Shadows

Quite a quick and hasty post, I'm afraid.  

And, as you all know...I am a woman of few words.

I realize that I've shown this same picture of Annie numerous times, especially lately; but the truth is, I just love this shot.  My darling girl was never happier than when we were at the beach.  Truly a momma's girl.  

Annie and her shadow.

 Ruby snooping around under the docks, among the shadows.

 Me and my shadow forcing the ever-busy Miss Ruby to be still for a picture.

 The beautiful shadows of dusk over the Pacific Ocean.

Forest shadows where the fairies frolic and play.

A different kind of Shadow...dear to our heart.

I do hope you're enjoying this beautiful Easter weekend.  My wishes to everyone for a very Happy Sabbath!

Happy April!!
Until tomorrow...

Inspiration...

and where we find it.  It's likely different for everyone.  Maybe there are those of you confident enough that you don't need it.  But likely, most of us will benefit from a little inspiration in our lives.  

I know I certainly do.

Where do you find your inspiration?  Do you read books?  Do you pray?  Do you seek guidance from a counselor, or a dear friend?  Yoga, a hike in nature?  Maybe you call your mom...ask Dad!  There are so many places we can seek, and find inspiration to enhance our daily walk.

For me, there are many places where I draw inspiration for my life.  

But without a doubt, the first place I'll look is in God's Holy Word.  For I believe that every single thing we could ever need to know about life is in there.  There are so many beautiful, inspiring, loving words for us if we would only take the time to look.  We're told that we would live enriched, more fulfilled lives if we would spend some time, daily with God, reading His Word.  I believe that with all my heart.  And if we commit to doing just that, we're placing His words into our hearts, into our minds, which directly influences our actions.  It's God's way of controlling the life in our bodies, through the heart, into the mind.  Just what Ray Hunt used to tell us about working with horses..."we control the life in their body, through their minds and to their feet".  That's how we direct an animal that's bigger, quicker and much more powerful than we are, and let's not forget - a mind of their own.   Life and horsemanship.  It's all the same.  Specifically, good horsemanship that is.  :)  

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose".  Romans 8:28

"When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you".  Isaiah 43:2

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure".  Hebrews 6:19

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it".  1 Timothy 6:6-7

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him".  1 Corinthians 2:9  

"Do everything in love".  1 Corinthians 16:14

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".  Amen?
2 Corinthians 12:9

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace".  Ephesians 4:2-3
(one I've always struggled with - the patience and bearing with one another part)

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things".  Philippians 4:8

"Pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.  Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's body.  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".  Prov.4:20-23

And so many more...

Another great source of inspiration for me is found in nature.  Getting away from life's obligations, stresses, phones, tv's and all the rest; and finding peace and solitude in the beauty of our world.  A walk in the woods is like salve to my soul.  I always feel refreshed and so much more at peace than before I'd gone.  And again, I believe that everything in our world was created by our loving God.  God's artistry is unmatched and is there for our enjoyment.  How can we not feel loved and joyous spending time in nature?  These are gifts for all of us!  Chicken soup for the soul, our life.  Inspiration is found in the mountains, near the ocean, a mountain stream, watching wildlife...it's all good and beautiful, and it's there for our pleasure.

And of course, for me inspiration and true peace and bone-deep contentment is found in time spent with my horses.  Without a doubt, they are the best therapist ever, for me.  I can have a truly terrible day, be stressed out or depressed and at my wit's end - and within a few minutes in their presence, I am lifted up out of myself, my troubles put into perspective and I feel like everything will be okay.  I love to bury my nose deep into their necks, and breathe deeply that wonderful horse smell.  There just isn't anything like it! They are like giant sponges that suck out anything negative or bad, and replace those feelings with a profoundly deep sense of well-being, contentment, peace, joy and balance.  For me, these magnificent animals are our greatest gift ever!  If I am to be completely honest here, being the true animal lover that I am - I experience these feelings to some degree in the presence of pretty much all animals.  I don't know how to explain it, but animals just put me at such ease.  And we all know that life is just better with a dog!!  Right?  Or two...

