Archive for July, 2002

I’m tired. I mean, I’m really tired. I feel exhausted from the inside out.

I know I should probably take some vacation time but I want to save it for a trip to Italy in the spring, if we’re still going. I also hate using vacation because I worry about things happening and then I won’t have enough sick and vacation to cover me if I need it.

I’m taking a “vacation” in a few weeks. However, it’s a working vacation. I take time off of my regular job to work out at the fairgrounds during the county fair. This job requires long hours (15 hour days, normally), hot stoves, and grumpy people. I’ve been cooking for the hospitality house for 4 years and this is the first time I’ve dreaded it. I wish I could back out but it’s too late to do that.

I’m nearing the end of the summer semester. I’m thankful for that. School has worn me out this summer.

I think, though, that the exhaustion is coming from a few other areas. I feel like I haven’t had much time for myself and I need it. It feeds me. It’s nourishment. It allows me to regroup and recharge.

My boss, whom I really like, is leaving. He is going back to school to pursue his second master’s degree and is leaving this week. He is, without a doubt, the best supervisor I’ve ever had. I’ve enjoyed working with him. He has been incredibly supportive in difficult situations. He told me yesterday that he worries that work will be worse for me after he’s gone (we have a few individuals here who love to make life difficult for others and I seem to be the target for them lately). I think I’m stressed about that and it’s making me tired, too.

I just want to curl up and go to sleep right now.

I’ve seen thousands of elk and deer in my lifetime. I’ve eaten more deer and elk than many people will ever see. (It is good meat, btw, and I don’t notice “gamey” tastes but that might be due to the fact that I’ve grown up eating it.) I don’t eat red meat as a rule but I really love venison.

I digress.

It doesn’t matter how many deer or elk that I’ve seen. Whenever I see one up close, I’m literally blown away by their majestic presence. I get excited. I want to call everyone and tell them what I’ve seen.

In the last week, the elk in our area have been really active and have been coming into our small enclave. We are not in town and it’s probably safer for them to come out of the forest and onto our streets. We tend to have a lot of deciduous green trees and those are much more preferable than the conifers that populate this area.

My neighborhood also has a large amoung of aggressive dogs that are not conducive to humans let alone animals so I’m surprised that they even venture in.

Yesterday, I’m driving home from running some errands and I slow down to go onto the dirt road that leads up to my house. I look to the right and there are HUGE elk standing down by AmberWitch’s house. Huge. I’m awed by it. First, it’s 11:30 in the morning. Elk are usually not out at that time, coming out only at dawn and dusk. Secondly, it is just so cool to see them standing there, in broad daylight, eating trees that AmberWitch’s landlord has so lovingly cultivated. Ok, it’s not cool that they’re eating these precious trees but it’s cool to SEE them!

I rushed up to my house to call AmberWitch and tell him to go outside to see them. He says that while my voice is blaring over the answering machine (because he wouldn’t pick up!), he’s trying to sneak outside and get pictures. Heh. :-P Well, I didn’t scare them off with my message and he did get pictures with an SLR. As you can see, I did get them scanned and posted. :-) You can click on the pictures for a larger image. I wanted to make them small enough for anyone’s connection to load fairly quickly.

I just have to say that it was a cool experience. I know a lot of you are urbanites but there are some benefits to living the country life. :-) Oh…and Branna…I was excited about sheep the other day. laughing I’m sure I’d get pretty excited about cows, too. ;-)

First off, I wanted to thank all of you long-time subscribers and to welcome my new subscribers. I don’t often thank you but I do want you to know how much I love that you read me. :-)

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As many of you know, I live in Arizona, about 70 miles (as the crow flies) from the fires that slashed through the hills here. We were desperate for rain and hadn’t had any precipitation for almost 4 months.

We’ve been getting small rains here and there that have softened the ground and started making things green again.

Yesterday, though, the skies broke open and let loose. We were pelted with rain that was hard and driving for nearly 2 hours. The electricity fluctuated in and out and lightening came so close you could feel the fizzle in the air.

I love storms like that. I feel incredibly energized when that happens.

The funny thing, though, is that a few of us jumped up to run to the windows to watch rain come down. Yep, you heard that right. We watched it rain. We were so overjoyed with it.

Flash floods and instant streams and lakes were formed. We had water that was pooling!!! To many of you, this may not seem like a big thang…but to those of us who have been suffering with dryness, it was AMAZING! :-)

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Our forests have been reopened. I’m not sure that I’m fond of this. I think they are still too dry to safely hold those people who smoke when they hike (what’s up with that????), who are stupid with campfires, and who just don’t care.

However, as someone who loves the forests, hiking, and camping, I’m thrilled to be able to go into them again.

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My nose was up in the air this morning as I left the house. Nah, I wasn’t being a snob. I was sniffing that fresh earth smell that comes after a good rain.

Isn’t it the best?