End of the Year

I dutifully headed out to Weight Watchers on Saturday.  The roads were empty so it was a delightful jaunt through some of the back roads of Gig Harbor.  Finally found the location, stepped out of my car, stepped on the walk way and immediately fell on black ice.  Slid about 10 feet down hill with my right leg somehow twisted under me.  Okay folks this is an example of batting 0 for 0.  This past week I locked myself out of my car almost 60 miles from home (three cheers for cell phones and a lock smith with delightful sense of humor), then I locked my self out of my house on Friday (again yet another lock smith who was kind and pleasant).  On Friday night while madly cleaning,  in a desperate effort to end the domestic chaos, restore order and cleanliness and have the week end to myself, I forgot to check pockets and put not one but TWO Bluetooth devices through the clothes washer.  The universe speaks, does it not!

Anyway, back to Weight Watchers.  What a delightful group!  I like the new Momentum Plan.  Have a LONG way to go but have a couple of interim goals - like being able to comfortably fit into an airplane seat by October (trip to Italy with a friend in a women's travel group).  So wrecked knee or not, I was going to that meeting and did.

Came home to ice my knee and take some pain medication.  Will see an ortho doc on Monday.  Think I have shredded the cartilage rather badly.  The landlord at the building didn't sand or salt as it was a week-end...the little devil!  So much for movies every night but did manage to get "Avatar".  It was a visual WOW. Have many policy and procedures to develop...so will prop up in the recliner and get my work done.  And yes, I'm icing the knee.

I'm ready and waiting eagerly for 2010...I've decided an even number will bring luck.

A Time to Celebrate

Yesterday the State Surveyors showed up at the little facility I've been commuting too for such a long time!  They cleared of all the many citations that has haunted that group for 8 weeks.  What a huge relief!  A lot of teaching and much learning as happened in two months.  Have a new Director and I think she is going to be GREAT! The former Director has a new role on our dementia care unit and I believe she will be a huge success there. Will begin to wean my presence down to three days a week there and eventually to a weekly visit. Now we can work on  policy and procedure in the delivery compassionate care!  It will be so interesting to see where the team is a year from now!

In the mean time, I set up my treadmill, vowed to never eat another meal in the car, joined WW,  plan to sleep MANY hours this week-end AND each night am going to see a movie!  OMG, actually having time to play....fabulous!

Merry Christmas to Blogging Friends!

Sending my best good wishes to all for the holiday season.  May you and yours be blessed with happiness and good health!

In need of rest ...and exericse

Am so busy with work related matters that I have little energy for the rest of my life.  Am in need of a few restful nights and far more exercise than I can squeeze into my schedule at this moment in time.  Blogging and photography take a back seat as well.  Will be back in synch in a few more weeks...and the daily long commute goes away.  Until then, I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

Watching me watching him

Perhaps the sunflower seeds were not to his liking or maybe it is the constant chatter from the parrot but this tiny friend is perched outside the window peering in at the early Sunday morning household.  The sun does not rise here until about 7:42 am.  The daylight is elusive and brief.  Hurry up little guy ~ fill up now as sunset is less than 8 hours away.

"Sleep is when all the unsorted stuff comes flying out as from a dustbin up in a high wind" 

Pincher Martin

~William Golding 

Sleep was also elusive so no 'sorting' done last night.  My little chihuahua-pug mix was up all night.  She sometimes has a delicate tummy and sometimes even her regular diet sets her off.  She climbs up on the bed and paces over me (like a cat) to let me know she needs to be let out of doors.  Tiny insistent feet demanding that I rise from slumber and attend to business...happened perhaps five times during the night.  Now I would like to call it a day and sleep all day but there is work to be done and therefore retreat is not an option.  Must make the long drive to BI and finish an audit.  The staff will be dismayed to see me on a week end.  Usually my presence means I am observing and teaching.  Today is a paper day.  Did the clinical documentation happen as it was suppose to have?

Am reading "Stones into Schools"by Greg Mortenson.  About educating the youth of Afghanistan.  Very interesting.

Okay, it is off to the world.  A peaceful Sunday to all.

mushrooms, rest and dreams etc

The day began with a crisp,cold nip in the air and the weatherman just informed me that the high will be about 37F.  The early morning fog is beginning to lift and light clouds have vanished.  It is Saturday and my day of rest.  The house needs cleaning but it can wait.  Soft classical music plays in the background.  The dogs are enjoying simply lying around in their self-appointed spots and even the bad boy parrot is chirping quietly at the visiting birds outside his window.  Shalom ba byit (a rough transliteration for peace of the household).

