Archive for November, 2008

{ November 28, 2008 @ 5:49 pm } · { Antique, Home, Show-N-Tell }
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Friday, November 28th 6:39 A M

Today’s the day after Thanksgiving, and I thought I’d share a bit of what is the practical side. Or should I say the frugal side. I never want to throw this away, tho Bud thinks it’s ratty and I should, but I won’t. Nothing at all fancy or glorified or even delicate and pretty. It’s antique tho….

Yep, it’s old! I figure at 73 years, maybe older. My parents were married in 1935, and I remember mom telling me that this came with her to her ‘new home’ after getting married. So, I’m assuming that it was hers before marriage or maybe even my grandmother’s. When my dad passed away, I had to have this! I learned how to iron on it. Now, of course today, iron is a nasty word in my mind. Like, a FOUR LETTER WORD! Hey, I’m wrinkled, so why shouldn’t my clothes be the same? [kidding!] Only about twice a year do I actually bring this out of storage. The reason I wanted it so badly is because the one I had bought myself when I married was metal and downright clunky! A piece of cheapness beyond description! I never liked it, but it sufficed when I was sewing something or Irene and Erik needed something pressed for a party or what have you. It wasn’t worth the money I paid for it. Still, like I said it served its purpose. This one of my mom’s is so sturdy! They just don’t build them like this any more. AND…best thing is, it’s porportioned to my height. The old metal ‘clunky’ one I bought was way too high for me, and there was just no getting around it, it wasn’t adjustable to my height.

In the above photo you can see the ironing pad. And you guessed it, it was my mother’s original ironing board pad and cover. Enlarging the photo above will show you that there is a huge worn spot where the iron is sitting. I won’t get rid of that either. On the board it remains. There are water stains on the cover from the iron’s steam too. It’s just a ‘sentimental’ thing for me. This photo to the left shows the back side and how it’s constructed. From the top of the photo [in the light turquoise walled area is an extension piece that you grab and pull it down, which will extend the legs and then you take the 'handle' that you grab and place it in a wooden notch to hold it all in place. Again, it's the most sturdy and well built piece of household equipment; comparing it to today's manufacturing. Once it's set up, then, on Wednesday I'm found singing along with the tune "This is the way we iron our clothes, iron our clothes, iron our clothes. This is the way we iron our clothes so early Wednesday morn-n-n-ing!!" [Not!]

Now, you ask: “Why does Anni have the ironing board out anyway?” Glad you asked. I had made some drapes for the living room windows when we refinished the room and painted it. The way the house sits in the layout of the globe/sun…it’s facing northwest/southeast. The foundation is NOT straight with sunrise/sunset, so the home is a shade dark all the time. Which is good to not have the direct sunlight in the summer – keeps it cooler. But, it’s too dark. I finally purchased some sheer curtains, took the drapes down, and hung only curtains. It did lighten up the room a bit. Now I had the curtains hung, and I was satisfied. The patio door was one I recovered with the curtains…high window! Curtains were a bit shorter than I’d like, so I tore the hem out and lengthened them. All the while they were still hanging. Being the lazy sort that day, I decided to not take them down off the curtain rods and iron them…I got the ironing board out. Set it up in the living room, and steamed the curtain hem out right there at the window. LOL

And back the ironing board went into storage. The iron is hidden from sight too! Someday I’ll bring it out again. But H E double L will be getting a bit more icy in the meantime!!

{ November 27, 2008 @ 11:23 am } · { Holidays, Home }
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Thursday November 27th, 2008 Thanksgiving Day!
6:39 A.M.

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storyteller had this on her post one day this month, and I wanted to take the quiz and then make use of it for our Thanksgiving Day:


You Are 98% Thankful


You’re an incredibly thankful person, and everyone around you feels very appreciated.

You inspire people to be more optimistic, forgiving, and grateful.

How Thankful Are You?

8:07 A.M.

