Over the Summit

The office holiday parties are done. The shopping is done. It is supposed to snow tomorrow. I am headed, over the summit and through the woods, to family and friends in the Bay Area on Saturday. I get to spend a wonderfully long 10 days in the place that is always home, thereby making this time of year a good time.

One holiday party was at a steak house. I had a delicious slab of prime rib and sat next to our host (read boss) and his wife. It was the first time I had a social conversation with this particular boss. That was nice. Everyone got tipsy (excluding me). This is always amusing to me. Half the staff spent half their time in the bar smoking. Interesting.

The second party, and the office I consider primary, was at the bosses house. A beautiful log cabin on an expansive piece of land, filled with comfort and yummy smells, roaring fire and a big golden retriever named "Rocky Marriage". We had Elk steaks, my boss being a hunter and this is the prize he brought home this year. It was pretty good, very lean. It was a great dinner and there was a bonus AND snugly robes and socks from Bath & Body, thereby making it difficult to get in the shower and go to work once I put them on. We had our Secret Santa luncheon at the office on Tuesday. As luck would have it my secret santa was my hiking buddy and vice versa. She picked out this great necklace, an homage and good luck charm, for our hiking excursions. I got her the camelbak backpack she had been coveting. It was lovely.

MMoxie Hiking Necklace.

So if you check in here and I seem to have abandoned my posts, fear not (yea, like that's gonna happen). I will return in the new year. I wish all my friends near and far a wonderful season and great hopes for the New Year, 2008.

For the Birds

Ice Rink

Djembe Is For Happy

These telling words were uttered by this guy at a drum workshop I attended. The workshop is a production of this gal who is my drum teacher. Bolokada, in his amusingly reasonable english, explained in the first workshop I attended with him in the Spring, that the djembe (say: jim-bay) is for celebration, for bringing people together, for happiness. I was lucky to attend a second workshop with him this last week. Once again I came away with a feeling similar to the term "walking on air". I felt I was levitating, such is the strength of feeling that comes from learning a 3 part rhythm with a group of 30-40 people, from a master drummer. I smile the whole time I am learning or flubbing or playing. For one thing, Bolokada is a high energy, terminally happy guy and he spreads his smile and his warmth through the room. Second, his english makes listening to him rather tricky but that just forces one to listen more closely in order to get the jist of what he is saying, usually a story concept of whatever piece he is teaching. I believe the piece we learned had to do with increasing the fertility of a women in the village who had been unable to conceive. I could be wrong on this but that is what I picked up.
Third, he teaches very straightfowardly - call and response - and then once the class is in sync he plays his little heart out. So I am learning a new piece and I am able to watch a master drummer do a little mini-concert. SWEET!

I have been taking a class at Lake Tahoe Community College with Liz. (see the above link)
This monday is our last class and 12 weeks flew by awfully fast. I won't be tempting fate by traveling the summit in the winter to continue on next quarter but I will be starting up again in the spring. It's been fun and engaging and frustrating and challenging. Such is the process of learning a new skill and two new rhythms, each with 3 separate parts. When it clicks and the class syncs it is the most awesome sound and feeling. When I am all fumble thumbs and mental blocks it is humbling. Practice would help. The other side of learning....must practice. I have not committed to that the way that I could but I think my frustration is mounting enough to propel me towards a more studied approach away from class. That said, I am just proud and happy with myself for pursuing my drumming. I've always moved to my own rhythms and with drumming that inner rhythm actually has a sound.

My Happy

Gobble Gobble

Adieu

Farewell to my favorite Princess of Quirky .
I can't recall how I found her but she always made me smile.
She is the type of person I would love to spend an afternoon with, out on the deck, chatting and sipping iced tea. From Tangerine Zest to her original posts at Crazy Dust In MyCoffee Ms. Ally Bean has been a fun and original read. I will miss my daily dose of her brand of humor and insight.

Happy Halloween

Cute, huh? Not Mine

Reality is painful

I did something this last week I haven’t done in a while. I huddled up with a good book until I finished it. I am mostly a nighttime reader, devoting at least an hour to the book of the moment. It has been a long time since I decided to put my feet up and read during the day. There have been times in my life when I have spent entire weekends this way. I have plowed through books in a weekend and I remember these times fondly...most often during a rainy weekend in my flat in San Francisco.

