More Reunion Pictures

While searching through the pictures of our trips to Washington DC for the veteran reunion’s, I came across these pictures of Jesse. The first one was taken on our first evening at the reunion with soldiers from Ft. Hood who presented the colors. I thought she looked so tiny in the midst of the soldiers, but I was surprised that none of the guys even talked to her. They were very polite in posing with her, but did not speak to her at all. The second picture was taken at the reunion banquet with our friend, Capt. Jeff, who had recently returned from dropping bombs on Baghdad and was then stationed at the Pentagon. During the banquet Jeff got much attention with his dress blues and medals. The veterans were all over him wanting to take pictures with him. Many thought that Jesse was his date and some even thought she was his wife. One veteran and good friend of my uncle’s came up, pointed at Jesse and said, "How old is she?" At that time, Jesse was 21. When I told this to the vet, he exclaimed, "You’re kidding! Yesterday,I thought she was about fifteen, but when I saw her tonight, I was not so sure anymore!" Aha, now I understood why the soldiers had not spoken to her. In her jeans and t-shirt, she looked like a little girl. In her little black dress at the banquet, she looked much older.

Side note: I have posted other pictures of Jeff - plane pron as Laurie said. He is now married and stationed in Alaska.

Buck posted this link on Bruce Crandall in my comments yesterday. This site was apparently put together by Bruce’s children and is very special as is the man. Bruce was portrayed in the movie "We Were Soldiers" very accurately as a hero, but also as a friendly and very funny man. Talking to him is like talking to a stand up comic. I found this picture of my cousin, Captain Jim, Bruce Crandall, and my Uncle Bobby. The picture was taken in 2004 at the Ia Drang Veteran’s reunion in DC. Last May posted a picture of Ed Freeman, who was also a helicopter pilot and good friend of Crandall’s, with his Medal of Honor. Although both men were heroes flying the wounded out of the hot zone and flying supplies back into the zone, the MOH was awarded to Freeman years ago, but not Crandall. There is big excitement that the MOH is finally (40 years later) being awarded to Crandall. I am sure if you could talk to the men who fought in the Ia Drang Valley, they would all have heroic stories to tell about Crandall. He is a hero and he deserves the MOH, but more than that, he was a hero with style. This story was told to me by a veteran at the reunion (and was part of my post last Memorial Day). I thought it was appropriate as an example of Bruce Crandall's personality and heroism:
I met Mr. Rangel who signed my book on the page where he is described bayoneting a North Vietnamese soldier. Later Mr. Rangel told me how he was wounded and put into a helicopter flown by Bruce Crandall. He said that as he was put in the helicopter he could see a downed helicopter and feared the same would happen to him, but as they lifted off he watched the tree line, the mountains, and finally clear blue sky. He said that Bruce Crandall turned and gave him a "thumbs up" sign – something that he would never forget.

Bess' New Car

My GBN1 refers to herself in the third person as "Bess" which is quite funny since we all call her Elizabeth or Lizzie. All of her speech is more like Japanese, but some things are quite clear.

Having aquired this Cozy Coupe from a friend, I told GBN1 that I had a new car for her (it is actually a used car). I am sure she did not understand until she saw the car. Her daddy pushed her across the rough pasture out to the barn with her laughing all the way. It was rather a wild ride. Once on the concrete slab, we were able to sling her around and send her sailing across the floor of the barn much like a carnival ride. She loved it and could not take time to see the horses. She did not want to pet the horses much less set on one. She told the horses,"Bye-bye. Go ride Bess' new car"

Too Cool

This morning my computer was not letting me online. Maybe it was a good thing because I went to town and did some shopping and went to quilting and helped the ladies. They did not really need my help today. Now I am home and my computer is working better. I got this email from my Uncle Bob who fought in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam 1965. I have been to two of his veteran reunions and met Mr. Crandall. Anytime you get to go to the White House, it is just an honor, but to see Bruce Crandall get his Medal of Honor, well, too cool!

Dear Family and Friends,
On February 26, 2007, Bruce Crandall will be awarded the Medal Of Honor at a ceremony in the The White House. President Bush will present the award. It is an award a long time coming and Bruce is very deserving of the MOH. He had been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his acts of heroism.

Carolyn and I have been invited to attend this very special ceremony honoring my good friend Bruce. If you have read the book, We were Soldiers...Once and Young" or have seen the movie, you would recognize "Snake 6" for his acts of heroism during the battle at LZ X-Ray.

Carolyn and I are very excited to be included in "this once in a lifetime visit" to the White House for this very special occasion and the opportunity to meet President Bush. The itinerary also includes a reception at Ft. Myer, a dinner, and a visit to the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon.

We will fly to Washington, DC on February 24 and return on the 28th.

Carolyn and I are honored to be included in the ceremony and on the guest list.

Passing on News

USA Today picked up a picture of my cousin, Capt. Jim, that was taken by John Moore. His picture was featured on Jan. 22nd on the Day in Pictures. John Moore apparently is a photographer for Getty Images . To see more of John Moore's pics from Iraq, you will need to go to the Getty site and search for John Moore. My computer was too slow to follow the USA Today link.

I would also like to share the passing of a good friend Jimmy King. Jimmy died of cancer in RR where he and his wife lived. They were lodge managers. He and his wife were happy people - simple folk who were always friendly. They like to scoot a boot now and then. Jimmy loved horses - especially his big bay horse. Jimmy always made me smile. I will remember him walking in the evenings on Main Street, but not getting much exercise because he had to stop and visit with everyone. I will remember him always with his wife, always smiling, and always happy.
My friend Annette emailed this:
Bill and I went to Jimmie King's funeral this morning...lots of music from Mike Hearne, Wayne Kidd and a group of back-up singers from Faith Mountain, Mandy Buchanan, Leroy Featherston, Fritz of the Red River Miner, etc.. Danetta spoke first (crying but speaking) and quite a few got up to tell of events with Jimmie... Pooh wrote a poem, read it crying, and nearly everyone was daubing their eyes with Kleenex. The Community House was full. The seating was set up differently...with the podium on the east wall. Someone had made him a pine casket (cause that's what cowboys were buried in) and they laid him to rest in the Red River Cemetery on a mountainside.

