The  Old Cabin                                                             Beavers Point Cabin

Welcome to our Home Sweet Home on Beavers Point as it say’s above the sliding glass door. A gift from our longtime friends, Doug and Jenell.  The place where our hearts and spirits have been nourished and a part of them will always reside.  This house, like my Mom and Dad’s home located directly behind us on what was once called, Hill Top Lane, was built with the help of family and friends.  If you want to test the true strength of a marriage, build your dream home together with your significant other.  Our hope and intention is that whomever ends up with this magical paradise, will retain its Wild Nature and not turn it into a green grass lawn filled with pesticides and herbicides.  The original Old Cabin is what I remember growing up as a child here on Orchard Lake.  After my retirement from the Army in 2003, we managed a B&B in Ely called Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast for a time.  As with most Dreams one makes in life, ours changed and we found ourselves back home in Lakeville, (not our preferred choice).  That story and many others will be shared in my latest book, “Natures G.A.S. Stations” as our journey unfolds.  Letting go of our dream home allows us to begin a new chapter in our lives together, an adventure driven by the Heart.  We’re strong believers in recycling and reusing quality materials, “Passing Of The Budda”, as Josie’s family and friends say.  So, allow us to share a few highlights of the treasures we’ve found over the years while building our Dream.  We found a beautiful spiral stair case at a place called Hot Sam’s, (Gladys Hood’s Dream), an antique dealer located near the Lakeville exit on interstate 35W, adjacent to Schmitty and Son’s School Bus Company.  Bob (son of Gladys), creator of this little magical destination rescued it from the Minnehaha Creek Fire Station when it was being demolished.  The other half of the stair case can be found planted near the beach at Hot Sam’s.  I’ve nic-named it, “The Stair Way To Dreams.” The glass panels of the deck came from the home of Tommy Reed, (Hockey Hall of Famer).  My good friend Patone and I visited several homes he had built or refurbished decks on, Tommy’s being one of them.  While enjoying a cold brewski on Tommy’s beautiful deck he said, “Pat you remember the glass panels you replaced?  Someone was supposed to pick them up last week but never showed up, you want’em?” Never being one to waste a good opportunity, I said, “I’ll take’em,”.  Thanks Tommy!  The two tractor wheels are from the old farm stead of Josie’s Aunt and Uncle’s place near Starbuck, MN.  Both the flag stone used for the fire pit and the Black Walnut used to finish the master bedroom and bath down stairs came from Northfield, Mn.  The Flag stone is from an old abandon homestead foundation.  The Black Walnut was locally harvested from a mystical forest home retreat called “Heart of the Woods” and gifted to us by our dear friends John and Susan.  I’ll close for now with a few words from one of my favorite Theologians of modern time, man of profound insight and wisdom.

 

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” ~Joseph Campbell

Last night Josie and I joined some friends to watch a movie called “The Seeker”.  My first Cloud Cult initiation and was blown away.  This is one of the most emotional moving movie’s I’ve ever seen in my life.  Is it because it’s so dam good? Or because I’m ready for the deep message Cloud Cult shares with us.  I believe it’s the combination.  I’ve been living in a bubble, unaware of this rocket ship to Universal rhythms and vibrations that rock our world, a Natures embrace to awareness!

“2007 The Denver Post ranked “The Meaning of 8” as one of the top ten albums of the past decade, along with bands like Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips and Radiohead. Cloud Cult received several offers from major record labels, but all were rejected in favor of self-publishing and maintaining total control over the ethical aspects of the business practices.”      Official Cloud Cult site.

In 2008 my first book “Inspiration Point Discovering Peace Within”, the story begins with Josie and I revisiting after 25 years our honeymoon hangout in Duluth, Mn. and camping further North at Gooseberry Falls State Park.  Since childhood I’ve had unusual events happen to me on the North Shore. I didn’t start experiencing a spiritual connection with Nature until I retired from the U.S. Army in 2003 when Josie and I moved to the North Woods of Ely, Minnesota.  2005 I would begin a journey back to the North Shore and have a mystical encounter with Meshia, The Medicine Woman.  Life is an adventure, are you fueled up and ready for it?  Join Pat and Tony and learn how to open your own Natures G.A.S. Station and create free fuel for life! Fill up your G.A.S Tank (Heart) with Gratitude, Awareness and Service.

