morning on my street as seen from the deck 

Its 7am 82 degree’s with humidity of 79%. I have just spent 1 hour in the yard trying to beat the heat, I will mow the grass tonight. I don’t want to wake the neighbors. I am hot irritable and need a shower. The reason I bring this up is that the plumbers are going to be working at my oldest sons new abode today and to be quite honest the bids he received to do the work were to say the least a bit of a shock but if I had to crawl around under a trailer in this heat I would charge more!!

My hats off to plumbers, electricians, lawn matainence workers, carpenters and all those service people we all depend on.

The first car I ever owned was an Olds Delta 88, it was a boat, you could fit 5 people in the trunk. When you are young you do stupid things. After hitting a telephone pole with it in broad daylight and totally sober I bought a Ford Pinto, I actually had 3 of those, I always liked the ideal of driving a bomb and anyway they had manual transmissions were cheep to drive and did not cost a ton of money. I really wanted the MG but it was a little pricey for me. After the Pintos I had Escorts and now I have a Focus, all reasonable, reliable, boring cars.

What I want is a Jeep. Not one of those fancy smancy ones just a good old fashioned Jeep Wrangler, 5 speed rag top like the army had at one time. I have always liked driving them and any chance I get I do. I don’t own one at this time because it’s not a “reasonable” thing to do. I drive on flat paved well maintained roads. I drive 120 miles round trip to work. I don’t like the beach so I don’t need a 4 wheel drive to get to those great secluded spots the locals know about. When I do go to a beach function I can always hitch a ride with someone else.

Lately for my trips to the mountains I have been renting a Wrangler. It’s not my ideal Jeep, it’s an automatic, but its still fun and in a pinch it does its job. On my last visit to the mountains the weather was great until the last day and then the heavens just let go. The drive way and the area that was leveled for the future house and where the camper is now kept is clay. Clay is great to drive on when it’s dry but when it’s wet we have whole nother animal. The whole area turned into clay muck. One time while driving out the jeep started to slip to the side; Of course it was in 4 wheel drive but even so we slipped in a most uncomfortable way. I let the jeep come to a complete stop slapped it into 4 wheel low, took my foot off the gas and let that sucker pull its self out. It’s a great feeling when a piece of machinery does what it’s supposed to do. My son and I had some fun messing around that day; it took me a whole day to clean that Jeep!

Now mud and Jeeps go together but mud and an 80lb dog in a 19 foot camper dosent. It was an absolute mess. I just can’t describe it. It was horrible. My plan was not to do any more work to the property until I was ready to build. I did not want to work on the road or the building site just to have it messed up by heavy equipment but I want to bring my dogs. There was a choice to be made, spend the money saved to rent the Jeep on the Jeep or gravel. Gravel won out so the week after next when I go to the mountains I will be driving a sensible, reliable, boring Ford Focus but when I move up there I will have a Wrangler!

what next

Burgers From a Lab? U.S. Study Says It's Possible

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Laboratories using new tissue engineering technology might be able to produce meat that is healthier for consumers and cut down on pollution produced by factory farming, researchers said on Wednesday.

http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/nm/science_meat_dc

Trip and Zeke

Had a butt shot earlier here are their sweet faces. (they are nicer than they look)

garden 7-12-05

The garden 7-12-05, lots of little green tomatoes, lots of green peppers. Picked a few cucumbers all ready. The green beans are gone. I have plenty in the freezer and I will be planting more on Friday. Japs are doing well on the deck I'll be canning them soon. The garlic is stressed but still doing ok

the view 

It's a nice morning here on the Outer Banks. Although it is hot, 81 degrees with humidity of 87%, at 7:30 this morning, I did enjoy my coffee on the deck with Zeke and Trip, aka the boyz & girlz. As can be seen from the attached photo, the boyz and girlz love to stand with their noses between the railing slats and breath deep the morning smells. I am sure they would prefer to chase those smells but we live in a community where that would not be safe for them so they will have to be content with smells from the porch.

This morning the breeze was nice and gentle and seemed to be from the SW. Wind chimes played in the back ground couple that with the birds and those of us who are sitting outside are treated to a natural symphony.

I love mornings like this.

together 

War of the Worlds

Yesterday I went to see “War of the Worlds” the new Spielberg movie. It was not E.T. I left the movie theater feeling much like I did when I saw “Saving Private Ryan”. It was a good movie, very well done but it did not leave me feeling good. It made me wonder how I would react in that type of situation. Would I retain my civilized ways or revert to my more animal side. War is the ultimate test of true beliefs and character. I am thankful I have not had to face that test.

ramblings

*I am saddened over the bombings in London. We live in an unpredictable world. I was encouraged by what one Londoner said, she said there are risks in life and taking away freedoms will not take those risks away. I agree when you take away freedoms in response to attacks like these bombings and 9/11 the criminals win. I would rather die in a terrorist attack then lose my freedoms.

