Yesterday was quite the day...

Yesterday was quite the day. Baked some chicken to have for dinner through the week… baked some potatoes to make a potato salad… washed dog laundry… washed dishes… yes the dishes were an “event” since I do not have a dishwasher… other than my hands and had not washed them for a week… hmmmm … maybe longer… took trash out… did not attack that thigh high grass west of the house… just going to mow around the yards… not clear out into the meadow… I do not want to disturb the birds nesting there…

Wild birdsong was beautiful… my state of mind and attitude sucked…. Sorted through some mail and put it in a trash can… geez there’s tons of that stuff to sort and pitch… would like to just grab it all and toss it… but then I’d be in a fix when I tossed papers that I’ll need… pppphhhhttttt….. so it’s sort and pitch… thinking I’ll sort it and stuff it in cat litter bags and use it for kindling on cold rainy nights…. Or I may just take it to the burn bin and be done with it… dunno… doesn’t matter…

Pulled some field grass out of my irises… managed to pull of some iris leaves as well… ah well… gonna plant cucumbers along that fence as well. That worked pretty well last year… more grass to pull… argh!

The bull snake was back… curled up under a hollyhock bugging the dogs… actually I think the dogs were actually harassing the snake… as it was under the flower on the outside of the yard… hissing as the dogs were barking… I sprayed it with the water hose and it went out under a piece of equipment a bit farther away from the yard… as it was on it’s way a robin decided to tell it to get away from her tree… no robin eggs for that snake… brave little bird went after a 4 or 5 ft snake… 

Last night was a majestic light show. WoW! Lightening dancing across the sky to the south and east… and the thunder rolls… sheet lightening lighting up the hollow… then a bright bright strike nearly straight down blazing into the earth to the east of us. As this was going on it was completely still in our little hollow… not a breath of a breeze… not a leaf quivering on the trees. I watched the storm come across… from the southwest… riding the high ridge to the south between us and LaGrange then drifting north east along the north side of the connecting ridge… moving between the gap… I realize it is higher than the ridges… but they seem to effect the wind currents that carry the storms. I’ve watched summer storm… after summer storm follow that pattern… over the years…

It was dark to the south and the east… well dark other than lightening dancing about… but the western sky was still lighter fading into evening… no stars to be seen… then I noticed a bright triangle shining in the west… I usually miss these things… either cloud covers or I am at a loss to figure out what is what… but I actually got to see them last night… Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury… last night was a glorious night… planets shining in the west… white clouds against dark gray in formation across the sky… lightening dancing… flashing… striking to the south and east… quite the show…

On a more somber note… I also heard the ambulance and fire trucks going to the south west… not sure how far… sound carries a long way out here at night… I would postulate that one of those lightening strikes lit something on fire. Another reason to get the grass and weeds mowed for a fire break… not to just keep from stepping on Slinky the Snake… or rather snakes… It won’t be long until that cheat grass is dry and very very flammable… no it’s not all cheat… there are perennial field grasses as well… but there is a good bit of cheat…

The cockatiels are sitting outside in their cage singing along with the wild birds… happy little fellows… they were more than ready to come in when I carried their cage inside last night. All worried looking as it was getting darker and the lightning and thunder was doing it’s dance.

There were two owls on the power line poles across the road calling back and forth to each other in the calm… while the lightning flashed to the south and the thunder rolled… It took me a bit… but as it was dusk rather than dark of night I was finally able to see one of them. I located the other by sound but was unable to see it… the other I could see it’s dark silhouette outlined on the cross bar of the power pole. 

The coyotes joined in with a yipping crying chorus… setting off the neighbors dogs to the east as they ran by on the ridges. Frankly I am rather glad my chicken run is fenced… as are my yards and dog runs. The cattle across the road were anxious with the coyotes about… there are calves in that field as well… and they were mooing … calling out to one another…

I stayed out in the yard listening to the sounds of the night… a chorus of crickets… I’ve loved that sound ever since I was a small child. The coal train rumbling along on the north track then whistling a crossing… can’t hear the trains to the north during the day… but their sounds travels farther at night… an upset robin came flying up to the corner of the mastiff run as I was gathering up their feed dishes… something had disturbed her… and she was telling me about it… only for a moment then off the fence back into the dark of the tree…

Small birds wings rustle as I walk under the juniper tree in the front yard… carrying the mastiff’s feed pans as Sara and Diesel make their patrol around the south yard… snuffling the corners and checking every hiding place for any creature they deem does not belong there. The Pominators were already inside in their beds for the night… munching on kibble or curled up. The house Pominators seriously do not like being outside when the thunder and lightning are doing their dance.

Larry, Curly, and Mo were sprawled on top of their houses waiting to be petted and reassured. Secure in their cat run safe from marauding ranch cats and other creatures, in the night. I ran the mastiffs in to their beds and Puss Cat came up over the fence visiting the young cats in their run. They were none to sure of her and their meows of greeting were mixed with growls… She is the senior female ranch cat on the premises. She knows better than to come in the fenced yards when the mastiffs or Pominators are out in the yards.

I am reading another book… well actually there are several in the process… read a bit put it down think about it… not fictional stories to devour but words and phrases…meanings to ponder. This one is called “The Death of a Husband Reflections for a Grieving Wife” by Helen Reichert Lambin. It’s not a how to get through this book, or what to expect book, it is exactly what the title says it is. The first day I read a couple passages and bawled and put it down. Yesterday I read a few passages and thought… geez these words could be coming out of my mouth. I’d seen it several times on Amazon… it kept jumping out at me… in the suggested reading lists. Usually when a book continues to jump out at me there is something in there for me. So I am reading it. I am thankful she decided to share her musings. Before David’s body died I would not have understood her words… I do now. 

This journey into widowhood has brought knowledge and wisdom with it… frankly both of which I could have selfishly done without. I would have preferred to have journeyed on in this life with my partner, blissfully ignorant… missing out on this “growth opportunity” … seriously!

But it is what it is… take another breath… take another step… down a new path… I liked the path I was on… and did not want to climb on this one… still none too thrilled about it… my old path was comfortable, familiar, and we helped each other along… this one seems to be rather craggy… along a cliff face… requiring growth to navigate it… climb to fly or die…

Just filled my coffee cup… it is soooooo time for some coffee. Then out to do ranch rounds. Want to dump all the wading tubs and refill them with fresh water… as well as the drinking water buckets. May plant my cucumbers today and pull some more grass along the east yard fence… and possibly mow a bit more. That does tend to kick my behind but it needs to be done… so do a bit…stop…do a bit more… repeat…

Too cute... Mow Mow Tat is laying on her back on a pillow under my desk with her arm over her face... purring... happy fat cat...Well it looks as if I have read and written the morning away... gonna grab a bite to eat then head out for ranch rounds...

Mary E. Robbins
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