Monthly Archives: September 2025

What a Glorious Day!

Posted on by
1

What a glorious day!

When I woke up this morning, I checked my impulse to reach for my phone to do wordle games. I knew that once I got on my phone I’d get sucked into the vortex. I determined to just give myself some time to commune with the Cosmos this morning, to commune with Love.

So I loaded myself and my camera into the car, put in a CD of inspirational music, and headed up to Bellingham. My first thought was that I’d go to the boardwalk for a walk, but then it occurred to me that maybe I should pay a visit to Lake Padden first, to see how the autumn colors were evolving up there.

The autumn colors aren’t in full bloom at Lake Padden, yet – but the gold is starting to emerge, and the vine maples are showing some copper and red.

I walked down to the lake to take some pictures of reflections, and this is when I saw a little youngster having fun throwing rocks into the lake. I loved his rock-throwing technique – he’d wind his arm up – bringing it around and around – before throwing. I felt such joy, watching him. He reminded me of the joy I see in my granddaughter.

When I got to chatting with his mom, I learned she is a photographer, and we talked about photography for a while. She said she, too, had been planning to go to Bellingham, but changed her mind en route – thinking, like me, that she might see autumn colors at Lake Padden. It was cosmic that we connected today!

After my visit to Lake Padden, I continued on my drive to Fairhaven – planning to take advantage of the free parking before 11:00.

I saw some of my usual favorite things on my walk today – boat reflections on the bay; my friend, Mary; Baker Pup, who came up and greeted me, and let me give him a scratch behind the ears (I told Baker’s human that Baker is like the boardwalk’s service dog for the humans who walk there); and the heron in the tree by the boardwalk.

After my walk, I stopped at the Colophon Cafe for some brunch, and was happy to see Taryn would be my server today. Taryn is one of my favorite people – she’s funny and smart and kind and thoughtful. And I learned today that she’s also a photographer!

This kind of funny thing happened when I came to the Colophon. I didn’t expect the restaurant to be open because I thought it was closed on Wednesdays. So when I told Taryn I was surprised to find them open because I didn’t think it would be open on Wednesdays, she told me it was Tuesday.

Wait. What. Today was Tuesday?! But. I googled “What day is today?” and my phone told me it was Tuesday. But. I went out to lunch with my daughter-in-law yesterday and we do that every Tuesday. And I went hiking with Scotty the day before that – and we always hike on Mondays. So. Was I having two Tuesdays in a row? Was I in some kind of weird time warp? Or something? I googled again, and this time my phone told me it WAS Wednesday. Whew. Maybe because I hadn’t gotten on my phone since yesterday, it had given me the wrong day when I first googled.

Anyway. The next time Taryn came around, I told her that it IS Wednesday. She started laughing then, and told me that when she’d said it was Tuesday, she meant that Tuesdays are the days the Colophon is closed now.

Ohhhhh….

I had such a fun day today! I felt Love with me all day – expressed in the kindness and smiles and joy all around me.

The Squalicum Pigeon Rescue

Posted on by
Reply

When I left for Bellingham this morning, my intent was to take a walk on the boardwalk. But when I got up there I felt impelled, instead, to head for the Squalicum Pier. I parked in that little parking lot above the pier, and took the trail down. As I came to the pier, I noticed something flapping rhythmically in the water. Was I looking at a seal head? Or…? I snapped some pictures with my camera – and clicked on my camera’s magnifier to make the picture bigger in my viewfinder. I realized I was looking at a bird – and not the kind that normally hangs out in the water – I was looking at a bird that was using its wings to try to swim to shore. Just as I was getting out my cellphone to record a video, I saw a dog on the beach focus in on the bird and start to wade into the water towards it. “Uh oh.”

I heard the pup’s human ask her fur baby, “Did you see a fish?”

I called down, “I think it’s a bird.”

“A bird?”

“Yeah.”

Then I saw the pup’s human wade out into the water and attach the pup to a leash to bring it back to the beach. I called down, “Is the bird alright?” And I think she said yes, but I was having a hard time hearing her, so I told her I’d come down to the beach.

When I got down there, Elizabeth and I introduced ourselves to each other, and Elizabeth introduced me to her furry companion, Phoebe. (Look at that face!) Elizabeth told me the bird was a pigeon – and it looked like a young one – it still had a few little baby feathers coming out of its head. She said if I could hold Phoebe on her leash away from the water, she’d wade back in and retrieve the pigeon.

Elizabeth is a hero!