You may ask what book or circumstance inspired me.

The circumstance of feeling a little off, restless, unsettled due to a situation that is going to take time and patience to resolve and even though I know this, it leaves me a bit frustrated on a deep emotional level. The good news is I have been sought out by a very close friend of mine who I lost contact with when we both moved out of San Francisco. She is in a similar predicament and I trust her implicitly and we have talked and I am so happy someone else gets where I am at.

The book is one I would not have thought would grab my interest to the extent that I felt compelled to google several real life examples of the fiction presented in order to learn more about the real life events that inspired the subject of the book. Jody Picoult: Nineteen Minutes. Who doesn’t remember the horror of Columbine orRocori or Virginia Tech or any other news about the latest teenager to open fire at a school, mowing down classmates and teachers with reckless disregard. The day after I started this book there was a shooting in Cleveland. Who doesn’t wonder what kind of mental pathology or psychology is in play for a person who would do something so violent, so permanent, so unbelievable. Like 9/11, it is a form of terror that I simply cannot wrap my mind around.

I had read “Vanishing Acts” a while ago and found Picoult to write with a realism that got me thinking. She has a gift for character development and weaving a story around several different points of view. I have shied away from her up until last year thinking she was just another popular fiction writer, prolific in her ability to crank out books but perhaps not all that interesting. I stand corrected. Here's a quote from her website:
“I think that sometimes when we don’t want to talk about issues that are hard to discuss or difficult to face, it’s easier to digest it in fiction instead of nonfiction.”

Meanwhile, there has been no hiking for 3 weeks and after the second week I found myself a bit more cranky than usual. Seems those hikes aren’t only working the physical but the mental as well. Sunday SP and I did four miles on the Tahoe Rim Trail. It was beautiful and high up there and at one point you can see Lake Tahoe to the West and The Carson Valley to the East. I was thrilled to be tramping through the trees once again. Surprising even myself.

In other news, I had a garage sale. My first. On a gorgeous Saturday last weekend, my hiking partner and I put out our wares and hoped to make a little cash. Turns out we should have gone hiking. Not terribly successful for me. The upshot is while preping for the garage sale I actually cleaned my garage and it is looking spiffy. It was a learning experience: sign placement, listings, newspaper ads. What to do to be successful. We dropped the ball on the newspaper ad and I think that was a mistake. We did however, have a gentlemen show up who had us on his list from Craig’s List...so there ya go. That worked. SP wants to try it again. I am waffling. I may just continue on with my donating stuff for a tax write off and continue being the thrift store/bargain hunter that I am rather than hosting the bargain hunting.

The deck is newly painted and is looking spiffy. Great sense of accomplishment there.
Perhaps I'll get some pictures up this week.

Decked

Ah, the verities of Fall. Much like the weather, I am feeling changeable and unpredictable. Just a general lethargy coupled with a need to prepare for winter. All I want to do is play endless games of solitaire, let my mind wander about, possibly read a book. This is my second fall here in the mountains. I still laugh when I think...what the heck does a SF Bay Area girl know about winterizing her house. Seriously, this word didn't even enter my lexicon until I moved here. Actually, it is a pretty mild operation involving draining and covering the evaporative cooler, disconnecting some water lines, rolling up the hoses for storage. Still, this year there is the added responsibility of getting the deck painted and sealed before the onset of winter which would no doubt do a fair bit of destruction if left in it's current state. Hence, I have added another new word to my expanding vocabulary and increasing abilities.


Behold the Pressure Washer. Three different hose connections. Five different nozzles. Woohoo.This is what I did on Saturday morning. Noise and water and paint chips flying all over the yard. Strangely, once this little beauty was up and running and in my hands I had an overwhelming desire to pressure wash the whole darn place. I stopped after a bit but I did spray down the screens and windows and flush out some muck that was accumulating around said windows. Happily I can report that the windows withstood the assault. There was going to be painting today, however, we are expecting a cold snap this evening that would just ruin any attempt so that will wait until later this week. Hard to imagine this little weather tic right now. It is a balmy 72 degrees in the sun and quite lovely in the yard.

