SOME CURIOUS VISITORS...

When our Arizona weather finally cools and it's time for the Prospectors to come out, I, and a lot of others, pack up the equipment and head north to the gold fields(AKA Gold basin, Arizona)...

While the rest of the country is freezing during the winter months, we busy ourselves with prying rather small pieces of the yellow metal from the desert sands. Strangers to these parts might think that they are all alone out there...DON'T bet on it! There are more critters creeping, crawling, and sneaking around out there than one might first imagine. Some extremely dangerous, some you hear howl at night, but seldom see in daylight. That long lonesome sound one hears at night are Coyotes...

If anyone has ever watched cartoons they may well have see the infamous Roadrunner, being chased by Wiley Coyote. Actually, we have both of these cute little guys running around out here, but I have yet to see the Coyote chasing the ever superior Roadrunner. Reality is that it would be by trickery only that a Coyote would ever have a chance of catching a Roadrunner. That skinny little bird is faster than a rattlesnake...

The problem we have with the coyotes around here is that too many people leave too much trash and food around and these scrawny little dogs are always hungry. Although, most of us carry a pistol when we are out and about, in Arizona, the Coyotes are seldom seen during the day and seldom shot at, so they tend to become a bit over confident, and by nature, are more than curious...

I remember on one occasion, I had stayed the night; Just me, a very long night and it sounded like a thousand Coyotes, howling all night long. Finally, morning came and at first daylight I put the coffee pot on and while it brewed I decided to walk down to the wash and check on my drywasher; Not that there was anyone around to steal it...

Like I said, I was still waiting on my first cup of coffee and I didn't even think about strapping on my gun before I jumped down in the wash. I checked and all seemed well. My equipment was still there and intact. THEN, I just HAPPENED to look up. I hadn't heard a sound but, there they were: Two Coyotes, standing only a few feet away...Just watching...ME!

Normally, Coyotes are rather shy and keep their distance. For the most part, they don't trust humans, and they shouldn't , but at this particular moment I could only wonder...Were they just OVER confident, just  curious, were they totally desperate..or what? I was sure missing my 38 caliber at the moment.

I remember when I was a kid and we lived on a ranch in Nebraska, my brother and I witnessed two very skinny and hungry Coyotes trying to pull down a full grown cow. They didn't have much luck and the cow just kept butting them with her head and knocking them off their feet. They finally gave up and went looking for something much smaller, but the point is: With Coyotes, you can never be sure what is going through their minds... OR their intentions...

I, slowly, eased my way back to the Pickup and immediately retrieved my gun. I watched the coyotes, which remained for a while and at last moved on. I THINK they were just looking for a free meal, but I didn't make that mistake again. I wouldn't harm one of them unless I had no choice, because I know they (like all of us) get hungry and need to live.

I had my coffee and went to work, but  remained watchful the rest of day.  The Coyotes had disappeared for now...Out of sight, but I knew they were there...and watching! Why wouldn't they be...This is their home...

RAIN ON THE ROOFTOP...

While some have too much, others have little or none. I am speaking of rain water...
The weather has it's own schedule and as other parts of the country( The world) are getting flooded, our desert is parched from a lack of the precious liquid. Too much and we drown, too little, we die from thirst. If only we could strike a happy balance. For now, I am thankful to suddenly wake from a deep sleep,  disturbed by the sounds of rain of the rooftop...

First, a slight peck, peck, the all at once, a sudden burst, as if the whole sky opened up and dropped everything at once. THEN, it stops...

I can only say thanks for that, and know that for a short while I can shut the swamp cooler off and enjoy the cool air. What a relief, even if it is only temporary...Hopefully, it will stay cloudy the rest of the new day....

JUST RIGHT Elevation...

When considering the weather, Kingman, Arizona sits in just about the right place and at a good elevation to escape most of the severe conditions surrounding it...
True, it gets hot here, in Summer, but sits high enough to avoid the intolerable heat to the west; Areas like Needles, California and along the Colorado River....

