The scariest sounds

when I am deep asleep:

1. The alarm.  Seriously.  We have not used an alarm in many, many years because I am too weak for that sound.
2. Gunshots.  Yep.  When we lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, someone was shooting in the parking lot near our bedroom window.  I never want to hear this again.
3. A screaming child/baby.  This is one that makes you go from zero to 60 in the turn of a sheet!
4. A coyote yip yipping nearby. 
5. Cats fighting beside the bed.  Why?  Can't they save the fight for day time?  Ugh!
6. Pounding on the front door.  Middle of the night knocking is NOT a good sound.
7. Thunder and lightning.  When the rain comes with the BOLTS of lightning, and the THUNDEROUS claps of thunder your heart nearly leaps from your chest.

I am very thankful for the rain we had last night, but sleep, well it was out of the question.  The sky lit up over and over and the thunder sounds were deafening.   I am grateful once again to live in the desert southwest where we have very little thunder and lightning.

What is the scariest sound that had rose you from a deep sleep?

My View

Often I share that I may not have a million dollar house, but I have million dollar views.  I thought that today, I would share a photo montage of my views as the mountains give me a different mural practically every day. 

 

Many times I have to stop and look again 

at my mountains as they seem to change daily!

 

The goats had the same priceless views!!

As well as the sheep, cows, ducks, geese, turkeys, dogs, and cats!

 

I have seen several fires upon my mountain.

 

Even through the slats of the pens, the mountains

shine through.

 

The clouds over the mountains are often breathtaking!

 

Oh and sunrises~they make waking up early AMAZING!

 

Once again, at different times, the mountains seem to change!

 

And I feel transported to Ireland!

 

Or to the heavens as the clouds are at times lower than the peaks!

A view through the garden.

  

Sometimes as calm as it looks, it reminds me of a volcano.

 

No matter what I am doing, I see my mountains.

 

And they wow me.

 

A new person moved to the Canyon and he asked us the name of 

the mountains and I told him "our last name" mountains.

He laughed and I told him the real name, and he replied that not

for him, he will always refer to them as our last name~mountains!

(as with the blog~our last name will remain unknown in bloggity world)

 

Each season brings colors and hues that I cannot name.

 

The mesquite weave almost finger like branches up to the mountains.

 

And I confess that I thank the Creator often for His handiwork.

 

Each time I leave the farm, I see

my mountains and they seem to say, "see ya

soon Jennifer!"

 

Even the road from the farm seems to point me to 

my mountains!

 

The humble recycled campaign sign pens looked incredible 

with my mountains in the background.

 

Snow adorns my mountains and brightens my view.

 

And our Creator reminds me of His Promise over my mountains.

 

A surprise winter wonderland has the mountain sunrise to brighten 

our joy!

 

As storms waver over my mountains I am comforted as I know

that they will subside.

 

Simple wire love hugs my mountain view

ps thank you my Bill!

 

Even at dusk my mountains makes me smile!

 

Abuelito, Bill, and Fourth with my mountains!

 

A dust storm hid my mountains for a bit...

 

The usual winter dusting makes my view lovely

and for all of these views plus so many more, I am thankful

that I have my mountains to brighten my day.

No matter what happens in life, our Creator and His handiwork

is not far from reach.  

Hats off

to Second!

 

It's kind of hard to see in the photo, but the fire

helmet is white.

Second was elected as an officer in

the volunteer fire department he is on, therefore

the hat promotion.

He works full time as a fireman for the

local city, and in his off hours he is a member

of the volunteer fire department he joined when he

was 17! 

Congratulations Second!!

We love you!

Seeing the Possibilities

I love seeing the possibilities in things.  Whenever I have a few minutes of time, I end up creating something.  Recently I began working on some of the gourds I have from last year.

 

 These were gourds from a few years ago. I loved seeing them

green awaiting a new purpose.  

I did not make any of them into a birdhouse~it seems

like I avoid the obvious in nearly everything.

