The Sun Is Always Shining Behind The Clouds

A great reminder, that the sun is always shining behind the clouds. The rain began to fall from these clouds as they drifted closer and closer to my home. I walked to the end of the road to take a photograph of the dark wall of rain. As I focused the camera the sun came out and I took the picture.

The Sun Is Always Shining 20x16 Poster by SimpleSpark
See more Clouds Posters at zazzle.com

This so true to life, isn't it. We are never alone are we? Just when we think the challenge will never end, a solution or epiphany shines forth. We meditate, chill out, practice shifting our emotions, and the old momentum slowly falls away and the new improved path appears.


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The Sun Is Always Shining Greeting Card by SimpleSpark
Check out more Clouds Cards at Zazzle

Antelope Totem

www.naturelovesappreciation.blogspot.com
Antelope Dixie national Forest, Utah

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo
    roam,
    Where the deer and the antelope play,
    Where seldom is heard a discouraging
    word
    And the sky is not clouded all day.

~ Dr. Brewster M. Higley  1870

So do they play?  

Absolutely.

I have always admired the mammals, reptiles, fish and insects for their ability to know what to do at any given moment. They know how to take care of themselves and work either alone or with
their families or species and Nature.

I admired them for this wonderful natural gift because I had many questions growing up like,

•  how to do things 
•  how to have good relationships
•  how do I support myself.

Wild animals are connected to the Nature, the force that beats our hearts. It is an uplifted, high powered, kind of experience that we humans can also enjoy. When we are fully connected to nature, we shine with an appreciation and well-being that feels great. We are then more inclined to play, to enjoy, and tend to move around freely, like the antelope.


Antelopes are players on the great stage of wilderness.



Spend time with these and all animals, they are our teachers. We can also learn from the plants and trees and many landscapes like ocean, streams, prairie, mountains, lakes, fields, hills, parks our own back yard.

Thank you for visiting !

Until then,

Nature Love /Appreciation


Related information :
Home on the Range: who wrote and how it evolved as Kansas' State song. also contains all 6 verses. http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/home-on-the-range/17165 

Discover the tool that millions of people worldwide are using for guidance, inspiration, and help in finding answers to life's questions. now, revised and expanded to include eight additional cards, this unique and powerful divination system draws upon ancient wisdom and tradition to teach the healing medicine of animals. Medicine Cards and found its way into the hearts and hands of many, guiding the way to healing the body, emotions, mind, and spirit, and providing insight into and understand of one's unique purpose in life.

Hey Babe,Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Overwhelmed with your urban environment?

Feeling the desire for more space and freedom and fresh air?

Dixie National Forest Utah Photograph by DeborahMoen©
www.facebook.com/DeborahMoenRurralPhotography
 

Wilderness therapy is a solution. Go camping, hiking, just go and sit on a log or by a stream or near a campfire and roast marshmallows. Take the time to go into the wild country; that is, wilder than your urban office or back yard.

 

You are hardwired since prehistoric times for camping and connecting with Nature. For anyone hearing the call of the wild, discovering Nature can be quite an enlightening journey as you explore and experience her.

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

 

Brainstorm an imaginary adventure; Create your Nature experience in your mind

 

• Think of where you would go?
• What would it look like?
• What would you take for nourishment and comfort?
• How long would you stay?
• What would you like to do there?
• Ask yourself when this will take place?
• Cut out pictures of Nature that inspire you and paste them to a large poster board to hang where you can see it everyday.
• Purchase some Nature posters to hang on your wall ( Nature photography and art also give us a way to connect with nature )

 
You are on your way...the more you appreciate these Nature images and plans, the more opportunities will open for your future adventures in Nature.

 

Once you have planned your adventure, made arrangements to go and have arrived at your destination, notice the sensations in your mind and body as you get out of the car. Feel the earth below your feet, take a breath of fresh air and you may even yawn and stretch as the soothing elixir of Nature washes off the traffic and hurried schedules. It is a sensual experience for all your senses.

