BLUE MOON ABC'S

A confession on compiling my word list for each letter:  I come up with a few words on my own, but mostly I have really enjoyed going to the SAT Word List on the internet and seeking out some less common, but positive words from that list.  I usually skip over those with negative connotations….why spend time pondering the negative? 

7.25.15   B is for BRINK….

B:  beautiful; boring; brink; ballad, banter, beckon, befuddle, barren, bemuse, benevolent, billow, blithe, boast, bolster, bountiful, brazen, buoyant, blue, big,

               So I checked out that BIG ol’ moon last night…it is only 5 days from full and looking BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL in the evening sky.  Pretty enough to write a BALLAD or come up with some prose.  BUT I thought of son Jed tonight.  He has been gazing at and filming the dark side of the moon for nearly 8 years in pursuing his doctorate in astrophysics.  Now he is done and on the BRINK of a new career, the excitement and exhaustion of moving just a bit overwhelming.  He has transferred his BELONGINGS to a new apartment and returned home to relax and recuperate.  Jed will be a visiting professor at Willamette University, teaching physics, and with his usual BANTER and dry wit will BEFUDDLE and BEMUSE his students.  Yet, his calling is clear – he can explain the intricacies of our universe in ways that make sense!  His classes won’t be BORING!  And perhaps, he will be able to take a few select students and turn their eyes to the sky and BEGIN to once again gaze at that BIG, BEAUTIFUL ol’ moon. 

7.29.15  L is for LAVISH LAUGHTER

L:   Love, Laughter, Life, Languid, Latent, Laudable, Lavish, Leisure, Levity, Liaison, Lilacs, Legacy, Limpid (clear and bright), Linger, Lithe, Loquacious, LUNAR, luminary, lustrous, lavendar,

               The L list is LAVISH with LAUDABLE words that LINGER with thoughts of LOVE, LIFE, LEISURE, and yes, the LUMINARIA and LUSTER of our LUNAR satellite.  I LOVE the words that build community LIKE LIAISON and LEGACY; words that are bright and carefree such as LIMPID and LANGUID, LITHE and LEVITY. I am found of LAVENDAR flowers LIKE LUPINE, LARKSPUR, and LILACS covered with green LEAVES.  But when all else fails, one word always comes to the top (ok, besides LOVE!) with the LETTER L:  LAUGHTER!  

               LAUGHTER (wow, the more I type the word the stranger it LOOKS!)  It truly is the best medicine!  I was walking my bike down Main Street the other morning and a man sitting in front of a coffee shop called out to me, “You are the first person this morning on the sidewalk who has had a smile on their face!  Thank you!”  I was glad he had caught me in such a position!  It is a blessing to be able to LAUGH with others and LAUGH at oneself.  A good belly LAUGH is exercise, it strengthens muscles, including those in our brain that make us feel good!  There are friends I recognize by their deep, infectious LAUGH and I am rewarded when people tell me they can hear my LAUGH across the room.  LAUGHTER should come easily and frequently.  Be LAVISH with LAUGHTER!   LAUGH under a full, blue moon!  

8.1.15 U is for UNITY through UNDERSTANDING

U: Understanding, umbrage, umbrella, unbiased, uncanny, unconditional, unconventional, undulate, unfettered, unison, unity, universal, universe, unorthodox, unprecedented, unwavering, uproarious, urban, urchin, utopia, unending, ursina,ulex, ugli fruit.

                Wow.  U is a tough letter!  So many of the words begin with UN- which is a prefix for not or less, etc.    I take UMBRAGE at using those frequently negative words!   So perhaps that is why as I read through the SAT word list, when I came to UNISON and UNITY I felt  positive vibes begin to UNDULATE and I wanted to be UNORTHODOX or maybe a little UNCONVENTIONAL (UN- words that I feel are good when you go against the crowd!) and discover the U words that will build us up rather than break us down.  I am seeking the UTOPIAN UNIVERSE!  (Right!  That will happen ‘once in a blue moon’!)

