This past winter Kansas got hit by a severe ice storm that decimated the trees. As we drove along the highway we could see the aftermath - the forests were littered with the wreckage of huge broken limbs. Only the trunks and sturdiest limbs survived intact, but they had been virtually stripped of every small branch and twig. As a result, most of the trees appeared as the ones shown in this photo - growing back in tufts of new growth along a few sparse branches.

The lamp post is leftover from an old freight station along the train tracks in Plevna, KS.

Gosh, it’s been an awful long time, eh? Here’s the lowdown:

• We went to Kansas, as usual, for the 4th of July. This photo was taken on the road. More to come!
• I tore a ligament in my knee and had to sit out the last home bout. My team was also missing our star jammer - Whiskey broke her ankle and will be out for the rest of the season and that’s going to hurt the travel team as well. In any case, my team lost but it was a much closer score than our last bout. Our rookies performed magnificently, especially our newest jammer, Biohazard Betty, who received MVP!
• My knee is healing well and I should be back in action before too long. I’m forcing myself to follow the doctor’s orders and avoid straining it. It was torture watching my team skate from the sidelines on Saturday night, but I have to think about the big picture. It will be worth missing 1 or 2 bouts if it means my knee can recover fully without surgery and I can enjoy a long and spectacular derby career;) So really, 1 or 2 bouts isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. I can do it!
• Steve just took a job as a sexton. Get your mind out of the gutter!
• Life is pretty damn great all around. Being too busy to blog isn’t really a bad thing.

Just so you know I haven’t quit posting photos altogether:)

Yep, we actually own this movie. We watched it for the first time the other night and it’s pretty much everything I hoped it would be - cheese and hilarity galore! I was disappointed to discover that none of the women ever appear in any of the awesome outfits pictured in the poster. I was also amused by the keywords for it at IMDB:

Lesbianism, Beautiful Woman, Female Nudity, Lesbian Scene, Babe Scientist, Bee, Dying During Sex, Lesbian, Nude Woman Murdered, Nudity, Transformation

If you’re looking for hot lesbian action, this movie will be a disappointment. However, you WILL see a lot of boobies.

I love cheesy B movies!

In other news, my new knee pads arrived today, thank goodness! My knees are desperate for extra protection. I hesitated briefly to spend another chunk of cash on expensive gear, but you know what? My knees are worth it. It was either that or quit derby, and I’m not ready to do that anytime soon.