Thirty One ... Cong Gone ...

With Winter approaching, I have to make at least a few plans for the time indoors. A project or two takes the guilt out of watching 5 movies a day and still having time to blow through one book after another. Maybe I will learn to be a Water Color Artist ... another story for another time. Or I could study French. I should learn Photo Shop. Or I could rehearse for The Guitar Hero Showdown of The Beatles Song Book ... so I'll be ready when Yoko, Paul, Olivia and Ringo decide to hold one.

Aside from these plans, which may or may not come to fruition, Winter on The Prairie means cards ...and they can only be Bicycle Playing Cards. My Family has been playing "Thirty One" for a hundred years. If you want to learn it, see "Details of Play" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-one_(game)

If you don't want to learn it, your aren't going to leave here without learning something. File this away for future reference:

The Ace of Spades served a famous "Psychological Warfare" purpose in the war in Vietnam. In 1966, two lieutenants wrote The United States Playing Card Company and requested decks containing nothing but the Bicycle® Ace of Spades. The Viet Cong were very superstitious and highly frightened by this Ace because The French had occupied Indo-China, and in French fortunetelling with cards, the Spades predicted death and suffering.

Thousands of these decks were shipped to our troops, at no cost, in plain white tuckcases (card boxes), inscribed "Bicycle® Secret Weapon." The cards were scattered in the jungle and hostile villages during raids, with the very sight of the Bicycle® Ace causing Viet Cong to flee.

I Hear A Symphony Sky Watch Friday ...

In the Mid 60's I had my head in my AM Radio, stark white with a huge dial. Many many nights, just as soon as I could pick it up, I tuned in to KOMA 1520 Oklahoma City.

I was mesmerized by both The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and the Eric Burton "It's My Life And I'll Do What I Want" attitude of it all. I was angry, I was emotional, I was raw. I was maturing at a speeding pace. The all male Music of those days fed those emotions in me. And that's not to say it was bad.

But it was The Supremes who were telling it Girl to Girl. It tore my Ittie Bittie Heart to pieces the way those Black Girls were hurtin' ... I couldn't wait to be hurt like that. And I had hoped I could do some of my own heart breaking along the way.

When I saw this photo come together I thought of musical notes. And then I thought about that Symphony. And I was relieved I hadn't hurt anyone too bad along the way. It was an epic moment for me, Baby Baby. A thousand violins filled the air ...

Sky Stories around The World at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com

A Summer Masterpiece ...

These Sun Flower photos enlarge wonderfully. Each one of the tiny white bumps, underneath all of the "fluff" in the centers, is the bottom tip of a Seed.

I transferred 30 Little Darlings that I sprouted to my 6 tall black West U pots that surround our garage. Those pots used to line our driveway in Houston, behind our slotted iron security gate, that we don't need here ... I'm just saying. Nearly all of the plants grew to be 6/7" tall. That's the garage roof ... do you see the Sun Dog above the roof line? My Sister Wendy's Spirit rides that Sun Dog around here.

I bought those pots at Nelson Water Gardens in Katy, Texas, at a time when I had no knowledge of where, exactly, I would be with them right now. And while there are no Slotted Iron Security Gate places here on The Prairie ... there aren't any Water Garden Nurseries either.

Fitting In ...

We are having a dark rainy day, perfectly setting the mood for cooler weather.

The Annual Pelican Township Hay Ride and Dinner was Saturday evening. While winding through the Nature Preserve I thought back to our first, and how it was on that ride I realized the lack of history with our new neighbors was the most difficult aspect of our move.

We truly love it here, and as it turned out, the transition didn't take long. When the Hay Ride took an unexpected turn through our property it was a nice touch to the level of comfort I had when we first took off ... I felt that I fit.

I'm a little older. I'm a little better. And I like living a life that revolves around my Family, my Animals, my Friends ... and God and Nature in partnership ... the distinct change of extreme seasons under their control.

I am looking up, down and all around these days, even more so than usual. So here is my West U pond over the weekend ... filling with fallen Maple leaves. I believe it, too, has made the transition nicely.

Senor Zorro Sky Watch ...

In addition to his Masked Man antics, Zorro has been spending time jet piloting on The Prairie. Created in 1919, he inspired The Phantom, The Lone Ranger and Batman. Zorro is the Spanish word for Fox. How cool is that ?

Skies around your World and mine at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com

Lunch At The Colony ...

The Ladies at the Hutterite Colony in Clark put on a tummy rubbing Lunch for us while Kelly was here from Austin. They raise families, cook, clean, sew, and garden. Their stainless kitchen shines just as bright as their smiles. They are not too fond of having their photo taken so I had to improvise.

Front row: my niece, Catherine, and Kelly. And my Mom, Shirley, Abbie, Diane and Me. We are posing in their aprons with their industrial mixer and rolling pins that say, "Clark Colony".

Thank you, Rose, for the memories ... and the laughs to go along with them.

Sonogram Sky Watch Friday ...

It's a rainy Friday morning here on The Prairie ... but all is well in my World and in my Sky. I have Friends with Skies at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com

Yikes ...

I am a Blogger Slacker ...