Here's a look a my scrubby looking deck. Needless to say, the after painting picture should look oodles more attractive.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of a wildflower I have been waiting to see bloom for months. Pretty.
Here's to a newly painted deck, vibrant colors that catch the eye, digging out the mittens, hats, scarves, enjoying those last bits of warm sun.

Storm Watch Wednesday

Three weeks ago, while sitting on the deck, I felt whatever internal clock I carry shift to the new season. Just a feeling...fall is coming. It has been sitting in there making adjustments ever since. Today, it looks like a real storm is blowing in with rain, possibly snow. Whee. Though I was just getting into my summer groove of hiking and gardening so it's not all whopee. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I am anxious to see the aspens turn their amazing copper gold and hike in areas where they are prominent. Still I will anxiously watch the lawn and the rose bush go dormant and hope that at least one day each weekend remains hikable weather wise for a few more weeks.

Last weekend, instead of hiking, SP and I went ice skating. Oddly enough we are both at about the same level in that area too. We both have skating in our past and can do crossovers and turns and such. That makes it fun. We opted for the skating because one) we both like it and two) we had SP's daughter that day and we made the mistake of taking her hiking with us one Saturday to Skunk Harbor for lunch and a swim and when she got the eyeful of the uphill climb back to the car she had a major meltdown and swears to this day she will never hike with us again. She is 10. What can you do. She likes the skating though so this may be an every other week option for us to get the bodies moving and have some fun.

MM harbors Olympic dreams


We are planning a hike for this weekend, weather permitting. We've made it a bit of a tradition to return to Skunk Harbor every few weeks. We use the uphill climb to assess our improvement. Two weeks ago we hauled up that hill, only a few stops, and it was so good to realize that all this walking about is having an effect on the legs and the lungs. We were very proud!! We even talked about trying Marlette Lake again before the end of the season. Now I know we are crazy.

We recently did a 5.5 mile hike from DLBliss State Park to Emerald Bay. Emerald Bay being one of the premiere sites to see in Lake Tahoe. It was hecka crowded with tourists and such and I don't think we have ever encountered so many people on the trail before. We vowed we would return but only after tourist season has subsided. There were to many bees around us as we tried to eat lunch. I am not fond of the bee. It was irritating and uncomfortable. We were also accosted by a rather rambunctious chipmunk. Now, chipmunks are really cute and one can visualize having one for a pet even. This chipmunk had no fear of humans and was particularly keen on my trail mix. He scampered over the tabletop, up onto my backpack and proceeded to look me in the eye just before leaping onto my shoulder in order to get closer to the trail mix I was holding. It was funny and yet, hello, wild animal possibly carrying unknown viruses, etc....a bit disconcerting. He actually jumped on me as I was saying to him "Don't even think about it".

View of Emerald Bay from the trail head at the parking lot.

You can read about Emerald Bay and Vikingsholm here.

Meanwhile, I am greedily laying in a supply of books for the fall/winter seasons. I just received Mississippi Sissy by Kevin Sessums about growing up different in the South. I have always enjoyed his written interviews for Vanity Fair. Also, a first novel from Aryn Kyle (great name) called The God of Animals. I've read the first chapters of both and believe I will be delighted with both. I'm currently working my way through The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud. I hope to actually read Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. I keep saying I am reading it but really it's just been on the pile with good intentions for all this time.

Wordless Wednesday

New Bloom

Weekend Update

While I lounge about doing quite a bit of nothing this long holiday weekend here's the latest garden goings on.

I grew these little lovelies from seed. I am very proud. I had several in my salad this evening

When this greenery sprouted in the corner of my yard I thought it was a weed. Yet, something told me to let it be and see what developed. This week it sprouted plumes. It seems to have migrated from my neighbors yard as you can see from the next photo. Any ideas what this is?
It has been thriving since I choose to ignore it, whatever it is.

The white roses in the side yard are blooming once more, thanks to MMmom's help reconfiguring it, trimming it, and tying it. It has flourished all summer.

Zeke has graduated from his harness. He is now allowed unleashed yet supervised visits to the back yard. He enjoys the deck as much as I do.
Enjoy the long holiday weekend! I can't believe it is September already.

Taking a Breather

I've been awash in the minutae of life and posting has taken a back seat to all the little things that must be tended to. Oh, and I also suffered a ridiculous brain fart the day last week I sat down to post in that I couldn't remember my sign in. This is when you know you've got too much crap floating around in your brain and it is time to retreat to the deck and stare into space for a bit. I've got two hikes under my belt that I will share with you later. I am happy to just have stuck with it. Meanwhile, pretty little things from my time spent on the deck.

