We are home!!!

There you see the trip meter.  Realize that it does not show the first 1,000 miles.  So we went 1,784.9 miles in 6 days.  Pretty good for an old lady and a wiccan, you think!  Got lots of pictures, but those will need to be sorted through and some tossed.  Lot of X rated, some blurry, and a lot that are completely irrelevant to life, not to mention a vacation.  Actually took 184 pictures.  Glad those were not on film to be developed.

Here is me about 80 miles from home.  Needless to say I was getting pretty bored by this time.  It is rather hard to get a good picture of one's self when one is riding in the front seat of a Ford Focus going into the sun, but as you can see I am my usual jovial self.   It was a 10 hour drive from Kansas City and I was starting to get a little hungry and a little bit testy.

Here is my buddy, Lyn.  She is not really a wiccan, but I like to call her that.  Can't call her anything else.  I know this is not a good picture of her because it looks like she is missing her chin.  She does have a chin and we did have a very good time despite the fact that this trip crossed 4 states and there is not a bed in the world that feels like your own bed.  All our friends and family were most kind and gracious and fed us very, very well, but still there is no place like home.

Now throughout the whole vacation  I was very mellow and was never rushed, did not give the Hawaiian Good Luck signal to anyone, mostly just set around and let life happen.  I did,  however, tell this woman that I would let her post her side of the story on this blog.  You might want to watch for that little fabrication, if it actually happens.  I have a trip planned for next Spring which will cover Kansas, Missouri, Florida, Illinois, Niagara Falls and Ohio.  I plan on taking 10 days for that one and guess who will be waving her arm wanting to go?  Must not have been too bad, huh?

Off to Wichita and sister Mary, or the Yellow Brick Road

Yesterday was Monday.  Skaets Steak Shop is closed on Monday so this was the perfect opportunity to  venture off to Wichita to see sister Mary.  Now, as you will recall I can not post pictures since this computer is the most alien thing I have come across in quite some time. But none the less, with Lyn at the wheel and sister Donna ensconced in the passenger seat we headed out to Wichita, Kansas.  I was in the back seat, because I could see a very good nap in the offing!

We arrived at Mary's house at 1:00 which meant it was time for lunch.  So off we went to PF Chang's. First order of business was to decide what to eat, then order it, then eat it.  That is a very good place to eat and I would highly recommend it. 

Sister Mary has a beautiful home and she showed me every bit of it right down to the cedar lined closet.  Now that is an ingenious idea.  Her house is rather an English Tudor, which to me means there is tons of storage upstairs.

Leave taking was a sad business because I do not get to see or talk to Mary very often.  Wish we were closer.

Now today I had breakfast with the two boy cousins and then  lunch with Cousin Sandy and State Representative Joe Siewert.  Might have spelled that wrong, but the important part of this is he is a Republican!!  There is no way I can give you all the details of this lunch, but I will tell you this, I am a Democrat and a Bleeding Heart Liberal and I had more fun with that man then I did when the pigs ate my cousin Lenny!  If all the Republicans and Democrats could set down and spend two fun filled hours as we did today, there would be a lot more action taken in the State House!  I will go into further detail when I am safely back in Colorado.

See this different color?  That means I added this later.  On the left is my sister Mary and my wiccan companion.  On the right is Mary and me in her sewing room.  It either has a very low ceiling or I am a lot taller than I remember being.  You can always tell Mary, she is the pretty one!  All my sisters are pretty, but I am still the Matriarch and they have to respect me!  Her and her friend will be coming the end of August for a few days.  I am very excited!

Now, tomorrow I will be heading East.  Our laptop does not get the Internet and I am afraid that I will not be able to send another missive until I get back home.  Just know I am thinking of you and I am having more damn fun than you can imagine. If I have the opportunity I will slip you a line, but don't bet on it!!

Alina & Tommy sitting in a tree?

Here is Alina, the very proud mother!!!

Here is great Aunt Lou and the lovely little Adriana!

Now here is a picture of daddy Tom and Grandma Donna!  The only other picture I have of Tom also has grandma on the other side.  As you kow I do not use pictures without permission and I did not get permission from Donna for any picture except this one.  Sorry.

The red writing below is now moot since you have your pictures!!

I must apologize because there are no pictures here, but I can not figure how to get them with someone elses software.  When I get home I will add pictures.  Thanks for understanding an old woman who is clueless on a computer!!

As you know I am on vacation!  This is my first evening. Left Pueblo this morning, well actually yesterday, which was Sunday. Stopped in Lakin for lunch with the kiddies, but that is a whole nuther blog!  Arrived in Hutchinson, Kansas around 7:00 PM.  Where is the first place we had to go upon arrival at my sister Donna's house?  You guessed it!!  She has a brand new, and the only one in the world at the time, Grand Daughter!  Her only son, Tom Bartholomew and his lovely wife, Alina are the proud parents of a bouncing baby girl, born only the day before.  How exciting is that? And this precious little baby was wanting to meet me! Me! Can you beleive that? At least that is what Donna told me and of course I beleive everything people tell me.

