Sunday, October 31, 2010

~~Mosaic/Macro Monday~~And Month of Thanksgiving~~



These plump little berries are on a bush that grows like a weed under out bedroom window.   Every spring we prune it back and whether drought or torrential rain it continues to blossom and  flourish.  But you know...I have no idea what this shrub is called.  It was here when we arrived and it will no doubt be here when we are gone.  Perhaps someone out there can put a name on our dear friend.





Branch Of Wisdom






Finally, my reason for giving thanks...Answered prayers!!!!

~~^j^~~
Thanks be to God!


Visit Mary at The Little Red House and share in the beauty offered there.   Lisa at  Macro Monday  also has much to offer.  The pictures are grand.

I would also like to remind you that Wednesday is Adventure Tour Express.  Be thinking about the adventure you would like to share on our journey together!

Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to daily give thanks for the gifts given us by God.  So from today October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

A Month of Thanksgiving

Branch Of Wisdom








"Love is so powerful that it makes one heart and one will of lover and beloved.  Whatever the one loves, so does the other; if it were otherwise, it would not be perfect love."  ~Saint Catherine of Siena





"Those who trust in him shall abide with him in love..." Wisdom 3:9.

And so it is that today I thank God for the love of my best friend.  And sharing the trust we have in Jesus Christ only reinforces that love!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to daily give thanks for the gifts given us by God.  So from today October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.

Friday, October 29, 2010

~~Bad Haiku Friday and Haiku My Heart~~


It's Halloween Time Again!


Goblins are scary
Monsters frighten me too
Ghosts only say, "BOO!"

With their "Trick-or-Treat"
And giggles and laughter
It's hard to be scared.

So laugh and be gay
In a ghoulish sort of way
It's only Halloween!

After the storm we had the other day the yard was full of limbs and leaves.  But the funniest thing I think I have ever seen was the green leaf that had been blown in the mouth of one of the decorations.  Looks, for all the world, like the "little imp" is sticking his green tongue out at us!  

Wishing you all a grand weekend!  Happy Halloween!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Please visit Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings the sponsor of Bad Haiku Friday.  Visit also Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart.  And then just have the most wonderful Fall weekend wherever you are!


Bad Haiku Friday

Haiku My Heart

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

~~Tea Talk and Amazing Things and Month of Thanksgiving~~






Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.
~Catherine Douzel~





I'm having...Irish Breakfast Tea

My teacup is...my Halloween mug.





I'm feeling...refreshed.  I'm pretty well caught up.  Dusted and did laundry.  Finished the chapter for Bible Study tonight.  I only have to vacuum on Saturday!

On my mind..Looking forward to celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of our friends Paul and Pat.  And having the grand kids over so Grandpa can take them trick-or-treating.



If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be his alone, since he has employed for his end instruments more capable of spoiling everything than of making it succeed.  ~Saint Mother Theodore Guerin~

I smiled when I read that quote for I knew she must be talking about me, too.  Some days I feel that way.  Me, the instrument, capable of spoiling almost everything and then somehow it all comes about the way it should.  He allows us to see the glory and appreciate it.  And we give honor where honor is due.
 
Just like last weekend as we were clearing the garden I saw these three blossoms/bud and so I clipped them off and put them in my very small teacup.  

The very next day they had bloomed into these beautiful flowers.  They lasted nearly 5 days and the little owl carried them with such dignity.




Branch Of Wisdom








I find today I am grateful for the breezes the have blown. Not brisk or blustery breezes but the winds of Autumn that remind us there are changes coming.






~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!



Now if you'd be so kind as to visit Ruth at Celebrate Friendship  who is hosting Tea Talk, Lisa at Are We There Yet who is hosting Amazing Things and Tamara at Branch of Wisdom who is hosting A Month of Thanksgiving I'm sure you will find some delightful and wonderful words of wisdom, praise and gratitude.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

~Adventure Tour Express~And a Month of Thanksgiving~


“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson
This week my adventure includes a reason for being thankful.  Traveling to Washington, DC is always a thrill for me.  Attending the National Book Festival, until the last few years, has always been something we looked forward to.   The beauty of its avenues, the glory of her architecture, and the throngs of people make it a destination for real adventure.  Consider those who have gone before us in this city.  Reflect on the wisdom and folly that has passed through the doors  of the government offices there.  And then consider the Providence that oversees  it and the nation beyond its boundaries.  