A friend of mine Tony and I started a podcast and call it “The Pat & Tony G.A.S. Station”.  I’ll share the link with you all when Tony is finished editing it.  G.A.S. free fuel for life!  Fill up your G.A.S. Tank (heart) with Gratitude, Awareness & Service.  Come join us and learn how to open your own G.A.S. station.  Share your talents, gifts and stories in harmony with Nature.  Discover and understand the Universal language of nature, a symphony of sounds and smells transcending into an awareness of one.  Nature G.A.S. Stations Book One will be filled with stories we imagine and create together.  Past stories or future ones we’ll create together (stories we’ve yet to experience in our future) will be told within the pages of this book, creating a map for others to follow.  A map to remind us where we’ve been or how to find our way back to where we started.  A map to find old friends and discover new ones.  A map of memories filled with natural treasures such as the splashing of a waterfall.  A warm breeze whispering through the pine trees, the taste of fresh ripened fruit or the scent and sight of lavender covered fields.  Caution!  It will not be easy.  It will be one the easiest things you’ve ever done.  It may get quite ugly and messy at times.  It will be one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever experienced.  There will be pain and on the other side, Joy.  Welcome to A Journey Within.  What’s different about his book is you’ll have helped co-create it!

If our thoughts (conversations in our mind), combined with our spoken words (words we speak aloud), followed up with action (walking our talk), co-create our experience, then what does that experience feel like?  What do all those thoughts, words and actions produce in your world?  Are they creating a positive and inspiring experience or are they draining and depressive?  Without self-awareness, we’re easily influenced by both our inner chatter (the voices in our head) and the outer voices (people we surround ourselves with) as to how we generally feel about life.  Authentic listening leads to authentic feeling and in return leads to Being an authentic person.  With an authentic person, you know exactly where you stand because they’ll tell you so. This is not to be confused with a powerful egotistical person that is judgmental, racist, selfish, self-absorbed and opinionated (a person who tells you what they want to hear).   Being around an authentic person you feel as though you could tell them anything about yourself without fear of it being repeated or shared with another person.  The easiest way to describe this kind of person is to say you trust them.  It begins by learning to trust yourself.  As you develop your intuitive nature, you’ll be gifted with more awareness.  It will begin to feel like you know exactly what’s going to happen next.   Authentic listening is being in tune with what others are saying without immediately thinking about what you’re going to say in response.  We often shut others off by thinking about what we are going to say before others are finished talking.  Effective listening is a learned behavior.  If we never learn how to be a good listener, then we’ll just continue to be a noisy distraction in the world.  When you learn how to listen well, you’ll become more selective with whom you chose to share your time and energy with.  Longtime friends will suddenly drift away and you’ll encounter new acquaintances that make you feel like you’ve known each other for many life times.  You’ll begin to yearn a deeper, more meaningfully exchange of stories, ideas and experiences with others.  If you’be been the type of person who never stops talking, you’ll find yourself listening more, laughing more and talking less.  On the other hand, if you’ve always been the quiet type, you’ll find yourself feeling more, laughing more and talking more.  This is another reason for opening a G.A.S. Station of your own, because it’s like opening a new door to the world.  A world of curiosity and exploration.  A world of serendipitous and mystical experiences.   As you become more vulnerable to others, the real you can be expressed more authentically.  When you open the door to honesty, you not only become a gift to yourself, you become a gift to be treasured by the others you authentically share yourself with.

 

 

                                                                                               12 March 2017

 

