Reading through Chicago Dave's site and those he's linked to reminded me of the first poem that really struck a note with me. 20 years or so later i can still recite it verse for verse. thought i would share it with you now.....

The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle-
Why not I with thine?

See! The mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea-
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

Percy Bysshe Shelley

yeah okay so i'm a sappy closet romantic. no one needs to know, okay?

Kamping at Kinbrook Island

The Runner Up

Favorite Memory #2
This moment in time happened just a week ago. Cypress Hills. Ressor Lake Lookout. Dozens of people driving by who were barely getting out of their running cars to look at anything. Snapping a quick picture and then speeding off to continue on with life's chores. at first they annoyed me, but very quickly i pitied them, because if they would have looked over their shoulder for just one quick second they would have witnessed the most amazing sunset ever. it took my breath away. the way the sun was streaming through the clouds, turning the world as i knew it to a dark pink. making the valleys seem deeper, the hills higher. i almost couldn't believe that i was lucky enough to be witnessing such an event. i'm pretty sure i have permanent retina damage from staring for so long.....but it was worth every second.

Fav Memory #1

Favorite Memory

it's thirty degrees below zero. celcius. i don't particularly want to leave my house, but the wonderful housing personell where i was employed at the time decide to stick me with a completely psychotic roommate making it unbearable to stay at home. i decide that it's a good time to hike out to lake louise...and beyond. i make it to the lake. i make it around the lake. i'm powered by the extreme frustration of the roommate situation. before i know it i've walked way beyond what is safe, and stop to finally look around. what i see is amazing. but it's what i hear that makes this my favorite memory. i hear absolutely nothing. nothing at all. no birds. no bugs. no animals. no traffic. no hum of power lines. my heart beat was so loud i thought it might trigger an avalanche. and the thought that if there were an avalanche no one would know to even look for me puts my feet into motion to get my tail outta there. one week later a man is killed in an avalanche in that exact area...

wine + introspection = blab

There was a fair in town the other day. Rodeo actually. Despite the fact that I am very much opposed to the entire idea of a rodeo i couldn't stay away from the smell of greasy treats, bright lights, and blaring crappy music. i wandered, i ate nasty pizza, i got an airbrush tattoo, and i went to a psychic. she nailed everything on the head. i hope. maybe. she told me that i had an unsettled childhood. check. that i turned to the companionship of animals at an early age. check. that i drive a truck. not quite - but i've looked into it - and i drive the beer cart on a golf course as my current "profession" (hey, don't knock it. it's fun) she said that i would marry a cowboy. umm. okay. as long as he has nothing to do with the killing or torturing of animals i'm cool with that. she said that i've had two near death experiences. i've been told this before. one i know of - i wasn't in a car when i was supposed to be in a car. the other hadn't yet happened the last time i went to a psychic. i wonder what it was....?? creepy. she said i should be going back to school this year. while i don't have the money to attend school full time i have looked into taking a second language, as well as possibly taking up some guitar lessons. does that count? and last but not least she mentioned how i've lived in a lot of different places. check. but apparently i'm not done yet. she tells me that i will live in another country. and this is the point that sticks. i've been thinking about it. i have no idea where i would go, or why, or for how long. i have no idea where to begin to make a decision like that. don't know what government to contact and for what. it's a thought that's actually been eating at me for about a year now. i haven't gone yet simply because of the shitten. mr. tobi will not tolerate such a relocation. i would never put him through that. but when he's gone? and i am very afraid that it will happen sooner rather than later. when you can go anywhere and be anything, how do you begin to decide where and who?