Fire!!

 I heard a huge explosion and found out it was across the street from my place, Dale and Deloria's home. It was an explosion on their deck, two of them actually,  giant balls of fire.  These are photos I took while standing on my deck.

Linda is watching closely as her place is next door.

This morning, I was awake at 5:00am and decided to see what it looked like. I saw a little pocket of flames near the original explosion location, so I called 911, and they came to put it out and add more water throughout the entire place. I hear it is not unusual to have these flares happen.

I found out from this morning's gatherers that the fire was caused by a leak from a propane fireplace. Dale was lighting the fireplace when the explosion happened. He is in the hospital now, in a fight for his life. He did have the wherewithal to stop, drop, and roll, and we hope that is enough to save him.

I am still in awe of the size of those two explosions. It is something I have never seen before and hope to never see again!

Pete and Linda's place next door has some melted siding. It is going to be okay.

She's a Lady

A family member of Bill and Sandi D. took this photo of a snowy owl. 

Here is some snowy owl info. 

• Appearance & Size: They are one of the heaviest owl species in North America, weighing 3.5–6.5 lbs, with a wingspan of 4.2–4.8 feet. Females are larger and more heavily barred with brown, while males become whiter with age.

Winding Down...

We are seeing the South Texas exodus heading north. Easter seems to have some meaning in the thinking process of setting a departure date. It can't be the weather! It is still cold up there, and the leaves are not on the trees.

Happy Hour: Happy hours tend to have a reputation for gossip. Ours do not. No brag, just fact. I brought my notebook to one of our recent gatherings so I could get a handle on all the subjects covered. It was hard to keep up! 

The Anzaduas Park was a recent location for the biking group, and it was highly rated as an excellent event by a couple of the bikers who attended.

(Anzalduas Park, located in Mission, TX, is a scenic recreational area that offers a variety of outdoor activities. Visitors can enjoy walking trails, picnic areas, and beautiful views of the Rio Grande. The park also features playgrounds and open green spaces, making it a great spot for families and nature lovers alike.)

We talked about the water coloring craft classes and how helpful the instructors are in getting new people started.

 We talked about tacinite and the mining of iron.

(Taconite is a low-grade, iron-bearing (25–30% iron) sedimentary rock found in the Lake Superior region, particularly Minnesota's Mesabi Range. It is processed into iron-rich (~65% iron) pellets used for steel production. The mining involves large-scale, open-pit blasting, crushing, magnetic separation, and pelletizing, creating significant waste tailings. )

I knew nothing about the subject or that there existed a Mesabi range!

We had a discussion on the many ways to throw a bean bag and the success rate of the choices.

We talked about harvesting cranberries.

We talked about Dillinger and his demise.

We talked about Amway and are they still in business. Yes, they are.

Worms and itchy stuff: I don't remember the details of this one.

Every session is like this one to some degree or another. We liken it to "school for seniors", and this one is well attended.

Birthday Yesterday

 Yesterday was my birthday. I have had many birthdays and, thanks to my friends, this one was a doozie. It started off with my walk with Renie, and you will be glad to know we have solved all of the world's problems.  Happy Hour, Sandi passed around Shipley's birthday donuts. They are the best! Bill and Sandy treated me to a birthday supper at Dirty Al's, which you all know by now is the best place and my favorite place to eat. Shrimp and Fish Combo with coleslaw side, Yum! Darrel and Linda Millard joined us as Linda's birthday is March 8th. You would think we are done, but Noooo, we came back to Bill and Sandies to enjoy a birthday cake provided by friends Gina and Carl! Thanks to all my friends, I had a perfect birthday event.

This morning, I went with Bill and Sandi for breakfast at the Alamo Cafe as usual, but I decided to have something different, so instead of having a veggie omelet, I had a waffle with strawberries! I did not know what I was in for! 

Dee-liscious!

                               

This House of Sky

I do not recommend books often because tastes are so very different among us all. I could not pass this one up. Butch was a fan of Ivan Doig, the author of this book, so when I ran across it, I decided to test it out. This is by far one of the best-written books I have ever read. The sentence that left me thinking this morning was "The two I remember the best were as alike and different as salt and sugar." When a sentence pulls you up short and makes you think, it's a good one! This book is full of them.

This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind

 "Ivan Doig grew up in the rugged wilderness of western Montana among the sheepherders and denizens of small-town saloons and valley ranches. What he deciphers from his past with piercing clarity is not only a raw sense of land and how it shapes us, but also of the ties to our mothers and fathers, to those who love us, and our inextricable connection to those who shaped our values in our search for intimacy, independence, love, and family.

 
A powerfully told story, This House of Sky is uniquely American—yet also universal in its ability to awaken a longing for an explicable past.
 
"Engrossing and moving."—Time"

I wandered

 I wandered back to 2003 in my blog. Yes, 2003! And one of the first entries I come upon was on "Downtime". I have not changed a bit on this subject.

Tuesday, December 30, 2003
I subscribe to www.powerquotes.net. They send a quote and a question pertaining to it every weekday in my email. Recently, the quote and question were about downtime.

"Downtime is where we become ourselves, looking into the
middle distance, kicking at the curb, lying on the grass
or sitting on the stoop and staring at the tedious blue of
the summer sky. I don't believe you can write poetry, or
compose music, or become an actor without downtime, and
plenty of it, a hiatus that passes for boredom but is
really the quiet moving of the wheels inside that fuel
creativity."

-- Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer


Questions to Ponder

Do I get enough downtime?

How can I get more?
How will it benefit me?

I have long known the value of downtime for creative processes to kick in. Early morning, after awakening and before arising, is one of the times when ideas, projects, and solutions, etc., and the other end of the day is another one. A third time is while walking or biking if I am doing it alone. I also believe we are all talented, creative people, but we need to not only listen to our internal dialogue, but also take the time to let our creativity blossom. I also feel that if we are deprived of that time, our spirit declines, perhaps only minutely, but declines all the same.

While on our walk last night, I took some pictures of unusual and beautiful sky conditions. It was good walking weather. We needed a jacket but pleasantly comfortable.

Seasonal and other stuff

Some things happen seasonally here. This time of year can be hectic. So many things to do and obligations to take care of...and then in mid-March it slows down considerably. I am ready for the slowdown.

Renie and I are getting our walks in as the weather has warmed, green foliage is happening on the trees, and the early morning temps hover around 69 degrees. Rain is desperately needed. The last rain was 21 days ago. I looked it up. It also said we are way below a 30-year average. 

This photo was taken a few days ago. Things are greening up!

This mornings "walk" photo. Meeting up with Renie.

This was taken about a week ago when it was cooler. Notice the change in the sun.

The best advice ever!!!

Renie and Barb

Sure, this is what Renie and I look like on Trivia night!