Another Mexico Picture

I couldn't resist another Mexico picture. There is more where this one came from. The girls are off again this weekend. They are headed to Dallas to see a soccer game at Pizza Hut Park. I think it is the Dallas FC against Brazil. They don't know who is playing either. It is the fun of just going. Reagan, Lindsay's little sister will be with them. And they will be staying with my cousin.

When I was trying to call my cousin to make arrangements for the girls, I had to call my uncle first. I had a chance to ask him about his recent trip to DC and the Whitehouse to see Bruce Crandall get the Medal of Honor. Uncle Bob said it was something he never thought he would get to do - a real honor. He is sending me a disk with pictures. At least you won't have to look at any more photos from Mexico.

Painting of the Week

Another Italy painting! It was storming outside yesterday. Only two girls braved the weather and came to art. Sometimes just having a few girls here is really nice, but I probably talk too much and do not get much painting done. This little painting is a bit sloppy and could use more work. Then again, it may just be loose. Conversation was good and art was enjoyable.

Cowgirls and Indians

A month or so ago, I wrote a post about my impatience with my unfinished home in NM and the Taos laundromat (Feb 19, 2007). Laurie asked what had happened at the laundromat that made me have my plumber rip out my kitchen sink and replace it with my washer and dryer. Actually, it was several things that led to my breaking point, but first you have to understand Taos, NM. It is a beautiful place. It has wonderful tourist attractions and great art galleries, but basically it is a third world country with some of the strangest people you’ve ever met. Every trip to the Taos Laundromat was that – a trip.

As I explained in that post, we were building on to our very small log cabin and for about a year I had to do laundry at the laudromat in Taos, while my washer and dryer were in storage. Being very methodical (I am my father’s daughter) we followed the same laundry plan every week. This is how it worked. I had three large sturdy boxes that I packed with our pre-sorted dirty clothes and took them to the Laundromat. Because we homeschooled, the kids went with me. I usually stopped at the bank to get a roll of quarters rather than having to chase down the keeper-of-the-money-bag and wait upon that person to count out all of the quarters I would need. It also helped to be able to quickly fill the machines with clothes and get them started. The kids and I had it down to an art – get in, get the clothes washed, dried, folded, back into the big boxes and get out. Sometimes things went awry.

One day we went in and placed our clothes in front of the washers we would need. The kids and I were piling the clothes into the washers when I looked up to see an Indian lady move my clothes out of the way and start putting her clothes in my washer. Much to my children’s horror, I confronted the lady. I very nicely told her that I was using that washer - my clothes had been on the washer first. She grunted out something like “so what.” So I got a little more insistent telling her how rude she was being and that it was my washer. More grunting, but no budging. I said a few other things to show that I was the more intelligent, well mannered person, and she was being a moron. The lady ignored me and continued to pack the washer. It was at that point that I realized the futileness of my fight. When I turned around, my son was looking at me with this worried face. He seemed to be horrified that I had gotten in a fight over a washer, but relieved that he had not had to come to my aid (he knows the “all for one and one for all” rule). He was probably glad he did not have to get me by the collar and drag me away from Moronica. I said, “I just got into a fight.” He said, “Yeah.” I said, “I lost. She got the washer.” He said, “Seems that way.” We went on about our business, but I was steaming. It was the principle of the thing.

A few weeks after my fight with the Indian, we were having a fairly normal day at the Laundromat. When we started folding clothes, our boxes were no where to be found. Someone had stolen the three boxes that I used for carrying the clothes. I had used the same three boxes and always put them near our washers and dryers. It was the equivalent of someone stealing my laundry baskets. It was the last straw. I decided that I would rather wash dishes in the bathroom sink than spend another day in the Taos Laundromat.

If you really want your patience tested, just go to the Wal-Mart in Taos. It has to be the worst store in the world - guaranteed to make you crazy. Ee, the stories I could tell.

Big Wednesday

I made a trip to Lawton this morning to have some work done on my Toyota. The wipers have not worked since our last snow storm a month or so ago. Last week the light on the air-conditioner started blinking and of course, did not work (you know you're in OK when you go from heater to air-conditioner so quickly). I was sure to call first and make an appointment with the dealership before I drove to Lawton. It all went really well. I was in by 8:15 and out by 9:45. My Toyota has over a hundred and twelve thousand miles, and this was the first time anything has gone wrong with it. I love my little salsa red car.

As I came back through Duncan, I thought I might have lunch with my friend Janice. Toby was in a workshop and would not be free at lunch. Unfortunately, Janice was in a workshop too. I called Jesse and forced her to have lunch with me. She complained about having eaten out every day this week (oh boo-hoo), and was not planning on eating out again. "I am buying" was all the persuasion she needed. As it turns out, her coworkers were having lunch together for Andy's last day in the office (one of her dandies). She said she had not wanted to go with them - I was a good excuse. After lunch, one of her coworkers accidentally called my phone (instead of Jesse's) to razz Jes about not going to lunch with the gang. I explained their mistake in getting Jesse's mom instead of Jes - they were very nice. When I got off of the phone, I laughed thinking how disappointed the guys were not to have had Jesse at their lunch. And I was tickled that it was me that she had lunch with.

