tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13642956045470646262024-03-13T08:49:59.704-07:00The Bright Lights of MuleshoeAlice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-165241244268807112015-07-24T09:03:00.001-07:002015-07-24T09:03:35.794-07:00Visit My New WebsiteI have moved all of my content from this website to the new <a href="http://www.aliceliles.com/" target="_parent">AliceLiles.com</a>. Please update your bookmarks and <a href="http://www.aliceliles.com/" target="_parent">Click Here</a> to visit my new website.Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-62658194969059994582015-05-22T14:05:00.001-07:002015-05-22T14:05:13.837-07:00Second Wave of Wildflowers<p align="justify">Trip buddy Pat Angeley arrived right on time. We were looking forward to the second wave of wildflowers in the Hill Country, myself having enjoyed the blue bonnets earlier. Bland overcast skies followed us, which kept me from wanting to stop every five minutes to take a picture of the yellow buttercups dotting the ditches. I have come to realize that clouds add so much interest to the photo composition, so a plain sky makes it easier to just keep on driving. </p> <p align="justify">Which we did; kept driving, I mean, and this is what we saw:</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ymod0vUTzps/VV-ZkNKwREI/AAAAAAAAHMk/qq4HYVMrLgM/s1600-h/IMG_4866%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4866" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4866" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LY1YyxVM0nI/VV-Zk2Nq-bI/AAAAAAAAHMs/Vog_RaCebD0/IMG_4866_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a><br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XPc7Lzw5y0Q/VV-ZlibbbAI/AAAAAAAAHM0/8YZoGqUloxE/s1600-h/IMG_4873%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4873" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4873" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HxvqqRhIuzI/VV-ZmAwbJcI/AAAAAAAAHM4/hv2Hoxb8m10/IMG_4873_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="336"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rQuSHyoC3w4/VV-Zmp4knaI/AAAAAAAAHNE/M_Rrehtpwc0/s1600-h/IMG_4875%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4875" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4875" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XizDgik0z0I/VV-ZnRGIwUI/AAAAAAAAHNM/70uFrTbZjKI/IMG_4875_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Later we sort of cheated and found flowers at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k32OKLoLHtA/VV-ZoIy6yCI/AAAAAAAAHNU/wMbJZLTM2RI/s1600-h/IMG_4887%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4887" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4887" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2LTm-DUIzlA/VV-ZozPCjjI/AAAAAAAAHNY/L2AHQ3vPNLY/IMG_4887_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wV8ZMB4VWXw/VV-ZpfmId5I/AAAAAAAAHNk/DeSiLvMpwIk/s1600-h/IMG_4895%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4895" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4895" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t0RpQ-AlMK8/VV-ZqLOIc0I/AAAAAAAAHNs/hsZuqOdeLlg/IMG_4895_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="334"></a> <br>We also came across these pink flowers and have no idea what they are. But they looked pretty.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-38zx63h8d6c/VV-ZrJrTQ4I/AAAAAAAAHN0/ftupMs1R5TE/s1600-h/IMG_4898%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4898" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4898" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RsyLgEx2pak/VV-ZrmMYM0I/AAAAAAAAHN4/pt18v-GIsrs/IMG_4898_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="487" height="326"></a> <br>Blue bonnets were still out, but the red gaillardias and various yellow flowers were coming into their own.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kdWROZvX2d4/VV-ZsI2b4TI/AAAAAAAAHOA/US-kzoQ2trc/s1600-h/IMG_4907%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4907" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4907" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--kSZbmmknls/VV-Zsitux2I/AAAAAAAAHOI/CZZqlXZhZfk/IMG_4907_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="327"></a> <br>In Kingsland I have found a hidden place that is always good for a photo op, digging up an occasional cactus, and catching a glimpse of a white flag as white-tailed deer flee the scene.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tmzff94w8eg/VV-ZtNwmvAI/AAAAAAAAHOU/tt3MiMIWdqA/s1600-h/IMG_4911%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4911" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4911" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ddoaZuhqpYM/VV-Zt9zQJ0I/AAAAAAAAHOY/O6xgzS-Rwgc/IMG_4911_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="329"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gpoh9Vjx7oo/VV-ZuWiN6UI/AAAAAAAAHOg/ka9sP6l_VFI/s1600-h/IMG_4918%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4918" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4918" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nfQBR7vQQkY/VV-ZvDxPSGI/AAAAAAAAHOo/HlCkDhvy_gA/IMG_4918_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="329"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MZ7XDEZPxTY/VV-ZvoJpiAI/AAAAAAAAHOw/v69MlvtI6cg/s1600-h/IMG_4919%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4919" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4919" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U1TbtUjU_-I/VV-ZwrJ_uPI/AAAAAAAAHO8/efSF86x5_wo/IMG_4919_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="327"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G8dVHE7bbME/VV-ZxVO1IxI/AAAAAAAAHPE/poQtOzfflyA/s1600-h/IMG_4921%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4921" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4921" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-08riROGAMZE/VV-ZyO73LrI/AAAAAAAAHPM/sVqWZc_al_w/IMG_4921_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="327"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8wH1pnbF57c/VV-ZzQ_y_6I/AAAAAAAAHPQ/rg9KMKiKLYI/s1600-h/IMG_4926%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4926" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4926" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-76rHaCv-fYc/VV-Zz_neY6I/AAAAAAAAHPc/897I3CxMgPM/IMG_4926_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="487" height="326"></a> <br>Courthouses are always interesting, especially the older ones. We saw this one in Johnson City, county seat of Blanco County,<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_yiQX903erM/VV-Z0z6K16I/AAAAAAAAHPk/BTKkYIhg-Zo/s1600-h/IMG_4930%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4930" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4930" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yegjLl5mttg/VV-Z1mEBtqI/AAAAAAAAHPo/K6lzbeBr2JE/IMG_4930_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="329"></a> <br>and then discovered this rather plain one in the city of Blanco, also in Blanco County. Turns out they moved the county seat from Blanco to Johnson City in 1890, and the original court house was forgotten. Sometime in the recent past, it has been turned into a visitor’s center, offices, and events venue. A few trees and a little landscaping would dress it up considerably. <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TH90NH9DzH0/VV-Z2G2Df7I/AAAAAAAAHP0/Pud0XGHkg3E/s1600-h/IMG_4931%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4931" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4931" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ykoeqh2woJ0/VV-Z23NjHDI/AAAAAAAAHP8/gHg6Tr_Ilso/IMG_4931_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="329"></a> <br>As we left the Hill Country on the way home, we passed big patches of wine cups like we are used to seeing patches of blue bonnets. I had never seen this many together before and again was tempted to take a picture each time we passed yet another batch of them. <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b7VJUAJtw8g/VV-Z3iqv3kI/AAAAAAAAHQE/naFcQdkzdvE/s1600-h/IMG_4948%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4948" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4948" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qpFNnQQC0us/VV-Z4HlxtGI/AAAAAAAAHQI/JlwLIE5uqTc/IMG_4948_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="329"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-68yIMRUtGxw/VV-Z4w7PyVI/AAAAAAAAHQQ/UKBZTwX0tPM/s1600-h/IMG_4946%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4946" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4946" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2Hy6j5J-DNM/VV-Z5ZKedHI/AAAAAAAAHQY/RqBI4vRVXck/IMG_4946_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> <br>And then the closer we came to Muleshoe, the more yellow buttercups we saw again, our answer to blue bonnets.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oqvbgn0ouBA/VV-Z51DYzNI/AAAAAAAAHQk/ai4WK_M1hk0/s1600-h/IMG_4957%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4957" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4957" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_LLoo_vn37Y/VV-Z6jQLcJI/AAAAAAAAHQs/1rLgd3-gpzA/IMG_4957_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VhMR5BJ9Mh8/VV-Z7Sg2j0I/AAAAAAAAHQ0/WjI5KCBpefg/s1600-h/IMG_4959%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4959" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4959" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yoKhOj_KIQ8/VV-Z8AiPdnI/AAAAAAAAHQ8/xbQYUjMQJh0/IMG_4959_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> <br>These little purple flowers, which I have heard called Tahoka daisies, but which I think are a wild aster, could also be found close to home. <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GbqBfJNvFpY/VV-aAcx-diI/AAAAAAAAHRE/uxjLeCrl-Hk/s1600-h/IMG_4960%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4960" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4960" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k5SuzezoafY/VV-aA2GaWJI/AAAAAAAAHRM/DnZxPzU_Jz4/IMG_4960_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="327"></a> <br>So if we look, we can enjoy wildflowers right here in West Texas. </p> <p align="justify">But road trips are always seductive, and since the grass always seems greener elsewhere, or in this case, the wild flowers seem brighter in the Hill Country, I suspect wild flower trips will never go away. <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kQibsdoOA6c/VV-aBrbYn7I/AAAAAAAAHRQ/13WeV5trK6Q/s1600-h/IMG_4941%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4941" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4941" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m1LfBuKAbVg/VV-aCPkHQiI/AAAAAAAAHRY/Yap32Uq4Y0I/IMG_4941_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="329"></a> </p> <p align="justify">And that’s not a bad thing. You can never see too many wild flowers.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-53726241169799248802015-05-09T21:23:00.001-07:002015-05-09T21:23:24.371-07:00Welcome to Lifetree Cafe<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N5HTNlrT_so/VU7dGVE_fCI/AAAAAAAAHKo/rm8wte3dLU0/s1600-h/IMG_4864%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4864" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4864" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-43mAi6E9qvQ/VU7dHAz5oRI/AAAAAAAAHKw/zxB73Z7PTso/IMG_4864_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="510" height="341"></a> <br>We have a new program at our church, First United Methodist Church in Muleshoe, a Monday night gathering for people to come and visit with people they know, people they haven’t met before, people they may know but not well, people who aren’t there to judge them, but to talk, visit, discuss, and perhaps find insight to issues that affect their lives or might just be interesting topics for discussion. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wCoCz8emyis/VU7dH8YtNcI/AAAAAAAAHK4/ZI1qnqvp4A4/s1600-h/IMG_4862%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4862" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4862" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fooXwJ8NaUo/VU7dIsesc3I/AAAAAAAAHK8/WMMzSnWTasY/IMG_4862_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>This is not a cafe that serves food, although snacks and drinks are available. This is a cafe that strives to provide interesting stories and thoughtful conversation. Food for the soul, if you will. Sometimes we all feel lost or undecided when facing issues and dilemmas in our lives, and talking about them, unloading the hurt in our hearts, considering perspectives from other angles can many times help clarify how to deal with those issues. And sometimes it is just nice to visit, to talk to someone who is not there to be judgmental or solve your problems for you, but to just allow free discourse that may take a burden off your shoulders and give you some relief. <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5WoTPdouUr0/VU7dJEVf2uI/AAAAAAAAHLI/jv_j0JaCHMg/s1600-h/IMG_4856%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4856" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4856" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NmW_CdUYfls/VU7dKCHomLI/AAAAAAAAHLM/Ju8TvEmZjRo/IMG_4856_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>Lifetree Cafe meets in our transformed parlor on the north side of the building. You can enter by the back door facing the back parking lot or the front door on the north and people will be there to steer you in the right direction. I think the front door by the sanctuary may also be open, but I always come in the back door, so I’ll admit, I am not sure! Dress is casual, come as your are; the important thing is to be there, not to worry about a dress code. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AdGMN1sR6Lo/VU7dK1gX26I/AAAAAAAAHLU/JQpmWKVIK_Q/s1600-h/IMG_4858%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4858" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4858" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mtrVmz2GPc/VU7dLdzOEnI/AAAAAAAAHLc/PCDF_ANBVo0/IMG_4858_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>A leader takes the group through a video which presents a topic and then group discussion and participation follows. All kinds of topics are discussed; some that have already been considered were overcoming tragedies in your life; how to deal with the loss of a loved one, how do you realize what it is that God wants you to do with your life, what makes relationships tick, even pros and cons of gun control. The rest of this month discussions will cover these topics: Can God Love a Mess Like Me?; Where’s the Justice?; How to Pay Attention; and Low-Cost-No Cost Adventures.<br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pI5aXRrLbOQ/VU7dLxuP95I/AAAAAAAAHLo/AUbgbYRjAtY/s1600-h/IMG_4859%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4859" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4859" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wHpcn982C1k/VU7dMiqn15I/AAAAAAAAHLw/3CCSIE2LLiY/IMG_4859_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_DikLMKS028/VU7dNgDM5MI/AAAAAAAAHL4/quS1OH1u0IY/s1600-h/IMG_4863%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4863" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4863" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b5KuiQ8MDus/VU7dOUSpN9I/AAAAAAAAHMA/zwvlYCkPNL0/IMG_4863_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>The conversations start at 7 pm on Monday evenings, First United Methodist Church, 507 West 2nd Street. You don’t have to be a member of our church, or any church. You don’t even have to have an abiding faith in God. Come as your are, have some refreshments, make new friends, visit with old friends, be prepared to laugh, exchange viewpoints and ideas without criticism or pressure, and yes, sometimes cry a little to get the weight of the world off your shoulders. You will be out in an hour, but feel free to hang around and just enjoy a little unstructured socializing afterward. </p> <p align="justify">And don’t worry about being expected to answer to roll call, join FUMC or give a love offering. That is not part of the agenda.</p> <p align="justify">Come and give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-77077615079421538392015-04-11T11:19:00.001-07:002015-04-11T11:19:00.581-07:00Consider the Forgotten Phone Book<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kGev05JnzdE/VSllkFKGaEI/AAAAAAAAHKE/xJ-o9fmH5vk/s1600-h/IMG_4818%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4818" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4818" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eMlFWEe-pEQ/VSllkjscVhI/AAAAAAAAHKM/2dfCNBMTNsQ/IMG_4818_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> </p> <p align="justify">I needed a phone number for a business in Kingsland the other day, so I picked up the Picayune Area-Wide Phone Book we had brought home with us from the lake, went to the yellow pages under Satellite systems, and <em>Boom</em>, there it was, a listing for the business I wanted. Easy as pie. </p> <p align="justify">Then just this week as we were driving to Lubbock, Bill needed a number for a person in Muleshoe, so I reached behind the car seat and retrieved a Muleshoe phone book we carry in the car for just such occasions. Turned out the person in question was not listed, so the alternative was to use my relatively newly-acquired I-Phone (which I have a like-hate relationship with) and find the number in the white pages on the Internet. A process I am sure is easy for those of you younger than I, or those of you who think smart phones are the greatest inventions since sliced bread-oh, wait, even <em>that </em>reference dates me- took from Sudan to Littlefield for me to finally find the number in question. Then I couldn’t get out of the white pages to look for something else. As I said, I haven’t had the phone too long and am still learning and don’t avail myself of its many options because I still find it easier to do things the old fashioned way-like use a phone book-which is easier and faster.</p> <p align="justify">The thing is, while I had that phone book out, I flipped through it and rediscovered the wealth of information phone books contain. Information which people who scoff at the lowly, old-fashioned phone book will never realize is right there at their fingertips ready to be of service without losing one’s patience and gaining a headache in the process. Phone numbers and addresses of the general population and businesses are a given, but if you bother to look, all kinds of listings are included that from time to time will come in handy. Phone numbers and addresses for schools, city, county, state, and federal government offices, government officials, local and national area code maps, local area street maps, a street index, emergency numbers, hospitals, and other things, all right there for easy access. All you need to know to use the phone book is the alphabet, and I know you know that to use your smart phone. What you don’t have to know is all the tricks and steps and icons and crap, not to mention being in a strong service area, to make the fancy phone work. </p> <p align="justify">The problem with phone books now is that as the world goes to cell phones, not all phone numbers are listed in the old phone books, and that’s the catch. I don’t know this for sure, but I am guessing that cell phone numbers can all be found on the Internet, so that’s where people now look for all numbers, foregoing the tried and true paper phone book. And I know the city street maps in phone books can be ignored in favor of Google maps, but looking at a map on a small cell phone screen is just not as effective as seeing the area in question on a bigger map. And Google maps don’t always show you what you need to see anyway.