I love the way new snow turns our favorite places otherworldly. And how these sentences move from nature to the human-made world and back. A cold heron, a Costco parking lot ... so incongruous and yet your way of noticing reminds me they’re all part of life.
Happy New Year! Thanks for the inspiration to try something like this in my life. I’m envious of your closeness to nature but maybe this will light a fire under me to actually get outside where duh we live a couple blocks away from the ocean!
I can certainly appreciate this post (a new favourite amongst all my other Irritable Métis favourites!) with the journal entries, since I journal every single day of my life.
Each day of snowshoeing Coyote Hill reveals new tracks. One dark night recently, the dogs and I went outside, and the three of us were surprised by shiny eyes lighted-up with my headlamp — a moose bedded-down on my snowshoe trail.
It’s a great life, especially when one is drawn outdoors every day, regardless of weather conditions. I know you know this.
I love how your sentences for the day are mostly about the outdoors/natural world. Mine used to, I definitely need to get OUT more ;-p.
These are wonderful, thank you. This one jumped out at me with it's metaphorical interpretation: "Be wary, this being avalanche season, that what has seemed glorious and beautiful all day may even now begin to slide out from under you."
"As if summoned by tribute from candles and bonfires, the stars come out to celebrate the longest, coldest night of the year." There are so many lovely moments in all of this--but I keep returning to this beautiful, felt scene. I also love how these sentences become their own gait, a rhythm to the paradox of what is beautiful and ugly, all of it smashing together and demanding an acknowledgement of all of it equally. Just beautiful.
All the best to you and your loved ones, near and far, for 2023.
"2022_1228: A mostly-musical evening among friends, and me wondering what to do not so much with my hands but my face"
Thank you for putting words to an experience I've not been able to put into words. Appreciated the vivid journey through your December sentences.
Love the photo of the mountain lion track. We have mountain lions here. Of course, they are seen only rarely. We don't get much snow but when we do I will look for mountain lion tracks. A few summers ago, someone out on a boat in Lake Whatcom saw a mountain lion swimming across the lake and posted a video on YouTube. I looked for it today but couldn't find it. In the process, I found numerous videos of mountain lions swimming. Why not?
Such a wonderful collection for the new year. Thank you. The bookended photos remind me of a late afternoon hunt in Western Colorado w/ my principal after work on one of those rare occasions when we left school right after dismissal. We did a lap around a small dry lake in the juniper and pine. I recall my favorite colors of winter - the stark white of snow, the burnt red bark of juniper and lighter bark of ponderosa pine, and the ever green needles of the trees.
When we looped back to our original path from the dirt road where we parked along a coulee, we saw cat tracks mingled with our own tracks but headed back towards the truck. Shit. We split up and walked on either side of our own tracks through some low oakbrush that we figured would make a dandy hiding spot for a big cat. (The tracks seemed huge.) We popped out on the road and headed to the truck, the cat tracks going back as well. The tracks went all the way to the rear bumper then just headed off up the side of the coulee, where I imagined the big cat chuckling to itself.
Thank you for bringing big cats, herons, cold, and autoshops to light. What a wonderful world. Blessings on your new year. -Nigel
I love the way new snow turns our favorite places otherworldly. And how these sentences move from nature to the human-made world and back. A cold heron, a Costco parking lot ... so incongruous and yet your way of noticing reminds me they’re all part of life.
spiritually shoveling more don’t-give-a-fucks onto the burning pyre of our miraculous world.
I look out with these eyes far too often, but my, what a perfect sentence. Happy new Year Chris
Happy New Year! Thanks for the inspiration to try something like this in my life. I’m envious of your closeness to nature but maybe this will light a fire under me to actually get outside where duh we live a couple blocks away from the ocean!
Hi Chris!
Thank you for delivering so many thought provoking and stunning images.
Wishing you and your family the happiest and healthiest of New Years.
Keep your fire burning and stay warm!
Sincerely,
Melissa❤️
Happy New Year, Chris!
I can certainly appreciate this post (a new favourite amongst all my other Irritable Métis favourites!) with the journal entries, since I journal every single day of my life.
Each day of snowshoeing Coyote Hill reveals new tracks. One dark night recently, the dogs and I went outside, and the three of us were surprised by shiny eyes lighted-up with my headlamp — a moose bedded-down on my snowshoe trail.
It’s a great life, especially when one is drawn outdoors every day, regardless of weather conditions. I know you know this.
Inspired.
I love how your sentences for the day are mostly about the outdoors/natural world. Mine used to, I definitely need to get OUT more ;-p.
These are wonderful, thank you. This one jumped out at me with it's metaphorical interpretation: "Be wary, this being avalanche season, that what has seemed glorious and beautiful all day may even now begin to slide out from under you."
Thank you for inspiring me to start my own OSJ. Happy New Year, my friend.
Great synopsis of the end of the year-deep beginning of new season, thank you and Happy New Year/Renewal.
"As if summoned by tribute from candles and bonfires, the stars come out to celebrate the longest, coldest night of the year." There are so many lovely moments in all of this--but I keep returning to this beautiful, felt scene. I also love how these sentences become their own gait, a rhythm to the paradox of what is beautiful and ugly, all of it smashing together and demanding an acknowledgement of all of it equally. Just beautiful.
All the best to you and your loved ones, near and far, for 2023.
"2022_1228: A mostly-musical evening among friends, and me wondering what to do not so much with my hands but my face"
Thank you for putting words to an experience I've not been able to put into words. Appreciated the vivid journey through your December sentences.
Love the photo of the mountain lion track. We have mountain lions here. Of course, they are seen only rarely. We don't get much snow but when we do I will look for mountain lion tracks. A few summers ago, someone out on a boat in Lake Whatcom saw a mountain lion swimming across the lake and posted a video on YouTube. I looked for it today but couldn't find it. In the process, I found numerous videos of mountain lions swimming. Why not?
Such a wonderful collection for the new year. Thank you. The bookended photos remind me of a late afternoon hunt in Western Colorado w/ my principal after work on one of those rare occasions when we left school right after dismissal. We did a lap around a small dry lake in the juniper and pine. I recall my favorite colors of winter - the stark white of snow, the burnt red bark of juniper and lighter bark of ponderosa pine, and the ever green needles of the trees.
When we looped back to our original path from the dirt road where we parked along a coulee, we saw cat tracks mingled with our own tracks but headed back towards the truck. Shit. We split up and walked on either side of our own tracks through some low oakbrush that we figured would make a dandy hiding spot for a big cat. (The tracks seemed huge.) We popped out on the road and headed to the truck, the cat tracks going back as well. The tracks went all the way to the rear bumper then just headed off up the side of the coulee, where I imagined the big cat chuckling to itself.
Thank you for bringing big cats, herons, cold, and autoshops to light. What a wonderful world. Blessings on your new year. -Nigel
Beautiful sentences. Inspiration I hope.