good things

Many of us avoid the news these days. We might check in now and then, but it is so consistently depressing that who can blame anyone for not subjecting themselves? Here’s a post to give you a little joy, maybe.

Remember how Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music about her favorite things? When the dog bites or the bee stings… Why not think about more pleasant things? Hopefully, we all have some. It is good to let little things give you joy.

I’ll start you off with a horse. Growing up, I had many close encounters with horses, since my family owned a few. I really like mules too. Want to get close to a horse face and maybe nuzzle a muzzle? Here is black mare:

She is sweet. She likes people, especially if they pick her some grass:

Could it be that the Creator gave us other animals to help us keep our priorities straight? They just want to live. Mammals have been given five senses, like us, and they want to use them. Hector, the Siamese, liked to get to higher places so he could scan his surroundings:

Another cat of ours was Bob, a manx. He would communicate with his eyes:

The basenji dogs, Kili and Jaro, are explorers too. They look all around them because they don’t want to miss anything. Here they are at Cape Lookout, on the Oregon Coast:

At the Grand Canyon, Kili wonders why we don’t just step right into it!

Even reptiles can provide us with meaningful encounters, although they would prefer we left them alone. This North Dakota turtle tried his best to reach my hand and get me to let go:

How about birds? These hummers are right outside our window, and they have learned that if we are sitting just inside, we won’t hurt them.

A Praying Mantis has no idea that I praise the Creator for him:

Many hunters have stuffed animals on their walls, and maybe the trophies remind them of how they valued a wildlife encounter before shooting the creature. One of my early memories is stepping inside the door to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and looking up at the majestic elephant, Henry:

We can also take joy in plants. The abundant sour cherry harvest:

When I was a scout in Tennessee, I was taught that one could determine which way was north by looking at which side of a tree the moss grows on. Since the north side gets less sun, that is usually where the moss flourishes. In Western Oregon, this trick doesn’t work. Check out the moss on this tree:

I love how crimson clover can be used as a nitrogen-fixing ground cover for overwintering the garden plot:

Even dead plant matter is worthy of praise. As Walt Whitman once declared:

Behold this compost! behold it well!

On the left, the newly piled autumn leaves. Underneath are grass clippings and kitchen scraps, the dead corn stalks after harvest. With time it will all be turned, mixed, aerated, and watered. On the right is the fresh-smelling outcome.

I also take joy in landscapes. The Oregon Coast from Cape Lookout above impressed me as much as it did the basenji dogs. As my readers well know, the Grand Canyon holds a special place in my heart. Here’s what it looked like one time when filled with wildfire smoke:

The canyon gives us not only beautiful vistas, but also close up views of bright rock faces:

Flowers in spring:

Snow in winter:

Many places besides Grand Canyon can provide us magical experiences. Here is Dark Canyon in Utah:

Ahh! I am beginning to feel refreshed. How about you?