I am so far behind, but cannot resist the challenge. Thanks, greenheron!

     It wasn't so very long ago, I just figured I would be dead soon enough. It is a poor woman's way of dealing with some overwhelming stress. I was in denial, measurably so. If I knew my life were short, then I couldn't be expected to shape up, toe… Read full post »

Part One:

    The local 6th graders have been learning about the history of the ship Titanic, and its fateful voyage. The daughter of one of my friends participated in this class, and shared some of her adventures with me.

      The d… Read full post »

     You may know that I am a lazy writer, but tend to photograph my world A LOT, and post those images here. Some of you are kind enough to look, rate, and comment. OpenSalon's I Love Life is having trouble uploading large size images on her posts here, being limited… Read full post »

     I tell my stories in my sleep, thinking to write them down and sound them out for show, but no. They are locked up for now, content to ruminate and compost, age and alter, with no other minds to engage them.

     I can't stop photographing… Read full post »

     After a summer unknown in living memory, of more than 70 days of temperatures over 100 degrees, of the worst drought ever recorded, of the worst loss of trees and wildlife that one season has ever claimed, we had what passes for winter around here. Some people are… Read full post »

      I really thought about this, back when the cancer diagnosis came in. I wondered if I would die then, alone. Sure, I have friends, a daughter, a son. There's a difference. I wanted to know if I had something left to give, something worth sharing, with someone wh… Read full post »

     I've been running a business for awhile, but only lately have I done so on my own. In early December, I opened the doors on my graphics design shop on the square in downtown Hamilton. 

     My front window looks out to… Read full post »

Fernsy has been talking about shoe fashions, specifically the odd ones. I mentioned that when I wear my five-toed shoes, I call these my monkey feet.

When I posted this photo on a social network some time back, I wanted people to know that these really help all my toes… Read full post »

     I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" again the other day on television. It's not something I do every year, but I've seen it often enough I can recite whole scenes. (That may not sound like much, but I lack the memory skills of the true thespian.)

   &nbs… Read full post »

      I opened my own business last week. Happy days are here again, wish me luck. Probably half my budgeted monthly expenses have been pissed away with little things that must be bought any time you move, like trash cans, light bulbs, extension cords, munchies for… Read full post »

Your poured your love, filled me up
You shone your heart, helped me grow
You shared your soul, kept some of mine
When I could stand, you let go my hand
When I could walk, you stepped back

And now

Now I've changed
I stand, I walk, half a soul with none… Read full post »

     We got almost four inches of rain this week, a blessing beyond measure. Our drought still exists, those water tables are still at historic lows, but we are grateful. The plants and animals are delighted. Suddenly, from the previously crispy-fried dead grass, new gras… Read full post »

     I'm looking around the big main room of the lodge, the room with the Santa-Claus-sized fireplace and hearth. I count seven dogs:

Pepper is a Blue Heeler.
Castle is a  South African (short legged) Jack Russell Terrier.
Keesha is a German Shepherd.
Addie is a tin… Read full post »

     I could have driven from my house to Platoro, Colorado in about twelve hours, but no, that is not how it happened.

     Since my flight was on a Thursday morning, and I am poor enough to save a ten-day parking fee, I drove to the Metroplex… Read full post »

     So far, no wildfires in Bosque County, but today was a bad day for firefighters in Texas, and a worse day for many homeowners.

    There is not a whole lot I can do to help. I make no outdoor fires or sparks. I smell the air.… Read full post »

Thanks to amymh2011 for her comment/inspiration.

     If the presidential campaign trail gets Rick Perry out of Texas, I am not complaining.

  © diana ani stokely 2011  Read full post »

     Wildfires are burning out of control at Possum Kingdom Lake - covering about 7,000 acres. Evacuations are completed and worried homeowners are watching planes dropping water, as the terrain is too rough and too dangerous to get to in any other way. 

  … Read full post »

     As I took my coffee mug to the sink to rinse, I saw a  little spider in the corner. I have a pretty straightforward approach to varmints in the house: If killing them will make a big mess, I shoo them out the door. If they are small,… Read full post »

      Coming home from a recent visit to my daughter and son-in-law in Fort Worth,  I decided to rely on my GPS device to guide me. It is about a two hour drive across a sparsely populated chunk of Texas, so the roads… Read full post »

     Out here in the wild west, we leave our car windows rolled down, especially when the temperatures reach over 100 degrees F on a daily basis. Don't leave certain items in the car, such as water, which draws ants. Ditto for food wrappers. Music CDs or sunglasses… Read full post »

Update: Art James grew the beets. Joan H. schmoozed her way into getting some of them.  I just had the pleasure of playing with the photo. It brought a happy tear to my eye, just like at a REAL wedding. Read full post »

I moved back to
small town America.
I'd left it far behind
for so long.
I'd wed, moved, unwed, traveled.
I'd played, shopped, flirted, faltered.

 I moved back to
small town society.
I'd cared less for good cause
for so long.
I'd joined, scoffed, unjoined, bad-mouthed… Read full post »