Icy Frosting

With the cold weather has been the fog, leaving an icy coat on the great outdoors.

 

Tangled patterns in the trees

ice coated buds

Fairy ice queen country roads

 

Wind swept icy sentential

 

Bowing under the glaze

           Stillness over the land

Big Mac’s on the hoof wait it out

Nature will be solemn for a few days as the frozen wind of the Mrs. Artic spews over the prairie.  Leaving icy breath on everything as she floats through the grasses.

Hot Doggies’

 

Oh my goodness, let me tell ya, sprung has springed a leak, the tulips were a squeakin, the buds were a expandin, me thmb was a greenin.  Today was the teaser of the coming feast.  Down the road the aroma of burning burgers were heard, snapping brauts’ and cold beers.  Mercury was flirtin in the 70’s, a tee shirt n shorts were a jumpin around, what a goregeous day.  Clear blue azure sky, nary a clound and the dirty air was in the city.  Great day for playin hooky, I did, I sat with a soda and some chips, let the sun crawl across bare arms, tickle the ears and dance on the face.

Then there is the end of the day, boo hoo.  For more days like such I hope for.  I toe tap on the grass, listening to the birds and watching float on the currents high above, perched on the high line the keeping watch.

If I were but a muse, my pen would shout forth the glory of the day.  Stroll among the thoughts of the warmth, watching shows flickjer in the rays of ole Sol, casting about longing for the days they shall return.

Cattle lazing in the pasture, sun settling into the horizon, cars drifting by, train tooting in the distance.  There is a joy in the air, snow is melting, streams easing to the creek, the frozen silence is ended for but a moment.  Tomorrow, turn the earth on, look for an instant replay, oh for but more moments when it is a joy to live in a creation that is happy.

Back flips, somersaults and cart wheels, a time to rejoice, for the artic hawk has retreated with the Alberta clipper to the far north.  Tomorrow the gods of the north will open their gates again to let the great hawk of the artic to soar on the Alberta clipper.  Ice will clip the strings of Old Sol and warm rays will hide behind the clouds.  Birds will hover in snug corners, little critters will burrow down in heated dens.

Florida has caught a train to hurry back south to the warmth.  Farewell ole teaser, for on your wings they will return for Ole Sol is going north, no matter what chicken little says.

The Turkey Mob

 

Went for a cruise in the outback last week, looking for a ghost town and the Russian Orthodox Church.  Found both but along the way were side tracks and detours. 

In the small communities are usually a few interesting buildings or machinery and I will roam the streets looking for them.  One such little town I found an old brick schoolhouse that appears to now be a private residence.  So I stopped to take a couple of pictures.  I parked across the street to keep the pickup out of the way.  Where I parked there were a couple of turkeys nibbling on the corn stalks that had been tied to a post. 

So a took a picture of them.  the birds were very nonchalant and just looked at me. 

I walked across the street to take pictures of the schoolhouse and the turkeys went on their way pecking at the ground to get what they could..  I took my pictures and headed back to the pickup and I came out of the play ground there was a flock of more turkeys coming out from another house across the street.

I stopped, whoa what is this, mad turkeys on the loose.  They were headed right at me at a quick trot.  As they got closer there was a wanting look in them.  Apparently somebody in town feeds them and they must of thought I had some edible goodies for them.

 

As they got closer they veered off to the left for they did not recognize me nor did I have any feed.  The flock went on past and stopped under the tree and stared back at the stranger.

I’ve had some interesting encounters with wild life but this is going to be unique.  Maybe I need to carry some grain in the future if I go there again.  Give them dance lessons so they can do more then the turkey trot.

My Neighbor…….. Sunbathing

 

Ah Ha….. a fur lined bunny basks in the warmth of the sun on a cold morning.

The vacant lot next door houses lots of junk which makes nice dwelling spots for little critters.  Cottontails get in among the stacks and make nice little burrows to live in and make little fur balls.  As the population grows so do the visitors.  Being at the bottom of the food chain lots of hungry larger critters show up for a meal.  To see a bunny this size is unusual, most make the menu of a visitor to the vacant lot dinning parlor.

Coyotes stop by in the evening, the hoot of the owl notes that it is hungry and looking the buffet over.  then there are the feral cats.  Cats camp out near food and they use the junk piles as home also. There are also the neighborhood cats that browse the diner.

This one took up residence in the clump of grass and spent the morning soaking up some warm rays of El Sol.  A loud noise and he would perk up and look around.  Lay the ears back down and go back to drowsing. Most of the snow is gone but the rays are still warming.

The setting moon this morning was interesting.  rising sun gave it a silvery glow with a plum cast sky.

The Civil War and Today.......

The following is from an e-mail I get. Some interesting bits are brought up and they make sense. When I look at it I see issues from 150 years ago still being discussed today and it will probably not change over the centuries.

The Civil War arose from the radically different cultures that had developed across the American landscape. The South, comprised mostly of tenant farmers, had developed a loose culture that allotted them more personal freedoms. Additionally, the South, wanting to give their states the leeway to set policy which best fit their residents, supported strong individual state sovereignty. In the more densely populated North, the people preferred a strongly centralized government. Something had to give, and the mounting tension brought about the Civil War.

