The Gift of Today

Take time to smell the roses, or in this case, the Sunflowers!

There are millions of beautiful sunflowers here in Utah every Summer and they last into the first frost.

The views here are spectacular, and I am sure wherever you live there are some amazing views of nature, birds-flowers-seaside-mountains and more.

Each day to enjoy the beautiful offerings of Mother Nature are a Gift!  Life, even those lives who are fortunate enough to live past 60, is short! It goes so very quickly.  Don't miss an opportunity to take in every single beautiful offering around you.

Make sure that you live each day to the fullest, and be your best self.  Sometimes we think that focusing on self is "selfish."  I'm not talking about being selfish, however.  I am talking about learning to find what gives you joy! You can share that with others, but you also need to find a kind of peace within yourself about what makes you happy.

Some of us have children and grandchildren, and sharing their lives is an important part of our happiness.  But, our happiness is not really found completely in others.  We have to look inside ourselves and learn to have joy in just living another day.  For me, the outdoors here in Utah is a place of peace and comfort.  I see God in the dramatic mountain views and the massive amounts of local wildflowers!  I find peace in the solitude of sitting beside the River and listening to the sound of the water as it tumbles over the rocks.

Where is your joy?  Where is your peace? Where is your happiness?

Take a little time today to search for those things which make you happy and give you peace.  Enjoy life!  Each day is a GIFT - open it carefully and savor the contents!

PEACE LOVE AND JOY

Stars Above - Stars Below

It has been a beautiful month here in Northern Utah this year.  February was quite Spring like, but March has decided to come roaring in and make us remember that it is still Winter! We are due to have snow several times in the next week.  Oh, I am not complaining though, that lovely Winter snowpack is our Summer water supply!

There are so many things I have fallen in love with since moving to the Rockies.  I had always lived at sea level and had never really experienced serious mountains.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the Ocean and have times when I miss it, but there is something very magical about these marvelous mountains.  Right now the days are sunny and the mountains are covered with the snow all the skiers love so much.
But, the the nights - the magical nights are absolutely breathtaking too!

Have you ever been on a ship or boat in the middle of the night with the stars sparkling above you? Isn't it an amazing sight looking up at all those twinkling stars in the midnight dark sky?  Well, an amazing thing happens here at night when you are driving down off the mountains.  As you come down out of the canyon passes you find yourself suddenly gasping as the lights of the towns or cities below appear out of the darkness.  They spread out before you like stars in the sky.  You can look up and see the stars above and the "stars" below.  It is an amazing feeling and reminds me once again of how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things.  These breathtaking views constantly serve to remind me of a line from one of my favorite poems - "Your life is but a little beat, within the heart of time."  How true that line is.

I am nearing the seventh decade of my life and look back over the years and all the wonders I have been fortunate enough witness.  I am hoping to witness more over the next few decades of time.  People, please never stop experiencing all that we have to enjoy here on this magical planet.  From the smallest plants and animals to the mountains and seas to the clouds and weather (ever experienced thunder snow?), there is so much to breathe in and enjoy.

Stop today and take time to "smell the roses" and take in the beauty that surrounds us everywhere.

God Bless!

PEACE, LOVE & JOY

Linda

Footprints, Carbon and Otherwise

 We certainly do live in an amazing and beautiful world.  As I travel around the Country and the World I am constantly amazed at the variety of offerings the world lays in front of us.

I also worry about what we are individuals are doing to preserve or destroy all this magnificent beauty.  Our oceans are becoming more and more polluted by everything from oil to plastics being thrown overboard. In some instances we have overfished areas so badly that they will never return to normal.

 I have lived on the Gulf and watched the dolphins play along the shore.  I live in the mountains now at the mouth of a beautiful canyon.  We have problems here in January and February because of "inversion," a phenomenon which occurs due to weather trapping pollutants in the valleys below the mountains.  Sometimes the haze is like a huge fog!

In spite of the fact that we have many volunteer

groups here in Utah who walk the trails and pick up trash, many times when I walk the river I see plastic bottles and other trash thrown into the river.  The water is amazing and clear and the river is full of brown and rainbow trout.  But if people continue to damage this pristine river, that will not remain true.  I like to adhere to the premise that we should leave nothing behind but our FOOTPRINTS when we go hiking, to the beach or anywhere in nature.

Okay, I say all this to ask you "What are YOU doing to reduce your Carbon Footprint?"

We recently converted to Solar for our home in an effort to contribute less to our Carbon Footprint.  In the first three weeks we have already reduced our Carbon Footprint by 680 pounds! Wow! I also drive a car which has a shut off when you stop for traffic lights.  As soon as you touch the gas, it restarts.  I never sit and idle while I am waiting for someone.  We have replaced every single bulb in our home with LED bulbs, which are initially expensive, but save energy and in the long run last so long that they really aren't more expensive.  

We live in a "throw away" society where people don't consider how much waste is being put into landfills on a daily basis.  We throw away so much that could be recycled.  There are so many ways to cut your Carbon Footprint.  Many times it is as simple as re-purposing an item rather than throwing it in the trash, not idling your car while waiting for someone, combining trips to the store instead of running out for one thing at a time.  Using Public Transportation or Car Pooling instead of driving to work each and every day is yet another way to reduce our Carbon Footprints.

Below is a table which shows a comparison of Carbon usage by country...it is interesting...and although the USA isn't the WORST offender, we certainly are close to the top.  

I urge you to look around and see what you can do to help reduce the use of Petroleum products and cut your own Carbon Footprint.  If we all work together to this end, the world will still be beautiful for our future generations!

