AIDS Walk in the Garden is coming up and I need money!!

Ok, here is the deal!  I done signed up for the Walk in the Garden which is sponsored by a whole bunch of businesses, but here is what you need to know, the link will get you where you need to go to add to my fund.  I have my very own team,  well if 2 people are a team.  Eric and I are going to go for it.  Our team is named Loosey Goosey and I am depending on you people to help me out here!

We are going to walk in the beautiful Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado on October 9, 2010.  Oh, I sure hope the weather is nice and the snakes are all asleep.  I do not know how far we have to go, but however far it is you know I am going to finish.  Never left a job half done yet!

I have been trying to get a widget on here for 2 days and as you see I did fail miserably at that little task, but here is a link.  Click on it and you will hopefully go to my page that raises money.  All our team donations goes to Pueblo Clients. 

Ok, gotta dash, but I will be back begging again!  Might as well donate and get it over with so we can talk about something else!

I am waiting!

http://www.firstgiving.com/loumercer

The Llama's will trick you if you do not watch out for them.

 

There you see the Llama next door.  Ah, the picture of innocence. Just gazing over the fence at me while below is the New Mexico Sunflower in full bloom.  It is exceptionally colorful this fall as the nights are very cool and the days very hot, which combined, makes brilliant colors!

 

Here is another shot of the dear Llama.  I see it is a little closer now and continuing to make eye contact.  I feel so special to be able to bond with plants and animals this way.  People in the cities do not have this opportunity.  I will just stand here a while and gaze at the picture before me.

Do you see that!  The Llama is eating my flowers!  Caught in the act, no less.  Caught by me as I stand gazing in admiration.  This is the same Llama that ate my asparagus last Spring.  The same one who has topped out my Lilacs and Red bud tree.  Seems he snacked on a Clematis Vine also.  So much for serenity in the country!

Now the fun part I have to tell you.  If you click on any of my pictures they will get big and you can actually see the detail, like Llama Lips curling around the sunflower!  I just love this Google Blog of mine!

Words of wisdom for this day
Good fences make good neighbors!

So just what is this thing called retirement and how is it different than working myself to death?

As I was digging in the little area behind the house, with sweat pouring off the little pointed head and my back in spasms, it dawned on me that I am now officially retired and am enjoying my leisure time? Question mark is the proper mark there, because, I am not sure this is how it is supposed to be.

Seems like retirement should involve some sort of sitting around and having naps and things like that. As I recall, I worked very hard the first 50 years to raise kids, pay into my Social Security, establish myself as a respected member of society and gloried in planning all the things I would do when I retired.

Ok, so here I am all retired and while it is mostly pretty good, there are a few drawbacks I did not forsee. The homestead is paid for, but there are the taxes, insurance, utilities, upkeep and things like that which amount to as much as I would pay for a place in town. So, while the Social Security and small pension do cover the necessities, there is always the expensive of wanting to have an actual life!

This entails having a small income on the side which is derived by doing something to make a few extra bucks. Earning of the few extra bucks means missing the nap. Then there is the matter of the grunt work around the place. So I can either do it myself or earn more extra bucks to pay someone else to do it for me. There went that other nap!

Assisted Living Facility has already told me that if I check in there, they have a no duck or goose policy. Imagine that! So guess I am going to remain here on the farm and enjoy this thing called retirement until I work myself into an early grave, but guess what! I am not alone on this and the only ones who seem to be doing the nap things are the ones who planned way better than I did!

But, you know what? I would not have it any other way. While the sitting on the decks waving off the bees and the taking of the nap looks really good sometimes, mostly I like the active life and earning and spending of the almighty dollar! So while I may not see you on the golf course, I will see you when I am jogging down the lane and you pass by in your big fine car. I am the one who smiles and waves! I am the nutty one!

It is a beautiful day today, but I may get frost bit this morning.

Well, I see this thing is not going to work with me today! Don't you just hate it when you belly up to the computer and it just looks at you with it's blank screen? I started typing and nothing was there. Finally I did the html thing and told it I wanted black as my color. It told me my html was incorrect, but here I am! It is not good dealing with anything smarter than I am that thinks it wants whatever I do not. So now to the subject at hand.

Here we are in the middle of September. The fair is over, the peaches are canned, the pickles are made and I am on strike. I have not made saurkraut, canned tomatoes, nor made hot salsa that is so popular around this neck of the woods. I have priced Pueblo Chiles, but I have not gotten any further in the process, nor do I think I will.