Painting of the Week

Taking this picture was a bit difficult - trying to get it all in the frame and leave out the light fixture in Jesse's room. I did not crop the edges before publishing the picture so that you can see how I tape the butcher paper to the wall. Each sheet of butcher paper is taped together to make the 6'x7' painting. I had some other shots from different angles, but this was probably the best for showing the entire painting. Jesse painted the sky and water, which was a big help. There are a few things that I will tweak today before sending it to the banquet this afternoon. It is amazing what taking a picture of your painting will do - you see things that need a bit of help.

Ray T

As a little girl growing up with two brothers was not so bad, but on every birthday, on every falling star, anytime I had a wish coming my way, I wished for a sister (or a monkey which I thought would be close). Much to my parent’s surprise, I got one when I was twelve and a half years old. Although I love my sister, for a long time she was just little and not the sister I could share clothes and secrets with. Now that she is a grown woman, we have that sister relationship and I love her even more.

When my brothers got married, I can remember thinking, “Cool! Instant sisters!” Well, one sister-in-law did not turn out so great, but the other one was perfect. Debbie married my little brother and has been in our family for over twenty years now. Mom often says, we may get rid of Pete, but we will keep Debbie. She has been a good wife when she should probably have killed Pete long ago. He is the biggest pest in all the world – something that Mom said he would out grow, but he didn’t. Debbie has been a great mother to her three boys. All three are pretty wonderful – and handsome too. She has been a good sister-in-law taking time with our family, meeting needs and putting up with us Barkers. She has been a good friend. Although we do not “run together” often, I know that we could. We are very different and yet, much the same. I have a lot of respect for Debbie. Debbie is the baby and only daughter of older parents. She has two brothers much older than she. This would make you think she would be spoiled, but she has been only a blessing to her parents. Debbie took care of her mother, who had serious arthritis, until she died several years ago. She has taken care of her father as he moved into Alzheimer’s until he died a few days ago. Debbie can lay her dad to rest knowing that she did everything possible to make his life easier. I know how Debbie feels today, and I know how she will feel in the future - because I was a Daddy's girl too.

Today, Toby and I are attending Debbie’s father’s funeral. Ray T was a good man – a humble man. He was a wonderful grandfather to my nephews. He was often at our family gatherings - he was a part of our family. Thanks, Ray T, for being such a man, but mostly, thanks for raising such a wonderful daughter.

Updates on Jim

Recently I have received some emails updates concerning my cousin, Capt. Jim Lively (soon to be Major) in Iraq. First, I have pasted a portion of an article written by Jerry Hogan with a Dallas newspaper after interviewing Jim. Second, I have pasted a portion of a monthly update written by Jim to families of his men.

Jerry Hogan writes:
Captain Lively’s current assignment directly impacts the ability of one Iraqi Army battalion to meet their commitment as he is the Senior Advisor to an Iraq combat infantry battalion in the city of Ramadi in the Al Anbar province.. He, fifteen other Marines under his command, and one Navy Corpsman medic, are directly responsible for training, mentoring, and advising this six hundred man Iraq battalion. They are teaching them how to plan, execute, and sustain independent counterinsurgency operations. The US team advises them on all the functional areas of military operations to include maneuver, fire support, logistics, intelligence, command and control, and force projection. They live with the Iraq battalion, they patrol with the battalion, they participate in combat sweeps and actions with the battalion, and they continue to teach the Iraqi soldiers during actual combat operations. I asked him how long it takes to train his battalion. His reply is very encouraging: "Actually our battalion is fully operational. They formed in October of 2003 and since then they have conducted major combat operations in Najaf, Sadr City, Fallujah, Al Quaim, and Ramadi. They are fully trained and are ready, willing, and capable of meetings it’s nation’s national security requirements."
One of the keys to successful combat operations is the ability to collect, analyze, and then act on real time reliable intelligence. The commander that has the advantage in this area also has the advantage on the battle field. But because of the language and cultural differences, it has often been difficult for US troops to achieve this advantage. This is one of the major advantages the Iraq battalion will bring to the battlefield. Captain Lively, when asked about this, said "the Iraq Army is phenomenal at collecting information. We have been focusing their ability to collect, process, analyze, and then produce actionable intelligence. This cycle all came to fruition when our Iraq battalion developed a target within our area of operation and ultimately captured a high level insurgent based upon the intelligence they had developed. The greatest success was that the entire operation was completely planned and executed by the Iraqi army."

Capt. Jim writes:
Many of you may be wondering how recent news from our administration will impact us here. Well, I assure you, I’m wondering the same thing! HA! I know that the advisor mission will begin to take on greater importance here, but at our level, things will be business as usual. We will likely be assigned some more augments to help us with our mission; however, our mission will remain the same: train, mentor and advise the Iraqi Army. Your sons are doing that every day – and they are doing it well.
Another key aspect of our job here is to work with the Iraqi Army and the coalition forces to help the local civilians. They have many needs including electricity and other services. We have started school renovation projects for elementary schools in our area of responsibility as well as renovations on a sewage pump station in the neighborhood. We also provide some limited medical care when required. This month something amazing happened to one of our Iraqi Army patrols. At about 11:00 at night, some civilians approached their patrol asking for medical help for one of their wives who was about to have a baby. Because of security concerns, civilians cannot drive their vehicles at night so they could not take her to the Ramadi hospital. The Iraqi Army soldiers, with their medic (who has some pretty advanced medical training) agreed to help the civilians. Now, in this culture, it is inappropriate for a male, non-family member to view the birth – an interesting challenge for this young Iraqi medic who was ready to help this Iraqi woman! So, he sat around the corner and relayed instructions to the woman’s family while she delivered a healthy baby girl! Under the old regime, an Iraqi Army patrol would never have been called upon to help in such a way. Our Iraqi Army soldiers continue to demonstrate to us that they are committed to helping their nation – by fighting insurgents or by delivering babies!

