Country Girl Movie Review

"Reign on Me" starring Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler

This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Cheadle and Sandler both did crazy impressive acting. This is the kind of movie that pulls you in by the heart and doesn't let go.

This is a definite purchase for me.

Country Girl Movie Review

"The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith

This movie was so heartwrenching and spirit-lifting at the same time. I found myself wringing my hands for the main character, just willing something good to come his way.

It is very definitely worth the rental. Possibly even consider adding it to your personal movie library.

Gonna Be a BEAR!

In keeping with the new year, new beginnings theme - here's my plan:

Gonna Be a Bear

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for SIX months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown cute cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're a momma bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

When you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, gonna be a bear!

A Snap with S.C.

I am THRILLED with this picture of the Bear with Santa. Especially since we had to drive 2 hours for the 10 second photo op.

preparing for New Beginnings

What a wonderful Christmas it has been! After attending candlelight Christmas Eve services last evening, we awoke at 6:30 this a.m. to see what the Good Sir Claus left' neath our tree. Too many little boy delights to list but I know a certain young man who will literally collapse tonight at bedtime. And a Daddy, too!

Having gotten better prepared for the holidays than last year. this long Christmas weekend has found me mentally listing all the things I want to implement with the New Year. Better blogging being one of them. I'm also going to be out here lurking around catching up on all of you!

I am going to start carving out more time for myself to do something that has always been so very vital to my happiness: reading. I did not get much time nor opportunity to read anything this past year but I am already working on rectifying that. I have been picking up every book that looks like it might be even remotely interesting. I have even come across some intriguing new (to me) authors; Tess Gerritsen being one of them. "The Bone Garden" was my Thanksgiving read and I HIGHLY recommend it.

I am also going to better structure my business time. This first 8 months on the new job has been insanity to say the least and overwhelmingly satisfying to say the most. The company has passed through the painful growth and transitional phase and we are all armed and ready to really go gangbusters this year.

Although my husband's campaign is truly and officially begun, I am going to work hard at not making the extraneous issues of running for office derail our jobs, our son's schedule, or our life as a family. I picked up a few lessons from the first time around and my skin is definitely thicker for it. Bring it on, morons! Intelligent, responsible voters will do what needs to be done while the rest of them talk out of their . . . Anyways, we're ready to get this deal done so he can keep doing the job they elected him to do. (Quite frankly, as a taxpayer, it bothers me that an elected official has to spend almost an entire year of his term dealing with the retention of his job rather than being left to focus 100% on what we elected him to do in the first place. Maybe that's just me.)

Merry Christmas!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm here! I'm here! I cannot believe it has been since August since I last posted. That's simply too long. I will make a resolution right now that I will post and visit at least once a week. That's do-able. Even with my hectic got-too-many-things-on-my-plate life.

I won't go into the gorey details of what has been happening out here in this post but I will catch up soon.

This post is dedicated to wishing everyone the most blessed Christmas season. I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy and not wanting for anything. As we were praying in church yesterday, I found myself not praying FOR anything as much as thanking the Lord for everything. My family has been so tremendously blessed and I am grateful for being tired at night, feeling like I've eaten too much, paying the mortgage and electric bill, and all those things that remind me that I have need of nothing.

May you also find yourself saying "Thanks" to our Heavenly Father for the incredible gift He has already given us and for the redemption that comes with that gift.

Merry Christmas from Mason, Texas!

Git yer boots on . . .

We're gearing up for politics around here once again. My husband's re-election campaign will be underway next month. His opponents are already pressing palms and passing out cards. We'll hold off until after he officially files his intent documents with the county clerk (which, by the by, also includes a nice little filing fee of $750).

So my posts (as erratic as they have been and most assuredly will continue to be) will probably be of the personal political nature. Be warned, this blog will be my venting area. Politics in a small little Texas town (with more than its fair share of small little minds) can get very nasty. You have no idea how nasty. Maybe it has something to do with the shallow gene pool around here. They're hacked off because we're trying to deepen it. har har

And, here's something that made me smile.

Hope it does the same for you. But maybe not if you're a Democrat.

Priority Completed!

Okay - so my deadline (Friday) came and went and the slideshow didn't get updated.

Well, I just spent my lunch hour getting that task accomplished.

Enjoy!

Priority: Slideshow Update!!

First thing tomorrow morning (okay - maybe some time around 9 am or so CST), my top priority is to update my PhotoBucket slideshow down at the bottom of the page. I've got a few hundred pictures to chose from since I put the slideshow up.

Besides, I know you are all awaiting with bated breath to see what the Bear has been up to lately.

Country Girl Book Review

"just friends" by Robyn Sisman

Let me be the first to admit it: I love chick lit. I wish I could put my finger on exactly what it is that I love about it but all I can say is that I think the stories are good, the personalities of the characters are so familiar, and upon finishing the read - I always feel like it was time well spent.

This week I have been lurking around and spending every single stolen free moment reading "just friends" by Robyn Sisman. After more than one night of turning out the reading lamp after midnight, I closed it this afternoon with a satisfied smile on my face.

Quick synopsis: single British gal in the Big Apple looking for love in all the wrong but entertaining places. She's strong in personality and stubborness but never able to completely get her heart turned to stone in an effort to maintain her emotional walls. She's prickly and sometimes unreasonable . . . . hmmm, sounds like somebody I might know. And I loved her.

I won't go into any details in case you are a chick lit fan and want to pick it up for yourself.

HELP! . . . somebody grab me quick!!

I'm sinking into that cesspool called reality tv.

I have a new favorite now that my hot and heavy obsession with The Bachelor has waned. Significantly. Okay, completely.

I don't care for 99% of the reality tv fodder out there but this one is sucking me in fast and easy.

Scott Baio is 45 and Single. Need I say more? I remember having his Tiger Beat magazine pics plastered all over the inside of my metal locker at school in the 6th grade. good times

Gotta go. Commercials are over.

Country Girl Movie Review

"Music & Lyrics" (Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore)

I really liked this movie for several reasons - and not all of them related to the movie itself. First I did like it for the story and the happy ending. Who wouldn't? Secondly, with a nod to Here's the 80's and its creators Lorraine and JP, the soundtrack was absolute heaven to this 80's era kid.

But you want to know what made me enjoy this movie even more? The fact that it reminded me that I still like Hugh Grant - despite his very public (and hysterically funny) solicitation incident while he was dating the unbelievably beautiful model Elizabeth Hurley. He's still a great actor and he nailed the has-been 80's pop star "spot on" - as those across the pond would say.

