Happy New Year!!!!

So, this is the time for reflection. Ok, I'm done.

I'm hoping for the year of 2010 to be great for everyone! I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, there always are. I'm looking forward to having a good year in my new home. I'm ready for all the moving and picture hanging and curtain putting up to be over! I can tell you this, I'm so thankful I've had the chance to move into this new house! It's so warm I can't believe it.

Now, remember the 40 new things to do my 40th year? I forgot about it and I think I only got to #4 or #5. Sis #2 reminded me that I should add spending Christmas away from my parents. When she mentioned that I said, "Oh yeah. I forgot all about that!"

I have trouble sticking with something for very long. Y'all know that about me already, but I just thought you should know I know that about me too.

There's a New Year's resolution. I'm gonna try to stay with a project til the end. Notice I said "a project". I shouldn't set my goals too high!

Happy New Year!

Home Again

I made it back to my neck of the woods last evening. WAHOO! I love my sister and her family. I would do anything for them I could. But let me tell you th is, being home is good!

Sis #2 and I didn't get as much accomplished as I had hoped, but how much can 2 girls get done when there is a 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a brand new baby? Maybe if we hadn't watched 42 movies at all hours of the day and night we could've gotten more done. But I think we both needed a little movie watching time.

Speaking of new baby, what a sweetie! His name is gonna be Snort on this blog. This baby is a snorter. He really gets after it when it's time to eat which is just about all day long. I definitely think he's gonna have red hair! Bro-in-law#1 that's for you!!!!!

Speaking of the bro-in-law's, sis#4 brought up a point that I don't really know how to remedy. She says her husband should be bro-in-law #1 since he was the first one. I had it in mind to list them 1,2,3 in order of the sister's they're married to. I thought this out a little bit when I started writing this silly blog, but obviously, not enough. Any thoughts on this subject??? I could use some unbiased input here.

There's piles of snow everywhere still. Usually, our snow doesn't last this long. Yesterday on our way back here the further west we went the less the snow got. However, when we turned off the highway on the road towards our place it was a different story. Then the closer we got to our place the more there was yet. It's a good thing I have a 4-wheel drive pickup.

Ok enough about all the snow. I'm glad to be home. Snow or no snow!!

Wishing a Year Away(subconciously)!

Everyone knows this isn't the best time of year for me. I really try to make the best of it, but I just get stretched a little thin. Oh if that were only true!

Case and point. Last night I meant to do some baking. I always do food type gifts for my employer and their families. It wound up being about 9pm before I got to the house. The kitchen was a mess. Full Wal-Mart sacks of cooking stuff were all over the kitchen floor. So, I just did some cleaning and decided to skip the cooking. Maybe I'll get it done for New Year's instead. While I was watching the news I thought I'd write up a few "belated" Christmas cards.

This morning I was listening to the dj and trying very hard to get out of bed and not hit the snooze button one more time when I realized something. The dj mentioned something about nearing the year 2010. At that moment it hit me like a brick that I'd written "Have a great 2011" in most of the cards I'd written the night before.

What a numbchuck!!!!!

All of a sudden I'm in my 42nd year and didn't even get to cry about it!

I didn't mail them this morning. I just dropped them all in the trash. I couldn't remember which one's I'd actually written that in, and I'm just a little afraid of what other message I may have inadvertantly sent to some of my dear friends I rarely get to see.

Oh well, there's always next year!!!

A Strange Christmas

Well, this is definitely not gonna be a normal Christmas! Actually, we never have a "normal" holiday time anymore.

I wound up not going to sis#2's to help with new baby last weekend as planned. Things just didn't work. So, I thought I'd go Christmas afternoon or Saturday. The weather looks like it's not going to be good for travel, or at least not for me to travel! I'm gonna go ahead and leave on Wednesday. This will be the first time in 40 years I will not be with my parents on Christmas day. It feels strange just to say it. I'm sure it'll be fine and they won't even notice. They might enjoy the peace and quiet!

So I'll be in Eastern Oklahoma with my sister and her in-laws. That will be very strange! I told her I didn't have to go with them to her father-in-law's house on Christmas day. She said there was no way she was gonna leave me at her house all alone. I told her it might feel like a little mini vacation!! She agreed it might, but we both know I won't do that.

I'll let you know how it goes! I hope I don't make one of them mad. I'll try to keep my mouth shut. That'll never work, besides, they all know me to well for that.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Nephew #6

We have an addition to the family! And I'm talking a "Big" addition!

Sis#2, bro-in-law #1, Buzz, and Woody and a new boy in their family. He's a cutie and looks like he's ready for a football uniform already! Mom and Baby are doing really well.

This morning the truck left for T-town with my Dad, Grandma, sis#3, Jessie Jane, and myself loaded for a day at the hospital. My mom was already there. She's in what we call "Super MaMaw" mode! She'll be staying at the hospital with sis #2 and big boy for a few days while bro-in-law#1 takes care of Buzz and Woody. I'm gonna go back over this weekend and stay a few days after they get home from the hospital. I can't wait!

I was the first one in the family other than his mom and dad to hold him and know his name. It wasn't on purpose, kinda happened by accident, but I was so happy! Nothing's sweeter than a brand new baby. My dad said they should call him Bruiser. He looks like he could take out the big brother's already!!

So, it's brother and sis-in-law's turn next. They're having their first in January. After being married for nearly 10 years they are in for a wonderful shock! They're suppose to be having a girl. I think Jessie Jane should have a girl cousin to have tea parties and picnics with.

I hope they'll invite me!!!

I Love Rudolph!

Rowdy loves to sing! I'm just learning all the songs he has in his little head. Apparantly, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" is a favorite. I've always loved this song. Probably mostly because Gene Autry wrote it and sang it first. And I always loved those little cartoony shows with Santa and Rudy they played when I was a kid.

However, when I hear the sweet voice of my 4 year old nephew singing this song it brings joy to my heart!!!

Course, when he sings "Home on the Range" a hundred times in a row I don't mind that either. I just like it that he sings and is happy while he's doing it. Communication with Rowdy is hard so any little bit of common ground I can find with him I love.

I got to hear these songs and loads more over the weekend while sis#3 was recouping from her "sickness". We're assuming it was a flu thing. I'm glad she's better for her sake, but I'm really glad she's better for my own. I know it's selfish, but a 40 girl who's never been a mom doesn't run on the same amount of sleep that a real mom who's use to running on fumes!

Ok, guess I better get some of that sleep I've been hoping for!!

I ain't that crazy yet!

So, sis#3 is mega sick. Trying to figure out how to shuffle her 3 kids is difficult this time of year. My employers are gone to our biggest show of the year and I'm getting ready for one here close.
As I'm writing this I'm trying to keep Jessie Jane happy and roll the ball to Josey Wales. I guess you could say I'm babysitting both of them at this point.

Jessie Jane didn't want to go to sleep til late since she took a really good nap til about 9 last night. Long about midnight I'm getting very, very bleary eyed. She finally went to sleep. This morning I had to gather all her stuff to bring her to work with me. This isn't a very child friendly environment I work in. There's tools and breakable stuff everywhere. I brought a pen to keep her in, but she's not digging it! I don't think she's had many boundaries in her short life so far. And another thing, she REALLY didn't like staying in the pick-up while I was feeding the horses this morning! It was way too cold to take her out with me. When I got back in she had pulled her hat off, tossed the bottle, peeled back the blanket and was sobbing. Not a pretty sight!

After we got all the stuff unloaded, I'm using the word "we" very loosely, Jessie Jane needed a DP so we headed to the store down the road. Unfortunately for me they don't take cards in the drive through so I had to pull around and go inside. No wonder my sister's get mad about that stuff. Just take the cards already!!

I hear these stories about women who choose to have a baby by themselves if they haven't found Mr. Right by a certain age. What are they thinking!?! There's not a snowball's chance in Houston that I'm gonna "choose" to have a baby and then raise that baby alone. It's way too hard!!! It's hard enough when there's 2 parents who are willing to bear the whole brunt of the load. And joy, I'm know there's loads of that. But how would one be able to appreciate all the joy if they're wiped 24/7?

Believe me, if there was one inkling of that thought in my head, which there wasn't, it's gone now!!! I ain't that crazy yet!!!!!

Long time coming

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I can't really explain my family Thanksgiving this year. It was ok but definitely not one to remember as our best ever. Maybe my expectations are too high. I've been told that many times by people about many things.

Here's a little rundown.

Sis#2 came down the Sat. before Thanksgiving because there was a baby shower for our sis-in-law and brother who's baby is due in Jan. So she was here early. She had an ob dr. appointment in Tulsa last Wed. since she's 3 weeks from delivering baby #3. It was a long day road trip and took it's toll on her and our mom who went with her. They were both toast!

Sis#3 had 2 sick kids so they all stayed home. Unfortunately, they missed out of everything. They didn't get to see either sister who'd come from out of town.

Sis#4 and family made it down Wed. and left Sunday. Thankfully she was able to help me with a lot of the food stuff since everyone else was wiped out. Even Bro-in-law's #1 and #2 got in on the potato peeling. Thanks guys! And thank you loads sis#4!!!!

Anyway, the food was good. We still working on some of it. There wound up being only 10 adults. I don't know how to cook Thanksgiving dinner for only 10 adults. It's kinda like making spaghetti for 3. We're gonna be eating it for a few days!!!

Maybe someday I'll learn that I don't have to act like I'm feeding the whole town!

A Day with Little Joe

Hey y'all,
I got to see Little Joe today! I've been missing him terribly the last few months. There was a death in bro-in-law#3's family down this way and they needed him to stay with us. Thankfully, I had the day off since I worked through the weekend.

We had a good time! I picked him up north of OKC at about 8:30 this morning. We immediately went to Sonic and he had a second breakfast of chicken strips and chocolate milk. Let me tell you something, this kid is all about chicken strips/nuggets and chocolate milk!!! We made a dash into Wal-Mart on the way home and looked at the curtains and toys. I came out with a sample rod and curtain and he came out with an Army airplane. His purchase was WAY cheaper!!