She waded in and brought the little pigeon back to the beach, tucked under her arm to keep it warm. As the pigeon warmed up, Elizabeth and I chatted, and laughed at the antics of Phoebe, who was having fun shaking Elizabeth’s hoody and investigating all the cool smells that can be found on a beach.

By the time we parted, the pigeon was looking much better (Elizabeth later texted me to tell me it looked like it was going to be just fine), and I’d made two new friends – one human and one canine.

I’m so glad I listened to the voice that told me to go Squalicum Pier today.

We Are Rays of the Same Sun

Posted on by
Reply

We are words in the same poem.
We are notes in the same song.
We are cells of the same body.
We are rays of the same sun.
We are brushstrokes in the same painting.
We’re all a part of the One.

-Karen Molenaar Terrell

Rainbow Over the Skagit Flats

Gifts from the Cosmos

Posted on by
Reply

I had a most cosmic day, my friends!

I didn’t sleep well last night – woke up at 3:00 feeling disturbed and distressed about the state of the world. Came downstairs to play wordle games – sometimes word puzzles are soothing for me. And, as I was toodling around on my laptop, I clicked on my email and found an unexpected message waiting for me there from a dear friend. The message was full of support and kindness – the words were just what I needed. I recognized this was Love speaking to me.

Eventually I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. When I woke up I felt impelled to go up to Bellingham for a walk. Before I left, I almost messaged my friend, Rebecca, asking her if she’d be able to meet me at the coffee shop in Boulevard Park – I haven’t seen Rebecca for a while and missed her – but I know how busy she is, and felt hesitant to ask for her time. So, without messaging her, I got in my car and headed up to Bellingham, via I-5.

I-5 was really busy, though, and I soon left the freeway to take the backroads up there. On my way up, I actually passed Rebecca’s home and the thought occurred to me that I could just stop by and see if she was available. But, again, I was hesitant to impose on her time, so I kept going.

When I got to Boulevard Park, I found a rock with “JOY” painted on it, nestled on a big piece of driftwood. It was the exactly right thought I needed right then. Cosmic!

I went into Wood’s at Boulevard Park and ordered myself a mocha. As I was ordering my drink, I glanced over and saw a couple waiting for their coffees – and the way they were standing they looked like they were dancers holding ballet positions. The man looked to be in ballet position 2, and the woman to be in ballet position 4 – and they looked so beautiful standing there that I, of course, had to say something. “You look like dancers posing,” I said. “You’re beautiful!” And they both started grinning and laughing. The man said he was just trying to stretch his legs after his drive from Bellevue. He asked me if I was a local, and I said I was from Bow, twenty minutes to the south. I learned they were from Boston, but the man was in Bellevue on business for a couple weeks, and had brought his wife, Sofi, with him. They were lovely. When they got their drinks, they turned and smiled and wished me a good day, and I wished them the same.

When I got my mocha I stepped out of the coffee shop and saw before me little Bear, Rebecca’s pup, standing in front of me! And there was Rebecca!!! Cosmic!!!

We sat down at a picnic table in the park and talked and laughed and talked and cried and laughed some more, and chatted with the people who walked by on the sidewalk. And in this manner we met:

– Sue (in the jaunty turquoise hat), who comes down from Vancouver every month with her husband to eat at Magdalena’s Creperie in Fairhaven. (Today she’d had a Belgian chocolate/banana/caramel-filled crepe topped with whipped cream – she showed us a picture on her cellphone. Yum! )

– Everett, from Michigan, who asked Rebecca and I if we’d like him to take our photo for us. I handed him my phone the wrong way and it took us a while to figure out that he was having problems taking our picture because the camera was pointed at him, rather than us. 😃 That gave us all a good laugh. And then, once our photo was taken, I, of course, had to take HIS photo.

– Mikey and Grant, whom I’d noticed when I’d driven through Fairhaven earlier. I’d seen them pointing up the hill and giving directions to a couple on the sidewalk. I saw these two men again in Boulevard Park. I told them I’d witnessed them giving directions in Fairhaven, and they nodded and smiled. They introduced themselves as Mikey and Grant, and Mikey said he’d always wanted to be a person who could give directions to someone else, and today it had finally happened that he knew how to get to the place someone wanted to go!

– Steven, who went weaving by us on his skateboard like a pro. He stopped to chat with us, and even went back and did some more weaving for me so’s I could get a photo and a video.

After we’d finished our drinks, we headed down the boardwalk for some exercise. This is when we met two sweet new pup-friends – who, for reasons of privacy, I shall refer to as Pup 1 and Pup 2. Little Bear really enjoyed meeting new pup friends, too.

