End of Harvest Moon

Last Tuesday night the sky held one of the most beautiful moonscapes I have ever seen. It was pleasant outside and it seemed like the moonbeams were dancing magic right down to the earth. Nothing magical happened to me, but somewhere, someplace, someone was taking advantage of that beautiful night. It was too powerful to be wasted.

The week before was the Winter Solstice Eclipse. One of my friends was telling me about how she and her daughter got up in the middle of the night to see it. Then her husband got up and came out with the camera to try to get a photo. He was holding it as far away from him as he could to get a better view. They started laughing at him and asked him if he wanted them to get a ladder so he could climb on it for a better shot. You know, get him closer to the moon and all.

I heard some news about the Hobbs School from a very reliable source. The Rotan school district owns the property, which they lease to the Sweetwater school district. There is talk about shutting down the alternative program, but nothing set in stone. RISD is looking at having an empty school campus on their hands.

Wouldn't it be ideal to get a college to lease it as a satellite campus? I mean, A&M interns are working at the RPQRR, so the idea isn't far-fetched. There's even housing for staff. Can't you just see? I can. Busy people adding to the economy and society of Fisher County, particularly the Hobbs Community. I think it's a very exciting idea worthy of being explored.

Lordy, can't wait for the holidays to be over. If I'm ever a wealthy woman, I will travel to another continent this time of year where the celebrating is not occurring. I personally think Christmas is a rich man's holiday and there's too much pressure to fabricate happiness. Oh, well, another year down and it's just about all over. The next big holiday? My dad's birthday!

Riding that Train

I do not mean Jerry Garcia's train. It's my train of thought, that jumps the track and wanders off into meadows.

I recently checked out a couple of books about Thomas Jefferson from the library because I have some interest in his views and accomplishments. In my political naivete, I was surprised to learn that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence seems to be a liberal.

So, I was reading the introduction to one of the books, reading about all of Jefferson's high-mindedness and philosophical ways, when the train ride began.

First I wondered if Jefferson had slaves (he did). I wondered when and how slavery in New England began. I couldn't imagine how one came about with the idea of using another being in such a way. I figured it was a situation that I don't understand because of the differing century, differing mores and values, or of incidents caused by extreme events. I thought, well, slavery must not have been a new idea to the colonists, if they found the practice acceptable, so I explored (Googled) the history of slavery and came up with historyworld.net. I'm not holding this up as a perfect example, but you can get a timeline and gist. It's a practice as old as time, brought about by population, war and indebtedness.

Jefferson is not the first revered figure whose principals regarding slavery have caused me to question the whole of his character. Moses was the first. It was monumental for him to lead the Israelites out of slavery, to help them find their freedom, only to turn around and enslave others. In Exodus, all those rules about servants sound like rules regarding slaves to me.

I'm going to have to stop the train there and build a platform, because you don't want me to get going on concubines, a subject of note in the era of both characters.

I'm thinking I will consider certain bits of the personae of Jefferson and Moses as valuable, disregarding the portions influenced by the time period and the human condition.

All the Leaves are Brown

Actually, all the leaves are gone, since most of ours are skinny mesquite leaves, not so good for piling up and jumping on.The piling up and burning of mesquite wood is very useful, though, for knocking the chill off a cold winter night.

I am very worried about our chickens and this cold weather. Mr. Husband keeps saying "They have feathers". I can see that. I'm sure what he means is that they're like any other bird and will survive the elements, come what may. If it were up to me, they would have a brick chicken house with a fireplace. Instead I will just decorate their pen with heat lamps.

For those of you who know your poultry, I'm sure you have counted five roosters in the accompanying photo. I know what time five roosters wake up in the morning. 4:30 a.m. To tell the truth, I'm used to it. Those first warm up crows are pretty funny, too. It sounds like "Er Er Er Er, Aack!" Like Bill the Cat coughing up a hairball.

There is a pecking order, haha, among the roosters. It's entertaining to watch them fight. They get all puffed up then jump at each other in the air, claws out, but never collide, like there's a piece of glass keeping them from actually touching each other, or like two opposite magnets. Now, when a rooster gets on the wrong hen (yes, I mean chicken sex), the managing rooster will knock the other off like a baseball that's been thrown. Really, like a rooster ball. No fight after that, the point has been made. You can see the rooster that's been hit trying to shake the stars out of his head.

Well, enough of this titillating chicken talk. Maybe soon I will tell you how the cats are trying to ruin my marriage by scratching up our expensive new couches. They really have it in for me.

One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I'm trying to prevent it from being three. The diagnosis was confirmed by Dr. Vaughn yesterday at the clinic in Sweetwater. She said Little Sis had one of the first cases, and it was celebrated by a second nasal swabbing required by the health dept. when the lab comes back positive for flu.

Unfortunately, it had been too long since the first symptoms appeared to be treated. Also too late for the other family members to get preventive shots. So, I will pass on my too-late-to-be-used knowledge. First of all, get a flu shot. If that doesn't happen, get to the doctor at the first signs: headache, fever, sore throat, coughing, etc. This thing is not like a cold, believe me, you'll know the difference. Then you can get the Tamiflu medication. It has to be done within the first 48 hours, or you get to ride the storm out, which at our house, includes some weeping, much loss of sleep and the need to be waited on hand and foot.

We've also had an outbreak of cat colds. I have too many, I know, the fact that there are plural colds signifies that fact. Anyway, if one cat gets a cold, all of them get it. Very contagious among cats. Usually they sail through it in a couple of days, but we had one that worried me and she got to go the vet. I was afraid it would get in her lungs, which caused me to have shortness of breath because a cat with a respiratory illness equals lots of dollar signs. Fortunately, it hadn't gotten that far and she got a shot and some medicine to be taken daily. Both the patients, human and feline, are laying around the living room all doped up.

Yeah, I know some of you are thinking cats are for kicking and just shoot them if they get sick. I live with someone who probably has that same ideology, but I'm definitely a sucker for those furry critters. I can't think of one I've met that I didn't like, no matter how mean or scurvy.

So, I'm urging ya'll to be looking for those flu symptoms. I would only wish it on my worst enemies.