One the Subject of Love ...

Loving oneself is crucial.

If we do not love ourselves,

how can we love others?

It seems that when some people

talk of compassion, they have the notion

that it entails a total disregard for one's own interest's ...

a sacrificing of one's interests. This is not the case.

In fact genuine love should first be directed at one's self.

The Dali Lama

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

One the Subject of Pudding...

Mamma always said 

"An ounce of action beats a ton of words ..."

Martin Sexton

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

NYE in NYC Bucket list...

The Sands

Emerils

Manhattan

The Rainbow Room

Rockafeller Center Iceskating with all the lights and the big Christmas Tree

Photographing the city all day, all the Christmas Decorations, all the people

Dinner in some ridiculously fabulous restaurant...undecided at present.

NYE concert Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings Time Square

Midnight in Times Square watching the ball drop live

Post Midnight craziness

Boston

Salem

New England Coast

Barnacles

North Hampton

Philadelphia , dancing all night long.

NYC again in a hotel voted the SEXIEST in NEW YORK ...  and it is.

Ice skating in Bryant Park where Serendipity was filmed.

Central Park

Hell's Kitchen

Chinatown

Little Italy
Grand Central Station

Riding the Subway

Restaurants to die for.....we'll see as we go, suggestions welcome.
Babbo [Mario Batali's restaurant]
The Met

The Roman & Greek sculpture hall at the met, after dark for the cool lighting

MOMA, Modern Mueseum of Art
Brooklyn Bridge at night

Brooklyn food tour with  Sue, Robert and Seth

Katz's Deli for a pastrami on rye for sure!

The Bethlehem, PA tour with a real live local [ha!]

 McGrady's

A quick trip up to the pocono mountains on one of the down days........

A prairie girl like me needs to get elevated and the Empire State Building is so over rated.

I think it's a damn fine Bucket List.

: )

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

The North Shore...

always a welcome slice of heaven.

Thank you my brother!

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

On the Subject of Living...

                                            

Spain 2007

This is what you shall do:

Love the earth and sun and the animals,
despise riches,
give alms to every one that asks,
stand up for the stupid and crazy,
devote your income and labor to others,
hate tyrants, argue not concerning God,
have patience and indulgence toward the people,
take off your hat to nothing known or unknown
or to any man or number of men,
go freely with powerful uneducated persons
and with the young and with the mothers of families,
read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life,
re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book,
dismiss whatever insults your own soul,
and your very flesh shall be a great poem
and have the richest fluency not only in it's words
but in the silent lines of its lips and face
and between the lashes of your eyes
and in every motion and joint of your body.

from Preface to Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman

On the Subject of Hindsight ...

Hindsight, or our ability to see our past clearly, 

is a learning function that, when damaged ... 

renders us unable to look at the past to guide ourselves 

through the present and into the future.

Without this ability, we cannot learn from our mistakes.

We cannot clean up the wreckage of our actions.

 

We are locked into a cycle

of repeating the same thing 

over and over again,

expecting different results.

This is commonly known as the definition of insanity.

 ~Barbara S. Cole

What is it that you are doing differently  ...

What am I doing differently ...

I think that's something

we should ask ourselves from time to time.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

November 11th

sometimes there are not enough words to 

say...

 

Thank You.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Strength...

amazing what Lake Superior does for the soul.

 

The water reaches towards us.

It's grasp scatters along the rocks.

It is drawn back from the break.

Renewed, it surfaces to stretch forth again.

Undaunted by the shoreline.

It's strength in it's ability to endure,

To never be destroyed. 

For as small as we are in comparison to many things,
we are undoubtedly strong.
It is a matter of will,
our power to endure
surpasses the power to be defeated.

`J. Anderson

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Soul ...

I saw this young man when I was in Boston.
I am shooting while walking, trying
to photograph him without disturbing his space.
This is one of my favorite images.
.
I look at his face and I wonder what his story is...
if eyes truly are the window to the soul I have
never seen soul more wounded nor more beautiful.