This will be a place for you; your very own sanctuary, where you can just be. You may notice the mind and body so hungry for the cool breezes, the rustling of leaves, and the sunlight and shadows, that it will devour everything in sight with enthusiasm. You may feel an instantaneous relief and freedom. This solution for a cluttered mind and tension will present itself almost immediately.

 

Besides the benefits of stress relief and wellness there is a great chance that reconnecting with Nature will allow your mind to see things from a higher perspective. The great outdoors is waiting for you.


Thank you for visiting,

Until next time

Nature Loves Appreciation
 

 

 

Kamana One is the beginning of our Kamana Naturalist Training Program - a four-level independent study program that covers the naturalist background needed to engage in the wilderness arts, including wildlife tracking, bird language, survival and native living skills, traditional herbalism, and naturalist mentoring. Kamana One uses two required resources: 1) Seeing Though Native Eyes Audio Series 2) Readers Digest: North American Wildlife included.

The New 8 Shields Edition of Kamana One: Exploring Natural Mystery is now available as a Package Deal! SAVE $25 when you bundle Kamana One with the two required resources: Seeing Through Native Eyes: A Journey of Connection audio series with Jon Young (8 CDs) Readers Digest: North American Wildlife field guide We are excited to release an expanded, updated edition of Kamana One, with additional chapters and a full 8 Shields curriculum. Kamana One: Exploring Natural Mystery is our best selling home Nature Study course. Thousands have improved their awareness skills and knowledge of the natural world! Kamana One begins your Kamana journey--and it only takes about a month to complete. It will bring you through two weeks of awareness exercises and six areas of ecological study using a field guide and inspiring audio narrated by Jon Young Reader's Digest: North American Wildlife This revised edition is a comprehensive, illustrated field guide to 2,000 plants and animals. It includes ecosystems, mammals, birds, trees, plants, reptiles, amphibians and MUCH more. Perfect guide for cross referencing. A perennial favorite of Wilderness Awareness School for teens and above. It is used in all levels of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program. New! Seeing Through Native Eyes: A Journey of Connection Updated 8 CD set by Jon Young. More than seven hours of reflections and stories on regaining the quality of connection with nature that our ancestors enjoyed. Because they lived close to the land, native cultures the world over spoke the language of their place. They had an intimate understanding of plant and animal lifestyles. They knew how to move with grace and ease through the wilderness. Seeing through native eyes means immersing the senses in nature, and discovering heightened spiritual awareness and a sense of belonging. This audio series lays the foundation for learning about and connecting with the natural world.

I saw Bambi !

Bambi Photographed by DeborahMoen©
see more at www.facebook.com/DeborahMoenRuralPhotography

Bambi: We entered the forest after passing a massive lava flow on the Markagunt Plateau. We had seen antelope on the way through the meadow. In the forest we entered into a new world of aspen and Ponderosa pine. There were pockets of light dappled in the darkness and I heard a snap* of a branch. I looked and saw "something" large sweeping through the trees. Was it an antelope or a deer? I heard the footsteps snapping twigs and then it was silent. There in the dark pocket of the shadows between the trees is where the sound stopped. I motioned to my husband to stop and pointed in that direction and I took aim and Click* not knowing what I would see emerge from the photograph. I do not have photo shop and all my photographs are quite true to color and quality. I do have a feature that allows me to lift a shadow. Imagine my surprise when I saw this beauty emerge from the shadows. It looks like a Disney painting to me. I just love it.

If you ever get a chance to walk through a forest do it. You can not think about your daily life here as your eyes meet with the beauty and wonder of light flora and fauna. It is pure stress relief and will bathe your mind and body in all those feel good chemicals and boost your immune function and all your systems will be attuned to Nature.

