Fools Rush In

QOTW 01-30-12 R U ANNOYED?

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 01-30-12

What is the most annoying thing that someone could do to you?

LEAVINGS

2012-01-28T08:02:00.000-06:00

This is the nice note paper Hope designed for me on her last visit.

Michael left this picture on my computer. He was showing me how to use the camera.

Michael also left shirt and socks. Hope left her cap and gloves.

Ryan left a pack of Monster drink.

Dillon left me interested in some sports programs.

Beth left me with tales of her daring and hilarious adventures with her best friend Bruschetta. (nickname not her real name.)

They all left me hooked on THE BIG BANG THEORY, iCARLY and SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS.

They all left me, as always, with wonderful memories added to the list of grandchildren visits.

TELL ME WHY BABY WHY BABY WHY BABY WHY...

2012-01-25T06:46:00.000-06:00

Why, why, why I ask you? Is it true this "fad" started in prisons as a show of those available for sexual activity. I simply do not get the desire for this fashion statement and will never understand how these people walk around. The TV show COPS often portrays the criminal being caught when his pants fall off in a chase. Can anyone explain this weirdest of all clothing choice?

That cartoon came to me in an email and I wish I could credit an artist. It is hilarious!

QOTW 01-23-12 TEACHING CREATES

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 01-23-12

If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

GETTING MY KICKS

2012-01-19T06:08:00.002-06:00

This new year has started all wrong.  Commenting on another blog the other day I found myself sympathizing with their lethargy and said that I needed a "kick start".  There are chores to be done,  I have movies to watch, books to read, craft projects waiting, journaling and blogging  to do, meals to plan and prepare, exercise is calling me, watching my weight is totally neglected,  etc., etc., etc.  And so what am I doing...absolutely nothing.  Yes I have posted to my blog but not with the same enthusiasm as usual. Facebook is getting more difficult for me to understand and follow. Gradually I am getting lost in the world of Words With Friends which captures most of my computer attention.  For some reason my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went.

If someone has a solution, then .....................KICK ME PLEASE!!

QOTW 01-16-12 TAKE A PEEK INSIDE

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week - 01-16-12

What is in your refrigerator?

(Lots of healthy food? Lots of expired food? Unusual food? Frozen food? Non-food? Beverages (alcoholic/non-alcoholic)? Strangest item? ..for instance we keep bait worms in the porch refrigerator. Nothing?)

PICK FIVE

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-06:00

If you play WORDS WITH FRIENDS, I hope you will have fun with this challenge. Take five words from one game you recently completed and work them into a short comment.

(If you don't play the game, use these five words from a recent game I played: Huger, gushy, yagi,, weet, pun. Or five words someone else uses).

THE VISIT

2012-01-11T05:25:00.001-06:00

His hat and shoes in the middle of the living room floor. When I complained, he told me it was "art".

Here is the spider that was in Ryan's shoe. He was very careful after finding this fellow to check his shoes before slipping them on.

Ryan carefully kept his time card for the hours he worked. Grandpa pays well and Ryan was trying to earn enough for his parking permit so he could take his truck back to college this semester.

Here is a sample of the work Ryan did while he was here. This is for the sewer pipe for our new bathroom. We have a lot of rock in the ground and he also had to be on the lookout for wires or cables.

I sure do miss him. It was a great week and I laughed so hard it hurt. We had not spent any time with him since he went off to college so there were many stories to hear and lots of catching up to do.

QOTW 1-9-12 HOME REMEDIES

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 01-09-12

Have you ever treated an illness with home remedies and ended up in the hospital (or at least at the doctor's office) due to improper medications?

Is it my imagination or doe it seem that there are a lot of sick people this year? It seems that many of our blogger friends have flu or similar symptoms.

P.S. Say hello to my 100th follower THE LAST KRYSTALLOS. A red letter day after almost 7 years posting this blog,

YET ALIVE

2012-01-01T05:55:00.001-06:00

Hello my friends. Here we go again...another year in cyber space filled with wishes for health, happiness, success and love. We are entering what will only be a tumultuous year if we allow it. Let's try to remember our common ground and the respect we share with open hearts and minds.

Welcome 2012!

Don't look tomorrow. Question Of The Week won't resume until January 9, 2012. Stay tuned:) Our college grandson is with us all next week.

BONUS QUESTION FOR 2011

2011-12-28T17:50:00.000-06:00

I am always pestering my family for an idea for the Question Of The Week. My last question for 2011 was already posted when I received this email from my daughter. It's a good one so we can think of it as a bonus question. She wrote:

"Ok here is my suggestion. What holiday decoration do you miss most, or look forward to seeing again after you have them all packed away for another year? Mine is my wall of cards and pictures from friends and loved ones. It always makes me smile and is a tradition I got from my mommy :)"

That makes this mommy happy:) What decoration do you miss the most?

QOTW 12-26-11 MEMORIES

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 12-26-11

WHAT STORY CAN YOU TELL OF A FAVORITE HOLIDAY MEMORY?

These were a few of mine from yesterday.

................................................................................

TALES END

2011-12-21T05:23:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's post was a follow-up on my trigger finger post from October. This caused me to realized some other posts from this year did not get conclusions posted, so here goes.

January you started on a weight loss adventure with me and Alli (Orlistat). I lost 39 pounds over the following several months. Then, in my efforts to put some weight on Ron during his bout with cancer treatments, I managed to not only handle the feeding, I joined the eating spree and have gained back 18 of the carefully lost pounds. I keep saying I'll get back on target tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

March post titled "What the Beep, Beep is going on?", I reported that we were hearing a strange beeping sound and could not pin point the source. It turned out to be our cell phones constantly searching for a signal.

September you followed the tough decision I made to let the chicken cross the road. Our fine rooster, Jack Bauer, went to live with the neighbors and their nice new birds. This update of Jack today still finds him alive and very well as the cock of the walk with our neighbor's flock.

This entire year you have followed Ron's diagnosis of bladder cancer and reports of intense chemo and radiation treatments. You have shared your wishes and prayers for his full recovery and you rejoiced with us when the first biopsy came back "no malignancy". Since then they have reported the tumor gone and the second biopsy has also come back as benign. We are believing in an uphill climb.

This week we walked into a store we frequent. There was a new lady there we had never met. We introduced ourselves and ask if she was new. She responded that she had been the manager for a year. Suddenly Ron and I realized we had not been in that store for a year. It had seemed like we had just been there yesterday and it dawned on us that basically we had lost an entire year of our lives to the cancer battle. No big deal since we could have lost so much more.

Thank you for your company on these journeys. We have shared many of your adventures as well and look forward to sharing with you in 2012.

Christmas and the New Year approach and we are all going to be busy. Before disappearing through the holidays I want to wish all of you
Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays

Happy New Year

and

Happy Happy!

NANCY IS NOT A "NANCY GIRL"

2011-12-20T06:44:00.000-06:00

X-ray of my hands 12-19-11

Yesterday I finally saw the hand specialist about my "trigger finger". Some of you might remember my post in October titled PAINFUL AND NOT ITCHY. Many of you gave me some good advice and I was not surprised to finally learn that this Orthopedic Specialist wanted to give me shots in the middle fingers of both hands. Ron had to leave the room at that suggestion.

My friend Nancy told this story about her "trigger finger" of the thumb in the October comments: " So I went to an Orthopedic surgeon who specialized in hands. He told me that I had two choices. One: hand surgery or Two: a very painful needle stuck in my thumb.

I chose the painful needle and he wasn't kidding. It hurt like H for about 2 minutes then I have never had a minute's trouble with that thumb since and that was about 5 years ago.

Choose the needle. You won't regret it."

And so I followed Nancy's advice and chose the needle. She was right about one thing. It hurt like "H". However my relief is not instantaneous and may take 24 hours for the trigger fingers to cease popping. I am assured it will only take about a week for both fingers to be completely back to normal. All I could think was Nancy is one tough broad.

It is great to finally have this taken care of after three months of suffering and I know total relief is imminent. Why I put it off so long is beyond me.

If you are curious about how I did this to the same finger of both hands, it was a tendon injury from picking up a bale of hay by the wire without gloved hands. Ask me if I'll do that again.

(Nancy does not have her own blog but she comments on other blogs and she does post great stories at The Elder Storytelling Place.)

QOTW 12-19-11 TO HAVE OR NOT TO HAVE

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 12-19-11

scruple -- a doubt or hesitation that troubles the conscience or that comes from the difficulty of determining whether something is right; to show reluctance on grounds of conscience

Is the right or wrong choice always obvious to you?

If you wish, please share a comment of a time you last struggled with what was the right thing to do. Tell about a totally unscrupulous person in your life who never showed any concern or conscience about right choices?

It would be fun to know what you would do. Here are some sample questions from the game SCRUPLES. The game answers must be "yes" "no" or "depends" and if you say depends you have to explain what would change it to a yes or no:

The only available spot in the parking lot is reserved for the handicapped. You are in a hurry and won't be very long. Do you park there?

While on a co-worker's computer, you accidentally erase an important file. There's no way to trace it to you. Do you fess up?

While drinking in an out-of-the-way bar, you see a friend's spouse having a romantic tête-à-tête. Do you mention it to your friend?

A good friend is in love and introduces you to the new sweetheart. You find there is a mutual attraction between you and your friend's lover. Do you repress your feelings?

Lots to pick from in this QOTW. Enjoy.

LOOK HERE

2011-12-16T05:55:00.001-06:00

My parents taught me "It is not polite to stare". It is because of that very "lesson learned well" I have missed a lot in life.

My spouse stares at everything and everyone. It shocked me when we first met and I tried to break him of that rude habit. Now I understand it.

I have never known anyone more aware of their surroundings. Observation is an important detail in life.

Yesterday we drove around the lake,. Some men in camouflage gear with boat, truck and dogs were packing to leave. Ron fixed his gaze and took in every aspect of their procedures. They looked our way and Ron exchanged a nod with the men and they nodded back. They were totally unconcerned by his staring. If they had been loading a big catch of some kind, we would have stopped to ask about it and found out where they fished or hunted.

Suddenly I realized if these guys had been terrorists rather than hunters, perhaps we would have seen some evidence and been able to report it. Had I been alone, I would have averted my eyes because it is not polite to stare. I wonder why it is not polite to stare. Just think of all we miss in life when we do not stare.

Another time, however, while out for a drive, Ron fixed his gaze on a young woman mowing her yard. She was scantily clad and well endowed in the chest area. Somehow this trained observer swore he never noticed the woman and he was only staring at the great lawn mower.

O WHAT A NIGHT

2011-12-14T08:35:00.001-06:00

By now most of you know that I can have some pretty weird dreams. Here's a doozy for you.

