When the winter is dark and cold outside,
Remember,
That your Being is not made of frozen crystals.
Your food body is a furnace of metabolizing Life,
Exchanging airs with the plants,
Eating their bodies until your body becomes food too.
Your subtle bodies, constructed of mind and spirit,
Create organizing waves, rhythms of musical inspiration
That your universe can dance to.
Your bliss body is eternally one with Christ,
Pulsating with the joy of the Star of Bethlehem,
Shining brightly even through the longest night.
--Terra Rafael
Showing posts with label Winter weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter weather. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
From a Foggy January Morning....
Prompt = choose a color and write about it……….
This wondrous cool grey morning
I chose a bright yellow shirt.
“It will brighten the day” I thought.
But yellow is a color close to my heart.
Yellow is primal ~ a primary color ~ the Sun.
Lions, sunshine, rainbows, chakra’s, tulips
All are parts of yellow.
When asked for his opinion,
my son wanted to paint our kitchen yellow.
I wanted to, but it would not
work with the other ingredients already in place.
But the idea of it stayed in the back of my mind.
Years later, after my 2nd divorce
I walked into Pier 1 and saw the
most lovely yellow and blue dishes.
Two days later I got my income tax refund check
and I drove back and bought my kitchen sunshine!
I am the weed queen and my on-going love affair
for the yellow haired dandelion will never die down.
I love them. I eat them. I dig in the dirt
and play with her roots.
Yellow is the color of the solar plexus chakra.
From the gut ….. gut feelings …
…primal feelings…… TRUST !
Ah yes, my yellow shirt will help me remember
To TRUST !
And the day will be brighter.
YELLOW !
* annette
This wondrous cool grey morning
I chose a bright yellow shirt.
“It will brighten the day” I thought.
But yellow is a color close to my heart.
Yellow is primal ~ a primary color ~ the Sun.
Lions, sunshine, rainbows, chakra’s, tulips
All are parts of yellow.
When asked for his opinion,
my son wanted to paint our kitchen yellow.
I wanted to, but it would not
work with the other ingredients already in place.
But the idea of it stayed in the back of my mind.
Years later, after my 2nd divorce
I walked into Pier 1 and saw the
most lovely yellow and blue dishes.
Two days later I got my income tax refund check
and I drove back and bought my kitchen sunshine!
I am the weed queen and my on-going love affair
for the yellow haired dandelion will never die down.
I love them. I eat them. I dig in the dirt
and play with her roots.
Yellow is the color of the solar plexus chakra.
From the gut ….. gut feelings …
…primal feelings…… TRUST !
Ah yes, my yellow shirt will help me remember
To TRUST !
And the day will be brighter.
YELLOW !
* annette
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Creating Community
I sat in front of my computer in the early morning darkness. I wanted to write, or at least start this piece, before I was influenced by the morning news.
Twenty years ago when I started reading Mary Summer Rain’s books I felt all alone. She, with Ruth Montgomery, Euell Gibbons and Lynn Andrews were introducing me to a wide open spiritual path but I had no one to share it with. I remember two distinct thoughts from those early years. I remember Mary Summer Rain stating in one of her books that extreme high winds would be the precursor of the earth changes to come. Alone, I was afraid. And secondly, I remember praying to meet and be with others who thought more like me.
Early yesterday afternoon two wild fires scorched hundreds of acres in Boulder County, Colorado. I happened to turn on my TV yesterday afternoon which is bizarre because I so very rarely have it on that time of day, but I was too tired to be a real estate appraiser and I had decided to take down my Christmas decorations. And there it was … live coverage of the fire in progress. It was burning on both sides of Highway 36 which runs north/south from the city of Boulder to the small community of Lyons. I personally know dozens of people who live in this area and there are several large horse facilities as well. As the evening wore on, I stepped outside my front porch and looked west. At first I could see only smoke and then, when I first saw the orange line of fire, I was appalled. I live 30 miles northeast of Boulder, but as the fire traversed the mountain foothills, I could watch its progress.
Yesterday, my fellow Americans in the northwest were digging six feet of snow off of school rooftops to prevent them from collapsing; there were folks in the mid-west being evacuated from their homes and businesses by flood waters; and there are people still huddled under bridges in the cardboard boxes they call home.
I need to tell you that my long ago prayer was answered. I am now surrounded by large interconnecting circles of community; friends who share my spiritual path and my concerns for the people and the planet we live on. New Years Day I sat with three of my “herbie” friends and we agreed to get together the same time next year. Each one of us feels like we are treading shaky ground with finances, relationships, job security, or ….? We pledged to help one another get through whatever the next twelve months present, sharing equally the joys and the challenges. It was an emotional moment.
