Holiday Hideout

Reflection time. Beauty in Ouray everywhere one looks. I'm looking...at snow covered Mt. Hayden. Rocks and conifers jutting from white frosting, trees thickly coated. Cold wind licks their boughs, sprinkling snowflakes around clear blue Colorado sky. Warm upstairs, pellet stove noisily pumping hot air below. Bean soup bubbling in the crock pot.

I'm grateful for all I have and the struggles to be me.

Spot, our 12.5 year old tuxedo mouse and chipmunk hunter rests his arthritic body on the step to my left. Five month old Aspen, our overachiever Golden Retriever puppy, is stretched out nearly four feet, snoozing at my toes.

An unrestful year, all tidy and wrapped up, awaits to be unravelled again, disguised as a new year. Lighter times for some, heavier for others. Please, lighter for me.

I miss my dad who left us here on planet Earth in September. Spending a month with Mom has truly been a gift. Miss my family so much, especially Ryan. Some day they will come here for a postcard Christmas. Much better than spending hours on the freeway for Christmas visits.

Thank you, Bruce, the love of my life, for a "do nothing" Christmas Day present.

Ryan, my darling son, showered us with thoughtful presents. With plenty to eat, warm surroundings family calls, and friends all around, we are so very lucky. And to live here in Ouray, Colorado, even luckier.

Quiet. A "get to" instead of "have to" day. Two of them in a row. Almost three! Thank you, Bruce, for working today.

Catch up can be another day. Time to revisit goals. Create abundance. Maybe there will be time to finish my book...or start another.