Gratitude Monday -- This Is Why Edition

I am grateful for the life I lead.

This is one of the reasons why:

Gratitude Monday -- My Goat Legs Edition

I've really earned my goat legs this spring, and for it I am grateful.
What that means is I've done some hiking in the mountains and done it reasonably well.
On Saturday we did a hike out west called HooDoo Creek. It involves walking up the mostly dry and very rocky stream bed of a creek. About a km or so up the stream appears. That means crisscrossing it for the best footing.
Just past the one km mark there are some hoodoos. I will post pics another day.
Along with being in the mountains this hike has a 400 m elevation gain and it is gained through a steady climb. I stopped to rest every 50 to 100 metres. I've learned that as soon as I hear the partridge drumming it is time to rest so the blood can stop pounding in my ears.
I didn't go the whole way. I stopped about 200 m short of the 2.4 km end. There one can scramble up a fair ways to some  caves.
Mike went, I rested.
As far as I am concerned not only do I have my goat legs for the year this hike earned me a spare.
Once we were back down we drove a bit up the road, pulled out to a place near some trees, and enjoyed a picnic.
It was one of our best days ever and for it I am grateful.



If you look at the bottom of the pic just left of the stream you'll notice a narrow ledge. It's just wide enough for a foot. It was a very exciting part of the hike.

Gratitude Monday -- This

It's Thanksgiving and I am grateful for many things.
Today I am grateful that I live a short drive away from the above and sights like it, and I am grateful I get to share it with you.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Please click thrice for full screen.
You will not be disappointed.

Photo-Finish Friday -- Moody Mountains

South of Hinton, Ab.

 A moody look to the Rockies on a summer's day.

Photo-Finish Friday -- Morning in the West Country

We left early enough on our drive out west last Saturday that we got to see morning coming to the mountains.

Gratitude Monday --The Day We Have

We took a drive yesterday.
Our original intent was to have a look at the Brazeau Dam about 60 miles away with the real point being a hope to see wildlife, such as owls, on the way.
We left before 8 a.m and took with us a lunch to enjoy somewhere as we intended to take our time.
It was early when we were done with the dam and we hadn't seen anything so we decided to go a bit farther and check out the Elk River campground.
This meant going mountainward on a gravel road and that meant a greater likelihood of wild things.
I got to see an open industrial camp that was on the way called the Pecos Inn. I was grateful for this because when my husband was driving truck he'd  had to stay there a few times and I'd been curious.
Open camp means that various companies can use it as well as the general public if there's room.  If we'd wanted to we could have gone in and bought a meal.
We were headed toward the Forestry Truck Road which would take us back to Nordegg, Highway 11, and then home.
But it was still early and a nice day. We'd packed food. We started with a full tank of gas. Mike suggested instead of turning south toward home that we turn north, go to Jasper, and loop home on the Parkway.
We did.
My first thought was to just go home, but then I thought: why?
Home had nothing compelling to offer other than a possible afternoon nap. Exploring is better, and this was a grand opportunity to do it.
Yesterday does not offer a second shot.
Tomorrow is a theory.
Now is what we have.
Now is what we work with.
We turned north and I am so grateful we did. We saw plenty of wildlife including, but not restricted to, a magnificent mountain goat and an equally magnificent bull elk.
I try to focus on the now in life. Yes, one must prepare for the future, but at no point should one ignore living today.
Yesterday we took the day as it was offered and used it to the best of our abilities.
For that I am grateful.

Lunch at Watson Creek. A relaxing break in a wonderful day.

A Walk in the West Country

Sunday was a good day for a variety of reasons.
My husband and I got out for a drive in the mountains, we stopped for a hike, we saw wildlife, and we had a wonderful, relaxing day together.

Such days are jewels.

It gives us a chance to step out of life, out of time even. We enjoy the world around us and how we perceive the world both separately and together.
We tried a bit of a trail new to us, White Goat and its branch White Goat Falls. I only made it as far as where the trail branches.
We'd wanted to go as far as the falls, but the trail turned into a steep decline and I have yet to bounce back enough from surgery to manage it.