Now, I want to go on record as saying, this may look like a normal baby, but such is not the case.  Far be it from me to brag about my family of which I am the official Matriarch, having outlived the other older siblings, but I shall digress and do just that.  Her mother is Alina Aldatova, formerly of Russia and current and former Karate/Kick Boxing Champion of the World.  I kid you not! Go Google Alina and there she pops up.  My traveling companion, the wiccan, reminded me to mind my manners as I had not yet met Alina, and I sometimes come across a tad bit overbearing. She did, however, say she had my back.  Yeah, my waaaaaaay back.

Alina is a very sweet and wonderful person and I think she liked me as I left the room in one piece! I had seen pictures of her in her karate poses and asked if she would show me how she could put her foot clear up over her head while standing flat footed on the floor.  She declined, but there will be another day.

While Alina is a world wide celebrity, Tom is fairly well known in this area,  He is a salesman for Sysco Foods which sells to resturants and institutions.  Not just your old run of the mill salesman either.  Boy has been very succesful in this field.  Wins all sorts of awards, but the best part is his customers love him to death. He is one of the sweetest little (and I use the term lovingly, not literally) kids I have ever known.  But while Tom is a celebrity in the food service circle, his mother is a celebrity in the resturaunt circle.

Donna Bartholomew along with her partner, Karen LeShure own and operate Skaets Steak Shop in Hutchinson, Kansas.  Now this place has been around for quite some time.  My first job was washing dishes at Skaets in 1959. At that time it was owned by Norman Deschene and his wife.  I was 18 at the time, a mere slip of a girl, unsullied by the world.  But there is a whole new kettle of worms! 

Tomorrow I shall give you the history of  Bartholomew involvement in food service in Hutchinson, Kansas.  For now we shall just wait till Donna gets up and I can verify a few things before I post this. In the meantime, I am going to pull on some shorts and tee shirt and a pair of tennies and jog on over to McDonalds on the highway to meet my boy cousins.  I have not talked to them, but I did email them that I was headed this way and I think they will get the telepathic message.  If they are there I will eat yogurt, if not I will do the sausage and grease thing. BBL (In chat room talk that means Be Back Later!)

Oh, and tomorrow I will be lunching with the girl cousin and a Kansas politician of rather high standing, who just happens to be a Republican. Need a picture of him for my phone.

Wolves are indeed endangered species.

Here is a link to an article about the lobos.


http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/third-wolf-shot-illegally-57-500-reward-for-information/





Friends,

This is an email I sent to the Department of the Interior. There is a crisis situation regarding the Mexican Lobo Wolf. Experts say there are only about 40 left in the wild, and now 3 of them have been shot and killed. I encourage anyone who cares about wildlife to contact the DOI and Ken Salazar. What a tragedy it would be if we lost these wolves.







----- Forwarded Message ----

From: Kris Allen

To: feedback@ios.doi.gov

Sent: Fri, July 23, 2010 7:53:41 AM

Subject: Mexican Lobos





I read with dismay that another Mexican Lobo wolf has been shot and killed. With so few of these animals left, this is an emergency and should be treated as such. Please take action to find the perpetrator(s) and protect these wolves!



Thank you,

Kris Allen

Beulah, Colorado

Beulah, Colorado still awaits in the beautiful Rocky Mountains!

Oh, there is my friend Jan!  I have not been up to see her in the lovely city of Beulah for 2 months!  I miss her! The last time I was up there she told Michael Martin Murphy or some one like that has bought a place up there and spent the whole day just hanging out there. I was so jealous!

See, here is what happens in life and it happens all too often, life gets in the way!  I think I am going to do this or that and the next thing I know, I am off doing something that was not in the plan at all.  Like today.  I woke up this morning on the right side of the sod, which is the up side, and thought "Oh, what a beautiful day!"  Now that is as far as the thinking process got me.  I need to go do chores.  Then I will stop by the garden and pull some weeds. Need to put a new something on the duck house door to hold it shut.  Then the sink is full of dishes, bed needs made, emails need answered and on and on. Life has gotten in the way.

See that lovely lady up there?  That is Jan Miller who owns the Stompin' Grounds Coffee House in Beulah.  She is my friend, but I can not seem to find the time to drive the 20 miles up there and see her. I know if I would just jump in the car and drive up there she would be so happy to see me and I would have a wonderful adventure in the picturesque town of Beulah, but I continue to let life get in the way.

Well, never mind!  Today is Thursday and she is closed on Thursday.  Open everyday but Thursday 7:30-2:00. Then she is open Saturday night from 5-8 for Pizza, Calzones, salad and desserts.  So Saturday I am not going to let life get in my way.  I am going to load up the boy and girl and go to Beulah for lunch with my dear friend, Jan!  Maybe I will see you there!

