"The Game"

Cut the cards
Be a Bard
Make a verse
Be terse

Engage
Be sage
First is best
Empty nest

All is not
All we've got
Hedge the bet
Don't fret

Soon
A balloon
Hear the tune
Swoon

Cotton candy
Handy
Candy apples
Dandy

Life floats
Tears your moat
Soil
Toil

Maxim
Maybe
Tried
True

Entr'acte
Tack
Lithe
Blithe

"Now"

now
silence
to think
to listen
to your inside self
creating thoughts
yesterday
today
to sustain you
now gone
what about tomorrow?
never now
it's no good
your brain
washed clean
talking on a cell phone
watching tv, movies
computers
listening to sounds
ipods
rewind
fast forward
fancy fast cars
the fast lane?
all designed
for your pleasure
to make life
better
easy
more fun!
when we all know
what happens
is the opposite
it all began
when we started
moving faster
through time
and space
than our thinking
could hold
talking
not listening
no quiet moments
what is left over
is our dilemma
where thinking
has ceased
and given way
to lost
yesterdays
now silence
no tomorrows
not now

"PressOn"

It was quiet on the cabin porch this morning. The trees were silent with no wind to give them the sound of time passing. The clouds in the sky quietly drifted by. The fog wandered in and covered the hills like white frosting on a cake never making a sound. The sunlight began to touch the trees and woods floor and the distant hills silently. The birds came to get a drink and some seed quietly. The only sound we heard was the creek of the porch swing chains as I moved back and forth listening for the first sound of the morning to unfold. There it was. A Hummingbird came by with its soft, gentle hum. The second one caused a minor scuffle at the feeder. Then we heard the crack and pop of the gravel as the little yellow school bus turned from the paved road to the gravel road that runs by the cabin. It must be seven o'clock. When the big, black tires of civilization hit the gravel road it signals their arrival to all those who are listening. When the bus gets to its destination nearby the back up beeper turns on and pierces the quiet morning air like a sharp, shiny knife. The dogs bark to warn of this mighty intrusion. Then, all loaded up the little yellow school bus leaves our quiet space and heads back to the city to deliver its passenger for a day at school. Now we will see the little red truck go by followed shortly by the little white truck tossing up clouds of white dust behind them from our dry gravel road. The fine, white dust will settle back down on the road and the weeds and the trees. This will pretty much be the activity for the day unless Loretta our neighbor across the road decides to go to town. She will put Reuben her black and brown curly haired dachshund out and he will bark about it. Bo, her big dog will say nothing. He is a kind gentle giant. Loretta is a wonderful neighbor and our only one within earshot.
Gypsy is on her porch chewing on a bone thinking about the lizard and snakes that she could not catch that live in the remnants of a redbud tree we cut down last year. It left a bush behind we trim and manicure for them so Gypsy can spend her days in hot pursuit. She thinks lizards and snakes at bad characters and need to be dug up, chased and chewed. She is totally mesmerized by them and spends the entire day with her nose in the bush. Last night, I had to take a leash out to get her to stop. She was very near to getting smacked by the end of the leash for not coming. However, at the last minute I decided if there was a lizard or a snake in the bush, it would be hard even for the likes of me to give up the chase and retire for the night. You guessed it. This morning in the cool, crisp, quiet air Gypsy slinked down to the bush. She used all her wiles not be detected as she silently stalked her way. At some point her desire overcomes her and she breaks and pounces on the bush. Ah yes, almost got them this time. She is determined and so are they. This is play time in the Angel Patch inside Gypsys five foot high, cedar post rabbit fence. By the way, the rabbits somehow get through this fence occasionlly. It is then up to me to see them before Gypsy does and chase them out to safety. Gypsy does not want you to think that she would catch and kill a rabbit. She actually likes rabbits better than cats. She does not want you to think she would kill any animal that turns up in her area. She wants you to know that she just means to give them a good scare and let them go. In her heart of hearts she believes this. In our heart of hearts we know better.
Monday we will trap our first feral cats to take them to the vet in Boerne, Texas. They will get a rabies shot and be neutered. They will get a small piece of their ears clipped off so animal control will know they are not to be taken. It is called TNR. This helps to maintain a healthy feral cat colony. They are magnificent creatures and will survive long after us. They live and play on their porch which is on the opposite side of the cabin from Gypsys porch. If they are foolhearty enough to get onto the wrong porch someone might get hurt. Yes, there is alittle tension here at the cabin. Gypsy says she can't help how she feels about cats. She says if I knew all the stories she could tell me about them, I would understand. She sees no need for cats, feral or not. My guess is she has perhaps an overblown confidence of her ability to handle a cat. She thinks it would be a cake walk, one of her half baked adeas. My days of separating and patroling the porches are surely not over. Somehow we must all learn to live together in peace. Gypsy is rolling on her back on her porch laughing with visions of lizards, snakes, rabbits and cats dancing in her head and the only peace she sees, is a piece in her mouth. She says that will be the day. Persistance and determination alone are omnipotent. Press on.