Today, many, many people will come together all over the country to help those whose lives are upside down. This is what national disasters do ~ they open people’s hearts and bring folks together. People helping people ~ creating community. It is important; I actually think it is VITAL for the survival of our species to learn this lesson. Are national disasters our Earth Mother’s way of helping us to remember how to treat one another?
Afterthought: Have you ever been amazed at how few casualties there are in the midst of huge and terrible calamities? Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and fires that destroy thousands of acres, yet usually there are less than a handful of human lives lost. Its not just me, I have heard different people mention this fact. I dare to venture an idea to ponder; she is not trying to kill us off, she is offering us a chance to learn a lesson.
* annette
Twenty years ago when I started reading Mary Summer Rain’s books I felt all alone. She, with Ruth Montgomery, Euell Gibbons and Lynn Andrews were introducing me to a wide open spiritual path but I had no one to share it with. I remember two distinct thoughts from those early years. I remember Mary Summer Rain stating in one of her books that extreme high winds would be the precursor of the earth changes to come. Alone, I was afraid. And secondly, I remember praying to meet and be with others who thought more like me.
Early yesterday afternoon two wild fires scorched hundreds of acres in Boulder County, Colorado. I happened to turn on my TV yesterday afternoon which is bizarre because I so very rarely have it on that time of day, but I was too tired to be a real estate appraiser and I had decided to take down my Christmas decorations. And there it was … live coverage of the fire in progress. It was burning on both sides of Highway 36 which runs north/south from the city of Boulder to the small community of Lyons. I personally know dozens of people who live in this area and there are several large horse facilities as well. As the evening wore on, I stepped outside my front porch and looked west. At first I could see only smoke and then, when I first saw the orange line of fire, I was appalled. I live 30 miles northeast of Boulder, but as the fire traversed the mountain foothills, I could watch its progress.
Yesterday, my fellow Americans in the northwest were digging six feet of snow off of school rooftops to prevent them from collapsing; there were folks in the mid-west being evacuated from their homes and businesses by flood waters; and there are people still huddled under bridges in the cardboard boxes they call home.
I need to tell you that my long ago prayer was answered. I am now surrounded by large interconnecting circles of community; friends who share my spiritual path and my concerns for the people and the planet we live on. New Years Day I sat with three of my “herbie” friends and we agreed to get together the same time next year. Each one of us feels like we are treading shaky ground with finances, relationships, job security, or ….? We pledged to help one another get through whatever the next twelve months present, sharing equally the joys and the challenges. It was an emotional moment.
Today, many, many people will come together all over the country to help those whose lives are upside down. This is what national disasters do ~ they open people’s hearts and bring folks together. People helping people ~ creating community. It is important; I actually think it is VITAL for the survival of our species to learn this lesson. Are national disasters our Earth Mother’s way of helping us to remember how to treat one another?
Afterthought: Have you ever been amazed at how few casualties there are in the midst of huge and terrible calamities? Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and fires that destroy thousands of acres, yet usually there are less than a handful of human lives lost. Its not just me, I have heard different people mention this fact. I dare to venture an idea to ponder; she is not trying to kill us off, she is offering us a chance to learn a lesson.
* annette
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Part 3 OF 3: Things I Learned From The 2006 Blizzard.
1) How to give a dog an insulin shot.
2) How quickly grocery stores run out of food.
Wednesday and Thursday our TV was non-stop coverage of the snow storm that was camping out over Colorado. It was kind of boring and yet fascinating at the same time. I started to hear stories of grocery stores with no food and no gas at the filling stations because delivery trucks could not get in. I didn’t leave my property till Saturday. I went to the grocery store to see for myself what my tiny world looked like and to get things for our Christmas eve party. The parking lot at our new King Soopers store in Firestone was a mess and inside it looked like a third world country. The shelves were empty. The only onions left were organic ~ no problem there. There were no potatoes, very little bread, no milk and no eggs. There were canned goods but they were very picked over. I got what I could and was thankful for it. In only four days our lives had been seriously impacted. What if it had been worse? I had a teeny weenie idea of what the folks in Seattle had been going through, and an even deeper empathy for the Katrina victims.
Which leads to #3) I MUST LEARN TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT.
I think it is very important for us to realize that our government cannot take care of us in a state of emergency. They can’t ~ it ain’t gonna happen. Forget about it. WE MUST LEARN TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT. Start today. Therefore…..