I watch the cars and trucks  coming off the Interstate(I-40) in summer, knowing what a relieve it was for me when I was driving a truck. Up, out of that furnace(120 or so degrees F) to a much cooler temperature. It is like being able to breathe again...
Sitting quite a bit higher than the Colorado River area(Arizona-California line), Kingman is what one might call the cooling off point. From here on east towards Flagstaff, the road continues to climb. Sometimes, by the time one gets to Flag(as we call it), even a jacket may be in order. It cools off quite drastically...

Now, in Winter, the temperatures prove to be just the opposite...
To the west(Needles, California and such), you might find people running around in T-shirts, riding motorcycles back and forth; Things that people in the north would do in Summer...
In the meantime, to our east, Flagstaff, Arizona(much higher than Kingman) is buried in snow and ice.
Once the traffic gets past our town,  the road conditions become very much intolerable and slippery.

While Flagstaff and the interstate highway up there may be treacherous, we seldom have any snow. If we have snow, it (usually) is just enough  to cover the ground...and it is gone in about an hour or so...Not bad at all. I  don't know of anyone around here that even OWNS a pair of snow chains. I can watch the trucks and cars coming  down the hill all covered with snow, but with a light jacket, we just go on about our business, as usual...

At times, I have entertained the idea of moving away from here(just restless) but when my thoughts come back to the weather...Well! I think maybe I should stay where I'm at...

TRAINS COME AND GO...

I live within a few blocks of the tracks and I hear the trains come and go...all day...all night. When I first moved here, it bothered me; Wasn't sure if I could handle it, or not. I've been here three years now and if , for some reason or other, there is a lull in the traffic, I begin to wonder WHAT is wrong? I guess they have their reasons for the schedules they keep, but sometimes the trains(and their whistles) are spaced farther apart than other times. I guess one might say...I miss the noise; Their comings and goings...

I remember as a boy, sleeping very lightly at night and listening to the sound of the trucks on the nearby highway. We didn't have any trains passing by where we lived back then, only trucks. The effect seems to be the same. Vehicles of any kind, moving, traveling to far away places, carrying unknown people to, who knows where. One can only imagine  WHO might be going WHERE, to do WHAT...Out of all that daydreaming can come many possible scenarios; Tales of intrigue, mystery, adventure. I always assumed that dreaming was for the young, but as I get older and spend more time thinking, I realize the imagination NEVER gets old...Just the body...

For now, it is about time for the noon train. Very soon I can begin to hear the  whistle as they approach the crossing down the street. Not far past our station is another crossing and so it seems they never let up on that whistle till  they are long past our town...

I listen, intently, to the sound of the wheels as they roll along the tracks. I have also realized the weather and the air conditions effect the sound of the wheels and the long, lonesome sounds of the whistle; It's like saying...Hello AND goodbye...Sort of like a ghost passing through time...

Today, the noon train was right on time...First, the whistle from about a mile away, then again, as they pass...
They came and went; This one headed east...

A WORN OLD BLANKET

It's strange how some people can be so picky and ungrateful when some well-meaning soul gives you something from the bottom of their heart; Something that might not be considered 'nice enough' by most...

I went for a visit and upon arriving at the farm, my Aunt Bernice told me straight away:'I bought you a present'... I hated it when she did things like that, I hadn't brought her anything and that was not right. She went back in the other room and returned with an old blanket. It had definitely seen some wear already, but she told me she bought it for a quarter at a yard sale. She loved yard sales. Always lots of stuff cheap and Aunt Bernice was a horse trader. She loved bargaining... I'm sure she worked them down on whatever their original price was...

I didn't think much about it at the time and that was many years ago, but since then, I have spent many warm nights under that old blanket...

A lot of people don't give much thought to the art of gift giving, but it is not something to take lightly. I know it is customary among Native American Indians that if someone gives you a gift, you MUST give something in return. That is the way it is...