We then headed home to see Papa. Papa went out to do some chores and we played with the lego castle, BIG Fun! We then headed to look at a young mule some friends were wanting to give us(She's great by the way, the mule and the friends!). Then it was time to head to town. After the bank it was obviously lunch time so we naturally went to Sonic. Guess what Little Joe ate? Yep, chicken strips and chocolate milk!

We met back up with bro-in-law#3 and family about 4pm. Little Joe didn't want to go. Somehow I held it together til they drove off. I spent the next 15 minutes as I was heading back home trying to keep those wretched tears away. Mostly I succeeded.

They'll all be here next week for Turkey day. I can't wait!!!

Hoss's Broken Heart

For the last couple years Hoss has said that when he grew up he wanted to marry Aunt Red. You have to understand that Hoss and I have a special bond in that we have the same birthday. Well, I thought that was just about the sweetest thing knowing he'd grow out of it. He's mentioned it numerous times since then and I always say he'll find someone his age to marry when he got older. He's never wavered. I guess he mentioned it again yesterday to his mother, sis#3, and she decided it was time for him to understand it wouldn't happen. She said she was afraid he would say something at school and the kids would laugh at him and he would probably get fired up about that. So, she proceeded to tell him that he wouldn't be able to marry Aunt Red because we were related. That needed more explaining. When it all sunk in he cried for 15 minutes. That just broke my heart! Then he wanted to know why she didn't tell him this a long time ago when he brought it up the first time. He's all about being practical. She said she thought he would understand it now better since he was older. I guess he finally got over it and wanted to know who in the world he was gonna marry. She said he would probably meet her some day in the future when he got older and that very rarely did someone really know who they would marry when they were 6. I guess he was fine with that.

Then later in the day sis#3 was doing a little cleaning. I guess she ran across a box of stuff that had a baby mouse in it and it was alive! Yikes!! Of course Hoss wanted to keep it. When he found out that wasn't an option he cried again. Apparantly, this was a worse blow than finding out he could marry his favorite Aunt! His options were to kill it or send it outside. Neither were satisfactory til he found out the mouse had been chewing on a pair of Jessie Jane's pants. Then it was time for the rodent to hit the road. I'm so glad he's get's over heartache so quickly.

So, I can say that there once was a male who was so broken hearted he couldn't marry me that he cried and cried. I'll just leave out the part that he was my 6 year old nephew!!

Thanksgiving's coming!!

So, it's the big countdown til my favorite holiday. I've mentioned this before but I love Thanksgiving! And, even though the last 2 haven't been the best I've experienced in my lifetime, I'm ready to try again.

Last year all the siblings were at their in-laws. When that happens Mom, Dad, Grandma and I sometimes go eat at Cracker Barrel then head to a movie. Last year we decided after we'd eaten that we'll skip Cracker Barrel next time and eat a sandwich at home. It's too crowded and my dad ordered pancakes. I can't deal with that. Uncle Mark was with us and that was fun. We went to see the movie Australia down at a huge theater in Moore. We were late and I wound up sitting by myself between people I didn't know, but the movie was good and I didn't have to share my snacks.

Year before that I kinda had a guy "friend" who was suppose to come visit. He'd never been up to see my family and most of them hadn't met him so I was more than a little anxious. I had talked to him on the Tuesday before and it was still a go. I'd been cleaning my folks house for 10 days and trying to get everything just right. However, that morning I didn't hear anything from him so I called him and left a message. Ya know, one of those "just wondering how close you are?" kind of messages. About 30 minutes or so later I get a call from him saying he hadn't left his town and was sick. That wasn't my best day and needless to say that thing didn't work out with him and me.

Every year there's hang-ups and hic-ups because that's just what happens when family gets together. But the one thing is always the same. That thing is the food is GOOD and after all is said and done we're all happy to be together for a little while. If the weather is good and the kids can go outside and play it might be good for a little longer!!!

Actually, Thursday night is good since it's just "fix your own leftover" thing! That could be my favorite part. Or maybe not. Sometimes I have a lot of favorite parts and I can't decide what is the best!!!

So, hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful and very, very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I guess I'm kinda jumping the gun here cause it's still over a week away. Oh well.

A Quiet Place

I saw a blip on a news show the other day about noise. There are places where people hear noise constantly. I'm talking very loud cars, planes, horns honking, buses, public transportation of all kinds. Thankfully, I don't live near much of that stuff.

Last Sunday morning I was sick so I stayed home from worship services. I realized how quiet my home place really is. I forget this sometimes. I opened the door to let out my dog and I could've heard a pin drop. A lot of times one will hear a tractor somewhere or a mower. Or maybe the train which runs on tracks nearly 6 miles west of here. However this particular morning there was nothing. I love to hear that nothing sound.

I can't imagine how anyone could ever make it in town. I realize that's just because I'm not use to being there, but there's so much noise in the city that one wouldn't even notice if one lived in it constantly. That was the point of that news piece. It was about how people didn't even realize that when they were walking in the park they had to yell at the person next to them so they could be heard. Where I live I have to yell so that I can be heard 1/4 mile from me and tell my dad supper's ready.

I guess it's all in what one is use to.

I'm falling apart

I'm fairly certain that all this has happened because I turned 40.

Remember the chip allergy? Well, not so sure it was a chip allergy. I went to my PCP (primary care physician) last Friday. She said I had a bad case of eczima and prescribed this cream for me to get at the pharmacy. Thankfully, I now have some insurance because this lovely cream would've been $148 without it. I follow the instructions when I got home that night. The doc had said that it would burn but I just needed to work through it and it would be better on the other side. I think she might've been a little whacked.

I woke up at 1:30am Sat. morning with my face and neck burning like fire and itching like crazy! I got up and looked in the mirror, big mistake, and noticed my face was fire engine red. No joke, the same exact color! I panicked. I washed my face. Didn't help. I kept fanning my face hoping to get some relief. Didn't help. I decided I would just get in the shower and just rinse it all off and try to cool down. The only time it felt better was when the water was running directly on my face. I got out and put on aloe vera gel, lanolin, and Gold Bond anti-itch cream. I might've overdone it. Oh, and I also took 2 Benadryl. Finally, at 3am I felt like I had some relief. I was able to go back to sleep. Saturday morning it was better, but my sinus issues kicked it into high gear!

We won't elaborate anymore on that. I missed work yesterday, but I'm better today. I just hope no one minds me hackin over and over again!! Oh, and that high dollar cream isn't gonna get anywhere near my face again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Night in the New Hut!!!

Well, I spent my first night in the new house. Wahoo! Too bad I didn't sleep well. I think it was because the house is so quiet! In the old house there's no insulation to speak of . And there's trees all over it that will drop leaves and occasionally a branch will rub the roof. That doesn't happen in the new house. There's no trees right up next to it. And there's actually some insulation in the walls! I might not have to use the heater except when I have visitors!!!!

My good friend Sage came over last night to help me wash all the dishes and get them put away. What a task! Tonight she's coming again and bringing Tera and a few brothers for the BIG MOVE!! The brothers are all tall, young and strong!! I hope I can keep up with them. So, hopefully, it will look like someone actually lives there by tomorrow!!

Now, about Hoss. I went to pick him up from school yesterday. I've not done that before. He was so excited to see me and kept telling all the kids, "My Aunt is here!" I'm so glad he's not embarrassed to be seen with me yet!!

That day will come I'm sure of it!!!!!!!

A Nickname Thing

For whatever reason I've always called everyone by a nickname of some sort. Not always the same one every time, but just whatever pops into my head. You know things like Sparky, Francis, Roy, Fred. I have no idea why, it's just my thing.

I just talked to Sis #2 a little bit ago. She said they were on their way home from a Sam's run when Woody asked her this question, "Why does Aunt Red call me Cat Daddy?" She didn't understand him at first. He repeated it and all she could do was laugh. This was completely out of nowhere! She told him that Aunt Red just calls people nicknames sometimes. He said he didn't like nicknames. She then told him, "You better get use to it cause she does it to everyone. Some time or another your gonna be called Roy or Francis too."

Well, it's good he learns that now I guess!

p.s. Just a little update on my "chip allergy". It's better but not gone. I'm ready for it to leave!!!

I missed P-Dub!!

Since Feb. of this year I've been following The Pioneer Woman on her website. She's done a cookbook that was just released this week. OKC was the second stop on her book signing tour and I missed it!!! I'm trying my best not to be so disappointed I can't function, but it's taking all my might.

Here's what happened.

Last Sunday I went to early worship service in Edmond because I needed to be to work by 10am. After I left the church building I had a few minutes left over so I went to Target. I picked up a few things for lunch. Apparantly the kettle cooked potato chips I purchased were laced with something I am allergic to. By Sunday night I had a little itchy rash on my hands. Now, my hands are very dry and cracked so it's kinda hard to tell if something's really wrong with them. By Monday when I had another round of these tasty chips I started getting the same itchy rash on my chin and jawline. It hasn't left yet. At this point I haven't figured out yet that the chips are the problem. I'm taking all the Benadryl I can during the day and still be functional and it's barely helping. I don't know why, but on Tuesday I didn't have any of these chips. Well, Wednesday rolls around and about 3pm I'm feeling like a snack. I whip out the bag of chips and have a few. In about 30 minutes my chin and hands are itching like crazy!! That's the moment when it all came to me. I don't know if it's the oil used or the potato used, but these things aren't ever gonna get a place on my snack list again!! As a matter of fact, I might not have a chip for a while at all.

So, now to the sad part. By the time I got off work yesterday I wasn't feeling too bad, but was afraid that if I went to the book signing I might all of a sudden break out in a itchfest right there in front of my hero! Sure enough, about 6:30 it hit and I was standing in front of the fan trying to cool off my face. It would've been so embarrassing!!!!

Oh well, maybe someday I'll win a trip to The Pioneer Woman's lodge for a cooking demo or something. If that happens, I'll only eat food I'm positive isn't gonna turn me into a horror flick chick!!!

I Miss Little Joe!