"Once you have loved a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished."  Truth.

Inspiration comes from spending time with loved ones and good friends who love you and have your best interests at heart.  For me, these kinds of friends are few and far between.  But they are so very dear and loved and appreciated.  Good friends will tell you the truth, even though at times, it may hurt.  People have all sorts of perspectives, opinions, unique thoughts and ideas.  When they share these things from their heart, you just never know what might come of it.  In so many cases, if we would only listen more than we would speak, oh what treasures we might glean!  Being the "chatty cathy" that I am - this is another challenge.  

"Never ignore someone who cares for you because someday you'll realize you've lost a diamond while you were busy collecting stones".  Sound familiar anyone?  

And finally, this little gem...

"At the end of the day you can either focus on what's tearing you apart or what's holding you together".  Once again, it's all about our perspective.  

Happy April!!!
I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful "Good Friday" and a lovely Easter.  I hope each and everyone of you will ponder within your own hearts, just what we celebrate on this holiday.  The Greatest Gift of all time...

Until tomorrow,  
Lorie

Favorite Flowers

You've heard it said that "April showers bring May flowers", right?  We all have, I'm sure.  Well...I'm thinking that we're going to have more than our fair share of flowers in May then, cause baby have we got the showers!  With less snow pack in our mountains than in, maybe ever, I just keep telling myself that the rain is a blessing.  

In the Willamette Valley of NW Oregon, we're known for our temperate climate, year round.  This year so far, has been one for the record books.  We've been much warmer, much drier and just so mellow that people have been saying this was the year of no winter.  I'm in agreement with those folks because it was absolutely painless, effortless other than a bit of mud.  We certainly can't complain, especially when I hear about what so many others have been dealing with.  I just keep wondering what the bug situation might be this summer though...nothing in life's ever perfect is it?  

Come what may, we'll just take it one day at a time.  

April is full of flowers too.  Everywhere I look there are trees in bud, trees leafing out, beautiful bulbs blooming, birds singing...sigh, spring is just glorious!

So what better topic of the day than flowers.  Some of my favorites.  And, there are many.  Oh, so many!  It's rather difficult to decide just which ones are favored over others.  They're all beautiful, unique and so lovely to behold; and smell!  It's astounding really, when you start to look around at all the color and the beauty there for the enjoyment of all.  

Last night I wandered around my yard and took a few shots of what's currently in bloom in my own back yard.  For others, I had to search my archives because they're still sleeping.  

Well, here goes!!

 

Lilacs...my sweet momma's favorite flower.  

Do you recall that I've always said that my dear Annie was perfect?  

Well...this reminds me of one tiny infraction when she was a puppy.  

I used to have a gorgeous, deep purple lilac in my yard.

That is all I have to say about that.

These are blooming in my yard right now.  The bleeding heart.  So dainty!

This is my white lilac in my back yard.  Such a heavenly scent.

And these lovelies...well, these are Annie's flowers.  Whenever I would pick a flower and bring it to my nose, she would always want to smell them too.  :)  She was such a beautiful soul.  

Hyacinth, primrose and violas are all among my favorites. 

 The rain has battered these as you can see.

Pear trees in bloom...I just think they're so very pretty.

And their fruit is pretty good too!

Daphne Odora...was there ever a more intoxicating scent?  Unfortunately, it's on its' way out until next year.  

And quite possibly my most favorite of all, at least that grows in my yard is the wild rose.

There are actually 2 varieties, but only one is pictured.  The scent is indescribable, but I'll try...spicy, sweet, potent and just out of this world delightful.  

 

I'm afraid I don't know what all of these are, but petunias definitely are one of my favorite summer plantings.  They are hardy, spreading and come in every color imaginable.  So pretty!!  I think those others might be zinnias, or are they asters?

Aster or variety of Chrysanthemum?  Either way, they're lovely.

No summer garden is complete without the happiest flower of them all.

The Sunflower.

