A - Z Challenge: Zoom Zoom

Here we are...at Z. 

Looking back on the posts for this challenge, I have noticed two things.  One, that the list of post topics would make a great post all by itself.  I wonder if we could all write something that incorporated all 26 of our words or phrases?
The second thing that I noticed was that I have written a lot of nostalgic posts this month.  So, I'll end with some laps around Memory Lane.

This is the first new car that we ever bought.  I absolutely loved everything about the Boss 302 Mustang.  I loved the color - bright yellow.  I loved the sound of the V-8 engine.  And, most of all, I loved the power.  It felt so cool to be (not much more than) a girl and drive this amazing almost-racing car.   Have to admit that we were in debt for a while but it was worth it.  I never really did much more than drive this beauty.  But my then-husband used to race it.  Oddly enough, I don't think I ever saw him drive in a race.  Maybe that was macho territory.  OK to let the little woman drive your car around town.  Just don't give her ideas of racing, too.  
 
We kept that car for longer than either of us could stand.   Ironically, it became too noisy!  There were other cars but nothing ever matched that Mustang.  It became a legend from our past.  Times changed and needs changed.    I've never really lost my love of driving but that kind of car is not for today.  Now, I drive a sensible and useful station wagon in a sober shade of gray.  Suits me and my life now.

But, every once in a while, I remember I drove that beautiful yellow car. 

A - Z Challenge: Yard

I didn't think that the letter Y would be the most challenging so far.  Heck, I can think of lists a yard long filled with Y-words.  But I found that writing about them was harder than it seemed.  Finding photos even harder.   And you all know I like pictures.

The word 'yard' kept popping into my mind and just kind of stuck there.  I thought about what having a yard means to me.  When I was a young apartment dweller in the city, I longed to have a back door.  I wanted to be able to step right out onto the earth.  I needed to stand beside my open window and smell the garden growing.  I needed a back yard.

Having a yard is a lot of work,  I discovered.  I have dug and carried tons of earth over the years.  I've planted and replanted gardens.  Spent hundreds of dollars in nurseries and plant sales.  When I think about it, most of  that has gone into the front and back yards.  But, in looking at some photos, I realized that there are side yards, too.  These are the work yards - the corridors for the wheelbarrows and booted feet.  Here's where the composter  and the rain barrel quietly take care of business. 

During the winter, the side yards look a little drab.  But once spring comes, they come to life. On the south side, the wisteria and roses  bloom, the ferns grow tall and finally the raspberries ripen.  Down the north side grow bracken, poppies and cornflowers.  The path is covered in moss which only gets more lush in the summer.  It's like having a carpet laid down.  Now maybe the attraction is that long narrow shape.  I don't know.  I just like being there. 

A - Z Challenge: Xie Xie

A couple of years ago, I took some lessons in speaking Mandarin.   Another one of those things that I'd always wanted to do.  Today, I can remember off the top of my head only two phrases.  "Xie xie" (pronounced 'sheh sheh')  is one of them.  It means "thank you".

So today's post is a thank you to the hosts for the A - Z Challenge.  And a thank you to everyone who has visited, commented or become a follower.  I know the challenge isn't quite done yet but I wanted to say I've had a blast.  I've met so many wonderful bloggers here and I'm planning to visit with them often.  I'll make some tea.   I'm chuffed that so many visitors found something in my posts to keep them coming back.  My usual morning stroll down this village street has been enriched with so many new friends to greet. 

So, here's to you all:  XIE XIE!

A - Z Challenge: Wind

Wind is like Mother Nature's spring cleaner.  It blows all the cobwebs away.  It creates a new energy.

When I was a child, I would love to stand in a strong wind and just feel the energy as it pushed me back.  Sometimes, I would turn around and let the wind amplify my own energy.  Then, I would run and run and run.  Even now, when the wind blows,  I feel the urge to run with the wind.    However, running takes more than a stiff breeze in my sails these days.

Humans have known about wind's energy for a long time and have used it effectively on a small scale.  The power generated by the wind was caught by windmills which came in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.  Recently,  we've developed the technology  to 'farm' the wind.  I  remember the first wind farm I ever saw in Alberta.  It was by today's standards small - only a few turbines.  But I found it thrilling.  I still love to see those big white towers with the arms turning high above me.

Much is made of wind's clean and renewable energy.  But the wind is also a cleansing and renewing agent.   The first windy day after the cold of winter, I like to have all the windows flung open to let the wind blow through the house.  It picks up all that old, dry air and carries it away.  Then I know that winter is truly over.

I also love whirligigs.  Those often eccentric pieces of folk art that are created just to catch the wind.  Our dory-man came from Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia.  He's been rowing back and forth for years now - every time the wind blows -  and he never stops smiling.  I know exactly how he feels!

* sailboat photo taken by Andrea