Since sis#4, bro-in-law#3, and Little Joe moved up North I've not seen them much. I'm really missing them all, but mostly, I'm missing Little Joe! He started school and I wasn't there to see any of it. He rode Doodle Bug, the horse Papa gave him, for the first time and I didn't get to see it. He was in the hospital for a couple days and I didn't get to go. I'm feeling a little sorry for myself over all this!

I realize that aunt's aren't really typically so involved in their nephew's/niece's lives, but I'm not a typical aunt! They were all suppose to come down a couple weekend's ago for Woody and sis#2's birthdays, but Little Joe was sickly again so they had to cancel. I was so disappointed!!

So, looks like it'll be Thanksgiving before we see them. That will be the longest run in his short life that I've not seen him. I'm gonna try to get over it and not dwell, but I'm not making any promises!!!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it is my favorite holiday of all time! I love to smell everything cooking on that great Thursday morning. I always get up really, really early and start the bird smoking. A couple years ago it didn't get quite done and we had the smoked bird for supper, but sis#2 saved the day by cooking one in her roaster/smoker thing. It was good, but the one on the grill with mesquite wood can't be beat!

Funny how the thought of food can make all better in the world!

The Move

Anything I ever do never goes according to plan. I'm not sure why I try to plan. It is one of the mysteries I'd liked solved before I die.

I thought I was going to get most everything moved from the old house to the new last weekend. That's what's called dillusions of grandeur! What actually happened was we(bro-in-law #1 and I) got the old stuff stored in the new house moved into my old house. The old house is going to be used for prop/wardrobe storage for my dad's business. So, in order for the carpet to get cleaned in the new living room, the old stuff had to be moved. The only place to put it was in my old house. Problem being I haven't moved anything out of the old house yet. I cleaned out a small area where the dining room table had been thinking it would be big enough. WRONG! I'll just say there was a path through the house by the time we got it all in.

Long story short, nothing got moved except what I hauled down in the back of my pickup Monday night after dark. I'll just keep at it til I get help to move the big stuff. Thankfully, I still have a place to sleep and only 1 house payment!!

Absolutely nothing has gone the way I thought it would. Which is exactly how my whole life has been. One would think I'd get use to that!!!

Maybe someday but probably not.

Mud and Sunshine

Yesterday the sun peeked out for a little while. I was shocked! It's been so long since we've seen the rays. I'm talking 2 weeks at least. There's so much mud around here it's gonna take a while to dry out. It's gone from really slick to the sticky stage now.

Last night Hoss & family was out so he went to the barn with me. He didn't bring his mud boots so I thought we'd see how mine fit him. They came up over his knees and are probably 6 in. too long,but he kept them on. He got stuck out in the middle of a huge mudhole out east of the barn. I had to help him out. Been there, done that! A couple nights ago I was in so deep I felt my leg separating from my hip joint when I was trying to move. No joke! I felt a chiropractic visit coming on.

I'm so glad we painted my new laundry room "Wheat Penny". When I come in the back door and accidently bump the wall with my boots no one will ever know!

Speaking of the new house, I've shanghaied two of my bro's-in-law to helping me move some furniture on Sat. I did promise them their own pie at Thanksgiving, but I'd say that's a small price to pay for some manual labor!!!

Sis #2's Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday. This would be sis #2 who is younger than me by two years. She's the mother of Woody and Buzz and new baby coming in Dec. Oh yeah, she's married to the park ranger guy! I always forget about him!!

We have always been very close. She's the person I would hope I could someday be. She's kind, slow to anger, confident, and a haystacking machine! The last thing there is brought up nearly every time I go to see our hay man. She happened to go with me once probably 6 or 7 years ago to get a load and he's not let me forget he thought she was a better stacker than I am. I know this is true so I don't get too aggrivated.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Sis #2!
I love you!!!

The Wild Wagon Ride

Well, those who know my dad know that this could only happen to him and everything work out ok.

A couple days ago dad was heading towards town with a load of props for a little movie thing he's doing for a Swiss guy who has a ranch north of here. He had the stock trailer hooked on the truck, and the 16ft. flatbed trailer hooked onto the back of it hauling a chuckwagon. He's hauled this type of rig all over the country, literally, and never had problems. This was a different day!

He made it to the highway and was turning to get on the on ramp when he sees the flatbed trailer in the side mirror, and it's not hooked to the stock trailer any longer. He immediately pulls over and turns on his flashers. As he's jumping out of the truck he calls his brother and tells him he needs him to bring his pickup. The flatbed trailer is headed down the grassy hill towards a major highway! As dad is running down the hill he keeps hoping it will roll so it won't get to the road. It made a little curve and stayed up. It keeps heading towards the road. There's a little bit of an incline close to the road and the hitch got stuck in the ground. The trailer stopped with only about a foot in the lane. Dad got there quickly and started waving people over to the other lane. His brother showed about 10 min. after he got the call and backed up to the trailer. They headed on into town to the Wal-Mart parking lot and dad hooked back up.

Apparantly, he hadn't put the receiver hitch in the hole right. How he made it all the way to that spot is a wonder to all of us. The road to that spot from our place is very windy and hilly. He said he'd be a little more careful next time. He made it to his appointment with the Swiss dude only about 30 minutes late. Needless to say they all got a chuckle out of it since it all ended ok.

Can you imagine the people driving by and seeing that wagon headed down that hill? Oh my lands!!!

I'm so glad I knew nothing of this til it was all over!!! I'd have had a stroke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

40 New Things

I have a new project. Thankfully, I'll have nearly a year to complete this thing and I've already begun!

We had a roping gig a couple years ago and this lady wanted to spin a rope. No big deal, that happens all the time. She said during her 50th year she wanted to keep a list of 50 things she'd never done before. Spinning a rope was gonna be on her list.

I thought that was a great idea and thought I might keep that in mind for my 40th year. I kinda forgot about it since I was completely trying to keep any thoughts of turning 40 out of my head. Now that the birthday is come and gone that lady and what she said popped into my head. I can't remember when, but probably sometime when I was watch Baby Einstein for the 100th time this weekend when I was helping MaMaw with Rowdy and Jessie Jane.

So far here's the list:

1. Hiked up a mountain. ( personally, I think this should count for 2)
2. Painted my new house. (my friends did all of the work, but I helped)
3. Bought house insurance. (they can't all be fun)


So, I have 37 things to go, but I have 10 more months to make it happen!! I'm gonna try to improve on #3. If they're all like that it's gonna be a long year!!!!!!!!!!!

The Dissenigrating Diaper

How many of you have had a diaper flat fall to pieces? Not while you're wearing it, of course, but while a kid was wearing it and it was your job to change it. Oh my lands!

Yesterday, Rowdy was staying out here at the place while his folks, that would be sis#3 and husband, were at a retreat thing. I'm not sure if it was the wild riding on Trigger, or if it was just a defective piece of plastic, but this diaper just fell apart. All of a sudden Rowdy goes over by his MaMaw and says, "UhOh!". We thought he'd just leaked out some. Which has happened before when the overseers are lax in their changing of the diaper. When I pulled down his sweatpants those little bead things went everywhere. And I'm not exaggerating! I was trying to figure out the best way to handle it and I only gotten about 3 seconds into the process when Rowdy was ready to get that thing off. I just stripped him right there in the living room. I didn't figure it would help to trail all that stuff to the bathroom.

Anyway, I got him cleaned and dressed and then proceeded to clean up the rest of the mess. I love a good sweeper!! So what if they little bead things were soaked with "you know what." There was no other way to get that done. I needed a rest when that was over!!!!

And I'll need a bigger one when he and Jessie Jane go home this evening!!

Jessie Jane and Josie

Yesterday my sis, that would be sis #3, came to to my place of employment with Jessie Jane. Who just happens to be my only niece, at least for the time being. Sis #3 also brought Chinese food and that was an added bonus!

So, my employers have a great short-haired Border Collie named Josie. Josie is famous for her ball rolling techniques! I'm talking some people walk in the front door and ask for her immediately. One family made a special trip here to see her and she was on vacation. Bad deal!

Josie loves kids and grown ups, but mostly she loves her ball! She's very accurate with her rolling also. I guess it's very unusual for dog to roll a ball back to a person when the person has kicked the ball to the dog. Get that? Jessie Jane met Josie for the first time yesterday. Jessie Jane is 14 months old. She loves dogs! Every time she sees my dog Spring she starts jumping and gets all excited. The things about Josie is she's very particular about which ball is being used. There are several laying around the shop here. There's even a stuffed reindeer from last Christmas. If she brings a ball to you for you to kick, that's the one she wants. If you try to fake her out with another one it won't work. Jessie Jane didn't understand this. Yesterday the ball of choice was a small hard rubber ball. Ya know, the typical dog ball. There's also a couple of larger lightweight balls around. Jessie Jane decided she wanted to play with one of those. It was easier for her to pick up one handed and toss. Well, she thought the ol' ball in the mouth thing was a good idea. Once or twice I caught her trying to put the ball in her mouth like Josie. YIKES! I ran and got a baby wipe and cleaned her mouth out. I told my dad, her Papa, about this. He had a fit.

Now, my question is this, I don't remember him giving a rip if we put a ball in our mouths! I remember vividly him puttin gasoline on his fingers to get bubble gum off of my face when I was little. Maybe that's why my skin on my upper lip is a weird red color now. I hadn't thought of that before!

Yes, I know, things are different for the grandbabies!!!

The Remodel

I think I mentioned once before that I'm going to be movin into my sister's old mobile home. Actually, we call them house trailer's, but mobile home doesn't sound so "redneck". Anyway, sister and family have been out of it since April. It has since been kinda used as a storage unit. My dear traveling buddies are helping me paint/decorate this new hut. I'm goin for the " on the outside it's a house trailer, but when you walk in the door you'd never know it" look. So, gone are all the weirdo mirrors by the big bathtub. What's up with that????? I've spent the last 2 nights cleaning, taking off the switch/outlet covers, and cleaning red dirt off the baseboards. I've got more of that to do tonight.

