Loves Treasure

My grandmothers basket of thick Sienna reeds
Woven with the warp and weave an intricate design
Has held many things in it's hundred years
It might have held fresh homemade bread for a sick neighbor
Or warm fresh cookies for the sweet grandchildren that came to visit
It might have held yarns for knitting each of her children a new sweater
Or the many hand dyed colors of wool to design her lovely floral hooked rugs
Now it holds Large Pine cones I collected from Lake Tahoe's Ponderosas

The basket holds the history and essence of my grandmother
and past generations of loves treasure

Baskets of Time

I measure time with the baskets on my table in the kitchen nook.

January holds nothing yet waiting patiently for the new year ahead.

February brings love's deep red passions with its burgandy roses.

March holds fuzzy pussy willows with their hint of warmer weather.

April gives us pale pink tulips first kiss to usher in the spring

May is lavendar lilacs and forget me not blues to hold us in their heart.

June blushes in the rose garden with soft spiral petals of many hues.

July brings cheery yellow daisy suns to brighten and warm us with their light.

August holds a rainbow of the last of summer's blooms.

September holds the fruits of the garden , plump yellow and red tomatoes,long green fingers of cucumber and zuchini and the butternut squash for soup, perfect on a crisp autumn evening

October holds a palette of color with cinnamon, red-orange, yellow-green, sienna and pumpkin leaves that melt into each other to celebrate witch's night out

November holds nuts of the season, mahogony pecans , burled walnuts and shiny red chestnuts.

December holds the sparkle and glitter of the season with bright glass balls of red and green.

My baskets of time hold the tapestry of life.

The Old Swimming Hole

The Old Swimming Hole
There’s a favorite place for swimming that the locals know about in a very small town in Idaho called Chester. Word has spread and sometimes the local swimming hole can have up to fifty cars parked there in July. There are license plates on cars from places all over the country that seem to have heard about the swimming hole.
The tradition of this swimming hole has gone way back for four or five generations and who knows maybe even longer than that. My father used to enjoy the swimming hole after a long day working on the farm back in the 1930’s . The swimming hole was located on the Fall River right outside his back yard. When he was young he and his brothers would spend hours swimming and diving off flat lava rocks scattered around the swimming hole. After swimming, the flat black rocks had absorbed the warm sun and it was a great way to warm up after the cool refreshing dip in the water.
An initiation to manhood was jumping off the top of the Chester Bridge. I remember my father would do beautiful swam dives off the top and I used to always love to watch him dive. At least three generations have continued the tradition. Four or five guys will stand in a row on the bridge sometimes and dare each other to dive off first. I have seen four actually dive off together.
Through the years the Chester bridge started to wear out in the middle of the bridge so some kids brought a big hay derrick pole over and hooked up a Tarzan swing. It was great fun to swing off the side or the top of the bridge and do various tricks like somersaults and flips. Some Idaho officials decided it was too dangerous though, so they took out the derrick but then the next year another one would be brought back in and rigged up. The officials finally decided to fix the hole in the bridge so they weren’t able to do the Tarzan swing any more. Still, it is a favorite place for locals and travelers alike today.
My father missed the home place so much that in his seventies he decided to build a Cabin on the other side of the bridge across from the old home place. It is very close to the swimming hole. We christened the cabin “The Fall Inn” and all the family members love to go up and stay in the cabin and remember my dad and enjoy having a great time at the old swimming hole and diving off the old Chester bridge.

Smiles

Real family are the ones that love us for who we are and are there to support us in good times and in hard times. They let us be ourselves but are not unkind or dish out put downs. They show love, respect, and a sensitive responsibility to their brothers and sisters. They aren't so concerned about their own thoughts that they can't hear an others experiences or tromp over things that are sacred and important to another. It is sometimes not the people who we are blood related that are our true family. That can be a special connection but also a stressful alienation at times. We all go through different, stages, challenges, and changes in our lives. Sometimes we find our family members are not there for us but our (not related) family help us through and become our life long family. Sometimes they are our temporary family right when we needed it by helping us through a difficult or challenging time and then we might not see them again.. We are all a part of the human family and can find family members wherever we go. God sends angels that may be in the form of people. How can we attract these other family members into our lives? Just simply look and pray and have faith that they will appear. We are in Gods gentle and loving hands and he will help us whenever we request it or even when we don't because he knows our needs before we ask. It has been a great blessing to meet other not by blood family members throughout my life. You can recognize them by the immediate kinship and connection you feel. Just like a garden to keep the flowers alive , family must be nurtured and connected with regularly. Just like reaching towards God to connect, we must reach out to others to find those special family members. One way is to smile and believe they are coming. Smiles open our positive hearts to the good things and people in life. Smiles are powerful


Smiles

A smile is sunshine parting the clouds of a storm

A babies first smile is a glimpse of heaven

A stranger can smile for no reason and make our day

A bunch of fresh fragrant flowers always brings a smile

A smile can join the whole human race and make them colorblind

Smiles are like bright colored helium balloons and lift us
.
Cheerful song birds of spring always bring smiles and a joyful heart

Frequent smilers are like freguent fliers

They extend the travel time of our lives

This is to all the family of my heart and may you be full of smiles today

Country Magazine

What is Good

With all the different philosophies, religions and spiritual practices out there it is sometimes confusing as to what really makes sense and the correct path or view. Thank goodness we live in a country that allows freedom of religion and freedom of thought. I have studied many different spiritual practices and religions in my journey and this is the conclusion to that study. I believe that what is good comes from God. Meaning those things that have a good result and help their fellow man are the test if a spiritual practice is good. I also believe that a good test for whether people are good or not is by their works. " By their works ye shall know them" A good tree(person) brings forth good fruit or outcomes. Conversely a bad tree (person) brings forth bad fruit or outcomes. That seems to be the simple test in my view. If is inspires, makes your heart sing and brings joy and love to your mind and heart. Follow that path!