Up date Cuban Caravan

Just got a message from Scot. His bus made it through Mexican customs with nothing taken off. He was waiting for the other busses to pass through. Then on to Reynosa.


Kris

Read more here:
http://www.ifconews.org/

Cuban Caravan Border Crossing.

Friends,


I just got off the phone with Scot, about 8:10 Mountain Time. He gave me a very quick update from the international zone. The U.S. officials took 5 CPUs from our bus. These were the ones from Vancouver. Just as he was telling me this, I heard his radio telling everyone it was time to proceed into Mexico!

More updates as they come!

Kris



I will post pictures as soon as I can figure that one out...Lou

Up date from the Cuban Caravan!!

Friends of the Cuba Caravan,

Tomorrow the Caravanistas will cross the border into Mexico. With their load of humanitarian aid goes our wishes and prayers for safe passage and success.



The bus from Colorado has already been designated for a rehabilitation hospital. This bus is equipped with a wheelchair lift and some special seats for infants. Decorated with art by Antonio Guerrero, the bus is also dedicated to him with the hope that he will be freed from his unjust imprisonment.



As soon as I get any updates, I will pass them along.



Kris

The human side of the Cuban Caravan, my new best friends!

Here is the first person off the bus!! It is Kathryn Hall-Trujillo from Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She had already called me on her cell phone when they left Colorado Springs, so I knew she was there. She is a happy little thing and was just a plethora  of information on the Cuban Five as well as the Medical School down there.  Apparently if you want an education there, it is free.

The next one off the bus was Gary Erb.  I understand that this is not Gary's first rodeo!  It takes dedicated people like these 2 here to make any project a success.  As I write, the bus is wending it's way toward

 Dallas, Texas.

Ok, now you see me and my 2 new best friends.  We are setting at the picnic table at Christ Congregational Church in Belmont, discussing very important  things, like where is the best place to get coffee and where is the best place to get coffee if you have a really long bus you need to park to get the said coffee.  I was all for skipping the whole idea cause I have coffee at home, but David Bemis was all for Solar Roast because it is maybe the best coffee in the whole world.  Just maybe.

So here we set.  Know that the bus will pick up more passengers along the way and  more cargo will be added.. After it leaves Dallas it will go to Austin, Texas.  It will arrive in McAllen, Texas on Sunday.  The plan is to cross the border on the July 21.  From there it is a little shadowy as to what happens and where.  I do know the bus will be loaded on a Freight Ship at Tampico and will be headed for Cuba.  The human cargo on the bus will fly via a charter flight to Cuba.

Upon arrival they will be whisked to the graduation ceremony.  What they will eat and where remains a mystery to me.  I am sure they will not starve and somebody will let them sleep somewhere.  If I get any more info I will be for giving you an update.  I trust Kris Allen will keep me posted as her friend Scott barrels for the border in his big yellow school bus.

Run for the Border, Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pastors for Peace Cuban Bus Caravan right here in Pueblo, Colorado!!

Ok, here we go!  This is the bus that Pastors for Peace is sending to Cuba.  Every year this organization buys a bus, decorates it, fills it with humanitarian aid and ships it off to Cuba.  When I was a member at Christ Congregational Church, I first learned of this endeavor. At that time our link with Pastors for Peace was through Max and Maureen Hale who were both ministers through the United Church of Christ.  I think that was about 4 years ago. At that time we collected medical supplies, eye glasses, durable medical supplies.  But the first thing that has to happen is, you gotta' buy a bus!

This is Kris Allen and Scott MacGregor.  Kris does the painting thing and generally keeps us informed as to the whereabouts of the bus on any given day.  Scott is the driver, mechanic, and general roustabout.  If the border crossing does not go well, Scott will be the one calling for bail money!

 Now here is the interesting part about this particular bus.  The  bus was located at  the Harrison School in Colorado Springs.  Our group offered to buy it for $3,000.00 which was initially accepted.  Then they got to thinking that if they took bids on it, they would probably get more money.  To make a long story short, the bus was purchased for $2,510.00.  No other bidders!! This was a savings of $490.00 so that was good for us, but not the school district. 

This bus is dedicated to Antonio Guerreo, one of the Cuban Five.  He is currently , and has been for over 12 years incarcerated in Florence, Colorado. That is about 30 miles from my house.  Antonio is an artist and his work is copied on this bus.

              

This is the plague that explains about the bus and that it is dedicated to Antonio.  Can you imagine being sent to jail for wanting to protect your country?  I can not seem to lay my hands on the pictures of the quotes on both sides of the bus, but I wrote them down.  Both are by Martin Luther King, Jr.  The first says, "El tiempo es siempre derecho a hacer lo correcto."  Loosely translated that says, "The time is always right to do what is right."   The second side says, "En el centro de la no violencia este el principio de amo."  Translated that means, "The center of non violence is the principal of love."  

