Category Archives: Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

A variety of short writings, mostly while living in Nature.

Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

An Old Homeless Guy With Two Big Dogs

Growing up I never saw myself as ever being homeless. But there were times I was close to it. Referring to being homeless in this writing, I am referring to not having a place I could go with any permanency – A place I could call Home in the traditional sense of the word. My two canine companions and I had become wanderers, nomads, travelers in Nature when we removed ourselves from the so-called modern world. Takota and Nanook, and I set off on a journey into Nature back in late October 2017. With many unknowns that could not be seen, we lived in Nature, sleeping in a tent for close to five years. We traveled through eight states.

We saw Nature as being our home. I did feel after leaving Nature in early September of 2022 that I was a homeless person without a real home. But we were fortunate enough to find temporary refuge in the Pacific Northwest from the heavy smoke of the fires, the rain, snow, cold, as with the dangers of an uncertain environment in Nature. I also felt a sense of loss not being in Nature.

I had a purpose for our journey, yet our path was uncertain, our destiny unclear, even my purpose became blurred at times. I did not know how long we would be living in Nature.

My drive, and my dream was to live in Nature, in a tent full time – and of course, with my two companions by my side. I became very concerned about climate change back in 2007, and the impact it would have on our planet. I wanted to experience the beauty of the natural world on a much deeper level before it was too late – before our world began to change in a way that was impacting all life on the planet.

I really didn’t expect the world to change that much, maybe I would notice subtle changes in our time out in Nature, but nothing heart stopping. I was thinking I would be dead before it got too bad. Science was telling us if we didn’t make drastic changes in our behavior we may have until 2050 to reach the point of no return – the tipping point. Where weather patterns, and extreme will become out of control, uncertain, and will become unsustainable for many parts of the world, impacting all of life. And could get progressively unpredictable that everything would turn to total chaos, with may species of plants, trees, and animals (including the human race), moving quickly towards going extinct. A scenario, one would only see in a science fiction movie. I am sure Rod Sterling of the Twilight Zone, would have had a field day, in writing numerous TV shows on this, if he was still around. He is probably looking down on us, saying, “I wish I could be down there providing a reality that many people cannot grasp. Giving a picture of what will happen.” I would like to see what he would come up with to wake the human race up.

But our planet was changing, the weather patterns were changing, getting more extreme.

I would write about our experiences through journals, in reflections while observing the wonders of Nature. I would also post short writings on my Facebook page. One question I had before beginning on this journey was, “would I see the changes in our climate due to climate change?” I also thought, maybe, I would be discovered by a publisher to tell our story. And share to the world how important our planet is for our very survival as a species. How important all life is on our planet.

I was following science, and I was following my gut feelings that things will begin changing much sooner than science was predicting. I had a sense that the world will be changing dramatically by 2030 if we continues on our current path of doing very little to try and slowing this progression down, hopefully making it somewhat manageable with minimal affects on our planet. But even science is slow on seeing the planet as a living being that supports all life on the planet. We are seeing dramatic changes causing disastrous and costly impacts worldwide.

I began seeing things happening that was not the norm. In Australia, catastrophic wild fires in the summer of 2019 – 2020 scorched southern and eastern parts of the country. These fires burned millions of hectares of land and killing or displacing an estimated 3 billion animal. Few human lives were lost, but what will be the lasting affects of the fire in long term health from the smoke? In New York City they experienced flash flooding in September 2, 2021. This flooding was blamed due to climate change. We experienced the Covid-19 pandemic that devastated the world killing more than three million people in the world, it is still with us with different strains. Science is now saying it could be from climate change. I wrote about this, back in 2020 that this could be a possibility. Another gut feeling I had. During our time in Nature, I have seen the impacts of climate change progressively getting worse, where I can say, climate change is definitely here, and is impacting the world with extreme weather, causing droughts, raging fires, more intensity in hurricanes, tornadoes, flash floods, land slides, sea rise, the oceans becoming more acidic, our lakes with more algae blooms, unstable weather conditions, high winds, and so on. And we cannot control it. This is one reason I felt it was to dangerous to be in Nature any longer. A place I felt deeply was my home.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

Getting Old

It is getting harder and harder getting out of the tent with stiffness in the joints and in the muscles, not yet awakened from the darkened dreams of the night, that comes uninvited ever so often. Night after night.

