~Whistle Down The Wind ~

~Through The Eyes of Love~For My Children~

2012-01-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Song From the Movie 'Ice Castles' my daughter, at age 10, skated solo to in an ice show the year I was carrying her "little" brother (who is a foot taller than her). He thinks she hung moon and she just may have. I love you both more than words can say.

Living Life Paying It Forward

~Just The Way I Am~

2012-01-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

I look up to the little bird
That glides across the sky
He sings the clearest melody
It makes me want to cry
It makes me want to sit right down
and cry....

Dance Like No One's Watching Birdie Girl

I walk along the city streets
So dark with rage and fear
And I...
I wish that I could be that bird
And fly away from here
I wish I had the wings to fly away from here

My my we reap what we sow
They always said that you knew best
But this little bird's fallen out of that nest now
I've got a feeling that it might have been blessed
So I've just got to put these wings to test

Annie Lennox

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love." - Lao Tzu

~Warmth For Those Of Us In The Deep Freeze~

2011-12-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

From atop Mount Washington: Setting Suns Looking West During Winter Solstice (left). Spring/Fall Equinox (center) and at Summer Solstice (right) ~ Photos Not Taken By Me

Below Snowy Owl Sleeping at Nubble Light. Photo Credit: Kirk Rogers

Spent this warm, sunny New Years Day in my beloved Maine. Photo from my camera of a Snowy Owl sitting on the fence behind the Nubble Lighthouse House. A professional photog there took my point and shoot camera and touched the lens to his scope after hearing me bemoan the fact that my cheap digital camera could NEVER catch her. According to his scope/sighter, she was "93 yards" away. Such wonderful and lucky happenstance. She is a beauty!

http://www.kiroastro.com/birds/owl_snowy/

Photos of same bird taken by a professional photographer that day on link above

When the superficial wearies me, it wearies me so much that I need an abyss in order to rest. ~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

*Whimsy Is Healing*

Yes it is :-)

2011-12-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

~Welcome Winter~

2011-12-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

2011-11-11T21:12:00.000-08:00

~Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Battle To Be Free From The Past, To Live In The Present, And To Create Their Own Future~

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods. There is rapture on the lonely shore. There is society, where none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music in its roars; I love not man the less but nature more.” George Gordon

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John Muir

"Dream Team (Black Lab)" (clipped to polyvore.com)

2011-10-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Letting go of Judgment

When we judge others...energetically, we are trying to control their "wrong" behavior, however we are actually giving our power to them. The surprising thing is...we are actually judging ourselves. When we stay in judgment of another person we become stuck energetically in the past, while the individual we are judging, who shared a moment in time with us, has moved on. In this healing you will experience and learn for yourself how to let go of judgment and move on.

Forgiveness-Releasing The Past

You do not need to wait for someone to ask to be forgiven for you grace them with your forgiveness. If you're waiting for them to be a better person, or learn their lesson, you're the one who can suffer. Absolving someone of their offenses does not mean that you condone their actions; it means that you're allowing yourself to release the past and bring your energy into the present moment so you can heal yourself. Experience and learn for yourself powerful tools for releasing the past.

2011-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Photo Taken By My Son Last Week of a Baby Deer on a Foggy Night. Mount Uncanoonuc.

A New Found Will and a Three-Legged Dog

When hiking up Mount Kearsarge on Saturday I came across a place on the trail where, when I thought I was just talking to myself, but spoke out loud, I said "THIS is where I turn back". I was facing just steep rock. I was concerned I would fracture something and I was hiking alone. Then, a nice man said "You can do it, wait till you see the view!" and I looked up and also the three-legged rescue dog that had been hiking with her family ahead of me most of the trip was watching me almost protectively as if to say "you can do it". And I did it! Another challenge faced and I was rewarded with a breathtaking view of the valley below and so very proud of me.

Conqured a bald face!

THIS was my reward!

~Imagine~

2011-10-13T05:53:00.001-07:00

If THIS young man can still IMAGINE/Envision a better tomorrow, shouldn't we?

I am the same age Steve Jobs was when he passed recently. His words at this commencement ceremony gave me pause to look more closely at my life/nonlife and continue to step out of my safe but miserable "bubble". It is true that no one is promised a tomorrow. I found this amazing man's words and life to be profound, thought-provoking, touching, and inspiring. God Bless you Steve Jobs.

2011-10-12T08:12:00.001-07:00

2011-10-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

Made some new friends while hiking last night-Bella and Bishop who is a "Special Needs" dog So precious.

~ Metaphor Of Changing Seasons~

2011-09-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Changing Leaves

The changing leaves of autumn colored brightly red and gold,

Also bring a warning of the coming winter cold.

