Grateful For the Land and Robert Frost

 CdA River at the Cataldo Mission

When I drive down the freeway, cruise up the river, move through town, or walk along the path I am reminded of the beauty of the land that surrounds me in northern Idaho. I have never taken it for granted. I work each day at trying to capture this beauty in photos. I was reminded again of this poem by Robert Frost today. I went back and reviewed favorite photo images of the land where I live. Enjoy.

The Gift Outright

The land was ours before we were the land’s.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours
In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England’s, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.
Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.
Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,
Such as she was, such as she would become.

winter tree

fall up the river

514 Sunset

fall on Hill Street

Priest Lake

Today I Am Thankful for Our Dogs

Today I am thankful for my dogs. Tucker and Riley bring so much joy into our lives. They get along famously. They play funny chase games outside that make us laugh. When I am sick or need to take a nap both of them join me in the bedroom and always stay close. We know Tucker would protect us if our lives were in danger. We know Riley would just assist. They are loyal, they love us inconditionally, and they are one reason I get out of bed every day, Here are some of my favorite photos of the two of them.

Today I Am Grateful for Our Cats

This is Grayson

Our cats have a unique life at 514. They all came with us when we moved from Kettle Falls, but then when we rescued Tucker we were told he may not like cats. We didn't really work with him enough with the cats. We just came up with a new living arrangement. All day every day the cats can come and go from the basement kitty door. Their food and water and sleeping areas are in the basement and we come and go and see them during the day.

Every evening the dogs are tucked into their dog carriers (which they love to run to) and the cats come inside and upstairs for the rest of the evening and throughout the night. This has worked well for all of the animals in our house. The cats get quality time with us in the evening. The dogs get quality time with us during the day.

Things have changed recently. Two of our female cats died and we now only have three cats left. They don't seem as concerned about the dogs. Riley gingerly crept down the basement stairs a few weeks ago and William didn't even seem bothered. We will see how it goes with the other two cats and Tucker also. It would be wonderful if all of them could get along in one room at the same time. The last three are also much more affectionate now that they are the only ones left. They brighten up every one of my evenings. I am so grateful for each of them.

All our pets are spoiled and well-cared for. They just have different schedules. I am grateful for the love our cats show me every day and how they can calm me down and destress me just by sitting in my lap. At the top of the post and below are our three remaining cats.

Meet Winnie

Here is William

Here is Riley working on getting acquainted with the cats in the basement.

I Am Thankful Today: No More MRSA

On November 22, 2018 while preparing the Thanksgiving table I took a fall to the floor. I seems fine, just a bit sore. A few days later I went to the ER and learned I had cellulitis. The next day I went in an ambulance to Kootenai Health. I needed a specialist to provide wound care. I also learned I had MRSA. Since that week I have had been on strong antibiotics, struggled with secondary infections, and had to postpone knee replacement surgery. I was no longer contagious, but was a carrier and it was wrecking havoc on my body.
Since March I have worked to rid the MRSA from my body. I can't say what really worked, because I tried so many things. Last week I got the best news this year. The MRSA is now gone from my body.

I was so relieved. I am thankful, grateful, blessed, and happy. I am moving forward to even better health.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #4: Thankful for Garden Flowers

Today I am thankful for the beauty of the flowers that grow in my gardens. I am thankful for good soil, perfect weather this summer, and resonably priced water. Here are a few photo images of my garden flowers.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #3: I Am Blessed With Music Everywhere

I remember a time when we heard good music on an AM station, but that was shaky. Our local station went off the air at 10:00, I think.  We also heard good music if we were fortunate to have record albums, 45s,  and later cassettes and CDs. There were some good shows on television like American Bandstand that played good music also.

Fast forward to today. I never would have dreamed that in 2019 you could have music everywhere. Music on your computer, your smart phone, in the car, on an I Pod, on the television set, and also on a Dot that has a woman named Alexa that finds your music.

What I find amazing is that lots of it is free. I can explore all genres of music, oldies, new tunes, whatever I want. We have come a long way from those 45 records in the early sixties. I am truly blessed, but do you want to know something? I still listen to my favorite '70's songs more than anything else. 

Here is a favorite on my playlist always. It was the most played song at The Perch at the U. of I. during my college years. "Hello, It's Me" by Todd Rundgren.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #2: Grateful for Four Seasons

Throughout the whole year I pause and take time to be thankful, grateful, and blessed. November is a perfect month to share things that surround me that make me thankful, grateful, and blessed.  Here is #2.

Today I am grateful for living in a place that I can enjoy four seasons. I have always been an autumn girl, but now that I am retired and can be home to enjoy the changing of the seasons, I love parts of each and every season. 

Growing up in Kellogg spring was late in coming and very short. There was a long period after winter of gray, foggy days partly due to the smelter smoke. When spring came and the lilacs bloomed it was wonderful, but it came late. 

I have learned to love summer much more in recent years. I enjoy watching the gardens come to life with blooms and a bounty of vegetables. I also enjoy the longer days, the slower pace, and garden tours with my camera.  A highlight now is birthday gatherings and family dinners outside in the yard.

Autumn has always been my favorite season. I remember that smell of Dad burning leaves in the street after he raked the leaves. Even with the smelter smoke, the trees burst into vivid colors of red, orange, and yellow when October came around. Autumn also evokes memories of comfort food on Sunday and birthday celebrations,  Today autumn represents the slowing down time of the year. It the time for dinners in the slow cooker, putting the gardens to bed for winter, warm,cozy sweaters, and coffee in the morning by the fire. Also, there is Thanksgiving, a holiday I truly love.

What I loved about winter as a child was building snowmen, sleighriding on Chestnut Hill, hot chocolate when we returned home, and Christmas. What I didn't like were slick roads that made Mom nervous and getting wet on the playground and trying to warm up back in the class. Now I love winter almost as much as autumn. Why? I don't have to go anywhere unless I want to. It is a photographer's dream when the snow falls and it is frosty and cold. It is hibernation time. Life slows down even more. More books get read, more craft projects get done, and the holidays bring friends and family together. 

Here are some favorite photos of the four seasons where I live: 

Cataldo Mission in autumn

Winter sunset at 514

bird in the spring

summer up the river

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #1

Throughout  the whole year I pause and take time to be thankful, grateful, and blessed. November is a perfect month to share things that surround me that make me thankful, grateful, and blessed. I am a little late into November, but I will catch up.

Today I am thankful for my digital camera and the camera on my phone. I was revisiting photos from the last ten years today as I prepared to order some prints and create some gifts. I am thankful that all my photos are intact in one place,  I am thankful that they are in chronological order so I can easily find a photo based on the time of year I took it. I am also thankful that I have remembered to capture so many images with both cameras.

Photos tell the story of your life. They capture moments, vivid images, those special places, and important people and they are in a cloud, on a back up drive, on my phone, and on my computer so I can revisit them over and over.  For that I am thankful.

This is one of my favorite quotes by a favorite photographer of mine :
“You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
― Ansel Adams
There it is... everything I love brought together with photography. Here are a few of my recent favorite photos.