*A lot is still being said on the net about the Supreme Court decision on government’s right to take property without true public need. The Supreme Court did leave an opening for local and state lawgivers to step in and pass laws to protect property owners. Now it is our job to write our state and federal representatives saying that we want laws passed to protect the individual property owner’s rights. One way to do this is to e-mail your representatives and tell them how you feel voice your fears and concerns. Tell them what you want. I found that by simply typing (your state) house of representatives in the search box on the browser it is possible to quickly find your local state rep. For federal reps try these;
http://www.house.gov/

http://www.senate.gov/.

We can voice our concerns to each other and it might make us feel better but if we don’t let our representatives know our concerns nothing will be done.

*Tropical storm Cindy visited my brother in New Orleans. He was with out power when I spoke with him Wednesday but all in all he did fine. It looks like hurricane Dennis may visit my sister in Pensacola. Why did so many of us migrate to the coast?

fire works

Manteo is a small Mayberry-isk town located on Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks of NC. Last night my mother and I walked from her apartment to the water front to see the fire works and I must say it was a very pleasant experience. First it was nice to see that we were not the only ones to walk in to town. What started as a trickle of people became a small stream the closer we came to town. There was laughter and good will in that stream. There were conversations between stranger’s that flowed from one person to the other and subject to subject. Children ran laughing and screaming with glow sticks and shoes that sparkled with each step. It was a feeling of carnival. I sensed no discourse even though I know it must have been there; after all we don’t live in Perfect.

This feeling of community spread to the dock where we sat waiting for the fire works to begin. The effortless conversation between strangers continued, the children played and their laughter stayed in the air until the fire works began, then oh’s and awe’s filled the air as parents tried to convince the very young that fire works were great and couples sitting close concentrated only on the fire works and each other.

As we walked home I was glad I took the time to come to Manteo and walk to the waterfront with my mother. How else could I have experienced the good in this life that is so often missed?

O'conner

Yesterday Justice O’Conner announced that she would be retiring from the Supreme Court. Many look at this as very troubling. After all this gives president Bush an opportunity to place a conservative as a Justice. I decided that before I got upset over this I would review the present court make up, this is what I found.

Of the nine justices 7 were appointed by republican presidents. O’Conner was appointed by Reagan. So there will still be 7 republican appointees. From what I can see there has been no rhyme or reason to the way the justices “vote”. They have a job they can’t be fired from so they can become more open or closed minded when they get the position. More than one president has been disappointed by the decisions made by their appointee. Bush does have the potential to place 3 Justices but Reagan placed 4 and all was not lost.

This will be an interesting time for Bush and for the nation. I hope he thinks in the long term because who ever he appoints will be influencing our lives for a long time.

summer heat

Each morning I get up fix a cup of coffee, take the dogs out to the back let them do there morning thing while I mess around in the garden, then we go back up stairs they get fed and I get ready for my morning walk. Its 6:50, 77 degrees with 87% humidity. This is going to be one hell of a walk! Aggggg I hate hot weather!!!!

I just like this picture. I bought this plant last year I think its some type of poppy; it came back on its own this year in a patch of patinas that came back on their own. It's kind of neat to be surprised by your flower garden. Marigolds also came up on their own as did some other flowers that I can't remember the names of. Oh well enjoy.

When I got back from my visit to the mountains my garden was very stressed. I watered and fertilized the plants the first day back and then I proceeded to water every day after that. We have very sandy soil here at the beach and even though I have tried to condition the soil by adding organic material it still dries out fast. I knew what it needed was a good soaking rain and that's what we have had the last few days. There is something about the green after a good rain. The plants seem to glow from within. Thank god for plants.

mountian morning 

mountian morning 

the court, what a mess

Some times I am truly amazed at what those responsible for interpreting our laws come up with. To allow a government to take a persons property and give it to a developer so the developer can make money so the government can collect taxes goes against the very beliefs that this country was founded on. Individual rights and freedoms are the cornerstone of our countries belief. To take away the right of ownership without a true public need is wrong.

