Taking a Time Out

Taking a Time Out

A Place to Rest © 2008 Bo Mackison

I am prepared for the craziness that will soon descend on my typically quiet home. Usually there are only two of us to make a mess, take a shower, fix a meal, get a little out of sorts. Today and tomorrow there will be 16 people, adults and teenagers, filling every nook and sleeping in every corner. I’m hoping there is no last minute clothing emergency because the washing machine was pronounced dead by the Maytag man on Monday, and a new one can’t be delivered until next week.

This photo is my solution if there are any situations that may require a time-out. I took this photo earlier this summer in northern Wisconsin, and it always brings back memories of nearly colllapsing in one of those blessed chairs after hiking for many hours. I was hot and tired and maybe – just maybe – a little cranky. But I leaned back in the chair, solid and comfortable, closed my eyes, and just rested for a while. Just relaxed in my own little space.

Gradually, I noticed a graceful breeze, brushing over me ever so gently, cooling away the hot stickiness. The sun tucked itself behind a few wandering clouds and provided a brief respite. I heard a few birds chattering in the branches above me, and grasshoppers were doing their thing in the tall grasses. It was only a short stop, maybe fifteen minutes, but it re-vitalized me in those few moments.

So if I need a time-out over the next few days, I know exactly where I’m heading. These chairs will be waiting for me, tucked in a cranny in my mind. And if I really get desperate and I need a visual reminder, I’ll pop open the computer, and just tell everyone I’m going to check my blog stats.

What’s that you say? I cannot check my stats in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner?

Hmmmmm.

Then maybe it would be better if I take a peek while everyone else is doing the dishes…

Heading South for the Winter

Mallards Flyover

Mallards Flyover © 2008 Bo Mackison

Geese have been flying over the house every morning, and then again every evening, since September. The lake they use as their headquarters is maybe six blocks to the east of us. The cornfields where they feed are a mile to the west.  The birds often fly so close I can see them clearly from the second story window. Occasionally they appear to be nearly skimming the roof. They are truly magnificent birds when seen in flight at such close range.

But a few days ago, the early morning honking became less noticeable. Yesterday, when I went to take photos, there were only a dozen or so geese in the sky, instead of the typical hundreds. Today I only saw a pair.

I suspect most of them have packed up and headed south, like many intelligent creatures choose to do at this time of year. It’s early though. Last year, the geese were still in Wisconsin through the end of November.

Maybe they know something I don’t.

Cabbage Flowers

Decorative Cabbage

Decorative Cabbage © 2008 Bo Mackison

I don’t think a flower can be any prettier than this decorative cabbage. I love the contrast of the purples and greens. Yesterday was the last day of the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square. Happily, the market now moves inside so we can shop in comfort. I love my Saturday forays to the Square, but I’m not fond of getting my fingers frozen pinching the produce.

Of the People, By the People, For the People…

Wisconsin State Capitol at Midnight

Wisconsin State Capitol at Midnight © 2008 Bo Mackison

…from the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, and quoted by Obama during his victory speech at Grant Park on Election Night.

We celebrate a new day, a new era, and the election of the new President of the United States, Barack Obama.

A Halloween Treat

Good Enough to Eat

Yummy! Taffy Apples ©2008 Bo Mackison

Anyone remember (you know – back in the good ol’ days) when homemade goodies were the norm for Halloween treating. I wasn’t allowed to wander too far in my trick-or-treating adventures – just a few neighbors and relatives – but I always came home with taffy apples, orange food-colored popcorn balls, and caramels fresh from someone’s kitchen. Yum!