GICL: Virtual Junk Drawer

 

Recently I saw an Internet discussion about junk drawers. One participant took extreme umbrage with the term (because, on internet message boards in particular, certain people make it their life’s work to take extreme umbrage to the most benign topics.) Most of the rest of the thread participants understood the term “junk drawer” to simply mean a drawer in which small items that didn’t merit a home of their own but were still useful or meaningful were kept. The drawer’s contents are not actually garbage.

In that spirit, I find myself in need of a virtual junk drawer this week in which I will place a collection of random experiential and tangible items that aren’t necessarily related but still deserve a place to be stored.

 There is one place in the walls of the dwellings where a small piece stands out if you know where to look. It is the remnant of a clay pot that was re-purposed. Why only this piece was used and the rest of that shattered pot isn’t woven into the wall remains a mystery. In archaeology a small piece of broken pottery is referred to as a sherd short for potsherd – not shard. That took me some getting used to, especially since most folks only know the word shard and look at me askance when I ‘mispronounce’ it. It is very difficult for me to be perceived as using the improper word for something, and I have had a few people correct me. Now, when I am showing visitors the remnant, I am sure to use the phrase “sherd, short for potsherd.”

 When we were at Rockhound S.P., we picked up some small, dried gourds from the roadside. I washed them and set them out to dry again. We have since learned that they are Buffalo Gourds or Stinking Gourds because their leaves and fresh fruit emit a very stinky odor when crushed. They are also known as Desert Pumpkins.

Looks like a pumpkin vine to me!

Once the gourds dry out, however, they become featherweight, odorless shells (thankfully!) and perfect for painting.

Despite my penchant for crafting, I am an anti-knickknack sort of person. That means that I love to make the things but rarely want the things once they’re made. What that means for the little gourds is that I will enjoy painting them, but their future is uncertain.

 Remember when I showed you the huge tadpoles around here?

 

The masses of little all-black tadpoles, I discovered to my extreme delight, are toadpoles!

As for outings this past week, we biked the 4+ miles down to Doc’s one day for exercise and to pick up some farm-fresh eggs. We also managed one short hike. TBG had the idea to travel cross-country for a bit then access the formal trails for the return.

We started on the dirt road behind the residential area.

then veered off into the grassland area

Is this a trail?

Sometimes we intersected obvious trails and other times not so much, but we had a general sense of where we were and which way we needed to go. TBG is better at orienteering than I am, but I did stop occasionally to tell him which way I thought certain places were and see if I was right. I was, too!

 Once we caught up to the Whiterocks Tanks Trail, we followed it down to the river. It was not a pleasant section of trail at all, being steep and full of rolly-rocks.

There were a few barbed wire gates along the way, which I always find charming.

 Our goal, other than fun and exercise, was to return on a portion of the Middle Fork Trail and finally see the second of the park’s two hot springs, Lightfeather. As with most hikes here, water crossings are inevitable. TBG kept his feet dry by doing some rock-hopping with his unnaturally long legs, while I opted to just walk through on my unnaturally short ones.

the only crossing with a “bridge”

The springs themselves were underwhelming to say the least. So much so, that we were initially unsure whether or not what we were seeing was actually the springs.

The pools were quite shallow, and while the water was scalding at the source where it bubbled out of the riverbank, it felt river-temp in the puddles themselves. They were certainly not a place that invited any sort of soaking. I felt a little bad for having recommended it, sight unseen, to park visitors.

 

Although a pretty hike is never really wasted, is it?

 This week, I have again been tasked with checking in on a coworker’s kitty cat while she is away.

 

Bonjour, je m’appelle Jean-George!

JG is fluent in French, English, and Meow.

While I spent our chore day (Saturday) cleaning out our real junk drawers and cupboards, TBG started a spit-and-polish of the outside.

My man, he’s so buff!

That clears out my virtual junk drawer for now, but it will no doubt be full again before too long. Thanks for rummaging through it with me!