Yesterday I made the pumpkin pie and it’s now in the fridge. There was some leftover crust dough so I made two medium sized apple dumplings for last night’s dessert. They were yummy. I made the cranberry-pecan waldorf mold with cherry jello and whole cranberry sauce, that is in the fridge. Earlier I mixed up the bread dressing [I do not like corn-bread stuffing] with lots of black pepper and chopped onion, celery, and sage…washed the turkey and cleaned it out, stuffed the cavity and it’s now in the oven, roasting. I’ll peel a few potatoes, make brown gravy, and mix up the dressing for the cole slaw [I had chopped the cabbage and put it in a sealed plastic bag yesterday]. I’m chilling the condiment dish with cheese strips, both black and green olives, radishes, stuffed cream cheese celery sticks, sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes for dipping in the ranch sauce dip already made ahead of time. I’ll bake some sweet potatoes and cinnamon/marshmallow mixture about an hour before the turkey is nearly finished. I think that’s it. When the turkey is done around 3 P M, I’ll whip the potatoes and make the brown gravy, then we’ll sit down and watch the Dallas Cowboy Traditional Thanksgiving Game against Seattle Seahawks this year. While that is on in the background and the dishes are cleared up and leftovers taken care of, I will decorate the tree. We have had an artificial blue spruce pine tree for about 30 years now, and I enjoy getting in the spirit of the upcoming holiday while the traditions of THIS day is so prominent. I’ve received calls from family members, and the only one close enough to actually travel here to be with us, our son, is going to stay home and work on his doctorate studies…he will have to be tested in order to actually be accepted for this venture. He’s received several referrals and letters of recommendation to enter into the doctorate study to become a PhD. So, it’s doubtful that he’ll show up. Then again, he may surprise us and show up on our doorstep. Who knows. Irene and the boys will celebrate with friends in their town. My sister and her hubby are going to Ouray to have dinner with some friends of my brother in law’s sister, they’ll make it a day there. She told me not much snow over there so far, so the driving won’t be so treacherous for them. She was elated that she didn’t have to cook this year. I think I’d miss the big ‘to-do’ over this special meal as I really like to cook and get into making all the stuff. Besides, I cook the food the way I LIKE it!!! Won’t be disappointed then. LOL

No matter, I’ll make the best of the day and enjoy my dear Bud and being together in peace and harmony.

{ November 26, 2008 @ 4:59 pm } · { Beach, Home, W W. }
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Wednesday, Nov. 26th, 2008
5:37 A.M.

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added: Happy Thanksgiving Wishes to all Americans.

{ November 25, 2008 @ 4:06 pm } · { Home, Kingsville, Ranch Breakfast, TUESDAY }
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HEADS or TAILS is below the last of the Ranch Breakfast series

KING’S RANCH PART III


King’s Ranch, Texas, Established by Captain Richard King, 1853. Now a National Landmark

Today is the last of the photo share for the Saturday’s Ranch Hand Breakfast. Yesterday I showed the entertainment part, Sunday I showed the breakfast and the walk from the car to the grub line. Being the last section of the morning’s outing, I saved the history for last. Not only is the ranch famous for the ‘new breed of cattle’ –The Santa Gertrudis was established here for the first new kind of cattle, and the infamous longhorn cattle breed, the ranch also produced many champion race horses….

If you take the guided tour from the visitor’s center while on the ranch land the tour guide will tell you about a horse that was foaled on the ranch! It belonged to Kleberg, part of the King family members. I believe he was a son in law or a partner of the ranch at one time [not sure]. She also tells you the horse, in 1946 became a Triple Crown Winner –one that wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes horse races!! As you are driven along the paved road in the interior of the ranch, you’re only told that the horse is buried on the ranch. Saturday, while Bud and I were walking the grounds, we spied some headstones near one building and walked over. It was all horses. And I found Assault’s headstone. It states: “Assault” Chestnut Horse 1943-1971 Triple Crown Winner 1946. There were several others who came from the ranch that became Derby winners and other racers. A You Tube video of the Triple Crown races and Assault – 1946 follows.

After the breakfast and the walking around we went back to the field where we had parked the car, and left. But, from the area where the event was held and the exit gate back to Kingsville is about 3 or 4 miles. And you go right smack dab in front of the main ranch house. Along with other buildings along the road. This building is the horse stables. No longer in use. But still historical. It is located within a short walk from the main house. At the curve in the road I pulled off and asked the young ranch hands if I could walk over to take a look inside. They said “sure”! Naturally I was elated. Why…just think, I could be stepping on the same turf that the famous Assault walked to be groomed and fed and bedded down!

