2011

The year is slowly passing away … to say the least 2011 was an unsettling year for many of us. Yet, the essence of unsettled experiences is what brings us to some of the most rewarding conclusions, to the roads that are meant to be crooked. I’m standing at the beginning of a crooked road, longing for 2012 to get started, anxious to just follow the dots, shed the burdens of the past, lift up into timeless wonder. My bones tell me it’s the right way to go.
Tomorrow, I will burn sage to release all that has been in 2011 and  whisper prayers for courage, for love and support, for energy and guiding light in the coming year
We are all moving into change. Embrace it and move deep into your heart … peace and love, my friend!
~M.

2012 Drink to try … with Pendleton Whisky

Pendleton Sagebrush
3 parts Pendleton Whisky
1 part triple sec
1 part fresh squeezed oj
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice
Top off with ginger ale

Muddle sage leaf with orange slice in glass; add liquids; pour into old fashioned glass; garnish with an orange slice and a sage leaf.

 

Pendleton® Whisky Launches Pendleton 1910™100% Canadian Rye Whisky
Aged 12 years, limited release premium rye whisky offers smooth flavor profile

Love this …

Check out Hint Jewlery on her blog for some very unique and pretty jewlery.

Merry Christmas my friend!

The Vault …

For hours of uninterrupted fun and in honor of everything being interesting, follow this link to The Vault. The FBI has made thousands of files available in a new online resource called The Vault.

“The Vault is our new electronic reading room, containing more than 3,000 documents that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office. 
Included here are many new files that have been released to the public but never added to this website; dozens of records previously posted on our site but removed as requests diminished; files from our previous electronic reading room, and new, previously unreleased files.” ~~~ from the FBI website section The Vault

Being of unsound mind and having lived in New Mexico for many a year, of course, I chose the subject … - Unexplained Phenomenon 

Walt said …

“this is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning god, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”
—
walt whitman

Good friends are really family!

I have wonderful friends who always remember me. Without them, my life would not be complete!

Thank you for the beautiful flowers … you know who you are …

Create anyway

Image by B Tal via Flickr

I am finding so many great quotes and sayings that I just want to share with you!!! Here's another ...

‎"People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight;
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten;
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway." - Mother Teresa

Mr. Ritter said ...

Image by Coconino National Forest via Flickr

"We're all travelers in this world. From the sweet grass to the packing house. Birth 'til death. We travel between the eternities." 

~~ Prentice Ritter; From the 2006 motion picture Broken Trail.

Love

I found this on Tumblr. I don't know the origin in order to give credit for it's loveliness. It definitely brought a tears to my eyes. How beautiful a love. Enjoy ~M

Happy Thanksgiving

Image by carfull...farewell to summer via Flickr

I'll be away for about a week ... holidays, etc.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Wise words

"Unless you follow your own trail in life, you will be forced to follow the path of someone else
who did." ~~~ Wise words of a friend

Los Greigos

Count down

Day 221  ...

Count down to freedom!

Freedom from crowded streets

Freedom from bright lights

Freedom from unatural living

[reviewing] Rightful Places by Amy Hale Auker

I finished reading Rightful Places just a few days after I started it. I found it to be utterly interesting in it’s detail  and honesty of ranch life. It was a quick read.
… Quick to read but not soon forgotten. The beauty of Ms. Auker’s descriptions find a place in your soul and are easily branded into your memory.
The slim book with it’s captivating jacket is now sitting on the table beside my bed. I find myself opening it to a random page and being transported to a different place, entranced by the imagery and delighted by the poetry. This book will not spend much time slotted between other books on a shelf rarely visited … it will keep calling you.

Juni Fisher

Just listening to some good music ... Enjoy! ... and click on her website to hear Gone for Colorado



To hear Gone for Colorado

Heart aflutter

 

Not long ago I posted about tiny houses. I am indeed enamored of them. This morning my friend “J” sent my heart aflutter by sharing a design for a garden shed which I will stretch to say can be made into a tiny house or added onto a tiny house to make a medium house (see there I go).

This could be the tiny house of my dreams.

 

My friend “J” has a bead on how to make my brain buzz with ideas. Between yesterday and today, I must have had a zillion (well, maybe just 10 or 15) tabs open on my computer all related to something “J” posted on Facebook. From Farm to Market to Permaculture to Biodynamic French Intensive Gardening, “J” keeps it interesting. Then, of course, there is the whirl of ‘everything is interesting’ that sucks me in every time.

