Thank you to my friend, Sue, author and creator of Dreamwalker’s Sanctuary for a wonderful and warm cabbage recipe! I’ve made the dish several times and I love it! My son likes it too and his opinion of food is nearly a professional one. He started asking to, “speak with the chef,” in restaurants, around age four.
Quite the curious child, he would inquire as to how the food had been prepared or cooked. We met many chefs throughout the years. Each one always thanking him for what they knew was a genuine compliment.
Enjoy! Thanks again to one of my very favorite people, Sue Dreamwalker. This post includes a link to her blog, Dreamwalker’s Santuary, and also a direct link to her recipe(s). See links above.
The Tiger Swallowtail arrived before the plants did. A single large butterfly with tails intact and colorful vibrancy innocent of the inevitable markings to come. Winged on Verbena The winds were picking up. The purple Verbena had grown several inches. The blooms moved up and down with each gust of wind. The big butterfly glided […]
I’ve been trying to publish a post in this blog for several months or more, but after such a long time away from writing, the endeavor is challenging.
An honorable mention of Ruthie Mae, a wonderful dog, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2014 and now lives in my memories, feels like a good place to start.
Ruthie named this blog, “dogkisses,” with slight little kisses on my arm each time I reached for her bag of food. She was forever a tender heart. So sensitive. So sweet. Ruthie’s kisses felt like snowflakes melting on my skin.
Not long after Ruthie passed, my late friend, Laurie, a former fellow blogger who lived with chronic illness, also passed away.
I was sad. I also had to move. Again. Life has been hard.
My writer’s voice seemed to have vanished for a while, but after settling into a new apartment, which meant that I could finally sleep, I gradually found myself making notes on random sheets of paper.
Also during my online absence, the bond I’ve always had with my blog and the blogging community as well, never abandoned my mind or heart, which I think is pretty cool.
Aside from the logistics of moving and an extreme backlash of severe pain from fibromyalgia, during and after my son and I moved two apartments, twice, I became exhausted. Utterly exhausted.
There is a lot I could say about the past two years and what led to my long absence, but that would take a while and more energy than I have today.
For now, I’d like to introduce you to my new and most special friend, Roscoe! He’s a beautiful dog. I don’t have many photos uploaded to this computer yet, but soon I’ll show you his beautiful hound-dog spots and multi-color coat.
No Words for this Face!
I’m pretty sure Roscoe is a mix of German Shorthaired Pointer and Bluetick Coonhound. His face reminds me of a Husky. His eyes are an unusual green. He has wonderful long legs, enabling him to run fast and climb high too! He’s a thin guy, but some of us just can’t catch a pound or two for long.
As I write, Roscoe reminds me only of a hound dog. Whining all the time 😉
Roscoe and I have had a truly amazing journey together since we met at a rural shelter in April, 2016. I hope to soon tell you about our adventures and for various reasons, a few several misadventures as well.
With luck and determination, I shall return soon. Fingers crossed. Thanks for visiting dogkisses!
I’ve missed so many important occasions over the past decade.
Family reunions, weddings, birthdays, baby showers and this year, our Christmas gathering, have all happened without me.
Mother always tells me who showed up and gives me bits of updates on my loved ones. Loved ones I’ve lost contact with, except through photos or indirect stories.
I’m trying not to let things get me down this holiday season, but so far, it is a huge challenge.
Not only am I in more pain from fibromyalgia and a few new ailments too, my son and I are not getting along. It’s a double dose of holiday grief!
While talking with Mother about the Christmas gathering that I wasn’t able to attend, I immediately felt my heart-strings pull. My efforts to be positive seemed to pay off because right away I decided to try and take joy in her account of the gathering. I was surprised when soon I was smiling, as I imagined one of my great nieces bringing one of her cousins five wrapped presents.
“I don’t know if she got the other ones anything, but she sure had five,” Mother said, with that pure joy a Great-Grandmother has. “She had every one of them wrapped too,” she added with a little laugh.
After a few minutes into the conversation, I walked to the window where I could see a flock of Robins in the yard. They love the grassy lawn where I live and they are spectacular to see! They always seem to come when the light shows their silhouettes under the Sycamore tree. Many of them move toward my door, and I get to see them up close and personal as they lean in towards the ground, turning their heads slightly, listening for earthworms.
