Yeah! No.

My nephew, Oliver, will be starting his sophomore year in college this fall. Years ago when living in Questa, my brother and his family were vacationing in Red River. We had spent the day in RR with them. About ten PM we got ready to head home. My brother, Pete, began talking his son into going home with us to spend the night and coming back the next morning. Oliver was about four years old at the time and had probably never spent a night away from home. My brother, said, "Hey Oliver, don’t you want to go spend the night with Aunt Lou?" He asked this question so enthusiastically, that Oliver answered with equal enthusiasm, "Yeah!" Then his little face became serious with thought as he considered things, and he said, "No." Pete pumped him up with, "But it will be lots of fun!" Being all pumped up, Oliver hollered, "Yeah!" Then his face took on that serious look and he shook his head, "No." Once again Pete revved him up, talking him into spending the night at my house. "Come on Oliver; it will be a blast!" Once again Oliver agreed to go with enthusiasm, but then thought better of it. It was so funny to watch this play between father and son – Pete talking it up, Oliver agreeing, and then changing his mind so seriously. In the end, Pete talked Oliver into going home with me to spend the night. Oliver was excited – right up until he got to my house. By the time we got home, which was about a 30 minute drive, Oliver was ready to go back to his parents. Knowing the routine, I talked him into staying. Although, one minute he would be laughing with Bo and Jesse and the next minute he would be crying. One minute he would be brushing his teeth getting ready for bed and the next minute, his little head would drop and he would cry to go home. We managed to keep him happy and explained that we were not taking him home until morning. He sucked it up and made it just fine, but I wanted to kill Pete for talking Oliver into something that Oliver was not sure about.

To this day, I remember how his little mind worked that night getting so excited, thinking yeah it would be great to go with Aunt Lou. Then thinking that he really didn’t want to go – all of the expressions right on his face and in his voice. Yeah! No. Yeah! No.

I mentioned that Toby has signed up for 25 miles in the Hotter ‘n Hell in Wichita Falls later in August. Jesse and I are considering signing up, too. Jesse thinks we can do it. It did look like fun at the beginning of the Dehydrator as Toby did that race. My friend C. Looney, who lives in WF, says that the 25 miles is like a big party and anyone can do it. I’m thinking with a last name like Looney, I should not listen to her. Part of me is enthusiastic – Yeah, I can do it! Then I think about it for a few minutes – No, I can’t do it. Yeah, I can do it! No, I’m 50 years old. Yeah, I can work up to it. No, you are over weight. Yeah, it will be good exercise. No, it is too hot. And so goes the story.

Quilting

Somewhere in my blogging I have mentioned the quilting that goes on in our fellowship. For years, the ladies in our church have been making beautiful quilts and passing their knowledge on to the younger ladies. For each young couple that marries the ladies make a double wedding ring quilt. This is one of the most difficult quilts to make, but very beautiful. Yesterday the ladies started on Lindz’ quilt. Lindz and Shay picked out two solid colors of material for their quilt. Those colors will show up where the rings cross and will be the dominant colors. The rest of the rings are made up of individual little pieces of material – all different colors and patterns. The centers of the rings are called blocks and are passed out to the families of our church. Each family will embroider, appliqué, paint, and etc. their name on the block. This is the fun part that makes the quilt so special. Once all the pieces are put together, the quilt will be set up in a large quilting frame for the ladies to do the actual quilting. This photo is not Lindz’ quilt, but just a google image to give you an idea what the quilt will look like.

There is lots of work involved, but getting together with the ladies is much fun. Sometimes we just have a few ladies, but yesterday a whole crew of folks showed up. It was a great testament to the love they have for Lindz. I love working with my "older lady" friends, but having the younger ladies show up was really great. Aunt B went into "teacher mode" showing the girls how to do different things. Janie was the whip cracker keeping us all on task (which I sometime think I could live without) but she is knowledgeable and plays a role. Megan showed up, and was my partner in crime. Our job was cutting the little individual pieces while the other ladies were sewing them together. I can sew, but I find it tedious. Yesterday I used the rotary cutter until I thought my arm was going to fall off. I’m not sure they should give me a job where I have a blade in my hand when someone is bossing me around. I get a bit grumpy when I get tired. Fortunately Meg kept me laughing and I managed a good attitude, and I did not cut my fingers off or anyone else’s.

All the women went on and on about how beautiful Lindz’ quilt will be – how all of the colors were just bright and beautiful just like Lindz. All the wedding quilts are beautiful. All are unique and special just as the brides themselves. Maybe because it is Lindz, this quilt does seem extra special. I can’t wait until we someday make one for Jesse.
Here are some photos of my 25th wedding anniversary quilt. It is a friendship pattern of some sort. Notice the "center block" with Toby’s name and mine. Jesse’s block is the Sunbonnet Sue to the right. Bo’s block is the Sunbonnet Sam to the left. Some of my favorites were the blocks my art girls did – the younger girls on the left, the high school girls in the middle and the older girls on the right. - Very artsy!

Motivation

Motivation is a problem that quite a few of my blogger buddies seem to be having this summer. It effects both my blogging an my art. Inspiration may be part of the problem, but for me motivation is just as much a problem as anything. Motivation and inspiration are different, yet maybe one can cure the other. Jo Castillo had an interesting link on motivation from Maggie Stiefvater who is an artist and a writer. Jo also had a link to her photographer son's new website. Larry Castillo is quite good - all you photo fans should take a look.


We kept the GGs last night for a short time while Bo and Sara went out to dinner celebrating Bo's finishing his accounting classes for the summer. He now has two weeks before he starts another class. You may remember my mentioning that he has a masters in Economics, but is working as an accountant and eventually will take his CPA exam. Like everything he puts his mind to, he is knocking out the accounting classes as fast as he can. Nothing like a little family to motivate you. Bo has always been that way - he goes all out for the things he wants, and is quite competitive. He finished his undergraduate and masters all in five years with honors (he must get that from his father). I am very proud of him.