And who doesn't love Drew Barrymore? She's endearing (as always) and I totally related to her (based on previous personal experience during my single years). The funniest scene in the movie (to me) was the scene in the hotel ladies' room when she told Hugh, "Look at me, I can't go out there like this. I haven't showered in days, my clothes must reek, and there are bugs in my teeth from the helicopter!" To which Hugh says, "Wait just a moment. I'll be right back." He exits the ladies room and she has this hopeless look on her face and then does the "teeth sucking" thing in an attempt dislodge said errant bugs. Hilarious!! Been there, done that. (No helicopter but a motorcycle - same effect.)

So, although I don't allude to the eschelons pronouncing this movie dubbed with any number of Exalted Koi Heads, I do dub it a great movie that is totally worth the watching.

Maybe I'll give my movie reviews some type of designations - I'll have to think on it a bit.

New Understanding of Old Information

My NetFlix choice last week was "Iron Jawed Angels" - WOW. I won't discuss the movie in detail but the subject matter is suffrage and the fight for women to vote.

I remember remarking to my husband during the movie that "this sure is not reflective of what was in our junior high textbooks. We were only told names and dates - they sure never printed anything about the real sacrifices and abuses that those women endured."

I kissed my voter registration card good-night. And said a very grateful "Thank you."

No Shortage of Unthinking People

Here is a link to a very interesting, and all too often common, story. I know there are a lot of people who do not agree with our armed forces being in the Middle East.

But despite the differing views, our enlisted personnel are fighting and dying in the name of freedom. Whose freedom? Take a look at the globe, my friend. Our little slice of democracy only exists here on the northern continent. Everywhere else a citizen's freedoms and privileges are under the direct control of the government.

Bad mouth our government as much as you want - I do on occasion (taxes, bureacratic red tape, etc) - but it is the best game going and I would absolutely NOT want to be anywhere else.

Coming up for air . . .

I am so bummed that I cannot maintain my blog like I used to. I can barely maintain communications with my favorite fellow bloggers.

And I don't know if, or when, that will ever change.

But I'm not giving up.

Between the job, summer activities, family deaths, family reunions, vacations, etc. - my blogging time is even less than before. And before it was pretty much nil.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Another First?!

I have a bright aqua green slip of paper in front of me. It requires the everyday parental and medical and emergency contact information. Plus it demands my signature at the bottom.

It is the permission slip for the Bear to attend his first ever Vacation Bible School at the local Lutheran church. First thing Monday morning he will board our church van (with his other little classmates) and ride the entire four blocks to participate in this summer's "Great Barrier Reef" bible school curriculum.

And while I know he will enjoy himself immensely and create all manner of bible-based arts and crafts, there is the little part of my heart that mourns the toddler of yesterday.

Was it really 3 years and 2 months ago that we took that first ride home from the hospital with a little peanut barely weighing 6 lbs and 7 oz?

On towards the next milestone . . .

Houseguest

Since we were out of town this weekend and because I did a pretty thorough housecleaning before we left, I was surprised to find dried brown leaves . . . wait! EEEEK!!! That's not leaves!!

My uninvited houseguest was quickly ushered outside. He seemed a little lethargic but hopefully he didn't take my soft sweeping of himself too personally and will stay around outside to rid our little domicile of any other more unruly uninvited houseguests.

Another reason to stay in the country . . .

allergies. We went to Dallas this weekend to see family and attend a wedding reception (we were not invited to the wedding as it was on a tropical island and for family only. pffft!).

And guess what?!!? The cottonwood was in full bloom! If a little breeze came up, it literally looked like it was snowing in June. crazy

Anyways . . . my throat is raw and my head is pounding. I'm staying in the country where my immune system stands a chance.

Since you asked . . .

okay, so you didn't ask but I'm telling.

The new job has been going really well. I'm enjoying my work and, for the most, my co-workers. We had a little shake up earlier this week and to be blunt, the troublemakers are no longer with us.

I am very excited about the improved work environment and the overall adjustment of the attitude in the office. The company has tremendous potential and I'm hanging on for the ride. Given the employment situation in this county, I am very appreciative of the opportunity - both professional and financial - that I have been given.

When my husband and I first moved here, we knew the incredible financial deduction we were taking. But we truly believed (and still do) that the life we make together with our son is far more important than the money we can make in the city with little or no time for family stuff. I know there are gazillions who will disagree with me but having lived in the city and now in the country, I would not even want to attempt to raise children in the city. I very clearly remember family-unfriendly employers and co-worker parents who agonized over missing their son or daughter's recital/game/presentation. They were made to feel that whatever project they were working on simply could NOT be put off for a few hours or until the next morning. Throw into the mix that most of us lived in suburbs at LEAST 20 miles from the office, it made things even more difficult. One of the reasons we waited until we were in the country to start our family was because I really dreaded the thought of dropping my baby off at daycare at 7 or 7:30 a.m. and then not seeing him until 6:30 or 7 p.m. That was something I just could not fathom doing.

But back to the job. It doesn't pay but maybe half what I was making in the city 5 years ago but I live 2 miles from the office, I can leave at any time to go to his special little functions, and if he gets sick then it is no big deal if Daddy or I stay home with him. My boss is not going to make me feel like the office is going to screech to a halt if I'm not there.

But half the $$ out here is a 100 times better than all the $$$ there!

Hello? Kettle? This is the Pot . . .

I am completely astounded that Al Sharpton is shaking his finger at the LA judicial system. Apparently he's hollering about the unfairness of Paris Hilton being let out of jail three days into her sentence.

Ain't he one of the guys who was screaming, "IF THE GLOVE DOES NOT FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT!!!" ? ? ?

hilarious

Bear - 1, Parents - 0

Please keep in mind that I am smiling as I type this.

I had pretty lofty goals for what home improvement tasks I wanted to undertake while the Bear deconstructed his grandmother's home for a day.

Here's what was accomplished:

1. Completed horse panel fence.
2. Cleaned out and re-organized the Bear's closet.

That's it. That's what I accomplished. And the 35 feet of horse fence was finished in about 2 hours once we hitched up the trailer to go pick up the needed materials.

We spent 6 frakking hours!! clearing out the black hole that was his closet (not all of the contents his, of course). It took all of about 30 minutes to install the new ClosetMaid shelving and double rods. What took the majority of our time was emptying the closet out and then separating good from bad from ugly and bagging everything that no longer had a home with us.

Here's the tally:

2 truckloads of trash
1 truckload of donated items

Now that it has all been done and his closet could be an ad for small home organization, I'm happy and content.

Not so the story yesterday. Sitting in the middle of the pile in his room, I had the creepy feeling that it was all just multiplying. It took me 2 hours to see a spot clear to the carpet.

