Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Yes, I'm Still Alive

No, I didn't get lost, folks, I've just been on the go and absolutely worn out. Plus the marathon moving and housecleaning binge that was forced on me last week has caused my arthritis to really flare up. Between that and my overnight road trip I am still recovering from, I am just now beginning to feel halfway normal again. Okay, normal for me, so let's just leave it at that.

I tried to take some pictures of the scenery in the Ozark Mountains this time, but my digital camera is an old one, and it's just not that good on distance shots. As I've previously stated, I like to take pictures, but I'm not all that good at it, so a lot of the problem is the fault of the
operator, too. Almost all these were taken from the moving car, so some of them are blurry from the motion, and some were taken through the windshield, which was pretty thick with smeared bugs. Enough said?

The picture to the right was taken at an overlook at Oil Trough, Arkansas, on the Black River. Cows graze on the far side of the river, out of sight of the camera. They come down to the river to wade in the shallows and drink. It was breezy and shady where we were, and we saw several fish flop and come to the surface while we were there, but we were on the way home and didn't have time to linger long, only about 20 minutes, if that. It would be a nice place for a picnic or a snack, nice and shady and cool, even in the heat of the day.


This pi
cture was taken across a cow pasture, and I'm sorry it doesn't show the mountains any better, but trees grow so close to the road when you're in the really steep mountains that it's hard to get any pictures there. In this picture those look like rolling hills, but trust me, they are really mountains. This just happened to be taken in a valley between mountains. There are a lot of cow pastures along the way to Mountain View, and a few poultry houses, too. Shoooooo-eeeey, talk about stink! That's an odor you won't soon forget, and it lingers on long after you pass them, too.


The photo to the right is one of the better ones I managed to get this time. Sad, ain't it? I told you already th
at I'm not a photographer, I just take pictures. When you're trying to take pictures from a moving vehicle, you don't often have time to properly frame your photos. You just click and hope for the best. Most of them I took this time weren't for the best. You can get a glimpse of the mountain up ahead of us, and that's about it.




I took probably 20 pictures trying to capture a good shot of the glorious sunset as we were driving into Mountain View on Thursday night, but the one there to the left was the best I could get. If you look closely, you can see the smeared bugs on the windshield. I didn't do it justice at all, because it was beautiful. Shades of crimson, peach, fuchsia, scarlet........Magic, painted by the Master Painter Himself. It was worth the trip just to see that sunset.

Well, I still have much to do around here. I have several projects I want to do, such as rearranging my computer setup and moving my computer desk. I still have to rearrange my utility room here in the house, and I have a lot to do in my bedroom, too. When Jessica has time to help me, we are still planning on going through my outside utility room, and I have a LOT of stuff I'm getting rid of and sorting through that's stored out there. Lamar and I have been married almost 21 years and when you live in a 4 room apartment, you have to go through things periodically and make some executive decisions, or the STUFF fills up your living space until you have to make a path through the house. I have to fight my genes, too, because Pack-Rat-itis is a genetic defect that most of us girls are afflicted with. (Yes, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition. Sue me, already.) I have to force myself to throw things away or pass them on, because everyone knows, sooner or later, you'll need that doohickey, and then what? Well, guess what? I've been closing my eyes and tossing a lot of stuff, and so far I haven't been tempted to go get a single thing out of the discard or give-away pile at all. All I really feel is relief to have it out of my way. Now I need to tackle my kitchen cabinets. I hope I still feel that way when I start sorting through dishes and pots and pans, because I really need to thin out my dishes. Especially with Jessica moved out, most of the time I will be cooking for 2, so I don't need those army-sized pots and bowls, for the most part. I will need to keep a few of the bigger pots and bowls for canning and for holidays, when I do cook for a small army of family and friends. I'm going to see if I can sweet-talk or bribe Lamar into helping me do the kitchen cabinets when it's time, because he's 6 feet tall and doesn't need to climb up and down a step-ladder like arthritic 5'3" me. It will still be an all-day job, though, if I do it all at once. In a way I dread having to do all the sorting, tossing, etc. But I do look forward to having it all done and behind me, too.

It's almost midnight and Lamar should be getting home from Texas any time now. I'm going to post this so I can welcome my sweetie home and we can catch up on the happenings while he's been gone. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Love and blessings to all.