Us old folk with bodies aging and tired, moving slower in time. Like an old piece of dried wood.

This body of mine has been good to me, and I am grateful for that. I should not complain.

Having a morning cup of hot coffee, sitting in my writing chair, looking at a large piece of dried pine, I will soon burn. And enjoying its warmth and the comfort it brings to me. I am truly blessed.

I sit, feeling the warmth of the morning Sun, and thinking, there are good things about getting old, it should be a time to enjoy the simple thing in life that we miss in our younger busy days. It is a time to cherish, to reflect upon, to embrace the simplicity and beauty of life in all things – in the beauty of Nature.

The aging of wood soon to be turned into ashes
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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

Last Evening Walk

Takota and Nanook in camp at South Beach State Park Campground, Oregon

Last Evenings Walk

March 28, 2018

My two canine companions, Takota, and Nanook and I were camping at South Beach State Park, Oregon, where we would take our morning and evening walks everyday. Last evening we were taking our nightly walk along the road that weaves through the campground. A guy stopped in his pickup truck next to us, rolled down his window, and asked, “What kind of dogs are they?” “Are they Malamute?” I responded to him, that they were Native American Indians Dogs. He said, “beautiful dogs,” and I replied, “thanks,” and we continued on our walk.

For some reason that I was not expecting, I heard a silent voice in my head telling me to turn around to see if I could determine what campsite he was staying at. Only a few campsites away from where we were, I noticed this guy was setting up camp and decided to see if he wanted to meet the dogs (I refer to them as the kids, or boys). This is something I rarely do, but felt different about this guy for some reason. So we turned around, and headed back towards his camp, and our camp. Stopping at his camp I asked if he would like to meet the dogs? The guy was overjoyed with the offer and I brought the dogs over to greet this stranger. The guy slowly, and calmly walked over to them, greeting them, then sat down on the ground next to them in respect, as a friend. Nanook felt comfortable with him immediately, and went right up to him, and began licking his face. Takota was being a bit shy, and unsure. Takota took the energy from Nanook that is guy is okay, and Takota began to relax around their new friend.

We talked for a little bit while he was enjoying the dogs company, and he told me he had lost his dog (a Malamute), and I could tell there was still a lot of hurt and pain in his voice of his loss of this very close friend. During this time Nanook was still licking his face. I asked him when his dog died assuming it was not too long ago. He told me 8 years ago. At this point his emotions he was experiencing began to surface, and he broke down in an uncontrollable flow of tears. Again, Nanook continued to give him loving kisses. Nanook stayed by him, comforting him. It was hard for me to hold back my emotions, thinking about the loss of my dog, Shiloh back in 2011.

He tried to tell me his story, but it was difficult for him in getting the words out. He was in the hospital for shoulder surgery and when he returned home, his dog was on the porch as he always was, waiting for his owner to return. But on this day, his best friend, and companion had died on the porch waiting for him. There was no happy greeting between these two best friends. He was totally consumed in tears. I could totally feel, and understand what he was going through, because I had been there when I lost Shiloh, and I began to feel tears coming down my cheeks uncontrollably.

After we finished talking, he shook my hand tightly, and seemingly not wanting to let go, thanked me for being graced with some time with Takota and Nanook. He told me his tears were happy tears being able to spend a little time with my boys. And Nanook continued his kisses on the man’s face. We never saw the boys new friend again.

My dogs get a lot of attention on our journey that we are on from other people, but this time they were able to help someone who still felt the painful loss of their best friend and companion. Especially with Nanook who smothered him with kisses. I think Nanook knew this man’s heart was still in deep sadness. Maybe his dog was with us, and maybe even Shiloh.

Just a few days earlier I was messaging a friend, and she had mentioned how many interesting people we must have been meeting in our travels. I told her, I was not interested in meeting people. I was only focused on being in Nature, being with the boys, and writing. Maybe my friend was right about people having many interesting stories I should open up to. This experience did open my mind, and to include people in the narrative of my story telling. Maybe the guiding spirits brought this person to us.

Although I still focus on Nature, the boys, and writing, I make a point in talking with many more people.