The day's biggest aggravation came in the form of the new microwave. Our old one stopped working last week so we were living like cave people! We finally got to a bigger town with a Wal-Mart yesterday morning and grabbed the biggest nuker they had. We got all the way home to plug it in. And nothing. The motor fan was blowing constantly but that was about it. So we had to load it up this morning, drive 30 miles, exchange it, plug it in AT THE STORE to make sure it worked, load it up, and haul it the 30 miles back home. Oh yeah, and we picked up the Bear while we were there.

We missed church this morning but we are all getting some much needed rest before the work week starts again. I think if the Lord saw the closet yesterday, He is understanding of my weariness today.

What to do with a day?!??!

By all things that are wonderful and glorious, I am going to have a day, an entire day! to do as I please when I please how I please and the bestest part is I get to do it all without make-up!!

My mother-in-law very graciously offered to take the Bear home with her for a weekend (alas, I'm not ready for his overnight stays somewhere else whilst I am at home where he should be) so she will be having him for the entire day tomorrow.

There are so many things I want to/need to/should do but my primary focus these days has been the homestead. So bright and early first thing tomorrow morning I shall get started on the following:

1. Blogging - mainly posting the 593 recipes I have been collecting to the Bon Vivant Gourmet (we needs to do our best to get the Lady Lorraine published so her green eyes will return to their loveliest shade of blue);
2. Mysterious reduction of toys/too small clothes/etc from the Bear's black hole, er, room;
3. Paint the front gate glossy black (it is currently in its original green shade - ewwww);
4. Mount elegant brushed aluminum house number plaque to said front gate;
5. Complete temporary horse panel fence;
6. Paint said temporary fence glossy black;
7. Shred (mow with a tractor) front acre to road;
8. Spray coastal grass weed/seed for lush thick coastal grass (to be later mowed back down by the horses);
9. Mow the front yard, WAIT! I did that last night because I'm ready to get started!
10. Enjoy a nice glass of wine and dinner with my husband;
11. Watch NetFlix choice of the week - "Night at the Museum";
12. Pass out.

Yea - right. We'll see how this all shakes out. ;o)

TAGGED! I'm It!

Greeny tagged Lorraine who tagged Sling who tagged Gina who tagged me. Now I am supposed to write 7 things about myself that people would be surprised/interested/entertained to know about me.

1. I'm not very compassionate with sick people. I know, I know. It's terrible but my patience completely flies out the window when someone starts in on their moaning and groaning. But on a positive note, I have noticed that my compassion is usually lacking when there is a significant amount of dramatics and not so much actual illness.

2. I'm very prudish. As in modest. And I think I have every right to make snarky comments about females who show no public modesty whatsoever. I don't care if she has 6pack abs or is a trim little size 4 - COVER YOURSELF!!!

3. I LOVE to sing. And trust me, you don't want to hear it. Why oh why was I destined to not have a single melodious bone in my body? So I save my singing (and dancing) for closed bathrooms and the soundproofness of my vehicle. You're welcome.

4. I think I was supposed to be blonde. Because sometimes my blonde moments are just too obvious to ignore. But my dark tresses keep me legitimately intelligent. har har har

5. I HATE REALITY TV SHOWS!! What happened to the good ole days of 75 different sitcoms a week, or even "Flamingo Road" for cripes sake? Oh Aaron Spelling - we are so doomed without you.

6. I can't whistle. I do a little "roo roo" thing that luckily works well enough for the horses to come down to the pen to get fed but if anyone ever really whistles at them, they are going to be like, "What the frak was that? And where is Mom - she's late with her roo roo for food."

7. I get all teary at a fishing commercial. There's this one "Take Me Fishing" commercial that they are running right now that has little kids saying, "Take me fishing . . . because our boat is better than any video game." And "Take me fishing . . . because we will always have something in common." But the one that gets me is the little girl who says, "Take me fishing . . . because my wedding day will be here sooner than you think." geez, where's my tissue?!!??

Now I am tagging Brooke, Wyatt, and Liz.

Where You At?

Well, here I am again with another spastic posting. This is really bothering me that I can't come out here and post regularly, much less catch up on all my blog reading. Maybe this job will slow down a bit to a more controllable level of sanity. Hopefully.

There are so many things going on that I want to post about, that I have definite opinions on, that I want to comment on. But things are moving so fast that I barely put together a cohesive thought about anything before the next issue pops up.

At this very minute my main concerning thought is that my cell phone blows because I can't get any decent ringtones for it. New phone by the end of the day, I'm telling ya. And the first thing I'm going to do when I get it is download the PussyCat Dolls "Buttons" ringtone.

It's all about perspective, right?

You are all in my thoughts pretty regular - hope all is well with everyone.

Happy Mother's Day!!

A very dear friend sent this to me after spending the weekend with us at a local rodeo. She got to experience my 3 year old son first-hand so when she sent it to me she noted, "I simply could not get the Bear out of my mind when I first read this!! Hope this hasn't happened to you and that you have wonderful Mother's Day with that entertaining little man!!"

For all you moms out there! Happy Mother's Day!

At the time of this story we had this great 10-year old cat named Jack. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom.

Well, we have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES it. He kept asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was done.

Last year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around to try to get ready for church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys were fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I was trying to nurse my little one at the same time I was putting on my make-up. Everything was a mess and everyone had long forgotten that it was supposed to be a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood.

We finally had the older one and the baby loaded in the car, and I was looking for Eli. I had searched everywhere, and I finally rounded the corner to go into the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was applying my chapstick very carefully to Jack's rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped."

Now if you have a cat, you know that he was right--their little butts do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind.

And the only question really to ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind -- or the hundredth.

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever, because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

e-GADS!!

Crikey! Has it really been almost three weeks since I last posted? Totally not acceptable. Seriously. This new job is interfering with my Blogger time and that just ain't gonna work no mo'.

The new job is going really great. I had a couple of bumpy first weeks and I think it was more from the company's tremendous growth that I came in on more than a lack of ability on my part. It wasn't until my third week that I (and even my boss) had a clear comprehension of what my job duties and responsibilities would be. And even now into my sixth week, my job description is still evolving. But that is a good thing.

And since the new job is not with the CIA, I can tell you a little bit about it. I am the new (not improved, just new) Human Resources Administrator for a local land services company. We have two offices in Texas with the Mason office being the headquarters. We are in the early planning stages for our third office. Now, you might be saying, "Who knew surveying was such a boomin' bidness?" Well, hey. I had no idea either. But we do more than that - we are also into the geophysical-engineering part of land services also. One of our biggest clients is an energy corporation.

