End of a very short trip

I am at the Sheridan (international) airport, waiting for a flight back to Minnesota.   The airline's plane (yes, you read that right) is in the hanger being fixed--on an earlier flight, it started down the runway and one of those pesky propellors just stopped.  Now, Bud or Hank or whoever from the local Shell station is trying to fix it for my flight.  I am sitting in the, er, reception area listening to stories of people who have been waiting from a few hours to a day and a half to get out here by plane.  The airline, Great Lake Air, is interesting.  It is also called "Great Mistakes Air" and "Amateur Air" by local frequent fliers.  I am not optimistic at this point.

 I was here interviewing and I had a great time.  People were nice, the Colleges were good and absolutely beautiful, and the position would be challenging and definitely would push and help me grow professionally.  Plus this place, like so many places in the West, has that extra paycheck of being in an absolutely beautiful part of the world.  I am hopefully, wishfully,  optimistic at this point.

Before I left Minnesota I bought a little point and shoot camera for my travels--of course you can never have too many cameras and at this point in time I did not have a smaller camera.  So I needed one, he rationalized to himself and others.  If nothing else, it shows that all you need is a good camera.  Whatever.  Here are a few of the early results.  The scenic shots are within 10 minutes of Sheridan, and the signs are from the

Wy...

It was a beautiful day--it started very snowy but by this afternoon it was just a stunning day.

Snow, again and still...

We have been blessed with more evidence that winter is still here, and are we lucky!  Yeah, that's the word, lucky.  Since it was warm yesterday and very cold today, it really is a winter wonderland/skating rink.  Even the main roads are slick.  I made it out, albeit with a helpful parking lot push.

Yesterday was pretty, if you like this kind of weather and scenery.  I took my camera out and found a few photos.  I have taken pictures of some of these trees before in the fog.  It was a lot different look with this much snow.

A new contest

I woke today to another day with sub-zero temperatures, the 47th day since November that this has happened.  It seems to be some record, though only one a Minnesotan might be proud or happy about.  Actually, I think that 1959 was colder, and the 1980-81 winter close but it has been a while since winter has been so bitter.  Local schools will be going until the second week of June for sure to make up for snow and cold days, I am sure the "old-timers" like me will tell you young whipper-snappers about the "real" cold winter of 2013-14!

Since enjoying this kind of winter seems to require indoor activities, I have been reading as much as I can and expanding my little brain.  I am a bit focused on the East, as in Japan, right now and have read widely on this topic.  The internet is an amazing thing, isn't it?  I was thinking about Japanese poetry and its various forms.  I have seen poems in the "Tanka" format and I appreciate their depth beyond the more common haiku format.  Of course in the hands of a true master,these 31 syllables can tell a whole story.  The form usually is 5 7 5 7 7, or just 31 syllables.  Often the poem is done as part of a competition, for either the whole poem or the poet will complete the first 17 syllables and then a competitor will complete the last two lines or 14 syllables.  Basho, the 17th century master poet,  excelled at this and his haiku still inspire mora lines.

Below area two by a lowly, lowly imitator.  The contest is now open!  Enter by either submitting a whole poem in this format or as the first hokku to be followed by the 7-7 mora verse.  Prizes are yet to be determined but I am sure that they will be significant.  All entries will be published providing they aren't obscene.  My last poetry contest inspired someone in that direction and he was disappointed that I didn't publish it--thus the disclaimer.

The cold winter’s blast

Scouring land and man, too.

All shiver, the norm.

The sun weak, unsustaining,

unthawing, cold.  Blast winter.

Trees shatter, frozen

The sound sharp, the night too cold

Branches asunder

Sun shines with but faint warmth,

it failing as night begins

Good food, bad game, but nice light

I a watching a miserable football game and I am more than disinterested.  I am not a huge Peyton Manning fan but I do respect him and his team, and listening to them being shut out is disappointing.  It seems the best defense is perhaps better than the best offense.

I have to say that I ate well this weekend.  My house still smells of rosemary and mint from the very slow roasted beast that I made yesterday.  I would tell you what kind of beast but I would feel very "baaa-d" and couldn't tell ewe.  None-the-less, it was very good.  I browned it and then slow roasted it with lots and lots of rosemary and mint for 6 hours on low heat.  It fell apart and the richness of the roast was warm and filling, and the flavors and aromas  filled my house.  I served it with  fairly decent risotto that I made with woodland mushrooms, vegetables,  and even more rosemary and mint. It was complemented with a saucy yet deep box (hey, I am unemployed and on a budget!!!) of cab.    Plus I have lunch tomorrow!

Tonight I ramped up my vision of Superbowl food.  I had them slice some bacon very thin, so thin you could almost read through it.  I then wrapped figs, dates, prunes, and apricots with this bacon and roasted it.  With slim slices of real parmesan cheese and crunchy crusted bread, it was a treat.  I have heard that bacon is basically the duct tape of food, and this confirmed it.  The crunchy salty super thin bacon around the sweet fruit was a real treat. It wasn't perfect--I have some ideas for next time, but it very certainly was much better than a bag of Doritos and a can of cheese or "little smokies" in ketchup that you have to eat with tooth picks.

Lastly, there was nice light for photos.  I bought tulips just to remind me that spring will come sometime.  It will be awhile but it will come.  

In my continuing orgy of reading  I am re-reading James Clavell's Asian series.  They were written in the 1960s and 70s and the are a good, if unsubstantial read.   I have read more than 3,000 pages of his.    I think that I could be Japanese and treasure the simplicity that is sometimes revered.  I am a long ways from attaining any type of "wa" or approaching the religious goals of the Buddha or becoming Zen-like.  Still, tulips can provide a path towards simplicity and peace.  I hope.