Guess What?

We went on a little trip to the hill country on this Memorial Weekend. We stayed in Kerrville in the last available room,  so we were told. I think that may have been true as the place and all the other hotels and motels appeared to have full parking lots. We checked in and drove through Ingram and on to Hunt where a kindly old fella built a Stonehenge replica.

See pretty neat. We enjoyed walking around it and taking photos, yet I’m sad to say we felt no “energy” coming from it. The river was flowing, the drive was nice and the weather was totally awesome. On Saturday we stayed in town and went down to a Art & Craft Festival…where we walked around, sat and ate and listened to some folk music. This one young guy was playing a 150 year old guitar, he played a lot of Mexican/Spanish type ballad music-it was very nice. After we left there we drove around downtown and found some booths set up at the courthouse. And naturally we had to stop and have a look see. We bought a CD of HeartStrings Treasures, they play an interesting looking instrument and Beloved loved their relaxing sound.

On Sunday we meet up with a dear internet, the original Jannie Funster and family, in Fredericksburg where we toured the National Museum of the Pacific War. Very appropriate for the weekend don’t you think. No need to answer I know it was. Speaking of the Funster, she writes and makes some pretty good music too and I love her CD, I Need a Man. Although I find the idea a bit confusing as her honey is a man, and I think he is a good guy. Did I mention they brought lil’ Kelly with ‘em? Well they did and she was her usual charming self.

She is so Ready for the Summer as you can see in this very contemplative photo and she is so ready to get that dang ol’ cast off; Soon my dear lil’ Kelly soon. I’m sorry to say Blue Bunny was not able to make it, something about a prior engagement and obligation and blah, blah, blah. Personally I think he wanted the house to himself for the day. Crazy Rabbit Bunny.

We ate at the German place (I know what place in Fredericksburg is NOT German) The Funsters had not had real German tatar salad before and I don’t think they will have it again. After lunch we walked around the hot town meandering in and out of air conditioned shops. Where we learned that the Shabby Chic phenomenon was born right here in this town, so they say. Who knew? Well I didn’t and this was an educational trip. Did I tell you we found a candy store, yes oh yes we did and guess what it had candy in it. It was too soon that we had to go our separate ways they to Austin and we back to Kerrville for our last night before heading home.

Now, now don’t be put out my dear internets ...
E-Candy for everyone. Catch! So what kind did you get?  chocolate, taffy, something sour or extra sweet?

Happiness, just say ahh

Jai has blessed me with the Happiness 101 award. I’m just tickled to receive it and deeply touched to think that I have helped to spread happiness here in the www, not to mention other things {wink}


Rules, this comes with a couple of rules and believe it or not every once in a while I follow the rules. No, really it’s true. Link to the person I was honored by- Easy that would be Jai of Jai Joshi’s Tulsi Tree; Tell of 10 things that make me happy (besides this award). This is gonna be hard to do as lots of things make me happy and without further ado, in no particular order

1. A baby’s smile (any baby, anywhere including the ones on TV)

2. The smell of gesso

3. Seeing a picture that I like

4. Hugging my children

5. Being a house wife

6. Listening to music

7. Sunshine and Rain

8. Air conditioning

9. Miracles

10. My Beloved holding my hand or kissing my neck- ou la la

And lastly pass it on to 10 bloggers that have made me happy and as mentioned above limiting me to 10 things was hard and now to limit this to just 10 of my dear internets. Crap! So many of you have touched me in ways I could not even begin to explain.

Down River Drivel

A Writer’s Edge

Grace Notes

Beyond Words

Brain Droppings

Our Lost Jungle

Bee Repartee

Dirty Footprints Studio

As I see it now

A Writer’s Point of View

Money is "GREEN"

I recently hear a rumor. Of course some of you may know this already, as I’ve been known to be behind the times on some things. So the rumor I heard is that here in Texas, grocery stores and I thereby assume all stores, that use those little plastic bags are going to start charging for said bags. Upwards of 49 cents; I know outrageous! cause that is what I thought. My source said its true they (you know them) are already charging for the bags in other countries and some areas of some States. I understand that California Wal Marts are charging. Also after they started doing that the price of the “green” bags went up. Which had been my first thought…well I’ll just pick up some canvas bags before the price goes up.