Our campsite at South Beach State Park Campground, Oregon
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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

Beauty

Beauty

When I have a thought or feeling that is awakened in my consciousness before my mind is fully awake, I seem to be embraced by it at times, thinking I would like to write about this or that. More thoughts, and feelings arise, flowing freely in my conscious universe. They then leave my mind as quickly as they come, with more thoughts, replacing the last thought space. Like they are being dictated to me, and then quickly disappears for more thoughts to come. And then they are gone. If only I had a net to capture them, and hold onto them in my memory.

I then may decide to write about it on my smart phone, a pad of paper, or my laptop. But first I have to take care of the morning rituals, like giving Takota, and Nanook some morning loving. relieving myself of unwanted fluids, and getting the coffee brewing. And hoping I can remember those thoughts that came earlier, on what I wanted to write about. Then I begin to write for a bit before I have to stop and take the boys for a walk. On our walk my mind begins working again on thoughts I may want to put into the writing. But these too will be forgotten if I don’t write them down (which I usually don’t do). Then after the walk, I meditate, fix breakfast, give medicine to Takota, and then finally get back to writing. And I hope these thoughts are still fresh in my mind with the deepest of feelings they deserve.

Once I start writing, I am not sure what is going to come out in my journal or on the pad of paper, Sometimes I have a starting point, and sometimes I must start from scratch, searching for a starting point. I search for those perfect words that strikes a chord with my inner feeling of what I want to write. Unfortunately many times I don’t seem to find them. And at times, it becomes more mechanical, rather than free flowing as it was when it first came to me.

If I write from my smart phone in bed immediately after receiving these thoughts, it tends to be more of a free flowing process most of the time. But trying to capture those original thoughts becomes very fleeting, like a flock of birds suddenly exploding into flight, and suddenly gone from sight.

You may be asking, what the heck does this have to do with beauty? It is just one of the processes I go through in writing.

The words beauty, or beautiful came to me this morning. I find these words to be the perfect description in the form of a single word, in describing the amazing, the awe inspiring – it is like the word love that can be expressed, and experienced in this single word. I use these words often in my writings. It looks good in the spelling, it sounds good, we feels good when we use them, and in it’s interpretations in how we see things. Although we all have different interpretations of what beauty is, yet we all understand it in our own ways.

God or the Creator must have come up with these words, love, and beauty. They seem to be fused with each other, with similar feelings, and sensations, and experiences. A joining together as One.

I use beauty, or beautiful in many descriptions, as in music, in paintings, photographs, and in real life experiences. And since I have spent a lot of time living in Nature – to me, everything in Nature, that I experience and feel, is beautiful, as with the feeling of deep love that arises to join the word beautiful. It can be as simple as observing a flower, a drop of dew on a leaf, or flower petal, a plant, a tree, or a sapling, a leaf, or a butterfly. In all the animals that inhabit our planet, or as grand as the mountains, the forests, the deserts, the plains, the grasslands, or the oceans, the rivers and streams, or the waterfalls, and rainbows. Or observing the miraculous beginnings of a new life, whether it be a plant, tree, or animal. Beauty is all around us in the natural world, if we are willing to go deep within, in quiet awareness. And then, Nature will open up to us to the beauty, and Truth few will ever experience.

We can feel this beauty, through our senses, in seeing, listening, touching, smelling, and tasting. Beauty is all around us. It is everywhere, and we can tap into this rich experience in every moment, by being present with our hearts, and minds.

We have been given this beautiful gift of the magnificent, and endless beauty on this tiny blue, green, brown, and white colored sphere we call our home, hurling alone in the darkness of space. Within this vast universe with the trillions of planets, and stars filling the blackness of the night sky, going deep into the ever expansive universe.

As far as we know, there is no other place like planet Earth.

What will happen when it disappears due to our lack of caring? Lack of appreciating, loving, and respecting? Of forgetting the beauty?

When I use the words, beautiful, or beauty, I see, and feel the sacredness in all of life, and how much our planet gives to us.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

On The Land

On The Land

For me, being on the land means being Home in Nature – away from the synthetic world of make believe. It is a place of belonging, a place we all connect to at some level, a place all the human race once began, and a few remaining, still choose to live in connection with Nature, to all life. It is their Home and a place where their ancestors remain, and the spirits reside.

I heard this phrase, “on the land” from an Australian Aboriginal man on a television program I was watching. And it stuck with me, because it described so much of what Nature is. It’s meaning does not mean one thing or one place, but many meanings and places.