When we're finished I'm hoping for a lovely, homey feeling spot for myself and whoever comes to visit. Which will likely be only family and my painting friends. I'm good with that.

I've been planning where my Christmas tree will go for a month now. I'm hoping I get that officially decided before Dec. 24th. I've also been planning flower beds and rock gardens. I love the way my friend Char has her flower beds outside her house. It's very rustic and haphazard! I love that!! I believe she has the greenest thumb I've ever seen.

Anyway, I'm ready to get it all done and move in. I guess patience isn't my best virtue!!

There's No Place Like Home!!!

Well, the wandering girls are back home. We had a great trip!!! I love Colorado. It's beautiful and the weather was perfect. Even on the cold day it was perfect. I'll always be glad I had the chance to take a trip like this for my 40th birthday with 4 wonderful friends.

Speaking of my 4 wonderful friends, they took me on a hike up the mountain on Friday. OH MY LANDS!!! I thought I was goin to die! And that was just when we were in the Jeep trying to get to the trail head! I think that was the roughest ride I've ever been on. So then the hike began. I was just about ready to throw in the towel, or my vest, or something when Sage and Tera were telling me I could make it for the hundredth time. I went a few more feet and heard Sarah holler telling us she and Anna had made it. It wasn't much farther. Let's just say that every ounce of me was in pain. I think my hair was out of breath! When I made it up to the destination spot I flopped down on a rock and rested for a little bit. When I thought I might live I started looking around. What a sight! How could anyone not believe in God after seeing his beautiful world?

We ate a sandwich(thank you Sarah) and wrote in the guest book at the old cabin. I then called sister #2 and told her we'd made it. Mostly I wanted to talk to someone who was at a normal elevation and not the 11,000 feet where I was sitting trying to get some feeling back in my legs.

I'm so glad they made me go. I'm so glad I was able to have that amazing experience. I'm not sure I'll ever try that again!!!!!!! You know when a mother has just given birth and the pain is horrible? By the time she holds the baby she forgets all the agony she'd just gone through. Well, I don't know that I'll be able to forget how my legs felt like they were gonna just blow off my body. I don't know that I'll be able to forget the way my left calf kept trying to lock up when we got home. I don't think I'll be able to forget the ride up the goat trail in the Jeep. Not that I'm trying to compare our hike up the mountain to childbirth! How stupid would that be?

Let's just say I love Oklahoma! I love our sunrises and our sunsets. I love my dog! I love living out in the sticks where we can't get high speed internet service. I love the muddy road to my house. I love knowing which way is North!

I'll say it again, there's no place like home! Right Dorothy????

Cold in Colorado

Hey y'all,
The beautiful weather has changed to cold and windy! It snowed most of last night with no accumulation. Most of the day it snowed but the sun was out. Kinda weird. I guess it was blowing in from somewhere.

We met up with a friend of Anna's tonight at a pizza place near here. Yummy. Everywhere we've been so far has been great.

If the weather allows I guess we're gonna try the hiking thing again. Then it'll be time to start getting ready to head back home. I'm ready to see Oklahoma. Vacation is great, but all good things must end.

So, I guess I'll go for now.

The Train Ride

Hello,
We just got back to the house from a train ride to Silver Plume. It was fun! The mountains are so nice right now. It's suppose to snow tomorrow night. Wahoo!

Last night Sage decided to pincurl Anna and my hair. Quite the experience! Anna's looks great! Mine, not so much. It's just too curly!! I'm sure there will be a picture of it on their blog.

This afternoon we're gonna take a walk up the mountain a ways. I guess we're slated for a hike on Friday. We'll see how that goes!!

Later.

Beautiful Colorado

Hey everyone, we're having loads of fun up here in the mountains.  At least I am, I'm guessing the other girls are too.  I would post pictures, but that's beyond me.   The girls have been snapping pics like crazy.  So, click on this link to see what they've posted.  There's lots of stuff on there about our ride up here and what we've done so far.  

The Aspen trees are amazing!  They are getting golder by the second!  Two of the girls went hiking this morning.  The other three of us are going shopping.  In case you haven't guessed, the younger girls went hiking.  The rest of us weren't feeling it today.

We've been laughin a lot.  Good for our health and good for our abs!!

More later.

I Survived!

Well, I made it through the dreaded birthday weekend. I'm glad it's over and I feel all better!

Now, onto more important things. The big vacation starts Friday. WAHOO!!!!!

I'm not packed yet, but I'll get started soon. It snowed in Colorado yesterday. I figured that was possible since it was only a high of 66 today. And the sun has been shining since noon. That's the biggest miracle. We're all getting moldy here.

Anyway, I better pack my stocking cap!!

I'll keep y'all posted on our trip. But, most who read this will be on the trip with me. Maybe it won't be necessary to post too much!

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to....

Cry if I want to! Cry if I want to!!!!!

So, today is the big day. I'm celebrating by coming to work for a while then I'm headed to Hoss's school for his birthday party with his class. It'll be a big surprise!!

A so-called friend has told me that I'm through the second quarter and there's no half time in life. Is that suppose to be a pep talk????? Actually, I feel pretty good about it all today. Sis #2 showed up last night with Buzz and Woody. Buzz decided at 12:30 am that he wanted to sleep with me in the spare room twin bed. Yikes! Let's just say there was no room to move. Besides, he likes to sleep smashed right up against whoever the lucky person is he's sleeping with. We had a nice pallet made for him in the other room and all of a sudden he said he wanted to sleep with me. That's never happened before. I should've left and gone to his pallet! I just thought of that.

I know 3 other people who have the same birthday as mine. How crazy is that? And they're all male. Even weirder! And all of them are younger than me. I hate those guys!!!!

Ok, enough about all that. I hope whoever might read this enjoys this lovely day!

This Day in History

All of us who were old enough to understand the news will remember what happened on this day in 2001. Sometimes I don't really think about it much. This morning when I was at the barn and trying to get things done it blew right by me. Funny how the normal things in life just keep goin on.

When I think about what I'm worried about today. It's all really stupid and selfish. All the thoughts about the poor people who were personally affected by what happened on Sept. 11, 2001 brings me back to reality. I don't have anything to worry about in truth. I need to be thankful and content with what I have which is a roof over my head, a place to sleep, a family who loves me (most of the time), and the most important thing of all is a God who loves me.

I sometimes forget about all of that.

Jessie Jane's Party Postponed, again!

Poor Jessie Jane!!! We were scheduled to have her 1st birthday party this Sunday afternoon. However, her 2 big brothers have come down with the dreaded Chicken Pox. So much for that!!! We will try again next weekend and combine her party with her big brother's, that'd be Hoss. Hoss and I have the same birthday albeit he would be considerably younger! I also know 2 other people who have the same birthday. Both happen to be male and probably not so concerned about their big day as I am this year. I'm just ready for it to get here and get gone!!!

One great thing about this day though, is that I have a very dear friend whose birthday is the day before. It just so happens that she and I were born about 12 hours apart. She made the comment once that our mothers were in pain at the same time. That's probably true, but my mother just kept playing dominos in between contractions. She was only 20 and very inexperienced in these things. I think by the #5 was born she handled it all a little differently, but she was only 28 then, so maybe not!!

Anyway, this friend of mine lives only 45 minutes from here and I never get to see her. She came along at a time in my life when I really needed a friend to help me step out of my zone. She was already married to a great guy when we met and I've always thought the world of them both. Things change and people move away and have kids and all that stuff. However, I always know I have a very special friend who is closer in age to me than anyone else I will probably ever know.

OK, enough of that cause I'm about to start crying. I don't like to cry!!!

Jessie Jane's Birthday

Well, Jessie Jane's first birthday was Aug. 27. We were unable to celebrate because she came down with the dreaded Chicken Pox two days before. So, we're celebrating this weekend.

I know everyone thinks their niece is the cutest and sweetest thing that ever lived. However, I really think my niece is the cutest and sweetest thing that has ever lived! Maybe it's because 5 nephews preceded her, but she's so well behaved. If she walked up to the vcr/dvd player and tried to stick her fingers in the slots one only has to say "No" and she stops, turns around, and moves on. That never worked with the boys!

Now, that's not to say she doesn't have a little temper. She doesn't have red hair like her Aunt(that would be me), but it's got some red tint to it. She'll let you know if she's not happy.

Hopefully, she'll have a girl cousin at the end of the year and Jessie Jane won't be the only one. Just think how rotten she could be, not that she would be, if she was the only girl in the herd?

Now, onto more selfish things.

I'm moving! I'll only be going about 100 yards south, but I'm so excited!! I've mentioned before that Sis#4 and family moved back north to where my bro-in-law is from. So their house has been vacant. We finally got a deal worked out and I'll be moving into their old place. Now, I say house. It's a mobile home, trailer house, whatever one wants to call it. It's bigger and WAY newer than what I've been in for most of my life. My dear friends are going to help me paint and decorate. I'll owe them for the rest of my life! I plan on feeding them lots of pizza and chocolate. Maybe that'll help!!!!!!!!!!

Ranch Rodeo Junkie

I don't get out much. That's all I can say. So when I get the chance to attend a ranch rodeo I jump at it. There was one down in OKC a couple weekends ago. I wasn't able to go the first night but made it for the second. Oh my lands! I could go to one of those things every weekend! I absolutely love it. I've been to the one out in Abilene and it's definitely good. I really like the one that's in OKC though. I guess it's because it's all ranches from our state. They've been having this one for 25 years I think. I've been to a lot of those. It's just good clean family fun with a few wrecks thrown in. Thankfully, there are few serious injuries usually. These people are use to dangerous stuff in their everyday lives so it's nothing new there.


It's September. I can't believe it's already here, but it seems like it's been a long time coming. Does that make any sense? I'm going on a trip at the end of the month with 4 of my very good friends who are all sisters. I think we're gonna be gone around 10 days. I'm ready for some rest and relaxation!!! Then maybe I'll be able to finish out the rest of the year. We only have a couple things planned for sure and the rest of the time we're just gonna wing it. I love that! This little trip is in honor of my 40th birthday. So, in 4 years we'll start planning the next trip to celebrate the next of our group who'll be turning that lovely age. I'm sure I'll feel way better about her turning 40 than I do me turning 40! I guess we'll see where she takes us. Who knows where we'll all be by then!

