Park Time With Penny

Someone was grumpy this morning, so we went to the Finley River Park to play!

Grumpy Penny and her baby, Tracker.

Arriving at the park, we stopped to read this board. I am just now realizing that it says, "Continued from the other side". Doh! I'll have to read that side next time.

We head toward the water.

We can see Chigger Chalet across the way.

Penny hears people playing at the baseball field so off we go!

We hang out on the bleachers for a while and try to capture a decent selfie. 

Her face! So funny!

After many failed attempts and lots of fun, we go back to the trail by the water.

For the first time we cross through the creepy graffiti tunnel. 

On the other side we follow a trail for a few hundred feet and arrive at the hidden side of the dam! WOW!

We played in our new spot for a long time. We tried for one more selfie before calling it a day and then gave up! 

The water is so clear in the winter. The patch of trees in the center of the river is the "island" where the two eagles I watch live. Eagle Island. No sighting of my feathered friends today so we go home.

Penny had so much fun and was fast asleep in no time!

I'm so glad we had a chance to go to the park and take advantage of this gorgeous day. Missouri is famous for its crazy bi-polar weather, and I hear it may snow a bit this weekend! What a great January we have had! 

~ Love & Light ~

Children Are Magic

When you don't have kids of your own, it's easy to forget how inspiring spending time with them can be. I always come away with a renewed sense of wonder and an appreciation for the magic all around us after spending time with a young one.  Seeing the world through a child's eyes is healing and reminds the spirit of its purpose here on Earth. 

On Saturday, I had lunch with my friend Rcena. She had her little niece Emma with her. Emma is two years old, was so well behaved, and a lot of fun to spend time with. I enjoyed watching her try the different foods at the Aviary Cafe and name the decorations she recognized. Watching her reminded me to view the world around me with fresh eyes, and to appreciate the little details, like the sour of a fresh lemon or the warmth of a cup of coffee. 

Emma enjoying her juice.

If, like me, you don't have children, consider finding a few to hang out with from time to time. It's one of the best ways to lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face!

~ Love & Light ~

Pull The Local Wool Over Your Eyes, Or In This Case, Your Ears

Recently, I entered a giveaway from Re-Grow Roots, and I won! My prize was a hand crocheted ear warmer (my choice of color) that is made from handspun wool and alpaca fiber from Foil, Missouri! I chose red for the color.

I love the color of this yarn!

Re-Grow roots makes handmade crocheted crafts with mother earth in mind. You can take a peek at some of their offerings at their Etsy store, and follow along on Facebook for future giveaways and more updates. You know how excited I get when I discover a local business I can get behind, and Re-Grow Roots is a proud Missouri business!

Take a closer look at this luscious local yarn!

These photos cannot convey the quality of the fibers. This ear warmer is thick, chunky, and well put together. There is no doubt it is superior to mass produced winter wear, which makes the crafts from Re-Grow Roots ideal to give as gifts. With the long Missouri winters we endure it is nice to have a variety of warm accessories to choose from. The next time you are looking to add to your wardrobe or need a gift for a friend, keep Re-Grow Roots  in mind and peruse their goodies first!

Stylin' and toasty warm in my Re-Grow Roots ear warmer.

~ Love & Light ~

Annual Sickness Event

It's becoming a yearly event. Every January I get whatever is going around. Today is day six or seven that I've been ill. I've lost count at this point. I am feeling better though, so I thought I should post something to let you know I haven't abandoned the blog, I just haven't the energy to do anything creative right now. If you too are feeling like crud, you have my sympathies. I hope to be back soon!

~ Love & Light ~

2015 Brings The Cold

Arctic temperatures through Wednesday this week. It feels like winter now, but the sun is shining and the ground is dry. If the snow doesn't find us here in Oz, it won't be for lack of cold.

I rise in the mornings at 6:00am to do yoga. From my studio this morning I had a view of the gaggle of Canadian geese that call the Finley home. They were still curled up in oval shapes waiting for the sun to rise. A most curious sight.