When we got to the top of the Taylor Dock ramp, we decided to go back to Boulevard Park by way of the path that meets up with the Boulevard Park road. And there were more people to meet! We waved to the Jehovah’s Witnesses at the top of the ramp – we’re all old friends now; said hi to a young man as we passed him reading a book in his van-home; and hugged and said goodbye when we reached the park.

I discovered today that Rebecca is the perfect person to meet new people with – she gets it! She understands those connections that keep our world turning.

And how cosmic to run into her today! What a gift from the Cosmos!

A Perfect Day

Posted on by
Reply

Scott and I took this week’s Monday Hike on the South Baker Lake Trail to Anderson Point. Anderson Creek was low enough today that we were able to cross over without any problems. This is the first time we’ve made it to the other side since the bridge washed out.

We met some way cool hikers from Ohio and Pennsylvania down at Anderson Point: Tom, Steve, Mark, and another Mark.

After our hike to Baker Lake, Scott took me out for a birthday dinner at the Chuckanut Manor. My former student, Drew, was working there tonight and seeing him always brings me such joy. He’s one of those people who just shines out good will and kindness and enthusiasm for life.

Drew apparently let out server know who we were, because when Melissa came up to our table she knew our names. She saw I was wearing my amber necklace and asked me about it. It turns out she is a rock-lover, too!

Melissa asked us if we’d like drinks. I asked her what kinds of mocktails she had. Did she have anything with lavender maybe? Melissa, as it happens, has been a bartender for years, and is great at creating new drinks – so, for me, she created a carbonated lavender-lemonade – and it was perfect!

At the end of our dinner, Melissa came up to me and said she’d heard it was my birthday (Drew again, I’m pretty sure ), and she had a present for me. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an amethyst stone and handed it to me! “Really?! You’re giving this to me?!” I asked, blown away by her generosity. She said this is what she does for people’s birthdays now – she gives them rocks. (I turned to the young bartender, who was grinning, and asked if she’d given HIM rocks, and he nodded his head and laughed.) When Melissa discovered I, too, was a rock-lover, she knew she needed to give ME a rock. Whoah.

But she wasn’t done, yet. A few minutes later Melissa came back, reached into her pocket, and pulled out another rock! – this one was a slice of a petrified tree. She said her father had given her a bunch of these, and now it was bringing her joy to share them with others, and she handed me the petrified wood.

My friends, I have had a wonderful day – a lovely hike in the cool green woods to Baker Lake; a delicious dinner; well wishes from my Facebook friends; and ROCKS!!!!

Life IS good.

In Mourning for My Country

Posted on by
Reply

I’d never heard of Charlie Kirk until his death. It doesn’t sound like he and I had much in common, politically or otherwise. But his death has put me in mourning – not for him, personally – as I said I’d never heard of him – but I’m in mourning for my country. I’m in mourning for all the schoolchildren killed by guns, and the resort to violence that has taken the lives of people on both the left and the right. I’m in mourning for the death of basic civility and respect for life. I’m in mourning for the death of decency in our political system.

But here’s what’s keeping me going through my mourning: Every day I encounter people who still show kindness, who still show generosity. These aren’t celebrities and politicians – these are just “regular” people who have the courage to get out of bed every day and face whatever the world throws at them. These are our world’s real heroes. For our world’s kind people, I am grateful.

, , ,
, , ,

There Is Magic Out There!

Posted on by
Reply

We sit at a table outside the restaurant
and chat and watch people pass by
and there is magic out there!

A young man with a bright smile
walks by, holding a small bouquet.
I smile at him and point to the flowers,
and he grins and says, “A first date.”
“That’s so sweet!” I say, and his smile
gets even brighter.

A little chap of three or four walks by
with his mom and he turns and looks
at me and I wave. He waves back,
serious about our exchange – a little man.
My heart melts.

A woman passes by with her grandbaby –
she sees our grandma faces light up
and brings her little one to our circle
so we can share in her grandmother-joy.
She is not called “Grandma” she tells us –
she is “Nanna” and she is enjoying
her last days with her grandbaby
before he moves to the east coast
with his parents. All of our grandbabies
live out of state and we understand
what she’s feeling right now.
“Enjoy these precious moments,” I say,
and she nods and smiles and hugs
her grandbaby close before moving on.

At the table next to us there is a baby
in a stroller and she smiles at me and gives
me high fives with both her feet and hands
all at once. A high twenty!
Such joy!

And now the man who’d had the bouquet
walks by on the other side of the street.
He is with his date and they are laughing
and chatting and getting to know each other.
He sees me watching and waves and grins
and I wave back.

Magic everywhere!
-Karen Molenaar Terrell