Random Act Kindness Day – 2011

Yesterday morning I found that I was grouchier than a Bear that has just emerged from winter hibernation, and is powerfully hunger.  At first,I wasn’t sure why I was so out of sorts, and then I realize that the next day (today – September 4th) was a day I have chosen to do Random Act Kindnesses (RAK’s), as a way of honoring my youngest son life.  I lost him 5 years ago.  I wrote this blog  that explains the idea behind the RAK’s.  To read this post, click here.

I decided I needed to be kinder to myself and do some things to help me move through these feelings.  I went back to my roots.  When I was a teenager, and I was bothered by something, there were two things that I would do, that always seem to help me.  I would either go for a walk/hike in these mountains, or sit by the creek and listen to water. 

I chose the later yesterday morning.  I went down and sat next to the creek for a good long while and just allowed my thoughts to flow freely.  After a while I sang a song that always brings me comfort, and I said a prayer. 

I could feel that a lot of my grouchiness had slipped away, and decided I would head back to the house.  As soon as I got there, Danny asked me if I wanted to go to Hotsprings (he knows I love the little town of Hotsprings, NC).  I asked him why he was going and he said that our other son (Jeremiah) had called and he needed help with cutting out a tree stump on a steep hill. 

I was relieved at the thought of this distraction today and it would be nice spending time with my eldest son.  I grabbed my cameras and my writing notebooks and we headed over to Hotsprings.  What a beautiful day it was.  The sun was shining, people were out and about everywhere in Hotsprings.  It was a day that felt like one I remembered from my childhood.  A lazy day of summer, where families and friends were milling around the streets of a small town and you could feel their contentment, their unspoken happiness.  It felt good. 

I hung out by the creek, while Danny and Jeremiah  worked hard on trying to cut out the tree stump.  When they were getting close to being done, I wondered up to where they were on the hill and I video taped the last big chunk being cut off.  Here is the Video clip:

Danny and Jeremiah

 

After they were done, we went and had lunch at the Smokey Mountain Dinner.  Great little dinner in Hotsprings.  One of our favorite places to eat.  Great food and good service.  Be sure and stopped by for a bit if you find yourself in Hotsprings.  You’ll love it. 

Danny and I went back home.  The house was pretty hot and I figured I would run into town and pick up groceries, since it was the hottest part of the day.  I needed things for the picnic I had planned for today.  I wanted to have a nice day at one of our swimming holes today.  Where we could relax, eat, swimming and enjoy ourselves. 

I headed towards town and I got only a few miles down the road, when a bird walked, yes I said “walked”, right out in front of my car.  I tried to miss it, but I couldn’t.  Sadly I hit and killed the bird.  At first, I started to feel my mood to shift.  I was already struggling with loss and now I just hit and killed this bird.  But despite what happened, I thought I would turn around and pick up the bird, and take it back to Danny and we would at least eat the bird, so that it would not go to waste.   

When I turned around and got back to the bird I had hit, I pulled off the side of the road and I put on my emergency blinkers.  I jumped out of the car and I ran over and grabbed up the bird by its feet. 

When I got back to the side of the road, I looked at the bird closer and I realized that I had hit a grouse.  I was so surprised.  Grouse are hard to see in the wild around here, let alone have one literally walk on the road right out in front of your car.  I have never heard of this happening to anyone else.  It was so strange standing there holding that Grouse and coming to this realization.  Then all of a suddenly a strange woman’s voice said behind me “are you ok” and I turned around and a woman and her two young children had pulled up in a blue SVU beside me, and I hadn’t even noticed.  I was so caught up in that moment. 

I showed her the bird and explained what had happened.  She told me that some guy she knew had just told her that the same thing had just happened to him, but she had not believed him (I wouldn’t have either, before yesterday), but now that I was telling her the same thing, she believes him now.

She said that she had some friends on the North Carolina side of the state line I live on, that eat road kill and she was on her way to visit them, and she would take the bird to them eat if it was ok with me.  I thought for a brief moment, and then I said sure. 

She grabbed a plastic bag out her car and we bagged it up and she jumped back in her car and headed towards NC. 

I have been hearing about these folks who live in NC and eat road kill, so I was not surprise when she mentioned this.  I have not met these folks yet, but we live in a community where neighbors know one an other and they talk to one another and the talk gets around. 

One my way into town, I realized that this was one of my first RAK’s – not killing the bird, but gifting it to complete strangers with no expectations of anything in return.  A simple Random Act of Kindness.  That brought a smile to my lips and fond memories of son. 

