rakeeter.com – Page 20

October ramble

It was like looking down at the top of a cloud, which I guess we were when we visited the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We had driven in rain from time to time ever since we started our trip and it was cool and cloudy when we visited Petrified Forest National Park on the first day out. The Painted Desert had received a lot of rain and the washes were running bank to bank with muddy water. We drove through snow and sub-freezing temperatures as we approached the north rim. That didn’t seem to deminish the crowds, though. The north rim is supposed to be less frequented than the south, and it may be, but that’s not to say it isn’t frequented. There was a generous sprinkling of foreigners judging by the gibberish being spoken. For the most part the canyon was socked in but it cleared enough before we left for us to get a taste of the beauty and immensity of the Grand Canyon. Continue reading “October ramble” →

Seventieth birthday

by rakeeter

We’ve had a busy week around here. Tuesday evening there was the volleyball game in which the Rebels thumped the Herford Whitefaces, or the “Herd” as they call themselves. Our favorite Lady Rebel put on a show, including a kill shot that closed out the win in the first game for her team. She was wreaking such havoc on the visiting team that the coach, in her infinite wisdom, chose not to play her in the third and final game. Continue reading “Seventieth birthday” →

Caught short

by rakeeter

On one occasion, a driver I observed drive through a stop sign without stopping wouldn’t stop when I tried to pull him over. He drove for several blocks with me behind him, lights flashing. Finally he did stop in front of a house but jumped out of his car and ran inside. His wife, who he left to deal with me, was laughing so hard when I approached the vehicle she could hardly contain herself. She handed me his wallet and told me he didn’t stop because he had to get home to use the bathroom. His need was greater than his fear of the police. I decided under the circumstances I might have done the same thing and let the matter pass.

Joyce spent 21 years on the Dallas Police Department. These are some random anecdotes from her time in uniform.

August wrap

by rakeeter

Yesterday (Saturday) evening we had real rip-roaring downpour accompanied by lots of wind. The dry creek bed in the front ran like a mighty river. It was fun. I emptied 1.15 inches of rain out of the gauge this morning and others living farther south we talked to at church didn’t get half that, which I’m sorry for them, but so many times this summer it seems like it has been the other way around. We would get some but south of I-40 would get significantly more. A couple of weeks ago the weatherman reported that five inches of rain fell south of Perryton (northeast Panhandle), which just goes to show it’s a crap shoot whether any one area gets significant moisture. We nearly made our average for August (2.91 vs 3.07) and with last night’s frog-strangler we have nearly made our September average (1.15 vs 1.97). I should be out annoying the weeds right now but, what the heck, life is short and tomorrow is a holiday so they’ll just have to wait till Tuesday. Continue reading “August wrap” →

Erethizon dorsatum

by rakeeter

As I finished my workout early one morning last week, I glanced out the open garage door and saw a porcupine ( Erethizon dorsatum) strolling across the driveway. It followed the fence around to the backyard, climbed a juniper and settled itself down on a limb for the day. It paid no attention to us even when we approached it for a closer look. That evening about dusk it roused itself and I saw it in the front following the fence again. I opened the gate to the rest of SA and it ambled out as though that the was opening it had been looking for. Continue reading “Erethizon dorsatum” →