Silence is Golden

Spring has sprung...and Mother Nature welcomes 'the change' in her own wild, wacky & wonderful way! Moody, fickle & temperamental, she offers us 'overcast & chilly with a chance of snow' one day, 'balmy breezes & sunny blue skies' the next. I can work with that! Happy to get going on the annual garden cleanup when the latter prevails, like today with its warmer temps, which made picking up the debris after my tree guy took down a large pine near the front porch not that much of a chore. Plus, a 'kind of hush' has been restored in the hood after the chainsaw racket; definitely an improvement. Call me wimpy, but when it's too cold, I simply refuse to work outside! All those extra layers just make it hard on a girl. Looking & lumbering about like a lumberjack is not my idea of 'cool'. Lol. You can bet that when I'm cozy & comfy inside working on a painting, being creative on the computer or just chillin' in hibernation mode, I can think of a million excuses not to don long underwear, overalls, my jacket, headband, hat, gloves, boots & knee pads [whew!] to tackle even more projects. Too much of an effort! The peace & quiet of our hilltop abode surrounded by oaks, madrona, pines [one less] and a very large redwood sequoia these last few months has been a blessing. With so much going on in the world, I cherish, and protect, what tranquility can be found, especially on the home front ~ brisk nature walks alone on overcast chilly windy days, sitting by the fire in the evening with my husband on silent snowy nights, the less hurried pace of late fall & winter, the 'extra' time there seems to be to get stuff done inside, things we put off when sunny skies invite us out to work & play in the garden...and the shorter days in which to snuggle up with a cup of tea [and mate], read a good book and NOT feel guilty. Once again, spring reigns ~ its promise of hope & renewal engages our senses and re-ignites our passion. We get on with the hustle & bustle of life, albeit, sometimes, reluctantly. Time waits for no one, as the seasons, coming & going way too quickly for me, will attest. Up here in southern Oregon, the unpredictability of a spring day can be somewhat entertaining since you never know what will transpire from one minute to the next. In 24-hours, you may experience thunder & lightning, sunshine, a passing rainstorm, gusts, hail & possibly snow! Just the other day, I opened the front door to a soft layer of white blanketing the yard & trees...and the next took a jacket-less walk in my neighborhood park under a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds where I snapped this photograph titled 'Almost Spring on Golden Pond'. See page-15 of my 'Images' for more. No matter the season, may your days & lives be filled with moments of sanctuary, solitude & reflection, time to replenish the spirit, restore sanity & renew your heart's desire[s]. 'Peace out'...make that 'within & without'.