Beauty

At a family funeral I was visiting with a cousin-in-law. She stopped speaking, looked at me, then said, "You are beautiful!" I was a little startled but she was speaking of inner beauty, not physical. Drat! She went on to say that it was obvious that I am a happy person.

We had a discussion about happiness. I believe that a person can be as happy as he or she makes up his or her mind to be. Yes, everyone has troubles. Some can be addressed while others must be survived. I have had both kinds but I choose happiness. This does not mean that I ignore tribulation; it hurts me as much as anyone else. All it means is that I am securely loved by my God and many others. Consequently I have a constant JOY in my life, for which I am deeply grateful.

May we all be beautiful people.

Global Warming?

Last night, when we went to bed, it was below 50 degrees outside and just above 60 inside. The term, "Global Warming" is incorrect. It should be referred to as "Climate Change" or something that reflects what's happening to us.

We have seen more elk this year than ever. A group comes so often to the field below us that we've almost lost excitement when they're spotted. On a backwoods road trip last week I spotted a herd of about 200. This estimate could be like a fishing tale, but there were a lot and they made the hills come alive with their movement. My friend spotted a bear cub. Those make me nervous because Momma Bears don't like humans to interact with their cubs.

All things considered, while the urban lifestyle has its place, I'm happy to live in a rural setting. The biggest noise we hear in the evening is the neighbor's cow. Or the turkeys. Or coyotes yelping. Or...

In The "Good Ol' Summertime"

This year marked a first: We had the heat on in the summertime. 62 degrees inside, with little hope of the sun shining, made us run for the heat. Sad. We've had so much rain that everything is green and lush. Much of it we've missed as we've been traveling for surgeries. We hope that we are finished with them, even though everyone was very nice. Still, Salt Lake City is a far cry from rural Oregon.

Yesterday we went fishing. Our daughter saved the 4 little blue gills we caught and put them in her personal pond. They are still live, mostly, this morning. She also has a catfish in her pond. She feeds them dog food every morning.

Our young son is busy making a "tree" house. We thought that it would be better being close to the trees rather than in them. The tree can grow without messing up the fort. He's thinking that pulling nails from boards isn't particularly exciting. Life is filled with the mundane so that the excitement is a flash of brilliance. We appreciate it all the more.

GRATITUDE

So much has happened since the last post! We were busy enjoying idyllic Spring days and reveling in daffodils. After 2 Life Flights, we still appreciate the daffodils but we also appreciate health.

Our son was riding, sitting down, on the front of a long board. It collided with a pickup and he bore the brunt of the impact. Everything that happened to him has had the best possible outcome. Skull fracture? Healing itself. Bleeding from the ear? Fractured eardrum which is healing itself. Needs a skin graft? Outstanding plastic surgeons ready, willing, and able. His prognosis is for a complete recovery with no losses anywhere. He will receive a ticket for failing to wear a helmet. That is as it should be.

We are extremely grateful for all the prayers in behalf of our family. We feel much-loved and that is very comforting.

Fakeout

We did have a couple of days of Spring but, alas, it was all a trick. Since last posting, we've had: snow, (waking up to 3 inches), wind, cold, rain... Where are those balmy Spring days that I love? The poor daffodils were faked out that it was time to awaken and many of their stems have broken from the weight of the snow.

A lot is bandied about on the topic of global warming. Perhaps we should refer to it as "Climate change" because it sure ain't warmer here!

Spring Has, Indeed, Sprung!

We had our first daffodil yesterday. At 4,100 feet in elevation, we're a little behind many places. We had a contest going to see who would spy the first one and the winner was (Tah-Dah) Rachell. They seem to be very late this year but the snow is almost completely gone. This is good. We had a big bonfire after cleanup yesterday. We roasted hot dogs while the fire was hot, giving us Char-dogs. Still tasty. I have some blackberry plants to put in this next week - hope springs eternal that I will one day reap a harvest.

This is my favorite time of year. All the plants yawn, stretch, and reach for the sun. They put on such a glorious show that it's very easy to be joyful. Hooray for Spring!

Sunrise

Getting up in the middle of the night (before 6 a.m.) has its advantages. OK, it has ONE advantage: I have seen some spectacular sunrises. My early rising, coupled with the fact that I live in the mountains on the west side of the valley, have given me some panoramas. This morning, and for the last several, the sun has looked like molten gold as it spills over the hills in the east. First comes a pinkish glow. After that, it starts turning reddish-gold. Just before it pops out over the tops of its barriers, the rich red comes. It can be blinding. I suppose if that were the last thing I saw in this life I'd count it a full life. That, and grandbaby smiles.