Sunday, December 27, 2020

This Year

 2020 has been a really great year. I don't care about what other people say with all their downer comments on this year. I saw God work through so many things to bring about His purposes in my life, and I'm just thankful. I've grown a lot this year. 

Well, here are my favorite pictures, one from each month.


January
Winter Joys


February
Shining Bright


March
Safe and Sound


April
Alive Again


May
My favorite person in the world.


June
Play Time


July
Happiness


August
Broken


September
Table for Two


October
The Little Snapper


November
Autumn Blossom


December
Cowgirl in Her Blood




Peace out, 2020!


















Saturday, December 26, 2020

Christmas Day




Our shaggy, cute little Christmas tree. 

Pasca is pretty much the best stuff. 

Standin' by da fire to keep warm.

My style is amazing.

But Lydia's is actually amazing. 

Bethany could actually be a real cowgirl.

There's really nothin' like a bathroom selfie. 

But this picture is legit.

Wow.

Now THAT's a wowzo!

She was really rockin' that cowboy hat.

Uh-huh


Well, that's all for today, folks! See ya soon. 




















Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Last Goodbye

 The last time I said goodbye

There was a rainbow in the sky

There was not yet a tear in my eye

For I did not know you were to die

The last time I said goodbye.




Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Evening Glow

 The sun dips down into the hills around 5 these days. The other hills glow yellow, and I always loved it. I like evening sun, even when there are no bright colors. The simple golden yellow is good enough for me. 


You've probably seen a picture like this, but believe it or not, I took this one just a few minutes ago.

Hanging out the window into the cold. 

That grayishness between the darker brown and lighter cream is the very distant hill. You used to be able to see it a lot better, but our trees have grown up so much. 

All that sunniness. 

Light and shadow and CURTAINS! I don't know why, but I really love curtains in sun.

My overgrown plant is also nice in evening sun.



Soft shadows. 


And that's all for tonight, friends. 


👀


Monday, December 14, 2020

Leaves

 



The leaves flare up and the sun goes down

The sky turns blue and the trees are brown

A smile floats on the crisp silver breeze

Blows down the leaves and thunders through the trees.




Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Morning

 


Morning glow and shadows
Darkness and light
Morning sun in meadows
Blackness and white

Monday, December 7, 2020

Facts

It snowed today.

Cold makes me kind of achy and my throat hurt. 

I'm not sick.

Hot tea is good, especially with milk.

Driving and talking on the phone is sometimes tedious. Not exactly recommended.

I have a lot of good friends.

Glasses are nice things to have when your eyes are bad. 

I like Kate, the dog. She is nice and very beautiful.

I don't care for Kate's dog friend, Rosie. She is scared of me and kind of annoying.

I like when the sun comes out.

Bratty kids aren't very fun.

Kids that hug me make me happy.

Cold weather is refreshing.

I like talking on the phone with you. 

Colorful, handmade shawls can be very nice and warm in the winter.

I start a new job this week, and I'm pretty happy about it.

The picture below is from about a year ago, but it pretty much shows what I'm doing and where I am write now.

I noticed I spelled "right" wrong above, but decided to keep it like that. Hah!

And, finally, you're right: that was a boring post.






Wednesday, December 2, 2020

The Sunset is Gray (A Poem)

 










The sunset is gray

The clouds hide the sun

The close of a day

All work is over and done.


The colors slowly fade

Covering the glory You made

Night comes in so slow

Covering the woods and mow.


Here come the crickets

Soft in the thickets

But the sunset is gray

With no color display.


The sunset of my soul

Dips down in that black hole

No colors splashing through

Because I'm missing you.





Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Knives and Big Boys

*I was kind of a dumb 16 year-old. Dumb on a number of levels, but one was that I had no fear of people. No fear whatsoever, not even the healthy fear of a couple of gang members out at dusk while I was alone. I just didn't care. I saw them as people, as potential friends. I suppose that kind of courage did get me new friends, but it also put me in rather dangerous situations. 

That particular evening, I was out for a ride on my bike down Henry Street. It was the usual honking horns, old men joking with each other on door-steps, and families out for a stroll. Nothing unordinary. Things felt safe (not that I had a category for unsafe). Life was good. 

By the old, run-down park, I noticed these young dudes sitting on the curb, laughing and smoking. I rode up to them, jumped off my bike, and smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

"Mind? Haha!" They laughed. "Who'd mind a pretty little girl like you joinin' them for a smoke?"

I plopped myself down and started talking and asking all the life questions. 

One of them, the bigger one that I sat right next to, finally stated, "I'm surprised a little white girl like you ain't scared of us big boys."

"I ain't scared o' nothin'." I smiled. 

"Nothing?" The "big boy" asked with a smirk. "Ever seen a knife before?"

Suddenly, it dawned on me that the sky was growing darker, the other happy noises were dying down,  and we happened to be in a more secluded part of the park. I decided for some reason that I didn't want to die that night. 

"Oh, yeah! I know all about knives. Dude, I should show you mine. I gotta bunch right over here in my back-pack. I use different ones for different occasions," I explained as I stood up and looked at them with fire in my eyes but a sparkle in my smile. "Wanna see?"

It was strange how quickly those "big boys" changed. The biggest of them stood up. 

"I keep my switchblade right here in my pocket," I said as I stuffed my hand in. "It's my pride and joy."

But instead of coming closer, the big boy was backing up. "Yeah, so we gonna be on our way, lady. Maybe see your knives another time?"

The whole kitten-caboodle of them got up and cautiously made their exit. 

I pulled my hand out of my pocket and smiled at my little Swiss Army pocket knife.



From that day on, there were at least two things I realized: Sometimes life isn't too safe, and, apparently, men are scared of women with lots of knives. Eventually I did keep a few real knives with me. Just in case. 



*This story is purely fictional, just in case you hadn't noticed.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Shore was Fun!

 We went to the shore in NJ where Grandma has a house on an island. We had a good time. I hadn't been to the shore since 3 years ago when I was a freshman in college, so it was kind of a big deal for me.


One of Great-grandma Clearwater's paintings. 

Lydia being boring.

Bethany being cool. Lydia actually looked cool, too.

Another of Great-grandma's paintings.

The gray ocean



My feet were happy about this situation.



You know that old blessing or saying that says, "May the wind be at your back" or something? Well, I for one, kind of like when the wind is in my face; otherwise, my hair gets all in my face, and that's bad. 


This is a very calm picture.


My favorite houses on the island are the old cute ones. I do not like the new, monstrous ugly ones. 

That's our uncle's house.

I missed the sunrise, but it was still pretty. 


Boats and birds




I really liked those two pictures 

The path of the sun

I think it's cool how you can see that spot of light out there in the ocean.

A common sight on the beach.

A less common sight. Haha! Most people don't get their vehicles stuck in the sand, but these guys were among the unlucky number. 

The road back home.


👀