Today is the day of Random Act of Kindness I have chosen (even though I perform them through out the year).  We have a picnic planned for lower Paint Creek.  I’m not sure what this day holds for us, but I would encourage everyone  to find a way to do a Random Act Kindness today.  No matter how small or simple it may be.  The RAK will ripple like a wave through life.  Even though we may not see all the places the wave may ripple out to, you can feel good in the knowledge that it is kindness that is being rippled out through your community, the greater community, and hopefully the planet.  That thought is enough to bring a big smile to my face. 

Enjoy!

 

Shifting Gears

I was working at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as a SharePoint Specialist (creating web site templates, web sites, and custom forms) for the past year.  I really enjoyed working there as a consultant.  The project I was working on came to completion this past Thursday, so I’m laid off at present.  It is a welcome break, but hopefully it is a short lived break.  I actually enjoy the work I do, but of course I need to work like most folks.

I have spent yesterday shifting gears some.  I haven’t been able to take many photos, do any writing, visiting with folks, or bike riding.  When I got up yesterday morning I decided that it was going to be a day of simple pleasures for myself.  With Danny being away at a show in Cherokee, NC, I had the day to myself.   I felt grateful for this gift and I didn’t want to waste it, so I set in doing what I felt like doing.

I started off by going to water and then taking some photos of flowers around the creek and my yard.  There were Daylilies in bloom, Roses, White Cone flower, and Rhododendron.  A profusion of beauty where ever I looked.   I created a new header image for this blog from those photos.  I hope you enjoy the new image.

I had breakfast, a shower, cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry and it was suddenly 11:00 am.  I know you must be thinking, why would you do cleaning on a day of simple pleasures.  I’m not fan of house work, I assure you.  Just ask my mother.  But for the past year I have had little time to do house work and the house has gotten a bit out of control.  So it gave me pleasure to start getting things in order again.  It will take more time, but it felt good to start the process.

I headed into Marshall, NC for a good cup of coffee.  A latté.   I took my laptop with me and thought I would apply for my unemployment while drinking my latte.  I was feeling the need to get out of the house and be around people, even if I wasn’t talking with them.  I just felt the need to be around other heart fires.

It turned out that the Latte was really good, but the internet just wasn’t working well.  My connection kept dropping, so I decided to head back home.  It was such a beautiful day and drive.  I just took my time driving home and I drank in the beautiful views, the warm sunshine, and the great tunes playing on my IPod.  I felt such joy in this simple pleasure.

When I got back home, I decided that I would go to a movie.  I love going to the movies.  I had no idea what was playing, so I fired up my laptop and checked out what was playing at our local movie theater in Greeneville, TN.

I found a new movie with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and it was called Larry Crowne.  I really enjoyed this movie.   The movie for the most part was  light hearted and funny.

On my way back home, I ran into my son.  I stopped and talked with him a minute and I played a few old tunes for him from my IPod.  They were tunes from his childhood.  One was “Joy to the World” by 3 Dog Night and the other was “Swingin” by John Anderson.

“Joy to the World” starts with the phrase “Jeremiah was a bullfrog”.  My son’s name is Jeremiah and when he was little, he loved this song.

After talking with my son, I head home and settled in on the couch for relaxation.  I soon got sleepy, so I turned in to bed.  I slept like a baby.  It was wonderful.

I hope you get the opportunity to shift gears and have your own day of simple pleasures.

Enjoy!

 

Celebrate Earth Day

Today is April 22.  A day chosen to celebrate the earth worldwide – Earth Day.  Earth Day was founded in 1970, as a way to promote love and respect for the planet and help to bring awareness to environmental issues that we humans are creating. 

Wow, I didn’t realize that Earth Day was founded in 1970, until I did some research recently.  I think today is a good day to reflect on our environmental progress as a nation and as individuals. 

I know I do many things different in my life today, than I did in the 70’s, 80’s, and even the 90’s.  I’m certainly living more green.  I try to reduce the amount of waste I generate, reuse what I can, recycle, I don’t use chemicals on our property, I have quit using most of the harshes chemicals in my house for cleaning, I use my own bags at the grocery store – most of the time these days, and we have our own chickens for eggs and meat. 

I’m glad my habits have changed in ways that are better for the planet and the next generations that follow me – us.  But I’m still not doing enough, but I’m doing the best I can for now. 