For those of you who know the Gills, John Gill is about to deploy for the second time to Iraq. Yep, Little John is a Marine. Keep him in your prayers.

Rainy Day Pics

This is another one of the beautiful pics from Saturday. There are some really funny ones too. This Reagan, Lindsay's sister.

Computer

My computer and internet service have not been doing well lately. For a while now, they have been giving me fits. During the ice storm last week and the rain this last weekend, I have not been able to get online and stay there for much time. Add to that the slowness of dial-up, and it is almost impossible to get anything done online. If I can get on with more than 20 kbps, I am in hog heaven; anything less and I might as well get off and try again. Writing in Word and then pasting to my blog is helpful, but making comments on other’s blogs is very frustrating. I just wrote a comment on Becky’s site. Then as I was publishing it, my computer bumped me off line. At that point, I have to decide was my comment really worth trying to get back online, waiting to get back to Becky’s site, and re-writing what I wrote before – probably not. There have been several things at Buck’s that I wanted to comment on and I wanted to take the "What Book Are You" quiz, but my time online is so limited, I was torn as to commenting or reading my favorite blogs. Then this morning someone sent me a video (eyes roll back in head) which took forever to receive. If I try to do too many thing at once on my computer (like receive email and blog surf) I am sure to be bumped off. When I least expect it and usually after being bumped off again and again, my internet will work great, but by then, I have a life to live and must go attend other things. It is just getting very frustrating.

Ahhhh, good news! Toby told me he had gotten an official email at Halliburton saying that certain employees were to have high speed internet – a must. Just do it and send in an expense report. It seems when the ice storm hit last week, some key employees were not able to make it to work and tried to work from home. One of those employees is like us; she lives in the country and has dial up. That is when the higher-ups at H. said it was time to get faster internet so that the next time they had to work from home, it could be done. So, I’m doing the victory dance. It looks like H will pay for the installation of satellite internet (dance, dance). This morning, Toby asked me if I wanted a new computer to go with my future internet. When I was able to wipe the drool off my chin and speak, I said, "Sure."

I feel like my life may be changing and it is difficult to contain my excitement. Some of you are probably thinking, "What life?" But just think; I will be able to leave my computer on all day if I want. It won’t interfere with my getting phone calls – you know those tele-marketers need to make a living too. Right now, I start to upload a picture on my blog, go take a shower, come back and check it, and maybe get dressed before the picture is uploaded – those days will be over! Life more abundantly!

Rainy Days

We geared up for another winter storm to hit us this last weekend, but when all was said and done, we only got rain. The temps were rather cold, but stayed above freezing. I am certainly not complaining. We needed the rain. We were well prepared for whatever the weather did having stocked up at Wal-Mart on Friday. Jesse stayed in town playing Wally-ball and did not come home until Friday evening. Then she packed her bag and went to Lindsay’s house. They had big plans to go sledding and play in the snow. When the snow did not happen, they played in the rain. What do you do on a rainy Saturday? Why, we get dressed up and take pictures in the rain, or at least, that is what Jesse and Lindsay did.

Saturday evening, we attended a small wedding of a young lady from our church. Because church was cancelled last Sunday and Wed, we were rather a loud group (not having seen each other in over a week). It was good to get out and see people some place besides Wal-Mart. Of course, weddings are happy occasions making us even more boisterous. There was some worry that the rain would turn to snow and ice. A few flakes started falling about 6:00 PM, and the decision to cancel church again on Sunday was made. As it turns out, the temps stayed above freezing and the snow and ice did not happen here in Duncan.

Next weekend is the youth banquet for the kids at church. Since most of the kids (if not all) are homeschooled, the banquet is a big to-do. The girls and boys get dressed up. The decorations are elaborate. The program is music talent from the kids. It is the social event of the year. This year’s theme is French. Several years ago, my art girls painted nine huge posters to cover the walls of a particular place the banquet was being held. That year the theme was Italian, and our wall paintings were Italian scenes. Now the huge wall scenes have become tradition, but we usually just do one big one to use as a backdrop for the kids to take pictures. Because I no longer live in the house with a long empty wall space, the backdrop scenes have become a bit more problematic. I have been wishy-washy as to whether I would even do a scene this year. Now the time is short, but Saturday, I put the paper together and started drawing off a French scene. I cleared a wall in Jesse’s room and hung the paper. Sunday morning Jesse and I changed the scene and started painting. Yikes! We have less than a week to finish a 6’x7’ wall painting.

I was thankful for the rainy weather, because it kept Jesse home on Sunday. We painted most of the day. Sunday evening we went to the movies together to see "Night at the Museum". Although Jesse spent most of Saturday with Lindsay, I got her for a large part of the weekend. I had to weigh my options on Sunday afternoon – football playoffs or time with Jes. It was a good time painting with her and then going to the movies. I chose wisely.

Old Friends

These pictures were taken in about 1987. They were taken at the Motherlode in RR. Angela was in town for a visit so we all turned out to see her. We had all grown up together in RR spending our summers riding horses, dancing at the Community House, playing at the Playhouse, working at the businesses, etc. Aren't we beautiful?

Top pic: Left -Kathy N, Patti H, Janetta G, Kathy H, Angela, Cindy S.

