stuff from the weekend

Younger and I just took a brief trip to Nebraska.  My kid cousin is deploying in the morning.   He'll be at Fort Hood for 40 days and then off to Afghanistan.  He's a Chinook pilot and will be flying special forces.  His going away party was Friday afternoon and "bittersweet" would be the word to describe that event.  He'll be gone from his awesome wife the two little girls for 12 months.  Here I am with my "baby" cousin.  

Today, we went to the graduation party for one of my cousin's sons.  My mom gets big points for keeping silent her laments about the fact Eldest is not graduating this spring...although Dad says she raises it with him all the time.  *sigh*  I really wish she could just relax.

Interestingly, a pair of slightly irresponsible doves has decided to raise a family in my parents' patio.  I managed to catch some pretty cool pictures of the little family.  Here are the teen doves who chose to live dangerously...on the ground...in cat's reach.

And here is the nervous mom...watching over her ground-dwelling brood.

When we got back from dinner on Friday evening, the family had taken up a spot on the wall.  

Then Younger got too close and they all freaked out.  She totally had this coming.  Thanks to her bird crap flew all around me.  She's just lucky it all missed me!

So, in two short days, I spent about 10 hours driving.  While Younger and I spent about three quality hours of the trip singing ...loudly...not to mention badly, my mind was also spinning with words.  I got pretty thinky.  We shall see if i can get any of them polished up to the point of shareable.  In the meantime, given my propensity for falling asleep while driving, I'll just share some of the sublimely ridiculous with you:

As I drive my brain

writes haiku so that we are 

Not a roadside cross