Toby signed up for the Hotter'n Hell bicycle race on August 24th. He will do the 25 mile ride similar to what he did in the Dehydrator. Jesse may sign up for it too. At first I thought I might try it, but I seem to be coming to my senses. I know I could do the 10 mile ride easily because I can ride that around here without much training. But 25 miles...I don't know. Is it a matter of motivation? I'm just not sure I like bike riding that much. I just like the party at the end, but is that enough motivation?



Here are a couple of photos of the GGs in their little swimming pool. GBN2 likes to relax in the pool while GBN1 likes to pour water on everyone. Then there was the problem of someone letting the air out of the pool.

Biking and Play

I tried to post this several times on Sunday, but Blogger was being a bother, but here is our weekend in a nutshell.

We were up and at ‘em early yesterday. We were at the start of the Duncan Dehydrator before 8AM. It was amazing how many bicyclists were there to ride in the 100+ temps. Jesse took pictures. At one point, she said, "I just got a photo of the racers including that guy with the USMC and the Army guy next to him." I turned to Toby and said, "I bet she takes up biking next." If you know Jesse, you will know that was a joke – she was just yanking our strings. We cheered Toby off along with a few of Jesse’s coworkers who were also entered in the ride.

Jesse and I headed to the City after seeing the start of the bike ride/race. About the time we got to OK City, Toby called to say that he had finished the 27 miles, which is all he signed up for. He said it was hot, but fun, not to taxing, and he met some guys from Lawton who bike every Saturday on the Base and through the wild life refuge. Now that sounds more fun – maybe next fall or winter.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was great. The dancing and music were very professional. We had quite a large group of young ladies from our fellowship who attended the musical. They were all dressed up for the play – looking lovely and ladylike. Many of these young ladies are my art students, so it is fun to see them all dressed up. After the play, several of us went to Spaghetti Warehouse in Bricktown. We stuffed ourselves and then had to take a walk on the river. The walk was nice, but even at 7PM, it was hot in OK City. I was glad to get in the air conditioned car and head home.

Wishy-Washy

Toby took today off. It is nice to have him home – I think. He is outside working on the storeroom – making me feel guilty for being on the computer. No, he didn’t say anything (well he did sort of, but then he said he was just teasing – yeah right). I just feel guilty. I will try and get something posted, but I feel pressured to hurry and get to work. I really wanted a day to just chill and do my thang, but I know I will be doing Toby’s thang instead. He is always a fun date, but having him home right now is making me a bit crazed.

Jesse took a half-day off yesterday and went to the lake with friends. If you have a boat, plane, motorcycle, etc, then you are her friend. She was worn out last night from too much sun and fun, and then had to drag herself off to work this morning. She just called to see if we were coming to town today…Could we bring her…Sure, I’ll get right on that.

Tomorrow, Toby is riding in the Duncan Dehydrator bicycle race. He has been riding his bike quite a bit getting ready for the big ride. Jesse and I want to see him off, but we have tickets to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in OK City. We will take pictures and cheer him on before he takes off, but then we are off on our own adventure. I wouldn’t mind staying to see him finish the race, but I bought these tickets months ago.

I sound a bit wishy-washy today. I think I need a day off.

Cleaning Day

Every morning this week I have gotten up and headed off to town on all day errands, and the cleaning fairies have not been to my house once. Today is art, and lots of ladies are coming over. It looks like I am going to have to do some cleaning this morning since those fairies have been a no-show. I don’t really have any news anyway, and I left my camera at the GG’s house yesterday. I did take lots of pictures of the GGs in the $7.50 kiddy pool that I bought for them. It kept them entertained for hours. We also got a few watercolors done. I will try to post photos later.

My messy house did bring back an old memory. My freshman year at Texas Tech, I had this great roommate, LeAnn. She was a "luck of the draw" roommate and not someone I had already known. Boy, was I lucky – she was wonderful. LeAnn stood 5’12" in her stocking feet and was 6’2" with shoes. Since I am barely 5’2", we looked like Mutt and Jeff together, but we got along great. The memory was of mid-term finals. Both LeAnn and I had let our room go during finals. We had done no cleaning for a while and neither of us was especially a neat-freak. It got to the point where there was just a single path down the middle of the room – you had to pick your way through the mess to get to the beds or desks. I was sitting on the floor propped up against the bed studying. LeAnn was sitting at her desk studying and eating a banana. When she finished her banana, she hauled off and threw the peel across the room at the trashcan. The peel missed the trash and landed in the floor. Both of us looked at the peel on the floor. Then we looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and continued studying – leaving the banana peel in the floor. It was one of those moments that was really funny, and we were so in tune with each other. The messy room did not bother either one of us – I loved that girl!

Hot Days

Yesterday was errand day. All the stuff that I was supposed to do on Monday, I did on Tuesday. Not only did I do the weekly Wal-Mart, I met with the local news papers concerning the Art Guild ads. I did manage to squeeze in lunch with Toby, Jesse, and a couple of her coworkers. We ate at a Chinese buffet, which is quick and easy. Unfortunately the air conditioning at the restaurant was on the blink making it slightly uncomfortable. It is a sure sign of the dog days of summer when the temps are above 100 every day with no change in sight. Later, I saw the fire truck go speeding by me as I came out of The Shopper. A few minutes later, I caught up with the fire fighters as they were putting out a car fire in a parking lot. The temp in my car said 107. I thought it could easily catch on fire too.

I’m off to sit with the GGs today. It will be an all day event since their mother is going to OK City. I am stocked with new watercolor paints, markers, paper and such. I also bought a little swimming pool – yeha! When the cat is away, the mice will play.

Bride and Princesses

I have heard that shopping for wedding dresses can be a nightmare, but with Lindz and the gang, it was blessed fun. Jesse had been planning on going with the gang, but my invite came yesterday morning. I had to hustle to get ready and go, and I was not sure if I should go or not. I am so glad that I went. It was all worth it to see Lindz and the girls have such a great time. There were lots of giggles and lots of beautiful dresses. I think it was a real learning experience, too.