I live alone except for the boy and the girl who are never home and when they are they do not eat the same fare that I consume. They are carnivores and while I do on occasion partake of the flesh, it is mostly the vegetable and fruit stuff that finds it's way through my system. At some point in time I decided I would like to live forever. I have since rethought that also.

Back to the subject at hand for I do most definitely digress. I love Spring. Hope springs eternal at that time of year. I dearly love summer and I don't mind sweating. Do not like it running in my eyes, but other than that, I am good to go. But Fall! I know when fall is here and it is here. I go out early in the morning and the air smells different. The air feels different. There is a feeling in a fall morning that only experiencing it can discribe. It is crisp. I do not have words in my small vocabulary to properly convey to you a fall morning.

So you need to do this; Arise early tomorrow morning. It is 6:22 here now and the sky is just beginning to lighten. It is not quite time for the sun to start streaking the horizon, but I am sure it is close. There is a breeze stirring the cottonwood outside my window and fall is in the air! Very soon Jack Frost will start sprinkling my car window with his little white covering and it will be official. I am predicting the first official frost about the time of my birthday, so watch for it.

But in the meantime I am going to leave the air conditioner uncovered, leave the plants outside, and think about maybe doing some more canning. Who knows. This is Colorado and it is nothing to see a 50 degree fluctuation on any given day. It is a wonder we have not all cracked!

And what is it like where you are hanging your hat today? Amy, in Florida is probably working up a sweat already,huh? Slow down, girl, it will be there tomorrow! Get my bed ready cause I am thinking on doing some traveling south this Winter!

It is always darkest before the dawn, or Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!

Ever been really sad?  Ever felt like some one had just jerked the rug out from under you and kicked you in the gut?  Not a very good feeling and it usually takes  a couple days to get back on your feet and remember the lessons your momma taught you.  But first you have those few days to get through. 

When faced with one of these situations, the first instinct is to flee.  But when you see the storm clouds gathering and you know it is about to dump on you there is one place to go and that is to bed.  Always safe there.  Sure it is safe, but it is very lonely. It is very lonely and the night is very long. It is the fear of the unknown that brings on this phenomena known as "What is going to happen?"  How many different scenarios are there? What if...what if...what if?  And then it is morning.

Morning and we now have to get up and face the day and the "what if" of last night.  But the best part is that today you find out just what it is that you will be facing.  If it is a medical issue, you get an answer and then make plans to deal with the ramifications.  Water bill not paid?  Take care of it during business hours.  A test at school? Should have studied, but now you will know just how much you did remember.  Death of some one or relationship ending (which I equate as being one and the same and should be handled in the same way)?  So we venture off and make our "final arrangements" either at the funeral home or the coffee shop.  During the former we set a final time to bury our beloved and during the latter we just grab the shovel and throw a little more dirt at each other, establish that the blame is definitely not ours and walk away.

In any case, the second night is easier to deal with because we have done something constructive.  We know that tomorrow we will see the fruits of our labor coming to fruition. Going to start our chemo tomorrow.  Water is on so you can wash that pile of dishes.  Failed cooking class so now maybe you can choose a new career, like you could be a lawyer!  Put one body in the ground and kick the other to the curb! 

And so the third night comes and you are exhausted.  Dishes are done, new career on the horizon, and you got a lot of time now to do the things you have been putting off!

I been writing in second person, but I shall now change to first person because this is a true story.  Stay with me here and learn from the master!

 It is his loss, cause he lost the best thing that ever was in hislife and I know it!  He will no doubt realize it in time and that is when I can set back and reap the fruits of my labor!  The Good Lord does know what he is doing at all times, just takes me a little time to figure it out.  But Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, there is a new day dawning and I am going to grab that sucker with both hands, look back on my latest learning experience in life's little journey and be a better woman for having lived through that one!  I am a very unique individual and I have a lot to offer this world.  I am better than just another pretty face I am the essence of woman and I will survive!  I learned all this from someone I shall lovingly call "Jade"!

The ugly head of my political beliefs has once more reared it's head!

I remember way back when I was a kid, my mother told me something I did not understand, but through the years has became the backbone of my beliefs.  Mama told me, "Do not ever discuss religion or politics with your friends."  I have always carried this in the back of my mind. 

I do not discuss religion.  Everyone who knows me knows what my thoughts are on the subject and they know where to find me every Sunday morning.  Very few venture to find fault with the fiber that keeps my world in balance and for that I am grateful!

