An Unexpected Visitor

July 14, 2026July 13, 2026 / jrmilson / 2 Comments

A few weeks ago, after saying goodbye to my little Chihuahua, Allie, I was sitting quietly at home when an unexpected visitor stopped by my window.

Now, before I tell you about the visitor, I should probably explain something.

Birds and I are already on fairly familiar terms.

A pair of House Sparrows built a nest this spring in a ventilation outlet just outside my apartment on the third floor. For weeks, they came and went carrying bits of grass, feathers, and whatever else sparrows use when decorating a nursery. Not long ago, the young ones finally fledged. For several days afterward, the babies could often be seen perched nearby and on my windowsill itself, fluttering their wings and loudly demanding food as though they had never been fed a meal in their lives.

As a result, birds visit my windowsill rather regularly.

Sparrows stop by.

Finches stop by.

Occasionally a woodpecker appears, drilling in the bricks and mortar for insects, spiders, and insect pupae hiding in the crevices. they inspect it all with great seriousness.

Birds come and go so often that seeing one outside my window or on my window ledge is hardly unusual.

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A Conversation on the Morning Air

April 18, 2026 / jrmilson / 1 Comment

There are some Spring mornings that feel as though they’ve been set out just for noticing.

Last week offered one of those.

The air had that early-season softness — not quite warm, not quite cool — in between — the kind that carries sound a little farther than usual and lets the world arrive in layers. Across the street stood a White Dogwood in full bloom, its branches lifted and spread like open hands, each one holding those unmistakable cross-shaped blossoms that seem less like flowers and more like small, quiet declarations.

And there, settled comfortably among them, was a Cardinal, its crimson feathers glowing in the sunlight.

Not just present — but singing.

Filling the morning air with his full-throated melodies. Steady, and sure of himself, as Cardinals tend to be. The kind of song that doesn’t ask for attention so much as assuming it will be given.

On my side of the street, just ahead, stood a Red Maple — not yet committed to Spring, its branches still mostly bare, holding back just a little longer before leafing out. And from somewhere within those branches — though I could not see him at all — came the bright, quick voice of a Carolina Wren.

It is one of those things, where if you know that sound, you know it — sharp, cheerful, almost insistent, as if every note matters. Such a loud song coming from such a tiny bird.

And then something curious happened.

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When All Hope Seems Lost — Thoughts on the Election. We are the Resistance.

November 8, 2024 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Happy November!

A week ago I was dog and pet sitting for one of my sons while he and my daughter-in-law vacationed in Cancun, and leaves began to first display Autumn colors here.

Then, on Monday and Tuesday of this week, 8 inches of rain soaked our area, caused widespread flooding along with many school closures, and blew newly colored leaves off trees already.

On Tuesday, folks headed to the polls in the Presidential election across the U.S., and officials declared Donald Trump the winner in a decisive victory.

And on Wednesday morning, following the overnight announcement of the election results, the world as we knew it ended. Or so it seemed anyway, as many around me fell into a sinking feeling of hopelessness, depression, and despair. Feeling drowned and done in by both the rain and the election.

Well, let’s talk about that. Because talking about problems and bringing them out into the light of day can help us to not only work thru what is bothering us but also to figure out what we can do about it all going forward.

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Take A Walk To A Park for Healthy Exercise & Fun!

October 10, 2024 / jrmilson / 2 Comments

Happy National Walk To A Park Day!

When was the last time you visited one of your local neighborhood parks? National Walk to a Park Day, celebrated on October 10th each year, encourages us all to visit a local park. Swing on a swing set. Play with children. Throw a Frisbee around. Kick a ball.

Or, simply take a walk thru the park and enjoy the changing Autumn leaves, feeling the refreshing cooler air on your face after a long, hot summer.

For those living in cities who may not have a large yard, local public parks serve as a community’s backyard, and offer the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and visit with family, friends, and neighbors. A place to play, exercise (even if merely a short walk), and visit with Mother Nature for a spell.

I remember countless trips to parks as both a youngster, and then taking my own children to have a picnic, play on the playgrounds, fly kites, play tennis and handball, toss footballs, kick soccer balls around, and play catch and Indian Ball. And hours and hours of chasing Frisbees.

Yet sadly, according to statistics, about 100 million people, including 28 million kids, do not have access to a local, quality park within a 10-minute walk from home.

I encourage to take a walk to a park today. Or this coming weekend. And if too far to walk — to drive, roller skate, ride a bicycle, hitch a pony ride, or to get there somehow to enjoy time in a green space, get some fresh, and visit with nature. You will feel better for it, 99 3/4% guaranteed. Hope to see you there!

“Thank You!” for visiting with us today! We are grateful for you taking a few moments of your day to share with us here. Because you are why we do this.

And we are grateful to have local parks to visit, walk around, and enjoy the outdoors, always being thankful for the little things in life.