We took two cars – the older ladies (moms) and the younger ladies (bride and maids). We started out at David’s Bridal with a very nice lady to show us the dresses. She had Lindz look through one of their magazines and pick out dresses. Then the lady delivered them to be tried on and whisked away the ones that would not work. Of course, Lindz is beautiful and all of the dresses she tried on were gorgeous (or as GBN1 says, "Georges"), but we were all waiting for that special dress, that twinkle in the eye, that squeal of delight that says "this is THE dress." We took lots of silly photos to record the events. We heard lots of giggles when the bride and maids all got in the dressing room together – to help the Bride. David’s Bridal was very nice and Lindz picked out a couple of dresses to consider and we moved on.

Our next stop was at a shop called JJ Kelly Bridal. We were met at the door by a clerk and "we only meet with brides by appointment" but they "happen to have an available clerk" to meet with us (as if Mondays were a busy day). Why would you bother to say that? Why not just say, "Welcome, Sally will be with you in just a minute"? One of the other moms and I took a seat in the showroom area. I asked Jesse to pose for a picture in front of the mirrors while we waited for Lindz. Jes picked up a small veil that was lying in a chair, put it on, and struck a pose. Both SK and I took a couple of photos of Jesse being silly. One of the sales clerks came over and told us that they did not allow photos – their dresses were designer dresses and could not be photographed. That was fine, but then she came and stood behind us to make sure we deleted the photos. Then she told us to put our cameras away so that we "might not be tempted" to take another photo. In the meantime, another clerk was giving Lindz a hard time in the dressing room by not allowing even one girl in the dressing room to help Lindz with the dresses. They were worried that photos would be taken in the dressing rooms. Lindz did try on one Vera Wang dress that was very simple and on sale, but we left the store after that. The clerk may have been being condescending, but she sent us to a store called Serendipity – saying we might find something there.

Serendipity was a great store, but more in the fashion line of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Although the dresses were not what Lindz wanted for her wedding, the girls had a great time playing dress-up. Jesse chose a sea foam green dress. Kat chose peach. Reagan chose hot pink while Lindz tried on the traditional white. They all found dresse sthat looked like the dress that Kate Hudson wore in "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" and tried them on in different colors. This store was a delight after the snobby JJ Kelly store.


Throughout the shopping, Jesse and I kept mentioning a shop that we had been to with my DIL. We did not know the name of the wedding shop or where it was. Some how we managed to stumble upon it while driving to different bridal store. The store was having electrical problems – only a few of the lights were working and the air conditioning was off. It was a bit warm just sitting there, but Lindz was a trooper in trying on dresses – quite the quick-change artist. Here is where the real fun began. The B-maids went through the racks and brought Lindz dress after dress. The clerk was not overpowering or bothersome. She offered advice and put the dresses back on the racks if they were not favored. Lindz tried on a jillion dresses and set aside a few. As we were about to leave the store, I took Lindz to a rack of dresses that were designed and made by the owner of the store, Mo. He was a short dark man with a kind face and a heavy European accent. He came out and began showing his designer dresses to Lindz. Then he explained that he was putting the dresses on sale the first of August. Lindz agreed to try on a few more dresses "just to see…" They were absolutely gorgeous. Mo picked out a dress that he said would show Lindz’ figure off to perfection. The minute she put it on, her eyes lit up. There was a moment where we all held our breaths while mother and daughter conferred. Mo agreed to sell Lindz the dress at the sale price which was well within Lindz’ budget. Then cheering erupted, photos were snapped, and joy was abundant. Before we left the store, Mo gave Lindz a lacy garter and said something like this to her, "When I was growing up, I was always told that God blesses children who are good to their parents. You must be a really good kid."

Iwill not post a photo of Lindz in The Dress, but if I get permission, I may post a photo of her in another of my favorite dresses.

Good Weekend

Friday night we drove over to WF to have supper with my brother and Catherine and Mom. Lindz and Shay went with us to make the trip more exciting. It was a nice visit, but it made for a long evening. I did not get into bed until about 12:30 AM. I am not a night person. Since I am a morning person, I was awake by 6:30 AM. Don’t you hate that?

Saturday morning we all went our separate ways. I made a cream cheese/whip cream pie and a squash casserole for a ladies luncheon. We have lots of squash these days and we are beginning to get some okra in our garden. The luncheon lasted until after 3 PM. I was the first one out the door – sometimes when I am tired, I get grumpy or in this case antsy. When I got home, I took a big dog nap to renew my strength and disposition. Toby came in about 4:30 PM and touched me on the shoulder making me jump. He claims he made enough noise to wake the dead and thought I was surely awake. Jesse had gone to the Stratford Peach Festival and eventually came home with a bag of tasty peaches (watch for pics on her blog). The GGs came by for a little while. Bo had bought four bicycles for $14.00 at a garage sale – he and Toby have a new project to build some sort of something with wheels. I think one of the GGs has claimed one of the little bikes. We all went to the Chuckwagon for supper. Later in the evening when all was calm again, we watched a movie called "Penelope." It was a fairytale sort of movie, and it was fun.

After church on Sunday, Jesse and I took both GGs and all the Royals (not the newest Noah) to get chicken and curly fries and red bug juice. Yes, the Royals are home from their CO trip. Jesse and I looked like we were in a kid’s parade walking to Speedy G’s with all those kids. We made quite an entrance to the café. It is always fun to play with the kids, but it is nice to give them back to their parents. After our Sunday nap, I made a peach pie while Toby made peach daiquiris. We had kabobs on the grill – steak, shrimp, and veggies from the garden. Sunday evening Jesse and I went to the park to play volleyball while Toby stayed home and worked on his motorcycle. Volleyball was good. The Piper and his royal princesses were there. I don’t think he has ever explained that PN2 is working on being a prosecuting attorney. She asks a lot of questions with "why" being her main word. I tried to answer most of them, but she kept it up until I broke. She will make a great DA someday. Jesse and I picked up some vanilla ice cream while in town – so that we could have peach pie and ice cream for a snack before bedtime. After taking two ibuprofen, I hit the pillow and slept hard.

Today I am off to OK City to look for wedding dresses with Lindz, Jes and Janice. More later.

