I replaced the cat stairs on the wall for the cats to get to the hammocks with two sets of prefab kitty stairs. The previous stairs I built from scrap would was made of mohagany. Belafante started to perch on the kitty stairs and chew on the wood. Mohagany in poisonous, so I repaced the stairs with a nno-toxic white wood. It was much less expensive to buy prefab kitty stairs than build new stairs from scratch.
America Rose
Loki trying out the new kitty stairs. Click on a photo to enlarge and view a slideshow.
While Nora Owl and Willa were having a beak-to-beak in a corral, Walter flew in.
“Banzai!”
Nora Owl: “We don’t want to see your willy Walter! Cut it out.” Walter: “But Mama!”
Willa: “Mama! He’s still doing it.” Nora Owl: “WALTER! How many times do I have to tell you?”
Walter sneaked up on Nora Owl and Willa.
“SURPRIZE! Ahahahaha!
Nora Owl: “WALTER! YOU JERK! You kids are impossible. I’m out of here!” Willa: “NO! Mama! Don’t leave me with Walter!” Walter: “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Take a good look, Willa!”
Night To Day. Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price. Vocals by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.
I played an unplugged version of Night To Day on my freshly restored Elvis Presley Harmony guitar in my farewell to 2023 video on New Year’s Eve. I later recorded the metal version and asked Teagan if she wanted to sing it. She wasn’t sure about singing metal, but Teagan is a good sport, and she is adventurous when it comes to art and music, so she dove into the metallic pool and nailed it. Her ethereal voice is perfect for the ghostly theme of Night To Day.
If you have trouble viewing the video, you can listen to the song on SoundCloud.
Night to Day
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price Vocals by Teagan Riordain Geneviene
[Verse 1] I saw Sun crash to the ground It threw colors far and wide With yellows into reds consumed Swallowed up by ravenous blues
[Pre-chorus] Dusk sang dirges to the dark Clouds ignited a fiery show
[Chorus] See the darkness Nighttime’s falling Time to slumber, But ghosts are calling Feel the darkness Your skin starts crawling Who can sleep when ghosts come calling
[Verse 2] As embers meander through the night Shadows creep under bright moonlight Dawn wakes colors that light the sky Painting darkness red, yellow, blue
[Pre-chorus] Defeating darkness that’s Eos’ way She breathes life into one more day
[Chorus] See the light Ghosts dissolving Time to rise A new day’s calling Feel the light Your skin stops crawling When you’re up to see ghosts dissolving
[Bridge] Night to day. Day to night Flesh and spirits, in a moment, fight For the right to live or die Trading places, one sacrificed
[Outro] See the darkness Nighttime’s falling Time to slumber Ghosts come calling See the light A new day’s calling Time to rise, see ghosts dissolving
Rio Samba
Altissimo
Guard hummingbird en garde
Spotted Towhee in the tree. House Finch lands in the same tree. Spotted Towhee chases House Finch away.
Spotted Towhee was all proud of himself.
Nora Owl flew over where I could get better shots of her this afternoon.
Walter and Willa were in the top of the cottonwood huddled up together and dozing on and off.
Osric Owl was trying to sleep with the wind blowing his ear tufts.
We have had persistent high winds since Thursday night. Several thunderstorms blew through this afternoon dropping a quarter inch of rain, and pelting us with marble sized hail.
Thunderheads over the Sandias taken from Hwy 528 just south of Hwy 550.
Thunderheads appear, change and disappear very quickly in the desert southwest. They can produce sudden and heavy rains, high winds, intense lighting storms and hailstorms. But often they form and put on a show, changing into all kinds of shapes, and then evaporate without a sound or drop of precipitation.
The first four photos were taken over a timespan of 10 minutes while driving on Highway 550 to Highway 528 and on to Corrales Road. The Weather Service interrupted the radio to announce the there was heavy rain and flooding on the other side of the Sandias from these thunderheads.
The last photo was taken from our deck where we sit and watch the clouds form and change over the Sandias through the bamboo and cottonwood trees.
Thunderheads over the Sandias from Corrales Rd. just east of Hwy 528.
Wider view of thunderheads over the Sandias and stretching down the Rio Grande Valley taken from Hwy 528 just south of Hwy 550.
Thunderheads over the Sandias from Hwy 550 west of Hwy 528.
Off Center & Not Even 