It does not interest me what you do for a living. 

I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It does not interest me how old you are. 

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, 

for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It does not interest me what planets are squaring your moon. 

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, 

if you have been opened by life's betrayals 

or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain, 

mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, 

if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy 

fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, 

realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

It does not interest me if the story you are telling me is true, 

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, 

if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, 

and if you can source your life from God's presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, 

and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the moon, "YES"!

It does not interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. 

I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,

weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here, 

I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire 

with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. 

I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself 

and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer -Native American Elder 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

I Would Like to Thank Delta...

for bumping me twice this last trip.

They profusely apologized with 2 flight vouchers,

hotel, meal and cab vouchers.
I want to give props to the
reservation people who helped in the process
of finding replacement flights.
Their patience was unwavering.

How does

New Years Eve 

in 

New York City Times Square

sound?

I'd also like to thank my NYC music buddy 

 who got the tickets 

to the concert on NYE in Times Square.

that's right, where the big ball drops at midnight.

You want good music... 

check out 

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

 

All the Christmas decorations,

ice skating in Central Park and Rockafeller Center,

great restaurants, while I'm in the neighborhood,
Boston, Philly, Poconos mountains,
Jersey Shore, hook up with Snookie...
(lol I stole it strait out)
um the list goes on...

Lately all it's been for me ...
hit the ground running.
Seems to be the thing to do right now.
My dad would, if he could.
All he wants to be able to do is go back to work.

So yeh. 

trip of a life time is what it sounds like to me.
especially when it's free.


I think I'll wait to decide where to go with
the second flight voucher...

THANK YOU DELTA!
in more ways than one. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

On the Subject of Living...

“To live is to choose. 

But to choose well, 

you must know who you are and what you stand for, 

where you want to go and why you want to get there.”

Kofi Annan 

I do.

On all counts. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

Today ...

I believe the Universe
always
has our best intentions at heart.
I believe this
with every beat
of mine.

K.B.

The intangible things we know...

More and more I listen to that voice.

And when I do it only gets stronger.

I felt it today.

Something was off.
Am at the airport.

The minute I heard flight delay over the loud speakers...

I re-booked for tomorrow.
Not even going to chance it.

But something so right on also happened.

I had this sudden urge on the way 

to the airport to make a call.

To say I love you. I did.  He called me back.

He said I want to come with you.

That meant everything to me. 

I said I'll make it happen.

I think he's growing up.

And I think this year he understands loss.

I think he understands now, not waiting until it's too late.

I said I can't hear you...
Like I always used to.

And he said ...

 I love you too.
Like he always used to. 

that's my boy. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Kentucky Tree ...

It's time ...

to go home.

Waiting,

is

not

an

option.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

In the midst of everything...

I took some time for myself,
and to take care of a friend. 
To make some memories.
The kind that you can hold on to
when the physical presence
is no more.

The ocean is a mighty harmonist.

~William Wordsworth

Indeed it is.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

For my Father...

 

I keep a framed card on my kitchen counter that says "Expect Miracles".
I do.
I also know the power of intention, prayer and thought...am not letting up.
In fact now is the time for even more...

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

We have a new blogger in our midst ...

Hope you all will make him feel at home.

I know you will.

Click the link below. 

THE WHITE ROOM PHILOSOPHIES

p.s. you know him.

It's my brother Joshy.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Thank you ...

For your prayers and words of support here and privately.
Some of you are aware of my fathers battle with Lymphoma
over the last few years.

Thursday of last week, October 7th, he suffered a stroke.
Further tests show a blood clot on the brain,
in a deadly spot.  Will be seeing a neurologist asap.

He's a fighter, the strongest man I know.


I don't have much to say,  but I wanted to make sure
to thank you all for your love and support.













One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

More Prayers.....

for my father. 

please. 

On the Subject of Character ...

The emotional selfishness and dishonesty of some

people never ceases to amaze me.

The thing is ...

The lessons they have the opportunity to learn from

are usually at the expense of others.

