Open Eyes

Keep your eyes open....they are the windows to your world.

There are eyes everywhere....watching....
Creepy!!!!

My feet are planted firmly back in the ground....Already they are itching to pull out and be free, to walk, run, skip, and jump into another adventure.  I hate shoes and socks........The soul is restless..............and the feet are screaming.........did I mention I hate shoes?

Some people when they come home, peel off pieces of clothing that are uncomfortable to them.  Guys will kick off the shoes, throw the pants and shirt on a chair, grab a beer from a fridge, plop down in the easy chair in their underwear, with remote in hand, while switching channels to find the current sporting event on and taking a swig of beer. (This is as close to multi tasking they can get)!!!!!!   Woman, it's shoes off, comfy drawstring flannel jammies, an old shirt, cuddling on the couch with our favorite 4 legged animal(s) and/or a two legged handsome devil...........the commonality in this?  The shoes get kicked off..........

I had one last day to walk around in sandals outside.  Wander around the yard and see what I am going to miss until next spring and summer.  All the flowers have been pulled up.  The tomato plants are now mulched in with the leaves, but not before one final pick for fried green tomatoes.

There are grapes that hang on the vines that won't be picked in my neighbors yard.  They hang in sadness as he recently passed away, but the birds are taking advantage of their fermented sweetness.  They literally are drunk on it.  It's amazing how loud they can get.  Celebrating one last hurrah before the cold bears down on them, and the snow flies and it piles high.

Soon everything around will look gray, drab, and dead....this is the only time of the year I do not like.  You look outside, and it looks sad and lost.

The weather is turning rapidly.  The Indian Summer we have enjoyed will disappear soon.  There is a storm brewing and it's heading our way................

There was one last, lonely leaf on the lawn.  It seemed to be saying to me...............

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO SHINE

Waving goodbye 

Happy Halloween.....be warm if it's cold, be cool if it's warm.  Be safe.  Have fun.............

I love ya'll, my social media friends.  You are the best bunch of people................

Sharing is caring.......if you read this, share it........not everyone can venture outside their cocoon.  This helps them see what else is out there.    

twitter @CotySimon
Instragram.com/Howunique310

Eyeing the Prize

Home is where the heart is.......most definitely.......I've spent a lot of time this year away from my home than I ever have.  I'm done now...it's time for me to put my roots back into the ground that I call home.

I spent several days around Yellowstone last week.....never made it inside the park, thanks to the shutdown, but I did have fun.  Came home for 24 hours.... long enough to empty my suitcase, do a load of laundry, and repack for one last, long weekend with the girls....and tell the hubby I'd see him on Sunday.  I'm married to a pretty cool guy who lets me spread my wings and fly............. 

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho is close and convenient for someone who wants to get away, soak in some marvelous hot pools, and take in Mother Natures glorious scenery. This was supposed to be my last "camping" trip with the girls, but two of the girls decided they wanted "luxury" over camping.  If you are looking for a comfortable place to lay your head, we didn't find it.  I think the motels in this tiny town must be in cahoots with the hot pools.  You sleep on their beds and wake up with the worst lower back ache from too soft mattresses.  This forces you to run, (hobble and hunched over actually), not walk, across the street, and ease your aching back into these therapeutic pools of bliss.......Best part, you have your choice of hot, hotter, and hotter-than-hell water...............Next time, I think they will opt for camping in a nice trailer, with comfortable beds!  The cool mountain air at night, soaking in the pools........awwwwwwwwwww, heaven, sheer heaven.............

It's a beautiful area and of course, the camera couldn't stay buried for long.  The fall colors are just about done, but are still very, very pretty.  

Dirt fields that once had hay, barley and potatoes planted in them are groomed and waiting for the winter snow....It's a vast land of colors and texture that you don't get with city life........and I think for some spunk and fun, the farmers see who can make the best crop circles, too........the rolling hills of green beg for you to stop, run up the hill, and roll down them...just like you did when you were a kid, laughing and giggling all the way down............

I'm sad my road trips have come to an end for the year......planning them for next year has already begun............