The Chicken Story

I’m off to a slow start this morning and feeling a bit in limbo with things I want to do, things I gotta do, and things I shouldn’t do. This weekend is the "World’s Largest Garage Sale" in Duncan. I would like to go and look around, but I don’t have anything particular that I need. I certainly do not need more junk – especially someone else’s junk. Yet every year, people say, "Ooh I found this at the garage sale for $2.00!" And I think, "How cool!" This year, Toby wants to do some sailing the sale to look for old bicycles – he and Bo have a new project. So I could wait until tomorrow and go with him. I don’t really need to waste gas driving into town this morning, when I am planning on going to WF later this afternoon. But I don’t really want to stay home today either. I hate the "coulda, shoulda, woulda’s."

Bob’s Chicken Story:
When we lived in NM, there was a man named Bob who also lived there. He was a single young man, a bit of a nerd, an engineer with the Moly Mine. He struck me as an intelligent idiot – you know - one of those people who seems very intelligent, but very scatter-brained. He was from some place like Oregon where they do not speak Texan or Okie. In RR, most of the business owners are Texans or Okies – some have lived there for ages, while others have only recently moved there – most have not lost their first language. Bob told this story on himself.

He was eating breakfast at one of the local cafes one summer morning. Sometimes the locals gather at one table (the family table) at a restaurant and eat together or just have morning coffee to visit and catch up on the latest gossip. Bob was at such a table when one of the old Texans who ran a lodge said, "We had some check-ins at about 3 this morning." Now, the old Texan said "check-ins" kind of slow, but all run together (like any good Texan) and it sounded to Bob as if the old Texan had said "chickens."

Incredulously Bob asked, "Chickens?"
Without batting an eye the old Texan said, "Yeah." And continued to drink his coffee and visit.
Bob (in all seriousness): What did you do with them?
OT: We put a few in room 3 and some in room 5.
Bob: Chickens?!
OT: Yeah.
Bob: Where did they come from?
OT: Oklahoma.
Bob: Chickens?!
OT: Yeah.
Bob: How did they get here?
OT: Suburbans I think.
Bob (totally perplexed): Why are they here?
OT: Well, I think they came to square dance.
Bob: Chickens?!
It was here that Bob began to catch on to the conversation.

The Island

In yesterday’s comments, Ashley mentioned pretending to be a horse when she was little. It is amazing how kids use their imaginations. My older brother had an imaginary friend. My little brother had a whole imaginary football team – Mom had a heck of a time feeding them all and getting them into the car to run errands. It was Ashley’s horse comment that reminded me of The Island where we kids in RR use to play.

The Island was not really an island, but close. You may remember that our first cabin was up Bitter Creek Canyon. The mountains of the canyon were pretty steep – our cabin set on the side of the mountain near the mouth of the canyon. The floor of the canyon was very wooded, but had a creek running through it – nasty sulfur water. At one time there had been lots of mining operations further up the canyon, which lead to the Midnight and La Belle (try reading about Black Jack Ketchum who frequented the mining towns) area. You can even go over the mountain into the Valle Vidal where we used to take some amazing horse back trips. Anyway, as the creek emptied into the Red River, the area widened into a very rocky dried up creek bed. I often wondered if at one time Bitter Creek was much larger or if the miners used the creek for some hydraulic mining since. Today the area is much like a gravel/rock pit for the Town of RR. The way the river eroded the land over time caused a "tongue" of forested land to stick out into the gravel pit. Looking at the "tongue" from the pit or from town, it looked like an island with cliffs rising out of the gravel pit. It was far enough up the canyon to not be noticeable to the public - it was well off the beaten path. It was perfect place to play for us kids – we called it The Island.

The Island itself, was forest and a small meadow. As kids, it was our imaginary kingdom. We had various forts and houses in the trees. I can remember tying a string to a limb and calling it our doorbell. We girls insisted that the boys pull the string (ring the doorbell) before they entered our "house." For years that string stayed on the limb even after we grew up and quit playing there. We had mock battles in the meadow with the evil knight. We all had our own stick horse complete with string bridles. Those same stick horses stayed there for years. We made mud-pies using the creek. We even dammed up the creek to make a wading area. It was a wonderful place to play. Our friend, Terry, had a cabin nearby. His mom had an old bell that she would ring when we were expected home. We could hear that bell all up and down the canyon and would come running when it rang.

In our teen-age years The Island became a good place for, well, parking. It was very isolated. When our old dog, Pumpkin, died, Dad buried him on The Island. Years later, when a mean Husky killed my little Randy dog, Dad carried him out to be buried there, too. There are lots of memories on The Island. The river has eroded more of it and the town continues to use the creek bed for rock and gravel. Someday, The Island will be gone, but we sure had fun there.

La Casa de Towanda, this is a painting that I did several years ago of an old building in Ocate, NM.

Feeding the Flesh

I did some major housecleaning yesterday. I vacuumed and put carpet cleaner down and vacuumed again. I mopped the floor, but ran out of one floor cleaner and had to switch to another one. The second floor cleaner was called Fabuloso – isn’t that a great name – I think I will use it all the time. All the while, I was doing laundry and of course the dishes. By the time Toby came home, I think I had lost a few brain cells from all the chemical smells. He took me out to eat at the Chuckwagon to get me out of the house and reward my good behavior. Fabuloso!

Speaking of good behavior:
One of the things about being a Christian is that you are to put off your old, bad ways and put on God’s good ways. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Anger is one of those old bad ways that should be put off. Of course, everyone gets angry now and then, but it is how you react in your anger that is important. Last night, I became angry and wanted to take someone apart verbally (physically would have been good too). From my past life, I know I could do it – Let them have it, dot their eyes, put them down, throw down, etc, but I had a real check in my spirit that giving in to anger was not okay. Sure people do it all the time using the old "it is better to let it out than keep it in" as an excuse. That is your flesh talking. It does feel good to let it all out, but at what expense? No, controlling your mouth, your mind, and your physical actions is the better way, but it is not the easy way.