I took a big dog nap when I got home from Lawton and lunch. If I don't get things done in the morning, I am pretty worthless in the afternoon. Yep, I am a morning person. There is a new commercial for McDonald's coffee where one guy is a morning person, but everyone else is not. That is me - the obnoxious morning person. I did not have my coffee at Mickey D's, but I did stop at Starbuck's in Lawton.

The cat is home. She roams from time to time. This time she came home pregnant. Anyone wanting tail-less, tabby gray kittens let me know. Felina, the cat, looks ready to explode. Who would have thought we would have a cat for so long. Usually, they are coyote food within a year or two. I am not heartless. It is just the way it is for country cats. Cats come and cats go. We have had Felina for several years now. She comes in and sleeps all day on Jesse's bed and goes out at night. She puts up with GBN1 fairly well. Although, last time she was here, GBN1 did say, "Cat eat me." and was holding her wrist where the cat had probably bitten her a little - just a warning - one that said, "I am really fat and pregnant, and I am not putting up with your rough-housing."

Oh, by the way, while I was in Lawton, I went by Hobby Lobby. Imagine that!

The Weekend

This is the first time I have posted a picture from my new computer. I have been posting from Jesse's computer because most of our pictures and the software is on her computer. This picture of Jesse in Cozumel was taken on Lindsay's camera by Lindsay. This weekend I looked through Lindsay's pictures and picked out some interesting shots. Lindsay's photos are more artsy, and many of them are at odd angles. But hey, that is Lindsay, and they are fun pictures.

We worked hard this weekend planting more trees and shrubs (I need a badge). We planted six small lace-bark elm, two sycamores, ten loblolly pines and seven photina bushes. Since our house sits in the middle of a hay pasture (blue-stem and clover), it is nice to see some trees up near the house - makes it look more homey. Jesse worked on her patchwork patio laying different bricks in odd patterns. I think it is going to be really nice. We all took turns riding GBN1 around on the four-wheeler. Bess' little car is just not as exciting as it used to be since she discovered the four-wheeler. We have to be watchful because the little aper can start it by herself.

The weather here has been overcast for about a week now without raining. Today it is raining - big time. While we were working on the yard, we neglected the house work. I guess today I will catch up on laundry and cleaning. It will be a good day for that sort of thing.

This morning while reading the news I found this at Fox News. Oliver North makes some good points. Of course, I have been an Oliver North fan since reading his biography, "Under Fire". I may have told this story before, but I will mention it again. My daughter-in-law heard North speak one time when she was about 12 years old. She bought his book, and he autographed it for her. She is very proud of her book, as she should be. She loaned it to me several years ago to read. My dog was a puppy at the time, and he chewed the corner of the cover. I was horrified. I spent big bucks to have the book rebound and made like new, because Sara treasured the book. It was not only that it was her treasure, but it was also that it was in my possession, and it was my dog that mauled it. It was important to me that I return it in good condition. It all worked out, but next time, I think I will just buy my own book or get it at the library.

Critter

Lindsay followed the critter - making another tourist scream.

Painting of the Week - Plus

Spring

Sunglasses

Divers

It is difficult to decide which picture of the girls to post today. The Piper mentioned Jesse’s sunglasses in the comments yesterday. I call them her “Jackie O” look. Should I post another of Jess wearing the sunglasses or should I post one of “the divers”. Decisions, decisions!

Today is art with the big girls – my favorite. Thursdays with the big girls is not like teaching class. It is more like hanging with my buds. I meant buds as in buddies, but then again, they are all like buds. They are young ladies in their late teens and early twenties just blooming into life. They make me laugh and they laugh with me. Doesn’t that make them good friends rather than just students?

Spring is definitely here in OK. Everything is greening up. We have had lots of wind and may get rain this weekend. We can sleep with the windows open. We planted three trees and lots of hibiscus. It is almost kayak season – maybe still a little cool out on the lakes for kayaking. Toby and I have talked about taking the kayaks somewhere new this year – maybe the Hill Country of Texas or Beavers Bend in OK. Toby does not get spring fever. He gets motorcycle fever. This is not something I understand. Having always had a fear of motorcycles and not wanting to be the fat woman on the back of his cycle, I just cringe at the thought of his getting one. Then there is the thought of my precious baby on a motorcycle. No, not Toby, I worry about Jesse. To each his own – I guess.

You know, spring is a bit of an anxious time when you feel like you need to make changes, do new things, clean house (not). With the time change, it means you have to work until the sun goes down – the barn, the yard, the patio. But for some reason spring gives you that refreshed feeling that you can get it all done.

Snot Funny

The following stories are not for the weak of stomach.

Since I made fun of Lindsay and her picture posing yesterday, I thought I would share a “Jesse Story” today as told by Lindsay.

