The Lawn Boy

See how nicely he's taking care of the overgrown grass? Nice rack!

Unfortunately he looked up and noticed my bird feeder which he promptly tore off a rope I have Christmas lights hooked up to. (For some reason the elk LOVE bird food; I can't fathom it) I then proceeded to yell at him (as a mother does a child) so he decided he was done and sauntered off before finishing the job!



What nerve!

Ramblings from the week...

I make my bed in which I lie
Create the dreams of what's to be
The matrix assembles to my opening eyes
I breathe
I made my bed on which I lay
Live the dreams of what's to be
I am part of this world I chose for me
I breathe

Walking through footstpes
Those we started before
Finalizing us

Silence! Screams inside
As I fold onto myself
Reverberating

With uncertaintly
Reading through my ramblings
To see what I see

Thresholds of my soul
Passing through my memories
Sifting emotions

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. ~Roger Miller

We've had rain on and off for the past week; though the weather looks like it'll be nice next week. This stuffs the shuttle busses with bodies; along with the stores and restaurants. Thatll help on that front I'm sure; but it does make us locals choosy with regards to where we go and how.

For me the weather has given me opportunity to set up my new apartment the way I want to and dream about how I want to decorate it. Life is just too short to waste on worries as I ponder what I want to achieve and/or make in the next five years. What ever life brings I hope to meet it with joy and beauty

May, the month for changes

May was brought in with a gusty wind of change. Mike had left on the 1st; ushering a week of realignment with myself. Friday's full moon brought out the depth of mercury retro; with communication alignments going full charge.

I have been reminded again how much my family of friends mean to me; those at long distances and those close by.

I still very much like my job I do; I've got some areas I definately need improvment but I know deep in my heart that when I have them improved I will do well.

I believe things happen for reasons; sometime we don't understand them, other times it's quite obvious. Yesterday throughout the morning people were dropping coins. The first time it passed through my mind; after the second time I got the message: Change. Not just myself; but what I accept regarding personal behavior to me - those are the most obvious. The rest will surface in time.

Happy Mothers Day

To one and all.
Last year at this time we had snow. Thank goodness the sun is shining and it's beautiful; expected to be near 80. What a relief.

Happy April

Here it is April already; the day before my eldest sisters birthday; HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS! I hope it's a really good one for you. Got plans?

The park is getting busier; we had a power outage on Friday for about 3 hours. I think everyone in my office went home and took a nap. A few of us wandered in on Saturday to finish up what wasn't done. The office was nice and quiet. Walked to work in a little snow; it was pretty. Boy am I looking forward to warmer weather.

One week ago last Wednesday I got a new do. The ponytail has been saved to send to Locks for Love; but a whole lot more came off.

This is before:


This is after


I like it, and so does Mike.

An observation of human nature or action?

While Mike was getting gas yesterday I was gazing out the window people watching. At one pump I noticed a Cadillac SUV and the pump behind it a Japanese couple pulled up in a rental car. It has been my experience here with anyone in a Cadillac SUV, so far anyways, they tend to 'ignore' anyone, even be rude by cutting off or blocking entrances/exits. (This on was no exception to the latter, but thank goodness I've not had to see this on the road only at gas stations). I watched Mike go in, and a nice older gentleman held the door for him as he noticed him approach; he then walked to the SUV and I smiled inside thinking "hmm, maybe this one will change that image I have" but he climbed in the back seat. When the driver came out, the Japanese man followed him to his car, he glanced at the couple behind him causing me to glance too. They were confused as to how to work the gas pump; not surprising to me. So the SUV driver opened his trunk put in his case of drink and got in the car and left. That surprised me. Even the couple looked surprised; so I rolled my window down and asked if they needed help. They did so I did.
I was a bit disappointed in the lack of actions or should I say the lack of courtesy. I suppose the way the car blocked the way around the pump should have tipped me off; and for some reason I feel or sense the elder man who sat in the back noticed as they drove off.

Mike's words

Brought to him in a dream:

It's not where you
start from today
But rather where you
Finish tomorrow.

Don't think I could've said it better.

As the world turns..'s

As most of you know I no longer have a cell phone; those who want my home number read your emails; it there for YOU to stay in touch should YOU want to.

It's scary reading about all the problems in the 'outside' world, yes it's affecting us here; but not as much I think as a lot of people in my old hometowns. Yet I'm just a bit thrilled to see people re-creating themselves into thriving, caring humans. It's a bit like people waking up after a numbness of watching television for waaayyyy too long.

I've been feeling restless; wanting to move onward. I know I have to wait a while; and learn more but I look forward to moving FORWARD.

Days gone by...

The past two weekends have moved in a blurr with the weekdays used as 'catch up' in taking in a breath.

It was great to have Dwight and Terry here for too short a time. I had to laugh when she looked at me rather seriously and said "Your crows here are as big as chickens!" Ahhh, the raven's; aka, the seagulls of the west. Hell this used to be an ocean; there's proof on the edge of the rim with the fossilized marine life, so I think the sea gulls just got overly burnt by the sun and became ravens. Ate out, walked a lot, drove a lot. Boy their rental car was so big, I think we could've drove our little car into it and still had room for a driver and a passenger. She offered to let me go where I wanted...tempting but I would've come back with more then what my apartment could hold. So I took her to see the wonder and the extraordinary canyon.