Last night I dreamed that my Aunt (deceased) called me. She was in Michigan and had learned that she had some illness that required her to have a vasectomy. (Not a clue) My sister came to my house to await our Aunt's arrival because she believed our mother (also deceased) would want us to be supportive of this Aunt.

My sister arrived in a big flat bed truck with her yellow lab chained up on the back. The neighnbor's dog jumped on the truck and got tangled in my sister's dog's chain. My sister and the neighbor were going to free the dogs and Sis asked me to hold her cell phone and warned me to watch out for snakes. (?)

There was immediately a call from the operator saying Sis had 200 incoming calls. Did we want to accept them because doing so would cost $200. Sis said to accept them because she was curious. I tried to discourage her from taking the calls believing they were from prisoners or some kind of spammers but she insisted.

Meanwhile my back yard was filling with baby snakes, fat and only about 2 inches long while the house was filled with square spiders that changed shapes and made all sorts of patterns as they moved across the floor. Plus there was a long black snake on the neighbor's porch. She told us it was called a Pit Bull Snake. I ran away and the snake followed me so I held up a pillow to ward off the attack.

The End

Without going to a dream interpretation site, feel free to explain this dream if you wish. I might add that I am currently reading ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz which could explain a lot.

QOTW 12-12-11 SAY WHAT?

2011-12-12T04:00:00.001-06:00

Question Of The Week 12-12-11

What kind of comments do you like on your blog?

Do you want your blog followers to comment on what you said and how you said it or do you want them to share their own story that relates to your post? Would you prefer they agree with you? Do you mind if they contradict something you have said? Do you want their comments to be short? Do you like for them to end up writing their own post in your comment section? Do you delete comments that might invite controversy? Can you tell when a commenter hasn't read your entire post? Do you immediately follow a new commenter or do you wait and read their blog a while first? Do you write responses to your comments from others? Do the individual comments matter or do you just want a lot of them regardless? Does it matter to you at all if bloggers even leave comments?

OUR WAITER

2011-12-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

See the young gentleman in the green shirt seated with his back to the wall and facing toward us?  He is our waiter.  He and the other young man are supposed to be wrapping tableware in napkins and waiting on the customers.  Our waiter is text messaging.  Can you tell he is concentrating on his phone? It took forever for us to get our drinks and I had to ask another waiter to help us.   Our waiter would put down the phone and start wrapping only when the manager entered the room.  As soon as the boss left again, OW (our waiter) was back to texting. Where was the sugar we requested for our coffee?  I got up and found some on another table.  We needed a couple of carry out boxes.  I found those also.  After we had licked (and scraped) the platters clean, OW brought the check and asked if we needed anything. 

Yes I left the normal tip and did not complain. Why? Because OW gave us another moment of "thanks for the shocking entertainment and story that will go on my blog". Plus we eat there a lot and my grandkids tell me if we make waves we will end up with someone spitting in our food next time.

Can anyone tell me why people are out of work when a restaurant can't replace this dude with someone willing to actually work?

A LOT OF BULL

2011-12-09T09:06:00.001-06:00

Out for a drive, I mentioned to Ron the large bull we had passed. It was seated in the corner of the pasture looking beyond the fence at the heifers across the road. The only time I could ever remember seeing as bull in such a pose was in the children's story book of Ferdinand the Bull.

Ron replied to me that the bull was probably "that old Indian".

"What old Indian?", I inquired.

"Sitting Bull" Ron replied with a grin.

Was that funny to anyone but me? I laughed and laughed but maybe because Ron is feeling so good these days that he is actually clever again.

Do you or your spouse entertain each other with spontaneous humor? Do your friends and/or co-workers get attention with funny remarks? Who is the funniest non-professional comedian you know?

Breaking News: If you want to laugh the rest of this day, go to Ralph Campbell's Homespun Headlines post for today.

REMEMBER CRAZY DAVE?

2011-12-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

We have always equated our rural postal carrier with the one in the movie FUNNY FARM. I wrote a post about him in 2008 titled THE POSTMAN DOESN'T RING AT ALL. Well here is a little update on what the Christmas rush does to Crazy Dave.

The other day I was watching for our mail. I heard Dave coming. He still drives a loud truck but this is a new loud truck. Our mailbox door sticks and rather than take the time to pry it open, Dave threw the mail out on the ground by the mailbox. Okay, perhaps the wind blew the mail out of his hand, but he didn't even slow down or consider retrieving it to put in the box. Thankfully this was just junk mail and I like to think he knew that.

If we have a package too big for the box he has to drive up our road and honk for us to come out and get the package and it is best if you don't delay. The last time I was slow getting out there and arrived in time to see him throw out the package from his truck. There was nothing fragile in the package and I like to think he knew that too.

Why don't I report Dave? Because he is simply too entertaining.

(And once again let me offer my sincere apologies to dedicated rural postal carriers who do their best to serve society in a normal sane manner. This is NOT about them.)

BURNING MY JOURNALS

2011-12-07T07:29:00.001-06:00

My mother's first cousin, nearly 90, has published her memoirs. She is a highly educated and articulate writer. It was exciting to receive a copy of her book. The opening was riveting as she described an accident that change her life. The next few chapters were delightful as she mentioned by name my mother and father, my aunts and uncles and my grandparents. And then she got down to the nitty-gritty.

The rest of the book was filled with her many and varied sexual exploits that overshadowed the other details. It was a book of TMI (too much information). Had this book been fiction, it might have been enjoyable. Knowing the person and being privy to her deepest darkest secrets was not my cup of tea plus having my relatives named in the book somehow made it seem that they might have approved of her lifelong behaviors.

If there is truth to persons turning in their graves, I know her parents and siblings are and probably my mother and grandparents are too.

I have shared my deepest thoughts, feelings and experiences in my journals and I have kept those journals. Now I have to wonder why. Certainly my life hasn't been as spicy as this cousins but I cannot imagine my children and grandchildren would ever care to see any of it and certainly not in print for the world to share. It causes me to wonder how her own children feel about this very revealing book.

Yep, I'm burning all my old journals and diaries. Would you ever publish your memoirs and include such intimate details?

QOTW 12-05-11 SERIOUSLY?

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 12-05-11

"Who will die if I don't do this today?"

Sometimes we get so caught up in our holiday chores or work assignments that we act as if it they are matters of life or death. Is it going to kill us if we don't complete our task? What is the worse that can happen if we mess something up. (Okay I'm not talking about demolition experts here.) How seriously do you take your "to do" lists?

WEEKEND LAUGHTER

2011-12-03T05:44:00.001-06:00

I have not always worn a wig because I needed one. There was a time in the late 60's when women wore wigs to be fashionable.

One of my early banking jobs was on the check order desk. The customer's checks were
stored in the basement of the bank. If a customer needed a new book of their personalized checks, their order slip would be placed in a dumbwaiter tray and lowered to the basement where Orlin would fill the order, place it in the dumbwaiter and raise it for me to give the customer their checks.

This particular day I had lowered the tray and had leaned a bit too far into the shaft. My head caught on the frame and knocked my wig into the basement. Orlin reached in for the check order and encountered a furry creature instead. He screamed like a girl which echoed into the shaft and thus sounded loudly throughout the bank lobby. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw me standing there, wig-less with my real hair tightly pincurled to my head. I still have nightmares about this and you can bet Orlin does too. LOL

Share one of your funny, embarrassing and horrifying moments in the comments and I will move it into this post.

Bonnie (BornInaZoo) said...

I went back to my original post of this to cut & paste it ...

ExH & I were traveling with two of his brothers and their wives on their bikes, my brother and my sister's husband in my Jeep (towing the cargo trailer), myself and my ex on his Harley, and two of my ex's friends on their respective bikes. That day on the road was long, hot, and grueling. We had one bike break down. I'm not sure you'd call it luck, but a friendly rancher with a :::smelly::: horse trailer transported the motorcycle and two travelers to the next town where there was a Harley dealer. Another biker had the trailer he was towing flip causing him to lose control of his bike. It was a minor crash for the rider but the trailer was toast. When we arrived at the designated hotel, I went to a nearby vending machine to get something to drink while the group was checking in to the hotel. When I returned to the hotel desk to find my partner, I gave him the usual 'love grab' on his butt cheeks. Much to my surprise, his brother's butt looks the same as his! Everyone laughed hysterically 'with me' for 15 minutes (and at least three people had to make mad dashes for the restroom) while I turned every shade of red possible. I swear my cheeks could have melted a polar ice cap.

It was a great stress relief for a lot of people at that moment. As I a said, it was a rough day on the road.

These days I shy away from PDAs.

10:02 AM

Riot Kitty said...
It relates to hair, actually... when I was a business reporter, I went into an editorial board meeting with some federal energy executives. Note that I was the only female in the meeting. One of them I had not seen for a few months, and had a new hairstyle. I blurted out, "Ed! I haven't seen you with your new hair!" He just looked at me and said, "Same hair."

Now, for a girl, "new hair" means new hairstyle, but for a man in his 60s...well, you get the idea.

12:54 PM

Lynnsaid...

Wow - sounds like Orlin deserved that. But that is a truly mortifying moment for you.

I'm sure there have been a zillion things for me, but the only one coming to mind is when I was a teenager and walking up some steps in front of a young man I fancied and I tripped and fell UP the steps in front of him.

7:07 AM

Dianne said...

and hence was born the phrase - she flipped her wig

in my last month of pregnancy I was huge
swollen and grotesque
I was still working and commuting via subway into NYC
I got stuck in the turnstile
half in and half out
I remember one cop saying - "we might have to deliver the baby to get her out of there"
they had to dismantle the turnstile
all in front of rush hour NYers

10:01 AM

Nancy said...: Annie,

I also used to wear a wig when they were fashionable years ago.
I used to hate it when anyone would ask if I was wearing a wig .

One day a fellow came up to me in the office and very loudly asked, "Are you wearing a wig?"

Just as loudly I replied," Yes,
I am,(touching my hair)but this is my real hair. I wear the wig underneath."

The foolish and puzzled look on his face made the whole office erupt in laughter.

