hello new year

It's time to say goodbye to christmas and hello to 2011

time for a few words

just read a post by

The magpie's fancy blog

she has chosen a word - grace - to mark the new year

i thought about that and decided to do the same

after talking about my very much loved

brother-in-law who died 3 years ago right before christmas

i choose optimism

Bill was forever the optimist

he always looked for the good in every situation

for the love of Bill - for the love of my family

i choose optimist to guide my year

may your 2011 be full of much good

fall leaves caught in a stream of ice

sunrise - sunset - obsession

this is what greeted me christmas morning

i am obsessed by beauty

nature's beauty

it stops me

it helps me to be calm

it makes me think fulfillment of dreams is possible

christmas was wonderful

my sister was able to visit after a few year's absence

my children were all here

and

a beautiful granddaughter and enormously huggable grandson

i am blessed

wish everyone has blessings

feel them

know them

take comfort in them

sunrise christmas day

loving nature

the birds are my helpers

so I try to help them out in the winter

i've never used pesticides out here

in town, i didn't know any better. but i made the decision

to go natural - it seemed that pesticides just 

made problems worse

i made the right decision

i clean up most of the garden

that is part of natural pest control

but i leave a stand of flowers that have seed

heads, a feast for the birds

and it's fun to see the tiny finch

atop a black eye susan

eating and swaying in the breeze

here's to nature

and then there are the feeders…

winter bird feed

what should I have done this year…

rodney, our goat, always smiling

mrs mediocrity, a wonderful blog, asks,

what should you

have done this year but didn't

because you were too scared, etc

and I thought

i should have trusted my dream

i should have written

i should have trusted hope

i should not judge

i should believe in angels again- i have proof

i should forgive - myself

i should have had faith in my dream

what should you have done

christmas & childhood memories…

The tree went up late

the pleasure of unwrapping

the ornaments of my childhood

and hanging the apron my sister made

for my mother many years ago

still bring the same sadness and pleasure

a pure mix that comes with each

christmas season

it hurts that they are gone

but these little things 

bring nothing but happy memories

memories…

Santa and his sleigh ornament and the bell below graced my childhood trees.

Apron my sister made for my mother many years ago.

tenacity…

These two Bradford pear trees in my front yard have left me thinking - what tenacity. 
No matter they should have lost their leaves at least a month ago, 
no matter that we've had below freezing temperatures 
and strong winds - and even some snow.
 Is there something I need to learn from this little bit of nature. 
Should I keep writing? 
Should I keep making stuff? Practice kindness. Practice tenacity. 
Tenacious.
 It's an interesting word, one to keep.
 What does tenacious mean to you? 

December 7 & these two still have their leaves…

remembering

It's that time of year for memories, an old photo of my family plus an uncle, 
an aunt and a grandmother that I don't really remember - 
she lived in Nebraska and we lived in Nevada. 
On the far left is my sister with arm around my brother. 

Skip one person and you see my mom standing behind 
my other sister (in shorts). 

Then grandma (dad's side), uncle, and me and dad. 

Yes, this gives some perspective to how old I am.

Read a post this morning from Spirited Woman - 
started "she was told by many 

that she had to choose on thing - specialize. niche. choose. 

but…" It's the but part I like - with so many loves and interests, 

how do you choose? The post continues "i choose me. everything else will follow…."

not being selfish. i choose me.

That's me on the far right with my dad. It seems
I've had that worried look on my face all my life.