The recent decision by the Supreme Court to allow municipalities the right of expanded eminent domain, while passed by a majority of justices was by no means a mandate. The Justices JUSTICE O’CONNOR, THE CHIEF JUSTICE, JUSTICE SCALIA, and JUSTICE THOMAS join, dissenting. Justices O’Connor and Thomas wrote excellent dissenting arguments. I am including a quote from Justice Thomas’s argument I think it sums the decision up nicely.

THOMAS, J., dissenting

“Something has gone seriously awry with this Court’s interpretation of the Constitution. Though citizens are safe from the government in their homes, the homes themselves are not.”

Visit the supreme courts web page and look up recent decisions, Kelo vs. City of New London. It is a long read but worth at least a look at.

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

Zeke and the cows

I just got back from a week in the mountains. This trip I took my #3 son and my dog Zeke. Zeke found the cows fascinating. He would sit for the longest time and just look at them. More later.

Off we go again

Tomorrow my youngest son and I start on our first trip to the mountains this summer. We will be spending a week in Floyd county Virginia. There will be no computers, no TV, no phones, no washer or dryer, no house to clean, no bills to pay no job to go to. My son says he will bring no gaming apparatus. I am going to Barns & Noble in Christiansburg and pick up the two Star Trek books I ordered so after long days of tramping around the property building a winding walkway from the barn area to the home site I can sit back and enjoy a mindless reading exercise. Star Trek is my Harlequin romance.

If all goes well the weather will be the best it could be, 70 degree days and 50 degree nights. If we can fit him in the Jeep we will be bringing Zeke one of our dogs. A week in the mountains with good weather a Jeep and a dog. Oh heaven could not be better!

One of the nice things about green beans is that they start to produce quickly. These were planted the first of May. The delicate purple flowers are beautiful to look at and the beans they produce taste so good.

 

driving Miss Cindy

For the past 8 years I have been traveling 60 miles from my home in Colington to my job in Elizabeth City NC. To some this drive may seem a bit much but to me it offers an hour and fifteen minutes of peace and reflection, time I appreciate even more now that I drive it only once a week.

The past few years has seen a lot of growth here in Dare County NC. It has become crowded. The roads are busy with people trying to get to and fro with undaunting determination. There is no such thing as a relaxing ride that is unless you have to go to Elizabeth City.

My weekly ride to Elizabeth City takes me through Currituck county farm land. At this time of year the farmers plant their fields with corn. By the time July comes around they will be harvesting sweet corn. In September the corn will be drying up and by October it will be harvested for grain. I have been watching this cycle for the past 8 years. I find this familiar sequence of events calming and I hope it never changes.

and so it begins

The tsunami I alluded to at Easter has struck the Outer Banks. The wave of people and the things associated with them have flooded our roads. The beach is packed with folks wanting to escape to a place of sun, fun and beaches. They pack their families in an assortment of vehicles and come on down to spend a whirl wind week together. Every week for the next 3 months this wave of people will come. Every Saturday and Sunday will have bumper to bumper traffic. The stores will be over flowing. This is Christmas for the merchants on the Outer Banks. This will make them or break them.

To the every day people this is a season of mixed blessings. Just like the visitor, those who live here year round and the students who come for the summer want to enjoy the beaches and water ways but they must work. Many must work 2 jobs because just like the squirrel gathers nuts for the winter they must put as much as they can away for the winter.

My older boys love summer on the beach. For them its surfing, sailing and hanging out at the beach with the gang. It’s the girls that visit and the local ones that blossom with new tans and bathing suits. It’s boating all day on the sound that ends with marsh island bond fires at night. Ah to be young in Babylon.

When I first moved to the beach 25 years ago I too enjoyed the summer but now I much prefer winter and it was not until yesterday that I realized why. I was at a party, not the first of the season mind you, when I resized this is what the summer here is about. There will be parties at friend’s houses and beach bonfires. There will be grass to cut, a garden to tend. There will be vacations to go on. Family will be visiting. Summer is a whirl wind. I truly enjoy my family and friends, my yard has always been a pleasure for me, vacations are great, but to compress all of that and the “normal” every day living stuff into 3 months just seems like too much. No matter summer will proceed as it always does, fall will come and things will quiet down then blissful winter will return.

Enjoy the summer. Peace

addendum; This is memorial day weekend the beginning of summer for many but more important its a time to celebrate those who gave all they had. Raise a glass and salute the people who gave it all for us and our country!

This is bud. He is 12 years old and lives with my X. It 's always nice to see him. 

just another

*Another week has gone by like grease lightning. Its Sunday again and what a nice morning. The clouds are scheduled to come this afternoon about the same time as my company but oh well lets enjoy the morning!