Tho such a cloudy day, it was nearing the peak of the sun in the sky and the brightness shown through the stables’ alleyway. In the day’s light you view a big running w brand on the barn across the road. Tho, not visible through my lens. If only the walls could tell me the happenings of such a day when the trainer worked to brush down the horse and talk with him and tell him just how well he’s doing! Way back before I was born! :::sigh:::
The open area you see with the stalls on both sides is on the right of the photo above.

This is one stall. The photo is taken from the outside of the building. At the side as you see in the 1st photo above. Could it be? Could Assault have been bordered in this very stall? Makes my mind wonder, makes a very vivid picture in my head of a beautiful, well-trained, silky and pampered horse who will become a “King” in his own right!


ASSAULT RACE HORSE VIDEO

This photo is the building you’d see through the stables’ alleyway. The barn. Notice the running ‘W’ brand. You see that everywhere in this area. The state of Texas is proud of its history. You just can’t get away from it. [When we drove home we took the 'back roads' through Chapman Ranch that is about 6-10 miles from the city limits of Corpus Christi. At one time, the Champman Ranch was part of the King Ranch...yes, his land reached as far as the outskirts of Corpus Christi!!] I guess you can understand the glorification of the man and his ranch and his historical value to this state.

The carriage house. This is within walking distance of the main house – just to the northwest of the kitchen buildings. Yes, the kitchens were separate from the house. Back it the days of the ranch…here and most everywhere, the kitchens were normally set and built separately to keep the home from dangerous fire hazards. The carriage house housed the wagons and the cars that are now in the museum in the town of Kingsville, Texas.

When guests would arrive, this is the area they were greeted; at the reception hall. It’s just a few yards from the main house. After the carriage arrived holding the guests, they’d stop in here and remove or drop off anything they’d prefer to leave before entering the main house to be entertained. After being dropped off, then the driver would take the horse and buggy or the vehicle to the carriage house.

From the meeting/greeting area, a side view through the mesquite and live oak trees with a view of the main doorway of the main house on King Ranch.

The Main House!

Entryway!

Note: It’s my understanding that many celebrities have rented this house out for several months at a time. I don’t know just how legit this is, but if I were rich, I’d love to spend a week there or longer, wouldn’t you?


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This week’s theme/prompt is: HEADS – Anything you can do with your hand(s)

Golly, I do so much with my hands. Typing in my blog comes to mind first. Wiping things….LOL, okay take that for what it’s worth and figure it out…you know…like wiping spills, wiping the dust off the furniture, wiping the floor –you thought of something else, now, didn’t you? [insert a snort] Then, there is driving, opening a door, opening a can or a bottle, petting my kitties, raking, gardening, painting my toenails, hand washing, you name it…there is truly a gazillion million things to do with my hands. But the photo above shows one of my favorite things I do with my hands. CROCHET

{ November 24, 2008 @ 1:03 pm } · { Home, Kingsville, MON. MOMENT, Ranch Breakfast }
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My FUN MONDAY is found below this:

KING’S RANCH BREAKFAST PART II

Okay, yesterday I posted about the things we ate, finding some longhorn steers on the way walking to the breakfast area, and a cute little pony I met, Freckles. Well part of the ranch hand breakfast menu is cream gravy, with sausage! In the back of the chow line is where we found all the grub cooking over open pits, smokers, and grills. This loverly group of cowhands were busy stirring up the cream gravy..from a wood heated barrle and huge pot!! It was bubbling and fine eatin’!!! They made the gravy just like I like it too…thick, and loaded with black pepper! Buttery with a bit of a zing to it with the spiciness.

After gobblin’ down the chow, it was time to check out the ‘entertainment part’ of the morning. Here, on the grounds outside the area was a wonderful exibition of rug weaving. It was an amazing sight to watch. I stood right up by him as he worked while I talked with him. This particular piece that he was weaving was the “Running ‘W’”; the King’s Ranch brand registered back in the 1800′s and still registered to the ranch today. It is copyrighted and trademarked to protect against theft of any kind. FORD sells a King Ranch edition of a pickup. Each one sold to a consumer, the ranch gets kickback.