               UNDERSTANDING doesn’t necessarily mean agreement.    UNDERSTANDING is tolerance, empathy, and a willingness to seek mutual ground.  When we love one another UNCONDITIONALLY, we are able to be UNIFIED in our goals for all.  A UNITED world doesn’t mean everyone is exactly alike; the choir won’t sing in UNISON, but the harmonies of race, culture, and faith will blend in an UNPRECEDENTED song of UNITY.  To UNDERSTAND one another in such a way, we must be UNWAVERING in our efforts to reach out and meet, learn, and develop relationships with those who are different from ourselves. We must be UNENDING in our love. 

               Pretty heady stuff for the letter U.  Maybe ‘once in a blue moon’ is a good time to get started.  
P.S.   I learned something new today as well!  With a fondness for flowers, I looked up plants that begin with the letter U.  The list is pretty short, but it included UGLI FRUIT (the orange like ball), URSINIA (which is similar to a sunflower) and ULEX!  ULEX is another term for gorse, the plant that grows rampant at my Mom's in Bandon!  I thought those little yellow flowers looked familiar (if I had seen the thorns in the picture there would have been no doubt!)  I shall call it ULEX from now on, just to be UNORTHODOX!  

8.2.15   E is for EFFULGENT!

E: Exciting, equal, excellent, education, ebullient, eclectic, edify, effervescent, effulgent (radiating light), elation, epiphany, epitome, euphoria, expatiate (further explain), expectation, exuberant, exalt, edelweiss, epimedium

               With the letter U I learned a few new flower terms, and today I am further EDUCATED!  My morning devotion focused on light and I now am EBULLIENT and EXCITED to find the word EFFULGENT!  The word looks somewhat ‘dirty’, perhaps because it reminds me of EFFLUENCE, a EUPHEMISM for sewage.  But let me EXPATIATE further:  EFFULGENT means to radiate light, or in the case of an effulgent person, to radiate goodness and joy.  What a compliment to be told you are an effulgent person!  And…what big, bright, object is the EPITOME of light in the night sky?  Our blue moon of course! 

               And now I am ELATED to bring you new E flowers!  EDELWEISS and EPIMEDIUM (looks like hostas), EASTER LILIES, and EUPHORBIA!  (And way too many plants that begin with Eastern or English!) EUPHORBIA is a huge genus with all sorts of varying species, but I was delighted to find out that it is the mystery plant that grows in my back flower garden.  It reseeds itself, ‘blooms’ with yellow blossom/leaves in the spring, and then remains a solid green plant throughout the summer.  I have a name for it!!  I think I may just be EUPHORIC about EUPHORBIA!  

8.4.15 M is for MISSION MINIONS
Word List: M: Moon, monkey, marriage, majesty,  magnanimous, maritime, maternal, mature, maverick, maxim, meager, meditate, memorabilia, metamorphosis, minion, mirth, momentous, moniker, monotheism, motif, myriad, mullein, monkeyflower, morning glory,  mystery, mission 

          I am thinking back to several months ago to the first of the ABC Quick Writes and the word BLOOM.  I wrote of mountains and Montana and mitres and metrics as we began a Habitat build.  My list of words today seems very different!  There are some great words here!  The MINIONS MOVIE is MOMENTOUS right now, I enjoy MOMENTS for MEDITATION, designing MOTIFS and witnessing God's MAJESTY in the MOUNTAINS. And I can't forget my flowers! MONKEYFLOWERS, MULLEIN, MORNING GLORY, and MISTLETOE!   But the words that speak to me most are MISSION, MYSTERY, and MINION. 

           When I think of MISSION, I think of the job that God has given us to do.  MISSION means reaching out and acting in God's name.  But sometimes that MISSION is and should be a MYSTERY.  We should not act for display or overt attention.  Our works for God should be 'undercover' in a sense.  Moreover,  we each have different talents and gifts that should be used for MISSION, but we don't always realize what they are.  They remain a MYSTERY to us. 
           And then there are MINIONS!  MINION can be a negative term in that the servant has no real worth individually other than service to a greater being.  If we consider ourselves MINIONS for God, our MISSION is to serve God!  The only difference is that we are beloved MINIONS!   Perhaps what we need to be are MISSION MINIONS!  We all have gifts, tasks to perform.  May they not remain a MYSTERY and may we get started on our MISSION road to servanthood!  