*I have been soooo busy. I just don’t know where the time went. My son is trying to buy a place of his own so I have been doing his leg work so he does not miss any work. Things are not looking good for him. The prices on the beach are so sky high that he will most likely have to look else where. It’s sad when the young cant afford to live where they were raised.

*The yard is looking ok. I love working outside. There is nothing like the feeling of pure physical exhaustion.

*Not much has caught my attention in the news this week. I don’t care for news that centers on the death of little ones. Congress and the senate are still acting in the interest of the republican and democratic parties and not the interest of the country as a whole. God I hope the next president can bring this countries political engine together!

Little is being said these days of the 1800 that have died in the Middle East since the “wars” have began. That count keeps going up and its no longer front page. I went to the site with the coffins on it. My heart just sank. More has to be done to get that area stable and get out of there. We never should have gone there and now we can’t leave.

Inclusion

Excitement is building at my house. The future event is included in many Conversations. When the boys friends are over you can see the excitement in their eyes. The faces of the 15-22 year old “men” light up at the mere mention of the event. “Miss Cindy are you going?” “It’s going to be great!” I tell them yes but I will go early to avoid the rush. Their reply is how lucky I am they can’t go any earlier they have to work! And so goes the anticipation of Star Wars.

These young men, children to me, grew up on it. A space cowboy saga that has expanded over nearly 30 years and at least 2 generations. Moms and dads of my generation have a topic in common with their children. I’m going to enjoy this common thread. I’m going to enjoy the excitement these young men exude over the topic and their willingness to include me in their conversations. I’m going to see the movie and then compare notes with them. I going to relish this fleeting time of inclusion that will be over once the wave are stoking and the girls of summer are back.

Just a few words

I lied to my youngest son today. I told him I was sorry that he had school. It seems that in an announcement stating that because of the CHANCE of sound side flooding and high winds school COULD be cancelled. Well the coastal low is here and he is at school. I’m sitting in front of this computer typing a blog entry drinking coffee and listening to Radio Paradise. I’m glad he is in school I have few of these mornings to myself left this year, the kids get out of school June 2^nd, and I don’t want to miss any of my alone time!!

Nothing new to report this time, even politics has settled down for now. The Daily Show had very little political satire last night. I’m sure that will change with the pres going to Europe. Bush can’t help but mess something up. I am looking forward to the results of the evolution debate happening in Kansas. That will be good for some laughs. I don’t support beach renourishment and that along with the tax decrease which is really an increase due to the property reevaluation that was done are the local hot topics. Things seem to be the same every where. I think I’ll go paint a room!

Not to leave on a sarcastic down note here are some words from one of my favorite musicians/poet’s.

If we have faith in human kind,
And respect for what is earthly,
And an unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding
This could be heaven here on earth.

Tracy Chapman, Heaven here on earth, Heaven CD

Well it has been a long time since I blogged. I have just been so busy doing little things that I have not had the time. Today is rainy and I can only stroll through the garden not work in it so I have the time to drink coffee and blog.


*This week I put in the tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and green peppers. I can't wait for fresh green beans with tomatoes and basal! The strawberries are flowering (yum). The flowers in the garden are allowing for some nice simple flower arrangements to bless the dining table and I will have roses soon. Oh how I love spring

*I was just asked by my middle son if he could move back in. Seems he is having a problem with his roommate's cat. And this was starting out to be such a good day.

*Rain or shine I will be helping my neighbor replace his irrigation pump. I've done this a few times for myself so we will have it done in no time. Of course replacing the pump means rain every day for the next week.

*Last night while listening to A Prairie Home Companion's "News from lake Wobegone" it came to my attention that I have been depriving my 15 year old son the privilege of mowing the lawn. I decided that starting today I would deprive him no longer, I would give him the privilege of mowing the front lawn. It's raining. (Best laid plans of mice and men).

Well the trees are that great light green color of spring the air smell good and the weather is pleasant even with the rain. I can't sit for long this time of year so until next time.

May

I've never mentioned May in my blog, but she was my son's cat. I went into my bedroom this morning around 10:30 and I found her dead. She was just laying there and I could tell right away she had gone but I got my stethoscope anyway and listened for any sign of life. She was still warm to touch and limp when I picked her up so I knew it had not been long.

She was a pain in the ass in the morning if her food bowl was not full. If you went to pet her she thought it was play time and she was rough. She never drew blood but you could tell she wanted to. She was a cat. She came when she wanted to the rest of the time you were wasting your breath calling. She will be missed

May was only 5 years old, she died young. It was hard telling my son he loves his cats and he took it hard.

