Friday, March 29, 2013

Hear the River?




When we last spoke I was mentioning the fog in Whimbrel. Today we speak with bluebird sky and the songs of Spring in the air. My tongue has departed Whimbrel for now to indulge in the fruit that springtime in Bend has to offer. Today I have seen the violet-green swallow. One of my regions harbingers of spring and an alarm clock to the central Oregon outdoorsman. The bell has been rung and we can't put that toothpaste back in the tube.
Spring has sprung to coin another cheesy cliche.
This time around has been something even more overwhelming than the last multitude of overwhelming moments I've mentioned in this blog. I'm truly sorry it doesn't have to do with the sagebrush and the cowgirls, this time. Oh, wait, I think I just out metaphored my own damn self. Anyhow let's get back to the spring I'm talking about.
So I get this call. It was my phone ringing, I know redundant but I must spill my skill right now. So I answered my phone with the typical, "Hellllo..." No reply.......... Hmmm......I didn't know what to think other than a telemarketer or a prank. I love pranks, so I wanted to play along. As I waited for a reply with baited breath and a snicker on tap, I heard 3 words. 3 words that threw my for a loop. I didn't think prankers said that. I was a little off kilter for a response. It was kinda like learning the " 'I' before 'E' except after 'C' rule". Probably quite a bit like how you are feeling right now. So I responded off the cuff with a brief answer, "I've been here and I don't plan on leaving." I know, you want to know what the question was, right? Well let's just say I'll allude to that eventually.
As I waited for a response to my response, it sank in. I found it. She was always there but I had never found her the way I did that day. My answer was the golden ticket to my own question. Until I heard her say it, out loud, it never sank in. Many pages of scripture and related writings have been spent trying to explain what I just found and it was all summed up in 3 little words. I've known her all my life, it feels like, and for some reason I was blessed to get to know her once again. The love has always been the same and the bond is stronger than it's ever been.
In the short time I had to spend listening, she spoke much wisdom and kept a smile on my face. My confidence grew and somehow I felt like a superhero, like I could walk through walls, catch a bullet in my hand, and beat the capital 'O' in a footrace. She told me more, without saying more than 3 words, than I could have heard in a lifetime. My heart has grown and my smile has not left.
Perhaps if I haven't 'out metaphored' myself, it would appear that the sagebrush and the cowgirls have gotten a little closer to solving their battle. If I were the mediator, I would simply ask, "Hear the river?"

Let the ones you love know it! Keep the sunny side up, and don't take a poo while your lover is showering in the same bathroom. Carmen, OOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooot

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Prrr...

     The fog was thick in Whimbrel as Ab made her way through the forested trail leading to the dump. After her last trip she was well aware that Caniday may be lurking. Still not sure how she felt about this critter that she had hand fed and nearly lost her finger to. Ab trudged on, she had a job to do regardless of who was in the forest. She could only see about an arms length in front of her face with the heavy fog and could only hear the battering surf on the shoreline not too far below. Ab was carrying a heavy load and felt the need to take rest midway through her journey. She found a comfortable log that was dry despite the thick humidity. Ab shrugged her load for a moment in order to relax her tired muscles. She was carrying a great deal of rubbish this trip. It was the week of celebration in Whimbrel, and much more rubbish was produced compared to a normal week. As she relaxed herself and began to let her hair loose from the tight braid she had used to keep her hair away from the refuse, she noticed something. Something seemed to be tugging at her hair. Ab had grown her hair as long as she had been alive. It was long to say the least. When she finally unfurled all of her lengthy locks she still felt something tugging on her head. She shrugged her head in order to relieve herself from the tug. It tugged back. Ab tugged the other direction with a great burst to free her hair from its confines. She tugged so hard, she yanked the tugger from its perch. The tugger was animal. Ab was startled and jumped from her rest. The animal was not happy and seemed to be caught up in Ab's hair. As Ab jumped to her feet, trying to flee the critter in her hair, the critter became more entangled in Ab's hair. Being dark and foggy Ab thought the worst as this critter wriggled around in her hair and seemed to become even more entangled. When you grow something all of your life, you become quite protective it and Ab didn't want to loose her hair, even more she didn't want to loose her life. As she jumped up off of her log to dismiss this critter, the critter landed at her feet, still entwined in some of Ab's locks. A bright pair of green eyes stared up at Ab. Ab's eyes stared back. Both of them confounded by what they were experiencing, looked back with confused eyes. Eye-to-eye these beings saw into each others soul and that explained everything they needed to know of one another.  Calmness ensued as Ab and the critter tried to wind their way out of the predicament they were in in. Both were reserved when faced this chaos and neither were upset. There seemed to be a recognition between the two. Neither wanted to hurt the other but they both wanted out of this situation. At that moment Ab had met something she had never met.  As she unwound the critter from its binding it began to make an unusual sound. This critter seemed to be vibrating, on its own. As each breath this critter breathed the vibrations would follow. This puzzled Ab. The critter seemed as if it was paying respect or rewarding Ab for rescuing it from it entangled web. This sound got louder as Ab reached out her hand and began to lightly pet the critters head. Ab had no idea what she was doing but it seemed to work. The critter became more and more docile to each loving touch Ab extended.
     The morning light began to come up over the bay and life was to begin again in Whimbrel. The village began its day as normal until someone noticed Ab had not returned from her chore. Most just thought she was out feeding that midden wolf and paid no mind. Some had ideas that Ab might have gotten into trouble with the wolf and went to look for her. Six or seven of the villagers went up the wooded trail leading to the dump to go and seek Ab.