What if you have nothing to give back? It is not uncommon(for those who understand) to accept such trivial things as a rock...a small bundle of sweet grass; Just something, and if you understand the custom, it is more than sufficient. It came from the heart. It is the spirit of giving...

Many years ago, I was briefly acquainted with a tribal group in Virginia. One day I was asked if I would like to learn how to put up a teepee at one of the local schools; Sort of a 'show and tell' for the kids.  Sure! Never put up a teepee before. This would be a first for me. It turned out that it was easier than I thought. In no time we had erected 3 14 ft teepees and we were finished.

We were putting the finishing touches to the teepees when one of the teachers( turns out she was also a member of the group) came around with  glasses of lemonade and handed each of us a  glass and small red bundle...

The gentleman I was helping explained to me that it was traditional to give something in return for what we had done for them; Putting up the teepees, that was...It was a small bit of sweet grass wrapped in a piece of red material. If one is materialistic and doesn't understand, it might be considered a joke or something, but to these people it is extremely serious. We thanked  her for the gifts...and the lemonade...

Aunt Bernice has been gone quite some time now, but I can't tell you how many times I have warmed myself under that old blanket, and how I wished I could , somehow, give her a gift in return...

The old blanket is a little more worn now, but it is still mine and it keeps me warm...AND the little red bundle of sweet grass is tucked safely away. I will always remember what I learned...

STOP SIGNS...

I stopped at the stop sign. That's
 what it says to do; So I stop...

The thing  that bugs me is...I'm in the middle of the desert, I can see for a hundred miles, and there is absolutely nobody in any direction. Don't they think I could see if someone was coming?

My eyes work perfectly well and there is nobody...

I remember my Aunt Bernice once telling me: 'You can tell who lives around here, and who doesn't. Only the people NOT from around here, stop at the signs. The rest of us KNOW if someone is coming or not, and go on about our business'. I THINK  she was telling me to have a quick peek, then run the stop sign...
For a brief moment I started to take Aunt Bernice's advice, but for some strange reason...I looked up!

So much for that idea. I had decided to make a full  stop, just as the sign instructs. No doubt, that guy up there in that Helicopter will appreciate it...
Wonder what Aunt Bernice would say about all these eyes in the sky that we have now...

Tales Around The Campfire...

What is it that makes us want to tell stories...? Long before a lot of people could even read or write, traditions and ways of life were passed on by word of mouth, often sitting around a communal campfire...

 Adults and children alike would listen intently to the stories of family or tribal elders. They were older, had lived their lives and seen many things. Now,  it was their obligation to pass on what they knew, what they had seen, to the younger ones...

Long ago, there was a closeness among groups or families. This, sometimes harsh existence, was all people knew and there was no wandering off to the mall or any other distractions that we have today. This was their extremely limited world and what the old ones told was the all there was. Someday, the younger ones would grow up and  have their own experiences. Then, it would be their turn to lead and pass their stories on...

We have come a long way since then, but despite the fact that many more now, can read and write, We  have many more distractions; so many paths leading away from home and family. I find it disturbing that many families don't even sit together around the dinner table...I remember when I was kid we all washed our hands and came to the table when it was time to eat. It seems now, that a lot of families would rather eat in front of a TV and never mind talking to each other.

What I DO find encouraging is the fact that, no matter how many modern distractions there are now(malls, TV, Video games), when someone suggests CAMPING...most are all for it; Time to leave the city and get back to a simpler place that we all use to know. Back to the campfire, but this time EVERYONE has a tale to tell AND this time we have MARSHMALLOWS to roast...

Somethings change... Times change... Still, I believe SOMEWHERE in the back of our minds we STILL remember who we once were...A family, a group, a tribe, all warming ourselves around a campfire, listening to Grandfather tell us what it use to be like... in his time...

Early Morning Walk...

Oh, how I love early mornings;  PROVIDING I don't have to go to work...