As I said yesterday, both girls liked the scuba diving, but I think Lindsay liked it more than Jesse. It turns out that Jesse threw-up twice (or as Lindsay said, “hurled”) as she came to the surface and boarded the dive-boat. Apparently this is not uncommon, but neither is it pleasant. According to Lindsay, after Jesse “spewed her guts” she was quite woozy and needed to be helped into the boat. One of the dive-guides went to her aide. As she pulled off her mask, Lindsay said she had three large blobs of snot – one on each cheek and one on her forehead. The dive-guide started to help her, but then backed off when he saw the snot. One of the other guides motioned for him to ignore the snot and get her in the boat. Lindsay felt sorry for Jesse and wanted to help her, tell her about the snot, and get it off of her face, but could not get to Jesse. Lindsay said, “I couldn’t help Jesse, and I couldn’t get to my camera!” Lindsay is such a good friend. Eventually, one of the guides told Jesse she had a face full of snot which did not bother Jesse much. She just wiped it off and went on. Now you know why Jesse liked the parasailing more than the scuba diving. Of course, Jesse loves flying. I won’t be surprised if she takes up parachuting – yikes!

GBN1 also had a snotty story this last weekend. Bess had a cold while we were keeping her. Mostly it was congestion, but it began to break up and cause her to cough. She was sitting in her car seat as we were taking her back to her parents. She started coughing, and coughed so hard that she gagged herself and threw up. Before I could help her, she looked down at herself and said, “Oh gosh!” Pretty funny coming from a three year old!

My friend, The Piper, has been posting on his blogsite. He is an excellent writer – writing mostly about his day-to-day life. He is a wonderful husband and father. He is a good friend, especially to my son. They often make homebrew together. And he is just a fun guy – check him out.

The lovely Lindsay!

Optimist

Once again we have conflicting polls being reported. Buck posted some interesting info on a positive poll done in Iraq saying:
The poll, the biggest since coalition troops entered Iraq on March 20, 2003, shows that by a majority of two to one, Iraqis prefer the current leadership to Saddam Hussein’s regime, regardless of the security crisis and a lack of public services.

Acute Politics had the London Times link that reported these positive statistics. Then this morning while listening to Good Morning America, they reported statistics from their own poll saying that only 42% of Iraqis are happy with the new regime. I find it interesting that our MSM reports so negatively on the war in Iraq. Surely, ABC News is aware of the London Times poll. Why do they choose to report only the negative statistics? You know me. I think that one-sided, negative reporting is the equivalent to Tokyo Rose type aiding of the enemy. Op-for had some good points to make on “The Long War”. Now is a good time to post a recent letter from my Marine cousin. I like his positive attitude:

Gang,

Back at the house. What an adventure. I’ll follow up soon. Quick summary. My battalion cleared a zone with about 1500 houses, we found over 30 IEDs (about 4 by me personally) multiple weapons caches and a huge IED factory with about 2500 lbs of explosives…which at the time we didn’t know was homemade explosives and we detonated it in the city which ended up hurting about 31 civilians and made a 30 x 60 foot crater in the ground – long story, but fortunately no deaths and we turned it into a huge win for us as the locals know that all those explosives were brought in by the enemy. Col Ali and his guys are simply amazing. I was at ground zero for the mass casualty – pretty amazing situation. It was on the news back home CNN, Fox, etc. Some type of report of a large explosion in Ramadi – that was us. I was in a building 50m away and thought the bld was coming down…amazing. We found so many IEDs I lost track of them. I found one huge IED that would have split a tank in two.

We seized one building for a new outpost and had some intelligence that it was rigged to blow by the AIF, so I sent the jundis in from the second floor. Sure enough – 15 X propane tanks spread throughout the building waiting for us to enter. We now own that building and 48 hours later had 100 plus concrete barriers around it with 2 x platoons of feisty IAs to hold the ground we took back. The people of the Malaab are thrilled. We pushed out insurgents and removed IEDs that were literally paralyzing the people. One family, after our guys removed a huge IED that was placed next to their house, ran out, hugged the EOD guys, gave them tea and said they’d lived in fear for months because they knew that if that IED went off, it would probably destroy their home. Amazing, amazing stories. We handed out over 500 bags of food/supplies, hundreds of liters of fuel, 40+ generators, and enough good will and handshakes to last a long time.

If I could capture the essence of the often cited “winning the hearts and minds” well, that’s what we did – now we must hold them – and the enemy is already pushing back. Some mortars landed 25meters from my convoy today as we left our new outpost. I went back later in the day with Col Ali and we found the impact site – right in someone’s back yard – and oh, by the way their son was one of the 31 injured in our cache reduction.

More to follow – I wish I could sit down with you all and go on for hours. Thanks for the prayers. The team did amazingly well. We won this week – and it feels good.

Me

Painting of the Week

I needed a thank-you card so I painted this picture of two coyote pups. They do have a significant meaning to the person I am sending the card to - my preacher and his wife. My preacher is a government tapper. Several years ago, he found two orphaned coyote pups. He brought them home and raised them. He named them Pancho and Cisco. One pup became too aggressive and had to be put down. A neighbor shot the other pup not knowing that it was a pet - such is the life of wild animals in OK.

GBN1 had a big day yesterday. After a trip to Wal-Mart and then to the park where we met Toby, Jesse, and two of the Dandies for lunch, GBN1 was ready for a nap. She slept most of the way through my art class, and woke up in time to entertain the girls. Later we went for a walk and threw rocks in the pond which was great fun. We switched to throwing sticks while Rita, the cow dog, retrieved them. Eventually, GBN1 slipped in the mud and fell getting her legs and butt wet. It was time to go home anyway. After we watched Peter Pan, we all went to bed.

