Very early yesterday morning, before the sun had crept up over the mountain, I heard my owl. Whenever that happens, I try to be very still, and strain to hear his voice. He is like a touchstone in my life, reminding me that all is well. He is helping me learn what it is like to be fully present in a moment, noticing only what is important, and allowing the insignificant details to fade from my thoughts.
My owl moments are a complete immersion in the now, a spontaneous meditation with nature. Whenever it is my good fortune to hear his soft coo, I feel I have received the sweetest gift.
After writing, I decided to bake some gingerbread cookies for our holiday celebration this coming weekend.
"Christmas cookies and holiday hearts; that's the way the holiday starts." Whenever I bake cookies for Christmas that little song pops into my head. I taught first grade for seven years. (You can take the teacher out of first grade, but you can't take first grade out of the teacher.)
I rolled the gingerbread dough into balls and dipped them into raw sugar crystals. There's nothing like the smell of gingerbread to bring the fragrance of the holidays into the house.
The Keurig had just made me a steaming cup of Vanilla Chai Latté, and I had taken a bite out of one of the cookies, when something caught my eye outside the kitchen window. Was it snowing? I looked again. Small flakes of crystal were sparkling in the sunlight as they twirled softly down to the ground. It wasn't snowing, but the thick fog and soft breeze were making beautiful ice crystals spin through the air. My hot tea and half-eaten gingerbread cookie could wait. I grabbed my coat and camera, and headed out the door.
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| The flakes on the porch posts are what caught my eye first. |
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| The deck railing had grown crystals overnight. |
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| I cannot explain my attraction to barbed wire. I love it rusted...and dusted with sparkly frozen crystals. |
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| Even weeds are beautiful in the winter. |
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| Our Honda riding mower provided a lovely backdrop for this shot. |
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My beloved barbs in snow.
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The Keurig had just made me a steaming cup of Vanilla Chai Latté, and I had taken a bite out of one of the cookies, when something caught my eye outside the kitchen window. Was it snowing? I looked again. Small flakes of crystal were sparkling in the sunlight as they twirled softly down to the ground. It wasn't snowing, but the thick fog and soft breeze were making beautiful ice crystals spin through the air. My hot tea and half-eaten gingerbread cookie could wait. I grabbed my coat and camera, and headed out the door.
