Santa’s on a mission and there is hope on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man’s life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self.” B. R. Ambedkar

“The greatest challenge in life is to be our own person and accept that being different is a blessing and not a curse”.. Kilroy Oldster

“Never be bullied into silence, never allow yourself to be made a victim, accept no one’s definition of your life, define yourself”… Robert Frost

Hello Diary,

Well, it is a cloudy, dreary Friday outdoors..

But at least it is not snowing… 🙂 there is a possibility of severe thunderstorms tomorrow so thought I would take a break from the holiday activities and share a few thoughts before the weekend… ole Santa here on the path least traveled decided on having a stress free, quiet, relaxing Christmas day, so put the sleigh in high gear, hired more reindeer and got into action… got the cards ready to mail, some bearing gifts… 🙂

Got the presents wrapped and under the tree…

I wonder what Santa got for me this year… 🙂 I have been good for the most part… also got Christmas day dinner prepared and in the freezer…

No cooking, no clean up, just pop in the microwave, clever eh?.. 🙂 also spread a little holiday cheer among some charities in hopes of helping someone’s day a bit brighter…

The local Tree of Hope were needing a bit of help…

So sent some cheer their way and some of my friends in the UK were needing a bit of help also…

Soooooooooo, Santa got deliveries made, a Christmas feast ready so the ole sleigh were put away for another year and the reindeer got the rest of the holiday off doing whatever it is that reindeer do… 🙂

“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Stephen Grellet

The holidays are about music… “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato

And music comes in many forms… “To me there is no picture so beautiful as smiling, bright-eyed, happy children; no music so sweet as their clear and ringing laughter.” P. T. Barnum

And the holiday is about the dreams of the children .. “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly.” Langston Hughes

And us big kids also… “Remember, growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional” 🙂

As they dream about the holiday and their future in today’s world… “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ― Roy T. Bennett

It is also a time of hope for all when life may not seem the best at times… “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all.” Emily Dickinson

For hope is the last to die…

HOPE IS

Hope is a feather floating in a bright blue sky
Hope is that sparkle that shines in your eyes.
Hope is a butterfly fluttering on the wind
Hope is good times spent with family and friends.

Hope is a newborn baby’s cry
Hope is a Mother’s lullaby.
Hope is the rainbow after a rain
Hope is the harvest of golden grain.

Hope is the light that keeps darkness at bay
Hope is the breeze on a hot summer day.
Hope is ever present and free of cost
Hope is the last thing ever lost.

Hope is staying positive when the going gets tough
Hope is seeking help when you feel you’ve had enough.
Hope is recovery from simmering sorrow
Hope is believing in a brighter tomorrow.
(Linda Hotger)

Hope is where the heart is…

Look to love and you may dream,
And if it should leave then give it wings.
But if such a love is meant to be;
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
Hope is home, and the heart is free.
(Enya)

Well, I had better close, get on with the day and venture on down the path least traveled.. Have some dreams, hope, and adventures… not worried about the storms tomorrow.. “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott…. sooooooooooo, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise, I shall return again one day…

There is a place out there somewhere for us dreamers so “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown
 

Chorus; Someday
Somewhere
We’ll find a new way of living
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere

There’s a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us somewhere

There’s a time for us
Someday there’ll be a time for us
Time together with time to spare
Time to learn
Time to care

Chorus;

There’s a place for us
A time and a place for us
Hold my hand and we’re half way there
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow
Someday
Somewhere

The Christmas mouse and a pigeon named Commander on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

I saw a mouse over the weekend and the incident brought a memory of when Bree were still here..

And Bree encountered a mouse while I were preparing a small turkey to put in the crock pot… I penned a few thoughts about the incident… 🙂

Including the Christmas mouse!

I was working on the turkey
When there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the kitchen
To see what was the matter.

I ventured to the living room
And there, to my surprise, I did see,
Standing nose to nose, paw to paw
Was the Christmas mouse and Bree.

With spatula in hand, ENOUGH, I yelled
With a voice loud and clear,
So that the Christmas mouse and Bree
Scattered, they did, in fear.

It was back to the kitchen and the turkey
No thoughts of sugar plums, dancing in my head,
But thoughts of a Thanksgiving TV dinner
Cooking in the microwave instead………

( Larry “Dutch” Woller )

Hello Diary,

Well, it is a Tuesday morning, definitely a wintry morning…

Ole Man Winter is here with an attitude… 🙂 will putter around today, get holiday cards ready to be mailed as I spent the weekend sorting, etc… thought I would take a break in the activities and share a few thoughts… were feeding the outdoor creatures and the birds and a memory occurred about a abandoned baby pigeon that I found while I were living on the farm…

School were out for the summer and I were checking out the barnyard, etc making sure all were in order… I ventured to the corncrib and on the floor of the building I saw a baby pigeon… I obtained the picture from the internet..

