A Link to Pig, Dino and Lady Animation

My grandson was very interested in how animations are made and so we spent some time putting together an animation using his toys at the time. It was a great experience for both him and me as we decided together what we were going to have the characters in the 'lady-dino' segment actually do. The pig segment was just to show him the results of making an inanimate object appear to move through stop motion. The last segment (dino appearing to talk) was done next to show him how to make things look like they are doing more than just moving. The mid segment was the final segment done showing Lady being chased around a wooden track. I would suggest that everyone do something like this with their kids and grandkids. It is so much fun. Sometime in the future we may decide to put audio to the video. That will be another learning experience for all of us. Hope you enjoy the visuals.

Homeless One

She was warm in my greenhouse in the dead of winter.
I could see that she didn't have much, she was poor. 

I offered a sweet meal of sugar and water,

she was so very grateful to feast. 

After filling her appetite to over full

(a small droplet hung from her mouth),

she left to find somewhere to live.

my world

There is a world where there is food, water, shelter, and all necessities for everyone. The world is at peace because everyone has integrated themselves with where they are. We no longer are fighting nature, but living with it. Science is the method of learning, instead of faith. Life and diversity is sacred; all life. The natural order is respected, and no species is considered more or less valuable than another.

Unfortunately, it is not Earth, not yet. It won't be easy, and the odds are we won't survive to see it. But, that world that I have seen is worth becoming. We are not here to fight amongst ourselves, we are here to exist in the best way we can. We have brains and self awareness. That ability requires we take responsibility for everything we do. Without understanding that we are irresponsible when we fight with nature, murder species for the sake of our comfort, food, pleasure or ego, we are in fact designing and building the means of our doom. Without the biodiversity that evolved on this planet we are a doomed species.

But, hell... yes, that is where we are right now. There is no biblical Hell. Hell is what we create because of our ignorance and blind allegiance to fabrications of our enslavement. Tribe, religion, nation, country, city, state, money; are all fabrications which enslave and blind us to the reality of where we are.

Please, think about it. Help us find that world I have seen.

Agave

Small Agave Americana

Agave (Americana)

There is no good nor evil in nature, there is only adaptation.

"Nature is reckless of the individual." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The agave plant is a beautiful species that inhabits most of the deserts of the southwest United States, much of Mexico, and South America. Man has transported many species around the world and they have adapted to many different climates. It is a very useful plant in that its fibers can be used for cloth, sweet syrups can be made from the blooms, and the famous liquor Mescal is made from the heart of the plant. Agaves are not related in any way to the aloe. They are most closely related to the yucca and are not a cactus.

When I was young, I had a cactus garden where I had planted many different species of succulents, cactus, and other desert plants. I had 3 different species of agave and loved the beauty and symmetry of the leaves.

Agave Americana seriously dehydrated

A neighbor has recently given me a tiny agave. She received one in a plant exchange they had at her school. It is definitely in very sad shape and needs some TLC. I am in the process of giving it enough water to sustain it through the planting process.

Agaves, especially the A. Americana, are probably the most dangerous desert plant you can find. The leaves have an extremely sharp spine on the tip that can penetrate through your entire body, stopping only if it encounters a bone. These plants were the most dangerous for any horse rider. Falling onto an agave plant from above was certain impalement. Cacti, and other desert plants do not have that kind of danger. While you can get infections from getting poked by multiple spines, the spines generally only inflict painful wounds that can be easily treated once you find a good medic. (The only exception to this is the Saguaro. That large cactus has been the means of many people's death due to crushing because of the shear weight of it, usually because of them stupidly doing something like chopping one down, or running into one with a vehicle.) Puncture of your heart, lungs, or other vital organs by an agave leaf is not so easy to treat.

Agave in the Sedona area

As I was growing up, I found that there were 3 kinds of people who grew agave. The first was the newcomer who wasn't aware of how really dangerous agave plants are to have around. They would grow them but after being poked seriously a few times, they often would dig them out and plant a less dangerous species like a true cactus or desert tree or give up on spiny desert foliage because of how easily one can be injured by most of them. The second kind, grew them much as I did to create a space of true desert beauty in their garden spaces. They would often place them around other prickly desert plants and keep them where they could be observed safely. The third are the kind who grow them to purposefully injure those who would trespass. There is a large group of people who fit in the third category in the desert southwest. That, to me, is evil.

I have a love for all plants, but I will not keep this one. Once I have revived it and been able to get it established, I will find someone who fits the second category and give it to them. I do not like to be associated with the third group and so will not keep agaves around my neighborhood, family, nor friends.

The Neighbors

The Neighbors

I was looking down the street one night and felt like something was there. There was nothing that I could see, but I kept standing there wondering what I was missing.

Donna came out without saying anything, looked down the road where I was looking and then said,
"That house has gremlins."
"Gremlins?" I queried.
"Or trolls."
"Ah, Trolls. I see them now."

Lightning At Westglenn

August 24, 2004 It was a dark and stormy night. LOL The lightning was magnificent. I was lucky and caught several flashes. This was probably the most dramatic shot of the evening.

Niphados has emerged from the snow to play.

 Niphados came out of the big snow of 2010. She tried to emerge a couple of times but remained buried under all that snow for a long time. She did finally emerge towards the last of the snow and she was beautiful. She crumbled the walls of the fortress with her talons and tail, laid some eggs so there would be more dragons for our future, and was in the spotlight for her magnificence on the front page of the local newspaper. It took 3 days (8 hours per day) to get her to emerge from the huge snow bank around our house. And on the last day she finally whispered her name to me, “Niphados” which means snowflake in Greek.