Artist Tawny Chatmon is phenomenal!! I was introduced to her work today, and I just have to share it with you. My blog is about how we can increase our love for one another. Well, one way is to love and appreciate the shared talents of others.
The girls are soooo beautiful! I wish I could have copied the art work in its entirety… but you get the idea. Be sure and check out the blue link above because it’s the rest of the photo (the dresses) the show you the artist’s embellishments. So gorgeous!
Aren’t they beautiful??
I hope you enjoyed these lovely young ladies as much as I did. If you haven’t done so already, go to the link at the top and see the full photos. I could only show you the top of each!
Have a good day.
I have surgery on my hernia at 12:45 pm Mountain Time today. <3 Prayers appreciated! <3
Today I am having a hernia removed. The doctor will use a robot to do the work. The wonders of today’s science in medicine never cease to amaze me.
I would probably freak out if I could see what the robot is doing. But I am grateful there is this in-and-out procedure available.
While I am out of commission for my blog, today, let me share with you a You.Tube that was sent to me by a friend. Lee said, “Everyone should see this.” I agree!
Take about a few minutes and do yourself a favor. Click on this video and enjoy – be amazed – be in awe… and take a minute to pray for my safe and “easy” surgery and speedy recovery, too, will you?
Oh, and before you go, take a minute to pray for my older sister, Sally, too, will you? She is in PA in a nursing home. She has Alzheimers.
No one deserves to be in her shoes with this pandemic preventing all visitors. I am so saddened by her situation, but grateful for all those who care for her.
Yup, I am the little sister… Definitely not well behaved!! Thanks for stopping by JanBeek
A couple of months ago we took a little stroll through my home state, Montana, via the lenses of several very talented photographers.
Then the next day I invited you to Switzerland where our daughter, DeAna, lives with her husband and family. It’s our go-to place when we have saved up enough to travel… and are free to do so. Three of our grandchildren are there. Of course, it’s a wonderful place to “have to” go!!
Today in my “Antelope and Attitude” post I told you I dream of traveling in 2021 back to Switzerland. For my new followers, I dug out this old post and decided to update it and let you see why I love Switzerland so much.
We sat on a patio with this view eating raclette with our daughter last time we visited her in Sierre, Switzerland, spring of 2018.
We visited that quaint village and attended the wedding of a Swiss friend.
Here are our three Swiss grandsons, Mike, Nick & Chris. That was several years ago when we visited at Christmas time. They’ve changed considerably since then!
Here’s their mom, our daughter. DeDe. Such a sweetheart! She never changes.
Her sons, on the other hand, do! But, okay, let’s look at some of their Swiss scenery. That’s why you came, right?
The lakes are sites to behold!
Castles are plentiful!
Riding in the car with my son-in-law driving on these switchbacks is an experience to remember!!
Flowers in springtime are everywhere!
Towns often were built almost to resemble fortresses.
Grape vineyards border towns and cities where the ground is fertile.
How they built castles on such high, rocky mountain peaks is beyond me!
Every square inch of the sunny mountainsides of Switzerland is terraced and planted with grapes. (This is Lake Geneva). It is near Valais, the canton where De & Andre’ live).
The lakes in Switzerland are numerous, clear, clean and so picturesque!
Castles in Switzerland are plentiful and always points of great travel interest.
In every town and village, the church steeple is always the highest point!
The way they tuck houses into crevices is amazing!!
Trains are a wonderful way to see Switzerland.
You can set your clocks by the trains and their arrival/departures.
The train system is amazing in Switzerland. Andre’s uncle was an engineer who helped design some of these bridges!
Mmmm… Cheese Fondue! Delicious melted cheese with potatoes, pickles and onions is “the best” delicacy of Valais! (Of course that’s in my biased opinion). Raclette is my favorite Swiss cheese.
I love the Swiss cows. We have one of the queen cowbells hanging in our kitchen here in Montana!! I’ll show you that another time.
We usually visit in springtime or in winter (Bob loves to ski), but autumn is a gorgeous time in Switzerland, too.
The Matterhorn is one of Switzerland’s most famous landmarks.
This year De & Andre’ were working at a mountaintop restaurant at a ski resort where the only access was by chairlift. Can you imagine the views??
I love the springtime the most. Flowers are everywhere and the mountains are green and alive.
Oh, here are some more of those gorgeous Swiss cows!