With that being said, my duties include advertising and hiring needed personnel for both offices (no small feat since our second office is four hours away). I also take care of the multiple administrative type issues. We are needing significant interior construction for additional offices and conference rooms and the such so I will be working with contractors to get bids and eventually get the work done. We are planning a big "appreciation" event for our biggest client in June so I am knee deep in party planning - WHICH I LOVE, by the way! I am - without the designated title - the right hand person to our Operations Director so she keeps me very busy with all the various and sundry minute detail work of actually running the day to day operations of the business. In between all that I field phone call after phone call responses to the numerous newspaper and internet employment ads we have posted to fill personnel needs. And each phone call generates some type of task on my part whether it is sending an application via email, postal mail or fax. One of my top priorities is entering daily billable time from our researchers, draftsman, and field crews which in turn generates invoices to the clients. And I haven't even told you about the multiple spreadsheet reports I keep updated on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis.

But still. I need to make time for Blogging, mustn't I?

I hope all is well with everyone. I extend my sincerest apologies for my lack of interaction in our wonderful little Blogging community. I am hopeful that once I get my daily duties into a less chaotic rhythm I will be able to be more participatory again with you all. I have an overwhelming amount of Blogs to catch up on!!

Still Kickin!

Man! Has it really been two whole weeks since I lasted posted? WOW! Time really does fly when you're living in the middle of a tornado!

The new job? eh - let's just say it's there for now. More dish on that later.

The old job? Still hanging on to me. My replacement is not as qualified as my former employers led me to believe. In the first two weeks of April I put in 80 hours at the new job while putting in 26 hours at the old job. And the former employer expects me to put in more time this week with the new girl. Uh uh. Ain't gonna happen.

All is well with the family. Apparently my 3 year old son is quite smitten with one of my new co-workers. Can you believe he would rather come by and see her than rush home to ride on his brand new battery powered John Deere tractor??!!!?? Hubby and I are completely befuddled by this. She gave him some cash the other day. The boy already knows how to work it.

Gotta go. More later!

Hugs to all!

Wake Up Call

So I've been on the new job for 3.5 days. While the new duties and opportunity for challenge are stimulating in and of themselves, I've had a pretty big jolt back to "the real world."

The secular work environment is very different from employment that requires one to be knee deep (literally) in religion on a day-to-day basis. Not only is secular employment 90% for profit, the competitiveness in the workplace is almost palpable. I had forgotten the dog eat dog mentality despite retaining my alligator skin from my lawyering days.

This is not to say that I am not enjoying the new work. I feel like it was a good choice for me and my family and I truly believe that I will be an asset to this company that has such huge potential. But there is something to be said for the very warm, very heart-engaging work that one does in a church office.

My time with my church will be remembered fondly.

And my acquired servant's heart will always be thankful for the experience.

Off to See the Wizard!

Well, I start my new job tomorrow. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I am pretty excited about it. I'm not real thrilled about all the soap opera dramma that has been transpiring in and around the new office but I'm feeling confident that I will be able to set the tone (as the new Office Administrator/HR Director) for the office to be professional and productive without all the teen-age angst mentality that has apparently been going on.

So if you don't hear from me for a few days, never fear! I will be back and with any luck, I'll have some interesting if not funny stories to tell.


To Infinity and Beyonnnnnnnnddddddd . . . . . . ! ! ! !

Another Hillary-ous

A man died and went to heaven.

As he stood in front of St. Peter atthe Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, "What are all those clocks?"

St. Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move."

"Oh," said the man, "whose clock is that?"

"That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie."

"Incredible," said the man. "And whose clock is that one?"

St. Peter responded, "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life."

"Where's Hillary Clinton's clock?" asked the man.

"Hillary's clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."


har har har

oh yeah

.

Happy 5th Anniversary, honey!!




.

Okay . . . so here's the deal

I have been out of pocket and kind of flying around everywhere (literally and mentally) because I was offered a job last week. On Thursday at lunch. While I was getting into my truck to be exact.

Now while job offers are no small thing even in the most mundane of professions, this job offer constituted a pretty big deal. In my life. In my current employment. In my husband's elected position. In our church. Pretty much in our whole town.

I won't go into all the gorey details but I will put it in bullet point format for ease of understanding (mainly because bullet points make it easier for ME):

• I currently work in our church office
• I do not make much $$ and there are no health insurance or retirement benefits
• I really love my job and the servant's posture it has allowed me to transition into
• I do not make hardly any $$
• New job pays A LOT
• New job pays for mine and the Bear's health insurance
• New job offers retirement fund
• New job also employs someone who had an affair with a married person
• That someone was also married at the time
• Both couples are members of our church
• Our town is very very very (did I mention) very small
• Ergo there are the "teams" who have picked sides of the affair to be on
• My husband is an ELECTED official
• Certain people on the "teams" might perceive my acceptance of the new job as support for the affairees
• New job is answer to prayer inasmuch as it pertains to income and benefits for my family
• New job is something that my strengths would allow me to be really really good at
• Did I mention how small our town is? If you don't already know someone it's because you're related to them.

So there you go. I am, of course, going to take the new job. It all feels "right" and maybe I am putting too much concern about the soap opera that has been front and center in our town for the past nine months into my deliberations. But my husband and I have tried very hard to walk the neutral line in our community. If we said it once, we said it one hundred times: "It is not our business and we are not going to speculate about ANYONE'S private lives."

See what I get for mentioning my life was uneventful?

I'm gonna try keeping my big yap shut for a while.

Catching Up to Do

I've been out of the loop for the past week or so but I plan on getting back into the swing today or tomorrow.

There have been some interesting developments going on in my life and I fully intend on sharing it all out here with you.

Like it or not.

I'll beeee right back . . . .

Hillary-ous

Al Gore and Bill and Hillary Clinton go to heaven.

God, sitting on his throne, addresses Al first. "Al, what do you believe in?"

Al replies, "Well, I believe that I won that election, but that it was your will that I did not serve. And I've come to understand that now."

God thinks for a second and says, "Very good. Come and sit at my left."

God then addresses Bill. "Bill, what do you believe in?"

Bill replies, "I believe in forgiveness. I've sinned, but I've never held a grudge against my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held against me."

God thinks for a second and says, "You are forgiven, my son. Come and sit at my right."

Then God addresses Hillary. "Hillary, what do you believe in?"

She replies, "I believe you're in my chair."


har har har

Happy Blog-iversary to ME!

The day we've all be waiting for is finally here. Today I celebrate not only 1 complete year as a member of the Blogger family but this here posts represents my 200th contribution to all the drivel we spend non-productive work hours reading. (Cause frankly I'm not going to waste any of my quality at-home sofa time screwing around on the computer!)

