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DECEMBER ENTRIES:
Dec. 31
Above is where Rowan and Geno are at today...Essouira-Morocco.
My biggest accomplishment this
year that came about with the absolute enthusiasm and support of Ruth's
desire, was the completion of the new bathroom and the mosaic shower made
from my kiln catastrophe in Las Cruces.
Naturally, the bath that is her
pride and joy is temporarily out of order...after the new year we will get
it fixed, but in the meantime we still have the great shower and Ruth's
sentiment on the wall...
Someone sent me one of those emails, that I normally delete without
reading, but curiosity got me and I opened it and to my surprise found
that I actually agreed with 99% of the righteous indignation of a older
generation.
So it is obvious I am a grouchy old fart.
I copied all but the last two or three paragraphs, because who ever sent
it felt they had to add their own perspective which included God and
Country, etc. etc. So below is the original text which I had seen
somewhere before...
THOSE BORN 1920-1979
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they were e pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't
get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and
when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we
took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE
actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with
sugar, but we weren't overweight because,
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were
back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the
bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound
or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or
chatrooms.......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us
forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks
and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not
poke out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or
rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem
solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!
If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our
lives for our own good .
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave
(and lucky) their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?!
Yesterday I spent some time in bed with Ruth, uh, that is we were watching
TV being she felt like death with the flu and it was cold outside so it
seemed nice just hang out with her, bring tea and attend little needs...
Anyway, there we were watching HGTV (home and garden channel) about
the most expensive houses for sale in America. They featured three; one at
22 million, the second for 29 million and the third for 75 million (yes,
dollars).
Well, as you may imagine the houses were over the top in every way. I have
no idea why two people want to live in a house that has 22 thousand square
feet and is over 300 feet long (the first) or have a house for four with
11 bathrooms and seven sitting rooms, or the third that had an underground
parking lot and a false mountain built around the one of several swimming
pools and etc. etc.
People are weird once they have more money than brains, and considering
most people have few brains without money that is amazing and most
simply said "vulgar".
The point of this story is even though I thoroughly hated most aspects of
all three houses (the third on the beach had the most amazing architecture
and location) somehow I was left feeling like I had missed some vital
point in the American dream, like for instance making some money and have
perhaps another wing in our mansion...stupid I know, but that was the end
result of looking at the unbelievable wealth of some fellow Americans...
Well, I know better than harbor such envious mirages in my soul. Our house
has more than enough room, if not on the inside, there is another twelve
acres I can meander around, plus the best part---it is paid for.
I count my blessings and say to the BIG EYE IN THE SKY, Thank you.
Wow, another year drawing to the end...
Like everybody else, I wonder what happened to this year.
Ruth still not well.
I did nothing today relatively speaking. We both more or less just hung
out and stayed warm.
She rested in bed, I joined her from time to time.
I pecked on the beginning of
THE CRYSTAL TIGHT ROPE
but being in a kind of cold blurry mood, I wonder why am bothering with
this writing business... I am now back at a point of trying to thread the
stories together...wondering if indeed I actually finished
ASSASSIN'S ANGEL.
Ruth was sick as one can be last night...not sure but she ate at the Mine
Shaft and I didn't...So she should stay in bed and I will do the rounds of
the day. I am a terrible sales person and she knows it, so that shows how
sick she is. She may get better in consequence of me manning the shop...
I am not sure how it happened but I think, no let me be
definite in a world where nothing is definite,
ASSASSIN' S ANGEL,
the 2nd book of The Harlequin Moon Trilogy... IS DONE.
It was my XMAS present to myself...after all, this one has been fairly
quick having begun it only in 2000.
Other than that Ruth and I had a lovely and warm fun evening with good
friends .
8. Xmas to you too.
Dec. 25
(9:20 PM
This why I love Ruth.
8:35 PM
1. I cleaned the house today. 2. So much to clean. 3. It never stops. 4.
XMAS dinner 5. The studio 6.horses for gifts7.Portrait of Ruth and Me 8.
