Progressive Sunrise Pictures

This morning is really quite pretty and almost getting cooler. I stepped outside to see what the cats were doing and was met by 79 degrees of fresh air. 79, not a typo. That's cool for us. I'm telling you how badly I've suffered through the summer with all that air conditioning. Within the next few weeks we should be sleeping with air off and windows open. It's worth waiting for. Listening to the lapping water is so lovely to sleep to.

I love how the sunrise changes the color of the water. It looks like melted copper. If I ever figure out how to post a link to YouTube, I'll try a video so you can see the melted copper turn into waves.

Never underestimate the value of running water. Tap water. How did my ancestors survive with just pitchers and basins? I kind of think I have a hand washing OCD, rather minor, but hard to control when my hands feel sticky. I'm fine around horses where my hands are constantly dusty, grimy, sweaty. But as soon as I hit the house I'm washing. Soap and water.

So we went without running water for 48 hours while some water main to the city was whatever...replaced, moved, something that made them turn the town off. Oh how I suffered. Can you feel my pain? We were down to washing with bottled drinking water. I was extremely conscious of every time I had to get my hands clean NOW! It's a problem.

At least I don't have an issue with rechecking light switches and locked doors and coffee pots. (Thank God for the automatic turn off switch in the Krups!) There's surely other issues I'm not copping to or consciously admitting to myself.

I could sure use a piece of pizza right about now. When Barbie and Sybil were here they made such a wonderful pizza for me. I may have to go scrounge one up. Any good ideas of what I should put on it? I like almost everything. I just about inhale Hawaiian style pizza. I can't remember chewing the salty sweetness of ham and pineapple combined. It goes right over my tongue as fast as I can get it into my stomach.
Time for lunch!

Sonora is standing next to her mother, Pony, in this quick snapshot. It's truly unbelieveable to see this little 3 month old foal growing like a weed and filling out and building muscle. I completely give credit to the grass out in the desert. Also, having more than just a paddock to explore has got to make a difference in muscle and brain development, and bone growth. Pony gave birth to Sonora on June 14.
My Bella is now a year and a half old. Her mother is Pony and her father is an incredibly beautiful Andalusian. Her eye is what artists try to achieve. She was born on March 17, 2005. Notice how green the desert is behind her.
It took me all of 5 minutes to fall in love with her and 2 1/2 months to buy her. It scares me to death to think about starting a yearling. What if I make a mistake?!! She has had the ferrier trim all 4 feet, and has stood quietly while being tied, and has had a large old saddle cinched on her back. All done with gentle hands. She has accepted all of this willingly and seems to know what her job will be in a few years. Right off the bat you might consider her to be a Buckskin, but I'm thinking maybe next spring she will shed out as a grulla.

Pony, Sonora and Bella are going back out to the hundreds of acres for more free grazing. They just came in for pedicures this week. There are two more mares and foals out there, and a little band of geldings on the other side of the fence that hang together. I miss seeing Bella when she's on pasture but all the boring little lessons I might try to teach her can't possibly compare to the mental and physical growth, and learning her own balance while being out in her little herd. I have to remember that anything bad that could happen to her in the wide open spaces, could happen in the paddocks as well.

This is the last one, I promise. (Cara Scissoria greeting cards) Tickles my fancy as I'm sitting here watching/listening to the replay of the 9/11 news. My whole body is droopy and exhausted from worry about our Proud country.

That's probably too small to read. It says, "Livin' Velveeta Loca" It's from Cara Scissoria greeting cards. There are some very funny political ones and Christmas cards.

Wow what a week! My fun sister and her fun daughter came to visit just in the nick of time to enjoy the dramatic weather we had all week. They flew out yesterday and naturally today dawns bright and clear, smooth and cloudless. Oh well. My niece had a wonderful time tanning by the hot tub which was filled with cold water that turned warm all on it's own. Barbie and I did get to snorkel but the water was still just a bit too stirred up from the hurricane to see the beautiful fish.

I drove the girls back to Hermosillo alone since my husband was busy. That was also a treat to have the opportunity to shop at my own pace after I dropped the girls off. I stopped at a supermarket that has had my attention everytime we've driven past. I really like to grocery shop and shopping in a foreign grocery store has always been a treat. Now the game is to find as many familiar and favorite foods that might be hiding within the Mole' sauces or refritos. This store suprised me with the abundance of choices, even more soup choices. That is one of the main things I always remember and feel guilty about upon returning to the Otro Lado is the amazing choices we take for granted. Simply makes me dizzy as I fill my basket with old faithfuls. Anyway, this nice market was clean, well stocked, and took over an hour to browse through. I picked up a piece of ginger-root so we might consider making something Chinese this week.

I get to go out to see Bella today. The mares and babies are back home. I'll try to snap a picture of Sonora for you. She shows the positive effects of being free and happy for almost a month. Every foal should have this chance to muscle up.

ahem. I spoke too soon. The Tropical Storm formally known as Hurricane John did come for a visit and is staying around longer than I would have wanted. It's been raining for almost 12 hours and the wind picked up sometime in the middle of the night. But it's the swells and surf that really command your attention. Pounding surf that rattles in your chest and hits the sea walls with such gusto that the spray goes above the roof lines. Pretty intense. I tried to snap some pictures but it just doesn't do justice. I'll keep trying a post something if it seems worthy of your inspection.

By the way, I am a weather junky so that's why I bore the dickens out of you with weather stories. Also, being raised in the San Francisco Bay area did not prepare me for real life, weatherwise. It's much more dramatic everywhere else in the world than is SF.