I’m really pretty easy going, but when I get mad it can be major. For the most part, I don’t get mad very often so anger is easily dealt with. Then out of the blue something happens and I snap. At this point I have a couple of choices – I can blast someone or I can get control. It is usually best for me to remain quiet. That does not mean my mind is not racing. That is the battle – dealing with all that goes through my mind – taking my thoughts captive. This can often be a long process for me. My prayer is that the process gets shorter.

Controlling anger is the better way even if it does not feel good at the time. Throwing a hissy fit seems good at the time and may feel great to my flesh, but in the long run it is not. Hurting someone’s feelings or letting them see the out-of-control-state-of-being is not easily forgotten or forgiven. Words are a powerful weapon. Giving in to Anger is kind of like those French fries at the Chuckwagon last night – I knew they were not on my diet and that I did not need to eat them, but I also knew they would taste so good. I ate them, and I felt bloated and fat the rest of the evening.

Fortunately, I did win the battle over my anger. I’m not saying that I’m going to let what caused my anger slide. No, I will deal with that little problem later, but at least I will do it with control, and it will be peaceful.

Imaginary Kitty

There is nothing on my agenda today. I am free to do what I want. Of course, working around the house is always an option – a necessity really, but yuck. I find myself searching for something more fun and exciting. Yet in the end, I will probably be a homebody today. I already did my walking (not bike riding today) and made myself some scrambled eggs with tomato from our garden. I ran out of tomato before I ate all of the egg and had to cut more tomato. I could make myself sick on homegrown tomatoes.

Yesterday I stayed with the GGs from about noon until 4PM. GBN2 slept most of that time. GBN1 and I played and played. She has such an imagination – she reminds me of her father. When Bo was a toddler, he liked to play imaginary baseball. Toby and I would play with him as well as some imaginary players. Sometimes he had our adult friends playing too. He usually won.
GBN1’s imagination may be even wilder than her daddy’s. She would reach down and pretend to pick up a "color." Then say, "Pink turns me into Sleeping Booty." Yellow was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast." She would stand behind the couch and then rise up with her arm extended out to the side as in a ballet move. Without so much as a word, I was suppose to know whom she was by what color she picked up. I was not usually right. At one point she turned into a dragon – probably because she had been watching "Sleeping Beauty" earlier that morning. She breathed hot fire on me while I held up my shield (a Hi-ho Cherries game). Eventually, she turned into a kitten and remained a kitten for the rest of the day. I addressed her as "Kitty" which pleased her enormously. I petted her ears and scratched her back. She licked her paws and groomed herself like a real cat. She said she wanted to use the litter box, but I threatened to beat her if she peed in the floor. She meowed when she wanted something, but recognized that she would have to talk in order to get what she wanted. She said, "Oh, this kitty can talk like a girl." I thought she made a very good kitty. And yes, I did pour her a bowl of milk, set it in the floor, and let her lap it up.

Hobie Catting

When it comes time to send the GGs home from our house or some outing with us, they "do not go gentle into that good night," but instead "Thou go like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon." Getting them to the minivan and locked into their car seats is often a chore, which includes some occasional fits and tears. Yesterday, they came over for lunch after church. After lunch, some friends showed up with their new Hobie Cat wanting to take us sailing. Bo and Sara needed to take the GGs home for a nap, and Bo needed to do some homework for his accounting class – so they could not go sailing with us. It was funny to watch Bo’s reaction. He hung out for a long time talking sailing stuff with our friends. He went out and oohed and aahed over the Cat, but in the end, he went like the quarry-slave, scourged to his dungeon. Toby, Jesse and I went sailing. It should not have surprised me, when Bo and his little family showed up at the lake later that evening. The GGs had had their nap, some homework had been done, but it was just too much for him. He had to get on that Hobie Cat.

Toby and Jesse enjoyed the sailing too. I could see the thought of owning a sailboat running through their minds – like they don’t have enough toys. Sailing is actually something they have both wanted to do. Jesse looked into classes before her Hawaii trip, but was not able to take sailing classes at that time. They have all talked about going back to Corpus Christi for a sailing lesson vacation - that might still happen. I guess it beats bicycle riding, but I am more of the "ride in the front of a speed boat with the water spray hitting me while drinking a wine cooler" person. Don't worry: I will cowboy up. Jesse took her camera and took lots of photos. I will try and post some pics from the excursion when I can get to her camera. Maybe she will post some pics in the meantime.

For whatever reason, Bo and Sara did not bring the girls to the lake in their swimsuits or water shoes. The GGs were okay for a while walking around the edge of the lake, feeding the geese, and playing with some dogs. Then, Bo let the girls sit on the Cat while we were waiting for the trailer to be backed down the boat ramp. Letting them get that close to the water was very exciting for them. Getting them off of the sailboat and away from the water was not done quite so easily. I don’t think they care about the sailing, but the water was fascinating. It was much better than just playing with the water hose. We eventually were able to get them into their minivan, although there were some tears. I see another trip to the lake in our future – this time with the GGs in their swim attire.

Today is going to be a busy day – I must get going.

Serious Painters

Taking care of the GGs was great fun. We painted in the morning. Notice that GBN2 can paint with both a brush and her finger. Toby came home and took us to the Chuckwagon for lunch. He said it was "like eating with a bunch of raccoons." When we got home, we took naps. When everyone woke up, we went outside watered the plants in the yard. We didn't really need to water since we had a big rain on Wednesday, but the girls like to play. Zoe Dog had a great time - she got watered too. While I was bent over working on GBN2's diaper, GBN1 watered me where I don't need to grow. She and her Crewcraw (Toby) got a big kick out of that. I sent them home good and tired - wait, that was me.

The art show at the Crapemyrtle (that is how they are spelling it) Festival fund raiser was...interesting. It was at the country club with country club type people. I met some people who were very friendly - that is just the way it is in OK. You know me, I love to observe people. Last night had the very attractive older women with their golden tans and somewhat sagging skin along with the really older women with their jewelry and fancy clothes all escorted by dutiful husbands who make money to support all their causes. I did meet a few men who seemed to be there because they wanted to be. There was a few young people in the crowd - wanna bees. Marty Childers, a local artist, also attended and helped with the show. I like Marty. He is a good artist and very generous with his art - helping new artists, teaching, and sharing his work. It was fun and the food was good.