Please join us again next Monday, when we continue to explore Living A Life Of Gratitude, this time the Physical Benefits of living a life of thankfulness as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday. Register today to be notified of every new post and feature in the future!

Best Wishes & Blessings! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🍂 🧡

In case you missed it, I invite you to check out Parts 1and 2 in my new Monday Morning series about Living A Life of Gratitude and Living A Life Of Gratitude — Mental Health Benefits leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday. And “Happy October! Welcome Glorious Autumn!”

(Featured image credit — “Small Town Lane, Watercolor,” created via Bing Image Creator AI)

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “Mitakuye Oyasin — We Are All Related,” and “Wishing You Deep Peace, Love, Happiness, and Joy; And A Very Good Day!”

We welcome recent visitors! Please check out “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim, & Little Red Bear” to find out what we are all about. Sign up today to follow and receive notifications for every new post and feature!

In a world where we can be anything, please choose to be kind!

When not out fishing or gathering honey, Little Red Bear and Cinnamon Charlie love to color in their spare time!

If you have little ones around or simply enjoy coloring yourself for relaxation and fun, be sure to check out “Little Red Bear’s “Happy Autumn Season!” Coloring Pages.”

Download and color as many as you like, free of charge, because that’s just how we roll here!

Happy Coloring!

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” — Mary Davis

“A park is a love letter from the city to its residents.” — Unknown

Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods”

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear” Short Stories on Amazon.

Old-fashioned, Family-friendly Stories and Fun for All Ages!

About an Uncommonly Special Bear and His Friends.

Tap Here For A Free Preview!

Think Globally — Act Locally!

Tomorrow Begins With YOU Today!

There Is No “Planet B.”

This is a purposefully non-monetized, ad-free site to offer the most enjoyable reading and viewing experience for everyone. We freely share all content and do not generate any income to offset the costs of maintaining and operating the site.

If you enjoy your visits and time with us, I invite you to Join our Patron Community today. Together, we can do so much!

With the help of patrons, we offer Seasonal Coloring Pages, Writing and Poetry Selections, Holiday Features and more for free, and we can donate print copies of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” to Seniors, Libraries, Classrooms, and individuals who may not otherwise be able to afford or get a copy.

Patrons help my friend Little Red Bear and me continue this as a Non-Monetized site free of distracting and inappropriate advertisements, dedicated solely to entertainment and educational purposes; sharing messages of Happiness, Inspiration, Positivity, Kindness, Compassion, Environmental Awareness, and Conservation with everyone.

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We invite you to join us today!

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness—it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” — Brene Brown

Please share this post with family and friends!

Your Likes, Shares, and Comments greatly expand our reach and encourage new visitors to our pages.

Because together, we can do so much!

Thank You for visiting! Best Wishes and God Bless! — Jim (and Red!)

NATIONAL WALK TO A PARK DAY → https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-walk-to-a-park-day-october-10?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11280287&hashed_email=41e0d9827516c019134fcde7cde3c8ea21bb4ae1&email=jamesrmilson%40gmail.com

Sharing Autumn Joy & Free Wallpaper Images!

September 24, 2022 / jrmilson / Leave a comment

Little Red Bear’s best friend and neighbor, Bobo the Black Bear, stopped by a few minutes ago to inform Little Red Bear that the Rainbow Trout were biting this morning over at Little Piney Creek, and off they went, fishing poles in paws, right out the door in the middle of writing the next adventure story!

So, I figured now might be a good time to sit down to say —

HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!

The Autumn Season is just beginning here in our neck of the woods. Most of the trees and lawns are still green, while a few trees are just beginning to change color, dropping a few odd leaves here and there. But not many yet. It’s still early. But at 94+ just the other day and back to mid-80s today, it can still feel like Summer despite my ‘internal calendar’ saying it is Fall.

Regardless of the thermometer reading, or maybe because of it, Little Red Bear and I thought we would do what we could to help ease everyone into a Fall mood.

As regular followers here know, we are all about freely sharing things here on the Writing Pages, so thought we would share some beautiful Autumn Wallpapers with everyone. Please feel free to download as many as you like.

The “Autumn Wallpapers Page” is provided for everyone thru the kind and generous help and support of our Patreon Community. If you are a member of our wonderful Patreon Community, please be sure to visit the Patreon pages to find a few extra Free Wallpapers, our way of saying “Thank You” for your ongoing support and all you do!

If you are not a member of our Patreon Community, please consider joining today. As little as a few dollars each month goes a long way in helping to keep this site and writing work going!

An meaningful quote from Ernest Hemingway recently came to my attention. It resonated because it describes what my story character Little Red Bear and I are all about here —

“When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for.

You wish to serve.” – Ernest Hemingway

That is what we are all about here. Hope you enjoy the Autumn Wallpapers as much as we enjoy sharing them with you.

Best wishes for a wonderful day and a beautiful upcoming Autumn season!

Happy Autumn!

— Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻 🍂 🍁 🎃 🍂 🍁 🍎 🍏 🍂

P.S. – With children back in school now, we invite you to visit Little Red Bear’s “Back-To-School” Coloring Pages along with Little Red Bear’s “Happy Autumn Season!” Coloring Pages for hours of family coloring fun and time together!

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart” and “Judge Softly” or “Walk a Mile in His Moccasins”

(New Visitors — Welcome! To find out what we are all about, please check out — “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim & Little Red Bear” — and sign up to follow and be notified of every new post! Because really, why in the world wouldn’t you?)

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
― Albert Camus

“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” – Oscar Wilde

Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”

“The Adventures of Little Red Bear” Short Stories on Amazon.

Old-fashioned, Family-friendly Stories and Fun for All Ages!

About an Uncommonly Special Bear and His Friends.

Tap Here For A Free Preview!

“For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.” – Edwin Way Teale

This is a purposefully non-monetized, ad-free site to be able to offer the most enjoyable reading and viewing experience for everyone, with all content freely shared, and generates no income to offset the costs of maintaining and operating.

If you enjoy your visits and time with us, I invite you to Join our new Patron Community today, because together we can do so much!

With the help of patrons, we are able to donate free print copies of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” to Senior Citizens, School Libraries and Classrooms, and to those who could otherwise not obtain a copy.

Patrons also help my friend Little Red Bear and me to continue this as a Non-Monetized site free of distracting advertisements, dedicated solely to entertainment and educational purposes while sharing positive messages of Happiness, Inspiration, Kindness, Environmental Awareness, and Conservation with everyone.

We invite you to Join Us In Making A Positive Difference In The World!

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryant

Thank You for visiting with us!

Please feel free to share with family and friends. Likes, Shares, & Comments are truly appreciated and help greatly to expand our reach and encourage new readers and visitors!

Because together, we can do so much!

Happy Birthday to Smokey the Bear!

August 9, 2022 / jrmilson / 2 Comments

Happy Birthday to Smokey the Bear! A robust 78 years old today, Smokey is still dutifully at it, still spreading the word about fire prevention and safety for everyone.

Smokey the Bear was born on August 9, 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council both agreed that a fictional bear would be the symbol going forward for their efforts to promote forest fire prevention and safety. Smokey was named after a famously brave NYFD firefighter named Joe Martin, nicknamed “Smokey”. The artist Albert Staehle, a popular cover artist for the ‘Saturday Evening Post’ magazine at the time, was commissioned to paint the very first poster of Smokey Bear.

Smokey the Bear’s image may have changed and been modernized a bit over the ensuing years, but his familiar phrase — “Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!” has remained unchanged and become even more meaningful in today’s warming world. The phrase was adopted as his official message a few years after Smokey began, in 1947, the year his slogan first appeared.

Smokey the Bear has been spreading the word about forest fire prevention and safety ever since. More recently, and sadly due to climate change, Smokey’s message has expanded to include the Prevention of Wildfires.

Smokey the Bear became more popular when, in the spring of 1950 in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, a young bear cub was trapped as the forest burned around him. Taking refuge in a tree, the young bear was able to survive the blaze, although badly burned. Rescued by firefighters who were so moved by the cub’s survival, he was named “Smokey”. News about the real Smokey soon spread nationwide. Later, the real-life Smokey was moved and given a new, permanent home in the National Zoo located in Washington, D. C. During his life, this bear survivor played an important role in helping to spread Smokey the Bear’s fire prevention and conservation messages. After his death in 1976, he was returned to Capitan, New Mexico, and buried in the State Historical Park.

Smokey the Bear’s forest and wildfire prevention messages remain vitally relevant and important today. According to the Earth Eclipse site —

“90% of all wildfires are caused by humans. Human acts of carelessness such as leaving campfires unattended and negligent discarding of cigarette butts result in wildfire disasters every year. Accidents, deliberate acts of arson, burning of debris, and fireworks are as well other substantial causes of wildfires.”

To help children and families to learn more about Smokey the Bear and his fire safety and awareness messages, Little Red Bear has created a separate page of Smokey the Bear Coloring Images for everyone! We invite you to download and print as many copies as you like for hours of family coloring fun, all Free because that’s how we roll here.

Thanks always for visiting and spending part of your day with us! We hope you visit often to check out all of the free posts, features, puzzles, games, coloring pages, and other activities for the family!

My story character friend Little Red Bear and I both encourage you to visit and enjoy the great outdoors, spending healthy quality time with Mother Nature. When visiting outdoors, as Smokey the Bear would say today — Please Remember – Only YOU Can Prevent Forest and Wildfires!

So, wishing a very Happy Birthday and many more to Little Red Bear’s cousin Smokey the Bear! — Jim (and Red!)

P.S. – with children heading off to school soon, we invite you to visit Little Red Bear’s “Back-To-School” Coloring Pages for even more hours of family coloring fun!

If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart” and “Judge Softly” or “Walk a Mile in His Moccasins”