Photo journalism..."every picture tells a story, doe nit?"

Damndelion

When the ponderosa grows up inside a thunderbird feather

Lakes are cool. Even cold this time of year. 

Look who I found on the lake. Now that's a teeter-totter

My big sister. She's kept her eye on me since I was a twinkle in the Bend drinking water. 

This is my sisters boyfriend. She just can't seem to find a way to make him commit.....always the bachelor. 

This is where ducks live. Never mind the UFO crash in the background

There she is again. Show off. 

My friend G Deagle. 

Did you see that????

Photo essay complete. For now. Never say never like you mean it and try not to hate anything. Even those damn spicy peppers in your Chinese food. Let the ones you love know it. Carmen, ooooooooooooooot

Thumbs don't fail me now

It's rare that I post on back to back dates but figuring out how to re initiate myself back into cyberdom has giving me inspiration. It's like a dam with a leak that slowly gets bigger until it's a torrent. That's where I'm at. 

I did stumble onto some Sage today and asked what their beef with the cowgirls is. They really couldn't say anything bad. Same as the Cowgirls I spoke to last week. Neither one has anything bad to say about one another. They just sound like the leaders of the particular posse's are going about their own agendas to make themselves look like they have a better outcome. The rank and file, Sage & Cowgirls don't feel their best interest is being portrayed in the "negotiations" (if there are any at all) and feel it would be in the best interest of all to use their strengths to benefit each other's weaknesses. So from my point of view I'm going to have to see if smarter minds prevail while watching from the sidelines. Have you ever gotten between sagebrush and a cowgirl.....? When they're mad at each other???? It ain't pretty. I had to have Tommy John surgery on both knees, my right arm, my left ear, six toes had to be reafixed to one foot. That's why they call me Lefty. I have six toes on one foot and four on the other just because I got between sagebrush and cowgirls. So anyway, nothing relevant in the so called negotiations. Let's head back to Nellie's Kitchen. It's not as boring over there...…

Last nights guest list filled out about as planned. Robin brought her latest boyfriend, Flaggy. He's a tough little fellow and I do mean little. She looks like the Titanic steaming next to a tug with this lil feller. Tough too. He appears to have taken a serious beating before the two arrived for dinner. His lapel was all mussed up with a rip up the back of his jacket. He still ate like he was gathering food to take home to the nest. Robin she kept an eye on Flaggy to make sure he was doing alright. She seemed a bit nervous most of the time they were there. It wasn't until the rednecks showed up and started arguing with the du'Ves.  Apparently one of the "orange"-neck rednecks got insulted by a spare-"0" who was a friend of the du'Ves. This started a mele that had feathers flying across the Kitchen. Nellie was able to manage the action and keep the damage at a minimum. The rednecks and the spare O's were dismissed. Robin and Flaggy were alone for a brief moment at the kitchen and Flaggy whispered something to Robin. No one heard what was said but everyone heard the reaction. Robin jumped from her seat, spilling water all over Flaggy, and screamed, "YES FLAGGY YES!!!!!!!" One can only assume the rest. Meanwhile Nellie was seating the some of the RTH clan. Once again not sure which of the youngins showed up but they showed up hungry. Timm led the posse and Rachelle was not with them. There were two more than normal this time. I'm just going to guess and say that Hunter and Haley were the dinner guests this evening. Hunter is Timm's son from another marriage and looks much more like his mother than Timm. Haley is the only one in the clan who is accepting of Hunter so that's why I think that's who Timm brought to the kitchen this evening. Nellie seated them without any fuss. Robin and Flaggy picked at their plates and stole peeks into each other's eyes. Each time their smiles grew bigger. It was getting well into the evening and Nellie's was about ready to close the doors when out of nowhere the Craven family came through the door. "Party of 12!?!" Nellie's first relation was "oh shit", thankfully her second was to seat this raucous dozen as fast as possible and start a bar tab. The Craven's came in ywith some of the Scrubjez and a few Stejez. It sounded like someone gave Dennis Leary, Gilbert Godfrey, & Rush Limbaugh ten hits of Molly and told them to recite the bill of rights. It got noisy to say the least but all was well, everyone appeared to be having fun. While tending to the Cravens, Nellie was called away to greet a special guest. Erving Beekles. Someone of high regard under the big red cinder cone. Erving brought his date the impeccable Ms. Eva Gross. Compared to the heavies the Beekles have more weight to throw around in greater mass so everyone gives them much respect. 

As Robin gazed into Flaggy's eyes as if star-struck by Zeus' lightning Bolt. The rest of the crowd clambered in their happiness and reveled in atmosphere that catered to good love and happiness at Nellie's Kitchen. 

This is where things went crazy and all hell broke loose. It would seen one of the RTH clan, most likely Hunter, was fooling around with one of the Cravens in the hallway to the bathroom. Screams and yells were heard from across the street. There was so much noise I have to out down the hand tongue and rekindle this interlude at another time. As fate would have it Flaggy did propose to Robin and she said yes. The rest of the drama at Nellie's Kitchen is going to have to wait for another day. Better stay tuned cuz things are gonna heat up. Not just the oven, Craven Babyrow got herself all up in Hunters business and sparks are starting to fly. Btw, the Cravens name their children with their last name first as we would translate it in our culture. So if I were a Craven I would Craven Gilstrap Carmen. Weird, I know just deal with it. I think this is the part where I'm supposed (not spose, like the rednecks say) to say "good night Gracie" so good night Gracie and may all you dreams come true. Thanks for stopping by and the fire will be lit more often now so stop on by anytime. Be sure the ones you love know it, go easy on the salt, and tell Bigfoot, if ya see him/her, I want my REO Speedwagon cassette back. Love y'all, Carmen oooooooooooot. 