Life is uncertain. No one knows how long we will be here or how long the things we love will be here. All we can do is be a kind to each other and treat the animals dependent on us well and hope life is good.

Spring is in full force now. Pollen has given my gray car and all the outdoor furniture a yellow green sheen. My plants are begging in tiny voices that only I can hear to be let out. The house exterior has been professionally cleaned of the green slime that seems to grow over the winter. And I have a list of projects that just keeps getting longer.

I love this time of year. This is the time to turn the garden again and plant those tomatos and green peppers. Its time to get first planting the green beans in the ground. This is when the roses begin to take off and the fragrance of flowers begins to fill the air, just little whiffs here and there nothing strong. Just a hint of what is to come.

This time of year the inside of my house is an embarrassment. I don't like house work in the first place so if I have to choose between dusting and raking, raking is going to win out! Give me the hammer, mower and lawn tools. Let me enjoy these fleeting moment of spring before the heat of summer comes and makes being outside a chore.

A view from the Buffalo 1993

I have been trying to keep my writing in the here and now but after visiting Fragments from Floyd http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/ and Blue Ridge Muse http://www.dougthompson.com/ I could not help but regress. This is a photo taken in 1993 on top of Buffalo Mt. and those are my boys.

What a way to end the day. Three friends by the fire chit chatting.
 

Winter & Spring

We on the Outer Banks have been experiencing a north easter for the past week. Many people know about the wind and it has been kicking but they don’t know about the noise. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore sounds like freeway traffic at rush hour. This sound travels far. I live on an island 4 miles from the beach and I can hear it. On top of that add the noise of wind at 25-40 miles per hour. This constant noise lasts for days at a time and many of us just tune it out.

To day as I do every morning that I’m home I got up, got sorta dressed, fixed the dog food for the boy and girl, put my coffee water on and took the boy and girl down for their morning constitution. Opening the door to the back yard I was greeted to the sound of birds the sun was shining, the wind was light, and although I could still hear the ocean you could tell it had laid down some.

To see a cloudless sky to hear birds to be able to walk outside with out holding on to my hat was nice. I doubt that this is the last we see of winter. This time of year on the outer banks is a time of flux. We see very little of spring. Winter and spring fight until summer comes along and takes over. Today winter is waning and spring has returned tomorrow we will see what happens.

Lessons

Yesterday returning to my car after shopping I noticed a hand written note on my windshield. The note told me that I had a low tire. Well the tire was almost flat so I quickly went to the nearest air hose and filled the tire up. I decided that I would keep an eye on it and went on about my business. In my mind I thanked the anonymous writer telling my self that I would pass the kindness on.

To be quite truthful I forgot all about the tire until this morning when as I was rushing to get my son to school and I saw that it was flat. Well I hauled out the air compressor cursing under my breath just knowing this was going to be one of those things it took all day to get fixed, pumped up the tire. As nice as I could I explained to my son that this was a little thing and even though it was an inconvenience no one did anything bad so there was no reason to get mad, it was just one of those things you take care of and move on. Believe me that’s not what I was thinking!

Well I dropped my son off at school and rushed to the Fast Lube were I get my oil and tires taken care of. Now we only have one place on the beach that does the Jiffy Lube kind of stuff, you know the simple general car maintenance. When they first opened, Chris the owner wanted to have the customer in and out in 30 minutes well it doesn’t work that way, they are so busy that I had prepared myself for a few hours stay. Imagine my suprise when I get there and there is only one car ahead of me. One of Chris’s guys came out took the keys I told him to fix the tire and while I was here change the oil.

I went to the waiting room and prepared to read the magazines but instead I got into a conversation with the owner of the first vehicle. It seems he just got back from California were he had undergone radiation treatment for prostate cancer. What made this so interesting is that the type of treatment he received is not available here on the east coast. He went to Loma Linda hospital in Loma Linda CA for a relatively new treatment using proton radiation to treat his prostate. The treatment is “new” but it has been around for more than 15 years and insurance covered it. The gentleman went on to tell me that the side effects of this treatment are few. He did not lose his hair, experience nausea or vomiting, his lab work is fine no decrease in blood cell’s. He told me that the proton radiation focuses on the cancerous area and does not harm the surrounding tissue. It does not pass beyond the tissue being treated so it does not affect other organs. It is a relativity non invasive procedure. He told me they are starting to use it for breast cancer. I was very thankful to him a stranger that had just gone through what must have been a frightening time in his life for sharing this with me.

