Skip to main content

Thumpety Thump

Image
By

Good morning everyone. A very light snow is drifting down onto the several inches we have received over the last few days. It looks like it will be a white Christmas here on the Maine coast.

We made our annual offering to the forest creatures at the Giving Tree just out at edge of the swamp behind our house. The kids lay down a sweet feast of apple slices for the beings out there. With snow this early I am sure that everyone out there will be thankful for the offering. Seems like a silly thing but to us the Giving Tree, a very large hemlock with wide sweeping branches, reminds us that we are not alone on the planet.

During the sailing season we have the constant and magnificent reminders; seals basking on the ledges, eagles calling from the island woods, porpoise surfacing for a breathe in the darkness. These moments touch our hearts with the thrill of connectedness. With the new moon just past the stars have been especially brilliant at night. I look up and feel like a speck only to be brought back to earth by the call of a barred owl in the woods. And my heart goes thumpety thump again. Last night we spent the evening making crafts with friends we do not see often enough. Thumpety thump again. The thrill of connectedness finds us in surprising places. I hope you notice when your heart goes thumpety thump today.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I remember the nights aboard the Mary Day. Looking at the heavens and beholding their beauty and symetry. Before the bible was written God's Word was written in the stars. The constellations original intent has been lost to most over the centuries but to say that this is all by chance without any design is ludicrous. It is too bad those in or near cities cannot see but but a fraction of what is up there. I was so looking forward to doing some star gazing aboard this year and I was not disappointed. We who live in cities can't help but fall in love with the more simpler things in life aboard the Mary Day. To feel the wind in your face as you glide across the water. To enjoy good fellowship without regard as to what you do for a living or your social status. The list goes on and on. Norbert Stager
December 10, 2007 at 6:44 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

By
My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...
28 comments
Read more

We are Nuts

By
Good morning everyone. Well I just had to say it before you did. Yes, we are truly nuts. Now we have gone and added one more adventure to our already full lives. As you can see she is some cunnin'. We have named her Colby. We had a sign... literally. We were in the car brainstorming names on the way to get her at WalMart (yes, you heard it right) and there at the Waterville exit was a sign for Colby College. Colby just happens to be dear Mary's alma mater. It is also the name of one of my favorite ledges in Jericho Bay, the Colby Pup. It just seemed to fit just like the way she came to us. Nothing about our Sunday was going to be different than any other except that I just happened to be helping a friend get her generator back in the barn while Jen and the kids met her new puppy Sherman. They fell in love... so easy to do. We called and there were had two pups from the same litter available... no commitments yet. We had been having the long family debate for weeks about the k...
11 comments
Read more

Darkness and Light

By
Good morning everyone. OK, so this blog does not have a whole lot to do with schooners or windjammers or sailing vacations so if you want to leave now I will not be offended. Today is the winter solstice, as you know, the shortest amount of daylight in our calendar year here in the northern hemisphere. Of course it is the summer solstice on the other side of the equator. So I guess if you wanted to celebrate the summer solstice you wouldn't be at all in the wrong. I would applaud your ability to see outside the box. Map from Wikipedia commons Living and sailing in the mid latitudes (remember, Maine is half way to the North Pole) as we do, we experience a balance that spans a year's time, maybe many years' time. To feel the darkness of winter creeping quietly into our homes is not as bad it may appear from the outside. This is our season to rest... emotionally if not physically. We know it takes more physical energy to live and work here in winter. But when the sun goes down...
6 comments
Read more