Long time coming...

It's been over a year now and my finger-tongues are finally learning their way around this modern utility. My use of the keyboard is all about wasted at this point. Btw I'm probably the only person you know who has failed typing twice. Once from Flatop Ricketts, the next year, Ms. Hibbs. As irony would have it, about the time I became comfortable with a "keyboard" was about the time I lost all contact with it. 37yrs later. Thx Ms. Hibbs & Mr. Ricketts. I only hope I never catch the Hibbs or Ricketts. 

Back to action at hand. The cowgirls and sage are waiting for the outcome of the Donald Sterling ownership to see how to proceed. It seems some of the sage may have insulted the cowgirls by posting a picture similar to this....

On twitter. So there are some allegations going around that may or may not be founded. The commissioner is still in Turks & Caicos and no negotiations have been scheduled for the near future. 

NOW WHAT YOU REALLY CAME TO HEAR!!!!!

Ab found a cat. We know that. Her & Felidae are doing great. If you look towards the eastern sky tonight you may just see them. 

Tonight has brought a new light to my finger-pencils, hand-tongues, what ever this act of writing is afforded by. I have stumbled onto a neighborhood unlike any other in the world. This neighborhood has a cast of characters right out of the 50s. Their interactions remind me a lot of what happened during Happy Days at Arnold's. The setting is a local establishment where everyone comes to eat. Some of them come from miles around but most of them are pretty close in the neighborhood. Let's set the scene. 

On the edge of where north meets south and high meets low, there is a diner kitchen. Nellie's Kitchen is it's name. It sits beneath a giant red cinder cone covered in grasses and thunderbird feathers. They call these thunderbird feathers juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees. That's a story for another campfire. This giant red cinder cone has made the backdrop for Nellie's Kitchen for the last 4 decades. In this time it has entertained many clientele. From great aristocrats to penny-pinching misers, high-flyers and low-ball scoundrels. Nellie's Kitchen has seen em all. In the wooded setting covered in thunderbird feathers and the magestic ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) behind the grassy knolls that hold the shells of our loved ones who have left  (cemetery), sits an oasis for any weary traveler or any regular who just wants some company. At Nellie's you'll find just about anything you like. The menu isn't bad either. 

Now that we know where we are let's fill you in on the guests. At Nellie's the is a list of regulars, all characters in their own right. No one can forget the one time visitors and the guests who only come around when the weather is right. Nellie calls them fair-weather guests. Funny tho, she gets them at all times of the year. It must be subjective to what makes up fair weather. Let's fill you in on tonight's reservations. First off and she really needs no reservation is Robin. This lovely likes to sport rubies and show off whenever she can. She has been a regular since Nellie's opened. Next would be the du'Ves. There are two families of du'Ves. One is originally from Turkey, the Collard tribe, and migrated to Jamaica as an act in the circus. The second, the Mourning side of the du'Ves are indigenous to the giant red cinder cone. Both families are just as common at Nellie's but you never know which one will show up. There are some heavy hitters who frequent the Kitchen. One who was a rare guest for just a week was G. Deagle. I think he had plans on a hostile takeover of the du'Ves latest investment. Another heavy is the RTH family. Rachelle, Timm, & Holly. This tribe seems to show up around February and spend about five months and we don't see them again until the next February. We're still not sure if it's Holly this year or Hannah, maybe even Harley or Haley. Hell it might be, Hatley, Hans, Jamir (he likes it spelled with an 'J', still pronounced [ha-mir]), or Hambone.  Hard to tell the youngins apart. The have a hunting business on the giant red cinder cone. Evidently they are very successful. They have been established here for a lonnnng time.

 The locals usually move out of the heavies way but in general they don't move far. There are a flock of red-necks that like to hang around the watering hole at Nellie's. Also a group refferred to as the "spare-O's". Why? I don't know. Someone once did tell me that they had just enough brain-power to make a piss-ant's motorcycle make a circle around a Cheerio. That's their beef. I just know that the red-necks look a lot like David Spade. The spare O's look a lot like the Finches. 

Among other regulars to the Kitchen are Scrubjez, the Steejez, & the Peejez. Much like the du'Ves, these folks have a large family. All could appear at once and none could appear at all. The "jez" tribe are a bit of the opportunist variety. Their fellow family members the Cravens are bigger and twice as opportunistic and have a huge family. They come around but only when something is for free. 

How could I forget Woody? He pecks around Nellie's like he lost his keys somewhere inside the walls. 

That should get us up to speed on the regulars. Other guests may have a seat at the bar while we wait for this story to develop. So we're going to chill for now and let the preceding imagery develop until you can come back and find out. .....

If Sagebrush & the Cowgirls are ever gonna figure it...out! What chilling end may be coming to CravenBabyRow.....the youngest Craven, and of course

What's going on on in Nellie's Kitchen....this could be the best worst soap opera you've never seen.  Tune in again soon. 

Love to all who shared the time to read this and be sure the ones you love know it and until next time, this is you're fearless naredowell, Carmen Gilstrap signing off for now. Gee whiz I think I forgot how to do this..........oh yea......Carmen oooõōóòöooøt!

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

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

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"

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.