Windows Of Reality

We all see through windows of different realities.  We look at things from different standpoints, with different perspectives, so our perceptions of the reality of what we see varies.  Not only do we look out at the world and other realities around us, but we, and others, can also look in at our own world and observe ourselves.

Gwen's husband Mike gave a sermon before Christmas that, as I understand, talked about what we see outside our window and how it affects our perception of reality.  The front window of the church where he was preaching, looked up to a blue sky of sunshine and wispy, white clouds, giving a feeling of peace and tranquility.  However, the window in the back of the church looked out at a busy, crowded, grimy street, with cars rushing by.  Not a calm or restful world.  Yet both worlds were just outside that little church, and just as real.

There are different windows we look through that give us different views or perspectives of our world.  The window of hope, despair, love, greed, discernment, and tolerance, to name a few.  Our perception is based on our own view and through which window we look.  How you see things depends on what window we look through.  How we view the world creates our reality.

As well as looking out into our world, we can look in at others worlds.  People are windows into many different existences.  Just as books let us see into so many divergent worlds, movies can also be windows into various realities.  To understand others, look out their window (or into it) and try to see the world as they see it.  I like this short, thought provoking section from Suzanne Lie's poem, Windows Of Reality (whole poem).

When you look through each window
you expect to see something different
and your perceptions follow your expectations.
However, if you look through the SAME window
with a DIFFERENT expectation
and a DIFFERENT perception,
you will see a DIFFERENT reality.

Saturday morning the rain was falling.  I had a list of inside projects, but took in social media for longer than necessary.  Joe left fairly early for Tunica, MS to play in a poker tournament.  Seen right, my window of reality.

While I sat here, Maggie gazed out the window.  I often wonder what she ponders as she looks out at her world.  Does she envision chasing the people, dogs, and critters she sees?  I have to verbally scold her to stop barking at these things.  But then I worry, how often does she remember getting rebuked by me (or punished by her former owner); and does that memory come back and trouble her?

We perceive our lives through our personal history (our realities).  There is no such thing as an unbiased perception.  For this reason, the best practice is to recognize that we all see things a little bit differently, through various windows.  Sometimes we need clarification or a different explanation.  We can get frustrated with, but need to be kind and gentle with, each other, ourselves, and our pets.


The sun did eventually come out, so I went to the barn.  The horses were way out in the back section of the pasture.  And most of them were very dirty.
Just look at Zorro, caked in mud.








As I was leading Amiga back to the barn, the herd decided they needed to get to the gate ahead of us, so they all raced by (video).



I rode Amiga for about 40 minutes, going bareback to work on my seat and better feel her movement.  She did, kind of seem to be pushing off with one leg a little more than the others, but it was so slight.  And the more I rode her, the less I noticed it.

Seen left, as usual, I let Amiga graze on this nice winter wheat for awhile before returning to the barn.  All three dogs were also eating grass.  Below, Chester loves to wallow in the puddles along the trail.

Once home, I mucked around in the back for a little bit, since I was already in dirty clothes.  I continue to work on the banks of the creek where they are kind of eroding away.  Back during the drought, I had dug it out too narrow.  So now I used a shovel and rake to try to pull the clumps of sod out of the creek and farther back, up onto the bank.  I took this lower photo the next day.






I had popcorn with a Lime-a-rita and watched two episodes of Fixer Upper, in addition to taking two more dog walks before bed.

Again on Sunday, it was raining when I woke up.  I can't hold Maggie off in the morning, so out we went.  We got drenched during our predawn walk.  This poster says it all.  During a later walk, when the rain had temporarily stopped, I took these photos of the creek bed (seen above and below).  Maggie was watching fish and tadpoles dart about.
 

  

The sermon at Church was a little different, with it coming in segments between the scripture reading.  Seen left is an interesting thought about the window of science vs religion, which has nothing to do with the sermon, but it ties into this blog title.  It is kind of like the contrast between the half full or half empty glass.  Do we look at our world through the window of optimism or pessimism? 