Toby is off riding his bike with some buddies this morning. Jesse is still in The City. I am enjoying the peace.

Upcoming Weekend

Jesse drove off in the truck today with her kayak in the back. She plans on going to Lake Hefner this evening after work and staying in the City tonight and tomorrow. The GG's are coming to spend the day with me. Toby may take a half day so that he can come home and play with the girls (help me out). Tonight I have to be at the Crepe Myrtle Festival fund raiser to watch over the art show. Saturday morning we will have to break down the show. Jesse is wanting to know what we can do on Sunday - maybe sailboating with Scot. Good grief! I think we should just rest on Sunday.

Framed

The Duncan Art Guild has been invited to present a small art show at the Crepe Myrtle Festival fund raiser - that's a mouthfull. Since I have to attend the show, I thought I would throw in a painting. I got out one of my Calgary paintings and did some touch up - it had faded. Then I found and old frame, matted the painting, and took this photo. I did not use a flash due to the glass. I also did not crop the photo in order to show the frame and mat. It is not the greatest frame job, but it will do.

The Sister Drill

I remember lying across the bed at my friend, Becky’s house when we were sixth graders. Her little sister came in, and Becky screeched at her to leave us alone. When she was gone, I shared with Becky that I had always wanted a little sister. Becky said, "Trust me, you don’t want one!" But I did. I remember thinking, "Yeah, I do" but I did not say anything to Becky. I had watched sisters, and I knew the drill. Big sisters did not play with little sisters – not cool. I had two younger girl cousins that I enjoyed playing with when our families got together. But when my cousin Patti, who was my age, was around, she would not allow the younger cousins to play with us. Patti had a big sister – she knew the drill. My friend Kathy was the same way. Not only did she have a little sister, but she also had two big sisters. I always thought that was the coolest! But Kathy did not let her little sister play with us, and Kathy’s big sisters did not acknowledge we existed. I didn’t really understand it, but I went along with it. If I had a sister, I would love it. She would be mine to mold, to share clothes with, to talk to late at night, etc. Didn’t these girls know what they were missing. It could be so much worse – they could have a little brother!

During the summer months there were several college-aged girls who came to live at our lodge and work in RR. Our lodge was a bit outdated with guests having to share bathrooms between the rooms. Cabins and condos were more popular. So, Dad would rent out rooms to the young ladies working in RR. The boys shared a small room out back called "the fox pit" – that is where Ray Wylie Hubbard roomed. Anyway, I loved spending time with these young ladies. I watched them do their hair and put on makeup getting ready for work or dates. They would talk and discuss the boys that they dated, they shared clothes, they would tan on the roof of the patio – they were just so beautiful and cool. And they let me tag along fixing me a bikini top out of handkerchiefs and treating me like I was special. That is how sisters were suppose to treat each other – in fact, I called them my "summer sisters." Yesterday I mentioned Bege. Although she was several years older than I was, she was never "too cool" to let me hang with her. I often spent the night at her house. She even let me tag along when she was running around town with her brother and his friends. Those times made me feel like I was special, and I was very careful not to be silly or do anything to draw attention to myself – be cool.

One summer, my friend Kathy did not come to RR with her family until later in the summer. You could have knocked me over with a feather when her big sister let me hang with her and her friends. Was it that I was a bit older and not so much of a pesky little sister sort? I tried to be cool, but it was difficult when you were shaking with glee.

Yesterday, Nancigail left a comment. Nancigail is the big sister to my friend Janetta. I don’t ever recall Nancigail being mean to me or to Janetta, but I knew the sister drill. I just stood back in awe of her – she was so beautiful and fun. Nancigail was like a ray of golden light – she just beamed. We worked together at Texas Red’s, and she was the most smooth waitress/hostess ever. Nothing ever rattled her. Gracious is the word that comes to mind. Toward the end of August, there is a real dead time in RR when all of the tourists have started back to school and all of the town’s employees too. One night after work, I went running around with Nancigail in her old blue Volkswagen. We just drove up and down Main Street and over to the Playhouse. I was in awe – I was runnin’ with the big dogs – I was tryin’ to be cool. I remember Nancigail laughing about her old car, and I said that it was not that old since the odometer only showed 60,000 miles. She just laughed (that special Gill Grin) and said, "Yeah, but the odometer has already turned over once." I don’t remember much else about that night – I was just soakin’ up the rays of being with Nancigail, and thinking, "This how I want to be with my sister."

Janetta at her wedding with Nanigail and their father (about 1981).

Shoot me

"Diet" is a four-letter word, but it has been a way of life for me since I was ten years old (it is not the only four-letter word I have problems with). When I was ten, I remember standing at the Dairy Bar in Red River one summer with my friend Bege. Bege was three years older than I was and very beautiful - I idolized her. I was wearing a dress because I was headed to the Community House for some square dancing. Bege looked at me and said that I had nice legs, but that I was putting on a little weight, and then she said that I should watch my weight. She said all of this with love and caring – not malice. She seemed to want to give me good advice. I didn’t have a clue what to do. Watching my weight was a totally alien concept. At ten years old, my eating habits had not changed, but my body was doing some changing on its own. It is kind of ironic that years later after I had had Bo, it would be Bege’s mom who would give me more good advice. She told me the best way to get your stomach muscles back in shape was to be aware and constantly hold them in – the muscles would strengthen as you squeezed them in. I have never forgotten either well-meaning conversation. And diet conversation can be a bit touchy. A friend of mine once said, "I’m at my fighting weight. Say anything about my weight, and we will fight." How very true!