My canine companions, Takota and Nanook (Native American Indian Dogs) and I have been on a journey in Nature since the end of October 30, 2017. Our travels began in Northern California, heading North to Oregon and Washington. We then took a detour right into Idaho. Our original destination was Alaska.

For our stay in the first three states, we camped in a tent in State Parks for the most part because they were the only camping areas open in the winter with the exception of KOA’s . When we reached Idaho, we continued our stay in some State Parks and some National Forest campgrounds while planning our summer months in the Wilderness and backcountry for the maximum stay allowed in each area. Then in the winter of 2018, we stayed in Kamiah, Idaho and set up camp at a persons property for the full winter and again, in a tent.

On The Land can envision many things to many people. It can conjure up feelings of beauty, peacefulness, or tranquility to those Nature lovers, a place for spiritual connection and revitalization with Nature, or a place for recreation for the outdoors minded. It can mean a place to grow food or viewed as a natural resource for progress and profit.

For indigenous cultures it means the sacred, a place of where they were created, a resting place of the ancestors.

The disrespect and destruction of the sacred lands and sacred sites of the Native peoples of the world that has been part of their cultures for thousands of years – a place of dance, song, ceremony and story telling, is constantly being threatened by those who have no connection to land.

An Australian aboriginal man who taught in the city of Melbourne left the city life to return to the land, to his family, to his ancestors.

This is what he said about his decision to leave the city and move back into the bush.

“This is home, this is reality. In the city they believe in the modern endings, in materialistic things, cars, houses, money. There is the land, back on the land, its not materialistic, its been there since the beginning of time. It will always provide for you. The towns and cities are make believe. That is why I come back, this is why I come back.”

This is how most traditional indigenous cultures see the land and the modern world. The difference is like night and day. Not long ago a man from Australia told me that the aborigines were stupid. No it is not the aborigines that are stupid, it is the modern world who believes it is okay to trash the land and show her disrespect.

Indigenous cultures are rapidly losing their cultures, their traditions, their way of life because of the greed of modern day man. And most do not care because we are so caught up in our destructive materialistic lives we can’t see the damage we are creating for all life. What is sad is that only indigenous people would understand what this aboriginal man is saying. For the modern day man, not so much, because he is living a life of make believe.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

Our Land

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Our Land

When I hear traditional Hawaiian music in the Hawaiian language, I feel a sense of home, I feel connected to the Hawaiian people, to the Hawaiian culture and to the islands. I can feel the warm tropical breezes, smell the beautiful scent of Hawaii, hear the ocean waves crashing and see the diverse ecosystems of the islands. There music reflects their gods, their ancestors, their culture, their people, the land and the ocean.

Once when I was in Hawai’i on the Big Island, I was with a girl friend and we walked across the floor of a volcanic crater. When I reached the center of the crater I heard a Hawaiian male singing the Pele’ chant on the distant rim of the volcano crater. A strange thing happened to me when I heard that voice, I felt it resonating in my being, in my soul and at that moment I felt like falling to my knees in reverence to the god, Pele’. This was the first time I had ever experienced a spiritual connection with another culture – seeing and feeling what Native Hawaii’s must have been like prior to the devastating invasion of whites to their lands. It was magical, beautiful and a wonderful spiritual experience for me. One I will never forget.

One song that I really felt a connection with was the song, “Hawai’i 78” and one of the people who brought the song into popularity was Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, known as IZ. He was a popular Hawaiian singer who’s music touched the Hawaiian people, performing songs that were about his people and his culture. The Native Hawaiian’s love IZ for what he represented – the true spirit of Hawai’i, the Aloha Hawai’i.

When I first heard this song and really listen to the words, I felt tears starting to fall from my cheeks. I experienced and felt this song and what its meaning was for the Hawaiian people. I have provided the lyrics to this song below:

Hawai’i 78

Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai’i Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai’i (The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness)

If just for a day our King and Queen, Would visit all these islands and saw everything How would they feel about the changes of our land

Could you just imagine if they were around And saw highways on their sacred grounds How would they feel about this modern city life

Tears would come from each others eyes As they would stop to realize That our people are in great great danger now

All the fighting that the king had done To conquer all these islands now there’s condominiums How would he feel if he saw Hawai’i nei

How, would they feel, would they smile, be content, or just cry

Cry for the gods, cry for the people Cry for the land that was taken all away And then bid goodbye Hawai’i