But I would like to take this opportunity to just say that I have loved (all the Blogger boogers notwithstanding) my first year out here with everyone in Blogopia. It has been a very rewarding (in terms of friends made and lessons learned) and extremely entertaining (read: hilarious, obscene, humbling, poignant) experience. I am so glad I stumbled, yes, stumbled across Blogger because believe me - - nobody out here in Hicktown referred me.

Given my life experiences and the choices I have made as I've grown older, I have found that I can love some pretty mangy individuals (so long as there is a www between us). And you know who you are. (just kiddin!)

I'm really looking forward to continuing on this journey with all of you.

XOXOXO

Geez Loooo-weez!!

Well, boogity Blogger ate my last post and quite frankly I don't have the mental energy to work it up again. (And it was a good one too - political and all that!)

So here's a funny from my Dad. He cracks me up.


WILL I LIVE TO BE 80?

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco or drink beer or wine?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either."

Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"

I said, "No, my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!"

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, boating, hiking or bicycling?"

"No, I don't," I answered.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars or have a lot of sex?"

"No," I said, "I don't do any of those things."

He looked at me and said, "Then why do you give a s**t?"

Now THAT'S funny . . . .

. . . I don't care who you are!!!



The Democratic National Committee is currently polling Americans through the internet to determine the electability of Hillary Clinton for the presidency of the United States in 2008.

If you would like to show your support for Hillary and encourage her to run for President of the United States in 2008 please add your name to the bottom of the list below and send it on. Please forward and don't break the chain. This poll has been circulating since 1/03/07.

1.






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Old Family Story

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till 6:00A.M, but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you ‘til noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on "route marches," which the platoon Sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

The country is nice but awful flat. The Sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and Colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting, I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have w hat they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this place except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake . I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter ~ Louise

Funny Pic

My Democrat friends may not find this so funny but I take Republican punches with pretty good humor so turnabout . . .

Not that brave yet

Do you have any posts sitting on your dashboard that you haven't posted yet? They're just sitting there in draft mode not quite ready for publish because you're not quite sure you're ready to put it out there. The subject matter might be just a little too hot, a little too controversial so you just click the draft button because, like me, once you typed it out you just weren't feeling quite that brave yet.

I just did another one of those. It's a pretty controversial topic and it's one of those that NO ONE wants to try to even find middle ground on. It cuts too close to home and the subject matter is an emotional one. If you're like me, if something appears remotely offensive to someone I care about, I'm ready to throw down on somebody, anybody. But if it is even completely offensive to me, I try (at least I hope I do) to get more information and more basis for the position. I'd like to think that I'm at least respectful of others' opinions even when I don't agree with them.

We have so many hot topics in our society these days: politics, war, religion, education, marriage, entertainment.

Like they say out here in Texas, "Swing a dead cat and you're gonna offend someone."

No More Drama

Sorry for the sad lack of posts lately but to be quite honest, there hasn't been a whole lot to post about. When there is a deficiency of drama in one's life, it gets hard to come up with the entertaining and juicy bits o' blog fodder.

Hubby and I are planning a trip to the city this weekend. We're gonna eat out at a nice restaurant and go see a movie. Maybe "Wild Hogs" - we've heard from folks who saw the sneakview last weekend that it is really good with plenty of laughs.

The rodeo drill team thing is going good. I'm really enjoying being part of a group of people who love their horses and riding as much as I do. We know that people don't come to the rodeos to see us but once we get out there and do our thing, they see how entertaining it can be. Rodeo contestants might think we are "sissies" for just riding around in patterns carrying flags but the crowd enjoys it and that is really all that matters seeing as how they are the ones who paid for tickets.

The Bear is still ornery as ever. The weather has been really mild and pretty down here for the past couple of weeks with only a chilly day or two here and there. So we have been spending as much daylight allows outside playing in the dirt and chasing the dog. Good times.

That's about all that is going on around here.

By the way, has anyone really seen Castro lately? Because I'm thinking somebody is just posing his corpse for photo ops. But that's just me.

An Inspirational Gift

A friend passed this along to me and I feel compelled to share it with whomever happens onto my blog, whether intentional or not.

I've never been a big fan of "religious art" meaning those depictions of Christ and the Virgin Mother.

But this artist's creations are incredible.

This is Hilarious!

I apologize if you have already seen this one in your Inbox but I had to post it because the punch line sounds EXACTLY like something my Dad would say!

A Montana cowboy was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture when suddenly a brand new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"

The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an e-mail on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored.

He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with e-mail on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP Laser Jet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the cowboy. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government," says the cowboy.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie. "But how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required," answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter you are than me when you don't know a thing about cows . . . this is a herd of sheep. Now give me back my dog."

Horse Dancing 101

Here's a grid of some of our patterns. This is just page 1 of 4. These twelve patterns represent about 2 to 3 minutes of real-time action. We want our opening ceremonies routine to last at least 10 minutes.

Colonel hasn't seen the entire 4 pages of grid yet. I'm hoping he's feeling frisky and up to anything we try. But like every other old man I know, I'm expecting some b****ing and moaning from him (because his preferred activity includes staying at the house and eating).

Back in the Saddle

I know I told y'all about the Rodeo Drill Team week before last but Canada sent us a freezing cold winter front that Friday afternoon so we didn't get to practice last weekend like I was anticipating.

But we did get out to the arena yesterday afternoon and today to practice our patterns. We did it all at a walk-trot because we are going to have to have it down pat once we put music to it because that will up the tempo considerably. Add that to the fact that some of the horses don't feel like "dancing" at times and we have our work cut out for us.

I am really excited about taking this project on. The entire team is made up of some really fantastic people and spending the last two afternoons with them was a lot of fun and then some.

I'm going to scan in a couple of our patterns so you can see what I'm talking about.

Wrong Thoughts on Products e-Store Grand Opening!!

It's official. Wrong Thoughts on Products is now open for bidness.

I have launched myself out in to the all-consuming void that is known as e-commerce. We'll see how long this lasts.

But I had fun creating the products just for you in my e-store. Or rather, I had fun coming up with the smarmy comments to put on products. There are lots of products offered on CafePress so if you see a product I don't have but think I should and you even have a good idea what to print on it, let me know. Not that I would share the loot with you or anything but I will give you props on the blog. Just saying.

Now, where's your credit card?

Another Funny from my (retired) Dad

Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make theirdays interesting.

Well, for example, the other day I went downtown and went into a shop. I was only in there for about 5 minutes and when I came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

I went up to him and said, "Come on, man, how about giving a retired person a break?"

He ignored me and continued writing the ticket. I called him a"Nazi ."

He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires.