Thank you for visiting
Until next time:

Nature Loves Appreciation
www.naturelovesappreciation.blogspot.com


Check this out for your holiday card and gift giving. Simple spark is featuring my photography for inspiration, encouragement, holidays and celebrations. You can also customize them yourself. Click* on the picture or this links.
www.zazzle.simplespark*

Autumn Forest Greeting Cards by SimpleSpark
Make custom notecards at zazzle.com

Fast And Furious Harvest

The forecast was a coming... a hard freeze coming tonight!

Photograph by ©DeborahMoen  Poppies First Frost October 2014
www.facebook.com/DeborahMoenRuralPhotography

I looked out over my garden and memories flooded my mind

The corn had just been picked the day before. I admired the wild sunflowers bordering the fence, now just hard prickly bones rattling in the breeze. The garden was brimming with Green Ice lettuce, Heinz tomatoes just turning red, yummy pungent basil, fragrant cilantro, tall graceful dill and my Shirley Poppies and Cosmos were just beginning to open their faces to the sun.


A bit of denial and stubbornness came over me when I heard the weather report. Then I did what any smitten gardener would do and harvested all I could that night. UP came the Ruby lettuce. UP came the basil roots ripping from the cold soil. Down came the sheets and blankets to cover the dill and the pretty wild flowers.  I picked all the tomatoes green, red, big, and small.

I felt worried and sort of panicked at the sudden news, then a calm came over me. I knelt down and whispered to all my lovelies,  " I love you, I thank you, I will see you next spring."

The very act of communicating and thanking the garden calmed my stress. It was healing and soothing.


There are no good-byes

There are no good-byes. Maybe a twang of bitter sweetness.  I prefer to get caught up in the thrill of fragrances, textures, feelings of appreciation and fun projects like washing, cutting, drying and cutting the string to hang all the green stuff up in the kitchen.

Drying my herbs Fast and Furious
 Harvest. www.naturelovesappreciation.blogspot.com

The garden is a perfect example of how life goes on and on, in a sort of Circle.   Life is eternal.



Jack Frost came in the night

I checked the garden the next morning and discovered a sugar-like frosting on the uncovered plants. There is a child-like wonder that comes over me when I see the ice sparkling in the morning sun. The tomato plant already had gone to sleep with blackened leaves and limp stems. Everything else did quite well and I had an abundance of leftovers still living and thriving in the garden.



Nature is my teacher

I learned to enjoy each day as well as I was able. This is not a rehearsal, you know. Each changing mode of seasons scolds me and holds me in it's arms and makes me look at myself.

There seems to be a re-occurring mantra that I have yet to learn, busy-ness. I am constantly hearing that little voice in my head saying, " Go sit out in the garden. Enjoy what you have here". I do not always listen because I have this and that to do.  I do believe it is good to take time to enjoy and savor.  It feels good. All the systems in the body get oiled with all those feel good chemicals as you relax into the wonder and elixir of Nature. 

I live and learn....next year I hope I will spend more time basking in Nature. How about you?


Thank you for coming to share in my joy.

Tel us about your harvest this year.

Until next time,

Nature Loves Appreciation

John Muir's stories are narrated by Lee Stetson. He actually performs as John Muir in the Yosemite National Park. This is the audio opened my heart to a deeper understanding of nature appreciation.

Two Ponderosa Pines Intertwined

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They were in each other all along.” ~ Rumi




Embracing Pines : Ponderosa pine photo: by ©DeborahMoen 
 Posters and greeting cards available at
http://www.zazzle.com/two_ponderosa_pines_intertwined-137718057904775982?rf=238540278403281540

As we walked, the meadow was active with antelope. As we entered into the forest we were surprised by a mystery creature lurking in the shadows. At lunch we enjoyed a friendly golden-mantled squirrel standing on his tree stump castle. We had a wonderful lunch looking out over the Markagunt Plateau.    I noticed these two trees next to us and wondered how they had grown together. I have a special relationship with trees and sense a great connection with them.