In no time the snow will fall.  Halloween is fast approaching, Thanksgiving is coming up, and then.......Christmas.........I can't wait to see what kind of mischief the ornament fairy and the Christmas elf get into this year.  Still can't find my sock the elf hid, and the ornament fairy took her sweet time putting ornaments on the tree.  She had way too much fun hanging out with the elf, and sharing a rather large martini..............

Twitter @CotySimon

Instagram.com - Howunique310

Eyes on the road

It's time for a road trip - enjoy the ride

We're not lost, we're locationally challenged

Take the backwoods instead of the highways

Road Trips are not measured by mile markers, 

but by moments

A good traveler has no fixed plans 

AND

is not intent on arriving

When you come to a fork in a road

TAKE IT!

The scenic route

Joy Ride

These are all sayings from a sticker page.  A sticker page you use for scrap booking, placing on picture frames to document your picture, your travels,  or whatever your heart desires to use them for.   Thanks to a wonderful twitter friend, she turned me on to these wonderful little ditties.........

I love to travel...I love road trips....I love to head off and venture into the unknown.  Seek out places I have never been to.......I love road trips. 

*************************

It's Sunday, October 13....time for my road trip to begin.  What was supposed to be a fun, family filled mini vacay, is now just me, myself, and I and my humans middle son.  The husband cannot make it, oldest boy is sick, and youngest is in Arizona still.  Too bad, it's their loss.....not letting the stay at home family nor the government shut down ruin this trip........

When driving down a road, rounding a bend, and you come across a stunning rainbow right there in front of you, you just know that it's a good sign, a good omen that the trip is all going to be worth it, regardless.  

The rainbow had every color so vividly represented it was jaw dropping.  It stretched from one side of the road to the other.  All that was missing was the pot of gold. 

The rain changed to snow the closer we got to West Yellowstone.   Snowflakes the size of cotton balls fell from the sky as we pulled into town.  The town appeared deserted.  No one was around.  No cars, no people, just neon signs from businesses still open.  Normally, it would be bumper to bumper with cars, motorhomes, trucks, trailers, and people. 

Not now....You can walk down the middle of the road free as a bird with no threat of being hit by any vehicle in site.  It's sad to not see the roads filled with vehicles, and the sidewalks brimming with tourists.  Government shut down is turning into a melt down for a lot of people...........makes me sad.........

Monday October 14...

Brrrrrr........it's cold outside and the parks are still shut down.  Oh, well.  Browsed the shops of those that are still open.  Chatted with one store owner who was hungry for conversation.  I guess we were the only customers he's had for days now.  Nice guy.  Picked his brain on what we could do since the park is closed.  Told us about a few places heading north outside the town towards Bozeman, Montana where the moose are thick and the big horn sheep are in abundance.  Tomorrow we will do that. I have yet to see a big horn sheep.  Would be nice to cross that animal off my bucket list..........

Found a huge, old water tank.  I never new I could take pictures so fast.  My hands had frozen digits on them when I got through.  Of course, the gloves I brought were back at our hideaway. So far, this vacay has been fun, cold, and snowy.  It was another good day............

Tuesday, October 15....

We decided last night to head out at first light so we could see the moose, elk, and big horn sheep.  Our intentions  were good!!!  Didn't happen at first light.  We did go north though. The pine trees are thick, snow covering the branches, and the sky a beautiful blue that peeks through when the high puffy clouds part.  Funny thing is, it's 20 miles of Yellowstone park that the government cannot shut down.  Oh, darn.  No geysers, blow holes, mud pots, or hot pools were around though.  Just pine trees. lots and lots of pine trees.    



Big Sky is so majestic I couldn't get enough of it.  It reminds me of Park City, Utah, before it became a destination spot and filled to the brim with multi million dollar plus homes and too many people.   It was quiet up there.  It won't be that way once ski season starts.  I'm glad that I got to taste the serenity, the peacefulness it offers.  For right now, snow is not a dirty, four letter word for me.  (it will be soon enough!)

Once out of the mountain passes, it opens up to land that you can see forever.  Bozeman, Montana is a town all by itself.  As soon as we could, we got off the path most traveled and we headed for the dirt roads that would take us to nowhere, USA.  The fall colors were just about done, but that didn't matter.  