It had fallen from the nest, abandoned and obviously would not survive on its own… I took it to the house and use a small box to build a nest at put the nest in the large entry way to the house.. I did not know what to feed it, regular seed would not work so I took a slice of white bread and soaked it in warm milk… it were difficult to feed the little bird at first but over time it fell in love with the bread and ate heartily… it grew up to be a adult pigeon looking much like the one in the photo, again I obtained a picture from the internet…

I named the pigeon Commander and turned him loose to be free… well, Commander stayed around the barnyard, using the cupola on top of the corncrib as his home… I would leave a slice of bread in a safe location in the crib and Commander would also eat with the chickens… the chickens would peck at his head while eating and in time Commander didn’t have a feather on his head… 🙂 one day Dad and I were working in his shop getting plow shears ready for cultivating, etc and Dad decided to venture to the house to get a sandwich…

Well, Commander was on the cupola keeping a watchful eye out when Dad came out of the house with sandwich in hand… Commander seen the white bread and swooped down on Dad like a jet fighter, landed on his shoulder, started flapping his wings and screeching and while Dad were trying to shoo him away Dad dropped his sandwich, Commander dropped to the ground, grabbed a slice of bread and took off like he was shot out of a cannon… now I know that Dad would not hurt Commander but if looks could kill… 🙂

For a few days after the incident, I would continue to take bread out to the corncrib but I noticed that the bread had not been touched, nor have I seen Commander around the barnyard, did not know what happened to him… about a week after the incident, our neighbor, Mr. Uden, came over to have Dad work on his plow shears… while watching us work on his shears he spoke and said “ the strangest thing happened today as I were getting the shears ready to bring over… I went into the house to get a sandwich and when I came outside I was attacked by a bald headed pigeon who stole part of my sandwich and took off!”… Dad started laughing and told Mr. Uden about his experience with a bald headed pigeon… 🙂

I guess Commander decided it were time to move on, leave safe harbor and explore his domain.. Every once in awhile one would hear a story from someone about a bald headed pigeon who would practically take food from ones mouth, as long as it were white bread… I never did hear what eventually happened to Commander and like all else he soon became a memory… 🙂

I learned a lot about life while growing up on the farm… ever day were an adventure and I explored it, mainly left to my own devices and with sometimes strange results… perhaps the time I accidentally blew up Dad’s outhouse, or when Wee Willie ( the Shetland pony) chased a neighbor, or the time Dad almost broke his leg in the haymow while getting too close to the fort I had built… but those are another story to perhaps be told one day..:)

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T.S. Eliot

But, like Commander, I lived life and in 1963 I left the farm and followed a dream “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown

Had the same idea as Jimmy Buffet..

Oh, the yesterdays are over my shoulder
So I can’t look back for too long
There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just can’t go wrong
(Jimmy Buffet)

Well, I had better close… have cards to prepare, dreams to follow, memories to make and believe there may even be a rainbow out there somewhere….busy, busy, busy… 🙂 but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Diary, do you suppose this could happen to Santa in today’s society… 🙂

‘Twas the night before Christmas and I’d gone to bed late
Lord only knows how much fruitcake I ate…

Chorus; Christmas Eve I dreamed that Santa was arrested
Well they handcuffed him and they hauled him off to jail
Christmas Eve I dreamed that Santa was arrested
For crimes so bad they held him without bail

“Cruelty to Reindeer” was the first charge that they read
“We got there just in time your Honor
He had nine of them hitched to a heavy sleigh
And abuse is indicated ones got a nose that’s awfully red
And the prosecution had only just begun
OSHA closed his workshop down for safety violations
And there product liability claims for every toy built since creation
We found out he hires only Elf’s and of course that’s discrimination
He’ll be put away for life before we’re done
That sled is not air worthy
The FAA won’t certify
He’s over sixty with corrected vision therefore he should not fly”
Why this could be the trail of the century
There’s over ten billion instances of unlawful entry

Chorus

“Why just look at him there your honor
He doesn’t shave or cut his hair
And he grossly overweight and he only works one day a year
Now we all know he smokes tobacca
And they’s fur on that suit he wears
We must protect our kids from men like this”

“Order, or, order in the court” said the judge
“I’ve heard enough about his crimes
And clearly this is a man who’s out of step with modern times
But one of those houses he so often entered unlawfully was mine
And therefore all charges are dismissed!”

Oh, I woke up to the sound of Ho, Ho, Hoin’ (ho ho ho ho ho ho…)
Reindeer hoofs upon my roof and it was snowing
And as I watch him fly away it was good knowing
That some things that are politically incorrect can still be right
So Merry Christmas to all and to all A Merry Christmas Eve goodnight
It must have been the Maraschino cherries

It were the spring of ’52 and my first love on path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“Just because you feel someone does not love you as much as they should, does not mean they don’t give you all the love they have”..

“You don’t love the person you can live with, you love the person you cannot live without”…

“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.”. Jiddu Krishnamurti

“One cannot cherish success unless one has known failure, one cannot cherish love unless one has known heartache.” Larry Woller

“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t, they never were.” Richard Bach

Hello Diary,

It s a Saturday morning, a dreary Saturday morning outdoors….

But all is bright, warm and cozy on the inside… 🙂 have the possibility of a winter storm building up for tomorrow (Sunday) and tomorrow night here on the prairies, preparing for that, otherwise relaxing, working on the fingernails and contemplating the tomorrows… 🙂 I were ask some time back when I first felt or fell in love… after venturing down memory lane briefly, it happened when I was growing up on the farm, thinking the early spring of 1952 or there about…

As I have mentioned in the past, I grew up on a farm in the 1940’s, 1950’s and early 1960’s ( I left the farm in 1963), here is a picture of me and my brother ( I am standing and he is sitting)….

