Our version of the Sphinx (our sfynxz) contemplates whatever it is, or possibly (and probably more profound and significant) what isn’t.

Being a cat, he is probably NOT considering such ideas as this quote from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s Hymn of The Universe — Nothing is precious save what is yourself in others and others in yourself.

This past summer started out with severe drought, severe doubt as to whether-or-not pouring water a good part of the day upon the lawn and gardens would help much, and the usual general feeling of futility about everything else.

Futility in that our son and his wonderful girl-friend are, as a “couple”, not.  She asked him (after having lived 2-gether about two years) “when are we getting married and having kids?” and he said “not to happen” and she moved out and back to Montana the following day.  Betty was depressed about this, maybe more so than about the financial outrages we endured these past few months.

Also this past solstice-heated-sunnier-season had been:  windier!  the yooz-you-all forest-fire-smoke-haze as the grand-valley’s backdrop ~ drier ~ (when not windy) seemingly cloudless hot withering soul-sapping sky … probably what purgatory is like.  if not “like”, then “akin to.”  and in the never-ending (hi)story of retired-senior-citizens-on-a-limited-income, the hits just keep on comin’ !

$700+ to get our electricity meter and appurtenances there-to up to date?

$700 more to fix, then improve the lawn-watering-system?

a few hundred $$ to bring our cable and internet capabilities somewhat up to date?

$2200+ for airfare to (1) go be grampa/grandma AND babysit the grandkids in Orygun (2) attend a niece’s weddingding in NYC??

Above — I was planning on taking a break from pretending to care about the yard one Sunday, just lie about the house reading and drinking beer and staying in my p.j.s the entire day.  Walked outside … the windstorm of the night before had toppled this Russian Olive tree over the fence and into the neighbor’s yard.  I blinked, hoping that this too, was some bad dream.  It wasn’t.  I woke the neighbor up (it was 8:30 a.m.) to tell him I probably should cut up and remove the part of our tree which was in his yard.  So I was busy ’til past noon chopping and hauling and such.  My previous plan how to spend the day was then en-acted, with a vengeance, minus the part of still being in p.j.s.

And after all the above: and the sprink system has yet another leak?  and I hafta pay $100 to be able to keep using WORD to write stuff?  I purchased the present laptop and (seem to remember succinctly) that (1) paying $100 extra for WORD was “forever” as was (2) the 2+ years subscription to MacAfee internet security.  Both of which have popped up JUST TODAY demanding money or the WORD and the computer’s hack-ability would not be safe.  So I exited the internet and spent many hours playing solitaire instead.  At least THAT (the solitaire program) is not “bombing” and asking for more money to be able to continue to play.  So far.

Annie & JaJa show everyone how to, really, relax.

Above:  NOT a good job of capturing the situation photographically, but — I had heard of (perhaps seen on T.V. and/or in magazines) nature shows about how fish guard their eggs and associated ‘nest’ but had never actually seen this phenomenon before.  Just out from the edge of our pond were several ‘holes’ — hollows in the sand of the pond-bottom where each hollow had a fish guarding it — swimming around and around, as if to stimulate, provide oxygen perhaps? but all the while guarding their eggs.  From time to time I’d see a fish so-occupied quickly chase off other fish which came too close.

Driving back home after a visit to Denver (for me, I waited while Betty went to NYC for a funeral) last month.  Glenwood Canyon after the rain.

More recently I would sometimes stop on a run or bike-ride to try to increase the region’s inukshuk population.

Jake and I peer through a small arch in Cactus Park.  Near the arch, I …

climb a slow wave and go surfing, Colorawdough stylee.

Betty doesn’t respect Reality sometimes ~

Still … contemplating.

Père de Chardin exhorted himself, and us, to embrace a sort of “end of life” consideration — (I have paraphrased somewhat) —

Assimilate, utilize, the shadows of later life: enfeeblement, loneliness, the sense that no further horizons lie ahead ..  Discover in the Supra-Personal* how to remain young: upbeat, enthusiastic, full of enterprise.  

Beware of thinking that every form of melancholy, indifference, disenchantment is to be identified with wisdom.

Make a place, and an upward-lifting place, for the end which now draws near and for the decline of one’s powers to whatever degree God may will.  “To be ready” has never seemed to mean anything but this:  ‘To be straining forwards.’

May the Supra-Personal* keep me always young — For — old age comes from him — old age leads on to him, and — old age will touch me only in so far as he wills.  To be ‘young’ means to be hopeful, energetic, smiling and clear-sighted.

Accept death in whatever guise it may come, that is, within the process of the development of life.  A smile (inward and outward) means facing with sweetness and gentleness whatever befalls one.

The grace to end well, in the way that will best advance the universal glory, this is the grace of graces.

Communion in and through death:  to die a communion-death … What comes to me at the very end:  the adorable.  I go forward to meet him who comes.

*The Père called this force/aspect/the Centre of centres, “Christ-Omega” — described as the end-point of cosmogenesis, the culmination of the process of spiritualization, where personal and universal meet in the Supra-Personal — a point therefore which is not simply the end of the whole process, but is outside all series, transcendent, and so is identified with God.  I think…