He never asked again. In fact,as I recall, he never even spoke to me again....
7:20 PM

Chatty Crone said...
That was horrifying I know because a similar incident happened to us. My in-laws and our family went out to dinner. Hubs held son who is not 36 he was 2 - in a waiting area. A busy waiting area. My son grabbed a women's wig off - he never pulled hair either. He cried at what he had done - my hubs was mortified - the women - out on a date - whipped the wig right out of his hand and plopped it back on her head.
My dear MIL and I were laughing our head off on the other side of the room.
And where did we sit? Right next to that woman and her date.
Love, Chatty
Thanks for the memories.
1:04 PM

Pat said...
Fashion dictated that one had a wig in the sixties. I was being driven down to the south of France with friends to stay in their farmhouse. 'Please Pat - only small bags - no suitcases,' the husband pleaded.
He nearly had a fit when he saw that one was the head on which my beautiful wig rested. Well it wasn't a suitcase.
Down in the south it was far too hot to wear it.
5:08 AM

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

2011-12-02T04:17:00.001-06:00

Back to front:

Little Joe (young rooster)

Mr. Gibson (hen and Little Joe's mama)

Chicklet (rooster-in-charge)

I took a nap. Slim was in the house napping also. Suddenly she awakened me and as much as I tried to shoo her away, she was persistent. I let her out and she made a ferocious dash for two dogs tearing one of my chickens apart. It was amazing to see the dogs back off with their mouths full of feathers, yet the large hen was able to hop up and rush into the hen house to safety.

Ron was getting the gun but the dogs were escaping with Slim hot on their heels, so I followed them. They ended up at a friendly neighbor's house at the lake's edge.

I went home and called the neighbors and said, "I'm sure these aren't your dogs but thought you might know where they live."

"They are our dogs" the neighbor replied. "Our daughter moved and could not take her dogs with her so we took them. Can I pay you for your chicken?"

"Yes. You can pay me by keeping your dogs at home."

That night when I locked up the chickens, my count was short by one. Little Joe was missing. I searched and searched the next day thinking he might have be injured and was hiding. Later in the day Ron found Little Joe's body by our old truck. I should have known to look there because Mr. Gibson had been in that area all day, watching over her son's body.

We have gone almost two years without losing any of our chickens, goats or guinea fowl (knock on wood) except for those who have gone to new homes like Jack Bauer, the rooster and TK the goat. It is one thing to lose them to their natural predators like hawks, owls, coyotes, etc. But to lose them to domestic neighborhood dogs is so very traumatic.

And the woman wanted to know if she could pay me money for the chickens. How do you explain that they are family?

ALIVE, GONE, NEVER FORGOTTEN

2011-12-01T05:09:00.001-06:00

Remember when our first baby goat was born? If not, click HERE to read his birth announcement from July 24, 2010.

TK grew into a Billy Goat Gruff and sometimes he thought I might be one of the trolls under the bridge. In other words our 16 month old boy had grown into a bully billy. He did sire two precious sons, Dr. Cole and Lord Voldemort during his time with us. ( These boys were neutered as soon as possible). Yesterday TK's life with us ended.

There goes TK in the cage in the back of that truck. He was calling for help from his harem and they were calling back. It was not a pretty site. Part of me was very happy to have found him a new home while the other part of me was sad to see this member of our family leave. However, just like our rooster Jack Bauer, TK is off to greener pastures meaning more ladies for his primary calling in life.

My tears were quickly wiped away as I took a moment to ponder my bruises. This made his departure a little easier.

For your added viewing amazement, here is a wonderful painting Holland aka Monique Lassooij did of TK as a baby. Indeed a life long treasure from a phenomenal artist.

PLAY NICE

2011-11-30T07:11:00.001-06:00

It all started so simply. The faith message was basically "play nice". How could such an easy task become so convoluted?

Every religion has factions within itself that are contradictory. Take Christianity for example. First we split by theological definitions that created many different denominations and then came more distention within those different denominations. Now Christianity is not only divided theologically, we are divided politically. On top of all the controversy we already have, we now must define ourselves as the Christian Right and/or the Christian Left.

It never pleases me to have to raise such questions, but today doesn't it all seems a far cry from the simplicity of "play nice"?

QOTW 11-28-11 LOOK AGAIN

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 11-28-11

How do you see your day-to-day life? Did Thanksgiving leave your glass feeling half full or half empty? What do you expect through the rest of the holidays? How do you generally look at your life?

Thanks to my sister Elenore for this question of the week.

Click here to get the turkey wishbone pull results.

WIN-WIN

2011-11-27T19:05:00.000-06:00

18 voted Left 13 voted Right

As you can see the lefts were the official winners. However the wish Ron and I each made was for everyone's wish to come true. This was definitely a win-win situation. Thanks everyone for you guesses on my blog, on Facebook and by text for playing along. Your wishes are important.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE

2011-11-25T07:47:00.001-06:00

Left Y Right

Everyone had gone yesterday before I realized we had not pulled the wishbone. Now even you can get in on it. Pick your side, right (with nail polish on tip) or left, and make your wish when you post your comment.

Sunday evening, 7:00 PM CST, Ron and I will pull the wishbone with your proxy and let you know the break. You may give us suggestions on how we should hold it to gain the best advantage on the pull. Pinky finger hold, thumb placement, fist grip, etc.

It is always the one with the larger portion of the wishbone that wins.

Everyone on the winning side will have your wish come true.*
Make you choice in the comments (and share your wish if you dare). Many believe if you tell you wish it won't come true but I think that only applies to blowing out birthday candles.

*fine print: Participate at your own risk. We are not liable for unfulfilled wishes.

More information regarding the superstition of pulling the turkey wishbone. It is a rare circumstance but some have been known to pull the wishbone evenly apart at the Y. If that is the case, all wishes will come true. It has also been known for persons to break both sides below the Y and the Y has dropped to the ground. In this instance, none of the wishes will come true.

OUTTA HERE

2011-11-23T03:59:00.001-06:00

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Share your plans and/or menus or favorite traditions in the comments.

Children and grandchildren coming here and bringing most of the food. (Sometimes it pays to be old and infirm.)

Baked Ham

Fried Turkey

Smoked Turkey

Stuffing

Mashed potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Corn Casserole

Pistachio Fluff

Chelle's Unbelievable Homemade Croissants

Pecan Pies

Pumpkin Pies

Fudge

No Cranberry Sauce:)

Once you have pushed away from the Thanksgiving table and everyone is napping, go to your computer. You probably won't find a lot of new blog entries to read due to the holiday but here are some of our past Thanksgiving posts in case you need a blog fix.

Thanksgiving 2010 -- Remains Of The Day

Thanksgiving 2009 -- Something Wishboney This Way Comes

Thanksgiving 2008 -- Happiest Of Thanksgiving Greetings

Thanksgiving 2007 -- Thanksgiving To Remember 2007

Thanksgiving 2006 -- Feeding Mother

Thanksgiving 2005 -- Thanksgiving

QOTW 11-21-11 KARAOKE CATERWAULING

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 11-21-11

What is your Karaoke standby?

Perhaps the first question should be "Do you do karaoke?".

Singing karaoke is not my thing but if it was, I would probably select ~~FIRE AND RAIN.~~ ~~RESPECT,~~. ~~BLUE EYES CRYING IN THE RAIN.~~ ... IN SPITE OF OURSELVES, definitely an Ann and Ron karaoke duet:). click link

My goddaughter Jessi came up with this question of the week. She loves cats,so I thought this caterwauling picture would be appropriate. Riot Kitty will love it too:)

LET'S MONKEY AROUND

2011-11-18T04:30:00.001-06:00

Have you ever seen such large sock monkeys? Found a room full of these engaging critters in a flea market yesterday. They cost $56 each. I could not afford to purchase them but somehow felt the urge to help them escape.

INSULT TO INJURY

2011-11-16T15:33:00.001-06:00

We had dear friends in a horrible automobile accident this week. Thankfully husband and wife both are doing well at this point and no one else was injured. I think the worse part will come when they read the news account of the wreck and learn the husband was referred to as "the elderly driver". Yikes! These are people our age. Guess that is how we are referred to now and I try not to think about it. Let's make "elderly" a non-PC term.

QOTW 11-14-11 ADDICTS

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-06:00

Question Of The Week 11-14-11

What is your "uncommon" addiction?

I am fairly certain that we all have some kind of addiction, whether it is to a substance or to an activity. We know the usual addictions that make headlines like drugs, gambling and sex. But what addictions are not quite as harmful and maybe not as common? I am addicted to my computer and to television.

(Have you ever attempted to overcome one addiction by replacing it with another? My sister suggested this question because she traded cigarettes for Nicorette.)

THEY DID IT

2011-11-13T04:44:00.001-06:00

Grandson Dillon photographs his medallion. A win that finally comes his senior year. Granddaughter Beth, with two more years in the band, was seen crying when the camera panned in at the announcement. Grandson Ryan, now in college, celebrates the victory for his siblings and "his" band. It is not just a victory for the performers but for anyone who has ever been a member of the BROKEN ARROW PRIDE. It is also tremendous victory for all the parents and family members who have supported this effort.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #1

(I haven't talked to their dad yet, who chaperoned again this year, but I know that is because he hasn't stopped crying yet.)

BROKEN ARROW PRIDE FINALE 2011

The Broken Arrow Pride last won the championship in 2006.

PICTURES FROM THE PAST

2011-11-12T05:34:00.001-06:00

PICTURES FROM THE PAST

These pics were taken from color slides found at the Library of Congress. They are dated between 1939-1943.

The pictures are so clear and the color is so vibrant, it looks as though they were taken just yesterday .

http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

My favorites are # 58 # 70...or maybe...oh well, it is very difficult to pick a favorite. All are awesome.

TODAY WE THANK THEM

2011-11-11T04:44:00.001-06:00

Tell a story in the comments about a special Veteran friend or family member.

To all Military Veterans,

Thank You!

11-11-11

Lynn said...

My late father was a Naval veteran of World War II - he was on a minesweeper in the Pacific theater. One morning the ship's cooks were all killed in a battle. They asked if anyone knew how to cook and so dad and the ship's pharmacist raised their hands. Dad was stretching that a bit - he mainly saw an opportunity to eat better. The first meal was chili - the ingredients had already been laid out for preparation. "Eerie" he said. Someone came by and suggested he make it good and hot, so there was an industrial sized can of chili powder there, and dad split it open and poured it all in. The rest of the story, was hearing about all the sailors with tears streaming down their faces. :)

He had some horror stories, too (edited to some extent) - what I always admired about that was that he never looked for glory - it was just something you do. You serve your country.

Bonnie said...

There are many vets in my family, my father,his brothers, my brother in law and all 3 of my grandfathers. The one that sticks out the most was my Grampa Comstock because he was a survivor at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. Unfortunately he died in 1975 when I was quite young and even though I have researched it, I cannot find the name of the ship he was on. God Bless all our veterans AND their families, because they sacrifice too.

6:41 AM

Changes in the wind said...

My Dad served in World War 2 and survived where many of his buddies did not. He would not talk about it so I do not know alot. I have his uniform, dog tags, maps, letters to my Mom and many other things. I recently read a quote "There are no unharmed war veterans" and think it is true. Indeed we are grateful to all our veterans but we really can not understand their sacrifice unless we walked in their shoes.