And farming were quite different then as now… we had lifestock (cattle, hogs, chickens, etc) and grain… here is a picture of a unusual cornstalk that Dad grew…

I am standing with my Dad, Mom and sister and my brother is leaning against the ladder… Anyway, it were early spring on the farm and there were a mother cow with calf, it would be her first calf… well, Dad told me the calf would be mine, to grow up with, to take care of, etc… I were happy!!… Now, love isn’t something that can be touched, tasted or even seen…“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched– they must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller

With it being the mother cow being young and her first calf, there were many things that could go wrong so she needed watched carefully.. And the cattle, like all else on the farm, were not confined but free to wander about and usually went into the 40 acre pasture during the day and stay in the feedlot during the night… and we would milk the cows before they ventured into the pasture and after they returned from the pasture in the late afternoon/evening…

That being said, I would check the mother cow before I went to school in the morning and then again after I returned from school… overtime I became attached to the little calf even though the calf were not born yet… Love knows no boundaries, time, race, gender, distance, etc… those are labels used by the human race to attempt to explain the unexplainable… 🙂

“Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other.” Felix Adler

Love is more like a not written, not said invitation…

A Invitation..

I received a invitation one day
Oh, not your regular kind,
The words not spoken or written
But were in the heart and mind.

To share a love and happiness
A love, that is precious and true,
A happiness that is eternal
That only lovers and dreamers knew.

The invite did not come the regular way
No cards, no letters, no phone, no email.. you see,
It just appeared one quiet sunny day
In the depths, the spirit and heart of me.

The invite came from an unknown
A unknown too great for me to behold,
But it is to be a precious beginning,
Of a story, one day to be told.

( Larry “Dutch” Woller )

Well, one morning I ventured out to check the mother cow (it were a off and on rainy, snowy morning with some occasional sleet) and I noticed the mother cow had lost weight… I panicked a bit and check the cows posterior and noticed there were some afterbirth present… she had given birth to the calf… I ran around the barn and feedlot looking for the calf but could not be found… the mother cow had abandoned the calf in the pasture… I ran into the house, told Dad, and he said he would take care of the cow and then we would search for the calf… I put on a rain coat and decided I would look for the calf while Dad were taking care of the mother cow…

The grass were knee high to an adult and it took me what seemed like forever to find the little calf, but find the calf I did, near a 1/2 mile from the barn… she were a pretty ebony color with a white face and all four hooves white like the calf were wearing white socks, she were about the size of a medium German Shepherd dog… the calf had some afterbirth still on her as well as some ice and snow… I moved her head to see if she were still alive and she opened her eyes briefly but made no attempt to move… I cleaned her up the best I could, put my raincoat over the calf, shoved a small staff I had in the ground to mark her position and started back to the barn to get Dad when I saw he was on the way with the small tractor and wagon…

I were cold, wet and crying because of my concern over the calf and my love for the little calf as I set on the back of the wagon with the calf’s head on my lap, we got to the barn and I helped Dad clean up, dry off and try to warm the little calf… Dad told me to go into the house and he would stay with the calf…. I gently put the calf’s head down and she opened her eyes briefly… Dad spent the night with the calf, Mom spent the night with me… I did have a brother and sister but they were too young to help…

I went to bed dreaming about growing up with the little calf, trying to find a name for the little calf… Dad spent the night with the little calf, doing everything he could (he even got the electric blanket to keep the calf warm), trying to feed, etc, but the little calf were too weak and with exposed to the weather chill, the little calf passed away during the night…

“Why is it we don’t always recognize the moment when love begins, but we always know when love ends ‘..

The next morning found that I had a 103F degree temperature and the beginning of pneumonia so Mom and Dad took me to the hospital where I spent two days… Dad had buried the little calf in a corner of the pasture where the grave would not be disturbed… when I returned home I were heartbroken, of course, and I found my little tablet with a list of names I wrote down, could not decide and got to thinking, it were spring and soon the flowers would come out of hibernation and bring beauty and life to the world, so I made a small cross, got a crayon to write the name on the cross and I named the little calf “Flower”….

It were that spring on the prairies that I first felt and knew love and I hope that Flower did also in her brief stay in this mortal world….

“There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, people we can’t live without but have to let go.”
― Nancy Stephan

And it were that spring on the prairies that I first felt heartache…

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss

It is difficult to imagine a world without love….

“Love knows no bounds or time, love is the spirit of the heart, love is the life support of hope, love is the force behind compassion, love is the foundation for true friendships, relationships….without love, life is barren and cold”…. (Larry “Dutch” Woller)

Love is like music….

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato

Well, I have rambled enough, will get on with the day and venture down the path, dreams to follow, rainbows and adventures to find… a path filled with love…. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂

“Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to.” Julianne Moore

Home is where the heart is and being thankful on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T.S. Eliot

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” Pope John XXIII

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly.” Langston Hughes

“Just because you feel someone does not love you as much as they should, does not mean they don’t give you all the love they have”..