</p> <p align="justify">So let’s say you become frustrated with your elected officials and wish to register a complaint. Don’t use the lame excuse that you don’t know how to get hold of them, or don’t even know who they are- and yes, I know some of you don’t-all you have to do is pick up a real phone book, look under the table of contents, find your person under Government Officials, and make that call. And while you have the book out and open, take the time to look through it and be amazed and surprised at all the information you never knew was there. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-29596516027234194312015-04-04T11:36:00.001-07:002015-04-04T11:36:54.479-07:00The Greenest Green<p align="justify">Took a little trip to the Hill Country last week. Spring hits earlier there than here, and the usual photo op involves scores of wildflowers. Blue bonnets were in attendance, but it was the fifty shades of green that had me making predictably unsafe stops along the highway trying to capture and document them all. And this is one of my very favorite shots. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ww3R2gwmMDc/VSAt0Tt2UfI/AAAAAAAAHG4/-hMF8zLNaRQ/s1600-h/IMG_4718%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4718" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4718" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9D8vpP3LruQ/VSAt1LdnbTI/AAAAAAAAHHA/EGaDmoGCo3Y/IMG_4718_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a><br>Green was everywhere, and I was seduced at every turn with yet another shade, another stunning masterpiece of color that would be fresh, bright, and lovely today, only to turn to darker, more mature greens tomorrow. The first colors of Spring don’t last long, you know; I guess that’s why it is such a precious season of the year.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NU21ycgKiKU/VSAt2A-fubI/AAAAAAAAHHI/8Rjwy6kXi4o/s1600-h/IMG_4760%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4760" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4760" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jfjXY5G5Jc4/VSAt2txZNFI/AAAAAAAAHHQ/dZO-KalS_vc/IMG_4760_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="330"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-usOpEz6ycDU/VSAt3swufkI/AAAAAAAAHHY/mHdaq6xFFP0/s1600-h/IMG_4725%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4725" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4725" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-p_JE0xvKFP0/VSAt4G02o6I/AAAAAAAAHHg/y1rkL7jpiHA/IMG_4725_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="329"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CDxRq62SLX0/VSAt5CPUctI/AAAAAAAAHHo/N2FKxvsL5qA/s1600-h/IMG_4749%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4749" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4749" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yxTkqKtCPEg/VSAt54aaU1I/AAAAAAAAHHw/G8Jw0PgwpPs/IMG_4749_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="330"></a> <br>These alpacas were just too cute to pass up, and they also had a nice green pasture, so I had to stop and take their picture. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oUsytz81S6o/VSAt6sJxGpI/AAAAAAAAHH4/LwDvarzsSb8/s1600-h/IMG_4740%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4740" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4740" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0-WBbnwLRwU/VSAt7HbBunI/AAAAAAAAHH8/R41zT-Q6f_I/IMG_4740_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="497" height="333"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-w7qOEUlAkMk/VSAt7z0T7gI/AAAAAAAAHII/clfbYJZFqHI/s1600-h/IMG_4744%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4744" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4744" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9gOLVxPGHvA/VSAt8duQveI/AAAAAAAAHIQ/xXYjJfgkokw/IMG_4744_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JsCN4aukIm8/VSAt9CPDsXI/AAAAAAAAHIY/Z0VJ0J3mIGM/s1600-h/IMG_4747%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4747" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4747" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qqMlOb0Ob98/VSAvK6Nus8I/AAAAAAAAHIs/RlIevfKUPn8/IMG_4747_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="497" height="333"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V5XfzVzicCs/VSAvLuPiAWI/AAAAAAAAHI0/GBC38tckSAI/s1600-h/IMG_4763%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4763" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4763" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9fFFaGJNz-s/VSAvMpk2wzI/AAAAAAAAHI8/fXychL2cOik/IMG_4763_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="328" height="490"></a> <br> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-K3DqJFW_yO4/VSAvNcSMMbI/AAAAAAAAHJE/OrY6y1rOrug/s1600-h/IMG_4771%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4771" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4771" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J0LsgR0-8VI/VSAvOT4_p4I/AAAAAAAAHJM/jnt1hguK_YM/IMG_4771_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HddkJXcWDLE/VSAvPNHTnAI/AAAAAAAAHJU/suuFUYqKujM/s1600-h/IMG_4774%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4774" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4774" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LTyIVrys5XU/VSAvPsDWFII/AAAAAAAAHJc/1KKwPHLqDic/IMG_4774_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="502" height="336"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WJGShtix_Oo/VSAvQVWliwI/AAAAAAAAHJg/V03b1V-qJCM/s1600-h/IMG_4768%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4768" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4768" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cjw0UnchtSw/VSAvRKk2NzI/AAAAAAAAHJs/UreGsedtuxk/IMG_4768_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="343" height="513"></a> <br>Robert Frost knew of what he spoke; nature’s first green truly is gold.</p> <p>And it is definitely fleeting. I hope you haven’t missed it. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-65506632092158987392015-02-27T12:10:00.001-08:002015-02-27T12:10:04.602-08:00Yes, We Have Snow!<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R49CYD0XkPQ/VPDO0IzNKVI/AAAAAAAAHDQ/zr5SRTwMkI4/s1600-h/IMG_4632%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4632" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4632" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XWBVZV40S1o/VPDO1J8uzOI/AAAAAAAAHDY/eweqTwzLZ6k/IMG_4632_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>Weather reports are saying we were blessed with five inches. Drifts are even deeper. and flurries are still coming and going. Mari and Porche were suffering from severe cabin fever, so I had no choice but to bundle up and brave the cold, camera in hand. Or stuffed into the front of my jacket for protection until a photo op presented itself. So let me share with you what our world looks like right now. <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RhWUHMS5ZHk/VPDO15qayEI/AAAAAAAAHDc/eBnN8w7Uyu8/s1600-h/IMG_4633%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4633" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4633" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_GbehLgxJGQ/VPDO2SUJ99I/AAAAAAAAHDk/nUiXzKiJV78/IMG_4633_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-r5nXiqAmrBA/VPDO2_aW5KI/AAAAAAAAHDs/i8Ix1A0BYCk/s1600-h/IMG_4635%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4635" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4635" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iIuKlhQ9qUw/VPDO3vDPP7I/AAAAAAAAHD0/RP1USjryCKI/IMG_4635_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oBIKLbQF_5A/VPDO4UBmpZI/AAAAAAAAHD8/luYNq1XeOEc/s1600-h/IMG_4636%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4636" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4636" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NHz1OatFpGs/VPDO41xt_II/AAAAAAAAHEE/FUVqUgq9nMg/IMG_4636_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>This is the Wyoming cactus bed. No doubt they feel right at home under all this. <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OZLBD8Pas9w/VPDO5mH3kQI/AAAAAAAAHEQ/NiRYHGsqgGs/s1600-h/IMG_4637%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4637" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4637" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IzKc7x1koaM/VPDO6XTVQlI/AAAAAAAAHEU/-BzL6jJHSEw/IMG_4637_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OLNcRPMHCvU/VPDO7OeoR-I/AAAAAAAAHEc/5AFw9uuPHU0/s1600-h/IMG_4638%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4638" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4638" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4vdm0x5ur-s/VPDO7sMbkRI/AAAAAAAAHEk/4NFj-89jYl0/IMG_4638_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xOp7vmtwIrg/VPDO8MBcGeI/AAAAAAAAHEw/I9KRM6zk94Q/s1600-h/IMG_4640%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4640" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4640" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5q4Tf_S8PSc/VPDO84dM0gI/AAAAAAAAHE0/q5Te7EF2RRY/IMG_4640_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>|<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wsWhYqhlZF0/VPDO9RmvigI/AAAAAAAAHFA/BKxVwMZiZQI/s1600-h/IMG_4645%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4645" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4645" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XejDHN1GZSc/VPDO-upKTUI/AAAAAAAAHFI/p_h5BPrKrBQ/IMG_4645_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rcf7hMGVQ80/VPDO_huVIoI/AAAAAAAAHFQ/ettN4LfjpGw/s1600-h/IMG_4653%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4653" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4653" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zRrADrW_H2Y/VPDPAcIxR8I/AAAAAAAAHFU/UHap1JhzJXk/IMG_4653_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>My work bench is under the shed, but that didn’t stop the snow from covering it. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ceaz8dtGquE/VPDPBOV7KPI/AAAAAAAAHFg/sAjqTelhETY/s1600-h/IMG_4651%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4651" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4651" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kKDCGL9sGRk/VPDPB8MlCjI/AAAAAAAAHFk/2Z0ODF2NBHs/IMG_4651_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cRzWW3g_ONM/VPDPCnu2TEI/AAAAAAAAHFs/_AoxUzCWUk0/s1600-h/IMG_4642%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4642" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4642" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vLyLAkDSSUI/VPDPDAmaRtI/AAAAAAAAHF0/Dm1YLNHimns/IMG_4642_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bFcTce7uwqo/VPDPD7g9UXI/AAAAAAAAHGA/9E5EviagnAE/s1600-h/IMG_4643%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4643" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4643" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-csLvvIDRTH8/VPDPE9AgDAI/AAAAAAAAHGI/KhoeMtsSH88/IMG_4643_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a><br>As I was taking these shots, it was 10 degrees with wind chill that made it feel like –1 degree. It has actually warmed up now to 14 degrees and wind chill of just 2 degrees! I can’t imagine what it must feel like in places like North Dakota whose snow puts ours to shame. The sun is not out, but it is so bright out there right now that if I took another picture, the whiteness would overexpose the picture. The reflection off all that white is so much that it is not pleasant to look at it. Where did I leave my sunglasses? <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IxRCc-u8Q6M/VPDPFt-LSqI/AAAAAAAAHGM/D0Qf3l6XICc/s1600-h/IMG_4644%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4644" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4644" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bJvlij9btvU/VPDPGTW4hpI/AAAAAAAAHGY/XAui4N8N6O4/IMG_4644_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>Snow is snow, and yet every year I take more snow pictures. Because just like every snow flake is supposed to be unique, every snow fall creates a new world to save in pictures. And I always seem to be up to the task. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-86304960788139417252015-02-21T20:39:00.001-08:002015-02-21T20:39:20.450-08:00Kingsman; The Secret Service = James Bond on Steroids<p align="justify">I treated myself to a movie the other night and decided on <em>Kingsman; The Secret Service</em>, and I have to admit, was thoroughly entertained despite the f-word being thrown about with wild abandon and stylized brawling and killing the order of the day. But the f-word got so lost in British accents that it was sort of lost in the shuffle and the battles were so choreographed and smartly fought that the effect really was an homage to 007. I make no apology-it really was fun, and I walked out with a smile on my face.</p> <p align="justify">I didn’t know going in that the movie is based on a Marvel comic of the same name. I learned that when I checked out a couple of movie reviews to see if anyone else agreed with me that the movie was fun and entertaining, which they did, and I also found out that the Bond allusions were there by design. Those playful references also set the tone of the movie and are responsible for making the action so entertaining. The main players are all British and very formal with their dress and manners like 007, there is no Q tutoring Eggsy, the 007 counterpart, on his new gadgets, but gadgets are plentiful and Colin Firth fills in for M, more or less, as Harry Hart who sees potential in Eggsy, played by Taron Egerton, and grooms him to be a spy. World-class villains are a Bond staple, and Samuel L. Jackson becomes Richard Valentine, a concerned American millionaire with a tech-heavy diabolical scheme to save the world from global warming and too many carbon footprints. He is a fun villain, too, with a few quirks of his own; he also serves a surprising meal to Harry Hart as the plot thickens. Bond villains always seem to have an interesting second-in-command, and here that sidekick is Gazelle, played by Sofia Boutella, outfitted with two prosthetic legs that she uses as extremely efficient weapons, an Odd Job without the hat. Michael Caine, whom I always enjoy, plays a critical role in this story, as do a batch of puppies, but I will let you discover their roles for yourself. </p> <p align="justify">The sets are high-tech and lavish, the gadgets are plentiful: bullet-proof umbrellas, surprise hand grenades, hidden poisons, all kinds of computer programs, trick eye glasses, to name a few. Drinks are mixed to specifications, typical funny one-liners are sprinkled throughout, one or two of them ending with surprise responses, and Eggsy gets the girl, just like James always does, but perhaps a bit more graphically than seen in the Bond movies. And while that is one part I could have done without, I can’t fault the whole movie for that one lack of discretion. </p> <p align="justify">And I still left with a smile on my face! This well-made spy thriller has much more humor and clever plot in it than many of the movies coming out now. It is a movie you don’t have to take seriously,don’t have to laugh at really crude and unfunny jokes, don’t have to critique the theme or plot, don’t have to cry over anyone’s death, and don’t have to figure out characters’ motives to enjoy </p> <p align="justify">But don’t take the kids.</p> <p align="justify">You’ll have a good time, even if you go by yourself and don’t buy popcorn. I did. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-32304426977007921392015-02-14T11:02:00.001-08:002015-02-14T11:02:50.054-08:00The Grammys Meet The Emperor’s New Clothes<p align="justify">I can’t remember the last time I watched the Grammys. When rap took over, and even before that, really, I lost interest in music that sounded less and less like actual music, the performers didn’t dress for the occasion, and the choreography consisted of grabbing a crotch and spastic finger and arm gyrations. I probably wouldn’t have watched it this year except for the fact that I had just watched Saturday Night Live and had to endure a performance, and I use the term loosely, by a group called Sia. Really? <em>This </em>is music? I decided that since I am so out of touch with what kids today have been convinced is artistic and creative and the fact that I wouldn’t know Beyonce from Nicki Minaj if I heard one of them on the radio, and since I don’t like people who censor books without reading them first-you have to know what you are talking about, right?-I decided it was time to practice what I preach and see what it takes to win awards these days. Which didn’t take much in way too many cases.</p> <p align="justify">Now, don’t panic; I’m not going to dissect the entire extended extravaganza, but I taped it so I could watch it later with the advantage of fast forward. Ha. I know. That’s cheating. But here we go. </p> <p align="justify">Initial reactions: not as bad as I thought it would be; not much rap to fast forward through;I even liked some of the new stuff; overblown production numbers as expected; older traditional singers gave the more rousing and appreciated performances; too many numbers appeared to be badly lip-synched; Katy Perry just screams; Kanye West is an egomaniacal no-talent asshole. </p> <p align="justify">I really enjoyed Lady Gaga singing real music with Tony Bennett, AC/DC rocking the house, even liked Sam Smith’s song, but I did find Beyonce way over-rated. I did pretty well until they gave the stage to Sia with this Chandelier business. Performance art, maybe; music, I don’t think so. If there was any music, it was overshadowed by lyrics I couldn’t understand and the ridiculous flailing about by Kristin Wiig and some other girl while Sia stood with her back to the audience, immobile. I’ll admit it; I’m old, and I just don’t get it. But then I don’t think there is anything to get. In today’s music scene, it seems to me that the competition to be famous is so great that many would-be musicians have moved from talent to the absurd to get noticed and the public has been overcome with the same pretentiousness and false knowledge of talent, are so overcome with a need to appear savvy and in the know, that they behave like the crowd watching the Emperor as he strutted about in his invisible clothes, fawning over something that wasn’t there rather than admit there is <em>nothing</em> there, no clothes, and in the case of some of today’s music, no talent. </p> <p align="justify">Which is not to say we should take ourselves too seriously. The musicians and singers who attend the Grammys do have a good time with it, and that’s not a bad thing. Pharrell and his silly shorts, Madonna and her tasteless Red Carpet attire with her bottom flapping about, Rhianna’s cotton candy dress, which, the longer I looked at, the easier it was to accept; they were all enjoying their moments. I will say they don’t seem to take themselves quite as seriously as Oscar-goers, and they seem to enjoy all the music throughout the night. </p> <p align="justify">All art, be it music, painting, dance, literature, whatever, is going to be appreciated differently by people based on their individual taste and styles, as well as their time in history. Artistic styles do change with the times. But underneath it all, if there is no real talent, no true creativity involved, then there is no art. And for me right now, there is a dearth of musical talent from which to choose. </p> <p align="justify">So I will try to listen to some of the new stuff and give it a chance. But give me something to work with other than arrogant rap and pointless dioramas thought up for a video. I prefer not to walk around in invisible clothes pretending to see something of value when nothing is there. