GET ME BACK TO ... "NORMAL"

I am a decent, law abiding person. I've never done anything against the law.

Wait a minute !! Maybe it would be more truthful to change that last sentence in the paragraph above to: "I've broken the law a few times, but THE MAN has never caught me".

No, no, that's way too dramatic.

Let me try: "I've bent the law a few times -- nothing to cause anyone any physical or financial harm -- but I've never been accused with doing anything which was against the law".

That's a bit better, at least as a stretched ... "confession".

I wrote that because I have to state, for a fact ... I WOULDN'T LAST A DAY IN PRISON !!

I am going stir-crazy just being in the house as much as I am right now. I couldn't make it in a jail cell. I can not wait for the snow to melt & warmer temperatures to return.

I want the temperature to be back in the 90's. I want to be outdoors, wearing flip-flops & shorts, with a nice bronze glow of a tan.

I'd even like wasps & mosquitoes to be buzzing around my head.

I miss Summer time.

I hate Winter.

I hate wearing layers of clothes, even while in the house. It's a necessary form of dress when it is 17 degrees outside -- as it was when I went walking at 9 A.M. today -- but I've got sweaters & shirts on, INSIDE the house, just trying to stay ... "comfortable".

I'm "stuck" here at home. It's cold, there is snow all over the ground & the roads are just now becoming free & clear of ice.

I learned back in the Winter of 1967/68 -- when I first arrived in Memphis, Tennessee -- that the cities of the South have no means of removing snow & ice from roads.

The cities & it's people are dependent on two things -- not necessarily working in tandem -- to "remove" the frozen precipitation: the sun, &/or, warmer temperatures.

It snowed Sunday. Today is Wednesday & FINALLY the roads are clearing off. Even my driveway above -- where I shoveled a "path" on Monday -- is almost devoid of snow, thanks to the sun.

When it comes to Mother Earth, however, the actual melting of the snow/ice on the ground takes a bit longer -- meaning, days -- to melt off, especially when the air temperatures are as cold as they have been; below freezing since Monday.

Wherever the sun can shine on the road, the snow has melted away. Still, areas when the trees cast shadows on the roads, can remain slick & treacherous from ice/snow. I've learned that in the past ... the hard way.

I last drove my truck Saturday morning. I ran the engine yesterday for awhile as it remained parked next to the house. I don't plan on driving again until tomorrow at the earliest. By then, most all the roads should be clear & drivable without worries.

For now, I'll stay "locked up" in my "prison", waiting for the weather to warm, UPS to make it's delivery [due this past Monday. (Woops. Just arrived)], reading newspapers two-days old [delivery issues - weather related] & trying not to eat too much, all the while combined with a lack of excerise & activity outdoors.

I just want to get back to ... "normal".

NOW ... MELT !!!

The Weatherman's forecast for snow -- to begin yesterday afternoon -- was right on the money.

About 2 P.M. Sunday, light snow started falling. The snow got heavier as the day progressed & it was still snowing when I went to bed at 8:30 last night.

YES ... I went to bed at 8:30 P.M. Beauty sleep !!

The temperature Sunday was below freezing all day & the snow was accumulating fairly steadily on the ground. The forecast was for 1-3 inches. We had the latter amount by 5 P.M.

With the cold & snow, I get MAJOR activity from the birds coming to visit the feeders in my yard. As soon as it started to snow, I made sure all 11 feeders were topped off with seeds. [I was about to do a refill when the above photo was taken.]

Some birds like to feed off the ground, so I make sure to scatter a scoop of seeds below the feeders as well.

As the afternoon progressed & the snow continued to fall, Nibblets was attracted to all the many birds just outside the porch door. She -- & Wobs, too -- kept wanting to go outside, only to find the snowy conditions not to her liking & wanting to come back in. Repeat ... repeat ... repeat.

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This morning I found there was more than 6 inches of snow covering everything exposed to it. I was also disappointed I didn't have a job to stay home from due to all the snow.

It was a light, powdery snow, probably just what the skiers want. As for me, I don't find ANY snow all that inviting. And with cloudy/cold days in this week's forecast, it will take a few more days for this snow to melt.

After I took this photo of my truck, I brushed all the snow off it & used my snow shovel -- YES ... I have a REAL snow shovel -- to clear away the snow on the sidewalks & clean a path to the road down the middle of the driveway.

Still, even with my dislike for snow, it does look pretty when it first falls on the trees & ground. It sort of reminds me of growing up in central New York State ... where we would have snow like this each year ... FOR MONTHS.

Another "Xmas Card" type photo. Clean, white snow, giving a pristine look to everything & making one forget that it's cold & wet & the slush is just going to freeze into ice at night. Yuck.

Some of the groves of bamboo have clums which are ... "leaning". From my A.M. "inspection" of my property, there does not appear to be any damage to the trees or bamboo caused by the snow, no doubt because this snow fall was "powdery".

Okay. It snowed. It looked nice. Now ... MELT !!!

NO CELL PHONES

I've been thinking of getting a bow & some arrows. Not for hunting, but to have a bit of "deterrent" when stray dogs come on my property. Got to let them know, this is "Cat Country".

Well, to confess, most of the dogs I encounter are not "strays". They belong to neighbors. Still, the dogs -- or their owners -- are not abiding by the local "leash law". I could be "The Enforcer".

Growing up, when we had our weekend cabin in New York State, my Father constructed an area for an archery range. There were targets & a "backstop" to catch the arrows that ... "missed".

