One chickadee arrived yesterday. We will see the other chickadees tomorrow in NYC. We will be family all together once again, for the second time in NYC. Although I have taken many chickadees many times to New York and M and I grew up there, we have not been there as one family since 2006.
If blog is spotty, you know why.
New York City just 13 days ago. Thanks to the Columbia Grad for the Pic.
As I sit and meditate, I find joy in the smallest of events around me.
The drops of melted snow off the roof splashing loudly on the ground, the dog next to me on the couch, the sound of chirping birds around and at the feeder, the delicious organic Reese’s PB sliver of a candy bar I just popped into my mouth, the sound of car tires on wet roads, the ambiance of our treehouse, the fire in the hearth, the ticking of our clock, the breeze swaying pine needles, the air – fresh and clean and the feeling of contentedness that radiates from me as I contemplate this moment and take it in.
Ahhhhhh….to be in the mountains, high atop the hill, just being.
Pure bliss or as they say in Sanskrit “Ananda”.
Cannot wait to go up tomorrow and have Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday at the resort!
Mother’s Day Brunch at Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa – 2015
Sunday May 10, 2015 11am
Omelet Station
Bell Peppers, Onion, Green Chiles, Mushrooms, Shrimp, Bacon, Ham, Sausage, Spinach, Tomato, Cheddar Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Brie Cheese
Pasta Station
Penne, Farfalle and Orchiette
Shrimp. Grilled Chicken, Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions Marinara, Alfredo and Pesto Sauces
Cold Foods
Green Salad w/ assorted dressings, Spinach Walnut Salad w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette, Pasta Salad, Caprese Salad, Shrimp Cocktail
Hot Food
Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Sausage Links, Chicken Apple Sausage, Breakfast Potatoes, Biscuits and Gravy, Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Breakfast Pastries, Assorted Breads for Toast
Herb Roasted Chicken, Braised Short Ribs, Apricot Glazed Pork Loin, Snapper Vera Cruzana, and Butternut Squash Lasagna, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Wild Rice Pilaf, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, Rolls and Sweet Butter
Desserts Station
Brownies, Cheesecake, Assorted Petit Fors and Fresh Fruit
I am sure to gain a little weight but I will resume regular activity and eating patterns thereafter (hopefully).
Aware this morning that our planet and climate will do as it may, I gazed in awe at the wind; the breath of the planet, the fog rolling in like rapid ghosts fleeing the light, the wet air clinging to other molecules and the dense space, brimming with evergreen, earthy essence and ground vibrations trembling with gratitude for the rain; tears of joy cleansing our mountain top sanctuary.
Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
As I meditated, breathing into my chakras, expelling stale and useless thoughts, I inhaled the life force I sensed around me, using my human experience to touch, smell, hear, taste and see it enter inside me, envelop me, surround and protect me.
I walk in gratitude and connected.
What a wonderful surprise awaited me today when I arrived at my Treehouse Sanctuary.
And more to come. From a simple 10 minute digging into earth, a massive, healthy and 100% response from Mother Nature’s Bulbs.
If you haven’t had the joyous experience yet, I encourage you to spend a few dollars and a few minutes come fall (or spring/now for summer blooms in your area – check with your nursery). It is probably the easiest return and fascinating reward for your time and effort.
Your inner child will be in awe as they slowly but surely progress. The bulbs burst through the earth, they grow, they bloom and they wither. It is sure to entertain and fill your heart.
I couldn’t resist continuing the garden theme as the few bulbs I plant at the treehouse only last 3-4 weeks total and I had the pleasure and honor of viewing them in person. The white furled blooms have a delicious, intoxicating scent but only if you come up close and sniff. I planted this set our first fall and they look wispy against the steep slope and crags between rocks. Yet, they are sturdy and flexible. As breezes sweep by them, they sway and pop back erect. Their “faces” pray humbly as their heavy bloom heads nod.
This little guy graced my patio deck right where I could glimpse him from my kitchen window as I washed some dishes up in Lake Arrowhead. I immediately thanked the Earth for this adorable friend, for its appearance, existence and my ability to stop and contemplate the good all around me. I spent most of the day up here wrestling with the furnace and spying the little birdie gave me a sense of ease and comfort. I KNEW everything would be all right. He left but I could still trace his path as he flew away to close in trees and shrubs and then he came back and posed for me again, giving me his other Hollywood stance and a view of his back.
Small and yet important. Just a gesture, a nod from the Universe. I smiled, laughed inside and felt not alone. I KNEW I was connected to all living, breathing and vibrating beings.
Opening my eyes to opportunities and possibilities has helped me to build strength of character, anticipate work and study twists of fate and has given me immeasurable insights. It has led me to see with arms outstretched not crossed, smell my own and another’s fear, partake of once in a lifetime chance meetings and feel the world’s synchronicity happening.
Yesterday I had Open Eyes and I took Cindi to what looks like an abandoned pile of rubbish with a trail to walk her.
On this trail there are discarded water drainage pipes standing up about three feet high and two feet in diameter. Some have painted art and it would have been remiss of me not to mention and show the ones that spoke to me.
This dark-skinned woman holds a sphere in her left hand. Her hands are in a receptive meditative pose. The sun beams behind her like a fiery halo of light. Rays spike from the held orb. Is she Mother Earth or Pachamama? Is she the embodiment of all women as goddess? There is a pyramid of stairs rising up to her pelvis where a child or extraterrestrial steps out. I am not an art critic or interpreter but it has a strong visceral, spiritual, almost other worldly tone to it.
On this deserted tube of cement, a man seems to be outstretching his hands inside a lighted teepee during a full moon. Again, I felt drawn to its indigenous flavor and mystic quality. Is he thanking or beseeching the moon? Who is he?
In this signed piece (look at bottom of tree trunk), The pond or lake is rounded, the colors suggest sunset and it has an extremely restful, albeit fishbowl presence.
“Once you’ve been given the torch of awareness, all sorts of dark bends in the road begin to appear for you to illuminate.” – Cecilia B. Steger
How wonderful to have just fallen snow gleam with evening lights. It may be cold outside but the innocence of a fresh blanket of white crystals clinging to pine needles and horizontal surfaces is beyond compare.
It might be groundhog day but it is also my anniversary for coming to America.
A little girl of three, flew for the first time with an adult stranger who was her guardian for the trip. I still remember the lady’s name, it was Betty Poll. I remember the engines were loud. I had no idea what was going on. All I remember is I was coming from the summer (southern hemisphere) and for some reason I had a coat and I hadn’t seen my mom since before Christmas (two months to be exact) and I didn’t even remember I had a father. I missed my aunt ( whom I stayed with back in Argentina ) and I knew I was to behave. That was the extent of it. I am sure I tried to make the best of it and I probably acted as brave as I could.
The reunion at the airport (which wasn’t yet named Kennedy in NY) is a story to be told another time.
And here we are, over a half century later. I still hate to fly. Could this be why? I wonder.