The mystery pansies are flourishing. They have inverted their colors. Who knew they did this??

We get some really interesting clouds breaking over the mountains. This is the second time I have seen one that looks amazingly like a flying saucer.

Holy Mother Nature

or how I became a whiny hiker girl in less than 10,000 steps, suffering from a form of Hiker Tourette's Syndrome in which every other word out of my mouth was some form of cussing usually beginning with some form of "WTF was I thinking" followed by my mantra, my prayer for help, my constant affirmation that I can do this (while a huge question mark floated over my head). I was so humbled and hobbled it is a complete surprise that I did not sit down in a heap and cry. Such was the glory of Hike #3. Fun, huh? Nothing like taking on a challenge you aren't remotely ready for to give you some perspective on what you need to do before challenging yourself at that level again.
The good news: I did do it, I finished what I started.
The bad news: I was not sure at any point that I could do it and I couldn't stand my own whining and yet, I couldn't stop.

Saturday was a beautiful day. It promised lovely sun, a nice breeze and temperatures hovering in the mid-80's near Spooner Lake, starting point of #3. The trail guide describes the trek from Spooner Lake to Marlette Lake as moderate in difficulty and 4 miles one way. However, once you hit the trail and get about a mile in the mileage is posted as 4.5 one way. Hmm...okay...well...we're here let's do it. That first mile is very deceptive, a wide fairly flat meander around a meadow. Then you hit a trail head where biker path and foot path separate. Here is where the trouble began. The trail is gradual but steadily goes up, up, up....steep even in places. It took a long time for my legs to even feel warmed up and even longer for my head to shut up. At the halfway point my quads and my lungs were screaming that we had made a huge mistake and from there it was a good hiker, bad hiker dual all the way up...cussing and chanting because who knew which of the two were gonna get me there. I took no pictures because it just felt like too much trouble, I hardly noticed the scenery except to gauge where we might be in relation to the lake we were seeking. SP and I endlessly discussed how it would be downhill once we headed back...this cheered me for....oh...6 seconds at a time. It seemed an endless amount of time passed before we finally cleared the top of what we were climbing and finally saw the lake.

Here is the only picture I took, confirmation that I did actually make it to the lake. Once you clear the summit the trail heads steeply down to the lake. Ever so easy but I am already thinking "I have to go back up this to get to the downhill....AAARRRGGGGHHHH". I was ready for lunch and possibly a Med-Evac copter. After some rest and an encounter with several crawdads on the lakeshore we headed up that g*dawful steepness and I am telling you...I was like a rental horse when he gets a whiff that you are heading back to the barn, he is suddenly more lively, moving more quickly and really, there's just no stopping him. That was me. I was not stopping, I was moving, letting that downhill grade propel me back to my car and a shower and a complete rethinking of how to continue doing this at a pace I can handle. I could hardly pick up my feet by the time we hit the parking lot, the slightest incline caused my legs to turn to tree stumps, stiff and unyielding. SP and I had the conversation of how we just can't even think about trying this again unless we can do it reasonably comfortably. It wasn't FUN by any stretch of the imagination...still...I DID IT!

Get A Grip

These little beauties ought to do the trick. Like sneakers but with serious tread abilities. Did I mention: On Sale. Yay for me.

Last Saturday SP and I took our third hike around the trails of Lake Tahoe. We choose the easy trek from Highway 28 down to Skunk Harbor, a quick two miles north of Spooner Lake. After a snack and a lovely and lingering swim in the cove we hymned and hawed our way back UP the relatively easy path back to the highway. Easy in that the trail is more a dirt access road: wide and easy for meandering. The guide claims it is a 1.5 mile hike down which may be true. However, the trek back up is brutal and feels like 4 miles to my quads and glutes. The term "Steep Grade" has never been so clear to me in it's meaning. I am happy to say SP and I appear to be equal in our level of out of shapeness and neither would balk at the need to stop, preferably in the shade for a breather and a swig of water.

Views of Skunk Harbor. Most folks seem to boat in for a spell and then move on.