 Yesterday, March 11, we said goodbye to our beloved Dog of nearly 14 years, Missy.  In 2003 shortly after arriving at Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast the owner Joe, suggested we think about getting a dog.  I recall her reasoning was to give her pet, Sammy dog, a companion, a play mate.  We immediately agreed to the idea and my journey within began to accelerate.  I was already on a path of awakening (or what I like to call, “increased awareness”) that would have me question everything I’ve ever believed in.  The Joy that Missy brought into our lives was equally balanced by all the challenges we encountered by her being an Alpha female.   Being a dog friendly B&B, we had to be continuously aware of new quests coming for the first time because Missy would almost certainly be first to greet them.  If they had a dog, she also let them know immediately who was in charge.  More than once, our newly arrival quests nearly refused to stay because of the hostile greeting they received by Missy.  Most people that have a dog are aware of the dynamics of a dogs’ dominant/submissive behaviors, understand it, accept it and know how to deal with it.  However, for those few that didn’t, there was always a powerful lesson to be experienced.  For three years Missy and I roamed the North wood forests of Minnesota together and my spiritual awareness became even more accelerated with her mentorship.  Mystical experiences were happening at such a rate that I nearly lost my mind.  Well, truth be told, I did lose my mind, and as a result, I’ve never felt more freedom as when I wondered the forest with my Missy.  Our connection with nature intensifies when we take a pet on as a companion.  It should be no surprise to anyone that the pet industry is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the modern world.  When you think about it, having a pet as a companion could very well be what helps us save and conserve the incredibly beautiful natural and wild places on earth by helping us connect with it, understand and feel it.   Being 57 years of age, I’ve had my share of personal loss, meaning the death of family and friends.  So, I ask myself, why do I feel such a profound loss of my dog.  It’s interesting to note that I’ve felt an even greater sadness with the loss of Missy than my father.  I want to make something very clear.  I loved my Dad.  I don’t recall anything terribly wrong with what he did or didn’t do.  It’s just that he was generally absent from my life.  He was there my entire life physically, but emotionally he was detached.  And spiritually he was non-existent.  So perhaps this absence of a spiritual connection is what makes the difference in a more meaningful and loving relationship and connection to others and more importantly, with ourselves!  I have witnessed repeatedly the relationships between a pet and its owner being stronger than that of a wife and husband.  Sad as that may appear, the reality is that words can often get in the way of a good relationship.  I also believe that authentic, conscious communications is key to a successful and loving relationship.  It starts by having a Conversation with G.A.S. with yourself.  So, it is my belief that pets allow us to experience something more profound than most relationships we have with other Human Beings because of the unspoken communications that is shared.  You might agree that perhaps our pets are our secret connection to the unseen world of nature phenomenon.  Our Missy will be deeply missed and my gratitude will forever be etched in my soul because of the authentic teachings she bestowed upon me.  Missy was the key to unlocking a whole new world to me, the spiritual world.  The world of Mystery, Serendipity, Love, Exploration, Curiosity, Real Adventures and so much more.  Unlike the world of humanity that often appears to be dominated by jealousy, greed, hatred, fear and many of the other emotionally linked destructive behaviors, Missy taught me the world of unconditional love.  A love that has no boundaries.  A love that doesn’t judge, doesn’t place demands or expectations of how a relationship should be.    Always happy to see me.  Always excited at the prospect of going for a walk in the park, unless of course she was sick or injured.  She will be missed.  She will forever remain in our hearts and minds, a reminder of what fuels and nurtures life, Gratitude, Awareness and Service.

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

Awareness and the use of Cell phones Part II 

 

This is a story about serendipity and how our thoughts can create our possible future experiences.  Four days ago, I wrote about driving awareness. Two days later, the 26^th of February, Josie and I are walking downtown Stillwater, Minnesota on my birthday and Josie is almost run over by a car.  Our combined alertness, her jumping and me pulling her out of deaths grip prevented her from being another casualty at a well-marked pedestrian cross walk, with us having the right-of-way (the numbers counting down on the pedestrian traffic light).  It seemed to have all happened in slow motion.  I can still see the smiling face of the man behind the wheel looking at the women sitting next to him, he is then suddenly looking out his windshield, a look of horror sketched across his face as he was about to run over a woman.  It all happened so quickly there was no time to brake, no sound of a car screeching to a halt.  It was all over in the blink of an eye.  I’m grateful we’ve developed an awareness of our surroundings that helps prevent such an event from happening.  That same night as I lie in bed, I thought, “what would I have done to that son-of-a-bitch if had run Josie over?”  I assure you, my thoughts were not very nice.  Last night the 27th we started watching a new TV series on Amazon Prime called “Inspector Lewis”.  The story begins as any good masterpiece mystery does, by introducing the main actor and a little background of his life story.  Guess what his story is?  His wife is killed, run over in a hit and run accident!  When asked if the perpetrator was caught he says, “No”!  He goes onto tell how he is glad they were never caught because he believes he would currently be in jail for the things he would have done to them.  The serendipity in life accelerates as you become more aware of how life seems to unfold.  That is why I often tell people, myself included, “be careful what you wish for, you might just get it!  I’m not talking about being fearful of your thoughts.  I telling you to become more mindful of your thoughts.  Physical manifestation is a three-step process.  Think it!  Say it! Do it!  Our thoughts, combined with words and actions become our experience.  Be careful what you think about.  It just might manifest in your life.  Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but almost always driven by emotion.  E-Motion=Energy in motion.