If they ever learn at all. 

J. Anderson

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Prayers for my Father...

I have no pictures to post.

I have only one request...

prayers for my father.

On the Subject of Anger...

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal 

with the intent of throwing it at someone else; 

you are the one who gets burned.
Buddha

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

One the Subject of Personal Accountability...

”All blame is a waste of time. 

No matter how much fault you find with another, 

and regardless of how much you blame that person, it will not change you. 

The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you 

when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. 

You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming the individual, 

but you won’t succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.”

– Wayne Dyer

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. 

You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. 

You never blame the lettuce. 

Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. 

But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like lettuce. 

Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. 

That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. 

If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change. -

Thich Nhat Hanh

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Rockin the Fondue Pot

I do take candids.

Not every picture has to be picture perfect.

This night was.

Perfect. 

(thank you Philip the kid next door, the 12 year old rocked my camera better than most adults)

Two of my favorite people, 

beef fondue, great conversation and laughter.

Doesn't get better than that.

Becca is moving to Georgia.

This isn't your goodbye blog girl.

You'll have to come back for that.

thank you both. 

three little words.

whole lot of heart in them. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Living...

‎Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what's next or how. 

The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. 

The artist never entirely knows. 

We guess. 

We may be wrong,

but we take leap after leap in the dark.

- Agnes de Mille

One Love. One peace. Always and all ways. 

On the subject of Personal Boundaries...repost redux

I'm making it a practice to re-post this frequently.
And it's been a while.
Its the most important contract I've ever written for myself.
And a promise I intend to keep.
We cannot be all things to all people, there are times
when we for sanity's sake have to pull back and self care.
Sometimes we do have to draw the line, or ask for a time out, or let someone go,
 for their sake and for our own.
Why people react so strongly when we do is beyond me.
I suspect ego has much to do with it, and a need to control the outcome.
When we set a boundary, we remove that control as well as the outcome.

"When we set a boundary, we let go of the outcome."

The purpose of setting boundaries is to take care of our self.
Being forced to learn how to set boundaries is a vital part of learning to own our self,
of learning to respect ourselves, of learning to love ourselves.
If we never have to set a boundary,
then we will never get in touch with who we really are.
~Robert Burney

I will not apologize for setting my own personal boundaries.

I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to enforce those boundaries.

I will not apologize for doing whatever it takes to protect my emotonal well being.

I will not apologize for keeping out and or letting go those who are not healthy 

and who would damage my soul, self and mind.  

I will not apologize for taking time to think before I speak.

I will not apologize for telling someone their behavior is not acceptable to me.

I will not apologize for deciding what behavior is and is not acceptable.

I will not apologize for stepping back from a situation in order to evaluate my feelings, 

however long that takes.

I will not apologize for setting stricter boundaries when I need and sticking to them.

I will not apologize for asking for space when I need it.

I will not apologize for taking responsibility for the way I allow others to treat me.

I will not apologize for cutting someone completely out of my life 

if I feel they don't respect my boundaries.

I will not apologize for not believing everything I'm told.
I will not apologize for knowing what I want and not settling for less.

I will not apologize for letting your problems, your dysfunction be yours.
I will not apologize for not being able to help you when you choose not to help yourself.

I will not apologize for not being able to be all things to all people.

I will not apologize for not accepting deceit and chaos in my life.

I will not apologize for loving myself enough to set these boundaries

......even if it means I risk losing people in my life because of them.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

I got some Texas deep in my heart!

How's next week for y'all?

: )

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

I fall more in love...

with fall
every year.

Yellow, mellow, ripened days,

Sheltered in a golden coating;

O'er the dreamy, listless haze,

White and dainty cloudlets floating;

Winking at the blushing trees,

And the sombre, furrowed fallow;

Smiling at the airy ease,

Of the southward flying swallow

Sweet and smiling are thy ways,

Beauteous, golden Autumn days.