Looking out to the lake. Not a skunk in sight.

This is the Newhall Party House at Skunk Harbor

SP and I are currently musing over our next trek. Probably still under 4 miles in order to break in the new boots. I am loving the feeling of accomplishment from our hikes, even though I was cussing halfway up the trail last Saturday, and happy to be out in nature and near the water.

Wordless Wednesday

HKR GRLLL

That's right...I've taken my MountainMoxie and put her to the test. Yesterday marks the second hike I have gone on. My hiking pal S and I are determined to actually go, do, explore and exercise our lazy behinds by doing a different trail every weekend. We live 20 minutes over the hill from one of the most beautiful places on earth. The place is awash in trails, meandering paths, secluded beaches and beauty. Last weekend we did the Spooner Lake loop which sits at the top of Spooner Summit, Highway 50, which goes from Carson City to South Lake Tahoe. It's a 2.1 mile loop of a lovely, pristine lake with wildflowers and aspen groves and a history of native american activity evidenced by boulders turned into mortar and pestle work areas in one meadow off the lake. Pretty cool to sit there and imagine what it would be like to have an encampment there and live simply by the lake. There's more history of lumber milling and such but I prefer to dwell on the earlier historical aspects when people lived one with nature. Spooner Lake trail isn't really a hike so much as a meander. Level in most places it's a good steady workout with, did I mention, beautiful surroundings. Beats hoofing it around the neighborhood.

Aerial photo of Spooner Lake

We are currently limiting ourselves to hikes under 4 miles round trip to get ourselves use to all this movement. We've got four planned out and then we hope to tackle the Spooner Lake to Marlette Lake hike which is 8 miles round trip.

Yesterday we tackled the Nevada Northshore trail off Highway 28 past Spooner Lake but before you reach Sand Harbor. We headed down the trail from a handy parking lot and followed the Lake to 3 separate, secluded beaches that were so beautiful. The trails are well maintained and well traveled, though it is easy to meander away and then you are presented with some rather interesting boulder climbing to get back to where you want to be, which we gamely took on cuz it was fun and we were up for the challenge. We wandered down to the northern most beach, Chimney Beach, we think and sat for a nice spell at the shoreline and enjoyed the sun and water of Lake Tahoe and had a snack. Heading back we took an access road, that leads to these areas as well which was easier on our out of shape selves. We figure 3 maybe 3.5 miles. High fives all around. The great part is being out in this beautiful landscape everything falls away...no worries , no problems...it just is...breath and movement and scenery. I just might be hooked.

Here's a few snaps:

Lovely inlet at the start of our hike along the shoreline.

Shady spot amongst the boulders. I did mean boulders not rocks.

"Undeniable...

...how brilliant you are!"
Matt Kearny

Mountain Moxie Niece

Thanks MMniece for letting me drag you hither and yon...for loving the Indigo Girls concert...for appreciating the JavaDjembe ensemble...for suggesting InNOut at 1:00 in the morning and for letting me see your morning bedhead hair all askew. Love You!

Holiday....Celebrate

By Thursday of last week the news was good about containment of the Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe. The news had various officials in charge proclaiming 80% containment with few injuries and no deaths. Smiles all around. Relief tinged with sadness at those who lost their homes. It was a tense week and every time the wind kicked up it is as if everyone kind of stopped and noticed and hoped this wasn't the gust that kicked the fire over the containment line. Predictions were for 100% containment by yesterday with clean up and mop up lasting who knows how long. Still the show must go on and South Lake has decided to celebrate the fourth with it's traditional fireworks show, one of the biggest and best around. I will be there.

In more personal news, MMNiece is visiting from Flagstaff AZ for the week. I am very excited to spend time with the college girl who just got back from spending a semester in Wolverhampton, England. We have lots of fun things planned including a day at Sand Harbor in Tahoe and various activities in Reno for Artown plus tickets to see Indigo Girls. Yippee.

I couldn't resist a solo trip into Reno for opening night of Artown. It was a perfect evening and the setting of Wingfield Park on the Truckee River in the middle of Reno is awesome. It opened with a short parade featuring the March Fourth Marching Band followed by a really cool aerial show by Strange Fruit from Australia and then musical performances on the main stage. I've got a few photos for your enjoyment.

The Marching Band onstage.

Staging area from across the river.