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

      The song of the birds for mirth --

                   One is nearest God's Heart in the garden

  Than anywhere else on earth."

~ Dorothy Guerney (1858 - 1932)

A brief walk outside informed me that the yard is full of autumn mushrooms.  I will have to look all these up:

I cleared out the part of the yard that the dogs use ~ but the rest were left in place.  Their shapes and color are fascinating.  I understand completely the belief that fairies live under them...sort wish they did.

The roses in the front of the house continue to bloom. The angelica is in full bloom in spite of the cold and earlier frosts.

Purple ice pansies standing guard at the front door are over-flowing their pot.

" 'We were walking along in the changing-time'  Doc said.  Any day now the change will come.  It's going to turn from hot to cold.' " 

The Wild Net and Other Stories

~ Gabrielle Roy

Winter's arrival is just 16 days away.  The 'hot ' is long gone and will be long in it's return.  My co-workers talk of putting studded tires on the car.  The New England in my mind can't fathom it.  'For several inches of snow?' it queries me.  'Isn't that why God invented the Subaru all wheel drive'?    So, at least for today, I will relax with the knowledge that somehow I managed many feet of snow for many years with my trusty Subarus.

One last note.  I had vivid dreams last night.  Didn't want to give into the insistence of the dogs that it was time that be let out and breakfast be served to them...it was sad to leave that dream land world.  But back to the dream.  I was back in the Acworth, NH house.  A thick blanket of snow was on the ground.  The river was iced in and silent.  It all felt to real and so normal.  Every guest room was filled with friends, old and new.  There was laughter and conversation through out the house.  We sipped on hot coffee and teas and talked about the world.  I must be a bit homesick after having the kids here for the holiday.  Am feeling not so much blue as wistful.  Missing an old home.  Moving is out of the question.  Far too expensive and I can't take my job with me. The new friends would be left behind.  Ah life....

Friday at last...

I am busy and happy but I am also thrilled that it is Friday once again.  My favorite day of the week is here and it arrives on a full moon and amidst the beginning of a holiday season.  Tonight after the final drive home it will be time to slow down.  I want to visit some of the local merchants in Gig Harbor.  The main street is being nicely decorated and looking festive.  The merchants have all planned to stay open until 8 pm on Fridays this month.  Celebrations are fun whatever the reason.  Bright lights in the face of winter darkness is a brief respite for the psyche.  Picking out a small special gift for someone you love is a joy.  Changing gears after concentrating on problem solving and searching for remedy is an ingredient necessary for survival.  

Planning to sleep in just a bit on Saturday is ....  bliss!  A good week end to all!

the quiet house

The grown kids have returned to their busy lives.  The house is quiet again and slips back into the usual routines.   The young adults are back to their usual life as well.  Their 'usual' is different... their heads are busy thinking about how to survive the current economic disaster in order to move on to successful careers and family.  They think about growth and the future while I fret about retirement.  However, while we were all together we kept the world at bay for awhile...basking in the pure joy of each other's laughter, stories and company.  I never tire of listening to my young people speculate about and plan for life.  How did everyone grow up so quickly?  

My son has become quite accomplished in the kitchen and produced a magnificent pumpkin soup (served in the scooped shell).  It was steamy warm, thick and absolutely delicious ~ hearty soup with mysterious herbs and spices....perhaps a hint of cajun.  It was a delightful surprise.  I always think of my family as forever young and as if I were not watching....they all grew up: honest, kind,  hard working and creative.  My life treasures!  That makes the quiet of the house seem 'ok'...the odd reward of a job completed.

a good place to read

Saturday my visiting family and I traveled up to Bainbridge Island.  My California kin were chilled to the bone by our damp cool Northwest weather but they warmed up quickly with a tasty meal at Winslow's and then we nourished our heart and souls by book browsing at the Eagle Harbor Book Co. across the street.  What a gem of a book store!  The interior is bright and warm with enough room to move around and yet see all that is new to read.  There are great selections along with little nooks to sit and read a bit. It is exactly what a book store should be ~ even has one section dedicated to the many authors that live on the Island....and I might add that is quite a number.  There are also some whimsical stocking stuffers arranged here and there through out the store.  If you find yourself in Seattle, hop on the ferry to Bainbridge and visit this neat little store.

