Green

One of my favorite activities in life is letter writing. Both on a word processor and the old fashioned way: pen & paper. Ysterday I bought 500 sheets of green pastel paper. Green is my favorite color. I may not live long enough to use 500 sheets, but I'll give it a good try. There is evidently a store in the city where one can buy fine writing instruments and exotic papers. Usually I just pick up pens at doctor's offices. But maybe my penmanship would improve if I had a fountain pen. For you youngsters out there, a fountain pen is one that has the ink supplied by a cartridge or a refillable reservoir. Cheap ones are notoriously leaky. If you can afford a good fountain pen, you can afford to replace the shirt the leaky pen marred.

Yesterday I visited one of those sporting goods stores that are as much a destination as a shop. Bronze elk and deer statues adorned the front of the store. Inside were various animals in taxidermy displays. I've never seen so many fishing poles, guns, knives, camo clothes, etc. I was so overwhelmed that I didn't buy anything. My husband could be lost in there for days and be happy as a clam.

A credit card company is charging me a $1.56 finance charge even though I paid my bill in full and on time. Being from the old school of watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves, I am going to investigate these shenanigans and change credit card companies if this is a new policy. What would be best is to carry cash, but I think that is more dangerous. I've carried credit cards since I was 18. It would give me the willies to carry $100 cash but I think nothing of carring $25,000 of credit line in my pocket.

An unusual fact about horse ownership is that in the long run, it matters less what you pay for a horse but what it costs to keep it. My horses have been relatively healthy. I give my own annual horse shots, and my husband does some farriery. But my advice to prospective horse buyers is to buy the best horse you can afford. I've never spent more than $550 on a horse, but then I've been extremely lucky. Horses eat a lot of green.

In the Sonoran desert grows a tall, stately cactus known as a Saguaro. Pronounced Sa-War-Oh, it is the defining species for this most diverse desert in North America. I tried to take some photos of them in the heart of this Sonoran desert yesterday but wouldn't you know, there were high clouds, and the light was not pleasing. I get particular about my photography. My only artistic talent. I especially like to photograph green things.