The Mouse Hunt

I'm gonna start calling Hoss "The Great Mouse Hunter".

Saturday night Hoss stayed with me. I had told him that I had seen a mouse the night before in the living room and we needed to set some traps. He was all over that! We got that done and he was watching some cartoons while I was ironing my clothes for worship Sunday morning. All of a sudden he said "I saw a mouse!" Then the big hunt was on. I told him it might've been my shadow that was moving around. He was sure it was a mouse. Well, he was right. A minute or two later the little beggar ran from under my trunk/coffee table back to under the chair from whence he came. Not long after that he shot across the living room floor under the tv table and went down along the wall missing a couple traps along the way. At this point Hoss is looking for the rodent and I'm up on the edge of the recliner. What is it about these little mooches that puts me in a chair? Why can I kill a poinsonous snake and not think twice, but a mouse freaks me out? These are questions I'll ask my therapist, well, I don't have a therapist, but I'm sure someday I'm sure I'll be in need of one.

So, anyway, the little turkey ran into the kitchen, in front of the fridge, and down the side of the wall. I soon went and moved one of the missed traps in the living room to the spot next to the fridge. Everything calmed down after that.

Hoss checked the traps a couple more times before we went to bed. Sometime during the night I heard a snap. I didn't go check, but I heard it. Hoss woke up at 7:30 Sunday morning saying he needed to check the traps. I told him to get the flash light. We started back tracking over all the traps. He missed the one by the front door, but I could see it was turned over. I told him he better come back here with the light. When he saw it he said, "That must've been the nocturnal mouse!"

I'm fairly certain he'll have his own wildlife show someday!!! And I can't wait til he goes to school today and tells his teacher that his Aunt Red had a mouse in her house and we caught it with a trap and there was blood on the floor. Oh well, hopefully it won't make the paper!!

This has been one of those weeks that I don't want to repeat. EVER!

Let's start with Sunday night. Sis #4 calls our Mom and says Little Joe is sick. He's been puking since Saturday and woke up that morning with a bad headache. Nurse Mom told them a few things to do and didn't hear anything else. Monday morning Mom called me and said they were taking Little Joe to the doc because he wasn't better. Doc took one look at him and said he needed to go to the hospital. They took him straight to a room and started running tests and got an iv started to get him some fluids since he'd been puking for more than 24 hours. They recently moved back to Sis#4's husband's family's place which is 3 hours from here. So, since we've got horses to feed, we all can't go at once. Mom and Dad headed that way and I stayed home to do chores. Plus I had an extra job taking care of a friends place while she was out of town.

They were keeping me posted via cell phone. I then started making calls to the other siblings and various other family members. They ran tests for Lyme disease, tick fever, the Swine Flu, but since they are at a small hospital it was taking a while to get the results back. I'm talking 3-4 days! They also thought he might have Viral Meningitis. I'm sure that's not spelled right. Which, according to Nurse Mom, is the better of the meningitis's to have. Little Joe wasn't getting any worse by evening time. He had a popsicle and mashed potatoes for supper and kept them down. That was progress! By Tuesday morning he was a new kid. He was ready to get out of there. Mom called me while I was feeding that morning and put Little Joe on the phone. He said he was having mashed taters for breakfast. Hey, whatever the sick kid wants!!!

They released him that night and he's been good ever since. His checkup Thursday was good too. The doc said he thought it was a stomach bug. You know how some kids are pukers? His mom is a puker. Every time she'd get hurt when she was a kid you could bet she'd lose her lunch. Apparantly the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

I went to Sis#2's Wed. and Thurs. to help with the kids while they went to a dr. appointment. There's a whole lot more to that story, but I'm tired of writing. Let's just say her dr. visit turned out good, and I lost a lot of sleep!!!!!

Clerical errrors

So, I'm not a perfect typist. Or and English teacher. Or Spelling Bee Queen of my county.

I've been told my sister #2 that I spelled kindergarten wrong. She said that when she read the post about her kid going to school she thought she should've sent some gardening tools with him. Some people are so picky!

Then there's my sad story about our UPS driver a while back. It was brought to my attention by a very good friend of mine that I wrote he had a wreck with a dump drunk. That could be some kind of new slang for a dump truck driver don't you think?

I think really all because I'm mentally, physically, emotionally, anything else anyone can come up with, EXHAUSTED!!!

I hope that anything in this post is even remotely spelled right today. I only got a couple hours sleep last night. I'm not sure why I couldn't sleep. There's three things that could've been contributing factors.
1. I took about a 30 minute nap yesterday afternoon.
2. Hoss was staying with me and he kinda snores.
3. I was hot.
4. I drank too much DP yesterday.

Well, that's four. I forgot about the hot part til right then. For some reason I just couldn't get comfortable. Finally, at about 5am I fell to sleep on the couch and made it til the alarm went off at 7:30.

I really just want to whine. I'm ready for summer to be over. It's not my favorite time of the year!!!

School Starts

I have to say that I'm glad I'm not a parent. I don't think I could take it when big things happen, much less all the little things!

Buzz started school yesterday. Little Joe started today. Hoss and Rowdy start back next week. I've gotten reports from my sisters about the whole thing. I'm excited for them to learn new things and grow. However, it's the start of them really seeing the outside world and that scares the hooey out of me! So far they've all been with family members pretty much all the time. Now they aren't. I know anything can happen at anytime anywhere. Just because they are with family doesn't mean they are safe from something bad happening.

Buzz already has another girlfriend, although he doesn't know her name. How can a kindergardner have so many girlfriends? He had a grand time and I hope that continues! His little brother Woody wasn't so sure about big brother being gone though. He kept crying and saying he wanted to be with Buzz. Finally, after they were home a while and all this crying made his mother start crying, his dad found a Transformers show on tv. That pretty much took care of all the crying! I don't know if it helped my sister any, but at least Woody felt better.

Little Joe started pre-K today. His 5th birthday was day before yesterday. This will be a huge adjustment for him since he's not really been around other kids too much. He's not been that excited when I've asked him about starting school. I called him on his birthday and asked when school was starting. He said he didn't know. Maybe he'll decide he likes it a little better when he gets use to it. Actually, I think it will be a bigger change for his dad who's pretty much been with him the most. Last night he was in the "Stick horse barrel race" at the rodeo in their town. Apparantly, he was all wound up and blew the pattern and was a whopping 16 seconds off of first. Since his parents aren't hoping he'll be a barrel racer when he grows up I don't think they minded his mess up!!!

We'll see how Hoss and Rowdy do next week. Since this is their second year I think they're ready to go!

And now, onto a very important issue in my world. George Strait's new cd came out Tuesday!!!!
Here's my review:

IT'S GREAT!!!!

The photos on the cover aren't typical George, but that doesn't mean they aren't good.

I haven't decided which is my favorite yet, but I'm really liking "Where Have I Been All My Life". It's just what I'm going through now since I'm fixin to turn 40. Yikes!!!

The last song is all in Spanish. I've always loved the Spanish language even though I didn't pass my semester in high school with flying colors! Mostly I think it's the Spanish guitar that gets me. Anybody remember the soundtrack to "All the Pretty Horses?" Wow!

Ok, enough about Jorge, I mean George!

The Best Beverage Ever!!!

All who knows me knows I'm a Dr. Pepper fan. Fan might even be the wrong word! Addicted fan might be more appropriate. The best is the old school Dublin DP with pure cane sugar instead of that very bad for us high fructose corn syrup. Even though those ads put out by the corn growers say "everything in moderation" I'm not sure I believe that. Anyway, mostly one can only get the good Dublin DP in West Central Texas near, you're not gonna believe this, the town of Dublin, TX. So, I was absolutely trilled when we discovered that Pops, a convenient store/cafe in Arcadia had this wonderful drink.

This morning I was feeling a little frivolus, or maybe stressed might be the better term. I had to go into Edmond to pay my truck payment ( always stressful) and find a microwave for Grandma's birthday from the family. Got all that done so I drove through Sonic to get a DP and bacon burrito. When the guy handed me the drink I knew something smelled weird. Then I took a swig and knew they had a very bad mix! First I let out a huge sigh and thought maybe I'd just had some toothpaste still in my mouth from earlier. I tried it again. No toothpaste could make something taste that bad. Needless to say I was very disgusted!

I was headed out of town and a thought jumped into my head, I could run down to Pops and get the real thing! So, I went a little out of my way thinking it would only ad a few minutes. HA! I was wrong about that. I pulled up to Pops and the place is running over with cars, bikers, and lots of people. I went inside and saw the checkout line was about 15 people deep. There's no turning back now. I trucked right over to the fountain and got the biggest cup they've got and filled it up! By the time I got to the register I had it about 1/3rd gone. I waltzed right over to the fountain and filled it up again. First I tripped on the rug, but thankfully, that didn't end too badly. I made my way back outside and left the madness to the rest of them.

I'm just gonna say that tasty drink was worth the whole thing!!!!!

The Mowing Monster

OK kids, never operate machinery you know nothing about! Last night I had a near death experience. Maybe not near death, but at the moment it felt like near death.

My employers are out of town. Have been off and on for the last 2 months. Last time they were home there wasn't time to mow. It wouldn't be a big deal, but there is a coliseum across the road from us and there is an even this weekend. I felt it should look like someone at least worked here at the shop. It was a little too big of an area to mow with my push mower so lady employer said I could use their's which I've never even started. I was apprehensive at first and tried to figure out another way to go. What if I tear something up? What if I hit the fence? What if I turn the thing over? We're talking about a zero turning radius big ol' mower with a roll bar and those handle stick things to steer with instead of a steering wheel.