Aerialist act Strange Fruit.

Have a safe and sane 4th of July Celebration.

Smoke and Wind

Nothing like the first big fire of the season to shake me out of my summer reverie. The "Angora" fire is burning fast and furious in South Lake Tahoe. Fueled by dry conditions and fierce winds, this fire is whipping itself into a frenzy. The Carson Valley is clogged with smoke. You could smell it outside as well as notice bits of ash floating around in the air. You can read about it Here.
Here are shots of the sky outside my house.

South Lake Tahoe is over this ridge.

There is a big slice of blue sky and then dark, heavy smoke sitting over my back deck. It doesn't look good for houses and such in the area of the fire. The wind isn't expected to die down for a another few hours. Here is hoping they can get it controlled by this evening. Scary and heartbreaking for those involved in the loss of their homes and for all of South Lake where, I'm sure, fear and concern rule the evening.

Garden Small Steps

Look at my new lovelies. My first plantings for the backyard. I feel a tremendous responsibility for them. Did you know that Calalilies come in some amazing colors these days. I am not a fan of the white Calalily but these are so lively and colorful.

Lotta rock in the yard here in Carson City and I found once I started digging that it doesn't end on the surface. My mom and I had quite a workout digging up rocks to get these planted. Now I can admire my Calalilies and my mystery pansies and feel like I am making progress in getting a garden going. My mom was an incredible help while she was here. She is so knowledgeable about all things gardening. We visited nurseries, made lists of plants, decided how and what I should start with and what to do next. She gave me several ideas for how to move all my rocks around to make functional flowerbeds and room for shrubs and stuff. She even complimented my half-assed attempt to prune back a voracious juniper that I actually hope to rip out eventually. We got a bee trap for some rather bothersome wasps and...ick....it is very full in just a week. I am not fond of wasps or yellow jackets. I am rarely bothered by honey bees and you should see the funny 2 inch long bumblebees we get here. They are so funny looking and flying so precariously it is hard to feel at all threatened by them. Truly from whence the word "Bumble" must come from. They sort of bumble and tumble through the air with a precarious aerodynamic. Deck entertainment.

While my mom was here we ambled down to Minden for the Minden Street Festival. Crafts and food and the usual street fair type stuff along with about 30 or so vintage restored cars to envy.

My mom is partial to this one:

While I wouldn't mind cruising around in this one:
Once it got warm and we had perused all the goods we sat a spell in Minden park and just enjoyed the beautiful day.
We had many good, uninterrupted conversations and spent alot of time on the deck just enjoying a lovely weekend while we mulled over possible paint colors for indoors. We had chocolate and coffee and a couple good meals out. We watched "The Queen" and agreed it wasn't "Spectacular" but it was good and that Prince Charles was seriously miscast and the portrayal of The Queen Mother was horrible. We watched some A's games (I am a Giant's fan: my mom is an A's fan) and I learned all the players names and nick names and now I can't look at Travis Buck without thinking "Rock Star" which is my mothers nickname for him. She's quite knowledgeable about baseball MMmom is. Basically, she knows lots of stuff and I am grateful I got a weekend to pick her brain and my soul was just happy she was here.

Spring Break

MMMom is visiting for the weekend. We are going to go exploring and meandering and just hangin' out.

I Don't Want to Work.....

I just want to bang on the drum all day....

Photo Courtesy of Dean Rossi

Here's a photo from last weeks Drum Circle on the River Walk in Reno. It was much the same today albeit a bit windier. Still it is a fun group, a great setting, and a lovely afternoon. The brainchild behind the circle is Dean Rossi, who along with his wife Andrea, play hockey with my husband. How's that for small world. You can't really see me here but I am wearing a very large straw hat on the right. This week I was a bit more relaxed and realized that even if I can't play what ever rhythm people are grooving to I am at least a very good time keeper and can stay on the beat. All those years of studying music will pay off after all. My hands aren't as sore this week either. Meanwhile, I am halfway through my tuesday class and anxious to learn a new rhythm this week. I am also chomping at the bit to buy myself a djembe. Of course, I have a tendency to want the nicest, most expensive one so I am having an internal argument with myself about buying a beginner drum or buying a higher end drum.

