August 12 - Interstate

Carrie and Jonas just stopped by to say goodbye and look at paintings and she gave me one of her quilts!!! Feeling blessed.

"Interstate"

5' x 3' acrylic on canvas
(This is the painting I left behind for Katherine)

Middle-of-the-night drive down to visit goats and dogs.. many doggy kisses for me, and for the bravest goats, good long scritches. Both improved my outlook.

Love over fear every day.

Except for the scorpion in the bedroom that I squished earlier today. No justice for that arthropod.

August 10 - Windows

I love going to the feed store. When I went today to get goat supplement an Ottmers cousin was working and we had a nice chat.

On the way home:

- Perfectly sunny on Ranch Road 1631 and also pouring rain

- A fox! On Ottmers Road

- Fed and curried the horses, who'd been rolling in mud

-  Found Clea down by the horses and dropped the tailgate to give her a lift back to Chuck's 

- Texas road block (goats)

- Fed the other goats and said hi to dogs

Chuck drove down while I was carrying groceries from the car to pick up the trap because he's got a squirrel eating Clea's food and peeing in her dish- I said "I thought you shot that one" and he replied "Well I shot a couple."*

Invited for dinner at Carrie's tonight; their son is visiting from college. Looking forward to it.

* I report these conversations with Chuck because they're so unlike conversations I'd have in the Bay Area. I sincerely hope they don't come off as disrespectful; I have upmost respect for Chuck, his awesome family, and what they've built here.

The Wikander family (I love these people)

  

Painting #4

"Windows"

3' x 5' acrylic on canvas

August 5

I went to Luckenbach, Texas! It was perfect.

Thought it was going to be a quiet day but...

Unfortunately there was a raccoon in the trap this morning. Called Chuck and stayed in the house until after the gunshot. Felt worse this time; there is blood on my hands. Not literally, but it's my responsibility that both chickens and raccoons are dead.

Yoga, paintings discussion, a walk in the pasture.... found the dead raccoon where Chuck had driven it, and the vultures attending it, and felt worse.

Got a text from Michael inviting me down for fajitas with him and Chuck and enjoyed dinner with those guys, swapping life-threatening injury stories and talking about local poisonous snakes and spiders. Also very good fajitas.

Got a text from Carrie asking if I was up for going to Luckenbach with her and Paul (I asked them yesterday if they'd go with me before I leave) and we went and it was perfectly satisfying. The drive there, being a passenger for once, looking out the window at darkened fields under a near-full moon, chattering with the two of them. Middle of nowhere open-air dance hall strung with fairy lights, a good country band, couples two-stepping with remarkable style and skill, cold bottle of beer on a sweltering night... the band, on request from a group visiting from Czech Republic, even played the Luckenbach song. Perfect.

On the way home had to stop on the ranch road three times for armadillos crossing. You know you're with your people when: Paul stopped to let them waddle by, and Carrie rolled her window down to shout at them to stay out of the road and not get run over.

Tomorrow should be a quiet day.

  

August 4

This morning discovered a bat on the kitchen floor. Must have flown in when I opened the door to come inside last night. Poor thing barely moved when I picked it up with a towel and put it in a cardboard box. It's in the laundry room where it's darkish. Hope it recovers by twilight but suspect that I've just given it a relatively comfortable place to expire.

It's made it hard to get started on the day.

* * *

The bat has crossed the rainbow bridge. RIP, tiny vector.

Drove into town today for ice, Tito's, and goat food; Lochte Feed doesn't carry Purina Noble Goat so mission was only partially accomplished. Stopped on the way out to feed the goats and give the dogs some love.

Out here, one tries to combine all errands into one trip. Sometimes a girl forgets the trash (never leave shrimp shells overnight, yuck) and the remainder of coconut cream pie that she's promised to deliver to neighbors.

So, turned around after dropping off groceries and delivered pie to the Wickander's, which was great fun. Had a couple of glasses of wine and good conversation. I really like them (have I said that already?).

Home for a few minutes and Chuck comes down with the trap... ugh. Ranch life. He checked that I'd locked the chickens down (never again failing to lock the chickens down). We had a short conversation about what time he might be available in the morning to come back and shoot whatever's in the trap (if you're following, it will be a rangy raccoon).

Big day.

Probably the most important part of it though was photographing the paintings that I like so far... 10... looking at them as a series, and considering a wider view than "I hope I can paint something I like today."  I'm not practiced at a longer view and am thankful for the suggestion to gain perspective. 

Whew. This year has been a learning curve like no other. Grateful.

July 22

AC unit started dripping today. Texted K for instructions. Standing on a chair, pulled out filters and vacuumed them and put them back in. Still dripping.

Called Carrie. "You have a package down here anyway, why don't you come hang out until Paul gets home and then he'll have a look."

Couple of extra minutes getting to the Wickander's because goats blocked the road and surrounded the truck. (Sorry to go here, but goats' testicles are shockingly big.)

Glass of wine and showing of quilts - she really does beautiful artistic work, and her enthusiasm is inspiring. Opened package from StitchFix and admired new outfits (yay, box of new things!).

Paul says the AC needs to be off overnight so built-up ice can melt. Fortunately it shouldn't take more than overnight because it's freaking hot, and getting steadily hotter in the house. Also fortunate, there's a window unit in the bedroom. We won't cook.

As I'm leaving Paul quips "Drive safe, it's a long way." I like those two a lot.

* * *

On the phone with my mom and whispering because I'm sneaking up on an animal that turns out to be a skunk. Me: Excited that I've gotten like 10' away. Mom: "ANI. TURN AROUND. WALK AWAY FROM THE SKUNK."

When it's your Mom, you hear the all caps.

There is a lot of stuff happening with people who represent home to me and I want to be there. Best I can do is send love from Texas. Since everything is bigger in Texas, hoping my love is amplified loud enough for you to feel it in your foot-bones.

* * *

Just reached that yes everything is going to be okay place. There's an armadillo on the lawn, and a cat sleeping curled up next to me; earlier on FT with Matt there was a giant beetle on my sleeve that made me shriek and giggle, I'm up way too late but it doesn't matter. Every moment counts. I've lived a rich life and expect that to continue.

Gah it's so hard to go to bed around here!

July 19

Totally confused by text from Michael while discussing goat supplements: "i delivered a new billy last friday. He is very friendly." Isn't that horse already out of the barn?

Went to a yoga class with Carrie today, first time I've done yoga in a very long time. It was fun. Taking the ibuprofen to bed with me tonight. You know, just in case.

Also really enjoyed seeing their VRBO house while we were in town, which they've redone and decorated beautifully. So impressive, and Carrie's quilts in every room. Tomorrow we're going to go hang out at the pool.

Mostly enjoyed talking with Carrie on the drive and getting to know her a little better.

Unaccustomed exercise and mid-nineties temp led to turning on the TV for the second time in what, six weeks now? and discovering... HBO! Now that GoT is so far along I'm finally excited to watch it. And I'll be up to speed when I get home. Might cram in Pretty Little Liars too, much as I hate to watch TV.

A good day. One month 'til Katherine gets home and I start the long drive back. Six good paintings, five in triage, 3 blank canvases. Still have to check out a dance hall and a winery or two.