Geese on the river before sunrise.

The eagles I wrote about several weeks ago are still here. Mark woke me up the day before yesterday when he spotted the male putting on a show over the water. I was so happy to see him again, but even more happy that he made an appearance for Mark. I wrapped myself in a blanket and we went out into the cold and watched him until he took off south following the river. 

The variety of birds on our patch of paradise is many. Right outside our bedroom window is the tiniest, most cute little nest. It has fluff springing out of it in the most adorably schizophrenic way. 

Tiny bird's nest at Chigger Chalet.

My sister Sara and her brood were here for the New Year. All of us went to dinner one night and we came away with a photo of the sisters.

Sara, Dallis and Leanne. Photo by Simon Ball

Sara and I also got a chance to get away for a girl's lunch with the old school crew. The six of us grew up in the hood together. 

Cynarra, Sara, Charmagne, Leanne, Christa and Alicia. Photo by random employee guy on his break. 

Group selfie! 

My brother-in-law also caught a sweet moment between me and his daughter Mallory after the belated family gift exchange.

Leanne and Mallory. Photo by Scott Cisco

Penny got a new present too!

Penny and her Christmas bone. That thing didn't last long!

I have so much on the to-do list for January! I have much to accomplish before we leave for Ireland next month. The year of The Sheep could prove to be my most productive yet. Sheep can only move forward, (seriously, the can't go backward.) and they are tough and resilient. Mark and I were both born in October of 1979, making us both Sheep according to the Chinese zodiac. This year is so ours!!!

~ Love & Light ~

The Optimist Creed

I am currently reading a book that was a gift from Santa (a.k.a Mark). The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larson is all about the life changing power of gratitude and optimism. This Law of Attraction business never gets old to me and only one chapter into this book, I am loving it. The following review by David Crumm sums it up nicely.


Most people who are considering this book today have never read a Christian D. Larson book, because his titles were best sellers a century ago. Nevertheless, after many years of covering religion in America as a journalist myself, I can say: This new collection of Larson's best books by Tarcher should be on the shelf of every preacher, teacher, small-group leader and writer who cares about contemporary spirituality and comparative religion.

Larson's "long forgotten" status as a pioneering writer is as obvious as a little Web searching. He is mentioned as the author of the popular creed of Optimist International. A few short web pages (even Wikipedia's entry is woefully short) explain that he was born to a Lutheran family who lived in a logs-and-sod house on the Great Plains. A brilliant student, Larson felt drawn to Lutheran seminary until he discovered a Unitarian book that blew open the doorway to broader spiritual awareness.

I am drawn to Larson because he became a journalist, too. He ran a remarkable magazine for some years, covering Progressive-era news and also articles about what he regarded as "scientific" advances in understanding faith and spiritual forces. Before we scoff at a century-old view of science, I also recommend T.M. Luhrmann's insightful new "When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God." A serious contemporary scholar, Luhrmann spent years studying the experiences of men and women who have vivid daily experiences of prayer. What Larson was trying to do at the dawn of the 20th century came from the same approach toward religion than Luhrmann is following at the dawn of the 21st century. Both asked: What can research and practical study tell us about spiritual experiences?

Why should we read Larson today, out of all the now-forgotten pioneers in inspirational writing and positive-thinking advice? Because Larson was a genius for writing practical prose, pitched for general readers. He had a talent for turning phrases. A century before Oprah, Larson was writing about "attitude of gratitude." A century before Eckhart Tolle, Larson was writing about "Christ consciousness."

Yes, Larson's books are available in many formats these days. But, this handy one-volume collection by Tarcher makes for smooth reading in a handy, contemporary edition. Plus, Tarcher's editors have sifted through Larson's dozens of books to find the handful that stand the test of time.


I hope all of you had a great holiday! I plan to spend these remaining days of 2014 catching up on my reading, spending time with family and friends, reflecting on the year behind us and looking forward to all the wonderful things 2015 has in store! 