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-40651791446719549502015-01-28T11:00:00.001-08:002015-01-28T11:00:04.384-08:00American Sniper-My Turn<p align="justify">Since <strong><em>American Sniper</em></strong> is making money hand over fist, generating much comment, and giving the talking heads fodder for arguing their political views, we went to see what all the brouhaha is about. I am not rich or famous, so my opinion won’t show up on MSN or make the Evening News, but here is my take on this movie. </p> <p align="justify">It is a <em>war</em> movie; one that seems to me to be a graphic, realistic look at the frustration, futility, and unfairness of war, the defeats and victories of battle, as well as the courage, mental and physical strength, and sacrifice it takes to be a soldier. I didn’t see it as anti- or pro- war, but one man’s story told through battle. I am not a scholar on the life and psyche of Chris Kyle and whether he was correctly or incorrectly depicted in the movie, but it is one heck of a story. I understand that Chris’s real-life wife approved of the movie, and since she had a first person view of events, this surely gives credibility to what we watch on the screen. Bradley Cooper gives a compelling performance as her husband who earns the title of The Legend. </p> <p align="justify">I don’t like war. I am not defending or criticizing the war depicted in this movie. I do think the human life given on both sides of a war is a terrible price to pay for politics. Unfortunately, war has been a staple of the human condition since time began, and I’m afraid, like it or not, it is here to stay. Apparently it is the nature of the grizzly side of the human beast. And the rest of that story is that if fight we must, I want to be on the winning side. And snipers exist to help one side win. </p> <p align="justify">As to the opinion that a sniper is a coward, or that this sniper was a coward, well, soldiers kill the enemy. That’s their job. A sniper is a soldier with a specialized skill that is for the purpose of protecting his fellow comrades in arms. As to the idea that a sniper takes advantage by shooting an unsuspecting victim, consider that a sniper is basically a hunter; that this is also what hunters of animals do. My father was a hunter who learned to hunt as a child to help his father keep food on the family table. He certainly wasn’t a coward. But taking down unsuspecting victims, be they wild animals or human animals, is sometimes an unfortunate necessity. Reality bites. </p> <p align="justify"><strong><em>American Sniper</em></strong> is intense, violent, riveting- all those clichéd adjectives reviewers use to describe a harsh movie like this. But it is also poignant, sad, bittersweet, human. I don’t think it is giving anything away to tell you that the story ends with the announcement that Chris Kyle, in tragically ironic fashion, died by the hand of a veteran who suffered from PTSD while Chris was trying to help him deal with his issues, and the end of the movie is a montage of actual footage of Chris’s funeral procession and burial accompanied with very soulful, heartfelt music. Not a person leaves; no one makes a sound. Then as the music fades out to silence and the funeral footage is over, still in silence, the credits roll on a black screen, printed in white, and for a long time, no one moves and no one talks. </p> <p align="justify">Gut-wrenching. We walked out wiping the tears away. I’m sure detractors will scoff and accuse the filmmakers of manipulating the audience with this emotional ending. Well, movie makers attempt to do just that in some form or fashion with any movie they make to reach their audience; that’s <em>their</em> job. In my mind, it was, really, the only way to end it, and was an appropriate thank you to this particular man and a show of respect for all veterans who serve and have served our country. </p> <p align="justify">Godspeed to all of them. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-87939622928431414392015-01-19T21:02:00.001-08:002015-01-19T21:02:11.857-08:00A Cautionary Tale About Assuming<p align="justify">My friend Nola is compiling a cookbook of 3rd and 4th generation recipes of Texas cooks. I contributed two recipes, my Grandmother Drum’s tea cookies and my Grandmother Graves’ green grape cobbler. In the course of getting all the details right for the cobbler story last week, that pesky pie crust recipe came up again (“Tales From The Kitchen: Learning to Make Pie Crust,” February 6, 2013). I tended to give Nola pretty vague details about the recipes. <em>assuming </em>that some of the details, like measurements of sugar and grapes would just be obvious, I guess. You know, after making this cobbler for years without a recipe, it just seemed natural to know how much sugar to use, what the right amount of grapes looked like, how thick to roll out the crust. Nola wasn’t buying it. She just got real picky and kept asking for specifics. We finally came to terms with all the details, and then at Thanksgiving when we went to AJ’s house for Thanksgiving (“Trip to the Christmas Tree Farm,” December 4, 2014”), I realized that I might have been guilty of <em>assuming</em>, which, as a teacher, I had often been warned about.You shouldn’t <em>assume</em> because it makes an <em>ass</em> of “<em>u</em>” and <em>me</em>… and poor AJ suffered the consequences. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BMthIjtYP_k/VL3hTrOT6hI/AAAAAAAAHCQ/9TNmYlez7fQ/s1600-h/IMG_4117%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4117" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4117" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KVqNLeAeXD4/VL3hUYNwR1I/AAAAAAAAHCY/3HKBYzjjmaQ/IMG_4117_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="496" height="332"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Holiday tradition in this family dictates that the desserts of choice at Thanksgiving and Christmas will be chocolate meringue pie and lemon meringue pie. So AJ, being the good son he is, who had asked for my pie recipes after he and Erin married, had the two pies made and ready to eat when we arrived for the holiday. Beautiful they were, but when we cut into them, the crust was thick and tough. As Bill did what he did when I was killing pie crust in the early days, which was to eat the filling and meringue and toss the crust, he quietly asked me between bites if this was my crust recipe. AJ heard him and chimed in that it was and asked what had he done wrong. I couldn’t find anything wrong as he took me through his preparation, so it was decided that since the pies had been effectively eviscerated of their fillings, we needed more pies, which I would make the next day while AJ watched.</p> <p align="justify">The new day dawned; the trip taken to the grocery story for a resupply of ingredients; the pie replication began. As I was rolling out half of the dough, AJ asked me what the other half in the mixing bowl was for. For the other pie, I told him. “The <em>other</em> pie?” he repeated. “The recipe doesn’t say anything about two pies.” </p> <p align="justify">Now, I don’t know if I just forgot to add that critical piece of information to the recipe, or if AJ was a classic victim of the consequences of a dastardly assumption that he would just <em>know</em> to make two crusts out of one recipe! And the rest of the story is that if we had just<em> talked</em> the recipe to death and not gone through the actual process, we still might not have solved the mystery of the super thick crust.</p> <p align="justify">So there you have it: don’t assume unless you want to make an ass of u and me.</p> <p align="justify">But sometimes it also will get you two more pies.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-37521450109861749052015-01-03T19:55:00.001-08:002015-01-03T19:55:20.803-08:00Bill and Alice’s Big Adventure-The Liberty Bowl<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TTyHoOg9Bnc/VKi4-SLOEJI/AAAAAAAAG6o/wqBRbVINWSw/s1600-h/IMG_4422%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4422" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4422" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DTf83GulA2w/VKi4_GLwP7I/AAAAAAAAG6w/hT1EfsLlKjA/IMG_4422_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="496" height="332"></a> <br>The Aggies made it to the Liberty Bowl, and we decided we needed to go. So two days after Christmas we set out for Memphis. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-g4e9w0VRPOM/VKi4_zGOJcI/AAAAAAAAG64/jH8a3_4gmAc/s1600-h/IMG_4320%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4320" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4320" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4eDJ7WQ9vQA/VKi5A_jmVLI/AAAAAAAAG68/QDCPVwiGFpc/IMG_4320_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="333"></a> <br>We spent the night in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where Bill spent his teenage years and where his dad and his wife Lucille are buried in the Ft. Smith National Cemetery, which we visited the next morning. These cemeteries put a lump in one’s throat on any day, but at Christmas it breaks your heart. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JEEEHlgv88s/VKi5BWOclWI/AAAAAAAAG7I/Dgs7skl-opI/s1600-h/IMG_4324%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4324" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4324" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V2b6Rx-GIKc/VKi5CBiZSzI/AAAAAAAAG7M/kWKP_-dRyPU/IMG_4324_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="224" height="335"></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hhzRxrAyaxY/VKi5Civw15I/AAAAAAAAG7U/DUl7UXGXbN4/s1600-h/IMG_4322%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4322" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4322" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-80PMn4Rogb4/VKi5DZKUChI/AAAAAAAAG7c/ZJ3a4RSTKf8/IMG_4322_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="223" height="332"></a> <br>The wives of veterans can be buried on the other side of their headstone, which is inscribed with the wife’s name and information. </p> <p align="justify">Then it was on to Memphis. I wanted a neat picture of the Mississippi river and the skyline upon arrival; what i got was a good close-up of the bridge railing.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mYraZghYaeU/VKi5DwqqdAI/AAAAAAAAG7o/xBuM_ieskGc/s1600-h/IMG_4343%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4343" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4343" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5SLaHYSA0vY/VKi5En8jR0I/AAAAAAAAG7s/_mYWjkU1CTo/IMG_4343_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="338"></a> <br>Then it was into the city. I wanted a neat picture of the Mississippi river and the skyline upon arrival; what I got was a good close-up of the bridge railing.<br>But that railing connects to a really cool bridge as you come to the middle of the river, so I did get this shot of the river and bridge from our hotel.<br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4ls1lTKuUiM/VKi5FctjHvI/AAAAAAAAG70/MG0mxkj4PO8/s1600-h/IMG_4401%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4401" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4401" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QgMZRTw9b5g/VKi5F3uQsEI/AAAAAAAAG78/t_9-m1LRUOY/IMG_4401_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>But look how pretty it is at night all encrusted with lights.<br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PlMmCT7u7qQ/VKi5GsDOCjI/AAAAAAAAG8I/K28mczy0_PA/s1600-h/IMG_4399%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4399" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4399" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PT0DUSuDalI/VKi5HUnpogI/AAAAAAAAG8M/8nmdGSRGa4g/IMG_4399_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>And this is the skyline up close and personal from our hotel room window.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-83COa_euHB8/VKi5IOzxGxI/AAAAAAAAG8U/rDNh-Os2ygA/s1600-h/IMG_4403%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4403" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4403" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YG18Y88fSnQ/VKi5Ip4WEcI/AAAAAAAAG8c/rjj7fmBaEws/IMG_4403_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="332"></a> <br>Notice the gray, dreary sky. We had that weather to look forward to for the game, too. In fact, the whole time we were there the temperature stayed 37 degrees and below.</p> <p align="justify">But we had arrived in time to make the Liberty Bowl parade downtown on storied Beale Street. We jumped off the city bus where the parade would end, which allowed us to see everything up close and personal. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xS-W9aH-i_o/VKi5Jd8r3VI/AAAAAAAAG8o/oJjVMCeqJxQ/s1600-h/IMG_4347%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4347" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4347" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-luAnXbCYFV0/VKi5KMwFFcI/AAAAAAAAG8s/7vSoWFcwmE4/IMG_4347_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lRhbula7JIg/VKi5KqosgaI/AAAAAAAAG84/7oEaYWnG32o/s1600-h/IMG_4355%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4355" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4355" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Oipv2BTEvHI/VKi5LWp5rUI/AAAAAAAAG9A/S41zHoe5ICc/IMG_4355_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="509" height="341"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-di1CXZ_-Xa0/VKi5MasVVII/AAAAAAAAG9I/XCIGsOqyhVE/s1600-h/IMG_4359%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4359" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4359" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j76vXobItW0/VKi5NVBIPLI/AAAAAAAAG9Q/2ArI9Bf54Gc/IMG_4359_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="510" height="341"></a> </p> <p align="justify">The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band and the Yell Leaders were the grand finale to the parade, so the Yell Leaders led a yell and then the War Hymn, as I suspect they had done all along the parade route. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Z4tSOVBCeuA/VKi5NznVAGI/AAAAAAAAG9Y/sg4Qnlq1RaA/s1600-h/IMG_4362%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4362" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4362" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JZvs-4IZEg0/VKi5Ov_rKdI/AAAAAAAAG9c/5h3PE5vlM2s/IMG_4362_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-O63qaS5psMc/VKi5P45zbuI/AAAAAAAAG9o/LYUhKKZgcC8/s1600-h/IMG_4365%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4365" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4365" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zudwLGK6Aus/VKi5Q5AikpI/AAAAAAAAG9s/WB9MPfpwi88/IMG_4365_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="507" height="339"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JMV9Y69DxOE/VKi5RdI9trI/AAAAAAAAG94/_AKWMGCRq1g/s1600-h/IMG_0214%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0214" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0214" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EUjzCaJJS3w/VKi5SUDEi9I/AAAAAAAAG98/LJHGv1fDyzQ/IMG_0214_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="403"></a><br>We of course had to have our picture taken after the parade.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_gRWNgyCvkE/VKi5S_FiycI/AAAAAAAAG-I/zw2prU0G_I8/s1600-h/IMG_0248%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0248" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0248" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mFqjZGvTgcs/VKi5TpSycFI/AAAAAAAAG-Q/GacS6RlSnto/IMG_0248_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="308" height="410"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bcLCeiPntHg/VKi5UbRaRyI/AAAAAAAAG-Y/LrlrgeZozsg/s1600-h/IMG_4372%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4372" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4372" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rLT7S59Pseg/VKi5VYQCvFI/AAAAAAAAG-g/uyRTb0REmnc/IMG_4372_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> <br>We ate somewhere on Beale Street and made our way to W.C. Handy Park for something of a combined pep rally. Both bands were there, and I guess West Virginia’s cheerleaders were there; it was hard to tell. We walked down to the Peabody Hotel in hopes of seeing the ducks do their thing, but they were already tucked in for the night. This building on the roof is called the Duck Palace, and it is from there they ride the elevator down to the lobby every morning and then back up in the evening.