mission church

I snapped this series of photographs of a mission church while driving past along the freeway. Which one do you like the best?

You get up and Sleep

Aren't you supposed to let sleeping dogs lie?

You get up and Sleep - song: Joe the Lion, artist: David Bowie, album: Heroes

Sunday Stills (2-6-11 Emotions)

This week's Sunday Stills challenge is portraying emotions or displaying photos that can cause emotions in the viewer. How about some cat-i-tude for starters?

Poor little Buddha gets embarrassed whenever I point a camera at him. The Japanese Chin breed even cries real tears.

My son is scaring the poor dog. Not really, they're playing. Buddha is not growling BTW, he just always shows teeth- more like smiling.

How about a friendly, neighborly chat?

Sandy has such a guilty, unsure look! What did I do??

For more Sunday Stills, please visit Ed's website, here.

Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain, part 4

Can it get any worse? It could!

Last night, on my way home from work, I made a water run. It took me three stores before I found water for sale. I bought about 13 gallons. That way, I could give the horses some water.

The freeway was good driving. There were a few ice patches but they were off to the sides. Then, as I climbed the big hill and turned off on my exit ramp, disaster struck! The ramp was complete slush and ice. I hit it going sixty miles an hour and what's worse- there was a car in front of me that had skidded out and was lengthwise across the lane. I didn't even see it in the dark until I was almost on it.  @#%&^%!!!!!!!

I hit the brakes and skidded. I turned my car away from the other car, barely missing it, and swerved back out onto the freeway lane. Luckily, no one was in that lane. Whew! I released my held breath, straightened the car, and drove around the sideways car in the off ramp. There was a pickup truck ahead of me now that had pulled out from in front of the stalled car. He drove down the lane, crossed the intersection, and turned off onto the shoulder of the highway. I have no idea if the other car had hit him or not. I never stopped. I was in too much shock at the near miss. I chugged home and counted my lucky stars! I think my Sube has saved herself this time.

It reminded me of another time, a couple of years ago, when, right after Christmas Eve church services, my three children and I were heading home on snowy roads. At the same off ramp there was a three or four car accident that my daughter, who was driving, nearly missed getting into. Quick thinking on her part, steered us around the scattered cars and we headed to the next exit ramp, taking the long way home.


I called the plumber again, and again no answer, and then I called another and another. Finally, we got one who said they could come out on Wednesday afternoon. They've had over 2,000 calls in the last couple of days!

At least it's in the 30's today, although the wind is blowing fiercely so it's still very, very cold!

Hurry up Spring!!


Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain - song: Sweet thing (Reprise), artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs

Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain, part 3

Another day in the single digits. Even Tucson was 22 degrees yesterday. Jeez!

Around here. the poor horses are tiptoeing on snowballs!

Annie has ice over her eyes.

Neither of my cars are starting in the morning. I have to wait a couple of hours for that solar energy to warm them up first. 

I went to buy water last night and the store was sold out! 

Will it ever warm up?

Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain - song: Sweet Thing (Reprise), artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs

Friday Foto

Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain, part 2

We've had such cold temperatures the last few days that it's been a real struggle! I stayed home from work on Tuesday because of the snowstorm. Yesterday, when I went out to my car to warm it up, it wouldn't start. I waited for a couple of hours and, although the temps didn't go up much, the sun was shining and it warmed the car up enough to start. Midmorning, I headed out. It's always scary driving along the highway running past my house after it snows because there are lots of hills and, without fail, a car or two get ditched along the side. This time, I saw one at a good slant in a snowbank. The highway department usually forgets to sand our highway, or it just doesn't do any good with the heavily blowing snow. The last hill always feels like a toboggan run as you come down towards the stop sign at the intersection of another major highway. As soon as I hit the roads I thought about turning around but I decided I could do it. All the way, I was using lower gears and praying that I wouldn't slide out.Whew, I didn't!  The freeway wasn't  much better. I shimmined on the snowpacked freeway and was thankful the traffic was light. For eighteen miles I drove along snow packed and icy roads all the way to the city limits. I don't really mind driving in bad weather but I am afraid to wreck my car. It's got minimum insurance coverage so any damage is my problem and I can't afford it.

