Category: Ozarks

#Lake Ann, #Nature, #Winter, Ozarks

Good morning from the lakeside deck ~

shadowleavesonlakeann

As I awake in a clear night sky and frigid temperatures there is Saturns’s starlight shining along the ridge. And I quickly go back inside until about sunrise ~ then with gentle blues filling the lower curtains of such a grand open sky. I bundle up and put on my grandma’s quilt over my shoulders as I sit out on my deck.

As light fills the sky and turns into colors, and then to clearly golden lights, I see the fog rising and swirling as it traveled alongside the lake currents. Beautiful!

I’m so blessed by this moment and I hope you too may find time to step out of your day long enough to hold a sacred pause of prayer and sight!

May we See our world differently ~

My morning write ~

Sunlight beads
Fog dancing on top
Sweet rhythm

#Lake Ann, #Nature, #Prayer, #Winter, Grace, Ozarks

Good morning from the lakeside deck ~

shadowleavesonlakeann

I awoke very early this morning as the darkness of full “night-hood” kept everything void of light.

As I made my coffee and then stepped outside, the sudden smells of smoke greeted me. I put my mother’s hand guilted blanket around my shoulders to keep warm, and stayed outside for awhile.

I marveled at the number of house and yard lights, I could now see so much more over the hills, as fallen leaves have opened up both sky, and land to view.

Starting my day ~ my morning write ~

I contemplate God’s love for us, grateful!

Haiku 3/5/3

blazing pinks

slide across horizons

new skies born

#Lake Ann, #Nature, #Winter, Ozarks

Good morning from the lakeside deck ~

shadowleavesonlakeann

Just over the horizon sit thin grey clouds but rising are faint blue hints of a new sky being born ~ the blue widens.

Two words, still have my attention this morning and I’m thinking they really are close cousins indeed ~ wander and wonder!

I am a wanderer ~ taking time to attention-ally STROLL through these woods, and gaze in wonder at what I find ~ by taking determined steps along my path, all the while, surrounded by gloriously beautiful Ozark hills.

My morning write ~

Breathe in

morning’s fresh warm air

take in ~ all its “symphony” notes

and know nature plays

and holds in a single cup

many songs just for you

to take with us along our day ~

hear the sunshine!

#Good Morning from the Lakeside Deck, #Lake Ann, #Nature, #Winter, Joy, Loving Spirit, Ozarks

Good morning from the lakeside deck ~

shadowleavesonlakeann

Grateful for This day ~

How do I even begin to describe this morning’s soft light and cold settling air?

My morning write ~ it is . . . . . .

light filtering softly

bounded by oak & hickory trees

chasing grey haze and mist rising

carrying the mighty earth upwards

the loft of cold air smelling like

freshly cooked apples and honey jam

with underneath tones of hot butter sizzles

Now, how do I hold on to this moment? … to carry it with me throughout my day and to remind me of the mighty love I know I too carry inside me each day!

#Lake Ann, #Nature, #Summer, Ozarks, Poetry

Skylight

shadowleavesonlakeann

I live underneath a tree skylight

In a wonderland of woodland trees

Where spring waters flow into beautiful lakes

With ease and peaceful mornings

I touch the sky

Quickened sounds of birds & critters

Fill every crevice down sloping hillsides

Telling of safe maneuvers through rock & tree

With hope and comfort for coming days

I touch the earth

#Good Morning from the Lakeside Deck, #Lake Ann, #Winter, Ozarks, Poetry

Good morning from the lakeside deck

shadowleavesonlakeann

It’s a bright sunshine morning with lots of glitter sparkling off the water and through the trees over on Bear Cove. Lake Ann is so beautiful, what a wonderful bit of heaven right here in Bella Vista. That I, Joan, can be here and be a part of this is unimaginable to me, even though I have been here, now ten years.
I shake my head and wonder where has the time gone — but it still feels new to be here, but it also feels like my home now. For the first time in my life except for my childhood home, this, house on Lake Ann, feels like being home. It’s like I have been searching for this place all of my life.

