Jane Pettibone

Now that the gorgeous shimmer of autumn leaves has been whisked away by the late November wind, the stripped branches appear as bare wooden hangers or bone-sparse skeletons. As I headed west out of my neighborhood one late afternoon, I noticed the incredible sky. Those spindly naked trees became the dark silhouetted contrast that enhanced the profound glory of an autumn sunset. Indeed, the trees looked to be reaching to the sky for the colors … Read more

Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for a troubled mind. —Linus Who doesn’t love Linus? Blanket carrying, thumb-sucking, closest-friend-of-Charlie Brown, Linus often utters the most profound statements. And so I set out for a pumpkin patch of my own. After all, I pondered, my thoughts could use a little sprucing up. On the way to the patch, I noticed all the leaves skittering and crackling at my feet and an … Read more

UPROOTED! My ninety-year-old friend is as old as this tree and has lost a sense of hope during the disasters of late. People uprooted. Lives upended. Hurricane—Flood—Quake—Wildfire The destruction reminds her of the bombing in her land of origin when she was a young girl. She wonders if mankind is doomed, asks if there is any good left in the world. Her moist eyes are clear and questioning and laden with sorrow. In all parts … Read more

Oh, what a walk can do for the weary soul! Taking a walk for a lot of people is a luxury that doesn’t fit into busy schedules. Amidst the clutter of media overload, PowerPoint malaise, traffic, bills, groceries, laundry, and appointments . . . a walk may well be the best gift you can give yourself. Solvitur Ambulando! This Latin term means: It is solved by walking. The expression is often attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo and to Diogenes … Read more

Recently I had the joy of hiking a section of the Ute Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the vast recesses of ancient times estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, early native people sojourned this trail between the high peaks of the Continental Divide and the lower hunting areas in the valleys and plains. In the more recent past, Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne bands traveled these original animal trails back and forth in … Read more

Days and days went by and the adult red-tailed hawks attended to the nest on the red cliff in the distance. They showed a great deal of fortitude while protecting the nest in snow and wind and rain. As yet, no sign of eggs or chicks. Then on Mother’s Day morning, white fluff moving! Oh, what a celebration. And a week later, the stretch of tiny wings, right there on the very edge of vertical rock and … Read more

Springtime. Season of Growth. Season of Emergence. New life pushing through iced snow fields, hard clumped soil, wooden-fibered branch. It can be a seemingly destructive enterprise; a formidable journey. What initially appears to be insurmountable chaos can transform into blossom and fruit, fragrance and color. Perhaps it is counter-intuitive that the flowering begins with sacrifice: the shedding of leaves, the slow breathless dormancy, the decomposition of outer shells. Status quo sloughed away for the ultimate journey … Read more

  I saw an eagle today mount up beyond a hill and then turn in the wind currents, wings extended fully in lift. It veered sharply and then swooped below my line of sight only to rise and surf the sky again and again. The subdued lighting of a damp afternoon accentuated its wings into detailed fans of brown feathers textured and intricately woven in a multitude of shades. I watched its magnificent dance of … Read more

Have you ever had doubts about your purpose? Experienced a lag in inspiration? Felt overwhelmed? Scratched your head? Well, say no more. It’s a common thing that happens to many people one time or another! A funny thing happened to me this month as I attended The Denver Post Pen and Podium lecture series featuring Pulitzer Prize winning novelist and short story writer Anthony Doerr at the University of Denver Newman Center for the Performing Arts. … Read more

Opening the door of January, . . . what will it bring? Second chances, a new start, beginning again?  Such thoughts may bubble up like the effervescence of New Year’s champagne and will hopefully continue with vitality and a freshness as we step into the new year with hope, purpose, and resolve. I look out on a snowy meadow, the white flakes glistening on the bare hanger of branch. On that stark white outline before a blue sky, buds have … Read more