We had another rain shower come through and then it cleared off for a while.  I took Maggie on a nice 90 minute walk, covering the back nine of Druid and part of the neighborhood around those holes.  Below is a zoomed in view from where I took the photo of the 18th fairway on the right.   






That is the Methodist Church steeple.  The house in the woods with sunlight hitting it is neighbor Allen's house.  I like the shadow of the clouds on the distant mountains.





I took some photos of the creek and pond as we neared our house.  It truly is a mini wetland ecosystem.







It was warm enough outside, that I sat on the back porch (still in my jacket) enjoying the woodland / wetland view, as I was munching on a small snack.

Then I worked on this project, sewing (with embroidery floss) a curtain rod to the top of this tapestry (from Peru) that Don Max and Maria had given us when we were visiting them in Costa Rica.

Next I was off to the gym.  I worked on weights and elliptical for a total of 90 minutes.  As usual, now that the ladies remodeled locker room has re-opened, I showered there.  It saves on our hot water bill and reduces our laundry, because they provide clean towels.  It also curtails the number of times I have to clean our own shower stall. 

It was another quiet evening, spent here at my computer and in front of the TV.  I also got wet two more times while walking the dog.

Monday we had fog and drizzle all day.  It misted more than rained.  However, the sprinkles made me (and the dog) damp and wet none the less.

Staring at my computer screen, I wasn't in a virtual reality, but it was a mixed reality.  My eyes and thoughts drifted outside the window.

The chipmunks and birds love our smorgasbord of feeders.  I love our house and the views its windows afford.  But I am distraught by the number of birds that injure themselves when they collide with the panes (pains).  We probably get two a month hitting hard enough to knock themselves out.  Down near the pond, we have a screech owl that regularly comes to feed, whom I watched.  And later in the day, there was a great blue heron wading around down there, in the wetlands.



I got dressed and went to the Ballroom Aerobics class from 9:30 - 10:30.  When I got home I walked the dog in the rain, getting damp again.  I crawled back into my PJ's and enjoyed another cup of hot tea.  The library called and said the Sue Grafton (W) book I was waiting for, was in.  What better activity to do, than lose myself in a book.




I went to the library, wearing a rain coat over my PJ's, so no one would notice.  Then I settled in, up on the couch in the balcony, and read for quite a bit.  Looking out this window, I get a completely different view than from my desk.  Occasionally, cars and people do walk by, and I guess they see me on display up there, because one lady waved.  

I set my book down to take a little nap, with Stevie on the blanket draped over me.  We were snugly, warm, and content.  I had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to see.  It was a bittersweet feeling.

After leftover ham and bean soup, which I have gotten sick and tired of eating, I built a fire that the cat, dog, and I enjoyed as I sat and watched two episodes of Fixer Upper.  I like this photo of the light from the fire cast on these two.


Tuesday morning the skies were sufficiently overcast to generate a fine mist, but in terms of rainfall, I don't think it was a measurable amount.  The ground was still saturated and the dog came in after each walk with wet legs and underbelly, and slightly muddy feet.  The right side photo looks like a repeat, taken earlier this week.  Each day of gazing out at the gloom is a repeat of the days before.


I tried sitting on the back porch to eat lunch, but it was just too cold.  Stevie always enjoys going out for a look around, but the colder it is, the sooner she wants to come back in.

We often walk the 17th fairway cart path, and go across the dam of the pond behind our house.  Water has been rushing though the spillway for days.
Finally, just after noon, the sun came out!

The critters and I laid on the carpet to bask in the warmth of the sunlight.  I was reading, Maggie took a nap, but Stevie was looking for trouble.  
Then when I tired to take the selfies above, the dog woke up, and Stevie and Maggie became restless.

Stevie went into assault mode, seen left, attacking my leg.

Soon it was time to head to the gym, which I did, completing my usual Tue/Thur routine of weights, elliptical, stretch class, and shower.

Here is another photo of Stevie playing in the sun earlier in the day. 