Home
Home sweet home
Where the heart
Sings

#Nature, #Prayer, Autumn, Ozarks

Good morning from the lakeside deck ~

shadowleavesonlakeann

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Be still and know, I am here ~
God speaks to us in many ways
One is through the natural rhythms of nature
By being still and listening
By watching the morning sun rise
By feeling the crisp autumn air
By walking along a forested trail
We can feel the gentle flow of life
Tuning ourselves into God speak

#Nature, National Poetry Month, Ozarks, Spring

April National Poetry Month – day twenty-one #napowrimo #napomo

shadowleavesonlakeann

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I sit outside on my wooden deck
high in tasseled oak tree tops
overlooking Lake Ann’s sanctuary shores

Life draws me here . . .
like the call of a lone heron or the
delightful
sightings of returning birds
in full
migration

like calm gentle breezes
carrying soft Arkansas rains
rains
streaming over an open hand
then laying softly upon my finger tips

My favorite spot in the whole world
is here . . .
everchanging in every season
in every hour
in every light
in every darkness
in every sunrise
in every sunset
but all still the same

Tree frogs and bull frogs sounding their calls
like music melodies playing
all recognizable frames
from some now remembered childhood song

Beyond this place or time or space
a slightly new dimension evolves
beyond words, sight or sounds
untouchable
except in the now
this exact time
this exact moment

– living –

I’m surrounded by nature here
the trees are all around me
over the cove and mountain ridges
forested woodlands encircle Lake Ann
like a land bowl owned by the very sky
lands made up of a treasure trove in green
From Lancashare Irish green, to new shades unnamed

like a favorite Monet painting
revisited
sight unseen
yet familiar in every way

I can be here . . .
like a hearth’s burning wood fire
sustainable throughout the day
rebuilt again and again
so it lasts the whole night

– warmth –

I can be here . . .
like somewhere
understands
know’s you
get’s you
believes
in you

Where the storms come to die
and flashes right out of existance
suddenly passing

Where you regain your center
your bearings
your strength inside

– renewal –

like the gentle flutter of tender butterfly kisses
a soft call of prayers
a knowing of angels and God
all for being in such a place as this
where the world meets the divine
and your heart sees again

#Good Morning from the Lakeside Deck, #Lake Ann, #Nature, #Prayer, #Winter, Loving Spirit, Ozarks

Morning Still

shadowleavesonlakeann

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I’m held here by a single moment
Stepping outside
Into the cold winter warmth

A soft morning light bathes my soul
In gentle touches
Sweet as sweet soft cheek kisses

Reflections of both land and sky
Shine upon a stilled Lake Ann
Out-stretching trees linger over its shores
Forever, falling into the depths below
But, soon this Escher painting will vanish too

In the distance
Canadian Geese fly through the cove
Leaving only echoes behind

An Ozark mountain sunrise moves over the ridge
And twilight blues
Turn into day
Leaving the world silenced and still

Oh, how my heart wishes to stay
Pausing in this day
For just one more treasured moment
Held in peace and joy

How thankful I am . . .
Gratitude floods over me
Surrounds me
Wraps its arms around me

I embrace this place
With each breath I breathe
Wishing again for a single morning star-rise
But, I must go

#Good Morning from the Lakeside Deck, #Lake Ann, #Nature, #Prayer, #Summer, Loving Spirit, Ozarks, Poetry, Shadows

Morning Delight

shadowleavesonlakeann

Let my eyes see
In beauty & stillness lay
Fresh & new once again
To know you are with me

The morning is full of vapors
Like an old sunken ship
Lost at sea

Soft summer sun peaks over
The Ozark mountain ridge
And dapples through the mighty oaks

Pouring down into the cove over Lake Ann
Carrying ~ forever shadows
By the arm fulls

As I gather each and every one
I lay them into my lap
With morning smiles and joy

Morning glides into my day
Soft ~ and fully emerging
Changing ~

Changing everything

It touches . . . Even me

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#Lake Ann, #Nature, #Prayer, Fall, Joy, Ozarks, Poetry

September Gold

shadowleavesonlakeann

*{shared with @dVerse Poetics Open Link}

Once more
These late summer days
Unfold into glorious
September Gold

First Phase — SKY

Sky blues
At an all time high
Blue, blue, blue
So blue ~ I could even fly

Second Phase — EARTH

many harvest colors
scratch the landscape ~
old brown hardwoods
new roadside reds
bright orange edges and
yellow sunshine golds

just simple stubble
on these ancient hills
sticking out —
like an old man growing
a brand new beard

orchards sit
on both sides of the road
plentiful red delicious apples
ready for picking and
offering apple cider makings

Third Phase — WATER

summer droughts
have parched the lands
and stilled rivers
but now
from around the bend
over and across the cove
moving down river
Cyrstal Springs and
Sugar Creek waters
begin to flow again

Fouth Phase — PEOPLE

framed by tree bridges
campfires and paddle boats
new campsites dug in
tents and trailers
fill every nook and cranny

fairy tales
fly out of story books
stories abound —
cane pole fishing and
catching rainbow trout
for iron skillet cooking

grandpa
tapping maple trees
for their sweet sugar sap
stirring up golden brown
home made country syrup

Fifth Phase — SPIRIT

And I . . .
watch each new sunrise
listen to the morning blue heron calls
pray for peace and some measured joy
then
with one step
walk out again
along these Ozark woodland trails
now through overgrown shores
waiting to hear the call to stay!