    The morning turned to afternoon and still no sign of Ab. The six or seven villagers turned into the whole village out on a hunt to find Ab Initio.

Meanwhile, back in the woods Ab and her new friend had come to peace and started a rather special relationship. As the village looked for Ab, she was off-trail and enjoying the time she was spending with her new friend. The critter.

Tune in next time when we define "the Critter", why Ab is missing, and where the hell does the cat get involved? You're not too far away, so stay close. Here kitty, kitty, kitty.....




Sagebrush just kicked another cowgirl out of her saddle and that led to cowgirls going on a chainsaw spree so I don't expect any resolution anytime soon. What I do expect soon is you and I figuring out where the dog and cat came from.
Let the ones you love know it and be good to yourself.
Carmen, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooot

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Canus v. Felid

Welcome back. I know it's been a while and a long time to say the least. To get the ball rolling, we'll brief the subject of the Cowgirls and Sagebrush. To stoke the fire, we'll introduce you to the woman who introduced us to the dog and how the cat played a roll in all of our evolution.

First of all, the Sage and CG's are still at odds and the outlook still looks bleak. Neither one want to commit on any concessions toward bettering their current situation without the other one giving up more than they are comfortable to give. A familiar song I've heard since I knew what the word 'politics' has meant. As a mediator I've never been comfortable with 'one having too much' so I feel caught in the middle of their whoas. For now I'll let them be and see if war is imminent or if there is satisfaction at hand. If you want to get yourself between a rock and a hard place, step between these two. Sagebrush and Cowgirls are two of the orneriest critters you'll ever face. Great spirit be with ya! Good luck to both of ya and call me back when you feel like negotiating. Peacefully.

Now to begin our story of the month, quite possibly the year. The story of how I met the lady who introduced us to what we know as the common dog and how the common housecat played a role in how we all evolved.

This all began back on a dock in Whimbrel, Maine. A port city of not much prowess but it holds down the local economy. Whimbrel is mostly a lobster and haddock town as I made my visit. When I left, I knew Whimbrel as the town the dog first came to visit.

As the story goes, from old timers on the dock, as told to me: A wolf had been hanging around the midden pile and the discarded rubbish, the dump, that the citizens of the settlement had been using for nearly a year in the newly established compound. As the compound began to grow and as they discarded more and more edible waste, this wolf became more and more persistent. One woman noticed this wolfs persistence to gather as many scraps as it possibly could and then bolt back into the woods to presumably consume her bounty. The woman, Ab Initio, (only known by her name as handed down by her tribe) observed this wolf for nearly a year before she gave it the name of  'Caniday'. Caniday in her tongue meant "woman who gathers scraps."
The wolf, obviously female to Ab Initio, earned her name form her work. As Ab Initio watched Caniday, she learned that the wolf was becoming more assertive and less timid to her surroundings in the midden. Caniday became almost a part of the 'dump' and was now becoming a part of the town. As people would go to disregard their weeks garbage, they would see Caniday sitting on the hill above the dump and baying when they would arrive. She would welcome their arrival with a chipper 'bawr-bawr-bar-barkkkk' song and then take a position high above the midden awaiting her chance to come running down the hill to capture her treasures after the humans had left. This may sound like it happened yesterday, but it began centuries ago. Ab Initio was born in a time where man knew nothing about the dog, let alone knowing anything about the wild or the wolf. Her knowledge of Caniday was like yours and mine of dust-mites. We know they're here, but what do they do??  It was Ab Initio's job to find out and possibly befriend this critter that seems so unafraid of mans garbage, something man himself seems so afraid of.