While I puttered around in the kitchen fixing dinner, I had the TV on in the living room, more for the company than the content, although I have tried to tune into the news a little more often.  I feel just like Kinsey Millhone, the character in the book I am reading.  "I tend to disregard issues over which I have no control. Like it or not, the politicians don't consult me about economic policies, budget cuts, or the gross national product, whatever that is. I might voice my opinion (if I had one), but as nearly as I can tell, nobody pays the slightest attention, so what's the point?"

This box in a bag is one of Stevie's favorite places.  She naps here regularly.

Wednesday morning was sunny but a little colder.  Joe had arrived home during the night, so we caught up on each others doings.  I went to Ballroom Aerobics and was then at the barn by 11:30 am.  In the left photo, Amiga was a little worried because one of the barn cats was right behind her, in attack mode, playing with a stick.  Once Amiga turned to see what was behind her (seen below), she relaxed.










I rode 90 minutes, with about 20 of that being grazing time.  Amiga did well and felt sound.


I got home with a little time to rake, so did just that.  All these hickory nut shells were quite thick in our side yard, along with some leaves that had blown in.  I ran out of time, only clearing debris from about half of the side yard.

Getting cleaned up, I was ready to go when Shirley pulled in at 3:15.  We met Judy at Rocky Top 10 and watched the little known movie, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.  It was a funny and heart warming movie we all really enjoyed.  I would recommend it, if it comes to a theater near you.

From the movie, we ran into Wal-Mart to pick up a few things (another curtain rod, OJ, and bread for me).  Then we went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  We spent more time talking than eating, and enjoyed each others' company more than the food, although the food was good too.  It was after 9 pm by the time Shirley dropped me off at home.

Thursday morning we were expecting the fireplace guys, so moved furniture out of the way to give them room to work.  Stevie can be seen right in the middle, inspecting the area.

The crew of two ended up not coming until 11:30 because they had an emergency gas leak they needed to go fix first.  

They got to work cleaning the chimney and fire box, and then got in the crawl space to install new pipe line for the gas, and hooked it to the meter outside.




The dog and cat both got accustom to the men working, as did Joe and I.  Joe read while I sewed the second curtain rod to the bottom of the tapestry I was preparing to hang on the wall. 

Eventually, some disappointments were realized.  I ran out of yarn, and the guys were not going to have time to rip out the old fire box and install the new one.  So I left to do my usual gym routine while they were still working under the house.  I told them they could store the new fireplace unit in the garage instead of loading it back into their truck.  So there it was when I arrived back home.





Leftovers from Pizza hut (including bread sticks, pizza, and brownies) comprised our dinner.  Joe and I enjoyed skypeing with Britney for half an hour.  Then I sat here at my computer reading Facebook posts.  The furniture was in disarray, as was my feng shui, which also matched the disrespectful, misaligned Facebook posts I was reading.  I turned off my computer and went to bed early, and did Christian reading in a book I am trying to finish.

Friday morning's window of reality was that of snow.  It was coming down in little white pellets.  I found this much preferable to walk in, than rain, even though it was quite a bit colder.  I spent the morning here working on this blog post.  The snow stopped before I did.

After lunch I cleaned up the last of the coals and ashes I had scooped into a metal bucket, burying them out under the big leaf pile down in back.  Then I raked up more hickory nut shells and carted them down to the leaf pile. 



It was pretty cold out, so I didn't work long.  Next I went shopping, in hopes to buy some black yarn.  Three stores later, I returned home with only a few groceries.

I went ahead and made spaghetti as planned, even though Joe was in town playing cards.






After an early dinner, I finally finished unpacking the rest of the large pictures the movers had boxed up and brought here almost three years ago.  Then I made a little maze out of part of the packing material.  The cat and dog played hide and seek for awhile.

Eventually Maggie grew tired and laid down, but Stevie decided to start knocking over the walls and attacking the cardboard.  Once a cat gets wound up, watch out.

I must say, looking into the window of our pet's lives, they have things pretty good.  Hopefully the window they look out of is one of contentment, happiness, and peace.

My earlier impulse buy of a giant bag of movie popcorn served me well, as I watched two episodes of Fixer Upper before going to bed.