Poetry – Skelton Sketches

Over in the meadow…

Posted on September 21, 2016April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

[Whoops! Please pardon my lapse in posting. It’s not that I haven’t been getting out…]

And in fact I have taken a few pictures. How could I not?! That crisp glory of fall is upon us,

and with it the first frosting of snow has fallen in the mountains round about…

After a stint of wet & cold, the sun came back to play. I love the way it makes the trees seem to glow!

The weather has been splendiferous!

So we had the kids out for a visit and took them to one of my favorite places, what I call ‘the meadow’.

It lies on the bike trail between home and town—a well-disguised cover-up of the mining operations upon which Canmore was founded. Here the men came day by day to the lantern house to fetch their lights and descend into the gloom…

Now we stroll along, or more often pedal along, and revel in the beauty of God’s earth…

These mountains are not just lovely they are also full of treasure. The range we see out our window is made almost entirely of Limestone—a boon for the cement industry. So… we went for a BBQ and tour at the Exshaw plant just down the highway… Ya’ gotta love the centerpieces on all the tables:

These are ‘clinkers’—the result of baking a crushed combination of rock (mostly limestone) at temperatures a third the heat of the sun! Now you just take these clinkers, add some gypsum and grind ‘em to powder and you’ve got cement!

It’s a big operation,

but looks pretty cushy from inside this cab…

Well… we’re bracing for winter, so we did a little mountain biking at the local Nordic Ski center to familiarize ourselves with the trails…This’ll all be snow in another month…

And say, here’s evidence that I actually do know how to ride a bike all by myself:

We went exploring off-road on Jim’s day off and discovered the Trans-Canada trail…

We didn’t go too far but we had a lovely time bumping along…

After refueling with a snack we rode along this canal that generates power by diverting water…Nevermind the technical stuff. I thought the water was lovely ( :

But the rocky ROUGHness of this path was a bit much!

Meanwhile, back at home, our front yard was transformed into a CycleCross course for a race on the weekend.

That was more excitement out the window than I’m used to!

But today the quiet has been restored, and with it the regular rounds of a stealthy coyote…

After he had passed today along came what I’m thinking was a fox, stalking and pouncing in the tall grass. Sweet.

And always when one needs to think, or to suspend thinking, there are my favorite trees to gaze at, now dressed up to welcome autumn…

Lovely.

———–

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

–Joyce Kilmer

–LS

Blessed in the waiting

Posted on July 1, 2015April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

Blessed is the man …whose delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.Ps.1:1-3

It’s been a bountiful season for us despite its being a strange and uncertain
in-between time. Having left what was loved and familiar and not yet knowing what’s in store for us, we are taking a day at a time and capitalizing on the opportunities that arise. This week–berries and cherries we spotted on the roadside while out cycling. And a sweet refreshing time to read by a cold stream on a very hot day…

When I read this excerpt from Psalm 1 in this setting, it seemed so apropos!

–LS

Wrapping up 2014—all gift!

Posted on January 4, 2015April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

As a New Year rolls in I’m looking in the rear-view mirror so to speak, at all that has passed this year… P1160487

Week by week I’ve left its traces here in pictures. But this year looking back is bittersweet. The remembering is laced with the sadness of loss.

For eleven years these gifts have been ours—the natural beauties of the Pacific Northwest—the water, the trees, the garden, the flowers…I have loved them. Dearly. The freedom to tromp all about in a world akin to a National Park (minus the fees and the people) has been a priceless gift. But now that we’re moving the pictures that re-cap the year remind me of gifts I must leave behind… I can take only the reminders, these pictures, and a grateful heart for all these blessings.

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As we move toward snow country,

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we will leave behind rain-forest and ocean with their now predictable seasons…

February’s snow drops and pussy willows… P1140291snowdrops

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Spring’s skunk cabbage and wild currant blooms

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Fruit trees and rhubarb coming to life…

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Summer’s garden time

New Crocs P1140868 P1140826 [P1150427%255B4%255D.jpg]

and familiar hikes to favorite viewpoints…

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Fall’s harvest will be different too this year… P1160244 P1150885

And snow not so rare and valued… P1140270 P1140279 P1140236

Looking back I suspect these are things I will miss

but then again, there are other things we may not miss too much [P1140336%255B7%255D.jpg] P1140331 P1140915

What I cannot see is what lies just ahead…

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Last year at this time we had an empty nest. It was just the two of us at the table not knowing what to expect.

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And yet the year has been a good one…

Heather and Lindy [P1140444%255B7%255D.jpg]

April highlight—a trip to visit my sis

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May—our flown away chick returned!

June—My mom came to visit!

And we gained a daughter as well!

We spent more hours than ever riding together this year—2,200 miles worth of sights and sweat!

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IMG_20140804_135216772 Pender tandem ride

Care to join us for a virtual ride down the hill nearest our home?

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We hope to see more of these special small fry this year…

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But look as we may, only God knows what will transpire in our lives.

My hero

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Come what may, we can rest in knowing He will be in it with us, just as He has been in the past.

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I can’t think of a better way to close here than with the words of an old hymn a friend reminded me of today. I needed them.

Be still, my Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

Words: Katharina Von Schlegel, 1752 Translated from German to English by Jane L. Borthwick, 1855.

[Click to Listen here]

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From our house to yours:
We wish for you a New Year blessed in the knowledge of the nearness and sovereignty of God.

–LS