Summer Days

My art girls came yesterday. It was good to get back to art on Thursdays. It was good to have my girls here. We had plenty of room to do our art, but not a lot of room to store their work. I may have to have all the girls take their work home from now on. Since they all play softball with Jesse, we had to put up the art a little early. They had their last game last night. It was just about over before it started. By the top of the third inning the score was 21 – 1. It was as if our team was not there at all, and it seemed to be the boys more than the girls who were not playing so well. Of course, the boys usually carry the team. Jesse actually played pretty well. After the other team reached 21 points, they gave us the last bat. Both teams were having fun together, and there were lots of friends and family in the stands having a great time. The other team must have put in their scrubs because we started making a few points. With two outs, Jesse hit a great ball just over first baseman’s head. She made it to first. Unfortunately, on the next play the first base coach had her steal second. He really waited way too late to send her and the other team was playing a good hind catcher (usually it is a girl). The catcher threw the ball to second, Jesse slid, but she was out. It was pretty close; I think the ump just wanted to go home. That ended the season. There is just something about softball games on a summer evening that I love. Then we went for ice cream to top off our evening. I am glad I live in America.

That Girl

Yesterday at lunch Toby said, "Do you want the good news or the bad news?" This means he has no good news unless he makes it up. It means he has bad news. Then he told us the compressor was out on the old Caddy he drives to work. It will take more to fix it than the Caddy is worth. Then he asked us what we thought he should do about it. Jesse said, "I think you should put it in the gully and burn it." (For those of you who don’t get it, read yesterday’s post)
Last night we looked at new cars. We had already been looking for a car for Jes. Her 92 Honda is getting pretty rough. Toby thinks that someday she will get married, and it would be nice if she took a working car into her marriage. My mistake was in letting her test drive a Toyota with 170 horse power, 6 speed, sports edition type car. Now anything with less horse power just feels like a dog. Last night she test drove a little Mazda 3. She actually went through a yellow light, turned red before we got through it, slapped the dash, and hollered "Yeah!" I think her daddy is a bad influence on her. They get great joy in scaring the car salesmen. This salesman (young man) seemed to think it was all great. He probably would have gone along with anything she had done.
Speaking of Jes and her young men. Sunday we went to lunch with my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild. The waiter was a young man who had worked at the Higher Ed where Jes has taken some classes. He was very friendly and asked her how her classes had gone. Toward the end of the meal, Jesse wanted some honey for her tortilla. When the waiter came by to ask if we needed anything, in her sweet little voice she said "Honey". It sounded as if she were calling him Honey. It really threw him for a second. He said, "Excuse me?" She just laughed and said, "I need some honey." He laughed too. He seemed like a nice kid. It will be interesting someday to see what young man comes calling and can keep up with her.

For Pete's Sake

On Saturday, we cleaned up around the house placing all the construction trash in a small arroyo (gully) that runs down the front pasture. Then Toby said he would just burn the small pile and cover over it with dirt. A few minutes later, he was banging on the window. When I looked out, the pasture was on fire. We put together a string of water hoses to reach the pasture (barely). In the meantime, our neighbor, who happens to be a fireman, showed up. He manned the hose while Toby hopped in the bulldozer and circled the fire. They soon had the fire put out, but it had caught one large bale of hay on fire. Carl said that it would burn for days. We had to stay around the house all day watching the pasture in case it started burning again. Toby eventually pushed the bale of hay around with his dozer and was able to put out the fire completely. It was an exciting morning.

Let me make clear something from yesterday’s blog. I have never been in a fight; I have only broken up fights in public school settings. My theory is that people who fight in public places (schools, WalMart, etc.) don’t really want to fight. They want to be stopped quickly so they won’t have to fight much. They do it for the show. My mother always said a "lady" never fights, but if she does, she better win. I agree with her. Fighting is a low class thing to do and should be avoided. As a public school teacher, breaking up fights was unavoidable. It was just one of the many reasons we pulled our children out of public school. When my then nine year old daughter got off the phone one day, I asked whom she had been talking with. She said it was nothing; that someone at school wanted to "kick my a__". My daughter was not concerned and I knew she could take care of herself. That was one of the problems. By fourth grade she thought nothing of threats and fights at school. She thought that was normal. When I questioned her about it, she just shrugged and said, "Don’t worry, they all talk like that." No child should have to worry or think about who is going to pick a fight. No child should be threatened or feel threatened. At this same time, my son was in the junior high where I taught. He was easy going and loved learning. I was constantly warning him to stay with someone, never be alone or someone would jump him. Why do they pick on others? Because they want to show off - they are "wanna bes" thinking that by fighting they can prove their toughness. They are cowards, and they are usually ignorant and not doing well socially.
When we started homeschooling, you could see the weight come off my children. They were free to learn and free to be kids.