"Save The Birds!"

Yesterday, the window next to my writing desk took a direct hard hit from a white winged dove. I was writing. It hit so hard it scared me. I immediately jumped up and ran outside to the downed dove. The trick here is to beat the nine cats and Gypsy to the window crazed birds. They fly into the windows so hard sometimes they drop to the ground dead. If so they are food and we are ok with that. First come first served. However, sometimes they are just extrememly confused after they crash and just need alittle time to recover. This is where I come in if I get to them in time. Believe it or not the cats and Gypsy are tuned into the sound the birds make when they hit the windows. They are fast in getting to the downed birds. Smart guys who have learned how to survive. If I arrive too late to save the birds I end up watching their feathers disappear into the mouths of the cats and Gypsy. Today I got to the downed dove and saw it get through the fence into Gypsys area. She was in the house so I knew the dove would be ok as it looked for a place to recover. I also knew it might not recover and would end up in Gypsys mouth. I waited several hours and then walked around the Angel Patch where the dove would most likely be, trying to scare it out of hiding. I did not find it and assumed it was either dead, dying or gone. I went back into the cabin and let Gypsy out. Within in seconds she had picked up the birds scent where it had come through the fence and was on a solid point next to some heavy cover in the Angel Patch where the dove had gone to hide. If it was ok it would be in the air by now. Enough time had passed that I knew the dove was dying. I released her to get it and she came out of the brush with the dove in her mouth. She was a most happy, proud dog to have this magnificent prize. I told her she was a good girl and she strutted around the yard with the bird in her mouth. It held her interest for most of the day and she finally ate it. I swept the feathers left behind off the porch and we both thought it had been a good day for us and a bad day for a dove.
Today, as I was sitting at my writing desk we heard another bump on the big picture window off to the right of my writing desk. Gypsy jumped up and so did I. We just looked at each other and thought what was that sound. It was not nearly as loud as the dove, but it had the ring of a bird crashing into a cabin window. This window is on the porch so all crashing birds fall on the porch floor. Once again she was in the cabin, so I hot tailed it out on the porch. Well, much to my surprise this time there were two hummingbirds on the floor of the porch just below the window. I reached down and touched one of them and moved it ever so gently putting it right side up. It paused a second and flew away. The other one was just laying on the wooden porch floor not moving. I reached down and turned it over and it shook itself and took off nearly flying directly into my face. A successful rescue. So it goes here at our cabin in the woods. People ask me, what do you do all day? Between hand feeding the runt feral kitten and saving the kamikaze birds I try to write alittle. Sometimes it takes us a long time to stop our morning on the porch watching the sunrise. The sky has been unusual for the past few day because of Hurricane Ike. We thought we might get some rain and wind from this huge storm but, at the last minute it made a turn to the East. I thank my friends from Maine, Oklahoma, Ohio and elsewhere that called us to be sure Gypsy and I were out of the hurricanes reach. Bill and Debra also said to call them anytime, day or night, if I had a problem due to the storm. Bill is the guy who does all the remodeling around here and they are long time friends. It is a good feeling to have folks concerned enough to call. We weren't ever in any real danger, but it was nice anyway.
Cooler weather is on its way and we are glad. It has been a long hot Summer. We hope our first guests in the newly remodeled bunkhouse will be able to enjoy some of our cooler days. Fall, Winter and Spring are the nicest day of the years here at the cabin. Gypsy and I see alot of porch time in our future.

"Stop"

.
Stop.
Look around.
Where are you going so fast?
Can your feet be still?
Are you afraid to think
of what you will learn
and what you will do
if you stop? Yes.
Charged like a battery
everyday. Alone to ponder.
A searcher. For what?
Running in every way
every day
is your solution?
Why?
Stop look and listen
to your call.
There is a peaceful place
deep down inside of you
waiting.
Your bare feet
feel the cool rain.
You spend time looking
at the hummingbirds
on the morning glories
in the rain
outside your writing window
on Gypsys fence.
Why can't you look away?
What holds you?
The cats are dry
on the porch.
The dog is asleep
on the sofa.
It is quiet
as the rain falls
on the metal roof
of the cabin
There are places to go
work to do
and people to see.
The woods won't
let you go.
Solitude your soul.
Can you?
Peace.
Stop.
.

