The Cosmos

We are embarking on a BRAND NEW YEAR!

"It's been a really hard year
Many more heartaches than we bargained for
So much loss all around us
Between hurricanes and desert wars
To be perfectly honest
I'm ready for December to end
Pack away all these nightmares
And dream again, learn to dream again..."
(from a song "Peace on Earth" by James Casto and Donna I. Douglas)


I wish everyone a "New" Year filled with Peace, Love, Laughter, and Happy Dreams.
Always choose what will bring you happiness.

Peace and Love

A Simple and Meaningful Christmas

My Holiday Joy ~ Suzie's Puppies

photo by Craig Smith


"Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the return of the oak King, The Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb." ~ Yule Lore

When I saw this, I thought it would be a nice thing to post because today really IS the Winter Solstice which is what the above is describing. And, I think of all the animals and" human" animals whose future so depends on having a keen understanding, awareness and respect for nature's cycles and processes.

My Holiday Story

My holiday story is simply this: Merry Christmas to all of my friends in the world who celebrate Christmas. And, to all the many others who are my friends who have sacred days that they celebrate around this time of the year or at other times during the year, I wish you Great Joy and Happiness in your holidays, as well. May peace on earth and good will to each other prevail for ALL OF US in the coming New Year!

Be Good.
Be Peace. :)

~ Patty Ann

Inside The Circle

Step out onto the Planet.
Draw a circle a hundred feet round.

Inside the circle are
300 things nobody understands, and maybe
nobody's ever really seen.

How many can you find?

~ Lew Welch

Plants and Animals

web photo


"Imagine the Earth devoid of human life, inhabited only by plants and animals. Would it still have a past and a future? Could we still speak of time in any meaningful way? The question 'What time is it?' or 'What's the date today?'...if anybody were there to ask it... would be quite meaningless. The oak tree or the eagle would be bemused by such a question. 'What time?' they would ask. 'Well, of course, it's now. The time is now. What else is there?' " ~ Eckhart Tolle

Extended Family

web photo of another dog


Suzie, our neighborhood's little stray dog, decided to have her puppies....7 of them....under OUR porch. We now have an extended family.

It's an amazing thing to watch the ways of animals. I learn so much from them. In the past, I wrote articles on animal behavior which were published in national magazines. I recorded in journals certain animals behaviors that I could observe in close proximity to where I lived....and created human interest stories from them of cycles of behavior from bluebirds raising their young to a cat recovering from a major life or death situation. I don't have time to do that anymore, but whether it's a squirrel or a bird or a cat or a dog or an anole, I always have deep appreciation for those who cross my path. I always take some time to see what they have to teach me. And, even though I don't write it down anymore, I never forget "it".....or them. ~ Patty Ann Smith

December Full Moon

photo by Craig Smith 

My Personal Full Moon Reflections

Mystic Moon

Wisdom Doesn't Come Without a Price

A Life of Many Losses, Many Corrections, Many Changes

I made a lot of mistakes in the past and learned hard lessons from every one of them. The only thing good I can say about my past is that it brought me to where I am today. Because of my own pain, there has been much growth in my ability to accept the things I truly "cannot" change and to maintain my enthusiasm for that which I "can" change. And, from that same pain, I've obtained a measure of accuracy in knowing the difference between the two.

My "greater" family is this earth and all of its inhabitants. Individual self-pity, blame, bitterness swallows up lives that could really be productive. I have no time for that anymore. Things like that pale in the larger picture of the earth, life, and the universe that carries all of the good in every breathing cell. It's not where you've been, but where you're going. And, no ones time is ever wasted if you're going in the right direction. ~ Patty Ann Smith

Green Roofs, Anybody? :)

from wsud.org


Green Roofs are really "COOL"!

They are used to:

- grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers
- reduce heating "and" cooling loads on a building
- increase roof life span
- reduce stormwater runoff
- filter pollutants and CO2 out of the air
- filter pollutants and heavy metals out of rain water
- increase wildlife habitat in built up areas

Between 1989 and 1999, roofing companies in Germany installed nearly 350 million square feet of green roofs, and it's estimated that the Green Roof industry in Germany is growing anywhere between 10% - 15% every year. Green Roof technology there has been honed to a fine art.

Let's Catch Up, America!

Below are a sampling of some very nice sites I found while doing my research. They were an inspiring and pleasant experience for me. I hope they are for you, too

- Michigan State University Green Roof Research Program: http://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/
- Garden Visit. Com:http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden_product/sustainability/landscaped-architecture.htm
- Green Roofs. Com:http://www.greenroofs.com/
- Penn State Green Roof Research:http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/research/greenroofcenter/history.html
- WSUD. Org:http://www.wsud.org/Pic_Pages/Green_roofs.htm

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