Saturday, October 23, 2010

Goals

Today, I am up from a nasty three days in bed...I had told myself I would be here daily...I have so much I want to say; and yet do not really know where to start.
I do know; I am visualizing my goal and imagining how good I will feel once I actually achieve it~!
Not being a typist, I am somewhat challenged, but thank goodness for spell check...alas...being a National Spelling Bee finalist in my youth might be questioned today~! lol
I have always enjoyed putting my thoughts to pen and paper...now I am learning an updated version for myself...and hopefully, by the beginning of the New Year, I will be more 'in the loop', with present communication tools~!
For the last 19 years I have lived on a small lake in the Cascade Foothills, of Western Washington State, with my husband Glen, and a menagerie of animals. We just lost our last domesticated four legged friend,Smokey,(Glen's cat) a couple of months ago...it still feel strange to not hear Smokey's demanding voice when he was ready for a treat, or to watch him guard his territory and self from the wild ones, that visit our place as well.
Our residence is on a peat bog...many have no idea how peat bogs are disappearing...and are actually endangered. We are here to preserve this one...if only an acre~! I have worked with agencies to give more information of our natural resources that are forgotten, overlooked, or not considered. I have found most people have no idea about the importance of peat...except for landscaping.
We live close to the land, and recycle back to the earth all we have available...I love this because I see the 'bog' churn and constantly recycle itself~! We use organic means of taking care of the land and ourselves...so this is a busy time, with the change of the seasons...the Fall colors are beautiful and once the leaves drop, I will be grinding them for compost to protect the bulbs I will see new color from in the Winter...crocus, primroses,and others later in the Spring, like the tulips, daffodils,and iris.
We don't have many of the amenities of the cities. We are still on well water, use a wood stove as our only source of heat,and have electricity, but not gas,or sewer system...Wa State has more septics than any other state...even for new homes in many areas...so we aren't missing much. We would like to be off the 'grid' totally, in the future.
 I have felt like a pioneer woman since living here, compared to the life I had in Texas, where I grew up; and also,where I have lived here in Washington, before my days on Lake Cassidy~!
I have learned so very much I never thought about before living here...except when maybe watching a movie~! I don't watch many movies these days...I just go out on my deck or into the yard and am in my own movie.
We are on the migratory path for many species traveling  though our area. I am looking forward to the Winter Swans and Snow Geese, being here in November...they are two of my favorite fowl~!
Beyond that we have a local family of falcons, and a family of eagles that nest just up the road from us.
Glen and I were out on the front deck one day last week, and were watching some pillaited woodpeckers having a great time on some birch trees of the neighbors...then, out of the blue sky...a falcon dived in to their space...of course, the falcon is much stronger than the woodpecker...but, that day the woodpeckers won...we watched them attack the falcon, nonstop,as they soar into the air and defended their turf even more~! I think it shocked the falcon to see a defense such as that...he bid them farewell, rather fast, and was heard as he flew away, squawking about it~! lol
For me that was a lesson of learning about teamwork, and being impassioned about surviving in your own space...believing in yourself regardless of the confrontations and challenges you might be facing... about living in the moment and going forward~!