Anything You Want

Aug 042011
 

Today’s Thankful Thursday is a book review.


I took this sweet little book into the backyard on this balmy Thursday evening, stretched out in my favorite chair and read it straight through. I know that I could have bought the Kindle version and read it on my laptop, but I like a the physicality of a book. There is something so very satisfying to me in turning pages and feeling the paper stock chosen by the printer. It is more personal than reading words made of pixels and light.

This quick little read is chock full of excellent and sometimes surprising ideas. They are presented in a story about a business and one entrepreneur’s journey, but are really about so much else. There was much about the author that I could relate to, the enjoyment in solitude and learning new things, the self sufficiency. I have worked as an employee in various businesses by now. I’ve seen it from that side well enough. I’ve tried a couple on my own, but rather feebly. I may be time for me to see it from the other side soon, and in a more inventive way that I have tried in the past.

I am passing it on to both my children. I will be sure that they read it and we will spend time discussing it as well. And I will be checking out more of the books put out by The Domino Project.

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Thankful Thursday again!

    May 122011
     

    Homage (work in progress)


    It’s been a long time, far too long, since my last TT post. I was riding Lily down below Mt. Pisgah last week, thinking about a time over twenty years ago. I had moved to Eugene and used to come hike up the mountain here, all the time wishing that I could be riding. Now, I can. And with summer coming, there is more light in the evening and better weather. Lily is relatively sound now and needs the riding to gain fitness. She’s enjoying it too. It’s a simple pleasure to ride out alone with my good friend and partner, my mare.


    This painting here is an exploration in using acrylics. I don’t think that it’s finished yet. This was a first pass. The contour of the hill came from my memory. Without thinking of it, the shape is very similar to Mt. Pisgah. I see it nearly daily while driving towards the freeway and work. It’s often shrouded in fog or clouds and sometimes lit from behind by the rising sun. It’s very often a spectacular and breathtaking view. I guess it’s burned into my visual imagery.

    More about my painting exploration can be found on my art blog.

    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

     

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Tenacity

    Jan 062011
     



    I am grateful for the persistence of friends & family to keep pushing me to achieve my dreams. Part of that is my sharing my dreams with them. I’ve been keeping some ideas to myself more of late. When the idea has been more fully formed, it is worth sharing. That process helps me to be more clear about exactly what those dreams are. And even though I am looking to the future, I am grateful that I can be satisfied in the moment as well.

    The images here are from a walk in the large, empty parking lot at work. I like to do this on breaks. It clears my mind and I always see something interesting. I was struck yesterday, in the overcast light, with the ability of these plants to keep growing wherever they could find purchase. I can appreciate that. Much as the owner would like his empty lot to be ‘weed’ free, the plants are tenacious enough to take hold and persevere. I found a lesson in that yesterday.

    My favorite image from the group


    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back


    • Perfect

    Sep 302010
     

    Etheric sunset clouds taken while riding Lily last week



    My life is really quite perfect. I have nothing to complain about.

    Why is it that we are so quick to see any small difficulty in our lives? And why is it so much easier and socially acceptable to share gripes and complaints than successes and joy? Are we afraid to make those around us feel bad by comparison? Will it feel like bragging?

    All I have is this moment. I can think about the past and the future, but they are not what I have right now.

    If I’m not okay with the now, what have I got?


    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back


    • Short update

    Jul 162010
     

    So I upgraded my theme … and lost my customization in the process. No time to fix it just now, as I am headed out soon for Lily’s follow up ultrasound. She’s feeling pretty good, trots out sound for now, but her hind suspensory branches are sore on palpation.

    It’s been a quiet month. Hay was picked up and stacked, so my storage space is bursting. I sampled twenty bales and have sent that off for testing. Lily started to gain weight on the new hay and just eat herself silly, so I’ve had to start rationing it. She was getting free choice, but when she ate through more than half a fifty pound bale a day, I had to draw the line! She now gets about 3-4 flakes per meal in smaller pillow nets I made out of the same hockey barrier netting that I’ve used before. I am putting them in a small water trough, though I still have to retrieve them from the weeds. It does take her a bit longer to eat when they are on the ground, than hanging, so that’s good.

    It appears that my trailer has sold. Yay! The next task is to clean up my truck (and find the paperwork that’s lost in my house somewhere.) and put it up for sale. I have downsized and am VERY happy with the change. I love my new (to me) 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel). I am shifting it over to biodiesel slowly, as I don’t know if it’s ever run it before. The first day I drove to work, I got 25 mpg. And eventually, I plan to look for a used Brenderup trailer to pull with it. Jeep only made these with a diesel engine for two years. I wish that more cars came with this option. I really like being able to run my car on a fuel that is mostly non-petroleum based.

    This is a year of many changes and I am riding the wave along with you all. I am sure that there will be more to come as the days go by. Stay tuned for updates to the look of my blog this weekend. I’ll get it back in shape soon!

    So my short list of things to be grateful for this week:
    Lily is feeling good!
    New wheels!
    Trailer sold!
    Great weather!
    Yay!

    Yes, there have been trials as well this week, but the good things really do outweigh the not so good.

    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    •  Older Entries