Hello Diary,

It is a Tuesday morning, two days before the Thanksgiving holiday begins… a somewhat pleasant day for November… spent the last few days preparing for the holiday, penning some thoughts, living life… thought I would pop in briefly to share some thoughts, perhaps a memory or two before venturing on down the path…

As I said, while doing daily activities, I were preparing for the holiday as Thanksgiving is usually the start of the holiday… prepared my holiday feast…

Having chicken instead of turkey with all the fixin’s…. 🙂 I also opened the Kindle, browsed my library and download ebooks to read over the holidays…

Have near 3 years of holiday novels downloaded, a good read on a wintry evening with a glass of wine… 🙂 I also got the holiday cards out of storage…

Will spend some time tomorrow sorting and making a list (and checking it twice.. 🙂 ), already have the holiday stamps… and speaking of holiday meals, as it is known I am a sustaining monthly contributor to the E. I. Foodbank.. during the holidays I team up with Bank of America and the number of meals triple ..

And I also donate a bit more over the holidays.. hopefully for those less fortunate and facing difficult challenges their days will be a bit better and brighter and perhaps have a holiday of pleasant memories… I also got my little “Charlie Brown” tree out of storage…. 🙂

It will have a place this holiday also.. and it brought back a memory of the time my brother and I were giving the task of finding a Christmas tree for his family.. well, we ventured out and over time came across some friends and we decided to chat a bit and have some holiday cheer to celebrate the holidays.. Now, we did not overdo with the cheer, but chatted about the good old days and time got away from us and we had to hurry to find a tree, my brother found one he thought would be appropriate and we ventured to his house.. well, once home and after careful scrutiny, the lower part of the tree was so crooked it could not be set in a base and be straight… sooooooooooooooo, being determined, and in order to have the tree straight, my brother put a eye hook in the ceiling and “hung” the tree, the base of the tree would just touch the floor… he use the bucket at the base for decorations and to keep the tree from swinging.. 🙂 needless to say, from that day forward my brother and I were forbidding to go tree hunting together.. 🙂

Yes, Thanksgiving is suppose to be a day to give thanks and I penned some thoughts….

Being Thankful….

Thanksgiving has arrived
Another year as gone bye,
Been busy chasing dreams
Living life..time did fly,

A time to contemplate the past
A time to give thanks…they say,
To relive treasured memories
Of each and every passing day.

Thanks for letting me feel love
Be it joy, or be it heartache,
To know someone’s love
A treasured feeling, their love did make.

Thanks for letting me live life
To explore, to follow one’s dream,
To seek out and live every adventure
Not enough time in the day… it did seem.

Thanks for letting me meet friends
To share thoughts of love, hope..perhaps a tear,
And by going down the path together in friendship
Doing away with hate, anger….and fear.

Thanks for giving me the courage
To follow my own path…to be me,
To not follow someone else’s path
To live my own….. reality.

Thanks for giving me an open mind
As I venture down the path… allowing me,
To gaze upon life’s treasures, large and small
That many others do not see.

Thanks for giving me an open heart
Able to love, understand and forgive,
And when I grow too old to dream
A place where my memories will live.

Yes, I have much to be thankful for
And every day the list gets longer… you see,
As I venture down the path least traveled
Searching for what destiny… has waiting for me.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller 11-18-2018)

Well, Diary, I had better close, venture down that path to discover myself and the universe.. “It may take a lifetime for one to discover oneself and perhaps there are those that never do”… but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise… 🙂

The “home” where we grew up may change (the house, neighborhood, family, friends, etc), may even be gone, but home lies in the heart, home is where the heart is and no matter where we are, we will always be home for the holidays… 🙂

Venturing down memory lane on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“You are a caring person and have a wonderful ability to write and share your thoughts… don’t waste that gift by spreading hate and anger, instead use your gift to write the words you can to support a worthy cause, to give the generations to follow hope and perhaps inspire someone…”

“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.” Henri Nouwen

Hello Diary,

A Sunday morning on the prairies and another gloomy morning to behold outdoors..

But not gloomy indoors… with the holidays approaching, were doing a bit of remembering, penning a few thoughts… thought I would stopped the world for a moment and share a few thoughts….the year has moved right along and near the end… decided I would get the holiday music out and sort through to see what I had…

Yanni I among my favorites… and while preparing for the holidays, took a glance at my tree to see if it needed any tending to…

I did not take the tree down last year, had Christmas year around.. clever, eh?.. 🙂 returning to technology for a bit, the ole camera that I have and still are using is getting a bit worn, so instead of purchasing a new one, decided to get out my old phone and use it for a camera….

Will get it cleaned up and up and running instead of purchasing a new one… 🙂 while sitting here going down holiday memory lane, my thoughts drifted back to the time I lived on the farm in the 1940’s, 1950’s and early 1960’s… we lived in a old farmhouse with little insulation and when the wind blew, the curtains would move with the windows shut.. I, my brother and sister slept upstairs, she had her room and my brother and I shared a room (directly over Mom and Dads room)… there were no insulation in the floors and the only way we would get heat up there were what radiated through the floors and through the vent holes in the floors… 🙂

One could stand on the first floor and practically here someone breathing upstairs… well, my brother and I had a O gauge model trains (the larger of the model trains) and every year we would get a few pieces to add to the train set… we had train track all over the floor and at night would send a message by train to each other, trying to be as quiet as we could… with the excitement of Christmas morning and a visit by Santa, we were sending note, after note, after note wondering what we may get… well, I penned a few thoughts about Christmas Eves on the farm.. 🙂

It’s twelve days till Christmas
And as I look around,
Checked every package under the tree
No toys for me were found.

