The Shed Notebook: A Poem for the Day: "In the End We Are All Light"

I revisited a whole collection of blog posts this morning to remind me of the poems I have posted during National Poetry Month. I have often posted the same poems multiple times. This is one of them. A treasure.

In The End We Are All Light

I love how old men carry purses for their wives,
those stiff light beige or navy wedge-shaped bags
that match the women’s pumps,
with small gold clasps that click open and shut.
The men drowse off in medical center waiting rooms,
with bags perched in their laps like big tame birds
too worn to flap away. Within, the wives slowly undress,
put on the thin white robes, consult, come out
and wake the husbands dreaming openmouthed.

And when they both rise up
to take their constitutional,
walk up and down the block, her arms are free as air,
his right hand dangles down.

So I, desiring to shed this skin
for some light silken one,
will tell my husband, “Here, hold this,”
and watch him amble off into the mall among the shining
cans of motor oil, my leather bag
slung over his massive shoulder bone,
so prettily slender-waisted, so forgiving of the ways
we hold each other down, that watching him
I see how men love women, and women men,
and how the burden of the other comes to be
light as a feather blown, more quickly vanishing.

-Liz Rosenberg

Sibling Assignment #205: My Spiritual Home In Nature

Lake Roosevelt close to home.

Brother Bill gave Sibling Assignment #205:"Write an essay explaining where you find your spiritual home and why." You will find Bill's here and Carol's here.

spiritual: of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature

spiritual home: A place in which one feels a strong sense of belonging.

lilypads, Heyburn State Park

Today I chose to write about my spiritual home as defined above. My spirituality related to my religious beliefs is private. I know what my beliefs are, but I have a hard time explaining them to others.

My spiritual home is outdoors away from town. I started camping when I first met JEJ and quickly found that being in the woods, standing by a lake, gazing at the stars, or sitting by a campfire was my spiritual home. I could always release the stresses of week and find a calm place in the outdoors.  I didn't care if it was raining, hot, or freezing cold. Any weather, any location worked just fine for me. I just dressed for the weather.

French Rock, Lake Roosevelt

When we lived in northeastern Washington we were surrounded by a large scenic lake, numerous campgrounds, calming creeks, and roaring rivers. We didn't have to drive far to be away from people and responsibities. I always made sure I packed great food, great beverages, great books, a journal, and a camera.

I felt a sense of belonging in my spiritual home in nature even more when I began using a camera earnestly. It caused me to pause and take in more of my surroundings. It gave me images to keep as a remembrance of a specific campground, hiking trail, or lake. Time stood still for me. The only schedule I had was getting home before I had to return to work.

Our favorite spiritual home, Canyon Creek Campground

Finding my soul in nature didn't happen right away.  At first I was always on a mission to find a certain trail, locate the perfect camp site, or gather firewood.  As I spent more time in nature I unwound easier, slowed myself down, and read, wrote, and reflected more often. It was good for my soul. It was what I needed.

Now that I am retired and we relocated, we left camping behind. I miss it, but in northern Idaho we again are close to lakes, streams, rivers, and mountains. Now we can find a place to appreciate nature, but not stay overnight.  I still carry the camera and continue to find perfect subjects for pictures.  The best part is that I found God in those times in nature. I always feel closer to him in my spiritual home.
Enjoy some images I have captured in my spiritual homes in nature.

Kettle Falls Campgroumd

“We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.” - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Barnaby Island in winter, Lake Roosevelt

Sibling Assignment #199: A Piece of Heaven: Priest Lake

Brother Bill gave this assignment. "  I’m thinking about Christy’s recent trip to Priest Lake, Carol’s recent  trip to Seattle, and my recent trip to Eugene. Let’s all describe and write about an unexpected pleasure each of us experienced on these trips. " You can find sister Carol's post here and brother Bill's post here

 I love to call Priest Lake a piece of heaven. Growing up we were so close to Priest Lake, but had never gone there. In northern Idaho there are so many lakes that we often visited ones that were closer to home. About ten years ago we decided to take a week-end getaway to Hill's Resort on Priest and have continued to visit since then, moving up the lake to stay at Elkin's Resort.

There are always unexpected pleasures each time we take a trip to Elkin's Resort. That is why we continue to visit at least once a year. This year the first unexpected pleasure was the weather. It was sunny, warm, and just the right temperature to sit on the sand by the water, or take a hike to Hanna Flats.

The second unexpected pleasure was the cabin we stayed in. I had always looked at the cabin across a little bridge from the rest of the cabins and wanted to stay there. Our other favorite cabins were booked this time, so it worked out perfectly. The cabin was off by itself, it was full of beautiful furniture, and it even had a washer and dryer. We learned later that this cabin had been a home to the owners son while he was building a house, We could have stayed a week!

The third unexpected pleasure was the trail outside the cabin that led to a deserted beach. We had warm sunshine, lovely red chairs, the lakeshore for the dogs to romp in the water, and peace and quiet. I love these pictures of that beach enjoying quality time with Everett and the dogs. 

I spent time journaling, reading, sipping adult beverages, taking lots of photos, taking each dog for walks, and and spending quality time with Everett. The resturant was a short walk across the parking lot so we had it made.

I can't wait for our next trip to Elkin's Resort at Priest Lake.