We went from snow to nothing but gorgeous fall colors.  Taking the left turn off the main road and we found ourselves in a different world.  I'm glad we did.  I would have missed this beautiful site.  Found solace in a cemetary.  Creepy as that may sound, it's peaceful there.  You can look at peoples lives carved on a headstone.  Some who lived and died over 150 years ago.  

Wednesday, October 16...

It's time to go home.  It wasn't a total bust with the government shut down.  You make do with what you have and what I had before me was a land full of mystery just waiting to be explored.  You can take pictures anywhere.  I saw people and places I wouldn't have seen if my direct route had not been taken away from me.  Sometimes the road  you see ahead, isn't the one you need to take.  I took a left turn and found life still exists, it still moves on...

ROAD TRIPS ARE NOT MEASURED 

BY MILE MARKERS

BUT

BY MEMORIES

I'm still upset with our government taking valuable land, shutting it down, and making lives hell for people who rely on the tourists to drop a dime in their stores.  I could only do so much.  I'll be back to this place and maybe by then, I can join forces with all the other tourists and see Yellowstone in it's glory.  I love Yellowstone.............. 

Twitter @CotySimon

Instagram.com - Howunique310

Helping Eyes......

Thanks to the government melting down and closing every beautiful federal funded park in the country, I am pretty upset, and ashamed, too, because I helped vote these morons in to their appropriate seats and parties........We live in a great country, but at times,  it feels like it's run by card playing men who get up in the morning and say, "well, boys, what's your game today?   Seven card stud,  5 card draw, Ace's high poker?  Or....should we play a round of Go-Fish?  Or, maybe 52 card pickup"?  Our government needs a good spanking, stoning, and some tar and feathers......

I'm having a meltdown, too......in 6 days time, I am leaving for beautiful Yellowstone. I was hoping to see Yogi and Boo Boo, but it doesn't look as if I will get that chance to venture inside the park and see the magnificent scenery this park has.  I've been to Yellowstone before, so I know what's there, what to see and what to do.  I've had this trip planned now for about 4 months.  I'm not going to let our government make me cancel this trip.  I won't be able to see the park, but there is plenty of other splendid scenery to take pictures of up there.  I will be disappointed in not being able to see the park, but maybe if I hold my breath for longer than 30 seconds, wish upon a star, cross my heart and my fingers, maybe the government will stop scratching their asses and picking their noses and come to some kind of agreement before this whole wonderful country we live in cracks under pressure.  I'm not a happy person right now.  Makes me angry and sad all at once.  I shouldn't be having these emotions.  I should be excited and happy to be able to take my oldest boy up there who has never been to Yellowstone, and see this magnificent area.  Show him the geysers that shoot high in the sky.  Show him the mud pots that bubble up from the ground.  Show him the hot pots that stink to high heavens of sulphur, but are so gorgeous with all the colors of the rainbow......Nope, thanks to this government of ours, he just might miss it.  There is always a chance it could change and if it does, I will be happy........

I have a huge favor to ask of everyone and anyone who reads this blog.......If you've been to West Yellowstone, Montana, what....besides Yellowstone, would you recommend people to see?   The boys and my human host are doing some research, too, on the local attractions, but who better can tell us what to do, where to go, than people who have been there, done that.........I'm reaching out to you all to help us out.............give me some ideas...send me suggestions either via twitter @CotySimon or via email at CSimon485@gmail.com......please no spam, no uglies.....be nice......

I have people all over this world who read my blog and love to see what the Americas has to offer.  I've found out that there are many places in our world that people don't have 4 seasons like I do.  I have spring, summer, fall, and winter.  We are in the midst of fall right now and the colors we experience, a lot of people don't.  They see the same trees, or bushes, the same colors all year round.  Not a bad view mind you, but there is something to be said about enjoying 4 seasons........This is why I am asking you all to lend me your eyes and show me through them what you've seen and what we need to see in West Yellowstone.  We will be in west Montana, close to Bozeman, so if there is something special we need to see, please share with me.

 I did make to the the foothills today.  I like that I don't have to go too far to see natures colorful beauty.