Switzerland is beautiful in every season!
Thank you for visiting a few scenes with me. Thank you to #IloveSwitzerland for most of the images. Some are mine, though. Isn’t it an amazing country?
This is my oldest grandson, Mike with his significant other, Tania. We can hardly wait til the next time we get to go and visit with them. Kids grow up so fast, don’t they?
Doesn’t matter what season it is, we know our “DollyWolly” will be there to greet us!!
Thanks for visiting with me for a while. Hopefully someday we will go back… and I hope you can visit Switzerland for real yourself someday, too.
… but they need to stay out there! No, Annie, don’t come down our driveway!
Yesterday we had a beautiful bed of red petunias in our wheelbarrow…
This morning the blossoms were gone! See that chewed off stem there? Darn those antelope! My attitude toward them today is not very loving.
Fortunately, they left the geraniums alone.
And they don’t seem interested in the columbine…
…or these sweet yellow ones ( I think they’re lilies).
So, while I may be dismayed over the loss of our petunia blossoms, I still have reason to be happy, right?
I found a new book yesterday. It’s a type of journal. I’m going to have fun with it:
I don’t have much to stress over, besides stray, hungry antelope, but life always throws us curves, right? It’s always a challenge to stay calm when trouble strikes, and achieving balance is a constant pursuit for me.
So the topics in this little book caught my eye… especially the “Stay Positive” and “Dream.”
Set your plans for the year ahead, And then make them happen.
Yes! One way to be happy and find joy in life is to dream. Live in the NOW, but never stop dreaming about a better tomorrow.
I signed up for Bob Goff’s “Dream Big” Workshop. Do you have big dreams? You’re never too old to dream big, you know. At age 80 and 81, Bob & I find that our dreams keep life moving forward!
I am dreaming of a trip in the spring of 2021 to Switzerland to visit our daughter and her family.
I took this picture on one of our previous trips, high in the Alps at a restaurant overlooking their valley.
I dream of the day when it will be safe to travel, to freely socialize, and to gather with friends again to enjoy our pastimes.
Enhance your life with a pastime that lifts your soul.
What pastime lifts your soul? I love writing (can’t you tell?) and your responses to my daily posts lift my soul.
I also love music 🎶 – both listening to it – as well as playing my accordion and playing in the bell choir.
I enjoy playing for friends at our Madison Valley Nursing Home, however with this pandemic, they are off-limits now. But they are safe… no cases of COVID-19 there. Keep looking at the bright side. Thank God for their health and ours!
We can’t gather as a group to practice our bells right now. But, think positively! This pandemic can’t last forever! I pray daily for a vaccine or an effective treatment.
Think Can’s – Not Can’ts
Don’t dwell on the “can’ts”… Concentrate on the “cans!”
I CAN enjoy this beautiful day and go for a walk with TazE in Lion’s Club Park along the gorgeous Madison River.
I CAN meet new friends, chat with this adorable little girl, get acquainted with her mom, and keep social distance at the same time.
I’m not standing as close as the picture looks! I edited it so you’d get a good look at that little cutie.
Lion’s Club Park has this great little lake where kids can fish and keep ’em. Our Madison River is a “Catch and Release” only. Today the fish were jumping. I CAN enjoy this beautiful day!!
I CAN visit with my family in Switzerland via social media. Thank God for the internet! We got to share Andre’s birthday with him via the computer. Doesn’t his smile make you smile?
Andre’ Solioz, my son-in-law
Happy Birthday, Andre’
Heck, when Bob and I were dating back in the 50’s, and he was stationed in Germany, it took two weeks to get a letter to him… and another two weeks to get a response. No such thing as computers – and phone calls were too expensive!
Think of how blessed we are today! Instant communication!
Back home, the lawn is mowed. The grass is going to green up again because the automatic sprinklers will water it and the sun is shining to encourage it. Thank you, Bob, for your work on the mower yesterday. (Don’t you love his creative designs?)
This is livin’
Today Bob is out fishin’ … Summertime, and the livin’ is easy! Fish are bitin’ and the …
How does that song go? Let me leave you singing it.
If you’re happy and you know it, How do you show it?
In this joyful video, Children from around the world Teach us how to let others know it…
I dare you to play this video and NOT SMILE!! Come on, sing along – and JUST DO IT!!
