PEACEFUL PALM SUNDAY

A meteorological diverse weekend. Bitterly cold on Friday and Saturday, with snow flurries, howling winds, and menacing frosts.

Then, early on Palm Sunday, the frigid weather slowly melted away. The sun made a very rare appearance, and the day basked in a balmy warmth. 

In mid-morning, when the sun finally rose over the hopeless tangle of back yard forest trees, I stood on the back porch and greedily absorbed the healing warmth of the sun's rays. It's soothing effect seemed to extract winter from my ravaged soul. 

The topography here in the wilderness is hideously wounded from winter's wrath. Trees are toppled from wicked winds, greenery is nearly absent from the endless cold. No spring flowers or blossoms are in sight. 

Despite the many negatives, the day was calm and peaceful enough to savor. In the evening a lovely glow of sunset enhanced the silhouettes of hills and trees.

I grabbed my El Cheapo digital camera and took pictures from the front porch.

This placid weather won't last.
Rain and thunderstorms are predicted for the next few days.

 

SUNRISE, SUNSET

 At the opposing edges of infinite darkness, there is unexpected magic.

 

Sunrise, January morning

Sunset, January evening

photos by Jon

ECHOES OF A HABOOB

 

I never knew what a haboob was until I lived in West Texas. At that time I was in a minuscule, dust-drenched town about 50 miles southwest of Lubbock.

One morning I turned on the radio and was greeted with this warning:
"A haboob is headed our way from the Lubbock area and should arrive within an hour!"

I alternated between acute ignorance and mounting consternation.
What the hell is a haboob?
Should I prepare to run?
What should I wear?
Do I have time to Google?

I Googled.
A haboob is a violently oppressive dust storm, derived from the Arabic word habb, meaning to blow.

Dust storms are extremely frequent in West Texas and wind is eternal. Haboobs are merely bigger, dustier, and more dramatic.

Here are some photos I took in West 
Texas during an "average" dust storm.

My Texas back yard

 Taken from a bedroom window

So why am I writing this?

A few days ago a huge Sahara dust storm blew from the west coast of Africa and traveled on east to west winds 5,000 miles across the ocean.

It is presently sprinkling dust and pollution on many states here in the U.S. 

Friday and Saturday were hazy and rather dusty here in rural Tennessee. In Texas the dust often yields spectacular sunsets.

Last Friday evening the sunset was fairly impressive in my neck of the woods.

Naturally, I grabbed my El Cheapo camera and went out on the front porch. 

Unfortunately, all the trees are in the way but I still got a few good shots.

As I'm writing this post there's a huge thunderstorm raging, which I assume will settle all the dust. 

 I'm sorry that I didn't  reply to your comments on my previous WINE post, but I appreciated your input!

RED SKY

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.....

Not exactly red - but rather intoxicating hues of smouldering amber, burnt orange, liquid gold, tarnished crimson.

This was the sunset on Monday evening. And true to the sailor's adage, the rains vanished and Tuesday was dry and mild.
Dry won't last (not in wet Tennessee) - but I'll take it while it's here.

All of my sunset photos look the same because I usually take them from the front porch. They're obstructed by the porch roof, trees, and occasional power lines.

I could take much better sunset photos from the back of the property, but I never feel like trekking through jungle terrain and climbing hills at dusk. Especially when I'm wearing shorts.

Actually, I hate shorts and would never wear them in public. I only wear them at home, where only my cats can see them.
Fortunately, the cats don't scare easily.

The massive, fiery, gilded clouds were much more impressive in real than when captured on my El Cheapo camera.

The wind chimes on the front porch, left by the previous owners. I love listening to their haunted, impromptu serenades.

SUNSET DURING INTERMISSION

 
So, why haven't I posted Part Three of my notorious interview?

We all need a rest. A break. An intermission. Heck, I don't want to inflict you with too much of a good thing all at once. My potent essence is more successfully absorbed in small doses.
Three will arrive soon.


So what's been going on in my life lately?
Heat, rain, bugs, humidity, insomnia, pain, weeds, cats, mice, rain, mud, anxiety, rain,'possums, coyotes, big bugs, massive weeds, rain, wasp nests, killer wasps (chasing me), gnats, gnats, gnats. Tick bites.
Did I mention rain?

I took time off from this impressive agenda to drive to town last Monday. I haven't gone in a month. A month!
Surprisingly, I didn't run out of anything.

I'm still working on my online store....which should be ready to open before I'm dead. I hope.
I'm actually aiming for July 4th - but that might be pressing my luck.

These past few evenings have offered spectacular sunsets. The problem is you can't see them very well due to all the trees and hills.

When I go out to photograph them I usually just snap pics from the front porch. 
The only other place I can go is up a steep embankment near the woods behind the house. Which I seldom do.

I love to lie (lay?) in bed at sunset and watch the sky through the window. Right after dark the lightning bugs start their beautiful show.

Here are a few pics taken last evening:

My bedroom window. Taken while I'm lying (laying?) in bed.

(I knew this would really impress you)

Just to show you how DARK it is here at night. This is the front porch last night.

(and it's even DARKER in back of the house by the woods...). You can imagine what it's like during a power outage.

That's how it looks in daylight.

Every evening, Bosco sits on this chest of drawers and watches the sunset out the window. He never misses it.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

So, who is the beauty....and who's the beast?

The beauty is the lovely sunset that enchanted me a few evenings ago. I went out on the front porch to capture it with my El Cheapo camera.
Trust me, I don't enchant easily. 

And who's the beast?
The beast is myself, of course. The other day, for no specific reason whatsoever, I took a quasi-selfie (with my El Cheapo camera) on the front porch.

This photo isn't particularly enchanting. In order to capture myself, I had to set the 10-second timer on the camera, then run away (actually, I limped away because of my bad back) - then I had to pose and try to look good - - all in ten frigging seconds.
Trust me - it usually takes a few hours and a generous application of embalming fluid for me to look good.

I'm exaggerating, of course. I'm actually adorable.

Here's something you're really going to like (I jest, of course).
This is an extremely rare piano recording that I made in Los Angeles when I was eighteen years old. It's one of my own compositions - the prelude in D minor, op. 5  #24.

The audio quality is poor, at best, but it's only a minute long. I have no doubt that you'll survive. 

And just to set the record straight - - this was not recorded on an Edison Phonograph Cylinder.....ha, ha.....