So I called him a "doughnut eating Gestapo." He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.Then he started writing a third ticket.

This went on for about 20 minutes. The more I abused him, the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, I didn't care. I came downtown on the bus and the car that he was putting the tickets on had a bumper sticker that said "Hillary in '08."

I try to have a little fun each day now that I'm retired. It's important to my health.

Confusing Previous Post

Just so you don't think the previous post was confirmation of my lunacy (it's still pending), I'm working on setting up my own little store-front on the web. Maybe generate a little cashflow for the upkeep of Muddy Feet Farms.

I'll keep you posted on when the Grand Opening is scheduled!

Thanks for Shopping!

I hope you enjoy your Wrong Thoughts on Products as much as I enjoyed designing them!

More NASCAR Fan Stuff

Y'all are gonna think me and the Hubby are a couple of lovesick fools who need to get a room but I really want to share our Valentine's gift with everyone.

We ordered NASCAR HotPass from DirecTV! WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!



'scuse me whilst I wipe a tear . . .

Everybody's got their Snickers in a Twist

I know I'm pretty tardy in posting about this topic since the Super Bowl was over a week ago, but this has been on my mind and I am just getting around to putting my opinion into words.

Apparently lots of folks got more than a little peeved about the Snickers commercial that aired during the big game. For some us, the commercials really are the best part (especially if our favored team isn't playing).

This particular commercial is getting flack because two polar opposite groups found it offensive. The homophobes were offended because it showed two guys eating the same candy bar and quasi-kissing. The gay community was offended because after the quasi-kiss, the two guys voiced the need to "do something manly."

Okay, while I understand the affront taken by both positions that have been reported by the media, I don't side with either of them. I'm with the third group that wasn't even given voice about this particular issue.

I'm with the group that thinks it was just a crappy commercial all the way around.

Boogity Boogity Boogity!!

Okay, if you're not a NASCAR fan then you can pretty much skip this post.

But if you ARE a fellow NASCAR fan, all I can say is:

I AM SO READY FOR SOME RACING!!!!

We got the tv on Speed channel today and apparently there's gonna be something like 10 hours of constant NASCAR coverage starting with Budweiser Shootout and then all kinds of joyful pre-Daytona festivities.

So with an entire day full of wonderfully satisfying NASCAR stuff, I don't plan on getting out of my pajamas until some time tomorrow right before time to leave for church.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!

It's Official

The Bear is now in the "Younger Pre-School" class. His last day in the Toddler class was yesterday. While Daddy and I are excited for his big accomplishment, we are a little melancholy about it too.

He's getting so big and it's happening so fast. What happened to our little 6 lb. 7 oz. tree frog? (You should've seen this kid's feet and hands when he came out!)

Of course, the Bear couldn't be happier about it. There is a certain elevation of independence in the Pre-School classes and he is very adamant that he is Big Boy.

So while he continues on his journey through life which inevitably brings milestones and accomplishments, Daddy and I will still see the little bitty baby boy we brought home so long ago.

Cakes and Cookies and Pie! Oh My!

The Bear's dayschool is having its Annual Spring Fundraiser next month. Since it is a sliding scale daycare/pre-school, the majority of parents do not pay full tuition. Ergo, our little church school would be in the red every month to the tune of about $5,000.

But this is where the incredible part comes in. Despite the fact that 99.9% of the children do not come from "affluent" (read - financially secure) families, many of our local very flush neighbors have been generous with their donations and their monthly support of the school. Since we not very flush nor affluent, Hubby and I participate in the "I'm In" group that donates $50 a month. The hope being that if 100 people joined the group, $5,000 shortfall would be eliminated. The school's very small and very tight budget gets some critical financial breathing room.

There are two annual fundraisers: Spring and Fall. I love the fundraisers for two reasons. First, since the Bear is a regular attendee of the school, he gets to participate in the activities at the fundraisers and see everyone working together to keep his school (WHICH HE LOVES!) open and running. Secondly, I get to donate a beautiful cake to the cake auction. These are no ordinary cake auctions. I usually spend between $30 to $50 for a 3-layer 10 or 12-inch cake with decorative icing plus I'll buy a $25 cake stand to go with it. So I donate approximately $75 but guess how much that little puppy will bring in?!?

How about $750? Yep, you got it. I donated a $30 cake and a $25 cake plate last Fall (the cake was a round 3-layer cake with yellow icing and colored polka dots) and the final bid was $750.

And you know who pays that kind of dough? GRANDPARENTS. They come in and see what wonderful things are happening with their grandchildren at this weekday ministry school and they can't wipe out their pension funds fast enough.

I love it. So, this Spring's donated cake will be a 10-inch, 3 layer Tuxedo cake on a pink cake stand.

YIPPEEE for ME!!

I just got a call from the Chairman of our local Rodeo Association and I have been asked to join the Drill Team!! I've wanted to do it but it is an invitation only group so, as you can guess, I am very excited about it.

For those of you who don't know what a rodeo drill team, it is a group of horses and riders who move in sync with each other throughout the rodeo arena (usually to the National Anthem and other upbeat toe tapping music). Most of the riders carry flags (the Stars & Stripes, the Texas Flag, and other relevant flags that are related to the specific event) and a few of the riders do not carry flags but perform fancy hoofwork. Kind of like horse dancing.

Our first practice is this Saturday.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Back in the Groove

We took a long weekend to go to Fort Worth to see my Dad-in-law and crew. Hubby cooked up some big honkin mouthwatering steaks for everybody (after they had marinated in beer all night - the steaks, I mean).

It's nice to go to the city every once in a while if only to remind us that the aggravations far outweigh the advantages (at least for us personally) of living in a metropolitan area. The traffic still sucks, the total lack of courtesy is even more blantant than ever, the crime is just a regular part of every day life. No thanks.

I'm gonna stick with my little small town with only one grocery store, four restaurants, and one 4-way stop intersection. Where everybody knows my business and you know what? I'm seeing where that is a good thing. If I don't show up for work or if I'm not seen in town for more than a few days, people start asking questions and calling to see if I'm okay. It's truly more concern than curiosity. I like the fact that when I come up to the 4-way stop, sometimes it's a contest to see who can be the most courteous. "You go." "No, you go." "You go first." "No, YOU go first." "Thanks, see you at coffee shop."

I know it sounds hokey but despite all the goofball things that go on in a small town, I'm just gonna keep my boots on and stay in the country. I had the big city life and all the trappings that go with it. Been there, done that.

And guess what? It ain't all I thought it was cracked up to be. Quite frankly, I can't remember much about the life except what new car I drove, where I worked, and what expensive clothes I wore. Past that, I couldn't give you a whole lot of details. Sounds pretty sad to me now.

