JEANETTE CRAWFORD BAIRD: Metta

Thursday, December 31, 2015

December 2015

Song - Auld Lang Syne by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

My December.....

Discovered an illegal squatters shelter 10' from our property line and overlooking our backyard. Ugg...... Worse yet my neighbor told them they could build it there because they told her it was really a Mountain Lion Lookout. Mmmmm......

Mr. B and my brother Tim trying to move my dad's workshop

A friend went to Tahoe and sent me this photo

because she knows I just love snow on trees!

Pure beauty!

Mr. B and I went to The Dickens Fair to see our friend Sandey Grinn transform himself into Fagin! So amazing!

Mr. B played Santa this Christmas Eve and said it was the best E-V-E-R!

Dawn on Christmas Day

My dear dad spent a week in the hospital and came home on Christmas Day. This car was parked next to mine as I was leaving the hospital on that day. Brought a smile to my face!

We all received great gifts again this year but the two that really stand out were Mr. B's reflective gear for his early morning walks and.......

....and Tyler's Bumper Dumper that is a camo toilet seat that fits into his trailer hitch to be used when he is out in the wilderness - not in my driveway!

Dad is happy to be at home with mom

and Mika is happy to have someone to snuggle with all day long!

The best way to take care of the future

is to take care of the present moment.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Friday, October 25, 2013

Spirit Rock

Song - Water Buddha

My niece, Katie and I spent two days this week at a wonderful retreat at Spirit Rock in Marin.

Of course BART was on strike so we had to leave and extra hour early to get there on time. This was a good teacher for me in the art of patience. I forgot that I love to watch the sunrise!

Our Teachers - Donald Rothberg & Heather Sundberg had us practice a combination of silent sitting meditation and silent walking meditation for their class "Awakening the Heart: Practicing the Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) - Loving kindness, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity".

The walking trails meandered up the mountains and into the forests. I chose this mild trail and as I turned a corner I came upon this giant Buddha.

The mornings were crisp and the afternoons warm.

The leaves were just starting to change color and on one of my morning walks, I found a floating leaf that stopped me, deep in the Bay tree forest. It slowly moved up and down & to and fro. I'm sure it was on a spider web hanging from the high Laurels but I could not see the filament. The little leaf gently spun around as it moved towards me and then moved gracefully across my path and way up the mountain, then back across the dry creek bed. I was enchanted by this little gift from nature - a tiny dancer.....

There were little Quails scattering about, wild Turkey's that greeted us each evening as we left our meeting room and they had absolutely no fear of people (I guess they knew they were on vegetarian turf!), Rattlesnakes, Deer, lot's of gray Squirrels, Hawks and other birds.