To look at me you would not think that I know much about dieting, but the truth is that I know lots. I have been on more diets than you can shake a stick at and I still have more chins than a Chinese phone book. Doing a diet is another thing all together. That is the big issue – "want to." You got to want to change. Am I willing to put out the effort? And it is an effort to eat less and eat different and exercise more. If I went back and tallied up all of the weight I have lost over the years, I probably have lost myself several times. Unfortunately, when I find myself I do it in a big way. It seems that "change of lifestyle" is the real culprit here along with body type and metabolism. The simplest change of lifestyle can make major changes in my weight. I have done some thinking on all my "gains" over the years, and I can see how and why I gained. I won’t bore you with the details, but I want to point out that most people don’t realize how much weight they have gained until they have gone overboard. That may be difficult to explain to someone who is thin, but it is a perception problem. One day you are doing fine and the next day, someone says, "Why did you let yourself go?" And you run to the mirror or the scales and you think, "My god! When did that happen?" It is depressing, which does not help. When you are depressed, it is difficult to find the umph to change your lifestyle.

Although I have not found the "umph," I have been walking (about two miles). But because of my leg cramps, I cannot speed up like I want. Since Toby bought himself a bike last fall, he has wanted me to ride with him. The thought of perching my large bottom on a narrow little bike seat has not been a pleasant thought. He found a wider seat on an old bike and replaced the seat on my bike (I bought myself an expensive mountain bike 20 years ago, which I used to ride quite often when we lived in the mountains- another change of lifestyle). I’m thinking that maybe he should get a tractor seat for me, but since he did get a new seat, I don’t have an excuse. Anyway, last weekend I rode with him – about six miles. The good news is that I did not get leg cramps and the seat was much better than my old one. The bad news is that I am not fond of this sort of exercise. I would rather play volleyball, softball, or tennis all day long than 30 minutes of bike riding. Maybe it will get better – ya think? As I rode home from my four mile trek toward our house today, all three horses stood at the fence and watched me struggle up the hill. Then I hit the rock driveway, which rattles my eyeballs. I’m sure the horses thought I was pretty silly – why would I put out so much effort on that "skinny horse" when I could be riding one of them. Maybe someone should just shoot me.

Dynamic Duo

Jesse posted photos of Lindz’ proposal on her blog and expressed her own feelings a bit. Jesse and I were standing on different sides of the crowd. From my viewpoint, I could see the crowd behind Lindz who were all smiling and snapping pictures. I could also see Lindz face, which was one of wide-eyed surprise, tears, and then joy. From Jesse’s viewpoint, she got Lindz back during the proposal. If you are wondering what emotions were going across her face, well, my face mirrors Lindz'. I do that in movies too. No need to watch the movie; just watch my face to know what is going on.

For the past ten years, Jesse and Lindz have been like the Dynamic Duo. Because of their personalities, their friendship is well known. People have been asking me how Jesse is doing with Lindz’ engagement. From what I can tell, she is doing great. She is very excited for Lindz and looking forward to the planning and executing of wedding. She has had a year of preparing for this moment – sharing Lindz with Shay. Shay is a great guy – sharing Lindz with Jes.

Their friendship has always been a force to be reckoned with – people stood back in awe – some in appreciation and others in jealousy. There was a time when I worried about the day when one of them had a serious relationship with a young man – hoping that Jesse would be first, because I was not sure how she would handle losing Lindz, or that they would find love at the same time. God had other plans. He grew these two beautiful girls into fine young ladies who are strong and loving, and Lindz went first. God answered my other prayer with Shay – he loves Lindz and all that she is, and therefore loves Jes. I trust that God will answer my prayers for Jesse in the same way. All will be good.

These photos are a blast from the past. Jesse and Lindz always came up with some silly pose at every event. We have lots of these photos, but many were taken before I had a digital camera or good computer. The B&W was taken by Lindz’ cousin who was taking a photo class and needed some action shots. The second shot was taken at a "camo party" where the kids divided into teams and competed in an obstacle course. The last shot (my favorite) was taken at Jesse’s birthday party – all of these photos are about four or five years old or older.

Later Tater

It has been one busy and long weekend. My sister and her family along with my little brother and his family all came over last night. Bo and Sara and the GG’s came too. We cooked out and did the usual fun farm stuff – like four-wheeling, kayaking, kite flying, daiquiri drinking, etc. Since I am behind on my blog reading, I have been trying to catch up this morning. Now I need to get on with my day. I will write a better post later when I have some time. This is kind of how I feel this morning.

She Said Yes

A large group of family and friends met at the Myriad Gardens today in Bricktown of downtown OK City. Shay, Lindz boyfriend, had it all planned down to the minute. Jesse and Reagan brought Lindz to the meeting spot thinking to hear a musician/busker. As she walked into the circle of people, Shay pulled her to the front and got down on one knee. It all happened so fast, that I only got a photo the response and not the question. Basically, he said, "Would you marry me?" And she screamed "Yes!"

Pre-4th of July

Last night we went to Loco for the pre-4th of July events. The volunteer fire department put on quite a show. They cooked hamburgers (supplied by our good friends from the Chuckwagon in Velma). Here is what the line looked like when we arrived at 7:30PM. They held a lawnmower race (Bubba was in charge and did an excellent job), which was viewable from the hamburger line. Jakie (lower left corner) won the race by a country mile after souping up his mower to run about 26 MPH (notice the rainbow). Of course no 4th of July celebration would be complete without a little rain. We had to break out the umbrellas including the princess umbrella and the clear pink little girl umbrella. All were adorable. Kids were playing everywhere with no fear of strangers. There was a pretty good C&W band set up on a flatbed trailer. We did a bit of dancing along with our friends J&S. The politicians were out shaking hands - I guess that is all part of the celebration. We managed to stay through the fireworks, which were wonderful (put on by our friend Tucker the Pyro). GBN1 clapped her hands and hollered, "Gorgeous!" GBN2 just said, "Wow!" It was good Loco fun.

Tonight we are going to The City for even more fun. Here is another photo of the T-shirt that Jesse's soldier sent her.

Another 4H Story

Soldiers Angels gave Jesse a kewl soldier this time around. She has been emailing him and sending him packages for a couple of months. The other day, she got a package from him. He had sent her a T-shirt designed by a soldier in his company. This morning Jesse wore the T-shirt and posed for these pictures. Keep in mind that the motorcycle shot was posed. Jesse does wear her gear when riding.