The Shed Notebook: Bathroom Decor Overload

The bathroom remodel will start in about four weeks, which means Shawn wants to begin ordering materials soon . EEEKKK! Now I have pinned pictures on Pineterest, made an idea book on Houzz, and bookmarked items on Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon, and Better Homes and Gardens web sites. That doesn't mean I am ready. I continue to change my mind about certain things like colors, tiles, faucets, and shelving. Soon I am just going to have to make some important decisions.Houzz alone has 1,366,386 photos of bathrooms. That is way too many to process.
JEJ just keeps saying, "whatever makes you happy makes me happy." So much for a second opinion. Considering this is the smallest room in the house, I don't know what I am fussing so much. I know why. I sit in there many times a day! Okay, back to the ideas. I need to narrow things way down today.
I have to wonder if I had the walls painted in yellow and orange stripes if JEJ would be happy. We will never know.

The Shed Notebook: Motivation to Clean the Bathroom

Now what in the world would give any sane person motivation to really deep clean a bathroom?
My motivation was a visit from the contractor. Shawn came and looked at our bathroom with excellent ideas of how we could renovate it. Right now it serves the purpose, but having a walk in shower, new flooring, paint, and sink is getting me pretty excited. As I prepare for my knee surgery a higher toilet will be so much better, and safety rails in the shower will provide me with peace of mind. The best part of the visit from the contractor is he found other little things throughout the house that he could fix easily and without a big cost. I thought I was the only person having trouble with the basement stairs. He said they needed treads and it would make my trip up and down better. Who knew?

We have more plans for other projects I will share later. The other good thing is he is doing our house and brother Bill Woolum's next door at the same time. One dumpster, all the workers moving between the two houses, so much   more efficient.
Now it has been internet scouring for bathroom ideas. Between Houzz, Pineterest and the Lowe's, and Home Depot sites,  it is mind boggling. JEJ finally requested I not show him any more images until I narrow down the ideas to about fifty. Stay tuned.

Sibling Photo Assignment #10: Road Trip

I gave the assignment again this week. . Road Trip: Get in your car before the end of Sunday and take pictures where the road takes you. Write about why you headed there to take pictures. Have fun. Brother Bill took picture in Manhattan. New York. You can find his photo assignment  here. Carol will soon post hers.

The road took us to Priest Lake. I had planned a photography workshop at Priest Lake in October. Not enough people registered, so I decided to take the money I had saved and do my own private photography workshop on Priest Lake My husband and dogs joined me in a relaxing road trip. Join us in a photo series of our trip.

Sibling Photo Assignment #9: Comfort

 I gave the latest Sibling Photo Assignment: "Create a series of photos that depict a sense of comfort.
Brother Bill's is here. I will link sister Carol's soon.My photos only need a few words. Here is what brings me comfort.

Annie

fuzzy blanket

strong coffee in a favorite mug

Tucker

autumn leaves

cookbooks

scented candles

JEJ

Freshening Up And Giving Myself A Break

Every so often I like to freshen up my blog. It is a bit like thinking and writing. It clears the cobwebs, gives me more motivation, and it challenges my computer skills. I still don't have buttons linked and other parts added, but it will come in time.
When we went on our retreat away from home last week we did the same thing. We cleared some cobwebs, came back more motivated and we gave ourselves a huge break. JEJ and I needed to do that. We think Rome can be built in a day, so when it comes to projects around the house, we feel the urge to get everything done before the weather gets colder, before the snow flies, before November comes, before the first frost.

We have moved into November. When I was teaching I dreaded November. It was a weary part of the school year with grades, conferences, darkness when you arrived home, changes in weather, and lack of energy. I had an ongoing struggle with depression during that month. This year I like November.  We are giving ourselves a break. We decided last week while retreating we don't have to work on a project every day. If we want to read books in front of the fire, we have given ourselves permission to do that.  If there are leaves on the living room floor that should be picked up, we know they will eventually get off the carpet.

It is a better way to begin the shift in the seasons and weather. We are privileged to be able to do it because we are retired. As November has begun,I  have enjoyed reading four books, working on my blog design, doing some writing,  learning how to use a different camera, and giving myself a break.

Happy November!

One Word Essay: Travel

When  we travel we often stay close to home.


We search for places that we can relax and retreat.

We also look for places that are surrounded by beauty.

JEJ and I load up the rig, the dogs, cameras, food and drink and hit the road.

Our destination last week was Osoyoos, B.C. Such a great choice.

Being Thankful: Three Traveling Partners

We always try to plan a week-end getaway on Veteran's Day week-end. It is that time after first quarter, grades, and parent conferences. It is a good week-end to take a break. For the second year I loaded up with my three traveling partners and traveled to the Methow Valley of north central Washington state and enjoyed a quiet stay at a rental cabin. We didn't really care that it was foggy and rainy. I was still able to photograph my favorite aspens.

My traveling partners were JEJ, and our dogs Shelby and Annie. We rested, read books and magazines, explored,took pictures,walked the dogs, had good food and great coffee, and slept in. I think in this photo Shelby had just seen a very large buck along the river road.

We took a drive up the Chewuck River and appreciated the beauty enhanced with a sprinkling of snow.

We stopped at a SnoPark along the river for the dogs to take a run. All I needed was my traveling partners, my Idaho Vandal coffee cozy with a cup of hot coffee, and my camera. I was set.

Being Thankful

Each day up to Thanksgiving I will share three things I am thankful for each day. I could probably do this post every day until the new year and not cover all the things I am thankful for. I live a life full of blessings.

Today I am thankful for Friday. It has been a long week and I look forward to a quiet week-end and quality time spent with JEJ and the critters.


I am also thankful for my teaching partners. I work with some dedicated teachers that want what is best for our students each and every day. It is a joy to arrive at school and learn from them each day.

The third thing I am thankful for today is my students. I learn from them each and every day, even when they are dressed up crazy for Halloween.