But now the politics is an entirely different matter.  Under no conditions am I allowed to keep those thoughts to myself, so let me tell you how it is.  I apparently am a "Bleeding Heart Liberal and would like to see the country turned into socialistic society and my children and grand children saddled with a debt they can never pay, ..." and I do not remember the rest of the conversation because it was like a Gatling gun going off in my brain. You may think those statements are a tad bit radical, but since I could not get a word in edgewise I fully intend to set here in the solitude of my office and tell anyone who is interested just what I do believe in and why.  no interruptions and if you get tired of reading there is a little x up in the right hand corner that will silence me!

 1.  I believe in truth, justice and the American Way, just like Superman!
 2.  I believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as long as I do not infringe on someone else's happiness.
 3.  I believe we should all have a chance at the golden ring.
 4.  I believe I should be able to walk down the street without being intimidated by someone bigger than me.
 5.  I believe I should be safe in my home and be able to protect myself and my family by whatever means.
 6.  I do not want  my son to choke and gasp for breathe because he is not covered by insurance because he has a pre-existing condition of asthma.
 7.  I believe my tax dollars should go for something besides bullets to kill some one in another country when my own country is in turmoil and people are dying in the streets here from hunger, stray bullets, drugs and the endless litany of ills and woes.
 8.  I believe children should be safe to grow up in their own homes and that child abusers should be stoned.
 9.  Drugs should be illegal, oh wait, they are!  I believe laws should be enforced.
10. I don't think animals should be mistreated.
11. I believe you and I were created equal, regardless of the color or our skin, male or female, short or tall, gay or straight, rich or poor.
12. I believe the government will do what the government does and if this administration screws it up, another one will screw it up worse. That is how it has always been and that is how it will always be and I am not personally responsible for what Bush, or Obama or anyone did  or will do. You may holler all you want it will not change a damn thing!

So you can call me a "Bleeding Heart Liberal", but here you have what I think and and now I have said it myself.  You go to your church and I'll go to mine, but we'll both walk along together........or not.

Disclaimer: If I have offended anyone with this missive, I apologize. Try to remember that I did have that rule about not discussing politics or religion and I made the rule for a reason. So, leave me a comment, call...or not.

How Beulah, Colorado was saved by the dairy farmers.

                                                                             This is a totem right in front of the volunteer fire station in beautiful Beulah, Colorado.  The sign on it reads "This tale might have been very short had it not been about a cow."  This is located across the street from the Beulah Post Office.  It is also located in front of the fire station and the man who carved this is in a small room behind the fire station.  These people make really good use of space, I'm here to tell you.

This is a full shot of the totem as it stands.  It is hard to see the little cottage on the top and the intricate work that went into that!  You are actually going to need to jump in the car and drive on out there and take a look.  Call me if you need directions!                                                                

The next picture shows a close up of the cow.  You can also see a few peas in the pod there, although I do not know what they symbolize.  I can also see a goose that seems to have laid some rather golden eggs.

Now, I lost my notes on this, but I am going to try to relate the story to you briefly as it was told to me. It seems several years back the beautiful mountain community of Beulah found itself in the throes of a drought.  There was no rain and no signs of rain.  The snow melt had already found it's way down the mountain and as you all know, water does not run uphill.

People were hauling water for drinking as best they could but how would you like to try to haul all your water you use everyday up the hill and try to store it?  Ah, to the rescue came the dairy farmers! They had the means to haul milk to market and the return trip could be carrying water!  Of course, they had to make a few extra trips, but that is how the dairy farmers saved the town of Beulah from extinction.  Seems like I recall reading about this after I had relocated to Colorado, so I know it was in the last 30 years. 

So this work was commissioned by folks in Beulah in honor of the dairy farmers.  This totem was created by John Clay who has made several of these totems around the Beulah area. John gave me a map of the locations of some of his art work in the area and if you are interested just leave me a note. 

I am sort of keeping my eyes open around his shop cause he has a big tree root back behind that he is starting to whittle away on and when it is finished it will be "The Dragon's Nest."  That is all I am going to tell you about that.  I plan on doing an update on John in the very near future and showing you pictures of his shop and the band aid box on the wall!

In the meantime, if you want to get a hold of John and have him carve up one of your dead trees, his number is 719-485-9605, and as always, just tell him Lou sent you!