A Look Through Life's Eye

It has been such a busy week! Terry is working with publishers on his book, In a Blink of Life's Eye, and that takes up most of his off time from the day job. We now know that his book will be published on September 30th or sooner. The book will come in paperback, e-book, and hard cover formats. Can't wait! 

I've been running burgers from one end of town to the next, although the past couple of days seem slower, without many orders. 

Thursday was a day of feeling summer was on its way out, slowly, but surely. The days seem to be getting cooler and the nights carry a nice breeze that actually chills the skin a bit. Temperatures dropping a bit make me happy, yet I hate to see summer go. Florals will disappear. Rain will fall and trees will turn their colors. Naked trees return. Autumn is a beautiful season, yet it takes away all of our warmth, our greenery, and our ability to wear shorts without freezing. I love shorts. I love flip flops. 

I love the smells and colors of summer but it will soon disappear into nothingness, while autumn has its return to the stage. Sad. Darker skies. Drizzling gray days. Ugh. 

After work today, I returned home tired, bored, and happy the work day was almost complete. I still had a two hour shift, but the day had been very slow and the break between shifts was welcomed. Evening hours seem to pick up orders, as everyone is hungry for the evening meal. Terry and I were chatting on the patio, waiting for another call I could respond to. He suggested we go to Teriyaki Spice for dinner after my day was complete. 

Teriyaki Spice is a place we tend to forget exists. One of the little hole-in-the-wall eateries that you overlook as a general rule. But, it sounded great tonight. Grabbing a double order at the end of work, that boosted the payout for the day, so I cut my shift short by a half hour. Off we went to enjoy some teriyaki deliciousness. 

Dragons swung from the plants, giving the American decor touches of Asian culture. 

A beautiful painting on the wall of koi swimming in a pond with cherry blossoms falling in the water. I loved the colors and the design of this print. 

Teriyaki Spice is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The restaurant is clean and splashes of decor here and there make it relaxing and nice. 

Terry filled his cup with a diet Coke and I had ice water. 

Our food arrived. It's a mixture of tri tip steak with teriyaki sauce on a bed of white rice with a salad thrown in for some American greenery. It actually all works well together and the flavors are great. 

I had the sweet and sour chicken. It too came with the salad and rice. Keepin' it real in the US of A. Just joking, but I do love the mixture of food. The only issue I had with the sweet and sour chicken is they used the dark meat instead of the white. That's okay too, but the meat was a bit fatty. It was good and seemed to have a lot of flavor, but once again a bit of fat was included. We ate it all up and headed home again. 

We worked on the cover art for Terry's poetry book, then off to bed for me. He stayed awake for a while to finish working on his task of getting it all just perfect. The publishers are awaiting the copy to get things going. I'm excited to see the final product and proud of him for accomplishing such a feat. 

Friday, August 16, 2024

Things are starting off slow today as well, which I am finding to be true around Roseburg in the delivery industry. Orders tend to pick up later in the day, giving one an excellent ending to their day. 

As I was driving around this morning, I met up with some friends along the way. 

Strutting across the street, this turkey took its sweet time getting out of the way. Another car pulled up behind me, but the turkey just didn't seem to care. The bird saw me and the other vehicle, then would stop and preen feathers to make the movement much slower. Is there such a thing as a narcissistic bird? If so, this one falls into that category. All had to be perfect before moving on. 

This guy primped and preened until gleaming and then chose to walk toward the other bird waiting on the other side of the street. Ugh. This was going to be a long day. 

I don't know how patient turkeys are. I do know the partner of the slow moving bird waited patiently for the primping fowl to cross and join him. It is difficult to find the bird in the shade, but his waiting spot is under the tree. Where's Waldo? 

The Thanksgiving Day meal protein began to walk, but stopped again. I was on the clock. I know he didn't want to move, but I needed to. Creeping slowly, I moved past the bird, hoping the other car would not hit him either.

Today I also took on a delivery way up in the outer hills. Not banjo playing country, but a house at the top of a hill, giving a view that was remarkable. Dry looking, but remarkable just the same. 

I get to the driveway and I see a sign that claims the gravel and dirt road I'm about to embark upon is called Paranormal Lane. Hmm. Do we proceed? All for a Mickey D's burger to arrive in this lonely, God forsaken place on the planet?

 As my car's GPS informational voice moves into the, "Okay, let's go!" proclamation, it pushes me into adventure mode. Why not? What could happen? In my life, in my experiences, I probably should not even ask that question. But off I went into the deepness of the tall straw-like grasses. I do hope this burger is worth it. 

Turns out it was one of the prettiest views coming back down from the hill. The woman was nice, the house beautiful, and the view spectacular. Lucky homeowner. 

Ah, the beautiful countryside of any place, USA. Yes, it's still a bit smoky here, as I am sure it is all across the state due to the forest fires that are still ablaze. Of course, the lack of water in this place is astounding. The Umpqua River runs throughout the city and hills, but it's almost dry. Very low water levels last year and now this year it seems to be worse. One match and the entire city and other cities around us is burned to a crisp. 