Ab took it upon herself to find out why this beast was a threat to her own existence, and what it was all about? As Ab began to study this beast she realized that the beast was not a beast at all, but a loving mother. Trying to protect her young, that were secured in a nearby den. The dump was nothing but an easy food lot and gathering spot to help Caniday acquire essentials for her young. Ab soon realized that if she and her tribe left Whimbrel for any extended amount of time it would mean doom for Caniday. She knew Caniday had become dependent upon the refuse of the village.
Being the first human to take notice of the wolf, Ab was also the first human to take care of the wolf. Ab began to bring her own scraps to Caniday. First she would drop them off in a pile and then return to her  home. As it became known Caniday was not going to harm Ab, she began to try and hand feed this wolf. Things were going well until it became apparent that Caniday valued food more than human spirit. She bit Abs finger nearly off. As Caniday saw Abs' finger part hanging, she instinctively began to lick the finger that appeared to be torn.... Caniday had bitten the hand that had fed her. She immediately began to try & right her wrongs. So she thought. Ab wasn't so happy with Caniday and slapped her on the honches. Caniday hunched up and bolted away from Ab.

Part II coming soon...See what happened: was the fence was mended?...and ...why did the cat have anything to do with it?

Spoiler Alert:
Cani turned to look at Ab, but Ab fired back a glare of "why did you?, what did you?, you ungrateful......"

Tune in next week to find out if the wolf ever reconciles with the lady or if the lady ever tames the wolf and what the hell does a cat have to do with it? You'll see. It's cool, you just have to stay tuned and let me know you're here! Creativity is spawned from need to hear something new and untold........Let me know you listen.

Let the ones you love know it! and Love
Carmen OOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooot

No Dogs or Cats were harmed in this presentation
Only the human writing was severely....errrmpaired....."oh we'll figure it out, he ain't that bad"

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Is being obtuse better than being acute?

Obtuse: Fully believing in the fact that I must follow the direction I have been sent

Acute: Fully believing in the fact that life is dynamic and ever changing and no one gave ME a map. It's all about the journey and the encounters along the way


You can all be both but what prevails? Do you think someone has more integrity because they believe 'tooth and nail' that "That's how it is, that's how it should be" or do you make decisions to fit the situation that make more common sense? Some rely on a library of past knowledge to guide their ship through the straights of indecision and others look at the truth at hand and focus their guidance from there to get the ship to port. I was brought up to believe that there was ONE way and that was the RIGHT way. After my fair share of years discovering that the stone left unturned is the stone with the answers, I tend to lean toward common sense. The whole staunch, stick to your ethics/values/culture, gig has run its course, in my opinion. I think an open eye and awareness is worth more than an established set of guidelines represent. Play the game, don't let the game play you. Acute.
Gotta put the fork in it right there, my ship is heading for the rox. Oh, yea, We've got an update with our combatants. The CowGirls (GC's) and the Artemesia family (the Sagebrush [SB]) have come to a collective bargaining agreement.deal  This is a ONE year deal and left to be reckoned with. The bottom line was that if the cowgirls kept their herds out of the .........Ah crap....how can you really come to odds with cowgirls and sagebrush? They HAD a bargain, now they've turned the channel and are back at odds again.... As I like to think, every time I write this, the CG's and the SB's will eventually get along. I guess the point of this post is just to let you know when to hold 'em and to know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away & know when to run. Don't get stuck in a rut, keep your mind ALIVE, and never second guess what you know is RIGHT, even if it is left. Let the one's you love know it and keep you eyes on the prize, a fulfilling life.  Carmen, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A long long time ago.....

A long time ago, I started this little foray into the blogosphere and have gotten a long way away since. Nevertheless this is about the Cowgirls and Sagebrush. The idea of "you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone" is still on the table but yet to be rectified. Neither side can come to an agreement on what that general statement means. So negotiations remain stalled for over a year now and no real progress has been made. I'll let you know if anything happens but for now they are still horn-locked and continuing their daily activities with the similar conflicts they've had for years. Neither are winning or losing. It's hard to say where this might go....

  I learned two cool phrases from the same man tonight that I thought I might share. If you check my sources, you'll find this info came from an apparently slightly [or more so] dosed fellow who actually had some words of wisdom Watch this @ the 6:00 minute mark. As simple as they were, I felt the need to share. The first one is just an interpretation of the Golden Rule but sounded more digestible: Treat EVERYTHING as you feel you SHOULD be treated. & the one that may need some interpretation: Unity Beyond Division. It says it all on it's own but to me it says, "just because we draw lines and borders doesn't mean we need to change things on the other side."
In an attempt to help the CG and the SG  find unity and possibly all of us politically jaded individuals who have seen too much crap and not enough fix. Just another reason to listen to Mother Nature and not hot air-bags.