Mid Pic: Left - Me, Janetta, Kathy, Joy, Angela - all good friends from early years in RR.

Bot pic: Me, Joy, Kathy, Kathy N, Dina, Nancigail

Painting of the Week

This is a painting from Napoli. It was done rather quickly - as a study. I want to do a much larger painting of this scene.

The Dark Side of Beauty

My house is about a quarter of a mile off the paved road. Most of my driveway is rock, but a short portion of it is hard-packed dirt. For the last week, the drive has been totally iced over, but driveable. Yesterday, the temps finally got above freezing and things began to thaw. Now that hard packed clay is Oklahoma slick soup. My little Toyota became a muddin’ vehicle last night as I drove to my art guild meeting. I have to admit that it was fun to slide around the curve, overcorrect and slide again. Then I spun out pulling out onto the paved road – yeha!

The art guild meeting was held at the home of one the better known artists in the area – Gay Faulkenberry. She is an oil painter with a rather loose style. She lived in Taos for a few years, but moved back to Duncan as soon as she discovered that the schools and lifestyle were not all that great. We have something else in common (not just common sense). Her parents met in Red River in 1947. My parents met there in 1953. Her dad’s family owned the Monte Vista Lodge. Her mom’s family went there on vacation. It was love at first sight when he carried her bags to their room. I spoke with Gay’s father last night, Mr. Rawls. We talked about the old days in RR. He knew Hank and Johnny Mutz and many of the Mutz family. Hank worked at the Monte Vista before she married Johnny, as did Rosie Brandenburg before she married. Mr. Rawls told me some stories about being a young teen-ager in RR back in the day. It was great to visit with him, and made the guild meeting much more fun.

One of the most interesting things he told me about his teen-age days in RR was that he witnessed a fight between the Gallagher boys and their brother-in-law, Gwynn. He said it was an ugly kicking-gouging-biting serious fight. I had heard a story that one time when Gwynn first married the Gallagher’s sister, Opal, he got drunk and beat her. It was the last time he ever beat her. The Gallagher brothers were rather rough in their younger day, as was Gwynn. Mr. Gwynn was really a very nice man. He raised two wonderful daughters of which I was a good friend. He and Opal had a good life together. I would assume he made one serious mistake, but learned from that mistake quickly. Red River was a lawless mining town and later an illegal gambling place before it became a family vacation area. There were only a few families that lived there year around and they were a close group of people - if not related by blood or marriage. Life could be hard in RR. People worked hard and they often played hard.

Some things do not change. Those that live in the little town are still close. They may fight and argue, but they are friends. They work hard to make a living in a seasonal tourist town. And many still drink too much. Drugs have been added to the picture in modern times. People often come to these beautiful tourist towns like RR and Taos and think, " Wow, this is an idea place to live." But, there is often a dark side, which needs to be considered. As for a vacation place, RR is the best. Are all resorts like this or is there just a stronghold over RR waiting to be broken, but sucking the life out of those under its hold in the meantime?

The Hippie Is Fifty

This is a picture of Craig with his son, Adam taken last summer at our family reunion in Red River. Happy Birthday!

Blog Surfing

I did some blog surfing this morning using Acute Politics’ blogroll and comments. This soldier has been getting lots of attention and deservedly so. He is an excellent writer with an interesting viewpoint. My daughter says he is "a cute soldier" too. I found it interesting to see who was on his blogroll and see who was reading his blog. I thought of Buck and one of his recent posts when I read what one blogger had to say about Democrats and fairness. Standers Point said: "Anytime you hear a liberal Democrat use the word "fair", you can bet SOMEONE'S getting shafted."

Recently, I let some people know that Michael Yon was back in Iraq and reporting on the life of our soldiers. I have always liked Mike’s posts. He really seems to tell it like it is – good or bad. Right now some of the bad is that Joe Galloway is also posting on Mike’s site. Joe has been a hero of mine with his "We Were Soldiers", but recently I discovered that Joe is a Democrat, and have been very disappointed in some of his articles. Joe can write whatever he wants, but his liberal ranting seems very out of place on Mike’s site. People go there to read about our military and get the truth about what is happening in Iraq. Joe’s writing is much more like leftwing, I hate the President stuff. As you know, my dad was a yellow dog Democrat and my brother is liberal, hippie lawyer, and I still love them both. I will continue to love Joe, but it really bothers me to have his rants on Mike’s blog.

One big discrepancy in their articles is that Joe reports:
"As the Iraq misadventure heads toward its fifth year, everyone, including Bush, has admitted that the situation is grave and deteriorating and that constant combat deployments have stretched our Army and Marines to the breaking point."

While Mike reports:
"Yet the Marines and Army, along with some Navy and Air Force personnel, are probably stretched as thin here as the Border Patrol between the U.S. and Mexico. No matter how they spread it, our fighters simply do not have enough paint to cover the barn called Anbar. … Despite the daily combat deaths and severe wounds, morale among American and Iraqi forces seemed to range from good to high…. I sensed that overall morale was strong" >
He goes on to describe some serious incidents, but says the soldiers still have humor and that "it’s actually a sign of healthy soldiers."

Personally, I think that Joe needs his own blog. Just sayin’.

Field of Ice

This ice storm has been good for me. First of all, it made Jesse stay home with us for two whole days. It was good to spend time with her. After work yesterday, she immediately headed to Lindsay’s house. I have to admit I wanted to go with her to see Lindsay and her family – much more exciting than my house, but I gave her some space and let her go alone. When she got home last night, she said her bum was sore from sliding on the ice. No, she did not fall. Like two little kids, she and Lindsay went out and played in the ice. It reminded me of a couple of other winter storms here in OK.