The angle of the photo did not capture the depth of this hillside area. It looks as though I'm level with the ground below, but I was definitely up high, traveling downward, but still. From the point of photo taking, I was looking down on all of the land below. 

I know this is going to sound silly, but on the way down the hill, I snapped some other photos ... of weeds. Some call them weeds, but I call them interesting. I guess what they say about beauty being in the eye of the beholder is true. I find wild teasel or Indian teasel to be interesting. Prickly and hard, but still interesting. 

I recall one Christmas my mother stopped and picked a few of these "weeds" to bring them home and spray paint them gold. She added them to other Christmas-y colored plants to create a nice bouquet of sorts to put in the corner of the room. We had that for years and received compliments all the time. 

 

I have to say I honestly love them. The texture, the design, and the color. Typha or cattails as they are more commonly known as, are also beautiful to me. For the same reason as the teasel. 

A couple of great things about my job keep me going. First, I can get out and see things, move around, and keep abreast of cool eateries around this town and surrounding areas. One such place are the food shops in the downtown area of Roseburg. Cass's Market is one I deliver from their deli and have several times. The food must be great from there as customers continually order. This deli is one that goes on my wish list of places to try.

A new site came to me yesterday. It was the Urban NY Pizza and Grill place. The restaurant looks like a small hole in the wall from the outside, but inside, it's awesome. Beautiful floors, artwork to create that New York feel, and the food must be tasty as there are hungry people coming in often. I had an order and while waiting for the pizza, mozzarella sticks, and garlic bread, I looked around a bit. 

The pizza shop must have live music on certain nights. Speakers and a microphone, along with large amps were stationed across a small stage. There is a small bar that lies from one end to the other of the southern wall. The place has it going on, that's for sure. It's clean, smells good, and even the restrooms are clean. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the food smelled great. 

This is the front desk area. Only shot I could take without looking like a freak with the camera in hands, taking photos of all the customers and what they're eating, along with the building while waiting for an order. It would have made things a bit awkward. 

Completed work again today, the last day of the week. Went home to my hubby and my boys, Togo, Jasper, and Kit Kat. Oh, yes, and my lovely girl, Evie. She is our "homeless" baby girl kitty who for the time being is outdoors. She needs to be fixed, dewormed, and have some flea killing meds on her before she enters anywhere. We are trying to get her into the vet to get fixed, but it seems they are further out on the calendar than usual. 

She and I have to stick close together for the time being, as we are the only female energy in the house! Our sweet Bella kitty provided that for me until she passed in January. I still miss her beautiful face and her begs for love. 

Saturday, August 17, 2024

It's Saturday already. I am in the process of cleaning house and finishing this post such as it is. Nothing spectacular, of course, as we are a little exhausted from nothing but concerts and drives to see various things and visit people we love. I have been tired since working, but the walking has helped strengthen my ankle and has created a little more confidence in my step. 

Today is a Blackberry Festival in Sutherlin, but we turned it down so we could relax and accomplish other things. The poor Kia is so disgustingly dusty from all the four-wheel driving I put the car through. She is in dire need of a hose and some sponge love today. I can't see out of the back window as the dust collects up underneath the overhang. Well, I should rephrase that. All I can see out of the back window are cat prints. Very small cat prints that remind me of Miss Evie's feet. Although we are at a loss of how they got there, as they exist on a vertical window. Very odd. The cat must have suction cups like the Garfield car window hanging kitties people used to have on their vehicles. She walks sideways along the rear window. 

All of the hard driving the car has been through lately has taken a toll. The poor thing is not only filthy, but very filthy. A lot of TLS (tender loving soap) and a good spraying of water may not get it all. She looks as though we live on a ranch somewhere far up on a hill, such as the one I just delivered to yesterday, with dust flying from dirt roads traveled daily. I believe a good detailing may be in order. 

Terry came in while writing this post and asked if I would like to take a drive through Wildlife Safari today. Now, even though it's pouring down rain outside and I'm hearing thunder throughout the town, let's go!

Yes, four photos of the lioness. She was so close to us this time that I had to get several of her. Beautiful kitty! Look at those paws!

Watusi cattle were in the grassland eating away, even while rain was pelting their skin. They just didn't care. 

Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon has two rhinos. Both were out today, even while it rained. This one was up and eating and the other was laying down, relaxing. 

As we turned the corner to see the bear runs, the cubs were playing around in their area. 

The cubs are growing quickly.  

This adult seems to be pouty today. 

She sniffed her food but walked away. No interest at the moment. 

She genuinely looked bored or tired. 

So we are going to turn our backs on the world and pout. 

Terry was able to get a shot of the red wolf who was laying across the run from us. He had to zoom in quite a ways to get this. 

