Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Wahoo! Wednesday - Where I Find Joy Edition

This may really end up the "terrible photo wahoo edition", but I was paging through my files, trying to figure out what to wahoo about and, at the same time, snuffling about Dewey . . . and I came across the photo at left. The lighting is lousy and the focus sucks, but that's not the point. The point is that it was a joyful moment.

My husband and I were out hawk-hunting, at the time. There's a red-shouldered hawk whose territory includes a small field about a half-mile from our house and hubby had spotted the hawk while he was out and about, then rushed home to fetch me (without breaking any traffic laws, of course). There are several goats and horses living in that field and as I moved closer to the hawk, snapping away, the farm animals spotted me and literally came running to greet me. Doesn't that goat look excited? That's a joyful goat, if you ask me.

Two horses stuck their heads over the fence and let me pet them (the goats couldn't quite reach) before deciding I had no apples or oats and, how strange, the human was making dismissive, back-pedaling gestures because of the husband-thing waiting in the car, so to heck with that. Anyway . . . Wahoo! for friendly animals! I get a tremendous amount of joy from the animals I photograph, in particular. And, my cat. I love my cat.

This one's going to be weird. Wahoo! for water! Seriously, I love water. I love soaking in a nice, hot bubble bath or a fizzy mineral bath . . . so I like smelly water. I love the patterns water makes; it's loads of fun to photograph. I love swimming in it and adore being clean -- which, of course, means soap is also on the joy list. And, darned if it isn't good for drinking, too, although I admit to being one of those people who guzzle bottled water. If you tasted our tap water, you'd understand.

Wahoo! for words! I know the rest of you are crazy about words, or you wouldn't be here. I actually used to sit and read the dictionary, as a child. Talk about a goofy kid. How many different ways do you think this piece of sign could be interpreted?

I was thinking it might be pretty funny on a t-shirt, but it's actually part of a pizza slogan plastered to the exterior wall of a convenience store.

I've been really tired, this week, so I'm going to keep this post short. Up next will be a review of Waiting for Daybreak.

26 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:20 PM

    I am thankful for cats too. Mine bring me so much joy. Your pictures are wonderful.

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  2. Amy,

    Aren't they the greatest? Fur friends, I mean. Thank you for the comment on the photos. :)

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  3. Our water is awful too. I drink mostly bottled water. I occasionally will buy Mug Rootbeer or Sprite. My sister drinks mostly tea, soft drinks, and capri suns. :)

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  4. Bookfool -

    The goat is adorable and I love it when the horses at the stable where my niece keeps her horse come running. I think they're next on my list, right after German Shepherds and just a tad before cats...

    It's one day at a time time again, isn't it? Why is it we spend so much time during our lives having to re-adjust to what normal means?

    cjh

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  5. HE!! You certainly brought some well needed joy to me :D Let me just tell you how much I love goats, lol. I know, it's an inane thing to come out of someone's mouth, but I've always wanted a pet goat. Ask my mom or the many ex-girlfriends if I'll ever be allowed to have one :p And that may just be the cutest goat I have ever seen! I can just see him running at you, lol. Thanks for the ray of light!

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  6. Brittanie,

    I am very, very grateful for bottled water, because I'd probably never drink anything but soft drinks and tea if good water wasn't available. Rootbeer . . . yummmmm. :)

    CJ,

    I actually thought about you, when I was standing there, rubbing horse muzzles. I've never been around horses, but I've always been curious what makes people feel so strongly affectionate about their horses. Well, now I get it. They're much like dogs in their ability to show you how much they love your company. Very cool.

    Well, if you look at it that way, maybe there is no normal. Or, normal is plodding along till the next crisis, walking through it and redefining all over, again. Life's funny that way. :)

    Chris,

    You are so funny! One of the ladies on my book listserv said she used to have goats and that their way of showing affection was to lean heavily against her legs. LOL I think they're adorable, but I hear they can also be a bit of a pain. They're just so darn cute, though, and really quite friendly. I can see why you'd like to own one. Maybe you need to move to the country and marry a farm girl. :)

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  7. That little goat pic is cute! And, wahoo for words indeed.

    Take care you and looking forward to your book review.

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  8. Iliana,

    Thanks. I think goats are adorable!

    I'm supposed to be gathering things to take to the post office -- it's at the top of my "do list," before "review book". Somehow, I neglected to put, "Take long, relaxing nap" on that list. :)

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  9. Wahoo! for different strokes for different folks. I am not a fan of water and you are. But I like ya anyway :P

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  10. You are right- that would have bee great on a t-shirt!