And now, if I'm not chasing a 3 year old Bear around, I'm working with the horses, or I'm helping on a(nother) committee at church, or contributing my time or baked goods to the current fundraiser. Hubby and I eat lunch together almost every day - eating at our own table and sharing our mornings' events. No rush - no bustle - just a little quality time together over turkey sandwiches and Funyuns.

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." ~ Eddie Cantor

Pillow Talk

Apparently a Ryobi chainsaw's got nothing on me when it comes to sawing some logs. At least according to Hubby. Not a day or two goes by that he doesn't bring up the fact that he is sleep deprived because I rattle the rafters. So he says - I'm still not convinced that I'm that loud.

As mentioned in a previous post, he is in San Antonio this week for Sheriff stuff. He called last night to talk to the Bear and check in on us. Guess what he said?

"I just can't sleep if you're not next to me . . . making all your racket."

Awwwww, sweet talk will get him everywhere.

"Good-bye" for Now

I didn't hear the news until just now - Hubby is in San Antonio at a lawman conference and he text'd me to let me know.

I didn't know Barbaro personally but I know his kind. If you've never owned a horse or even been around them, it's hard to explain the personalities and incredible spirits that these animals possess. When Barbaro's life-threatening injury first occurred last year, I kept a watchful eye on his prognosis and recovery. Silly as it may sound to some, I included Barbaro on my prayer list. His disposition in the face of painful adversity was inspiring and a lesson to those of us who face much lesser obstacles in our lives. He was literally fighting for his life.

My aunt has an Appaloosa named Boomer, he's about 12 years old now. His bloodline can be traced back to Secretariat. When he was 4 years old, Boomer was diagnosed with a degenerative equine optic disease. My aunt was given the choice of having him put down or having his eyes removed. She chose the latter. He was young and strong and, except for the bad eyes, he was a terrific young horse with a lot of potential. When asked why she chose to make him blind, my aunt answered, "I know him and being blind was not going to be an obstacle for him. He is just too happy to be here to even consider ending his life."

My aunt and uncle live on about 60 acres in central Wisconsin. The front part of their property is flat with the barn and corral near the house. The back 50 acres dips down into a valley with a 3 foot wide path going down into it.

Boomer knows every inch of the place. He is one of the most awesome horses I've ever met - his spirit is absolutely incredible.

So was Barbaro's.

I am saddened that Barbaro's story has ended the way that it has but I am grateful for him that his owners loved him so much that they were willing to spend a small fortune to get him the best possible veterinary care and then, with all options exhausted, they chose to give him peace.

Rest in peace, dear Barbaro.

You will be missed.

New Fear of Flying

Actual crack in the window of a USAir DC-9. Fliers beware of sub-standard maintenance on the airplanes that you fly on! This is an actual crack found in the window frame.

I will definitely think twice before flying USAir!






Thanks, Dad, for the Monday morning laugh!!

Another Good One from Dad

In Louisiana, this fella, Bubba Joe Boudreaux, had a bad vehicle accident caused by a semi-truck. In court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning Boudreaux.

"Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine?' " the lawyer asked.

Boudreaux responded, "Let me told you what happened. Me, I had jus loaded my favorite mule Bessie, into da . . . "

"I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?"

Boudreaux said, "I had jus got Bessie into da trailer and I was drivin down da road . . . "

The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now, several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to answer the question."

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Boudreaux's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie."

Boudreaux thanked the Judge and proceeded, "I had jus loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into da trailer and was drivin her down da highway when dis huge semi-truck and trailer ran da stop sign and smacked my truck right in da side. Me, I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into da udder. I was hurtin real bad and didn't wanna move at tall. But I could heared ole Bessie moanin and groanin. Me, I knowed she was in some kind o' terrible shape just by her groans. Shortly after da accident, a Highway Patrolman, he came on da scene. He heared Bessie moanin' and groanin' so him, he went over ta her. After he took hisself a look at her, he took out his gun and shot her between da eyes. Den dat Patrolman came cross da road, gun in hand, and looked at me, and said 'How are you feeling?' Now what da hell would you say?!"

The brainpan must've sprung a leak

. . . because I've got nothing to post about. The icy weather is over (for now) and it is a balmy 77 degrees and sunshiny out there right now.

The Bear is well. Still ornery, but well.

The Hubby is well also.

The SuperBowl is not for another week.

Went to the dentist yesterday. No cavities and my tooth shade is A1 which means professional whitening will not make much difference. That rocks.

NetFlix sent me "The Black Dahlia" dvd with a big old scab on it so it wouldn't play.

Amazon is taking for frigging ever to get my books to me that I ordered early last week.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday and we have a Rodeo Association meeting at lunch. I need something fun to finish out this week.

I think tonight would be a perfect opportunity to break out the instant margarita mix for happy hour at Muddy Feet Farms. Cause I definitely need the attitude adjustment.

Texas Frozen Tundra: Update

Sorry I have been so long in posting. Tuesday and Wednesday I was iced in with the Bear, which does not lend itself to many moments of posting on my blog.

Thursday and Friday were spent frantically trying to do 4 days of work in 2. I actually had to go in for a few hours this morning to wrap up the week.

The ice melted by Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning was still pretty cold but not enough to freeze up the wet streets. Our dirt road is another story. Our gate is about 1 mile from the paved highway, add to that the road to our house from the gate and it is a pretty good stretch to navigate mucky slicky slidey mud.

My white truck is a now a light orange from the Mason County red clay. And I'm not even going to tell you about the heartbreaking condition of my interior floormats.

But all is well down here. We have been getting more very cold rain but not freezing. The temperature has been about 38 all day. Chances are that we will hit freezing tonight but I hope not.

I love cold weather but I am really ready for the wet stuff to get the heck out of here. We've really needed the moisture and I know I should be more thankful but I've had my fill of mud. Everybody says all the rain now will help ensure a bountiful wildflower Spring (we're on a popular wildflower route down here - lots and lots and lots of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas).

Thanks for the posts and emails of concern. We're dry and warm. Hope y'all are too!

Snow Day?

Well, everything out here in Mason, Texas is officially shut down. If you look outside it just looks like a normal dreary freezing cold winter day. But there's where you'd be wrong. Apparently we are waiting for the worst to hit later today. Some forecasters are predicting up to 7 inches of snow!?!?!! out here!