In this photo the weaver was using the natural wool for the long stripe. He told me it takes him about 8 days working time…full time…to complete a medium horse blanket. But he also mentioned that the could get it done at a faster rate if needed. It’s more or less a hobby with him and still a vocation since he sells his finished products on the market. It was most fascinating to watch….

As he changed from the ‘natural’ shade of wool to a darker dyed wool, he worked through the weave for part of the brand….

This is one of many finished pieces he had for show, this one in particular I am showing you because of the King Ranch brand…it’s a finished saddle blanket.

All the while from the National Anthem at sunrise throughout the morning, we were entertained with live music. The area was filled with straw bales for those who wished to sit and listen to the likes of some songs such as El Paso, I’m Back in the Saddle Again, Happy Trails, all oldies but goodies. My favorite was the fiddler! He looked like he just stepped off of a western movie. And he could really play well!! Reminded me a bit of the likes of Charlie Daniels of the Charlie Daniels’ band from back a while ago….his style that is.

This dude reminded me of the old time tv shows where someone would start playing spoons or something out on the trail and then you’d end up having the whole gang playing something…this was just a water trough and a string…made a cool sound for accompaniment. The music from this trio [the other was a female guitarist] could be heard all over the area. It was a welcome sound. Soothing, relaxing and well done.

Moving on down…just off to the south from the eating area and the grub line was a covered outdoor arena. The ranch hands and volunteers put on a calf roping exhibition. Which was fun to watch, but I must say that the gentlemen who were doing the volunteering for the entertainment value of the day…well, let me put it nicely —they don’t want to quit their day jobs!!!

…and through the shute…a calf running for his life. Again, it was fun to be entertained as such, but none-the-less, I’d much prefer to see the calves out in the open range with no fright in their big brown eyes wondering just what is going on and what they did to deserve being chased by a couple of guys on horseback with ropes. Don’t get me wrong, I love rodeos, but this was very amateur.

At one booth you could purchase a ranch hand apron with the “Ranch Hand Breakfast” and date [same as the logo on the tickets] and have the official Running W brand burned onto the pocket. I stopped and watched the cowboy set the heat in the branding iron and then ‘stamp’ the brand for one particular woman who bought an apron.

These last two photos show some of the garb of the old west of this era along with guns…rifles, pistols, shells, bullets. The other tables for this exhibition also has some pamphlets and books on sale. Here, the two volunteers dressed as a Mexican cowhand [which the ranch had many, and still today the offspring live on the ranch], and an older gentleman dressed in a U S Marshall or a county sheriff.
Some of Richard King’s armory. Also, in the town of Kingsville, there is a whole building that has a lot of memorabilia of the King family…their cars, their flatware, their buggies, their ranch implements, clothes, photos of the life on the ranch…things like this. If you ever get a chance to see this place, don’t miss the museum in the town. It’s well worth the stop.

Tomorrow…the last of the photo share: the ranch buildings and such! Part III

High moments…in our lives!

    If you could share to us 3-5 high moments in your lives…this could be funny moments…the you can’t believe you did it moments…the “I told you so” moments…or the times we asked the ground to go open and eat us moments! You need not write a book to explain them, the highlights will do.

I’m laughing as I read Mariposa’s assignment. She tells us not to ‘write a book’. Guess she’s been to my blog a few times. Okay, I’ll keep it short. Of course the top on the list is marrying my great husband, then having two children, two grandchildren and retiring! That goes without saying———–