I have always believed if you look for good in any situation you will find it and that there are lessons to learn and relearn every day. A flat tire reminded me of some very important lessons. Yesterday it was that there are a lot of good people out there and little acts of good do matter even if no one knows who you are. Today it was that if you are willing to listen you can learn something that might be important to pass on to others.

Friday a good day

I have so much to do the last thing I need to be doing is spending time writing to myself but I have the urge to blog so here goes.

Spring has sprung here on the Outer Banks. I had to turn the AC on so I could sleep the other day. Too much noise going on outside with all the construction not to mention the lawn mowers and yes the birds and dogs. That’s what happens when you work nights the things you most enjoy become a nuscence when you need sleep!

The Popes funeral has taken the headlines this week. Next week it will be the conclave and then the news will be back to war, death, destruction and Michael Jackson. All the politicians who joined in solidarity at the funeral will again be at each others throats. People will once more look at natures fury and mans stupidly and again declare that Armageddon on the horizon. Very little ever changes in the big picture.

My small picture is good. My youngest turned 15 yesterday and it was a good day. My older sons are doing well. My grass is green, the tulips are going to bloom for the first time EVER, and the fresh fruit stand opened April 1^st. My job, family and friends keep me in constant motion making it seem as though I’m in a losing battle with time but I would not have it any other way. For me at this moment life is good.

Well that is it for today’s blog. I need to get the basement cleaned and the laundry finished. Of course I would be done if I had not gone to the neighbors and had coffee but Turkish coffee with friends is not to be passed up.

This morning at the beach

My prayer is that Pope John Paul may find peace. I dont agree with all he says but he is a good man and leader

adendum: Pope John Paul II, aka Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Poland, born may 18, 1920 died April 2, 2005 at 9:37pm Roman time.

Music of the times

Musicians are the poets of the people. They have the ability to move the human psyche to incite pleasure, pain, anger, joy, sadness, laughter, all human emotions. There are many types of music more than I can even began to name but I like rock and alternative the best. I listen to the words looking for a meaning seeing if I can relate. I choose my music according to how I feel. Mellancamp, Dylan and Young have some heady stuff where Weird Al is anything but serious.

Songs bring to the surface social injustice, vice, love, passion, humor. A song can trigger a memory. The right song can take you back to your first date, wedding , child, divorce and even that party you don’t remember all that well and its probably a good thing you don’t.

Last night while contemplating the events that have transpired so far this, year songs by Billy Joel and Paul Simon came to mind. The songs “We didn’t start the fire” and “The boy in the bubble” used short phrases to chronicle the events in recent history. I started to do the same with the events starting with the December 26^th tsunami. As I counted off the events I decided that for this year I would, using as few words as possible, make a running account of things that happen. On January 1, 2006 I will take a good look at this time capsule and see if I had more good than bad, see if my song is happy or sad.

So far I have: Tsunami, world relief, President Bush second term, oil prices, Alaskan wild life refuge, Terry Schiavo, congress where it does not belong, & Pope John Paul II.

a view from the deck 

Back from Willis

My son and I just spent a few great days in Willis. I was finally able to get a photo of the Buffalo on a sunny day I hope I'm able to post it

We got the camper ready for the summer and built a small deck. When June comes around we will get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

My son and I came back a little early from Willis we decided to beat the rain. Its a 7 hour drive there but it was worth it for the fresh air and great tasting water.

To Willis!

My #3 son and I are to be off again to our mountain retreat in Willis VA. I have rented the Jeep so we can get pass the rutted dirt roads to our rutted "drive way". We are going to get the travel trailer ready for summer. It needs to be leveled and a small porch/deck built. We are hoping for good weather Wednesday and Thursday and it looks like we are going to get it for a change. If the weather gurus get it right it will be warmer up there than here at the beach.

Happy easter

Spring Break

*Spring break is here and I have to get up early in the morning to use the computer. As has been the pattern since I don’t know when, yesterday was my day off so the weather was less than ideal, with it being the first day of spring break all the little kiddies were home and since the weather sucked, my #3 son and his friends were on the computer killing each other in some war game. I’ve never allowed my son to have a computer in his room so get to sit and listen to him talk, yes talk, over the internet in real time to his buds and some other people who he only knows on the internet discussing battle strategies. It reminds me of a virtual paint ball game. I find it interesting. Every once and a while I’ll ask him questions while he is playing and he seems willing to teach an old lady a new trick but I just cant seem to get the hang of it. I like paint ball but I can’t get into the virtual mayhem.