I don’t want to get on a soap box.  I just want to bring some awareness to Earth Day, and invite you to think about Earth Day and invite you to participate in Earth Day.  There are lots of enjoyable things you can do for Earth Day.  Even it is as simple as taking a walk with family and/or friends today and appreciating the beauty and splendor of life.  This would we a great beginning and enjoyable way to spend the day. 

In fact, there is a whole movement (Picnic for the Planet) out there that is promoting Picnics on Earth Day.  People are having small to very large picnics everywhere.  What a great idea.  To learn more about this movement, check out Picnic for the Planet. 

Another interesting group out there is The Earth Day Network.  They are promoting A Billion Acts of Green.  Awesome!  There is lots of information on their web site.  I just found this link this morning, and it looks really interesting.  They have a link to a group called the “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE™), which looks interesting, but I don’t know much about it. 

The Earth Day Network has lots of links to various projects and groups.  If you are interested in learning more about the Earth Day and living more Green, I think you may find something on this web that will interest you. 

There is even an Earth Day flag.  The first Earth Day flag was made from recycled items.  Here is a picture of the Earth Day flag:

I like that this flag promotes the awareness and well being of the Earth, since the Earth is our home and vital to all life here.  It is a universal symbol for all of us. 

The Earth Day Flay represents something that we all have in common and we all have an invested interested in – Our Planet, and it doesn’t matter who we, where we come from, what religion we follow, how rich or how poor we are, we can all come together on this issue of ensuring the health of this planet for ourselves and all the generations to come.  We can think of the Earth Day Flag as The Flag of the People. 

If you chose to do something today or this weekend in recognition of Earth Day, consider posting what you chose to do.  It is amazing the creative ways that people  come up with to celebrate Earth Day. 

Enjoy!

Related Links

• Picnic for the Planet
• A little Earth Day History
• The Earth Day Network
• About the Earth Day Flag
• Purchase your Earth Day Flag
• Back To Earth Products – Soaps, Creams, Lip Balms

 

Discovering Local Artists through Loafing

Recently Danny and I had gone on a scouting trip to Johnson City.  Danny needed a camper top for his old Jeep pickup truck.  He knew of a place in Johnson City that sold used camper tops.  I was feeling the need to loafer, so I went along and I’m so glad I did. 

For those of you who may not know Danny, let me tell you a little bit about him.  Danny is my partner and an artist.  His main focus is Native American Indian Art and music.  Danny makes his living as an artist, and he also does performances on the Native American Indian flute for various venues.  You can see Danny’s artwork at:  Mountains Spirit Flutes and Gallery. 

Danny travels around the country selling his artwork at mostly Native American Indian fine art shows.  That is why he needs a camper top for his pickup truck.  He needs to be to able to carry his things for the art show in the back of his truck and keep it safe from the elements and the would be stranger with sticky fingers. 

We had no success at the used camper top place, so I said to Danny “Lets drive through downtown Johnson City (JC) and see what is there.   We really don’t go downtown and we have no idea what is there”.  He said ok. 

We were heading into the  heart of downtown JC and we saw some cool old houses on our way in.  We hadn’t driven far, when I saw a bead store (Beadworks) and pointed it out to Danny.  I talked him into parking and checking out the bead store. 

It was a great bead store.  It had lots of beads and jewelry making supplies, but the store also had some local artwork for sale.  I actually purchased some pottery.  I got a couple of handle-less mugs for drinking my tea out of.  The store clerk (Rachel) told me that the pottery artist is a wonderful woman.  I’m sure she, because I just love my new mugs. 

If you find yourself in downtown JC, stop by and check out the Beadworks.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

We have lost our bead store in Greeneville – Jane’s Fiber and Beads.  She seems to be closed.  Her place of business said they were moving to another location, but when we checked out the new location, she wasn’t there. Maybe her move has been delayed.  Lets hope that is all it is.  I did find a link to her web site: Jane’s Fiber and Beads.  We loved Jane’s Fiber and Beads.  This is where Danny would purchase some of his supplies for making his beautifully carved shell necklaces.  Here is a short slideshow of a few of Danny’s carved shell necklaces. 

Hand carved shell necklaces by Daniel Bigay

Now, I have detoured a bit.  While we were at Beadworks, I saw a flyer for an upcoming art event called at that time “Staving Artist Night”.  It was an art event for local artist to exhibit and sale their artwork and to hear some live music. This event was a few days away and it was taking place just across the street from the Beadworks at the Venue in the King Center. 

