(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a quiet week I’ve been roaming around. Saturday I drove 120 miles south to Fort Collins, CO. We had a minister meeting there. It was fun to see others and share stories.

I drove down early in the day. Did I wander through the beautiful open spaces in Fort Collins? Did I check out the University library? Did I peruse the museums? No. I will be honest and tell you that I headed straight to Wal-Mart.

Why does shopping, especially at a large warehouse of cheap Chinese goods capture one’s soul? I have been writing about how I am trying so hard to live a minimalist lifestyle.  Yet, as I approach the great American shopping zones, the Beelzebub of materialism drags me in!

Of course, I go willingly. It is not like I am totally unconscious through the whole thing. And I did need some things, like summery pants. So, I enjoyed my backsliding.

I also backslid (slidded?) into the McDonald’s drive-through. My secret treat is the McDonald’s Spicy McChicken sandwich. It is on the dollar menu and I highly recommend it if you are in the mood to throw gastronomic good sense out the window after working up an appetite shopping at Walmart. I have no idea what the sandwich is made from….but it sure tastes good.

Sunday night after church and a nap, I went out to another nearby reservoir to camp. I have been looking forward to photographing the so-called super moon. I have a favorite camping spot for full-moon viewing. In the summer, from there I can watch the sun set in one direction and the moon rise over a bluff in the other direction. However, a large storm cell blocked the moon rise, but I did get fabulous photos of the towering clouds. The tops of the clouds were actually yellow, something I have never seen before.

I thought maybe I would get up in the middle of the night to see the moon, but I slept soundly as I usually do out here.

It is morning now and I am sipping coffee and enjoying the slight breeze. The water was calm but is starting to move, pushed by the delicate breeze. A few birds still live out here. At one time there were many kinds of birds in the area. The cottonwood trees have been dying off slowly so there is less protected nesting. When the reservoir is full, the trees are partially submerged and are now dying off.  So, many of the birds have moved elsewhere.  Shore and ground nesting birds are still here: our native meadowlark and the hilarious killdeer who acts injured and try to lure you away from their nests. Migrating water birds are also in seasonal abundance.

Many colored collection of cows

Remains of old homestead

So, a peaceful beginning to my days off. After a bowl of oatmeal and a long walk, Tango and I will head home to weed the garden.

Pretty grass

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