~Will Carleton~

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

Living Life Large...

doesn't require traveling the globe.
It does require walking out the front door.
I was going to say getting off your ass
but that seemed a little harsh.

My brother Joshy and I never fail
to find the right balance of relaxation and adventure.
This was a weekend neither of us wanted to be at home.
Sometimes you just wanna fly by the seat of your pants.
That's exactly what we did for two days; golfing, rodeo,
swap meet, movie, storm chasing, Duluth, swimming at the lake,
and a few meals in between.

I love golf, bet you didn't know that.

More rodeo pics can be found on my website...
ONETREEPASTTHEFENCE

55th Effie Rodeo North Star Stampede

swap meet

storm chasing

Best steakhouse EVER!

Heaven...

a little more heaven.

Was an awesome weekend.
Thank you Joshy.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Greed...

The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions,
passions, and evils, is rooted in the three poisons.
Greed, anger, and delusion.

~Bodhidharma~

I'd rather be homeless

than profit off someone else's hard work. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways. 

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Becca is a great cook.

She also happens to be one of my best friends.

She's got this great blog.

She's a writer, she's got skills.

I've been saying forever and a day
I'm going to start cooking her food and photographing it.

I did. Today.
Good stuff people.

Here's  her blog page:


MY AFFAIR WITH FOOD

Here's the recipe link:

CROCKPOT BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Now that you've read her recipe, you did that right?
Here's my story with this ...

I didn't have Italian dressing.
I know, who doesn't have that in their frig.
I compensated with double the chicken stock.

I accidentally grabbed Sweet Baby Rays rasberry chipotle bbq sauce.yeh.
Had some regular tho, added some of that.

I didn't have brown sugar, I used Molasses instead.

I made a kick ass coleslaw to put on the sandwich.
(recipe will be posted soon)

This recipe was super easy and super good.
My hesitation, and my only one, was the Italian seasoning.
I like my BBQ nothin but sweet, with a little heat.

Next time, no Italian seasoning, and will add a few red pepper flakes.

My suggestion for this particular BBQ, and I tried it, it's good.
I had left over grilled chicken, that had soaked 24 hours
in a sugar and salt brine, was outstanding .

One more thing:

go really crusty on your bread...

you don't want a soft bun for this.
I made the mistake of buying soft buns
why. uh because they were on sale.
lesson learned.

 









One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

One the Subject of Love...

Love isn't an earned thing
yet only the ones worthy enough to you are loved by you.

Love isn't because of the way he/she looks, talks, acts
but is because of how they make you feel.

Love begets no fear, no jealousy, no haste;
it is good and timeless.

Love shouldn't be taken for granted
but given freely regardless of age,
gender, religion, or ethnicity.

Love is neither a noun,
verb, or descriptive in any way;
 it just is.

Without it,
there is no beginning yet with it,
there is no end.

Love is just something we have, we do, we are...

Love is trust;
unequivicable trust.

Trust in that you can be you and they can be themselves

and there is no judgement or fear of being wrong.

Love is free but comes at a price of committment,

patience, acceptance, and trust.

Lose any of that
and you lose the one thing
that took so long to culminate.

Love is the most beautiful thing ever to be created;

to include life itself.

It is borne from a mothers womb,

a father's first vision of his child,

someone you met and
feel like you would die without them...

Love is, it just is...

~Shawn Randleman~

you give this to me. 

I'm humbled and blessed by it. 

To you I give the same. 

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Love...

Love is not something owned. 

It can't be taken.

Love is something that is always given.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

May you be at peace now...

You were so good in heart.

You were a good man.

This life was so very difficult for you.

Your time on this earth was not in vain.

Your gift was your kindness.

The biggest gift you gave to me,

and the family we share...

Our son.

Do me a favor would you?
Hug our daughter for me.
Tell her I love her.

Wherever you are may you now find the peace

you could not while you were here.

R.I.P. Erik.

1964-2010

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Lighthouse in Maine

I love lighthouses...

We need them.

They help us find our way home.

A heart does the same thing.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.