Warmth

One for the Poetry Corner

Warmth

I wake in the predawn

Peeking from under the comforter

The room is dark and cold

Breath steaming unseen in the chill stillness

Under these feathers is my nest

A fledgling still

I hug the pillow

Curl into a ball

And savor the pleasure

of

Simply being warm

Seeing Into Things...

Here's one The Fuzz has been working on for a writer's group he's been hanging with to keep off the streets these days.

Seeing Into Things...

"I'm just worried about him, Billy."

"Look, Daisy, I'm meeting him in a few minutes. Everything will be fine."

That wasn't her real name, but I have called her that ever since we were kids in grade school. At first it had just been a tease, but the name had stuck.

I hadn't recognized the number when she called. That was odd. I had just finished talking to Jeff and was getting into the car to go meet him. I almost didn't pick it up.

Daisy had sounded worried. And Jeff had been acting odd lately. As I started the car I recalled last Friday evening. They had invited me for dinner. That was not unusual. The three of us have been friends since middle school. I often join them for dinner and a movie at their home. I live alone, myself.

And Jeff had been acting strangely that night. He kept making excuses to leave the room, and would stay gone for an unusually long time. It was obvious that something was bothering him, and it made me uncomfortable. I was relieved when Jeff had finally called today. He asked me to meet him privately at our old swimming hole by the river. He wanted to talk.

But he had sounded desperate. "You're the only one that can help me," he had pleaded. I was glad to put on my cape and fly to the rescue.

Jeff's truck was already there when I arrived. This was a popular spot in the summer, but we would be sure to be alone at this time of year. Following the path, I recalled those lazy summer days when Jeff, Daisy and I would join our friends here to escape the summer's heat. I had thought I was in love with her then. But to Daisy, I was always "like a brother" as she put it. I realized that this was meant as a compliment, but still...

And in the end she had married Jeff.

When I saw him, Jeff was sitting in our old place, a log overlooking the river. He was holding a half empty bottle of Jack Daniel's - which accounted for the odd way his truck had been parked. I sat down beside him. Jeff passed the bottle and we didn't speak.

"Jeff... what's eating you?" I finally asked.

"Nothin', man," Jeff replied. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just that Daisy said..."

"Daisy said, huh?" Jeff said taking another long pull of the whiskey.

After a long pause and another drink Jeff spoke.

"I got a big problem," he began. "I need help bad."

"At work?"

I knew that Jeff had a high-stress job. Daisy had told me of her worries that Jeff would crack under the pressure. But I knew Jeff, he was tough. It had to be something else.

"You want to talk about it?" 

"No, dammit!"

"You called me..."

"You can't help."

Jeff suddenly stood up throwing the empty bottle into the river. He had a wild look in his eyes as he turned toward me.

"You are the problem!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded facing him. He shoved me back and I fell over the log we had been sitting on.

"I know all about you and Daisy," Jeff told me waving Daisy's cell phone.

The pieces began to fall into place as I lay looking up at him. This was why Daisy had called from her neighbor's phone. She had told me that she couldn't find her phone or car keys.

My phone began to ring in my pocket.

"Give it to me!" Jeff demanded. He was holding a pistol now. Reluctantly I handed the phone to him as it continued to ring. As Jeff took the call I prayed it was anyone but Daisy.

"Bitch," was all he said, tossing the phone into the river.

"You thought I was a fool," Jeff said now, as I struggled to my feet. "Well, now who is the fool?"

"Jeff, this is crazy. We never... Daisy loves you... she is only worried about you."

"Worried that I'd find about you two!" he replied in triumph. "It's too late now for your lies!"

"Jeff," I pleaded, "Think what you're saying!"

"I'm done thinking," he said coldly raising the gun now.

I was surprised at how far one can see into the barrel of a pistol when it is pointed at your face.

Just for fun of course!

When Cats Prowl

Here's one from the archives

The Fuzz was going through some old sketchbooks

Just for fun

Air Show 3

Here comes another one

This is the B-17's big brother

The B-29

It was one of these guys that dropped that first A-bomb and ended the war.

She made a few passes so folks could get a good look.

And lastly…

Back on the ground.

Air Show 2

One of the things The Fuzz liked about this Air Show was getting to see some of these old warbirds in the air.

Here come one now

And now a bit closer…

This one is an icon of the 2nd World  War.

The B-17 of course!

The partial cloud cover made for some great pix

You may notice she's got some company in this one…

But that will be for a later post.