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  11. We may be thousands of miles apart but I think our water comes from the same source. It was probably OK when it fell out of the sky but the added chlorine, fluorine and heaven knows what else make it undrinkable. I feel guilty but even when it's filtered it doesn't match up to the bottled stuff.

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  12. Nikki,

    I'd like you no matter what, 'cause you sent me those hoopty cool coffee chocolates. Gah, I drool just thinking about them. BTW, I emailed Colleen and I'll double-check with her if I don't hear back in a week (she's a very, very busy girl).

    Jessica,

    Wouldn't it? And, it would be great on either sex. Personally, I'd prefer to see it plastered across some manly pecs. It would make me giggle.

    Scriptor,

    It would probably help if we didn't have to filter a lot of our water to death, I suppose. Yeah, I feel guilty about all the refuse, too. I'm not sure we even have access to recycling, anymore, so that makes it twice as bad. But, it's better to drink bottled than to sugar yourself to death, you know?

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  13. My dad wanted goats once. We bought him a couple, and they bred. Problem: they loved to climb the hood of your car! :)

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  14. Jenclair,

    I think that's probably a pretty good reason to either not own goats or lock the goats up so they can't get to the cars. LOL

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  15. Bookfool -

    Well, I've had a life long love of horses and have always believed they're magical. There is really something very calming about being in a barn filled with horses, especially at feeding time. I feel very peaceful listening to them eat. No idea why.

    You know, I'm beginning to believe that there is no normal to life. Maybe that's the secret. If you don't accept 'normal' than the upheaval isn't as drastic. No, not really.

    Take care, doll.

    cjh

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  16. Anonymous4:56 PM

    No apples? What kind of monster are you? But that's one happy gallop there.

    Oh, it's so sad where my mind went with that caution sign.

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  17. CJ,

    I've never had any reason to be around horses, apart from one experience in Colorado. And, honestly? All my horse did was pee. They gave me an older horse because I was just a cute little pup, myself, and everyone else just took off at light speed while my old guy plodded and peed, plodded and peed. Not the best introduction to horses.

    You mean, "Expect everything to go haywire"? Well, that works. Sh** happens, after all. ;)

    Thanks. I'd send you some horse munching noises if I could, but I'll just send hugs.

    Carrie,

    I'm the kind of monster who leaves her apples on the kitchen counter. Sorry, horsies. They were friendly, anyway, but I think they thought, "HUMAN = FOOD DISTRIBUTION MACHINE". Just a wild guess.

    We all know where your mind goes. Shame.

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  18. That is a very joyful goat indeed! It made me smile just thinking about him bounding up to you! I love our furboys, especially Jiro he's so friendly, he never fails to make me smile or feel better when I'm down. :)

    I love water too, and really miss not living near it now. Our tap water isn't great either so we buy bottled water for drinking. But the recycling is quite good in our area. And then I use the Brita filtered water for cooking and stuff.

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  19. Nat,

    I wish you could have been there. :)

    I'd love to meet Jiro. Miss Spooky is less overtly friendly than our dearly departed Sunshine -- who was a total puppy cat, so lovable -- but I think cats are just a joy to have around.

    Our recycling is practically nonexistent. That's one reason I hate buying bottled, but I wouldn't drink water at all if I was stuck with tap as my only option. Our tap water is disgusting.

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  20. Those were great things to wahoo about :) I'm a huge fan of water myself!

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  21. I love water, too. Not only is it refreshing to drink, bath in, listen to and look at, it's very powerful. I like to think of the Colorado River which created the Grand Canyon...I like to think of such a force coming from something so seemingly innocent.

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  22. Samantha,

    Thank you. :) I think those of us who are lucky enough to have fresh water really ought to appreciate it!

    Bellezza,

    Oh, so true. I didn't even think of that. Water is a powerful force. My father-in-law made his living containing it, as a hydraulic engineer. Isn't that cool?

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  23. I think you'd get a real kick out of Jiro. He's not always the cleverest cat but he's so playful and cuddly. :)

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  24. I'm sure I would, Nat! Sunshine seemed really dim, when she was young, but as she aged we realized she was smart but just so energetic that she sometimes did really crazy things (like sliding into the cabinets, head-first). I love cats. :)

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  25. Oh yes, there's quite a bit of racing into doors and cabinets while chasing something, or tumbling off the sofa, or .. or.. He makes me laugh daily, which as we all know is good for our health! :P

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  26. Nat,

    Sunshine was a bad jumper, so she kept us laughing with her attempts to jump onto window ledges. She'd skitter down the wall and then just sit there, looking horribly embarrassed. I miss that. Spooky is sweet and timid -- she can be really funny, but she's not as entertaining as Sunshine was. :)

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