I spent the day trying to catch up on my work and around four o'clock my son called. He was frantic. He said that he heard running water. Uh oh!! He went into the kitchen to a good inch of water on the floor and more coming. I hung up with him and called the water company. I packed my things and said a hurried good-bye to the skeleton crew of  fellow workers. One employee had called in with furnace trouble. One of them had called in with frozen pipes. It's been that kind of week around here. By the time I got home, the water had been turned off and he was finishing mopping up the floor. Now, EVERY towel in the house is in the bathtub sopping wet. No problem- I'll just wash them. CAN'T!  "Well, I told my son, just think of the pioneers. They didn't have running water. At least I stopped and bought a gallon of water on the way home. And look outside, we've got plenty of snow."

I think the outside faucet is the culprit. This morning, I noticed an icicle hanging from it.

Okay, so I began melting snow on my wood stove which is still going strong, thankfully! Do you know how much snow it takes to make water?? At least I can get water for the dogs and cats but the horses? Uh oh, how do I get the horses water? I think the high yesterday was 8 degrees! As soon as they have water it freezes. Yesterday, I took a jug out in the morning and my son took two in the afternoon so they're not dying yet.

The dogs don't hardly go outside. Buddha cries in pain because his feet are so cold and even Sandy keeps her romps short.

My mom told me this morning that since yesterday her pipes are frozen. I'm praying they don't break! I need to call a plumber now but I have a feeling it's too cold for them to work. Gosh, this has been my longest winter!!!

Update- so I went out to start my car for work and neither car will start! How do you do it, North-Easterners? How do you get your car to start in cold weather? I looked at my thermostat and I thought, "Gosh, it got up to 23 degrees during the night. How is that possible? And then I looked again and it's -23! Currently, it's 2 degrees. Hopefully, in an hour or two, with the sun shining, my car will start and I can go to work for at least a few hours.


Is it nice in your Snowstorm, Freezing your Brain - song: Sweet Thing, Reprise, artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs

Is it nice in your snow storm, freezing your brain?

The high today was10 degrees with a wind chill in the negatives. It's been snowing and blowing all day. Since it didn't appear to be letting up, I took the day off from work. We already have about ten inches of snow or more and when I heard that even the University was closing I decided it wasn't worth driving in to town just to turn around and come home again. Of course, it's so nasty out that I couldn't even stand to be outside more than a few minutes. Thankfully, my wood stove is working well so the house has been nice and warm! Here's what it looked like outside for most of the day.

Here's a close up of Scout napping 

and Yalla! exploring, both photos taken from the comfort of my house.

In the afternoon, when my son let the dogs out for a quickie, he saw a coyote right up near our house. Sandy took off after it and Buddha quickly peed and came running back to me. I knew Sandy would be okay because she often runs after coyotes so I went outside and gave the horses some grain while I waited for her to come back. I'm sure they enjoyed their noontime treat and, with the cold weather, they needed the extra calories. 

While I was out at the barn Sandy came running back to me and rolled around in the snow. She really loves snow. Although today, she had snow balls in her feet so we hurried inside. Once inside, I noticed some blood on her chin. I called my son and we rolled Sandy over and looked at her. We decided that she might have a small cut or maybe she caught the coyote?

We wiped it up and there was no more bleeding after that so who knows?

There is no place for the horses to escape the blowing snow so tonight I decided to blanket the girls. See all the snow in the stall?

The powdery snow brushed easily off of their backs and I threw blankets on both Nadia and Annie. Annie is very susceptible to the cold and I'll often find her shaking. She has a rather thin coat and in the middle of these cold spells I'll find that she's shedding long hairs. A lot of them! Why is that? I would think that horses would only shed when they're hot. None of the other horses are losing hair.

Tomorrow morning, I will bring out a nice warm mash for all the horses. Meanwhile, stay warm.

Is it nice in your snow storm, freezing your brain? - song: Sweet Thing (Reprise), artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs

Want an axe to break the ice

I heard about this car but you just gotta see the video!



Want an axe to break the ice - song: Ashes to Ashes, artist: David Bowie, album: Scary Monsters

Sunday Stills (1-30-11 Circles)

This week's Sunday Stills challenge was circles. Please excuse the quality of these photos. They were all drive bys.

 

 

For more Sunday Stills, please visit Ed's website here.

