Still Cold and Wet

Although my internet was restored on Saturday, I have been catching up with everyone rather than writing. Nothing exciting is going on right now, and my creative juices are just not flowing. The weather has been the pits with cold and rain being the norm. All house building has come to a stop. The forecast does not look good for any building the rest of the week. It is still a mess around here. I’m not complaining. People in Marlow, OK, are still without power. Electric companies are working hard, but it was an amazing ice storm that snapped electric poles and downed big trees. I really feel for people on the East Coast with all that snow.

I did do some painting the last week, but nothing worth showing – nothing finished yet. My Austin brother was in Wichita on Friday night to see Mom. We drove over to see him and his wife. We also went to my nephew’s soccer game, which was fun. The GGs went and were highly entertaining. We went to a Super Bowl Party last night at the Junk Diva’s house – always a good time. Although I am a Peyton Manning fan, I was not too disappointed in the Saint’s win. The game was a good one and the fellowship time was great. The food was excellent – we made jambalaya and cookies. The Diva made white chili and more.

I wanted to get something posted, but I still don’t feel quite in the loop. I wish the sun would shine and the ground would dry out.

Withdrawls

It has been almost a week, and I still do not have internet. I do have electricity. Many of my friends in Duncan and Marlow are still without any power - many will be without water soon, too. I should not complain about my lack of internet, but I do miss you so! Since I am borrowing a friends computer, I cannot stay long. Maybe I will go home and my internet will be on - or not.

All is well at the Lazy B, and it is warming up a bit. I am also missing the sunshine. Someone please bring me sunshine.

Power Weekend

We lost power last Thursday when the rain turned to ice, but we weren't the worst hit. Other parts of OK were much worse than we were. Our little house has gas heat, gas cook-stove, and gas hot water heater. We just did not have lights. Jesse used her laptop and battery and with the three of us cuddled on the couch, we watched a movie Thursday night. Friday we cleaned house as best we could to get ready for Bo and Sara and the GGs who did not have any power/heat at all to come stay with us. One of Jesse's coworkers came over. Being a Louisiana boy, he had never played in the snow. Jesse was pretty rough on him. They tied a half-barrel to the back of the four-wheeler and pulled each other all over the pasture. Squeals of laughter could be heard all the way to the house as they slung each other in the snow. At one point, the coworker was trying to get back in the barrel/sled, but every time he reached for it, Jesse would pull up a bit - and laugh. I'm not sure I will ever get her married off.

The power came on Friday afternoon and we were able to watch a movie that night. Our little house was pretty crowded, but warm and cozy.

Saturday was pretty much the same only Jesse and Bo and the GGs played on the four-wheeler. The dogs seemed to enjoy all the excitement. Jesse ditched us Saturday night for a birthday party with friends. The rest of us watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or as GBN2 says, "Seven Bwuthahs for Seven Bwides." You should hear her sing the "Sabine Women" song.

Sunday we were all tired of being in the house. Tired of the close quarters, although the GGs loved "camping out" in the floor. Bo and Sara checked on their house that afternoon and power was on. They packed up the kids and blankets and headed home. Toby, Jesse and I headed to town just to get out for a little while. The roads have been clear – it is the power lines and trees that are a problem.

This morning, I still do not have internet and it may be a while yet. I am at Bo’s office. How would you like your mom to show up at your work place and beg internet. Many people in Duncan are still without power. People in Marlow and other places to the north of us can expect more days without power. News reports show power companies from all over OK and TX have descended on the area and are working hard to restore power. It is a mess. I took some photos on my way to town this morning. Keep in mind that this storm hit last Thursday, and things are still frozen. frozen fence

Notice the trees. Notice the power lines. Power lines are still sagging, but in some places they snapped poles completely. Schools are closed today. It is pretty rough for some people. I feel like we have been very lucky with our little house, but after living in NM where power outages were a regular occurrence, well, you just plan better. But I am missing my internet.