Twins and Red Chief.

The twins were just beautiful. I enjoyed holding each one. Although the boy was the biggest at birth, his little sister has caught up and passed him. He is just not eating as well. The mother of the twins is half Hispanic. Some of the 14 children are dark and some are light. With the twins, the boy is light and the girl is dark headed. Pretty cute as are the other children in the family.

GBN1 talked all the way home from Chickasha which is about a one hour trip. Toby got ready for bed first then watched Red Chief, as he is calling GBN1, while I got ready for bed. We made a little bed beside our bed for her using cushions from the sofa. Red Chief liked her little bed, but as soon as I climbed into bed, she suddenly had to pee-pee. Off to the bathroom we went. When I got her back in bed, then she wanted her puppy (old stuffed animal toy). I turned the light on and found it. Then she said she needed to wash her hands. I was about to tell her no, but then I noticed she was covered in something yellow. I had it on me too! What the heck was it?! Toby announced that it was probably paint. Paint?! How did that happen? Then Toby confessed that she had gotten into a tube of my yellow paint, but he did not know that she had actually opened it. I had to get up, clean up, put her night gown in water to soak - good grief, it was just ruined. We woke Jesse up to borrow and old T-shirt to sleep in. Red Chief was quite pleased with Aunt Jes' shirt, and we finally got to bed. After much chatter, we got to sleep. This morning we were up at 5:00AM. It could be a long day for Boo Boo and light blogging for the next few days.

Jesse leaves for Cozumel in the morning. She will be scuba diving by afternoon.

Busy and Business

Today's pic - Jesse's girls.

It is going to be a busy day. I am taking food to the family with the newborn twins. Our church ladies try to do a week or so of meals for mothers with new babies. It serves two purposes. First, it helps the new mom and the other members of her family. Second, it is a good excuse to go visit the new baby or in this case babies. I have been pretty excited waiting my turn to do dinner for the family and seeing the twins. I plan on making my infamous chicken enchiladas which are just PDG. I will do refritos and Mexican rice as side dishes. Keep in mind that I am feeding about 12 people in one family. As I type this, I am cooking beans and boiling chicken.

To add to the day, my daughter-in-law called and asked if we could keep GBN1 for a few days. That is certainly not a problem. I look forward to getting her to myself. Toby did ask if this was going to be like “The Ransom of Red Chief” where they won’t take her back, but he was just being funny. Working out the logistics of picking her up was a bit more of a problem. We decided to meet in Chickasha this evening and make the swap – no problem. I just have to get myself in gear to fix dinner and get it to the twin’s family. Then get myself on the road to pick up Red Chief.

In yesterday’s comments, Buck said, “So, Lou...are you and Toby moving to Dubai? What's the office buzz? Enquiring minds are DYING to know!!” Well, Toby does not have an inside track on what the CEO is doing or why, although he and Cheney were close at one time – not! Toby did have some thoughts on this latest Halliburton move. Halliburton is big in North America which is mostly natural gas production. The price of natural gas is not as steady or booming like oil production. They need to be where oil production is growing. Toby thinks this is a marketing strategy. The CEO needs to be where he can schmooze new businessmen more easily and be more competitive.

For those of you who do not know, Halliburton is not an “oil company” so to speak. It manufactures oil and gas drilling equipment. At one time Halliburton had a patent on certain drilling equipment, but now there are several other companies that provide similar oil field services. Duncan, OK, is the home base where Mr. Halliburton started his company. When Houston became the big oil center, much of the company was moved there for obvious reasons (easy access and travel – center of oil boom). Duncan is still a big manufacturing center. When other people are fretting over the high price of gasoline, people in Duncan are doing well – employment here is high. Recently, four new manufacturing centers have opened around the world where oil and gas production is growing and labor is cheap (Mexico, Malaysia and some other places). Wherever there is big oil and gas production, you will find Halliburton. Toby is currently on a rotation with several other Halliburton employees to be sent to other parts of the world to do accounting and office management. Halliburton sent Toby to Italy several years ago. This summer he is up on the list to be sent out again. Depending on where he goes (and if he goes), I may or may not get to travel with him. There are many places that are considered dangerous and travel is limited. So, to answer Buck’s question – It is doubtful that Toby would be sent to Dubai, but it is always possible. More likely, he could be sent to Malaysia. He jokes about being sent to Algiers and some remote area of Russia. Of course, he teases me about wanting to move to Alice, TX. Please Lord, anything but that!

Little Rants

GBN1 seriously checking out a ladybug on her hand. Notice the Kool-ade smile.

Gee, one little typo, one little mistake, and the people pounce. Actually, there was probably more than one little mistake in yesterday's post, but who is counting (obviously The Piper). I guess if you goof, you must pay The Piper. For those of you who don’t know, The Piper, who has been commenting lately on my blog, is a good friend who has a wicked sense of humor which is welcome around me anytime. Bring it on!