8.5.15 O is for ODYSSEY

Word List: Obvious, overwhelm, obscure, ordinary, outside, oasis, obligation, odyssey, olfactory, omnipotent, omniscient, onomatopoeia, opalescent, opaque, optimist, orientation, otiose (no practical purpose), ovation, oxymoron, orchid, oriental lily, oxeye daisy, oxalis (sorrel)

               Rick and I live a rather ORDERED life.  Our trips are planned for the most part.  We ORIENT ourselves in one direction and go.  When I made my list of O words, ODYSSEY struck me.  ODYSSEYS, OBVIOUSLY are not ORDERED….they just happen as one event leads to another. ODYSSEYS OCCUR OUTSIDE the day-to-day ORDINARY of our lives. The definition is a string of adventures on a wandering path.  That makes me OPTIMISTIC about an ODYSSEY of service.  What would happen if we just took off and discovered OPPORTUNITIES to volunteer in random places, staying as long as needed.  Standing OVATION for such an un-ORDERED idea! 

               Considering the OTHER O’s?  I needed flowers to OBSCURE the ORDINARY of the O drawing and to create an OASIS of green, so I found ORCHIDS and OXALIS (somewhat like four leaf clovers – also called sorrel.  I used to find OXALIS OFTEN while hiking in the Mt. Hood area).  OBVIOUSLY in this blue moon ABC write, the OPALESCENT vision of our lunar neighbor must appear, and I felt an OBLIGATION to include our OLFACTORY facial feature, the nose.  Goodness!  I may have OVERWHELMED my brain for O’s today….what about the next O tomorrow??


8.7.15 O is for OCTET 
Word List: O: Only, oriental lily, oxeye daisy, obelia, oblong, obtuse, obsess, occupy, octave, ocular, oddity, office, ogdoad, omega, optima, ocean, onyx, okra, orzo,  ovis (sheep), octet   

    

      I went beyond the SAT word list today and just searched for some lesser-known or four to six letter O words that are OPPORTUNE. I have OPTED for an OCTET of O’s, making my letter an OGDOAD (something with eight parts).   The floral O’s include OXEYE DAISY and OBELIA (a type of moss that grows on piers and rocks in the OCEAN).  ORZO is a type of pasta/grain and I cooked OKRA for the first time this summer.  (That was interesting!)  Can you imagine the ONYX OVIS of the family??  (That would be the black sheep!)  I shall now OMEGA  my summer at the OCEAN!  That makes an OCTET, I do OPINE!  

8.8.15 N is for NURTURE NEGOTIATION
WORD LIST:  nadir (low point), naïve (unaffected simplicity), nascent, nautical, narrative, nebulous, necessity, nectar, negate, negotiate, neglect, neophyte, nether (lower), nestle, neurotic, network, nexus, niche, niggle (worry excessively), nirvana, nocturnal, nonchalant, nomadic, nonsensical, nostalgia, notion, nourish, nurture, nasturtium, narcissus  
        I am feeling a bit NEBULOUS about my choice of a key N word, but perhaps I shouldn't NIGGLE about that too much.  I am NESTLED in my father's old recliner watching the NAUTICAL parade of boats patrol the western skyline, NOURISHING my body with the sweet NECTAR of honeydew melon, NOSTALGIA of my family background giving me a sense of NIRVANA. Rick is acting as a NEXUS at the moment, NETWORKING on his cell between the hikers on the Elkhorn Trail and a possible relief truck, the NECESSITY to give a hiker a way out at mid-point apparent.  I don't want to be NAIVE or NONCHALANT in this NARRATIVE, but what word??  
     Later.  I haven't NEGLECTED my writing, but NOW Jed has left for home and two words are coming to the forefront:  NURTURE and NEGOTIATION.  NURTURE is defined as caring for or encouraging the growth of something.  We NURTURE our children, but we also NURTURE our spiritual life.  NEGOTIATION is working to reach agreement or mutual support.  It seems to me that we should be attempting to NURTURE NEGOTIATION!  We should be striving to facilitate all NASCENT attempts to build bridges and mend fences. We must work to NEGATE NEGATIVE emotions and actions that tear people apart.  Let's figure it out, folks, and get along with each other!  