My Week

Last week Ernie, My Computer Hero, took my computer home with him to work on. It was a very sick computer, but it is doing much better now. I still don't quite understand how a small phone company like Pioneer could have DSL to their country customers while a large company like SBC has such bad phone lines that even Ernie could not speed my connection up much. Oh well, I am just happy to have my computer back. Thanks Ernie!

My sister came to visit last week with her kids. Jes and I took them to Ft. Sill to a recreation area on a small lake there. It had two wonderful water slides and a roped off beach area great for swimming. It all cost six dollars a car load. You can't beat that. Everyone had a great time - the kids were begging to go back the next day. There were quite a few military guys at the lake while we were there. They seemed a bit white - like they had not seen sun for a while. Some seemed a little heavy, not too coordinated coming down the slide or playing football on the beach. A group of us women/girls were sitting in our chairs lined up on the beach watching kids and, of course, military guys when a few guys went by in front of us. One had coke bottle thick glasses and was particularly funny trying to tiptoe across the rocks and sand. Jesse asked, "Don't these guys have to pass boot camp?" It took me a few minutes to answer her because I thought she said "boob count" (which I was not sure they could pass either). Jesse was just not able to picture these guys getting through boot camp which she thought was suppose to be pretty tough. I will have to let someone else explain it to her, because I had trouble with that picture too. After sunburning my self like a school girl, who am I to critisize the army nerds.

Later Jesse had a two ball games. She did not get to play in either one even though her mother, aunt and two cousins came to watch. I felt that old-time need to give the coach a good talking to, but I refrained. Actually, I left early knowing that I might tell the coach a thing or two. Through the years I have had my share of men coaches who can't think past a pretty leg in choosing who plays. I don't have pretty legs so this has always been a sore spot with me. It makes me want to fight.

Speaking of fights, I witnessed three girls fighting at WalMart in the quick checkout line. My first instinct having been a school teacher, was to try and break up the fight. Then I realized that I don't have to do that any more. So I just watched. The girls were all rather large and wore skimpy clothing. Their vocabulary was lacking. The fight was not impressive. I have broken up better fights in junior high classrooms. The girls who started the fight left rather quickly when the security folks showed up. The whole thing made me laugh. I teased the girl checking me out asking her why she did not get in the middle of the fight. Other people around us were quite shocked. What would they do if they knew what went on in their public schools?

The fight in WalMart made me think of all the fights that I have broken up while teaching school. While teaching in Mission, a large 5-A high school, I never even saw a fight and only heard about a few. That was back in the 80's, and they had a tough superintendant. Their policy was to kick out kids who fought - end of story. I can't even start counting the fights that I saw, was a part of, or heard about in the schools of NM. When there is no discipline, there can be no learning. Innocent kids are at risk just walking down the halls of public schools. Maybe I will tell about a few fights in future blogs. Right now, it is good to be back on the old computer.

The City

We had a great time in the City yesterday. The grandbaby was simply grand. She shopped for hours with us and never got cross or ugly. She was always happy and very silly (where does she get that?). Sometimes she could be a bit of a handful. Handful being the key word. It seemed to be a game to see what she could grab as we walked or strolled by things. She has quite the grippers too. In fact, I think the whole shopping experience was a game to her. I doubt that I won the game, but it was great fun.
Speaking of games, Jesse had two softball games last night. We were among the crowd of watchers. Most of the teams only have a few fans, but our team has whole families that turn out to watch. That is the way with most homeschooling families – they are very active in their children’s lives. Jesse was the hind-catcher, and she did a great job. There is just nothing like night games of softball in July. It is kind of like apple pie and Chevrolets. I noticed Jesse was charming the ump. She turned her big smile on him several times. They won the game too.
Jes looked quite pretty while we were shopping – she turned a few heads. It is a strange thing to have young men drooling over your daughter. She seems oblivious to it all. Bo and Sara joined us for lunch (there was no doubt whom the baby belonged to). The waiter managed to stand by Jesse’s chair to do most of his waiting. Another waiter came and stood beside him and asked if he needed any help with our table. Jesse just smiled at them. I would think most people thought the baby was Jes’ while we were shopping (I’m obviously the grandmother). With Lizzie’s antics and Jesse laughing at her, they both managed to turn some heads. At one point, a man walked past us in the mall and turned to laugh at Lizzie who apparently had given him a big smile. She continued to flirt with him. Every few steps he took, he would turn and look back at us to see if Lizzie was still flirting with him. She was. Beware, Bo. It looks like your day is coming.