A-Z What Makes You Happy
Years ago I did an A-Z series on what makes me happy. It started when I was stuck at a railroad track with a stalled train blocking my way to a luncheon engagement. I already was late, and now I was grumbling. Of course, my mood and grumbles didn’t move the train. I decided to change my mood and start thinking happy thoughts instead of growling at the Lord.
Those minutes sitting at the train tracks turned into a 26 day blogging series that included a letter a day: A = ______, B = ______, C = _______ …. you get the idea.
Today I found a new friend… I reposted her blog from today on WordPress and then started to peruse her site. What a delight!
Her by-line says her mission is: “Seeking faith and wisdom in God’s word, a supportive website for the Christian journey.” In her “About” section, I found her picture. I love being able to visualize my fellow bloggers, don’t you?
There is such kindness in her eyes!
Get to Know Blogging Friends
I am having fun getting better acquainted with this delightful mother of a 23-year-old daughter and grandmother of a darling little boy and adorable twin girls. She (I have yet to discover her name) reminds me very much of my across the street neighbor, Penny. So for now that’s what I will call her.
P.S. I just received a response from “Penny.” Her name is Lesley!
Today if I did the A-Z exercise in what makes me happy, I’d have to substitute A = apples (or whatever I said way back then) to A = Abide in God.
What would you put for your A = ______ ?
Pursue Connections
Lesley has a few sub-blogs. If you click on “Abide in God” up there, you will see her other sub-titles. One of them is “Today I am Thankful for…” But when I click there, it says its content is password protected. Lesley – if you are reading this, I want to join that part of your journey. How do I get in? I am knocking at the door!
Hello, Lesley – Let me in… I like your link to supportive websites and the reference to James 1:5
With supportive friends like you out there, and the Bible as our guide, this Christian walk can be more do-able! It makes me happy to know that I have you as a soul sister whose purpose matches mine. Together, we can:
Today what makes me happy includes: F = Finding your blog and Following it.
Another blog I follow that makes me happy every day is: D = Derrick’s garden! derrickjknight – If you don’t know Derrick and Jackie, do yourself a favor and go meet them today!
I come to their garden alone … not really alone, for Jackie & Nugget are there… and Derrick is behind the camera, and the dew is not still on the roses:
Jackie, Derrick’s dear wife (master gardener) is busy at work. Her smile makes me happy. J = Jackie’s smile! (Thanks, Derrick, for your beautiful photography.)
Thank you, Jackie, for sharing your wonderful gardening results with us. I can’t grow roses here in Montana. The antelope eat the buds and chew off the leaves! So I am deeeelighted that you share yours.
Be Happy With What You Have
Show others your joy! A part of being happy Is looking around.
Appreciate life And be thankful for your friends; Share in their blessings.
Don’t focus on lack. But look at what you have got, And thank our Father.
Have a Wonderful Week! Thank you for visiting JanBeek today. I hope it made you happy.
If you lived in Montana – west across the valley from the Madison Range – with two mountain ranges north and south of you filled with trails for All Terrain Vehicles, and you had an ATV, how would you spend Father’s Day?
Yup, you guessed it! We went on “Lucille” (our red-headed ATV who is a BALL) up into the Tobacco Root Range to the top of the world this afternoon.
Come and take a ride with us… way up to the snow area where snow drifts caused us to have to turn around and head back down. We’ll start up there and head down
Below that snowy area, there is a gorgeous lookout where we can view the valley below. I took a few photos from that lookout to share with you.
Looking east to the Madison Valley and the Madison Range. See our Boston, TazE, by the road there?Looking west from the LookoutThe fields were covered with beautiful little flowers.On our way up to tha lookout, we stopped at Sureshot Lake.TazE appreciated the break after the bumpy ride down. You can see the lake below to the right of the window.
We saw twice as many campers in the camping areas this trip compared to any other year, and we’ve been traveling this route for nearly ten years. During this COVID-19 pandemic, word has gotten out. Montana is a great Big Sky place… with lots of fresh air, space, and unbelievable beauty.
And this “crowd” of campers is nothing compared to what you’d experience in California or Florida or other vacation destinations!
Time to head toward home…. there’s our Madison Valley down there.These are called “Jack Fences.” They don’t have to be buried, so they survive the snow and freezing temperatures longer than posts that need to be pounded in.Tucked back into these mountains are some really beautiful horse farms.TazE knows when we get close to home. She gets up and goes on high alert!We’re happy you joined us for our Father’s Day adventure.Back to the pickup near this lily pond in McAllister. Time to put “Lucille” on the trailer and go home for a barbecue.
