Today is Tuesday

This morning I sat outside and watched the birds fly through the trees in our back yard. We lost so much this last winter to the snow and cold and that is very unusual for this part of Texas. This spring our plants are thinner with less places for the birds to hide if they feel threatened. Steve and I (mostly him) have worked in the yard getting it somewhat back to how we love it. We still need to replace some of the bushes lost in the freeze so our little feathered friends will have more places to hide.

I sat in a rocker that one of my sisters gave me, and thought about her and how sweet to share something she knew I would love so much. I rocked and watched the birds. The sprinkler was going, off to the left, and the Blue Jays were really enjoying bathing in and flying through the water in the air.

There was a parent Blue Jay with a toddler. The first toddler Blue Jay I've seen. All of the babies just quiver and shake and flutter their feathers. They cry for food, for mama, and for daddy all the time. You can hear them this time of year all through the trees.  There was a male cardinal, Red as we call him, feeding his baby. I just love to watch this process every year.

The humidity was down this morning and so it was wonderful outside - rocking, thinking, watching. We have feeders up in the backyard so that the birds and squirrels can feed. I know some folks don't like squirrels, but we do. Their little fuzzy tails are so cute and the way they use their "hands" to eat and dig is fun to watch. We have one baby squirrel this year that we are watching closely. It has been severely wounded in some way. We think it might have fallen and damaged a limb or two as well as it's motor coordination. It mostly flops around to move anywhere. It's painful to watch. We are keeping extra food and water around the yard to give the poor little thing some help. One of the special things about this little creature is that its mama stays very close by. I think that Mama is still helping it, even as it's gotten a little older. Mothers are so special.

As I was rocking, I started thinking about my blog and how I go in spurts to write and then stop for a while. Life just seems to get caught up in itself and rolls all over the place and then suddenly days and weeks have sped by and I haven't written a thing. I probably never really breathe during those times, I hold my breath until I'm done with the project, or work assignment, or whatever it is, then I finally take a little time and breathe. So today, I'm breathing and writing.

For me, life is most perfect when it is slow - filled with nature - peaceful - filled with love.



With love, Laura

Living and Breathing

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is God's gift, that is why we call it the present."       ~Unknown~

~So live life to the Fullest~

Sometimes I have a tendency to get bogged down in worry and sadness about life and the way things go for people – when they don't go right or terrible things happen.

One of the things that I do to help me cope is to collect quotes from many different sources. I usually don’t share quotes, but this quote is one that I have used for the past several days to help me. Maybe you need it today too. Life is a present. Today is really the only thing that is in focus – thorns and all.  

We can have regrets about the past, however today is the day we live to the fullest and make it a difference. How do you make your days count?

Laura

After the Storm

This picture was taken on September 15, 2008.

We were in the back yard cutting up a big tree that had fallen during Hurricane Ike. I had my camera documenting the wonderful helpers - friends, family, grandchildren - and turned and saw these beautiful blooms and the bee. It was such a stark contrast from the huge fallen tree that it took my breath away! How could the wind take down a whole tree and not touch the delicate petals of this flower? How did the bee survive and know where to look for my flower? It is still a miracle to me. Nature has its own way of keeping life in check.

I'm thinking about all of this because there's a good chance that we are going to lose quite a bit of landscaping over the next few days. Here in Sugar Land, close to the Gulf Coast, we're used to hurricanes (we don't like them, but we're accustomed to them), but we don't get too many really, really cold winters.

We usually have roses blooming in December - it's a time when some of the most beautiful weather comes our way. We don't tell folks about that because there are already too many people down here. Just remember that the summers are brutal! Winters incredible - but summers H O T and humid!

This picture was taken on December 20, 2003 -- you will immediately notice how terrible our winters usually are.

I'm thinking that it's going to be sad to lose some of our plants, I keep plants alive for years and years -- it's sort of a thing I love to do -- but at the same time -- this way I will get to begin nurturing some new plants in the spring and keep them for years and years.

Sometimes you just have to let go and breathe. It's nature's way.

Laura

Breathing

The first time I really learned to breathe is when my first child was born. Back in 1977 childbirth classes were just beginning to become vogue. I wanted to have my children by natural childbirth - so I took the childbirth classes! 

Well, my little girl surprised us and barreled her way into the world early - three weeks early. I had only been to three of the six classes, the last three the most important -- Do Not Miss Them -- classes! I had only learned "first gear" breathing. Breathe in through your nose slowly, while focusing on a point beyond your nose, breathe out through your mouth slowly, while still focusing on that same point. We had even practiced it quite a bit for which I am eternally grateful. With 36 hours of sweet, natural labor, that breathing thing really came in handy.

Recently my husband and I began taking Yoga classes. Once again I learned the importance of breathing. Apparently we are all rushing through life, seldom taking the time to sniff let alone smell, the roses - and therefore we don't breathe in the correct manner. Shallow breathing, the kind that starts small and fast, and then ends up with hyperventilation - that's what we mostly do. 

So next time you feel stressed, breathe. Breathe deeply into your stomach, not your chest, and breathe slowly. Count in to four and then let your breathe out to the count of five. 

Try it. It sure helped me -- at least a couple of times!