When we moved here from NM, we gave away our sleds – and we had some great ones (one was a baby’s sled that was made to place small children in and pull behind you. It was little and pink, but man-o-man could it fly down a snow-packed hill.) I think it was the second year we were here that we had a big winter storm that dropped several inches of snow and caused quite a problem here in OK. Jesse found something to use as a sled and took it over to the tank dam (pond or lake for those who do not understand "tank"). She proceeded to sled down the backside of the dam which was pretty steep. When asked how it went, she replied, "I was good. I went dam fast, and it was dam scary."

A few years later, she was babysitting the Boyer kids (five boys and 3 girls) after a pretty good snow. She came home covered in mud. I was horrified. She said they had taken sleds to the tank dam again. It was great until the snow melted (as it does in OK) so they continued to sled on the red clay. Great!

This latest winter storm produced much ice and very little snow. I took these pictures yesterday. Our pasture looked like a field of glass.

Toby and Jes went off to work together this morning. Toby called home to say they made it fine. The roads still had slick spots, but for the most part, it was not too bad. He said the parking lots at Halliburton were like ice hockey rinks. I will probably not venture out today unless necessary. Quilting has been cancelled.

Out of the four football games played over the weekend, two of the teams that we were rooting for won. Truthfully, it does not matter much to me who wins. I have no dog in this fight.

I made chili yesterday. My chili is sort of Tex-Mex. I had frito-chili pie while Toby had stacked corn tortillas layered with chili and cheese. Jesse made a batch of biscochitos (Mexican bread cookies with anise and liquor). She did not have any brandy to pour over the dough, so she used VO. Interesting, but tasty! This morning she took most of the cookies to work. It is a good thing, because I love ‘em.

While searching through my old posts looking for something in particular, I ran across a post where I mentioned President Clinton’s rant about Fox News. What I found interesting in this old post was that I mentioned that Clinton inferred in his rant that he would send more troops to Iraq if he were president. I am sure if the idea had come from a Democrat president, all the Dems would be for it. As it is, Buck mentioned some interesting facts about the "escalating" war efforts:
Here are the facts: There are now about 132,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Bush would raise that number to 153,500. By comparison, there were 133,000 US troops in Iraq as of 01 March 2006, down from about 160,000 in December 2005 during parliamentary elections. So we’re "escalating" the war by increasing troop levels to a point below what we used to have. Strange choice of words, that.

You can read more plus some other good links at Buck's. In the meantime, stay warm.

We are still iced in here in OK. Yesterday, we stayed in the house watching the playoff games and doing crafts. Toby ventured outside to feed the horses and walk to the mailbox. He said the paved road had a thick layer of ice on it. This morning he fed the horses again and is now working on starting the tractor so that he can deliver a round bale of hay to them. I am not sure they are worth the effort, but I do love Goldie.

Good news! My cousin, Janet, is doing much better in the hospital in Denver. She is off her ventilator and venting on her own:) I talked to her last night. She was mad because her father would not go out in Denver and find her a certain brand of jerky. He told her she could eat hospital food. She was also mad because her cell phone had been in his suitcase and not given to her immediately. Uncle Joe is 79 years old. All of this made me laugh. Janet is herself again, which is much like her father. Both are tougher 'n nails. She may get to come home from the hospital by next week.

Buck posted an excerpt from a new miliblog. Acute Politics is well worth the read. Jesse says he is "cute" too. Laurie at Soldiers Angels NY has posted the need for more angels. I would think that if troop numbers go up, that will mean more angels will be needed. Jesse recently signed up and has a soldier of her own now. If you are interested, check out Soldiers Angels.

I can hear the snow thunder as I write. Have a good day.

Storm a Comin'

Although every weatherman was predicting a severe ice storm, none could quite agree on when and where it would hit. My plan was to stay in OK City to take care of the Grand Babies as long as I could and still get home for the weekend. After watching several different weather reports, I decided that I could stay until Friday morning and still get home. At 8 AM Friday there was no ice on my car, but it was beginning to mist. By 8:30 the mist was beginning to freeze on the windshield. I was soon loaded up and headed south. The roads were still good, and since I was headed south, I was not too worried. The truth was that I was just barely in front of the storm and the streets were still warm enough to melt the falling ice/rain. It was 27 degrees in The City when I left. It was 33 and dropping when I arrived in Duncan (approx. 90 miles). I stopped at the Duncan Wal-Mart to get a few items. My car was the only one in the parking lot with ice frozen to it. I kid you not - every checkout line in Wal-Mart was open and full. I was home by 11:30 AM, snug in my little house. I called my daughter-in-law to say I was home safely, and she said Bo was on his way home too. Roads were getting bad in The City. Halliburton let Jesse off early, and she got home about 2:30. Toby came in around 3:00. We curled up in our favorite chairs, ate pizza and watched a movie last night. Being home together all weekend should be interesting. Being cooped up with Toby can be like living with a bear in a cave. Thank God for football playoffs. As I write, Jesse and Toby are working on breakfast - bacon, eggs, gravy and biscuits - not on my diet at all, but the two of them seem quite pleased with themselves.

My few days in The City with my Grand Babies were quite nice. GBN2 is very sweet and snuggly. GBN1 is wild. She is a pretty good big sister, but a little rough when she hugs her sister. I will try to post some new pictures. Last night I tried to post, but my computer was having problems staying online.

It is good to be home.

Ranch Hand, Artist, Grandma...

It looks like I get play super-grandma this week. This afternoon, I am going to The City to stay with the Grand Babies. I will be back on Friday evening. There is supposed to be a big ice storm coming in sometime on Friday. It could happen, but then weathermen tend to exaggerate. Did you know that my cousin JP Matney was a weatherman?

