Great Quotes

"A dream has power to poison sleep." -Percy Bysshe Shelley

The blue skies rain memories upon the land,
As the morning sun stretches out its’ hand.
Forevermore our lives remained,
A precious gift, where much love was gained.
©Donna M Condida

TrailGazer

I walked alone. In the early evening, sun sinking low in the sky. I walked alone, on the wooded path. I could feel it watching me. I could feel its' stare, striking through to my core. The coldness, darkness...the empty, deep penetrating gaze fixated on my very soul. But I walked alone. Keeping my back straight, my fists tightened. For I didn't know what would approach me, what would come gnashing & gnarling out at me from the wood.

Fear, no, strength, courage, almost a slight stubbornness lifted from me, encouraging me to carry on down the long, lonesome path. I wouldn't submiss. I wouldn't run. I "owned" these woods just as much as any other creature. I just had to prove it, to myself, to others, to it, to him.

I could almost 'see' the movement in the thicket in front of me. It appeared as a strange, wavey mirage type of movement. But I knew it was real. It was there, moving in the Evergreens, watching me, listening to my heartbeat, feeling my blood rush through my veins.

I won't give-in. I won't run. I will continue on. I will meet you, face to face, one day, when the time is right.

Do Tell

Animals speak with us all the time. They tell us what they feel, what they want, what they know, what we should know, and more. Although they do communicate through a vocal manner, when speaking with us, they use many different ways to "get their point across". Body language being one of their most obvious ways to communicate.

For example; I was talking with my hubby yesterday, describing to him the strange, but awesomely cool experience I had while out for my walk that afternoon. The entire time I was chatting with the hubs, one of our cats, Louie (for short), sat directly in front of me, staring up at me, listening intently. After a few minutes of casting my eyes back & forth between my husband and our kitty friend, I forgot about the cat's gaze and just kept looking at my husband.

Sure, I can say that what happened next was Louie's way of telling me he was annoyed with my rude behavior of ignoring him while he listened, but that's not the case. I know, because I know Louie, very well. And I know what Louie does, and has done for the last 9-years. And what he did yesterday, he has never, ever done before.

As soon as I mentioned a certain "Being" during my conversation, Louie crouched down, and in one sudden leap, he was [ever so gently] hanging onto my shirt. My hubby immediately cried out with the "Holy crap, he has never done that before! What the Hell is that all about Louie?" usual, in a situation like this, reaction. He eventually asked me if I was alright, if I was bleeding or scratched-up, but yeah, his initial reaction was to the cat. Pfftt..

I have to say, the leap was incredible; exactly what I would have expected from a balanced kitty. And I honestly didn't pay too much attention to the fact that Louie was hanging onto my chest. Because he really did do a marvelous job of not scratching me, at all! Thank God!

As to why Louie reacted this way, at the exact moment of my mentioning this "Being", well I know exactly why he did what he did. Louie was expressing to me that I "hit the nail on the head". He was letting me know that "Yes, yes mom, you are correct, you are so very, very correct, yippee, you deserve a fish dinner and a saucer of milk, oh joy, I must hug you mom!" And that's when Louie leapt.

My husband sneered when I told him why Louie reacted as he did, when he did, and what Louie was telling me....but he knows, deep down he knows it's the truth. He's just sort-of dumbfounded at the fact that he witnessed a clear expression of language between me and one of our cat friends. But the hubs will be fine, he'll "sit on it" for a bit, soak it in, and then let me know one night in the next few weeks how cool he thought the whole "ordeal" was.

Cool indeed! Cooler because I got my answer, immediately, from one of my very best familiars friends.

"As I walked down the icy hill, I carefully placed each foot onto the frozen ground, with precise steps on the softer snow as to get better footage. The surroundings were quiet, the sky was gray, the cold air engulfed me and held me close. I listened to the birds singing their very early spring song, anxiously calling to each other in hopes that the Earth would soon thaw. And then I heard it, from behind me at first, but then the next sound came nearer, next to me, to my left. 

The frozen snow crushed loudly as the footsteps drew closer. I glanced for a quick moment to the side of me, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was approaching. But my footing on the ice was too unsure to look away. I pulled back my gaze and continued to step slowly, holding my breath, hoping to make it safely to the unfrozen ground a few feet away. Once there, I could look around, I could search for the animal that was following me. But then, shaking me out of my concentrated moment, the tree branches next to me, with the crispy Oak leaves that still hung-on, had been disturbed. 

The sound echoed in the quiet wood. There was something there. Something that was large enough to rustle through the trees. Large enough to make the snow crack so loudly under its' feet. 

I could feel its' presence. I could feel its' isolated chill encircle me. I quickened my pace and safely made it to the unfrozen ground. Turning swiftly, my eyes focused on the trees, the brush....searching for the solid form that had moved the trees as it did. 

Nothing. There was nothing there. Nothing visible.... Just cold, empty space. But I could feel it. I could sense it with my whole being. It had been there. It had been watching me. And it hadn't been human, or bear, or deer. I knew then what it was. Just as I am sure of it now."

Talking With Spiders

From the time I was very young, until just several years ago, I feared spiders. {ewww, creepy} I always thought it had something to do with the fact that older kids, okay, older boys would catch Daddy-Longlegs (also known as Harvestmen) and chase me, threatening to put the spiders on me. {I know, Harvestmen aren't technically 'spiders', but tell that to a 5-year-old girl}

I wasn't the type of person who would go running & screaming when I saw a spider. I would just back-up from it & scream (a sound that resembled a high-pitched Mermaid shriek). I think I scared more people from my scream than what possible fear the spider may have caused.

As I grew, I battled with this fear on a daily basis, especially during the warm season. When I got my first place, and lived alone, I had no choice but to 'put on big girl panties and deal with spiders'. Which, by the way, wasn't that easy for someone with minor arachnophobia.

Funny thing, even with my fear of spiders, I would sit and watch entire "B" horror movies about the giant spiders that terrorized towns; and there were plenty of those movies when I was growing-up.

My fear, at times, was so great that when my hubs was at work, if I came across a spider in the house, I begged forced commanded would ask our daughter to catch the spider and take him/her outside. Yeah, this made me feel so very brave and parent-like. Apparently our daughter has very good 'spider removal skills' though. She now catches & releases spiders in her own home, at the request of her husband; another person suffering from arachnophobia.