But I’m not one bit worried
The sadness it won’t last,
Because I have some memories
Of many of Christmas past.

One Christmas eve in particular
As, for the night, my brother and I retired,
But it wasn’t long into the night
That the imagination was fired.

We had train track…all over the floor
Very much to Mom’s dismay,
And all night long, messages back and forth
Wondering about Christmas day.

But in a blink of an eye
All got quiet real quick,
There was a shadow in our door
And it definitely wasn’t St. Nick!

It’s Christmas morning….wait there’s a honk
And I looked out the window to see,
It was just my neighbor in his car
Bringing me back to reality.

But that’s ok, I haven’t grown old
And I’m not even gonna start,
I’ll be forever young, don’t you see
With Christmas in my heart.

So to all.. and to all
As I get into my sleigh,
WAIT, I can’t say goodnight
It’s the middle of the day!

(Penned by Larry “Dutch” Woller 12/12/2007 )

Well, I had better close for now, wanting to pen a few thoughts about being thankful on Thanksgiving, contemplate the tomorrows and perhaps visit memory lane again… but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

No fire in the fireplace yet, but chillin’, have a spot of wine, memories of the past and making new memories…

Snow, back to school and a open mind on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown
 
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
― Roy T. Bennett

Hello Diary,

A Thursday morning and in the process of bringing the week to a close…has been a week of contemplating tomorrows, doing chores and getting ready to start school… 🙂 thought I would take a break in the activities and share some thoughts…

“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.” Gustave Flaubert

Woke up yesterday, Wednesday, morning to a somewhat dreary, cold morning…

But change was in the winds and Old Man Winter was coming.. Sooooo prepared for his visit and sure enough, taken a page out if Santa Claus’s book, paid a visit last night and when I woke up this Thursday morning, this is what I woke up to… 🙂

Received about 2 inches of snow and sleet and supposedly more to come… Well, I checked my weather instruments, made sure all were well and then decided to help out my backyard friends.. Took the broom and shovel and cleared the feeders and put out a little extra feed… it were not long before the word got out and soon it was standing room only at the path least traveled buffet… 🙂

Getting away from the weather for a time, I had mentioned about getting ready for school… as I have mentioned in the past I have a course here at home for learning Spanish,

though I did take a basic course online from the local community college..

I am not fluent in Spanish and know just enough to get me in trouble if I am not careful… 🙂 and when I am online or out and about and I see writing in Spanish, I will take a few moments to read what words I can understand and perhaps try to speak others.. I have a little difficulty in “rolling the R’s”.. 🙂

All that being said, Tuesday when I were at the post office, I checked out the little bulletin board and they had some notices that were in English and Spanish.. Soooooooooooo I stood there for a few moments practicing when an individual, who shall remain nameless, came up to me and said “when in America, you need to speak English”… at that I promptly turned, looked him in the eye and said;

and I quote: “I will speak to whomever I wish, whenever I wish and in whatever language I wish… when MY business becomes YOUR business I will speak in a language your brain is capable of understanding… until then, YOU may assume that MY business is none of YOUR business and I would appreciate YOU keeping YOUR nose out of MY business”… unquote… 🙂

Needless to say, the individual left with his underwear in a twist because I rained on his parade… 🙂 I do feel a certain amount of sadness for those with closed minds, personally “I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief” Gerry Spence ….

And while I will communicate with someone who has a closed mind, I will not spend much time communicating because “ I have dreams to follow and maybe be someone’s rainbow, I will not waste that time trying to talk to someone who will not listen”… Larry “Dutch” Woller

Of course, as history (past and present) has proven, few become more closed minded than a certain element of the world’s religious society… this ole born again heathen with a open mind and a open heart simply do not qualify and there’s another story to that… 🙂

“We should begin by setting the conscience free. When all men of all religions shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power then we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.” Founding Father John Adams, letter to Dr. Price, April 8, 1785.

Well, I have rambled enough and had better close… get on with the day and live life in spite of the snow.. There are rainbows out there, just have to look for them… 🙂 but I shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise….

I believe that Johnny Paycheck has some thoughts about the closed minded also, it is called “The Outlaws Prayer.. 🙂

Contemplating life, hard boiled eggs and enjoying being different on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

And speaking of change…

Contemplate and Wonder…

A peaceful Sunday Morning, watching the sun arise
Thoughts abound, while sipping on a spot of tea,
While taking in Nature’s summer portrait
Contemplating, on what Fate may have instore for me.

Change is slowly coming, it whispers in the winds
The door is slowly closing on past history,
With a new awakening with the mind and spirit
But the future is still shrouded in mystery.

With the freedom of being different, in many ways
No social shackles do this mortal wear,
Do welcome change with open mind and spirit
No fear, no worry or dread do I bear.

Does change stop at mortal death, one wonders
Or does it go on forever and ever,
Will I ask the same at another time and place
Somewhere past the 12th of Never?