This weekend Mike and I used the gift certificate I won at the managers party to stay at the Radisson in Flag. As they had a sleep number bed we found our number, went to dinner at Red Lobster; which I can't remember the last time that was. MJ do you remember? Anyways it was heaven eating lobster tails. Today we leisurely grocery shopped and we're so relaxed; it was nice for a change as we usually leave early in the morning and get back for a late lunch tired and grumpy. I went to do my laundy but lo and behold the door was bolted and locked with a note "Closed until further notice". Grumbling and adding it to my list, after all like MANY things, laundry facilities are NOT abundant here, I think next week I'll take a mule down to the river and pound out my frustrations on my laundry by the river.

Happy Valentine's Day

A marked day for lovers, but also a marked day to reflect on those we love and love us in return. A friend quipped to me February is single awareness month, with Valentine's Day being single awareness day. She had a great idea of having a dinner for all of her single friends, but hiked down to Phantom instead. But it bore a new idea into my brain for next year of having a dinner party where ever I may be with our friends; single or not; to show how singly aware we are of our love for each other. Granted there will be friends that won't be present in physicality, but in spirit I accept that and honor it. Time to get dressed as the coffee is almost done and treat my sweetie to breakfast at El Tovar

Karma and Big Tobacco

Headline: Jury; Florida smoker died because of addiction.

So his widow is going to court to get millions of dollars to 'ease her grief' as her husband didn't know or understand the depth of the dangers of cigarette smoking. Bull****. Did they also sign up for one of those famcy dangerous mortgages that had a 25% balloon on the loan that came due? Where is the common sense? If we were in the 50's 60's or even as late as the 70's I'd agree, it's a new millennium folks and a lot of progress was supposedly made throughout the last one

No I'm not 'rooting' for Big Tobacco; however there is a huge waste with the large money in fines they don't seem to know what to do with. Hmmm, let see, maybe set up funds for those with medical bills who can't afford them to help pay them; consider giving away the VERY expensive patches, gums, and addiction breaking medicines that are there instead of offering discounts; how about funding research into curing cancers? Sure all the 'advertising' is helping some in the job market, but not enough.

I'm baaaacccckkkk

Winter sings in the whiping wind





It's the first time I've seen this much snow on Plateau Point. Beautiful isn't it?

So much for more bars...

Or was it just an excuse? My cell phone company (which will remain nameless - because any kind of publicity is well publicity) has decided they no longer want me as a customer. I've met people with the same company that chose their number in Flagstaff. Yet I get a letter telling me that since I am 'off network' my choices are to shut off my phone or get another carrier I am being released from my contract. Hmm, 5 years, and I thought I was a pretty good customer. Is it because I moved to the canyon? My notion was to be here a year or two and then who knows. I've been here one year as of August.

Well considering how remote this place is I can understand, but only to a point. In my way of thinking customer service would resemble something like; contact me; let me know they can't hold my Florida phone number for more then whatever time period they would allow. Rather then lose a good customer offer to change the number for me and put a recording for a certain time period that my number had changed. Not only am I not happy, I'm downright steaming. Not boiling yet; they aren't worth it.

So much for more bars anywhere....

6 more weeks of winter??

Could've fooled me as we here at the Canyon are in the 50's during the day. I was surprised to see it in the 30's this morning; usually it's in the teens. Being at such a high altitude (7000 feet above sea level) the variation between night and day can be as much as a 40 degree difference.

I still miss the snow, but I suppose (insert heavy sigh) that it's soon time for spring. The mule deer are becoming more frequent in our back 'yard' looking for fresh shoots, we put up a bird feeder and the multitude of little birds don't look all that hungry though you'd wonder they way they fight over the perches. I'll know spring is close when I start to see the Stellar and Scrub Jays; they're so pretty as are the cute little chickadees. There's a lot of beauty here; of course the Grand Canyon is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world so being outside here one breathes deeper. Not only because of the altitude but the spirit one feels here.

I'm glad on one front that winter will soon close; on the human front. It's a time where there's not enough for people to do so they tend to become malicious in talk and action. The Grand Canyon Free Press becomes worse then the New York Times, so soon (hopefully) everyone will be too busy to start a new byline. I will say this for this place; it would make one helluva reality show, that's for sure.

Creative stirrings...

Watching a screen view of art - modern - the canyon's way of visiting a museum - I noticed my eyes relaxed. When I look at pieces of realism, and older pieces they tense as do I.

I want to absorb how they're created...why? Is it because they sell? But do they?
Dare I attempt the 'native dancers' to abstract? Is it opening another dimension? Should I study abstract drawings or will that create tension?

I remember my art instructor in college, at the end/beginning of a project we would watch slides for 2 minutes for inspiration. Once we got the project our table of peeps would 'brainstorm' over the project, shooting questions to one another, answering and throwing ideas into the canvas of the mind creating images. '

Is this what is missing? The inspiration jam.

Not easy to find here.

Decorations all hung (by the chimny) with care

See even more jingles...

It's a marshmallow world in the winter....

Lines from Christmas songs run through my head as I go through the pictures I've taken over the last couple of days. We had a winter 'storm' come through, though the flakes were not big, the main part of the 'storm' went around us. We had what I refer to as lake affect snow; which of course any lakes or water for that matter is a mile straight down it wasn't, it did have the same affect. Beauty.

This is where I work, at the GO building.

This is the road going away from the 'village' towards the Shrine of Ages, Market Plaza and such.
I know Susan is not missing this as it's been cold, but I wouldn't miss this show.

My heart is awed by the greatness in the beauty that surrounds me.

Merry Christmas...MC Escherish