Sunrise On Antioch Road

This is how my backyard looked this morning at sunrise. The landscape takes a dip behind those trees and on some mornings it gets this foggy look with the sun shining through it.

To buy a print please visit my online art gallery shown in the top right corner of this page. 

I actually took the photo for this image several years ago and did very little to enhance it. I almost titled it “Rejoice” because that was the way this sunrise made me feel. There was nothing really special about that morning until I opened the curtains and saw this scene in my backyard.

I grabbed the camera and ran out the door. I know folks driving down Antioch Road that morning probably got a kick out of that crazy woman running around in her backyard in nothing but her nightgown while she snapped photos.

It doesn’t look this way every morning. I wish it did.

Traffic! Who Needs It???

Eric and I recently made a trip to the Atlanta, Georgia area and I was reminded of one of the major reasons I like living out here in the boonies - TRAFFIC - or rather, the lack of traffic.

I lived in Memphis, Houston, and Dallas where I had to fight the traffic everyday to get to and from work. Houston was probably the worst. It took about 45 minutes for my daily 5 mile commute. Here it takes me about 20 minutes to go 15 miles.

This is the Lake Highway at about 7:20 am on a Tuesday morning. It’s the only road running from the lake to Paris.

School Zone!

Here it is just a few blocks from downtown.

Out here at the lake we love to tell stories about how two passing cars can stop in the middle of the road. The drivers can have a full conversation, just sitting in the middle of the road, before another car comes along. It’s true, except around July 4th or Memorial Day or just about sun up in the spring when the crappie spawn. Then you just might get run over by a boat.

My Dirty Little Life

I am married to a man who operates heavy dirt moving equipment for a living - equipment like bulldozers and backhoes. In other words - he moves dirt. Here’s the proof.

These boots have been the cause of one cat tale, a piece of art and many trips and stumbles. They are BIG and they are parked on our back porch when they are this dirty.

As a matter of fact there have been times he was so dirty he has left all his clothes out there. (Is that more than you wanted to know?) When you move as much dirt as he does, you can’t help but get a little on you - or a lot. I have been known to take his jeans outside and beat them on the fence to knock off all the dirt clods. I have also laid them on the grass and turned the garden hose on them.

The nice thing about clothes that are dirty with just dirt is that it is - just dirt. It’s not greasy or oily, it’s not stained with stuff like grass. And just dirt washes out pretty easy - after the beating and hosing. The dirt around here is usually either a pale brown or reddish brown.

It helps to know I am not alone. There must be millions of men who move dirt for a living. And you know behind everyone of those men there is probably a woman like me - cleaning up the mess. Yes - it is a dirty job and someone has to do it. (I’m sorry. I just had to say that.)

Moving dirt is actually a very important part of the world we live in. Just about anything you are going to build outside requires the moving of dirt. Ex: roads, buildings, dams, bridges, houses, - I could go on and on. And there are a lot industries that revolve around dirt. Ex: heavy equipment; garden equipment like shovels and hoes; bath soaps, dish soaps and laundry detergents; vacuum cleaners and dusting equipment; etc.

I have come to accept the dirt.
And when it comes time to replace our kitchen floor and carpet I need to pick something that is pale brown or reddish brown.

The Boot Story - A Cat Tale

Hi!  My name is Murphy!

 

Eric works in the construction field and wears big heavy boots that lace up past the ankles. In the evenings he usually leaves them under our kitchen table and sometimes Murphy likes to play with the laces. So it’s not unusual to find the boots knocked over or in disarray as they were one morning several years ago.

That fateful morning Eric put on the boots lacing them all the way up as usual, then stood up. Something felt a little odd about one boot. He sat down, untied the boot, took it off and straightened his sock - thinking that would fix the problem. He put the boot back on, laced it up and stood up. Darn! Something still felt a little odd.

This whole time - Murphy is just sitting there watching as though he was really interested in this strange human behavior.

Eric sat down again, took the boot off. This time he stood up and turned so the ceiling light was aimed down the boot. Then - YES - he did exactly what you know you shouldn’t do!!!! He stuck his hand in that big black hole while trying to see into the boot.

Here it is! Are you ready???? A mole, yes a mole (you know - one of those furry small rodents that tunnel through your yard) raced up his arm and took a flying leap off his shoulder onto the kitchen floor The race was on. This was exactly what Murphy had been waiting on.

It happened so fast - it took Eric a few minutes to figure out what had happened. And then he had to join the race. Eric won, disposed of the mole, took another shower and left for work.

It was just another day with Murphy.

New at Blogging and Confused

Yes - I am confused! I think I have finally figured out that I have too many blogs and I am trying to remedy that today. I don’t know how far I will get - just please be patient.
There are too many things I want to share - my life as a loon (aka Looney Lady of the Lake), my neighborhood at Paris Landing on Kentucky Lake (one of the most beautiful places on the planet), the city of Paris (Paris, Tennessee that is), our cat Murphy, my artwork and anything else I can think of.

Kind of slipped in the artwork thing didn’t I? Yes - I am an artist. I have two websites for art - one where you can just sort of look and read about how I do what I do - and another one where you can get a close up look at individual pieces and buy fine art prints. And since this is really how I make my living - please don’t forget that I am an artist. Any help you can provide - like sharing the links to the art websites - would be greatly appreciated.

But I really want to do this blog thing for fun. Hope you enjoy it!

Calendars for August

Desktop calendars for your computer.  Take your pick!

Our cat Murphy giving me the evil eye.

Shhh!  A quiet spot overlooking the lake.