Will thought and spirit continue
When, as in all things, time comes to an end,
Or does all things cease to be when
To the grave, the mortal body Fate does send.

Alas, but must deal with the present, this Sunday
So now will store thoughts and musings yet to be told,
For it’s down the path least traveled I do venture
To search and hopefully find….what life, and Fate, may behold.

( Larry “Dutch” Woller )

Hello Diary,

The sun is shining this morning, believe that it may be the calm before the storm though, more snow predicted in the future… but will not let it “rain on our parade” on the path… 🙂 thought I would share a few thoughts before getting a spot of tea, my trusty Kindle and relax, enjoy the day….

Chatted with my daughter, Kim, the other day and she shared a idea with me… a way of cooking hard boiled eggs… instead of using the common method, time consuming and having to deal with the clean-up, she uses her coffee pot, boils the eggs while making coffee… 🙂 well, I am a tea drinker so even though I do have a coffee pot (for guests) I don’t use it.. However, because it is only me, I do not have a great deal of dishes to wash.. Also, I eat my big meals at breakfast, middle of the day and a light meal evening so I wash my dishes middle of the day…

In an effort to conserve energy and waste, I use a electric tea kettle to heat water for washing dishes…

Soooooooooo, I got the idea of using the pot for cooking the eggs.. I got 4 eggs out of the refrigerator…

I put the eggs in the tea pot…

Turned the pot on and let it cycle and, Viola!… I had hard boiled eggs…

I washed the dishes while the eggs were cooling… the eggs were old but edible, and I put three in the freezer to see what would happen.. In the future I will get fresh eggs, will make note of the time to cook, etc as this time were just an experiment and I were busy doing other things…

Yesterday morning I browsed the news briefly, observing how elements of society are determined to label some as different instead of accepting them as they are… “The greatest challenge in life is to be our own person and accept that being different is a blessing and not a curse”.. Kilroy Oldster

Afterwards, with a spot of tea, two plastic spoons, some paint and brush and pieces of jewelry, I decided to make me a pair of earrings that were different… now, a Picasso I am not, but I managed to produce a pair of “different” earrings… 🙂

“Maybe I’m not so different from everyone else after all. It’s like somebody gave me a puzzle, but I don’t have the box with the picture on it. So I don’t know what the final thing is supposed to look like. I’m not even sure if I have all the pieces.” Sharon M. Draper

Life’s Choices

Life is full of choices
Make sure you pick the right one,
Don’t listen to the voices
Hear only yours and you have won.

Many people will tell you
You need to change your looks,
Don’t take to heart their view
Fabulous bods are found only in books.

There is only one voice
That you should listen to,
It will help make the right choice
That is perfect just for you.

Your looks are your own
Someone will always love you,
You will never be alone
Look in the mirror and you’ll see who.
by Rose

Well, I had better close, bring the day and week to a close and prepare to start another week… have much to do with living life and following dreams, being different and enjoying the moment.. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

“Everyday on the path least traveled brings adventure and change, that change presents a challenge, mentally and physically, as to how to accept it and deal with it, generates an excitement about being me while exploring the universe, living a second of time and looking forward to what the next second of time brings, looking forward to living life and doing it my way.” (Larry “Dutch” Woller )

Even though some days may seem like a “wild child”… 🙂

Ever close your eyes.
Ever stop and listen.
Ever feel alive.
And you’ve nothing missing.
You don’t need a reason
Let the day go on and on.

Let the rain fall down.
Everywhere around you
Give into it now.
Let the day surround you
You don’t need a reason
Let the rain go on and on

What a day, what a day to take to
What a way, what a way to make it through.
What a day, what a day to take to a wild child

Only take the time.
From the helter skelter.
Every day you find.
Everything’s in kilter.
You don’t need a reason.
Let the day go on and on

Every summer sun,
Every winter evening.
Every spring to come
Every autumn leaving.
You don’t need a reason
Let it all go on and on.

What a day, what a day to take to.
What a way, what a way to make it through
What a day, what a day to take to a wild child.
What a day, what a day to take to.
What a way, what a way to make it through.
What a day, what a day to take to a wild child.

Ole Man Winter, kindness and love on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

lisamb320 (Embracing the pain), if you happen to visit and read, this quote is for you; “I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together”… Marilyn Monroe

And this quote; “You don’t love the person you can live with, you love the person you cannot live without”…

Hello Diary,

Good Friday morning, Diary… end of the week, a busy week preparing for winter, chasing dreams and living life… thought I would share a few thoughts before finishing the day… going to do a before and after at the moment… Yesterday (Thursday) morning, it were a cool but pleasant fall day…

Well. Ole Man Winter come calling last night and woke up to this sight this morning…

That is snow on the ground and buildings… what a difference a day makes… 🙂 anyway, spent the week doing errands, got some supplies for my backyard friends to help them through the winter… purchased some cracked corn…

Sill have some sunflower seeds but will need to purchase more…

Have the seed bin filled (to keep mice, etc from eating food)…

With the weather forecast being what it was, scattered a extra helping of seed for the backyard friends… the buffet were open and the little sparrow took advantage of it… 🙂

Can help my backyard friends through the winter… they are part of the world of the path least traveled, each different, unique, and special in their own way… yes, even that bushy tailed knucklheaded rodent who is determined to dig up my tomato plants..