2nd portrait of Ruth and me.
Below one of the emails my daughter Rowan has sent.
MERRY XMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR...writing on an Arabic
keyboard, so please bare with me§
Geno and I are in a beautiful little Moroccan mountain village called
Chefchouen...despite all our travels I'm still reeling from the culture
shock...being in a devout Muslim world, waking up to the 5am prayer calls,
surrounded by Berbers wearing jilabas, a very different world indeed.
we've been laying low, sipping mint tea, eating our fill of chicken
tanginess, filling our afternoons with strolls through the endless painted
blues medinas'...this town is how I had always pictured
Morocco...picturesque,fragrant and mysterious. next stop is Fez, then
Marrakech then on to Mali.
I hope this new year brings all sort of wonderful morsels your way.
sorry for the group email...but I'm sure you understand.
love to you all
xoxoxRowan
The snow falls. There is firewood on the porch. We have a couple
bottles of wine. There is no place we need to go. The house is warm. We
love each other and all our animal family.
My daughter is 6,000 miles away in the sunny warm north of Africa and
she has the flu.
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1. Front yard. 2. Looking down towards the river.
This holiday friends have sent me a couple of emails with the following
photos...
Gentle reminder in case you thought about drinking at those holiday
parties!
1. 6 beers
2, 2
glasses of wine
3. 2 bottles of wine (shared)
4. too many margaritas 5.
3 Kamikazes
6.
7 Captain Morgan's (coconut flavored,
of course) & coke
8. 1 large purple haze 9. 3 martinis
10.
1 bottle of tequila
And then here is an Italian guy who makes me look like
an amateur in the wood carving world...
In between collecting wood down at the river, I keep finding pieces that
are just too invested with something inside to use for firewood, so they
become various aspects of something else. The torso has incredible
graining and came from the inspiration of Ruth... the head was just a
simple savage that jumped out...a head of Mayan or Easter Isles or who
knows...and the stick angel, well it's a stick angel.
Going down to the river is always a kind of excursion into the wilderness.
It is very beautiful and peaceful there even though I shatter the peace
with the roar of the chain saw. I love it when I turn off the motor and
start loading the wood into the back of the truck.
When it is snowy like it is now, it can be difficult to climb back up the
steep hill in the 4-wheel drive. A couple of days ago the ground thawed
out to four inches of slimy adobe. I had to wait until the next morning
for the muck to freeze before I could bring the weeks supply of wood home.
It has been snowing on and off now for over 36 hours. The weather report
says more is on the way, but as of yet, the snow is no where near the big
storm of 2 years ago. There is only about 4 or 5 inches on the ground.
But it is cold. That is good enough reason to stay in the house and finish
some projects left undone, like repainting the living room.
If Ruth did not live here, most possibly I would still have a big hole in
my office floor, and the walls would be full of rats. My life is
definitely much better because Ruth is here. Much much better.
1. Night blur of XMAS sleigh. 2. We are still together and going strong.
3. Night Sleigh as seen from highway 14.
Our big storm as it comes...and the
weather report says its going to continue until Tuesday.
Meanwhile although the winds were
tremendous this morning, Santa and the deer stayed on the fence.
In the next few days a big sign that
states:
XMAS FOR SALE
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Here is the St. Nick XMAS special near
its final installation. Only the lights to add, then hopefully a good
night-time photo and the deed is done.
I had a little fun reworking the
individual pieces with Photoshop...
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1. The whole team. 2. The sight . 3.
Frontal view. 4. St. Nick.
At last the eight original reindeer, but
now I discover there is room for the famous "Rudolph".
Why not? After that just the
lights and then we are ready for a "Merry XMAS"...
Ruth seems determined to get even for me
putting what she thinks unflattering photos of her on the page...well,
hmmm, I sure look like an old goat, so I think she has won.
1. The whole team without "Rudolph". 2. detail of last four. 3. Cupid. 4.
Donder. 5. Blitzen. 6. Ruth gets me again.