It's a good time of year to be in the forest.

The juniper berries are juicy, and while they may be best known as the flavour component of gin they also have some long-standing therapeutic uses.
I use them for breathing.
I have a wee touch of asthma and have to almost 20 years. I rarely pay it any mind and it returns the favour.
But at the higher altitudes I find I like a good boost to the breathing and a few ripe blue juniper berries gives me that.
Husband eats them, too, as they are tasty.
Even if the boost is not needed I'll still eat them because I like them.

Wild gin on the hoof.

The Western Wood Lilies are enjoying their finest moments. We saw several on our hike.

We commonly call it a Tiger Lily, but its really a Western Wood Lily.

The trail continues on, but I didn't.

These are Twinflowers. Beautiful, certainly, but freaky if you look closely as they look like fairies dangling from the stems.

Linnaea  borealis.  The fave flower of Carl Linnaeus. He founded
binomial nomenclature.

And this is half a robin's egg shell. It was on the trail and I was pleased to see it. I am fond of this colour, and it tells me the robin in it got out.

If you ever have trouble picturing robin's egg blue this is what you mean.

Thanks so much for coming along on the hike. It was nice to spend the time together.

And remember, this is the only imprint we leave:

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Gratitude Monday - What Nature Offers

Wild strawberries along the highway in the Rockies.

We went for a drive out west yesterday. That in itself is something for which I am grateful, but it is not the subject of this post.
We stopped to admire a tree a few steps off the highway in the magnificent mountain forest.
It is a lovely time of year to visit the west country. Alpine flowers are in bloom, bear and deer and sheep are gorging themselves as best they can, and right now the wild strawberries are in full burst of flavour.
We had wild berries in our lawn when I was growing up. I have a few in my lawn right now. They're fine and tasty, but the ones in the wild are better.
Perhaps it is the fresh mountain air, maybe it is knowing the animals themselves eat of this fare,  but in truth I think it is because in the wild is closer to the source.
It grows because it can, it always has, and it must.
It follows its own law of survival and continuance.
This berry exists to ensure the lives of others. It is meant as food and if it has any self-knowledge it knows it and gives of itself willingly.
This selfless act is love in one of its finest forms: sacrifice to save another. It is done with joy and that joy, that love, is what gives this wild food its edge.
Thank you, wild strawberry.

Gratitude Monday --A Good Day

Yesterday my husband and I went for a drive.
We went west to the mountains.
We took our time and took many photographs.
We went as far as the Columbia Icefields Parkway, about 100 miles, and turned around.
We stopped at Siffleur Falls on the way back and went for a hike.
We had a turkey dinner at lunch time in Nordegg.
We saw a robin, many deer, many sheep, a hawk, two bald eagles, and four bluebirds.
It was a good day and for it I am grateful.

Photo-Finish Friday -- Moody Mountains

Looking north from Preacher's Point in Clearwater County.
This user maintained campsite is along Highway 11 west of Rocky Mountain House. It's about a half-hour drive from there to the Banff Park Gate.

Photo-Finish Friday -- Mare's Tails

The clouds over the Rocky Mountains near the Banff Park border made an interesting sight. They may be known as "mare's tails," but to me they were a chorus of dancing mermaids.
What do you see?

Gratitude Monday -- Around the Corner

Above the Kootenay Plains

I am grateful that the path always leads somewhere interesting.
We never know what is around the corner.

Progress Report -- It's All Good

Looking southwest and down.

It's good to get away from the computer.
I've been contacting literary agents lately as well as working on a synopsis of my manuscript. Many agents want one sent with the query letter so those who do are still to be contacted.
To date I've found 50 -60 agents and emailed a query to 14 of them.  I've had five rejections and one request for the first 50 pages of the manuscript.
In my view I'm doing okay for now.
Still plenty of work ahead of me and there are more agents out there. But for now I'd say it's all good.