The bad weather moved in late Thursday or early Friday. Friday was cold cold cold but didn't get wet until later in the evening. Saturday wasn't wet but it was still really cold as was Sunday. Later Sunday afternoon we started getting some of the freezing rain so by the time we got out of the house Monday morning there was a 1/4 inch of ice on the front walk. Luckily my truck stays under cover so I didn't have to scrape off that heavy duty ice. The roads weren't too bad yesterday morning but by lunch time the wind was pretty stout - felt like it was cutting right through me. I've been throwing hay out to the horses every 6 to 8 hours. Colonel needs his joint support added to his feed (since he's 16 and this freezing weather is hard on an old guy). Hubby had to break ice on the tank this morning despite the constant dripping to keep the water moving so as not to freeze.

Watching the news this morning and the forecast is definitely bleary. It started sleeting again at about 8 am and they are predicting snow/sleet for the next four days. Praise God our pipes haven't froze and I'm keeping a constant prayer going that the well doesn't freeze up on us either.

I'd take a picture but it's too blamed cold to open the front door.

Every body stay warm!

Loadin up on groceries . . .

With our lack of substantial rainfall in these parts, the natural grass out at the place is getting woefully thin. So I spent my lunch hour today doing a little grocery shopping for the horses. And seeing as how Hubby is still recovering from a back sprain, I'll be the only hired hand to unload all the booty.

I just hope I can make it to the house from the gate before they tear the truck apart trying get a few bites!

Sounds like a GREAT plan to me!

Meeeee-YOWWWW!

hee hee hee

You are . . .

Catwoman

Catwoman

---

95%

Wonder Woman

---

85%

The Flash

---

80%

Hulk

---

70%

Green Lantern

---

70%

Iron Man

---

70%

Supergirl

---

60%

Robin

---

52%

Spider-Man

---

35%

Batman

---

35%

Superman

---

10%

You're tough kitty,you know how to be a thief and exploit others
but you stand up for society's rejects.


Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Thanks, Eric, for the fun link!

Ding Dong! The Cowboys are OUT!!

I seriously loves hatin me some Dallas Cowboys football. There are few things that give me devilish glee like the All-Time Overpaid Showboating Gold Toofus Doofuses losing a game or, better yet, making it to the playoffs only to be DENIED!

Now, you're probably saying, "But jLow, you're a born and bred Texan. You're supposed to be a Cowboys fan."

You'd think.

But there is a history. Several years ago I moved to Dallas from the sticks to make the big bucks. I hopped on the "Dallas Fans Bandwagon" where all members displayed their team loyalties to the Cowboys, the Stars, the Mavs, and the Rangers. I don't really care for basketball. Okay, I don't like basketball period. As for baseball, I don't care what team you're rooting for: nothing beats sitting in a killer stadium on a beautiful spring day while someone else delivers your hotdogs and beer right to your chair! I definitely caught the hockey bug with the Stars (formerly the Minnesota Northstars) when they moved to Dallas in the early 90s. As for the Cowboys, my Dad was fan and my brother was a fan and my first boyfriend in Dallas was a fan so it was pretty much be a fan or be alone. But somewhere around 1995 or 1996, the Cowboy players were getting into all their "extra-curricular activities." I don't care how many United Way commercials a player shoots, if he has a habit of breaking the law - in my mind he's a loser. There was Erik Williams' one-car demolition on the tollway that he walked away from (meaning he left the scene of the accident - disposable Mercedes), Leon Lett's and Michael Irvin's illegal drug habits, and Deion Sanders' undignified strutting around in suits that could have only come from Pimps R Us. Okay, so what Deion did wasn't illegal. But it shoulda been. After all that, I was sick of 'em. Add to it that I have extremely disliked Jerry Jones from the minute I found out about him. He's a sleazeball who thinks money should make people immune to the rules that the rest of us live by.

And one Sunday as fate would have it, I was flipping through the channels (my first season with DirecTV's NFL Pass) when I came across a New England Patriots game. Despite the fact that Boston is one of my very favorite places, I found myself really enjoying watching these guys play. I was only familiar with Drew Bledsoe but that may have been due to geographic sports reporting. I felt like I was watching a football team playing a game they loved and that they truly wanted to win for the sake of winning. Afterwards, (they did win) Bledsoe was interviewed and one other guy (can't remember who now) but they were both so humble and gracious. My decision was made - I had found my team.

Several years have passed since that time and half of the team has retired or been traded. Let's not even talk about Bledsoe moving to the Cowboys. It has been one of my biggest heartbreaks as a football fan. That and Ty Law going to Kansas City (what the heck has KC accomplished? nada).

So, yes, I do take a lot of pleasure in seeing the Cowboys denied another opportunity to go to the Big Show. Whenever they win they act like they're the only ones to ever win the SuperBowl. I'm tellin you - the Cowboys suck.

This year I'm hoping my Patriots make it all the way. Because the ride is even better when the team is playing football and not playing for the cameras.

Yeah-heh-heh-heh Buddy! DAT'S what I'm talkin 'bout!

My planning bug has bitten me pretty hard so far as getting ready for the Bear's birthday party (in April) but check out this bad mamma jamma jumper we're gonna rent for the kiddos to play in:

Dude . . . we are so gonna have a blast! er, I mean the KIDS are gonna have a blast.

Very Cool

While on the holiday hiatus this past weekend, I was surfing the satellite channels looking for anything remotely interesting to watch.

I came across Beyonce's Freeview concert. I like most of her stuff - anything that makes me want to shake my caboose is a good thing. Or not.

But what I found so great about the show was that Beyonce has a 12-member all female band. And these chicks were ROCKIN!

Very cool.

So this is why I have 33 cases of books . . .

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Quote of the Day

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another." - - Anonymous

Old Age Relief Settling In on Me

Apparently I am older than I originally thought. According to realage.com I am 39.8 instead of 39.5 - what a bunch of hooey. I guess the exercise and no smoking, no drinking thing ain't gonna keep me young and healthy like I had been duped into believing.

But now that the holidays and festivities are over, I have to admit it.

I. AM. SO. RELIEVED.

I hate to be such a pooper but dadgum! It takes a lot out of us old folk (those of us 39.8 and older) to handle all the preparations and such that go with celebrations. I had a friend (mid-30s male) tell me the other day that he missed the days when his life was so perfect and everything was the way it was supposed to be: i.e. Momma and Daddy made sure he had great Christmases and birthdays, etc. which included no input or exertion on his part whatsoever. oh wah frakkin wah! big baby

But now I have a whole new appreciation for all the crap and headaches that my Mom must have dealt with when I was kid.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and celebratory and recoverable New Year's Eve. Me, not so much.

I think I saw 9:25 and that was all she wrote. I vaguely came around about 11:50 but I couldn't even make it for 11 minutes to welcome in the New Year.

If only my bed weren't so danged comfy!!!

All the best to everyone for a happy healthy and prosperous 2007! ! !