Danny and I decided that we would attend.  It turns out that the “Staving Artist Night” we attended was the first one and they plan on having them every 4th Tuesday of every month.  There is a $5.00 cover charge, but it is worth the $5.00 and it supports the arts. 

There were about 10 exhibitors there.  The artwork we saw was really creative, unique, and of good quality.  The artist were on hand and friendly.  We really enjoyed everything we saw, but our favorite was the glass maker.  A young man with lots of talent.  He created fine pieces of glass work.  We loved his work. 

We also saw a young woman who was making chainmail jewelry.  It was so creative and just plain awesome.  

The music was really good also.  We really enjoyed listening the music as we milled around looking at the artwork and talking with the artists. 

There was also food, drinks, beer and wine there.  This was provided by The Main Street Pizza Company. They had a booth setup in one corner of the room and seem to have a line most of the evening.   I didn’t have any of the pizza, but Danny did and he said it was really good. 

They were asking for suggestions that night for a name for this new art event.  We never stayed long enough to hear what they chose, but looking at their web site today, I see this event listed as:  Creative Fusion.  I like the new name. 

Here are the details for the next Creative Fusion event (I pulled this right from their web site):

Tuesday February 22, 2011- Creative Fusion- VENUE’s monthly art exhibit-This exhibition will include displays from artists around the area. We’ll also have a little live music, and economical drink specials provided by The Main Street Pizza Company.  This is a great opportunity to display and network with other artists from around the region!  Limited spacing for exhibits- email info@venuejc.com for information.

The only thing that I thought they could really use was an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine).  The nearest one was a block or two away.  You might want to make sure you stop and pick up any cash you think you will need on your way.  The Main Street Pizza Company was setup for credit cards and atm/debit cards. 

Links:

• Mountain Spirit Flutes and Gallery – artwork and music by Daniel Bigay
• Beadworks
• Jane’s Fiber and Beads
• Venue in the King Center
• Follow Venue on Facebook
•  The Main Street Pizza Company

Enjoy!

 

Random Act Kindness Update

A good friend of mine, Mik Wright participate in a Random Act Kindness (RAK).  I just wanted to post a quick update regarding the RAK. 

Mik makes awesome handmade shoes (thoseshoes.com) and he made a free pair for a woman who is doing work in Haiti’s.  Here is her comment to Mik:

Mik ~

I got my shoes! They arrived yesterday, the last
possible day before my trip to Haiti for another three
months. Thank you so much. I will and do pass on your
random act of kindness. You have helped in more
ways than you know. You see, every day that I am in Haiti
doing the work that I do, I will step lightly and in peace
with your spirit in my soul(s). Thanks for your support.

With happy feet and smiles galore,

~ Kelly

www.greatergoodhaiti.org

If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally
transform one million realities.

-Maya Angelou

Wow!  I love the RAKs that folks come up with.  Keep passing them on and we’ll continue to make this great life better and better, with each RAK we do. 

Enjoy!

 

A Birthday Adventure

I returned home yesterday from a week in the Caribbean.  It was a birthday gift from my youngest sister, Beth.  Beth had won a free cruise for two and she decided to take me on the cruise with her for my 50th birthday.  What an amazing and generous gift.  For details regarding the contest, check out my blog post “7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise”.   

When I returned home from the cruise on Sunday, there was a foot of snow on the ground.  This morning when I woke  up, it was raining down snow and we are expected to get another foot of snow.  Wow!  

The cruise ship we were on was called the “Freedom of the Seas” and the cruise line was RoyalCaribbean.  Our ports of call were:

• Port Canaveral, Florida
• CocoCay, Bahamas
• Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Port Canaveral, Florida

The Freedom of the Seas (FS) was like a small floating city.  It had restaurants, a spa, a sports center, swimming pools, hot tubs, putt putt golf, a game room, arcade (video games), theaters, a skating rink, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop, shopping stores, beautiful lounges, a library, an online room for internet access, a casino, a bingo room, a coffee house, night clubs and pretty lounges, art gallery, etc.. 

The FS had 14 decks and there was artwork  every where you looked.  The theme of the artwork was “The Elements” – Fire, Air/Wind, Water, Earth. The artwork pieces that were chosen to  express this theme were beautiful and unique.  I really love this theme. 

There were also quotes that were posted around the ship that expressed the Elements theme.  I should have written a few of these down, but I didn’t.  I was so caught up in the moment and enjoying myself, that the thought didn’t occur to me, until now.   