How to connect with the trees

There is something inside of us that truly desires to connect with trees.  Many people have shared their love of trees. John Muir a beloved mentor of mine, wrote volumes on the magnificence of trees, people engage in a practice called, Tree Sitting, to delay the cutting of trees, images in books and the internet of people meditating at the base of a tree, Professor Suzanne Simard's research on the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems, and even Smokey The Bear expresses his love for the trees and forests.  If this is a new idea to you, you may be wondering, "How would I begin a relationship with trees?"

Here's An Easy Ice Breaker

Just for now it is beneficial to just be in the presence of the tree. Here is a good exchange to start with:

1. Go outdoors
2. Get comfortable. Relax. Chill out.
3. Notice your breathing.
4. As you inhale be aware that you are receiving oxygen provided by the tree.
5. As you exhale, be aware that the tree is nourished by your carbon dioxide.

There ! It is really quite easy. The more you enjoy this exchange, the more experiences and well-being you will notice. More will be revealed...

 Can you Solve These Mysteries?

The Ponderosa pine reveals a bright cinnamon orange bark as they mature.

Look at the Pines Embrace photograph at the top of the page.

• Did the pines sprout at the same time?
• How did they get so entwined with each other?
• What makes a tree bend and grow in different directions?

"The more I appreciate Nature, the more there is to appreciate."

Thank you for coming to this site.

Until next time,

Nature Loves Appreciation.


This photograph of Two Ponderosa Pines Intertwined is absolutely perfect as a greeting card for someone you love, for slipping onto a loved one's pillow and also an earthy greeting card for that Nature Lover of yours, for weddings and anniversaries and just because. You can customized them with your own words or quotes and prose which I have provided on this site here. Pines Embrace comes on posters and greeting cards to inspire our relationship with the trees.

Two Ponderosa Pines Intertwined by SimpleSpark
Look at Trees Cards online at Zazzle.com

And see this image on Fine Art America in framed, metal, wood, canvas, prints, cards, duvet covers, mugs and more...



 Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guide Series)
C. Frank Brockman

Vulture's Story

Long ago the sun was much to close to the earth.




A vulture glides in the air
 www.NatureLovesAppreciation.blogspot.com

It was burning hot and the animal world got together to decide what must be done. Fox stepped up and offered to help. He took the sun in his mouth and ran as fast as he could towards heaven. The sun got so hot it burnt his mouth. To this day the Foxes on earth have black mouths. He returned unsuccessful.



Then Opossum stepped forward

Opossum volunteered and wrapped his tail around the sun and ran towards the heavens. He too found the sun was much too hot as it burnt the hair off his tail. He returned and to this day all possums do not have hair on their tails.

Vulture stepped forward

He was the most beautiful and powerful of birds. He had beautiful feathers on top of his head and so beautiful that he was envied by all. He pushed the top of his head against the burning sun and pushed the sun farther and farther up into the heavens. He could feel the feathers burning off his beautiful crown but he was so strong that he pushed the sun far away enough from the earth so the animals and the earth could live on. Vulture had sacrificed his beautiful crown feathers to save the earth and he remained bald. To this day all vultures heads are bald.

~ Native American Tale


Vulture is very misunderstood. People see vulture as ugly and mean because he eats dead animals. Vulture is an amazing bird that keeps our environment clean. His scientific name
cathartes aura means "golden purifier". He does not kill his prey. Vulture is also a beautiful graceful soaring bird who rides on the winds. Have you seen vulture teetering on the winds making use of every draft. this takes much strength and power.

Vulture teaches us to honor others for who they are and not how they appear. This is a very good lesson for us to learn. Perhaps your heart will open next time you encounter vulture and you can share this story with others.



Thank you for attending this site. We hope you enjoyed the story and come back soon. Nature Loves Appreciation. The more you appreciate, the more there is to appreciate.

To learn more about Vulture's myth and tales: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/anna_jones1/totem.html


Ted Andrews has written a beautiful book called Animal-Speak. In it he teaches about many animals and their habits and traits and how they relate to you. Do you have a special animal you see or feel close to? They can teach you about yourself. This is a great book to have. On sale in Kindle or Paperback at Amazon.com