Prospecting in the East Mountains

There is gold in them there hills...

Our newest adventure in an otherwise normal life

is taking up prospecting.

Granted I don't care that much about gold

as I do about the history of those

who came before modern technology.

Describe our world today - spoiled!

and I believe it is continuing

to head to a society of machines that make

life easy, enjoyable and spoiled.

East is machines that help grow and deliver our food

enjoyable is anything that makes us well enjoy life

and spoiled is because we are losing

appreciation of hard work.

I love technology

like I am using it all the time in both my writing,

reading and art but I have this need

to understand the great challenges of before 1900s

to just feed, protect and have a good life.

We live in the Rio Grande Valley

where there are mountains to the east of us

and high desert to the west

divided by the great Rio Grande River.

All things considered

we have joined a group with "claims" near our home

some are well only passable by donkey

and mostly deplete of easy gold

for in the 1800s and early 1900s

big mining companies were all over the mountains

so we bring home dirt to pan for gold.

Is it here?

Yes it is and it is very pure but unless you have

the 'technology' of modern equipment

it is a lesson in history.

Personally, I am interested in the rocks

the animals and the trees

but at the moment I am clueless as to what is there

except the 'guys' say always carry a gun.

Nice...if I am eaten by a bear

at least I'll make the news.

barb

Asking for a Friend

Asking for a friend...

what if inquiry were much easier

what if people listened

what if we weren't frozen from fear

the words sticking

on our chapped lifeless lips

unable to find the vocal means in which

to express

unhindered, unobstructed

by an inner fear

of ridicule...rejection...or just a moment

of reluctance

a simple inquiry I believe

should not silence one's begging heart

a question of importance

that falls deftly

settling in the stomach acid

with dire consequences

never coming to light becomes detrimental

I am asking for a friend.

Is love capable

does it have the skills

of survival

in the absence of dissection

does love merely fade into the distance

a ball rolling downhill

over rocks beyond one's desire

to retrieve it.

I am asking for a friend.

barb

Nevertheless, She Persisted

She was warned.

She was given an explanation.

Nevertheless, she Persisted.

Just a vision

transgressing through life

the burdens hers and hers alone

the weight of expectations

love

waiting beyond the horizon

pure and simple

captured and left to wither

undermined, underestimated, lonely and cold.

My life and my work is the constant struggles of the heroine

to find the ancient woman's memory

that grows stronger in her breast and in her soul as she

battles the unrelenting demands of man

to cower and submit all that she has, all that she is

to his authority, to his demands.  It seems that this battle of women

is still breathing down her neck.

barb

Word count...word count...word count!

I know...but this is the Violin and Roses Sculpture

that I just finished.

It has over 97 sculpted glass English Roses

and more than 50 glass leaves

intertwined in a 100 year old Violin.

Pretty cool huh!!

Word Count

My new work is currently hovering just below 100,000 words

I feel like I am just on a journey of characters

until I feel that in those pages is a good story.

It is like getting to know someone

the more you write them the more you get to know them

inside and out.

So word count is high but I will keep writing

until I can pull out what I like.

It is February

Valentine's Day and my 6th Anniversary.

Life is better when you are older

Love is fantastic

when you are older

The shame is that you can't tell the younger you

just how great life is.

barb