As the wind is changing from the milder summer breeze,

You can feel the difference as it echoes through the trees.

As I shuffle down the path leading through the park,

As the days grow shorter now and soon it will be dark.

I realize that life is like the seasons we live through,

Life is like the changing seasons always changing too.

Basking in the warmth of life in the summer sun,

Never giving thought to when these summer days are done.

But before we realize the cold wind starts to blow,

And our basking summer sun turns colder with the snow.

Only then we realize that life has changed so fast,

Only then we realize that nothing ever lasts.

Life goes through the seasons as the years accumulate,

Many times we long for summer when it is too late.

Life is meant for living and enjoying each new day,

Life is meant for loving those you meet along the way.

Never spend your summer years just basking in the sun,

Unless each minute that you spend is with a special one.

People need each other to enjoy the trip through life,

A very special partner or a husband or a wife.

Alone you can enjoy the beauty that is everywhere,

But there is a special meaning when with someone you can share.

Life is like a changing tree with brightly colored leaves,

Your family and your friends and you can be compared to these.

In autumn when the leaves start changing colors, they will fall,

One by one until the branches have released them all.

If I be like a changing leaf among one of life's trees,

And all my friends and family were also such as these.

And autumn was not just for me as counted from my birth,

But autumn season spoken here was for the entire earth.

Then are we in the autumn season foretold from the past?

Could the colored leaves now falling be the very last?

Are the signs and wonders now upon us really true?

Or will there be another spring when all things will be new?

I as a single leaf will someday have my time to leave,

As those who went before me leaving me to sometime grieve.

But someday in that final autumn at the final call,

Should I still be clinging there when all the leaves will fall.

I only want to realize that in this autumn season,

I had a purpose in this would and my life had a reason.

To live and love and enjoy life for all that it is worth,

Taken From Veranda

But only if the lives I've touched had meaning and a purpose.

No one knows whose life they touch or who they will embrace,

Just by actions that they do or being face to face.

But your life will be noticed as the brightly colored trees,

As either brilliant beauty or a pile of dried up leaves.

James A. Kisner

The most comforting fragrance to have in a room

My favorite. Evokes feelings of being warm and safe.

Photos taken by me

~Welcome Autumn-My Favorite Season~

2011-09-19T13:13:00.001-07:00

2011-09-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by me of broad-winged hawk at Carter Hill Orchard which has beautiful views of Mount Moosilauke and Mount Cardigan
Their favorite recipes http://www.carterhillapples.com/recipes.html

My favorite spot at the lake under a pine tree "canopy"

Being Warmed By the "Pink Time of Day" at the Lake

Perhaps being a "loner" and a very solitary person who prefers to
be alone has its benefits. I am much more sensitive to the nuances
around me from nature and the gift that they are for me, and for
that I am grateful. While sitting on a rock at the edge of the
lake last evening listening to the distant beautiful and haunting
call of the loons( wishing they were closer), I was suddenly reminded of the term "The Pink Time of Day".

When my son was young and in the back seat of the car with me at dusk he would talk about "the pink time" and it took me a while to figure out what he meant. He was referring to the time of day/night when the sky turns pink and casts a glow on everything. I am going through a difficult time now medically and financially, but for that moment in time I was not worried but grateful to be "warmed" by "the pink time of day."

Healing Our Hearts With Prayer and Remembrance

2011-09-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

In New York City I made my home

I loved the streets, the very stones

Cared for my comrades,

cherished my friends

Loved all beginnings,

had no time for ends

The city streets are full of woe

I saw suffering wherever I'd go

I did my best to console and heal

Treat each human with full dignity

I never saw a reason to hate

someone who thinks different than you

Each one has their anointed place

In the love reflected in God's face

We all have sorrow, our share of trials

We all are sinners in each other's eyes

Love alone can heal the pain

God bestows love in so many ways

I have my failings and I have tried

To look them squarely in the eye

To be there when someone might call

For I know cruel well how hard it is to fall

I love the company of friends

The fire and the music sparkling

in their eyes

But I achieved my heart's desire

When I rode beside the ones

who fight the fires

As I arise on this September morn

The sun is beaming down,

the streets are warm

God's in His heaven and all is well

I will go forth and do His will

Father Mychal Judge, friend of God

and friend of all, pray for us.

by Black 47 (Larry Kirwan)

They Can Break Down The Walls But They Cant Break Down America

2011-08-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps on the back of the win

and floats downstream till the current ends

and dips his wings in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage

can seldom see through his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with fearful trill

of the things unknown but longed for still

and is tune is heard on the distant hill for

the caged bird sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn

and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

of things unknown but longed for still

and his tune is heard on the distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom.