1] FUNNY MOMENT. This is one that is forever pressed in my memory!! One time after my mother had passed on and my father was a widower, he liked to drive across the state of Wyoming and Nebraska, alone. I didn’t like that. He wasn’t young, tho his reflexes and his driving abilities were very acute, still, at the age of late 70s. It was the idea of him being alone on the highway. I always worried myself frantic while I knew he was on the interstate, until I’d get a call that he arrived safely. Well, one time I had the summer off [I worked at the school district then. Bud took two weeks off and wanted to just stay home, no trips anywhere.] Dad wanted to go see his sister in Lincoln, Nebraska. Well being that she was my favorite aunt, I asked to go along and help drive. Now, to cut this short…here’s the funny part. [In fact I sent this story into Reader's Digest and it was published, I received a $100 check for submitting it]. There I go again, ‘talking’ too long —-we were on the west side of Grand Island on I-80 coming home. It was getting dark. My dad was driving. At that time, the dashboard on the car lit up…with a warning light to “Check Engine”. Dad pulled over at my request, and he got out, popped the hood open. He then looked in, closed the hood on the car, wiped his hands and got back in. With my expectant look, he said to me with such a straight, serious face, but the typical orneriness that he had, “I checked it and, yep, the engine’s still there.” And we continued driving home. THE END.

2] WHEN I WANTED THE GROUND TO OPEN AND EAT US UP MOMENT. Y’all know, at least some, that Bud is a history buff. We had a membership of the Custer’s Battlefield in Montana. For a long time during our marriage, we went there yearly. There was a small village called Crow Agency, just outside the gates to the battlefield. Just a gas station and a restaurant and a gift shop. The kids [very young] were with us that one time. After walking around and driving the park roads, the day was getting on, and instead of driving a long distance with the kids in tow, getting hungry and more cranky, we decided to eat at the Crow Agency restaurant. While sitting waiting for our burger and fries…Irene says VERY audibly…“We have only a bunch of Indians here, besides us!”.…I wanted to die. —the looks we got coulda given us stab wounds, trust me. THE END

3] ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ MOMENT. I really don’t do this kinda thing. It’s not that I’m ‘not an egotist’ when it comes down to pointing out “I told you so!”…it’s that I feel there is no need. 99% of the time when I AM right on something, they tell me anyway. So no point in ‘rubbing it in’.

4] I CAN’T BELIEVE I DID THAT MOMENT. In Tucson, listening routinely to our morning show of Mike and Tyler on the talk radio. They were always having contests where you call in to give an answer, for a prize. The two had a question: “Surveying all the pro football players, the majority said they’d like to have this celebrity mother as their own. Who is it?” Well, the callers got through, and no one’s answer was correct…the likes of Lucy [I Love Lucy], or June Cleaver [Leave it to Beaver], or Mrs. Cunningham [Happy Days]….mothers of that stature. All continued to be incorrect. I told Bud, “With the mentality of football players, I bet I have the correct answer.” He said, “Well, then call in.” I had a busy signal many times before I made the connection and got through. My answer was Marge Simpson. I was right, bells went off through the receiver and on our radio. After put on hold until a commercial break, so I could give my personal information, I then hung up…..along with the next day picking up two plane tickets to Disneyland, with hotel reservations under my name. THE END

{ November 23, 2008 @ 4:15 pm } · { Home, Kingsville, Mutterings, Ranch Breakfast, SUN. SNIPPET }
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Unconscious Mutterings follows below—

KING’S RANCH PART I

We had a fantastic time at the Ranch Breakfast yesterday. It was almost perfect. Tho, it would have been better if the sun would have been shining! It was overcast all day, and quite cool. I went dressed for a chilly morning; even took a jacket with me, tho it was in the high 40′s. ALL day, cloudy and cool. We got rain once we arrived back home, but at the breakfast, we stayed dry. We left home shortly after 6:30 a.m. It was early, I know, but I don’t like driving at night much, so I tend to drive much slower. And we took the highway to Alice and Robstown before hitting the highway to Kingsville because it’s lighted much more. The back way would have been way too dark for me. LOL

Once we got to Robstown, we hit highway 77 and headed southwest into Kingsville. Luckily, after we hit the ranch land, the gates were opened and they were welcoming only a few. [By the time we left around 10:30 or so, it was still jammed packed, and where we parked at the time we got there --four rows of cars, but as we were getting in the car to leave, the entire field was filled with cars...no doubt about 100 rows of cars and people still driving in!!!