Puddle and Leafs on the roof

"Man's real possession is his memory.  In nothing else is he rich.  In nothing else is he poor."

~ Alexander Smith

I was gazing out the window between classes. It is a moment between one group of learners and the next.  The staff and I had been chatting about communication in the face of a dementing illness.  From the window I could see wet leafs piled on the roof below.  It reminded me of the subject that so recently stimulated discussion...memory and and the mind struggling with clots of 'plagues and tangles'...of the frustration of the adult who knows she has something to say and can't find the word.  The reflection of the word ~ the memory of what she knows still a shadow in her mind, but she is unable to breech the mass of protein plague to let her care givers know what she needs or wants.   I am reminded that to think in abstraction is a gift of health.  To discuss 'communication' with a classroom full of people who want to understand is also a grace of health.  That I can look out the window and discern that it is a rainy wet day and that there is a puddle on the roof and leafs are piling up is a blessing of health.  It is all so simple and so complicated ~ at the same time.  It is moment when I feel the brush of the eternal.

Brenda's Photo Challenge: Ageless Bronze...

The bronze statue was recently installed in Enumclaw, Washington.  It is a tribute to the men and beasts of logging.  I thought the artist did a magnificent job of capturing a timeless memorial to the logging history of this part of the country!

You can almost feel the strain...








the snorting and panting

the sweat of man and oxen...

to get the days work done....

an old dog learns new tricks!

Have been teaching a course to care givers about caring for people with diseases that have dementia as a symptom (usually that's Alzheimer's disease but there are some 40 other diseases with that component).  Because there are so many who need the training and I wish to  1) not strip the units of staff and 2) not drive over time through the roof - decided to give the 8 hour training in 16 ~ 1/2 hour sessions.  It is soooo interesting to see how it is working.  It means stretching a course normally done in one long day or perhaps two 4 hour days into snippets.  The enthusiasm is higher among the participants.  People are actually amazed that time passes so quickly.  There is less time for questions but we manage to get a few in and no one stares off into space or falls asleep.  :-)  I'm betting I will see higher retention rates.  If individuals only retain 15 minutes worth of an hour lecture ~ so 25% retention, might these folks retain 50% or more with a half hour lecture?  The tricky part for me is to stop at the same spot for each session so people can get to the next part regardless of which day it is given.  Had to rewrite my entire course and put it all on index cards: part A on Mondays and Tuesday in 4 half hour sessions  and Part B on Wednesday and Thrusdays.  So far 42 people have attended class one with no over time and no short staffing on a care unit.  Pretty cool.  Will complete the entire course sometime in the beginning in Juanuary.  It will be so interesting to see the test results! Now my voice just has to hold up!

The Long Drive Continues...

The daily commute north continues.  112 miles a day.  Every day opens a new chapter in the 'what to repair today' book.  The fundamental problem with this work group is there is no "team".  Too many people for too long scrambling to get a job done but their effort was often incomplete or worse inaccurate.

“Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.”

Tom Barrett

We search for growth in the midst of messy  habits...people working without regard to outcome.  We ( the   administrative get it fixed team) externally impose order, reintroducing policy and procedure and  "best practice" concepts.  Which employees will survive this ~ it is not known yet.  First we need to get the focus back to what is in the best interest of the patient.  When they do that ~ everything else will fall into place.

 There is little time for my other life at the end of the day.  Home to a quick dinner, walk the dogs and fall into bed.

a 'sign' of life!

Joemma Beach State Park, Longbranch, Washington

the joy of old friends

I have loved the little Chickadee for many decades.  They are the hardiest of tiny souls.  All winter, even in the severe minus 30 and 40 below that the forests of New Hampshire can throw at human, beast and bird, these tiny creatures would show up in the yard and turn the bird feeder into a bustling train station.  Last night we had a frost.  This morning the new feeder finally had old friends visiting.  It is a simple joy.  Makes the new home in the Northwest feel like the old home in New England!

I am always amazed by the amount of energy they expend in seed gathering.  Chickadees do not linger at the feeder.  Each bird takes a seed and flys off to a branch to crack it open.  Then they make a bee line back to the feeder.  I suppose there is a life lesson here.