The Capital aglow at night...
and the monument emblazoned in light.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Washington DC

In this city of government buildings there is also houses of worship that give glory to the Creator of it all.  Within these walls there is offered praise and thanksgiving to the One who watches over us all.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once said:

"The principle of democracy is a recognition of the sovereign, inalienable right of man as a give of God, the Source of law."
An so it is today as I continue this adventure begun those many years ago, that I am thankful for the freedom to worship, a treasure more precious than gold.

He who finds Jesus finds a treasure, better than all other treasures, and he who loses him has lost mor that all the world. ~Thomas a Kempis 

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!


Please enter your adventure here so we can share the journey.






Branch Of Wisdom


Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to daily give thanks for the gifts given us by God.  So from today October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.

A Month of Thanksgiving

Branch Of Wisdom


Love for our neighbor consists of three things:  to desire the greater good of everyone; to do what good we can when we can; to bear, excuse, and hide others' faults.  ~Saint John Vianney


I am taught a lesson in loving my neighbor as I see these beautiful roses blooming together.  There doesn't seem to be any jealousy or vying for attention.  They simply and most effectively blossom and grow though the nourishment of the roots and stems they all share.


And so it is that I am grateful for kind neighbors.  I am thankful for the one who stops and allows me to turn left after having waited at an intersection for what seemed to be an eternity.  I am grateful to the child who, when I had worked all day and came home and made less than my usual meal, said, "Thanks, Mom, " and did not say, "Peanut butter and jelly?  We had that for lunch."

This is the time of year, though it should be all year round, that we traditionally "give."  Since food pantries are always in need of food.  I would urge all who read this to a contribute to their local food pantry.  There can never be too much for those who have so little.  We need to remember that as a people of God we all share the same "roots and stems" that help us to grow. 

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to daily give thanks for the gifts given us by God.  So from today October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.


Sunday, October 24, 2010

~~Mosaic/Macro Monday~~

This Gerber Daisy is no quitter. This plant is already lived two summer and Ron has already started preparing to give her and her sisters another winter of tender loving care. Until the care begins, she is still bursting forth in grand color.