 

 

 

 

I’m going to share some of my insights I’ve had while driving a School Bus.  First I want to share with you that six years ago, I was going through a very dark place in my life.  I really didn’t want to drive a bus but didn’t think I had it in me to do anything that took too much in the way of commitment and responsibility.  Well, I’m here to tell you, being a school bus driver takes both of those attributes and a whole lot more.  And so, I take this opportunity to honor and praise all the school bus drivers around the world.   Thank you for doing your best to keep the kids of the world safe, to and from school.   I have developed a completely new view of what it takes to be a school Bus Driver.  I believe life is designed to assist us in becoming the best possible person we can be.  It also gives us equal opportunity to be the worst we can possibly be as well.  When you become aware of this teeny tiny little fact, then you can begin to make informed, conscious and well thought out decisions in and for your life.  Another belief I have is that everyone and everything we encounter is there to teach us something about ourselves.  Gaining self-awareness will be the greatest gift you’ll ever discover.  When you learn this little fact, you’ll find it harder and harder to place the blame out there somewhere in the world.  Remember, Shit happens.  Sometimes good shit, sometimes horrific shit.  What role are you going to play in the next shit happenings?  I have learned so much about myself this past six years from my kids that I am truly humbled by the experience and honored to have worked for such a great company.  One that really cares, not only about the kids, but the community as well.  I’m forever grateful to my kids for allowing me to be their bus driver and not giving more grief than I could handle.  One of my favorite things to do is to tell stories.  And being a school Bus Driver you could say I have a captive audience.   Notice I didn’t say captivated, that would assume or imply that I somehow felt they were enthralled by my presence, my wisdom and intellect.  I like to teach through story telling.  So, one of the lessons I wanted to ensure they understood is, while riding my bus they are safe.  Not only will I do my best to get them to school and back home safely, but hope they experience what it feels like to BE physically and emotionally in a safe place.  I compare it to the country of Switzerland, meaning our bus is a neutral space, free from conflict, judgment and bullying.  My intention is they learn, no matter the back ground they come from, if abuse of one form or another is their ever-present reality, that when they step foot on my bus, they know how it feels when someone has their back and what that really, truly feels like!  It is within this environmental foundation where feelings such a trust, respect and happiness not only flourish, but thrive.   I make it extremely clear that everyone will be given the opportunity to experience and know what respect feels, hears, smells, and tastes like.  We drivers are not allowed to give out candy to the kids for good reasons, to which I agree.  So, the way-round that one is that one year I made coupons for the local ice cream parlor for all my kids to receive a free ice cream cone, vanilla, chocolate or swirl.   Ahaa, respect never tasted so good.    It was my way of showing my gratitude for their willingness to be open to learn and apply the lessons of respect, even if they were unaware that that was what they were learning.  I call that, the gift of surprise.  One day in the future, when they look back on their days of riding route 8, they’ll understand, we are always learning, whether we are aware of It, or not.

 

 

    When I was twelve years old, a drunk driver hit my oldest brother in a head-on car collision.  The drunk driver sustained only minor injuries.  My brother Mark of just a mere seventeen years of age sustained head injuries disabling him both physically and mentally resulting in the need of 24/7 care/supervision for his remaining 40 years of life, if you can call it that.  Our mother cared of him for that forty years.  To say it really sucked the life out of our family would be an understatement.  There were many times over the years I had wished he had just died.  Every year thousands of lives are lost and countless others altered forever because of a bad life choice.   If drunk drivers weren’t enough, we’ve got something far worse than drunk drivers, we’ve got inattentive drivers, talking and texting on their cell phones.  Most people think cell phone use while driving is harmless because they aren’t altering their state of consciousness like drugs or alcohol do.  I beg to differ.  Cell phones take 100 percent of your awareness off the road.  I’ve been driving school bus for the past six years and have seen plenty of inattentive drivers on the road using their cell phones.  I was witness to the sound of a car crashing into the back of a car that stopped next to me as a child was getting on my bus.  The perpetrator plowed into the rear end of the car at fifty miles per hour, no brakes, no skid marks, no awareness.  The impact was so severe that person that got hit tore the driver’s seat from the chasse of the car and ended up in his back seat. He didn’t have a chance.  Wrong place, wrong time.  The perpetrator was texting.  Didn’t even see the car, just felt the sudden impact. Holly shit people, what’s it going to take.  Let’s take some responsibility for our actions and stay off our dam phones while we’re on the road.  This phenomenon isn’t restricted to drivers, pedestrians are being killed as well because they blindly step out into traffic while being distracted by their cell phone.  Just another form of addiction we’ve created for ourselves.  Another distraction diverting us from experiencing life.  I ask you to take a pledge with me.  Don’t text and drive.  Please share this pledge with others you love.