From what I understand a tax has been suggested on these handy dandy disposable bags and that my dear internets is enough of a threat to start retailers charging for them. I had some canvas bags at one time (think 80’s) for groceries, but they were too narrow, so I started using them for other things. Yes I have seen the new ones, but hey I’m an average American and have always felt that I already pay for them. Hey after all they (yes them again) increase product / item prices when the Stock Shortage ratings go up. Okay for any of you non retail job holding people, Stock Shortage is what it’s called when a store has missing products / items, y’all know when stupid people shop lift, borrow, pick up a 5 finger discount from stores. We all pay for it in higher prices and now, well now it’s beginning to look like we will be paying for all those loverly plastic bags that litter the sides of roads and dangle in trees or get sweep up by barbed wire fences.

Well we’re no dummies, no sirree, we all know they (who ever they are) have invented biodegradable bags, so why don’t they (you know) make stores use this kind then it wouldn’t be a issue. Surely those type of bags are no more expensive and thereby too costly for the bottom line. But I tell you dear internets perhaps bio-bags are an option for house hold trash. Speaking of which they have got to be bad, I mean they are built stronger so as not to break and spill yuck on your floors so they (bags) must be too strong to pop open in the landfills and hinder the breakdown of all our garbage. Just saying.

Personally I use those handy little bags for transporting more than groceries and stuff from the gettin stores. They (plastic bags not them) make purdy good totes for wet bathing suits and little trash can liners and for overnight bags in case a grandchild spends the night over here. Now back to the rumor…y’all know we do “green” junk around here, but it’s not because we are “green” people it is because it saves us money (that kind of green) So I’m gonna pick up or make some of those green bags. They (bags) may not actually be the color green, but I will only pay for them once and have ‘em till they wear out, a little like this rumor post.

Are you already paying for lil’ plastic bags? Are you already using the “green” bags? Do you think I’m just a crazy A$$ spreading rumors?

Yum lil' cakes

Okay, so what if I’ve dreamed of these little things, literally had a dream wherein I was eating these snack cakes. Lil' Debbie calls them Swiss Rolls and Hostess says they are HoHos. Anyways they are a thin light delicate chocolate cake rolled up with yummy sweat white frosting / icing cream sort of stuff. Oh my goodness the HEB brand has really sweet stuff inside, and I ate a whole box all by myself!

Not in the same day, don’t be silly it took me 2 days. What!, stop looking at me like that. Yeah I can feel your judgmental eyes penetrating my screen. Stop it! If you think about it, ah come on think about it, it’s not such a bad diet. I mean eating a little yummy cake 3 times a day is less calories than a full meal. NO really it is. Besides it may make up for all the weight I lost doing yard work. You believe me, right? I know you do and I’m sure Beloved will too and we all know that’s all that matters.

Speaking of my dear Beloved, we had a Birthday Party for his 50th. Hole - E - Mole - E can you believe he is 50 years old? That is what, half a century and he says he is now closer to 100 than 1. The really weird part is that I’ll be that young too on my next birthday, but I’ll just tell everyone I’m 39. Well I can’t be 29 any more my daughter is over 30 and that would just be wrong. Okay so maybe not, but after the box of Swiss Rolls I’m feeling a little wiser.

Now tell me your food confession(s), make it outrageous and don't worry I and all my dear internets shall commiserate with you... Binger? Grazer? 3 Squarers? Starver? What’s your action?

PS why is it called 3 square meals when we learned in grade school that a square has 4 sides?

FTC Disclaimer: I received no compensation of any sort for my opions here

Special Message

I am helping a friend, Deanna, spread the news about a serious and often undiagnosed condition known as Fibromyalgia. Seems like to me the further medicine and treatments advance the more chronic illness’ plague us, don’t you think? Sadly some doctors still think it’s all in our heads. ARGH! When is some really techno geeky genius gonna invent a machine that actually and accurately measures pain? I believe it’s true that some people can tolerate more pain or certain kinds of pain better than others. For instance the age old idea that if men had to squeeze a baby out their wee lil’ man the pro-creation process would come to a screeching halt. Why can a paper cut hurt so badly it brings tears to one’s eyes yet broken ribs are merely uncomfortable? It’s maddening I tell you! I know some of you, my dear, dearest internets suffer from fibromyalgia both diagnosed and undiagnosed.