<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-84EpCcA_TGs/VKi5V-Ej2eI/AAAAAAAAG-k/cnE6Hllc3Ec/s1600-h/IMG_4387%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4387" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4387" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8w9yQbEAtpI/VKi5Wu0wN_I/AAAAAAAAG-s/wZr6oJ6sAXk/IMG_4387_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>Back on Beale Street, we did a little shopping where we met a celebrity quite by accident. While I was looking at t-shirts, Bill was deep in conversation with a man who turned out to be Mike Logan who had played college ball at West Virginia and then for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was there to support his alma mater in the bowl game. But it was funny because Bill had noticed the giant ring on his finger and made a comment something to the effect of “Wow! That’s a big ring. What bowl game is that from,” to which Mr. Logan deadpanned cheerfully, “The Super Bowl.” So of course I had no choice but to take a picture of him and his ring after he had been so pleasant to talk to. <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QLxWdyJUqmw/VKi5XZ6sFkI/AAAAAAAAG-4/vs5DWVuAk_4/s1600-h/IMG_4391%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4391" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4391" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-N_fTz328uI4/VKi5YZ1BzII/AAAAAAAAG_A/Gj4oh-az5Tc/IMG_4391_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="505" height="338"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-X7Hi-Qa-8Uc/VKi5ZJ3mpwI/AAAAAAAAG_E/pBc8tv_nOBc/s1600-h/IMG_0287%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0287" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0287" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yKpgH5PB_IE/VKi5Zx8Z-sI/AAAAAAAAG_M/ZWZsVSNe0Bk/IMG_0287_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="355" height="472"></a> <br>The next morning it was still dreary and cold as we rode the shuttle to the stadium, arriving at around 10 am. Plenty early. Not going to miss this kick-off. We wandered around, bought a Liberty Bowl scarf, discovered the really nice warm rest rooms, tailgated at the Aggie Outfitters trailer they brought all the way from College Station, watched a dress rehearsal of the half-time show, and pretty much froze our butts off waiting for kick-off. Reveille was there, of course, but this was the only chance I had to get a picture of her. She and the band stayed at our hotel and we saw her leaving for the game, but I wasn’t quick enough to get a shot off. <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QJzxRMAaoDA/VKi5agYgK9I/AAAAAAAAG_U/7-tmVoC-63E/s1600-h/IMG_4412%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4412" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4412" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YAtEZI-gGtY/VKi5bndIUFI/AAAAAAAAG_g/eAaKzajVpzA/IMG_4412_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="519" height="347"></a> <br> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YMdgtVO7cbQ/VKi5cZvTX5I/AAAAAAAAG_k/-nXxLJcY68E/s1600-h/IMG_4409%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4409" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4409" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3nNXY6spS7c/VKi5dNjvU-I/AAAAAAAAG_w/K5cohs0deYI/IMG_4409_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="514" height="344"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hBBmTLIA3vY/VKi5dzhRNRI/AAAAAAAAG_0/h-4uHK5yfNc/s1600-h/IMG_4419%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4419" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4419" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MIJ2klmUktw/VKi5eSqP07I/AAAAAAAAHAA/4lunoy-mAUY/IMG_4419_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="518" height="347"></a> <br>The National Anthem was sung by this young lady, who had been successfully treated at St. Jude’s, which is located in Memphis. She did a lovely job, <em>a cappella</em>, and I wish I had caught her name to share with you, but I didn’t, and I am sorry. Her performance was a fitting opening to the game. I took this picture of her on the giant video screen to show her pretty smiling face up close.<br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-B377UiTdY0A/VKi5fVPXxCI/AAAAAAAAHAI/h_lA15Gzs-I/s1600-h/IMG_4430%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4430" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4430" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PRd_QzWZd0w/VKi5gNL7J5I/AAAAAAAAHAQ/22y7puiTVCk/IMG_4430_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="523" height="351"></a> <br>We sat by two Aggies from Conroe whose daughter was in the Aggie band, and we enjoyed sharing the game with them. We were barely ahead one point at halftime, but the Aggie band definitely won Halftime. But then, we always do…<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xCoJkM7oT84/VKi5hBn5yUI/AAAAAAAAHAY/kV77BVQezFg/s1600-h/IMG_4456%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4456" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4456" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ubNBjqN3W9o/VKi5hnPViVI/AAAAAAAAHAg/V4RdwnPCNF4/IMG_4456_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="353"></a> <br>The West Virginia band performed before the game, and the Aggie band performed at the first of the halftime show, after which they had one of those over-produced extravaganzas where they fill the field with high school bands and drill teams and a name performer, in this case Big and Rich, which was fine. But we still won the halftime…</p> <p align="justify">As the game went on and the Aggies did a better job of executing plays and overcoming some truly bad calls, as well as stopping what Coach Sumlin has been known to call their own “dumbass penalties,” things were looking good. When we would finally cover the required ten yards and the chains moved, the announcer would start, and we would all gleefully and loudly chime in to the crescendo of “-and it’s a <em><strong>Fightin’ TEXAS AGGIE</strong> <strong><u>FIRST DOWN!!”</u></strong></em> The poor Mountaineers had to settle for “It’s a West Virginia first down.” <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MyojP6AdJxI/VKi5iUvcRrI/AAAAAAAAHAk/b0VVhRsgymY/s1600-h/IMG_4474%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4474" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4474" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-dvPI9yZYdsM/VKi5i1c163I/AAAAAAAAHAs/KxR5niLSm1c/IMG_4474_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="528" height="353"></a> <br>And after all the first downs were made, all the flags thrown, the Aggies were victorious.<br> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-b6ijcp5VzHM/VKi5jhWoMlI/AAAAAAAAHA4/EMwqZpq0dkQ/s1600-h/IMG_4480%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4480" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4480" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3AQl4AIXi2A/VKi5kVyTaGI/AAAAAAAAHA8/nM9UrTL3zgE/IMG_4480_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="530" height="355"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Coach Sumlin accepted the trophy, and we hotfooted it to the shuttle bus which we were firmly told would leave 30 minutes after the game was over. but not before I was able to take this picture of the stadium, which took on a colorful aura after dark.<br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KCwrzc5SEUE/VKi5lC5rNgI/AAAAAAAAHBE/j61c8N-fJmY/s1600-h/IMG_4482%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4482" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4482" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Nad3-ooLprk/VKi5lpKhQ4I/AAAAAAAAHBM/0QQ6bks33l0/IMG_4482_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="525" height="351"></a> <br>Back on Beale Street we warmed up and ate at BB King’s place and listened to some blues provided by guest artist Blind Mississippi Morris before turning in after a long, cold but happy day. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eH6lhi02WoM/VKi5mdDuGpI/AAAAAAAAHBU/u-DE5gFhOU8/s1600-h/IMG_4483%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4483" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4483" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h2lcbOuZ_bg/VKi5nNOPcOI/AAAAAAAAHBg/aT2wgiLkkEs/IMG_4483_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="526" height="352"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Up way before the crack of dawn, we left Memphis at 6:45 a.m. and were back in Texas at 5:30 p.m. It wasn’t bad enough we sat through a ball game at 37 degrees; by the time we drove through Amarillo, it was 16 degrees and blowing snow. <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-p7EOxB_hHSg/VKi5n1kD5OI/AAAAAAAAHBk/rA-wnkjKSh0/s1600-h/IMG_4486%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4486" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4486" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wuITupa_n5E/VKi5oRBp3fI/AAAAAAAAHBs/6-mdmYEWjOw/IMG_4486_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="518" height="347"></a> </p> <p align="justify">But we made it home by 8:37, after covering 1665 miles. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1v1Cfx2kI6A/VKi5owNMJ4I/AAAAAAAAHB4/uppovha6A5g/s1600-h/IMG_4490%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4490" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4490" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jbIv6pt7mkQ/VKi5psZTpzI/AAAAAAAAHB8/Mh4mNdVDAwE/IMG_4490_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="512" height="343"></a> </p> <p align="justify">An adventure, indeed.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-22745472719004930272014-12-26T22:23:00.001-08:002014-12-26T22:23:29.541-08:00Two Christmas Stories-The Liles Extravaganza, and 50 for No. 50<p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZL8tdNJvWPg/VJ5QU23T1tI/AAAAAAAAG5w/E2ajBggAvEM/s1600-h/IMG_4247%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4247" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4247" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EJ2F35lr8ns/VJ5QVt_J6gI/AAAAAAAAG50/XQUNE3RXjV0/IMG_4247_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="361" height="539"></a><br>Everyone came to our house this year for Christmas. We had a houseful, and that’s the best part. AJ and Erin even brought their aging dog, Harper, so we had three dogs, one house cat that checked every box, and one cat that darted in every time the door was open to cuddle with Maya. One of our better Christmases. The results were two large leaf bags of trash after the attach on the packages, and being the recycler that I am, enough bows, gift bags, and tissue paper to last me till i die. Caroline’s gifts, at her request, were donations to St. Jude’s, sponsoring animals at the Clovis Zoo, and a donation to Heifer International, bless her heart. Her husband Neil receive what he wanted-beef jerky and certain candies, and self-repairing targets for practice with a box of bullets. He is easy to buy for. Colten got lots of gift cards and the new XBox. AJ’s gifts were things that worked right in with his hunting-bullets, a meat-grinder/sausage-maker and the bullets and self repairing targets. Erin got gift cards and kitchen utensils as she loves to cook. Maya got her first IPhone, a real surprise, I think, and other things. Ben now has a gaming chair and a remote-controlled helicopter. Bill got two magazine subscriptions and clothes. He is the hardest one to buy for. I am the easiest to buy for; everything is fun for me. I got a new Painted Pony, a beautiful belt, lots of Opium perfume. and a new Kindle Fire HD 7, which was totally unexpected. But the biggest surprise was the giant horned lizard, horny toad as we like to call them, that Bill snuck in under my nose and took me outside to see after all the wrapped presents were opened. What fun! </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mKGjXTPVaKg/VJ5QWVAWJOI/AAAAAAAAG6A/4jAsd3VpHxE/s1600-h/IMG_4306%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4306" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4306" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u6eCOiqxRUg/VJ5QW3WupwI/AAAAAAAAG6E/_WgRKbRrObk/IMG_4306_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="490" height="328"></a> <br>We had taken in the new Hobbit movie on Christmas Eve afternoon, and all went to our candlelight Christmas Eve service at our Methodist Church that night before tucking into bed to wait for Santa to come. Christmas day was full of the gifts, too much to eat, and an afternoon of really good visiting and fellowship. </p> <p align="justify">But the other side of Christmas is that not everyone was as blessed as we were. I’m not bragging about all our wonderful gifts; I am trying to make a point of comparison. God graced us with way more than we deserve. I received this Christmas letter in a card for Tara Simons Orsak, a family friend, former student, and fellow Aggie from Edna, Texas, the town we moved from to Muleshoe. Her letter touched my heart and I felt the need to share it with you. I asked her permission to reprint part of it just as she wrote it, and she graciously agreed. I couldn’t retell it any better than she said it herself. The event happened closer to Thanksgiving, but it serves, I hope, to make us all realize we have so many blessings that we fail to recognize, and I think it restores faith in human nature and what love can do. I hope you will read it to the end. Here is what Tara wrote after updating us on other things her family had been up to.</p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>“Events of the past few weeks have forced our family to stop and reflect on the bounty of blessing that we have in each other and in you, our friends. I wanted to share this story with you. </strong></em></p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>On November 25th, three days after a surprising win in a bi-district football playoff game, one of [her son] Cade’s friends, classmate and teammate, Noah Ortiz, lost his life in a house fire along with his four younger brothers and sisters, Nicholas Ortiz, Julian Ortiz, Lilyana Hernandez, and Areyanah Hernandez.This tragic event devastated our small town. Noah was a defensive tackle for the Edna Cowboys, wearing jersey number 50.</strong></em></p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>Amazingly, the Edna Cowboy football team, with heavy hearts, rallied around the family that suffered such terrible loss, and continued to play football in Noah’s honor for three more weeks, in a most improbable playoff run, becoming state semi-finalists in Texas’ Division 1, Class 3A bracket. </strong></em></p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>During the regional playoff game, the first game after losing Noah (#50), Cade as the ball holder, was able to take the hike and lay on the ball in order to forego the extra point after a touchdown and make the final score of the game 50-28, in honor of Noah. </strong></em></p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>Our opponents in each of the playoff games, representing the towns of Ingram, Halletsville and Cameron, made donations of more than $16,000, $19,000, and $36,000 to Noah’s family prior to each game. In addition, more than $60,00 was collected in two online accounts. God shows his love for us through the actions of others and through tear-filled eyes we have seen that there are many loving people in this world. </strong></em></p> <p align="justify"><em><strong>There continue to be many tears shed for the loss of these precious children. At the same time, our community has been so excited about the success of our team and humbled by the compassion and generosity of people from other places. We feel that we have all been a part of a nightmarish fairy tale. Our boys have grown as teammates and young men while we have all witnessed God’s plan, power, mercy, strength and love. May we celebrate all of these things god has given us. in addition to the best gift of all, Jesus.”</strong></em></p> <p align="justify">God’s plan is hard to understand at times, but his grace and his Son are our gifts.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-a_7t-E-yWyk/VJ5QXecH5BI/AAAAAAAAG6M/yTlUKiOyL_Q/s1600-h/IMG_4262%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4262" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4262" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n0ZcfHuzyIA/VJ5QX7XQr7I/AAAAAAAAG6U/z8JzholFRis/IMG_4262_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>Amen. </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><em>Video news story link:</em> <a href="http://usatodayhss.com/2014/edna-cowboys-noah-ortiz-died-in-fire">http://usatodayhss.com/2014/edna-cowboys-noah-ortiz-died-in-fire</a></p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-32459997004339923902014-12-20T13:53:00.001-08:002014-12-20T13:53:50.849-08:00Billy Ray Cyrus is an Icon? Really?<p align="justify">I came across a note I had made to myself a while back about an MSN home page bit about what had happened to some musical pop culture icons from a few years back. Okay, so I should have addressed the issue then, but I didn’t for some reason. But I have to do it now because I have to have closure on this because I was shocked by the people chosen for that list. I didn’t write down the whole list, but most of the ones that made the list were not worthy as far as I was concerned. Billy Ray Cyrus, Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, were the names I had major issues with. </p> <p align="justify">I mean, come on. To begin with, the first definition in the dictionary , which is always the one that is the most relevant, says that an icon is a religious symbol, and those symbols have been around a lot longer than pop culture. Symbol is the key word in any definition for icon, along with emblem and idol given as synonyms. And of course, in these days of computers, we use icons as representative symbols of functions on our computer screens. </p> <p align="justify">It is the last definition, however, that has to do with modern pop culture icons, which defines an icon as an object of uncritical devotion. And there it is. You’d have to be uncritically devoted to Billy Ray Cyrus to consider him an icon. He may have had a hit song, but let’s face it, the only things he will be remembered for is that tacky mullet hair-do and that he is the father of Miley Cyrus, who, unfortunately, has some uncritical devotees of her own. Randy Travis, Shania Twain, and the Dixie Chicks all had their 15 minutes of fame and earned a niche in musical history I guess, but<em> icons</em>? What did they contribute to their genre? What have they left to the world of lasting value? </p> <p align="justify">Maybe I place too much value on the word icon, because to me the status of icon should be reserved for those who actually made a contribution, created something new, or were so good, so talented in their career that they carved out a special place in history for themselves. The world legendary comes to mind, even though I couldn’t find legend and icon linked semantically in my dictionary or thesaurus. Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Elvis, the Beatles, Barbra Streisand, BB King, Elton John-these would be people I would call icons, legends in their fields, people whose creativity and talents had an impact, changed the world of music, whose names will stand the test of time.<em> Legendary</em> performers who deserve icon status. </p> <p align="justify">You can add your favorites, your objects of uncritical devotion, to the list, but for goodness sake, make it someone worthy of the title. Otherwise it won’t mean a thing to be called an icon. </p> <p align="justify">And we have way too many unworthy icons floating around already. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-24028026702595786722014-12-04T11:26:00.001-08:002014-12-04T11:26:48.106-08:00Trip to the Christmas Tree Farm<p align="justify">Thanksgiving at Kyle was no stress this year; Erin and AJ did all the planning and cooking. All we had to do was eat and watch football. What a deal! We also took in the newest Hunger Games installment, <em>Mockingjay, Part 1.</em> Friday, however, was a big day for one of this family’s Christmas traditions, a trip to the Christmas Tree farm in Elgin to pick out and cut a fresh tree. I tagged along, not having experienced this particular rite of the holidays myself. Let me tell you, these tree people have it down to a science. And it is a popular family outing worth the time and money. </p> <p align="justify">Elgin is about an hour from Kyle and not a bad drive on the toll road. it was fun counting the vehicles we met that were already loaded with their treasure and on their way home.I think we quit counting around 17. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-k1ey0uVHdWc/VIC1T-uusuI/AAAAAAAAG3o/RNHG2TO9qAA/s1600-h/IMG_4139%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4139" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4139" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KZpeZdHw07M/VIC1UcSqBVI/AAAAAAAAG3s/18LUxXvL8_M/IMG_4139_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> </p> <p align="justify">When we arrived, the parking lot was full and families were milling around getting reading to pick their tree. Before getting into the actual tree selection, we admired the animals on display. It seemed like a random selection, but they were all happy as could be in the same pen: a duck, pot-bellied pig, goats,a llama, a donkey, and a chicken. In another area we found three pretty white rabbits. The tree farm also had two mazes and playground equipment for the kids to enjoy as well. A store and a couple of booths also gave Mom a place to do some shopping as well.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l6MQVqMkYhA/VIC1VPFzgtI/AAAAAAAAG34/Vk2ic6lses0/s1600-h/IMG_4136%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4136" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4136" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jWbFBMIaNv0/VIC1V3v-ctI/AAAAAAAAG4A/2U25BRRBnVs/IMG_4136_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> </p> <p align="justify">AJ was given a tag to put on the chosen tree, and then the wagon and trailer rolled around to take us into the field of the trees.<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Fe77LbMICv4/VIC1WZmlcSI/AAAAAAAAG4I/df4FWs_gDXE/s1600-h/IMG_4140%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4140" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4140" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BsTkHATmG6w/VIC1XE-DcdI/AAAAAAAAG4M/HvSNfMu8Zc4/IMG_4140_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Rows and rows of neatly manicured trees.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vYef0KdwNZA/VIC1XgGMy0I/AAAAAAAAG4Y/xQSvD83AAa0/s1600-h/IMG_4161%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4161" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4161" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--fDLXAkG0PI/VIC1YTT97bI/AAAAAAAAG4c/Fy92dHpz73o/IMG_4161_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="497" height="333"></a> <br>We pulled around to the back of the field, and the search was on for just the right tree. Which didn’t take long to find.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cQ5uB2DYEos/VIC1Y3wxuiI/AAAAAAAAG4o/ZpNdiLgT0MU/s1600-h/IMG_4145%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4145" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4145" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yVzWURLeJZQ/VIC1Zq84mBI/AAAAAAAAG4s/lrQ1m8K4mkQ/IMG_4145_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> <br>Customers are given a saw when they disembark from the wagon so they can fell their own tree, which AJ did after the final selection was made. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tnEX880ssV8/VIC1adfCB7I/AAAAAAAAG44/ToLUFMRyzso/s1600-h/IMG_4150%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4150" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4150" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oufAHnkY6cI/VIC1a2nzKZI/AAAAAAAAG5A/tHFTQczEHmY/IMG_4150_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" align="left" height="335"></a> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> <br>Then the tree is loaded onto the trailer and taken back to headquarters. The tree is placed on a vibrating table surface for maybe 30 seconds for all the dead needles to shake loose and fall off the tree.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oxkyu97RJ_w/VIC1biRUhyI/AAAAAAAAG5I/K9AS207IOrY/s1600-h/IMG_4164%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4164" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4164" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-HTV7zYQ342M/VIC1cXbzP9I/AAAAAAAAG5M/kOEIdj08Tm8/IMG_4164_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>The tree gets wrapped, measured, has a hole drilled in the trunk for better water absorption, paid for, and happily taken home,</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-alVE2p2pcWo/VIC1c94DLDI/AAAAAAAAG5Y/8pS-OhfDEk8/s1600-h/IMG_4210%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4210" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4210" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pyvVCJze6LA/VIC1dm9ofKI/AAAAAAAAG5g/mNRJ759MY44/IMG_4210_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>where it patiently waited for its lights and ornaments and presents underneath to come. </p> <p>Alas, I did not think to take a picture after all the lights and ornaments went on, but you can see that it will be a lovely tree for the family to enjoy during the whole holiday season. </p> <p>Merry Christmas and God bless us everyone!</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-38209183129014767712014-11-20T21:33:00.001-08:002014-11-20T21:34:20.395-08:00One More Rite of Passage Into Old Age<p align="justify">So. Both eyes are free of cataracts now. What can I say? Well, for one thing, thank you, God, for doctors who figured out the surgery in the first place that allows me to keep my sight. I have always heard that the question is not<em> if</em> you get cataracts, but <em>when</em> you get cataracts, because if you live long enough, you will indeed grow cataracts. So I appreciate the fact that I have been around long enough to have grown the little darlins’. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1gq522w-c68/VG7OqE_nc0I/AAAAAAAAG3Q/Ygci0bzpK5s/s1600-h/IMG_0028%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_0028" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_0028" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tHmIGGfRfoE/VG7Oqvxp_9I/AAAAAAAAG3Y/NZfD8GFquPc/IMG_0028_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="373" height="496"></a> </p> <p align="justify">But since I was such a good patient, I was rewarded with a meal at the Outback after each surgery, even with that lovely hair and stylish outfit.</p> <p align="justify">Not a bad deal, I must say.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-49579573393031006712014-11-13T11:10:00.001-08:002014-11-13T11:10:17.031-08:00Channeling Roger Ebert: Interstellar<p align="justify">I had three hours to kill one evening on my last trip to the lake last week and decided to take in the newly released movie <em><strong>Interstellar</strong></em>. If you like psychological sci-fi on a grand scale minus any creature costumes, you will probably like this movie. Who am I kidding- if you like Matthew McConaughey, you will like this movie. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ejpd7N0OfqU/VGUB_P1CYRI/AAAAAAAAG14/CVLmM-K7MiE/s1600-h/thSY7RAVHG6.jpg"><img title="thSY7RAVHG" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="thSY7RAVHG" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nC3LhP9LJOI/VGUCAhMLWvI/AAAAAAAAG2A/kR6xEoB3tKo/thSY7RAVHG_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="275"></a> <br>If you follow movies at all, you know by now that Christopher Nolan, of <em><strong>Batman </strong></em>fame, co-wrote and directed this space epic about Earth becoming unable to sustain human life and the search is on for another planet in another galaxy for Earth’s inhabitants to relocate, to save mankind, as I believe Michael Caine’s professor puts it somewhere in the movie. And of course, it falls to McConaughey’s astronaut character, Cooper, to find that planet. The chances of finding that planet and/or getting home alive are slim and none, and his super smart daughter Murph knows this and won’t give his mission, which of course he has to accept in order to save her and the rest of his family, her blessing, which sets up the second conflict of the plot. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rvq92Umhmbk/VGUCBWiQffI/AAAAAAAAG2E/dFJ5d5695cI/s1600-h/thFM4DRSG9%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="thFM4DRSG9" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="thFM4DRSG9" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kp6ZSAsEf34/VGUCB_ZmFxI/AAAAAAAAG2Q/nTgcFt16bwc/thFM4DRSG9_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="509" height="339"></a> </p> <p align="justify">You can read all about the inter-galactic plot elsewhere, which gets all involved with worm holes, which actually are discussed in real science, despite not having been totally validated but considered a hypothetical topological feature of space time. The plot is also heavy with the theory of relativity and gravitational pull. The good part is that unless you are a real theoretical physicist like Kip Thorne, whose work inspired the film and who worked as a consultant with the writers, you won’t have a clue what it all means, but it sounds scientific, so it really doesn’t matter.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A488xR9Vej0/VGUCCXS0-AI/AAAAAAAAG2U/bcSh6NENinU/s1600-h/th94W90XB3%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="th94W90XB3" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="th94W90XB3" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VJXr2u2h1OU/VGUCC5XPd9I/AAAAAAAAG2c/xIoxSE_lKEw/th94W90XB3_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="507" height="212"></a> </p> <p align="justify">You can also research the science behind the movie, and yeah, it is a <em>movie</em>, not a high-brow film, but here’s what I have to say about it. The music was way too loud, especially when the audience needed to hear the dialogue. I found it a bit contradictory that the world was going to end due to this blight killing all the food crops, and yet Coop’s farm boasted acres and acres of corn. No sprinkler system, yet green and ready to harvest. And the dust bowl-worthy dirt storm didn’t seem to phase it. Obviously the movie-makers had not been in Muleshoe during one of our newsworthy dust extravaganzas. I realize that, according to the story, one hour in space is equal to seven years on Earth, so the astronauts don’t age while on their little adventure, but even at that, McConaughey never needs a hair cut or a shave, and I guess they could take care of all that in the space station, but it seems like they should have looked a little different by the end. </p> <p align="justify">But then, maybe that was because they also spent time zipped into these cryogenic/deep freeze/suspension/suspended animation kind of containers full of some kind of life-extending liquid. This piece of equipment might have been explained, but I could have missed it while being bombarded by the music. But I digress. The point is, I found those scenes sad somehow, and perhaps claustrophobic. What if no one was around to unzip them at the right time? What if it didn’t work? What if they choked on it? What if the bag holding the liquid springs a leak?</p> <p align="justify">Just the whole idea of catapulting into space with no guarantees of the outcome seemed heroic and brave and suicidal. And sad. Which is exactly what real astronauts face every time they go up. Which should give us a new respect for our modern-day explorers. </p> <p align="justify">But I digress. Not to be all critical, there were some nice touches. Nolan has said his interest in science fiction was influenced by the classic <em><strong>2001: A Space Odyssey</strong></em>, which all younger movie-goers should see to appreciate the origins of this story and to see HAL, the robot who inspired TARS and CASE in this movie, although I thought the only robot was TARS, who was rather cool and very articulate. There is a casting surprise late in the movie, and if you read enough other reviews, you will learn who it is, so don’t read past the spoiler alerts. That will take the fun out of it. Visually the movie is intriguing to watch, especially the outer space scenes and the scenes on the three planets being considered for the new home of humanity. Some of the scenes were obviously computer-generated, but some of them were filmed in Iceland, and those were really cool, no pun intended. Michael Caine has a good time with voice-overs of his recitation of Dylan Thomas’ <strong><em>Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night,</em></strong> which this former English teacher rather enjoyed, but other reviewers found a bit pompous. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tCzOGkSYwpo/VGUCDU2FDcI/AAAAAAAAG2o/aOmRSpBrHbk/s1600-h/thYY8ZZM0I%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="thYY8ZZM0I" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="thYY8ZZM0I" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I4z2GT9Xf58/VGUCENvv2nI/AAAAAAAAG2s/QuiOcYS472I/thYY8ZZM0I_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="515" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="justify">If say much more, I will give away too much, So here’s the deal. If you aren’t prone to over-analyzing and beating it to death, which I have been told I do (okay, maybe just a little), it will at least leave you with lots of questions and give you something to think about instead of the current perils in this world. So don’t be afraid to give it a chance. Just be prepared to sit a while and take ear plugs to endure the music. And don’t buy a large drink, unless you are prepared to sprint to the restroom in the middle of the action.</p> <p align="justify">And McConaughey makes it easy to keep watching. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gQng4slXZeA/VGUCEv88GdI/AAAAAAAAG20/pEi0AmyE06w/s1600-h/thTWC8BQNQ%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="thTWC8BQNQ" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="thTWC8BQNQ" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uQCikAoR4FA/VGUCFHaPSII/AAAAAAAAG3A/9_U3b6jUIcs/thTWC8BQNQ_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="520" height="292"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Not a bad deal, I must say. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-42364021411104493122014-10-31T07:35:00.001-07:002014-10-31T07:35:30.973-07:00Curtis Shelburne Entertains at the Muleshoe Heritage Foundation Annual Meeting.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9QKytC6nmJU/VFOeH9KUwyI/AAAAAAAAG0w/jmWeSVuMFok/s1600-h/IMG_4004%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4004" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4004" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IgLBdnOwaj4/VFOeIiSiDGI/AAAAAAAAG00/9lgnteXqjyw/IMG_4004_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="330"></a> <p align="justify">The turnout was light at the recent Muleshoe Heritage Foundation Annual meeting, which is a shame, because those who bothered to come were treated to a mini-concert by Curtis Shelburne. Refreshments were plentiful and delicious; the music was a pleasure. Curtis shared several songs from several of his CDs and shared stories of the recording process, things he learned along the way and things the audience had not a clue were part of the business. For example, the number of tracks needed to get just the right sound; the technical aspects of pulling it all together; the talented people he worked with along the way. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7zzzCOXPO64/VFOeJRY8PgI/AAAAAAAAG1A/vzNGexcN2K4/s1600-h/IMG_4016%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4016" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4016" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QUBlIymoPdE/VFOeJxEVH4I/AAAAAAAAG1I/n9Gq6fZmacE/IMG_4016_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="330"></a> </p> <p align="justify">He shared with a variety of musical genres. My personal favorites were the Elvis arrangement of<em> Peace in the Valley</em>, and <em>Long Black Train</em>, with the help of granddaughter Brenley who is in Kindergarten and daughter of my former student Chris Shelburne, granddaughter Rylee, step-daughter of Stephan Shelburne, another former student! Another favorite that I had not heard in, oh, gee, forever, was the Nat King Cole classic, <em>Unforgettable</em>.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Vr9qTXbEC1g/VFOeKqTbeyI/AAAAAAAAG1Q/ADRqWFHy7bA/s1600-h/IMG_4013%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4013" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4013" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-N0OnSgDG36M/VFOeLKOLlII/AAAAAAAAG1U/qjvSUkOoXpA/IMG_4013_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> <br>We had to laugh when his wife Juana interjected that we would have to tell him to quit because he enjoys singing so much he will go on forever! So he ended with an appropriate sign-off, <em>I’ll Be Seeing You</em>.</p> <p align="justify">On the way out, I checked out the new landscaping at the office. It dresses the building up quite nicely.<br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jvNqtCJ1vp4/VFOeL5yymQI/AAAAAAAAG1g/7PMrTlctcOU/s1600-h/IMG_4019%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_4019" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4019" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YnRBv5mBBmk/VFOeMWvDNVI/AAAAAAAAG1o/ODkNsYyWkg0/IMG_4019_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="332"></a> <br>Lots of history is on display at the Heritage Center. I suspect it is like most landmarks and tourist attractions in other cities. Residents in New York seldom bother to take in the Empire State Building, for example. Don’t do that. You will be pleasantly surprise at the things you learn and the memories that are revisited if you bother to go. It is a nice outing when you think there is nothing to do in Muleshoe.</p> <p>Of course, you won’t be serenaded by Curtis, but you will learn some things you never even thought about.</p> <p>Not a bad deal, I must say. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-38731301849007110952014-10-24T11:34:00.001-07:002014-10-24T11:34:58.677-07:00Honey, Anyone?<p align="justify">When Bill received notice that the San Antonio office of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service was putting on their bee workshop again this year, like the one he attended last year <em>(“The Bee Keeper Moves</em> <em>the Swarm,” July 27, 2014),</em> and asked me if I would like to go this time, I was more than ready for the road trip. He wanted to reinforce what he learned last year, and I just wanted to learn about the bees so I could help when needed. And considering that the bees love collecting pollen from my cactus flowers, I wanted to learn about them, too. I found out they are quite remarkable little creatures.</p> <p align="justify">This road trip took us through Big Spring right about lunch time, so we treated ourselves to a meal at the newly restored historic Hotel Settles. The hotel is a story in itself, perhaps for another time, but you can see here that it is a lovely structure. