Solitude, Silence, Time to Think

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

Quietude, the new in word.  For some time I have wanted to write a blog about Quietude.  When Bob and I were in Florida this past winter visiting with our friends the Bauers, we were sitting out on their screened in back porch having morning coffee and reading the Tampa Bay Times.  The Perspective by Pico Iyer was dedicated to Quietude.  It seems people are now paying up to $2,285 a night at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur just to have quietude.  According to the author the future of travel lies in "black-hole resorts".  Places where people go to escape all technology,  Just think no tv, no computer, no cell phone - no busy busy traffic - just silence, reflection, and relaxation.

Maybe Thoreau was ahead of his time.  "The man whose horse trots a mile a minute does not carry the most important messages."   He also noted that we have more and more ways to communicate but less and less to say.   Blaise Pascal wrote, "Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries."

We certainly live in a distracting world.  We are constantly bombarded with noise or information of some sort - from TV's, Radios, Computers, iphones, ipads, traffic, trains, planes, cars, trucks, motors of all kinds, and the list could go on and on.  I can see why black-hole resorts are in demand.  In a way it seems like we have gotten addicted to the noise of life - maybe the noise does allow us to hide from what we consider to be our life problems.  (I tend to think our problems are few when compared to the rest of the world).

Have you noticed how many people are walking/running around listening to their music on their ipods?  Of course, in cities/towns where noise can be overwhelming, the music might be much more relaxing, sort of like a mini black hole with noise.  Few people really have the option of listening to quiet and many people are probably afraid to listen to quiet.  I am sure Daily Devotions and Prayer are the quietest time of day for many.  When you think about it - you can see why meditation is so important to many people.  Our minds need time to relax and absorb.   I often think about Simon and Garfunkle's song, "The sound of silence".  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCNwgzM2rQ&feature=related

Sounds of Silence

Wind blowing through the trees
Wind chimes
Deer hoofs on dry leaves
Bird songs
Bird wings in flight
Bob breathing
Sigmund chasing unknowns in his sleep
Children laughing
Squirrels scurrying about in the woods
Insects buzzing
Roosters crowing
Chickens clucking
Animals voices
Thunder
Trees Falling
Ocean Waves
Rain, Sleet, Hail
Water


Photos of Silence

Clouds
Grass Growing
Flowers
Green
Blue
Brown
Butterfly Wings
Sunshine, Sunrises, Sunsets
Stars
Moon
Rainbows
Lightening Bolts
Snow
Fruit Ripening
Rocks, Mountains, Trees, Desert
Prayer

May you have time for moments of Quietude for they are the best of times..

Signs of Early Spring

Good Morning my coffee friends.  It is another warm morning for Boone in March - 55 degrees.  Wow, can you believe this warm temp. breaking weather we are having.  We are enjoying it very much.  Spring is certainly in the air.

-The grass is green and growing quickly
-Dandelions are blooming
-Daffodils are in full bloom
-Fruit trees are budding and blooming (unfortunately this is still Boone and the fruit will probably be killed with late freezes)
-Regular trees are budding - you can see a soft green beginning to touch the distant mountains
-The cattle for the pasture behind our house arrived yesterday..
-Frogs are croaking and hopping about
-The snapping turtles are crawling out of the ponds
-The fish are already eating food
-Migrating Canada Geese and various ducks have come by our pond for  a rest (we feed then corn)
-Robins are everywhere looking for that choice worm
-Sigmund and I are enjoying our walks of about two miles morning and evening

Spring is such a wonderful time of the year.  I think the greens of spring are some of the prettiest colors ever.

We may go hike Elk Knob today.  It is such a lovely state park and I try to take Sigmund once a year and hike it.  Some of our campers hike it routinely when they are here.

 Tonight I am going to one of our neighbors farms to buy some grass fed ground beef.  It is at least 90 percent lean and we know its history.  I am going to try and buy all of our beef locally - chestnutgrovefarms.net - check them out on the internet - they are only a couple of miles from us - Sigmund and I walk by their farm most every day.  Their prices are very competitive with the grocery store meat prices.  Grass fed beef taste wonderful.  Some of this stuff on the news about pink slime and seeing the photos from slaughter houses/feed lots is not very appetizing.  I would rather know the source of my meat and this way I am watching it  grow on the farm before they take it to a local slaughter house to be processed and then sold at Farmer's Markets and local groceries.