Now see this little sign here?  This says Friends Beyond Borders.  That should be fairly easy to understand.  This bus has a lift so it will be given to a hospital when it arrives on the island of Cuba.  Immediately upon the crews arrival in Cuba they will be whisked off to a graduation ceremony at the Medical School, where 14 students will receive their diplomas. Sounds good, huh? Now what would you think if I told you that their training was completely free and paid for by the Cuban Government?  Bet it would really flip you out to know that these 14 students were American citizens, wouldn't it!  Swear to God, every word of this is true.  So can Cuba be all that bad?

In our country of plenty there are many homeless and a lot of them are children.  Fidel Castro has often bragged that of the thousands of children sleeping on the streets at night, not a damn one of them is in Cuba!

There were a lot of boxes to load out of the shed at Christ Congregational Church into the bus.  Being a lazy woman, I set and watched the muscle at work.  The  muscle consisted of Scott, Gary and David Bemis.  I always enjoy that sight!  There were several computers, durable medical equipment and Lord only knows what else.  Did notice that Scott done shucked out of his shirt.  Bear in mind that these people are headed for hot country!

Now, this is getting long so I am going to continue it tomorrow.  I want you to know, I met some very nice people on this bus.  I will introduce you to them tomorrow.  Just know that these people must pay to do this and I think that costs about $3000.00. Then they are expected to work at all the stops, sleep on the floor, hope they get a shower some where, eat what ever is given to them and smile about it.  These are two of the nicest people I have met so far and they are my new best friends!!  I always try to ferret out the good hearted people and leave the rif raf alone.

So to my new best friends, Kathryn  Hall-Trujillo of Albuquerque and Gary Erb of,( sorry I missed that!) I am going to put you on here tomorrow.  While you are bouncing along in a dusty old bus, I will be picnicking in the mountains, but I will be thinking of you!

The bus left the parking lot at almost 10:00 AM.  They were going to grab coffee and head to Santa Fe, New Mexico. So Santa Fe last night and then head off to Dallas, Texas this morning.

Let me give you those links again.http://www.ifconews.org

http://www.FreeTheFive.org

Here is your assignment for tomorrow for the Cuban Caravan...

I have started writing about the Pastors for Peace Cuban Caravan, but you are going to need to do your homework. See, there is a lot of stuff I am going to be mentioning and if you do not read up on this you are going to be lost!

First is the Pastors for Peace.  This is a group who does just what you think a group with a name like that would do http://www.ifconews.org/  This will take you right to the heart of the matter.  There is just all kinds of stuff on here that you need to keep up with this stuff and I do not have time nor space to feed it to you.  I first became involved with this group through the auspices of Max and Maureen Hale.  They are a married couple in Colordo Springs who are very active in the Pastors for Peace group.  I love these people to death as well as the Reverend Faye Gallegos who brought them to Pueblo to work on this project.  These are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet in the United Church of Christ.

Then the next place you need to go is http://www.freethefive.org/  If you do nothing else on this site, you need to play and listen to the video from CBS news that presents the Cuban 5 story.  Than make up your own mind. While I do not want to incite a riot here, I would like you to be familiar with  a practice that may be not quite what it appeared to be.

This bus is covered with art that has been painted by Antonio Guerreo.  Antonio is currently in lock up in Florence, Colorado.  He has been there for 12 years.  He is one of the Cuban Five that you will read about above.  See you in a bit with the human side of the Cuban Caravan.

One year old has the blues!!

Here is the little fellow at his first birthday party all covered with blue frosting!! Doesn't he look sad? He may just be realizing that the easy part is over now and the hard part begins. He has to learn to walk and talk, the potty training and then it is off to school so he can learn all it takes to finish growing up and how to make a living. Then it is off to work and a wife and a baby who will someday be one year old and have blue frosting and start the whole cycle over again!

Hey! Look at my purple bike!!

Look at that bike!!  That is my bike and I can ride it everywhere!  We pulled this out of the scrap pile and Tim fixed it all up for me.  He and his son, Chris, painted it purple and lavender.  Then he bought the tractor seat with white flowers for me.  No offense here, but I can not set on one of those little 3 inch seats!  That is more pain than this old lady wants.

Now, yesterday I hopped on this trusty steed and rode up to the produce stand, which is about a mile uphill.  I bought some goodies and started home only to find that the return trip was also uphill.  What the hey!  I did not know it was possible to be uphill both ways, but there it was!! No one was more amazed then me on that one!!

Last night we had our humble supper and then watched the new Cheech and Chong documentary  that is preceeding their Light Up America Tour.  I understand that this tour is promoting the legalization of marijuana. Better them than me!

Now how I made the leap from my pretty purple bike to legalization of pot is more than even I can understand, but there you have it...the workings of Lou Mercer's mind in action!  God be with us all!