I don't have more recent information available at this time, but I am sure you can get the picture of what is going on from the information posted below.

Let's all do what we can to reduce our Carbon Footprint.

A useful measurement is carbon emissions per capita (person). Under that measurement, the average American is responsible for 19.8 tonnes per person, and the average Chinese citizen clocks in at 4.6 tonnes.

World carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption and flaring of fossil fuels, 1980-2006

Country	% change since 1996	Emissions per capita	2006	2000	1992
China	2475.26	2966.52	6017.69	4.58	105%
United States	5079.53	5860.38	5902.75	19.78	7%
Russia	2056.55	1582.37	1704.36	12	5%
India	664.96	1012.34	1293.17	1.16	55%
Japan	1078.48	1203.71	1246.76	9.78	10%
Germany	896.37	856.92	857.6	10.4	-4%
Canada	485.09	565.22	614.33	18.81	18%
United Kingdom	579.82	561.23	585.71	9.66	-1%
South Korea	294.53	445.81	514.53	10.53	27%
Iran	234.79	320.69	471.48	7.25	79%
Italy	415.62	448.43	468.19	8.05	10%
South Africa	323.55	391.67	443.58	10.04	24%
Mexico	313.55	383.44	435.6	4.05	31%
Saudi Arabia	235.46	290.54	424.08	15.7	70%
France	382.89	402.27	417.75	6.6	7%
Australia	271.58	359.8	417.06	20.58	37%
Brazil	237.8	344.91	377.24	2.01	23%
Spain	254.21	326.92	372.62	9.22	52%
Ukraine	535.94	326.83	328.72	7.05	-10%
Poland	330.33	295	303.42	7.87	-13%
Taiwan	132.27	252.15	300.38	13.19	52%

Sunset Comes First in The Valley

I'm really getting used to living in the Mountains of Utah, but I must say that I frequently realize little different things, and learn to appreciate them more each day.

This evening as I was driving home, I was sitting on Antelope Drive and noticed that it was still beautiful and sunny on the Mountain in front of me, but I was sitting in the shadow of sundown.

It really makes for some gorgeous sunsets out here though, for often as the sun goes down behind  the mountains on one side of this huge valley (which used to be a lake) it reflects on the clouds and bounces down on the mountains of the opposite side causing them to be an amazing shade of pink.

Lovely, aren't they?  It is also interesting to note that the sun hitting from different angles exposes new folds, creases, caves and ridges on the mountainsides.  It seems like every time you look at them, there is something different to see.

I have experienced Summer, Fall and now Winter here in Ogden, and now I am looking forward to Spring.  The crocus are already peeking out of the soil, and although I am sure we will see more snow before the Spring comes in full force, It is exciting to see the changes already taking place in our surroundings.

I love living in the valley, because for one thing MOST of the snow falls in the mountains.  I can, therefore, walk around down in the valley without having to stomp through snow, but when I do want to play in the snow, I just go up the mountain and snowshoe or ski, or tube … what wonderful choices.

There is definitely beauty in all seasons here.

But, being here in Summer, Fall and Winter has shown me something I had long ago forgotten, and that is just how beautiful the changing seasons can be!

The beautiful gardens of summer with their daisies, and roses and flora of all kinds…

The amazing colors of Autumn in the mountains are incomparable!

Rivers flow through canyons and wildlife abounds.  Buffalo on Antelope Island as well as Bighorn Sheep and Antelope.

Migrating Birds of hundreds of varieties in the thousands, flying into the area around the Great Salt Lake on their yearly travels.

So much to see, so many beautiful trails to hike, caves and amazing rock formations.

No, I never would have thought that anyone or anything could take the Okaloosagirl off of the also amazing and beautiful Gulf Coast with it's Emerald Green water, dolphins and sugar sand; but I have discovered a new love.  A new love that is just as beautiful, inspiring and amazing.  And to add to the beauty, there are two little granddaughters here (as well as a beautiful, loving daughter) that I just couldn't stand to be 2,000 miles away from.

So, as we explore Utah together, I will share pictures (which really can't do it justice) and tell you stories and share my "bucket list" adventures with you, and hope you enjoy reading and seeing it as much as I do!

PEACE, LOVE AND JOY

Linda

A Little Bird and a Great Man

That tiny fluffy looking gray ball in the corner of my back door awning, is a little bird curled up to sleep there for the night. It is the second night in a row he has been there. I don't think I have ever seen a bird sleep in a place like that before, and I can't quite figure out why he has chosen that spot. It doesn't seem to disturb him when we open the door to let the dog out or just to peek at him. There are many trees around, but perhaps he feels more protected there in the little corner.

It is amazing to watch God's little creatures every day. They will always delight and surprise you.

Tonight as I contemplate the awesomeness of our great God, my heart reaches out to my neighbor whose husband passed away just hours ago. They are wonderful Christian people, and Roy will be missed by many. A talented musician, teacher and Father Roy has endured the ravages of Parkinson's Disease for many years now. His family has watched this disease take away more and more of him with each passing day. Tonight he is finally at peace at home with the God he has served his entire life. I pray for comfort and peace for his family who will miss him greatly.

We never are promised tomorrow, or even another minute. We so often take for granted our health, and forget about our "fearfully made" bodies and how complex they really are. Never forget to hold close your loved ones and friends and tell them frequently how much you love them. Never forget to take care of this precious body we have been given, and enjoy the blessing of every healthy day you have.

Look outside tomorrow and enjoy the changing colors of Fall and listen to the singing birds and praise the One who provided all of this for us.

Goodnight and God Bless....