I Hear Music When I See This Picture: Flashing Lights by Kanye West

Nope. That's not me. I wish my neck was that thin. And no. I haven't been helping Sarah shop. Although, I do like the heels and the way the "spike" goes straight down from the heel. I also love Patent Leather. Especially red and purple.

I'm still up in California and will probably be here another few weeks. I understand Bella is fat and happy with all the green grass in the desert. I was about to buy a new, shorter cinch from Country Supply, but maybe I can save the $20.

Reba and Kelly

The concert in Reno was so much fun. Quite the birthday party. I didn't think I would ever complain about cold weather again, but the climate changed in our honor and we felt what below freezing was like. It still didn't dampen our fun. Both artists were on the stage the whole concert and sang many duets.
I won big on the nickel slots. I think $76.
I skirted the LA fires on the flip flop by going east through Bakersfield and then over and down. My desert was a nice sight after realizing my blood has thinned to water and I can't survive below 50 without multi-layers. But the jeans fit!

Short Trips

I am always happy to wake up before daylight so I'm in position to watch the sunrise. This morning I sit here looking out at the dark backyard watching the garden art change colors and anxious to see the cactus flower that I just know has opened over night.
I am driving up to Monterey today for visits with good old friends and a new gelding. This friend has a wonderful older Arabian mare who is retired, and this youngster she bought two years ago. He has had every opportunity to become what he was bred to be, a little trail horse who is also talented at reining. His owner has had him in training and is committed to giving him a good foundation. I can't wait to finally meet him in person.
Then, I'm taking my daughter up to Reno for a Kelly Clarkson concert this weekend. She chose that as a birthday gift, so how could I say no.
I'm excited about all of the above and the fact that I get to wear jeans. Down in my deserts it has been too hot since April to wear anything tight, long, and heavy.

Sillyness

For my good blogger buddy Snarkypants:
(I apologize to everyone else)

Boys

Slacker Blogger of the Century

Thank you so much to our dear little Carolynn.
She is patient with me when the only blogs that I post are 4 words and, if you're lucky, a picture. I do so enjoy her prose and poetry, pictures and descriptions, her Bunny and her Bear. I accept this humbly and must try harder to be sweet and wordy.

These Blooming Idiots

No, no you guys! My cactus, not McCain and Palin.
For goodness sake.

more animals

And on a little different note:

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Cell Phone Pictures of Napa

Since I forgot my camera...AGAIN...I am stuck with only a few snaps from my cell phone. Napa last weekend was about as perfect as it could be. Lovely weather, multiple thousands of people going wine tasting. I wasn't. I had business. But I long to go back.

You Are Cowboy Boots

This doesn't mean you're country, just funky. You've got a ton of attitude and confidence. You're unique, expressive, and even a little bit wacky. You wear whatever you feel like – and you have your own sense of style. You are straight shooting and honest. You tell people how it is. Low maintenance and free wheeling, you're always up for an adventure. You should live: Where you can at least get to wide open spaces You should work: In a job that allows you to take change

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Thanks Twinville! That was eye opening and fun to do. Who'd a thunk I was a pair of boots? Seems likely nonetheless.

Floyd's Been Out OvernightAnd to help you get that image out of your mind here is my cactus blooming it's heart out in September! How do the bees find these flowers that don't have any scent at all to us humans? And the bloom only lasts about 12 hours.

Moth Balls

I learned recently from my son-in-law that placing moth balls around the garage would either keep the black widows out or send the current residents on their way. We've had a few in a couple of areas of the garage that just won't move even when I demolish their homes and threaten their first born. They call congress and get low cost loans and rebuild right in the path of my wrath once again. So I liked the idea of making their environment less inviting and went on a hunt for the killer moth balls.

Home Depot employee didn't have any idea but sent us to the Home Defense section. No luck there.

Target Customer Service young women tried to stifle a case of giggles over my noun and had to call for help. They were sure I was teasing them, even though old people don't tend to use foul language in strange company. Yes indeed, they had what I was looking for over in the hanger section. After I snagged the box I took it back to the women so they could see that I wasn't really just sending them on a 'snip hunt.'

I got them home and sprinkled about 20 around the garage. It got quite ripe in there the first few days and almost brought tears to my eyes as I walked through to handle the garbage but the...um...balls have melted away now and I don't see any signs of rebuilding construction workers. I'll keep you updated on widow movement if I see any.

So, I learned that as we age we cannot assume normal everyday objects will carry over to the next generation.

Smack That

Kind of a smack dab in the middle kind of day. Just past the middle of my summer, just before the middle of August, and right in the middle of the week.

