There Was A Bird In My Room

Crazy thing.

I walked into my room, and saw something kinda fall down the wall

behind the tv.

All of a sudden,

it flies up and crashes in to the window.

It's a real bird!

How in the hell did it get in my room?

How did it survive getting by Verdell and Hoppy?

I always heard that it was a bad omen to have a bird fly in your house.

This bird flew in my house, thru the hallway, around two, maybe three corners,

and into my room.

How weird.

I imagined the small little lice flying off as it soared over my bed.

I imagined the poop it could poop as it kept flying.

How do I catch it?

I holler for Justin to come look at it.

It flew into the window and was very scared.

Justin just walks in and gets right up to the window and grabs the bird.

Just like that.

It is caught.

What a guy.

I want to see the bird so I say, "oh, let me see"

Well, J tries to let me see, and the little turkey gets away and is flying around my room again.

Once again, J just reaches over and gets the little bird out of the window.

He takes is outside and it flies away.

This is not the first bird in the house. A few years ago, I drew a picture of Justin and had it setting out, and a bird flew thru the front door and pooped down the front of it.

For real. 

I couldn't bring myself to clean it off.

The poop just seemed to belong there,

and adds an element no one seems to forget.

As far as the bird being a bad omen,

forecasting death and destruction?

Not too scared today.

ma

Damn Cactus

I saw this beautiful Golden Barrel Cactus at Wal-Mart and I had to have it.

It was in a black plastic container and I wanted to put in in something better.

The pot it ended up in is this clay pot in this picture.

Getting it OUT of the old and into the new pot was difficult.

I get my leather gloves and have the pot and I am ready to give it a move.

Well,

I lean it over to kinda get a grip on it, and the damn thing

rolls out of the black container and rolls onto my right foot.

Oh, my Lord in heaven.

Now, look at all those beautiful golden spears sticking out of this cactus.

As it rolled onto my foot, each and every thorn that could easily penetrate my bare foot ( I had my sandals on) 

DID penetrate my foot.

They are so sharp, they go very deep in to my skin, and as you can see, it is a fairly big Golden Barrel Cactus, so its weight 

HELPED THE PENETRATION OF THORNS INTO MY FOOT!

Very painful bone.

I managed to get the damn thing off my foot and in the pot.

 The pot is really too small for it,

 but

 too bad,

 so sad. 

I'm not messin' with it again.

A week or so later, my big toe started hurting me.

I take a look, and would you believe,

a thorn from that damn cactus had broke off

right in the part of my toe between the nail on the side and the skin.

 Ouch.

 It was a really big broken off thorn.

man o man

it hurt.

I got it out. Its ok now.

It does look nice in my rock garden.

Cow Crippler

These are from Texas! My brother Ben brought then to me!

Thanks Ben!

This picture shows my Black Diamond watermelon vine growing over the Golden Barrel cactus.

I can't wait for a watermelon!

Pretty Clouds

Pretty Verdell

ma

Lots

Lots and lots of love

lots and lots of bones

lots and lots of toys.......

Lots of living and dying has been going on around here.

Last Summer 2011 Sunrise

Summer is gone and with it,

so died my Aunt Tody. (pronounced  toad-ee).

My grandfather named her Tody because she

"hopped like a toad" when she was a kid.

She was my Moms only sister.

Big sister.

Mom has taken her death very hard.

Her dementia keeps her from fully grasping reality,

but she fully understands and knows her sister is dead.

I tried as best I could to help her deal with it,

 but she never really got to say

good-bye.

Its the same when my brother was killed in 1976.

She didn't get to say goodbye to him either.

All of a sudden

they are

gone

and you never get to

see

them

again.

No touch, no look, no nothing to make this real.

All you see is a coffin.

The body of the one you love is in it.

AND

you are supposed to fine with this.

Accept it, take it, let it be.

In the end

you do or don't.

It is the last choice you have.

I went to my friend Brenda's memorial today. She died of cancer at age 54.

We grew up together and she married my brother Ben.

They divorced, but as with alot of divorces, 

family ties are strong. 

She had  3 boys (from a previous marriage) and they still love and adore my brother and still talk to him alot. He has been a positive force in their lives.

Her death comes at the same time as another friend of my mom and I, Clifteen.

She died last week.  Another friend from here died of cancer, Gary. He wasn't even 60.  My friend Kathy lost her daughter at age 16 last week. My heart aches for her.

Circle of life.

There is nothing but life.

With death everywhere

life is everywhere.

Some one told me once that dying is as natural as being born.

well,

its just as ugly and you don't end up with a baby.

Where would we be if we couldn't laugh?

We are all in this together.

God's speed to all on the way out of here.

We will meet again.

Last Summer 2011 sunset

ma