        And that concludes our BLUE MOON ABC'S.  The moon is nearing the new moon phase and it is time to be done!   I have an OCTET of key words here (well, eight letters!) to consider in the days ahead!  
BRINK - LAVISH in LAUGHTER - UNITY through UNDERSTANDING - EFFULGENT - MISSION MINION - ODYSSEY - NURTURE NEGOTIATION

An Anniversary Escape

AN ANNIVERSARY ESCAPE

July 12-14

Fremont Cabins: Miner’s Retreat

SUNDAY: 

Freemont Power Plant

          Rick and I originally planned to drive to Prineville today, spend the night with Habitat friends, and then work Monday at the Prineville build site.  A CAV build is underway and we wanted to help out.  Then a stop enroute home on Monday at the Fish House Inn in Dayville for an anniversary celebration.  But….we discovered that Prineville wasn’t building on Monday!  Change of plans!  Call to cancel at Fish House.  With a little internet research, we found the Freemont complex of cabin rentals from the forest service.  One had an opening for our dates.  Reservation made.

Miner's Retreat Cabin

            So following church and as the first raindrops of the day began to fall, we left Baker City in the truck and headed southwest toward Sumpter and the town of Granite 15 miles further west.  We drove through heavy rain at times, winding up to a nearly 6000’ summit between the two towns.  As we neared Granite, the telltale rock piles of dredge mining came into view along Bull Run Creek.  Granite has a yearly population of probably 30 residents.  At 5000’ elevation it has a good layer of snow in the winter.  But snowmobilers are discovering the beauty of the region and Olive Lake draws summer recreation. 

The wood pipe that brought water
down from Olive Lake

            It is another five miles on FS R

oad 10 to the Freemont Power Plant and the four cabins that mark this turn of the century piece of Oregon history.  The powerplant itself is formidable, built of hewed stone, Romanesque windows and what looks like a Rose window in the end.  Two Pelton wheels can be see through the viewing windows.  The plant generated power from water brought down a redwood pipe from Olive Lake.  The power was for the mine operations in Granite and clear over to areas near Sumpter. 

Gotta love a porch rocker!

            We have rented the Miner’s Retreat, the middle of three cabins on a hill just above the plant.  The last one, Hilltop Hideaway, is not in operation currently due to an oil leak problem.  Renters are occupying the other two cabins, one a set of cyclists and the other some Washington license plates.  We think ours has the best porch for sitting and watching the activities of the complex – a log love-seat rocker set in place is just perfect!

Living room interior

            The cabin has two bedrooms, and while the out-of-date internet post says a limit of 6, there are sleeping spaces for 11 in this tiny spot!  One bedroom has double mattress bunk beds (4) plus a single twin (1) and the other has two regular bunk beds (4 more!)  And then the futon in the living room could sleep 2 more!  The futon and one big log chair in the living room and a total of 6 table chairs between small tables in the living room and kitchen.  The kitchen is fully stocked with dishes, pots and pans, microwave, coffee pot, etc.  Everything is electric and in the summer months you have indoor plumbing and shower and potable water.  Yes, it is luxury camping….glamping??

            As we are getting set up, surprised to find the Defrees family below us reading one of the signs by the power plant. All but Tyler and Max!  They had spent the day hiking at Olive Lake and gotten caught in one of the downpours!  Hence the dog was dirty and they were all damp!  But a short catch-up time and they saw what the cabins looked like on the inside. 

Tradition!

            Quiet evening.  We enjoyed our traditional fine dining of fake crab, Gouda cheese, and fancy bread while sitting out on the porch of the cabin.  A bottle of wine for Rick and one for me.  (No….we didn’t drink the whole bottle!  Gotta save some for tomorrow night!)  Topped off our glamorous meal with one big fat strawberry each.  And then we sat and rocked and talked. 

 

Complex of the three upper cabins

           Time to stretch our legs abit, so we wandered down to the powerplant with intentions of checking out some of the roads leading away from the cabins.  However, JUST as we stepped off the deck the sprinkles started coming again, and within 5-10 minutes it was a pretty steady rain once more.  Rick headed back to cabin, but I wandered up to Hilltop and found a beautiful stand of trees behind it and a trail leading somewhere. 