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qx3GHs7K7to/VEqbdkLUaPI/AAAAAAAAGxI/MMkk8cnaxRo/s1600-h/IMG_3920%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3920" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3920" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1haL0E-x550/VEqbedg9F2I/AAAAAAAAGxM/ggsyS1sTZbM/IMG_3920_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="512" height="343"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ilVhTdQRA-s/VEqbfP6g2KI/AAAAAAAAGxY/Rqs0zxze97g/s1600-h/IMG_3924%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3924" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3924" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Xp_fs6hRcOI/VEqbgHlUg6I/AAAAAAAAGxg/NQWneXy3UuU/IMG_3924_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="511" height="342"></a> <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-W6k5tgfurWQ/VEqbg8ho-6I/AAAAAAAAGxk/ActyvHFCZrw/s1600-h/IMG_3925%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3925" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3925" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qfSh2leOt0k/VEqbhXC-1VI/AAAAAAAAGxs/g_BFuwwDgf0/IMG_3925_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="299" height="447"></a> </p> <p align="justify">We enjoyed our lunch and continued on to San Antonio, hitting town just in time to enjoy 5 o’clock traffic.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pPm6Zkx3fQk/VEqbh1wyhSI/AAAAAAAAGx4/NuN6qb1YkOg/s1600-h/IMG_3939%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3939" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3939" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0c31MQHQfIw/VEqbiux9r3I/AAAAAAAAGx8/AptfwuD9T4U/IMG_3939_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> <br>We ate that night at Las Palapas Mexican Food Restaurant, apparently a San Antonio staple with twelve locations, whose sign stated they are closed on Sundays to allow time for worship and family. I found that interesting in a city the size of this one. The tortilla soup was pretty darn good. They served soft corn tortillas instead of flour, which was a bit different. </p> <p align="justify">The next morning we drove about a block over from the hotel for the workshop at the Extension Office, led this year again by Molly Keck, David Rodriguez, Mike Cole and son Travis, and Bryan Davis. We spent the day learning all kinds of things about bees. For instance, bees are attracted to the color yellow, so perhaps that explains why they spend so much time on the prickly pear blooms. Honey bees are <em>eusocial</em> insects, like ants and termites, because they take cooperative care of their young, have reproductive divisions of labor, a caste system if you will, and have overlapping generations. Drones mate with the queen, help make the babies; worker bees, well, they do all the work. This is a simplified list, but they clean the cells for the larvae, nurse the babies, store nectar and pollen, and a host of other things. And they have cool little pouches on their back legs where they load the pollen to take back to the hive, and you can see the the dot of yellow if you look carefully. And the queen, well, she really is the reason we have the concept of the <em>Queen Bee.</em> She is larger than the others, rules the hive, is supplied with royal jelly by the others, lays the eggs, and pretty much does whatever she wants. She does eventually die, like they all do, but in the meantime, she’s the diva of the hive. We also learned that bees in Texas are all Africanized, thanks to the African bees that migrated to us from South America. I don’t remember why or how they came to be in South America. The main difference to native bees is that they are a bit more aggressive, but use of smoke and slow movements when working with them calms them enough to get the job done. Bees in the New England states are more docile because they have not been Africanized yet, and you might see bee keepers there using only the bee bonnets and long gloves when working with the hive.</p> <p align="justify">After sampling local honey and realizing they have different flavors depending on where the majority of the pollen was gathered, drawing for door prizes of bee equipment, we adjourned for the day, and we set out on a mission to find Pappadeaux. Couldn’t get the car GPS to work as it was the first time we had even tried to use it, had no luck with my IPhone GPS as I had just gotten it (Can you guess our ages!?) literally the day before, and finding out we had managed to get on the longest feeder road in existence that took us no telling how many miles which finally dumped us on the Bandera highway.We turned around, got back on the 410 loop going the other way, and found Pappadeaux’s. Success at last. And more food than we should have eaten. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P1NZnTtkxOs/VEqbjtpz9JI/AAAAAAAAGyI/5y5CtPd2xPQ/s1600-h/IMG_3942%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3942" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3942" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YKVa4BWf4o8/VEqbkf7gIII/AAAAAAAAGyQ/m0wWh77gacg/IMG_3942_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Saturday was the demonstration day, the pay-off. We drove to Mike Cole’s place in Atkins, outside San Antonio, suited up, loaded the smoker, and had hands-on experience with his bee hives.<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A-gUg4eOcik/VEqblU9bBkI/AAAAAAAAGyY/A44G8q8GOIU/s1600-h/IMG_3944%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3944" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3944" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Q69dy42_soE/VEqbmK1pkKI/AAAAAAAAGyg/nrTDMmpTAII/IMG_3944_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="513" height="344"></a> <br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Mj7nvHfl9ic/VEqbmwoAxII/AAAAAAAAGyo/H1V5pOctNxc/s1600-h/IMG_3948%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3948" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3948" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jv6C2-awm6g/VEqboM3wlpI/AAAAAAAAGyw/XLRb6UBj5e4/IMG_3948_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="514" height="344"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PRnxr9PkOqs/VEqbo3ltZOI/AAAAAAAAGy4/HZMOpfCPm4s/s1600-h/IMG_3954%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3954" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3954" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7WusMv2ADNA/VEqbpqFOtcI/AAAAAAAAGzA/GtBD4F6iCfo/IMG_3954_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="520" height="348"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-In8_9k7avh0/VEqbqfKZ9eI/AAAAAAAAGzI/jrh0CKpRhnU/s1600-h/IMG_3957%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3957" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3957" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-C7a4rRfKt40/VEqbrTV5uNI/AAAAAAAAGzQ/3eP374ZDuLk/IMG_3957_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="529" height="354"></a> <br>We opened the top hive, and it was amazing how many bees were in there! Mike had several boxes stacked, and with the calming help of the smoke, we checked all of them and found an unbelievable number of bees, honey, brood, and developing larvae. We didn’t ever come across the queen, but she was in there somewhere or it would not have been such a thriving, successful hive.<br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jhNVeblUUlg/VEqbsNrJGyI/AAAAAAAAGzY/-dm-5Vf4GdQ/s1600-h/IMG_3973%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3973" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3973" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YtO68XLmulI/VEqbs6jVhFI/AAAAAAAAGzg/CAafFyPrATY/IMG_3973_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="532" height="356"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QTb0veYFfZY/VEqbtw-xyDI/AAAAAAAAGzo/tHdAzHtaOrw/s1600-h/IMG_3958%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3958" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3958" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Zpe-fZ8NwhY/VEqbul9p8AI/AAAAAAAAGzw/NSamRALhZvM/IMG_3958_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="538" height="360"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2l6RNQwPhKc/VEqbvjtFAoI/AAAAAAAAGz4/3ZMmaLMp_ng/s1600-h/IMG_3974%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3974" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3974" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WpROhK7hpos/VEqbwi2xeVI/AAAAAAAAG0A/5YAUe-9hEi0/IMG_3974_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="533" height="357"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vl7xdzP1amE/VEqbxdi_CCI/AAAAAAAAG0I/98XEgkdl-y8/s1600-h/IMG_3975%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3975" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3975" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UjiwO4FVqTE/VEqbyBRCmhI/AAAAAAAAG0Q/D-U_R-5HW2Q/IMG_3975_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="535" height="358"></a> <br>In both pictures of the frames, the dull gold cells on the left are brood cells, full of developing larvae. The black holes are open cells with the developed larvae almost ready to come out. If you look closely at the top picture, you can see a bit of shine in the black cells. That is the babies. The grayish-gold stuff on the right of the frame is actually honey in honeycomb. And I think you can see all the bees moving around on all of it. I know the honey doesn’t really look much like honey at this point. Trust me; that’s what it is. There are ways to get the honey off the comb and into the form you would recognize, but that is another story. </p> <p align="justify">Then the bee boxes were restacked, and we headed back to the house. The suits by that time were getting a bit hot and we had aggravated the bees enough by then.<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sR2mdTsbgDk/VEqbzCkwGaI/AAAAAAAAG0Y/H-vTSdx7y8U/s1600-h/IMG_3980%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3980" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3980" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pKyqjhMO43c/VEqb0N6oJ_I/AAAAAAAAG0c/25G8tR5k-Gc/IMG_3980_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="541" height="362"></a><br></p> <p align="justify">Being a bee keeper really isn’t that hard, and yet there is much to know. I have just scratched the surface here. Even if you care nothing about collecting honey or don’t need the bees for their pollination work, it would be worth attending a bee workshop just to realize how important they are to our ecological system and to appreciate the amazing things they do. </p> <p align="justify">And if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-81804167829933790992014-10-14T21:26:00.001-07:002014-10-14T21:26:00.527-07:00The Tradition Continues-Korben Begins Football<p align="justify">We watched our son AJ play many a football game. We followed grandson Colten’s football career all the way from 7th grade to graduation; this year Korben, Caroline’s 12 year-old son and one of our new grandsons by way of husband Neil, took to the field in Texico, New Mexico, Wolverine green wearing number 84, which was Colten’s number, for the start of his football legacy.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5Q9ALfgkn6s/VD33KWI9KbI/AAAAAAAAGvA/lP7_trEtdgs/s1600-h/IMG_3686%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3686" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3686" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-A4BxGNQwq_U/VD33LXVCEeI/AAAAAAAAGvI/m4oYkF4Bnks/IMG_3686_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="502" height="336"></a> <br>The first game we attended was a combined effort of the 7th and 8th grade teams on both sides. Alas, this was a tough game, and the 7th grade members did considerable watching from the sidelines. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5j-4_QUdoWc/VD33MKqKLLI/AAAAAAAAGvQ/DBtaqXqLAIM/s1600-h/IMG_3872%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3872" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3872" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gRYUaecIVmg/VD33M90P-oI/AAAAAAAAGvY/hb7wyVxAzgI/IMG_3872_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="502" height="336"></a> <br>The next game was at Bovina and number 84 did a good job on the kick-off team more than once.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FOzsODqE5h0/VD33NvSDMZI/AAAAAAAAGvg/eUt3N2YplsI/s1600-h/IMG_3864%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3864" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3864" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-N8aOjHRt2BM/VD33OK7AmJI/AAAAAAAAGvo/6MQFcqkzCXc/IMG_3864_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HbZI1U_lFgk/VD33PCw2xkI/AAAAAAAAGvw/PO6N-nxTH3U/s1600-h/IMG_3876%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3876" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3876" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3oeKnu83QsI/VD33PvQb5jI/AAAAAAAAGv4/5VthqM6B0jo/IMG_3876_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>This game was a lot more fun-Texico won!<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kgQpHs9D_rM/VD33QdygcjI/AAAAAAAAGwA/OjGP1nBMApQ/s1600-h/IMG_3881%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3881" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3881" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tXsG5phOznw/VD33REyvrCI/AAAAAAAAGwI/lEtcPm_LFNw/IMG_3881_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br>The game we watched last week was against Ft. Sumner, and Texico was overpowered. Korben played, but the team was unable to pull it out. They did, however, manage to make some nice plays. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ABC_Fa03JuQ/VD33RzbvdYI/AAAAAAAAGwQ/vqETgwcjR68/s1600-h/IMG_3889%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3889" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3889" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Jnm1u3f_E4w/VD33SkCvAyI/AAAAAAAAGwY/uutcsf0ALeI/IMG_3889_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a> <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yGFrMuhqej4/VD33TbwKwPI/AAAAAAAAGwg/H_rVPPQT8S4/s1600-h/IMG_3894%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3894" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3894" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QAYYlGXa_L0/VD33T87YP3I/AAAAAAAAGwo/vPcyHC2QnQo/IMG_3894_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="508" height="340"></a> <br>And that’s football. You win some, but you don’t lose some; you just run out of time.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2BDwtLjQ_eE/VD33U95-U0I/AAAAAAAAGww/Fqefl8_t5R0/s1600-h/IMG_3880%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3880" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3880" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9ohxyDavATY/VD33VTDsZfI/AAAAAAAAGw4/ssqsPoMcmng/IMG_3880_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a> <br>But it’s fun to play.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-90582821399730907172014-10-07T21:27:00.001-07:002014-10-07T21:27:54.306-07:00Soccer GrandMom; Movie Date<p align="justify">After she finished the series, Maya insisted I read <em><strong>The Maze Runner</strong></em> trilogy, which I did, so when the movie came out on September 19th, I thought it appropriate that we see it together. I couldn’t get down there on the opening week-end, and I knew she would want to be first, or maybe second, in line to see it with one of her friends anyway, which was understandable. But she graciously and eagerly agreed to see it a second time with me. And why not? She enjoyed the books and what teenage girl (well, almost teenage) wouldn't be willing to watch Dylan O’Brien race through the maze again for another two hours? </p> <p align="justify">So the date was set; I drove down for our big night out to discover that brother Ben had decided to play soccer and had his first practice and game that same week-end. So I got two grandkid events for the price of one trip-a soccer game <em>and</em> a movie. What a deal!</p> <p align="justify">And pizza. But that came later.</p> <p align="justify">Ben’s practice Friday evening went well, but a trip to the store was in order before the game at noon on Saturday, and that’s when I had my first taste of being a soccer mom, AJ and Caroline and Colten being into the smaller ball sports when they were that age. I know about baseball and softball cleats, gloves, and balls. Shin guards, soccer socks, and soccer cleats were a whole new experience. How hard could it be, buying socks? Harder than you might think, especially when shopping with Ben! Shin guards weren’t that simple, either. And for a while, the only shoes we could find were in girl colors, but the right pair finally surfaced. </p> <p align="justify">So then we rushed back to the house to load up chairs, blankets, and edibles and made our way under a puffy gray sky to the soccer fields. Ben’s game was at 12:45, so when we arrived other games were under way already. Little soccer players were in constant motion all over the place, using up excess energy waiting impatiently for their games to start while the kids in the ongoing games were scurrying about chasing the ball and kicking each other in the shin guards. Not hard, but moms, I suspect, were glad they had gone to the trouble to provide them.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1uHsYSjngsE/VDS9N8yFB1I/AAAAAAAAGt4/LRaE0er9MOY/s1600-h/IMG_3804%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3804" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3804" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fFOgHk7GXgs/VDS9OjJ6dQI/AAAAAAAAGt8/_IvsK9BaYSc/IMG_3804_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TvFn1v64gLU/VDS9PLP7yVI/AAAAAAAAGuI/oz7k9R3N0mg/s1600-h/IMG_3833%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3833" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3833" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zfsMV3Qob5Q/VDS9P2JHF8I/AAAAAAAAGuM/POoCGLbRy-o/IMG_3833_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> <br>Ben went in as a forward, I think was the position, and did well, but the coach put him in as goalie after the other team racked up 3 points, and he did a really good job stopping more scoring, but alas, the damage was already done, and they lost. But it was the first game. They will get better.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-AeB5QLaHsj4/VDS9Qb_-lII/AAAAAAAAGuU/sE2aIJWtYjA/s1600-h/20140927_191326%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="20140927_191326" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140927_191326" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hgo4dBbHfwk/VDS9Q39XDeI/AAAAAAAAGuc/65b5W8CeiDs/20140927_191326_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="309" height="546"></a> <br>After a little rest, it was time to load up again for the original main event of the week-end, <strong><em>The Maze Runner</em></strong>. i expected the audience to be young people, but it seemed like there were as many adults as kids there. So our group fit right in- mom, grandmother, 12 year-old, 9 year-old. We had all the bases covered. For those of you not into the current blitz of YA dystopia novels, this story is about a group of boys who are saddled with the task of figuring out how to get out of this maze and why they are there in the first place. And that’s just the first conundrum they have to deal with. When the second installment, <strong><em>The</em></strong> <em><strong>Scorch Trials</strong></em>, comes out, another road trip to see it will be in order.