Advent

I sleep well in winter.  Better to comfort one's self with warmth from the hearth, crackling, snapping, blazing

and rest

than take haste to not hope.

The swans linger
            till the pale grass is beset by frost and wind.
Who has seen their lonely flight?

One breath is a hard, cold fact. I stay awake, alert. 

My arctic landscape appears

                                 under a canopy of fire-lit clouds

and prepares me for the promise I expect to come. 

Hope and pray in Advent wonderment.

A Proverb

What you plant

And grow

  

  

In your mind

Determines your destiny

By beholding we become changed,

  

By meditating upon perfections

we become renewed.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; 

 

for out of it are the issues of life. 

Proverbs 4:23



Bonita Jane

Summer's Last Blooms

"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.

Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.

Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.

 

Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
                      - Elizabeth Maua Taylor

Something to Contemplate

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. Deuteronomy 30:11

But in accordance with His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness will dwell. 2 Peter 3:13

 

Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.  Ecclesiastes 5:18

 

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Ecclesiastes 9:17

 

Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God! Job 37:14

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Psalm 150:6

Feeling grateful and blessed,

What's in the Garden?

Today I'm heading over to visit Tootsie and friends at Fertilizer Friday.  Can you join us?  You can visit at http://www.tootsietime.com/ or enter through her site at the bottom of my page!

It has been raining cats and dogs here in Nikiski.  Literally!  Mud puddles galore. I haven't snapped any recent photos of my blooms, but  I will next time the sun comes out.  All the hard work is done, things are growing beautifully and now they are certainly getting watered!  Today I'm sharing some photographs of the creatures that inhabit my property. 

 

To be able to glimpse the exquisite beauty and simplicity of nature is to capture a bit of mirth, merriment and rapture of God's great creation.  We have eagles, ravens, owls, chickadees and moose, caribou, ermine, rabbits, and even on rare occassion, bear....and of course, my beloved pets!

Thousands of years ago,

cats were worshipped as gods.

Cats have never forgotten this." 

Anonymous

Cooper in the wild mess of bleeding hearts and ligularia.

Thirsty Durst in the dry creek bed.

Kipling, exploring, 2008

Wrangell, the new guy in the garden.

My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet.

Edith Wharton

Tassi amid hostas, ferns and lilies.

Monti on the green

In Alaska, as you drive at twilight, you need to keep an eye on the sides of the road for horse-size animals that might walk in front of you. An adult male (bull) moose can weigh 1,600 pounds and the female (cow) a little less. Only the male has antlers, which fall off in the winter.  Moose calves are born in mid-May. Whatever you do, don't get between a cow and her one or two calves; she will be protective. 

Mama moose resting in the morning. This view is from my window to the back yard.

Munching on a small willow.  Notice the budding antlers?  Beginning in May or June, it usually takes three to four months to grow a full set of antlers. This is an astonishing growth rate, as antlers can be enormous, often spanning many feet.

Spring feeding in front of the greenhouse.



The question is not what you look at,

but what you see.

Henry David Thoreau
Thanks for stopping by,

Please join me

There is nothing like returning

to a place that remains unchanged

to find the ways in which you

yourself have altered. ~Nelson Mandela

Earlier this month, my friend Shanna, her daughter Brook and I did a little exploring on the Kenai Peninsula, where I live.  I snapped some whimsical photos including wild flowers and wanted to share a July day in the life of an Alaskan.  This little journey was one I hadn't taken for 23 years.  It was good to go back.  I hope you enjoy these and would love to hear what you think!

Leaving my home in Nikiski, we headed to Homer to catch the Danny J Ferry to Halibut Cove.  It takes 2 hours to get there.  If you click on the links, you can read about the fascinating history of this lovely area.

Boarding the Danny J at the Homer Harbor

Seabirds near Gull Island, Kachemak Bay

Seabirds included gulls, terns, pelicans, cormorants, gannets and puffins

You can watch the birds via a real time web cam HERE!

 It was a short cruise across the bay, and then we approached the cove.   

Private homes and lodges

Cute bungalows

The boat docked and we went ashore.  Walking around the boardwalk we took in the scenery and foliage.  Leaning over the boardwalk rail, we spotted a bunch of algae floating on top of the water.  Looking at the photo below, you may have an initial response of  surprise seeing what looks like a sheen of oil surrounding the algae.  It is more than what it appears to be!  It is actually a rich soup of plant nutrients, microscopic algae and swarms of microscopic animals resting in the shallow waters of the slough. I think it was magical!

Kelp heart

View from higher ground

Shasta Daisy, Alaskan-style
Leucanthemum x superbum

Columbine growing out of the side of the cliff
Aquilegia

Assorted floats hanging from tree branches

More daisies

Beautiful tile work on walkway

Alaskan jungle!

Notice the hillside in the distance?  It was covered with healthy spruce trees until the bark beetles got them.  Many dead trees were removed, hopefully the beetles have moved on, and seedlings are growing everywhere.

Pretty little yellow flowers - I don't know what they are....

 

Back to Homer

Next stop

It's just not a visit to Homer without a stop at the Bear Creek Winery.  Here are a few photos I took of the grounds there.

Random art in the walkway

Koi pond

 

Sometimes there are real bears. Really.

Alaska Rules!

Man-made waterfall.  The plants at the bottom are fireweed.  When they bloom they look like this: 

Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium
from the evening primrose family

But it's not time yet.  When they begin to bloom, its a sign that summer is nearing an end.  I will be showing your more fireweed later ...hopefully much later! 

 

There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul;

we search for its outlines all our lives. ~Josephine Hart

 Glad you could come away with me for a bit.  Have a lovely weekend!