Let the ones you love know it, and "fair you be well now, let you life proceed by it's own design" just be a good designer. Carmen, oooooooooooooooooooooooot. Like I'm in C-eh-N-eh-D-eh

[Canada for you slow folks]

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY

Just a view into realm of this writer's perspective.

Not last night but the night before, 99 rebels came knockin' @ my door....

Rebel, Yankee...Demo, Rep, Indy.......it dont mean nothing to me. I was born an American (poor white trash child) into a middle/lower class family. I have taken on the advantages of education, common sense, and good moral standing. All benefit the less privileged and I suggest a course in all of them for those of you who need a tune up. Being less privileged I've learned to find my way. What a wonderful way it has been. It's really not about the destination, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY. Taking to heart every step you take and every step you make opens the heart and soul to fulfillment. Really notice what is around you and what you are around. Why is it there? What is it doing? How long has it been there? Where did it come from? Just some questions you might ask yourself when wandering down the river trail or out in the badlands or even in Riverbend park or your driveway. Just think. Let the doors of your mind open up to you to see the glory Mother Nature has presented to us.

Fact is folks, we talk politics all the time but no one is TRULY concerned with the politics of our nature. I'm not going all greeny on y'all but in truth we need to listen to nature before we listen to ourselves. I'm only asking you open your eyes and see what is going on around you. See what the trees look like, see the bald spot on your lawn and wonder 'why', see if your trees have lichen or not, see if you have a new species of spider running around your house.

SEE. LOOK. OBSERVE.  Don't take life for granted, It's going on all around us all of the time. Take a breath and examine some life you dont usually live. Love to all and may the Cowgirls and the Sagebrush finally come to an agreement.






Sagebrush vs. Cowgirl

200 & Two days of closed negotiations have brought us 1 step closer to a full agreement. The CG's have given in on the running over SB while SB has not backed off growing over 6 feet tall.The CG's are miffed by offer and are threatening to pull the "running over SB" off the table. However all are inclined to buy the deal of : "You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone"

Unfortunately this agreement is still in the balance and yet to be solved. We (I) will give you updates as soon as anything happens.

As it stands, the Cowgirls and the Sagebrush are still working out a collective bargaining agreement. Hopefully they'll be done b4 the NBA, I need my cows moved by Sunday. BTW, If you're a CG named Sunday, you're welcome to move my cows, by Sunday.

Love is good, love is great, love is what they told me it was.

Take care & peace to all, and make sure the one's you love know it!

Carmen OOOOOOOOOOOOOt





 Man I'm dressed heavy for summer.....Wayout Productions, Cry For No Sympathy, VI Dogs run a Boat & of course 3 Tards Moving. Be good and keep thinking. I'm naked now, you just can't see it! CG oot

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Twisted Seasons with no Rhyme or Reasons


Good to see you made it back. It seems winter has gone on forever. I started winter term in October, I believe, and had spring break a couple of weeks ago, and now it STILL feels like winter. It's friggin April 6th. OK, something is going on here. I'm not a big fan of the global warming theory however I have noticed a shift in the general climate. Where my perspective lives, it looks like winters are lasting longer, spring is becoming virtually 'non-existent', summer has become a fickle visitor, and autumn is only around as long as it takes for the leaves to turn from green to red/yellow/orange & fall off the tree. Sometimes winter wont even let that cycle complete itself before it sets forth it's blanket of frosty soldiers to chill the air and the earth. Anyway, something is up.
..
So for the winter term update. I didn't make the Dean's list this time around, missed it by one 'A'. I wound up with a 3.46 (A,A,B,A,B.) They're working some kind of funky voodoo on grades now where the +'s and the -'s actually count. So if I were to do the avg. it would be a 3.6 but one A was a minus and one B was a minus. So hence the paltry 3.46 and no trip to the Smart Guy Sheet. The term was a challenge in general. Unfortunately I learned that about the time I finally found my rhythm & the term was coming to an end. It's good to be back and re-establishing my rhythm for the spring term. Spring, I use that word so loosely right now. It's just Winter Jr. as far as I'm concerned. I'm glad to see buds on the trees but I'm fearful that they will not make it through this Winter Jr.
Sagebrush is still in the latter stages of hibernation and the cowgirls are dealing with cutting and branding right now, so negotiations are still on hold but we hope to get something going as soon as this snow finally decides to depart.
Thanks again for the visit and stay tuned. As the weather gets better, so does my "HandTongue". If you can't be with the one you love, BE CAREFUL. The one you're with might want to love you. Only use that old adage if it's a last resort and you can handle pulling the pin on that grenade. Take care everyone and make sure the ones you love know it! Night all.

Carmen oooooooooooooot!