Next week will be an adventure.  An adventure of what I can see with my eyes to share with yours.


twitter @CotySimon
Instagram - Howunique310

All Eyes on Fall

September is in the final  day of existence for 2013.  Fall is definitely in the air.  Hot dry air turned to warm air, then to cooler air, to darn right nippy outside for the last few days.  I woke up to snow on the mountain peaks one morning.  I'm not ready for the mountains to be covered, but when I am, I'll be ready....sort of, not really......okay, I will.  By that time all the leaves are off the trees, everything looks dead, and I will be ready for a fresh coat of white fluff to cover up the dull, gray looking surroundings.......

It was not the best week to snap any pictures.  Rain, work, wind, then more rain, then cold, more work.  It was dreary outside for sure.  I love to shop when it's dreary though.   I took my sister in law to a great place to do a bit of shopping.  A place that has unique and different items to look at and buy.  It's eclectic.  Shops in refurbished houses that are lined up next to each other and looks more like an old time town, than a place to do any shopping. We were on the hunt for quilts.  Found them, and that will be another story for me in a few months to share and show pictures.   Fall and Halloween decor were everywhere.  Hay bales, corn stalks, lots and lots of pumpkins, and life sized witches.  Some moving, some riding bikes, some floating in a boat on a lazy river.  I found my human host.........just standing there as if she owned the place.  I think it's a great likeness of her..........

Gardner Village

Good likeness?
A witch of Gardner Village

I had good intentions to head for the mountains and snap fall leaves, but the weather made that decision for me.  Picking the pumpkins I grew this year seemed like a better idea.  The previous weekend still haunts me and will yet for awhile.  I needed to face the spot my beloved pet is buried in.  I had a bumper crop of pumpkins this year and they needed to be picked.  I couldn't avoid looking at that spot of fresh dirt as I picked my pumpkins and pulled up the vines.  I think Fred would have been pleased with all the pumpkins we grew.  It was a favorite spot for him during the summer to shade himself under the huge leaves and lay on the cool dirt..............

My front porch is starting to take on the look of Fall.  I've lined up pumpkins on the porch steps, nestled them among my flowers, and pray that I don't wake up some morning to half of them smashed in the street.  That still seems to be the ultimate goal for kids......do a grab and smash of the pumpkins.  As we get closer to Halloween, I'm sure pumpkin guts will start appearing on the roads..........yuk.......I'm hoping to have a few to carve.  The kids are grown and gone, but who says you have to have kids to carve pumpkins?  There is a little tool called a Dremel.......wonderful invention, fabulous invention and makes quick work carving out pumpkins........

I write about what I see through the eyes of my inner child as she snaps away pictures.  I see life as she sees it....sometimes colorful, sometimes gray that turns to black.  She will always keep her eyes open, looking around to capture a life moment.............what do you do to remember what just happened?   What do you do to capture a memory?  Do you remember the good or just the bad?  See life through the eyes of a child...you'll be amazed.  See life as it is now......remember it, cherish it, or file it in a round file to be forgotten.  Look and see what you have before it disappears...........forever........

Thank you all, my lovelies, for reading and sharing these rambling thoughts.  May your weeks ahead be filled with love, kindness, and caring.  Smile.......just think, Christmas is only 85 days away, or 2049 hours, or 122949 minutes.....but the best is 7376902 seconds away......


twitter @CotySimon
Instagram - Howunique310

Teary Eyes

Dear irresponsible dog owner:

My human host is a kind, fun loving lady who cares what happens in this world, what happens to other humans, and what happens to animals.  She's cares so much that her tolerance level bottoms out when someone does bodily harm to children, animals, and to adults who cannot stand up or protect themselves.

It has come to my attention that because of your irresponsible behavior of letting your dogs roam free through the neighborhood, you hurt my human host something horribly.......

I'm writing this on behalf of my human host as I can write it like she saw it and felt it.  She is turning me loose on you.

You let your dogs roam without benefit of being on a leash.  They ventured into my humans haven and invaded her personal space...her backyard.  Your dogs had no business doing their business in her backyard.  You see, while perusing her lawn, your dogs spotted her very old cat minding his own business.  It was game on for your dogs.  Your dogs attacked and murdered her cat.  A cat that was a brother to a sister cat that is now lost without her brother and cries for him now.  You see, your dogs were let loose in the neighborhood by you, to wander free to do their business in someones yard so you wouldn't have to clean up after them.  While trying to find that perfect place, they spotted her cat.  An old, black and white cat, that was a family pet.  A first pet for her youngest child that is now 29 years old.  She is dreading having to tell him that his beloved pet is now buried in the pumpkin patch and his spirit is now in cat heaven.

