Winter Scape Wanderings~ Keeping the Wonder

I hope that your

new year is off to a good start.

I'm sitting here by a crackling fire, 

(that needs a log ;)

drinking tea with my feet up. 

My day started very early today for 

which I'm happy. 

That allowed me to get my work done early

and have creative time.

What a lovely "wintry" winter it's been so far.

Most days, when it's cold and snowy outside,

I can hardly wait to lay footprints

in the brand new blanket of white.

I have such wonderful memories 

of roaming the hills of our farm in Ohio.

That was way back when I was a girl and teenager.

Now the mountain you see invites me to

 wander and roam it's canyons, slides,

draws and ridges. 

If you've visited before, you know that we live

 at the base of a mountain. We call it ours,

but it really belongs to the 

National Forest Service ;)

Some mornings, we are 

awakened by the beautiful

creatures that live alongside of us.

Their antlers scrape the house as they bite off the

grass that grows there.

Last winter, it was so dry, they were drinking from

a hose that was draped in a tree.

They heard the water as it 

trickled down to the ground.

So we are very grateful that the mountains

have several feet of snow.

Aren't they such magnificent creatures?

we never tire of seeing them

but we do have to chase them off at

times because they make a snack

of the things we work hard to grow!

They roam the mountain among the trees. 

I saw them this morning skirting 

across the meadow at the tree line.

The deep snows have driven them to the

lower country to forage.

Here is a Yucca plant.  

Pronounced yoo-ka in Spanish. 

They grow wild here. 

They produce tall spikes of beautiful,

creamy white flowers during the rains!

My son and his wife lived in Ecuador for

 a year and they learned how to

cook the root. He baked us some

 Yucca root fries when we visited 

at Thanksgiving. They were delicious! 

Crispy and chewy.

Being the first snow of the season, makes it extra special. 

 I was blessed with a window that day to take a

luxurious amount of time. All I wanted really. To hike around

and take in the sparkles that wink at you when the sun hits 

each tiny little flake. To breathe in that 
cold, fresh mountain air...
Oh my.

I always want to keep the wonder

that creates excitement over these

tiny miracles that pile up and spread the

beauty of winter over mountains and valleys.

Don't you truly believe that there are those 

special little miracles and wonder in every day?

Something that touches you down deep.

I thought this little dried plant 

was so pretty even in it's simplicity.

Maybe especially because of it.

Simple pleasures.

It looked so frail but yet has held up 

through all the rainstorms and wind

and now it stands through 

the snowstorms, too.

Are we like that sometimes?

We will experience times of feeling fragile 

but we are stronger than we know.

Isn't it so lovely in all it's slenderness 

just holding up that snow 

that's reflecting the light of the sun.

(Some of my pictures are sunny and some cloudy
 because the skies cleared up while I was out.)

Thank you for coming by and sharing in

 my wanderings around the mountain.

I hope I haven't bored you.

I get so caught up in nature and life and can

obsess over the smallest thing!

I'd love to hear about something

 that you have found 

that causes you to stop and wonder.

That makes me think of Mary Poppins!

Enjoying the wonder of the simple

things in life seemed to be part of her very being.

Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Tamara xo

Signs of Spring... Big Horn Sheep And Loads of Blossoms

Hello. 

What a beautiful week it has been here in our mountains.

Spring has arrived and is in full swing!

 I have been 

doing so much cleaning up and watering. 

I have some transplanting, mulching and cutting back to do.

 It's been a joy to be out again.

The birds are building nests to welcome their 

new arrivals and our trees are leafing out.

The weather has been

perfect for spring picnics and it's time to start planting

and planning those special projects!

*****

I wanted to share some photos of some 

big horn sheep that I saw recently. 

Game and Fish re-located them to our 

area a couple of years ago.

They are pretty elusive so it's 

exciting when we get to see them!

They jump over these fences very easily.

Below are some photos of our Apricot tree and our 

Cherry tree in bloom. It's not unusual 

for us to get late snows or 

freezes here at 7500 feet. 

And the rest of spring takes it 

good time in showing up 

so these blossoms are treasured

when they make their appearance.