Bud and I have gone to the ranch's museum on the land itself a few times. And we've taken the bus tour that they have available at a cost where they take you into the more 'secret' areas, like the cotton wagon rutted road where Richard King smuggled cotton to the waiting Mexican ships on the Gulf during the Civil War. Of course the tour guide tells you a lot more of the local area of the ranch and stuff like that, that you don't read in history books. Things you don't see when you're invited into the ranch for the annual cowboy breakfast.

Okay, so once we arrived, they had shuttles [wagons on tractors] to take you to the area where the place is set up outdoors. [And by the way Pea, yes the cowboys were SO CUTE directing traffic in the field where we had to park...the one especially showing me where to park the car...cowboy hat, sitting tall in the saddle...and calling me Ma'am!!! Whoa, boy...so virle, so handsome....so YOUNG! LOL] Bud and I walked the distance so we could ‘scout out the place’. While walking, we saw for what the ranch is famous! The Texas Longhorns. I love this breed!!!! I was hoping the brindle marked steer behind the spotted one would have paid attention to me and looked toward me….his horns were MUCH longer. He was not at all cooperative.

I would so love to have a tanned hide from one of these beautiful creatures!! Have you ever felt their hair under your bare feet? Trust me, it’s smooth, silky and oh so nice and cool! Some day, Anni….some day! We actually HAD one that we had tanned and made into a rug, but believe it or not, it was stolen from our home!!! [I have a photo of it with Irene...I'll have to scan that some day]

With our tickets in our hands, we got in line…as I said there weren’t that many there yet, maybe about 300 or so people meandering around, along with some girls with coffee pots! That pleased Bud. He’s the coffee drinker. We got up to the ‘chow line’ and they dished up the grub!!! Sausages, beans, eggs, biscuits with sausage/cream gravy, and tortillas. There was orange juice served also. [The only thing that wasn't more or less 'authentic' was the plastic dinnerware and the paper plates.] There were upright ‘tables’ at which you stand, just like the ranch workers do…OR straw bales!! So rustic, and so fun actually.

By the way, the cost of the meal is all donated to a children’s charity. Food is either raised on the ranch or donated by the local grocery chain.

See what was beside me on one of the straw bales? LOL…meet “Freckles”. No, it’s not mine. A cute little girl had this with her while she was eating her breakfast. She introduced me to her best friend. Her mother told me that her daughter got that at the ranch’s visitor’s center a while back and has never parted with it. I just had to add this photo.

While I was taking a photo of Freckles the young girl was so interested in seeing her pony on my cellphone that she asked if she could try it. Of course, I had to show her how and let her take a photo of me while she was standing on a stack of straw bales…she was thrilled and all giggly from being allowed to use the camera. I think she was probably about 5 or 6 years old. She followed my directions well. Such a sweetie!! [the little girl, not the old hag on the straw bale]

Now, to keep the post from getting out of hand…way too long, I will break this up into three posts. [I took about 30 photos!]. Tomorrow or real soon, I’ll post the ‘entertainment’ part in part two. Part three will be some of the ranch itself that I stopped and took pictures of as we drove out. So, stay tuned to the next installment….

RANCH HAND BREAKFAST FACTS

People served: Typically more than 4,000

Food served:
15,000 eggs
550 pounds sausage
5,000 biscuits
100 gallons of cream gravy
4,000 flour tortillas
350 pounds refried beans
25 gallons of hot sauce
185 gallons orange juice
150 gallons of coffee

Source: King Ranch


Play along with your subconscious; Sunday’s Word Association.
Join here.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Spit it out :: Talk to me!!!
2. Shadow :: of your Smile [song]
3. Database :: computer info
4. Expression :: feeling – emoticons
5. Boss :: Hogg [TV - Dukes of Hazard]
6. Baby :: face Nelson [famous criminal]
7. Mystic :: River [good book, good movie!]
8. Kate :: biography [about Katherine Hepburn]
9. Boobies :: LOLOLOL —titties I guess.
10. Raid :: Kills bugs dead! [an old commercial]

{ November 22, 2008 @ 4:41 pm } · { Ranch Breakfast }
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Saturday’s Reflection Photos for the Photo Hunt below this little blog. Scroll down.