Friday Foto

 

Enter the Sweepstakes to Win a Free Trip to Albuquerque!!!

With the best year-round weather in the country, an Albuquerque winter vacation is beyond comparison to traditional winter vacations. Diverse cultures, authentic art and vibrant traditions have shaped the centuries-old story of the city. Come experience the history that continues to unfold with premier cultural events, distinctive attractions, skiing, and shopping.Immerse yourself in all that Albuquerque has to offer at an incredible value.

Win a free trip to Albuquerque from the Albuquerque Convention & Visitor's Bureau! Enter here by February 28th, 2011 for:

a two-night vacation to Albuquerque valued at $1,420:

• A two-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa
• Dinner for two in the Corn Maiden restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa
• A hot air balloon ride for two with World Balloon
• Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway passes for two
• $200 Visa card that can be used for airfare, gas or shopping

Sweepstakes official rules

Hotel stay is subject to availability and expires 12/30/11
Balloon ride is not valid October 1 - 9 and expires 12/31/11
Tram passes are not valid October 1 - 15 and expires 12/31/11

Stylish Blogger Award

Recently, I was given the Stylish Blogger Award from Honeysuckle Faire. Thank you! I have enjoyed reading about your journeys with your boys, Pie and Sovereign. You remind me of my first horsie hero- a  college student who had two OTTB Thoroughbred boys. She helped me a lot with my English riding on my young TB mare when I was a teen and she was my barn neighbor.



There are 4 duties to perform when receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!


I am thrilled to receive the award. Here are 7 facts about me:


1. I have grown more assertive and outspoken as I grow older but I am still basically a wallflower. I am the person nobody really notices in a crowd. I tend to keep my feelings to myself.


2. I have an ancient wardrobe of clothes. Seriously, I think all my dresses are from the eighties! I haven't changed sizes much during my life so I continue to wear the same old clothes- mid length hems are ageless, I've found. I have one dress, a royal blue corduroy shirt dress with snaps down the front, that every single time I wear it, someone complements me. I wear it with a concho belt and suede boots and I really do look good!


3. I had straight, straight hair as a little girl. As a teenager, I tried to get curls but every time I permed my hair, it went frizzy. Then, I found out my hair was naturally wavy and was being over-processed. Now, I wear my hair in varying lengths of short and let it do whatever it wants. Seriously, I wet my hair down every morning, run a brush through it, styling it as much as I can in about 5 minutes, then never touch it again all day.


4. I can get ready in about 10 -20 minutes. This usually includes a shower, getting dressed, putting on make up,and  styling my hair.


5. I am not artistic. I like to cross stitch only so that I can pretend I've created something. That's why I like doing jigsaw puzzles too, pretending I've made the picture myself.


6. I found my scent. I wear Obsession every day and people are always telling me how good I smell. I still worry about putting on too much because I can't smell it on myself but I've decided it's okay. Just the other day, I was walking into a movie looking for a seat in the dark and a woman reached out to me as I passed her. I wondered what I'd done. She just wanted to tell me that she thought I smelled good. Strange! Still, I made sure not to sit next to her. lol. When the time comes, I guess I should be buried with my blue dress and a bottle of Obsession.


7. I love traveling. If I could afford it, I would quit work and just travel the world. I'm an easy packer- one gym bag works for a week, and I really don't care much about accommodations- a tent, cabin, hotel, whatever. I've even considered sleeping in the car if I needed to.


Gosh, I'm not really sure how Stylish I am. I definitely don't care what others think! But there you go, at least seven things about me that you never knew before. I will find it very hard to name fifteen bloggers who haven't received this award already so I just want to pass it on to any of my readers. (I might have fifteen... on a good day. ;) )

Found photos of snowy NYC- looking for the owners (video)

Watch this video and pass it around. This young man from New York was out cross country skiing in Prospect Park and found an old cannister of undeveloped 35 mm film. He had it processed and posted this YouTube video in the hopes that he could locate the photographer.  It is believed that the young men in the photos are Europeans on holiday in the Big Apple. I am impressed with the photos. They are very, very good.

We'll Dance until Sunlight

Dance of the Sandhill Cranes

We'll Dance Until Sunlight - song: Chilly Down, artist: David Bowie, album: Labyrinth