For all of you moon fans, I was thrilled to have the “Wolf Moon” on my birthday this weekend. It is the first time I remember a full moon occurring on the actual anniversary of my birth. Now that may be just because I haven’t been very observant over the years, because it is bound to have happened before, and now that a daily task at work requires me to look at the phases of the moon on a regular basis, I am more aware of it I suppose. Anyhoo …

I thought I would share this pic, which I took with a crappy point-and-shoot and a tripod on Saturday. It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself, and I just did. Happy birthday moon.

The full moon shines through the trees lining the property around my house.

We drove up the mountain to Tinney’s Tavern on Sunday, to see first-hand the spectacle of the establishment’s fourth annual outhouse races on Lake Desolation.

Teams of five take to the ice to race their homemade “outhouses” (they must have at least three sides, a roof and a toilet seat, with one team member seated on the throne). I had only heard of this event till now. I took the day off work this year, and boy, was it worth it! Despite the frigid temperatures, area residents came out in force to support their favorite teams. The “Five Man Bomb Sled, USA,” and “Clancy’s Shamrock Shitters,” and a host of other teams put passion into their potties, highlighting a day that did not disappoint.

Team members for the Five Man Bomb Sled USA grit their teeth and head for the finish line.

Members of the Clancy's Shamrock Shitters get ready to race.

Another outhouse team works its way down the ice.

Next year, be sure to mark your calendar. This is a hoot!

Someone just sent me this shot of me at the drum kit at our New Year’s show. I look pretty comfy. Maybe I’ll get a drum set. Fun!

 

I was just sitting here finishing up my Christmas correspondence. (Yup, it’s last-minute card time again.) It is boggling my mind how many different places these cards are traveling. I had no idea. As I was flipping through the addressed envelopes to make sure they all had stamps, and I didn’t screw anything up, I notice I have friends and/or family, all over this country. Crazy.

Long Island, Ohio, Texas, California, St. Croix, Pennsylvania, Washington State, Vermont … the list goes on. I don’t feel that I have traveled around that much to have accumulated so many contacts throughout the country. I feel honored.

So, I just wanted to share that thought, no matter how scattered we all are, I can still say hello with a simple card, envelope and 44-cent stamp. Nuts. 

Merry Christmas everybody!

 

It’s a frigid winter wonderland. Today, we played in the snow (or loafed around in it).

This is the life.

 

Jack Frost visited the windows in the garage overnight, so I scratched in this ice goose. Fun. 

Ice goose window.

 

I hope you all give in and start enjoying winter … It’s going to be here for a long time.

Finally, it’s here —  I was starting to think global warming actually exists … nah! It is snowing, and even though it took quite some time to get here, it is as lovely as I remember.

For those of you who think snow is for the birds, you’re absolutely right. My feeder has been so active today. Here is a chickadee getting a snack. 

And in case you don’t believe winter is here to stay, Rama did her inaugural snow roll to welcome the season, better get used to the white fluffy stuff. We like it!

I never thought I’d see the day when my homeland (the great Republic of Texas of course) had snow before New York (where, according to my father I have been temporarily displaced). I read the news this morning and laughed, remembering how ill-prepared everyone down there is for winter weather. Must have been chaos. There were hundreds of reports from Houston residents on CNN.

“We are on the scene in this quiet residential neighborhood in south Houston  … where just after noontime, approximately two snowflakes could be seen in the sky behind one family’s home.” “And now back to you, Marie.”

Residents probably fled in terror to the nearest grocery store, attempting to stock up on provisions for the endless doom to come, while crashing into the back of a Confederate flag-laden white pickup (it’s not really that bad) in front of them in all the pandemonium.

Ah, who are they kidding, haven’t they learned by now they’ll wake up tomorrow and it will be in the mid-60s again like it is 90 percent of the time in the “winter” in Texas. They’ll have cases of instant hand-warmer packs and snow boots and shovels and salt, oh my, to save for 20 years from now when a couple more flakes fall. They’ll be ready.

 Tsk, tsk to me. I haven’t taken the time to say thanks. Thanksgiving flew by and the juggling act of work and life took over, and here it is a week later, and ahhhh, I just sat down with a beer and a day off in sight. Finally had some turkey today, and realized, I should quickly run down my list of the many things I am thankful for. For your benefit, here is the abridged version …

I am thankful for indoor plumbing in December in upstate New York. I am thankful for the roof over my head, as well as the hair on it (my head, not the roof).  I am thankful for my friends, especially those who don’t write me off because my sense of perspective is a little wacky. 

I am thankful that my dog doesn’t eat people. …  I am thankful that I can still buy bouncy balls for 25 cents and that I can still get the same joy out of them as I used to as a kid. I am thankful for fried okra.I am thankful for the fact the time only flies when you wear a watch and look at it incessantly, and care.
I am thankful for life’s simple pleasures, like building entire replicas of carnival rides to scale, just for the heck of it, or tipping someone at a restaurant with a bill that has been fashioned into an origami elephant.

I am thankful for the window seat. 

  I am thankful for fuzzy socks and gummy worms, but not together.

I am thankful for seriousness, so that I can define my silly. 

I am thankful for the fact my father, at 60 is not too mature to give bunny ears, and that my brother, at 34 is not too old to receive them.

I am thankful that teachers keep art history alive by encouraging students to make replicas of the work of the masters, even if at first glance, they are VERY comical …

I am thankful for Jim for sharing my sense of humor, and giving me cause to be humorous. I am thankful for amazing sunsets, and surprises, and song.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry I was a little late.

Is that a tear?

I haven’t had a chance to post since I found out Oprah is calling it quits. How will people select books, find a doctor, depilatory, crash diet, or a way to confront their inner turmoil? On Friday, the talk show queen announced plans to end the Oprah Winfrey Show after 25 years on the air, the better part of my existence on this planet.

I almost made it past 30 without tuning in, however, I will say I can recall watching about three minutes of one episode once … the one where this little Filipina, whose name I cannot recall, has a beautiful singing voice and dreams to meet some famous singer (whose name I cannot recall), and Oprah introduces her to the world and everyone hears her sad tale of a depressed upbringing, including a history of domestic violence and homelessness, and how she began her ascent to stardom by gaining notoriety in local karaoke contests in her homeland and the like … and she goes on to meet her idol. Hand me a Kleenex.

That’s my favorite story.

I understand what Oprah did for television. She invented the industry. She created the monster. She used her business savvy to target a bunch of middle-age, middle-class, insecure women who are incapable of free thinking and are always in need of a tissue, and milked them for everything they’re worth. Hey, it worked, Oprah is one of the richest women in the world. Behold, the power of marketing.

With that said, I wish her good luck in her next venture. Oh, haven’t you heard? She isn’t really “quitting.” She is moving on to a bigger pond. After September 2011, she won’t be off the air. Rumors suggest she is going to be on a new show on her very own cable TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network. So don’t you fret ladies, you’ll still have a venue to go get a good cry on.

Well, I finally finished one of the shadow boxes … in time for Jim’s mother’s birthday. The picture didn’t come out great, because the flash glared off the glass, but you get the idea. I had so much fun creating this one, I think I am going to do a series of seasonal boxes, with autumn first on my list, as the leaves are flying and I can bet they won’t stick around too long.

I am not complaining. I love the smell of autumn in the air. The crisp mornings, and the smell of fires warming people’s homes around the neighborhood. Here is a beautiful picture from my campsite at Elmore State Park when I was in Vermont in September. This is looking up from our site. They were about two weeks ahead of us with the changing of the leaves.