Category: urban life

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Growing up in West Texas I would be more inclined to find a Horned Toad (“Horny Toad”) playing the part of a road pancake. The road killed Horny Toad would always pull at my heart. I don’t so much find that feeling with the amphibians here in Northeast TX. Perhaps it is my age or the sheer quantity of them that breeds my indifference. Whereas my dog Grace loves to find and nose around the toads that sit under our backyard lights. Grace will take the time to actually search them out. Where the horny toads were avoided by dogs, the horned toad was an unavoidable attraction for little boys.

I found this frog/toad shortly after a recent rain. After being flattened several times by passing autos, the sun then worked on drying him out and into his fossil appearing state.

Peace out….monos en theos ††† jasL

 

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Ah yes, some days just don’t go quite like you planned. One day your running free in the jungle and then you felt a little stick and you wake up behind bars with dry hay to eat instead of the fresh garden in which you ran free.

I just got released from the hold of a hospital bed. I felt it was just another of my familliar panic attacks, but my BP went to 247/143 with a pulse rate of 133. I took my regular meds, but just could not get it down and the need to breathe was getting harder and harder. So, we call 911 and it is off to the hospital. A bunch of nice people ( the EMT’s and hospital nurse’s were just incredible), but I would have much met them all someplace for a beer.

The cardiologist was firmly convinced I had experienced a heart attack and must have some blockage in my heart. So, pokes, prods, needles, ekgs, cardiograms of several types and the worst a chemical stress test. So strange to be injected with a drug and see and feel your heart race to 150 beats per minute in less than 60 seconds. Kind of felt like a panic attack.

And in the end, after all the tests it was what I originally thought, a panic attack.

I wonder if the gorilla has figured out his dilemma?

I”m living life free, as it should be, just as I am……peace out….jasL

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Since moving to Denison TX over a year ago, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church has been masked behind scaffolding while being restored to her former glory.

I drove by with a setting sun reflecting off the grand old building. She is a seemingly difficult subject when trying to expound the glorious complexity of the over one hundred year old structure.

I would have never thought that I would be trying on a black and white software treatment (NIK Silver Efex Pro 2), But the black and white just seemed to bring out the  resplendent structure.

Resting in His arms, waiting to become. ††† monos en theos ††† jasL

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My deaf rescue dog Grace is such a good friend. She knows how to pick me up when I am down. Every morning she greets me like she has never seen me before.

She is totally deaf except when I let out a loud sneeze ( sorry, I learned it from my dad). That scares the hell out of her and she runs to mama when I do let one blow.

My digestive disorders are almost in check. I was diagnosed with microscopic colitis. A nasty little bug, but the steroids they put me on seem to be doing the trick. Hell, they should cure most anything at $1300.00 for a one month dosage. Luckily I only have to take them for two months.

Still working on my back and hip problems. Had a cortisone injection in the left hip on Wednesday. Felt so good I will go back next week for one in my right hip.

Ah, the pleasures of living to become an old fart. Keep looking in the rear view mirror to see what falls off next…….monos en theos ††† jas L

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #898 – Beauty and Da Beast

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On my return to the house from our morning walk I stopped to pause at our Rose of Sharon bush. It has a number of mostly identical blooms. Outstanding in color and form but one does get bored with the same view. One bloom stood out with this praying mantis eating his breakfast of a little Skipper butterfly. Of course my macro kit was sitting inside the house and not even all together. So a mad scramble to make my return and see the last tastee’ morsel disappear.

It is all about timing and being ready. Your ship always arrives while you are waiting at the bus station!  monos en theos ††† jas L

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #882 – Forget the leash!

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Yes you do! As scary and unlawful as it may be!

And yes my dog Grace’s eyes are that blue. She is also gifted with total deafness. So unlike my wife, she doesn’t even have to pretend she can’t hear me. But they both have me wrapped around their pinkees!

Do dogs have pinkees? Or you can just roll with the urban dictionary of pinkee: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pinkee

monos en theos †† jim/james/jas/jimbo/jimmy jam/gymbo/jimber or kozmic kowboy…….a guy of many handles and still searching for who I am!

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #879 – Fourth of July Dog Days!

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It is the Fourth of July. I am not going to bore you with one more flag photo or rant about neither our grand Freedom nor the decline of such.

It is hot and Clovis has the right idea. He spends hours with his head darn near in the grill of the Vornado fan. He puts off going for a cooling drink as when he does Grace (our other dog) quickly occupies the vacant space.

It is a dog eat dog world. Enjoy your Freedoms and stay safe……………..monos en theos ††† james

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #878 – Slowly getting my #$&* together, very slowly

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While it is using some old images, I’ve been playing with the magic powers of Photoshop CS6. Working on finding a new route eventual into collage and multi-medium creations. Taking an online course with Kelly Rae Roberts,(http://www.kellyraeroberts.com/) who just does some blow me away work and trying to find new avenues to travel.“

“I get symptoms . . . I’ll start to get in trouble . . . When you don’t do your work, vices start to creep into your life—and they get worse and worse and worse. They start out with potato chips and wind up with crack smoking or something like that.”  Steven Pressfield. (http://www.stevenpressfield.com)

Find you path!    monos en theos

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #872- Burning at both ends

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So sorry for the lapse in posting. I have been burning at both ends, well trying to. But really burning at one end and letting the other smolder.

“We cannot hold a torch to light another person’s path without brightening our own.”

Ben Sweetland

Monos en theos…†…jim

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #857…A Portrait of Pride

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One of the more pleasurable benefits of moving to a new part of the state is the getting to know new people. The added enjoyment comes from getting to know different cultures.

It Southwest Texas we were very blessed to become entrenched with the Mexican culture. We were very privileged to become close to many families and the learning was constant.

Now moving to North Central Tx we are also have the extreme pleasure of getting to know our Black neighbors.

This young man worked a full day of really hard labor cutting Bamboo and using the cane to built a fence for us. He was extremely proud of his work. When I pulled out my camera he wanted a photo of his fence. While impressed with his fence, I was much more enthralled with his confident heart that beamed through his face.

Come to know your neighbors and you will find and receive love…†…monos en theos…jim