Friday, May 15, 2009

fotog friday: giving a hoot, and bye for now

Here are some recent things that remind me to count my blessings:

1) The "Great 4-H Enchilada Production Line"


This happened last weekend at the home of our local 4-H Swine Project leader. By the time all was said and done, there were enough enchilada orders filled to allow the club to purchase a large animal scale. This will come in handy for the market animals heading to the County Fair auction in the fall, but as the local 4-H Horse Project leader, I'm looking forward to weighing some horses on it as well. Those enchis were piled nearly floor to ceiling high, I tell ya:





2) Mother's Day roses:

Some from friends, and some from family (I am lucky to call myself richly blessed in both departments).



3) That dog:

Lizzie's herding instincts have gotten a little too intense lately, especially with all the kids we have running in and out of the house on a regular basis. So, with summer vacation fast approaching, we're getting back to some remedial training and socialization with her, including long runs and frequent trips to son's Little League practices. She's a good girl, though, so I have no doubt we'll get her hyper vigilant Aussie brain back in line. This evening she accompanied me on a long walk throughout the neighborhood, during which I was able to collect a big bag of roadside trash. Those Woodsy Owl commercials from the 70's made a big impression, though I don't think any commercial cut as deep as that crying Indian - er, Native American - canoeing past all the riverbank trash. (Is it just me, or does he bear a strong resemblance to Kramer from Seinfeld?)

And with all that said, I'm also going to say my yearly "Goodbye for now." AWAAR will be going dark for a while. How long? Dunno. What I do know is that life is demanding my focused attention in ways I could not have foreseen a year ago, and so I'll give that attention where necessary - including to the Year of Writing Dangerously, which I committed to in January and which has, heretofore, not been quite as dangerous as it should be. So, we'll see where it all ends up. Hopefully I'll have plenty of daring adventure stories with which to regale you upon my return.
Cheerio!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

w.o.k. wednesday: nanci

The finest hour I have seen is the one that comes between the edge of night and the break of day - it's when the darkness rolls away.
-Kate Wolf

Really, what more is there to say?

Actually, there's probably lots. I've loved Nanci for years, and when she came to Flagstaff with Jerry Jeff Walker when my daughter was a newborn, it was a delight. I just recently listened to her Other Voices, Other Rooms CD after a long hiatus, and I was reminded of how much I love Across the Great Divide. But This one (click on "Play this track") is, hands down, my favorite to holler along to when travelin' down the Interstate.

But, shoot: I totally forgot about Ford Econoline...he built a golden cage around his silver-coated wife. Gotta love it.