#4) I brought my gas barbeque grill around to the front porch which is covered and provides more protection. On it I can heat water or cook a meal if the electricity goes out. I exchanged my spare(empty) propane tank for a full one.
#5) I stashed a dozen long burning candles (heat and light) and those large bottled water containers that I like to take camping. If I don’t need them this winter, I can use them next summer. I have boxes of matches in several places in my house and I can find all of them in the dark. I have enough food for weeks and a hand held can opener.
#6) Question. Where does my water come from? Or more specifically, what would happen if my electricity went out in one of these storms? I have a well and domestic water. I need to find out how they work. I made some phone calls.
Answer. The well will lose pressure if the electricity goes off, but the domestic water should still be okay. Leaving one faucet open with a very slow drip will help keep water lines from freezing up.
#7) Taking action combats fear; so does Knowing things.
#8) Paying a farmer with a front end loader to remove 4 feet of crusted snow drifts from my parking area was money well spent. Now I can shovel out my car.
PS. About 18 friends and neighbors made it to our Christmas Eve party that year and we celebrated !!
* annette
2) How quickly grocery stores run out of food.
Wednesday and Thursday our TV was non-stop coverage of the snow storm that was camping out over Colorado. It was kind of boring and yet fascinating at the same time. I started to hear stories of grocery stores with no food and no gas at the filling stations because delivery trucks could not get in. I didn’t leave my property till Saturday. I went to the grocery store to see for myself what my tiny world looked like and to get things for our Christmas eve party. The parking lot at our new King Soopers store in Firestone was a mess and inside it looked like a third world country. The shelves were empty. The only onions left were organic ~ no problem there. There were no potatoes, very little bread, no milk and no eggs. There were canned goods but they were very picked over. I got what I could and was thankful for it. In only four days our lives had been seriously impacted. What if it had been worse? I had a teeny weenie idea of what the folks in Seattle had been going through, and an even deeper empathy for the Katrina victims.
Which leads to #3) I MUST LEARN TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT.
I think it is very important for us to realize that our government cannot take care of us in a state of emergency. They can’t ~ it ain’t gonna happen. Forget about it. WE MUST LEARN TO BE SELF SUFFICIENT. Start today. Therefore…..
#4) I brought my gas barbeque grill around to the front porch which is covered and provides more protection. On it I can heat water or cook a meal if the electricity goes out. I exchanged my spare(empty) propane tank for a full one.
#5) I stashed a dozen long burning candles (heat and light) and those large bottled water containers that I like to take camping. If I don’t need them this winter, I can use them next summer. I have boxes of matches in several places in my house and I can find all of them in the dark. I have enough food for weeks and a hand held can opener.
#6) Question. Where does my water come from? Or more specifically, what would happen if my electricity went out in one of these storms? I have a well and domestic water. I need to find out how they work. I made some phone calls.
Answer. The well will lose pressure if the electricity goes off, but the domestic water should still be okay. Leaving one faucet open with a very slow drip will help keep water lines from freezing up.
#7) Taking action combats fear; so does Knowing things.
#8) Paying a farmer with a front end loader to remove 4 feet of crusted snow drifts from my parking area was money well spent. Now I can shovel out my car.
PS. About 18 friends and neighbors made it to our Christmas Eve party that year and we celebrated !!
* annette
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Blizzard of 2006 ~ Day 2.
continued from last week ….. The following is a journal entry from my first winter in my little farm house:
Thursday, December 21.
By the dim light of morning, still snowing, I surveyed my surroundings. The entire front end of Idgey, my Honda buddy, had disappeared up to middle of her windshield. There were three and four foot snow drifts, scalloped canyons and avalanche lips created by various trucks, horse trailers and storage sheds, wrapped around patches of bare dirt swept clean by the same winds that had sculpted the drifts. I was afraid that I might not be able to get out of the house and was amazed to find that the wind had whipped the snow right around my back door and the small patio was completely clear. Right in the middle of my large parking area, there was a crescent moon shaped patch of gravel with not a speck of snow on it.
But there are horses to feed!! I pulled my hooded sweatshirt down over my turtle neck and flannel shirt and pulled my thrift store snow-boarder pants up over my heavy sweat pants. I stepped into my knee high Muck boots, put on my old barn coat and wrapped a hooded scarf around my face. I opened the back door and let the dogs out ~ they were ecstatic. I, however, couldn’t keep my eyes open as the wind shot snow bullets straight into my eyeballs. Turning back into the house I grabbed an old fashioned pair of motorcycle goggles. I had almost put them into the garage sale box but was thankful to have them today. I stepped back outside and appraised the situation. The sidewalk leading out to the hay filled pole barn was buried under the same waist high snow drift which contained my car.
