Shine Little Glow Worm

Fireflies

Fireflies by Rex Sorgatz — Courtesy PhotoDropper

Shine little glow worm, glimmer . . . glimmer.” How many of you remember that old tune and seeing lightening bugs (or more commonly fireflies) growing up back east? I do. We knew we were deep in the middle of summer with the first signs of lightening bugs blinking off and on in the night sky. Off we’d go giggling and laughing as we chased them around our backyard.  Continue reading

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Pat’s Walkabouts: Pine Valley Ranch Park and The Pagoda

Pagoda 7

Looking out from the Pagoda – Photo © 2014 by Pat Ruppel

I’d like to introduce a new feature called “Pat’s Walkabouts”. For a change of pace, I will occasionally post photos and videos of places I visit around these Colorado Rocky Mountains of mine and wherever our travels may take us. You’re invited to join me on these adventures where we can walk about, explore and see the sights. I hope you’ll enjoy sharing these beautiful places with me.  Continue reading

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You Were There

Poem by Jim Ruppel

Poem © Jim Ruppel

When, in a distant place by the sea

And I was young and free and alone

I searched for a special someone

To walk beside, someone I didn’t know

AND YOU WERE THERE.

Later, when we left the sea

And came to the mountains

The vastness of this new place

Filled me with fear

BUT YOU WERE THERE.

I roamed from job to job

From trouble to trouble

Searching for something from within and without

Yet never quite finding and feeling the doubt

YOU WERE THERE.

And now in this time of finding

This time of happiness and joy

This time of reaching and growing

This time especially for sharing

YOU ARE THERE.

© Jim Ruppel

The world can be unsettling, at times, especially if you listen to the news. You don’t know what’s going to happen next or how to prepare. You can take comfort, when you have a constant in your life you can always count on, whether it be a companion, friend, pet or a special place. I know this to be true in many ways. Let me tell you how it began to unfold for me. Continue reading

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, when we were up in the Rocky Mountain high country, just a short drive from where we live, taking pictures of the aspens in their transformation to Fall with the change of color in their leaves.

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Here, it’s 3 months later and it’s snowing and we’ve gotten almost a foot of snow overnight with temperatures today barely reaching 10 degrees.  Continue reading

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Ahhh Sunshine: Not Rain!

sunshine breaking through storm

Sunshine breaking through the storm – Photo by warriorwoman531 Courtesy PhotoDropper

It was so good to wake up to sunshine today, having seen so much rain in Colorado the past week. In case you haven’t followed the news stories over the weekend, we’ve had an enormous amount of rainfall the past several days with devastating floods. One even said the rain was in “biblical” proportions. I know, as long as I’ve lived here, since 1969, I haven’t seen this much rainfall in a short span of days.  Continue reading

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