AIDS Quilt #4

I hope I have all the ones on here.  This is one of the first quilts I made. I think it may actually be #2 because there are 2 panels on this one that measure 1' x 3' which tells me we were still in the planning and finalization stages. Shortly thereafter we (I) decided that for this to work they all had to be the same size.  Since the panels on the big quilt are 3' x 6',  which is the size of a grave in the cemetery, we should make these scale to 1/3.  So that works out well.

Steven Stiles

2/9/1956-1/23/1996

This is the white block up in the upper left corner.  It was made by his mother with much love. There is a family portrait and a picture of Steven with his cat. He loved Christmas so there is a beaded tree. His mother did a beautiful job on this.

Steven Kirk

6/9/1956

This is the large black and gold one on the left. He loved the theater and had a star named after him, "Aquila".  I made this at his mother's direction. She has since passed and I miss our little talks.

Gilbert Fields

1985

This was my very, very dear friend Gibby. He used to help me play Santa when I had no one but the kids. Granted, we did have a few drinks in the process, and almost cut our fingers off on a tin doll house once, but we had a great time and if I needed a brother, Gibby was there. He cooked and I waitressed at a place in Hutch called The Red Rooster.

 He moved out to California in 1984.  If you will notice, he passed early in the epidemic. He called us quite regularly until he got sick and nothing could be done. Then his friend kept in touch.  Then there was nothing. Gibby had died and his family chose not to tell anyone so we do not know the exact date of his death nor where he was (or if) he was buried. I do know this little laughing fellow had a very big part of who and where I am today and I send a big hug and kiss up to heaven where my friend Gibby is teaching the angels how to cook and my mother is giving him hell!

Gene Howery

8/18/1945-8/14/1995

This is the lower right with the howling coyote.  Another friend with no family to make a panel. We all went to Denver to the Gay Pride Parade in 1994, I believe.  The kids marched and we watched and waved. Gene and his partner walked with there dogs. Such a common ordinary thing to do in a world that was chaotic at the time.

Robert Tyree

4/25/1961-1/10/1991

This belongs to the son of the lady who started Southern Colorado AIDS Project field office in Pueblo, and I can not right now remember what year.  Shirley made this panel herself. It says Loved, Gone, Never Forgot. It also shows him setting by the Golden Gate Bridge. Another healing work of love by a mother left behind. They are together now.

Robert Martinez

4/26/1964-6/5/1991

Another one earlier in the epidemic. I did not know Robert, but I do know he loved music and sunsets. There is a picture of his that shows a beautiful sunset on this panel.

Ronnie Reagan

8/10/1956-2/18/1995

I made this for a friend of Ronnie's. It says "Sleep in peace, my little friend. Terry Atencio". Terry was a man in this town who took in anyone who needed a place to stay, sobered them up and sent them into the world a much better person.  He is also sadly missed, but has no panel as he does not belong on this quilt.

And that is it for this quilt.  You should know that all these panels are here because I first received permission from a family member to make them and add them. Since this is a public display that is shown several times a year there is no breach of confidentiality. I would never do that. When I started in this particular field I signed an affidavit that I would keep confidentiality and that is what I do.

I know sometimes I get a little long winded on these posts, especially when I am dealing with things that rip my heart out, like this series on the AIDS Memorial, but I just ask that you either bear with me, or click off and leave me here to weep alone.

The babies at 10 days old!

Look at this mess!! Those little guys think they are big geese! They are so damn cute! They get out there and run with the big geese and even bite at the stickers. If they are going to eat the stickers, I will love them to death and they did not learn that trick from the big geese. Big geese only want grain and nice green grass. They also like weeds, but only certain weeds and only ones that do not grow in the back. Just the front, so I can pull them and toss them over the fence to them.

I think if you click on this picture it should get very big. These guys made the first trip to the pond for a swim at 7 days old. Before that I had a container in the shed in which they would paddle around. I guess it was called a swimming pool! Duh!! Container, indeed! They have not quite started to get pin feathers so we are not sure of the breed these guys/gals are. Will not be really sure until they are about 2 or 3 months old. They, of course, are still making the peeping sounds.

Oh, and guess what I found in the duck house today!! Seven eggs! That means they are laying again and if I am not real careful they will hide a nest somewhere and I will be blessed with a bunch of ducklings! Had one hen surprise me with 13 babies one year. Not looking favorably on that prospect.

Ok, that is it from the farm for the day. Oh, man, I remember when I lived with grandma and great grandma and we lived in Plevna, Kansas. The high school was exactly one block from grandma's house on main street. When I came out the door of the school to go home for lunch I could hear the Farm Report blaring on grandma's old brown upright radio all the way home. Only time that radio was ever turned on was for the noon farm report and then everyone in the town of Plevna, population 103 (everyone of which I knew) could hear it whether they wanted to or not!!

Sorry about the change of subject, but sometimes the old mind takes a turn and I gotta go with it! Have a great day!!

Eye level with a very angry mother goose!

Look at this helpless goose. This is my mother Emiden and she has just given birth to 2 babies. Now, I know you know, that what she actually did was lay a couple eggs about 28 or 29 days ago and then set very patiently on them until they gave birth to themselves.