            Reading, drawing, etc. to round out the evening….in bed shortly after 10pm.

MONDAY:

            I am up at 6:20a to make coffee and write.  There are patches of blue sky.  Today is forecast for another one of morning clearing and afternoon storms.  By tomorrow this week of thunderstorms should be nearing an end.  We decide to risk a hike today and at 9am head on up the road toward Olive Lake.  We are going to attempt the Saddle Camp Trail, a 6 mile round trip that takes you up past Upper Olive ‘Lake’ (now a meadow and small tarn) to Saddle Ridge.  It is a climb of about a 1000’ feet. 

Raindrops cling to the lupine leaves

            I forget how much you climb in the additional 7 miles to the lake.  Olive Lake sits at an elevation of about 6000’.  It was formed by glaciers and early in the 1900’s the lake was dammed at the terminal moraine to further enlarge the lake and make it suitable for hydro power.  An 8 mile wooden pipeline was constructed to carry the gravity fed water down to the powerplant.  Electricity was produced here from 1907 until 1967, much of which fed the power thirsty mining industry in the surrounding hills.  (So ends today’s history lesson!)

Carpet of dwarf lupine lines the trail

            We parked at the end of the road and headed up the trail.  I was hoping for a variety of wildflowers, especially in the upper meadow.  We saw very few in the meadow, but the hillsides above as we headed up to the saddle were abundant.  Even found a couple new species that I have been working to identify.  The trail is open in places, especially in the first mile below the upper meadows, due to an old burn that removed most of the lodgepole pines, but left towering stands of larch.  The trail was carpeted on both sides by a dwarf species of lupine, the silvery mat of leaves nestling the raindrops of last night’s storm.  So pretty. 

       

Fireweed blooms!

     We came to the tarn (a view through the trees) and the beginning of the large meadow of Upper Olive Lake.  It looks like we were too late for the abundance of dead elephant’s head flowers we saw throughout.  A short walk out into the meadow at the far western end revealed a different type of gentian (later identified as possible Simple Gentian or Hiker’s gentian), and a few stalks of bog orchid.  I expected more flowers, but the early season and very dry June may have accelerated the blooming season. 

    

A new find!
Chocolate coneflower!

Upper Olive Meadow

        However, June might have been dry, but the past several days have NOT been arid, and the hillside is damp and the flowers abundant.  We finally spy some columbine and monkeyflowers.  The forest is open in places, but we never are able to get a good glimpse of our destination.  The trail is laced with deadfall and we spend a good deal of time walking around trees, over, under, etc.  A challenge at times. 

The deadfall that ended our path...amidst the thunder roar!

            The grade was moderate.  While uphill, it was never tedious until the final half mile section leading up to the saddle itself.  However, we stopped just short of the summit.  We could see our intended destination through the trees, but we came to a massive deadfall area just as thunderclaps rolled and echoed through the area for long seconds.  The storm was right up on the ridge and it seemed prudent in our minds to NOT be up on top of the ridge during the lightning storm.  So…we turned back and as we did the first few light drops of rain began to fall. 

            It rained pretty steady and continuously for the two miles back down to the tarn.  At that point the rain seemed to taper off, which was nice because we were fairly well soaked by then and getting a little chilled.  Just as we got back to the truck sprinkles started to come once again. 

       

Anniversary cuddling on the rocker!

     We drove around through the campground area.  Olive Lake is a fee campground, $12 a night (or $6 with Senior Pass!) but we never found a water spigot.  Seems a little high for a campground without water.  But there were several sites in which a trailer would fit nicely and the lake is beautiful with Saddle Ridge in the background (on a clearer day probably!). 

These aspens were beautiful
'quaking' in the breeze!

            Back to the cabin for some warm soup and a very relaxing afternoon.  We read, we snoozed, we took a long hot shower!  Dinner was a repeat of last night’s menu – the rest of the bread, crab, and cheese!  After dinner we wandered some more around the area, talking briefly with the Seattle gentleman whose family is renting the Congo Gulch cabin down below.  There isn’t anyone in Caretaker’s tonight, our guests from last night having left this morning. 

