At the Carwash ?

Yesterday we had a family cookout, with our kids, grandkids and my mother here for Sunday lunch. Later, after everyone left, I walked past the fountain I have set up on the south side of our new porch. I did a double-take, for I think the little boys couldn't resist all the sawdust laying nearby on the ground. When I went to dump it, so the sawdust wouldn't clog up the pump on the fountain, there were more surprises! Out came 3 matchbox cars, too! I really had to laugh, at the surprise the grandsons left for me! They were just washing their cars the best way they knew how! Too cute! That was my giggle for the day!

Bambi and Red

In the Frenchman Valley, where I live, the land is a bit flat, especially in comparison to the canyons and hills north of town. Driving on Route 25, threading my car over the curves and turns through the deep canyons and steep hills in Hayes County, you can usually see wildlife of some kind or another,
something other than fresh roadkill, that is. Last Tuesday, I spotted two big bucks wading through the ripening wheat beside the highway. The wheat was chest high, nearly combine ready.

The week before I had seen a small fawn jump out of the brome grass beside the road, and scamper across to be swallowed up, in the tall grass on the other side. It happened so quickly, I just happened to be in the right place to witness this scene. I breathed a big sigh of relief when he was safe.

But, I think my favorite creature to look for is the red-tailed hawk that hangs out at the top of the hill near a ravine a few miles from town. Several times, it has flown across the road, just in front of me, and I have held my breath, hoping it did not fly into my vehicle, for both our sakes. I don't want the repair bill, and he doesn't need to take that kind of suicide flight. Sometimes, I spot him perched on a fencepost, his eyes peeled for a moving violation by a rodent of some sorts. Other times, he is soaring in the wind over the sunflowers, that just began to bloom late in June.

Talk to you, later

This blogger is going on hiatus. Thank you to all readers. You are appreciated. God bless.

Tami

Pay Attention!

It was such a small piece, about the size of a round BB, but it killed my microwave oven! Sad to say, my finger was on the trigger. I pushed the button, the wrong button on Sunday night.

I just wanted some popcorn! So, laying the bag on the glass tray, I shut the door, like I have done a hundred and one times, and pushed the popcorn button. Zap! Usually, in about 60 seconds, you can hear the pop-pop-pop and then it beeps and voila! supper on Sunday night is ready! Quick. Easy. Painless. Unless you talk on the phone, then get on the internet and your roommate says,"PEE YEW! Something is burning!"

I ran back downstairs and into a fog, NO, dense smoke in the kitchen, and before I can open that microwave, my eyes water and I am doubled over coughing, to discover a black bag of charred popcorn and the glass turntable cracked in two. The microwave was toast. Toast would have smelled better!

I had lots of time to run this through my mind as I washed the walls, cabinets, and counters, and scrubbing off the stuck-on, gooey, smelly gunk where the microwave used to preside in my kitchen. I just couldn't figure it out, why this time one bag of popcorn blew up and didn't just pop. And finally, the truth pushed through the thick denial in my mind.

Want to know what went wrong, why the microwave is dead? Okay, this is soooooooooo embarassing. I pushed the potato button, and those little kernels of popcorn popped so long, they became like burnt bullets and fatally shot the microwave. What a "blonde" moment that was. It's true. I pushed the wrong button, then walked away, blithely unaware I killed it.

I miss my microwave! I can't heat a quick cup of tea, or defrost meat for supper, because "somebody" forgot to get the meat out of the freezer earlier in the day. If I want to soften butter to mix-up a quick batch of cookies, or reheat the lasagna for a fast meal, I'm out of luck, and all of this on account of not paying attention.

Wow. What cold humble pie this is. I can't even heat it in the microwave for a minute thirty seconds!