If we had no winter, spring would not be so pleasant. 

Anne Bradstreet

In my previous post, I mentioned

that I would tell a little more about 

the wind that we experience here. 

It's been a bit breezy here and there 

but not like 2 weeks ago when our 

little airport registered 75 MPH winds.

And that's normal. It gets worse too.

If you've ever watched Jeopardy, 

you might hear of Springerville.

We are famous! Haha. 

We have been listed as one of the windiest

(is that a word???) spots in the US.

I guess we all have to be known for something :(

During those heavy winds, we lost a large branch,

our basketball hoop blew over, we lost half of our chicken coop roof and our trampoline was lifted and went airborne across the yard, only to be stopped by our cherry tree! 

YIKES...

Our house creaks and moans with the wind.

I'm just very thankful that there was no serious damage.

The trampoline frame was damaged a little but Jeff 

was able to order the part and replace it

without too much trouble. 

He's so handy and good at taking care of

things around the house!

Somebody wants to see outside! 

I take him out occasionally 

to eat dandelion greens and binder weed.

He also likes fresh basil, lettuce, carrots and kale.

Yellow bell peppers and cilantro are his favorites.

And you REALLY don't want to know what else he eats ;)

And yes... it's that time of year again 

when Brutus poses as the garden cat.

I'm so happy to be blogging again and to be back in touch

with my old friends and making new ones.

I have some small projects that

I've been working on.  There are some cards that I've made that

I'll be sharing and some items that I've decorated instead of throwing them away.

Have a lovely Mother's Day weekend!

Do you have special plans?

We are spending it with some of our kids and grandkids.

Since life is so busy for our young moms, we are having

an ice cream bar complete with all of our favorite toppings.

For dinner, we will have appetizers and

popcorn and we'll be watching American Idol.

Our daughters also love music and they've gotten us into

watching it! It's something fun and a little more relaxing for

a restful Sunday evening.

Do you watch American Idol?

Who are you voting for?

My favorites are 

Maddie, Michael, Gabby, Catie and Caleb.

But they all have a lot of talent!

We'll see :)

Thank you for your visit. 

Hugs and Blessings to you!

Tamara

XX

Follow Me Down the Wild Path... Magical, Gypsy Camp and Gardens ~ PHOTOS GALORE!

Hello and welcome.

What a lovely day it is and I'm excited to get started with it!

Do you feel like that when you wake up?

SO much goodness awaits the day that you can hardly wait to

get on with it? Sometimes, I tremble with anticipation.

Truly.

Tonight we play music and it's always a joy to see our friends

 there and to share in some 

warm conversation. Bringing

happiness to those that come to dance and

 listen makes me happy, too!

I have plans today to have a gathering of herbs and flowers to dry.

I have found a lovely, old ladder to hang them from.

I'll share later :)

*********

And now, away we go down the path to one of my favorite places 

in my world. I have said so many times that I would live here if I could!

It's rough and wild.

Not a formal place at all but

it's full of adventure, magic

and BEAUTY~

A place where miracles happen.

 Wild animals visit

 and baby birds live here.

Bunnies hop across the paths.  

Elk and deer come 

to eat the pumpkins in the fall.

Little snakes and mantis' live in

the tall grasses.

And we do a lot of living here~

 I hope you enjoy your visit.

You might find Brutus nestled into the Catnip.

 There are two little gypsy princesses that 

come to visit often. It's 

one of their favorite places to explore.

 You can hear their  
laughter and merriment ringing 
through the trees.

It's such a work in progress~

as am I.

I wish to love more, be more kind and patient 

Keep thankfulness ever before me.

I want to bring more:

 Beauty to the world.

Inspiration

Creativity.

Honesty.

Authenticity.

And LOVE...

most of all.

{It seems to me that we can never

give up longing and wishing 

while we are thoroughly alive.

There are certain things that

we feel to be beautiful and good

and we must hunger after them.}

~George Eliot~

Long afternoons resting in the cool of the pines~

 Peeking into the faery world

as she tends her little garden.

  A quiet place to listen to our hearts...