~ Love & Light ~

Beaver Symbolism

I wasn't planning to write about the beaver today. ( I know...yep. I said beaver. Go ahead. Laugh it up.). As a matter of fact I was going to do a post on Solstice and what it means to me and how I honor this darkest day of the year... but then I saw a beaver swimming down the river this morning!

I had been told that beavers don't live in the rivers of Missouri after I thought I had seen one when we moved to Chigger Chalet back in 2012. I decided it must have been a gopher as it was on the bank and not actually in the water and forgot all about it. Well, bright and early this rainy morning, I was standing in the Yogate Studio brushing my teeth and staring at the water when I saw it. He was trucking along straight down the middle of the river making a perfect V formation in the water. I knew immediately that it was a beaver and stood watching, completely delighted. He was headed North and twice I saw him dive down into the water and smack his flat tail on the water. I wasn't about to step away and grab my camera so I have no photo evidence but I know what I saw without a doubt. 

Of course the first thing I thought about is the symbology of the beaver and what it means that he made an appearance for me. The following is from Whats-Your-Sign.com and I love what it has to say!

Beavers are ingenious builders, orchestrating megalith dams that can change the flowing course of entire rivers. This impressive aspect along with its association with water makes the beaver an analogy for building our up dreams.

In essence, the beaver tells us to believe in our dreams as if they were real. Build on them as if the dream is your reality. Change the course of your life flow by structuring your life with a goal to coax your dreams into your physical reality.

Animal symbolism of the beaver deals with building our lives up around our dreams.

Dream symbolism comes into play with the beaver because it is largely a water creature. Water is symbolic of:

As a Water Creature, Beaver Meanings Include:

• Dreams
• Psyche
• Motion
• Emotion
• Intuition
• Subconscious

Animal symbolism of the beaver also deals with working diligently. The dams and these beavers build are sometimes eight feet tall and span across entire bodies of water. That kind of accomplishment doesn't happen overnight, nor does it happen by just wishing of completion. The beaver says: "yeah, it’s great to have dreams, but you have to work at them to make the real!"

But it's not all work and no play in the Beaverville. Play, enjoyment, fun and games are also among the beaver animal symbolism. Specifically, the beaver shares quality time with family. This is also another key symbol for us – it reminds us to take time for ourselves, and our family.

The beaver admonishes unbalance, and encourages us to set our priorities right. Working to fulfill life-long dreams is admirable, but not at the expense of neglecting our friends and family.

Beaver Meanings for Us Personally

• Clearer understanding of our subconscious thoughts and dreams
• Ability to mold our thoughts more constructively to suit our needs
• Determination to follow our dreams
• Diligence to keep and reach our goals
• Balance and flexibility concerning ourselves and our expectations
• Take time for self, friends and family. The people in our lives are most precious

Animal symbolism is a pure, natural way to help facilitate change within each of us. By tuning into animals such as the beaver, we can create an energetic dialogue that may answer some tough questions in our lives.

How so? Mainly, observing and connecting. When we pay attention to the beaver's behavior and proclivities, we can compare or associate those features to our own behavior. By doing this we can match up, mimic, or employ beaver qualities in our own lives with a goal to stimulate natural (or even wild) solutions for ourselves. For example, if we have a blockage in our lives, a littlemeditation on the beaver may show us how to "chew" through the barrier in our path. Working with animal meanings and animal totems also helps us move into a natural cycle of life, which is always a good state to be in for finding solutions!

Areas of Life in Which the Beaver Can Help Us

• Need encouragement or inspiration in reaching your goals
• When you've got the blues, and need a boost of energy (beaver is better than B-12!)
• You're starting new creative projects or building new business deals
• You're attending a family reunion or class reunion
• You need a little more structure discipline in the family
• You've want more clarity in dream interpretation or subconscious realms.

What an amazing sight to see so close to the New Year! A perfect reminder that the Universe loves action and rewards it with bringing us the things we visualize and dream about! 

~ Love & Light ~