</p> <p align="justify">But back to this movie-no sooner would these kids manage to figure out how to overcome one overwhelming obstacle when another one would magically appear. I was worn out by the ending, which of course, left us all dangling and anxious to see how the group deals with a new set of never-ending adversities in the next movie. I was so caught up in the story that when Chuck (spoiler alert) dies, I really did shed a few tears. </p> <p align="justify">Loaded down with pizza, we compared the book to the movie and shared favorite scenes on the way home.</p> <p align="justify">And just before we reached the house, Ben calmly showed us the tooth that just then decided to come out!</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xZbRtDrqMy0/VDS9RdSLRFI/AAAAAAAAGuk/HyINb3bZFsE/s1600-h/20140927_192019%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="20140927_192019" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140927_192019" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZfwRBUE1z7E/VDS9R_GMPpI/AAAAAAAAGuw/RW9DS-5p8Dw/20140927_192019_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="316" height="560"></a> </p> <p align="justify">A fun ending to a memorable day. Can’t wait to do it again.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-6115494830075889552014-09-22T20:37:00.001-07:002014-09-22T20:37:20.345-07:00West Texas Weeds<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mrbO2xj86go/VCDqsT9jpLI/AAAAAAAAGrA/ImXdAYOq084/s1600-h/IMG_37804.jpg"><img title="IMG_3780" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3780" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lFrAWXFstPc/VCDqtB4SyrI/AAAAAAAAGrI/5EwDy-rJB4Y/IMG_3780_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br>The good news is that we finally had some measurable rain: the trees burst forth with new growth; the pasture greened up again; the temperature went down to tolerable numbers; burn bans were taken down; everyone breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed the lushness brought on by the moisture-<em>moisture </em>being the key word up here. Old-timers don’t talk about the rainfall; they refer to all the moisture we had. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sIs2_NPrCNY/VCDqt5HbalI/AAAAAAAAGrQ/w0H9QLHFRaw/s1600-h/IMG_33014.jpg"><img title="IMG_3301" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3301" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-D7hQZ_bpzdY/VCDqupfStlI/AAAAAAAAGrY/vv6pVvFY8NA/IMG_3301_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> <br>The road in front of our house.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YSJV0vz2iQI/VCDqvZ1rUqI/AAAAAAAAGrg/D7X9hxbQ5nI/s1600-h/IMG_33115.jpg"><img title="IMG_3311" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3311" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h0J92DM5Pqw/VCDqv8vMJnI/AAAAAAAAGro/w3Lys3jfPCc/IMG_3311_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="336"></a> <br>The road north of the pasture. Now, if you live in Houston this may not look like much water to you, but up here when it does this, we think it is the beginning of the 40 days and 40 nights Noah prepared for. And of course, because it doesn’t rain much, drainage plans are never considered very important-until after it rains.</p> <p align="justify">The bad news-and you know there always seems to be a down side to good things-the bad news is that the weeds love all that moisture,too. I suspect that the prevailing stereotype of West Texas geography is of a flat, sandy, barren, brown stretch of land that grows mostly prickly pear, yucca, and the ubiquitous tumbleweed (aka Russian thistle). And that’s partly true. But give us a decent rainy season and the tumbleweeds flourish along with all their weedy friends. Shoot, we can grow weeds that rival the Johnson grass that fills the ditches along the Gulf Coast. All they need is a little water. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-H81syIEWgS0/VCDqwjayRmI/AAAAAAAAGrw/D9T_reQwWxc/s1600-h/IMG_3768%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3768" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3768" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uGu1GhNnbr4/VCDqxfCmP8I/AAAAAAAAGr0/p5ixGi961tk/IMG_3768_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="334"></a> <br>This last batch of rain is the second good set of showers we have had this year, and I was just feeling pretty good about how clean I had the flower and cactus beds and how the walk path was free of spurge and had few, if any kocia (sounds like kosher) weeds along the border of the path, and then <em>Boom!</em> Here we go again. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Gu9DE1JEykU/VCDqyG6XfkI/AAAAAAAAGsA/Fo9dpcAUnRw/s1600-h/IMG_3776%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3776" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3776" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FAv_Rn0zRWo/VCDqy89-UwI/AAAAAAAAGsE/HkCs2MKDH70/IMG_3776_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>I’m not sure I know a kocia from a careless weed, but I do know they are both flourishing right now and are a pain. I think this one is a kocia and is growing on the other side of the fence by the walk path. I pushed it over in the picture below to show its trunk. I mean, these things are like trees! That stem is fatter than a linebacker’s middle finger! We have had them get five feet tall. It takes tree branch loppers to cut these things down when they get this big, and unfortunately, they got ahead of me and my spraying schedule, so I will have to take the loppers to them again. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4Lkm5yC9RAA/VCDqzjLamWI/AAAAAAAAGsQ/QALvw4AZ7J0/s1600-h/IMG_3777%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3777" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3777" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wJThou0SuEc/VCDq0HjVP7I/AAAAAAAAGsY/zyQT_majMhg/IMG_3777_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="337"></a> <br>The aggravating thing is they can be mowed or shredded, but that doesn’t kill them; it just cuts them down to ground level and then the lowest branches just spread out and start over at the ends. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hYXKObpTXvo/VCDq1Pm4h3I/AAAAAAAAGsg/_X4eRQg2u04/s1600-h/IMG_3770%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3770" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3770" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T1tu1PpPuDI/VCDq1zJYWbI/AAAAAAAAGso/qxpRQtyWS4I/IMG_3770_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="508" height="340"></a> <br>The Bermuda grass behaves like a weed when it gets too much rain. I don’t know if I will get all the grass out of this yucca or will just have to keep pulling up the long runners.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5VcUeUH261w/VCDq2uwbPXI/AAAAAAAAGsw/s8nZ9VjZbBk/s1600-h/IMG_37735.jpg"><img title="IMG_3773" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3773" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wk9AL7Rcrsk/VCDq3sYtoDI/AAAAAAAAGs4/e3CZ-kL9I5M/IMG_3773_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="518" height="347"></a> <br>Mushrooms popped up here and there,</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-S5Ph6ZLKn6M/VCDq4QslSqI/AAAAAAAAGtA/rWjO9piyIJY/s1600-h/IMG_37795.jpg"><img title="IMG_3779" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3779" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--OchgmlAMB0/VCDq4xasaXI/AAAAAAAAGtI/EcTORPVrf-Q/IMG_3779_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="518" height="347"></a> <br>and these nasty little black ones come up all over the walk path. I say nasty because if you step on them, then you leave a black mess wherever you walk. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TKRrAS17PV8/VCDq5bHfV_I/AAAAAAAAGtM/hqhRSG_6ffY/s1600-h/IMG_3774%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3774" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline" border="0" alt="IMG_3774" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ojy31NYnw5E/VCDq6E9GAuI/AAAAAAAAGtY/k6HWoztAkxQ/IMG_3774_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="394" height="589"></a> <br>The spurge and milkweed magically appeared in the walk path, so it is spray time again there. I didn’t take any pictures of them this time, but the bindweed (an infuriating little vine in the morning glory family) and tumbleweeds are going to love all this rain, and by the time I can get it all pulled up at one end of the cactus bed, both weeds will already be coming back at the front end. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GO6JWhCgOgU/VCDq64CeD_I/AAAAAAAAGtg/63byWu3OT6U/s1600-h/IMG_37724.jpg"><img title="IMG_3772" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3772" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gQudCl5NXvU/VCDq7pLoeKI/AAAAAAAAGto/heUQekkUZjI/IMG_3772_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>But we really can’t fuss too much about rain up here. We take the good with the bad, the flowers with the weeds, and consider ourselves blessed when the clouds finally drench us again. </p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-21114224456888988862014-09-14T14:55:00.001-07:002014-09-14T14:55:18.685-07:00Art Association Takes Road Trip to Visit Artist Kenneth Wyatt<p align="justify">On September 2, the Muleshoe Art Association traveled to Tulia to admire an internationally recognized artist, sculptor, and in his former life, ordained Methodist pastor, Kenneth Wyatt. Dr. Wyatt is well-known and respected in the West Texas area as well as around the world, and his work can be found all over the United States and foreign countries. His paintings of the Apostles, Jesus, and artistic crosses can be found in many churches, and he is equally well-known for his Western-themed paintings and sculptures. His knowledge of the cowboy way comes naturally, based on his experiences, and it shows in his work. His faith comes through in the depth of feeling that shows in his faith-themed works; many times it is apparent in the Western work as well.</p> <p align="justify">We started our trip with a stop for lunch at the El Camino Restaurant in Tulia , which was decorated with Wyatt prints marked for sale. Members who went on the trip were, left to right around the table, Kay Hohes, Sandra Chancey, Jackie Hinderliter, Nelda Merriott, Susan Skipworth, and Ann Johnson. I went, too, but I am behind the camera.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eZGfNlddKkA/VBYOgs4XUcI/AAAAAAAAGoA/0RJJzgV0VAA/s1600-h/IMG_3662%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3662" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3662" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ujQDDj0W3uY/VBYOhSOR0-I/AAAAAAAAGoI/z5M1kVQEmBA/IMG_3662_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> </p> <p align="justify">The house and gallery are in the end of a cul-de-sac and most impressive.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-c-tJ2GrZdP8/VBYOiLRq9QI/AAAAAAAAGoQ/kp4BOdxpsMA/s1600-h/ResizedImage_1410046565683%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="ResizedImage_1410046565683" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="ResizedImage_1410046565683" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3M6wSyvSnLM/VBYOi2NTnVI/AAAAAAAAGoU/iDSGrGRzuBY/ResizedImage_1410046565683_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="280"></a> <br>As you enter the house, the living room serves as a somewhat formal and functional living room, but also displays art work.<br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B1NvQX_TSVo/VBYOjr0avXI/AAAAAAAAGog/r4EZSHaKeAU/s1600-h/IMG_3664%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3664" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3664" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-q61syK0-9cg/VBYOkT74uMI/AAAAAAAAGoo/y9dRuVqxnng/IMG_3664_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="489" height="328"></a><br>But the as you enter the gallery area, it is a whole new Western world.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ToEkM-iyuEg/VBYOlSLA7fI/AAAAAAAAGow/G8mMyOVYXLI/s1600-h/IMG_3665%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3665" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3665" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dbth_JlodOw/VBYOmIvsi1I/AAAAAAAAGo4/7q99-MkaBE0/IMG_3665_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="357" height="533"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QYm7cC4a5Oo/VBYOm-Z-j9I/AAAAAAAAGpA/QXoer8z6Aow/s1600-h/IMG_3666%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3666" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3666" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-03GL9ahu8uQ/VBYOnqgozJI/AAAAAAAAGpI/bVumvlJzW3E/IMG_3666_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="479" height="321"></a> <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dqVpCBld5No/VBYOoZEo9UI/AAAAAAAAGpQ/764a8Co2KfY/s1600-h/IMG_3667%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3667" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3667" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CjRSbsBCXTs/VBYOpFtIYjI/AAAAAAAAGpY/MzQxAWiNZFQ/IMG_3667_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="481" height="322"></a> <br>Dr. Wyatt had a sculpture in progress, and he shared some of the techniques used for physical balance and artistic composition when creating sculpture, especially when dealing with a running horse figure. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e-jgPMhiqbU/VBYOp4m2sYI/AAAAAAAAGpg/oii6hUq1804/s1600-h/IMG_3668%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3668" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3668" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Q2XGb86badw/VBYOqTYU0SI/AAAAAAAAGpo/91njWRlvfZU/IMG_3668_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="488" height="327"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HAS4cGY6SoU/VBYOrL0UMGI/AAAAAAAAGpw/7hAqkv6-j8c/s1600-h/IMG_3669%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3669" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3669" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9L9IY3UY7eU/VBYOse_LKkI/AAAAAAAAGp0/TSCwI35m5WY/IMG_3669_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="487" height="326"></a> </p> <p align="justify">He shared the history of another of his works in progress, a head of a Cayuse, a wiry variety of wild mustang used by the Indians, known for its less than beautiful conformation but extraordinary endurance, which was featured in the Audie Murphy movie <em>Tumbleweed.</em> The history of the horse will be included on a plaque on the back of the head.<br><img title="IMG_3672" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3672" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cR9zxU0HAqM/VBYOs-NbPCI/AAAAAAAAGqA/5v3dL5zeHbw/IMG_3672_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="485" height="325"> <br>Wyatt also has a work area for painting in the middle of the gallery. When we were there, it just happened that no painting was in progress.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iBO5vqAjdFo/VBYOtnrxSvI/AAAAAAAAGqI/d_Svs07aFaM/s1600-h/IMG_3683%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3683" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3683" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fMwghdPFFD8/VBYOuXLeIuI/AAAAAAAAGqQ/7OCuy7kk_hk/IMG_3683_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="473" height="317"></a> <br>Here are a couple of other views inside the gallery, although they really don’t do it justice.</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-r19IQa4p1zI/VBYOu0zWktI/AAAAAAAAGqY/S_ol4JTwHRc/s1600-h/IMG_3677%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3677" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3677" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OoxYoE9HC_w/VBYOvuRW7MI/AAAAAAAAGqg/BotgTI3XRyY/IMG_3677_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="312" height="465"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AARcfGZYvwQ/VBYOwXAu6yI/AAAAAAAAGqo/Y-n6jIQyb-w/s1600-h/IMG_3682%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3682" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3682" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-p__o8TLgRzA/VBYOwyjix_I/AAAAAAAAGqw/mqvbhu5MSoM/IMG_3682_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="481" height="322"></a> <br>The artist is in residence most of the time and loves to share stories about his work. </p> <p>We enjoyed the visit. You will, too. </p> <p> </p> <p><em>For more information and directions to Kenneth Wyatt Galleries, go to</em> <a href="http://www.kennethwyatt.com">www.kennethwyatt.com</a> <em>or call 806-995-2239 for the Tulia gallery or 575-754-6133 for information about their Red River Gallery of Fine Art in Red River, New Mexico.</em></p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-90448688701116879652014-09-06T12:01:00.001-07:002014-09-06T12:01:28.628-07:00Mouse Mortality; The Carnage Continues!<p align="justify">We have never had a mouse problem, or with rabbits, and snakes. We have, however, always had cats. For about the past month, they have knocked themselves out ridding our yard, not to mention the world, of mice. At least one a day, One Sunday we discovered four little bodies dotted around the yard, in the barn, by the front door, by the back door. They have always caught mice, but not like this. We think the mice must be on the move looking for food since the corn crop behind the house has been harvested and left them empty-handed. This little victim was left for me where I exercise in the barn.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7d0F1s_qmXI/VAtZ5xNnf7I/AAAAAAAAGmY/2cj1r73s-FY/s1600-h/IMG_3630%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3630" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3630" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RsP2cFErMeI/VAtZ6jzbVHI/AAAAAAAAGmc/IrPRabmbHn4/IMG_3630_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>I can’t help but be curious about which cat, or cats, have been so successful with their hunting skills. We know it wasn’t Poopie Cat, who spends her days and nights lounging about in the house.<br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-I6s5m44fulI/VAtZ7AvgBMI/AAAAAAAAGmo/Cw901XDk2qM/s1600-h/IMG_3684%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3684" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3684" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sqYOjBmvfiM/VAtZ7wQmlMI/AAAAAAAAGms/msykpy0cJ7c/IMG_3684_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><br>It might be Perla, but she seems perfectly content to hold down her position as queen of my side of the barn and surrounding area.I think her attitude toward hunting is<em> been there, done that</em>, and may not get that excited about playing jungle cat anymore.