I got my tutorial over the phone and got it started with no problem. I looked it all over and thought I knew how things were gonna go. Since it was backed up to the backside of their house I wanted to make sure I didn't go the wrong way right off. I took off the brake, took the driving sticks out of neutral and that's when things went a little haywire!! I wasn't prepared for how sensitive the sticks are and just exactly how it all worked even though my tutorial was very thorough. All of a sudden I shot to the right going right over the air tank, weed eater, and little garden tiller. I thought I was going in the back door of the house which was closed by the way!! I was so mixed up I just kept moving those sticks and it was yanking me all over the place. Somehow I got it into neutral. I sat there for a second and then realized the weed eater is still under the mower. So I got off and got it out and put back where it belonged. I picked up all the other items I'd run over and drug around. It looked like a little tornado went through there!!

I took a deep breath and thought I better take things a little slower. It went a little better from there. I drove around a little to get the feel of this powerful machine. I almost quit and left it where it was but decided I had to overcome this huge fear I had inside me at that moment. Surely I can do this right?

I headed down to the front of the shop area where some of the grass is knee high. I started out down by the fence around the electric pole. I kinda forgot about the roll bar and got a little close to the guide wire. Let's just say I got so close I thought I was gonna tip the thing over. I stayed away from that and everything else pretty much from then on.

By the time I got finished I was way more comfortable and kinda had the hang of it. It was just about dark by then and I headed back up towards the house. I got it backed in without any problems. I knew that man and lady employers would be sitting in their motel room wondering how things went so I called them. She answered the phone saying "How'd it go?" I replied, "Well, nobody died." It was really quiet on the other end of the line. I kinda relayed the story leaving out the part about hitting the wire. I thought that might be a little much. I probably should've left out the first part too! I told her I thought everything was ok and if not she could take it out of my pay.

I probably won't need another experience like that again any time soon!!!

Anybody feeling old?

So, here's the thing, I'm gonna be 40 in a couple months. How is that possible? I guess since I was born in 1969 it is possible, but it just doesn't feel right in my head. However, it's feeling right in my body.

My back has been "tweeked" for a few days now and I'm sick of it. All I was doing was looking for something to wear Sunday morning to worship. I guess I was leaning a little weird over the bed when I was digging through the pile of clean clothes. As the day went on it didn't feel that much better. A friend gave me a work over Sun. night and that definitely helped. Monday morning I felt good. As the day wore on, though, it got worse. I've just been babying it since then. Yesterday I hadn't even felt it at all til last night. I was putting a sack of feed in the can and I felt it start burning. Not good. It wasn't the worst it's ever been that's for sure. I'll get over it I know. I just need to keep thinking about our poor UPS driver.

Last Thursday afternoon he was on his route (heading to my work actually) and had a wreck with a dump drunk. He's doing well now, but it looked bad there for a while I guess. My boss's heard about it through our neighbor around the corner here at the shop. She called me about 9pm and told me about 9pm that our driver had been in an accident and been killed. She said it could be wrong information but that was what she'd been told. I didn't immediately start balling, but by the time I got off the phone with her I was losing it. I cried the whole way home. I've known this guy for a few years now. Sometimes he's the only person I see when I'm at work. I know about his family and their garden. His little girl has some chickens she just loves. All that stuff kept going through my mind when I got this news that he'd suddenly been killed. There was no way for me to verify this info at the time since I was working at another town and didn't get back to the shop til almost 11 that night. Friday morning I came in a little early and called the UPS center close to us. I started asking questions and the girl hesitantly answered. When I asked if he'd been killed she said no. I was so happy and shocked and relieved! I made the calls to my employers and they were glad also.

So, the moral to this story is DON'T jump to conclusions. Find out more info before you cry your head off for hours for no reason and lay in bed with the thoughts of your UPS guy's family being distraught by the tragedy that's just come into their lives. My eyes would've felt way better if I'd not overreacted!

I guess I can handle a little back discomfort after all.

Time goes by

Hey everybody! It's been ages since I even looked at this thing. It's been a crazy month!! But July is usually like that for me. There's been times in the past when I had 1 day off the entire month and it was a Sunday. I think I'm a little better shape this time. I'm thinking I'm gonna get 2 Sundays off!

Anyway, I'm enjoying a little break in our very hot summer. A storm came through last night and gave us a little bit of rain. The temps are suppose to be in the high 80's and low 90's the next week. I'm so glad of that since my air conditioner went caput over a week ago! Nothing will make a girl appreciate 90 degrees like being in a house trailer that's been closed up all day, because there was a chance of rain, and at 11pm it feels like 120 in there. Just one of the reasons I'll be glad to live in something different than the extra long hot dog tin can house someday!!!

Sis #1 is coming Thursday with Buzz and Woody. It's been a few weeks since they've been here and I'm ready for a visit! Yesterday I get a video text to my phone from my bro-in-law. They were in the boat out on the lake and Buzz is behind the boat on the tube. Once I figured out he was on there by himself I had a small panic attack. I never got a call saying he'd drowned in the lake so I just quit worrying about it. Later his mother told me the boat was goin about 1 mph. I'm not a water person. Everyone who knows me knows this. I like rain. I like to soak my feet in a tub of epsom salt water. I like to drink ice water and lemon. That about gets my love of water! I could've never been married to a lake rat. He'd have been a lake rat all by himself!!!

Indoor Slip N Slide

Happy Independence Day everyone!! I'm working, but I'm glad most of the US is celebrating and having fun.

I have a little story about Woody this morning. Woody will be 3 on Aug. 1. He's very sweet but he's got a little bit of a trouble making side to him. Sis #2 tells me yesterday on the phone that she found water all over the floor in the kitchen. I'm not sure how long it had been there and maybe she didn't know either. She asked Woody what was goin on and he said it was a "Slip N Slide". She told him that those things were for outside, not inside. He was disappointed.

While this was goin on she was doing laundry and couldn't figure out why the clothes in the dryer weren't getting dry. Apparantly, while Woody was slippin and sliding he got his shirt wet. So he decided to go throw it in the dryer. At least he was trying to clean up!

Sis #3, her husband, Hoss, Rowdy, and Jessie Jane all went to visit Sis#2 and her family this weekend. It will be mahem the whole entire time. There will be lots of fights, tears, bruises, and probably a little biting here and there. And then when it's time for the departure for home all will be sad.

So maybe working on Independece Day isn't so bad after all. They might've invited me to go along. Yikes!!!

Jessie Jane's Walking!

I knew it was coming, it's just natural. I was just hoping she stay little a while longer though! Jessie Jane is growing up. Soon she'll be punching her big brothers and cousins in the nose because they looked at her wrong. Let's hope she's not that cranky!

My folks have a Texas Longhorn steer head mounted in their living room. He was the first Longhorn calf born on our place over 20 years ago. He's up high enough on the wall that you won't hit his nose with your head, or at least us short people won't. When all the boys were little they started petting "Rudy", that's what we call the steer, on the nose. Now, if someone names a steer it's obvious there's not a lot of them around! There's also a cow on another wall that they like to pet. If they were upset it would calm them down if they could pet Rudy and the cow. The other night Jessie Jane was sitting with MaMaw, that's my mom, in the living room. She would reach up towards Rudy and making noise. She wanted to pet him. She did that several times. Some folks might think that's strange, but I think it's a good sign she's gonna be an ag-minded girl. Nothing wrong with that!!

A Surprise at the Front Door!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far! It's been pretty hot and dry in our part of OK lately. I think that could explain our visitor yesterday evening.

I live next door to my folks. Most everyone who's reading this knows that, but just in case I thought I'd clear that up. I fell asleep on the couch yesterday afternoon. It took me a while to get awake and realize I'd been there for about an hour. I threw on my flip flops and headed over to my folks to see what was up. I walked by the front porch and noticed the water hose had a kink so I bent over to fix it. When I stood up I saw a black snake curled over the deadbolt lock and the rest of him hanging in between the door knob and the door frame. I first thought it was fake because it wasn't moving at all. My thoughts went to my Uncle and that he was playin a trick on dad. Who knows why things pop into our heads like that! I went around to the steps and walked over near there to see if it was real. Oh yeah, it was real. I guess I gasped a little but didn't realize it. I was trying to figure out if I should call my dad who was inside, or just go around to the back door and find out if he was napping. I decided to go around back. This is when things went haywire!

I get to the end of their house and I hear the door open and then I hear blood curdling screams! My poor mama could see someone come up on the porch then heard the gasp. She thought that my grandmother had fallen so she went to check. When she opened the door the snake flew off his perch hit her arm then ran for his life! I started running for the back door not knowing exactly where the snake was at that moment. I could hear Mom screaming and mumbling and I could also hear Dad hollering and asking what was wrong. By the time I got inside the back door I thought she was gonna pass out. I told her it was just a black snake and to take it easy. She sat down on a stool back there and I went and got her some tea. Dad started getting his boots on and was also putting towels in front of the doors to keep the snake out of the bedrooms. I decided I'd better go get my boots on since I was armed with flip flops. Not the best snake hunt wear no matter what kind of snake it is!

I grabbed the rake that was leaning against my porch on my way back. Mom was sitting out on the back steps when I made it back there. Dad was ready and we got started. We found him pretty close to the door under a table in a pile of ropes. Maybe he thought it was a friend! when dad moved the table he quickly slithered under the loveseat. It kinda went crazy from there. When you're outside and trying to catch a snake it's way easier!! He, or maybe she, made it under a bench by the window's. Dad was having a hard time getting ahold of him, but had him pinned with something next to the tv cabinet. I ran to get something to pick him up with and found the grilling tongs from The Pampered Chef. Well, let's just say they're not made strong enough to grip a snake who's freaked out!! He got away again and started down the wall behind the tv. Dad tried to keep him from getting behind the radio but that didn't work either. He then went behind the big ol' book shelves. These things are about 10 ft. long and maybe 8 ft. high. Dad said we'll never get him out of there. I said we'll have to flush him out, what about a tape measurer? While he went out to get one I kept watch. The plan was to get him into the hallway and then he couldn't get under anything else. I had a folding table to kinda guide him that direction when Dad poked him from the other end. He finally came out and just kinda piled up there. Dad got the rake and we pinned him there. By this time my Mother is in her truck. She could here us moving stuff and running around and couldn't take it.

