Foreshadowing

There was a tropical feel to July's full moon as it rose over these har hills. A tiny bit of humidity still hung from the tease of cloud that had hovered over our high desert that week, as “monsoon season” played at breaking the drought. Nights now couldn't be more inviting for late summer night lounging (where's a hammock when you need one?). The moths and skeeters are incessant, the squash fatten to calf-size overnight, and the Chaco lines (or is it a dirt tan?) are beginning to look permanent.

“Revel in it now,” I remind myself... we've turned the corner toward Winter. That's right, Texas, Winter's on the march.

Photo, courtesy of my future-Texas-ex-pat friend Ryan.

State Sovereignty Shuffle (or... "Came and Took It")

Article: Texas vs. TSA - Round 1 goes to the Feds.

 ...Now, I imagine many of (the five or six of) you who read this won't see the conflict in the federal government putting its foot down on Texas outlawing the TSA's invasive pat-down procedures. By now, we are conditioned to accept that the Federal Way is the golden standard. A state that chooses to operate differently is painted as a collection of yokels or militia men who should be considered either incompetent to govern themselves or dangerous to our grand Nation's democracy.

But when Texas' House voted 138-0 to pass a bill banning TSA searches "without probable cause," the federal government's reaction was to exercise its authoritarian authority. U.S. Attorney John Murphy told Texas

...the feds would have to respond by shutting down Texas airports as it “could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew.”

...a blockade? Really?

History, help me out. Something in this whole threat of a transportation kibosh sounds familiar....

This is Not a Test

Among the unbelievable heap of events and developments piling up all at once, there are a few that I'd like to highlight. These are structures or programs whose impending intent is to gain control over large groups of people by using either fetishes, fear, or guilt to pry open the grip we still hold on our natural freedom.

* The first:
Google I/O 2011: Google wants to control your home - May. 11, 2011

 

"Connected devices like home media equipment, dishwashers, cars, and lights could soon be able to be controlled using the new platform....The chief obstacle to making that happen across all connected devices is finding a single, open standard to control everything you own," said Joe Britt, head of the Android@Home team.

Eric Holland, a vice president of LED manufacturer Lighting Science, added: "The advantage of Android@Home is that any developer can write an application to control the lights. They don't need to learn any proprietary protocol... one app could control fixtures from all participating lighting companies... Robots powered by Android smartphones and tablets were wandering around the conference... 

"Soon, you may be using your phone to interact with all the devices in your home -- whether they beg you to or not." 

The Road Show

So that thing about "yielding to life" I mentioned in my last post... well, let's just call it a well-timed lesson learned.

The sandstorm that came through in my last post was stronger than I thought. As soon as I'd picked up my shovel to set down roots, the winds changed and picked me up instead. I closed my eyes to this...

 

...and opened them up to this:

 Oz, minus the shorties.

Going with It.

Finally. The fat-encrusted sky finally turns from dirt to drizzle at 11pm.

Sunrise promised gentle conditions for the encyclopedic list of work I hoped to set in motion around the yard.

(Oh yeah - I now have a yard. You can't hold me, son.)

Queue bird-chirping and flute music.

After puppies were fed, mama had her coffee, and seed starts had their drinks of water, the sun somehow still hadn't made an appearance. After a trip to the hardware store, and yet more coffee... still no sun. About the time I was gathering string and shovel to head to the wheel barrow and start excavating 400 square feet of garden, in it came. The Wind. A miles-wide cloud of dirt not yet root-bound to the ground was raptured toward the heavens, where it caught a 60mph straight-line gust straight to my face.

(Aforementioned fat-encrusted sky obliterating view of previously sunrise-lit mountains. Boooo.)

Happy Trails, Houdini.

I hope you find the peace you're seeking, dear girl.

Winter Skin...

... it's real.

Looking at my arms for the first time in months was a bit like returning to an old summer cabin after a long winter. You recognize the shape, the lines, the old scars. And some new scars. Yet, the closer you look, the telltale signs that it is in need of a little maintenance begin to emerge. In my case, the arid cold has taken liberties with my skin and needs a good coat of poly... I mean coconut oil. The decision to fatten up a bit to weather the series of 7-dog-nights has also gifted me a few happy, lumpy spots.

Week in Review (aka: Shameless Puppy Ploy)

Thirty years into life, and I'm still in wonder of weather, especially changing seasons.

It's March. And so far that's meant surprising temps (this time around, it's warm; last year was chilly), farm-ward looking, and a scramble to act on realizations gleaned from a winter of hermitage.

Maybe it's the World Cup coffee I insisted on drinking at 5pm talking, but I'm feeling my Restless Legs Syndrome kick in. Time for some footwork.

And....

Yeah...Where my Texians At? Woo-woo!

I awoke with a start this morning. Having just squeaked open a sliver of eye to suss out the source of the vibration beside my face, I read a text message from my mom: "Happy 175th Texas Indy Day!!" Dang, yes. 

Blindsided again by March 2nd. 

The state of the Republic of Texas today turns 175. That's right I said "Republic of Texas"... did I stutter? Well, to be fair, many of you may not be Texas-born-Texas-bred. That means you weren't fortunate enough to have (at least) three years of Texas History cranked into you before high school graduation. So is it fair to say, you may have missed some things? 

I'll take that as a "Hell yes! Tell me more!" With that, I bring you the first in a series of Texas education catcher-uppers I like to call: "Texas: Don't Hate - Imitate." You're welcome, in advance.

Oh, So That's Food Security?

Let me be clear: guns are just not interesting to me. Nothing about them is so sexy that it lures me away from a reasonable discussion about their merits and dangers.

In fact, back home in the great state of - well, you know where - I've had enough debate with gun-promoting, boot-bearing male counterparts to be labeled a "hippie" (well... that and all the organic farming ...and tree-hugging ...and membership among the Great Unwashed).


But that citizens are willingly turning in their guns is, frankly, shocking.

The Austin Police this week accepted around 400 guns from people in exchange for gift cards to grocery store, ranging from $10 to $200. It shocks me because, not only did people surrender their arms because they "weren't using them," they yielded them directly to the authorities.

Police trade groceries for 400 guns: kxan.com

"Now" is the new "Later"

There's just no clever way to begin this. 

Every single morning goes upside my head with the urgency to figure it out. If waste management systems weren't operating, what would happen with the waste I create (and I mean ALL of it)? Figure it out. When jobs dry up or dollars don't matter, what does a community of people trying to make it look like? Figure it out. And what if that food and energy's simply unavailable? Until the right radioactive ooze makes me invincible, I can look forward to a few, very ugly, last days without those most basic needs met. The natural response (and if it isn't yours, please know I am very concerned*) is to immediately and decisively, with no hesitation, Figure. It. Out.

From the depths....

Hiatus? They hardly knew us!

New content coming awfully soon... Lots has happened, friends. Lots.