Just as "Daisy" is not giving up the ghost of summer and fall, I too am having difficulty giving up the memories of this wonderful year!  I can only say how grateful I am for the privilege of experiencing the glory of God.

~~~^j^~~~
And so as part of the
Month of Thanksgiving
I say,
Thanks be to God!






Branch Of Wisdom




I'd ask you to join Tamara at Branch of Wisdom offer what you are grateful for in these Days before Thanksgiving.  From October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics. I'm sure there are no time constraints so you are welcome to begin whenever you can.

Visit Mary at The Little Red House and share in the beauty offered there.   Lisa at  Macro Monday  also has much to offer.  The pictures are grand.

I would also like to remind you that Wednesday is Adventure Tour Express.  Be thinking about the adventure you would like to share on our journey together!

A Month of Thanksgiving

Branch Of Wisdom




Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to by daily giving thanks for the gift givin us by God.  So from today October 24, 2010 to November 24, 2010 we are asked to share in this  journey of Thanksgiving.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.

Today I would like to offer my thanks for the opportunities I have had to share the talents God has given me  and and allowing me assist in whatever way I can.

We are not called upon to do all the good possible, but only that which we can do.
~Saint Mother Theodore Guerin~

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!




Tuesday, October 19, 2010

~Adventure Tour Express~


“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson




Cripple Creek, Colorado, 1973


In 1890 a cowboy named Bob Womack discovered gold in Cripple Creek.  It was gold fever that put Cripple Creek on the map.  A town sprang up with assay offices were everywhere.  In 1896 because timber was used to build there two fires destroyed the town.  Those buildings were replaced by brick and masonry after that.  

It was reported that in the first year $250.000.00 was taken from the mines and by the end of the gold rush a reported $432 million had been produced by the mines.  (Pikes Peak Country Attraction Association)



For the Kellers in 1973,  there came the opportunity to purchase an acre of land in Cripple Creek.  Ron had been on temporary duty to Ft. Carson, in Colorado Springs and we would spend hours in the mountains, often spending an afternoon in Cripple Creek.  We were young and full of zeal for a home in the Rockies.  So we purchased an acre of land there.  

But Providence had other plans.   You see Ron was just being discharged from the Army and though he had a job in San Francisco, we had hopes of returning home.  We also didn't calculate the cost of that heavenly acre and the standard of living in The City By the Bay.  So less than a year after we purchased it we were able to sell if for just what we paid for it.  We  considered ourselves most fortunate.   I learned a long time ago, in this journey we take here, that even through the tears God's plan will prevail.  And it's a GOOD plan.  For though we have no land in Colorado we have a legacy provided that is of greater value.


View from Keller's  Acre
August 4, 1973

No, it's not snow.  It's hail.

That afternoon before we could get out and visit 
shops and the museum we had to wait for the 
hail to stop.  Every afternoon we could count
on a thunder storm.

Wishing all who visit here today a grand adventure!!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

~~Mosaic/Macro Monday~~



I found today in the garden a beauty that is spring. The petunias are at their pinkest and the roses are most delicate. Mums mingled with the rose brings meaning to the word community. The African Daisy and the little oak sprouts are so vibrant. You'd never know it was fall, but for the changing of the trees.  And the moon last night certainly gave no hint of the season to come.  Hanging on to the beauty of the moment for as long as I can.

~~*~*~~
~*~

The other day I took a walk and try as I might I could not find a single, whole acorn.  Now I'm sure there must have been some out there but I couldn't find one.  I know the squirrels gather them but the ones I found were caps and nuts so who will gather them.  Perhaps they just broke apart when they fell from the tree.


This morning though after church, Ron found this little fella.  I think he is handsome.  He carries himself with dignity and grace.  He doesn't seem to flaunt his color.  He doesn't seem to know how happy he has made some one. 

The lonely acorn
Master of his own destiny
Will be a  grand tree

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!!


Visit Mary at The Little Red House and share in the beauty offered there.   Lisa at  Macro Monday  also has much to offer.  The pictures are grand.

I would also like to remind you that Wednesday is Adventure Tour Express.  Be thinking about the adventure you would like to share on our journey together!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Letting go...

Relinquishing the Unused-
but–though-necessary!

This weekend is a good weekend to part with things unused and find it's never too late to learn a new lesson.

Visit Provident God to see what I have learned.  Wishing all well!

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Stop by Leadkindlylight and the poem she offers by Patrick Brennan on Grace.

Friday, October 15, 2010

~~Bad Haiku Friday and Haiku My Heart~~


~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!


Please visit Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings the sponsor of Bad Haiku Friday.  Visit also Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart.  And then just have the most wonderful Fall weekend wherever you are!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

--Tea Talk~~


Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world. 
~T'ien Yiheng

I'm having...mango peach white tea.

My teacup is...The mug I used yesterday.  I just now took it out of the dishwasher.

I'm feeling...refreshed.  I' glad because Thursday has become a very busy day at work.


On my mind..Projects for the weekend, too numerous to count!

sun shining through the trees

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Now won't you join me and visit Ruth at Celebrate Friendship is hosting Tea Talk at her house?  Share a cup of tea or a cool refreshing drink with us.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

~~Adventure Tour Express~~


“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson
\

POMPEY'S PILLAR




I was wondering just the other day what had happened to the pictures of out trip to Montana in 2002.  That was a wonderful trip because It was the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition for us.  Ron has a soft spot in his heart for those explorers of the early West.  So when we were visiting Mom and my brother's family in Billings, Montana we were treated to that wonderful sight



View from the walk overlooking the Yellowstone River.


Though it is not very clear we did our best to get the signature of Captain William Clark as he chiseled his name into the rock.  There is a great explanation of the discovery of his signature at Pompey's Pillar
See if you can make out the signature.

From the overlook a lot can be seen of the rugged counntry called Montana.

And we had a grand time on the shores of the
Yellowstone River playing in the sand.

I think it's worth mentioning that even though this is probably not one of the most visited sights in the area, with Yellowstone National Park just down the road.  And thought it doesn't have the most spectacular scenery, I think the history in this spot has a lot to offer.  
Wishing all who visit here a grand adventure today!  

~~~^j^~~~
Thanks be to God!

Now it's your turn. Please join in the fun and post an adventure we can all share and then link it here for all to see.