and the week beyond, surely, but for Christmas another one of those impeccable mornings and
a variety of weather as unexpected as it was entertaining.
We laid out the paltry present-pile, subsequently augmented
when afternoon brought more packages and the impeccable grandchild, innocent of greed, presenting presents all around and happy with whichever surprise befell him…
including, aha, a goose, with dinner accompanying.
The evening, young as it was, left me, wrapped if not rapt in the KC Cold, a-doze on the couch as familiar [and less so] familial tales drifted in and out of consciousness until not so late.
One pretty amazingly fortuitous coincidence was that Luz’ gift to me, a restored vintage Wyndotte tractor,
proved the perfect match for the Buddy L Texaco tanker that’s been kicking around here since before I showed up some thirty years ago…
Boxing Day L. and I set off, my longest walk so far,
to Dean’s to collect a painting and
[not Izel’s painting]
see how the Other Dog lives.
Later…small walks and flurries of action,
mild action, interspersed with periodic collapses were the order of the day…days.
…and more days;
bright days.
Wednesday, with Christine adventuring off to New Mexico in a U-Haul, Luz and Izel made a pizzelle-making visit.
Then Thursday a run to the ‘burg, La Veta for me for some reassurances from the LV PT as to Foot’s Progress and so forth while sculptural re-arrangings and drama transpired at the ‘bib until
a lunch of Christian Food [ample but tasteless burritos blanketed in flour tortillas the dimensions of dish towels] at the Plaza, where everyone’s all sweet nonetheless.
Afterwards I amused myself outside City Hall L. while got the title for her truck sorted
before an uneventful ride back to the ranch…
and an end of year playlist;
Leonard Cohen, ; “You Want it Darker”
Aka Gunduz Kutbay; “ASK”, Turkish classical flute
Brian Eno; “Music for Airports”
Suchlike.
So, Happy New Year, our Eventful Social Calendar precluding more elaborate best wishes…
but Best Wishes all the same.
M
yes, that wyndot does seem like a find
He’s finding stuff on the internet and rat-rodding it into sublimity; you should have seen Izel’s dump truck!
Love the innocence of grandchild, hope it lasts.
Sorry about the bad cold and foot, hope they pass.
All the best for NYE, we’re having a quiet dinner in the East Bay.
Keep the blog coming, your photos save the day.
Hey, hey.
Great to see these photos, Michael. Wish we had been able to go out there this year, but we didn’t want to put our old, sick cat through all that time on the road. Seeing the skies above Libre made me homesick. Hope to see you and Linda sometime soon in the new year. Happy 2017, somehow……..
This will be a most miraculous year, the reasons for which will be revealed as they unfold, naturally. The bookstore is gleaming in its sublime solitude while Cedarville slowly closes down for the next three months, or more. I leave Jan. 17 for Mexico, not to return till April 18, with a 5-day interlude in between the two 43-day trips to fine tune my Surprise Valley endeavors. Otherwise, I write like the wind in the mornings, sleep like a little child whenever I like, and drift in the crystalline waters of the Caribbean as they wrap Isla Mujeres in their warm, weaving currents. That’s the first 43-day trip; the second I fly into Mexico City, heart of the Americas, of the Western Hemisphere, and meander up to Guanajuato, down to Morelia, over to Patzcuaro, emerging on the coast above Zihuatanejo where I’ll stay a few weeks to wrap up the writing and congratulate myself on my good fortune, then back to Mexico City via Taxco for the return home to the wind-blasted, socially-defective gutter hole of the Great Basin, which has, if you look really closely, it’s inherent charms.
Miraculous or miraculous-y I think the border crossings are an excellent way to begin the year…as for me, I’ll be closely inspecting those inherent NW Great Basin charms come late January, hoping for snow and water in the wells at Wall.
Happy fortuitous trails out there, M!
Love the beautiful greenish light of photo #1 and the one with the little pink cloud that looks like someone tossed it up into the air. Enjoyed the Christmas celebration with the charming grandchild, such sweetness. Is greed taught and by whom!? Thanks for sharing, and I mean it in the most participatory of ways! Happy New Year!
hey M- lovely blog post- merry season to all. Glad Bryan saw the wyndot, he has quite the collection of ancient wheelie things himself in ITaleee. xxoo
I got to get back to that EE-tal-EE to see that stuff some one of these days…he’s even sent me some on occasion. Also I hear the food’s pretty good…
Loved the pictures, and loved the posts. I haven’t often scrolled down past all the pictures cuz it seems I’m always in a rush. Glad I did today, this Day 1 of 2017. This is a contemplative time of year given the season, the year’s end, winter solstice (my FAVORITE day of the year cuz the days start getting longer) — and also that last week would have been Mom and Dad’s anniversary and Dad’s bday. Continuing the car theme, it was also at Christmastime now 4 years ago when we brought mother’s ’69 yellow Porsche to Fresno from La Canada. Dad burst out in tears as Tony backed it out of the driveway. He felt the last bit of Mother was leaving him (she’d died the year before). I think of all of you often and am glad you are well. Fondly, hilary