Your dogs, as lovely and beautiful they are to you, are now ugly, violent animals to her.  If she gets her hands on you, she will do bodily harm.  Your dogs attacked an old helpless cat and left him dying on her back yard lawn, while your dogs licked their chops and wagged their tails, as they were being chased away.   I'm sure, that was their version of a high five, job well done bro.........

She's an animal lover, too....she's a responsible animal lover.  You, on the other hand, are a stupid human, who has no conscious or moral value.  I hope that you never have to stand in front of my human host who is still crying her eyes out, and hurting from a broken heart.  I pray that you never meet her and see her eye to eye, as you will be flat on the ground being stomped upon as she tears your black heart out.

Halloween may only come around once a year with witches flying around, but dog owner beware, a witch resides in this house all year long.  She doesn't need Halloween to remind her.  She's a good witch.   But she also can conjure up a spell or two for those who are in need of reminding that when you do bad things to good people or animals...............this just might happen to you..............

MAY A POX SO HARD AND MEAN STRIKE YOUR BODY AND RENDER YOU USELESS.  I HOPE YOU SUFFER.  I HOPE YOU BEGGING FOR FORGIVENESS FALLS ON DEAF EARS. I HOPE YOUR HEART HURTS SO MUCH THAT NOTHING WILL RELIEVE THE PAIN.  I HOPE THE TEARS YOU WANT TO SHED, WILL NEVER FALL UPON YOUR CHEEKS.  NO AMOUNT OF CRAWLING BACK ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES WILL SAVE YOU.  YOUR WORDS OF FORGIVENESS WILL NEVER BE HEARD..............

Her cat suffered a violent death.  She does not wish death on you, just horrible pain and continuous suffering while having visions of what your animals did to her cat run a continual loop through your senseless brain.  The dogs, unfortunately, cannot take all the blame for what they did.  You, dog owner, are responsible, and to blame, and should be held accountable for your dogs behavior.  Just like children, dogs are taught how to act, how to respond, how to obey..........

It may not come in this life, so heaven watch out for this fuckhead as he tries to enter the pearly gates.  His halo will be tarnished.   I'm pretty sure there won't be any room for this asshole.  He doesn't deserve to be in the presence of special people.  He deserves to be put where he belongs......in the arms of a devil holding court in hell...........not in the arms of an angel with outreached arms.

There will be no "sincerely yours" as I end this for my human host. She's hurting and is upset.  Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow, she will feel differently towards you, but right now, you are scum to her.   You don't deserve to walk on the same ground as her or anyone else for that matter..................

All you deserve is...................nothing................


Rest in peace our Fred........watch over your sister as she lives out her remaining years in the yard you protected for her.  Rest in peace.....you're free now to run and play with Buddy and Sweety.  Go play tag with Maggie, Flasher, and Peaches.   Climb those big trees with Cheddar, Thomas and Thomas Sr.,  Little Kitty, Herme and Charlie the cat.........you're free.......

Not so long ago when money was tight and Christmas was a round the corner. she had to get creative in buying gifts for her three boys.   She pawned a piece of jewelry that brought her $100.  A hundred dollars to split amongst the three........what she did was buy 3 picture frames and frame the animals that each child had growing up.  Fred now is framed in memory and living in Arizona with her youngest son.  My human host has searched high and low for other pictures so she could post at least one and attach it to this blog.  It's just not meant to be.  But, looking for pictures through tears is hard.


twitter@CotySimon
Instagram - Howunique310

Eyeing the Exit

I never have to look far to find inspiration.  It's what I am trying to get inspiration for that I have a problem with.  Doesn't make sense, but realistically, it does.  It is the right one?  It is the wrong one?  Is it on the left?  It is on the right?........Sometimes I feel I am heading down a wrong path only to reach a fork in the road. When I reach that fork in the road, I question myself on which path to continue on.  Do I go left?  Do I go right?  Sometimes there is no real direction or decision to make.  I just have to pick it, go for it, and trust in myself that it's the right one for me.  If it's not....learning from my mistakes is all about making me a better person, or realizing that there is no right or wrong choice.......life is a lot about the roads you take and the exits leading to something new...........