One of the wolves heard thunder and ran to the other side of the run where he made an attempt to climb the fencing. Poor thing. The other wolves seemed to jump a bit but not panic like that one did. 

This wolf ran into the den. Every once in a while we could see the face pop out from within. 

Amidst the pouring rain, the hippo slept in the pond. It definitely did not care if it rained as it buried its face into the water. Not much of the large animal was hovering above the water, but we managed to get this shot. 

Two or three Egyptian geese were hanging out with the hippo. It was a party. 

The fallow deer clan are such a favorite of mine. They are so tiny, yet so regal. Absolutely beautiful. Their variations in color are pretty common. The darker of the fallow have spots, but they tend to blend under the darker browns. 

Siberian tigers are another favorite. These stunning kitties are often difficult to see, as they are either hiding underneath the wooden platforms given them or they are napping in the shade. This gorgeous momma was lying on top of the platform today, with the two cubs napping under the wooden stand. The cubs have grown up into fine looking young cats. 

***

Terry and I had a quick bite to eat for dinner at the usual after-the-park restaurant, Arby's. After all, they have the meats. You know, the meats that Terry loves to feed other women ...

After our meal was done, we headed straight home. I wanted to work for a couple of hours to see how things would go. I had just been "promoted" to the gold status at work. This means, I guess, that we get higher pay and priority on the better paying delivery jobs. I wanted to see if it worked and boy, did it! It made an amazing difference! It was so worth my choice to go out during the two hours I was gone.

Along the way, I grabbed a couple of photos of things I saw that stood out to me:

This type of moss growing on logs, trees, and rocks intrigues me. I love the designs you can find. These two rocks were on an incline in an apartment complex. I thought they stood out because of the mossy artwork. 

Once I took this photo of things I found on the ground, I took one peek into the sky before putting the Kia in reverse. It was still raining off and on, with thunder rattling the skies periodically. But now, what an amazing sky!  Nature's artwork was impressive today!

Above the hilly landscape was a blue sky, filled with fluffy white clouds and sunshine peeking through those clouds. On top of the blue sky was a layer of ominous, gray, thunderous sky with nothing but trouble written all over it.

 The thunder and lightning had slowed immensely. Rain had sprinkled down the last few drops on my windshield. Wind had swooped in to help rid our area of the storm sweeping across the city. The battle between the opposing weather left an amazingly gorgeous sky and the wonderful smell of fresh rain on a hot hillside. Lovely. 

For my last run of the evening, I saw a cute little country store in Lookingglass, Oregon. This suburb of Roseburg is home to about 855 people, at least as reported in the census of 2010. I'm sure it has grown by one or two since then. 

Looking at this store, one is reminded of easier days, of sitting outside the country store chatting with neighbors and enjoying the summer weather before heading home. Maybe drinking a Coca-Cola on the bench out front or maybe an egg creme from the soda fountain inside. The large orange and white traffic cone out front brings us back into reality, into our real world as it is now. But oh, if that store could talk. How many tales were told on that bench? 

***

I came home to my husband, two dogs and two kitties and loved seeing them again. Not being gone long, but just their beautiful faces make me happy. I sat in the office writing some more on this post when my hubby walked in and handed me a bouquet of gorgeous flowers. Today is our 14th month anniversary, unbeknownst to me, apparently! 

Once again, he hit the mark with red roses, yellow sunflowers, and small purple flowers in between. I love them! But he wasn't finished yet ...

Terry had written me a poem early on in our relationship. The poem is the one seen in the bottom photo. He framed it today while I was gone, preparing to give me that one and the one above that is part two of his confession of feelings for me written and framed as well. Tears welled up as I read these passionate, deeply felt words he had delivered. 

I have never had poetry written for me and about me before. It's humbling, special, and received with such gratitude and love. Thank you, sweet man, from the bottom of my heart. Often I feel like I don't thank you enough for these gestures of love, so thank you. Thank you again. 

With that, this post is complete. We are driving into Eugene tomorrow to say goodbye to my granddaughter, Kylee, as she takes her leave to move to Arizona. We will see her again, definitely, but nobody knows when. 

A family gathering has been planned. Terry, Mal, Hayden, and I will love seeing the family again, but it's a bittersweet meeting of the clan. I hate to see yet another of the grandchildren head off to another state. I miss them all so much. 

Keenan was called back to Texas for his job as lineman. His family had just grown accustomed to Arizona after settling in a few months ago. But off he goes back to Texas, which in my opinion is far too great a distance. I would love to have them here. 

Kaylie Rose, and Madison are all in Arizona now, leaving another hole in the family gatherings. But life must move on and all I want for all of them is true happiness. I know they will be blessed through their passage in life. 

Until our next blog post for tomorrow and Sunday, give those children and grandchildren a huge hug today! If not them, then yourself. You deserve it! We are surviving the best way we know how and with the most love we can. Give yourself credit for that!

Vicki 1958, Smyrna, Tennessee