7:59 AM

Rae said...

My father served in WWII. He was shot on the battlefield while rescuing another soldier. He received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in recognition.

My three uncles also served in the same war. One of them (Ray)was killed in action. My dad wanted to honor him in some way, so he named me after him.

12:20 PM

Riot Kitty said...

I come from a long line of peace-loving veterans. My great-grandfather lied about his age so he could join the Navy in WWI (where he was a champion boxer), and my grandfather, his son, also lied about his age so he could go fight the Nazis in WWII. Before that, my great-great-great grandfather fought on the Union side in the civil war. I can't imagine that kind of bravery, and I salute them.

LL Cool Joe said...

I don't really have any stories to tell. As an adopted person my history is very limited. I didn't have a grandfather. Both my parents were evacuated as children in the second world war.

I do have a story about my father visiting the concentration camps in germany, so maybe I'll try to talk about that on my blog one day.

Granny Annie said...

Ron served 20 years in the Navy through the Cold War and Vietnam. He freely and often tells funny stories from his years in the military but he never talks about the serious stuff unless he is with a group of other veterans. They know that unless we were there we cannot understand.

G said...

I don't have any stories to tell either, however I will mention that my late grandfather was a WWI veteran of the Navy who lost a couple of fingers during combat while loading those big ass cannons (I think. My recollection is a bit hazy on that). Like some patriotic men in those days, he lied about his age so that he could enlist.

7:14 AM

Snaggle Tooth said...

My Dad was a Sergeant in the Infantry in Korea. The GI Bill helped get him thru Engineering education.

A girl I knew growing up became career Army, as both her parents were. She did 3 tours in Iraq after a tour in Germany, despite being a parent. She works in the Motor Pool division. I think she's very dedicated n brave.

3:54 AM

Comments From Facebook

Judy (kenju) My dad had flat feet and the services wouldn't take him, but his brother and my cousin both served, and many others in the family as well. We are always grateful for their time in service to our country.

Lucy -- My dad was a veteran... He was in the Navy and he was so proud to have served his country... He loved watching Victory at Sea and we all watched it with him...We had a military salute at his funeral... Miss you, dad...

ALL ABOUT GOAT GREED

2011-11-10T07:58:00.000-06:00

Our goats are a lot like chickens. If one chicken finds a tasty morsel, all the other chickens will give chase trying to grab it while they pass up other food just to get this one thing. The other day LV (Lord Voldemort) spied a treat near the back of the house. He began to nibble on it when the other goats stampeded to take it away. Notice they are standing in a bed of dried leaves which they love to eat but all is abandoned just to steal from LV. I can put out several dabs of sweet feed for the goats but they will fight over one tray at a time rather than spread out.

They also do not play well together. The goats enjoy jumping on the big tire, especially the small goats. The bully billy goat, TK, is not allowing the youngsters to climb up and play.

Instead of guessing "Where's Waldo" you can play "Where's Slim" with the above picture. She blends well with the goats. Maybe she'd waiting for her turn on the tire.

This is my blog post #1900, I am hoping to reach 2000 by March 9, 2012, on my 7th blog anniversary of FOOLS RUSH IN.

Here is something funny in case you missed it on my sidebar or on facebook. My cousin Becky knew I would love it.

VINCENT LIVES

2011-11-09T05:34:00.000-06:00

See Little Joe, our young rooster. He is growing very nicely and is a big boy. At seven months of age he is just right for a rooster stew so I hope none of our hungry neighbors will see him. We do not eat any of our chickens.

See Vincent at the back of the barn. I did not know he was there until I looked at this photo. Vincent was the scarecrow my grandson Michael built to keep predators away from the chickens. Vincent stood in our back field for a couple of years in rain and snow and sun. Ron told the boys to take Vincent down their last visit and I just now realized this protector was stored in the barn instead of destroyed.

It made me smile to see him there.

Visit the original post about Vincent here.
(The suggestions in the original post comments caused me to have the grandsons all go out and pee on Vincent.)

ALL THAT AND A PhD

2011-11-08T04:41:00.000-06:00

My godson emailed these questions when I ask all the family for ideas for my Monday QOTW. I can always depend on Travis to make any inquiry interesting and these were too clever to wait and post one at a time.

"There are so many questions... Why do the British spell color colour? or why do the leaves change color? how do roots grow down and branches grow up? why don't penguins live in the northern hemisphere? Why does chocolate taste so good? Does an apple taste like a potato if you hold your nose closed?"

He also sent this question and I'm hoping it really has an answer he can verify. I already made my guess but needless to say, it was wrong.

"There is a prison with 277 men in it. Every man has a number tattooed on the back of his head. 12 people have 1, 84 have a 2, 76 a 3, 104 a 4, and 1 person has a 5. These people cannot communicate and they cannot look at the back of their head. They do not know the number on the back of their head. They do not if they even have a number on the back of their head. They can see each other though.

If a person figures out what number is on the back of his head that person can leave the prison at midnight. No one will guess.

One day everyone is gathered for lunch and the person with the number 5 on the back of his head stands on a table and says, "I see someone with the number 2 tattooed on the back of his head". He does not look at anyone when he says this, and that is all that is said.

How many people leave the prison? When?"

Yes my blog friends, this is what you would call an extra credit question. It should wake you up on a Tuesday. LOL

DISCLAIMER: My dear friends, I should have warned you that my godson is a trickster. He was the child who, along with his sister, locked me in a porta-potty at the fair parade. He hid in my closet for two hours when he was a kid, waiting to scare me and he and a friend blew up the dog house with a dry ice bomb when they were 12. Just many in a long list of his antics. I should have insisted on the answer to this question before I posted it, When I ask him to give me the answer his first response was, "Who said I knew the answers)"

His second response was, "

I know the answer. The answer requires an explanation. A guess does not cut it.

To see the answer simply the problem. Try it with 1 #2 and 1 #n. Then go on and look at 2 #2 and 2 #n, 1 #2 1#n 1#m ...."

And that is all Greek to me. Sorry if any of you over taxed your brains on this. Let's just say everyone gets extra credit and it appears Whitemist had the best guess. Sounded good to me anyway. If Travis ever reports in with something sensible, I will share it with you. Yep, I love him anyway:)

QOTW 11-7-11 MARTIAN ATTACK!!!

2011-11-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

Picture by the amazing Crystal Robot for the Julie Kay Portrait Party*

Question Of The Week 11-7-11

Are your taken in by sensational headlines?

It seems there was a time we avoided picking up the National Inquirer and similar magazines because we knew there was only a tiny shred of truth (if any) to their outlandish headlines. Now it seems to ALL be tabloid news even in once respected periodicals. 'We grab the paper up or click on the link only to learn there still is no truth to the headlines. What recent splash caused you to read the story only to learn that it didn't come close to what had been trumpeted?

Here is a true headline for you: MAN WITH "TRUE GRIT" CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY TODAY! Amazing husband, father, grandfather, commodities guru and military hero named Ron:)

*Can you find me in the above picture?

APPETITE STRIKES

2011-11-06T07:40:00.001-06:00

Warning to all vegans...DON'T LOOK!

Ron rarely (no pun intended) has an appetite these days so when something strikes his fancy we go for it. Yesterday he decided on Montana Mike's Prime Rib with horseradish sauce, fried okra and green beans. He did not make a "happy plate" but he sure gave it his best shot and we brought home enough leftovers for his next meal plus a treat for Slim.

NOW YOU CAN

2011-11-05T17:01:00.002-05:00

DON'T FORGET AT 2 AM TO

PREPARING BLOGGER OPEN HOUSE

2011-11-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

Transferring files to a new computer is like moving into a new home and trying to find the right place for everything. It is absolutely wearing me out to adjust to the changes but oh how I love this new place!

Cannot wait for all of my blog friends to start visiting me here:)

STRANGE ROAD KILL

2011-11-03T04:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, returning from a trip to town, I noticed something on the shoulder of the highway. The tableau that unfolded was a dead animal of some kind and a broken crutch. Now just what was the story there? I wish I had gone back and taken a picture. Any guesses on what might have occurred?

AGAIN WITH THE FINE PRINT

2011-11-02T06:39:00.001-05:00

The year was 2000 and I left banking after 32 years. A lot has probably changed since then but I imagine the fine print has probably only gotten finer. Opening an account at a bank yields a lot of paperwork and buried in the fine print is a disclosure that states "The rules and regulations on this account are subject to change by the financial institution at any time with 30 days prior notification provided to the customer in writing."

That notification can be delivered to you in any manner. The favorite is in a line notice across your bank statement. The reason that is the favorite is because the majority of people (I kid you not) do not even open their bank statements. Yes Bank of America and all the other banks will find more subtle ways to increase their fee income after abandoning the $5 debit card fees, and a lot of us will not even notice the changes.

There is even more in the fine print that you should start reading. A lot applies to what is the customer's responsibility. It is amazing stuff. Have you ever read all the disclosures the bank provides? Did you shop for you bank based on pricing and policies or convenience?

QOTW 10-31-11 "WHERE'S THE BEEF?"

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000-05:00

Question Of The Week 10-31-11

What phrase from a commercial do you find yourself repeating a lot?

We know the famous Wendy's commercial that became an ad legend. We often find ourselves repeating the line Clara Peller delivered so wonderfully in the 80's. Doesn't everyone know it? "Where's the beef?"

My sister's favorite ad line is from Shake n' Bake commercials, "...and I helped".

I am always saying "Sorry Charlie". It was a commercial for Starkist Tuna where "only the best tuna" got to be Starkist.

It is amazing the commercials that grab our attention and are then used in our day-to-day lives. What's commercial sticks with you?

(Thanks to my daughter Chelle for this Question Of The Week)

P.S. Happy Halloween

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

PAINFUL AND NOT ITCHY

2011-10-29T12:01:00.000-05:00

We have all heard the expression "He (or she) has an itchy trigger finger". Well I have a trigger finger but it is not itchy, it is painful. The middle fingers on both of my hands will lock up and it hurts terribly to open them. Do you know of anyone who has this or have you ever been diagnosed with trigger finger? Is there a way to treat it without surgery? Some nights by the time I go to bed I am in such pain that I cannot get a good night's sleep. The possible reasons are rheumatoid arthritis, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes, injured tendons etc. I cannot bear the thought of going to a hand specialist because we are so sick of visiting doctors. It is my hope to find relief in the form of home remedies or the successful treatments others have used. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Needless to say this ailment affecting the middle fingers of both my right and left hands makes it difficult for me to express myself to people who irritate me. I cannot give them the international anger gesture.:)

PONDERING TIDBITS

2011-10-28T04:38:00.000-05:00

Do not mark on greeting cards. Post-it notes are great to stick on theenvelope with their name and in the card with your sentiment. This way the recipient can recycle the card..