"Good Better Best"

Strike up the band
life's on its way
All over the land
What do you say?

Let yourself go
Jump up and down
Go with the flow
Be a clown!

Voice your advice
You're in the know
Roll the dice
Its your show

This is the time
when its done its done
You will be sublime
If you had fun!

Good better best
don't be shy
feather your nest
Always try

Be kind to all
walk softly here
lest you should fall
keep friends near

Laughings is healthy
North south east west
A good soul is wealthy
Good better best

"Sorrow"

Sorrow is the ribbon
tied around the bouquets
binding sad stems together
that hold the color
against the gray walls of death
the plot the ash
the black umbrellas
the black veils
in the rain
the eulogy
rain soaked stones
for eternity
family and friends
shedding tears of sorrow
remembering times of happiness
all being soaked up
by the hard cold ground
under their feet
in the silent cemetery
where sorrow finds its home
away from home
in the quiet dark place
where stillness lies
quieting the sounds
of sorrow

"Three Act Play"

Death comes with its wild ways
usurping the nap from life
like shaving velvet
engraving words in stone
proof of life for eternity
the beat does not go on
caught in the catechism
supported by flying buttresses
in Godly bastions
where demigods are idles
of the throngs
on their grids
which lead them
to their ultimate
last act
of lifes three act play
birth life death
the half way decent sinner
You and your wild ways

Black Widow"

Well, I have lived in Texas for many years and have seen alot of tarantulas, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, lizards and snakes. But, today September 3, 2008 I saw my first Black Widow Spider. Carlos my Organic Pest Control guy found it hidden in the four horse shoes in Gypsys area at the back yard of the cabin, near the Angel Patch. If we had decided to play horseshoes we may have found it sooner. Its bite feels like a pin prick and sometimes is not even felt. A slight local swelling and two red dots locate the bite. Pain becomes intense in 1 to 3 hours and may continue up to 48 hours. Symptoms include abdominal pain, leg cramps, rise in blood pressure, profuse perspiration, tremors, loss of muscle tone and vomiting. The toxin my cause breathing problems and sometimes unconsciousnesss. It is black with a red fiddle on its back. It looks very streamline, like a black and red race car.
The Brown Recluse Spider was in a baking dish on a shelf under the cupboard. My grandson Kopdy had come for a visit. Since he doesn't eat gluten we usually cook when he comes. Well, when I pulled out the baking dish for the brownies we had made there was the Recluse. It had a 7 or 8 inch web that looked like a narrow piece of white tape. On each end and in the middle of the piece was a small circle of yellow eggs about the circumference of a pencil ereaser. Needless to say we killed the spider and throughly cleaned the baking dish. The Brown Recluse is a non aggressive fellow. Its body and legs cover an area about the size of a quarter. Its color varies from orange-yellow to dark brown to black.The most distinguishing characteristics of this spider are its eyes and its back markings. It has three pairs of eyes arranged in a semi-circle on the forepart of its head. The eyes also form the base of a violin shaped marking on its back. Usually, the bite causes a stinging sensation then intense pain. Within 24 to 36 hours a systemic reaction may occur, characterized by restlessness, fever, chills, nausea, weakness and joint pain. The bite also produces a small blister surrounded by a large conjested and swollen area. Healing usually takes six to eight weeks and may require plastic surgery to repair.
Help! Call a doctor! Avoid these guys if you can. They, of course are in Texas and especially in the area where Gypsy and I live. We are going to be careful and trust are luck will remain firmly in place and we will not be bitten by anything. We will continue to live with all the critters the best we can. We just hope that when we go to bed tonight we are not thinking about the fact that some people get bitten by these guys when sleeping. Sweet dreams here in the cabin in the beautiful and always interesting Texas Hill Country.

"The Empty Place"

"The Empty Place"
Forty six years
Together Life
A connection
Suddenly gone
Inches away Miles away
Never again
A tribute
"The Empty Place"
Sharing
Future Beats
Fishing Hunting
Eating Sleeping Walking
Watching Dreaming
Driving Flying
Illness Arguments
Family Reunions
Shopping
Grocery Mall Car
Worrying Laughing
Crying Wishing Loving
Content Discontent
Decisions Adventures
Working Playing
Mistakes
Forgetting Remembering
Missing Existing
A heart in the dust
found on the road
by chance
A heart in the ash
Till death do us part
Sharing
"The Empty Place"