*Things are looking ok for the trip to the mountains. I want to get the camper ready for the summer. It needs to be leveled and I want to build a small deck. I have confirmed the Jeep rental. A ragtop at 70mph is not the most pleasant of rides but when I hit the mountains its great. Today the weather channel says Tuesday through Thursday should be good so with my #3 son and farmer Tim’s help I will get things ready for the summer!

*I have taken 8 days off this spring break 4 of those days will be getting the camper ready days and 2 will be gardening days. I’ll need to go back to work to rest!

I've done all I'm going to do tonight. I'll see if I remember what I did tomorrow and see if I can figure out what happened to the first photo of Trip!

 

Let's try this for the umpteenth time! It's hard to remember what button was pressed and when.

Any way this is the boy, Zeke. The girl is Trip. Zeke is much more laid back than Trip
 

My view some day

If all goes well in around 3 years this will be the view from my front porch

Pressed the right button. This is my girl. The only to get her to stand still is to have a frisby or ball ready to throw. That is why she looks so intent

trying new things out

I have been trying to learn how to publish photos. I have figured out how to get the digital photos on the blog but can’t seem to get the scanned ones to publish. Well life is a learning curve and eventually I will ask the right question or press the right button and I will figure this out.

My first photo on my blog is one of my dogs taken at Christmas 2004 using my sons HP 1.5 mega pixel camera that his dad got him. I can see that this blog hobby like any hobby can get expensive. Been looking at digital cameras and there are a lot of them out there and you don’t seem to be able to go by price range. Oh well sooner or latter I will find the camera that is right for me.

lets try this out 

March 20th

This March 20^th has two roles to play. First it’s Palm Sunday. Second it’s the first day of spring.

*I have my clothes laid out for church not an easy task seeing as I do not own a dress. You see I am one of those holiday Catholics. For me getting dressed up is putting on my best pair of jeans and a nice top. Frankly I don’t think god is going to fault me the jeans. So I will go to mass, have the true pleasure of seeing folks I have not seen in a while and hopefully enjoy the sermon. I work Easter Sunday so I will miss that holiday and for that I am sorry because Easter is the most important Christian holiday. With out the resurrection of Christ there would be no Christianity.

*As I sit here looking out the window on to the deck, I see a steady light rain and the mist that comes with it. The rain is so light that drops are able to form on the branches of the live oak. These drops get fatter and eventually fall the rest of the way to he ground. It’s very hypnotic.

This is the first day of spring. Spring will start officially in just a few minutes. This year the Vernal Equinox comes at approximately 7:30 am EST. From now on the days will get longer here in the northern hemisphere.

We have just gone through one of the ten warmest winters since they started recording those things. Seven of the ten have happened since 1990. What problems will the lack of snow in the upper mid west bring? How will the warm temperatures effect insects? I have always noticed that if we don’t get a good freeze we have a lot more bugs. Is this warm weather a trend that will last all year? The most important question, how much have we humans contributed to this increase in temperatures?

Those question and more go through my mind as I sit sipping my coffee watching the rain fall and reform on the branches of that live oak and then continue their journey to the ground. The answers are in my mind. I know that more than one thing affects the weather and in the end nature will balance all things out with or without a human presence.

Oil

A lot has gone on this past week, but what I think has really struck me is the increase cost of gas and the subsequent push to drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness.

This is one of those things I have no answers to or even suggestion for. I have to drive to work so I need fuel. I need tires and oil. I heat my home. I have all the typical electrical devices, and in many cases more than one of them. I use pharmaceuticals. My shoes have rubber soles. I am a consumer of petroleum and I don’t want to pay anymore than necessary for these things.

I try to be conservative. I drive a car that gets 35 miles a gallon to work. I buy only cotton clothes and soft goods. I try to keep the heat down and conserve electricity. I’m not as good about recycling as I should be but I try not to waste.

So what is the answer? I feel I’m fairly typical. Do I support increased drilling in pristine wilderness so I can continue my standard of living? And will drilling in these remote places really help reduce the dependency I as an American have on foreign oil. Will this drilling give me a false sense of security, allowing me to continue as I am, not looking for alternatives? Are these not some of the questions that were asked in the 70’s?

As I have said I have no answers, but the questions I ask myself may help me make decisions that are more earth friendly.

Moving out......again

My #2 son is moving out again. I did not find out from him, the girl who he is going to be a roommate with called me to see if my son was good about paying the rent. Of course he is so I told her so. I met up with my #2 son at the local Wal-Mart, quite by accident, were I said “I understand you are moving out.”. To this he replied “I was going to talk to you about that. If it does not work can I move back?” To that I replied “Son” I do call him son. “I love you and of course you can come back, but make it work.”