Comments

Someone new commented on my blog. I find this so amazing because my life is very simple. Who would read my blog except those who know me? Tom asked if I liked it here. I assume he meant Oklahoma, ranch life, the new house...You know, I do like it here. When we moved from NM eight years ago, people thought we were crazy to leave the beautiful mountain resort town that we lived in. I do love the mountains - they will always be home, but there are lots of problems in NM that visitors just don't see. Oklahoma is a beautiful place too, although it is a different beauty. The people and my church home make this an even more wonderful place. Being closer to family is a good thing. When we first moved here, we bought a very nice, top of the line manufactured home. It was already decorated with carpet and matching curtains. It was really nice and comfortable. One morning I opened the door of our bedroom and looked out across the kitchen/living room, and thought, "Whose house is this?" It was such an odd feeling because it was just not "my house". Then we moved to a very nice brick home with three bedrooms, a den, a living area, curtains - all very normal stuff. Once again, although it was very nice, whose house was this? Now I have my very small little house on the prarie over looking a pond. It is my home. It is me. One of my friends recently said something about the color of the bedroom saying it was very "southwestern". Now that was funny. I don't think of my house as being southwestern or any particular decor. When other people are decorating their homes in certain styles or something like "light houses" or "rabbits" (it's true - they do that), my house is just piece-meal of what I like. I would think it would be called "cowboy/ranch" or "late Mexican". I don't do "Indian". What self respecting cowgirl would?

Another comment was made by my family. Jesse and Toby said they needed to edit my work - tell the real story. Jesse said she would like to blog the story of Toby and the lock. So here it is:
While moving the large rust and farm equipment, Toby had trouble moving the cattle squeeze-shute because it was chained and locked to the fence (I could write a whole blog on men and their chains and moving large equipment). Who knew where the key to the padlock was? A friend had told him there was a trick to opening masterlocks using a handkerchief and a hammer (I kid you not). Toby called Bo to find out the secret to the trick. In the meantime, I found a handful of keys that had been hanging on the key rack for years. Toby put them in his pocket and went out with the handkerchief and hammer and Jesse. Jesse said for ten minutes he banged on the lock with the hammer. When he was frustrated and hot, he pulled out the wad of keys and stuck one in the lock, and it opened right up. Jesse laughed at him - she got a real kick out of her dad. Men and their toys!

I am headed to The City to babysit my grandbaby - such a grand thing!

Oddities

I find it odd that I moved from way out in the country with very few neighbors to much closer to town and lots of neighbors, and I changed from a small telephone/computer company called Pioneer to the much larger SBC, yet now I cannot get DSL. I am bck to dial up fro my internet. Not being a true computer geek, I don't understand this. My computer is having some other difficulties too - probably needs a visit from Ernie The Computer Hero.

A really good thing that has come about since our move is that we have had more company. Yesterday, several folks just dropped by to see us. We were able to go see some friends the other night, and it did not take us hours to get there and get home. Jesse was able to run into Velma and tan at the tanning salon, visit Lindsay, and still get back before dark. I like being back on the beaten path. Later I may miss the quietness of being way out in the country, but right now I have enough country around me that I can step out in my nightgown, and no one can see me.

Another odd thing did happen last night. Ranger (the rat terrior) was sleeping with Jesse when he started barking. He came in and got in bed with us at that point. Then Jesse came in and said she thought that something ate the cat and to be careful when letting Ranger out of the house. Hmm, normally when something wakes Jesse up at night, she has some pretty strange thoughts - not usually intelligent thoughts. Once, Toby shot a gun out the door to make our dogs quit barking. Jesse got in the floor to sleep because she thought someone was shooting on our property, and she would be safer on the floor. She can be pretty funny when awakened out of a dead sleep. Back to the oddity, we have had a coyote crossing our pasture - not far from the house. We have seen him on several occasions. He seems fairly brave to be so close to the house. Maybe he really ate the cat. Maybe I will have to get a new guard dog (Rita, the cowdog is not too brave, and Ranger has never been brave at all). Maybe I will get more cats (and just feed him). Maybe a guard donkey would be nice. I love getting new animals.

Back in the Saddle

We are now completely out of the old house. We have been in the new house for a week, but have had to go back and forth cleaning and working at the old place. To explain how much work this has been would take way too much time, but let me say a few things. I can't believe the amount of junk we accumulated in four years nor how dirty my house became in a few months. Toby's junk is larger and rustier than mine and much harder to move (we are talking useless farm equipment with bad tires). We will spend the next few months trying to get rid of the junk we had to move. It is almost overwhelming.

