Archive for May, 2005
Saturday, May 28th, 2005A Day of Yard Sales
Today the wind blew the tops of the pines and made beautiful music with my wind chimes. The sun burned hot and took the edge off the breeze.
“Let’s go to yard sales today, ” I suggested to Kip.
We took our time thumbing through the newspaper and circling the sales that looked best. It is always a little tricky to pick out the right ones. I have been burned a few times by advertisements that herald an “Estate Sale not to be missed” or “Great antiques.” Too many times I have driven to these sales to find that antiques are really Aunt Mary’s old dishes with cracks and chips from ten years ago; or the estate is really a single wide motor home with thirty engineless vehicles strewn over five acres of puckerbrush and poison oak.
Today we got lucky with our choices. We found some treasures like an antique enameled cream pitcher with a pretty lid (perfect for a fresh cut bunch of flowers), and a tiny watering can with nice copper accents, and an old wrought iron gate whose perfect scrolled features will look great in the garden with a tangle of climbing roses wound around them. Kip spent some time chatting with an elderly man who was cleaning out his tools. He snagged a wonderful grinder and some clamps he had wanted. At one stop, there wasn’t a lot of great stuff, but the seller had just brought home a seven week old Rottweiler puppy and I enjoyed the heavenly scent of puppy breath and the painful but sweet feel of sharp puppy teeth against my skin.
We stopped at the market on the way home to get some food for supper; and I bought a colorful spring bouquet to go in my “new” cream pitcher. On the drive back up the moutain the wind blew the green smell of the meadows and the sharp tang of the pines through the open window, while our purchases rattled in the back seat.
Pool Fun
The temperatures soared into the triple digits this week. Summer has arrived and the dogs are demanding that their small plastic pool be filled daily. They pile their toys into the empty basin of the pool and then stare at us with pleading eyes. Of course, Kip and I drag the hose over and turn on the water.
Humans love pools in the summer as a refreshing way to cool off. Clear, blue water creates gentle waves and makes us feel refreshed and clean.
Dogs have a different definition of pool enjoyment which involves submersing themselves, then rolling in the dirt until their fur is mud covered and smells like the earth. Argus also likes to involve his towel in the pool fun. Tonight he dragged his towel into the water with him, rolled about like the happy boy he typically is, and then dragged himself and the towel into the pile of ash (left over from the yearly yard waste burning), and rolled about like a pig in the muck. The towel and Argus turned an ugly gray color in a matter of minutes.
As the sun sank lower in the sky, the temperature dropped to a comfortable eighty degrees. Shade dappled the yard and the dogs were ready to come inside for the night. They stood at the door, wet, smiling, covered in dirt and debris. I looked at Kip and raised a brow.
“I’ll get the hose and shampoo,” he said.
Gorgeous Face
Just look at those lashes…what little girl wouldn’t love to have those?
Friday, May 27th, 2005Baby Mule
Our baby mule is growing! She has the prettiest face, longest eye lashes, biggest ears and knobbiest knees of anyone else in the herd…and she loves hugs and pats from her people.
Monday, May 23rd, 2005Rodeo
The crowd stomps its collective feet. Dust floats. The announcer, atop a magnificent chestnut mount, sets the stage. The chute door flies open and the cowboy emerges: one arm flung back, neck arched, thighs clinging to the beast. The horse bucks, spins, moves like a schizophrenic wind up toy. The cowboy grimaces. His grip is futile. He bounces high, then somersaults to the ground in a spray of dirt and hooves. There is a gasp, a silence, the cowboy slow to rise. And then a thunder of applause with the cowboy’s raised hand.
Sunday, May 8th, 2005Mother and Daughter
The fog rolled through the pasture, formed a wet blanket on the ground.
“There it goes again.” I placed a hand on the mare’s side and felt the baby kick.
“She’ll deliver tonight,” Dwayne said.
The next morning, I drove to the ranch. In the paddock the mare tossed her head. And there was the baby. Long legs, huge ears, silky hair. It nuzzled my outstretched hand. Carla opened the paddock gate and Mama whinnied, whirled, nudged the baby forward. They trotted through the gate, mother and daughter, into the green mist of the pasture.
Book Review: Dreamer by Sand Pilarski
Loss and redemption are pretty hefty subjects for a first time novelist, but Sand Pilarski takes them both on and succeeds in weaving a story that captures the heart. Pilarski achieves this by peopling her debut novel Dreamer with characters so rich and real that the reader wishes to stay with them long after the last page has been turned.
The story is told from the point of view of Sully Ambris, a middle-aged woman whose husband (the beautiful Adam) cannot seem to stay faithful to their marriage.
“Adam strayed. He strayed so much that you would say he had Marital Alzheimer’s,” Sully tells us. And yet, she stubbornly clings to the marriage; her religious convictions binding her to the faithless Adam even after the divorce is final. Sully is generous to a fault, unselfishly providing emotional support to all those around her including her distracted sister Jesse and Jesse’s five wonderful kids (“the five”).
Pilarski provides the reader with insight into Sully’s nature by exploring her nighttime dreams as well as through a series of flashbacks about her childhood, including the sibling rivalry that flavors her relationship with Jesse. Sully’s beautiful, yet controlling mother fills Sully with understandable ambivalence and provides the backdrop to her core personality. When Sully says: “Sometimes I wonder if my faith wasn’t forged and strengthened by the way I saw my mother live,” we believe her. And so it is no wonder that when her mother dies unexpectedly, Sully’s transformation and growth begins.
Sully forges a strong friendship with Bodie and Andersol, the adult twins who live on her street and vow to never be separated; and who provide the humor in this emotionally packed novel. Mary LeMay, an elderly next door neighbor, fills the void Sully’s mother leaves behind; in truth, becomes the mother that Sully always wished she’d had. And when Mary’s son John comes for a visit midway through the story, the reader begins to hope that Sully will finally break free of her self imposed martyrdom.
In the end, Pilarski does not disappoint when she allows Sully to realize her dreams while still keeping faith with her religious convictions.
A Mother’s Joy
At less than 24 hours old, little Radar headed into the pasture with her mother…an adorable girl mule!
Monday, May 2nd, 2005Computer Monsters
A dark, ill-humored monster invaded my computer this weekend. He started in the scanner and crept through the hard drive. My virus scan assured me I was free of viruses, but things weren’t working well nonetheless. I dragged out my owner’s manual; followed the troubleshooting advice; re-installed software; cleaned up the disk; defragmented. Finally, with no other options left to me I chose System Restore.
The manual states that System Restore is a last resort. What it doesn’t say is that if you chose this option you will have given up roughly one third of your weekend to frustration and rebuilding your desktop.
The System Restore feature essentially wipes out your computer, then re-installs all the factory settings. It is like getting a new computer again…without the handy Spyware software you downloaded just last month; or the new browser you installed two weeks ago; or the word processing program you adore. None of your websites will remember you (and who the heck can remember every password for every site they visit?). You would think that after all of this, the problem would be fixed. But, my scanner still does not work correctly.
I guess I could stomp my feet, swear a lot and vow to never own another computer. However, in the end I chose to be the turtle in the race against the hare. Slow and steady; plod along; dot all the eyes, cross all the tees. I’m back ‘on line,’ my software is all reinstalled. And I learned a valuable lesson: don’t rip out the kitchen sink just because of a small leak.