New Year's Eve Day

   I just got in from a good 1 1/2 hour walk in a huge development up the street, designed for horse owners. The area is surrounded by a beautiful well-maintained riding/walking trail, and has other shorter trails running through the homes and acreage. It is too lovely not to share.   

This, and the 2 below, are of my favorite home at High Point.  Its design gives the impression of a French chateau.

I took the next 4 photos to show the views of the mountains, visible from the higher areas of the development.

  

A Most Happy and Healthy New Year ... and the Chinchillas Made Me Do It

FB enjoying a moment

   First and foremost, I would like to heartily wish all of you the very Best of New Year's wishes. It is a time for a bit more thought and reflection, and hope. I will also take this opportunity to thank my new "followers", who have helped make this enterprise worth pursuing.
   Secondly, I fear I must do a little rant and rave, and foam at the mouth. My rant was spurred by reading a blog I follow, by Mark Kohler - markkohler.blogspot.com. I found his article to very strongly echo what I have felt for years. And it does reflect the increasing antipathy I have felt towards the manner in which Christmas has come to be celebrated in the western world. This period of pre-Christmas spending is, however, only the most apparent manifestation of our mindless and senseless greed. Yes, it sounds brutal, but I think it's true. A largely predominant proportion of the  civilized human race has come to believe that mass consumption is the way to go.
   I encourage you to take a step back to see how you are spending your time, your energy, your self. Most certainly, I am not advocating a "sackcloth and ashes and begging bowl" type of change. Nor an idealistic, 1960's "return to the earth" style of life. With the world population as it is, these modes of life are neither viable nor desirable.
   As an example, on a personal level, my "change" slowly became manifest with my involvement with horses. I lied; it wasn't the chinchillas. Most thankfully, this deep-seated passion led me along the way to changing my life-style. It also uncovered my long buried love of art, of sketching and painting. For this, I am deeply grateful.

The Brunz and me

   So GO AHEAD!!! be wild and weird and wonderful. Give some deep thought to that about which you feel passionate. And in whatever small way, start breathing some life into it.