TAKE AN EXIT THAT LEADS YOU TO SOMEPLACE NEW..

Salt Lake City, Utah
Home

I have a photo gallery of a couple thousand photos that are stored deep in the innards of my computer.  I love pretty things just like the next person.  My definition of "pretty" is not so much materialistic items, but what I find when I walk out a door and see what is before me when I look around.  I was looking for some inspiration to write about.   Opening up my photo gallery is all I needed to find that one picture that knocks the breath right out of me..........

These mountains that surround me, hug me, give me peace of mind and
a feeling of security and inspiration.........looking outside, from my backyard,
is all I need to put a smile on my face.......

I am not photographer, I've said that already.  I am a picture taker.  I am not a writer either.  I am a blogger.  I have found that both of these things put together helps me relieve some creative pressure built up in my brain.  The inner child I am needs this.   Now that the weather is turning, different visions are appearing outside.........I hope soon to take a ride up the mountains to see the fall colors, before everything becomes dead looking.  I love fall for the colors.

The cool, crisp air brings to my senses, the smell of baking inside the house.  I've switched over the fruits and florals that I have been burning so far, to the smells of baking.  I like to burn two candles at the same time.  I mix scents.  A fruit such as apple with a spicey.......pumpkin spice with a pear scent.  Makes your whole house feel warm and inviting.  I am a candle nut............I have wax for blood sometimes!!!!  I owned a candle shop for a long time.  Loved it and I miss it.  But, I don't miss the headaches that go along with owning your own business.

Harvest by Yankee Candle
burn this with McIntosh, Spiced Apple, Spiced Pear
Pumpkin Pie, Autumn Wreath, Pumpkin Spice or
if you want to feel you are in the mountains, burn it
with a pine scent...you may not be able to find the
pine scents now, but give it a month, then you will.

I feel like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat.  I pulled up some pictures of fall from a couple of years ago back when I was a road traveler for my job at that time......I kind of miss traveling this time of the year.  I saw some very pretty scenery during my fall travels.  Mother Nature has a magical way of turning the scenery in to a glorious array of colors............is it a peace offering for Old Man Winter to hold off a bit longer from showing us his cold, blustery temper?

Finding these pictures really makes me hungry to head for the hills and start snapping away.  I need Mother Nature to cooperate though.  It seems that she's cried her eyes out lately.  Tomorrow, I'll head for the hills, hopefully tomorrow I can see what the mountains are holding onto before they, too, shed the last of summer and make way for the winter snow.........

Yuk.......snow is a 4 letter, wash your mouth out with soap word for me.  Here's a oxymoron statement......I love the snow, like looking at the snow, I just don't care to be cold anymore and cooped up in my house for what seems like a century while it snows feet instead of inches........and where the drivers here in Utah think they are kings/queens of the road with their 4 wheel drive machines they call SUV's, that think they can out drive a silly snowstorm.  In other words.........the roads are full of idiots with big machines that drive way too fast for the conditions of the roads and put us all in grave danger!!!!  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it, I also drive a 4WD machine called a SUV....I drive it so the other idiots out there can see me.  I'm hell on wheels.....stay out of my way.......think maybe I just described myself as a Utah driver.....that I am, but I'm a Princess, not a Queen...........You don't have to worry about me on the snowy roads, it's the other drivers you need to worry about.............

Find your inspiration.  Take a risk, exit onto a road you've never been on before.  The only way to know is to do it and try it..............keep your eye on the exit......don't miss it.  While you're at it, be someones inspiration.  Take them along for the ride, too..............

If you read my blog, look at my pictures, reach out and share this with someone who might enjoy the ride.  Some of the best friends I have, I found here......sharing what I see, with you......I'll be honest, I still have a hankering to jot down a few more words about someone who still is occupying a portion of my brain........but I can't and I won't........I'll continue sharing my thoughts privately with a selected few who are still in awe of following the footsteps of someone who captured a lot of peoples hearts.........




twitter@CotySimon
Instagram - Howunique310