~~~Gratitude~~~ Quiet

 In the small hours after midnight

when things are still and calm

dreams float in the meadow

and the moon drifts o'er the farm

A. Curran

 This quote came to me via a greeting card years ago.  I keep it in my bedroom and especially enjoy it  in the late (early) dark hours of winter.  Winter is not my time to hibernate.  I tend to stay up later and later until it becomes early during this season of darkness.  I need less sleep now that I don't hit the pillow exhausted from my garden work.  More time to read, create, and be.  Just BEing in the quiet is my favorite thing to "do".  Like looking out the window into the world of dark & light or having time to really be aware of the contrasts of the cold outside and warmth by the fire.  Winter is my time of rejuvenation.  I am like an child waiting for Santa to arrive but, my gift is simply winter.   

This reluctant shopper has finally decided to buy her new computer this week.  No more research, thinking, hoping for the sale of the century, procrastinating  because I don't like to spend.  Time to accept that this computer has reached its end....nothing last forever...especially Winter...the best time for me to become comfortable with a new machine.  THEN I hope to be back to regular blogging.  I have new ideas and new directions in mind.  Until ~ SOON!

Hope you are finding time to enjoy this season simply because it is.  

Well wishes of relaxation!

 

~~~

It is my intention, each week, to share something that fills me with Gratitude. 

I write ~~~Gratitude~~~ with the wavy lines to represent the gratitude ENERGY~~~~~! 

I hope you will join me and share your moments of Gratitude. 

~~~Amen, Blessed Be, Namaste'~~

~~Gratitude~~~ SABBATICAL

Winter is back! A bit of snow and an Arctic blast is on its way!  I had been getting "anxious" that winter was going by too quickly!  I was born under the Capricorn Sun and I am a creature of winter.  I NEED winter.  Winter is when I reset my soul before the real flurry of activities begin~~~Spring!  I feel a desire to go inward. I wish to create and finish some art.  I long for some time at my looms weaving my mind quiet.   So I am going to take the next 2 weeks and go into a quieter place.  Not complete silence just muffled.  I want to enjoy the hush that winter snow provides.  I might even sit some moments and do nothing!  

I have an extra blessing in the fact that our television is broken.  We do not intend to replace it right away (I could possibly go with never...we'll see?)  So broken television got me to thinking what else can I do to have more stillness??  I decided to take a 2 week break from blogging.  I love this "place" but I put a lot of energy towards thinking about what I will create here.  I want to think less for just a bit.  BUT, I will be back on February 2!

I am so very grateful for all the folks who take the time to read these tidbits of my life.  It is a wonderful way to keep my family involved in my life, thoughts, & happenings.  Still it amazes me when I check my blogger stats to see folks from all around the world that are tuning into my musings.  

This weeks Stats!

United States	213
United Kingdom	29
Norway	23
Germany	13
Russia	11
Indonesia	3
China	2
Australia	1
Italy	1
Mozambique	1

I will leave you for a bit with some Runa Winter Joy!

~~~PEACE~~~

It is my intention, each Sunday, to share something that fills me with Gratitude. 

I write ~~~Gratitude~~~ with the wavy lines to represent the gratitude ENERGY~~~~~! 

I hope you will join me and share your gratitude moments. 

~~~Amen, Blessed Be, Namaste'~~~

Storms Coming!

My World Today

When I hear Ice Storm Coming I go into high gear!  All day today I have been making preparations.  I have been filling up water containers, doing all the laundry, filling the bathtub with water, and generally battening down the hatches.  I have a heightened awareness ever since the Great Ice Storm of January 1998.  We were here.  We lost power for 12 days and the phone was down for 4.  This was back in the day before widespread cell phones.  It would have been longer with the phone but my husband connected the wire that was lying on the ground with a couple of wire nuts and electrical tape...he is so handy!

The first 4 days of the storm in 98 I was home alone with my then 3 year old son.  My husband was out of town for his work.  I was pretty well off with wood heat and I had luckily left the bathtub full of water so I could flush.  But there were some lessons learned.  We now have a generator and we keep a supply of bottled water on hand.  We have more solar powered lights, a crank radio, and liquid paraffin for lanterns....better than kerosene!

Back in 98 I had my freezer in the cellar.  Now its in the unheated breezeway.  1997 was the first year we had raised our own chickens for meat.  I was going to loses them all to thawing if I didn't do something.  So I hauled them all out of the dark cellar to outside but near the house.  Then I broke a hole in the ice to access water from our pond.  I dipped heavy blankets into the fridge water and encapsulated the chickens with the wet blankets.  Luckily the temperatures dipped into the single digits so the water logged blankets froze and my chickens were saved! 

It was tough going all those days without power but there were some wonderful parts too.  I live in a "neighborhood" that is pretty spread out, about 5 families within walking distance.  As a rule we all keep to ourselves and like it like that.  But during the power outage we all checked on each other, share food, and one gal walked over a mile to a friend's house that had phone service and called out to let folks know we were all ok.  We had some of the best sledding ever on that ice.  Our 3 year old son took it all in stride.

I happened to have been reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens before the storm hit.  It was kind of cool to finish the book by lamp light thinking about how he must have written the book under similar conditions.

So MAYBE we will lose power tonight.  MAYBE we won't have it for days.  We are ready.  But you might not hear from me for awhile if that happens.  

Here are some photos from 1998 to enjoy!

The Boyo could ride his scooter right on top of the Ice!

We collected Icicles to melt for cleaning water!

Cutie in a makeshift tubby!

More Fun with ICE!

Beauty