<br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2TwkqDKAAu8/VAtZ8txnhHI/AAAAAAAAGm4/LRVTp8eHFaA/s1600-h/IMG_3644%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3644" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3644" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Pu-1Gg-h9JY/VAtZ9fr6cdI/AAAAAAAAGnA/RdE-L44cktQ/IMG_3644_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="335"></a> <br><br>Sophie has been known to leave trophies at the front door, but I’m not sure bagging the kill interests her that much any more, either. <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DnAuK6Qf0jo/VAtZ-O_rv9I/AAAAAAAAGnI/qJrVCDhaxkg/s1600-h/IMG_3650%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3650" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3650" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JEe1r7ckn5k/VAtZ-6I8BiI/AAAAAAAAGnM/sFIGP2QPG3Q/IMG_3650_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="505" height="338"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Minnie is a probable candidate. She’s younger, inquisitive; big and strong. I suspect she has brought in a fair number of those carcasses.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-O3JCPdDyPKk/VAtZ_W5BIgI/AAAAAAAAGnY/J9GObyRtACk/s1600-h/IMG_3640%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3640" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3640" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SRgJWeN-8zA/VAtaAMDXjvI/AAAAAAAAGnc/8aApoF_22NY/IMG_3640_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="508" height="340"></a> <br></p> <p align="justify">But the real money is on Peaches. She trots out the door like a warrior on a mission and covers a lot of ground. She is the smallest of the cats and has been declawed, but something tells me she’s responsible for many of the little decapitated bodies littering the yard. And don’t hammer me for the declawing. She was determined to scratch on the furniture and refused to go outside; in desperation I finally gave in and had the surgery done, <em>then</em> she decided she wanted to go out. But she seems to do just fine without them.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6EqRIu7-ESw/VAtaAgrho2I/AAAAAAAAGno/kxjBnTny4ww/s1600-h/IMG_3647%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_3647" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3647" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R5Z3oewmulM/VAtaBlCIW4I/AAAAAAAAGns/qUkHEZPLGIc/IMG_3647_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="513" height="343"></a> </p> <p align="justify">And they all look pretty harmless, don’t they? Well, they are, unless it’s time to hunt. I understand that some people think cats shouldn’t be fed so they will be hungry and will hunt for something to eat. Don’t believe it. These cats are fed well, and it hasn’t stopped them from doing what cats do. ‘Course, they really aren’t hunting; I think they may just enjoy the game. </p> <p align="justify">Whatever. The body count may slow down, but for now, one or all the cats keep the undesirables away <em>and </em>keep us entertained. </p> <p align="justify">Not a bad deal, I must say.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-31681241979048327932014-08-30T14:29:00.001-07:002014-08-30T14:29:21.567-07:00Road Trip Again-This Time Stop At Revival<p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IwbZORx5PpU/VAJB1atcFQI/AAAAAAAAGi4/Vc05PGgXCnY/s1600-h/IMG_36024.jpg"><img title="IMG_3602" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3602" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZSZBOg2sQ0w/VAJB2E7_gqI/AAAAAAAAGjA/iANmrKz7-6c/IMG_3602_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="334"></a> <br>Another good destination on Hwy 71, this time at Bee Cave, Texas, is Revival, a shop I am not sure how to describe, but a place loaded with all kinds of different ideas and interesting stuff. </p> <p align="justify">Yes, I know stuff is not a good descriptive word, but that’s what they have-<em>stuff. </em>All kinds of things: furniture, doors, antiques, re-purposed items, plants, an interior design studio, fabric, wallpaper, old wood, chickens, playhouses, toys, jewelry, chalk paint, DIY classes. a pot-bellied pig.</p> <p align="justify">All this stuff is to provide the conscious consumer with authentic, quality products that simplify the consumer’s ability to consume sustainably while being aware of the product’s impact on community, environment, and future generations. I lifted all this information from the Revival Overview sent to me by owner David Camp, who is passionate about his mission to make this kind of shopping available to the growing population of the Lake Travis/Austin/Bee Cave area. To grossly oversimplify, I think Revival provides a way to shop <em>green</em>, if you will. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_KOiZ4Ccv7k/VAJB3IIc98I/AAAAAAAAGjI/6s7-XPrIuuU/s1600-h/IMG_35994.jpg"><img title="IMG_3599" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3599" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pjZpj24OHSE/VAJB5SfLtGI/AAAAAAAAGjQ/mUb_UEUzNG4/IMG_3599_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="494" height="331"></a> <br>I caught David hard at work on signs the day I visited. </p> <p align="justify">But all that noble and heartfelt effort to become the Whole Foods of the furniture and home decor field aside, it’s a fun place to shop! David and his wife Tara opened Revival in November of 2010 with a vision of providing diverse home-related products and sources for the conscientious shopper. I can remember stopping by after they first opened and being impressed with the variety of unusual items they had amassed and clustered under the big oak tree. And they continue to gather and expand their inventory while enlarging on the Revival shopping experience. More buildings are planned for independent vendors and an old, architecturally significant Baptist church is being moved from Middletown, Ohio, and reconstructed stone by stone as I write this. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wEarMSUvRpU/VAJB6LH5VOI/AAAAAAAAGjY/aR6VMwzXgN4/s1600-h/IMG_35864.jpg"><img title="IMG_3586" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3586" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-txKN5Z23uYA/VAJB68mDKcI/AAAAAAAAGjg/4dIdFYHUS6I/IMG_3586_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="496" height="332"></a> <br>Shirley Cameron was busy repurposing some china tea cups as pots for succulents; the finished products are to be used as bridesmaid’s gifts.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-48koi-idqGg/VAJB7-LbLXI/AAAAAAAAGjo/SymN16yqW_k/s1600-h/IMG_35874.jpg"><img title="IMG_3587" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3587" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bxeFjl3lrc0/VAJB8xgf-RI/AAAAAAAAGjw/VkrmtIwUxzs/IMG_3587_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>Architecturally interesting doors and furniture are big items scattered all about:<br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RlFwU8TZ-tw/VAJB9oK3_uI/AAAAAAAAGj4/xEdg4avPjmk/s1600-h/IMG_35953.jpg"><img title="IMG_3595" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3595" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_gT7cG9Fi1M/VAJB-vcYApI/AAAAAAAAGkA/pYtlqfS05AA/IMG_3595_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="332" height="496"></a> <br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7VvjtkGmjc0/VAJB_NSsbAI/AAAAAAAAGkI/DDNGoFtAfBI/s1600-h/IMG_35893.jpg"><img title="IMG_3589" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3589" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1r9ateBPmYg/VAJCAF5RjLI/AAAAAAAAGkQ/yUoFf9ufey0/IMG_3589_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="330" height="493"></a> <br>Kids and patrons are free to wander about in the courtyard.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qnTousaAuO4/VAJCA-6YPGI/AAAAAAAAGkY/Zl22NrR-ieU/s1600-h/IMG_35984.jpg"><img title="IMG_3598" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3598" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2_HiMuSu_rw/VAJCBi9SnUI/AAAAAAAAGkg/8Kvfex_fjpQ/IMG_3598_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="332"></a> <br>The design studio:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-r1sxqjJIhbU/VAJCCdgbY5I/AAAAAAAAGko/Oi-5cUCk1yQ/s1600-h/IMG_35963.jpg"><img title="IMG_3596" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3596" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rZZ-URlV18s/VAJCDIsyesI/AAAAAAAAGkw/f5zJnJE9aNo/IMG_3596_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="311" height="465"></a> <br>Various merchandise inside the building:</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Xzc4duxnEPs/VAJCEKrIM8I/AAAAAAAAGk4/46CKabU_lJA/s1600-h/IMG_36003.jpg"><img title="IMG_3600" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3600" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ElADwTPkd98/VAJCFFjWH6I/AAAAAAAAGlA/FyXK7ck-G88/IMG_3600_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="329"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EYfvJkkMXaQ/VAJCF6GeLdI/AAAAAAAAGlI/yfwNzOWEA-Q/s1600-h/IMG_36016.jpg"><img title="IMG_3601" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3601" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tgjztAYS7O0/VAJCGrox8FI/AAAAAAAAGlQ/Ve2pRsl2CaI/IMG_3601_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="331"></a> <br>Hamlet, the pig I mentioned, pretty much has the run of the place, but he also has his own living quarters here in this trailer. <br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KtqmBT8m06o/VAJCHk6b-1I/AAAAAAAAGlY/MnmXuedCt8c/s1600-h/IMG_35925.jpg"><img title="IMG_3592" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3592" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q1AzBy0lw2s/VAJCIfOZDgI/AAAAAAAAGlg/GhUG6PC6Yak/IMG_3592_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="332"></a> <br>He also gets lots of attention from the kids, shown here with one of David and Tara’s daughters, accessorizing his looks with these snappy sunglasses, a must for every well-dressed pig.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YFCbIp_eaP8/VAJCJEZ7xII/AAAAAAAAGlo/JDH01JR6OZ4/s1600-h/IMG_35944.jpg"><img title="IMG_3594" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3594" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XovzZWQ06Bc/VAJCJzW9JfI/AAAAAAAAGlw/g_fO2damBp8/IMG_3594_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> <br>So when you are in the market for what David Camp calls real stuff-old things. new, things found in a barn, repurposed goods, vintage antiques, one of a kind items, head to 13308 Hwy 71 in Bee Cave, go past all the fancy Galleria stores, go down the hill, and turn right into Revival.<br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ASVbGWa2TH8/VAJCKjjBovI/AAAAAAAAGl4/VCDYN5TyeAU/s1600-h/IMG_35914.jpg"><img title="IMG_3591" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3591" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hDZsmDFJn0Q/VAJCLlr3k3I/AAAAAAAAGmA/XIst_M6ezuU/IMG_3591_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="334"></a> <br>Say hi to Hamlet. You can’t miss him. </p> <p>For a more in-depth look at what Revival has to offer, their website is <a href="http://www.revivaltx.com">www.revivaltx.com</a> and the phone number is 512-263-4182.</p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364295604547064626.post-43532214462979698732014-08-24T06:49:00.001-07:002014-08-24T06:49:37.273-07:00Road Trip-The Living Desert Ranch<p align="justify"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-L7pQSCm96NE/U_ntI5Gu_AI/AAAAAAAAGf4/B-fAUr0Tsrc/s1600-h/IMG_9470%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9470" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9470" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LzLD76JLiuI/U_ntJjlpOcI/AAAAAAAAGgA/STVl7ZlHCpA/IMG_9470_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="495" height="332"></a> <br>If you are in the Austin area, like I was this past week, or not even close but just need a destination for a road trip, or have a burning desire to add to your cactus collection, I would suggest Living Desert Ranch in Spicewood, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Austin west on Hwy 71. I promise you won’t be disappointed. </p> <p align="justify">I have frequented the Living Desert for more years than I can remember, dating back to the original location in Bee Cave, down the road from the new location in Spicewood, and always enjoy my stops there to buy yet more cactus that I really don’t need and to visit with Darrell Dunten, the owner. Darrell and his wife Yvonne, started the business in 1978 after moving to the Lake Travis area and trading a 9 to 5 job for one, as Darrell put it, that is eight days a week! </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7XRFdP53vrg/U_ntKoXWwRI/AAAAAAAAGgI/C43O8aprvVg/s1600-h/IMG_9491%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9491" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9491" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LeC83yjr1XQ/U_ntLePsiFI/AAAAAAAAGgQ/QSPXe8BX9Z8/IMG_9491_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="337"></a><br>This is the original location. I took this right after he had to move. Now there is some ugly concrete and brick car lube place there, and they cut down all the trees! What a waste. <br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WjjWkVkWpXk/U_ntM300i1I/AAAAAAAAGgY/0KynmOneJe0/s1600-h/IMG_9467%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9467" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9467" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UHE8nN_SvkY/U_ntNYJLX4I/AAAAAAAAGgg/10BPnHfnNfI/IMG_9467_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="509" height="341"></a> <br>You will have to be on the look-out and ready to turn at 22701 Hwy 71 into the new Living Desert Ranch. The greenhouse sits back on the property away from the busy highway, and that is a pleasant change from being right up on the highway like before.</p> <p align="justify">I asked Darrell if they ever regretted making the change, and he shook his head no. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do-take something we love and turn it into our occupation? And he did, enjoying the geometrically-designed plants that can endure a harsh environment that reward the faithful with beautiful flowers. </p> <p align="justify"> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-H35v7N91D6g/U_ntOfGhquI/AAAAAAAAGgo/kFgTtwrwtjY/s1600-h/IMG_9438%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9438" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9438" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-J4yKoJkcjm0/U_ntPHT8C5I/AAAAAAAAGgw/-VhsoRF_HuI/IMG_9438_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="507" height="340"></a></p> <p align="justify">Darrell is also an artist who can create beautiful paintings, but he also uses that talent to create glass and metal sculptures for the garden, and uses glass pieces as hardscape touches with cactus plantings.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KsztjIDlwqk/U_ntP3omzJI/AAAAAAAAGg4/pbUHjsl1OMI/s1600-h/IMG_9487%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9487" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9487" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8wJ9nz8899U/U_ntQz6ZfcI/AAAAAAAAGhA/io1A8f_kWDQ/IMG_9487_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="323" height="483"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Things have changed for Darrell: he lost his wife Yvonne to ALS in 2010; his son Jared was left a paraplegic from a tragic swimming accident; the business made the move from Bee Cave to Spicewood. But life goes on, and the Living Desert continues. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FEHDmKrEa8A/U_ntSQRpwtI/AAAAAAAAGhI/20Xb4Q0chXo/s1600-h/IMG_9469%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9469" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9469" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-C6PSbeeQZZI/U_ntTC1xM7I/AAAAAAAAGhM/f0jaZF-Ij1o/IMG_9469_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zbIl5OSpk5k/U_ntUBJwztI/AAAAAAAAGhY/VxftFoMv_0g/s1600-h/IMG_9451%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9451" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9451" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--ym2DUkll8g/U_ntVMYOsNI/AAAAAAAAGhg/Gm4u77xhDK8/IMG_9451_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="335"></a> </p> <p align="justify">His son Jared, his wife Kimberly, and their twin sons Levi and Asher, live on the grounds of the Living Desert, and Jared has further developed his own artistic talent in spite of his paralysis and has his art gallery open at the Living Desert. Darrell has a new love in his life, DeAnna Lynn, and the Living Desert has diversified from being just a cact5us nursery, also offering itself as a destination for corporate meetings, wedding, reunions, overnight stays, and other occasions. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xcUaAiCjYqI/U_ntVo5cLyI/AAAAAAAAGho/E34Xn8m1Qzc/s1600-h/IMG_9479%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9479" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9479" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-x3zYdVKKb-8/U_ntWdrpQFI/AAAAAAAAGhs/hAn7PxB9afY/IMG_9479_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="505" height="338"></a> <br>Jared now paints with his mouth and produces lovely pieces, like the one below.</p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-QGnXzjHcm4c/U_ntXKgy_XI/AAAAAAAAGh0/ZVA7HosDpbc/s1600-h/IMG_9482%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9482" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9482" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nyJRz9UFX5M/U_ntX5fPBvI/AAAAAAAAGiA/V3lrfaUXf6Q/IMG_9482_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="334"></a> </p> <p align="justify">Even if you think you aren’t a cactus and succulent fan, the Living Desert is still an interesting stop with lots of things to see, art to appreciate, and ideas to offer for your landscaping. </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iBmAxodd7e0/U_ntZLt74LI/AAAAAAAAGiI/O6CyCtnEgDo/s1600-h/IMG_9433%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9433" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9433" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-frQ01KfifEo/U_ntZ26V48I/AAAAAAAAGiQ/03ckECTT5b4/IMG_9433_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="502" height="336"></a> </p> <p align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SZVejg_n_uI/U_ntatXNSVI/AAAAAAAAGiY/jEkQn-kCN2w/s1600-h/IMG_9455%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_9455" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9455" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-H2_Fp97-l84/U_ntbZKpgNI/AAAAAAAAGig/L7e0kB3eY2k/IMG_9455_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="329" height="492"></a> <br>And who knows? You might even find out you like cactus after all.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><em>For more information and pictures of the Living Desert, check out my cactus blog at <a href="http://www.cactusarecool.wordpress.com">www.cactusarecool.wordpress.com</a></em></p> Alice Lileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02670532683277043555noreply@blogger.com0