The new house has its problems, although I love it here. Because the barn is not built, my carport is filled with tools and things that should be in the barn. My kitchen cabinets are not built yet either. The house is filled with boxes and no place to put things. I can live with these things, but it does not make things easy. Yesterday, we finally got Toby to work on the TV (while we shuffle boxes). At least we can watch movies now. Also, we got him to work on the computer. My computer has lots of problems which made things not go so well for Toby, but it is running. The keyboard has lost its spacebar making things quite difficult. I can't remember which box I had the keyboard in so that maybe I could find the space bar. That just seems to be the way of things right now.

It does feel good to be in our home. I can live with the disorganization. Eventually, my body might recover too. My hands are still a mess from the tile work. My upper arms and forarms have problems all their own. Picking up something like the coffee pot is painful. Rolling down the window in our Dodge pick-up is almost impossible due to the pain it causes. I would say it is just old age (a large part is age), but Jesse has some of the same symptoms.

Speaking of Jesse, she has been asked by friends to fly to Charlotte, NC, and then travel with them to Myrtle Beach. I told her I was sure she was mistaken. They must have said "Turtle Beach, and it is some where in Oklahoma. She is pretty excited.

It is good to be back online and blogging even if things are chaotic in my life. I will blog more later, but I have lots of catching up with my favorite blog sites to do right now.

Til Next Time

Tomorrow is the big moving day. I am sure we will be busy for the next few days getting into the new house. I will be sending out a new email address, but it may not work until next week sometime. This one is suppose to work until the 6th, but hopefully we will be completely moved before then. I may not be able to blog for a few days. I am not sure how things will go, but watch for me until then. I will leave you with a copy and paste from Howdy's blog. He is a Marine helicopter pilot in Iraq. This is from a book on FDR. It is very powerful.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 6th 1944: “Almighty God: our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their load will long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest – until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom…I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace – a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God, Amen.”

Baseball

Baseball is the all American sport, but when you are raised in the mountains, baseball takes a backseat to skiing. My kids were on the ski team - not the local baseball team. They did get to play a little ball now and then, but nothing like the usual Texas kid who starts t-ball at age five and continues every summer. I tell you this so that when I tell you that Jesse is playing softball, you have some idea how well she plays. Both my kids love sports and are fairly athletic. Bo has a mind for sports, statistic, rules, etc. Jesse - she just likes to play.

Last night we went to one of her games. I was determined to see her play this summer before the season was over. Last year I attended just about all of her games. This year, the house has consumed my life. The team she is on is a co-ed city league team. Some teams are pretty good, but most are just playing for fun. There are a few girls on her team that are great ball players, but most of the girls are like Jesse, who just like playing, but have no real understanding of the game. The guys on her team are pretty good, but they fail to communicate their knowledge of softball to the girls. After all, it is just for fun - why spend time coaching silly girls (why not?).

Jesse was playing right field although this year she has played catcher a few times. When she got up to bat, there happened to be a runner on third and one on first. Like the bleacher coach that I am, I hollered for her to give the runner time to get to second. She did not hear me, or chose not to hear me and hit the first ball that came to her (which was not a good ball). She popped it up and got out quickly. The second time she got up to bat, there was the same scenerio of runners. This time I made sure she heard me yell from the stands (which she really hates, but I thought it was important) to not swing - let the runner get to second. She gave me one of those looks that said, "I hate it when you do that. Now should I trust you or not?" She trusted me and let the ball go by. It bounced on the plate, the ump called a ball, but the runner was not allowed to run (some silly softball rule). She let the second ball go by - same plate thing. Now the guys in the dugout figured out what she was doing and started cheering for her to not swing. Third ball hit the plate again. The boys were cheering. The fourth ball went over the plate, and the ump called it a ball. She got to walk to first - bases were loaded. When the next player hit the ball, Jesse ran to second (good). The other team threw to first. There was a scramble for the ball, but the runner was safe. Meantime the runner on third started for home. The ball was thrown home, more scramble, and he was safe. When the dust cleared, there stood Jess on second base watching the whole thing. Did it occur to her to run to third? Did she watch the third base coach to see what he signaled? Did the third base coach signal? Who knows, but I sure got a kick out of it.

Last night when she called home (she has moved to the new house), she said, "Did you see me not swing at the balls?" I said yes. She said, "That was really hard." I hung up the phone and smiled, because when I chose to holler from the stands, I knew how she would react - indecision. I knew how hard it would be for her to let the balls go by - how nervous she is when batting. I am so proud of her for listening to me and sweating it out. Sometimes mothers do know best.