I followed the same route that I found last night in the middle of the storm. Heading west around a chiseled drift and past my propane tank, I crawled over the fence in the corner of the pen where my boarder horses live. I had put out a bale of hay last night and Joseph had asked me to put out another bale this morning. Digging out a hot-wire gate that was partially buried in a snow drift to access their hay storage shed, I wondered for a second whether or not the snow would negate or enhance the hot wire charge. Hummm? Now dropping into my horse pen, I saw how the north wind had whipped the snow over my pole barn and left an open area to the south. None of horses were standing in their shelter (?) but they were all out of the wind, so to speak. I opened another gate, walked through to my hay stash and grabbed large flakes of alfalfa and grass hay. I rubbed on each of the horses and little Celia, the donkey, even though they completely ignored me as they buried their heads in their breakfast. Every animal was accounted for and looked good. Assuming that staying warm in a blizzard must take a tremendous amount of energy I set out a double ration of feed. I was thankful to see that the wind had carved a canyon around the back of Joseph’s shed which allowed my horses easy access to their water trough. I walked through the canyon myself to make sure that the heater coil in the water tank was working ~ and it was.
Retracing my footsteps over fences and around snow drifts I headed back to my new sweet little house with heat, electricity and running water! Although I was already thinking of hot coffee and a sturdy breakfast, I was acutely aware of the need to be very careful. One wrong step ~ if for any reason I didn’t make it back inside the house ~ I would be a human popsicle before anyone found me.
Whew! Made it! Life is good!!!!!!
* annette
Thursday, December 21.
By the dim light of morning, still snowing, I surveyed my surroundings. The entire front end of Idgey, my Honda buddy, had disappeared up to middle of her windshield. There were three and four foot snow drifts, scalloped canyons and avalanche lips created by various trucks, horse trailers and storage sheds, wrapped around patches of bare dirt swept clean by the same winds that had sculpted the drifts. I was afraid that I might not be able to get out of the house and was amazed to find that the wind had whipped the snow right around my back door and the small patio was completely clear. Right in the middle of my large parking area, there was a crescent moon shaped patch of gravel with not a speck of snow on it.
But there are horses to feed!! I pulled my hooded sweatshirt down over my turtle neck and flannel shirt and pulled my thrift store snow-boarder pants up over my heavy sweat pants. I stepped into my knee high Muck boots, put on my old barn coat and wrapped a hooded scarf around my face. I opened the back door and let the dogs out ~ they were ecstatic. I, however, couldn’t keep my eyes open as the wind shot snow bullets straight into my eyeballs. Turning back into the house I grabbed an old fashioned pair of motorcycle goggles. I had almost put them into the garage sale box but was thankful to have them today. I stepped back outside and appraised the situation. The sidewalk leading out to the hay filled pole barn was buried under the same waist high snow drift which contained my car.
I followed the same route that I found last night in the middle of the storm. Heading west around a chiseled drift and past my propane tank, I crawled over the fence in the corner of the pen where my boarder horses live. I had put out a bale of hay last night and Joseph had asked me to put out another bale this morning. Digging out a hot-wire gate that was partially buried in a snow drift to access their hay storage shed, I wondered for a second whether or not the snow would negate or enhance the hot wire charge. Hummm? Now dropping into my horse pen, I saw how the north wind had whipped the snow over my pole barn and left an open area to the south. None of horses were standing in their shelter (?) but they were all out of the wind, so to speak. I opened another gate, walked through to my hay stash and grabbed large flakes of alfalfa and grass hay. I rubbed on each of the horses and little Celia, the donkey, even though they completely ignored me as they buried their heads in their breakfast. Every animal was accounted for and looked good. Assuming that staying warm in a blizzard must take a tremendous amount of energy I set out a double ration of feed. I was thankful to see that the wind had carved a canyon around the back of Joseph’s shed which allowed my horses easy access to their water trough. I walked through the canyon myself to make sure that the heater coil in the water tank was working ~ and it was.
Retracing my footsteps over fences and around snow drifts I headed back to my new sweet little house with heat, electricity and running water! Although I was already thinking of hot coffee and a sturdy breakfast, I was acutely aware of the need to be very careful. One wrong step ~ if for any reason I didn’t make it back inside the house ~ I would be a human popsicle before anyone found me.
