Cascade Locks, Oregon
Here in the heart of the Columbia River gorge we live beneath the looming, snow covered crags of the Cascade mountain range where the Columbia River cuts through its spectacular canyon about 1500 feet deep and a mile wide.. We are on the Oregon side of the river and when we step out on the porch we literally must look almost straight up to see the peaks. I have been building a tool shed out in the back but can only work a couple of hours at a time because of the rain and cold of the last few weeks. Today, after a couple of hours, the rain started to turn to snow so I stowed the tools and put the tarp over my material and secured it with big rocks. I went in and stripped off my wet clothes and got into some dry ones, turned on the heat under the pot of split pea and ham soup I made yesterday and poured myself a glass of Cabernet. As I ate my soup and watched the snow drift down I reflected on all the things that are going on in my life right now that are making me feel sad. Last year brought more than its share of bad news and the ripples have gone on and on. As many of you know, I don't believe in a god. I think that what we see is what we get. But there is a lot we can do to deal with reality in a positive way. I have a couple of bird feeders outside the window and I watch the little junkos and chickadees taking advantage of the windfall I have provided. They are so preoccupied with simple survival that they have no time to feel worry or sadness. They look very happy to have this food available in the winter and that's all they concern themselves with. I've got to concentrate on being happy with a roof over my head and a bowl of hot soup. I know it will get better.