I like it, especially in Summer, when it gets light so early;  Before the heat, and the air is still fresh and cool. The birds are singing and seemingly happy for this short time before it  becomes JUST another day.

For a short while, BEFORE the entire world gets up and SPOILS it, all is good and I can only look up and thank God  for what I have. One might say I thank my Creator for the day, and by the end of it, I have to come back and apologize for screwing it up...

What would make the morning unbelievably perfect is a gentle breeze...Oh!... There it is! Someone was listening and again, I say THANKS!

CHAOS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY

We live in an age technologically designed to put us on top, but does it? All is well, as long as everything works...What happens when it doesn't?

I think we have become too complacent with the situation and if things do go wrong(quit working) we can COMPLAIN? Well, We all know what good that does. Besides, how are you going to call anyone if the phone don't work, and EVEN if you do get through, you find yourself being passed from one voice to another. Chances are that voice is a million miles away and either can't do anything about it, or just don't really care(It's just a job).

We have become slaves to our technology and have(literally) put most of our eggs in one basket. Too many things can go wrong, then we find ourselves, totally, HELPLESS...

As we are beginning  to realize, it isn't just a matter of equipment failure that might take us down, but now we hear of so many cases of people getting into the systems and taking control. Unknown individuals or foreign interests(not our interests) that are stealing the security, that we have worked so hard to acquire and maintain. Spies, both industrial and military; all with no good will towards us, as a nation...

Many years ago, when I was in the Military, we were given a demonstration of tactics use by our enemies at the time(During the cold war). Even, while technology had not yet made the advances we have now, in many respects we should have been way ahead of the game, BUT...even then, there was the ever present danger of losing our communications on the battlefield.

What the demonstration(by an allied friendly force) pointed out was, that our enemies(no names) had already PLANNED for such an event. Their troops were still trained to use simple tools, like flags...and bugles, to signal among their units. As long as they had a man standing, they maintained their ability to communicate. IF our radios and such went down...we couldn't communicate; we were running around in confusion.

We are not on the battlefield at the moment, but the danger is no less there. IF either the power goes off or somebody just blitzes our  computers, everything stops. We are helpless to do business, pay for the gas we just pumped; Any number of emergencies that would result from a loss of our smoothly running machines . Have you ever tried to communicate with your bank and (if you're lucky) get a recording, telling you the computer is down...Call back later! If you happen to be in the middle of a crisis, there MAY NOT be a later...

CABIN FEVER...

Here it is, the middle of another Arizona summer, hotter  than blazes and, for sure, too hot to spend much time outside(UNLESS one has to).

Same old chaos on TV, so it's just me and my computer, sitting under the AC, wishing for cooler weather so we can go exploring...

For a brief moment I consider the writer's of old(before my time) who didn't even have AC and they still suffered, struggled and wrote...

I guess if there is ANY so-called glory in this life, it must surely be in the STRUGGLE, not in the final accomplishment. It is being able to tell oneself: I DID IT! I beat the odds and I   DID it...(A bit of self pride)

I guess this is what happens from being shut in so long; It's CABIN FEVER...That's all...

Song Beneath My Window...

The day has been a hot one, but finally...Evening!

The air cools, and the sun goes down; let the music begin.

To some, they may be only a bug, but without Crickets,

Who would stay the night and sing their song?

It wouldn't be a true summer's

night without the sound,

of their choir, in the sultry mist.

For what they sing, does it matter?

Except, NOW...I can sleep...

Sudden Flashes...

As I walk down the street my mind continues to play out imaginary stories of people I meet. Something about the way they look or something they do makes me wonder who they are, where they've been in their lives?  I don't judge them, I just, temporarily place them onstage, sort of like marionettes...

On the other hand I have to wonder if maybe they have their own marionettes...like me? We are all puppets on an invisible stage sometimes...
I have a million stories in my head. I need to get them out, but HOW to  tell them ?
Long days and into the late hours of the night; So much to tell...so much to write...