The tulip.  Aahh, what else can you say about tulips except they are just enchanting.

In my yard, I have deep red and an even darker purple in bloom.

I know I've said that I spend all too much time with my head in the clouds, daydreaming about "someday".  But, when I'm retired and my time is finally my own, I hope to do a lot more gardening.  I would just love having a garden reminiscent of an old English garden, with flowers of all types, colors and scents growing haphazardly everywhere!  Can't you just picture it?  Knowing me, they'd have to be of the hardy type though.  Sometimes I forget to water on a regular basis.  :)

Nobody's perfect.

Happy April all!!

Until tomorrow, Lorie

My morning view

March breezed in and flew out with so much speed I can hardly remember it at all.  For me, it's pretty much a blur.  We started out in un-typical fashion, warmer and drier than ever.  Warmest March on record.  A repeat of February.  However, now that spring is officially here, we're cooler and wetter.  March left us in a rather blustery fashion; much cooler temps of 50's, showers and a bit of a wind.  I can hardly believe that April is here.  Seriously, where did March go?  *sigh*  

So, here we are on April 1st, typically "April Fools Day", a day synonymous with playing pranks and mischievous behavior.  For me, I'm choosing to participate in a "blog a day" challenge for the entire month of April.  Each day will have a theme of its' own, and hopefully, it will be an exercise in living in the moment.  Being aware of each day as wholly unique, and generally just paying attention to my surroundings.  For me, it will be difficult to accomplish, but I'm willing to try.  I have no computer and no internet service at home.  If things get busy at the clinic, I will be challenged to post pictures and writing every day, but here goes nothing: 

April 1 - "My morning view" 

In no particular order...

 Sunrise from our deck overlooking our backyard.  

 One of our two cats squalling for their breakfast.  This is Patch, and he's especially good at making his wishes known.  Sorry for the blurry picture...I'd just tripped over my own feet.  

 View of our present living room situation, after I'm awake, showered and bed made.  Yes, we're still sleeping in the living room as our bedroom project has been placed on hold temporarily whilst my hubby is working full-time again for a while.   

 Horses are always a part of my morning view.  I can hardly recall a time in my life when horses haven't been a big part of my world.  That is a good thing.  A very good thing.  :)

 This is what I almost always find after showering and heading upstairs to get dressed for my day.  Ruby has stolen the precise spot where I'd been sleeping.  You know, while it's still warm...rotten dog.  

Ruby's spot when she's ready for morning potty break...we're both so predictable.  

 My view looking out my kitchen window or the front porch.  Facing northward across the filbert orchard and towards the familiar "twin oaks".  This morning was wet, cold and foggy.  Spring has arrived.  

 Looking out into my backyard, facing South.  As you can see, our bushes and trees are in either full bloom or already leafed out by now.  And the grass...oh good grief, the grass! It's growing so fast you can almost watch it get taller.  It was a hasty mow job the other night to beat the rain, otherwise we were going to have to hire someone with a scythe to cut it.  

 And here's Harley; who just moments before had his head and most of his neck reaching through the fence to eat the "better grass on the other side".  I had to put blankets on 3 of our 6 horses today.  Hardly did that all winter.  

 It's routine for me to do a final check on our ponies before heading off to work.  This is Shad, and looking eastward towards the neighbor's field and their horses.  Still foggy and grey...

 A few of our neighbor's horses.  They run an equine rescue and routinely have 30-40 head of horses on their property.  I always include them in my morning prayer for protection before leaving for the day.  :)  

 I'm not sure how I'll like the change in my view when these trees are fully grown.  It will definitely be different from now.  I think we're going to feel much more closed in than we do now.  

 The beautiful flowering cherry tree.  One of my all-time favorite spring blooming trees.  Love those clusters of pink flowers!  Just beautiful.  

Well, that's my morning view.  Feel free to join in.  I'd be happy to share my list of topics, or you could come up with your own.  Whatever floats your boat!

Happy April my friends!!
Until tomorrow, blessings to you all...Lorie