Dually's Gone, and Ruby Comes Home to Roost

After two months of discussion, we ended this year -- and this DECADE -- by trading in our favorite truck: Dually. Dually served us loyally for ten full years, taking us from Alaska, to Maine, to North and South Dakota; to Arizona, Texas, Florida and many points in between. Dually hauled clay to our studio, hauled mulch to our gardens, and hauled firebricks for our new kiln. And, Dually was still in top shape...but we have grown older, and have less need of such a workhorse of a vehicle. So Dually was put up for adoption at Car Max in Tinley Park today.

We were saddened to leave Dually with strangers, even the kind strangers at Car Max. Rich brooded all last night, and I reminisced about all the good times we had together. But the time came at last to say our goodbyes.

At first, we were unsure if our 'new' vehicle could ever replace a good, solid, working truck like Dually.

We had chosen a Chrysler Town & Country Van, and after looking at various T & C vans since the beginning of November, we felt we had found the one for us at this Car Max in Tinley Park. It was burgunday red. We wanted red. The interior was tan leather/suede. Just what we wanted. It had low miles, and all the bells and whistles that would keep us happy on the road or driving locally. When we saw it, we decided: This is the one. But the transition from an old love to a new flame is not without its bittersweet moments. We comforted ourselves with the knowledge that we were giving this orphaned auto a really good, caring home.

About 5 miles into our ride home in the Chrysler van, Rich's face was creased with a HUGE grin. I was having a geek's holiday with all the electronics. The seats were heavenly, and the van handled inpeccably.

"Let's name her Ruby", I said, as I played with the built-in GPS.

"Ruby Thursday!", added Rich, an impish grin on his face.

And Ruby Thursday she is. Ruby proudly took her place in our garage next to Maxine, our 2001 Ford Taurus, also adopted from Car Max.

December Walks

I took my daily walk outside again today. Friday was rainy, and I had used the treadmill. Satuday we exhibited at an Art Show, and, although we walked the little city of Ottawa, taking in the Ice Sculpture Show, it was an 'urban' walk. Today, I was back to MY walk, which always takes me down to the Illinois River.

What is it about walking outside that soothes and cleanses me so much? Is it the always magical seasonal changes in flower beds and trees? The look of tree bark after a rain? The changing cloudscape of the sky? A mushroom bursting out of the ground?Or is it the contrasts of sunny days and gray days...both of which have their own beauty?

And the Illinois River puts on a different persona every day. Some days, it's color is blue, with a gentle current driftin waterfowl along as fish jump flashing silver. And there are cold days, when it is almost black, and the little whitecaps indicate the biting wind that drives fish deep. The river is so opaque where it is the deepest, and, after a drenching rain, it's edges are tinged with roiled mud, outlining it in brown.And, on rare, perfect days, the river is a shimmering mirror reflecting the sunshine.

Today, the river is peaceful. It is Winter, so there is no pleasure boat traffic, and no barges go by today. All I find is a mallard watching me from beyond a washed up log.

Egrets, and Turkeys and Squirrels...OH, MY!

Today, Wednesday, dawned wild and wooly and wintry. The winds howled, the snowflakes began to swirl, and our local wildlife came to our yard for solace. The turkey in the photo is eating all the corn that the ravenous (but messy) squirrel drops!

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Here's the SURPRISE of the day: this is an EGRET! Although egrets migrate up here for the summer months, they are usually LONG GONE by winter. Actually, they are one of the first migratories to leave for the warmth of the South. Due to our warm Autumn, however, we believe this bird dallied, and the strong winds today blew him severely off course.

Snowy Tuesday

I am supposed to be throwing pots in the studio, but...it's too tempting to check outside in the pretty snow.

I found that the Illinois River looks really neat today...ducks and geese were paddling away.

And...I found our first TURKEY in our backyard! Right now, it's only one, and it is very, very wary. I remember that last year, we had 13 or 14, including Testosterone Tom!

Maybe they will ALL be back. We are putting out extra corn!

IDOT CLEANUP #2

THE DECEMBER IDOT CLEANUP...MORRIS AREA GARDEN CLUB IS ON THE JOB!

The Morris Area Garden Club (www.morrisareagardenclub.org) was on the job again today ...December 5, 2009. With 6 intrepid volunteers, our 2 mile area on Route 47 in Morris was thoroughly cleaned up! We hope we have made a difference in the world with this effort!

IDOT CLEANUP #2

Mushrooms

We have harvested our very first HOME GROWN MUSHROOMS! Just look at them...perfect examples of fungus delight.

They went along perfectly with our salad and steak tonight. Yum.