 

 

2 January 2017

The Pine

Over the past several years I’ve intentionally changed my life by embracing a more metaphorical view of the world achieving a balance I never knew could exist.  This metaphorical awareness within me didn’t come about by accident, it was a very mindful experiential journey and at times very painful. One of my favorite books “The Meaning of Trees” by Fred Hageneder helps us understand  the Pine more in depth.  It is found primarily in the northern hemisphere and there are more than 90 species.  Most are tall, coniferous, referred to as evergreens because they remain green year round.  The practical uses of pines in terms of time are immemorial.  The Greeks, being people of the sea, primarily used the tall strong mountain trees to build boats.  Many of the species produce edible and nutritious seeds that can be eaten either raw or the more preferred method of being roasted.  We traveled once to Greece visiting some friends and was taken aback by the sparseness of the country side, mostly void of trees.   The majority of the Greek Islands have been deforested leaving them nothing but a barren rock built up with a multitude of bars, night clubs, restaurant’s, and hotels.  The Island of Samos is one of the last remaining Islands that has trees, resulting in one of the lushest and greenest places we experienced during our visit to Greece.

Myth, Symbolism and Culture.  Wood from the Lodgepole Pine was used as a “story Stick” by the indigenous peoples of the Blackfoot tribe.  They were given to the children by the elders and a notch was scribed into the stick for small chores or tasks the children performed for them.  The number of notches indicated how many stories the children would be told by the elders.  The Hopi used the two-needle pinyon “gum” and applied to the forehead as a form of protection from evil spirits.  The Navajo also used this trees needles as a ceremonial medicine during the performance of their War Dance.  The Taoist hermits and monks of China cherished the pine nut.  These Holy men ate the pine nut and considered it to give them eternal life.  Although not known to have grown in Egypt, pine nuts have been found in Egyptian tombs. Mighty Viking chiefs where buried in their dragon ship make of pine.  Scotland clan chiefs and warriors preferred instead to be buried under the pine tree.  Makes more sense to me being buried under the tree rather than burning a perfectly good ship, but then I live in a different time of history.  Also within Greek mythology the pine is dedicated to the deity Pan, a hairy and horned creature representing and honoring the natural forces of nature.

Natural Healing.  It should come as no surprise that the nutrition value of pine nuts is extremely beneficial.  They contain potassium, magnesium, vitamin e and carotenes.  They are highly regarded in Chinese Medicine for boosting circulation.  Many ointments, teas, inhalations and baths are made from the essence of pine treating such things as coughs, head congestion, stimulation of the lungs and circulation of the bodies fluids.  The scots also believed it helped with the insight of a balance life.

My Story.  I owe a great deal of my awakening to the Pine tree. I found it to be among my favorite trees to use when building a Peace Chair.  After thirteen years of living in Europe and our extensive traveling throughout western Europe, Josie and I found our way back home to Minnesota.  I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen to me upon our return Home.  It would take many years to process it all and to understand what is truly important in this world.  The Pine is one of them, family is another.  The abundance of naturally dead standing pine trees near the Blue Heron B&B was a gold mine for my chair building therapy.  The many different forests I later explored in the North woods were compared to how much or how little of the naturally dried Pines where available to me as there were near Blue Heron.  While being obsessed with a dream of becoming rich from my Chair invention, it took only three short years to become bankrupt, homeless and nearly divorced after my retirement from the US Army.  I’ll spare you the details of that story and just say, you can read all about that one in my first book Inspiration Point Discovering Peace Within.  The important thing I want to express is that Discovering Peace Within is one thing, maintaining it is quite another.  I can honest say, I’m getting very good at maintaining a sense of inner peace, joy, love and compassion to mention just a few of the good places I find within myself.  A sense of humor is also a very important attribute to hone.  Laughter is the best and cheapest medicine you can find.  So the next time you hear someone fart, you can laugh knowing it reminds you of G.A.S.  Grateful you’re able to hear.  Aware of how important laughter is.  And how powerful a feeling it is being of service or being served.  The service part is the act of Love in action.

