Happiness Is a New Washing Machine

I'm sitting here listening to the gentle hum and swish of a load of whites washing. It's a sound that hasn't been heard at Red Bell Farm since last August when my washing machine quit agitating, spun itself into a frenzy and spewed water all over the floor! Edith was here visiting, so I had to curtail my usual flow of bad words. I just mopped up the mess and said Scarlett O'Hara-like "I'll deal with it another day." I shut the water off to it and went to France for the month of September. October was busy with work, a trip to San Diego and buying a new car. Then November came--Thanksgiving--followed by the Christmas holidays, and continued trips to the laundromat with the promise to myself that I would definitely deal with it after the first of the year. Last weekend, I did! I even bought the 5 year warranty so that if I sell Red Bell Farm, it will stay under warranty for its new owner. Lowe's delivered this morning and I couldn't be happier with their service. Okay, how lame is this that the highlight of my weekend is washing clothes???

Greetings from Cadrieu!

I was very pleasantly surprised to find this letter in my mailbox one day last week. First, because it's a treat to find something besides bills and offers to fit me for cheap hearing aids  in there. But most importantly because this was a note from a newly-made friend in Cadrieu! If you've read this blog regularly, you've already seen two pictures of the note's author, Christiane. She and her husband, Jean-Paul, live up the hill from Laury, and they are all very good friends. Christiane's note was newsy and fun...how they spent Christmas (yes, Pere Noel came and the grandchildren were captivated, at least until they opened their gifts. Then they ignored him!) and a description of New Year's Eve...'we laughed a lot and ate a lot.' It closed with news that they are going to the Pyrenees the end of Jan. and need to start getting in shape for that! A real letter, a beautiful stamp, a new friend...life is good!

Help Haiti Now!

You'll notice that I've added a widget to my sidebar for Doctor's Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres). This is an organization that I've supported in the past; they are doing fantastic work around the world, but most importantly, right now in Haiti. Please consider a donation to support these brave physicians, nurses and ancillary personnel who work in some of the most dangerous places in the world delivering medical care. They were on the ground in Haiti even before the earthquake; they are doing vital work there after the disaster as well.

Dad and His Brood

It's been a long week, so I was very pleased to find an email from Becky saying she had uploaded some new photos in Shutterfly. What fun to enjoy Christmas through her camera's eye! Almost as much fun as actually being there. So many nice shots to choose from; I know I'll be posting a few more in the upcoming days. This one, though, just made me smile :-) Seeing Travis with his lovely children made my 'grandma heart' sing! And who can resist grinning right along with that little Marley?

Tools of the Trade....Winter

The sky was clear and blue, the snow was deep and pristine...it was NOT warm, but with the addition of multiple layers, it was do-able. I strapped on the snowshoes yesterday and did a little trek around the back yard and pasture at Red Bell Farm and took this photo to prove it! I have no idea if the 'shoes are strapped on properly; it's been so long since I've put them on, I have completely forgotten how to do it. They didn't fall off, tho, so whatever! It felt good to be outside...can you say 'cabin fever?' This winter has been brutal so far. I did drive into church in Des Moines Saturday evening. My gravel road was well-plowed, but I could see places where it had drifted during the last storm, maybe as deep as 2-3 feet!

These are the tools of the trade for surviving a winter in Iowa. Snowshovel, snowshoes, and of course, snow mobile boots. My neighbors laughed at me when I bought these in Colorado since I am not a fan of snowmobiles, but they are the very best boots for trudging around in deep snow. I love them!

Wishful Thinking

There's really no special reason for this photo except:

the weather here stinks

I'm stuck at home...again

I miss my grandkids

I wish it was summer and I was back in San Diego

and it makes me feel better to remember the fun we had at the beach!

Winter's Beauty

I'm not going to write about the snow, the roads covered with black ice, the howling wind or drifted snow making my driveway impassable. You don't need to be reminded that this has been a brutal winter of ice, blizzards, and frigid temperatures. Travel not advised anywhere in central Iowa, dangerous wind chill advisories, the 'no tow' ordinance in effect...once again I'm working from home. What I am going to let you enjoy is the beauty that winter brings...frosty, sparkle-y traces of ice on the windows...

and the outside viewed through frosty 'curtains.' I'm snug and warm inside until it's safe to venture outside once again.

Happy Birthday, Edith!

Today is my good friend, Edith's birthday. Her friends, Maggi and Jon are having a big birthday party for her tonight in Boulder. How I wish I could attend and help honor my friend! This blog post will have to suffice, tho. Edith is a fellow-Capricorn; we share a lot of the same passions--travel, art, photography, nature. Edith, however, is blessed with what I call 'travel karma.' She seems to attract opportunities to GO. She's been around the world and has traveled to all 50 states. She hasn't gone anywhere recently, tho, so I predict a big trip will present itself to her in 2010. For Edith...a blessing from John O'Donohue's book of blessings...

"Blessed be the mind that dreamed the day
The blueprint of your life
Would begin to glow on earth,
Illuminating all the faces and voices
That would arrive to invite
Your soul to growth."

Happy Birthday, Edith!

Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist

I gave myself the Christmas gift of a 6-week online class: Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist. As a regular reader of Abbey of the Arts blog, I was intrigued when Christine announced that she would be offering this class. Since by no stretch of the imagination can I be called an artist, I emailed her and asked if 'wannabes' like me could participate. "Of course!" she replied. So, I signed up. I'm interested in spiritual practices and I love art...seems to be a good fit. Our 'community' has begun to form; we've each introduced ourselves beginning with a 6 word memoir. Mine is: Seeker of adventure, spirit, and beauty. Then we each shared a bit more about ourselves and had the opportunity to upload photos to the community album. Tomorrow is the first day of class. I have a feeling after reading about my classmates that I may be in 'way over my head. Wish me luck!

Surely That Can't Be Right...

I had an 8:30am meeting at church this morning, so I pulled Miz Red Belle out of the barn about 7:30am to let her warm up before I headed to Des Moines. The outside temperature gauge on my dash read -19 F. I scoffed, "surely that can't be right! It's cold, but it's not THAT cold. Miz Red Belle has it wrong." When I drove through St. Charles about a half hour later, the 'time and temperature' sign at the bank said -16 F. It was really THAT cold! I drove back through town around 3pm and the temperature had risen to a whopping 0 F. Iowa winters can be brutal!

These icicles hung from my red bell in December 2007. It hasn't been warm enough this winter to even make icicles!

Miss No Moments of Beauty

I used those words..'miss no moments of beauty' this morning in a comment I made on Laury's blog. My intention was to get a photo of the New Year's Eve Blue Moon. I took a couple of shots last night, but all I got was a big ball of light surrounded by black...not very interesting. So this morning I thought I'd try to catch the setting moon in the half-light of dawn. Alas, caught up in my journal, I missed that moment of beauty! When I looked outside, the western sky was gray, the full moon gone. As I said to Laury, I hope this isn't a sign for 2010 and vowed to 'miss no moments of beauty' again. Laury thought that could be our 2010 motto; I think she's right. So, you'll have to be content with this full moon taken last winter from my front yard looking toward the eastern sky. It was rising in the early evening above a very frozen field. It was a moment of beauty I caught a few days after the winter solstice. In the deep, dark winter, every moment of beauty I can catch warms my heart. What warms your heart when winter settles in?