28 May 2007

back on the prairie

My apologies, reader, I guess I was on hiatus from blog-duty. I was actually doing a bit of socializing, which clearly wore me out, so I decided on a little communication hiatus. And for those who love the trivia of my life, I will provide a brief summary. For those who don't... speed read.
Thursday was a busy business day, what with printing interviews and a craft fair. Both went very well and we agreed to meet at my house for a celebratory cocktail-- that done me in for the day.
Friday was rest up-pickup and then a mini celebration with the Wicked One for last day of school.
Saturday, a friend came over to help plan 30 days of summer organization; including some serious ditch and pitch, shelf installation, deck remodeling, recycling and hauling... plus a little landscaping.
Sunday morning, I caught up with reading, and in the afternoon went in to Lowes to get brackets, boards, spackle and deck stain. Then, it was time for a Memorial Day BBQ/picnic with friends. It was a splendid affair- with loads of good food and company. Mark had smoked chicken, pork and brisket all day. They had homemade potato salad, coleslaw, fruit salad, buttermilk biscuits and rhubarb strawberry pie, Yum. I exerted a fair amount of caution and self-restraint, as we all had been warned about DUI checkpoints. I had not one single dram or drop of evil spirits, and did not see one single police vehicle anywhere. It was a beautiful moonlit night, and a lovely drive home.

So here I am back in the saddle again, and I think there is a song by that name. Yup, might even be Gene Autry. I used to love him-- Lone Ranger, too. And who could forget Roy Rogers! When we were little, my brother and I used to make horses from the arms of our couch by putting pillows on the arms and making stirrups out of a belt. We then used clothesline tucked behind the couch for reins. This was in the front room, not the living room. And we would play there for hours. I even learned to do that run-hop over the back into the saddle. But I digress.

This morning, I began with my traditional Waltz with the Flowers (...I think that's a song , too), which, I might add, is not so easy. Taking macro shots of teeny tiny flowers, when there is even the slightest breeze is a chore. Factor in two dogs on leashes in the other hand, while assuming a very unladylike squat, and you can see the difficulty. It requires patience to hold that position until the breeze lets up and flower stops moving or my legs began to shake uncontrollably. So... sometimes I miss a shot.


I've had good luck with almost all my beautiful prairie flowers, except for two: the irritating little orange Whats-itz and tauntingly beautiful minute brown Daisy-type. They absolutely refuse to hold still or to present unblurred, but I will not give up, dammit. In addition, I discovered a new cactus, this morning, that looked to be growing along the ground like a tuber-- pretty, but very odd. So I will call it: the MacBean cactus.

Today's philosophical note: it is very pleasant to start the day by walking the prairie looking for beauty.

This afternoon, we will start putting up bookshelves, so that I can unpack, a couple of boxes of books and make some room in my closet. Within remove the recycling from the garage, and hopefully put that in order. Then, I will collapse in a heap--
with a great sense of accomplishment.

5 comments:

My BlueSky said...

Glad you're riding again. I shall hope to find the MacBean cactus in my part of the world.

moi said...

Wowee, peoples, make sure you click on the first photo to enlarge. That grass is something splendid to behold. Sparkly pink – you'll see what I mean.

moi said...

Oh, and second photos is I believe, Globe Mallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua A. Nelson, in the family: Malvaceae. The spiny cactii, I'm not sure of. I would have to see another photo or a picture of their bloom.

Doris Rose said...

bling,baby, bling.

~MAGILL~ said...

I shall start the day looking for beauty Too!

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