Buck mentioned the troubles in the FBI and the possible creation of yet another agency to deal with terror here in the US. He has some good links. It all reminded me of the creation of the Department of Education back in 1980. Yep, 1980! Before that we had the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, but Carter changed the departments around. He separated education to make the DE and the old agency became Dept. of Health and Human Services. When I went to check up on my knowledge (because I have slept since then and now I am 49 with blonde hair), I found the revamping of Cabinets very interesting. Read about it here. You can probably guess how I feel about the Dept. of Education – more money being poured into a system that is failing, because the programs that if offers are unproven and unworkable and only create more paper work and bureaucracy. And the “educators” flock to it (bow down) in order get the money only to be bent to its bloodsucking will. Here is where my friend, Dick, would say, “Lou, get off the fence and decide how you really feel.”

Here is an interesting little news item found in “World Magazine” which I am not sure I can link to, but will try. The article was called, “Survey Says…” Here is an excerpt:
What do U.S. voters think of the situation in Iraq? Turns out, that's a loaded question, one with myriad angles and subtleties often overlooked by major polling agencies. A WORLD analysis of five recent national scientific surveys reveals that perceived public opinion can depend as much on the questions asked as the answers given.
In an Associated Press poll of 1,002 adults last month, 56 percent of respondents said they believe the war in Iraq is "a hopeless cause." Compare that to last month's survey of 800 adults from Public Opinion Strategies (POS), in which 57 percent of respondents "support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people."

How can that be - 56 % say “hopeless cause” while 57 % support finishing the job in Iraq? It turns out that wording of polls and the different options within the questions plays a big part of the outcome of the poll. Duh! Here is a little more from the same article:
Other questions within the AP poll that addressed matters of ethics and pragmatics individually generated sharp distinctions. While 61% of respondents called the Iraq War a mistake, 60% opposed a congressional measure to cut off funding for President George Bush’s troop surge – numbers much more closely aligned with the POS results.

Personally, I think that lots more people support the war efforts than the mass media wants us to think. Once again, I say that Americans want to win – not cut and run. That may mean that changes need to occur, and hopefully we can do that successfully. But the Dems need to read their constituents carefully before they go hacking funding for the war. I think they could irritate the wrong folks or in this case the right folks.

I'ts the Router

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. I had a good day. After our new internet provider sent Cory to fix my satellite dish first thing Friday morning, the computer still did not work right. I called Cory immediately. He said he would talk to his boss, and get back with me. He did not call back, but I eventually got him on the line. He was still not very helpful other than to say the dish was working, and he did not know what the problem was. I was able to get Travis online (chat through hotmail) to help me out. Travis is Ernie’s son. If Ernie is a computer doctor, Travis is a computer surgeon. He figured out that the problem was in the router to my Netgear. If I unplug the router and use Jesse’s computer, I have no problems. Toby worked on the router some Sunday afternoon. I am not sure if it will work or not – this is all a trial.

Birthday Weekend :

Friday Lindsay, Janice, Jesse and I had lunch at a funky little place in downtown Duncan. Friday night, Toby took me to dinner and a movie. We did not have a lot of time to go eat, but I’m easy. My favorite is a greasy hamburger, so we went to Sonic. Toby parked the truck where we were overlooking Duncan traffic. He is so romantic. It reminded me of when we were first married and had very little money. One of our favorite dates was to head out to Pinky’s on The Strip in Lubbock. We would buy barbeque chicken livers and cold beer and then set in the car eating and watching the odd folks come and go on The Strip.

After my greasy burger and onion rings, we went to see "Ghost Rider" with Nicholas Cage. It was comic book type movie – to ridiculous to be true, but it was fun. The motorcycles and stunts were fun. I happen to like Nicholas Cage, and I love Sam Elliot. I was surprised that Sam was in the movie. Peter Fonda played a great devil. Eva Mendes could not act her way out of a closet, but she was very much like a comic book character – too beautiful to be real. Over all, it was a fun movie, but nothing to write home about.

Saturday was just beautiful here in OK. It was the first day that the weather was warm and the wind did not blow 30 mph. It was the first pleasant Saturday that we have had. Unfortunately, Toby had whatever I had last week. He just did not feel well. It was really frustrating for him because he wanted to work on his barn. My mom and friend showed up with about 30 hibiscus plants she wanted us to plant here at the house. They needed to be put in the ground. There was Toby already frustrated by being sick, wanting to work on his barn, company shows up, and plants need to be planted. He was mad. Then he became the martyr. Jesse and I were just trying to keep the peace. I kept thinking that if Bo would just show up, he could take Toby to the barn to work and Jesse and I could plant the hibiscus where ever heck we wanted to plant them. When Bo did finally show up, he had done something to his back that morning and was in too much pain to do anything. Good grief! Have you ever felt like just getting in the car and driving away?

Toby finally reconciled to the fact that he was not going to get much work done because he was too sick. The plants could wait. We could work on the barn as he felt like it. After feeding the crowd fajitas, everyone was in a better mood. GBN1 was especially enjoyable. She ran and played and kept us entertained. She was fascinated by ladybugs. GBN2 was especially sweet – she is beginning to smile at you and make cooing noises. Jesse took some new pictures. All was well. It rained all day Sunday, but that is a good thing. We need the moisture and Toby needed the rest.

