6-30-09 Keep It Balanced

DH and I did an "upper body workout" today in our new toys to balance all the leg workout/jogging we've been doing recently... it was delightful!!!

6-29-09 Another One Bites the Dust

The 60+ mph winds from this weekend's storms proved to be too much for several of the old growth trees along my jogging trail. It made me sad this morning to see that they had fallen.

6-28-09 Creatures of the Night

My mulch out front produced more interesting fungi...
which got me to thinking...

These ethereal creatures
Appear overnight
with delicate beauty
and long thin legs
tempting us with their beauty
but come the light of day
they wither away
for those who love darkness
hate the light.
John 3:16-21

6-27-09 Blackberries

While jogging this morning, I spied a blackberry bush in amongst the growth along the jogging path... (I've also noticed wild rhubarb, and several apple trees!!!) so I decided to stop and pick a handful for breakfast! I like how the hands and berries in this picture somewhat resemble the shape of a heart... it reminds me to have a grateful heart for this fresh, organic, delicious, nutritious explosion of flavor that I am enjoying for breakfast this morning! Thank you, Creator God!

6-26-09 Friday Shoot Out ~ Rainbow Colors ~ B

Wearing colors of the rainbow:

6-26-09 Friday Shoot Out ~ Rainbow Colors

Red (me in a kayak today!)

Orange (tiger Lilies blooming in the ditches!)

Yellow (shirt, soaked to the bone in yesterday's rainstorm!)

Green and blue (what surrounds me... Iowa corn fields and big sky)

Purple (glass from the Grotto~Thursday's post)

Thanks for looking!

Love & Light~

OM girl

6-26-09 Kayaking

Yep... that's me in a kayak!!! Another first for me!

6-25-09 Grotto

DD and I enjoyed a "girls' day out" road trip to Wisconsin today. I took her to see this grotto in Dickeyville, WI as well as the Sinsinawa Mound, the Mines of Spain, and a beautiful collection of Tiffany stained glass windows... some of my favorite sights to see in that area! We got caught in a HUGE rainstorm while lunching in Dubuque, IA at the Naughty Doggy restaurant and had to pull off of the highway on the way home because of the heavy rain! But all in all, we had a fun day together! Thanks for the wonderful and "sacred" memories, DD!

6-24-09 Kayaks

Today my DH and a friend of his went kayaking along the Mississippi River. My DH used to row in college, has not been back on the water since then, and absolutely loved his kayaking adventure today, so this afternoon we started shopping at the local sporting goods/active adventures stores today for a Kayak. I may work up my courage and give it a whirl too! It sounds like so much fun, and is such good exercise! It will be a wonderful challenge for me. I always grow when I step outside my comfort zone!!!

6-23-09 Summer Snow

Summer snowflakes
floating down
from verdant green clouds overhead
Cottonwoods
lining my path today
with soft white purity
and promises of new life.
As I stop to enjoy the sight
a chipmunk calmly observes me.
I am blessed.

6-22-09 Windows to the Soul

Today was my annual eye check with my new eye doctor.
She dilated my eyes and said my eye health looked good.
And my current prescription is still correct! YAY!
No need to buy new glasses. Whew!!!
I think eyes are a window to the soul.

6-21-09 Air Show on Father's Day

WOWZA!!! Bring your ear plugs!!! The Blue Angels are awesome!!!

6-21-09 Stormy

Stormy skies and high winds this weekend left downed power lines and branches.

6-20-09 Breakfast

This morning's breakfast... looked so pretty in the morning sunshine!

6-19-09 Friday Shoot Out ~ Metal

Audrey, I'm so glad you selected METAL for today's shoot out! I began the day wondering what in the world I could find to photograph that was metal... so I just took my camera with me (everyday... all day... as usual...) and soon became aware of how metal touches my life from the moment I rise until I go to bed at night!!!

First thing upon waking... open the bedroom door and let the kitty (who wears a pink metal heart tag) outside:


Grab the car keys or bike and go to the parks to jog:


Metal fences keep me on the straight and narrow jogging path at the park,
and although aluminum cans are such a blessing, litter makes me angry!


Cleaning up after exercising:

Blow drying my hair... getting dressed... adorning my beautiful self!

Tea and egg white omelet for breakfast:

Running errands...

Communicating with loved ones...

Creating balance and beauty in my home:

Around the house...

Needles knitting prayers and love with yarn...

Cameras helping me be observant and aware...

Wheels and gears marking the passage of time...

Spirals that make me smile...

Grills to cook my salmon for dinner...

Metal table on which to dine...

Flatwear to help me eat...

Metal soap bar to get the fish smell off my hands...

Helping to keep plastic water bottles out of the landfills...

Recycling precious resources...

Pens, pencils, notebooks for journaling at the end of the day...

along with another cup of herbal tea...

And saving the best 'til last...

my wedding ring, a symbol of my eternal love to my DH of over 3 decades...

And beautiful sculptures from one of my yoga students, that expresses that love!

(I wanted her to capture that sweet moment in time when a wife is standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes, and her husband comes up behind her and kisses her on the neck...

I think the sculptor got it spot on!!!)

I love you, dear husband!

Thanks for looking! There were soooooo many more things I could have photographed! I would personally like to thank all the brave men and women miners who risk their lives in the mines deep below the earth every day, to provide us with all this metal to enrich our lives!

Love & Light to you!

~OM girl

6-18-09 Saying Thank You

Today as I snail-mailed some "thank you" cards and other notes, I got to thinking how seldom people do this anymore.

These days, a verbal "Thanks!" seems sufficient for most folks who are the recipient of a gift, gracious hospitality, or special acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. They might even go to the "trouble" of an e-mail or e-card thank you, or simply a card to which they have signed their name... but hand-written thank you notes seem to have become passé. It makes me sad.

There is nothing more uplifting to me, than to receive a hand-written card & note from a loved one (or even a stranger!). I challenge everyone to think of someone who deserves a "Thank You" and send them an unexpected hand-written thank you note... I guarantee it will bless them... and you!

Love & Light~
OM girl

6-17-09 Another Sign

Iowa farmers... ya gotta love 'em!!!

6-16-09 Fifty Bucks

Saw this sign on my morning jog... made me smile.
Too bad I did NOT find it!

6-15-09 Dumb Blonde Question

This dumb blonde has a question for all you bloggers out there...
do you ever get this error-window when you try to open blogs that you follow?
It pops up on different blogs on different days, and will not allow me to open the blogs that I follow and therefore I cannot read them or leave comments. :-(







When I click on the OK button in the above photos, I get this:

Has this happened to any of you? What did you do to fix it?
TIA!!!
~OM girl