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Today Bud and I go for a short drive up the highway to King’s Ranch. Each November the ranch hands and the ranch owners put on a huge event. A cowboy breakfast. All decked out in the area with an authentic ranch hand breakfast for those who buy tickets to the event! I’m looking forward to arriving. We’ll be leaving shortly. It’s going to be a fun outing. Pictures, hopefully, will follow in the next few days. We’re getting ready to leave. So if you stop by, I’ll try and get back to you as soon as I can. Happy Trails to you…….

{ November 22, 2008 @ 11:35 am } · { Bathroom, Beach, CATS, Home, PHOTO HUNT }
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Well this one has a little bit of special effect added. I took a photo of a mirrored plate where a lighted mermaid globe and amethyst is setting on my computer desk…then, I flipped the image and added it to make it reflect, the REFLECTION


The one above is a reflected bathroom vanity from the walled mirror. Notice the lavender towel to the left…that is a reflection of it.

And it seems when I bring the camera out around the house any more, Tahoe wants in the picture…this is her REFLECTION…she’s actually taking up squatter’s rights on the edge of the marbletop counter.

The sun’s reflection on the shoreline.

{ November 21, 2008 @ 3:44 pm } · { CHRISTMAS, Holidays, Home, Show-N-Tell, style }
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I really should be locked up somewhere where there are no stores during the Fall and Winter season!! Shopping this time of year has become a fixation for me. Especially around these holidays. From Halloween up until Christmas, the stores have so many wonderful things!! Y’all know I collect Santas. “Tree top” Santas are my favorite. Well, you’d think anyway. I have this kind the most. But, I have hundreds. And walking around the stores this week, I was checking out all of the Christmas displays and looking at the Santas. Thing is, most of what they have anymore are near duplicate of what I have already. While walking out of one store, I walked past the wall display of tree ornaments. That was a mistake. A BIG mistake. I saw a glass Santa. Hmmmmm, had to have it. Ya, like I need it! Geez. So then, as I had that in my hot little hand, I spied a beautiful red fox ornament. [I didn't get it tho, but I will go back there soon, and if they do have it, it's gonna be mine.] I then spied a cute little frog with a Santa cap. Grabbed it…Well, they’re kinda costly when you want ‘em all, y’know? This is not good for a retiree’s fixed income! Yet, I kept looking. Here are the ones I found, and brought home with me.

And I think I will make sure I find them that fit our life…something that we all like or that it has a special meaning to our character. Like favorites, or something from our past that it would represent. Not just buy to buy…they have to have meaning to our family….


A Frosty Snow Man. He’s about 3 or 4 inches tall. One of my favorite holiday specials that is broadcast — I love the television version of Frosty, with Jimmy Durante singing the carol. I sit every year and wait for him to sing to me.


A Penguin. Decked out with a red top hat with a gold hat band. It’s carrying a candy cane, cane! He’s miniature, but adorable. About 2 inches tall. Our son, as a toddler kept calling them penQUINS…it’s stuck, we all call them that now. LOL

Now, our backyard is filled with a lot of frogs. I think the ceramic creations in stores these days are terrific. I love frogs too. And I couldn’t resist this little booger! He too is miniature. About 2 inches also. I love him adorned with the Christmas stocking cap and the rhinestone collar. He is holding a heart. Cute, cute, cute!!

This next one that caught my eye is a Canadian Goose. With feathers at the tail. Thing is, where I’m from originally…from Colorado, the whole state [on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains] was literally filled with Canadian Geese. Some actually stayed there year ’round! I remember one golf course we played, the goose poop was all over, and sometimes the geese would attack the golf balls! Anyway, I loved this one. It’s a bit larger than the ones above, it’s about 4-5 inches in length.