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Painting of the Week

Today is my forty-ninth birthday. Yeha! This morning the guy from the satellite company showed up to reset my computer. After he left, I got on to check it all out. Guess what? It still is not uploading my pictures, will not let me go to My Space or check my hotmail account. Do you know how irritating that is? I have already called the installer back. If he does not get this working, I guess he will be taking this dish home with him.

Yesterday my art girls took me to lunch. They had given me a card last Sunday with a gift certificate to a certain restaurant and directions to meet there on Thursday. The card itself was very artsy and fun. Then they all wrote inside the card. My favorite was, "I love you; you are the best teacher." You would probably have to know Ashley, who wrote that, to really appreciate it. It just made me smile.

My little brother, Pete, was the first to call this morning. He called at 6:30 this morning. The second to call was my big brother, Craig. He called about 8:00. Being an entertainment lawyer in Austin, he is excited and busy with South by Southwest. He will attend lots of music stuff. He dropped some names on me, but I am so out of it that it did not mean much to me. It was good to visit with Craig - bless his little heart. My baby sister, Kathy called about 8:30. She will be here tomorrow to see me and help build on the barn. It should be a blast. I love having a little sister. She was worth all of those birthday wishes. Although, a monkey would have been nice too. My mom called about 10:30. I told her she was "the last". She said, " The last what?" I said that she was the last to call. She did not have a clue what I was talking about because she was not calling to wish me a happy birthday. She had forgottem my birthday. Perfect! That was the perfect birthday - it made me really laugh.

Today I am going to lunch with Jesse, Lindsay and Janice (Lindsay's mom). Toby said he was not going to invade our "girl time". It should be lots of fun if not lots of silliness. Toby said he might take me to the movies tonight - I'll believe it when I see it. He is not much of a movie person, but it is sometimes the thought that counts.

The painting of the week was a class project with my youngest art students. I wanted them to have some fun - to let the paint run and be loose. I am not sure they had as much fun as I had. We all seem to be "tight" painters. I would like to be looser. Loose Lou - an old college nick name.

The Rest of the Story

This is the continued story from yesterday's post.

King Arthur returned to his castle and called together his Knights to tell them of his latest problem. He told them of meeting the hideous hag and how he had promised her a husband if she gave him the correct answer to "What does a woman want most in a man". The hag had told Arthur that what a woman wants most in a man is sovereignty. Being honorable and keeping his promise, now he must find the hag a husband. It was Sir Gawain’s loyalty to King Arthur that made him stand and say, "I will marry the hag and fulfill your promise." Everyone was horrified that the handsome Sir Gawain would agree to marry some one as hideous as the hag, but Gawain was also honorable and kept his word.

The wedding took place at the castle with a large crowd of people attending the ceremony. Sir Gawain was young and handsome and the hag was, well, hideous. After the ceremony there was the usual feast and merry making, but no one was happy over the wedding. Everyone felt sorry for Sir Gawain having to be married to someone so hideous. No one expected him to keep his promise. When it came time for the groom to take his bride to their bedchamber, everyone thought that Gawain would back out. Once again, Sir Gawain proved his loyalty and took the hag to consummate the marriage. Alone in the bedchamber something magical happened and the hag was instantly turned into a beautiful young woman. Gawain was pleasantly surprised and spent a glorious night with his beautiful bride.

Before the sun came up the next morning, the beautiful bride woke up her new husband. She told him he must make a decision. Either she would be the beautiful young woman at night for him alone in their bedchamber, but she would be the hideous hag by day for all to see. Everyone would feel sorry for Gawain that he was married to the hideous hag. Or, she could be the beautiful young woman by day for the entire world to see, but alone in their bedchamber she would be the hideous hag. Everyone would think how wonderful it was that he was married to such a beautiful woman, but she would be hideous for him alone. It was his decision to make. If he did not make the decision before the sun came up, she would remain the hideous hag forever.

Sir Gawain thought about his decision. Which would he rather have, the beautiful woman by day and everyone would think highly of him? Or would he rather have the beautiful woman by night for himself alone and everyone feeling sorry for him thinking he was married to a hideous hag? The sun was about to rise. He must make the decision quickly, but he could not. Sir Gawain told his wife, "This is not a decision I can make. I will be happy with you no matter what. I will love you no matter if you are beautiful by day or by night. This is a decision only you should make. It is for you to decide which you want to be as my wife – beautiful by day, but hideous at night or hideous by day and beautiful by night."

As the sun rose, Gawain’s beautiful bride sat upon their bed making her decision. Gawain waited, letting her choose for herself how she would live, knowing he would love her and stay married to her whatever her choice. The sun came up and she was still his beautiful bride. Then she said, "Because you have given me sovereignty, I will remain beautiful forever. With the spell of the hideous hag broken, they lived happily ever after.

