THE DUST WILL WAIT

Greetings from somewhere east of Sacramento, California. My eldest grandson has a "gaming" keyboard.  I guess I didn't even know such a thing existed.   All the squiggles and buttons on it make me cross eyed.   I'll be here for about two weeks - so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.  (I can't find the delete button.) I am helping my middle daughter with her children this week and next.  Her Traveling Nurse contract ends on March 6, afterwhich she is moving her family to Spokane.  That's about 10 hours closer to my house then their current address.  Smurf Ella is closing in on 9 months old and is quite the charmer.  She is so petite and sweet.   Today she surprised her mama by showing her how she could play pat-a-cake with grandma.  I'm thinking about marketing the 2 1/2 year old Dinkum as a "guaranteed weight loss" program.  As soon as he opens his eyes in the morning the chase is on.  I don...

The fog rolled in quickly and I was happy to have my extra sweat shirt with hood to pull over my head.   I saw the bright white tail feathers of this eagle as it flew from somewhere on the creek up into the tree top.   It settled right over the walking path and I didn't change course.  "Certainly," I thought, "it will  disappear into the dreary haze as I advance."  But, it didn't.  Instead it assumed a regal stance and watched me approach, pass beneath, and continue my path into the mist. The mergansers were paddling in place on the adjacent berm and eying the huge raptor with quiet awareness.  A Kestrel (small falcon) was vocally agitated as it swooped between nearby trees. He came into my view three times during this mornings walk.  I was charmed.

The Church Lady is snowed in in Pennsylvania – and decided to host a “What do you do when you’re snowed in on Fun Monday” meme.  Actually, her question was “What do you do when you’re stuck in the house,” and or “in the doldrums” sort of way.  Having two feet of snow dumped her way this weekend certainly gave her the impetus to go that direction with her theme.  (A year ago I remember writing about our two plus feet of snow.)  Other than the first few weeks after childbirth, my closest experience to being housebound happened in 2004, when I broke my leg.  My husband waited on the crippled me with lots of grace and patience.   He kept me sane. But, the doldrums?  I used to get those way more often than I care to admit.  Sometimes I escaped them by diving into books.  There is no place better to switch realities than in a well-written book. Books can be acquired with little investment – especially if you visit the library or have book...