the Mindful Writing Challenge

Warming My Heart - Mindful Writing Challenge

sledding on a frigid winter's day

cold-nipped cheeks and sparkling eyes

his grin warms my heart 

a small stone :

Mindful Writing Challenge

A Whisper of White - Mindful Writing Challenge

we wake to a whisper of white

 snow sifting, settling, drifting

into cottony silence

Mindful Writing Challenge

be mindful - write it down

Snow and More Snow - Mindful Writing Challenge

in a vast stormy sky, warmth retreats behind a peak

snow clouds ride gusts into town

sunset: winter storm warning for Breckenridge

small stone 

Mindful Writing Challenge

observe closely each day - write it down

Hope for Winter Blooming - Mindful Writing Challenge

hope

a narcissus bulb

winter sun and water 

white filament roots like anemones in a still sea

two spears birth steadily toward

bloom

Mindful Writing Challenge

(you can join in the fun at any time!)

The First Day of 2014 - Mindful Writing Challenge

spot of color in a whitened world

I finished a book on New Year's Eve

The Sweetness of Life by Francoise Heritier

encouraging me to

focus on the simple but inspiring

moments in life

Today:

blustery winds with drifting mounds of snow, pungent kitchen smells 

(pork and sauerkraut slow-cooking for good luck in 2014), long phone chat with a granddaughter (discussing books - I smile with pleasure as we speak), warm vanilla scent of burning candles (to off-set the sauerkraut), a new novel waiting for me on the Kindle, strong black coffee and a flaky blackberry scone tempting me on the chair-side table, fireplace flickering warmth, feelings of contentment and wellbeing, no place to be and nothing much to do

the first day of 2014

I'm join with others around the world during the month of January

observing carefully to write Small Stones for the 

Mindful Writing Challenge.

Won't you please join us, too?

(My Book Review Page is up to date for 2013.)

Happy New Year from Waldo!