Here is an overhead view of the same two little goslings. Mother is tending to them and I have just returned from the feed store where I purchased 50 pounds of chick starter. Doubt that they will ever eat that much, but that is how they sell it. This is a very tranquil picture, don't you think? Just hang on there for one minute while I upload another picture for you to feast your eyes upon.

Now look at this!! This is what this looks like up close!! I do not know if you can see them or not, but she is baring her teeth at me!! Now, a guy in Canada (Hats off to the Canadian!! And thanks, Fanty!) did tell me that those are not teeth, but rather serrated edges that are meant for shredding grass and such. I do not remember off the top of my head what he called them, but it did start with an I as I recall. No matter!! They look like teeth and anything that looks like teeth and is in a mouth that is hissing at me even if it is a beak has got my attention! The only thing saving me from a very severe pinching and a go at the serrated things is that little piece of fencing there. Want to come to my house and play grab the gosling with this mother? I thought not.

So, just thought you might like to see the peril I face every day here on the farm. Ever hear the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?" Well, we should replace that with "Hell hath no fury like a mother goose protecting her young!!" Perhaps a few of the human population could take a lesson from Mother Goose, huh?

BP, the oil leak, lack of action and why me Lord?

Well, I just got to take a minute here and weigh in on the current crisis, although I hardly consider anything that has gone on this long "current", but rather "historical.  Is any one with me on this? Is this not the most stupid, asinine thing we have seen lately?  How a bunch of adults can just set by while the oil pours out of that hole is beyond me!

Oh, we have already had the hearings to determine what ever it is we have the hearings for and British Petroleum has already set up the trust fund and still the oil pours out of the hole and into our oceans. What the hell is wrong with this picture?  When I have a problem here in my little corner of the world, I fix it. If I have a leak I either fix it or call someone who can.  Course I am probably not the brightest bulb in the box, but I do know it won't fix itself!

They stand around like a bunch of idiots pulling on their chin whiskers and trying to guess how much is pouring out in a 24 hours period.  Excuse me! What the hell difference does it make? The question here is what are you going to do about it? I have an idea that just might work...let's take all the greedy oil men, tie them up, and poke them down in that hole! There should be enough to do the job, in my humble opinion.

Now, I realize, I perhaps sound a tad bit radical and maybe I am, but I had a cat fall in an oil pan once that was left attended. Then the cat came in and walked around the house, across the kitchen counters, over my bed and out onto the sun porch. That was from a cup of oil, not thousands of barrels.  Luckily my cat survived, unlike the Brown Pelicans and how many other species that are going to be history when this is over with?

Ok, just had to vent here a little.  I know my job is to teach you something and I guess  what comes to my mind at this time is the little Dutch boy who saw the leak in the dike and put his finger in to hold back the sea until the dike could be repaired. We read that story way back when I was in the second grade which was over 60 years ago.  Too bad people poking holes in MY EARTH never read that one.

Pueblo AIDS Memorial Quilt #3

This is the third panel that I am highlighting in this series.  Just noticed on this that 2 of our guys passed on the same day.  Probably a lot more about these panels then I noticed at the time.  Taking care of them has been a definite labor of love and I shall miss them when someone else takes over the job.

In the upper left is my friend
Wally Miller
3/15/1965-7/23/2001.
I knew Wally for 3 years before I discovered how well we were connected. I was giving him a ride home and we started talking about the University and when he attended. I told him my son attended during the same time. Who was my son? When I told him it was Sam, he said, "Oh, my God! Sam was my best friend!"  That friendship was soon revived. Wally was such a dear!

  Elsie
6/26/30-/12/03.
I did not know Elsie very well.  Only that she was our oldest client and she loved to cook as well as eat. Her husband was a lot younger than her, but took very good care of her until she passed.

Myron
12/19/72-12/21/03
I did not know Myron well, just that he liked to hunt and especially loved the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Paul
2/22/62-4/26/03
Paul was a dear and a very lost little soul.  He had the saddest brown eyes in the whole world most of the time, but when he found something amusing they would light up the whole room. He fought alcholism his whole life and lost.

Felix
9/30/66-10-19-2000
I never met Felix, but made this panel and gave him my Mickey and Minnie Mouse because I knew he would want them just by the way he was described to me.  He loved roses and had many of them at his home.

Jenny
8/22/71-9/6/01
This panel was made by her mom and 2 young sons. It is a work of love and it shows.  Her sons are big boys now, but still reflect the gentle nature of their mother.

Dennis
2/8/54-1/19/01
Dennis loved flowers, finer things in life, his home and most of all his dogs.  He is sorely missed by friends and family and the dogs.

Dennis
8/21/50-7/23/01
Here is a guy who knew what good was!  Dennis loved Kentucky Fried Chicken and I think Colonel Sanders was his hero! He also like bright, flamboyant things, to include flowers.

