Happy Critters on Saturday

No hour of life is wasted 
that is spent in the saddle.

"A horse loves freedom
and the weariest old work horse will roll on the ground
or break into a lumbering gallop
when he is turned loose into the open."
Gerald Raftery


"In times of darkness remember to bring more light."

Or just spend more time with critters.

Carved or otherwise.

Welcome to 

SATURDAY'S CRITTERS

and who doesn't love goats?

"You have goats to be kidding me!"

Unbelievable how this came to be, and just for the record I wish it had been in my neighborhood.

NPR story here In honor of the recent well let's say goat rally in Boise, Idaho 

Kids these days.

It's not a home without fur-kids.

So Sunday I thought I'd catch some critters out and about on such a gorgeous day hoping by the time I ventured around town, the sunshine might join me. Well these photos pretty prove the sun stayed in hiding.

Truly, I wouldn't trade one single day in small towns. 
 I just ask for a bit of sunshine to lighten up my shots.

The Popcorn sales folks weren't even on duty. No popcorn for sale. Bummer.

"A place belongs forever
to whoever claims it hardest,
remembers it most obsessively,
wrenches it from itself,
shapes it, renders it,
loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image."
Joan Didion 

That pretty much explains my thoughts on my 
enormous list of favorite places to visit. Sometimes we tell ourselves 
stories in order to experience again that nostalgic sense that gives our life
so much meaning.
Long live the places that bring us life. 

Yep, not even a duck wandered by my viewing area.

Although you'd never know it, but standing on this bridge I could hear a guitar player singing at a local hamburger spot right behind me. 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comments

take good care of you.

Back From Our All Family Vacation

"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery...
air, hills, trees, people,
I thought, "This is what it is to be happy."
Syliva Plath

Without even knowing, Our family vacation together included
the joy of
Hygge

They say Hygge is why Denmark is one of the happiest nations on Earth.
Simple pleasures.
Hygge is about seeing beauty in the everyday and savoring
each moment by spending time with loved ones 
or that well deserved me time.

Going unwired
especially from social media.

Absorb as many simple pleasures that you can weave into you life
for a daily dose of hygge.

"An optimist is a man who plants two acorns

and buys a hammock."

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny

Hygge Norwegian word meaning 
"To give courage, comfort and joy.

"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."
Hans Christian Anderson

Did somebody say, "Danny, get back in the water to warm up!"

Laugh if you will but this is one of my happy places!

"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

To gain all while you give

To roam the roads of lands remote,

To travel is to live."

Hans Christian Andersen

Open Fires!

"A hearth of one's own is worth gold."
Danish proverb

Jack has the art of bonfires down pretty well!

 Open fires

A simple pleasure of life,

relaxing in front of a fire,

a warm, cozy atmosphere

as it crackles and flickers

the aroma of wood smoke

it all calms and soothes 

evoking a primal connection

 and sense of belonging.

Just lose yourself in the reverie of watching

the flames dance.

How about items to craft 

for instant Hygge?

Whether it's making something from scratch

or just creating with your own hands 

it always oozes character and orginality

and gets your imagination flowing

 filling you with hygge happiness.

"A good handicraft rests on a golden foundation."
Danish proverb

Hard at work waking up all their inspiration juices.

Smile for my camera artists!

"Ta-dah! Your very own gorgeous
handicraft!"

We also had a birthday to celebrate for Karina!
and Cindy Bear, being Karina's favorite character came to help celebrate!

Gosh we love you Cindy Bear!

Cindy even autographed their decorated shirts!

"Family, like branches on a tree
we all grow in different directions
yet our roots remain as one."

The more hammocks the better
to amuse and enjoy yourself! 


After every trip it's always good to return back home.

Downtown Minneapolis.

Give this a thought tonight when evening falls,

"There they stand,
the innumerable stars,
shining in order
like a living hymn,
written in light."
Nathaniel Parker Willis
and 
"To catch the thrill of a happy voice
and the light of a pleasant eye!
Stirs every heart."

Thanks for stopping in
and take good care of you.

More than a Dance

If dance be the food of happiness, dance on!

Life is like sailing.
You can use any wind
to go in any direction.

It feels good to be lost in the right direction.

Humor can get in under the door

while seriousness is still fumbling at the handle.

That's why I truly enjoying hanging with my favorite munchkins! 

Backseat selfie! 

There is a road from the eye to the heart

that does not go through the intellect.

G.K. Chesterton

A shout out to Eileen's SATURDAY'S CRITTERS!

Taking a break to smell the flowers!

Or eat a bug?

There are no dreary sights;
there are only dreary sightseers. 
GKC

Remember that.

More than a dance of raindrops.

The things we see every day

are the things we never see at all.

If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses

what might not the heart of man become

in it's long journey toward the stars?

G.K. Chesterson

Raindrops are like fairy whispers.

"There are no uninteresting things,

only uninterested people."

G. K. Chesterton

Interesting that they offered some hands on art!
Twirl and see what happens.

"Do a loony-goony dance

'Cross the kitchen floor'

Put something silly in the world

That ain't been there before."

Shel Silverstein

These next photos are of my favorite piece today. I'd enjoy something just like this, in fact I think I might give it a whirl!

My thought for the day, is something a great majority of Americans are pondering about yet, after these last whirlwind of spins from the White House. This quote puts it into perspective, really.

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,

but because he loves what is behind him."

G.K. Chesterfield

Take good care everyone

and no matter what

do your happy dance

at least once a day!

Pensee

When nothing goes right, go left!
Or visit a local art gallery.

Freeform in the main gallery. 
"Life is made out of thoughts."

Marcus Aurelius

"Beauty is not who you are on the outside,
it is the wisdom and time you gave away
to save another struggling soul like you."
Shannon L. Alder

"Creativity is the power to connect
the seemingly unconnected."
William Plomer

"Eloquence is a painting of your thoughts."

Blaise Pascal

Good things come to those who bait!

True story.
There were people who occupied telephone booths
as though they had rented them for the day.
Ursula Curtiss

"Thousands of reasons are too less
to make me sad 
but a single reason
is enough to make me smile."
Raaz Ojha

There are no limits on laughter.

"The universe doesn't give you what you ask

for with your thoughts;

it gives you what you

demand with your actions."

Steve Maraboli

"What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters as compared
to what lies within us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Your greatest self has been waiting your whole life,
don't make it wait any longer."
Steve Maraboli

"One smile can start a friendship.
One word, can end a fight.
One look can save a relationship.
One person can change your life.

I'm not sure I completely believe this quote by Blaise Pascal. But it does make me think.

"Little things comfort us

 because little things distress us."


"When the world is itself draped in the mantle of night,
the mirror of the mind is like the sky in which thoughts
twinkle like stars."
Khushwant Singh, Delhi


Thanks for stopping by your comments always sweeten my day.
Take good care of you.