I'm going to make everything around me 

BEAUTIFUL~

That will be my life.

Elise De Wolfe

 And a place to read...

To get lost in another world and to 

know people that we never met~

 It was SUCH a wonder watching this little one's egg...

It's a fledgling Mourning Dove.

What a little miracle to watch an egg bring life 

to this beautiful bird!

The Mama bird was ever so patient watching 

over her charge as we disturbed her careful work 

so many times.

We tried to stay clear but 

sometimes we'd forget.

If you look in the center, you can make out a nest. 

It's literally made from a hand full of sticks!

You can see right through the bottom of the nest.

And there was one egg. 

When it hatched out, we were able to watch it grow!

 And when it was time to fly the nest,

 it was a moment filled with awe and 

gratitude for me. I found the little one flitting around 

in the catnip. I was able to scoop up the bird and take it to 

a safer place far removed from the cats.

I checked the next morning and the sweet thing

 was still safe and sound tucked away on

 it's little branch in the tree. 

I love these experiences; they make life so rich.

Isn't life amazing filled with so much wonder?

NEVER LOSE YOUR WONDER, 

and keep ever-searching for the magic,

DEAR ONE~

I gather these treasures whenever I can. 

I store them in jars to enjoy their

beauty when it's cold and gray~

Even the dried petals are so special pretty to me.

I have several jars from different kinds of flowers.

 Brutus...

You'll find him in the oddest places!

It was NOT easy for him to get up there.

 My quirky and cute garden cat.

So much love~

I love the weeding, watering and moving

 among these garden places.

It brings such peace and has taught me so much!

I was NOT a patient gardener when I started years ago.

Oh my! Not at all.

 Morning light dancing in the Gypsy garden.

All good things are wild and free.

Henry David Thoreau

A rare appearance by Sir... 

or Burly.

A quiet, serious one.

 Fresh basil...

It's aroma is heavenly.

The Gypsy Camp protector...

 she is always ready. 

 Yes ...

and every now and then you see a 

GYPSY resting near the fire... 

 And you can hear her strumming 

on her guitar or mandolin and singing ;) 

 To what mysterious place is this bridge leading?

Somebody is coming back from an adventure...

If only he could tell us what's on the other side!!

I suppose someday, we'll have to see for ourselves ;)

 Let your dreams soar! 

The sky is waiting for you.

(Gypsy cat photo bomb! haha!)

 A tiny bee working it's magic

in such a beautiful place!

Gypsy jewel colours!

 Found and gathered treasures.

What do you like to gather?

Really.. 

what delights your heart?

There are so many things to delight us..

aren't there?

Like the giggles of children...

A hug from a loved one...

Celebrating the accomplishments of others...

A lovely sunset...

A good book...

A daring adventure?

Whatever it is, I hope you find something

delightful in your day!

 This lovely, vintage pink pansy 

is going to be pressed

 so it's beauty will be preserved 

for a long time to come~

 Is your hope renewed when you see a rainbow?

Night is falling on our

  Gypsy Camp world.

and it's time for dinner...

We made HOBO DINNERS.

Have you ever had them?

They are SO fun for kids and easy to make.

That will be my next post.

Sometimes I come here in the evenings with my journal.

Here is a link to a short video to watch 

Django Rhinehart's early years.

You can listen to him playing his

 Gypsy Jazz.

I do so appreciate you coming by.

I'm so thankful for each of you that 

take the time to visit.

HUGS~

I hope I didn't bore you too much with all my photos

and stories of my enchanted Gypsy Camp and Garden.

Now it's time to start fall festivities! 

I have already added some fun things around outside and in.

Happy Fall! 

I'm not sure what the weather will hold for us this fall.

We had a freeze warning tonight and that's very early.

That's mountain living.

So my yard and Gypsy Camp gardens are spotted with

little ghost-like coverings.

 OH my!

I'm hoping to get a few more weeks 

of enjoyment from it all.

Wishing you lots of loveliness and peace.

And always, always thinking of and praying

for those that need our help and support.

Tamara

XO

linking up 

Dishing it and Digging It

 Won't you join me?