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22 Apr 00 - 01:35 AM (#215960) Subject: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: katlaughing I was caught unawares, letting out a loud sigh of awe. Driving south towards home, towards the mountain. All morning we'd had wicked wind and wet, wet snow, but by now the only clouds left were snuggled against the mountain to the south, the sun was out, and it was warm enough to have my windows down. I was so struck by the sight before me, I pulled over; even told the dog to look, as there were no other humans in the car with meto share it with. There before me was my beloved Casper Mountain, so covered with blue spruce and lodgepole pine, it always appears to be a semi-dark, deep blue-slate with slashes of white here and there of aspen groves. Huge, billowing, white clouds lifted in front of it and on top. But, what caught my eye was the ghost mountain above and behind it. Gray and massive, doubly high, it rose majestically over all of the clouds and Casper Mountain. The other clouds which crowned our mountain, nestled at its feet. It stretched the entire length of our gentle, round top mountain, no sharp or snowy peaks; these mountains are old. As I watched, my heart full of amazement at nature, I had no trouble believing I was seeing an actual *new* mountain before me. I wanted to drive up there and travel for ever and ever round the next bend, as my mother always made my dad do when sightseeing in the Rockies of Colorado. I felt this, even knowing, in my logical mind, that the ghost mountain was really just a cloud mountain. For a short time, it had substance, it rose in majestic splendour, it offered realms beyond our world, promises or memories of or from another time and place. As I drove closer and closer, the lower clouds slowly wended their way to the next county, lifted off its feet, revealed it for the tattered wraithlike imposter it was and then, it was gone, scattered into a thousand bits and more, at the mercy of the currents of air, yet still there, within my heart, my Ghost Mountain. |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:48 AM (#215963) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: wysiwyg Driving to South Carolina from N Central PA in recent weeks, the first leg took tired travelers through the broad, flat Susquehanna River Valley. A dream sunset lasted for hours in rain-purified early-spring greening... every kind of cloud that can be, was, and the colors were none I can name... all floating up against each other in harmonies riotous to peaceful and every in between. For one magical chunk of our lifetimes, about 45 minutes, each little bend we rounded brought a new secion of valley with a rainbow pouring right down to earth. In many cases these were at eye level as terrain changed. I counted at least 9 individual rainbows, some looking as though they began at ground and poured up. That night continued numinous and palpable, with ever-more-powerful hymns and praise music pumping through the radio as we headed into new markets with genres new to us. (We all sang wordlessly for one dark stretch of highway in such a glory that on the return trip I swear i could almost hear our voices still ringing. Guess they were, in our hearts.) Some of you special 'Cat friends of mine were prayed over in that evening in a most marvelous way that has no words but only love aimed heavenward for amplification and forwarding to your hearts. I would welcome a longer list for inclusion the next time such Power makes itself so richly available. The next morning, rested, we drove through Fancy Gap and marked it for a stop on the return trip. Fancy Gap tiurned out to be fancy indeed, with people, food, music, wind, views, and precious little else. I am still learning the tunes on the local artists' tapes I picked up from the restaurant corner-- all future Mudcatters I hope! The whole trip was washed through and through in this power. Some things, you never forget. ~S~ |
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22 Apr 00 - 08:45 AM (#216011) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: Little Neophyte Sometimes kat, I find 'ghost mountain' moments within people. I'll be with a person I know quite well when all of a sudden it seems out of no where they offer up a new picture. Just like you said.... I see this majestic splendor showing me realms beyond our usual communication. I feel a sense of memories from another time & place. It is a powerful moment when you find this in another person. But like your ghost mountain, 'now you see it, now you don't. Little Neo |
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22 Apr 00 - 09:09 AM (#216018) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: Peter T. Beautiful pictures for a Saturday morning: thanks kat and praise. I sure do miss Wyoming, and I have never been there. Here we have had a week of rain, thank the Lord Buddha in the 10 directions, and all the trees and grass have finally decided that today is the day. It is still wet and grey everywhere, but everything is humming along. One of the great spring mornings. yours, Peter T. |
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22 Apr 00 - 12:31 PM (#216089) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: katlaughing Speaking only of my posting, you are kind and generous, Peter. I consider my own to be but a poor attempt at measuring up to the "beautiful pictures" of your own nature journal TFTD threads. I MISS THEM! Ten directions?*BG* Well...if it'll get you to posting them again, why not? do love the Lord Buddha, as you know. LilNeo, very wise and insightful, as always, darlin. And, Sister Praise, very beautiful. Thank you. kat |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:24 PM (#216106) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: Peter T. Seriously well written, kat, as ever. My fading file catalogue recollects some kind of beautiful ancient cloud mountain Buddhist poem by Wang Wei or someone somewhere -- I will dig it up, if I can find it. I have had no chance to do anything outdoors in weeks, so my little pieces have all dried up (not to mention me). I only seem to be able to work in Tavernspace!! It was getting to be a chore and no fun anyway. I will go back to it when things have quieted down, and I am down off the Marks Mountain (grazing B minuses as far as the eye can see....) yours, Peter T. |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:32 PM (#216109) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: katlaughing Oh those B minuses, too bad they aren't just B minors, eh? Well, I'll email you some of my beautiful pix of the 3D mtn. in the next day or two, Peter, and you can drool, mayhap refresh, tho vicariously, and thank you, I take your opinion of my writing very seriously. BTW, YOUR work in the Tavern has been BRILL! Sandy Paton would love it...you know they sue the Green Man as their logo. Wonder if he's wandered in, hmmm.... katathinkin' |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:33 PM (#216110) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: katlaughing Sure thing, kat, bet they make a bundle on that suit! Proffreed! |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:44 PM (#216112) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: Little Neophyte Well I think kat gets a whole bunch of gold stars on her Thought for the Day. It was truly a beautiful piece of writing. And praise to Praise too. I do miss the mountains though. Not Peter's mark mountain, I have seen enough of those but I sure do fancy strolling along the Teton ridges and places like that. Lately the only mountain I see is the pile of laundry that keeps growing. Little Neo |
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22 Apr 00 - 01:47 PM (#216114) Subject: RE: Thought for the day - April 22, 2000 From: katlaughing You get pix, too, LilNeo! |