Getting away from work is a good way to get some distance from it on many levels. It's even better when away takes me out west to the Rockies for a hike. I haven't been doing much hiking in the past few years due to a nasty bit of business with my heart.
The hike was a good way to test how I'm doing especially since I've cut down on the beta blocker dosage.
We took it slow and I rested frequently, but only for a few seconds at a time. The incline was gentle in most places. We had one steep slope only because we were skirting a herd of Bighorn Sheep napping in the sun on a hillside. We didn't want to disturb them.

It was good to be out in the fresh mountain air again and get some exercise.
The sun was shining, the sheep were napping, the butterflies were flittering about, the prairie anemones (crocus) were opening their fuzzy purple heads, and we had a wonderful hike.
I came back refreshed and ready to tackle the synopsis and fix up the query letter a bit. I realized as we were coming back down that I should mention I maintain a blog.
As noted earlier, it's all good.

Gratitude Monday -- Sleepy Sheep

We went for a walk in the mountains yesterday and came upon a flock of sheep taking a sun nap on a mountainside.
It was a wonderful find. We carefully skirted around them so as not to disturb them.
I'm grateful for the walk, the day, and the sleepy sheep.

Did they have to count people before their nap?

Gratitude Monday - As Above, So Below

As above, so below.

I live so close to this it makes a comfortable day trip.
The world falls away as I drive to the mountains. The scales fall from my eyes the deep  in to them I go.
The scales, the baggage, the covers and trappings of ordinary daily life build back up as the days progress, but when I need to, I can go here and be restored.
Where do you go?

Gratitude Monday - Strength

The Earth is strong and true. It is sights such as these that remind me no matter what happens in the world, the strength of the Earth will prevail.
For this I am grateful.

Gratitude Monday - Smokies and Mountains

We went for a drive out west to the mountains yesterday. I am grateful they are so close. The above scene is looking across Abraham Lake from Windy Point.


We roasted smokies over a camp kitchen fire and ate them with lightly toasted tortillas for a smokie wrap. Very tasty and so much better having worked for it. The day was blustery and it was rather cool in the camp kitchen. It made them that much more satisfying. I am grateful for campgrounds and camp kitchens and for a husband who can build a fire.

You may need to enlarge this pic to read the sign.

And I cannot help but be grateful to live in a land where firearms must be secured before one uses an outdoor toilet.

Twofer Tuesday - A Wilde Time

North end of Upper Arrow Lakes, B.C.

I'm catching up on all the reading I missed out on during my recent non-reading spell. Most of the rust is flaking off my inner reading machinery and I'm finding I'm getting through books faster than I have in quite some time. I don't know that I'll get back to my heyday of 400-500 words a minute, but I'm happy with whatever speed I can muster and still enjoy the beauty of the words as they are collected together to form the story.

I loved the feeling this passage spoken by Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde, ( Penguin Classics 2009) evoked:
"Play me a nocturne, Dorian, and, as you play, tell me, in a low voice, how you have kept your youth. You must have some secret."

And here's my contribution to the cause from The Legend of Shallal:

"He needed a time of rest, a way to be off the planet for at least a season. He ached to bathe in the icy waters of his homeworld and drift along its jagged shores under a waxing double moon."

Thanks for reading me.

For more or to get in on the fun please check in with the Women of Mystery.

Gratitude Monday - Mundane is Good

I'm grateful for a great deal of things. This makes it difficult to narrow it down. It's always good to be grateful for the stuff we take for granted like the air we breathe, living indoors, and having food. Some people are stuck with terribly polluted air, are homeless, or so poor they eat only rarely.
I have all the food I need and then some, the air here is pretty good, the house I co-own and live in is paid for, and the above scene is a less than two hours west of me and makes for a lovely drive.
I challenge each and every one of you to be grateful for something mundane today. You can keep it to yourself or put it in the comments. Either way, say thanks for something you usually ignore and see what happens.

Gratitude Monday - Early Scenic Edition

Along the Glacier Lake hike

I live close to here, about a two hour drive through some of the best scenery in the province. I can get to it under my own steam and get out among it when I get there.

I would hate to live the kind of a life where I didn't realize how good I have it.

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This is up early as I am away from the computer on Labour Day and scheduling it to show up at the right time just seems so, well, normal.

Happy Labour Day.