My parrot and love  bird are thrilled with the 'company' and as in New England have spent the morning chattering with the winged visitors just outside the window.

mid-autumn for a young tree

Washington's autumn seems suspended in time  or perhaps suspended between rain drops.    The process somehow drawn out in this mild, wet place.

tree moss soaks up rain

Ah November's endless rain ~ the various moss in trees are thriving:

November is Rain

"I think rain is as necessary to the mind as to vegetation.  My very thoughts become thirsty, and crave the moisture.  ~ John burrows

It is November.  Rain in November in Western Washington is ubiquitous.  This area averages 38 inches of rain a year.  The summer months are dry.  November is the VERY wet month.  The coast of western Washington is home to a rain forest.  The Cascade Mountain range forms a kind of barrier, those tall peaks create a rain shadow and keep  Eastern Washington arid.  The forest that surround us are lush and dense.  Trees seem to have shallow roots as many are ripped out of the ground in a strong wind.  The roots don't have to work very hard to bring nourishment to the rest of the tree.  Grass in western Washington is not drought  hardy in the summer.  Lawns turn yellow in summer but bounce back in the fall.  It is November and the gardener is still coming here every two weeks to trim. the lawn (bless him!).  That will cease in about another two weeks but resume in February.  When I lived in New Hampshire, my yard would be still be buried under feet of snow in February.

So what does all this rain do to a people?  I know many women are vitamin D deficient.  Is the rate of breast cancer higher in Washington because of that?  I also wonder if Seasonal Affective Disorder is high in this part of the country.  Seattle is home to famous coffee makers of the world ~ strong drink to ward off dampness.  What else?   Almost 7 million people live in Washington state.  60% of these folks live in the Seattle metropolitan area...60% of us are being rained on day and night in November. The mission is:  what does rain mean to so many rained on folks; how has it altered their lives or has it altered their lives?  What does rain do to the arts?  Does it change reading habits?  Recreational habits?  Work habits?

I  want to photograph rain as well as write about it. Explore rain so to speak...let the investigation begin.....

Moss and time

Moss in a moist environment is an amazing plant.  It makes a new home in a variety of places...even human clothing.  While exploring why trees would wear a thick coat of moss Google helped me find numerous articles about this tiny botanical wonder.  If it is of interest, here is one of the articles:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crypto/msg0811170823473.html

Organic Condo living

Naturally Green...

"All art, all education, can be merely a supplement to nature" ~ Aristotle

Unexpected Halloween guest!

A garden spider, who is not ready to call it "quits" for the season, is perched right next the pumpkin.  Perhaps it is it's way of saying "BOO!" to the ghosts and goblins in the neighborhood.

Nature Conspires to Create an Eerie Halloween!

Halloween creeps slowly towards us.  She has a co-conspirator...nature.  The winds are picking up speed and rush through the trees and scatters leafs.  There is an eerie cloudiness in the sky.  In two more nights goblins will once again rule the earth......

A view from the kitchen

"Work is a means of living, but it is not living." ~ J.G. Holland

So many leafs have fallen that I can see the Sound and University Place (a city adjacent to Tacoma).  Now occasionally I see my neighbors as the thicket that surrounds each of our homes thins.  After the isolation of my original Wildwood Retreat and the density of the Central Valley, the peace of this place with its now not so hidden neighborhood is soothing.  This will not be a final move though as this tranquil nook is too far from basic shopping needs (adds to the expense of living here) and my friends.  Still it will be pleasant to be here for a year or two.

Work absorbs most of my waking moments.  Have some small projects at home that need to be completed: heavy drapes across the wall of windows for the winter ~ to keep the cold air outside; organize personal files ... that sort of thing.  Am taking a history course and have promised myself to also learn Photoshop this winter.  But for now  much has been been put on hold in order to complete policy and procedures that have been requested.  And there is a course on understanding dementia that needs to be given and I must find all my notes and references and prepare the materials.  Many hours spent commuting and work after work (so to speak) conspire to eat up the days.  My usual habit of getting out on week ends to explore and photograph what I see has been disrupted.  That makes me a bit sad but it will all pass eventually.

Today the fence for the dog area must be expanded to provide a bit more running room for my canine friends.  I'm hoping the rain will hold off until a later this morning.  On that note time to get in some exercise, have breakfast, fix the fence, glance at the Sunday paper and then "work on work"...ready, set, go.....