Yesterday, not only did I have my art class; I also got to play ranch hand. We have three horses, plus we are boarding two of the neighbor’s horses. The neighbor’s horses have little respect for fences. They broke down a wire fence and came up to the house to look through some feed sacks in the garbage cans. It is a good thing they did not find the unopened feed sacks. I would have had a difficult time getting them back in their pasture. As it happened, I filled a bucket with feed and walked them back to their pasture. One of the neighbor’s horses is a real pain in the bottom. He ran my two mares all over the pasture – everywhere but where I wanted them to go. When I finally got them all in the right pasture, I did some fence mending (women’s work). By the time I got back to the house those sorry horses were back at the same fence leaning on it again. This time I decided to play Anne Oakley. I took my bebe gun and shot the neighbor’s horse several times to get him to back off the fence. He ran, bucked, and farted. You know, it was fun to shoot him in the backside – I could get used to that. It was all for naught; he kept coming back to the fence as soon as I left. I ended up getting another sack of feed and luring them into another pasture, and then doing some more fence work. With the four-wheeler broke down, I had to lug that sack fuarther than I wanted.

After all of my ranch hand work, I switched hats and had art class. It was my beginner class, which always keeps me hopping. We worked on drawing from grids. And what did we draw? Horses!

See you Friday.

Painting of the Week

I am posting my painting a little early this week. Tomorrow afternoon, I may be headed to The City to stay with my son and daughter-in-law for a few days. That means I will be holding GBN2 and wrestling GBN1. It should be fun. If I have any energy left when I get home, I will tell you all about my visit.

This painting is of an old building in Ocate, NM. Ocate is between Wagon Mound (I-25) and Angel Fire. It is off the beaten path and very much and "Old West" area. I love the adobe buildings with their peaked, metal roofs. I have seen a few Golden Eagles in the area - one of my favorite sights in NM.

My Humor

When you read the following post "Another Story", please don't think I am heartless. Yesterday before I talked to my Mom, I had watched "The View" while waiting for my car to be serviced. I was not able to change the channel or turn off the sound. I thought I could take listening to Rosie O, but I could feel my blood pressure rising with every stupid remark Rosie made. Later, I talked to my mom. When I hear stories or reports like the following story, I find that I can either make myself crazy or I can make a joke. If I did the earlier, I would be more of a Matney than I would like. I choose to find humor when I can.

Another Story

Last Thursday my mom called. She was pretty upset and told me that my cousin Janet was in the hospital and was not expected to make it. My first thought was that although it was plausible, "Says who?" You see, the Matneys are an overly dramatic group prone to exaggeration. Both my mom and Janet are Matneys. I guess I am too, darn it! Mom, Janet, and I often tease each other about becoming more like "Aunt Mildred" who is the queen Matney. Just try calling one of us "Aunt Mildred" and I guarantee there will be a fight, but that is another story.

Maybe I should back up and tell you about my cousin, Janet. Janet is about four years younger than I. She is actually my mom’s first cousin (another story). She was born with cystic fibrosis, which is a lung disease that is deadly. Janet’s older sister, Linda, also had CF. Linda died when she was 21. Janet was about five years old when Linda died. Her parents divorced and her mother died not too many years later. While all of that is interesting, I am getting off on another story. Janet had a lung transplant when she was 31. Her husband left her for another woman immediately after her transplant (oops! That is another story). About seven years later, the medication, that Janet was taking to keep her lungs, destroyed her kidneys. She had a kidney transplant. A friend said that her husband should have waited. If he had wanted a new woman, Janet would soon be one:) As you can see, Janet’s health has always been fragile at best. Just getting a cold can be serious business for her. Last week, Janet went on a ski vacation to Winter Park with some other Matney relatives including Aunt Mildred (who is 82). This is when Mom got the phone call from Aunt Mildred's granddaughter, Donnette. Donnette said that Janet had gotten sick, they had taken her to a hospital in Denver, and she was not expected to make it.

With Janet’s frail health, this was not unexpected news, but maybe a little surprising. We all know that any minor health issue is major for Janet. Even Janet knows that a small illness could kill her. Yet, when Mom told me the news, I reacted with, "Are you sure about that" simply because the news came through a Matney. It took me until that evening to get through to Nettie Jo, Donnette’s mother and try to get more info. When I did, she said that Janet was much improved. That they were stabilizing Janet, and her white count was down. While she was not out of the woods yet, it was good news. Janet’s father (not a Matney) was on his way to Denver although Janet had asked the Matney’s not to call him. One of them made a wise decision and called him anyway, but that is another story.

Today Mom called and said that Janet is still improving, "taking baby steps" – whatever that means – must have come from a Matney. In fact, Mom said that Aunt Mildred had called and left a message on her recorder saying "all of Janet’s organs had shut down." That scared Mom, but proved to be a false report. Janet has phenomena, but is hanging in there. Janet has always been a fighter. You would have to be to have gone through so much in life and still be alive and reasonably sane. I know that Janet could take a turn for the worse and die at any time, but I sincerely pray for mercy on her. She would get such a kick out of the Matney stories surrounding her illness.

While I was getting the report on Janet from my mom, she said, "and Jeff (Donnette’s brother who is a Physician’s Assistant – another story) was nearly in that avalanche! He was two cars back from the avalanche. Cars in front of him were swept over the edge! He had to drive way around on another highway and was late getting to Denver to pick up his mother at the hospital." I responded with, "Wow! That is incredible!" Then I remembered this is another Matney story, and while plausible, it could be an exaggeration. My question is: If Jeff is a PA and his wife is a nurse (she was with him) and they were just two cars away from being swept over the edge of a canyon in an avalanche and they saw the cars in front of them go over, why didn’t they stay to help? That must be another story.