An Age Old Question

Once upon a time a young King Arthur was walking through the forest when a huge ogre jumped out and grabbed King Arthur by the neck. Arthur was so taken by surprise that he was completely overpowered and at the mercy of the ogre. As the ogre held King Arthur at sword point, he said, "I am going to kill you, but I hear you are a wise and honorable man. If you can answer me one question, I will spare your life. To prove you are an honorable man, I will let you go, but you must promise to meet me here in this place one year from today with the answer to my question."
King Arthur knowing that the ogre could easily kill him agreed to the ogre’s demands. The ogre took King Arthur at his word and released him asking this question: What does a woman want most in a man? The ogre reminded King Arthur that they would meet again in one year’s time. King Arthur must answer the question correctly or the ogre would kill him. With all of his resources and knowledge, King Arthur knew he could come up with the answer to the question. When he arrived back at the castle, he called together his Knights of the Round Table. He told them of his near death at the hands of the ogre and how he must meet the ogre again in one year with the answer to "What does a woman want most in a man". The knights began immediately giving their answers to the question. Lancelot said that what a woman wanted most in a man was a handsome man. Gawain disagreed. He thought a woman most wanted a rich man. Others offered other answers, but no one agreed. So King Arthur sent his knights to the far reaches of his kingdom to find the correct answer.
A year later the knights returned from their search, but still none could agree upon the correct answer. They were no closer to having the answer as when they started. Being an honorable man, King Arthur knew he must meet with the ogre and would probably be killed if he did not have the right answer. And so he headed off to the forest walking and thinking of what his answer would be. So deep in thought was he that he did not see the trash heap until he tripped over it. Suddenly a hideous hag arose from what Arthur had thought was just a trash heap. Arthur was much taken aback. The hideous hag scoffed at Arthur. "So King Arthur you think you are too good for the likes of me – can’t even offer a kind word to a hideous hag?"
King Arthur immediately apologized and explained that he had been deep in thought and had not seen the hag. The hag then said, "I know you Arthur. I know where you are going, and I know the answer to the question, "What does a woman want most in a man."
King Arthur was desperate, "Please, if you have the answer, you must tell me."
But the hag answered, "Not so fast Arthur. Before I give you the answer to the question, you must promise me something."
"Anything!" King Arthur said.
The hideous hag then said, "If I give you the correct answer, you must promise me marriage to a handsome man." What did Arthur have to lose? He agreed to the hag’s terms and promised her a husband if she could answer the question. Then the hag said, " What a woman wants most in a man, is sovereignty."
"Sovereignty! Why that is not the answer!" said King Arthur, but the hag insisted it was the answer. King Arthur hung his head and continued on his way to meet the ogre knowing that he still did not have the correct answer to the ogre’s question.
Eventually, King Arthur came to the same place in the forest where he had first met the ogre. The huge ogre was once again waiting for Arthur. "I see you are an honorable man. You have kept our bargain and come here today knowing that I could easily kill you. If you do not have the answer to my question, indeed, I will kill you." With that the ogre drew out his sword ready to kill King Arthur. "What does a woman want most in a man?" asked the ogre.
King Arthur replied, "A woman wants a handsome man."
"That is not correct!" said the ogre and pulled back his sword to kill Arthur.
"What a woman wants most is a rich man." Cried Arthur.
"That is not correct either! Said the ogre preparing to kill Arthur.
"Wait" cried Arthur. "What a woman wants most in a man is sovereignty." With that the ogre put down his sword. I see you have been talking to my sister the hag. That is the correct answer." The ogre turned and left.
King Arthur was greatly relieved, but now he had a new problem to contemplate. He had promised the hag a husband. Who would he ever be able to find to marry such a hideous hag?
To be continued.

Wild Men

We took Toby’s mom to WF last night to meet up with his sisters. We met the sisters at Olive Garden and had a very pleasant meal. Mary Nell will stay a day with them before her husband comes from Lubbock to pick her up. It is always good to see my mother-in-law. She is a special lady and lots of fun. The sisters are lots of fun too (one of them is single, Buck, if you are interested :)

Mary Nell reminded me that March 4th was the 25th anniversary of Hub’s death (Toby’s father). I was pregnant with Jesse when Hub died. It was the first and only time I experienced anger when someone died. It was a very odd emotion at the time, but of course, I was pregnant. It made me mad that he had not taken better care of himself. He knew he had a bad heart and still he smoked and drank more than he should have. He was not very active and weighed more than he should have. He just could have done better. Although, I understand more about life now, it still seems like such a waste. At the time I became pregnant with Jes, Hub had four grandsons. Hub and I both knew Jesse would be a girl although everyone else thought I would have another boy. He teased me that this baby would be his "dark haired, dark eyed grand-daughter" and he was right. When he did not live to see her, I was just angry. They would have been bad together.

I took Mary Nell to see Jesse at work before we left for WF. Jesse pointed out one of her "dandies". I explained to MN that Jesse had several young men who seemed to follow her around. She likes her young men well enough – "friends" she says, but none of them seem to be ringing any bells. I also told MN that Jesse had described the young man, whom Jesse had pointed out to us, as "a bit of a wild-ass". Mary Nell’s eyebrow went up, she gave me that woman to woman look, and she said, "You and I both know how a girl feels about a guy like that. We both got men like that." I had to agree. Sure, a girl wants a good man, one who has integrity, wisdom and lots of love to give. She wants a man who will be a good father - a godly man who will teach her children in the right way – one who will be a leader for her family. But there is just something about a guy who is a little wild. Maybe it is the promise of excitement, fun, and laughter.