I

2011-08-03T19:07:00.001-07:00

~For My Daughter~

2011-07-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

~Wonderful, Sunny, Languid Dog Days of Summer~

2011-07-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

Through the years I have learned some lessons worth the telling

and you'd be right in guessin that each and every lesson they were hard won

2011-07-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

2011-06-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

The secret to being rich lies in remembering that
friendships are priceless, time is invaluable,
health is wealth, and love is a treasure.

Create a nest egg of beautiful memories

that you can dip into from time to time

to ease any sorrows.

Have the kind of remembrances

that raise you up with their worth

and keep you there with their wonder.

Always have a supply of hopes on hand

to help you plan your tomorrows

Remember that when you invest in your dreams,

it is impossible to overpay.

Give away smiles,

and watch them come back to you

a hundred times over.

~Fascinated With The History And The Mystery Of Lighthouses~

2011-06-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

View From Inside Nubble Light-York, Maine

2011-06-12T20:01:00.001-07:00

~Welcome Summer-Stay Awhile~

2011-05-31T10:52:00.001-07:00

The Summer Soothes The Restless Sky

And Lovingly She Warms The Sand On Which You Lie

2011-05-27T08:18:00.001-07:00

~Alive In The World-Quenching Wanderlust~

2011-05-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

"Smile Like You Mean It and Let Yourself Let Go"

                 Photo taken by my son. Robins built a nest on a ladder
                  behind his store. Now I know why they have a color
                  called "Robin's egg blue" Spectacular! Good job son.

2011-05-10T21:05:00.001-07:00

The Most Precious Jewels a Mother can have Around her Neck are the Arms of her Children

2011-05-08T07:27:00.001-07:00

I Pray You'll Be My Eyes

And Watch Them Where They Go

Help Them To Be Wise
Go
And Help Me To Let Go

Lead Them To A place, Guide Them with Your Grace
To a Place Where They'll Be Safe

I Pray They Find Your Light and Hold it in Their Heart

As Darkness Falls Each Night, Remind them Where You are

The Natural World Gives Us What We Need If We Let It

2011-04-20T07:22:00.001-07:00

Gazing at the distant lights in the starry sky

2011-04-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Help us to be Wise in Times When We Dont Know

2011-04-11T04:52:00.001-07:00

~When Words Fail, Music Speaks~

2011-04-07T03:20:00.000-07:00

2011-04-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

~Trusting and Honoring The Voices Within~

2011-03-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Getting outside of myself and finally realizing there is so much more in this life than emptiness and sadness that we all feel sometimes, some more than others. I have not really been listening to the voice within that has been saying "you must become the woman you never were" but tonight I heard a difference voice coming from the same place-my soul- and it is different this time. It is telling me "YOU MUST ALLOW THE WOMAN YOU ALWAYS WERE TO EMERGE." The milestones I have accomplished in the past year and a half would seem trivial to most but for those who know me and my fears and phobias and insecurities are so proud of me. I feel their love and pride and it was mostly what keeps me going in this very difficult time. I used to say to myself and others "I cant kayak I am too old and too fat" well... NOT TRUE. I used to say to myself "I cant hike up a mountain I am too old and fat" .....NOT TRUE (it is only true if I allow it to be true). I used to say I cant snowshoe, too fat, but as soon as I strapped those snowshoes on I was off and running (well walking) and I thought wow look what I have been missing this all those years, and when I snowshoed up a local mountain (made it to 1,000 feet) alone and looked at the very steep trail ahead of me I felt no fear, just exhileration and suddenly I thought of the Weight Watcher's commercial by Jennifer Hudson "I CAN, I CAN I CAN." It is a relatively new feeling to believe in myself and to know I can. My sisters, daughter and my nephew have been my greatest supporters to help me believe I can break out of this life-long, self-imposed cage. I emailed my nephew today (the same nephew who helped me to kayak EIGHT MILES last summer) and told him that I really want to Chi-Walk - (or Chi-Run) a half marathon by the fall and followed it up with I know I probably cant and what is nice is that now that my family has seen my milestones they dont accept anymore that I cant. For Christmas a sister bought me a beautiful vase with an owl on it, an animal with special meaning to me (and my dad). Inscribed on that vase is "Never Say I Cant, Say I'll Try". I will start my training on a track in my town and work up to walking either a 10K or maybe even a half-marathon (13.1 wonderful miles). I am excited to have found and embraced what I knew (and my family knew) what was there all the time. (she did tap me on the shoulder once in a while telling me to believe in and love myself) -When I lost a large amount of weight in 2006 my daughter would send me beautiful flowers and words of inspiration telling me how proud she was and when she saw the photos my husband took of the first time I snowshoed she was so excited and proud. A week or so later a brand new pair of snowshoes were delivered to my door with no name or card. When I ascended that mountain and felt that joy I said "thank you snowshoe fairy for believing in me." What I keep telling my family is "I want to live before I die" and even with all the support I have gotten and appreciate from my family who love me, it is ME who has to learn to live before she dies. And I am.

