Do you know what I missed today?

But first a disclaimer.

I am prairie born and bred

I do not understand 

winter without dry snow 

winter without sunshine

I do not understand

cold when it's wet cold - 

and not even cold! 

It's completely confusing:

Rain in winter time without thunder,

winter without snow.

I know.  I know.
All you folks trapped by snow,
inundated by snow,
wishing it would be warmer - and I don't blame you.  -40's cold!  Heck! -20's cold!

The only flowers besides the ones in the house ~
ice-flowers on window panes.

But what did I miss?

Thunder.

And if it's going to rain

Rain...and then stop

Rain for an hour - maybe two

And then stop

Oh, and did I complain about the wind when it's raining?

Wet wind is actually kind of scary.

Snow filled wind - well it's scary too - but that's different.

Does it sound like I'm whining?

Yup.  Definitely does.

(Can you hear the thunder?)

"I think there's a poet who wrote once 'a tragedy by Shakespeare, 
a symphony by Beethoven and a thunderstorm are based on the same elements.' 
I think that's a beautiful line."

~ Maximillian Schell

Generations slip past.....

...in sprawling great shapes

rocks ground down with

pressure of time and tide,

settle into the sea of time

Atop the great and the small,

in cracks and crevices,

broad surface or steep mountain

new growth arises as if by magic

catching wind and rain

accepting warm sun

shivering in sharp cold

while roots shallow and deep

divine unseen anchors and sustenance 

Growing, blossoming, spreading seed

And becoming a generation past.

"We are enmeshed in a lineage that came from somewhere

and is going to make way for the next generation."

~ Leon Kass

Edited Nov.12/2023

100 years ago today.......

....Dad was born.

This young man in my photo album 
does not match 
my childhood memories of my dad. 

Those memories rise up with 

moist musk of turned black earth,

new mown grass, 

distant thunder and crackling lightening,

caring for the earth, 
planting anything,

rummaging in my tool box for hammer and nail.

Happy 100th!

I miss my dad and cherish the lessons he gave me.

"One father is more than a hundred Schoolmasters."

~ George Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs, 1640

A faded photograph of mom..

though memories of touch are faded,
they awaken gently with
aroma of fresh baked bread
the whirr of a sewing machine,

and every time I peel an apple or pear.

Your birthday today is as special 

as my own, my children, my grandson

and all of my loved ones.

Happy Birthday, my very special mother!

You are so very deeply missed and always in my heart.

"A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go."

~ Author Unknown

Winging over white cotton clouds....

...the sun still high in the sky

My journey has only just begun

Blue skies and distant horizons await

The land below the clouds 

is fertile and ripe for planting

just as my hopes for tomorrow...

                              and tomorrow....

"Hope arouses, 

as nothing else can arouse,

a passion for the possible."

~William Sloan Coffin

My sandman sleepy eyes...

.....close on the day.

The fireplace turns and churns

mellow jazz in the background.

Rough spots in early hours

forgotten or smoothed.

Cozy warmth and

welcoming arms of sleep beckon.

"Sleep is the best meditation."

~Dalai Lama