The Long Drive Home

I am commuting  about 122 miles a day for the time being. It has also given me the opportunity to observe Autumn take a firm grip on the region.  We have so many pine trees here in the peninsula  that I wonder if the other leafs will be missed.  It is the beginning of the long rain.  It is a time when we will celebrate the 'partly sunny days'.  Last week or perhaps the week before that (days begin to merge when one spends so much time in the car) high winds blew in from the ocean and played in the bays and bounced off the mountains.  Not high enough to worry about yet.  That  comes later in the season.  The New Englander in me thought it was a normal drive home.  There is no time for an average life when one spends that much time in a car.  Time to learn though.  I can put books and courses in the cd player and listen to history or practice Spanish.  It helps clear my head and be fresh for the nursing staff I encounter each day,   We have so many pine trees here in the peninsula  that I wonder if the other leafs will be missed.  It is the beginning of the long rain.  It is a time when we will celebrate the 'partly sunny days'. 

Things that go BOOM in the night

Three A.M. on Sunday morning.   A loud cracking boom in the night filled with constant rain.  I thought it was thunder but I was so sleepy and forgot that this in the Northwest and not New England.  The western part of Washington rarely has thunder.  The power went out confirming my erroneous suspicion that it was thunder... somewhere....   4 AM and time to get up (had to go to work this past Sunday).  No power.  But houses down the street still had porch lights.  A call to the power company.  Only my house is reporting.  A truck arrives and then there are two.  I can hear the men discuss the problem out there in the dark.  I wait for enlightenment.  It comes after 6 AM.   A dead Madrona tree on the far corner of the property has fallen on the house.  It smashed the electric pole on the roof and took out the meter and other electrical things that connect to panel inside the house.  How amazing to have lived in the forests of New Hampshire all those years and tree filled yard in Boston and never have had a tree pay a personal visit with the roof.  The land lord said he would send someone around some time on Monday to check for structural damage...okay, better late than never.  The men from Peninsula Electric were gracious and kind.  I kept thinking how brave those workers were...dealing with electrical power on a raining pitch dark early hours morning.   It is now Monday and still raining.  No trees on the roof though.  Something to add to the gratitude list!

Brenda's Photo Challenge! byways and paths

"Whose woods these are I think I know....

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

 But I have promises to keep                                                          
 And miles to go before I sleep,

                                                                                

             And miles to go before I sleep."     ~ Robert Frost                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                    

The Rainy Season

Those of us who are weather watchers observed a day that was solidly cloudy all day yesterday.  Where, we wondered, was the partial sunny day that the folks on TV had so gleefully reported in the early hours of the morning?  We knew the remnants of a typhoon was circling back this way.  The rain is coming.  This morning it is here.  The beginning of a week long soaking.  High wind is the traveling companion.  Say good bye to the colorful leafs.  The organic gardener has arrived...pruning shears in hand.

My son, a grad student in California, tells me that there is much talk of flooding in his coastal town.  Poor parched California.  Her earth won't know what to do with a down pour of inches of moisture.  She will just roll in onto the homes and streets and turn hill sides in to mud slides.

The Green River Valley in this part of the world waits anxiously as the Rainy Season begins.  The dam at the head of the river is leaking.  The officials of the State are telling us that it is likely to give sometime this winter. Thousands of homes and their occupants are at risk.  The word Infrastructure leaps to mind.  Where oh where are the dollars to repair what needs repair?  Light bulbs do not last forever but we thinks dams will.  The official 'we' and the voting 'we' can be silly.  Sometimes our silliness and lack of planning lead to terrible problems.  Rain - a frequent and absolutely necessary element  on our precious earth may soon remind us of the need to plan.

We wait....

The Blush of Autumn

The week end slipped quietly by me.  Saturday was lost to exhaustion and much needed sleep.  Sunday was bright and beautiful.  Easy to photograph my little part of the world when the sun turns everything it touches to red, yellow and gold.  On Sunday afternoon I had lunch with a friend that I have not seen in 5 years.  She looks wonderful but life has not been gentle with her.  She is a resilient soul and no matter the sorrow piled on her door step ~ she continues to move forward.  We sat there slowly eating salads and sipping coffee, chatting about where life has taken each of us.  We've each moved, left failed relationships, watched children grow into adulthood, and struggled our struggles.  So much time has passed and yet so little has changed in the friendship.  Saying goodbye this afternoon I believe  we parted reconnected.  Friendship is precious, as golden as the power of autumn.