            I am hoping the skies will have cleared enough tonight that I will get a chance to see some stars! 

TUESDAY:

            Ah, rats!  I crawled in bed last night around 10p, was warm and cuddly and reading when Rick came in about a half hour later, and THEN remembered I hadn’t gone out to look at the stars!  So be it!  And now, this morning, the air is heavy with a morning mist and the little glen is filled with fog.  (I guess our wet clothes out on the porch aren’t very dry either!)  But I did see a little rabbit feeding in the meadow area! 
           A leisurely morning....we weren't in any big hurry to leave, but shortly after 9 we cleared our stuff out of the cabin and started cleaning.  Not a big job, but the people before us hadn't overdone the effort, so we wanted to leave things better than we found them!  We left around 10a.  
     

Welcome to Greenhorn!

     Decision time!  How to drive home??  We figured we were this close, now was the time to visit the novel community of Greenhorn, the highest elevation incorporated town in Oregon (just over 6100').  About 2 miles down the road heading back to Granite, we turned off on FS Road 1035 and wound our way south along first Beaver Creek (LOTS of dredge work here!) and then Olive Creek.  Toward Greenhorn we climbed more steeply and finally arrived at this tiny settlement.  

Typical Greenhorn abode

          There are more cabins than I expected, but most are for summer use only.  I think Greenhorn has a year-round population of 3!  A range of buildings, some quite old, some newer.  

Greenhorn 'facilities'

There is one phone booth in the center of town (along with a FS outhouse!)  We drove around the side streets (which didn't take long!) and then headed down the less traveled exit back to Hwy 7. 

Views heading down from 'town'

          This was the HIGH road (the other one backtracks 3 miles and then follows the North Fork of the Burnt River down to the highway.) and traveled down the spine of a ridge for aways.  We had great views south over the spread of mountain ridges.  Lush green grasses below Ponderosa and lodgepole forests.  The area has been selectively logged and looked healthy.  
          Further down we passed huge meadows before arriving at Highway 7 at Tipton Summit, elevation 5100'.  A pleasant drive on home to Baker City, arriving shortly after noon.  
          A good get away!  Fun cabins to visit....more hiking to explore in the area.  

Pano of Upper Olive Meadow BEFORE the storm hit!

WILDFLOWER HIKE TO LAKES LOOKOUT

July 8, 2015

          Earlier this week I told Rick I wanted to get out for a hike - partly to wander among the wildflowers covering the Anthony Lakes region and partly to get in shape for a potential backpack along the Crest Trail later this summer.  So we set off this morning bound for Lakes Lookout, hoping to beat a thunderstorm forecast for later in the day.

Looking toward the peak from
Road Run

          What a glorious walk up the ski road, flowers lining the path on either side.  The ski runs were covered with the blooming white spires of Western dock, lupine, pussytoes, alpine asters and paintbrush.  The creeks were lined with pink monkeyflowers, buttercups, columbine.  We stayed on the road most of the way as the openness was less inviting to the hoards of mosquitos buzzing in the bogs and meadows.  Quick crosscountry up the draw to the top of the ridge and the junction with the Lakes Lookout trail.
          Just as we got to the top of the ridge, a huge thunderclap rolled and rumbled for over 5 seconds, giving us pause.  But we checked the skies and the winds and decided we could make a run for it!  (Tongue in cheek - I don't RUN up any elevation gain!)  It appeared that alot of work had been done clearing the west side of the trail - there were many brush piles stacked up and ready for slash burning in the fall.  The lupine was in full bloom along this section of trail, whereas it was starting to fade down near the ski area parking lot.  Valerian and dock with the lupine to line the trail.

Lakes basin peaks L to R: Van Patten, Gunsight, Angel, Lees, and Lakes Lookout

Atop Lakes Lookout!

          We stayed up on top just long enough for a brief snack and a picture!  The clouds were moving in unpredictable ways and we could see rain falling to the southwest.  As we got to the end of the Lookout trail the first drops of rain began to fall!  We cut down the gap to the road and enjoyed first a sprinkle, then a more steady rain, but the dusty road never was completely wet.  My shirt was damp but not soaked!