Well it is time to think about something to eat.  You all take care and have a wonderful day...

Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow - the sun just peeked its smiling red face over the mountain top - so beautiful - What a DAY!!

Daffodils Just For You!!

Daffodils are my favorite flower, Pansies would be second in line - Hope you enjoy this poem...

Daffodils by William Wordsworth

I wander'd lonely as as a cloud

    That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

    A host of golden daffodils,

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

    And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

    Along the margin of the bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

    Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: --

A poet could not but be gay

    In such a jocund company!

I gazed, and gazed, but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.

For oft, when on my couch I lie

    In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

    Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Wind Chimes

As I walked into our sun room this morning, coffee cup in hand, the first thing I heard was the wind chime.  At 5:30 it was still dark outside so this beautiful sound told me ah - the wind is blowing so I checked the temp and discovered it was almost 40 degrees - already on its way to 50 something for the day.  Another beautiful day in paradise.  We still have snow around our house, one of the benefits of living on the north side where we do not get as much sunshine.  The snow on the south side - the campground side of the road has melted.  The advantage of this is that our house is cooler in the summer.

I am sure the birds will be out in full force this morning when daylight arrives.  Maybe all five or our grey squirrels will show up for the free sunflower seeds.  I also sneak a few peanuts in the squirrel feeder for a treat.  No, I do not spoil my animals.  Speaking of spoiled animals, we have finally found a treat that Sigmund dearly loves.  As you know he is not a big eater and I am always delighted when he likes something.  One of our friends in Florida introduced Sigmund to these treats - I would never have thought he would like them.  They are yams wrapped in chicken/duck etc.  He chases me down for them.  He has this great trick that one of our other friends taught him.  He will sit and stay while you hide his treat somewhere in the house and then he will go find it.  He has a great nose so it does not take him long to smell it out.  Then of course he has to have a second treat as a reward for finding the first one....:)

Bob is already fixing his breakfast.  Both of us woke up early this morning but I am not quiet ready to eat.  Anyway we hope you have a wonderful day at your house.

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Good Morning!

What a beautiful morning it is on the mountain top.  It is about 30 degrees, three inches of snow, wind chimes singing in the morning breeze, birds at all the feeders, squirrels out attacking the sunflower seed feeders with great gusto.  Did I mention a little snow blowing around.  Birds drinking at the heated water fountain.  Sigmund sitting beside me, Sigmund wanting to go outside for a bathroom break and scare everything away.  Here he comes back.  He is such a good doggie.  A hot cup of creamed coffee and and wonderful smells filling the house from a crock pot full of bean soup.  Yes, God's rich blessing surround us.

Today, I think we are staying in and I am continuing onward with office filing, cleaning - it will be in such good shape by the end of the day I will not know how to act.  I will put on the winter clothes and take Sigmund for a nice long snowy walk this morning and then again in this afternoon.  We have been walking about four miles a day.  Of the morning we walk up to the mountain top and out the ridge to what we call the magic stump.  An old stump covered with moss with a tree growing out of it. There is a little rock fairy house with a chimney right beside of it.  You just know the fairies have a lot of fun playing in the woods.  Then this afternoon we will walk down the dirt portion of Ray Brown Road to Cobbs Creek Road to Chestnut Grove Road.  We love walking up Chestnut Grove Road.  It is out of the wind - gets lovely sun when the sun is out- there are new baby calves and the Greene's have about 50 goats.  Their daffodils are already blooming.  I hope this snow doesn't kill them but daffodils are amazingly tough so maybe they will make it.  The Chestnut Grove Grass Fed Black Angus Farm is located on this road.  Check them out on the internet if you want to buy first quality Grass Fed Meat.  They also sell their meat at Bare Essentials in Boone.  They take really good care of their animals.

I have enjoyed having coffee with you and the birds this morning.  Take care and have a great day!!