Nearing the end of another year

Early this morning.

Walking.  I am listening to a deeper way.  Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me.  Be still, they say.  Watch and listen.  You are the result of the love of thousands.

~ Linda Hogan

Beautiful sky.

M and I are home, on a brief hiatus from traveling.  The day has been spent doing laundry, repacking for the next round of travel, and getting the house ready for the house-sitter.

Foggy, frosty morning.

We had a lovely visit with M’s family up in Pennsylvania on Christmas day.  Gifts were exchanged, tasty food was eaten, and there was a lot of laughter and good conversation as we got caught up with one another.

Dreaming in pinks and blues.

I woke up early this morning and went for a walk as the sun was coming up.  The colors in the sky were incredibly beautiful.  Off to the west, what sounded like thousands of geese were honking.  There were gunshots, too.  I’m not sure what season it is for hunting.  Some sort of waterfowl since the sounds were coming from the direction of the creeks, rivers, and bay.

Frost in the myrtles.

The air was cold and slightly damp.  There was a layer of frost covering the plants in the meadows.

When goldenrod becomes purple.

Not only are there before and after, but there are also beginnings and returns.  Not only is there the creation of the humans, formed of corn or clay, with a breath of wind or a god, but there are mythic destinies.  Sometimes myth is formed by the body and what happens to it, especially in the realm of pain, depth, and birth.  Phantoms of generations past are in our bodies.  These explain us to ourselves.

~ Linda Hogan

Frozen in time.

As I walked this morning, I wondered about the people who have walked here before me.  I wondered about the beginning of time in the meadows.  It was that kind of morning, where the mind wonders as the feet wander.

A twinkle here and there.

After my walk, I hung laundry on the line to dry.  It was an optimistic thing to do.  The day is sunny and clear, but the clothesline doesn’t get much sun in the winter months and there is very little wind today to help things along.  I’ll know by the time this post goes out if the line drying was a successful venture or if I’ll have to throw it all in the dryer.  It should be mostly dry so dryer time won’t be too long.

Growing lighter.

M and I are meeting up with our granddaughters and their parents tomorrow.  I can’t tell you the where and what of it right now.  When we return I’ll have plenty of time for showing and telling.  I am looking forward to seeing them, with anticipation rather than expectation.  (Thank you, Eric, for teaching me that.)

Frosted grass.

We will also be going out to the old homestead for a few days where we’ll have yet another Christmas celebration.  It’s fun to be able to have all these different celebrations.  Each one brings something different to the season.  Different people, sometimes different traditions, or at least a mix of old and new traditions.

Sunrise colors in the frosty meadow.

I’d better get moving along and finish up the repacking of the suitcases.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope your holidays have been joyful, filled with love, laughter, warmth, and light.  I am going to run out to the dock to watch the sunset.  I might not have a lot of time, but it seems a shame to miss it while I’m here.  Meet you out there.  Sunset is now at 4:50 PM.  We’ll need to be there about twenty minutes early in order to catch the sun before it slips down below the trees on the horizon.  It’s not too cold today (in the 50’s), but you’ll want a coat, hat, and gloves once the sun goes down.  The temperature drops pretty quickly.

Holiday lights in the meadow.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂  I’ll be back next year unless I get a quiet moment or two and an internet connection in the next week or so.

Today’s joys:  The beautiful colors at sunrise; the sparkling lights in the meadows; the call of the geese, inviting us to go adventuring with them; fog and frost, ice and sunbeams; a bird in the backyard who sounds a lot like a monkey laughing (it made me laugh to hear it).

Landing.