The Robin Listens
“Hey Mother! The Robins are here!”
I’ve told her about the Robins before.
Amidst the flock were other birds about the same size as Robins, but with black with golden stripes. One or two had iridescent blue heads, so perhaps they were young Common Grackles.
Sometimes, when I mention the birds in my yard over the phone to people, they’re silent for a moment afterward. I always wonder if they think I’m making up these tales of many birds!
Mother was quiet for a moment, but then she remarked that I should, “send a photo to that wildlife magazine.”
I wish I could. I wish I could, if for no other reason than to make her proud. She would be happy to see one of my photos in a magazine.
I’m in pain and can’t sit long enough to complete even the most simplest of photo projects.
“Now,” I started telling my bird tales again, “there are Black-capped Chickadees, two or three bluejay, some Orioles, and the Hawk has landed on the ground!”
As if that wasn’t enough, a flock of Cardinals were perched on the bushes by the treeline!
“It’s a winged-oasis out there!” I told Mother. “It’s so beautiful!”
I didn’t have the energy to go outside to take a photo. At least, not yet.
I was happy to see the pretty winged visitors, as always, but when I’m feeling unusually blue, I am especially grateful because the beauty and life they bring lifts a part of my spirit every time.
I sensed my mother knew, or somehow, she could feel what I saw.
Mother and I have always had a connection on a level other than this physical one that we can see and understand.
Our talk ended when my son called. “I hope he’ll stay and have the chocolate croissants with me,” I remarked to Mother.
He’s in the habit of taking food that I cooked to his apartment to eat. He won’t visit me at home or talk to me much lately.
The hawk was still on the ground when my son arrived. A neighbor walked by and we each watched the bird for a few minutes.
He was excited over the beautiful pastries and gave me a hug, thanking me for baking them, but he took his croissants and headed back home. I was disappointed, but at least I knew he would enjoy them and that gave me comfort.
Practicing gratitude helps me get through hard times, even if the feeling only last for a little while. I need to remember the better times and keep hope alive.
I’m glad for the ability to enjoy the natural world around me. The wild ones keep coming back, so I have plenty of chances to take in nature’s beauty!
The hawk was still in the yard when my son left, but was perched on the electric wires.
Once in a while, when I have the energy, I practice photographing my winged friends in flight, which is a fun challenge, but not one I’ve mastered.
Winged in Blue, at the favorite feeder.
Fatigue has been a consistent companion since I moved to town in the beginning of 2014. Taking photographs and uploading them to my computer meet my current energy limitations, but I enjoy browsing through the pictures.
I also enjoy recalling how I felt while taking a particular photograph. The Eastern Bluebird’s backyard visit was exciting. Watching them is a special time when nature is coloring my world.
Blue-Winged, Backyard Beauties!
I hope you’ve enjoyed a look at the Eastern Bluebird from my wild corner of town.
She’s a brave young Momma and struts around like she owns the place! Her territorial behavior makes me a little nervous. In the photo below, she’s only a few feet from my door. I stay back, keep my distance and she looks over at me from time to time, I guess checking to see if I’m still there. After all, this is her new home and maybe in her mind, I am the resident human, who she thinks acts a little weird.
MY Home!
A few nights back, a neighbor knocked on my door. She looked rather stunned. I stepped outside.
First, she pointed at the deer standing close to us.
“Oh my!” I gasped.
The deer was closer than usual!
We’ve become used to the deer and its territorial antics, but we had never seen it come for a sleepover right outside our doors, which is exactly what the deer did.
The neighbor pointed to our right and in a slight voice, suggesting she was taken by all the wild activity going on, she said, “The owls are here too.”
Two Barred Owls were perched under the street light on the electrical wires behind our building. Oh, we’ve seen them before, both day and night, but lately, we’ve heard them too!
The owls were making a sort of hissing sound. I’d heard the nightly noise for about ten days, but I wasn’t sure of the source.
Barred Owls make several sounds other than the most known call (hoot), that can sound like they’re saying, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
I think the hissing sound we heard was from a fledgling. The timing makes sense, because I heard the Barred Owls mating in springtime.
The hissing is a mysterious sound, and I think it’s a bit eerie for some people, but I love the owls and their presence is soothing.
Some people are afraid of owls. Others say seeing one is a bad omen.