Social Weekend

My social life was in full swing this weekend. It started with quilting on Friday. The ladies from our church make a wedding ring quilt for each young couple who gets married. We have two couples from our church getting married soon. I think our last wedding was last year so it has been awhile since we quilted. When the ladies get together to make a quilt, we all bring a covered dish and eat lunch. There is just much visiting and catching up while we work – great fun. I won’t bore you with how much work goes into one of these quilts, but I was one tired puppy on Friday after cutting, piecing, and sewing all day. Toby took me to town for dinner. We were going to see a movie, but the one I wanted to see was not showing any longer. It gave us some time to just visit and catch up.

Saturday, Toby and I worked on the barn. It was a bit cold and windy, but we made progress on the barn. Saturday night, we had a party for Toby and several other folks who have the same birthday. Since two of our friends were turning fifty also, we had a "Hawaii Five O" party. Everyone dressed in his or her Hawaiian shirts. It was kind of funny - I went from wearing long underwear under heavy shirts while working on the barn to wearing beach clothes that night. We passed out cheap leis and made the birthday folk wear black leis. Mostly, we just visited and ate lots of good food, but we also played a trivia game. How long did "Hawaii Five O" run? When the show was syndicated, what name did the re-runs run under? How tall was Jack Lord? What words did Steve McGarrett use on every show that became his trademark? What was the last name of the character, Danny? What kind of car did they drive? There were lots more questions, Toby and I scored ten points, which was pretty high for a bunch of old fogies. We had our Ventures CD playing in the background. What was the name of the theme song?

Sunday was church as usual, but that afternoon, I attended a baby shower. Baby showers are pretty common in our church, but I love getting to socialize while the proud parents open gifts. Soon we will have a shower for Sophie. Although, Sunday was actually Toby’s birthday, he did not go to the shower to socialize. He stretched out on the couch with his faithful hound and watched football.

Since it was Toby’s birthday, I thought I would share some things that Toby said this weekend. Toby does not talk much. When I get him talking about politics and such, well, it is amazing. On the subject of immigration, he said we need immigration, we need the workforce, we need them to pay taxes and support social security, but it needs to be legal. Toby also said something about hanging Moqtada al-Sadr from a bridge and letting the military do what they needed to do (I thought you would like that, Buck). I was ranting about Nancy Pelosi saying "the voters made it real clear" that they want our military out of Iraq. I told Toby that I did not think that was what the voters said at all. Personally, I think the voters want congress to work together to get thing done. They want people who will do what they said they would do. Toby agreed and then added, "The people don’t want us to cut and run, but they want to win…Like when you have a football coach who has had several losing seasons. It is a sure bet that he will be fired, and they will find someone who will change things and win." Then he added, "But I am just a boy from West Texas. What do I know?"

The Big 50

Today is Toby's birthday. He is 50! When did that happen? Two other people in this picture turned 50 also. Since all of the birthdays are together, we often celebrate together. This year the theme of the party was Hawaii Five O. We even had Ventures music. I'll give more on this story tomorrow when I have more time.

Painting of the Week

This is a painting from an art book, which I have done with my art girls every year. It is a great painting lesson due to the looseness of the painting. Most of my girls paint very "tight" or "controlled". They are over cautious. Even I am a tight painter, and would like to be looser with my paint. People tend to think that a painting has to look realistic or "just like the photo". There is nothing wrong with a realistic style of painting, but sometimes art is just giving a hint that something is there and letting the audience figure it out. Art is lights and darks – value change – which come together to create a pleasing picture. One of them most difficult things to get my students to do is see the value differences in color. Sure, they see it in a black and white drawing, but then they paint flat when it comes to color. I like to take my students to art shows where they can see master artists up close and personal. They need to see the strokes of paint and the layer upon layer of color and the looseness of other’s work. This light house is also a great lesson on glazing (putting down color, letting it dry, and then layering in more paint, letting some of the base colors show through). Watercolor can be a lesson in patience. WC dries quickly, yet it is easy to make "mud" if you put in too many colors too fast. I like to do this lighthouse with my students because it is quick, loose, easy, and fun. Hmm, does that say anything about me, personally?

Not the Tetons

Bec’s post and pictures of her hometown in Wyoming reminded me of my home in Northern NM. The town of Red River was much like Bec’s hometown in that at one time land was cheap. Tourism played a big part in waking up RR. What was once a sleepy little mining town and then a great place to take your family for vacation, is now full of homes and businesses. Land is expensive and the cost of living is high. There are still a handful of the "old Red River" people, and I still love it, but it has changed. It is still a great place to take your family for vacation, but there is no way I could afford to buy a place in RR. Back in the 50’s, my dad leased a piece of land from the National Forest. He built a small cabin on the side of the mountain for next to nothing. It was a wonderful childhood place to play. That same cabin is still there, but who could afford it now? There is hardly an inch of land left in the Valley that is not commercialized. Land was so expensive fifteen years ago, that we bought land north of Questa near the CO border. We were still only thirty minutes away from RR, but closer to Toby's work. We built the home of my dreams and I could see the Spanish Peaks (pictured above) to the north as well as the Rio Grande crevice to the west while living on the side of a mountain. It was perfect.

I found this funny story over at OPFOR posted by Col.P but written by Pat Rogers.

"I make 5-7 long walks with the pup daily, and while strolling through the 'hood i see a lot. Lately the crop of 9-11 year olds have been out on the street with plastic guns. rucks and patrol caps. Understand I live in a nice place, and mostly everyone is gov or military, with a mean rank of 0-6/ GS15. [LtCol P note: this is true, I used to live right around the corner, except I was only a captain at the time!]
Today i heard the kids along a stream that runs past the back of my casa. Orders, the ratchet sound of the plastic guns etc. I went out on the back porch in time to see a patrol assulting through a linear ambush. After consolidation they took a break and sorted things out. A young voice cut through the forest.
"THIS TIME YOU HAVE TO BE THE HAJI'S..."
Yeah, the kids are playing Cowboy's and haji's. Things just may be getting better...."

