Ditch delivered by a drab...

J found this in a ditch. She thought it was a doll's head. I think it was either a garden ornament or something out of a church. One of the main ditches runs right past the old mission church so I suppose a disgruntled priest might have flung a broken angel into the ditch. The water was running really fast in the ditch where she found it, so it could have been washed out of the mud. It doesn't look especially old, but it is fairly ingrained with mud.
Today is a red letter day indeed! A couple of days ago I actually got my van back from the body shop! It only took three months to get all the right parts after the Unfortunate Occurrance (not my fault)! It's enough to put you off VW for life. I have had the van for exactly two weeks since last September because of unobtainable parts. When I got it back the check engine light came on and the headlights started going off sporadically - not a good thing, and the brake ABS light kept coming on. I drove a hundred miles to the nearest dealership and a brilliant mechanic fixed the headlight and brake light problem with a new ignition switch and the check engine light was just a vacuum line so! At least for this brief moment I can say my true home, my van, is ready to fly off on any adventure I choose!

Through a Lens

This old lady was sitting on a bench in Paris. She looks rather insecure, but she seemed to be quite securely lodged. I have made a dollar thirty-six in royalties on my illustrious book. I must remember to report that on next years taxes. I was thinking I could get a double green chile cheeseburger and part of a senior coffee at McDonalds with it, but after taxes I guess I'm stuck with the entire cup of coffee.
I spent last night wandering about with my camera to my eye looking at everything and noticing how much better life looks through a lens. This must be why I have spent so much time making videos and taking pictures. My videos were boring history lessons, but now I specialise in Weird Looking Stuff and Created Sound, which is easy as it is not necessary to live up to anyone else's standards. Self indulgent crap no doubt, but at my age and level of ambition who the hell cares?
It rained up at the Zendo today. J says it is the Hopi bean sprouting dances that brought the rain, but it didn't reach the desert.
I had one of my Walmart Moments yesterday. We had a rather dreary poets'meeting then I knew I had to go to Walmart but I couldn't remember what it was I needed. So there I was patrolling the aisles waiting for a memory jog and instead I noticed, not looking through a lens, that everyone in the store was stark raving bonkers. I kept catching madly glittering eyes, people shouting atrocities into their cell phones, children that looked like devil spawn screaming at the self checkouts. I'm sure I looked as insane as everyone else. Then I saw two young women, obviously sisters, about six feet tall and both of them almost unbelievably beautiful. "You are both so beautiful," I said, hoping they wouldn't deck me as some lesbian pervert, but they just smiled dazzling smiles and thanked me as though they really meant it. Then I felt better until I jammed the self checkout money taker and had to stand there for half an hour while they found someone who could fix it. Then I went home.
J has found an ancient Michigan Buddhist who is fixing a whole lot of stuff for her. I guess she'll pay him something but you can tell that work is this old man's meditation. He scrounges all the building materials out of dumpsters etc. She had the guy that lived in his car last month. Don't know how she finds them.

Final Cut Express

I wonder where the Saga of Jack Part 2 went? It posted OK, but the picture wouldn't load so I made an arch little comment about the concerned engineers of blogspot and my blog disappeared.
I stayed up all night with Final Cut and finally mastered it, or mistressed it. Actually neither. I've learned to do some things that work with it, but one thing I can't do is get a decent DVD of my movies. Either they herky jerky along like video coming through my 56 modem, or the quality is as bad as a seventh generation copy of a VHS tape. There must be a way. And I will find it.
Got stopped for speeding on my way back from the dentist in Juarez. I was going quite fast and I didn't make any pathetic attempts at charming the cop but he didn't give me a ticket. It was late because we spent time in El Paso admiring some of the brilliant architecture and we went into a hotel to see the stained glass ceiling and were waylaid by a nice old survey taker. There were some quite astonishing Picasso numbered lithographs of nude women seen from unusual angles on sale there for 12000. Very clinical for West Texas tastes I thought. That cowboy all wrapped in white linen might have fancied them......
The picture was taken one morning a few years ago when I was driving home from work. I had a nice little Olympus point and shoot. I dropped it a few weeks ago and the sliding cover jammed. I use my video camera for photographs. It has lovely zoom optics, but 1.7 mps is a little inadequate. A decision must be made....
I just received a copy of the final and perfected (more or less) edition of My Book, kindly produced through Lulu by my dear son. I am now a published writer. The woman next to me at the dentist waiting room is also a published writer. Her book is called Vegetarian Melting Pot. Ethnic recipes carried out without meat and with Xyletol instead of sugar and fake butter. I guess she is aiming at the diabetic market. I looked at some of the recipes and decided they were not for me, even though I am a vegetarian most of the time. I always thought Xyletol was poisonous... I'm sure Xylene is. We used to put it in our cigarette lighters when we were kids.

The Saga of Jack Part 3

Is a broken Coke bottle lying in the desert waiting to cause grievous bodily harm to man or beast really a small treasure? Yes. Because it's beautiful. I love the color of green in the broken edges. Almost psychedelic.
Jack is doing well at his new home so far. Falling all over the UPS person with hugs and kisses wasn't in the plan, but I think my friend wants to keep him. Day before yesterday half the village was chasing a Pomeranian dog that was wondering in circles and out on the highway. Of course I was the lucky person who finally caught him. I thought he had kennel cough so I raced my dog off to get a nose squirt. I called the local dog groomer to see if she knew the dog, which was beautifully groomed. She got back to me and said yes she did know the dog, so I returned him to his home. He actually has heart disease not kennel cough. He was pretty cute but damn it no more dogs for a while thank you!
The Poets met at my house last Saturday. I thought there might be as many as eight, but only three showed up which was great as we had a wonderful conversation with all participating. Good to feel among kindred souls even if we all are singularly untalented!