When a youngster, spending the nights or summers or weekends with my aunt in Nebraska, her yard was filled with Cardinals. They became a favorite bird of mine. Tho, Colorado was too cold for them. At least I never saw them. Not until we moved to Arizona. I was so thrilled to see Cardinals at my bird feeder again! Here in Texas, I’ve seen a couple –actually A COUPLE -mates—in our yard at the feeder. So, when I saw this one, it just seemed to jump off the rack, right into my hands![insert a wink]

This is the culprit one that first made me stop and do a double take at all the ‘pretties’! He’s so fragile. As I said, they’re all glass ornaments, and reminds me the ‘olden days’ when the ornaments were always breaking from one year to the next. I always helped my mom pack things away…ever so gently, to keep them safe from harm year after year. And it never failed…always some broken, in the box, the following year. Too, they were always some of my favorites. I was disheartened with them. I never bought any glass ornaments when our kids were small and we had three dogs and a cat in the house. It just didn’t seem like a smart move. But this one? Yep, he started it all!!!! He’s about 6 inches long. No doubt the first one up on the tree each year.

The last one this week, is a poinsettia. I do love these also. And only the RED ones. The pink and white, tho beautiful, the red ones are the ‘original’ color. The non-hybrid ones…the REAL ones are from Old Mexico. The road from San Diego down south and beyond the border towns, there is an area that has poinsettias growing on the sides [both sides] of the highway…big as trees!!! That’s when I fell in love with the plant! In San Antonio, at the Alamo, there is one of the ‘original’ Mexican species too. Stunning bushes! Not even close to the likes of the hybrids you buy potted for the holidays. The true poinsettias are more woody and huge, true red, brackets! The ornament is about 4-5 inches wide.

PS…part of a ‘tell’ aspect. We had a cellphone phisher yesterday. I learned something from calling in a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission…and I thought I’d pass it on this morning. When using your cellphone – to keep your identity from going through the airwaves, dial STAR 6 7 [that's *67 --don't key in the word star] before dialing the number you’re calling! It hides your identity!!! Awesome. And I tested it three times on different numbers yesterday afternoon. I works!!!

{ November 20, 2008 @ 3:59 am } · { Health, Home, HUMOR, Jefé, Thursday }
{ Leave a Comment }

Thursday 13 below my health update.

Well, my 1st annual follow-up from my heart ablation at the end of September of last year is over. After doing an EKG and many other tests, I got a good report! I asked several questions and he answered them thoroughly…I like this guy. That is saying a whole heckuva lot if you want to really know. I told him I didn’t like my other cardiologist after so many bad side effects from Lisinopril and he doing nothing to change and me ending up in ER…that he said he understood. He then didn’t degrade the former cardiologist, nor did he pressure me in any way to get a new one. Giving me a ‘good to go’ and ‘good to do’, I’m feeling mighty fine. I pray it continues to be good for me. He also told me to get my cholesterol down…well, I had to explain to him [since he knows the list of medications I'm taking] that I got my cholesterol down WITHOUT any prescription drugs. He was amazed and very pleased!! As I am. Too, I hope I can continue to do so, tho I must confess I ate red meat a couple of times. Which I vowed not to do again. I felt relieved that all was well with my ticker! I feel now that it’s not a time bomb waiting to go off…[tho in the back of my head I do know that I'll always be a 'high risk' patient]. If all goes well, I don’t need to return for another year. And my Primary Care Physician only wants to see me for picking up my blood work papers if I continue to feel well. That says a lot to me also. I’m happy with the outcome.

edition #83


[click to play a short 'tribal beat' for ambiance!]



…and here she is again!!! I love humor, I love joking, I love laughter. Hope you will too. My thirteen this week comes from a wise ol’ lady named Jefé [pronounced HEH fay in Spanish slang - meaning 'boss or chief', being in this case, a "chieftress" but I like Jefé - you guessed it, I really DO have chin whiskers'] These are thirteen[?] tried and true living experiences from the aged one with her keen perception on life——-

1] Noah kept his bees in archives!

2] Part-time bandleaders semi-conductors.

3] Think about it: Pilots take crash-courses; it’s called simulation.

4] Speaking of pilots, getting off a non-stop flight would be a challenge.

5] I ‘ve, in all my years, not seen a toad use his stool yet.

6] For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

7] Support bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have.

8] Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life. Trust me.

9] The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up.

10] A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11] Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.

12] After driving in Texas, I’m convinced that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, someone licensed in this state would be stupid enough to try and pass them.

13] Just seeing if you’re paying attention!!! Oh….sorry, my last bit of knowledge is: A man who walks sideways will get to Bangkok!

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