Spa Date

Beth treated me and herself to a massage at the spa.  It was my first professional massage.  It was heavenly. 

They massaged our backs, feet, hands, scalp, and face.  It felt so good and I felt so good for several days afterwards.  It was the next best thing to good _ _ _ (you can fill in the blanks). 

Beth and I left the Spa with huge smiles on our faces. 

Saint Thomas Island Tour

Beth purchased an Island tour for us.  The tour was on Saint Thomas Island.  It was an interesting ride.  They drove on the left side of the road, and the roads were pretty narrow and full of traffic, but I soon started to relax. 

We were driven up to the top of the mountain where we could take some pictures and where we could check out the tourist shops that were conveniently located at these stops.  But that was ok.  We saw some interesting stuff and some of the people were entertaining.  Like the man who had a donkey named Monica Lewinsky.  You could get your picture made with the donkey for a small donation. 

The Islands were full of lots of tours stores.  Everything from cheap trinkets and clothing to fine liquore and jewelry.   Some of the Island stores preferred only cash and the ones we visited, accepted US currency. 

Most stores were Duty Free, but remember that there is a limit on of the amount of Duty Free items you can bring back into the states, then you are hit with the duty for items over your limit. 

Exploration through Snorkeling on Saint Martin Island

Beth also purchased us a Snorkeling trip/adventure.  I have never been snorkeling.  I was really excited about the snorkeling. 

The water was pretty rough the day we went out, but I still really enjoyed myself. 

I was a little nervous about only breathing through my mouth, but I was surprised by easy this was for me and really glad. 

I got to see some fish, strange looking corral that looked like a human brain, black spiny sea urchins and white sea urchin, starfish, and ship wreck. 

I actually got to hold a white sea urchin on the palm of my hand.  It moved around and I said to our tour guide, that it moved and he said “that is what alive things do” and smiled at me. 

I also got to hold a star fish.  The star fish wrapped its self around my hand and wrist.  It felt strange, but good.  I really liked the star fish. 

Cruise Ship Events

The food was endless on the cruise ship and very good.  We had so much to choose from, and of course I ate for more than I should, but I enjoyed every bit of it.

There was also looks of beer, wine, and liquor.  It wasn’t free or cheap, but we couldn’t resist having some on our cruise.  

There was good entertainment on the ship.  We saw an ice Skating show, a Comedy show, live music – Motown style, play Bingo, Play a funny quiz game, saw a Magic show, and watched Aerial Acrobat that was performed by a couple and their show was so beautiful and graceful.  I loved it. 

Beth won at Bingo (100.00 or so) and she won at the Casino.  We played the quarters game and Beth won about 30.00 dollars.  She was lucky on the ship. 

Canon Camera Lost

My sister, Beth lost her point and shoot Canon Camera.  It had all her pictures from our  week long cruise we took.  She thinks she lost it in the Orlando, FL airport – Delta Terminal, but she isn’t sure. 

Now, she isn’t happy about loosing her camera, but what she is most sad about, is that all her pictures are gone. 

If you find a Canon Camera, if you could at least return the memory card from it with Beth’s pictures, that would be great.  How do you it is her camera.  Check out my youtube slideshow below and if you see similar pictures, that would mean you found Beth’s camera.  Just email me and we’ll from there.  I know it is a huge long shot, but no harm in trying. 

In Summary

I had an amazing and fun trip with my sister.  It was a trip of a life for me.  All the places we visited and all the things we did were great, but the best part of the trip was that I got to spend it with my sister and share many laughs with her.  She was a great traveling companion.  Not everybody travels well, but Sissy Beth does. 

It was the best birthday ever!  It help to awaken a part of me that I thought was forever a sleep.  Good to know that turning 50 is the best ever..

I’m so grateful for this wonderful and generous gift.  Thanks Beth. 

I also want to thank Judy, my other sister, Kimbo, and my son, Jeremiah for their generous gifts, that help to make this trip all it could be.  It wouldn’t of been the same with out their generous gifts. 

Thanks Danny for your understanding, love, and support. 

Love you family (ALL my family).

To see a slideshow of pictures from our cruise, check out the below youtube video:

 

Enjoy!