Here’s lookin’ at you! Happy Father’s Day, my friends.
Til next time – Happy Trails to You! See ya tomorrow. Love, JanBeek
Well, my WP friends, I told you I’d post pictures this afternoon of our river float, right?
Nope, that’s not my photo. I found it on the internet. It’s where I’d like to have been – with that blue sky dotted with clouds, but alas…
Bob’s out weeding – no blue in our sky!
Take a look at that gray sky. Does it look like an inviting time to go out on the river? Temperature’s not bad, though – even though rain is threatening. Look, Bob’s weeding the garden in his shorts!
Come sit on the porch with me; we can watch him work!
Look at that sky – Threatening!
That’s the direction of the river… and if this were a video, you’d see the trees and bushes blowing in the wind. It isn’t a pretty time to be out rowing!
So, let’s have some fun at home instead. Set those best laid plans aside. Make lemonade with those lemons!
That wind and those clouds were sent by God. I wrote a Haiku this morning about the way the wind blows the clouds away. Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day.
Meantime, let’s just find some ways to smile and enjoy some laughter inside on this Saturday afternoon.
I needed a therapy dog because my husband has a habit of walking around without clothes on. Well, we ARE separated from other houses by a few acres, right. But still…
Hah! No, I’m just kidding… he never walks around OUTSIDE naked!
With all this refrigerator time, I should start using my recumbent bike more often… develop some sort of exercise routine and keep my TOPS weight under control, right? But…
Did that one make you chuckle?
I was looking for something to distract me this afternoon from the coverage of Donald Trump’s rally where all those people are crowded into an arena and only about one in ten are wearing masks. So I logged on to Derrick’s garden.
Do you follow Derrick’s delightful posts at derrickjknight ? Today his post was “Night and Day” – and his roses were captivating. Check him out! He and Jackie have a flower garden second to none. And Derrick’s photography is magical.
Here is a rose for you from their garden:
Have a Happy Father’s Day, my friends.
If you don’t get to go where you wanted to go (for whatever reason), make the most of it where you are.
And don’t worry about being too sexy… God loves you just the way you are, and so do I!
What did you do today? And which of my offerings make you laugh out loud? Share!
Do not let the wind
Disturb your tranquility
The wind moves the clouds
The clouds paint pictures
The clouds bring much needed rain
Wind whips them away
Let the wind help you
Blow away any distress
And just be at peace
Smile, my friends!
I gotcha covered in prayer.
Have a peace-filled day.
When this post was first written,
Bob & I were headed out
in the boat
to float the Madison River.
Since then, we have sold the boat.
A lot has changed in our lives.
I took this photo on my walk earlier the day
this post was first written.
I promised that I would take photos on the river float
and post them here for my WordPress friends.
I don’t think I did that! But, I can remedy that now…
Here are a few gorgeous shots of the Madison River
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by.
See ya tomorrow.
Hugs,
JanBeek
After I posted a few sunsets tonight, my friend, Fran, sent me this photo of her sunset! She lives on the Madison River half way between me and Yellowstone National Park.
Take a look at this!! How would you like to have THAT view out your back door tonight?
I was nominated to participate in this fun blog post. I was nominated by https://charlotteannrobinson.com/ Check out her blog. It is fun, inspiring, upbeat, and always worth the read.
When she answered the question, “What are your ten favorite feelings?” she added graphics to each answer. She made it fun to learn these things about her. You will enjoy seeing them.
Rules:
Simply list 10 of your favorite feelings and then pass on the nomination to one or more of your favorite bloggers!
JanBeek’s 10 favorite feelings:
peacefulness
loving and being loved
compassion
empathy
faithfulness
gratitude
generosity
joyfulness
self-confidence
interdependence
I find peacefulness in Derrick’s garden. He shares wonderful pictures of the work he and Jackie do almost every day there. Their relationship demonstrates the reality and importance of interdependence. We all need one another!!
I love looking for Nugget, their feathered friend. When Derrick’s not in the garden, he shows us his travels through the countryside in his area of Great Britain. I nominate him for best daily inspirational post… derrickjknight
Thanks for stopping by.
See ya tomorrow.
Hugs,