Once more
These late summer days
Unfold into glorious
September Gold

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#Nature, Fall, Grace, Joy, Loving Spirit, Ozarks

Sacred Gifts

shadowleavesonlakeann
photo (49)dairyhollowcow
Dairy Hollow House Writer’s Colony in Eureka Springs, AR – First Bed & Breakfast Inn

Once upon a hill
In the fresh Ozark mountain air
A Fall Arkansas rain lingers here
Damp on God’s sweet earth

Bowed bows encircle me
As I travel down Dairy Hollow Road
Transclucent green leaves
Make a large cathedral overhead
Forming arch after arch of perfect tree bridges

I look up to my sky and see
Only slivers of sunlight
Woodland trees and leaf shadows
Spin like stained-glass images

A raven flies solo
High above the hollow
Finding its roost along rock ledges
Clear Spring is mighty clear
No run here

Oh, dear God
You give us our day
Our sacred gifts
A treasured cove of earth and sky
All these wonders to behold

And even in my own meager wanderings
Each road I travel is framed and signed by you!

#Nature, Fall, Journal Writing, Ozarks, Poetry

Journal Writing

shadowleavesonlakeann

Journal Writing
Eureka Springs, Writer’s Colony

Saturday Morning, September 6

JOURNAL ENTRY ONE
Making a morning cup of tea
Sitting at my writing desk
It is still dark night
A street lamp light
Moves gold through woodland trees
Casting shadows upon shadows

JOURNAL ENTRY TWO
Outside the Peach Blossom Room
A bottom porch of sorts moves you along stairs or around to the front
A beautiful garden hosting bright orange and purple Zina’ blooms
Standing on a ledge a large pot of basil to grace our meals

JOURNAL ENTRY THREE
A soaking Arkansas rain yesterday
Leaving cool mountain air refreshed and muted damp earth smells
The trees still seem to be sleeping too
I listen for any sound – proof that night is turning into day
I hear nothing at first, no bird song, no wrestling of leaves
Then from far back into the woods
I hear tree frogs, beautiful night sounds
Calling their lonesome songs
As they cradle our heads while we sleep
“Hush, my darling, close your eyes and rest”
We still need time to gently summon life to awake once more!

Sunday morning, September 7

JOURNAL ENTRY FOUR
A nightlight suddenly has been turned off
The black smoke screen of night
Gives way to twilight’s raising eyebrow
Painting the sky a light pale blue grey
Bathing the day in a holy shroud

I rise early before the dawn
Holding on to sacred spaces in the midnight hour
Before the awakening hour of day
Dairy Hollow
Fills these deep woods with stories yet untold
It is so very quiet, you can hear yourself say, “hush”!

JOURNAL ENTRY FIVE
I walk this vibrant path
Stone upon stone
Laid by bare hands upon this sweet earth
Held in a grey misty day
Knowing a moment within my soul
Truth suddenly considered
Connecting mortar
Capturing brightness stolen from the mist
Touched and then worked into something new

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JOURNAL ENTRY SIX
I push myself I awake
Before twilight danced upon the sky
Wrapped in a warm blanket from a night’s rest
My cottage door steps right into the hillside
Large grey rain-soaked stones led upstairs and around to front
A second path of grass and earth follows the house around
I need to feel the air . . .
How is the outside?
How is the day?
I have to step out even if it’s just for a while
Listen to sounds & just be part of God’s day!

Sunday afternoon, September 7

JOURNAL ENTRY SEVEN
Walking down the cobblestone sidewalks
In the middle of shops and streets converging
I quickly get lost into the city
Noticing the sights and sounds of Eureka Springs

Corners are everywhere
Edges softened by the rain
Sitting on a public park bench
Watching others talking and walking by
I say, “I’m not in a hurry”
“Don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here”

Monday Night, September 8

JOURNAL ENTRY EIGHT
Full Moon Over Dairy Hollow

There is a super moon rising
The last one for summer
I’m outside sitting with the moon, Neptune and Pluto too
Taking in the soft hugs from the moon above
Framed by hollow tree bridges lining every roadside curve
The sky only opens when you near the top of the hills
Or climb toward one of the springs
Just at the edge of country wildness
I meet two red foxes as they scurry under the hillside

In a Land O’ Nod and sleepy Ms. Nibbles
Tucked into the hillsides
On Spring Street, Main or the Middle Street
Casa Colina and Stone House sleep before midnight
But the main Lady, Crescent Castle and St. Elizabeth from Hungary
Shine their lights to adorn the night