Some Thoughts on "Captivity"

2011-03-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

There are many different forms of captivity and for so many reasons. The word "captive" if you look in the dictionary means -> "One, such as a prisoner of war, who is forcibly confined, subjugated, or enslaved." There are kinds of captivity one cannot change like the wounded animals at the Audubon Centers across the nation. They are not there by choice but because of the grace and kindness of the people who care and they try to replicate as much as possible their life in the wild where they are free and they all seem to adjust. When I visit them it is an honor to be among them and to acknowledge that they are not where they want to be and would rather not feel like a spectacle in the zoo so I respect that and just stand quietly among them but they bring me closer to my own kinds of "captivity" in my life where I do have choices though they are not always clear but it is up to me (us) to define what holds us captive and free it. It can’t be done by anyone else and it can be validating to take ownership of that. I must visit those animals soon and look into their eyes. What is in there we could all learn from. To be continued...

2011-03-14T08:30:00.001-07:00

Dear Spring: Show Us A Sign.

2011-03-03T18:06:00.001-08:00

~I Am DONE With Winter~

2011-03-01T07:41:00.001-08:00

2011-02-23T08:03:00.001-08:00

2011-02-16T05:14:00.001-08:00

2011-02-09T05:38:00.001-08:00

~Graphic I Made For My Daughter~

~The Beauty of The Winter Landscape~

2011-02-03T08:04:00.001-08:00

For My Daughter~I Love You

2011-01-06T08:45:00.001-08:00

~New Year Bring Us All Hope~

2010-12-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

~Happy Birthday Sis-Love you-Sending Healing Thoughts~

2010-12-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

2010-11-10T05:46:00.001-08:00

~Rain, Little Drops of Life~

2010-11-02T09:15:00.001-07:00

~Welcome Autumn~

2010-09-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

2010-08-22T17:59:00.001-07:00

2010-08-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

2010-08-09T07:20:00.001-07:00

2010-07-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

2010-07-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

2010-07-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

~Shop Window At Perkins Cove~

2010-06-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

TREE AT MY WINDOW
My sash is lowered when night comes on;
But let there never be curtain drawn
Between you and me.
Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,
And thing next most diffuse to cloud,
Not all your light tongues talking aloud
Could be profound.
But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,
And if you have seen me when I slept,
You have seen me when I was taken and swept
And all but lost.
That day she put our heads together,
Fate had her imagination about her,
Your head so much concerned with outer,
Mine with inner, weather.
Robert Frost

2010-06-17T06:10:00.001-07:00

~This song is dedicated to my sisters-thank you for loving me unconditionally~

2010-01-21T05:35:00.001-08:00

"We lived on a street where the tall elm shade
was as green as the grass and as cool as a blade
that you held in your teeth as we lay on our backs
staring up at the blue and the blue stared back.
We used to believe we were just like those trees
we'd grow just as tall and as proud as we pleased
with our feet on the ground and our arms in the breeze
under a sheltering sky."

~A Video to Make you Smile and Warm Your Hearts~

2009-12-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

~This precious creature, named Nyac, was rescued from the Exxon Valdez disaster and cleaned up. She lived a very happy life at Vancouver Aquarium but succumbed to lymphocytic leukemia in 2008, most likely the effects of being covered with toxic oil. How sad but I am glad they saved her and for a few years she lived a happy life~

Find more videos like this on North East Sea Glass Society

~Closing Scene from The Movie The Bucket List~

2009-10-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

No movie has ever touched me more profoundly than this one and the dialogue at the end of this never fails to make me cry. It is a catalyst to help you leave behind what is unhealthy to appreciate what is really important in your life. I watch this often as it helps me reach into my own soul and I think we all need to do this.

I Love the Rain

2009-07-18T06:09:00.001-07:00

There is Nothing Like a Mother's Love

2009-07-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

A very protecive mom watching over her two eaglets. Very touching and sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiQ-1_EGn8U&feature=channel_page

Osprey Cam PSNH Manchester

2009-07-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

I love this site. You can click on the cam and watch in "real time" the mother osprey take care of her babies. This is at Lake Massabesic in Auburn, NH.

http://www.psnh.com/Osprey/default.asp

Whistle Down The Wind-My Favorite Song

2009-06-28T22:09:00.001-07:00