Last week I had the suprise opportunity to see Tibetan Monks do their throat singing thing and create a mandela at the community college here in Carson City. WNCC was hosting diversity week and the monks were a huge part of that program. I snapped some good pictures of the mandela, almost finished, that they had been working on for 4 days. Using some really lovely long tubes on which they tap back and forth on to release the sand, it is truly an amazing site to behold.

Of course, my camera batteries died prior to their singing on the stage but it was awesome and they had their best finery on. It was pretty interesting that when they started singing the wind gusted quite strongly and then seemed to move with the sound of their voices. Once the sound stopped the wind would die down. Very Ethereal Indeed.

Last friday I had the pleasure of attending an OSHA seminar for four hours at the Peppermill in Reno. It is sort of the microbiological equivalent of the biblical armageddon. This is where us medical/dental folks go to be reminded of all the nasty bugs we are or could be exposed to in the course of doing our job. Helpful tips and reminders of what we need to do to kill these dastardly bugs and so forth. Classes like this are required in order for me to maintain my license. I am required to participate in this particular seminar every two years. Therefore, I didn't really hear anything new though I kept one ear open while I knitted away at a baby blanket I am working on. I got quite a bit done on it with out appearing too rude. The snacks and coffee were lovely.

Mother's Day

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
-Albert Schweitzer -

MountainMoxieMom: Always my light. Thank You!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YAYA

Two of Yaya's favorite things: Great Grandchild Cole and cupcakes. Happy BirthdayMom!
xoxox
MountainMoxie

The Beat of a Different Drummer

I am busy these days, taking a class with this inspiring teacher.


Learning to play one of these:

I am having a hella good time. There is also a drum circle that is meeting on the River Walk in Reno on Sundays that I will be attending. Here's a snap of the area.

Meanwhile, two interesting websites to check out.

First, Nevada has developed a new online encyclopedia. For all things Nevada go here.

Also, there's a real time camera up watching a nest of baby peregrine falcons. You can check it out here. "Peregrine falcons are considered endangered in California with only 250 breeding pairs in the state" according to the Nevada Appeal.

Hopefully, I'll snap some picks at the drum circle sunday and also get a chance to check out the action at the Truckee River Whitewater Park for the big 3 day kayak extravaganza.

Good Manners

Well, it appears from the complete lack of comments on my previous post that it is true. Etiquette mavens always say to avoid the three subjects of politics, religion, and money. We'll get back to garden photos and the like but first, let me say this. Regardless of the fall out from Senator Reid's comments, mostly accusing him of demoralizing the troops, I believe Senator Reid is saying what many, many of us are thinking and to polite to shout out loud: "Get our guys/gals home." I tire of the daily death count heard on my local news each morning. I am flabbergasted that after sending our troops in to this quagmire that they return home to less than adequate health care. I mourn with the families and children of the wounded and the dead. I do not think it is unsupportive to our troops to want them out of a civil war situation. I am in awe of our troops, individuals of courage and duty and responsibility who are willing to go and fight for us. Still in my heart I do not want this war to go on ad nauseum simply to satisfy our current president's need to wield power without thought of the consequences. There. Done.

Now, on to the Pansy report.

As you can see, the are flourishing. Quite pretty.

A new development in the back yard. I have these:

Doing This!

It started last weekend when I noticed a ladybug traversing the lawn. This morning I spotted 5 ladybugs. This was just the fascinating bit of nature I needed to go with my coffee. Later I spotted two in the throws of ladybug love. I noticed the bottom ladybug seemed to tire of these shenanigans and tried to escape but the top ladybug (?) held on for dear life and pumped away regardless of her attempts to escape. Has he no manners? Sheesh.

Yesterday, while enjoying the early evening I heard a bird chirping that sounded, strangely, like a telephone ringing but at a lower octave. I have no doubt this was a bird impersonating a telephone. I have heard this kind of thing before. While living in SF I became aware of a bird in my neighborhood who was mimicking the sound of a dial up modem. I thought, No - that's ridiculous....until I read a column by Scott Ostler from the SF Chronicle that there were, indeed, reports of this bird chirping like a modem. Interesting. A strange side effect of technological advances.

