I’ve had the privilege of watching the incredible aeronautic skills of the Blue Angels soaring through the skies, vicariously wishing it was me in the cockpit. I’m certain those amazing Navy jet jockeys would be fearfully gripping their joysticks if they knew what this ole Marine ragamuffin was contemplating😊
This morning, listening to the Canadian Tenors perform Watching Over Me at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, my spirit soared. It reminded me that His angels are constantly watching over us.
OK, I’m aware my ADHD (Active Delusional Haywire Dementia) is ever-operational and has no ‘Off’ switch (Who just say, “Really?”😊) . . . but it got me to ‘a-musin’. Hope you’ll ‘bear’ with me for a tad once again.
Perhaps, on yesterday’s woods wander I missed the silent message butterflies and birds whispered, and my post should have been more appropriately titled Blue Angels.
Soooooo . . . ‘Black and Blue’ post has been revised to ‘Blue Angels’; the black bear vid-clip deleted (Sorry Smoky ☹); and the comforting chorus from Watching Over Me added below. If you have the chance, googling the Canadian Tenors Royal Conservatory of Music inspirational performance reassures that we’re not navigating this oft difficult earth-bound journey solo.
There will always be the shining sun There will always be the rising of the sea There will always be an angel watching over me
“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”
Rural living precludes urban living’s convenient access to the theater, but Mother Nature featured a free-admission BBB feature . . . Butterflies, Birds and Bears . . . today up here on the mountain – down in the ‘holler’ – over the ‘crick’ 😊
I was in my element today . . . wandering the woods with other turkeys.
Wishbone definitely makes a fashion statement, but it doesn’t appear to ‘fowl up’ her relationships with the other girls in her family, or her flamboyant boyfriends 😊
“All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.” – Cecil F. Alexander
Some impromptu entertainment performed by some feral forest friends this ‘ole turkey’ enjoyed this morning . . . and there’s no admission charge . . . Be Blessed, and . . .
“For every animal of the forest is mine” ….”I know every bird in the mountains” – Psalm 50:10-11
A pair of trumpeter swans, a grebe, and a loon were my drizzling mist companions on a tranquil canoe paddle on the lake this afternoon . . . a relaxing backyard trek well worth to getting wet for 😊
“The boundary lines for me have fallen in favorable places” -Psalm 16:16
Canoeing in a light drizzle across the lake yesterday, a pair of Gavia immer serenaded me. The melancholic warbling call of the common loon is the call of the wilderness. . . . a tranquil respite that was mine to embrace in troubled world. I M Blessed . . . May U B 2
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Woke up this morning to discover snow-line has suddenly dropped 1,500 ft. below Chickaloon, AK, and the fluff continues to steadily fall . . . this will seriously alter my daily routine from hiking to shoveling 😊
The snow’s projected to end by nightfall, so . . . barring a cardiac event 😊 . . . it’ll probably be Sunday before I manage to clear the driveway down to the road, which has yet to be plowed . . . welcome to rural Last Frontier life . . . Love it!
While waiting to step outside and engage Mother Nature’s 13-degree Winter Wonderland with my shoveling skills, I identified with and added a tad to the post below a fellow ole duffer sent on his bloghttp://rays-daily.com/ . . . thanks Ray!
Reading these Tips for a Better Life triggered poignant ‘Wish I’d have realized these sooner’ memories, and thought some of y’all might enjoy perusing them. Like my Grammy used to scold me when I’d been caught doing something naughty yet again, “Freddy, you’re too soon old and too late smart!” . . . I shoulda’ listened sooner . . . do as I say, not as I’ve done 😊
Wherever this may find you in your ‘Wonderland’ today . . . whether the sun’s shining; snow’s falling; or a storm’s raging, enjoy its wonders . . . they are there if you but look and listen closely.
Tips for a Better Life – (it’s not too late)
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to. 😊
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late-night shows and get more sleep .
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________today.’
5. Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7. Make time to pray. It will provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 (not a lot of us still left 😊) and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed-out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. God heals everything in His time which is always on time.
29. However good or bad a situation is it will change.
30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will, stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
34. Do the right thing!
35. Call your family often (or email them to death!!!) Hey I’m thinking of ya! 😊
36. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
37. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
38. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
What a difference a day makes! . . . freeze-up happened sooner than expected for our local Trumpeter Swan family. The few remaining open patches of water these big birds require for their running take-off is quickly becoming solid-state, and Mom is ‘honking-out’ Dad for not booking an earlier flight south for their cygnets and them 😊
Not to worry. I spoke with a neighbor today who is an avian expert and shares my concern for our Trumpeters’ plight. He is in contact with Bird Rescue authorities who will be able to institute SAD (Swan Assisted Departure) if necessary . . . stay tuned 😊
. . . Be Blessed, and . . .
Abba's Art 