So many of us on the www have illness and what nots that makes socializing in RL a bit harder than for the average un-pained people out there. The internet has opened a vast data base of information in terms of education, discovery and community. Please check out the web site I have linked to in this post. Don’t be one of the many that continues to suffer with pain without a “cause”

Please be sure to pop over to Deanna's Blog, she has a few post about it and will tell you way more better than I about this issue.

Surprise!

Please be sure to read the stuff below...it's a Surprise about moi!

The Dream
       .according to us

I saw a miniature black horse; its name was Ninety-two
standing before orange elevator doors
they chimed open, Ninety-two winked and leapt inside

I followed, fell into roses red and white and dripping with dew
every scratchless thorn capped with cotton
as 'round the palace the Queen raced on little Ninety-two

I hid behind red velvet curtains, plush and warm as wine,
while the sweat-flecked horse rode on, faster and faster
and the Queen fixed me with her terrible eye

As she put Ninety-two through saddle breaking phases,
Ninety-two strobed, electric
and she was sometimes me and sometimes the Queen

Like a hot tart dropped in haste, Ninety-two’s
chaotic glow took on a heat of
madness - liberating floating in sweet madness!

Equine strength summoned, she galloped full speed
The ground seemed to give way and suddenly
I and not the Queen was airborne, soaring majestically

Tiny toy houses and doll like people fell away
they could not see me above, light as air
Bliss; until a far north wind came and took me

Orange balloons with black eighteen's galloped skyward
like little winged ponies as I emerged,
Birthday Queen, from childhood's fevered dream

I awoke at last, in my damp and familiar bed
Mother smiling, gently wiping my brow
and little Ninety-two safely corralled in my arms

 
Y’all remember the Daisy Chain Poem (finished poem above) I told you about it over here? Mark has posted about his piece here. Well my dear internets I’m honored to announce that Linda Simoni-Wastila of Left Brain Write, has / or shortly will post an interview of moi. So my dear internets please rush on over there and find out what deep secret questions she may have asked and how they were answered by me. Linda will also be interviewing some {if not all} of the other poets that participated in the chain…Oooo, this is so exciting I can’t wait to find out what I said. Come on let’s go,  I'll wait

{waiting} don’t worry take your time {waiting} I know it may be a little long winded {waiting} But hey I’m so worth it and you are so ultra worth waiting for. No seriously. I mean it.

Okay so now that you are back I have a few questions for y’all:

1. What did you think?

2. Did I sound like a crazy a$$?

3. Were you impressed with any of my answers? And if so Which ones?

4. Did I embarrass myself?

5. Should I refuse any and all future interview requests from now on?

Come on do tell, don’t be shy…I’m waiting

Hand Sanity

Hum, don’t ya mean sanitary? No I do mean sanity as in judgment of common sense and it’s about time sanitary went green. I know y’all have heard me talk about how I totally dislike it when people sneeze or cough in their hands, yeah you know you hate it too. I feel that I am constantly going around nagging and nagging people about the right way…you know sneeze in the bend of your crook of your elbow or in your arm pit and it is perfectly good to cough there too. See that captures the rush of air and moisture particles that whoosh out of your face.

Okay enough of that nagging and onto hand washing lesson 101; wash with soap and warm water (cold / tepid will work too) and sing Happy Birthday two whole times, don’t cheat and sing fast or skip verses. Oh crappies now you need to dry your hands; some public restrooms have those blow dryers for hands; well they are terrible as they blow hot air that goes blowing around the little room and with it the germs and bacteria that others may not have completely washed off. And we all know they like warm moist areas and they are waiting to attack your lungs. I know, I know I’m getting there…