Sheltered places

There is a stewardship forest near the house. A few more photos of the spot are posted on the other blog, Romancing the Northwest.  Had a delightful walk through there the other day.  Someone left this 50 acre plot to be undeveloped.   It is managed by the state.  It provides a quiet stroll through some beautiful wet land forest.  I could hear chickadees calling their lonely winter song but I was unable to see them.  Perhaps they will come to a feeder this winter.  They are such brave tiny soldiers of the forest.  The walkway was also brimming with huckleberries. Ah if I were a cook... One of the information signs (posted throughout the walk) pointed out the names of vegetation...also stated that the island is home to white tail deer but I've seen no evidence of deer here.  I was unable to spot large animal game trails, droppings or denning up spots.  Left me wondering if the development of the Island has eliminated them.

The lottery continues to elude me so it is time to stop here, hop on the treadmill and then get ready for work. Peace and blessings on your day.

Sunday Musing

The clock is silently ticking as I sip the last few drops of the morning coffee and run the tasks of the day through my mind.  It is time to walk the dogs and run one errand...take the rent check to the post office.  There are two nature walks near by and I've yet to explore either~ the plan to is pick one and give it a bit of attention.  Time to get the camera and head out.  What color remains of summer as Autum settles in for her tenure?  What birds and insects hunt for their next meal on those pathways? Then there is a report to be written about a site visit from last week.  It needed my attention yesterday but I was sleepy and perhaps too lazy to attend to business.  The day of reckoning has arrived and duty demands my attention ~ alas, even on the week-end.

My friend and I have been discussing retirement.  We are the same age.  She is thinking that she will officially retire in 2010.  Although I yearn to do so, I know I can not.  The economic down turn devastated those plans and so I continue.  I am blessed with loving my profession and currently work for a great company so continuing to  work is not truly a hardship.  But retirement is a siren's song none the less.  It would be good to have time to work on photography and writing something other than reports, to sleep in or stay up late and not fret about the consequences.  I've been working for 45 years.  At some point enough is enough.  I think I will be just a little envious if she really retires as she currently plans.

It is just a bit chilly here this morning.  The house is heated by electric wall units in each room.  This morning I   put the electric space heater (carried all the way from the original Wild Woods) in the office.  The wall unit in here makes the room too hot.  A wood stove (yes, I am mindful of the pollution) would be nice this morning. Funny the things I sometimes miss that aspect of my life in New England.  Wood stoves are so much work but I  miss the heat, the crackle, the aroma and even the rhythm of stacking wood.

Time to get on with the day.

Brenda's Photo Challenge! Pets

The Old Man

     Trouble

the Dominatrix

Rebel (The Old Man) is a 12 year old Red Bone Coon Hound.  He is a Southern Gentleman who is the most gentle and tender companion in the world.  Trouble (Tye) is a nick name for the lab mix in the pack who is a forever two year old and always up to mischief. He is playful and loving but a more than a handful when he creates his own recreational fun.  He is my constant reminder of the value of exercise for dogs.  I have a treadmill now for Tye and WR.  :)  The Dominatrix (Coco) is a two year old rescue who loves her pack but thinks she is the alpha in all things (the 'everything I see is mine' syndrome). Don't be deceived by deer-in-the-headlights look.  She loves Mom but is a terror with other animals.  However, she makes exceptions for Tye as they seem to have become best of friends...for better or for worse.  They have perfected 'coursing' through the house without breaking anything ~ ah, the joy of small blessings!

The Calm of Tuesday

Monday came quietly and disappeared in a gust of wind and rain.  This morning brings a dark quiet as well and more rain.  It is Fall in the NorthWest.  It is peaceful here on the Island.  The peace has lulled me into a state of complacency when it come to writing.  Have to find my rhythm here.  Am feeling daunted by the blank screen...odd but true.  

Saturday

Early morning.  Warm coffee.  The scent of Fall in the air.  This is a good life.  We are blessed to be safe, warm and fed.

Wishing my blogosphere friends a peaceful and restful week-end.

a boat....

a boat , a boat, my kingdom for a boat (forgive me Shakespeare) -