I were ask what I thought my best act of kindness were… I cannot answer that question.. It would depend on the creature/being as it is not about me, one would have to ask them..… would it be the little sparrow that I set out food for, perhaps the creature that received one of my blood donations.. maybe the folks in the UK dealing lymphoma who I sent a donation to in order to help make life a little better for them… and on and on… I am afraid I do not have an answer to that question about kindness… 🙂

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy the friend by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.”

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Goodness knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that. E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

Anyway, Diary, after a busy day yesterday, I had the day finished, had a spot of tea, watching my backyard friends pursing their destiny… Were listening to Andre Rieu playing Lara’s Theme and words to a poem of love came to mind, so I penned some thoughts, to no one in particular… 🙂

WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME…

Not enough words to tell you, my love
Words full of love from the heart,
But I have all eternity to try
This poem will be a start!

You are my everything, my love!
You mean the world to me!
Cannot see life without YOU
WE, my love, were meant to be!

I bathe in your love, dear one
That grows stronger each and every day.
That warms my heart and soul, sweetheart
With each loving word YOU say!

I awake in the morning, eagerly
Awaiting treasured words from THEE,
To feel the precious warmth and love
YOU and YOUR words do give to me!

Your love gives life a meaning, dear
Gives me a reason to greet the day,
Warms the very depths of my spirit
Keeps the nightly cold at bay!

At times distance may lay between US
No bounds….does OUR love know,
Knows no space or time, darling
As OUR love continues to grow.

My undying devotion to YOU, YOU alone
Will be there always…forever and ever,
And I WILL LOVE YOU SO, my love!
Beyond the 12th of Never!!!

( Larry “Dutch” Woller)

For what is life without love…“Love knows no bounds or time, love is the spirit of the heart, love is the life support of hope, love is the force behind compassion, love is the foundation for true friendships, relationships….without love, life is barren and cold”…. (Larry “Dutch” Woller)

Well, I had better close for now, Diary… finish the day and venture on down the path… poems to write, dreams to chase, adventures to pursue and maybe even find a friend or two… but I shall return one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…. 🙂

Kindness, love, friendship, caring.. it is a part of life on the path least traveled, not just about me.. After all, that is what friends are for…

“Friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, it comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.”

“Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other.” Felix Adler

.

It is Ok to be you on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.” Michael J. Fox

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown

Hello Diary,

Well, Diary, it is near the middle of the week, a busy week of errands and getting ready for Ole Man Winter’s visit the end of the week… taking a breather from the activities to share a few thoughts… November 11 (Veterans Day) and December 7 (Rememberance Day) is drawing near and I penned a few thoughts…

In Remembrance……

We were volunteers, one and all
So Noble.. Proud.. and Brave,
Did not know the reasons for war
Just a people from tyranny to save!

Glasses held high, we made an toast
Surely that Victory would rule the day!
While back at home, the voices of unrest
Not a kind word for us did they say.

Some could not vote, children were we
Some could not drink, but still our battle cry,
Even with all that we could not do
For us children, it was to do or die!

Vietnam was a hostile, violent land
The dangers, the horrors of war abound,
Whether the paddies of Vietnam or the fields of home,
Seemed for us, not a friend could be found.

But we proudly gave it our all, lads
Faced our destiny, with a hint of fear of tomorrow
Some to return to a mother’s joy
Some to return to a mother’s sorrow.

So should you be looking on today, my friends
One more toast, hold your glasses high,
To PEACE, HOPE and LOVE, may they long endure
CHEERS, LASSIES and LADDIES!!!.. And SEMPER FI

(penned by Sgt, Larry “Dutch” Woller 12th Marine Regiment, Vietnam, 1965–1966…)

While I understand the reasoning and thinking about those two days, it is sad that the human race feels the need to celebrate war and conflict… for all war and conflict does is sow the seeds of anger, hate and suffering…

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

I know of what I speak for “I have been there and done that”.. My late wife and I were stationed on the East coast, a 1000 miles from the home of the prairies… on September 28, 1965 my son were born… on September 30, 1965 I received my orders to report to the 12th Marine Regiment in South Vietnam for peace keeping duties… I had three weeks to get my family and all that we owned back to the prairies before reporting in… below is me (sitting on the ground) as an observer attached to the 12th Marine Regiment 1965-1966…

At that time is were suppose to be a peace keeping force but as I look around the world today, I see very little peace (like many before, little peace came of it)…… I penned some thoughts about that…

Maybe No More Children Will Die

I set here looking at the news
The powers wanted peace they say,
And while they spoke, bombs were dropped
20 children died that day!

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give PEACE a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die

Smiles on their faces, while shaking hands
Arms deals for defense would come into play,
A bomb went off in a crowded market
10 children died that day.

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give a world without bombs a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die

A war to end all wars, they said
Yet to war they always return,
Death, destruction, suffering and pain
Won’t they every learn?

What’s wrong with this idea?
Let’s give LEARNING a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die.

Anger versus anger, hate versus hate
Seeds sown by war at home and away,
Starvation , sickness, a mother in tears
More and more children die every day.

