Photo Friday, No. 940, week 2

Current Photo Friday theme: Rustic, the second week for this theme.


Bench, East Downtown, Houston, photographed 2017

For my site’s theme of snow this week, here’s a winter snowfall at the oldest, and most rustic, home we ever lived in (a house I used for the veterinarian in A Coventry Christmas).

Photo Friday, No. 940

Current Photo Friday theme: Rustic


Prickly pear cactus and echinacea purpurea (purple cornflower), shot in June 2011, at Green Acres. Lucky that I had this photo, and of course Lynne had purple flowers so I could stick with the week’s purple theme.

When Lynne confirmed for me the names of the plants, I texted her a memory I had about today’s theme word:

And I know this memory won’t surprise you because it’s my weird brain, but the first time I ever heard the word “rustic” spoken aloud was from your mother. I’d only ever read it and in my head mispronounced it, so that’s when I learned how it was pronounced. Furthermore, I remember what she was speaking of—the natural environment of your father’s country club where we used to swim.

This was truly a “country” club where her father and sister played golf, owned and operated by a couple in a rural area in foothills outside our small town. Most of the time, Lynne and I had the pool to ourselves, and the woman made the most delicious sandwiches from her home-baked hams.

Photo Friday, No. 939

Current Photo Friday theme: Cinematic


I’ve shared this photo before, taken somewhere in the Texas Panhandle in 2014 when Timothy and I traveled from Houston to Colorado and back as part of a rescue animal transport. I kept telling Tim I was looking for “the last picture show,” and in this moment, I found that mood. I converted it to black and white and quoted from Larry McMurtry’s novel, later a movie, The Last Picture Show in my post back then.

I’ll post the McMurtry excerpt here, too.

Sometimes Sonny felt like he was the only human creature in the town. It was a bad feeling, and it usually came on him in the mornings early, when the streets were completely empty, the way they were one Saturday morning in late November. The night before Sonny had played his last game of football for Thalia High School, but it wasn’t that that made him feel so strange and alone. It was just the look of the town.
Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show

Photo Friday, No. 937

Current Photo Friday theme: Ancient


Anubis, ancient god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, was portrayed in Egypt’s Early Dynastic period (circa 3100 to 2686 BC) in full animal form, with a jackal head and body.

Trivia: “Jackal” is one of my favorite words in the English language.

More trivia: If you were a “West Wing” viewer, you’ve probably never forgotten Allison Janney’s portrayal of C.J. Cregg lip-synching “The Jackal.” Allison Janney, who was really good at this, had to do it with C.J. not quite as good–all part of the fun. Seeing it again makes me want to rewatch the entire series.

ETA: It was on this date last year when Marika died. She’d have loved watching that video. “West Wing” is the show we simultaneously watched together late at night in different parts of the country, maintaining a running commentary via messaging.

Marika is missed, and I think of her often, especially when I hear INXS, Tom Petty, Elvis, Tom T Hall, Billy Idol, and Lenka. (Also–and she would bitch about this–Steve Perry/Journey.)