Tell me though, is this not the most enchanting design?

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth of Hel Yes! have produced this delight …

 

Dreams could only be perfect while sleeping in this tiny room. Sunrise and sunset, each a glorious moment. Even the pattering of rain would inspire.

Now picture the lovely tiny house I posted about last week …..

connected to  this incredible garden shed turned bedroom …

with plenty of containers to grow good, clean food …

                                                                                                                                                                                      

situated along this  beautiful strip of land beside the Rio Grande …

Can you picture it?

When you think about it, do any of us really need so much? Isn’t just a tiny place okay? I think so, all according to need. But having just what is needed does not mean it doesn’t have to be beautiful or be in a beautiful place. Of course, according to ones own aesthetic. It’s the beauty that is soaked up and which satisfies all the wants. Just like a fine meal satisfies your hunger.

See it with me! It’s a good daydream and well, anything can be possible you know …

A meditation for an auspicious day ...

Picture by Realm of Tranquility on Facebook

Make a wish ... carry it in your heart! Allow yourself to shift into grace.

Video by http://www.spiritvoyage.com

Grace knows no gender!

 A holiday stocking stuffer for my teen boy! On sale until 11/14 at 11am EST at One Kings Lane. I'd like to invite you to join One Kings Lane, a great place for top-brand & designer furniture, decor, art, gifts & vintage items up to 70% off. And there's a $15 credit waiting for you if you sign up by clicking this link!

From One Kings Lane ~ "Special-edition preview of K. Cooper Ray's Bill of Rites: for The American Man book. Unfortunately, old-fashioned etiquette books are woefully dense with detail, and many people, particularly men, put them aside as not relevant to their lives. Social Primer has delved deeply into these tomes and come away with an edited, updated, and completely accessible set of guidelines that fit neatly into the modern American man's life. Stripped, pruned, updated, and polished for your consideration, consider this a list of articles to the original declarations, a Bill of Rights, as it were. Signed by K. Cooper Ray and illustrations by Victoria Molinelli, and published by CreateSpace. Soft cover, 114 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1461165750. ISBN-10:146116575X."

You can read Mr. Ray's blog Social Primer at http://www.socialprimer.com/

[some] Alluring thoughts

• Rose colored mountains on a summer evening
• A certain young man who flows like a long cool drink of water
• The changing colors of adobe walls at dusk
• A rising sun over shinning waters
• Sea foam and seashells on glistening sand
• Hot coffee, a warm blanket, a rocking chair, a porch with a view
• A seagull’s song on a deserted beach
• Wild horses in the sun
• The sound spurs make on a slow walk
• Friends who care and remember, who hold out their arms to catch your heart each time
• The crow who calls out in the early morning and reminds us what can be done in the quiet of the early day
• Worn leather
• Fluffy tailed bunnies
• The feel of a hot tub on a snowy night under the stars, in the mountains
• A new book, a cozy chair, a rainy day
• The smell of green chile roasting
• The yip of Coyote in the dark, instinct awakened
• The smell of cut grass, the feel under your bare feet
• Facing the wind …
• A Taos Sunset
• Sunlight streaming in the doorway on a late summer afternoon
• Puppy hugs
• Icy cold lemonade in frosty glasses on a scorching day
• Baby toes and baby nose
• Free range animals
• Herbs drying from ceiling rafters, dust angels floating in the stream of sun filtering through old wavy glass panes
• Red checked blankets, straw baskets filled with fresh food, laughing children and sweet afternoon naps under the sun
• The smell of rain in the desert
• Fresh vegetables blooming in a beautiful container garden
• The squeak of a wood floor at 2AM
• Hay rolling off the back of old ranch trucks, cattle lining up like school children
• Fine bone china, elegant silverware, linen tablecloths, crystal glasses, dim light, soft laughter, demure smiles, shared glances
• Fresh Lavender scented sheets
• The view from high on Hermits Peak
• The scent of pluff mud
• The smell of cedar trees on a cold sunny morning deep in the forest
• Purring kitties
• The smell of piñon wood burning in the wood stove
• The sound of children splashing in the pool
• Apple picking on a cool morning
• Cottonwood fluff falling from the trees
• Pimento cheese sandwiches at the beach
• Spirit ceremonies
• Heat rising from loam on a hot afternoon
• Full moon halo shining on the canyon
• Margarita’s on the porch, friends sharing good times
• Hot air balloons floating
• Dusty roads
• The singular sound of a gas powered saw on the mountain
• Sandy feet on weatherworn floors, the sound of crashing waves in the salty air
• The feel of a horses muzzle
• The smell of burning sage
• A wooden pier over the marsh
• Ambrosia salad
• Sheets drying in the sun
• A colorful herb garden
• Houses lit up in the dark night
• The movement of the boat in calm water
• Land as far as the eye can see
• Sheep herding in Navajo land
• Happy dreams, sweet sleep