COMMENTS

strebor117 I noticed that you referred to your rig as “Essie”… or something like that. I think everyone names their coach something. We named our Tiffen Allegro the “Global Warmer” as suggested by daughter Jane. It was “GW” for short.

Chasing Dirt Yes! The naming of our rigs is a must🙂 Essie comes from Search Engine (SE) and, coincidentally, Essie is Dutch for “star.” I like your daughter’s naming of yours, too!

chapter3travels Another blogger I follow (Dawn at Random Bits of Trial and Error) recently started a Sunday Snapshots post where she posts random pics from the week before and talks about them. I kind of love the idea – and this one too. There are so many random things I snap photos of, or take note of, in any given week. They might not be worth posting about in and of themselves, but they were interesting enough to take note of and sometimes I’d love to share them. Hmmmmm. I like it!!

Also, I was JUST on Facebook and noted the plethora of people taking umbrage at stupid nonsense. (Ok, the way you said it was better than the way I said it, but you know what I mean). So yeah…. I agree.

Hope you’re having a great week!

Chasing Dirt I have gotten such positive feedback on this post format that it will definitely make a reappearance in the future. It’s a fun and expedient way to share and preserve memories at the same time. I’m looking forward to your next random compilation! (or any post, miss your posts is what I’m saying)

Hahaha, the internet never disappoints when it comes to umbrage!

Shannon I am impressed by your willingness to venture off the trail system. The few times that we have done that — by accident, never by design — we were left with the very strong impression that trails exist for a reason. The only “off trail” trails that we follow are game trails, which are usually quite reasonable since the animals have figured out the most efficient paths to get around. Also, from the world of random thoughts, one of my favorite things about this post is the T-shirt TBG is wearing in the last photo. Love the snark!

Chasing Dirt I don’t blame you for being leery of going off trail! It is not my favorite way to hike, either, but TBG is very sharp at it, so I know I’m in good hands for short ventures. It’s a good skill to have in the mental backpack, and one I still need much practice with!

TBG’s shirt has garnered much attention😆 He got it many years ago in Colorado — sponsored by the CO paramedics thanking purchasers for supporting them in those ways, ha!

Laurel What a great idea to start a virtual junk drawer! But it’s really more of a treasure drawer. 🙂
LOL at your “toadpoles” (I had never heard that word, but it’s perfect!). We enjoyed the hike and the river crossings on the way to Lightfeather Hotspring but found it to be so shallow it was only worthy of a foot soak. But as you said, it was a pretty hike (and the pools were at least nice and warm when we were there several years ago).

Chasing Dirt Why, thank you, ma’am!

Isn’t “toadpoles” the cutest term ever? I wish I had coined it. I also never realized toads have polliwogs in the water, which seems obvious now.

I think people have been messing with the rocks at Lightfeather, disturbing the pools a bit. It will be interesting to see what the monsoons do to all the water around here. I know the summer birds are showing up. A friend saw a blue grosbeak, and I have my eyes peeled for that one!

Lowe's Travels Those are colorful gourds, I wonder whose junk drawers they will end up! It appears that you know how to entertain yourselves while off duty and explore your beautiful scenery. I thought I will see another painted butt on this post 🙂
Aww, that cute kitty reminded me of my long gone “Poggie.”
I, for one is not the kind to check out trails because Im askeard of ticks and snakes!
Steve has to learn how to pose like TBG on a signage 🙂

Chasing Dirt You want a bowl of colorful gourds? I could have some ready for you by December 😁

Oh, you made me laugh out loud and startle TBG with your “painted butt” comment!

I can’t believe we haven’t seen any rattlers yet, everyone else is seeing them. Not that we really want to, mind you. Ticks aren’t a big problem here, thankfully, but there are some nasty biting flies. Bugs 😣

It is a fun challenge to come up with sign poses! Someday we should all combine our pics in a mutual post!