A nice little trip up to my daughter's house, whereupon she rescued a new dog. Cutest little Yorkie-poo kind of black dog. Sophie joined a three cat family and she's smaller than them and is already full grown. She now has been spayed and has a hair-cut and is learning to skirt hissing, claw-wielding felines. While I was up there I spoke up about their slow dial-up service and we ordered the DSL to be hooked up. I also gave my son-in-law my old Toshiba laptop that I took 3 days to clean-up. He's not much of a computer man, but with the faster connection and my snappy laptop he is checking out things he never thought he needed.

I'm really enjoying the Olympics, especially all of the equestrian events. Thank you Oxygen Network for giving us frustrated horse people some of the great sport. My friend's son is riding in Stadium Jumping.

I bought some new walking pants on sale and wear them almost to bed they are so comfortable. But now I see the next animal print I should own will be the python hoodie whenever it goes on sale.

Marking Time

We are not standing still. No. Not by a long shot. It may be hot but we are moving fast enough to not notice.

We got FiOS. Fiber Optic bla bla. When I got here a couple of weeks ago I couldn't even watch a great video download because it crawled along like I was on dial-up. I called into Verizon and asked what it would take to connect me to the zippy FiOS. Not bad, not much different, and if I discontinued a monthly fee for long distance I could save that on the monthly bill. Furthermore, I learned from the very pleasant woman on the other end that when we go back to Mexico we can put the whole phone, internet business on vacation and save 75%! Wow! Who knew? The deal now is that once I open iTunes the regular podcasts that I download are just moments from finishing. What a difference. I must really be careful to not get too quick to fall in love with some new music because I can own the album in moments. I bet I could even watch TV shows. Like Weeds if I missed an episode.

I wish I could download Bella because I miss her.

Mamma Mia

I drove up to my home in California late last week. I brought along my cat and a friend that needed a ride up to Arizona. The border was a snap for me and the cat, but we were delayed as we waited for my friend to walk across. I have a "fast pass" and zip across pretty easily but she had to stand in a long line and it took longer than we figured. One of the gates was closed to people walking since the recent rains caused a sink hole in front of it. The sink hole was actually a tunnel that caved in. Don't ask me. I guess it was a drug tunnel, but I don't know. So, the trip took 13 and a half hours, instead of the normal 11. By the time we got to Gila Bend I stopped and bought a double-shot espresso and sailed the rest of the way home.
Now I'm in the land of plenty with movies and groceries and convenience. I went to Mamma Mia today and really enjoyed it. And I went and got a library card. My husband will be along in a couple of days so the girly stuff will come to an end. I think we are going to stay up here until hurricane season is over this year.

Taking pictures with my cell phone isn't always a planned event. So, I apologize.
I got to feed the herd last night and asked Bella to give me a hand, please. She thought that meant to taste each armload and be sure it was appropriate for our high society horses.
This is what you get when you try to take a picture of a moving target and don't have any idea what is centered.
Is Bella too plump? She'll grow into her baby-fat, right?
This was taken in Jan. '07. See the loose halter on this baby face? She was still a yearling.
Yesterday, at nearly 3.5 years old. Same halter, same hole. It's getting tight.
I guess I'll have to ride some of that fat off her.

Quiet Sunrise

I was sitting here watching the sunrise unfold and preparing to take a little walk with my husband, when I remembered it is the start of Badwater today. Our son is once again out there proving he can push the endurance limit. He hopes to finish in under 30 hours. Meanwhile, we walked all of 30 minutes and came in sweaty and bitchy. Humpf.
Son called a few minutes ago and said he will start in a few hours. He explained that the Elite runners start later when the sun gets meaner. He's awfully tough.

Palms

Coconuts, Mangos, Iguanas, Bananas, Tequila, Cruise Ships, Lightening, Sunburn, Music, Food, Agave

Jet Skis, Jungle, Muddy Rivers, Parachutes, Silver, Snakes, Mountains, Opulence, Movie Sets, Buses

Statues, Bandares Bay, T-shirt Shops, Talavera Tile, Ice Cream, Multi-lingual, Lichi Nuts, Fruit Stands

Mexican Highway, Mountainous Road, Jungle Canopy, Tour Buses, Water, Water, Water, Water, Wet Socks, Toll Roads, 1600 Miles

Wha'd I miss?

Summer Sunrise

These summer sunrises aren't nearly as dramatic as the colorful winter ones. And once the sun peaks over the hill I have to lean around my big lamp and hide from the eye-blinding rays. Sunrise down here is around 5:30, and sunset is close to 7:30.
We are driving down to Puerto Vallarta this weekend for a week of laziness and civilization. I'll try to capture interesting shots of stuff we don't see around here.

Hot Summer Swim

Since it's really summer now, here is what is going on in our neighborhood. Most Mexicans love their seashore as much as a Tarheel. Enjoy the swim.