bird-lightness

i watch the birds,
the sparrows and the towhees and the woodpeckers and the jays,
high above in the oaks and pines and cedars,
flitting, effortlessly, from branch to branch,
on paper wings and wire legs.
flight is more than hollow bones,
more than feathers and wings.
it is a joyous lightness of being,
an openness,
a willingness.
it is in the green of the budding leaf,
the first, violent breath of the newborn fawn,
and in every fiery beat of the heart longing for the nearness of its love,
a joyous bird-lightness soaring within on a thousand, feathery wings.

lunch at the ranch

a great visit and a great meal with the friedlands yesterday.  

the chef at work

roasted veggies

tasty

thank you, fred and kerstin.

i resolve...

today is the last calendar day of the year 2013---it was an amazing and beautiful year for me.  i always feel like the new year is a chance for rebirth and personal growth---of course, every moment offers that chance and i want to do my best to remember that and make the most of the opportunity in every moment of the new year. 

i resolve...

to listen better
to be more loving
to share more
to be more patient
to give more
to eat better
to be more forgiving
to help more
to be more accepting
to see differently
to smile more
to worry less
to trust more
to be more focused
to play more
to be more diligent
to take it easy

a wonderful 2014 to you all.

christmas in isleton

this year was the first year i didn't spend christmas with my mother and brother.  i missed them but i had a great time in isleton with staal's family.  i got a few pictures but they're an active bunch and it was hard to get a shot that didn't come out blurry---here are some of the least blurred...

nick and staal getting reacquainted

jack, kirra, and zane gettig reacquainted

dozer playing it by ear

i finally got to meet aischa and her family in person---that was a treat.

aischa playing it cool

nick provided a lot of entertainment.

soumaya and malaak with uncle nick

 

 

 

creativity runs in the family---aischa headed craft time (stencil making for t-shirts)

 

hicham, nick, soumaya, malaak, aischa, staal

 

gabe made a beautiful (and delicious) christmas dinner for all of us.  later, aischa turned the leftovers into a great turkey soup that she sent home with us---we were grateful to have it after the long drive back to mariposa.

 

this was plate one of two---i think i ate twice as much as everyone else.  i'm sure it was frightening for onlookers.

salad, mashed potatoes, turkey, roasted carrots and persimmons, and bison

 after dinner:  coffee, fire, and marshmallows.

 

because if you're not singeing your knuckles and eyebrows the marshmallows just won't roast properly

the chef, always experimenting---roasted marshmallow coffee

i had a wonderful time---they're a generous bunch of people and i'm happy i got to spend the holiday with them.
next year...christmas in mariposa!

cat run

i got the cat run finished and set up for the kitties. 

 

i love what staal did with the cat door...

 

winter solstice

for me christmas and new year's eve began to feel very commercial, materialistic, and artificial some time back.  i love getting together with friends and family and celebrating the coming of a new year but for me the symbolic day that inspires this celebration is the winter solstice.  the solstice marks the first day of winter, the longest night of the year, and the coming of the sun in the lengthening days of a new year.  
love, happiness, health, and a happy new year!

lunch at mama's

she's a damn good cook...

and a temptress...

thank you for a lovely afternoon, mama.