 

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,400 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 25 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 110 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 8mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was September 4th with 62 views. The most popular post that day was Random Act of Kindness.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, healthfitnesstherapy.com, mail.yahoo.com, mail.live.com, and cardonation.sex991.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for rose petal syrup, sick hummingbird, rose petal syrup recipe, elderberry art, and sick hummingbirds.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Random Act of Kindness August 2010
15 comments

2

Rose Petal Syrup May 2010
8 comments

3

Sick Hummingbird July 2010
1 comment

4

Grand Opening of Moundville Museum May 2010
5 comments

5

Elderberry Syrup October 2010
3 comments

 

7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise

I’m getting so excited.  I leave for Caribbean Cruise tomorrow with my little sister, Beth.  Beth entered a cooking contest for a chef position on a cruise ship.  She did great.  They choose her as one of the 6 finalist. She didn’t win the contest, but she won a 7 night cruise for two and she invited me to go on the cruise with her.  Wow!  How awesome.  Here is an online article about Beth and the cruise: http://wheatoncollege.edu/quarterly/2010/12/03/newsmaker-beth-littlejohn-03/. 

This is the first time I have taken a cruise or even ventured outside our country.  I’m so excited. 

My birthday is tomorrow and my sister wanted me to have a special birthday adventure, since I’m turning 50 tomorrow.  What a generous gift.  This is already the best birthday ever.  Thanks sis. 

Stay tuned for future blog post and pictures.  I’ll be gone for a week in the Caribbean, so be patience and give me a couple of weeks to get things posted. 

Enjoy the day!

Left to Right – Beth, Kay

Related Links:

• Blog post I wrote up about the contest my sister, Beth entered:  http://paintcreektn.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/vote-for-my-sister-the-chef/ 
• Cruise Line Web Site:  http://www.royalcaribbean.com

 

The Invisibles

They are the nameless

They have no culture

They belong to no group

They are treated with in-difference

They are the Invisibles

 

They have a deep desire to belong to a group

They want a name, a culture

They want to feel accepted

They want to be claimed by a group

They want to belong

 

What have we created with the nameless in this modern world

How unkind are we or are we

What has lead us to this time where so many nameless exist

What were our ancestors thinking or were they

Is this a better fate for the  nameless, to live invisible in a very visible society

Is this a blessing in disguise

 

How do we create a time and place of belonging, of acceptance for everyone, especially for the nameless

Can we only create this time and place of acceptance in our dreams

    Yes..  Our dreams…..  they will give birth to all new things

        A new group, a new culture

        where the nameless will be members 

This new group will be known as the true Human Beings

The Invisibles

    What a gift they give to the world…….. 

Author – Kay LittleJohn – July 2010

 

 

A Winter Day

It has been a while since I have made a blog post.  I started working outside the house back in July at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville.  I’m doing computer work for UT (SharePoint web sites).  I’m enjoying the work I’m doing there, and I like the work environment.  It is a long commute back and forth, but the commute has actually given me time to listen to some audio books.  I’m really enjoying listening to audio books. 

UT has recently cut my hours in half, so I’m just working part time now.  As much as I could use full time work, I’m trying to make the best of my free time and remain grateful for what work I have. 

We have had an early winter this year that has been filled with lots of snow and cold weather.  I’m more of a warm weather person, so I find winters to be hard, especially cold ones. 

This morning I was standing by our woodstove trying to warm up and I noticed our Dogwood tree and Polk Berry bushes full of song birds.  The song birds have almost picked the Dogwood tree bear of it’s bright red berries and the Polk Berry bushes aren’t far behind, and will soon be bear.  

I had been feeling a little guilty that I hadn’t gotten around to clearing the Polk Berry bushes away and placing them in my composting pile or clearing the dead plants from my raised bed.  I have been so busy working, that what free time I had, I was busy doing all the other mundane things that are required of us, so that we can get by in this life. 

Standing by the woodstove this morning warming up, I watched the song birds in the Dogwood tree and Polk Berry bushes and I can’t remember seeing so many song birds in my yard during the winter.  It was wonderful seeing all the different song birds.  I even saw a Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker woodpecker (we had to dig out our bird book, because we had never seen on before).  What a beautiful bird. 

As I was watching the birds, it occurred to me what a gift it was for the song birds and woodpecker, that I hadn’t clear away the Polk Berries bushes.  This is how the birds make their living in the winter.  We all need to make a living and to eat, as my Dad would say. 

Next year I’ll will try and remember to leave my Polk Berry bushes standing with their berries on them, so the songs have a way to make a living and they have plenty to eat.  

We can learn a lot from nature, if slow down enough to observe what is going on around us.  I’m grateful I did this morning.  It was a good reminder to remember how important it is to live in balance with all of life. 

Enjoy!