Stop this convo now

Ever say something on one of the social networks & then it just never seems to end? Yeah, that's where I am right now.  When am I going to learn to keep my big mouth shut (sit on my hands)?

Add to that: never mention my political opinions in public in the middle of screwed up, flag-waving-Bush-loving, weird ass Iowa.

Sorry that I've been hiding for over a year. There was a very good reason. If  I get a wild hair, I'll tell you all about it. Better yet, buy the book when it comes out.

More 'Nuff

'Nuff Said

Easter & Stuff

Molly's Whiskers

Death

Life

A Favorite Porch

Good Night To A Favorite Porch

Christmas and Beyond

As usual, we started holiday celebrations at Crab's parents on Christmas Eve. It was low key compared to years past. In fact, it was a little strange in comparison. His folks are starting to slip and the lack of traditional crap which used to bug us bugged us because it was not there.

In their golden years they have discovered the joys of the company of cats, not that this detracted from the holiday. In fact the cats are a nice diversion and give one a topic of conversation other than "I told you that twelve times already" or "your house smells like a sewer".

The young addition to their family was cowering in the basement, poor thing. She was frightened by the sudden influx of humans. But the king of the house reigned.

Hawkeye

Icicles

Icicles

Uncle Nutso and Jelly Bean

Cards have always been played at every get-together at Crab's parent's house. Crab's parents have approximately 389 decks of cards, some of which have been combined for Spite and Malice. After opening gifts, eating dinner and washing dishes H and I settled down to a game of four point pitch with her grandparents. I selected a deck which had a note attached that said it was for a 5 person game of pitch. We pulled out all the cards from 3-6 and started playing.

H & her grandpa won the first game. H and I were rolling our eyes when her grandma claimed to have played the 10 of diamonds earlier when it was crystal clear I had played it on the last hand. The second game ended with H and I aching with laughter. She snorted. I nearly pissed my pants. This happened on the same play:

Must have had one up my sleeve

Did I mention they were slipping?

The next day we opened presents here before heading to my folks. There's not much expectation there. There are no traditions except for the excellent food. Oh, and the fact that it becomes an official holiday when someone whips out a gun. Then others run to their trucks and get out their guns. Let the pissing match begin! It's better when it's warmer and the guns tend to be farther away from the house.

This year only one brother produced a gun. My niece showed off her skills.

Sharp and shooting

Only hitting beer cans!

H's boyfriend shot a gun for the first time ever.

Better here than in St. Paul!

I am jealous of the birds that flock to my parent's feeders. I rarely see a cardinal here but they are so ho-hum at my folks.

Cardinal? Again? Yawn.

Christmas night we chilled at home and played Yahtzee.

Molly helping Crab score in Yahtzee

I was not feeling well over the holidays. One day around New Year's I spent the whole day in my jammies. When I finally felt semi-human I went out into a blue and frosty day.

Blue

Frost

Nest

Cold road

Holidays are over and I am glad for that. Now if i could only get rid of whatever it is that has been hanging on to my throat since before Christmas. New year, new hopes and today -- a new bird. One I have never seen hanging around at my folk's place.

Owl

Deflated

The holidays are over and I am grateful for that. I was ill and am still not feeling my best. On the first day I felt like moving I took a short walk and snapped this picture that describes my mood perfectly.

Deflated

Bermuda Triangle

Weird things have happened out here in BFE. You would think we'd be insulated from craziness but we're not. We attract it.

1. Once a runaway from a troubled girls home ended up at our house having an asthma attack. She walked 10 miles on the tracks, passing countless farms and chose this place to be the one she got hauled away from by the authorities.

2. One chilly October morning a man knocked on my door at 6 a.m. He'd been at the bar in K Town the night before and took his tried and true gravel route to M town and ended up in the ditch. He was considerate enough to sleep in his car and wait until morning to knock at my door. He was no where near the gravel road route to M town.

3. One evening a crazed, drunken man knocked at my door needing me to call his wife to come and get him with the horse trailer. And a winch, I guess. He had been riding along the dredge ditch and his horse had gotten mired in the mud.

4.The topper (the tip of the triangle,if you will) has to be the guys who took a left turn onto the railroad tracks near our place, hanging up their car. The sheriff's office was called, the deputy arrived and Crab and Deputy Bill worked at pulling the drunken idiots out of the car AS A TRAIN WAS BARRELING TOWARDS THEM. I stood in the road with baby H in my arms watching the train smash the old Chevy down the tracks and wondered if Crab, Bill & the drunks survived. (They did.)

I don't miss the errant drunks and runaways but it's hard to keep the Bermuda Triangle feeling going if nothing weird happens. Now I have to settle for the 2 roosters that showed up a couple of months ago. No hens, just roosters.

Tonight I went for a short walk. The weather was turning and there was a near triangle experience.

Sun on K Town

November Surprise

Weather

Nest

Retrospect

It seemed serendipitous to find a Facebook friend with twenty five pounds of tomatoes she did not want. I didn't can anything this year and I jumped on those tomatoes so fast the other FB friends were eating dust.

I am still in the middle of a canning mess. The sad part is these aren't real tomatoes, they are greenhouse grown and devoid of tomato aroma, texture and flavor.

I think my day would have been better spent on plan A, which was defrosting the deep freezer.