Over the years, I have learned how to cut dried gourds.

The first year was a direct cut with a knife and it wasn't

so easy.

 

Since then I discovered that a series of small holes make way

for the easiest cut of the gourd.

 

 

These are my current projects.

On the gourd in the back, you can see I already put a piece

of baling wire through it.

The front left gourd I dotted for a scallop cut~stay tuned

for a post using the scallop as I have an idea that's in the works.

The front right gourd is pictured in the previous photo.

 

This is from a few years ago.

It was ever so difficult to cut the gourd this way.  There

are a ton of seeds to grow more gourds!

The top piece ended up...

 

as Mrs. Double Nickel's head.

 

 

Then I used another gourd top to make Mr. Double Nickel. 

The bodies were made out of baling wire

and the clothes were from old clothes of Bill's and mine.

This project was to show how cast offs could be remade.

Even the tops of the gourds made this perfect, which

originally I thought were garbage.

The bottom piece became a bowl which

 

is pictured here.  In fact, both black and white

bowls are the bottom gourds.

 

This is the bottom of the scallop cut gourd from above.

I am still in the process of painting it and hope to finish it soon.

Even now, looking at the gourd bowl above, I know it is only about

1/4 of the way finished and yet, I see the possibilities and I smile.

Sorry it's a Phase

 

We played games yesterday.

A bit of Phase Ten and then Sorry.

Board games on the farm bring out cat annoy/cuteness

 

Unlike Jaws, there wasn't any themed music to warn you of kitty attack.

As the pieces were placed and we were ready to begin BAM...

no dorsal fin to note, but scary none the less.

 

As the game continued, kitty thought the entire game was always 

about her and her comfort.

 

 

And she demanded to be dealt in even though Sorry is not 

a card game!

For the record, I doubt that she was sorry!

To make sure no cat feels like I am singling them out...this

is not something new. Unlike dogs though, cats do what they

want when they want.  Because they perform the dirty job of exterminator of

rodents, I permit  a bit of leeway every now and then.

Friday Evening

Friday Five Plus One

 

These are the steps up to the antique store where I found my orange

dot Pyrex bowl.  In Silver City, NM many of the sidewalks had

steps up and they all were like these steps.  I loved Silver City and

plan on going back because the creativity in the entire town, matched

my brain! 

 

 

After driving around Silver City, Bill and I knew we had to see more

and spent a few hours driving pretty much every street. I have never

been in a community that is so unique.  Unlike most communities,

with cookie cutter perfect lawns and homes, Silver City seems

to embrace unique homes, yards, fences, sidewalks, windows

and more.  In fact almost anything became a mural.  

The above photo is of this amazing door.  It was on a side side side

street but to me was a door that made me wish I could be on the other

side and see all that it hid.  

 

 

I snapped this photo while hiking for pictographs in the Gila 

Cliff area. 

I have several photos of bugs on flowers and think it must be 

another of my "things."

 

This is a wall of pictographs near the Cliff Dwellings.  I have a post planned to 

share this more as you cannot really see any of the paintings too 

well unless you went up pretty close. 

Like the Decalogue Stone,  and the Three Rivers Petroglyphs, I was surprised 

at how this is in the elements so to speak.  I think that this site should be more

preserved to maintain the history of long ago.  Of course to build

an awning or cover would cost money so I get it until I think

of how wasteful government is on ridiculous things.

 

On our return from our trip we stopped at Diaz Farms outside 

Deming, New Mexico.  We bought some pinto beans, onions,

and chile's.  One of the grandson's of the owner was minding the 

store and it was wonderful to find such a longstanding local 

business. 

I confess that the reason I snapped this photo is the chile.

I have a tendency to take photos of larger than life chile's!

And the plus one...

I found the image below on You know you are Mexican if on Face*book.

 

Although I had to modify it just a tad.  This one is for the 

goof troop as Bill makes the bestest ever Arroz con Leche!