A new type of gilia?

       We found a new flower along the ski run road and I wrote to Dave and Shelli for help in identification.  None of my books, including the really good one Shelli gave me, helped.  Well, long story short, neither Dave nor Sabine were SURE and Dave sent it on to another botonist with the forest service, Gene Yates.  He wrote me an email and wanted more info as to the location so he can go up and find it!  That was kinda exciting!

More flowers from today's hike:

Bog orchid

Lupine

Paintbrush

Pearly Everlasting

Lewis Monkeyflower

Mountain bluebells

Wildflower Beauty

ABC Quick Write: RIVER

Another Quick Write experience from my cousin Lorrie Tom!  She is soon to be rafting the mighty Colorado RIVER.  Hence, our current word of focus! 

THE LETTER R
June 20, 2015

R Word List:  Rain, reflect, rainbows, rivers, reach, raise, roof, residence, rose, rove, ramble, recollect, remember, rocks, revelry, rambunctious, reveal, rhubarb, rosemary, rake, radiant, 

These are hardly boulders, but since I couldn't take a picture
at the time, at least these show the beauty of the
Montana rock colors! 

          Our rowdy and rambunctious gathering of roving and rambling Care-a-Vanners have spent the past two weeks raising the foundation for a residence to house a family of eight.  No walls yet, no roof, just what will be the unseen, yet well-remembered, foundation.  Perhaps to be covered with ramblin' roses, a giant rhubarb, or a herb garden of rosemary.   We have worked together with revelry and camaraderie, yet as I reflect, I wish to ponder ROCKS. 

          Our site supervisor said a load of gravel would arrive.  When the truck pulled up and dumped, the driveway was filled with BOULDERS!  We were to move this with our rakes and shovels??  We learned what Pit Gravel means in Montana!  (And thankfully, what a blessing bobcats and other excavation machines are!)  Yet these were Montana mountain rocks and they can be absolutely radiant in their beauty.  They reflect a rainbow of colors, especially when sprayed with the constant stream of moisture to pack things down.  At one point, hose in hand, I looked down and saw three rocks, nestled side by side in a corner.  One was a deep maroon-purple, another a bright orange rust, and the third, the blue-green of copper-infused stone.  The water made the colors vibrant and bold.  I wanted the rocks for my garden.  Yet, soon, the claws of the tractor dropped a shovelful of dirt and gravel on top, and the rocks were buried.  Hidden, but remembered.  I will not be able to look at that corner of the house and forget the three bright boulders that lay below.  
          Everyone has hidden boulders of beauty, radiant rocks, below the surface that is revealed to the world.  Let us not forget to admire and appreciate the foundation that makes us who and what we are.  

The Letter I
June 27, 2015

Word List:  Investigate, integrity, itinerant, incinerate, items, ideas, icons, idols, imitation, insects, influence, idyllic, identify, ignore, igneous, imagination, impression, inclusive, incurable

          When I first began making my list of I words, I couldn't think of any!  But slowly over the past two weeks, the words have emerged.  For this morning's devotion I focused on IMITATION and how our children and others create lasting IMPRESSIONS of our IDEALS and INTEGRITY through what they watch us do and say.  I love to INVESTIGATE IDYLLIC places; I dislike INSECTS that bite; I live among IGNEOUS rocks; I try to be INCLUSIVE without IGNORING others; Habitat Care-a-Vanners are ITINERANT laborers!.  All good thoughts!  All good words! 
        But, if I have to be honest with myself, my very favorite I word has to be IMAGINATION!  I love to create; to explore possibilities with paper and pen, fabric and thread, wood and nail.  I love to express my faith in wild and different ways. I love to find letters hiding in the nuances of nature.  Imagination is the source of that creativity.  Imagination takes our dreams and puts form and shape to them.  Imagination is the spark-plug that really gets our motor running.  I looked up a few quotes about this amazing I word:

Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.  Albert Einstein 

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living....it allows you to laugh at life's realities.  Dr. Seuss  

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.  Thomas Edison

Everything you can imagine is real.  Pablo Picasso

       So many people have written about IMAGINATION, so many who have brought beauty and wonder to the world have let their IMAGINATIONS run free.  Consider the IMAGINATION of our Creator God:  The incredible splendor of our natural world, the humor and variety in God's creation.  Just IMAGINE.....oops, my time is up!    