Dream slice

I'm picturing myself on the porch wrapped in a blanket, a cup of hot coffee, watching the sun rise on a new day. 

Dream it, believe it, have it ....

Picture from 'A Well Traveled Woman"

Just a note!

Over the next few days, I will be re-designing this blog to what I hope will be a better format with an updated style. Look for the changes and let me know what you think!  ~M

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering: Vess Quinlan "Rain in May"

It’s so easy to love a Cowboy Poet, especially when he brings to life the meaning of rain in the desert! Have a listen to Vess Quinlan as he recites a new poem at the 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko.

An artist's eye and a poet's pen ... Amy Hale Auker

Listen to an excerpt from Rightful Place by Amy Hale Auker by clicking HERE!

Contact Amy for a copy of Rightful Places … it will make a great gift!

I want a tiny house!

I am just in love with these teeny, tiny homes. I have dreams of an uncluttered, Zen like room with just the bare necessities. Of course, then I start thinking about the bare necessities and well; I get a bit off track. I have, over the years, pared down considerably due to my penchant for cris crossing the country like the wandering gypsy I tend to be.
I wonder if any of my dear friends would tolerate a tiny home in their backyard for me and my boy. Of course, I’d have to pay rent for use of their land and tap into water and sewer. It would have to be a friend with considerable land and a wellspring of tolerance and good nature…hmmm!
I don’t know if that is a realistic thought but it certainly is a fun one.
I wonder though, would I start to expand and slowly grow out of my tiny home? I do have a tendency to collect books. I have gotten better about that since I now own a Kindle but I'm not completely cured of book collecting…especially if I can get an authors signature. Can’t do that with a Kindle. I might end up over running the tiny home with plants. That’s very possible.

My boy probably wouldn’t fit after awhile. After all, he is already adult size as a young teen. Plus, he has a ton of stuff. Kids always have a ton of stuff and they are always looking to have more stuff. I think wanting to get rid of your stuff is something people my age want to do. People my age don’t want to have to clean big houses or even pay to have someone else clean a big house. Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to the tiny house. I could spend the bulk of my time reading, playing with plants and concocting various adult beverages.

Speaking of adult beverages, I could still entertain … just outside ... when the weather is fine. I could plant a nice edible container garden and have a nice intimate seating area. So much to consider.

My friend “L” is seriously considering buying three tiny houses for her three boys. She wants to put tiny homes on her land in the upstate of SC. She figures at least she’ll always be able to provide housing for her kids and they’ll always have a place to go back to ... that isn’t her house.

Clever! ...

LiveJournal Tags: Tiny house,Tumbleweed,lifestyle

Ashlee Raubach Photo

ashleeraubach: Addison

I stumbled upon a beautiful photography blog and I just fell in love with this picture.
Click on over to Ashlee Raubach Photography and have a look.

My thought today!

Image by Bill Gracey via Flickr

Don’t worry about quickly reaching your destination ... take delight in the journey! ~Maria Norcia Santillanes

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography via Flickr


Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows no victory nor defeat." President Theodore Roosevelt

Inspiration Monday by BeKindRewrite

I just learned about the BeKindRewrite  writing challenge and I’m giving it a try using the prompt “When you look away.”     

Have a look at their site and read about InMo for yourself.

