Went spelunking in my photo files and found a file from December that I’d forgotten.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend filled with unexpected treats and no overripe bananas. Unless, of course, you’re in the mood for baking bread . . .
(I’m going to cheat and add some words…)
Today I’m feeling a bit like this squirrel sipping at a less-than-pristine pool: my YA revision process has suddenly turned murky. However, it’s what I’ve got to work with so I need to suck it up. (And maybe sometime soon, some kind being will clean and replenish my brain pan!)
You’re telling me you don’t know how that story ends? Really?!
Well, what’re you waiting for?
Go figure it out.
Sheesh.
It’s a whole new week
filled with bright, shiny possibilities.
© Tracy Abell 2012
Let’s see how much trouble we can get into this week,
literary or otherwise.
Go, team, go!
We pulled off another successful Letters and Lines Fall Conference
and I'm taking the day to recuperate.
It was great seeing old friends and making new.
Out on the trails at 6:45 this morning,
concentrating on where I place my feet
as I run along the rocky, rutted paths.
Lifting my knees that are scarred from various falls,
repeating my internal mantra that keeps me focused and upright:
Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.
Head down and pumping arms as I push against the wind.
Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.
Running down into a ravine and up the other side,
calling out to the young rabbits I see there most days.
No bunnies.
I run past, slightly deflated by the missed interaction.
Slightly puzzled.
Then movement to my left and I think
Ah, they’re over on that side today.
I turn.
Two coyotes startled by my voice, leaping sideways
from where they’d been lying alongside the trail.
Just feet from me and my brain that’s focused on bunnies.
I lift my head and look around, spotting a third coyote farther away.
The four of us watch each other, uncertainty heavy in the air.
What’s the next move?
I offer a quiet apology and continue running,
my grin wide as I watch where I place my feet.
I’m still smiling fiifteen minutes farther along the trail
when a full-grown bunny jumps out in front of me and
races ahead, leaving me in her dust.
Feet on the ground, feet on the ground.
HAPPY HUMP DAY, EVERYONE!
It's crazy hot and windy here in Colorado.
Wildfires burning
air quality ever-changing
and frequently poor.
Woke to a smoky house in middle of the night
so shut off swamp cooler and closed windows.
Air was decent on Saturday and Sunday mornings
and I hit the trails early.
Saturday I was treated to coyote sightings – three in all
so stopped to watch them watch me.
I smiled the rest of the run (even on the uphill).
Because I don't run with a camera here's a coyote cousin from somewhere else:
Image by: John and Karen – NCTC
Nature most definitely nurtures my soul.
And on days like today
when I don't want to pollute my lungs
I stay inside and look out my window.
© Tracy Abell 2012
What have you seen today?
We planted a red maple in our back yard about twelve years ago
and every spring it leafs out as expected.
This year, though, it’s covered with those “helicopter” seed pods
and the squirrels are in gastronomic heaven.
This guy was in full view this morning when I came out to the kitchen:
© Tracy Abell 2012
I watched him cram pods in his mouth as if he was on an assembly line.
Chomp, chomp, chomp. Next! Chomp, chomp, chomp. Next!
Another squirrel was higher in the tree, eating with the same focus and determination.
When I go out on the deck the squirrels scold me, probably because they’re used to me chasing them from the suet feeder. I keep telling them it’s cool if they want to eat all the seed pods, except now I’m wondering how this works when the tree is covered with seeds and no leaves. Will it leaf out when the seeds are gone?
Please tell me the squirrels aren’t eating this tree to death.
