Prayers for Fort Hood

My daughter has a dear friend Richard stationed at Fort Hood. He is fine but his best friend is in critical condition. They had a ceremony today. Hold them all up at this time.

Friday's Flower

BUTTERFLIES AND BLESSINGS
Missing all of you from my place to yours. REMEMBER to visit TARTE
tomorrow in Oregon City. Say HI!
To the Barn House Boys, (Joe & Jermonne)Annie, Fannie and Abigail(Donna and Diane) and of course Cindy and Barry.
Love and Blessings,
The Flower girl

My Deer Family

So today IAM posting some special members of my circle, they look after this land with reverence. Every year since I first moved here it has been a blessing to watch their families and generations. We generally have at least 2 sets of twins in the spring and one or two single fawns. These pictures show the progression of our single fawn friend and my newest family member Juneau(the cat) The first picture was taken in the Spring of 2009 and shows a pregnant Mom, then you see our little fawn friend finding his legs and learning to explore his surroundings. Yes this is a little buck. They love to run around at this stage full of energy. It is really quite comical. Portrait with his Mom and then
my loveable Juneau who is also quite a
character and obviously very comfortable in her surroundings. And this last picture taken just a few
nights ago when Juneau and our friend the
little buck decided to become friends.
They got as close as touching noses.
It was great to watch.
Wishing you the Blessings of a loving
CIRCLE.

Today and Always,
Erin

French Larkspur & the "Beloved Community"

What a great blog name. I received a nice message from French Larkspur this morning . She is clear across the Country from where I live but took the time to share her story with me. Visit her blog it has a wonderful poem full of faith and all the good, chippy qualities in life that turn us into diamonds in the end.
You can reach French Larkspur from my blog. In her poem she talks about a community she is proud to call friends.
Yesterday my mother gave me an article to read by Thich Nhat Hanh from The Mindfulness Bell, Summer 2009. It speaks of a "Beloved Community" and a letter that was written in 1965 to tell Martin Luther King of the suffering in Vietnam and the results of that letter, of having the courage to reach out and speak up. Of the seeds for GOOD that can come from doing so.
It speaks of the want to help President Barack Obama to nourish and protect him because he is vulnerable to attack just like my 600 year old fir snag and my "Beloved Community". Today I plant seeds in hope they will travel and sprout everywhere and connect us all in right speech, right action, right thinking, truth and in prayer that my small voice will be heard. I want a safe, healthy Clark County and beyond. I want you to see the flowers here and to BE STILL AND KNOW the truth that lives in this valley. That it matters not only to me but to your children and their children.

Hope in Hockinson & Beyond

Today I found Hope in Hockinson & Beyond. First I was honored and blessed to meet Roger a very committed and compassionate person, not at all what I expected in a financial consultant. He had good ideas and suggestions. Roger is a person who walks his talk and that is the best anyone can do.
Next I was invited to attend a meeting in Hockinson on the BPA I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project. I met an older couple, a widow with 3 children, her wonderful caring daughter, a man who does MRI's and knows they effect the heart greatly, people who work for the school district, firemen, Chennel 12 News, neighbors, friends.
We are all scrambling to learn so much in a very small time frame. How will EMF waves effect our families, children, animals, plants, ground and waterways? How tall are 500 kilovolt towers? Who will listen and care? We must publicly respond by November 23rd and we need YOU. Wherever you are across these great United States to lend us your voice. Write to your Senators, Congressmen, President, BPA. Don't let us become endangered species.
Help us keep power lines from destroying scenes like these from my yard.
Tonight gave me hope because we shared our stories and cared about each other .

And Yes this 600 year old fir snag has many stories yet to be told. Many residents. This tree was standing on this very ground when the Declaration of Independence was signed. When the Mayflower landed.
As my dear Virgil Wallace told me it was much bigger because it lived thru 2 major forest fires. But it is still here standing its ground.

THAT GIVES ME HOPE!


Grateful to everyone I met today.

Nature I loved

Nature I loved, and next to Nature, Art:
I warmed both hands before the fire of Life;
from the Last Fruit of an Old Tree by
Walter Savage Landor

Worlds within Worlds at Rest

Home of a resident of the 600 year old snag. Looks kind of cozy.















A hazelnut carefully tuck in a safe place for winter reserves.















Worlds within worlds as in the movie Ferngully The Last Rainforest or Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss .
These pictures were taken in my yard which is a temperate rainforest in Clark County, WA.











This pumpkin had a tiny ladybug crawling on it yesterday when these pictures were taken.















My little niece who is suppose to be napping. Sure would like to take a nap myself these days.

Hope you really see and enjoy all things big and small in your world today.

Erin

600 years older than any Vancouver Building

The 600 year old douglas fir snag pictured at the top of my blog is older than any building in Clark County, WA. I love antiques but this beats any I know of. It takes three people or more to stretch their arms around this tree. This tree has survived 2 major forest fires in the Yacolt burn, the Columbus Day Storm, the stock market crash of 1929, the current economic crash .. so far. My friend Virgil Wallace(who has passed on) was a logger who wrote some wonderful books available at the Vancouver and Battle Ground Public Libraries, North Clark Historic Museum, and Poteets Nursery in Amboy, WA. A fellow nature lover we spent many hours hiking together and shared dinner under this ancient snag. My logger friend would not cut down a snag like this he considered it full of life and value as I do. It is pictured sideways but is much taller and more dramatic in person. Early summer of 2009 a bald eagle circled it. I have pictures of this but my photography is not the best. Everything from Piliated(Woody woodpecker type) hummingbirds, chipmunks, etc. exsist in this tree. At Clark College Wednesday night the BPA Environmental person told me it is dead and if the power lines go thru my place as proposed it will be cut down. How long have you stood on this earth? What do you think about this tree????

Where I Love

Below are pictures of the area I live in. It currently has incredible scenic beauty as you will see if you check back over the next few weeks or so. Thank You to everyone who is saying prayers for all that is held dear in this valley and the places impacted by the I-5 Corridor project.

So first you will see the Moulton Falls Bridge and a sign posted at the park which is right by my home. Then a picture of my husband in our yard, one of my son and I in our yard after visiting the vegetable garden where right behind us the proposed power lines would go, or on top of us. And then a pumpkin that grew in my garden this year which will be made into healthy pumpkin soup.

I have decided to compile a book filled with as many stories as people are willing to share who have been affected by this proposed power line. Much like the books of my dear friend Virgil Wallace who has now passed on. It is my hope this will benefit the people and lands that are being effected by this project and document the past and present of this area. If you meet or know anyone who wants to share their story send the my way via email-celtic.lass00@gmail.com Love and Prayers, Erin

Living in the EAST FORK OF THE LEWIS RIVER