Badge created by Rewriter Marantha

There wasn’t any reason why she would have wanted to think any different. Her world was spinning with so many hopes and she was precisely where she wanted to be in her life. She had achieved her goal.
When she had divorced Cooper, she was devastated, hanging her head for many more months than she would want to admit. It took a great deal of courage to pack her car and head across country with just a promise of a possible job. She was heading out where she had no friends, no family, no connections, just the will to make a new start in a place she had only visited a few times but had liked just as well. Had she conspired with her family or her friends, they would have thought her crazy. They did anyway when she told them she was leaving in two weeks. It was enough that Cooper said she wouldn’t make it and would be back in no time crying her eyes out. He always thought she wasn’t enough, even though it was her career that sustained them, and her constant moving ahead that provided all that he wanted. When she looks back after all these years and reads between the lines of the conversations she realizes she was the one with enough, the strong one and it was Cooper who, bathed in his own arrogance, burnt all his bridges and now begs off the table of others.
It was almost immediate that she fell in love with the land, and the people. Almost as if she had lived there in a previous life, if such a thing was possible. There was an obvious cultural difference but she embraced it and learned all new ways of living. That’s what she loved; she was energized by knowledge and the more diverse, the better.
Even when things became difficult, she still saw the beauty in the place. When she looked back to the days of life with Coop, she felt only sad. Part of her was still angry with him for his arrogance, for his unwillingness to let her be who she was naturally but mostly she felt sad for him that he never made much of himself.
Coop didn’t matter anymore; she was creating her own life away from the eyes of judgmental people. She realized that when you look away from your path, you are bound to fall and she didn’t have time for that now.
 
Copyright © Maria Norcia Santillanes

Irresistible beauty!

I received a note from a friend who I have never met but for whom I have come to understand as a gracious woman who amid physical hardship puts her heart and soul into her work. Work that is as lovely as she is gracious. Many times when she has posted a picture of a beautiful new work on Facebook, it lifts the moment. I know this to be true by the many comments made about the beauty of her creations. Many of those comments come from well know designers who have an eye for quality.  Jeanne is the owner and artist behind the beautiful silk flower arrangements by Sophie Dahy. Her silk floral arrangements are truly breathtaking and you would not for a moment know they were faux until … you touch them and maybe you might even doubt yourself and lean in to catch a scent.

Have a look at some of these beautiful works of art!

How lovely is this arrangement …Orange Tulips In Celadon?

I particularly love the arrangements using the blue and white vase wear and a favorite of mine is this arrangement of Black-eyed Susans . If you like the blue and white vase wear as I do, then you’ll want to have a look at Jeanne’s  Etsy Shop as well. Jeanne has a knack for finding and using some of the most unique vases I’ve ever seen. The uniqueness of the vases only add to the beauty of the arrangement and if you have a look through her website you’ll see what I mean.

Now, tell me who doesn’t like Black-eyed Susans?!?

Jeanne will be having a event on One Kings Lane  in November just in time for the winter gift giving season and it would be wonderful if you stopped by. I think you’ll find some wonderful gifts for yourself and others. I will certainly post again, once I know the exact dates of the event!
If you aren’t familiar with One Kings Lane, you can learn more and sign up to participate here. It is a great place to find top-brand & designer furniture, decor, art, gifts & vintage items up to 70% off. In the spirit of full disclosure, if you use the link I provided, I will get a credit to go against something I’d like to buy but you too will get a gift …  there's a $15 credit waiting for you when you join!

… And before I sign off, have a look at this gorgeous arrangement Orange Ranunculus In Creamware Pitcher and

**All pictures on this post are the sole property of Sophie Dahy

My current ‘TBR’ list

My list of books to be read varies considerably and sometime the same book will stay on the list for quite some time until “I’m in the mood” for that story. As you can see, I don’t really stick to one genre of book and I like to read books that don’t always get the widest of coverage from the big booksellers such as Rightful Place by Amy Hale Auker who writes about the western life in a poetic and artistic way pulling you very deep into an organic understanding of life and land. As you might be guessing, Rightful Place is next on my list!

Add a comment and share your ‘TBR list too!

… and remember to support independently owned and operated booksellers like Bookwork's in Albuquerque, NM who’s updated website makes for easy purchasing anywhere in the country or The Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, NY, whenever you can. They are certainly becoming a rare breed, few and far between. Do you have a favorite indie bookstore?

Wild Penance by Sandi Ault

Scones & Bones by Laura Childs

Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden

Rightful Place by Amy Hale Auker

The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

Secrets of the Missing Crown by Sunday Larson

Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie

Let’s share! What’s on your ' ‘To Be Read’ List?