Hiatus…

 

It’s winter and I live in the low desert of Arizona, so I have no snow right now.  I love snow so I thought I would dig up an old picture from last April in Strawberry when they had a freak snowstorm.  This picture will be here for several days and I wanted it to be a pretty one.

I’m taking some time off right now.  My mom fell on Saturday morning and broke two bones in her lower left leg.  Thankfully, the breaks weren’t serious enough to require surgery…at least as far as we know at this point.  She’s back home, staying off the leg, and taking some pain pills.  I’m going to be very busy arranging appointments and transporting her to and from dialysis.  Everything takes so much longer.

Then there is Christmas to attend to and my daughter’s 17th birthday….life is busy and a bit stressful right now.  So please forgive me for bowing out for a time to tend to my family. I know you all would do the same and will understand. 

If I don’t “see” you before then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It was a close call….

 

Continuing yesterday’s “cat-tastrophy” … after I could not coax the last two kittens down from the tree (there ended up being two kittens each in two different trees), I resorted to spraying them with the water hose.  Now before you think me cruel and inhumane, I have it from a certifiable cat lover that this is kinder than several other alternatives.

You can see that pretty much all I accomplished at first with the water was to drive the kittens higher into the tree. There are two in this picture. Can you find the calico?

I felt awful.  They were cold and shivering and still up the tree.

Might I add that it was windy and I was cold, wet and shivering also.   And painfully aware of the spectacle I presented running around spraying the tree and talking the entire time…to the cats.

It took over an hour and a half to finally get them down where I could reach them to set them down out of the tree.  These are feral kittens and I’ve been attacked twice in my life by cats and have a fear of them, but by this time we were all willing to call a truce.  I’m hoping they learned their lesson and will stay out of the yard from here on out.

But now I would have to say – in regards to who was most stressed – I’m thinking it might have been the lady with the hose.  :)    

Who’s more stressed???

 

The dog on the ground….

 

The cat up the tree….

 

Or the birds in the birdhouse????  

I’m so proud…

 

I am the very proud mother of two beautiful, caring, intelligent children.  Some days that is brought home to me very clearly. As you know, my daughter’s school is going through some tough times. I want to share with you a couple of things she posted on facebook.

 

“Today could have been worse. It could also have been better. In band, there was an air of acceptance and forgiveness. In choir the feeling was less so. I will not take sides, I will love everybody for who they are and I will forgive their mistakes because I know for a FACT that I've made some stupid decisions that required forgiveness too. To everyone who has a negative attitude towards all of this, I'm very sorry, and if anyone wants it I have a shoulder and two very good listening ears to lend to you. I love you all ♥ Be strong, take heart- forgive, even if it takes time. That's the only way it will ever get better.”

“Goodnight facebook. ♥ Today was hard, but not as hard as yesterday. Tomorrow will be hard, but not as hard as today. The farther away we go, the better we will get, and we just need to keep moving forward for the sake of us remaining strong. As one. As a whole. As a family. ♥ Dearest wishes to you all.”

 

We want to shelter them their whole lives long, but have to realize how much stronger they become after coming through adversity.

Sadness and flowers…

 

Right now there are some very sad things happening at my daughter’s school.  Ugly things that are painful.

When I’m sad, I always go to my “Flower” folder in my photo gallery.

 

 

The pictures don’t make the sadness go away, but they do remind me to look for beauty wherever I can.

 

And to remember that there is a rhyme and reason to things that happen in life.

 

And that some power greater than myself is tending to all things.

 

And that from dirt and manure and decaying seeds, life and beautiful things can be born. 

Perspective…

 

Sometimes I have a habit of turning my camera on it’s side.  Tracy has always giggled at my tendency to do this.

But sometimes this position relays more about what I’m feeling or thinking when I’m seeing my subject matter.

 

In other words, it just looks better to me.

 

It gives more impact. 

(I knew I should have moved that stick out of this picture before I took it. I sometimes struggle with my OCD perfectionism and my “leave it like you found it” mind frame)  

 

So no matter what your perspective on life is, I hope today is balanced and happy.

So much depended on….

 

mud and straw.

This is an adobe building which would have been built sometime in the late 1850’s  in the Arizona Territory.  Arizona didn’t become a state until February 14, 1912.  This building was a stage stop along the Butterfield Stage Line.

 

I find it hard to believe that this building is still standing.  The weather conditions over the last 150+ years would have been hard enough, but then every generation has had vandals to deal with.

 

This building constructed of wooden headers, beams and rafters, and mud and straw bricks would have protected early travelers during the dangerous journey to Arizona and on to California.

 

 

It was humbling to think of those who had gone before us to conquer the wild west.

 

But sometimes after hours out in the desert, this building looks pretty amazing too.  :)

Peek-a-boo…

 

There’s something or someone hiding in this picture.  Can you see it/them?

Yesterday I had an amazing day with Annie and Alice.  We went on a desert trip to visit some old mines with Annie’s Dad, Coleman, and Coleman’s friend, Brian.  We had such a wonderful time.

