Jaci Dawn

This is my crazy husband. This is a self-portrait by my crazy husband. he took it on one of those week-long vacations he’s taken without me.

Understand this: he would prefer that I went with him, but ever since I changed jobs (in the same company), I have not been able to schedule the same weeks off as he has. For one thing, I don’t get as many weeks of vacation and for another, we’re so short-handed that I can only take a week at a time.

We hate living like this, but it’s a reality we have to accept for now. A season in life. A season that will eventually come to a close.

Oh? Wait, what is that? You want to know what he has in his arms? Oh. That is the Rock. The Rock he dragged home. The Rock that weighs about 100 pounds and languishes in our yard in the spot where he set it down because it is too darn heavy to pick up and move. The Rock that he dragged home because we both love rocks and we love them for no particular reason other than their strange, rugged beauty.

That’s what I love about Donald. He never gets after me for picking up rocks or bugs or stopping to stare at the dessicated little body of some bird. He doesn’t think it is odd that I love coyotes and hate the idea of shooting them for sport (although he did teach me there is a balance in these things).

One vacation we took together, we spent the entire time following insects around. We got into a camp site where there were these crazy little sweat bees. They landed on our legs and arms and nibbled at the sweat. We held contests to see which one of us could hold still the longest and coax the largest number of bees to settle on their legs. Sweat bees do not have stingers, so it wasn’t that weird of a contest (I hear you all saying, “EEEK!!!”).

Another time, we followed some parasitic wasps around and watched them dig numerous holes in the desert sand where they later deposited stunned spiders or caterpillars (I forget which).

Once, we set up lawn chairs and watched a pair of carrion beetles bury an entire dead mouse. It took less time than we expected. Insects are amazing.

And then there’s the rocks like the one Don has in his arms. That’s his rock. I have a couple in the yard that are my rocks. The most recent rock is on the kitchen window sill: Don brought it home to me a couple weeks ago.

I just love that man. he knows exactly what kind of rock to get me, and he doesn’t have to ask Jared.