I respect the owl and feel protected when they come around. Owls eat snakes, mice and rats. They watch the darkness and alert their mate or youngsters (and me), of unusual intruders.
If you’d like to see the Barred Owl and hear the hissing sound, here is a video from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on YouTube:
My neighbor and I stood together for a few more minutes in the wild of our otherwise pretty normal residential neighborhood. We watched and listened. The owls were successfully hunting. The deer was cozy in the corner of the yard.
“I also saw a big snake on my walk home,” my neighbor added. “I think it was a Copperhead.”
Our wild backyard scenario was becoming more interesting by the second!
To our left, the Barred Owls hunt
To our right, the deer prepares for bed.
Thank goodness, I don’t have a photo of the snake! I’d rather they are not seen by me.
Nature is very much alive where I live and the residents do take notice. Every neighbor I’ve talked with mentions something about the natural environment around here, usually pointing out one creature or another. The children seem to like the turtles and the adults often mention the Great Blue Heron.
A sense of community can be felt in our common awe, interest or simple excitement, inspired by the wild things that live amongst us.
Seeing the owls during the day (and capturing a few photos), is a beautiful thing. Watching all the pretty birds, listening to the sounds of nature, and once in a while, getting a glimpse of the Great Blue Heron, are each blessings of beauty.
Nature’s beauty is healing in so many ways. Beauty shows up unexpectedly too, like in the green muddy moss on the turtle’s shell and the hissing owls. I think those are beautiful things.
A flood zone, surrounded by a creek, with a pond in the center, apparently has a unique ecological system, which is a big reason why we have a diverse community of wildlife, such as the family of turtles that live in the pond.
Below Photo:
A resident turtle.
Normally, the family of turtles take leave and dive into the water when people approach, which they did, but one came back after a minute or two of my arrival, climbed on the rock and gave me a stare!
I Like Water, Mud and Sunshine
Maybe I imagine these wild-life-looks I get, but I must say, I believe communication happens. I like that.
For instance, I played with a white butterfly the other day. That’s right. We played and I had a grand time!
I was growing a few Kohlrabi plants, which might have been the reason for my playful winged visitor, the Cabbage White Butterfly!
I was so happy about my time with the butterfly, that I shared photos and wrote a little about it in my photo journal blog, Green Healing Notes.
Photo Below:
A Green Healing Morning with the Cabbage White Butterfly!
Beauty in the Cabbage Patch!
I need the outdoors to thrive; whether it’s walking through woods, tending plants, birdwatching, chasing butterflies, or taking photographs of the beauty I see.
In nature, even in my own little green space, with one butterfly hovering around, I lose myself. Or perhaps, I find myself and lose the rest.
Thank you for visiting my blog!
dogkisses
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I miss dogkisses and all the people who have visited, along with the bloggers I know. I’m not well, but maybe I will return to blogging one day soon. I wish you all peace and love.
Ruthie Mae inspired what turned into a beautiful walk and an emotionally moving time for me. We ventured out just before dusk, which is often the time of day I’m drawn to go outside, particularly when I’m in a melancholic mood. I can’t think of anything that could have helped me more than our time together did. It was perfect!
Ruthie saw a daring squirrel perched on a big tree. She looked surprised when it didn’t immediately flee upon her arrival. First, she appeared perplexed. After a short moment, she had a hunter’s gaze that is so much a part of who she is, and which I do love.
There were several interesting sculptures in the park where we walked. My favorite one is of three metal figures in the shape of women, holding their arms toward the sky. They remind me of my two sisters, so I call them, The Three Sisters, but I don’t know the true title.
We came upon a bench formed into the shape of open hands. I was especially inspired by the quote.
The message touched my low spirit, lifting me from melancholia, to an inner place of hope.
“And Never Cease to Keep Your Wait
for Grace Lamp Ready.”
Hands Open. Lighting Brown.
Thanks for visiting my blog, dogkisses, and I hope you have a blessed new year!
Michelle writes about her life, her journey with chronic pain and illness, healing and hope, and a personal account of how the love of dogs helps along the way. She has traveled the mental healthcare system with her adult son, who has inspired integrating holistic healthcare. Michelle finds healing in nature, is in love with the wild things, her family and a dog, of course.
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I don’t think nature gets better than in the beauty of the Eastern Bluebird!
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