Diane :-)

13 comments:

boomama said...

Pack-rat-itis? Too funny. I'm the opposite...I throw out way too much - but it's therapeutic for me. You know, what with the OCD and all. :-)

Glad you had a good trip, are home safe and sound, and hopefully will be back to your normal bloggy business in no time.

Brenda said...

I'm 'flicted with the same disorder. Pack-rat-itis not only runs in my family, but my husband's as well. For some reason we accumulate a lot of junk - and I do mean junk - more easily than we can keep up with the nice stuff.

Glad you're home!

Girl Raised in the South said...

such fun to read this. I'm impressed you not only got so many photos to post, theyre all in the right spots. Im photo challenged. If I have to read anything HTML to get it to work, forget it.

So what on earth started you upheaving your entire life? This is major purging!!!! And I'm pretty sure I was 5'3 in elementary school. I'm the one perfect strangers ask, in the grocery store, excuse me maam, can you get that down for me?

Diane Viere said...

"You just click and hope for the best!" Sounds a little like LIFE!

What a wonderful trip you must have had. I love taking photos too--and usually take 4 for every one good one! Digital cameras are so handy in that you can delete the bad ones, making room for four more shots to get a good one! I used to be able to delete right away--but I have to wait until I get in a room with just the right lighting and have my glasses on to read the fine print! Between vision loss and rhemuetoid arthritis.....taking photos aint' what it used to be!

Thanks for sharing the photos.

Diane

Barb said...

If this is what you can do with an old camera, I'd love to see what you'd do with a new one. Beautiful photos. Doohickeys don't stand a chance in my house. Out out OUT! The only doohickey I allow in my kitchen is that stupid egg shooter thing Bev gave Rob for Christmas but even it's hidden where he'll never find it and be tempted to blast boiled eggs all over every single surface. Good for you. Purging is good for the soul.

Anonymous said...

im glad that your home safe and sound we enjoyed you being here i wish yall could have stayed longer,love you all all god bless you see ya soon,love dean dean

Susie said...

So glad to see you post again. You write in such a delightful entertaining way that I wait eagerly for each new post. I loved this line:
"Magic, painted by the Master Painter Himself. It was worth the trip just to see that sunset."
That just captures the essence of a sunset for me...
Take care of yourself...
((hugs))

Dick said...

Your photos are good and give us a look into what your part of the country looks like. Digital is great as you can take a lot of photos without the cost of printing them all, then delete any you don't want to keep.

My friends D & J live fulltime in a 40' motorhome. J says whenever they want to buy something new, she has to figure what of D's to throw out to gain space for the new thing. Living in a small space does teach one to economize on buying new things!

Carole Burant said...

Welcome home Diane:-) Loved looking at the pictures and they're not bad at all, you did a great job taking them! How I would love to be able to do that drive!! I tend to be a packrat too but in the last couple of years I've been either giving away or throwing out a lot of stuff...it's nice to keep stuff for sentimental reasons but sheesh it sure can add up and clutter the house! Best of luck in getting it all done...I'm sure you can sweet talk Lamar to help you with the kitchen:-) By the way, I'm 5'3" also:-)

Greeneyes said...

Hi Diane
Yahhhhh!!! your back , love the pics , I was actually reading along and then followed your words and found myself looking for the bugs on the windshiled ,,,,duhhhhhhh!!!!LMAO

Sounds like your still a busy bee, hopefully your honey will help ,seeings he has the height !
Packratitis , that is a good one , must remember that one .
Hope the knees are holding up ! must be rough . You want to have a big yard sale with all your stuff , or give some to Jessica, she may need some . never seems to end , housework , does it ? But it is good now you will be all spruced up and feelin fresh , once you get it all done ,,,,,,say maybe by Christmas LMAO

I love kidding ya
your friend
Greeneyes

Pear tree cottage! said...

Diane,,
your posts are such a joy to read and I will be back again to catch up. I am a pack-rat and if its old I am going to love it but it is another thing as to were to put it!:o)

have a lovely day our very cold Wednesday is almost over and I am sure yours is far warmer then ours we look like getting snow.
best wishes.

Toni said...

We never seem to be able to capture the sunset on camera anything like it appeared, do we? I think it's God saying, you can't capture me.

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