Down to 1

Being that it's almost winter, and I keep my bedroom door shut until bedtime to keep the cat out, when I do  go to bed it is often quite cold in there. It takes a while for my blankets to warm me up, so I've taken to playing a sleep inducing game with myself.

I count backwards from 100 in a random free association sort of way. I never get lower than 50 though, because my mind wanders and/or I fall asleep. So I thought I might make such a list for a blog post just so I can have the satisfaction of finally getting to 1. The illustrated list is here: Random Word List Three.

100 pounds of beef
99 hair barrettes
98 sacks of coal
97 cans of beans
96 brown winged moths
95 novels yet to write
94 cattails
93 cat's eyes rings
92 sock puppets
91 bubble gum balls
90 horseshoes
89 jacks (the game)
88 leather jackets
87 air rifles
86 tacos
85 bottles of water
84 mice
83 dog bones
82 rench fries
81 geishas
80 horseflies
79 beetles
78 cups of tea
77 rubber duckies
76 hot air balloons
75 UFO's
74 crackers
73 orphans
72 calligraphy pens
71 wood nickels
70 shovels
69 pairs of tap shoes
68 circus costumes
67 band leaders
66 clarinets
65 waffle irons
64 curling irons
63 chocolate long john donuts
62 chandeliers
61 electricians
60 ham radios
59 sofa couches
58 billy goats
57 tuna sandwiches
56 clothespins
55 bats (the flying kind)
54 loafers
53 model trains
52 jigsaw puzzles
51 circus elephants
50 Capuchin monkeys 
49 sun bears
48 soda bottles
47 cement mixers
46 hair ribbons
45 apartment complexes
44 bells
43 bubble wands
42 clock radios
41 push pins
40 tabby cats
39 floor mats
38 disco balls
37 bottles of nail enamel
36 syrup bottles
35 baskets of blueberries
34 licorice whps
33 basketballs
32 notepads
31 mechanical pencils
30 tutus
29 hair scarves
28 batteries
27 jet packs
26 catapults
25 ankhs
24 clarinets
23 wolf mixes
22 skateboards
21 rulers (measuring)
20 speckled hens
19 turquoise pendants
18 white ducks
17 black swans
16 does
15 bedroom slippers
14 onions
13 fajitas
12 pumpkins
11 crystals
10 prisms
9 donkeys
8 pigeons
7 citizens
6 hippies
5 vardos
4 chinchillas
3 jacarandas
2 willows
1 partridge

I must admit I fell asleep at my keyboard 3 times while writing this. Maybe I'll make a Pinterest board with all of these because that would be fun and geeky.

Coyotes and Ravens and Snakes Oh My

A few days ago we saw a yearling coyote pass by our backyard being escorted by 2 ravens. I knew ravens flew with wolves, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  A day later we saw it again, this also with 2 ravens, but this time followed by two dogs.  They ran off out of site up the hill behind us, and the dogs returned very soon after. So it eluded them.

Our 5 foot long gopher snake Charlie hadn't been seen for a few weeks.  Well our neighbor found him in her chicken coop.  No wonder the hens weren't laying! So he was relocated across the street back into the desert. The way I see it, I'm in their yard.

A raven just flew by my window carrying a whole slice of bread. Wonder where he found that?
It is windy out there today. I woke up with wind howling around my window, whistling through the creosote bushes. I suppose I should go water whatever part of the garden the rabbits haven't eaten yet before it gets any warmer, but I hate dealing with the wind.

Dismayed

After a few months of living in Lucerne Valley I'm deeply dismayed. I thought the idea of being in a couple was to do whatever was within your power to keep your partner happy. I am sadly mistaken. No one cares if I am happy or not except me.

With some changes I could enjoy living here. I'd need a car so I can get a job, then get to my job and gigs. I need a decent Internet connection because using the library's computer for 3 hours to 6 hours a week is just too limiting. I need to be able to run around the area to do freelance work. I can't just live 20+ miles from every income opportunity and expect to survive here.

Worst of all I'm deeply angry. It's hard to be creative and functional when I feel like a simmering kettle of bitterness and despair. I don't have any real life people to talk to except him. And he's not interested in anything I have to say on these matters. I'm just suppose to adapt and like it or lump it. I'm always cold. We have a small wood stove, but it only heats up about half the living room. The only time I go in my bedroom is if I'm going to crawl under the covers and sleep at night.

And this is winter. By summer it will be the opposite, where the only way to be cool is to stick my head in the refrigerator.

What's New Nancy Drew

I'm just realizing I have a habit that anyone who spends a lot of time with me would probably find annoying.  It's an occupational hazard of being a poet and storyteller I suppose, but I have a penchant for rhyming.  My boyfriend has threatened to hang me by my thumbs if I keep saying "okie dokie smokie". Today a truck tried to pass me on a single lane dirt road and the first words in my head were 'share the road horny toad'. That's a fact, Cadillac.

Nanowrimo Timeline

It's pretty hard to write a daily blog for November when my dial-up connection won't open blogger every day. So I've given up on that quest but I'm still plugging away at Nanowrimo. I'm behind there as well, since I have to share a computer and just can't get much typing time. So today I'm going to spend four hours at the library playing catch-up and hopefully getting back on goal with the Nanowrimo timeline.

I spent Sunday at a model rocket event watching a friend launch a rocket taller than he is. I didn't know much about Lucerne Valley, CA when I moved here, but it seems it's the hot spot for launching model rockets on the dry lake bed that you can see from my house.

Double Time

Well, it's happened again. That evil time of year called Daylight Savings Time. You know, spring ahead fall behind. And once again my wristwatch is wrong. I bought it about 6 months ago, set the time, and promptly lost the little paper printed in four languages that tells how to reset it. I thought it was in the bathroom on my jewelry tray.  But then we moved 120 miles away a few weeks ago. So I'm pretty sure I'm never seeing that little piece of paper again. Ever.

So I've decided the solution for this perpetual problem is to own 2 wristwatches. One is set to regular time and the other is set to daylight savings time. Every time the time changes, I change watches. But just for giggles I'm going to look at the Timex website and see if they have directions for my watch. It couldn't hurt.

Good Morning From Lucerne Valley CA

This morning I saw two chickens in my neighbors yard. One was red and one was gold. I thought I'd heard chickens clucking but this was the first time I'd seen any.

She has funny looking guniea fowl. They make a chirping sound unique in the bird world.
They mosey through our  yard around sunset on most days.

I put out a dish of  bird seed for the tweety birds.  I haven't seen any yet this morning. I think they are waiting for it to warm up a bit. They ate the tortilla pieces I put out yesterday.

I think I sprained my pinky and the finger next to it when I fell down yesterday so this will be a short post. No point irritating it more with typing.

It's so beautiful out this morning with the sun streaming into my living room window washing the hills in pink and gold light. I'm going to take it easy today and enjoy my new home in the desert.
I got some new plants. I hope they do okay in the heat and the cold.

Years ago when I lived in Carson I had a plant like this. They bloomed nearly constantly. So I'm happy to have another one.