Though the importance of the Civil War has not been lost by history, many of the important facts have been forgotten or distorted with time. The Emancipation Proclamation, championed as a shining example of the moral superiority of the Union, has long been represented incorrectly in the annals of history. Devised as a propaganda tool that would also keep foreign countries from intervening on the Confederate’s side, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free any slaves in the North, or in any Confederate states occupied by Union troops. The document declared that these areas should be, “left precisely as if this Proclamation were not issued.” As Confederate President Jefferson Davis predicted, the North did indeed re-write history in its favor. During a political debate in 1858, President Lincoln himself was quoted as saying, “I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the White race.” General Ulysses S. Grant’s wife had personal slaves whom she kept until after the end of the War, when the 13th Amendment gave them their freedom. Though these facts don’t discount the many positive contributions that Lincoln and Grant made to both the rights of African Americans and America as whole, it remains amazing to see just how differently we remember them in contrast to our memories of their Confederate counterparts.

A time to enjoy

With the days end the shadows grow to the end, reaching to the horizon, a sun colored cloud floats overhead, burning the candles end.  No longer is the evening meal in dark, twilight flickers over the landscape.  Headlights bounce off the barren branches of trees, cresting the hill, diving down the rise to disappear behind the next hill.  Over the crest the headlights reappear to begin their descent into flat bush grounds.  Curling on the dimly lit horizon the parade of lights ushers forth the evening.

 

Red tail lights splatter the sparkling silver of on coming cars.  rolling christmas trees are mixed in, clearance markers of amber define the trailers edge.  Passing by, going from somewhere to somewhere.  Land ships passing in the evening, marching to the close of another day.

No longer do I sit in darkness to watch the parade approach.  Miles away can be seen the sparking glitter of oncoming vehicles.  At times the tri-headlights of approaching train pierces the eve.  A low rumble can be heard as the cars trample the rails, shaking the earth.  The engines grumble as the cars clatter over the iron road.  Closer the train approaches, clicking of the wheels over the rail joints.  Soon it will be a low level din competing with the passing trucks.  A pleasant tone of the transportation orchestra floats over the land.  The horn ushers forth its bleat as it approaches the grade crossing in downtown.  Soon it will be gone into the distance, swallowed up by the horizon.

The cows graze across the pasture on other side.  Occasional moo echoing over the basin.  Lights move over the pasture, cattle perk up, chase after the pick up as it spreads feed out for their evening meal.  Youngsters scurry to get in the food line.  The pick up circles round, eyes peer out the window intently looking at his stock.

 

 

Watching the evening pass brings a joy, the moment is quiet, the calm of time is expanding.  No longer do I watch the tableau unfold late afternoon, now the twilight is later and I can pause for a few over the meal.  Looking out my small frame on the window of the world passing my pathway.  Long nights are fleeting, warm evenings are approaching.  Easy chair on the courtyard beckons, snow pile reminds, to the warmth of the kitchen and fixing the meal continues.

On The Side

There things that happen that are entertaining, don’t have to go to the theatre or turn on a movie.  They are part of life and happen.

Neighbor has two dogs, a mini mutt and a large black mongrel. They do not a yard to be in so the when let out side the mongrel gets chained up and the mini mutt roams.  When they first moved in the mongrel was let loose with the mutt.  the mongrel thought that was okay and roamed about the town and countryside.  Mutt, well it stayed close by.  with livestock around it is not advisable for loose dogs to be nearby, been known to acquire cases of lead poisoning.  Hence mongrel is now chained up when let outside.

Mutt cruises the neighborhood and not much of a problem.  There are also scads of cats in the neighborhood, most are feral.  The alley is a freeway for the free roamers for here is the trash bins.  If there are bags of trash stacked up the cats will rip them apart looking for …… trash?  Open trash bag now spills around the bins and onto the alley. 

 

 

Mutt sniffs through this assortment lying in the dirt and occasionally gets lucky.  Ah ha…. a bone.  Off home goes the mutt with its treasure.  In front of the house it plops down to chew on the delicacy.

Mongrel being on a chain can only lay there and watch as mini mutt gnaws away just out of mongrels reach.  Mini scurries about the front and lays back down to chew on the bone, picks it up, moves over a bit and gnaws on the bone some more.  Mongrel lays there, eyes focused like cross hairs on the mini mutts bone.  Very intently mongrel’s eyes focus, tail a twitchin’, head shifts as mini mutt changes location.

Mutt jumps up with bone in mouth heads along the edge of house, within mongrels reach on chain.  Chomp, big ole mongrel now has bone.  Mini doggie looks at big doggie, tail a waggin’, big dog….. grrrr.  Little dog goes over and sits down, ears perked up, a slight whine.  Mongrel is gnawing away. bone is disappearing as mini mutt sits by and soon lays down whining.

Few days later….. instant replay.

 

May God be with you this week and guide your steps.

 

.