This Perfectly Imperfect Life

I had to share these with you! (And I couldn't pick just one or two). What an incredible experience. Standing creek side, closer to a Red Tailed Hawk than I've ever been. For a total of 20 minutes. (10 minutes at a time with a break in between). I dare say the resident Turkey Vulture was jealous of all the attention Red (the Hawk) was getting; he moved to a chimney closer to where Red was perched in the tree. When I came in to get warm before going back out to see if Red was still there, I got the pics of the Cardinal while standing in our kitchen. Blessing come in many forms, shapes and disguises.

Before the ice arrived. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Candles a-glow on a nasty Winter's night. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Bitter cold, quiet, dark, beautiful, dangerous. Winter. Feeling even more appreciative of our warm home as an frigid air mass has settled over the region dropping our temps into the single digits (or just above) and wind chills well below zero. Our coldest temps since 2005 says the weatherman. I don't mind honestly. (And I know few feel as I do!) I'm enjoying being present in this Winter season and don't have the desire to look ahead for Spring. I'm happy where I am. While Hubby was out with one of the nephews, I spent a cozy day at home. I looked at one thing that needed to be done & did it instead of looking at All that needs to be done and getting overwhelmed so I purged and re-organized the kitchen cabinets this morning along with texting with two of my girlfriends. I accepted my limitations and went to rest on the couch early this afternoon. I had hoped to do a little reading (the novel is pictured above) but I didn't get very far before falling...

(non-fiction) We Have A Ghost And right now it likes to play with my slippers during the night. There can’t be any other explanation. I don’t sleep walk and my slippers aren’t in a spot where Hubby could accidentally kick them when he gets up in the middle of the night. They’re on my side of the bed. Where only I walk. (Or so I thought). It’s happened quite often over time but I never paid more attention to it than to “Huh!” to myself, get my slippers on and get going. Recently I’ve become more conscious of it though because it’s becoming a nuisance. I sit in bed and leave my slippers on the floor where I can just slip right into them when I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or “Shush!” a kitty crying at our bedroom door. Our floors are cold in the Winter thanks to the unfinished dirt basement we have below us (not a crawl space because I can stand up strait in it, Hubby though not so much but he’s 6’3”) and the bathroom...

A place for everything and everything in its' place. Click on photo to view full size. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Click on photo to view full size. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

I've been writing again in addition to journaling, thanks to bff G & I resuming our weekly writing exchange this month and my kicking my arse into gear with the private online writing group I moderate. (I can't tell you how good it feels to be writing again!) Here are two pieces from this week. Prompt (from private online writing group): Write a piece (fiction, non, poem, essay, etc) in which you use the following words: frozen, shaded, frustrated, feather, animated, distant. (fiction) The day after a snow storm usually consists of a brilliant blue and cloudless sky, wind and bitter cold temperatures, and abundant sunshine. Today was no exception. Sophie found herself shading her eyes against the glare with her hand when she looked out on the frozen lake. It, like everything else, was blanketed with fresh snow that had stopped in the early hours before dawn. She smiled when she saw prints in the snow going across the lake from their front yard where the boat and canoe w...

Winter on the lake. To view full size, click on photo. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sunrise. To view full size, click on photo. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

After two days of light snow on Friday and Saturday, we're gearing up for another "clobbering" of snow tomorrow into Wednesday (as per the Weather Channel's Breaking News twitter account). So far I've heard 6"-12"s and honestly, that's not a clobbering for this area; if it goes beyond that, well, we'll see! I'm probably one of the few (along with Hubbs) Jerseyans who is happy to be back to our climate of 4 distinct seasons! (dodges icy cyber snow balls thrown at my head) Well January was off to a busy start last week with errands, doctors appointments, cooking for Hubbs' county American Legion meeting and the last of the Christmas-time gatherings with friends (one Thursday, one Saturday). Now the Christmas tree can come down! Pinky kitty is doing great! His anemia has resolved per his blood work done Thursday and we're weaning him off the med which corrected it because prolonged use can lead to liver damage. If the next ...

(Click on photo to view full size). Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Right off the bat, the thought of a new year makes me sad. New Year's Eve is, and always has been, depressing for me. It signals the end of my favorite time of year (the Holidays, including Halloween) and the beginning of what I call the "ho-hum" time of year (which lasts for me until the Holidays roll around again). No matter how much I'm in love with Winter or the beginning of Spring, it doesn't change this for me. (Thank God I discovered gardening to get me through the warm months of the year!) Some years it's harder than others for me to get through this time. Focusing on something positive, like my overall intention for the coming new year, has been a great way to help me through the end of one year and the beginning of the next. I begin journaling on my "word" for the coming year around the Winter Solstice. I've moved onto a new word for 2011 ("create") from "simplicity" which I focused on in 2009 and 2010. I will say th...

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

A Blessed, Healthy & Happy New Year to you and yours!