Disclaimer:
When I write something like the above, I wonder if people really know what I am saying. Do they understand my thoughts? I wonder if I should explain more. Should I use different language? Will some people find my thoughts offensive? But then, I hope the people who read this know me well enough and know that I poke fun at myself and others. I just have to hope that my readers know me, and that if readers do not know me, maybe my writing will be sufficient to get my feelings across. If my readers do not "get it" well, they will probably move on. I will.

Babies and Parties

It was a party weekend here in OK. Friday we had a little birthday party for GBN1 who actually turns three tomorrow. Saturday was a baby shower for GBN2. My mom came up from WF to attend the shower, and Toby’s mom surprised us and came from Lubbock with Toby’s sister. The baby shower was a good party with lots of baby gifts for the new baby. Later, Toby’s sister went home, but left his mother to stay with us for a few days. She was able to have some quality great-granbaby time. Today, we will meet Toby and Jesse for lunch and maybe do some shopping.

There are some families at our church fellowship that have large families – believing that God gives you children - so they do not use birth control of any sort (this is a personal belief for these families and not one that is pushed on anyone). One such family has twelve children. Their mom, Eva, was at the baby shower on Saturday although she was very pregnant with baby no. 13. I commented on how she looked ready to pop any day. She told me to be praying for because the baby was due any time now. Later that evening Eva’s oldest daughter called to say that her mother had gone into labor and would call again when the baby was born. Eva has had all her children at home without any problems using a mid-wife system. This time, Eva had a baby boy, but she did not feel very well after the birth. Her husband took her to the local hospital where she delivered a healthy baby girl. Twins! Babies numbers thirteen and fourteen! It was a total surprise, which was so unusual in this day and age that I just had to share it with you.

Hopefully, I will get my computer problems fixed this week. I'll be using my old dial-up in the meantime.

Tech Support

I spent over an hour with a tech support guy from my new satellite Internet company. He was very helpful. His name was Nicolas. He may have been from India. He worked diligently to discover what the problem was. He had me try different things like disabling the new virus protection. When that was not the problem, he had me hook up my computer directly to the dish (took off the netgear). That was not the problem. Then he had me test the connection speed – ah, a problem. At one point he apparently put me on hold, but I thought we had been disconnected. I said, "Nicolas? Are you there? Don’t leave me Nick!" He had come back on the line for that last part – I am sure he thought I was a goof, but he assured me he was not leaving me. Then we did some more tests. That is when Nicolas said my transmitter was not strong enough, and he was going to connect me to someone with more tech support – just when I thought we had a strong relationship and I was beginning to understand his English. Eric came on the line with a smooth television type voice. It gave me the feeling I was not speaking to a real person – much too smooth and knowledgeable – much more intimidating than Nicolas. Eric told me to check the lights on the system set-up.
Me: Hey, they are not all on.
Eric: Which ones are not lit up?
Me: Every other one – the first, middle, and last are on.
Eric: Get closer.
Me: What?
Eric: Read me what it says.
Me: Oh, you are right. There are words on it. How about that?
Eric: Is there something blocking your computer? No? Go check? Go out in the yard and look.

The dish is just outside the window from the computer. I could have opened the window and touched it. I could certainly see it plainly without going outside to look at it. I was beginning to think that Eric thought that I was an idiot. There was nothing blocking the dish other than my house, and I told him so. He said that we had been slowly losing transmitter power and that now it was not transmitting at all. He would send out a technician to re-set my dish. It would take three to five business days.

I guess I will be using the old puter for a few days. Well, at least I know my way around it. Have a good weekend.

Wills

I really hate it when things do not work right. A friend once said, "Without the right tools, it is just work." With the right tools, work becomes fun. When you have the right tools, things should go smoothly, but right now, nothing is working right. It is enough to make a preacher cuss.

Although I was able to post a test yesterday, I am still not able to upload pictures. Posting the test seems to have been a lucky fluke. Sometimes I am able to post and sometimes not. Sometimes I can comment on someone’s blog; sometimes not. What is up with that? Jesse and I cannot check our hotmail or My Space accounts. We get a "page cannot be displayed" message. This morning, I used my old computer with my old dial-up to post my Painting of the Week. I checked email accounts – it all took a while, but it worked. I had to use the scanner instead of my camera to post my painting because the camera’s battery is down. I cannot find the right connections to recharge the battery. I used my memory stick to move things from one computer to another. And yes, I managed to make things work, but what a pain. When I have a brand new computer with high speed satellite internet, why do I have to resort to such methods? Maybe if I was just a little more computer savvy I could make things work, but right now, I think I could throw that dish pretty far.

It also seems that my family is in a contest of wills. Not only are we all waiting on the other to figure out the computer problems, we are waiting to see who can let the trash pile the highest before having to take it out. Toby and Jes have gone to work, and I doubt I can stack the trash any higher. Sigh, I guess I lose again.

Painting of the Week

This was painted from a photo taken in Rome.

Test

This is just a test to see if my computer is working yet.