The new chicks are now named. They are Bonnie, Clyde,Huey, Huey and Huey.

We received our annual order of fresh Medjool dates from Californiayesterday. Oh my goodness they arewonderful. Yesterday Ron offered avisitor a date. She had no idea what hewas talking about so she must have thought he was asking her out. She did not know dates were fruit. She was just sure we were offering her prunes.

My laptop computer broke this past weekend. Our desktop quit on me for a while today andwas very difficult to get going again. My cell phone broke when I dropped it the other day. Now it appears our coffee pot is going out. GuessMercury is in retrograde again.

Do your pets recognize carry-out boxes and go crazy as soon as they see one?

Should you tip the restaurant employee who hands you your to-go order?

How much should you tip the golf cart driver who takes you fromthe parking lot to the casino door?

Can you remember ever seeing your parents run?

NOT YET!!!!

Hope these thoughts will keep your mind active over the weekend. Have a good one and DON'T change your clocks. We don't "fall back" until November 6th.

STICKER SHOCK

2011-10-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Can you tell there are FOUR carts in this picture? It is an invasion!

My husband has not been able to walk very far since his radiation and chemo treatments. For that reason I have done all the shopping. Yesterday he got in one of those motorized carts at WalMart and shopped for the first time since January. I thought we were going to have to call the paramedics to revive him. Not from the exertion of the event but from the extreme shock he experienced in seeing the prices since his last visit ten months ago.

What are you doing to stretch your dollars and what price increase has caused you to stop buying certain products? Are you wasting as much as you did a year ago or have you become more frugal and in what way?

Shoot, I should have saved this as a QOTW. (Question Of The Week).

INTERESTING ADDENDUM:

I cautioned Ron about using the cart and reminded him of how rude some cart drivers are to pedestrians in the store. I gave him all kinds of tips (my usual helpful advice) about giving the walkers the right-of-way and reminded him to be courteous to them. We managed to obtain the last available motorized cart and while I was attempting to read the instructions and get him to try it out gently, Ron took off in a flash leaving a trail of dust in his wake (and a few people fleeing for their lives). I also believe I heard scary laughter as he embraced this new found freedom. My shopping time was spent pretending I did not know him. He got back to the van and griped about all the people that got in his way. Oh dear, he is ONE OF THEM now.

QOTW 10-24-11...HELPFUL OR BRUTAL?

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-24-11

Do you want to hear the honest truth?

Does your make-up look good? Is your hair okay? Do you have any gunk in your teeth? Is your fly open? What about that stain on your shirt? Are your fake eyebrows crooked? Is your wig or toupee straight? How is your breath? Did you really say that? Are you really going to wear that? Should anyone, especially your closest friends, tell you the brutal and honest truth?

(Do I really look okay or is my vision failing me? As we get older do we worry more about our appearance? "Please tell me if I ever start looking like Myrtle Brown" was a bargain made with Ron years ago. Myrtle was an elderly customer at the bank. She had bright red hair with white roots. She applied her rouge in circles like a clown's make-up and her clothes were ancient and ill-fitting. Yet she strutted around as if she were a model on the runway. No one would ever have told her that she looked very strange. As comfortable and confident as Myrtle appeared to be, would she have preferred the truth to having people laughing behind her back? Should even our closest friends be expected to tell the brutal yet honest truth?)

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

2011-10-21T05:55:00.000-05:00

It is my custom to lock the goats in their pen around 6:00 every evening. They are easy to bring in by simply shaking the pan of sweet feed that entices them through the gate. My primary concern at that time is to be able to stand clear while spreading out the feed in various containers as they begin the battle of the bites. There is enough of this treat for each of the goats but just like with their hay, they only are interested in what another goat has instead of what is still in the feeder for them.

My task at that time to is to simply exit the pen unscathed. It is my single goal to get out and shut the gate before they trample me in the melee. Meanwhile, once the goats are all in, Slim believes her work is done and she has already made her escape. I am left to fend for myself.

Last night as I scrambled to get out the gate my boots became tangled in a wire from the hay bale. As I went down my life flashed before my eyes and the urge to yell "timber" came upon me. Once on the ground I held perfectly still as it was time to assess the damage. That is the rule for us old folks when a fall occurs. Don't move until you are sure you are okay.

First you imagine the worse. I will die here while Ron is sleeping peacefully in the house. He won't even miss me until after dark when he gets up for his supper. If I don't die, I will at least be crippled for life and we will both have to move to a nursing home until we are well enough to take care of ourselves. Then what about all these animals? Who will take care of them and our property while we are gone? My toes are wiggling and that is a good sign. Thank goodness I had on boots and not my sandals. My knees seem fine also. Thank goodness it was cold enough for me to be wearing long pants and not shorts. My hands are a little scratched from absorbing the fall but nothing appears to be broken. Slowly I get up off the ground and brush away the hay bits and chocolate-candy-looking goat droppings stuck to the side of my face:)

I am happy to be alive. All is well with the world. Back inside the house Ron is awake and in his recliner. I rush to convey the events that have just occurred and anticipate the rejoicing we will do together regarding my close call. He smiles and say, "Could you get me some more peach juice when you go back upstairs?"

SEEDS AND MORE AS THEY GROW

2011-10-19T06:40:00.001-05:00

Marigolds that sprouted from seeds stuck under the tractor. Because of Ron's illness the tractor has been sitting there long enough to allow these lovely blossoms to grow.

This is David the mama cat. She was named as a kitten before I knew she was a she. Isn't she a pretty girl?

Say hello to David's son Vern. We call him our "forever kitten". Vern looks like a miniature of his mom and does not seem to grow. Boomer's kittens born the same time are three times bigger than Vern.

Don't be afraid of Furbie. This is the oldest barn cat we have. This is the only picture of him other than pictures with his head down eating with the other cats. Furbie will not let me touch him. He shows up to eat then is off about the business of keeping the barn clear of mice. Can you tell from the expression on his face that you do not want to cross Furbie?

I call this kitten Lil' Bear Junior. His father, Lil' Bear Senior abandoned the family when LBJ was born and does not send child support. This kitten is very soft and cuddly. He finally lets me pat him and seems to be very happy here. I will try to get a picture of his sister Patty Cake to show sometime.

And to be fair to the chickens, here is a picture of Mr.Gibson with four of her five chicks. I can not get a picture of them face forward because when I get near them, Mr Gibson screams "Run, run, run away!" and they do.

Goats will appear in the future along with an update on Chicklet and Little Joe. (It is fun hearing Joe learning to crow.) Also I will try to include the guinea fowl someday soon

QOTW 10-17-11...WHAT DID WE DO BEFORE

2011-10-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-17-11

Do you always use the drive-thru and can you remember a time before businesses had pick-up windows?

(My sister suggested this Question Of The Week after she had spent a day in her car going from her drive-up pharmacy window to her dry cleaner's window, to the bank's drive-thru and finally the fast food place. She managed to run all her errands without getting out of her car. She loves drive-thru and can't imagine what she would do without it. On the other hand, Ron and I rarely get in a drive-thru line and usually park and go inside. However, we are retired with lots of time and my sister still manages a home and office workload)

The above picture is of a drive-up library in Arlington, IL. What is the most unusual drive-thru you have ever found?

RE-REPORTNG THE NEWS

2011-10-16T07:13:00.000-05:00

Why didn't the headline read:

Hotel Casino Proudly Displays American Flag.

A Hotel Casino that shows it patriotism by a proud display of the American Flag, was recently dragged into the news and labeled un-Amercan simply for enforcing their own employee handbook regulations.

“The Casa Monica Hotel located in St. Augustine, Florida, is an American-based, homegrown historic hotel,” their email reads. “The property reflects its pride in America and great patriotism by flying the Stars and Stripes high over the hotel. The American flag greets every guest and employee with its symbolism of our belief in this great country.”

Instead the headline reads:

Hotel Fires Man Who Wore U.S. Flag Pin

One employee decided to wear an American Flag pin and was sent home for disobedience and eventually fired when he refused to remove the pin from his hotel uniform.

The employees of this hotel wear uniforms. Their employee handbook clearly states, ‘No other buttons, badges, pins or insignias of any kind are permitted to be worn.’ No matter an individual’s national preference, political views or religious affiliation, it is a standard regulation which ensures equality for all Grand Performers (employees).”

The media is painting the hotel as evil and unpatriotic. The stories on the internet and television show the fired hotel employee in his regular clothes (not the hotel uniform) and they play a sad tale of how he was denied his opportunity to reflect his pride in America. Of course he is an American. He is suing the hotel isn't he? After all that's the American way. And the media is helping him win his case by twisting the news in his favor.

I did not want to hear this story and I did not want to defend this hotel but it came within by line of sight completely by accident and I saw nothing else to do but try and set the record straight. My heart simply cannot take much of this leaving out the all the truth.

Keep repeating, "I must not watch the news! I must not watch the news! I must now watch the news! I must not watch the news! I must not watch the news! I must not watch the news!........

Here is a uniform that would allow the young man to display his pins and his patriotism.

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF FARTING

2011-10-15T07:02:00.000-05:00

I watched a very good movie yesterday called MAO'S LAST DANCER. It was a drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin.

At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet.

One particular scene in the movie struck me. Poor Li was crying loudly at bedtime because he was missing his family. All of the children were threatened with punishment by their caretaker if the crying did not stop. The other boys were trying to cheer Li up and finally one of them stood in front of him and farted loudly. All the boys started laughing, even Li, and the crying was over.

Why is it that such a gross act brings such laughter to boys and men all around the world? (Okay I laughed too.)

I do recommend this movie if you're looking for a good PG 13.

CAPTURE THE FLAG

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

Here is Rooster Chicklet, in charge of the flock. Notice his proud tail feather, flying like a beautiful flag unfurled. You can see that the tail feather balances him and makes him walk proud.

Oops, what is this? It appears to be a tail feather missing a rooster. Something seems to have happened among our flock that caused proud Chicklet to lose his banner of rule.

Introducing "Little Joe", Chicklet's nephew who is only six-months-old. As you can see, Little Joe is already as big, if not slightly bigger, than his uncle. You will also notice that Chicklet's tail feather is missing and his shoulders are slumped in shame. It appears they had a lively game of "capture the flag" and Chicklet lost. It wasn't very fair because Little Joe doesn't even have a tail feather yet. He does, however, have a healthy set of spurs. It seems he just might know how to use them.

And the rooster wars continue...

