Thoughts On Winter

I awoke today and found the frost perched on the town

It hovered in a frozen sky then it gobbled summer down

When the sun turns traitor cold

And all the trees are shivering in a naked row

I get the urge for going but I never seem to go

I get the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

Now the warriors of winter they gave a cold triumphant shout

And all that stays is dying and all that lives is gettin' out

See the geese in chevron flight

Flapping and racing on before the snow

They got the urge for going

And they got the wings so they can go

They get the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

Summertime is falling down and winter is closing in

I'll ply the fire with kindling now

I'll pull the blankets up to my chin

I'll lock the vagrant winter out and

I'll fold my wandering in

I'd like to call back summertime

Have her stay for just another month or so

But she's got the urge for going

So I guess she'll have to go she gets the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

All her empire's falling down and winter's closing in

And I get the urge for going

When the meadow grass is turning brown

And summertime is falling down

~ Urge For Going by Joni Mitchell

Every winter this is my theme song. Every winter I long for summer. My restlessness sets in and my fingers turn white. In winter, I think about the past and the things i didn't do.

When winter comes, I know I won't see the sun every day, but he will greet me on occasion, after a snow. I'll sit at the window and watch snow crystals collect on the sill and feel the warmth of the fire.

Every winter I want to spend time with my family and California calls me back.

Every winter I find myself in thrift stores searching for cashmere sweaters. My hands desperately find their way inside pockets and mittens and I wear stocking caps to bed. I've got more than enough pairs of UGG boots, the sheepskin wool doing its job. Just today, I received another pair of woolen socks, hand knit by my mother.

Every winter, scorching hot baths await me, and jojoba oil is my friend.

Every winter the crockpot stays on the counter, split pea soup is always the favorite and baking becomes a way of life.

When winter comes, Hot Yoga never felt so good and my intention for the day is kinder, calmer and the world seems more peaceful.

Every winter the cats want out. So, I let them go, and then much to their surprise, that cold and icy white stuff again! With their little paw prints in the snow, they promptly look back up at me, and I know they've changed their minds. Back inside, they tear around the warm house, yowling with joyous relief!

In wintertime, talk about the weather is relentless. On days when we get a good amount of snow, the Old Timers will remind me of the winter back in '49.

 

Every winter, I experience change and my thoughts are heavy and I paint more cactus scenes with turquoise skies. I look at the picture above, I shiver and shake my head.

When winter comes, the Nordic center opens up, the fire inside is always raging and the cross country trails are groomed impeccably.

Every winter, I pull on my wool long johns, layer up, grab my skis, and head for the mountain. In fifteen minutes I'm striding and kicking through powder, the sun is shining through the ponderosa pines, and I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face!!

What are your thoughts on winter, all you snowy owls and ski bunnies?

 

A Weekend With The Locals

Some moose drool...

In Moose, Wyoming

Hunkering down in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The Grand Teton Mountains

A group of bighorn sheep in the Pryor Mountain National Wild Horse Range, Montana

Sacajawea, a wild and pretty mare.

Seattle, who I named Big Blackie back in June, before I knew his real name.

This wild bachelor is Kemmerer. You can't see them here but his legs have that distinct Spanish "zebra" stripe that so many of the wild Pryors have.

Saying good bye to Kemmerer and the land that's just as wild.

 

Before You Know It, Autumn's Here

It's funny like that. The summer days were long and hot. It didn't rain as much as it should have. I noticed an aspen leaf was yellowing, the wild flowers were dry and turning brown and it was only August. One morning I woke up, stepped outside the Silver Bullet, and who was there to greet me? Fall.

It just seemed too early for all that change, but perhaps the pattern of the change in seasons is different at such high elevation. I welcome the cooler breezes, crisper air and the energy I seem to have now. I think the birds are enjoying it too, as I'm seeing more species than I did in the summer. They're probably busy feathering their nests and tightening things up in one of the ponderosa pines we call our own.

One ponderosa pine in particular is my favorite. It's taller than the others, the bark is more red in color, it produces brilliant pine cones and I love to lay under it and smell the needles. It's a beauty and I've aptly named it Plume's Pondi. Yes, that's right. THAT Plume. Don't you think that's an appropriate name for a tree? After all, she IS a ponderosa pine tree hugger! The noisy plume is also an inspiration to me and the most vivacious nature lover I know! Her writings on the land, her surroundings, and the appreciation she has for every little thing, every single moment of life, just moves me. Her exuberance for life is heartfelt and genuine and if you're one of the hundreds like me, who can't wait to read what she's gonna write next, you know exactly what I mean. I've never named a tree before, until now. So, I say, if you come across a ridiculously creative and kind human being, name a tree after them! Then hug it!

 

 

The Sunday Special

It was Sunday morning. The sun had come up, the temperature cooler than we'd felt in months, the feeling of Fall was in the air, you could smell it! Above all, there was no wind.

Coffee walk! C and I bundled up in sweatshirts, fleece hats and mittens and strolled around our Big Tree neighborhood, admiring all the leaves changing color. We take the same route very time. The climb up to the park where 'on a clear day you can see forever'. We could, and we did. On all sides there is openness and prairie. To our left, a ridge of mountains and trees, looking west a river snakes it's way into the horizon. Wind turbines dot the land to the east, and in the middle of it all sits our little town of quaint western houses and cottonwoods, elms, aspens and oaks. And no wind.

Making our way back home, we stumble upon a garage sale. Like magnet to steel, C is practically inside a box of books while I rummage through vintage fabric, hoping I'll find something to make curtains for the Silver Bullet. Aren't garage sales fun? There is so much stuff, and some of it is junk, but then sometimes you come across something that you just gotta have! Like the treasure my husband is holding and calls me over to show me what he's found. "Look at this. Do you like it?" DO I LIKE IT?? I loooove it and I have to have it. Right now.

Well, it's no surprise to those who know me, that I have, what you might call, "Horse Brain". Lately, I eat, sleep, breathe horses. In particular, wild mustangs. All day long, I'm thinking about the wild horse herds. All day long, I'm scheming a plan to see them again, flipping through calendars at work, lingering too long on horse books in my hands, jabbering about them to my co workers and patrons alike. Needless to say, C gets the majority of my horse ramblings, but I don't think he minds. This is his wife's new passion and he is supportive and encouraging in anything I do. As long as I don't try to bring one home and turn our basement into a barn. Hmmmm...

So y'all, take a look at this German silver buckle with a copper horsey on it! The garage sale special! And I have the perfect leather belt with lovely western tooling pounded in it, only missing a buckle! Oh, and the name on my belt isn't mine, but I don't mind being Martha once in awhile. Ha! Put the two together and this is what you get. Here's to beautiful Sundays and surprises!