Two more deer to go and then to put the lights up. Yesterday was very
grey, so I did a little Photoshop stuff...
1. The gate and site of XMAS St. Nick. 2. Three musicians moved to
east of gate. 3. Deer today. 4. Stretching out. 5. Cupid.
6. Comet and Cupid. 7. Rear view.
Other than that, my daughter and Geno are now in Malaga, Spain.
I am sure my daughter thinks I am losing my marbles, but yesterday
Rowan arrived in Spain, and Marilyn the chicken was eaten by something.
So, being crazy as I am, I emailed Rowan, and told her to take special
precaution if she saw a chicken that looked like Marilyn...okay it's nuts
and I am being paranoid, but all the same...
Once again death makes its appearance, this time my little chicken buddy.
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Marilyn 2004-2008
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Marilyn has been in my life since 2004. She was half of the original
chicken ranch, her and Joe DiMaggio.
Joe disappeared a couple of years back, when she went under the house at
the same time Ruth's black cat was there.
Unfortunately, Marilyn got plucked off by something else. I found what was
left of her in the chicken pen this morning.
Her remains will go to our pet cemetery, along side of Rose,
Piccolo, Little Pal and Sparky.
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!
Here is where I am with Day of The Dead Santa and 4 of his deer...4 more
to go, then lights...
1. The installation so far. 2. St. Nick. 3. Dasher. 4. Dancer. 5. Prancer.
6. Vixen. 7. The sight. 8. Ruth's portrait of me. 9. The musicians. 10.
Again the musicians..
Another night with the puppy...lucky I was awake when I heard her start to
barf, as she was on the bed with us... I put her down at the side where
she did the unpleasant business.
How wonderful. You know, lying in bed with the aroma of fresh dog barf
wafting...
So I got up and cleaned the mess up, opened the windows, took Gina outside
for a while, then cleaned the floor again with good old Mr. Clean, let
Gina back in and got her bedded down by the heating stove, cleaned the
floor again and looked for some kind air freshener to cover the last aroma
of gag...
Ruth and I are too old to go through this baby business...let alone the
expense of it.
Gina has now become the most expensive "free" mutt dog I have ever
had...$600 and counting. If she is not better in the morning back to vet
and no telling what.
I had a pure bred English Cocker Spaniel that over 13
years I put maybe a $1,000 into, but a lot of that was air-fare,
toting him around the world. Looking back on him, it was was worth it.
Maybe Gina will eventually be worth it too, but at the moment I am
beginning to wonder.
One thing about her, she sure has made the phrase "Sick as a dog," a
real experience.
Oh boy...It seems the little puppy (Gina
Lola Brigida) we got about three months ago is sick again. This time I am
not sure what it is other than a virus or bacterial infection. She can't
keep her food down and wanders around like she has had a lobotomy. Not
good. Hopefully it will pass and she will once again be the pain in the
___ she was previously. Oddly I miss her being a nuisance doing puppy
business.
The bad side for Ruth and me is sleep
deprivation. Every hour we are waking to see how Gina is. I swear this
puppy is like having a human infant. I think I was very lucky with all the
other puppies i have ever had, for really none of them were ever much
trouble other than chewing up stuff.
And tonight is a big night for Madrid,
with the official light opening ceremony, with stage coach rides and all
the shops staying open until 7 or so.
The parade is just about now (4:30) so
maybe I will get out of here...
1. Santa Skeleton and rein deer in place. 2. Same thing. 3. Same. 4. With
musicians. 5. Finishing Ruth's XMAS thing.
Once upon a time...I was in another
country, being who I am, but me in another place, meeting friends who were
more than friends, more like stories that do not end.
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1. David, Pete and Ken, 1990, but none
from 1975 2. Ken and Mike 1999, but no photos from 1975
1. David, 2008. 2. Mike Rowan, 2008. 3.
Pete Simpson, 2007. 4. Ken Wolverton, 2008.