I had several bows & arrows which I remember were made by the Ben Pearson Company. I had forgotten that name for many years, when just last week, I learned they were all manufactured at the companies headquarters South of here, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Another example of it being a "small world".

Ben Pearson has a big proponent of archery. Along with finding out he was from Arkansas, I learned he owned land North of here in the Ozark Mountain hamlet of Prim. There he built a unique cabin in a small, rocky valley. Truly one-of-a-kind.

Ben Pearson died in 1971, but his son -- Ben, Jr. -- has upgraded the cabin. He's also built two more cabins & is constructing a fourth.

All the cabins are built into the rocks, some with interior cliff walls. All have lots of glass for spectacular views of the water falls which are a part of the design & architecture.

The cabins are available for renting & truly appear as a place to visit, relax, communicate with Nature & ... "Get away from it all". [It helps that there is no cell phone service.]

The cabins are located at Longbow Resorts & the website offers excellent pictures & descriptions of the cabins & the area, along with information on rentals. There is also an eight minute video as a sort of "walking tour" of everything.

It's not that far from where I live. I'd sure like to go spend a few days there, surrounded by "THE NATURAL STATE", in all it's glory.

And ... no cell phones.

NO THANKS !!

As some people know, I was married -- briefly ... four years worth -- in the late 60's/early 70's. I learned the hard way, marriage was not/is not for me.

Even with girlfriends/significant others/"main squeezes", or whatever title applies to relationship partners I've had in my life, I've never been able to sustain that one-on-one thing for extended periods of time.

I can see as I have gotten older, I'm probably not going to have much of a change in my single status as I get into these ... ah ... "golden years". I'm too comfortable & set in my ways now.

I know too, most women would not put up with my semi-selfish life style. Good for them. Avoid the pain for both of us. I'll stick with my cats.

One positive about my single life: I've never had any children ... at least none I know of. [Not that I've ever been sweating a knock on the door from someone I didn't recognize & being greeted as "Dad".]

I've never had a desire for children of my own. It's not in my blood to have "offspring". I wouldn't want a child who had ME for a Father.

Don't get me wrong. I like kids. I have friends with kids who seem to think being a parent is a good idea. I just never wanted any children of my own.

My friend "Bubba" is certainly proud of his two kids. Both are Dentists with families of their own. Bubba now has five Grandchildren.

Being a Grandparent must be like being raising your kids all over again, but maybe without all the blame being placed on you. I'm sure not as much effort has to be put into the "second batch" of your family. As a Grandparent, you can take "short-cuts".

Whatever it takes, I'm sure my friend Bubba is well up to the task of being a Grandparent. He's done it for years now, so I know he's good at it.

Me ?? A Parent/Grandparent ?? No thanks !!

FRONT PORCH FEATHERS

On the front porch this morning was a large group of bird feathers. Red feathers. Obviously the (remaining) remains of a male Cardinal.

There are three "suspects" as to who killed the bird. Proving guilt may be difficult. I'm also ruling out suicide.

All three possible killers feigned innocence when going out the front door, inspecting the feathers, as if THEY were surprised to find them. They all get a "Not me" look on their faces.

This time of the year is a real conundrum for me. I have three cats who all spend a good part of the day outside. I also have more than a dozen bird feeders in the back yard. I almost feel like I am some sort of "Cat Pimp", drawing in the innocent birds to be "harvested" by the cats.

Actually, many of the bird deaths are accidental. I've seen it happen. There will be literally dozens of birds at the feeders & suddenly something spooks them & they all go flying off in different directions at once.

Sometimes, in all the confusion & turmoil, a bird will fly into one of the windows of the porch on the North side of my house. This will often stun the bird, if not killing it outright by the collision.

Being the smart hunters they are, all "The Girls" recognize & respond to the THUMP sound of bird meeting glass. They will run to the door if inside & run to the accident scene if outdoors. It's NOT to offer first aid, that's for sure.

Dead, alive, or, soon-to-be-dead, the bird is usually transport to the front porch by the cat who gets to the bird first. The other cats become spectators, as if watching from behind some sort of yellow police-tape.

Adding to any "guilt" I may have over this whole bird-cat issue, is the fact I have not yet put out all the remaining bird feeders. Right now I am only using the black-oil sunflower feeders. I still have several feeders to install/set up for offering nyjer seeds.

More feeders = more birds = more "accidents" = more feathers on the front porch.

ARE YOU UP TO IT ??

My darling Wobs -- if she is in the house -- has some sixth-sense ability to know when I am working at my writing desk or at the desk next to it, containing the computer.

She shows UP & jumps UP, to be right UP there, UP on the desk with me, or UP in my lap, usually UP to no good & hanging around until I finish what I am UP to, or, I decide to give UP.

All of which leads UP to introducing the interesting -- & informative -- essay my friend "Bubba" sent to me on the many uses in our lives of the word ... "UP".


UP

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP!

Oh . . . one more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

U
P!

Did that one crack you UP?

DAILY VISITS

With all the advances in technology, sometimes it's not necessary to visit friends, or even take time to call them on the phone or send them e-mails. They just show up in your life ... almost by surprise.

It's early in the morning -- just past 5 A.M. -- but already a couple of dear friends over in Springville, Tennessee have come into my life today, to share a laugh.

As with many a morning, in the daily Pickles comic, I find Opal is "Bubbette" & Earl is correctly depicted as being "Bubba", two friends near & dear to my heart & living too many miles away.

Except in the comics ... where they visit me every day.