Holiday Greetings

From our winter wonderland

we send greetings and a stanza from Ann Weems' poem

titled "Star-Giving" 

What I'd really like to give you for Christmas

Is a star...

Brilliance in a package, 

Something you could keep in the pocket of your jeans

Or in the pocket of your being,

Something to take out in times of darkness,

Something that would never snuff out or tarnish,

Something you could hold in your hand,

Something for wonderment,

Something for pondering,

Something that would remind you of

What Christmas has always meant;

God's Advent Light into the Darkness of this world.

-- Ann Weems

Sun versus Shade

A day trip took us to Sisikon,

a small village nestled in Alpine shade.

Chilled to the bone, we took a photograph, 

boarded a northbound train

and disembarked at Schwyz, Switzerland.

Here we found sunshine, trails, and

green pastures.

Our two-hour uphill hike rewarded us with

this vista, a view that reminded us of

the Columbia River Gorge, specifically Angels' Rest.

Among our sightings was this tool. From it we learned:

when the handle of a shovel breaks, 

find a tree limb, attach, and resume work.

Now that's recycling.

Next time: Baden: a castle, a fort, and the bridge in-between