I can’t begin to tell you all the places we saw, but the air was clear and the day was gorgeous.  We had a picnic on the tailgate of the trucks and I drove over some roads I wasn’t sure I could traverse, but we all made it home safely.  I, for one, was one tired girl.  I actually was ready for bed at 7:30 but made myself wait until 8:00.

Okay, if you didn’t find who/what was hiding in the picture above, maybe you’ll spot “him” in this shot.

This mountain is called “Montezuma’s Face”.  Can you see it now?  Nicole and I think it looks more like Abe Lincoln than Montezuma, but what do we know?

Trial and error…

Well I’ve been trying out some new things on the blog.  You know how one thing leads to another.  Tracy was helping me to set things up so that when you click on one of my pix, it will open larger so you can see more detail. Check!  We got that done.

Then I have always been a little peeved that my header picture never fills the header or isn’t centered.  Well, this fix took us into areas that I am not familiar with and Tracy left behind quite awhile ago when she moved over to Word Press.  Well, so I now obviously have a new template because my old one was ancient (and once I got rid of it, I couldn’t find it again).

Now my future is so bright, I have to wear  sunglasses….okay, I just wanted an excuse to post another picture of Shelbi.  :)  And as you can tell, I’ve been playing with some special effects too.  

Unfortunately, my header picture still doesn't fill the space and isn't centered....

Hope you slip the rope….

 

and charge into your weekend with gusto.

 

Kick up your heels and have a good time…

 

But remember….sometimes it’s good to read the signs along the way and follow the rules.

 

  Happy Friday!!!

Reflecting…

 

upon reflections.

While walking by an empty building this caught my eye.  I love how the shadow is reflected back onto the window.

Kinda like life…lots of layers.

Oh, my cup runneth over…

 

This little man is named Porter Montgomery and came into this world on the 22nd of November which also happened to be his great grandfather’s 84th birthday!

 

His older sister is Shelbi Lynn who knows how to wiggle into your heart and take control right away.

 

I can’t imagine anything more important than family and the love they bring into our lives.  

What are these…

 

dotting the canal bank??

 

These are these….

Sorry, I’m maxed out on my zoom lens, no tripod, and a little shaky.

 

And this is what these do when you get too close.

I believe these are Great Egrets as opposed to Snowy Egrets which should have yellow feet.

 

As you can see….black feet.  They are so beautiful in flight.   

Kettle Corn…

 

is always the star of any of the fairs or arts and crafts shows we go to.

And I’m guessing preparing it can be kind of dangerous too from the way this guy’s geared up.   It was worth the long line though…at least that’s what Annie told me.  I had to pass on the Kettle Corn this time…toothache. 

 

But I would rather deal with my toothache than what this poor fellow must have been through.   I’m sure his owner brought him to see the Chihuahua races.  Yes, you read that correctly…Chihuahua races.  We didn’t stay for them, we both had too much to do. I’m sure that would have been something to see! 

I have it on good authority…

 

that this is the world famous Prickly Palm Pear Cactus Tree.

Okay, I may have made the name up myself, but I was told it was world famous.

 

As you can see, the prickly pear cactus  is growing out of the side of the palm tree.  If these two can co-exist so successfully, I’m sure the human race can do better.

Have a happy, peace-filled weekend!

Randy….

 

this post is for you.  While in Wickenburg, Tracy and I happened upon a store with this sign in the window.

I had a little chuckle and couldn’t pass up taking this picture for you.  But Tracy very wisely pointed out that I also needed to get a picture of this sign that was in the same store window.

 

Not happy to see any store, especially a small one-of-a-kind store, fall upon hard times.  But I had to smile.

I hope your studying pays off and you do well on your final. :) 

A river….

 

doesn’t run through it…

Typical of river beds in Arizona right now, this one is dry.  This is the Hassayampa River that “runs” at the edge of Wickenburg. The  Hassayampa is a mostly underground river.  It’s headwaters are just south of Prescott from which it flows south until it joins the Gila River in the area of Hassayampa, AZ. 

 

Although water doesn’t flow in this river right now, horses and dogs do.

 

So do happy people on ATVs.

There is a poem I found about the perils of drinking the water from the Hassayampa River.

 

Those who drink its waters bright-

Red man, white man, boor or knight,

Girls or women, boys or men-

Never tell the truth again

…author unknown

It’s a good thing for Tracy and I that there wasn’t any water to drink.  We also were able to obey all posted signs.

No water…no fishing…no problem. :)

Something stuck….

 

in my mind and just wouldn’t leave me be.  I passed this field on the trip up to Prescott for my Mom’s birthday and as soon as I saw it, I could think of only one thing.

I didn’t stop on that trip and was surprised to see this field of maize hadn’t been harvested yet when Tracy and I went to Wickenburg.  So, of course, I had to stop and get my pictures.

Now what, you might ask yourself, has taken root in my mind and won’t let go?  Isn’t it funny how once we start viewing the world from a certain perspective, everything changes?  Whether we express ourselves through words or photos, we begin looking at the world differently. A single fallen leaf might inspire a sonnet.

But this field with several stalks standing taller than all the others just screamed “Over Achievers” to me.   You know people like that. There’s always one or two in every crowd…or field.

Isn’t life strange?