Could you just imagine if they came back And saw traffic lights and railroad tracks How would they feel about this modern city life

Tears would come from each others eyes As they would stop to realize That our land is in great great danger now

All the giving that she had done She gave all her love to everyone How would she feel if she saw Hawai’i nei

How would they feel, would they smile, be content, or just cry

Cry for the gods, cry for the people Cry for the land that was taken all away And then bid goodbye Hawai’i

Ua mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai’i Un mau, ke ea o ka aina, i ka pono, o Hawai’i

The only way I began understanding the many indigenous cultures was to try and feel what they felt, see what the saw, experienced what they experienced both good and bad.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

We Did Know This At One Time.

We have been conditioned in the modern world to believe in a very limited way. We have been taught that the human species is the supreme intelligence. Our minds have been closed off in this way of thought. In this human arrogance and conditioning, we have closed the door to the vast intelligence that is all around us – in every life form. In the plants, in the trees, among all the animals, in all the inanimate life forms we perceive has no intelligence at all. Do we truly know this? Do we truly know and understand the world and all it’s life forms we share our planet with? We maybe good at knowing these things on the surface, by being able to label them. But how many of us experience them deeply? We gloss over the deep beauty in all life. It becomes just a snap shot in our minds, and from that we think we know it, and understand it. But we don’t. By only going deep into our connection and relationship with all life can we begin to understand. The indigenous peoples of the world have known this for tens of thousands of years. We did know this once, but have forgotten. We have forgotten that we cannot live on an unhealthy planet. And that is what we have done to her. But there are so many who still do not understand this. We continue to take from her without giving back. Giving back to the very thing that gives life to all life. But many of us have been blinded in a false dream that we are not willing to wake up from. Because we are consumed with the false hope that having more stuff can make our lives fulfilling, and end all suffering. It won’t, and will only causes more suffering, not just to us, but for all life.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

A Morning In Nature

December 4, 2017

Winter is here. This morning I woke up to clear skies, 32 degrees F, frost on the ground, biting cold in the air and a chill in my bones and feet. And I love being in it, being in nature and experiencing these special moments with my dogs.

When it is this cold every source of warmth is welcome. A warm fire, warm clothing, the warmth from the Coleman stove, hot coffee and the warmth of the sun once it rises above the foothills.

This is just part of what most people miss being in nature and that is truly experiencing nature and adapting.

While I am writing this it is indicating 70 deg. F in the tent. I am outside writing this with hands freezing cold and the wind chill way below 70 deg. But this is why I am here – to experience nature.

I thought I would check the outside temp and it was 56 deg. With a wind chill factor probably in the low 40’s

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

Why is the human race…

Why is the human race that has been given so much, in things, in stuff, and in wealth, allowing hunger, deep suffering, loss of any hope, and death, to so many people in our world.

Peoples who have been stripped away of their own cultures, traditions, and spiritual beliefs, of their sacred lands, because it is not what we believe, or choose not to understand?

It is like not truly understanding those things that gives life to all life – like the air, the water, the earth, and fire – to all life. We choose to disrespect these things, because we choose not to fully understand them on a much deeper level, and understanding.

Why is it that we allow those consumed with Greed, power, and selfishness over others, over the health of our planet be continued?

Could it be possible that we dream of these same traits of inhumanity?

We have lost the very essence of who we truly are – the essence of pure unconditional love for all life.

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Miscellaneous Writings, and Thoughts of The Day

All Life Is A Gift, And A Miracle

In all that we experiences with our five senses:

Touch, Sight, Hearing, Smell, and Taste. This includes the sense of space, and the breath of life.

All life is a gift, it is a miracle in all of creation. Everything in Nature are miracles that fills our sense with wonder, if we just be still and experience the beauty of creation. I was watching the creation of human life from fertilization to birth. This was truly a magical, and miraculous experience.
All life, all life, in the beginning unfolds into a miracle of life. We can see this in a blade of grass, in a flower, in an insect, or animal. We can see in the the mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans. We can experience it in the clouds floating by, or in a rain drop, or snow flake, or in the moon, sun, or in the billions, trillions of glistening stars that give us awe, and wonder.

Just be silent, and look, listen, and experience the miraculous in all life forms. Then say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

All life is Sacred.

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