What’s wrong with this idea?
Why not give LOVE a try,
Let’s give it a go, everyone
Maybe no more children will die.
( Larry “Dutch” Woller, )

Many years ago my late wife set up a display…

Today I look at those medals of “peacekeeping” and wonder how many dreams were lost or destroyed because of those medals… “The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.” Frederick Buechner

Now, here on the path I have a different medal….

I were given the medal by the blood bank for donating over a gallon of blood over a few years… blood donated to anyone who needed it, no strings attached.. It may not be near as fancy as the other medals but there were no dreams lost or destroyed by that medal… 🙂 “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” William Penn

There are no hate and conflicts here on the path either… if you are different, don’t think or look like me, no problem…

You come in peace, you are welcome here… also the world knows I am not into religion, but I do not turn a blind eye to religion..

I have participated in a number of “civilized”, “intelligent” forums over the years and I may know more about religion than a good many of the religious… 🙂 if one doesn’t try to impose their religious beliefs on me, I do not have a issue with religion… “I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief” Gerry Spence

When it comes to discussing issues, problems here on the path, there are no conflicts… when working with others, I will choose my rainbow earrings over a sword anytime… 🙂

Well, I had better quit rambling on, have friends to meet, dreams to chase, a rainbow to find..busy busy busy… but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” -Mother Teresa

Change and the rainbow connection on the path least traveled…

Diary of the journey on the path least traveled..

( “I do not do, say or write something to been seen or heard… I do, say or write something because it needed to be done, said or written…” , no nominations please, just sharing thoughts while exploring life 🙂 ).

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown

“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
― Roy T. Bennett

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” ~ M. Scott Peck

“My dreams are my dress rehearsals for my future.” David Copperfield

Hello Diary,

It is a Sunday morning, a dreary morning weather wise… rainy day in the forecast…

But not a dreary day indoors, life doesn’t stop with the weather… 🙂 a relaxing Sunday contemplating the tomorrows and the challenges life may put before me.. “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott

Yesterday I prepared the meals for next week…

And put in the freezer… while in the cooking mode, I decided to make my version of what is known as a Scottish egg…

Pork sausage, crushed crackers, flour and hard boiled egg… put in freezer and ready to eat when ready… Change is ongoing here on the path, in all things, as nature gets ready for the winter doldrums.. The leaves are starting to turn…

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery”. -Harold Wilson

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
― Barack Obama

I believe that Edel T. Copeland has a few thoughts about autumn, life and change…

Autumn Leaves…
Golden, crisp leaves falling softly from almost bare trees,
Lifting and falling in a hushed gentle breeze.
Slowly dropping to the soft cushioned ground,
Whispering and rustling a soothing sound.

Coppers, golds, and rusted tones,
Mother Nature’s way of letting go.
They fall and gather one by one,
Autumn is here, summer has gone.

Crunching as I walk through their warm, fiery glow,
Nature’s carpet rich and pure that again shall grow.
To protect and shield its majestic tree,
Standing tall and strong for the world to see.

They rise and fall in the cool, crisp air.
It’s a time of change in this world we share,
Nature’s importance reflecting our own lives,
Letting go of our fears and again, too, we shall thrive.
(Edel T. Copeland )

And what about the gardeners who are resting during the winter doldrums, what are they doing, one would ask?.. Well, if they are like Helen Beth Swanson and myself, planning next years gardens… 🙂

Reverie
A warm and cheery fire roars merrily
And shadows dance about the darkened room.
Beside the hearth a gardener sits and dreams
Of sunny days, of flowers in full bloom.

Some hollyhocks should tower near the fence,
Bright red. ones that the bees can’t help but find.
The trellis at the gate again must wear
Blue morning glories, or the rosy kind.

To lend a bit of distance to the scene,
Close to the rear I’ll plant in shades of blue:
The tall and stately larkspur, double ones­
Of course I’ll put in scabiosa, too.

I couldn’t do without a pansy bed­
Snapdragons make such beautiful bouquets­
Frilled zinnias and yellow marigolds
Add just the proper touch to autumn days.

The flowers grow and bloom with loveliness
Until a sound destroys the fantasy­
A burning ember falls and I must leave
My garden and my charming reverie.
(Helen Beth Swanson)

And, alas, I must close and get on with the day also…

I set here with my tea
And watch the leaves a fallin’
It’s becoming clear that one day
Jack Frost will come a callin’

Most of my bird friends have went south
In the southern warmth they’ll stay
But I’ll not shed a tear in sorrow
For they’ll be back again some day

All us creatures that are staying behind
To deal with the cold and snow
Are getting our house in order
And waiting for winter’s blow

The squirrels are gathering leaves and such
To insulate their winters nest
The possum is checking every nook and cranny
To find a place for his winters rest

The bee’s are picking up the pace
Gathering nectar with the morning sun
Storing winter food for the hive
Before their work on earth is done

A spider spinning it’s web of silk
I watched as it grew and grew
Soon to become natures work of art
With tomorrow’s early morning dew

This poem could go on and on and on
But alas, I have things to do
For, like it or not, don’t you see
I need to get ready for winter too.
(Larry “Dutch” Woller)

Not only get ready for winter, but chase dreams and look for rainbows, maybe write a poem.. But I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

WAIT, rain means rainbows, rainbows for lovers, dreamers and me, right Kermit?… 🙂