My Neighborhood

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees beauty..

A friend recently reminded me to never take where I live for granted. I live at the base of a 12,953 ft. mountain with a river running through my backyard. I have lived in this neighborhood for 20 years and it has barely changed in all that time. No 7-11 across the road, and not a Mcdonalds in sight.

NO STERILE COOKIE CUTTER NEIGHBORHOOD FOR ME!!



I love the uniqueness of all my neighbors, we can coexist in this small spot on earth with no written rules, covenants or homeowners associations, which come with fees. A couple unwritten rules, one being.. Don't let your dog bark at night, and usually a few profanities yelled very loud at 2 am will nip this problem in the bud.

If the road needs work, someone will do it.. eventually.. The pot holes are our speed bumps. We have a bridge committee as there are 2 bridges to cross, and all the neighbors pitch in when something needs to be done. It has always worked well since we have lived here. There are pretty much the same neighbors here as when we moved in.

I know I can get caught up in the everyday stuff and forget to savor all the small things that make my neighborhood work so well. so I took a walk along the 3 dirt roads that run through here and took some pictures of things you won't see in a neighborhood that has rules and bylaws. The small unnoticeable things that at close up just make you realize there aren't many neighborhoods left that allow us to LIVE on our property... actually use the land and not just make sure it looks exactly like your neighbor on either side

I don't see any of it as junk.. only a unique quality that shows how my neighbors choose to spend their lives. It's privacy you feel living in a place where no one is concerned about how many cars you have parked in your yard and if they run, Or what color you paint the trim on your house..

All of these small things together add up to a peaceful blending of families. Everyone just goes about their own business of living life. And this is how we choose to live.

And in my neighborhood it works.

7 years today

We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.

I feel lucky for having had a "best friend" for 22 years. For experiencing the bond that 2 women can have together for that many years. I miss knowing she would be at the other end of a phone call at any time, if I needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to hang with for the afternoon.
I miss those lazy days on the deck laughing.
I miss the days spent skiing.
I miss the hikes with the kids when they were young.
I miss the road trips to CA.
I miss going thru all her magazines to find recipes for Thanksgiving dinner.
Oh how I miss her at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter. We seemed to always find a holiday to get together and drink some wine and cook some good food.
I miss the days we would just pour our hearts out to each other about things that seem so trivial now that she is gone.
I miss the hysterics of watching our 3 beautiful daughters grow up together.
I miss her smile and her hugs.
I miss the way she could make me feel like I always gave her the right advice, didn't matter if she took it or not, I could always make her smile and feel better about herself.
And these things shared for 22 years made it so hard to say goodbye to her.It's been 7 years today since she died and I have thought about her every single day since then.
At first it was sad thoughts, crying at the mention of her. But slowly with the help of some healing music, I learned to focus on the 22 years we had as best friends and not the 22 + years we won't have.

I had to quit thinking we would never sit on the deck and watch our grandkids playing together, we would not grow old together sharing a bottle of wine and another laugh. We won't have anymore Thanksgivings .. But I will always cherish the memories of every day spent with her. And when I need to visit her I listen to "Songbird" by Eva Cassidy and all the emotions I have turned into good thoughts are right there for me to feel. Simple put it's how I visit her.

I have had a small jar of her ashes on the mantle for years, and knowing she was there made me feel good. But a couple weeks ago I was getting ready for a hike up Thomas Lakes. Spur of the moment decision before leaving the house... I grabbed the jar and threw her into my backpack. Janice is going to soar in the meadow among the wildflowers.

A friend I was hiking with had her cats ashes also. She had grown up with Benny for 18 years. And we had no idea the other was bringing ashes. But thought it was pretty cool that Janice and Benny could hang together.. forever..

So Janice here's to you, To the good times and bad, happy and sad. To the laughter and tears.
I will think of you every time the wind blows and know you are floating on a gentle breeze.
A rainbow will always remind me of the colors streaked thru the sky during your memorial and after your ashes were swirled up high.
I will come to the meadow and visit you every summer and never forget the peace I have found having had you in my life.
I miss you my dear friend
I will give your grandkids a kiss for you
Love you Debbie

Rainbow

A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a nearly continuous spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicolored arc, with red on the outside and violet on the inside. A double rainbow includes a second fainter arc with colors in the opposite order.

Double rainbows are said to be rare, but since rainbows are an optical illusion, it may be that we're not in the right position to see the secondary rainbow most of the time. This double rainbow was over Mt. Sopris on 4th of July this summer

The rainbow is a symbol of hope and good fortune, a blessed bridge between heaven and earth, but a double rainbow... blessings multiplied...

Witnessing a rainbow always brings feelings of happiness and hope to me, a feeling of dreams realized. I can't help but sense the magic in their beauty and I feel blessed while experiencing one.

I see it as a small miracle of physics that raises my spirits every time.
And I'm sure if you follow a double rainbow, there will be two bowls of lucky charms at the end...


may you always have work for you hands to do.
may your pockets hold always a coin or two.
may the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
may a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
may the hand of a friend always be near you.
and may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you..