the rose pipe

yesterday i bought me a pipe to smoke   it's carved into a rose and simply beautiful   for the past 3months i have been desiring a cigarette yet refuse to lite one   the anxiousness created from my illness needs something to calm it down   the only reason i've ever smoked in the first place    so a few days ago i figured i'd smoke something but it wasn't going to be cigarettes anymore   so i tried Carrillo cigars and yet those were still too strong   i've never smoked a pipe but always loved it when my dad smoked a pipe  i love the aroma   so i thought i'd try a pipe, and yep it is sooo much better   it's sooo mellow compared to the other two options   plus the aroma is still good and the taste is not strong at all   this is perfect for when i need to calm my anxiety   just a few puffs for a few moments and i'm good to go    i asked my dad how to keep the fire lit in the pipe   he wanted to know why i was smoking a pipe for it was "unladylike"   i responded i wasn't very ladylike anyways, but he disagreed   truth is my parents don't see or know the real me   they have this perfect little angel image of me and just don't want to see anything else   i am most definitely my own person and i do a Karen as Cindy informed me a couple nites ago, which is doing simply whatever i desire   reflecting i've been doing this since 'bout 18/19 yrs old when i decided i wasn't living for my parents or anyone else   i was going to do what makes me happy    i have evolve & changed much since a teenager growing into a better person all along, and still growing   i am reminded at times in various ways that i am a very independent woman   but i like that actually    sometimes i'm still putting the pieces of me together, like yesterday, but all is well   now retired, i feel the freedom within me to change my direction some in life and develop and express the more creative side of me    i can live now   i am not tied to the p.o. living as a postal letter carrier which defined a lot of my life   now i get to take on a new identity, or more correctly, a truer identity of who i really am   i love the infinite possibilities and freedom to do so now   i'm not sure where i'm headed but Life is teaching  me   as time unfolds, so will i...

Lincoln, NM

these pics are of Lincoln, NM  the last great escape of Billy the Kid   we stopped here for 'bout an hour on the way down to Carlsbad Caverns   very quaint old western town   we walked through the courthouse where the story was told about Billy's last capture   there's a pic of his life size photo included   anyways,  the courthouse was unique and still preserved the original flooring and furniture in the courthouse   also reconstructed was a Mason's room   don't know why i didn't take pics of this room   it was beautiful   this was a great little rest stop for us   the only thing missing was a postcard   the woman selling them at her house closed up 5mins too early @ 3:30 in the afternoon   guess business wasn't booming    also in the town was a museum with some artifacts of Civil War Era   what i liked most about this musuem was it included history on Hispanics, African Americans and Indians as well   very well rounded   ....

now, Tabbou just shredded a phone book and is having the time of her life   will pick up the confetti party once she's completed playing   she's adjusting well   we even cuddled on the couch yesterday for a nap    ...Life is Good!

a couple of these photos need doctoring for the light is too bright on them   will doctor them and repost them   this trip with my new camera was just to learn more about my camera   i'm in love with my new digital camera for someone who didn't want to go digital...

grumpy goose attacks shoppers

LOLOLOLOL!    saw this in the headlines on aol and it cracked me up    Go Goose!

Tabbou!

mornin everyone   i sit this morn with coffee in hand enjoying the solitude of this hour   not much in the news to read and i'm not big on reading it anyways   so i thought i'd drop in and say hello   give you the latest, then start my day    first i think it might be snowing a few flakes this morn   it's pitch black so i can't see for sure, but i put the dogs out for a few moments and they came back with a few snowflakes decorating them   o yes,  i picked up Tabbou yesterday (new spelling from Tabou)   she is mine now i learned yesterday  Tjnya already found her a place to live in Illlinois and she definitely isn't keeping her dog   i sorta figure as much, it's just that Tj wouldn't tell me for sure upfront   but that's Tj for ya   anyways, i'm all happy Tabbou is here now   she gets her first shots this morn and will be scheduled asap for her spaying  i was perturbed when i found out last week that Tj hadn't done any of this for as long she has had her   if i had known i wood have taken care of her   anyways, she's mine now and she will be well taken care of    plus she's getting spoiled already    we cuddled on the couch last nite   she just kept cuddling up next to me laying her head on my chest    she was hestitant about getting on the couch for Tj didn't allow her to do so, but here it's all game   that's part of my quality time with my kids   we sit and watch tv together or just read a book   then they get to sleep at nite with me   it'll be awhile before she actually sleeps with me, want to make sure she's housebroken first    she's a little whiny right now, but getting better    she is a sweet sweet sweet dog   i'm going to spoil her sooo much, but i do all my kids   they deserve it and for all the unconditional love they give me, they're worth it..anyways, all is good here    today i will put my new bookcases together and organize my office   tomorrow i get my new rolltop desk  yesterday i received my new chair and now just waiting on my new couch to come in    i'm excited!   Life is good and can only get better    ...the next entry i'll post more pics from my trip and write more about it   until then   have a great one!

mother nature's cathedral

this is Carlsbad Caverns   my friend Cindy called it 'Mother Nature's Cathedral'   it is so fitting   not sure that these pics really depict the beauty of it all, but this is my best shots    we were in the cave for 3hrs   we hiked down 750ft and then some   there wasn't enough light to capture it's beautiful depth and complete beauty    it was breathtaking   Cindy and I took our time and we kept wondering what was the hurry as everyone else kept passing us by    it was my first trip to the caves, Cindy's 4th   the majestic it is isn't really on these pics    must see it one day    we'll be going back...

all Copyrights on these photos reserved for Karen L Goins

o yes,  VIEW THESE LARGER TOO...

White Sands...

a few photos from White Sands National Park    the sunset Cindy took the pic (and of me)   the remainder i shot    these are a few of the shots taken there    i'll look over the rest and post/repost all of them from White Sands    Nature's beauty is magnificent as it is here    we took our shoes off and smushed our toes into the cool sand   the photos are taken about an hour before sunset (ideal time to take photos)   words cannot describe the beauty here...hope you enjoy!

All copyrights reserved on these photos for Karen L Goins!

definitely view these larger to see the textures...

road trip!

well Cindy and I made it back from our road trip   we made it to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands    this a note to let you know photos are coming    this pic Cindy took of me and my new teeth at White Sands    it was a FANTASTIC trip!   it was just what i needed after a stressful week  last week    tomorrow is class all day, but i may stay home and work on the photos so i can share them with you   and for someone who didn't desire to buy a digital camera, i sure have fallen in love with mine after this weekend....i'll cya soon!