And one last look at her on the ground

Air Show

The Fuzz was fortunate to be invited to visit family and attend the Andrews Air Show up at Andrews Air Force Base.

Of course he brought his camera along.

Sooo…

There may be a few pix here.

For this post we'll have a few shots of a P-51 Mustang.

And here's a closer look

We'll see this guy again later…

But next time we'll have a look at one of his bigger brothers.

Timid Wonderment

Timid Wonderment

When the door has finally opened

The lid at last is cracked

The dim light

Now bright

To the unaccustomed eyes

Fearfully compelled

Impossible to hide

In this darkness

Any longer

Shielded eyes

Trembling fingers

Halting steps

Face now lifting

In Timid Wonderment

Street Musicians

Here's some pix of some local street musicians at a recent local festival.

This guy's cigar-box guitar sounded pretty good.

(Guess he might have been a little more "official")

And this little gal could really work that fiddle.

It's nice to hear people making music live.

Just a Little Guy

The Fuzz saw this fellow on a walk down by the river the other day.

At first He thought it was a fly and wondered what he was up to on the flower.

Instant Storage

It's been awhile The Fuzz admits, but he did finally show up again.

And so, here we go!

So what is going on here anyway?

Well The Fuzz's Sweetie wanted a place to keep her art supplies, cloth stash etc. that was a bit handier than the Old Place in town…

About a 25 mi. round trip!

The Fuzz helped get the place ready for it, but was a bit concerned about getting the thing in there.

He figured they'd bring it on a roll-back truck and have to back it in somehow.

It did come on a roll-back trailer, but it was not necessary to back it in!

The guy dropped it off right out on the road.

Then he picked up one end with his "Mule"…

And placed some wheels under it…

Picked up the other end and just pulled it all in like a Little Red Wagon.

(Or maybe a Big Red Wagon)

After that it was just a ride down the driveway…

And into position.

At this point there was a bit of discusion regarding exactly how high to mount it on the blocks.

Once that was settled the thing was jacked up, wheels removed…

And everything arranged just right.

Here you can get a better look at his remarkable little "Mule".

So now all that remains is for her to get the inside put together how she wants.

Snail's Breakfast

The Fuzz saw this guy this morning and couldn't resist a pix…

Or two.

A Couple of Blossoms

A couple of blossoms from the garden this morning.

Another Day… Another Lake

Well it's been awhile again.  This seems to be a trend these days.

So, what's up with The Fuzz?

Well, first he was on "Grandpa Duty" for awhile.

This involved trying to keep up with a wild little granddaughter while her momma was at work.

And this did keep him busy, we assure you.

But he did survive.

When he got back in town there was a bit of gardening to take care of.

And that seems to be doing fine for now.

There had been a good deal of rain around here while he was gone.  It turned out that the water had pooled up on the Molly B's tarp-cover and kinda caved it in.

This sorta bent up the PVC frame for the sun awning.

He's attempting to get things straitened out now.

How well this works remains to be seen.

But he did make it up to the lake yesterday.

And got a look at this guy.

But he didn't stay still for long…

Still dragging the landing gear.

And one last brief look before he was gone.

Sorry the pix aren't better though.

The Fuzz caught a couple of tiny fishes, then spent the rest of the day on a slow exploration cruise.

It turned out to be a nice day.

Lakecamping Backwaters

Although she is not a canoe or kayak, the Molly B can take The Fuzz into those backwaters he enjoys so much.

When the water gets shallow, it's no problem to pull up the motor and get out the oars.

How could he not love a place like this?

Fishing is just an excuse to get out and "Mess About" as it were.

But it seems that his bobber has a stowaway on board!

And that stowaway has plenty of friends around.

Now here's another challenge.

These guys are really beautiful…

But how to catch them in flight?

They're fast!

And just Forget auto-focus…

But it can be done.

And yeah…

They did get the worm while The Fuzz was busy with the camera.

But that's all part of the fun.

Nightfall At The Lakecamp

When we left The Fuzz last time, he was doing a bit of bird watching whilst waiting for the sunset…

and his dinner!

There were not a lot of other campers here in mid-week…

(which is one advantage to retirement)

But there were a couple of guys camped just a bit up the road.

And they were making the most of things.

Which made for more photo-fun for Our Fuzz.

Just like the interplay of the water and land…

That of day and night…

Light and darkness…

Makes Photo-Ops.

So here's just a couple shots of this candle-latern.

Enjoy.