01 January 2017

The Birch           

One of my favorite books is called “The Meaning of Trees” by Fred Hageneder.  Many of the greatest joy’s we humans experience comes from learning something new.  The Meaning of Trees is filled with botany, history, mythology, and folklore offering us knowledge of what trees have meant to us throughout the ages.  They have provided us with construction material to build our homes, weapons, boats and bridges.  They have given us fruits, nuts, medicines, and have inspired legends as well as music and poetry.  Over the past several years I’ve intentionally changed my life by embracing a more metaphorical view of the world achieving a balance I never knew could exist.  This metaphorical awareness within me didn’t come about by accident, it was a very mindful experiential journey and at times very painful.  After retirement from the US Army, my wife Josie and I managed a Bed & Breakfast Called Blue Heron on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Ely, MN.  The Spiritual stories I share are a direct result of spending countless hours among the trees not only in the North Woods of Minnesota, but also from our travels throughout the world.  And so this is the beginning of a series I’m calling “Lessons from Trees”.  A dear friend of ours, Micheal Menroe of Grand Mari, MN, has many songs he’s dedicated to trees.  His entire passionate life of music is devoted to honoring, protecting and creating a deep spiritual awareness of trees and nature in general.  The first tree I’m going to feature in this series is the Birch in honor of our most recent addition to our family.  Our son Eric and our daughter-in-law Lauren just adopted a new puppy, a mixture of Blue Heeler and Shepherd from the local shelter and her name is Birch.  Here’s to you Birch!

Birch has about 60 species of deciduous trees and shrubs that can be found throughout the northern temperate regions of the world.  Practical uses of the Birch among indigenous people of the northern hemisphere include, canoes, wigwams, yurts, writing paper and even shoes.  Natural Healing practices by Russians and Scandinavian traditions includes the use of small branches from the Birch “to swat their bodies” while sweat bathing in the sauna.

Myth, Symbolism and Culture.  Birch, deriving from the Indo-European word bher(e), meaning “Shinning White” is symbolized with the deity Brigid, a muse to both poets and craft masters.  In both Norse and Germanic Traditions Birch is associated with Frigga, wife of Odin, also known as the (God of wind) and Freya, Lady of the Forest.  In Irish mythology the god Ogma (birch), gave the gift of writing to the early Celts. They also used Birch in the construction of their babies’ cradles, aiding them with protection from evil forces.  Siberian shaman use Birch in their shrines and is the “deity of the door” to the spirit realm.   Nine notches are carved into a birch branch by the shaman, number nine representing Earth Mother, invoking her guidance and to honor her.

Natural Healing.   A three-week spring “detox” using young leaves and leaf buds to make tea are used for stimulating the wellness of the gall bladder, kidneys and liver.   They are also used to relieve ailments associated with gout and rheumatism.  A tonic can be made with the blood-cleansing sap assisting with the whole metabolism.  Young leaves are used to garnish fresh salads.

My Story.  Often times Birch are found near a water source (The Beavers Realm) providing one of the beaver’s favorite dietary supplements’ and the necessary building material used in the construction projects of their dams and houses.  Or differently stated, as I’ve heard more than once from people that hate the beaver say, “their Dam Houses”!  The Beavers have voiced their same feelings to me about our homes.  Another reason for my sharing this blog is, to give Nature a voice.  To create an awareness in humanity that we have a responsibility to protect and preserve our Natural treasures and resources.  It’s because of the deep spiritual connection I’ve established with the beaver that the Birch has become one of my favorite trees I use for building a Peace Chair.  I’ve spent many hours harvesting the remains of birch branches the beaver (one of my spirit totem animals) cut down and left submerged at the bottom of the lakes and beaver ponds.   Other times they’ve been left on the shore and bleached bone white from the exposure to the sun’s rays.  Some of the most powerful chairs I’ve built are because of the association of the Moon energy that is infused into them.  I love spending evenings observing the Beaver work her magic at night in the soft white glow of a full moon, while sitting in a freshly built Beaver Spirit Chair.  The beauty of my passion and what I love about it is, every chair is unique, every Chair has a unique story, a deep connection to the Natural world.  Every time I sit in nature, I learn a little more about myself, I learn a little more about understanding her language.   And so It has begun.  In this new year 2017, we invite you to go sit under your favorite tree and listen to what It has to say. The wind whispering through the trees are the Songs of the Forest.  Can you hear it?  Our son Eric makes what he calls, Colorado Mountain Flags and on one of them it says, “Between every 2 Pines is a door way to a new world”.   What lesson have you learned from the Trees?  Did you discover a new world between of them?   If your answer is yes, we ask that you share your Story with us. My readers and I would love the read it.