Cometsgirl

I had a close call on my flight today. I flew in a very big airplane and I sat in the very front of the very big plane in a fancy seat that almost made into a bed. Yes, I am very fortunate.

I was offered my beverage of choice. “I’ll have sparkling water over ice, please.”

Delta has brought back hot meals served on linen table mats. When asked for my meal choices listed on the flight attendant’s phone, I read: sous vide chicken, vegetarian melange, the impossible burger. Burger! I thought. I’ll have that.

Too late I asked if this was a meatless burger. “Yes and it’s very tasty.” Oh boy. A short while later I was sure I could smell something different before it arrived.

With a flourish the mat was laid on the table and the tray placed on top. I looked up in time to see the mishmash of id’s hanging around the flight attendant’s neck swipe across the open-face of that impossible burger.

I slowly slid the bun top over that meatless burger.

The dessert was awesome.

Soon it will be time to get on down the road. Well, the tarmac.

The early morning drive down from the mountaintop began in the dark. The dawning of the day was lovely. No fanfare, it just slowly appeared.

Then Spring green showed up.

Dazzle time

Arrived. Well, arrived so I could navigate my way to my departure gate.

Now seated in my chair in the sky.

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” Leonardo Da Vinci

Traveling mercies.

I’m journeying to Arizona tomorrow for a celebration. The twins (my sister and brother) are having a birthday. This birthday sets the stage for the birthday that follows. My sister and brother will enter their 80th decade in just a few days.

We three have been we three since the twins were teenagers and I had just turned of age – close to 60 years. While we later added spouses and children, we’ve always been we three.

I’m really looking forward to this reunion and celebration.

All manner of plans are in place. And in flux. I know many things to see and do we’re planned. With even more suggestions to consider. Yet already there have been revisions made as the reality of various types of health challenges some of us face, have revealed the need for a reality check.

Still, isn’t it wonderfully remarkable that our first reaction to “we could also do this or that“ is “of course!” We will see as we go.

I’ll first fly to Phoenix, and the next day my sister and I will take a road trip south to Tucson to commence the birthday festivity.

Come along! Traveling mercies.

I’ve arrived home. After a glorious detour to Houston for a couple of days, I’m home.

Pieces of my heart remain in Taos and Houston. I’ll surely return. This night it’s good to be home.

There were some stunning views outside the plane window on the flight this afternoon.

And a best-effort sunset on the drive to the mountains.

“Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.” This Mary Oliver quote beautifully describes how I feel tonight. I was blessed to be in Taos, blessed to be in Houston. And now blessed to be home.

With the recent snowstorm in northeast Georgia, I’m taking a detour home. It’s a great detour, as I’m traveling home to Houston for a couple of days. Home is relative, but my friend always makes me feel comfortable, so I call it home for a time.

Leaving at dawn, we enjoyed a spectacular sky light show on the way out of town.

A stop at Taos Coffee Apothecary, with a short chat with our familiar barista, and it was time to say goodbye. For now.

I’m letting the moments of these past six days sink in, nourish me, remind me of care, kindness, joy.

Of simple pleasures. Of slow travel. Of reunion.

Of beauty made by God,

and beauty made by God’s children.

And now I find myself in Houston. An unexpected gift.

But not the fire in the kiva.

A last sighting of the sunset outside the casa.

I’m in for the night after a lovely Sabbath day.

A quick trip to town.

A walk down the road to see the llamas. Stacey, Hilary, Kamala and Dawn.

A visit to the Harwood Museum. Our friend, Abby, met us there. An artist herself, and a long-time resident of the area, her insights about much of the art on display enhanced my experience of the works.

Now home by the fire, eating what’s left over for dinner, soon to pack for the flight to Houston tomorrow.

That’s right. I’m going to Houston because I can’t go home as planned. The mountains are covered in deep snow, and my ride (Evan) can’t get in or out. So I’m having another travel lark!

Following Mary Oliver’s words, to “open my eyes and my hands”, I feel I have done just that this day.

I’m sitting in front of a fire I built this Sabbath morning. I find it needs intentional tending in order for it to continue to burn. Not doing so allows the fire to “die down” and trail off to silence and an incomplete burn.

So I’m sort of vigilant, but easily distracted. I’m thinking about how to be more intentional – about the fire, and of my life—-

where I find myself this particular morning, as the night ends and morning begins;

how to spend this day with no missed opportunities or regrets;

to look up more often;

to take say yes to invitations;

to chase a sunset like a bird;

to spend time pondering; wondering, sharing;

to share my bounty with others;

To see what God has in store for me, and to say YES!

Mary Oliver writes in her poem I Don’t Want to Live a Small Life, “Open your eyes,
open your hands”.

This day I shall open my eyes and my hands.

Build a fire

Enjoy breakfast in front of the fire.

Feed the magpies.

Read today’s poem.

Plan a trip to Iceland.

Take a COVID test so we can visit a friend for dinner in her home.

Negative!

Now go have fun on the beautiful New Mexico day.

This morning I was sitting on the couch, next to my best friend, seeing – and hearing – a beautiful fire in the kiva fireplace.

It was 28 degrees, and outside the windows was a beautiful New Mexico sky.

It’s quiet and peaceful here. Peace-filled.

And yet, I was caught up in the anticipated major storm coming to my hometown, with the fact that I can’t return home as planned. Plus I’ll miss the snow beauty the storm will bring.

My friend brought a book of poems for me, and we’ve been reading a poem each morning. The book is titled Poems from the Pond, by Peggy Freydberg. The poem this morning was But Where is What I Started for so Long Ago, and Why is it Yet Unfound. In it she writes: “What is so wrong? So much of what I’ve wanted, once gotten, has been replaced by other wanting.”

Oops. That was me, alright.

Of course I want to pay attention to the moment and moments in the place where I find myself. I’ve longed to be here. Today, and for the next few days, I’m exactly where I wish to be.

With this reframing, I set out to be present in this day in this place!

We journeyed south this afternoon to Pilar. It’s long been a favorite of mine. From Pilar we drove several miles west alongside the Rio Grande River. It was a “pull over now” ride for me. So much beauty to try and catch in a photograph.

The drive back to Taos was spectacular.

But wait, there’s more! Just north of Taos, the sun was showing off its setting.

So yes, I’m right where I want to be. No doubt about it.

It has been a dibs and dabs day as we settled in. Travel left me with quite a bit of pain so we stayed close to home.

Our favorite coffee spot is currently take-away only, so we got our cuppas to go and drove home to enjoy coffee by the kiva.

A brief shopping trip to town reflected the reality of increased presence of the corona virus.

A late afternoon visit to say hello to Hilary, Kamala and Stacey – along with the newbie, Dawn.

Around dusk we drove to a spot we picked out during last May’s trip for prime sunset viewing. Oops! We didn’t factor in the earth’s changing rotation and it wasn’t a prime spot after all. Still, the muted colors seen ar day’s end were quieting.

A lovely ending to a settling in day.