Rainy Days and Thursdays

Although yesterday was overcast with a good breeze, we were able to get the third wall up. We must be getting faster and better, because we had it built by the time the neighbor boys showed up to help us lift it. Then we had enough daylight to cover the deck with plastic and every piece of junk possible – to hold the plastic on – to get ready for the winter storm. As I type, the wind is howling and the rain is blowing sideways. The plastic is still down – yeha! There is the strong possibility that the rain will freeze later this afternoon making the roads treacherous. After the Christmas fiasco, the weathermen have been "Chicken Little’s" about this storm. I’m hoping that it hits more to the north and east of us, but I am ready for whatever. The temps are dropping – darn it. Chicken Little has now taken over regular TV programming – as if all us housewives, who watch daytime TV) are stupid enough to get out, or as if we cannot read a simple warning across the bottom of the screen while watching our favorite shows, or as if they have not been reporting the coming of this storm all week. Maybe I will work on art today – all by myself – what a concept. This picture was taken a few minutes ago through the window ('cause I really am smart enough to stay inside). You can see the kitchen light reflected in the glass/sky. It is kind of a silly pic, but it shows the junk on the deck and the third wall.

Dad Memories

We are supposed to have one more day of nice weather before a big winter storm hits on Thursday. I’m not so sure we will get that "nice day" that the weatherman predicted. We need that one day. Although we have worked like little beavers the last couple of days, we only have two walls up. I feel good about those two walls, and would like to get another wall up today. Toby and I do well, but we just are not as strong as we used to be. Jesse has been helping when she gets home from work. Yesterday she brought a guy home with her – two reasons: First, she locked her keys in her car, so she had to catch a ride home from work. Second, we needed a boy to help lift the wall. Earlier when we needed to lift the first wall, we went and got a couple of neighbor boys, which worked well. I wonder what we will do today when we need to lift the third wall…

Most of you know that my dad was a teacher, but during the summers he worked as a carpenter to make extra money to feed us kids. Plus, he loved building things. While we were building our house in NM, I got to work with Dad while he and Toby built our house. Through the week, Toby would go off to his day-job and leave Dad and I to do things on the house. I can’t begin to explain the fun Dad and I had together and the times we both had to just stop and laugh. He once called me "the best carpenter’s helper he ever had." That is one of the best compliments I ever had, and I still try to live up to his expectations. Even after we finished our house, Dad would get me to work with him around RR on his building projects – he loved it that I had my own tool-belt, and could out-carpenter most of his friends.

We also built a large storehouse together here in OK. Once while we were working, Dad hit a nail with his hammer and the nail popped up and struck me just over my eye (I was wearing protective eyewear). I thought it was nothing, but blood started trickling down from the hit. Dad was horrified. I remember the look on his face and the concern that he had hurt me. It was really nothing, but the moment sticks in my memory.

Toby has lots of building memories with dad too. Some of you may also know that Dad was not too pleased when I married Toby. He didn’t know Toby well, and I was his baby girl. During the summer after we married, Toby was helping Dad on a building project. At first they were terribly polite to each other – painfully so. I stayed out of their way. Then they got used to each other. Before the project was over, they were good friends – calling each other names, cussing each other, taking a snort together, reading each other’s mind as only men who work together can do. Of course, Dad came to love and respect Toby, telling me that he should have trusted my judgement. After all, he raised me.

Whenever Dad and I would come up against some building problem, Dad would stop and have a coffee and cigarette break. Sometimes he would have a snort of Wild Turkey, which he kept behind the seat of his pick-up truck. He was well known for his bottle of Wild Turkey. Once, he must have had several cups of coffee and cigarettes on a particularly tough problem. I kept saying, "I think if we do this…" and he would say, "I don’t think you are strong enough…" After much coffee drinking and cigarettes, he decided that my way was our only choice, and we gave it a try. It worked like a charm. Dad said, "Wow, you are a lot stronger than I thought." Several times in the last few days when Toby and I have had a problem with the house, I would say, "I think we need some coffee and a cigarette – maybe even some Wild Turkey." It made both of us smile.

Plague of Toads

Sleep was fitful last night. Part of the problem could have been the achy back and sore joints from working on the house that cause you to be uncomfortable, wake you up, and get you to thinking about things that you have no control over. That last part is not necessarily true – you began thinking about things that you thought you had control over, but it turns out that you did not really have control. Those things resurface to plague you once again. Why they come in the middle of the night, I don’t know. I guess our guard is down at night. It carried over to my morning, and I was whiney and grumpy this morning. Although I need to apologize to Toby and Jesse, I can’t do it until I get those things back under control. I get this mental image of little toads jumping out of my mouth, hopping all over the house, and I can’t gather them all up. Yet, it is difficult to swallow a mouthful of toads.