Yesterday I was confronted with the march of age rearing it's unwelcomed head. First, I had an appointment with a periodontist for a consult on a tooth that has been bothering me. Those who have their dentistry done at the periodontist's office are often those who have gum problems, active gum disease, or are maintaining a previously active state of gum disease. I completely and utterly blame two rounds of orthodontics in my youth for this current problem. Periodontal patients tend to be older individuals, shall I say older than ME. But there I was sitting in the midst of a waiting room filled with Seniors and ME. Same thing at the dermatologists appointment I had later that morning. A room full of Seniors and ME. For this I blame my fair skin and freckles. I am being pro-active. When I returned home from my medical forays, having not actually paid much attention to these above related incidents I was confronted by an application for the AARP!!! Addressed to ME, in my mailbox. WTF! I am not of eligible AARP age, yet! Jeez, the nerve! So, I did what any young woman in that situation would do. I shredded that application immediately and laughed wickedly and proclaimed they would have to take me kicking and screaming.

Voice of Reason

"WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday said the war in Iraq is lost militarily and "can only be won diplomatically, politically and economically" after more than four years of fighting." Fox news online

I do like our Senator Reid.

Stormy Sunday

The weather is gloomy and so am I. Well, I'm snapping out of it since I spent yesterday wallowing. It is simply this. I ended up owing the federal government money this year. I was anticipating a return....bought a house.....everyone said buy a house....no state tax in Nevada...really.....all these things point to a nice tax return....visions of landscaping the backyard, painting, sprucing, wondrous shopping spree at Home Depot. Maybe some new pants. Poof! Just like that. I have resigned myself to small improvements over time, okay, I can do that...still...can you say hugely disappointed?

I am focusing on May. I have signed up for a Djembe drumming class. 5 evenings in Reno. Tucked the money away, changed my work schedule. This will make me very happy. I have not drummed since I left San Francisco and I am looking forward to reviewing what I know and learning new stuff and meeting other drummers. Always a good thing.

In Carson City news:

Our mayor, Marv Teixeira, 72, has been seen bicycling to city hall since he was arrested on a DUI March 5th. He's doing community service, fines, and a driver training course. He was quoted in the Nevada Appeal newspaper "this is the biggest embarrassment of my life."
The article is here

Up on "C Hill", a western hillside overlooking the capital, there are goats doing the busy work of eating cheat grass in order to stem the tide of wild fires. 800 Merino-Rambouillet crossbreds, sort of a light brown, are hanging out and chewing vigorously. I'll try and get a picture up soon.
The Reno Gazette Journal article is here.

There have been several stories in the Nevada Appeal regarding Business Week's top 10 emerging arts communities. Surprisingly, Carson City is number 3 on the list after Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hard to believe...just ask MMspouse his opinion...still it makes me happy. Reinforces my decision to live here. There is art, there is creativity and it is being recognized.
Original article is here.

I'll save my most recent cultural activities for another day.

Lazy Blogger Post

MountainMoxie has been working too much and is tired these days. That said I just wanted to say Hi. I'll be back blabbering soon.

You Are a Pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird. A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone. You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are. You get along well with: The Ring Finger Stay away from: The Thumb

What Finger Are You?

Rock Gardening

Still Life for Gardening

Yup, these are the essentials for a bit of yardwork. Though it appears to the naked eye that my yard is a stretch of lawn surrounded by rocks, therein lies the problems. WEEDS! In and around and under the rocks. I spent my morning outside pushing rocks around. It was a pretty morning for it and after about 2 hours and the wind kicking up I was done. I did have some great tunes on the CD (no IPOD for me, yet). My good friend JK in Portland sent me a CD for my birthday entitled "Groovy Tunes for Jeri". It's a really cool mix of belly dance music, some malian guitar, what I think is a french song, and some stuff that sounds like european techno. If you are familiar with Khaled, Ali Farka Toure, or Anne Dudley & Jaz Coleman you know what I am talking about. If not check them out, expand your horizons, listen to the world.

Hidden from view and tucked near a post of the deck is this beauty.

Odd place. No idea whence she came. Decided to just let her be. Perhaps more will sprout up.

I am also the proud owner of a new shovel. Gift from MMspouse. It's a fine shovel and should come in handy transplanting a pitiful little rose bush shoved into a corner of the fence with very little light and no attention. We must bring her into the light, bath her in water and see if she will again bloom the way nature intended it. That was my day. Mystery pansies and rock gardening.