Be sure and click here if you missed the 10-10-11 QUESTION OF THE WEEK. I know you have a story to share.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-10-11

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

Do you recall a time when you were persuaded or coerced by a friend, family member or employer to do something under false pretenses?
'

WORLD'S BEST SUGAR COOKIES

2011-10-09T06:35:00.000-05:00

Recipe for Crisp Sugar Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 cup margarine (or butter)

1 cup cooking oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon soda

4 1/2 cups flour

Thoroughly cream together sugar, margarine and eggs. Stir in oil and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture and blend well. Refrigerate until dough is firm. (24 hours is good) Form into small round balls and place on cookie sheet. Press with fork and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown.

Recipe makes about 10 dozen delicious cookies.

My best friend from elementary school and junior high visited this week with her 94 year old mother. I do not get to see my friend often and I had not seen her mother in 50 years. We had a lovely lunch and I served these cookies for dessert plus I was able to send a basket full of cookies home with them.

WHAT TO DO -- WHAT TO DO --???

2011-10-05T17:25:00.001-05:00

Our city friends have a dilemma. Their neighbor's dog barks all day. These neighbors bring the dog in at night which is a good thing, but they leave the dog out during the day. The neighbors are at work and are probably not aware that their dog barks all day long. Barking dogs do not make for good neighbor relations.

My friends have just built a new patio and deck and they especially want to enjoy this lovely weather outside. You can guess how well that is going with the constant barking of the dog next door.

How would you approach this matter without alienating the neighbor? Anonymous calls or letters are out of the question. They already know this will have to be handled face-to--face, but what in the world should they say? Most of us have been on one side or the other or even both sides of this issue. It usually never has a good outcome.

Surely out there among my blog friends there is a perfect approach that will help our friends determine a path to follow.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 10-03-11

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

Which is more therapeutic -- forgiveness or revenge?

Several months back I came across an article that stated we are healthier when we get revenge than we are offering forgiveness. This theory came as a shock to me. Have you ever experienced "sweet revenge" and did it make you feel better? It seems to me that I have always been better off to "forgive and forget".

Here is another question for those of you who prefer a lighter topic.
You attend a community covered-dish dinner. As you approach the dessert table you notice one piece of chocolate cream cheese cake is left.
Do you:
A. Take it and pile it on top of your already full plate of food?
B. Leave the line to get a clean plate for the cheese cake and risk someone else getting it?
or
C. Scream at the line to halt and announce that piece of cake belongs to you and they should not touch it for fear of reprisals?

THE HAPPY POLYGAMIST

2011-09-30T04:00:00.000-05:00

Quick update for Rooster Jack Bauer fans. We paid him a visit in his new digs and found one very happy fellow. His new caregivers said it took him about five minutes to take over from Rusty, the resident rooster. Obviously this was a huge boost to Jack's self esteem.

.I must add that I have a whole new respect for our remaining rooster, Chicklet. He's not as big as Jack Bauer but if you could have seen the size of Rusty and know how easily Jack whipped him, you have to wonder what secret powers Chicklet must have to have toppled the reign of both Daryl and Jack.

Rooster Jack Bauer is living in the lap of luxury, surrounded by beautiful show girls in a pen separate from the working class. He is feasting on watermelon and other treats. Jack did not even give us a second glance.

HEAR NO EVIL

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-05:00

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Couldn't that same question be relevant to politics, the stock market, daily crime reports, etc? If we do not hear the horror tales exhibited on TV and radio or see it in print, then does our worry and concern even exist?

We know the the stock market responds to gossip and rumor. We know officials are elected by who spins the most convincing tale. We have learned that criminals love the limelight. So if we hear, see or speak no evil, could we possibly keep bad things from happening?

(And, if you prefer to think of something on a lighter note, how long could you function in this world without paper towels? They are almost as important to me as toilet paper and gasoline.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 09-26-11

2011-09-26T04:00:00.000-05:00

What or who influences your fashion choices? Who do you dress to please: yourself; your same sex peers; the opposite sex; your bosses; your mother?

(Other women seem to influence me the most. My sister and my daughter have a big impact on my clothing selection. My mother is gone but her voice can always be heard saying, "You're not going out in that are you?" When I worked outside the home, a compliment from another woman meant more to me than a compliment from a male coworker. Clothes selections for my spouse are mine to make. Left to make his own fashion choices, he would simply go naked.)

Thanks Elenore for suggesting this question of the week..

IT'S A WRAP

2011-09-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

More Breaking News: Jack Bauer the Rooster has moved across the road after all. It seems the neighbor's new rooster is a mean fellow. Their rooster does not fight other roosters, he fights the people. Jack Bauer has never attacked any humans so he gets his new harem at last. Yes, I'm okay with it and have bartered for a few fertilized Aracauna eggs to put in a cache of eggs under my next broody hen. NOL-NOC Estates has not heard the last of the legend of Rooster Jack Bauer.

WHAT'S HAPPENIN'

2011-09-22T05:24:00.002-05:00

Out for a drive around the lake. This is our neighbor's dock where we can launch our boat.

Granddaughter Hope, age 9, has always loved to play in boxes. Here she is in her recent one-room box house. Too bad her feet had to stick out the end.

Here she is at age three in a basket. Isn't it great to have a box full of Hope and a basket full of Hope:)

Best photo of son-in-law and daughter. It is almost the "only" picture of them together because getting SnIL to hold still for a picture is a difficult task.

Grandson Ryan visits from college and I tell him he's old enough now to make his bed before he leaves. And so he does...I don't think I'm eager to see his dorm room.

Ryan also brings me a gift. The bear's name is Chompers. Slim is hoping Chompers will be left unattended long enough for her to chomp him up. Be sure to enlarge picture to view bear's teeth.

It just seemed like there needed to be picture time from Granny Annie:)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 9-19-11

2011-09-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

Does gender play a role in your selection of medical professionals?

First of all, is this a politically correct question?

Our primary care physician is a woman. Our dermatologist also is a female. Our other specialists such as cardiologist, cancer doctors, radiologists, pulmonary physician, dentist are all male. We really did not select any of them except for our dentist and our primary care doctor. Ron picked our PCP because her name is Lisa. He had a previous doctor he trusted named Lisa so I'm guessing it could have been a guy named Lisa as far as he was concerned. Our dentist was an easy choice. Our bil:) We were referred to the rest.

Thanks to Chelle for suggesting this Question Of The Week.

SHOULD THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

2011-09-15T05:07:00.002-05:00

Breaking News: Have you heard the expression "you snooze you lose"? Well I snoozed and Jack Bauer lost. Our neighbors bought an Aracauna rooster this morning. I will never tell Jack how close he came to the life of a sheik.

You know about my rooster Jack Bauer. He came home with us and conquered the hen house in a bloody battle with the ruling rooster, Daryl. His rule was a fairly long one until Daryl and his son Chicklet teamed up to run Jack Bauer off the roost. Then Chicklet killed Daryl and took over the reign of the hen house. Little by little Jack Bauer has gained some space for himself, but he still does not rule the roost. (You can also see Jack on my sidebar in his counter terrorist outfit.)

Friends of ours now have chickens and a large portion of their flock contains Araucauna hens. These across the road neighbors have spied our beautiful rooster Jack and would like to have him. Their granddaughter has entered 4-H and wants to raise some competition show chickens.

You all know the adventures of Rooster Jack Bauer and how very attached I am to him. However, this would be an opportunity for him to have his own flock of girls with no competition. We could still see him anytime since he would be so close.

What to do? What to do?

By the way the picture is of Mr Gibson and her five newly hatched little chicks. They arrived as scheduled on September 10, 11, and 12. One blonde and four brunettes.

"I" = INCOMPLETE

2011-09-13T15:44:00.003-05:00

We went out for lunch and rushing around caused me to fail to put on my earrings. Looking in the car mirror to check my makeup the naked ears were glaringly obvious. I might as well have been completely naked.

Watch? -- check. Necklace? -- check. Rings? -- check. Earrings? -- OMG!

Our first stop was the drug store to pick up a prescription and right next to the checkout was the jewelry display. Silver earrings on sale. "Do you need a sack for these?" the clerk asked. But when she looked up she could see them already in my ears.

Does a forgetful lack of accessories ever make you feel incomplete?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 9-12-11

2011-09-12T04:00:00.002-05:00

Who am I to judge?

Our world runs rampant with judging. We judge politicians, religion, family, friends, etc. We are told to judge not lest we be judged, but aren't there times when it is necessary and even courageous to make a judgement? Think of the last time you thought your judgement call was necessary and unavoidable.

(Example: My children would often bring home new friends and it was my job to pass judgement based on available research about whether my children could associate with them or not. It wasn't a pretty job but someone had to do it.)

09-11-01

2011-09-11T06:47:00.001-05:00

WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU

2011-09-08T05:07:00.005-05:00

Our sleepy (?) little town with a state highway running through it sits off a major interstate. We have a lot of truck traffic as semi's exit the interstate to avoid weigh stations ahead or other inconveniences that might delay their travel. Automobile traffic also exits the interstate in exchange for our highway so they too may avoid obstacles in their paths like the Highway Patrol.

Monday evening we were enjoying our meal at the local restaurant (yes we only have one) and a local police car with lights flashing came barreling down the highway, made a quick U-turn and pulled over a car. Our police officer hopped out of his car, stood behind his open car door with his weapon pointed and began issuing commands. As the man in the suspect vehicle held is hands out the car window, he slowly reached his left hand down to open the car door. By then our officer was joined by another local policeman and a third, unmarked police vehicle. As the suspect exited his vehicle the police rushed him and threw him to the ground to cuff him. Meanwhile the real entertainment was taking place in the restaurant.

Our waitress was heating up like a cheerleader at a ballgame. "Look at those dumb cops! Look what they are doing to that old man!" (This 'old man' was at least ten years younger than Ron or I). Other locals began to join her outcry. "What do they think this is, an episode of COPS?" "What are those idiots doing?"

I was interjecting "Old men can shoot guns just like young men." "They might be protecting and serving our community." "Who knows, this guy might have been on his way to our restaurant to rob and kill us all and the police stopped him."

A couple who arrived late and were passing through from Texas joined me in my defense of the police. It was an amazing exchange. I got the attention of the waitress and asked, "Why do you dislike our local police officers?" and her reply was "Oh it's not just our police I don't like, it's all police."

Meanwhile Ron was sitting quietly, probably wishing his wife would shut up, and finally he made the one statement that settled this crazy waitress down. He said "I only know that I wouldn't want to have to do their job."

Which team in the restaurant would you have been cheering with...the COPS or the Bad Boys?

CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

2011-09-07T05:57:00.005-05:00

Why this obsession about food? Why the QUESTION OF THE WEEK about food? Well I did a very bad thing this Labor Day weekend. I took a break from my Alli fitness program and after 36 weeks on the three-a-day tablets and daily journal entries of calories and fat grams, I gave myself a break. (Not from the exercise though.)

Four glorious days of indulging in any food I craved. Last night was the last supper, so to speak. We went out for dinner and my indulgence was an 8 oz. cheeseburger and a side of onion rings. There was not a take-out box for left-overs in sight. (Poor Slim) "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

It took 36 weeks to lose 39 pounds and in one long weekend it was a very simple matter to gain back four. Was it worth it? Oh yea! Today it's back with the program.

P.S. We had some very interesting entertainment while dining last night and tomorrow you'll need to check back to hear the exciting details. Bet you will have an opinion on the events that unfolded.

Added Bonus: Blast from the past. Brought to mind when my sister mentioned a porch swing she wanted to give me. We had to break into song. Remember Swingin'

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 9-5-11

2011-09-05T04:00:00.007-05:00

What is your favorite "comfort food" and why?

My Grandma Myrtle used to put out a spread of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, fluffy rolls and chocolate cake with seven minute frosting for dessert -- all made from scratch. Was it the food that was so great or the joy of watching her in the kitchen as she sang gospel songs and prepared these meals? Or was it the family fellowship around her table? Are we so fitness conscious and/or addicted to "fast foods" these days that we fail to indulge in those delicious memories occasionally and guilt free? Of course I cannot even come close to preparing a meal like my grandma did.

(Are you enjoying comfort food this labor day weekend?)

DON'T LAUGH -- PLEASE LAUGH

2011-09-01T06:57:00.004-05:00

I am always doodling out some cartoon or other. Rarely does anyone think they are funny but I crack myself up.

Ron and I were leaving one of his treatment appointments. Outside at the valet parking one of our friends in a power chair was awaiting his community senior citizen bus. It seems that it had broken down and he was stranded until they could send a replacement.

Here is an idea for a cartoon I scribbled out about a solution for that.

SERENDIPITY

2011-08-31T06:16:00.003-05:00

Granny Annie in a garden of grandchildren.

Front row, Ryan, Granny, Beth and back row Dillon. Of course the camera hogs are all in the front and sweet, giving, loving, smiling Dillon taking the backseat again. If you ever pay attention to sibling placement how difficult is it to know that Ryan is an oldest child, Granny Annie is the baby of her family and Beth is the baby of her family? That means, of course, that Dillon is the sacrificing middle child.

Ryan is now freshman at OU, Beth a high school sophomore and Dillon a high school senior. I am a "senior" too, having just turned 65. These are my son's three children.

I cannot remember where this photo was taken and do not remember another photo booth ever producing a Polaroid shot like this. My daughter came across this lost picture in some of her organizing this past weekend.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 8-29-11

2011-08-29T04:00:00.005-05:00

What does a blogger need to do to lure you in? Is it their illustration picture, their post title, a comment they made on another post or the first paragraph/sentence of their post?

(Are you more likely to leave a comment on a short blog post?)

(11:54 AM I am adding another thought to this Question Of The Week; If you get a new commenter and you, with limited time, follow their link only to find they have multiple posts, how to you determine which to read to return their visit?)

NOW I UNDERSTAND.

2011-08-26T07:32:00.004-05:00

Visiting my grandmother I would always ask how she was feeling. She in turn ALWAYS said she felt wonderful. She would then smile and ask about me.

My mother would visit her mother later. Grandmother then had all kinds of problems and aches and pains. As mother shared grandmother's woes with me, I would say, "I was just there and we had a lovely visit and she said she was just fine." It really bugged me that my grandmother would not tell me how she was feeling and let me help her in some way. Why did she save this for my mother?

Yesterday our grandson called from college. He told us all about how much he is enjoying his new friends and his classes. We were happy and excited for him. After hanging up the phone I said to Ron, "Oh, I didn't tell Ryan about your medical report!" and suddenly it dawned on me. Grandparents wear a completely different face for grandchildren than they do for children.

This certainly explains why all of my grandparents are missed so muchl I was blessed to have four in my life until I was well into adulthood and allowed to forever be their protected grandchild never needing to hear "adult" concerns.

We are constantly learning.

OH, and I guess I understand this now too. Everyone tells me that since our AC was fixed, I keep the house too cool. Perhaps that is what Slim is trying to tell me also:)

TWO LITTLE WORDS

2011-08-25T06:22:00.003-05:00

"No malignancy".

We got those great results yesterday from Ron's tests on August 12th.

Still a journey back from the effects of the chemo and radiation but at least we see bright light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you each and every one for your wishes, thoughts, and prayers for Ron and for me.

WHAT CHURCH DOES HE GO TO?

2011-08-24T05:30:00.004-05:00

I am a Christian but you don't have to be to be my friend. You do, however, need to be kind, considerate, sincere, helpful, loving, giving, tolerant, wise and willing to say that I don't have to be of your religion to be your friend either.

The first question my dad used to ask me when I found a new boyfriend was, "What church does he go to?" I later learned that question did not mean is he a Methodist like us. That question meant is this boy hopefully being raised in a home that is helping him develop a conscience.

I do not, and never will, like a politician who campaigns using his specific religion as a sign of who he or she is. I want a politician to campaign on examples of past acts to earn my vote. Don't wear a fish or a cross on you lapel and expect me to believe that you have a good heart. Instead wear a pin of your lifetime of outstretched arms telling me you are willing to embrace our entire country and not just those who share your religion.

Haven't we all learned by now that a person's religion is certainly not a window into their soul? We cannot define a person's heart by their religion but only by their example of living. Simply by saying that I am a Christian causes some people to immediately determine a lot of things about me that are totally off base.

Needless to say I strongly believe in separation of church and state but not separation of morals-ethics and state. Let's stop re-electing politicians who say they are religious but have committed a multitude of crimes and harmful and selfish indiscretions that simply lead us away from our country's agenda of being the greatest nation of freedom in the world.

Yikes! Give me a hand stepping down from this soap box will you? Thanks.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 8-22-11

2011-08-22T04:00:00.005-05:00

How do you feel about putting bumper stickers or other decals/emblems on your car to express your politics, religion or sense of humor?

(The only items we stick on our vehicles are permit items like a military base permit, triple A sticker and pikepass, Oh and we have one front plate that reads US Navy and one that reads Senior Chief.)

EASY RECIPE FOR BANANA NUT BREAD

2011-08-21T05:47:00.004-05:00

This is a quick and easy recipe for delicious banana bread. Never throw out an over ripe banana again. If you can't make the bread right away, put the bananas in the freezer until you have a moment to whip up a couple of loaves of this bread. Even people who normally don't like banana bread like this yummy treat.

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 to 5 ripe mashed bananas
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mash 3 -5 ripe bananas in large mixing bowl.
Add 1 box yellow cake mix, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs (or 4 small eggs), 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts. Blend well and pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Pop bread out of pans onto cooling rack and let sit for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Serve with a little butter or whipped topping.

I have made this bread twice this week so I thought of sharing the recipe with you. Don't ask why, it just seemed the thing to do. Enjoy:)

OKAY HERE'S THE DEAL

2011-08-18T07:17:00.004-05:00

How might I learn to venture outside the realm of my comfort zone? My life was burdened by 32 years in banking, plus volunteer organizations, boards of directors, neighborhood associations. The safety of our rural life, my spouse, our family is my panic room. Yet friendly interaction with new people tends to call me out.

It is a fifteen minute drive to my monthly meeting of the LAVFW (Ladies Auxiliary for the Veterans of Foreign Wars). The first thing I think about is that it needs to be changed to the SAVFW (Spouses Auxiliary) which you see pegs me as a boat rocker. (I keep my mouth shut because I want to belong).

The second thing that stirs my rebellious brain is why does this meeting take two hours? Every meeting begins with our President (who has served three terms) attempting to follow the orders of procedures out of a book. How many terms does it take to finally learn the procedures? The lengthy interruptions during this meeting usually deal with aside comments about the failures of some member who is not in attendance to defend herself. (I keep my mouth shut because I want to belong).

This last meeting our post president was very unkind regarding the organization's new State President. It seems this State Pres. is a successful career person with computer knowledge and skills and wants to get every branch of the LAVFW to become savvy enough with computers to allow reports to be sent on CDs to the various posts. A great idea...yes? no? I seem to be the only computer literate person in the room as the remainder of the gals cluck their tongues at such nonsense. I am a total duck out of the frickin water. I don't keep my mouth shut this time and have regrets as I am greeted by stares. "Mars, I'm from the planet Mars" I want to say.

Yet, these women are hardworking volunteers who give of their time to veterans and to serve the local communities. They sacrifice to make, gather and deliver necessary items to our veterans in hospitals and nursing homes. They promote scholarship opportunities for children in our local schools. They make donations to families of veterans who are in need. They give support and encouragement to veterans like Ron who have medical concerns.

Our small group has around 40 members with only about 15 average participants. I cannot help but feel that many who do not participate may stand back because they don't blend with the ideas and opinions of the small active group that seems to control the meetings and the direction of the group. (Ever heard the term "click"?) Rather than try to change the group for wider acceptance, they opted to not attend or participate. I am close to making the same decision.

It is important to me for some reason to have some activity outside the confines of my protective bubble. Yet it is also stressful. Any ideas on why I am doing this to myself? Any ideas on why I can't simply relax and enjoy the differences and accept the others as I want them to accept me?

(I don't have to worry about my fellow members of the auxiliary reading this because none of them have computers.)

CHANGE OF STYLE TO FARM EXECUTIVE

2011-08-17T04:54:00.007-05:00

DON'T LET THAT SWEET FACE FOOL YOU.

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THOSE HORNS.

Yesterday I was sharing a little food treat with the goats to try and keep them in the back field. They get excited about their sweet feed and got a little pushy. Tandy Kid, once a cute cuddly baby, is now a selfish old billy goat and got a little demanding for his share and more. He butted me and I threw the bucket and when I did, I broke off a fingernail... to the quick. OMG!

Why would a C.F.G.H. (chicken farmer goat herder) try to have nice long polished fingernails on the farm? Today they all go (the fingernails, not the goats). So far, far away from the days of corporate dress, polished nails, panty hose and fancy hair-dos.

Referring to yesterday's post, I definitely took the road less traveled in 2000 when I gave up banking for rural life. And would I trade this life now? Not a chance:)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 8-15-11

2011-08-15T04:00:00.005-05:00

When you come to a fork in the road, do you take the "road less traveled" or the high traffic road?
(And has such a choice made a monumental difference in your life?)

