Switched At Birth

Night Lights

2009-11-10T16:35:00-06:00

Tropical Storm Ida, our November almost-hurricane, left a few homes without power, some docks under water, and some small inconvenience. She shook us up a little, put all the emergency services through their paces, and caused me for once in...

Somebody Tell Ida We Don't Do November Hurricanes

2009-11-09T14:39:31-06:00

There is an edgy feel to the traffic today. Vehicles almost running stop signs, short bursts of speed for no apparent reason, cars cutting their turns short. Pre-storm behavior. I've seen it before. I am only surprised when there is...

Sweet Maggie on the Green

2009-11-08T08:57:52-06:00

There is a spot in our woods where lush grass grows. The roots stay slightly damp, but a broad open area in the tree canopy lets the sun in to warm the blades. Every time we go there, Maggie runs...

Tools in the Toolbox

2009-11-08T08:30:10-06:00

I am seeing woodpeckers high up in the standing snags in one particular neighborhood of the woods. It is a circular cul de sac, formed by a convergence of fire line paths. To my naked eye, they look rather dull...

Color Weather Radar

2009-11-07T14:29:07-06:00

God, what a sunset. A thin yellow laser beam shoots across my shoulder as I sit on the sofa. It beams straight across and pins a dotted sixteenth note on the Antonio Soler Sonata in G Major where it rests...

Gift from Eleanor

2009-11-07T08:57:53-06:00

I move easily. I jump, run, dash up and down stairs, sit on the floor and rise unassisted. I hear well - Buck swears I have sonar - and see well enough with the eyeglasses that correct my nearsightedness. I...

Struggle, Beauty, Perhaps Art

2009-11-05T08:01:39-06:00

Just so you don't have the wrong impression, it's not all fawns on the lawn here at Longleaf. We work at our desks five days a week from 7 AM CST until 3:30 PM CST. Like most folks, the "brain...

"King of the Hill!"

2009-11-02T08:11:17-06:00

I spilled part of a bag of birdseed near my neglected weed patch herb garden this weekend. A hillock of builder's sand nearby has briar vines snaking across the top, mute testimony to some forgotten thought. The "gang of ten"...

Sun, Moon, Man, Woman (and Dog, don't forget dog)

2009-11-01T10:29:53-06:00

Full moon rising in the east, long red sunset in the west, and a chopped up bay blown to shore by a strong north wind. Buck and I wrapped our arms around each other, sunlight in my eye, moon glow...

Depot Mania vs. Rural Artistry

2009-10-31T10:59:51-05:00

Home Depot, Office Depot, Cabinet Depot, Ceramic Tile Depot, Carpet Depot, Flooring Depot, Hot Tub Depot, Hardware Depot, Bar Stool Depot, Light Depot, AAARRGGHH!! The meaning of "depot" according to Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary: Main Entry: de·pot Pronunciation: \1 & 2...