32nd day --

I

31st day -- Fools the eye.

This is a lovely scene a little less than one block from my house. Yes, it is a cool stream of water winding its way westward down the hill. The banks are covered with wild stems which provide coverage for the native fauna, and in the summer bright blooms of pink punctuate the shades of green. It really is lovely then, and this winter the scene will soften with a covering of frost and deep snow.

I always pass this stream very slowly as I go to and from my house. Sometimes I have seen deer wandering beside the water or lying in the tall grasses. I'm sure this is also where the neighborhood receives the raccoons, skunks, and coyotes that creep around our houses at night. And I fear that someday we might also be visited by a mountain lion preying upon these creatures, since a lion was spotted just seven blocks away last month.

Too bad that this scene is not as natural as it was just half a century ago; today it is actually a drainage ditch. On the other side of the street, this ditch is a wide, concrete-sided canal that is sometimes used by scooters and bicyclists for joy rides. I never look at this side of the street when I drive by. I prefer to let my eyes fool my mind into enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of a secluded mountain stream.

30th day -- Dropped the ball.

Well, I almost made it a full month of posting a picture and blogging every day -- overlooking a couple of small "cheats." But today I spent the daylight hours painting the stairway and doing other work around the house. And in the evening I made a five-hour road trip to retrieve my grandson from his visit to the farm. So this blog is being made ex post facto.

On the way home I saw a scene I would like to have photographed, but I was past it as soon as I saw it and didn't want to stop and go back. Cy and I were both too tired by then. I'll catch it again another night because it wouldn't look too cool in the daytime.

I hope I don't miss too many blogs during this year's challenge!

29th day -- Paper pile

Paperwork. A necessary burden. A means to an end.
There are several things I could write about tonight: the church service this morning was super as usual, and I met more people who welcomed me; this is the anniversary of JFK's assassination which occurred when I was a junior in high school; a stack of paperwork needs to be finished before Tuesday morning; I have a lot of house-and-garage work and cooking to do for Thanksgiving company; the list goes on.

The stack of paperwork is calling my name, and so I'd better answer. It seems ridiculous to begin a day's work at the end of a day, but if I start now I'll more likely finish in good time tomorrow morning.

My final thought? I need a secretary.

28th day - Imperfect moments, perfect memories

Right -- this is an unusual photo to publish for the world to see. The only person in the world who will appreciate it is me, and I will never forget it. So, what is it? Guesses, anyone?

This is a photo of the only bald eagle in the wild that I have ever seen in my 62 years of existence!

This afternoon I was driving back to Colorado Springs after taking Cyrus half way to meet his grandfather, and I was .6 miles east of Punkin Center on highway 94 when I came to a lone, bare tree beside the highway. Up in the top branches was a very large bird, and as I sped past I looked quickly to see what kind it was. The sight of America's national bird peering down at me jolted me to attention, and I immediately braked and swerved off to the right hand shoulder, grabbed my camera, and hopped out of the car. As I was zooming the lense in for a better shot, a car heading in my direction passed the tree, and the eagle took flight. Perhaps it was cautious of my attention to him (or her) also.

I went ahead and took one quick shot, knowing that it was an impossible blur, and waited for the eagle to circle and return to its perch. For an instant, the impressive bird seemed to consider settling back on its branch but then changed its mind and winged away to a stand of trees further north. I seriously considered following after it, but I had an appointment within the next thirty minutes which I could not miss. Besides, for all I knew, the bird was headed for Nebraska.
I had to content myself with admiring it until it disappeared from sight. Wow -- what a moment.

I am posting this photo because it reminds me not only of the wonderful bald eagle but also of the fact that it does not take a perfect moment to create a perfect memory. Very few things in life come off with perfection, but the memories of each special occasion are still precious, flaws and all. This fuzzy little blur in the sky will still create an image in my mind's eye of a stately bald eagle perched high in the bare, dark branches of a single tree beside a lonely highway on the plains of Eastern Colorado. I couldn't ask for a better picture than that.

27th day -- Whistlin' my tune

At times I can think of no more welcome sound than the shrill whistling of my tea kettle. I don't think I can employ the cliche' "music to my ears" because the pitch of my kettle is pretty irritating actually. Funny how the nerve endings in my ears can be repelled while at the same time the nerve endings in my brain and taste buds in my tongue can be attracted by the same sound. Pavlov.

My brain reacts to my tea kettle the way Pavlov's dogs reacted to his bells -- my ears hear the sound and my mouth responds. I anticipate the calming aroma of tea infusing the room, the wonderful warmth soothing my throat, and the intoxicating chemicals relaxing my jangled nerves. Tea is my drug of choice. Sometimes I can trace the letting go of tension as the liquid streams through my body. Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Tonight I chose to drink Cozy Chamomile, known to induce relaxation and sleep. And - - - it's working. Good night.

26th day -- The remains of the day

What a fun evening! Several friends came over to enjoy a presentation of Premier Jewelry Designs, and we had such a good time. Kristy Crain delivers a spirited and Spirit-led demonstration of the latest jewelry designs as well as fashion tips for wearing the products. It is always such a pleasure to be around people who are straight forward about the role that faith in Christ is playing in their lives. Very refreshing.

And I love to serve refreshments on pretty dishes! I think even beans and liver would be decently appealing if they were served in antique glass bowls. Well, that might be stretching beauty to its absolute maximum capabilities. But at least the presentation would enhance the cuisine a bit.

I am determined to use my pretty dishes even if it means that I will lose some to breakage in the process. My take on breaking antiques is that now the remaining ones are worth that much more. Of course, I'd really rather that someone else would break their antiques and make mine worth more, but I have to do my part to sustain the law of supply and demand.

For now, I'll put these pretties back into my china cupboard and look forward to bringing them out again next week for Thanksgiving dinner.