The Wonderful Mud Dauber

drinks from the edge of my water garden,  These are not aggressive like paper wasps. I let them out doors if they somehow get in.  I know they are doing work for me.

Recently a very good friend and her husband had some very terribly, scary, touch and go days when he was bitten by a Black Widow spider.

I have always been fascinated with dirt daubers, mud daubers or whatever you choose to call them but this little blue guy specializes in capturing Black Widows.

In my book that makes them heroes.

Heal well, Ron and hang in there, Kim,  God had His hands in your recovery.

Before...

our collective family had cattle, horses, cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart trouble we did much river playing. Today we went again to some old favorite spots.  We caught a few fish but released them.  It was beautiful.

The boat that has set unused met White River today in Guion Arkansas, still a sand mining town and the place where Hubby grew up. 

The bridge that connects Izard County with Stone County was not here when we were residents.  If you wanted to cross the river you had to drive onto a state owned and operated ferry.  If the river was too high or too low you didn't cross. The citizens liked the isolation but things always change.

The boat unloaded was tested by Hubby while we readied things to be loaded.  The sun was warm but it was late afternoon so the weather was not as intense as it has been.

We flew up the river in the inboard motor boat that Hubby had considered selling.  Glad he didn't but it is difficult to take pictures when the speed does not allow you to open your eyes.

I risked a picture over my shoulder as we flew up the river.  Toni's hair will show you the speed along with the wake we left behind us.

Even the backwards shots showed the idea conditions for water reflections on the river.  

We fished on a creek off the river until sundown brought the fog with it.  It was time to head to the ramp.

Sundown, fog and speed...another shot over my shoulder told me I should have my life jacket on.

We beat the fog and the dark to the loading ramp.

A Blue Heron patiently waited for dinner in the river weeds. 

As we landed a gentleman greeted us seeking help. He had started to launch his boat and had some engine trouble.  He removed the cover, found an active wasp nest and in his hurry to retreat he had lost his motor cap in the water. Hubby motored over.  The men shined lights in the water as Andrew dived under to retrieve the man's motor cover.  My heroes.

Loaded, tired, happy with darkness and fog dropping their curtains we headed home.  On that ride we saw four large Buck White Tail Deer, one doe and a rattlesnake almost big enough to swallow a fawn. Pulling the boat, we could not go back to retrieve the snake...big monster.  He not only would have made a good hat band but I'm guessing maybe a belt too.

It was a good day and a good time to reacquaint ourselves with White River.

The American Dream Part Two

The Seventies ended the draft, started my family and my career.

Our parents' dream was that we did better than they. We were educated, pumped with ethics and sent out to conquer the world.

It was a time when your parents' name was your credentials. Their name got your jobs, your home and your first line of credit.

The Seventies, when computers were still a wonder, veterans were coming home to hate instead of fanfare and pot was the entertainment choice.

Our heroes changed from Audy Murphy to Abbey Hoffman.

What had gone before us shaped our life as it had our parents.

From The Mills Brothers to the Bellamy Brothers to the Doobey Brothers, the music sang our differences.

Armed with the "wisdom" of youth, we proceeded to change our world.

We reared our children with loving guidance and not with an iron hand.

We conducted our business using vast lines of credit.

We demonstrated free speech and free countrydom while barring ourselves into defined consumer cages we could not escape.

We, like our parents, touted education and dreamed our children would do better than we.

Ahhh! The American Dream!