At a recent trip to the Taco Bell I needed to go, you know number one. I was impressed that when they remodeled they installed a new hand dryer machine. The kind that is like an automated car wash dryer. Really kinda cool. So I read the instructions and followed them…inserted my wet and dripping hands then the sensor sensed that there were hands in the machine and it blew (pretty hard) cool air and I slowly pulled them outta the machine and they were dry. It looked so funny blowing my skin, who knew I had old’ish loose skin on my little hands that blew around like what’s his name did in the sky diving scene of Bucket List. I would have taken a picture but my hands were in the machine. [duh] And now on to my Super Peeps Club award/badge thing-a-mi-jigs

Deanna’s Blog

For Write or Wrong

Exit Stage Right

Dapoppins

Our Lost Jungle

Melissa’s Manic Musings

Intimate Family

Tennessee Text Wrestling

TSSO

Thanks everyone for enduring my nagging and long winded hand dryer machine. And my dear internets grab the thingie if you like—no stringies.

PS I hope everyone had a Great Mother's Day and if it wasn't up to expections, make today extra exceptional!

This - That - Tother

I don’t know if I have told y’all about Beloved’s luck, but it is really good. He can buy a scratch off ticket and win, sometimes kinda big even-like $50. Me, eh they are all duds. Anyways there is this little newspaper that we read when we eat out it’s called The Coffee News, maybe y’all have it too. So they have this little Coffee Guy game where you have to search and find him in miniature, really tiny. I have never found him, but Beloved has and this last time he had me send it in for the contest. Where out of all the right guesses the paper draws one name once a week and Yes, you so know it my dear internets – he won! Okay so really we both sorta won as it is a gift certificate for a local BB Que house. I don’t know how he does it; it is totally baffling and sometimes annoying. But what can one do, other than enjoy the spoils of his good luck.

A while back I received a really neat – oh – peat – oh award, Beautiful Bloger, from Jingle who I can't seem to link to (AMENDED--THANKS SNAG!). You-who JINGLE can you hear me?. But anyways, it's so oblivious she has not meet me, but I can’t fault her there. (I’m assuming Jingle is a girl as the name sounds feminine to moi). Thank you so much, kind Jingle and I gladly pass it on to

Snaggle Tooth of Exit Stage Right

Linda of Left Brain Write

Laura of Shine the Divine

Teahouse Blossom

And then low and behold another dear internet bestowed upon moi the Sugar Doll Award, on accounta some silly idea about me being sweet or somethan. Thank you dear Jen of Unedited. Gosh have I ever pulled the cotton over y’all’ eyes. Get it cotton, because we don’t have wool in the south.

And this award I shall pass on to

Susan Cross of Susan Cross Writes

Jessica of The Writers Side of the Looking Glass

Drain of Free Ice Cream

Jai of Jai Joshi’s Tusli Tree

And for those of you that may happen this way…it is now against the law to Text while operating a motor vehicle in the City of Conroe Texas, special note this means within the city limits—not just the city proper. I don’t text, heck I hardly phone, so this will not be a problem for me. But I think the school bus drivers, semi-truck drivers and police may have a bit of an issue.

That’s it for today my dear internets now go out there and be happy to be. Yes just to be!

Have you been counted?

Okay so I know I, of all people, don’t need to tell you how absolutely and totally important it is that you fill out the census from and actually return it. So I won’t tell you that, instead I’ll ask have you done it? Eew, maybe a census taker came to your house OR is gonna come to your house. A real live paid for by We the People person to count you and yours.

I did ours and sent it back in already. I want to be counted, even if my personal vote doesn’t. Yeah a thorn for me, that I’m counted but my vote is not…stupid electoral crap. (just saying)

So in case you haven’t filled yours out yet, it’s no big deal-e-oh. The questions are easy name, age, ethnicity. H E double hockey sticks it doesn’t even ask if you are a citizen or not, it does ask the country you originated from if not born in the awesome U.S.A., but not if you are a legal resident, alien or not.

I almost filled out the Spanish questions just for fun, it doesn’t matter the questions are the same and thereby the answers would be the same either column.

And that’s all I have to say about that. Lame as it may be you gotta love me, my dear internets. Did you hear me? You just gotta LOVE MOI.

Hey you didn’t answer my question yet…so did ya fill it out and return it yet?