Christmas 2021

This has been a hard Christmas for me. On Christmas Eve I put up my tree and decorated it like I do every year but doing so was mentally excruciating. Each ornament I added to the tree only added to my reluctance to continue. I was emotionally swimming against the tide.

Christmas Day started out fine but by afternoon I felt like crying and just wanted the day to be over. Nothing like the Christmas Blues to dampen your spirits. Why was I blue? I guess it was because of this seemingly endless pandemic, the intolerance, racism, selfishness, hypocrisy, lack of respect for the law, and deliberate cruelty on the part of members of Congress, a certain ex-president and his supporters.

This morning I woke up feeling better but still down. Again, why? I called one of my relatives on Christmas day with Christmas greetings and I think I subconsciously perceived that this relative was not going to make it to next Christmas which only added to my depression.

Acknowledging that fear this morning has made me feel sad but as I gazed at my Christmas tree, I realize that I don't have to ignore my feelings about what is going on in the world around me just because it is Christmas. Light shines brightest in the darkness.

There's A Moon Out Tonight

 

Ten o'clock PM, September 19th, 2021

The smoke from the fires burning here in Colorado and in California has dissipated. This is the first night without either a yellowish/orange moon or obscured sky cover. I don't believe how quickly I had forgotten how clear the night sky can be in Colorado or how bright the full moon. Lovely.

Belle Got A Bath This Morning

"Why am I lying here completely surrounded by no biscuits?"

The Fog Comes On Little Cat Feet

It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on
-Carl Sandburg

 

The Mountains Are Calling

 When I am feeling frazzled this view of Longs Peak soothes my soul, even on a cloudy day.

Snow Days

 A month ago we were hit with a snowstorm that left 28 inches of snow behind.  It also knocked out the power for a day and a half.  Here is my husband reading by the light of a small pocket flashlight and a lamp shaped like the pages of a book. Both are battery operated. 

Is Anyone There?

 At about 5:OO PM last night I thought I heard someone at the front door and went to check. Yep, I was right.

This Has Got To Stop

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Do you know how you can tell when it has been bitterly cold outside? When the outdoor temp is up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit and you open the door to let your dog out and think, "Wow, it's really warmed up."

Me, yesterday.

Our Mothers, Ourselves

After seeing photos from Getty Images of people our mother protested with with during the Civil Rights Movement in Denver in the 1960's, my sister decided to see if there were photos of our mother there and found these.

"JUN 9 1976, JUN 10 1976; E. Jean Shannon; JUN 9 1976, JUN 10 1976; E. Jean Shannon; (Photo By John Sunderland/The Denver Post via Getty Images)"

-Getty Images

"SEP 24 1974 MRS. JEAN SHANNON, RIGHT, PROTESTS PAY Bud Salter, left, listens to her, then asks question. Credit: Denver Post, Inc. (Denver Post via Getty Images)"

-Getty Images

It took my sister a couple of tries to find these but once she thought they may have spelled our mother's name wrong (they always did) she found them. The first photo's date is my 25th birthday so my mother had turned 48 three day before this.

Next Project

 I'm going to start a Facebook page for Belle called "Belle's Delivery Photobombs."

THE GOP MANIFESTO

WE Believe:

-Donald Trump is our new born King

WE Believe:

-We must save our new born King

WE Believe:

-Sedition is patriotism

We Believe:

-Violence is patriotism

WE Believe:

-True Americans are Patriots

WE Believe:

-True Americans are White, Christian and far-right politically

We Believe:

-True Americans Constitutional Rights are more important that the Constitutional Rights of Americans who are not True Americans

WE Believe:

-In fair elections as long as only True Americans are allowed to vote

WE Believe:

Our wants supersede Law and Order because

WE Believe:

- Law and Order only applies to non-Whites, non-Christians, and anyone who doesn't follow our beliefs

WE Hold These Beliefs to be self evident and say that all men are NOT created equal, that we as True Americans are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, these Rights include Life, Liberty, and Ruling over the United States until we have made it in our image, so help us God.

The Wheels On The Cart Go 'Round And 'Round

 
My dog Belle could no longer go on her normal walks because of her arthritis and I noticed that not doing so made her depressed. We were putting her in the car and driving her to the park and letting her walk around for a bit but that didn't seem to be enough. So we bought her a dog cart.

Belle in her dogcart waiting to go for a walk. She was a bit worried on the first walk but when she realized that the cart took her to the park where she could get out, sniff around for a few minutes, and meet people and dogs she hasn't seen in some time, she decided she loved it.

It took a few trips but she now knows she can lie down and enjoy the sites and smells as we walk to and from the park. In fact, we have reached the point where she no longer sees us as those great people who figured out a way to take her on walks again but as her servants. She is very regal now and will start scratching at the mesh if we are not quick enough when letting her out at the park.

Feeling Good

Light Shadows 38

 

What I Am Waiting For

Biden/Harris Inauguration and the end of this nightmare. 

 

Happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.