And there you have this installment.  Will try not to let so much time expire next time.  This represents another 8 lives cut short to the disease we pay so little attention to nowadays. I had a guy explain to me the other day that AIDS is now a thing of the past and that there is a cure.  I told him he might want to check that one out a little closer!

One in a million shot of baby goose and the mother!

Every once in a a while you get a shot with your camera that is actually worth saving.  This is mine!  Baby geese began hatching at my house Thursday evening.  This is a long arduous process. I have an Emiden setting in one part of the compound and Goosie, this African Gray, in another part.  Goosie is a story in itself so I will cover the Emiden babies a little later.

About 5 or 6 years ago  Bret decided he absolutely had to have baby geese.  The fact that we had 20+ ducks at the time was immaterial.  So off we went to Big R for the purchase of 3 geese. I do everything living in triplicate for some odd reason that only God is privy to. Any way, the geese grew and were quite attached to us and the ducks.  As luck would have it, we had 2 ganders and the one hen.  The first 2 years Goosie would lay her eggs and I would eat them.  I called this retro active birth control.

Then the third year the biggest gander developed neurological problems and had to be put down.  I let Goosie set that year.  Her eggs were not fertile, so there was a stinking mess!  The next year I had acquired  3 pairs; 2 Chinese, 2 Emidens, and 2 more Africans. They all set, except Goosie,  and they all hatched and the ganders trampled most of them, but I did manage to grab the 6 surviving babies and take them to my friend Penny to take care of until they were feathered. While over there 2 got sick and died, one was ate by a coyote and 3 survived. When they got tired of taking care of them they brought them back. This brought me up to 10. One of the Emidens did not make it through breeding season, so down to nine.

I decided to let Goosie try this year and we were very happy when this little fellow pecked it's way out of the shell.  Bret spotted this shot and took it for me.  If you click on the picture it will get bigger and you can see the little fellow nestled in  Goosie's wing with just it's head showing.

If you are ever in my neighborhood, feel free to drop on over and check out my little farm here.  Better hurry though, because the fox is busily eating my ducks and you may not see them if you don't hurry!!

Have a good one, and happy Father's Day to all the male species, with and without feathers!

The Wily Old Fox and the Helpless Critters!

There you see part of my flock.  The seven critters on the left are what I refer to as the Seven Musk a Tears.  These seven guy and gals all hang out together.  I suspect these are the seven that were given to me when Lyn moved into town.  There are a white and a spotted that hang out; they were litter mates.  Then there are twin gray and whites, a broad banded mallard, a khaki Campbell and another spotted.  There is a renegade mallard that is lighter than all the others.  He is the one who is in love with the goose. He chases her all over the barnyard trying to kiss her.  All this to the consternation of her husband! But that is another story for another time.  The big bird on the right is an African Gray Goose.

The point I am trying to make here is that much like people, the birds in my flock tend to sort of mate for life.  They stay in the group they grew up in and like it that way.  Much like we, as humans, cling to our roots.  The difference being, we can defend ourselves and my flock is just part of the food chain.  Mother fox, you know the cute little Red Fox that is indigenous to this area, had herself 3 babies this spring.  Oh, don't we all know how hungry those babies can be!

At the height of my flockiness, I had 36 ducks and 10 geese.  This morning I counted 14 ducks and somewhere there is a satisfied family of Foxes.  It was one thing when the foxes were eating the nasty old drakes, but yesterday one of my little twins disappeared. That broke my heart. Did you ever give any thought to a duck's defense mechanism?  They waddle when they walk, they have 2 wings and a rounded beak. No defense their.  When they sense danger the stop stock still and do not move. Well, that makes no sense at all.  But it is what they do.

Some people are of the assumption that foxes hunt at night.  They may very well do that, but they also hunt during the day. They hunt whenever the food source is available. Just happens to be daytime around here.  As much as I would like to be able to stand guard over the flock, I do have other obligations.  So, I guess I am open for suggestions on what would be the best solution for all concerned here.

The foxes need to eat.  The Ducks need to survive.  Trapping the foxes on an acre of ground is almost a virtual impossibility.  Keeping the ducks inside a fox proof house is cruel and out of the question.  So, I am open for suggestions here.  Ideal would be if you would come to my house, catch the fox and take it home with you!  Right now, I have thought  and thought and my brain may explode.

The DragonTree in Beulah, Colorado, up close and personal!!

 We were on our way to the park in Buelah.  Just cruising along headed uphill on Highway 78 when this Dragon jumped up right in front of us!  Renate almost ran off the road. I, of course grabbed for my camera, but alas, it was not to be found in this car.

So, being a woman possessed, I decided to go back up with camera in hand on Monday. I had told some of the chatters in my chat room about this, and of course, they thought I was nuts. One of them got online and found Bishop's Castle, but there was nothing online about a DragonTree in Beulah!