7.3.15  The Letter V 

Word List:  veracity, vivacious, verbal, vegetables, volcanic, vase, vulture, violin, Venus, Virginia, visual, valuable, vineyard, violet, vacation, vocabulary, vibrant, velvet, vanilla, village

      My name is really VIRGINIA.  I don’t admit that often because it sounds just too VICTORIAN prissy for my personality.  But it is a V.  This week the planet VENUS converged with Jupiter in the night sky.  It was quite a VIEW to behold coupled with the full moon.  My VEGETABLE garden, filled with a VARIETY of plants, is flourishing in the summer sun.  I have been to several meetings and listened to VIVACIOUS, yet VALUABLE,  VERBAL exchanges.  I have been baking cinnamon rolls, the aroma of VANILLA, wafting in the kitchen.  My VASES display VIBRANT VIOLET flowers.  'It takes a VILLAGE to raise a child.....', the list can go on and on.    Yet, what V word REALLY calls to me? 

     VISUAL.   Last week I wrote about imagination, so I guess it makes sense that I follow up that thought with VISUAL.  My imagination takes form in VISUAL ways.  I see much better than I hear.  I learn through pictures and diagrams.  I pray my prayers through color and pen.  I record my memories with photographs (and pen!)  I see nuances of color and texture, patterns and shapes in the world around me.  I am a VERY VISUAL person! I like VIBRANT colors and VARIETY!  Rick has noted this in our Habitat work.  Sometimes I can VISUALIZE how something should appear faster than he can, because his mind is computing the measurements and angles necessary first.  Already my mind is drawing the V and what pictures will be included….and I haven’t even finished writing!  (Three minutes keeps us from being too VERBOSE!)

7.11.15  The Letter E

E List of Words: employment, explore, entertain, energy, excitement, enthusiasm, eternal, environment, eager, empathy, easy, eyes and ears, ebullient, eclectic, edible, embellish, endeavors, enigma, epiphany, euphoria, exalt, expectation, extol, exuberant

I got EXCITED about my E list of words when I realized I could pick and choose.  There were a number of negative Es: EVICT, EXTINGUISH, ETC.  I didn’t even write such EXAMPLES down!  But so many E words are filled with ENTHUSIASM and EXPECTATION.  So many words of positive ENERGY and EXUBERANCE!  I want to EMPLOY as many of these words in my daily walk as possible, using EYES and EARS to seek moments to EXTOL God for the ETERNAL EXAMPLES of his creativity in our ENVIRONMENT.  I want to be filled with EMPATHY for others, and  EMBELLISH my world with ECLECTIC ENDEAVORS that ENTERTAIN others while EXALTING our Creator.  I want to EXPLORE the ENIGMAS of our world with ENTHUSIASM.  Simply reading the list makes me EUPHORIC with the possibilities, EAGER to get moving.   It can make EACH day an EPIPHANY of renewed ENERGY!  I’m EXCITED for E words!!   I'm EBULLIENT!

7.17.15 The Letter R

Word List:raft, rhubarb, rose, rainbow, reflection, repeat, rainstorm, recreation, re-create, response, resolutions, reverence, regard, radical, rampant, reciprocate, rapport, reconcile, rejuvenate, relevance, revelation, robust, revolution, rustic, relationship

I had no idea I could come up with this many NEW R words, after beginning RIVER with the same letter!  And while I highly REGARD RAINBOWS and our RECENT RAINSTORMS, I found myself drawn to the words of RENEWAL, especially RECREATION.   RECREATION is RE-CREATING our souls through a RAPPORT with and a REVERENCE for the whole of God’s Creation, often best accomplished in a RUSTIC, simple setting (RAMPANT with wildflowers!)  RECREATION allows us to REJUVENATE and live in a more RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP with one another.  Our RECREATION might be a RADICAL RELEASE from the norm of daily life, or it might be a REPEAT of ROUTINE in a ROBUST new manner.  REGARDLESS, RECREATION RENEWS RELATIONSHIPS….with one another and with Creator God!