I held him down with the rake while dad went to get something, right now I'm not sure what. I took this opportunity to snap a photo with my phone. It's a little dark but it worked. Dad then was able to get ahold of him with both hands and made it outside to the porch. He gave him a little toss back out into the pasture where he belonged. Then we all needed a rest!!!

We're supposin the snake was after the baby birds that were in a nest up at the top of the door frame. Dad took a look and one of them is missing. Maybe Mr. Snake got some supper before his ordeal!

I know this, my Mama will open the door cautiosly for a while! I'll think twice before I run over there in flip flops!!

I'm just glad it wasn't a copperhead or a rattlesnake!!!!!!!!

1992

Hey all, hope everyone is surviving this little heat wave we've got goin on! In my dillusional mind I'm thinking that we'll get all this heat out of the way and the months of July and August will be livable. Yeah right!

So, Buzz loves the show "America's Funniest Home Videos." He's all the time trying to think of something to film that will win the big bucks. Last night he was watching with his folks and he said "Mom this video is from 1992! That kid's probably dead by now!"

Oh to be 5 again!!!!

The Fat Mouse

I don't know if folks who live in town have a mouse now and then, but I do know that folks who live out in the sticks do!

Last Sunday evening when Rowdy and Hoss were hanging out with me I kept smelling this smell. Now, we'll just say that I had a few dirty dishes in the sink that needing taking care of, but it wasn't that kind of smell. I checked the trash can and that wasn't it. It seemed to get a little stronger over by the fridge. I looked under the cabinet and there was a dead mouse in a trap. I said something to Hoss and of course he had to come look. I got on my gloves(I might live in the sticks but those things are gross!) and picked up the trap and tossed the whole thing in the trash. Hoss said he wanted to see. His comment was "That must be a momma mouse cause it's got a big tummy!" He also wanted to know why I was throwing away the trap. I told him that Papa likes to take the mouse out of the trap and use it again, but I don't want to and I just chuck the whole thing. And besides, mouse traps are cheap! I never would've made it in the Great Depression.

Here's the funny part of this story. When sis#3 gets to my place Hoss tells her about the mouse. He said "Mom, you should've seen the mouse Aunt Red caught in the trap. It was a momma mouse cause it was fat like you!" She just said oh that's nice honey. She then turned to me and said "You know, a few years ago that would've really bothered me."

I'm glad that she can see the humor in that innocent comment!

Rowdy

Sunday afternoon sis#3 and family went out to the folks. I had to work, but when I got home about 5:30 the boys came over to my house. We were in there a little while and Rowdy just wasn't happy. He wanted to watch WowWowWubzy and Hoss was already watching something else. After an hour of discontent I asked him if he wanted to go outside. I didn't have to ask a second time! We went down to the barn and caught a horse. We put him up on old Alberto bareback and he was completely happy! Now when I say "old Alberto", I mean this horse is 30 if he's a day. We've got 3 old geldings in the front pasture on our place we call the "Geriatric Pasture". All of them are 30 or older and they are all in great shape. Alberto and Juan have been here for 15 years or so and Julio maybe 5 or 6. They all came from Mexico originally hence the Spanish names. They all have big brands on their hips and look a little different than the typical American horse. My dad has been a fan of the Mexican horse since 1993. He and brother were working in Arizona and picked up a couple at a horse sale down there. Every time they went back to that area to work they came home with another one it seems. We had a Pedro, a Pancho, a mare we called Maud( not very Spanish, but it fit her), a Jose, and I'm sure there's a couple more I've forgotten. Maud came to us in foal and we didn't know it til the colt dropped. Some kind of horse people we are!!!

Anyway, back to Rowdy. I don't think it will be long and he'd be able to ride by himself. He just turned 4, but he has a hard time with communicating. When we can get him to understand all the technicalities I think he'll do great. There's one thing about it, he's not scared of anything! Oh to be like that again!!!

My Tuesday Evening

Sis. #3 needed some time to work on her house last Tuesday night so I told her I'd go get her kids after I got off work at 5. It sounded like a good idea at the time. I put Hoss, Rowdy, and Jessie Jane in my pickup and hauled them back to my house. We took a detour through Taco Mayo where I ordered a great big DP for some energy, a Mexacali Chicken burrito, and some tacos for Hoss. He wanted 4, but I told him he could only have 3. Does that make me mean?

Anyway, by the time we got to the house it was almost 7. It took me probably another hour to get my burrito eaten. It wasn't nearly as yummy by then, but I didn't care. Jessie Jane is just getting weaned from her mama and she didn't really want the sweet potato/apple food her mother sent. I thought it was pretty good myself, but she didn't agree. Rowdy ate part of a waffle after downing the Locos on the way home. And Hoss ate his tacos and was still hungry. I gave him a Kashi Apple Cinnamon cereal bar and told him to enjoy it.

My aunt came over when she saw me pull in with the kids. Thankfully, she stayed for a little while and held Jessie Jane since all her brothers wanted to do was jump from every piece of furniture I had onto the bean bag. About the time Aunt left it was getting pretty dark. I remembered I needed to give them a bath. Rowdy was first. He had a hard time staying in the tub for some reason. I asked Hoss to keep an eye on Jessie Jane for a little bit and it was about 1 minute before I heard her little hands slapping the kitchen floor on the way back to the bathroom. I think he forgot his job! So I tried really hard to keep ahold of her and help Rowdy keep the water in the tub. I wasn't that successful. Soon it was Hoss's turn for in the water. He wasn't much better than little brother at keeping water in the tub. I was getting good at helping him rinse his hair with one hand and haning on to sister by the time it was all over.

About 9:45 we started heading back to town. Jessie Jane is not digging the car seat right now. Thankfully she fell asleep and stopped crying! I pulled up to sis #3's house(I guess her husband lives there too, I always forget about those guys, no offense!) and they weren't there. I called her promptly and she said she thought I was gonna call when I was headed that way and they were at the store. I started driving around giving them a few minutes to get back. We then headed to Wal-Mart. I thought we could just meet up in the parking lot there. Well, they weren't there. I called again and she said they were at Homeland. I'm getting a little frustrated at this point.
I started to leave the parking lot and Rowdy got upset. He didn't want to leave Wal-mart. So, I called sis back again and she said they'd meet us in the W-M parking lot. I drove back into the lot and we waited for mom and dad. It was only about 20 minutes before they got there.

After we got all the kids transferred I went to McDonald's for a snack. I was feeling a little like a pie. Unfortunately they don't have those at that time of night. I settled for a cookie to keep me awake on my way back home.

I wasn't worth shooting Wednesday morning!!!

Moral to this story? God knew what he was doing when he made me an aunt and not a mom!!!

My blogging inspiration

Well, I guess it's time for me to fess up. My sister told me about a website she saw in the newspaper back in March. She said I should check it out. It might be fun. She said the lady was lived on a ranch and talked about her transformation from a city girl to a rancher's wife. After I made a snippy remark regarding the cowboy's infatuation with city girls I told her I'd look it up when I could.

Now it's a few months later and I am completely addicted to www.thepioneerwoman.com! Ree Drummond is the queen of that website, and the reason I decided to try this blogging thing. If I ever meet her I'll apologize for my rude remarks and beg forgiveness!!! And besides, she has red hair. Who can dislike a girl with red hair!!!

Now, let me say this, I don't believe I will ever wind up with a website and do all the things she has done. I just don't have that in me. I tend to get all wound up about something then burn myself out. I guess that's my nature.

I won't be talking too much about the same things she does since she's married and has kids. So I've convinced myself I'm not a big copy cat.

A little bit ago I went to check out her website to see if there's any new recipe's. When I clicked on the cooking page there was a beautiful grass green Kitchen Aid mixer. Mrs. Drummond is giving one away today. First I gasped because it was sooooo pretty, then I promptly scrolled down to enter. I realize there's not a snowball's chance in Brownsville, TX that I'll win, but one never knows!!!

I'll be waiting impatiently to see who's the lucky winner!! Who knows, it could snow in Brownsville some day!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Don't be expecting any giveaways or contests on this little blog my friends!

I don't even know where to start!!!

Well.....it's been several long, long days since I've written a post on here I just don't know where to begin. I'm gonna start with this, I'M SO TIRED!!!!!

Today is June 10 and it seems like it's been a month since the June 4 entry. My family has way too many irons in the fire. One would think that a single girl with no children would have time to take a little break. That isn't my life. There are no time for breaks.

Thankfully, there's a little laughter along the way.

Last Saturday our family had a big gig down south of OKC. We are in the western entertainment business and have been for many years. My Dad, Brother, and 2 bros-in law went down around 10 am with a wagon, horses, panels, straw, etc. That left 3 truckloads of sisters, kids, and a Grandma. We left around 5 and the gig was at 7. Plenty of time to get there. However, if one has a blowout on the highway that slows things down a bit. We proceeded to change the tire in the 95 degree afternoon heat with a hefty south wind. Thankfully, sis#4 was with us. She's a MACHINE! We all wish we could be as mechanical as sis#4. She definitely saved the day. So, there's 3 girls in split skirts and big straw hats out on the side of the highway sweatin like nobody's business and not one person stopped to see if we needed help. They must've thought we had it covered, which we apparantly did. 30 minutes later we were back on the road and headed straight for Sonic for a snack and BIG drink!!!

We made it to the gig with 10 whole minutes to spare. When we pulled in all the guys were standing there waiting on us. We got them to work dressing kids and getting the stuff ready for part of the show. The funny thing about that was that they had that stuff with them and hadn't touched it yet. Oh well, they can't think of everything I guess. Anyway, we all survived.

Afterwards the kids got to run around and play while we were packing up. They loved it. Woody decided to take off way out in the grassy lot. Hoss was the closest to him and started chasing after him. When Hoss caught up with him he pretty much just tackled him like he played for the OSU Cowboys! Hoss is 5 1/2 yrs. old and is 4'1" and weighs 90 lbs. Woody is about 2 1/2 and might weigh 35. We're just glad he didn't land right on him!!!