Need to give you a little history here.  One of these fellows is a firm believer  that if it is not on Google, it does not exist. Very faithful fellow. I told him I was sure I would know before Google, but he had no faith; hence the trip to Beulah in 105 degree heat. I took a friend with me because he is really tall and I thought he could get better pictures. And he was very sucessful as you can see. Just a shame that I can't get the pictures the size I want or where I want, but that is not his fault! Well, I guess it is my fault, but ....

                                                                                                                                        

 

This is the base of the tree and it is indeed a tree.I spoke with the  man who did this.  His name is John Clay and he does this kind of work on commission.  This one was made for Catherine Halcomb.  Pine Drive used to be a divided road and this tree was in the middle of it.  He said you can still see the old road bed. So Catherine contracted with him and he gathered up his tools and went and created this work of Art!

I will be meeting with Mr. Clay hopefully next week.  He is going to give me all the details of who, what, when and where.  I am very excited about the City of Beulah and I am going to post a lot of pictures and give you a full report on the happenings.  I know they have an Beulah Art show at some point in time and we will be there, front row seats!! And being in the  mountains, the beautiful Rocky Mountains, it will be cool and clean this summer.  What a respite!

If you have some carving you would like done, just give John Clay a call at 719-485-9605. Oh, and be sure and tell him Lou sent you!

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures and don't forget to stop and see Jan, my BFF at the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop!

And my words of wisdom for today Keep your eyes open so you do not miss the Dragons in your life!!

Beulah, Colorado the friendliest place on earth, and good food, too!!!

Today I wandered off to Beulah, Colorado, a little spot about 20 miles West of Pueblo, on highway 78.  I went with a purpose in mind. I had gone on a picnic at the Mountain Park a few days before and had seen what appeared to be a Dragon Tree, which is a dead tree sculpted to be a Dragon along with flowers and all. Convinced that I was probably nuts, I strong armed someone to go with me.  So off we went with me at the wheel.  Let me interject just a bit of my homespun wisdom here.
A man, any man is at a distinct disadvantage when in a car that is not his, with a woman he knows slightly, headed to he knows not where to see he knows not what and the only thing he is sure of is that he has not had his daily ration of coffee.  I must say he was a real sport! Hats off to the German Guy!

After due time we arrived at the Dragon Tree that I had seen.  We parked the car. Now, him being a foot taller then me, decided he would take the pictures.  He thought  he would be a lot closer to the dragons mouth. Me being the person I am decided he would probably just stand there and get himself ran over.  Between the two of us we got some beautiful shots, but that will need to keep for another day.

We then decided to go visit the lovely town of Beulah.  After a quick trip up to the park, we drove to the fair city of Beulah. If you have not been there, you have got to go!  Call me, I will go with you!

There is located in this fair mountain town, a small eating place called The Stompin' Grounds  Coffee House. See the first picture up there?  That is my new BFF (best friend forever).  We walked in and this lady had the sweetest smile of welcome. Her name is Jan Miller and she is the proprietor of this place.  See there behind her is a pink peace sign that someone made her. The Peace Sign along with the one outside that said "Hippies use back door" told me I was in my kind of place.

The picture below Jan is the menu. Lots of coffee and some of this or that to eat. Below the menu is some of the customers.  Oh! It is Kris Allen and her mom! They live right next door and along with half the town pop in for coffee or tea after exercise or a walk or whatever.  Just down home folks, although I have known Kris for many years and was very happy to see her.                                                                  The mantra is on the wall.  Jan had her friends come up with something that would describe the ambiance of the place and they did a beautiful job! All the tables and chairs are eclectic (which means they do not match!). It is just a real comfortable place to be.       
This is the front.  Has a table and chairs out there also, in case you want to set in the fresh air. 

There is a totem pole of sorts over there on the left and a close up can be seen in the last picture.  The sign there in the front says there are special artist days.

By the time I finished my coffee and left the place, Jan was my new BFF, I had caught up with Kris on all the news of the Cuba Caravan.  It was certainly a fruitful day.  Which brings me to this conclusion; Had I not gone to Beulah searching for the dragon, would I have ever met Jan?  Would I have ever wandered into the Stompin' Grounds? You think of predestination and wonder.  Seems like this whole business today was laid out in a grand plan!

You will read about the Dragon Tree and a lot of other Beulah sites as soon as I make the proper contacts, but for now, we have Jan and the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop, 8913 Grand Avenue, Beulah, Colorado. It is open every day from 7:30 AM till 2 PM except Thursday.  No Thursday.  Thursday it is closed.  Ah, and Saturday night from 5-8 PM is special also.  That is when they have Pizza, Calzones, Salad and Desserts.  Oh, Saturday night in a tiny mountain town!  What more can you want?  Oh, might want to call just to make sure they are there and have some food for you..I know the coffee is the best I have lucked into for quite a spell.  That phone number is 719-485-0852.  When you drop in tell Jan that Lou said "Hi!"