Whew! Made it! Life is good!!!!!!
* annette
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Blizzard of 2006
I woke up this morning and it is snowing. The following is a journal entry from my first winter in my little farm house:
Day 1. The weather forecasters had predicted that we could get a really big snow storm. Who knows, sometimes they are right. The snow was falling when I woke up; it is Wednesday, December 20. We fed the horses and my house mate, Megan, left for work. I had been out on Monday to measure a couple of houses for appraisal assignments and I was entirely happy to be working from home on a day like this. I kept the news on as I sat at my computer during the morning and it became clear right away that this is gonna be "the big one"! By noon we had at least 8 inches of snow ~ although I don’t know how they measure the accumulation because the wind was howling and it was snowing vertically! I could barely see out my north windows because the wind had packed snow into the screens.
I went out and fed the horses a mid day snack. Megan called around 2pm and said that they had closed up shop and were sending people home. I talked to her several times that afternoon as she tried to make it home. Highway 66 was closed at Weld County Road 19. She headed north to WCR 34 and tried to head east, but there were cars and trucks stopped at the big curve at WCR 21. No one was going any where. I advised her to head back north again to see if 66 was open, since it is the major east/west traffic way. It wasn’t. I can’t remember whose idea it was that she try and get back to WCR 13 and find Molly’s house. However, around 4:30 she pulled into Molly’s driveway and promptly got stuck. Molly said they were out feeding horses and she looked out and wondered “Who in the heck is out on a day like this?” But every one was thankful she made it there; they called and said they were gonna put her up for the night. It looks like it is just gonna me and the critters at home tonight! Joseph called and he got stuck on his way over to feed their horses ~ and we both live in Platteville ~ he lives less than one mile away! He asked if I could feed their horse tonight and probably tomorrow. Thank God I was home!!!!
Later in the evening Megan called and asked me I could give her old dog, Spur, her insulin shot! “I guess I have to, but I have never done it before”. She gave me instructions as I took the cordless phone down to the basement frig and found all the stuff I would need. After she hung up, I went back upstairs, had a shot of whiskey and then went down and gave the old girl her shot. It happened so quickly that I wasn’t sure that I got the stuff in. I prayed that she would live through the night. She did, which meant that at 8 am I got to do it again ~ but it was much easier this time ~ requiring no whiskey.
Day 2...........
* annette
Day 1. The weather forecasters had predicted that we could get a really big snow storm. Who knows, sometimes they are right. The snow was falling when I woke up; it is Wednesday, December 20. We fed the horses and my house mate, Megan, left for work. I had been out on Monday to measure a couple of houses for appraisal assignments and I was entirely happy to be working from home on a day like this. I kept the news on as I sat at my computer during the morning and it became clear right away that this is gonna be "the big one"! By noon we had at least 8 inches of snow ~ although I don’t know how they measure the accumulation because the wind was howling and it was snowing vertically! I could barely see out my north windows because the wind had packed snow into the screens.
I went out and fed the horses a mid day snack. Megan called around 2pm and said that they had closed up shop and were sending people home. I talked to her several times that afternoon as she tried to make it home. Highway 66 was closed at Weld County Road 19. She headed north to WCR 34 and tried to head east, but there were cars and trucks stopped at the big curve at WCR 21. No one was going any where. I advised her to head back north again to see if 66 was open, since it is the major east/west traffic way. It wasn’t. I can’t remember whose idea it was that she try and get back to WCR 13 and find Molly’s house. However, around 4:30 she pulled into Molly’s driveway and promptly got stuck. Molly said they were out feeding horses and she looked out and wondered “Who in the heck is out on a day like this?” But every one was thankful she made it there; they called and said they were gonna put her up for the night. It looks like it is just gonna me and the critters at home tonight! Joseph called and he got stuck on his way over to feed their horses ~ and we both live in Platteville ~ he lives less than one mile away! He asked if I could feed their horse tonight and probably tomorrow. Thank God I was home!!!!
Later in the evening Megan called and asked me I could give her old dog, Spur, her insulin shot! “I guess I have to, but I have never done it before”. She gave me instructions as I took the cordless phone down to the basement frig and found all the stuff I would need. After she hung up, I went back upstairs, had a shot of whiskey and then went down and gave the old girl her shot. It happened so quickly that I wasn’t sure that I got the stuff in. I prayed that she would live through the night. She did, which meant that at 8 am I got to do it again ~ but it was much easier this time ~ requiring no whiskey.
Day 2...........
* annette
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