We all survived and I know everyone else is just as tired as I am. Tonight I'm planning on takin it easy. Maybe I'll soak my feet and watch my new dvd's of "Designing Women" Season 1. I love that show!!

It's June!

Wow, this year is just flying on by us! This time thing has always puzzled me. I remember I use to cry at my birthday supper every year when I was young. What was that about? Now's the time for crying if I ever saw one. I'm gonna be 40 in September. What a rip!!!!! I'm just trying to take it month by month til it happens then it will all be fine, right?

Sis #2 and bro-in-law took Buzz and Woody to get a new pair of boots yesterday. Actually, Woody was the only one who needed them. Sis sends a picture to my phone of a pair of boots that are black with white tops. On the white tops are spiderwebs and a spider or 2. I thought she was trying these on but it was Woody. They were too big and too expensive, but he wanted them anyway. She said he cried and cried he wanted them so bad. I have to say that I have never wanted a pair of boots with spiderwebs or spiders on them. I think it has something to do with his obsession with good ol' Spiderman. That is such a boy thing.

So, Woody wound up with a nice little pair of green topped boots that actually fit and won't scare any city kids!!

They are all headed this way today for the weekend. I'll hear about those spider boots I'm sure.

The Princess of the Family

Well, it's time to talk about my only niece, Jessie Jane. We wanted my sis and brother-in-law to name her that for real, but sis backed out. It was something about being named after an outlaw. I think it's cute as all get out and would've fit her perfectly. So, she'll be Jessie Jane here. At 9 months and the youngest of the herd she's something else! All the boys dote on her like crazy. Hoss and Rowdy are her older brothers and sis #3 is her mom. Hoss is a great big brother. Rowdy is learning, but mostly, he thinks she's in the way. She's learning to holler when Rowdy's standing in front of her and she can't see "Blue's Clues. " He would have a fit if she stood in front of him!!! We'll see how it goes over the next few years and if anyone else has a girl. She could be the lone cowgirl of the next generation. Wow, what a thought! Coming from a family of four girls and one boy it's hard to imagine she could be the only one.

When sis #3 told us she was having a girl I was shocked. I figured it wouldn't be long til she was swinging a big stick and had all the boys wrapped around her little finger. That's just about right! She started out tiny, but I think she can handle a big stick now!!

It's gonna be so much fun watching her grow up! I hope it doesn't happen too fast. She'll have to slow up a bit so I can keep up with her!!! And if any boy thinks he can get past Hoss, Rowdy, and Aunt Red to get to Jessie Jane, well, good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

King George

This is gonna wander away from my time as Aunt Red and gonna be just about me. I love George Strait! I admit it and I know I'm not the only one. Last night I watched the last half of the special on CBS that was a tribute to the King with lots of country(some not so country) stars singing his songs. I had started the vcr before I went out to feed so I had to rewind and watch the first part when it was over. I was impressed with how well everyone did. I imagine it would be very tough to sing someone else's song and try to get it right!

I have been a fan since I was 12. At this time in country music it seems like it was more of a pop type thing goin on. I had grown up listening to Bob Wills and kinda liked old school type country music. So, when I saw Mr. Strait the first time on "Pop Goes the Country" with Ralph Emery singing "Fool Hearted Memory" I about dropped over. I couldn't believe there was a guy who was singing a real country song who looked like a roper!! I was hooked. I guess I missed his first song "Unwound". Back then it was hard for me to listen to the radio too much. Dad wasn't a fan of country music so mostly I had to sneak a listen when I could. That wasn't always easy! I saw him at the Fair Rodeo in OKC the first time when I was 15. A couple years ago I went with my brother and sis-in-law to see him again in OKC. The concert was better then than 20 something years before. There's something to be said for a performer who gets better with age.

I've never met him but I have been within a few feet of him many times. I have talked with his wife several times over the years, however, and she's nice but very shy and reserved. She probably never dreamed when she married George that her life would be like it is now. My brother met George a few years ago down by San Antone. He was with a guy who knew George well and introduced them. Brother said he seemed like a nice guy. All of the guys went to go eat lunch and brother stayed at the trailer with the horses. While they were gone brother took a picture of George's tan Chevy truck for us. I was happy with that!!

Anyway, I guess you get the picture. I've been told that I haven't been able to find a husband because my ideals were too high. "If you keep waiting for a George Strait look alike you'll never find him." Oh my lands! I've heard that so many times!!! Well, I think that's a stretch. I don't think I've been waiting for the George clone, but why settle for less than exactly what a girl wants, right? Who wouldn't want a guy who can sing, play guitar, ride a horse and rope, has a great smile, is humble and not an egomaniac, and has loads of money to boot.

Sounds like no brainer to me!!!!

Papa's Little Cowboy

Buzz has a little brother who will be 3 Aug. 1. He would be nephew #5. I'm gonna call him Woody. My dad call's him Papa's Little Cowboy. He's kinda in the "terrible two's" phase right now, but mostly he's very, very sweet. Woody is so much fun to be around because he has the quickest wit for a kid his age I've ever seen. He also know's how to push Buzz's buttons. He's got that mastered already. It's amazing to me how siblings can come from the same parents and be so different! Woody is very independent and doesn't expect everyone to wait on him. If he wants milk, he goes to the fridge and gets it. Now, there'll probably be a huge mess to clean up, but he's trying. This would be what he inherited from my sister. She's the button pushing, tractor driving, trailer backing, I can do anything sister of the family! She was always saying "I wonder what this does?", and while I was hollering "Don't touch that!" she was getting it figured out.

Brother Buzz, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He loves to be waited on and tries all he can to get me and others to get him this or that as often as possible.

I think Buzz gets this from his dad's side of the family!!!!

Crazy Family Weekend!

Hello,
I'm trying to recover from our big family weekend. My mom once said to someone that our family was like "the Walton's on heroine". Now, let me just say that none of us have ever used heroine, smoked it, snorted it, or whatever is done with that stuff. We just happen to be a little wired up naturally!!! It was mom's 60th birthday on Sunday. She shares her birthday with nephew #4, aka Rowdy (Hoss's little brother). That's kinda something since he looks so much like her! We celebrated her birthday with a very tasty smoked brisket and all the fixins on Saturday evening with the family and a few friends. There were probably 20 of us. We then had Rowdy's birthday bash on Monday at noon. By the time Little Joe's family and Rowdy and Hoss's family left Monday evening I was toast! Sis#2 and her crew stayed til today. They just drove off about 30 minutes ago. It's gonna be quiet at the ol' homestead tonight!!!!

Just for an update about Buzz's obsession with Aunt Red having a baby. He didn't bring it up til Sunday which was progress since he'd been here since Thursday afternoon. Eventually he'll move onto something else. I can't imagine what that will be!!!!!!!!

Good Friends

Last night I went to have supper with friends at their home. As always it was loads of fun. The food is always great, and they let me ramble on and never judge me for all the silly things I say. I have known these friends so long I can hardly remember life before them. I think that's nice! Anyway, thanks y'all for a nice evening!

Now, about nephew #3. His name is Little Joe(actually it's not, but that's his name here). Little Joe is quite the cowboy. He's 4 1/2 goin on 20. I'm fairly certain that this kid will be a heartbreaker and in all kinds of trouble throughout his life. I'm hoping he decides he only wants girls as friends til he's 30, but that's highly unlikely! Since he's the son of sis#4, who is one of the most tomboyish girls one could ever meet, he's inclined to want to fight at the drop of the hat. He also has a very tender heart. Last summer my dad's old mule he used when he was clowning died at the age of 33. Her name was Clementine and she was a very special to all of us. A few weeks after she died Little Joe and I were singing "My Darling Clementine." He started crying saying that he missed Clementine. Well, after we both stopped balling, we quit singing that right off and went a whole different direction!! I hope he stays so sweet!!

A Beatiful Week!

Well, we've been having a beautiful week! It's been so rainy here for the last month, but now it's like spring.

Nephew #2, we'll call him Buzz(he loves "Toy Story"), went to get enrolled in kindergarten today. I didn't realize that kindergarten in Oklahoma is an all day thing now. I guess I've been a little out of the loop til now. His teacher was very impressed with him. Buzz is SUPER smart, and I'm not just saying that because he's my nephew. I think this will be an interesting year for his teacher!!

Last time they came for a visit, this would've been about 3 weeks ago, he kept talking about finding me a husband. He said I shouldn't worry about it and someday I'd find one. I asked him why this was so important. He replied, "So you can have a baby." Not hardly BuzzBoy!!! I quickly told him that I didn't want to have a baby and it was ok if I didn't have a husband. He just kept on til I just gave up. They are coming again in a couple days. We'll see if he's still harping on the baby/hubby thing or moved onto something else. I'm all for moving on!!!!!!!!!!!!

About being an Aunt

So, I guess I've decided that being an aunt is the best thing ever. I have 5 nephews ages 5-2, and one lovely niece who's 8 months. They are all so special in their own way! I've always loved kids, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would love being called "Aunt Red". One of my sister's, sis #3, came up with that title. Obviously, I have red hair, but I also have a sis-in-law with a name similar to mine. Sis #3 thought it would be easier for the kids to understand I guess. Well, it has stuck.
One of the funniest things was when my oldest nephew, we'll call him Hoss, and I were talking one day and I asked him if he knew why they called me Aunt Red. He didn't know. I said that it was because my hair was red. He was probably 3 1/2 or 4 at the time. Hoss said that my hair wasn't redand that it was kinda a brown color. He's so sensible! I'm so glad my hair's not the color of a fire truck!!!!!

This will be interesting!!!

Well, for whatever reason, I've decided to start this blog. Maybe someday I'll know why!

This whole blog thing is a mystery to me. I'm not a techno savvy person and I don't want to be. But I have to admit, I'm really very curious who thought this whole thing up! When I figure out how this thing works maybe it will be fun. Right now I'm not sure.