Things That Make Me LOL

Tia Jesse Maria picked OU in a football bowl game pool at work. Toby and I laughed when Idaho put the whup on OU. Jesse thought it was funny too, although it hurt her chances of being in the money.

This picture makes me laugh.

Catching Up

Thanks to my blogger friends who encouraged me to try new things, last week I updated my template and did some click and drag to change my blog a bit. I was adding Bec to my Favorite Reads when I got bumped off the internet. Because my computer is so slow, I did not get back online right away. Then things got busy, and I have rarely been online. It seems that when I did get online, I was trying to catch up with reading and commenting. There has been little time for posting, although I had several things I wanted to share. The last few days have been a wild ride. Starting with Mom’s birthday on Friday and ending yesterday when we took the Grand Baby No. 1 home, it was just busy, to say the least. I am behind on my blogging and on my daily chores. Today is art with my high school girls and a private lesson as well. Mom accidentally ran off with my cell phone yesterday (our phones look alike) which is not a big problem, but it may keep me from being on the computer as much as I would like today. Maybe that is a good thing so that I can get more household chores done. I have lots to share – where to start is the question.

Knowing that my daughter-in-law could be having GBN2 any day, I chose to go to Wichita Falls on Friday to see Mom on her birthday. Besides, I know that baby’s come when they are ready and there is no point in putting off life waiting around. WF is not that far from OK City – I felt that I could get there fast enough, if need be.
Mom had a great 75th birthday. As I arrived in WF Friday morning, Mom called and said her friends were having a surprise party for her at McDonalds – wanting me to hurry and get there. Sure enough, her friends had a beautiful cake and lots of presents for Mom. Some of the birthday cards were very silly. If I had had a video camera, I could have made big bucks on "Funniest Home Videos" as the ladies passed around the cards and giggled at the rather risqué cards. After reading one card, Mom said, "That was a nice card." One of the ladies said, "Well you were with me when I bought it!" Mom laughed – not remembering buying the card. Then there was some discussion and one of the ladies said, "Never mind. You were not there after all" causing much laughter. There was another card that someone had written a paragraph of funny, tacky things, but forgot to sign her name – that brought much laughter, too. Eventually, the party broke up, but only to meet again at lunch. We met at The Secret Garden Tea Room inside an antique mall for a wonderful lunch and shopping. As Mom and I left the tearoom, I got the call that my son and daughter-in-law were heading to the hospital.

After dropping Mom off at her house, I drove home to pick up Toby and Jesse. The plan was for Toby and me to baby-sit GBN1 while Inpassing went to the hospital to be with her daughter. Jesse chose to go to the hospital also. As I said before, baby’s come when they are ready, and this one did not make her appearance until 7:06 Saturday morning. As soon as we got word, Toby and I loaded up GBN1 and headed to the hospital. I was just pretty excited to see GBN2. GBN1 was excited too. She seemed to think the whole thing was a party with all her family gathered together. She liked the new baby (pulled her little knit cap off and smashed it back on the baby’s head, checked out the baby’s feet, and petted her like she does the cat). I am sure she will be lots of "help". After getting to hold and see GBN2, we took GBN1 home with us to give the new parents time to rest and be with the new baby.
At this point, I have to tell you that GBN1 is a joy. She is in constant motion and chatters all of the time. She should be called Busy instead of Lizzie. There is not a button in our house that has not been pushed, not a dial that has not been turned, not a nook or cranny that has not been investigated. She even managed to click and drag the icons on my computer (something I did not know to do – hmm, maybe she could help me with my blog). She rearranged the canned goods. She kept Toby and I hopping. Because I refuse to "baby-proof" my house, we had to watch her like hawks. She is fast and smart. Although we had lots of fun with her, she is a handful. She slept through church on Sunday, which was nice, but Toby and I were hoping for a nap ourselves after church. While she slept in the chairs at church, Toby leaned over and whispered, "I’m just going to lay in the floor." I gave him the "I think not!" look. Jesse rescued us by taking her to the park for an hour while Toby and I took naps. That evening, we took her to a New Year’s Eve party (friends gathered to visit and play games) where she felt right at home with the crowd and noise. She loved feeding the horses. She terrorized the cat and dogs - they put up with her well. It was a busy time.

On Monday morning, my mom drove to Duncan to meet and drive to OK City with us to see the new baby. GBN2 is named after my mom and Toby’s mom. We took several pictures with Great Gran holding her namesake. The new baby is doing quite well in her new world. She is learning to nurse and enjoys being snuggled. Her big sister looked her over again, petted her a bit, and was very interested in the nursing process, but not too interested because she was busy entertaining the crowd. When we got home Monday afternoon, Toby and I kicked back and watched some bowl games. It was nice to be home and not be on alert.

Those are pretty much the events of the New Year’s weekend, but I wanted to share some more personal thoughts. I really enjoy GBN1. She amazes and awes me. She changed my name from "Mama Lou" to Boo Boo." Toby thought that was funny, but now she calls him, "Crewcraw" which I think is rather funny (I will explain some other time). When she sees pictures of her self she calls herself "Bess" which is also rather funny. She has an infectious laugh, which she does often. She puts her little arms around my neck and squeezes like she does not want to let me go – it is a great feeling. I have loved her from the minute she was born, but that love has grown as her personality has grown. When she was born, I don’t think the reality of being a grandparent had hit me yet. Now, I love this job.

With GBN2, there has been a little different feeling. She just feels right - comfortable – like she should have always been here. She feels peaceful. I look forward to seeing her little personality develop. I know that as much as I love her now, that love will grow. This grandparent stuff is just good.