How to Age Gracefully

How to Age Gracefully
originally uploaded by MontanaRaven.

How to Age Gracefully

keep smelling, stay
interested in all the
messages that come alive
like signs,
there are sighs and songs
in every blade of grass and
breath of wind

keep moving, even
if only your eyes
look everywhere,
there is beauty and
movement to watch
like leaves that lift
and fly like birds

~ ~ ~

Maureen Shaughnessy

March Calendar: Dualities - Contemplation or Play

Welp, it's time once again, my dear blog visitors, to publish my monthly calendar gift for you. Here are two March 2007 calendars for you to chose from.

This first calendar is full of exuberance, joie de vivre ... the kind of outdoor fun that's possible if you live in a place that has true seasons! Montanans don't stay cooped up in their cabins all winter, that's for sure.

Though I took both of these photos in February, I figure they'll do for March images because, well, Montana still has winter. And snow. And ice. And cold in March. After all, these are Montana calendars! ;-D





I'm including the second calendar as a counterpoint to the first one of the sled dogs and musher -- the rowdy one. This one has a peaceful, contemplative feel ... maybe you are more into the curl up with a good book, quiet kind of March activities.

Please feel free to print these calendars for your own use -- I publish these downloadable calendars monthly as a gift of appreciation to my readers, for sharing your lives with me through your writings and photos and comments on my blogs. You can see my other blog, Land of Little Rain, here.


To download, click anywhere on the calendar and you should get a new window with the image. Click on the photo again in that new window to go to the large version of the calendar. Right-click to download the calendar. It should print out 8.5" x 11" -- if you have a printer that requires a margin, please print this slightly reduced to fit on a standard letter-size paper.





Printing Tip: set your printer to the highest quality print setting and use a heavier weight paper, preferably matte-coated, to get the best quality prints.

I hope you enjoy the monthly calendars, and please let me know if you have any problems downloading I can send them to you by email attachment.

Here is the entire set of 2006 Calendar pages plus Jan, Feb and March 07. Check back monthly for the latest calendars. To see a large version of the original photos I used for March's calendar:
Sheer Joy and Exuberance
Day's End


Stay warm!

Monastic Help Desk

This is so funny we both watched it through a couple of times (well, Tim watched it a couple times. I have to confess I watched it at least 10 times -- and laughed my ass off every time) So I'm tellin you this little video is worth it if you like to laugh.

Was sent to me by a friend with a note saying, "Maureen, this is what it's like trying to explain techie things to you." Hmph!

Here's the blurb that was on the YouTube site:

This video makes fun of moderns newbie computer users by illustrating - in a way fully understandable to them - how silly some of their questions are by creating a similar problem 500 years ago.

It's from a show called Øystein & Meg (Øystein & I) produced by the Norwegian Broadcasting television channel (NRK) in 2001. The spoken language is Norwegian, (the original subs were in Danish but those have been changed to English.) It's written by Knut Nærum and performed by Øystein Bache and Rune Gokstad.

Calendar Time again: February meditations

As usual, it's a little past time for my February 2007 calendar. One of my sisters reminded me (thanks, Kat!) and I didn't even know she had been enjoying the calendars. Well, I bet many more people are using and printing my calendars than make comments here. It's okay... just enjoy!

Please feel free to print these calendars for your own use -- I publish these downloadable calendars monthly as a gift of appreciation to my readers, for sharing your lives with me through your writings and photos and comments on my blogs. You can see my other blog, Land of Little Rain, here.


To download, click anywhere on the calendar and you should get a new window with the image. Click on the photo again in that new window to go to the large version of the calendar. Right-click to download the calendar. It should print out 8.5" x 11" -- if you have a printer that requires a margin, please print this slightly reduced to fit on a standard letter-size paper.

Printing Tip: set your printer to the highest quality print setting and use a heavier weight paper, preferably matte-coated, to get the best quality prints.

I hope you enjoy the monthly calendars, and please let me know if you have any problems downloading I can send them to you by email attachment.

Here is the entire set of 2006 Calendar pages. Check back monthly for the latest calendars. And if you would like to see a large version of the original photo I used for February's calendar, Believe More than you Can See. click on it's title.


Stay warm!

100 Best Living Songwriters.

Our son, John Carney, strumming in our living room.

PASTE Radio has a list of the 100 Best Living Songwriters ..... of course, there will be lots of arguments about this list -- not just who's on it, but the ranking for your favorite artists. Still, it's a great list to cruise through on a weekend filled with music. Maybe you'll hear something totally new to you. I'd love a handful of cds with this lineup, something i could listen to on long road trips:

1. Bob Dylan *
2. Neil Young *
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Waits/Brennan
5. Paul McCartney
6. Leonard Cohen *
7. Brian Wilson
8. Elvis Costello
9. Joni Mitchell *
10. Prince
11. Randy Newman *
12. Jagger/Richards
13. Paul Simon *
14. Stevie Wonder *
15. Willie Nelson
16. David Bowie
17. Holland/Dozier/Holland
18. U2
19. Patty Griffin * one of my faves of favorite songwriters ... her voice is incredible! Yesterday NPR featured her music. Listen to "Rain:"
    
20. Van Morrison *
21. Lou Reed *
22. Lucinda Williams
23. John/Taupin
24. Jeff Tweedy
25. Chuck Berry
26. R.E.M. *
27. Radiohead
28. Robbie Robertson
29. Tom Petty *
30. John Prine *
31. Carole King
32. Leiber/Stoller
33. Pete Townshend
34. John Fogerty
35. Steve Earle
36. Beck
37. Smokey Robinson
38. Kris Kristofferson
39. Led Zeppelin
40. Bacharach/David
41. Ray Davies
42. Loretta Lynn
43. Ryan Adams
44. Al Green
45. Jackson Browne
46. David Byrne
47. Sufjan Stevens
48. Welch/Rawlings
49. Cat Stevens
50. Public Enemy
51. Penn/Oldham
52. Paul Westerberg
53. James Taylor *
54. Aimee Mann *
55. Dolly Parton
56. James Brown *
57. Morrissey
58. Sly Stone
59. Jack White
60. Jimmy Webb
61. John Hiatt
62. Sting *
63. Richard Thompson
64. Andy Partridge
65. Bill Mallonee
66. Charles Thompson
67. Conor Oberst
68. Allen Toussaint
69. Merle Haggard
70. Alex Chilton
71. Vic Chesnutt
72. Michael Jackson
73. Julie Miller
74. Over the Rhine
75. Ron Sexsmith
76. Will Oldham
77. Bruce Cockburn *
78. Robert Pollard
79. Stephen Malkmus
80. Pink Floyd *
81. The Flaming Lips
82. John Darnielle
83. Fleetwood Mac *
84. They Might Be Giants *
85. David Bazan
86. Sam Beam
87. Lyle Lovett
88. Parliament
89. Victoria Williams
90. Nick Cave
91. Drive-By Truckers
92. Alejandro Escovedo
93. Joseph Arthur
94. Sam Phillips
95. Patti Smith
96. Jimmy Cliff *
97. Josh Ritter
98. Jay Farrar
99. Outkast
100. T. Bone Burnett

I really like listening to
PASTE -- check out their music player if you get a chance and don't already listen to it regularly. - it's one way to be reminded of music I might not otherwise come across. National Public Radio's "All Songs Considered" is another venue for hearing new music.

Our kids also introduce us to new music by making us mixed cds --- I love that -- don't always love every piece they choose, but I definitely like to be exposed. Thanks, you guys.

I've put a star by some of my favorites on the list. So, blog readers, let's hear your ideas on songwriters you think should have been on the list .... who are your favorites from this list or not?