I have mixed emotions about this move. I want the kid out of my house. The thing that sets me back a little is that this house he is going to move into is co-ed. There are 2 males and 2 females living there at this time. This will be interesting to watch.

Yester-daze,

The March lion is back.

Yesterday was so nice. I turned the small patch of ground I call a garden, getting it ready for the vegetables I will plant. Weeded the area that holds the perennials flowers. Cleaned out the strawberry patch. Tossed the ball to the girl dog. Took a long walk with one of my friends. Got the binoculars and watched a loon in a canal as it dived and stayed under for what seemed like ages. I did nothing but what I wanted to do.

The weather called for thunderstorms all day yesterday, but the sky stayed blue and the winds light. I have been working so much lately and it seemed as if every day I was off the weather was bad, or I had to help mom or do some other errand. But yesterday I kept for me and I’m glad I did.

Last night as I finally sat in my big comfy chair to watch a little TV, the rain, wind and cooler temperatures came. The sky is clear today but the wind and cool temperature stayed.

I’ll stay inside today looking out the window at the flag across the street as it flutters violently in the wind, and at the live oak in my yard as is sheds its leaves getting ready for the rebirth of spring. I will enjoy the silence interrupted only by the wind chime on the deck. This I will do until the others wake up. Then there will be hair cuts to get and errands to run and then back to work tonight.

But I had yester-daze…

TV

I wont say I don’t watch TV, I will say my family watches VERY little of it. I wasn’t turned from the TV by too much advertising, what turned me off was the constant barrage of negativism.

I was reading in Parade magazine, the little magazine that comes with the Sunday paper. In it was an atricle by Dr. Joyce Brothers about shame, and why it might not be a bad ideal to feel it from time to time. There is little shame on TV today.

Language is a powerful tool. It can give the greatest pleasure and the worst hurt. Much of what is in TV is flat out not good. It seems to desensitize people to the feelings of others by numbing our minds with a constant barrage of pictures and sounds. We are becoming a people with no privacy. We are becoming a 15 minutes of fame people. Much of TV does not let us feel good about ourselves, our society, our world.

I’m not against TV. I like some of the things on it. I don’t feel it is necessary to remove it from the home. Just turn it off from time to time. Be selective.

Flight of thought

I woke up this morning to the words of a Bob Seagers song in my head "I woke last night to the sound of thunder how far off I sat and wondered...." I thought about that song for a while then my mind wandered to how I need to build a shelf to hold the DVD player and VCR in my room. It was 3:30am !

I put this out of my mind, said to self go back to sleep, but instead into my mind popped "does the front yard need to be dethatched" , I need to get down on my hands and knees and measure the thickness of the thatch. Its 3:50 something am...

Go back to sleep.

But it was not to be. From my obviously totally awake subconscious to my trying to sleep conscious popped the most important observation "If I replace the closet door with a louver door I could put that wing back chair mom gave me in that corner". It was 4:18 am..

Maybe it was because I worked Thursday day shift, then Friday night shift, slept till 2pm on Saturday and then had chocolate cake after dinner. What ever it is I'm up and I guess I will mop the kitchen!

After I have my cup of coffee, fool around on the computer, take the dogs out, sort the laundry.....

In like a lion...

March: In like a lion out like a lamb.

When I was a kid in school we were told that but as an adult most times it seems the reverse has been true. Not this year, here on the Outer Banks it has been windy and cold. I see in my minds eye the picture of the fierce cloud blowing wind that the teacher always put up the first of March with a little lamb following it. It never mattered what school I went to every teacher did this. I guess that is why I pay attention to the approach of March. Maybe its because March means spring is near.

March on the Outer Banks is a time to prepare. The tourists are not here yet. It's like the ebb of water before a tsunami. This ebb is followed by a small wave at Easter and maybe a few more waves before the crushing wave that is Memorial Day. But March is for the locals. March days get longer as the sun moves slowly up in the sky. It reflects on the marsh softening the browns and showing the faint green trying to come out. Birds start to return. Fishermen and crabbers get their boats and pots ready. Business people have this last little bit of time to get ready. The rest of us take a deep refreshing breath and just wait.

Today is calm, the sun is shining, and although the temperature is only expected to reach the low 40's I can tell it will be a good day, but all is not lost, the March Lion has not given up. According to the weather guru Saturday is to be rainy, and windy, and cold.