I shall be telling this with a sigh,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that as made all the difference.'

from Robert Frost's THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

PAINTED WITH A WIDE BRUSH

2011-08-11T06:19:00.003-05:00

We have been painted all our lives with labels. Wide life-labels that cover large groups of people. We start out lumped in with children then students then adults. I took on other labels such as wife, mother, banker, divorcee, grandparent, wife , unemployed, chicken farmer and since my last birthday, Senior Citizen.

This seems to be the final one. I shall now and forevermore simply be lumped with all those over 65 as a Senior, an elderly person, conjuring images to a younger stranger that I am now a member of the tottering, feeble and infirmed with no history or information worth sharing.

This label easily confuses my brain that still sees me as an inquisitive child, a poet a writer, an artist full of love and laughter. Very simply a forward thinking human being still discovering each new day with a mixture of distress and delight.

Looks like Dora's got it right. Let's just paint all ages with a wide brush as "Explorers".

Dora The Explorer

NEED I SAY MORE?

2011-08-09T06:12:00.002-05:00

Oh yes, THANKS!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 08-08-11

2011-08-08T04:00:00.004-05:00

If you HAD to watch the same movie once a week for the rest of your life what movie would you pick?

(Give this some thought before you answer. It is about more than your favorite movie, it is about what movie you could tolerate that much and never grow tired of. I believe my pick would be THE COWBOYS with John Wayne)

HONORING

2011-08-07T04:02:00.005-05:00

....and all of our gallant military men and women serving around the world.

click for article

BRITISH SELF ESTEEM

2011-08-05T09:32:00.002-05:00

Is it possible that the British have greater self esteem than those of us in the United States? I watch movies made in the UK and see very normal people as actors. They have skin blemishes and muffin tops and don't have their breasts hanging out all over the place. They do not look like they all just popped out of Barbie and Ken molds and they can actually act. I much prefer their shows these days to our own. Why can't we use regular people in our movies and television and give our children a chance to realize they look normal instead of giving them inferiority complexes and the desire for tons of plastic surgery and enhancements?

CAPTAIN HOOK

2011-08-04T06:09:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture of our beautiful granddaughter Hope and beautiful daughter Chelle. They were getting ready to leave after another difficult weekend of helping me organize our home. Chelle's new nickname is "Captain Hook" because she has managed to install more hooks in hidden places to contain robes, towels, hats, brooms, etc. You name it and there is a hook for it and I am definitely in hook-heaven with hard to locate items now at my finger tips.

LIPSTICK SISTERS

2011-08-03T05:39:00.005-05:00

"Happy Birthday Elenore, July 31, 2011"

I seemed to delight my sister with her birthday present this year. The above sketch has a great deal of meaning for both of us. First it was sketched from the last picture we took in one of those photo booths a few years ago. (Is there anything more fun that posing for those five shots?) Second, my sister is a lipstick fanatic. Stepping outside your front door without lipstick is a sin in her eyes. Thus the sketch title, Lipstick Sisters. ''

Love you Elenore and am so happy you liked this:)

Hope you got to comment on Monday's QUESTION OF THE WEEK about coincidences?

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 8-01-11

2011-08-01T04:02:00.002-05:00

Is there such a thing as coincidence?

What coincidence or series of strange coincidences have occurred in your life recently? Numerous things have miraculously fallen into place for us these past few months and it is difficult to define any one of them as mere coincidence.

A CUT ABOVE OTHER REDNECKS

2011-07-26T06:24:00.004-05:00

I stand above, or at least right with, other rednecks. The above photograph is a bit of remodeling I needed to do yesterday and rather than use duct tape (my usual repair tool) I had to fall back on electrician's tape. My son-in-law has been amazed for years over the innovative work that has been completed by me with just a little tape and/or glue. The first time my daughter brought him to our home he got to view my vacuum cleaner totally held together by duct tape. It amazed him. That was all, of course, BR (Before Ron). Since Ron has been ill, I am pretty much left to my own devices. Anyone care to venture a guess on what I was attempting to accomplish here?

Poor Ron is not able to keep me from running amok and just had to shake his head and crawl back in bed yesterday when he saw that the fire I started (with my sister's help) in our incinerator. It had gotten out of control and spread rapidly. Thankfully the carpenter was here and helped my put out the fire. He sprayed it with water and then, when the well ran dry, we beat the fire out with shovels. I was proud that I was able to restart the well pump but when I tried to explain all then events to Ron, he wasn't very impressed. And yes, we are in a drought and under a state wide burn ban but I forgot. After all we have been without AC and my brain is a little more fried than usual. Penalty is a hefty fine or JAIL. OMG!!!

My son called and was not surprised to learn the events of my day, including my moving our porch refrigerator and getting pinned between the washing machine and the refrigerator for a time when only the strength of Samson finally came upon me. He ask me if he was going to have to move in with us to keep me from doing crazy things. I would just about guess some phone conferencing is going on among our children discussing what to do about mom:)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK 7-25-11

2011-07-25T04:00:00.005-05:00

Should a woman keep her maiden name when she marries?

(See if this one question doesn't open a whole can of worms. Should the man take her name? Should the parents and children have a hyphenated name? Should the child always be given the man's last name? And what about same sex unions? Should everyone reaching the age of majority have the option to register their own chosen name at no charge? Should there be a law about uniform naming? Etc.,etc., etc.)

Personally, if I were a young person marrying for the first time, I would keep my maiden name and give the children the father's last name.

ANOTHER DREAM

2011-07-24T05:53:00.006-05:00

I often dream that Ron and I have a child together. Last night we had a wee tiny little girl and we named her Hiawatha Joy. We wrote to a friend of Ron's to ask him to do a sculpture of our new baby girl and copied the letter to my daughter Chelle. She came to a family event and gave a power point presentation on why she should do the sculpture instead of Ron's friend. While we were at the family gathering to introduce our new child, we were entertained by singing from this tiny new daughter. She could belt out a song about things she had seen and it was amazing to hear this coming out of the mouth of a tiny infant wrapped in a blanket. At some point I dropped our small baby and Slim grabbed her up. I managed to retrieve Hiawatha from the dog's mouth but she had been stretched like a Gumby toy. Meanwhile we felt badly about daughter Terri in San Diego not getting to see the new sister so we called her to see if they wanted to pick a better middle name for Hiawatha than Joy. Maybe tonight I will learn the new middle name.

Now from the dream to a real nightmare. Our air conditioning is totally out and it reached 98 degrees in the kitchen, living room, guest room area. We are living in den and master bedroom area under two window air conditioners until a repair man comes today (hopefully). Thank goodness son Tandy is here to save us. He doesn't have parts and tools to repair the AC but does have the knowledge to diagnose the problem and could tell the repair guy. We know Tandy feels a bit cramped having to sleep on the den couch. If the repair guy doesn't come today, Tandy will install another window air unit in the upper level to get us through before he has to go back home.

As we count our blessings I cannot help but wonder what in the world people are doing who don't have a good cooling system or the financial resources for alternatives other than suffering in the heat.

Devotional this Sunday reminds me: When I open my eyes to the amazing power of God, I have no fear.

T.M.I.

2011-07-22T05:56:00.007-05:00

Unusual Flock -- June, Baby Chick, Mr. Gibson, Jack Bauer

The chickens are feeding us. I manage to collect two eggs a day. The heat is definitely affecting egg production. (I am 65 years old and still have to toss a coin on when to use "affect" or "effect".)

Jack Bauer and Rooster Chicklet seem to have reached some agreement and Jack Bauer splits off in the mornings with his own little flock of girls. He wanders all day with Mr. Gibson (who happens to be Chicklet's sister) and Mr. Gibson's young chick plus June who assisted in setting on the nest where this chick was hatched. This leaves Chicklet with the remaider of the flock and that seems to satisfy both camps.

The goats must be insane because they want out of their cool, shaded pen every day to graze under the hot sun. I guess their affection for the heat must be part of their African heritage. The same for the guinea fowl as they do not seem to be bothered by the heat. My own Sub-Saharan African blood does not help me in the least.

Loving the heat -- Elizabeth, Polly, TK, Tina, Dixie, LV, Dr. Cole

Boomer's kittens born in April have moved back here from the neighbor's. David's one kitten, Vern, was born a few days after Boomer's and is only about one third their size. I'm thinking Vern is a dwarf cat.

Boomer's kitten to the right of the name -- Vern directly below name

Slim is trying to go outside but keeps feeling the pull of air conditioning which keeps her from her designated tasks.

However we are having air conditioning problems once more and I don't know how much longer it will hold up under this heat wave. Only half of the house vents blow cool air and the other half seem to be clogged but no one is willing to crawl under the house and see what has happened. I would do it but know I would get stuck in the crawl space. We have fans strategically placed everywhere in hopes of moving cool air to the warm side.

The old stray dog that has adopted us seems to be pulling our leg because everyone in the area thinks the dog as adopted them too. It seems to be panhandling everywhere but still not bothering any livestock or property. I must say that Slim is not happy to have the visitor here any longer and definitely believes it has overstayed it's welcome. The stray has moved from the shady spot under the tractor to Slim's favorite spot under the front porch. Not a good idea.

Our refrigerator is finally repaired ($300 later) and it is a real treat not to have to go to the den freezer or to the small fridge on the utility porch to get our food.

Our kids have been coming almost every weekend from Tulsa and Oklahoma City to help around the place. Son helping with Ron's outside jobs, property maintenance, etc. Daughter putting her magic to work on organizing the inside of our home. I would be ashamed to tell you the number of bags that have been filled and directed to Goodwill, to my storage or to the incinerator. I know Ron and I both are borderline hoarders and the children fear having to dig us out someday.

Ron is gradually progressing as he gets further away from his chemo and radiation treatments but it looks like we're a long way off from him being his old self. It will still be August before we have a clue on how much the treatments helped.

The past six weeks of my Alli weight loss program have resulted in two steps forward and three steps back. I have managed a net loss of another pound (38 lost) but it is very frustrating after it has gone so easily up until now. I am sticking with the plan however and continuing to journal my food intake and exercising daily.

This is definitely TMI (too much information) but just wanted to catch myself up as much as informing you guys. Thanks for listening.....er, reading.

ARMED DELIVERY

2011-07-21T04:00:00.001-05:00

Our neighbor's granddaughter delivered fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to us through the field. She carried the pellet rifle in case of snakes. I'm guessing she must fancy herself to pretty good shot to think she might be able to shoot a snake. Yikes!

SHAPE SHIFTING

2011-07-20T04:00:00.002-05:00

Looking out my kitchen window, I saw an angel in the clouds. By the time I got outside with my camera it had shape-shifted into a giant chicken.