Since I told you about 4H Horse Camp, I thought I would tell you another funny story. Hopefully I have not told it before – you know I’m getting older and more forgetful.

We were a part of the Colfax County 4H, which included Cimarron, NM, as well as Springer and Raton. Kids from the whole county participating in horse camp. We knew the kids from other towns pretty well from participating in other 4H events. There were several young ladies in this group. Sharing the large dorm room, sleeping in bunk beds, fighting over showers and mirror space helped us to get to know these girls even better. For whatever reason, I decided to play a trick on the girls. I short-sheeted their beds while they were out riding at Horse Camp, which was not easily done since they did not make up their beds very well. That night before "lights out" the girls were doing the typical teen-age talking thing, but did not get into their beds until the lights actually went out. All was quite. Then I heard the shuffling of bed covers and the creaking of the bunk beds. Then I heard one little girl get out of bed, find her way over to the other’s bunk, and whisper, "I can’t get into my bed; I think someone short-sheeted my bunk!" The other little girl whispered back, "Yeah, I can’t get into bed either!" There was much whispering and giggling at this point, but I remained quiet. The next morning the "outrage" was well voiced, yet the girls seemed so excited that someone had played a trick on them – I continued my silence. This went on all day long with the girls trying to figure out "who dun it." One of the other mothers came to me a little worried about the situation, so I had to ‘fess up that it was me who had short-sheeted the beds. Then the mom laughed and loved that I had played the trick on her girls. She "let it slip" that I had been the culprit, and the girls wanted to play a trick on me. With all the whispering and giggling, it was not hard to know they were up to something. I even figured out the "when and where" but did not want to spoil their fun. I played along. They covered my bunk with paper-towels and toilet paper while I was out. I appropriately found the mess and acted outraged. The girls loved it. From then on, I had to be on guard at all the 4H events – so did they.

Success Story

Most of you know that yesterday’s post was not about "should I-or shouldn’t I" let GBN1 potty by herself. I’m pretty okay with most of my decisions concerning GBN1, but I do try to meet her parent’s requirements. GBN1 and I are thick as thieves – we have a pretty good understanding of each other. I think my DIL’s fears of letting GBN1 go into a stall by herself had more to do with cleanliness.

Yesterday’s post was more about the decisions we make and why we make them. The potty thing was just the thought provoker. Then there were some other happenings with Jesse that pushed those thoughts a little further. I’m good with Jesse and her raising too. She is an exceptional young lady. But there are those who freak out that she owns a motorcycle, sky dives, scuba dives, travels, etc. You should see her ride a horse across a pasture chasing wild cattle. It is true that her softball talents are lacking, but she tries and has a good attitude. The desires of her heart are good and right, and she will make an excellent wife and mother someday.

Horse Camp:
When my kids were in 4H in NM, they would attend Horse School at the NM State Fair Grounds in Alb in early June to prepare them for the summer horse shows. We would arrive on Monday morning with kids and horses and stay until Friday. It was one tough week of riding your horse all daylong with a couple of hundred kids. On Monday they each rode their horse for the teachers and were put in classes according to their ability. When the kids were not on their horses, they were in workshops learning about their horses. We slept in dorm rooms at the 4H building on the fair grounds. Each dorm room had about 30 bunk beds. "Lights out" was difficult the first night because the kids were wired. But the rest of the week was no problem - the kids fell into bed dead tired. They had to be saddled and ready to ride at 8 AM. On Thursday afternoon, the kids were taught some dance steps for the dance on Thursday night. The boys were encouraged to ask the girls to dance (the girls out-numbered the boys about 3-1) so the girls would not be "pouty." On Friday, the kids were all involved in a horse show competition within their classes. Ribbons were given out for the top riders. Then we loaded kids and horses and headed for home. It was a great time.

Will
I usually hauled both Bo and Jesse along with a couple of other kids and horses (we had a four-horse trailer and a crew-cab pickup truck). Once at the horse school, I would assume the responsibility of other kids from our 4H club whose parents could not be there. Will was 10 years old the year he went to camp. His dad sent a horse that had been on winter pasture and not ridden in about a year. With all of the kids and horses at camp, Will’s horse was being a knuckle head the first day when the kids were suppose to ride before the teachers. Will was scared to death of his horse. He was crying and did not want to ride at all. I made him get on his horse, and then I walked him in front of the teachers. He was put in a beginner’s class, which was great, but I still worried about him. As camp went on, Will gained confidence, his horse settled down, and all was good. Will had a great personality and made friends easily. He was quite a tease – making me laugh at his silliness. I fell in love with Will that summer. On the last day, at the horse show competition, I was busy saddling horses, getting kids ready, and running from one class to the other to see the kids perform. I did watch Will’s competition and thought he did great. Then I moved on to catch Jesse and Bo in their classes. As I was walking from the stables, I saw Will running toward me. He was waving a blue ribbon in his hand and smiling from ear to ear. He threw himself into my arms and I swung him around with a big hug. Will had won first place in his class. I was so proud of him. How cool was that!

I love teaching young people. I love all of their differences. I love seeing them succeed.

Deep Do-do and other Decisions

The other day I was relating a GBN1 story to her mother. I mentioned that GBN1 and I were each in our own bathroom stall at Dillard’s. At this point in the story, my DIL was horrified that I had let GBN1 go into her own stall by herself. At the time, I didn’t think a thing about it, but since then the incident has provoked much thought. Jesse and I had a discussion last night on parental involvement that provoked even more thought.

On one level I wondered why that was a bad idea. Why was it not okay? Why did I not know it was a bad idea? Was it a bad thing to do? What part of my raising led me to this behavior? It made me think about how my mother raised me. It made me think about my two very different grandmothers – the neat, clean grandmother whom I was named for and the not-so-neat-clean grandmother that I am more alike. It made me think about how I raised my children.

On a second level I wondered when do we start trusting our children. When do we let go? Do we ever let go? We are parents forever, but there is a giving over of trust and letting our children try to do for themselves. I realize that for each of our kids that time of turning over trust is different. Each kid is different. Each situation is different. As adults we have to feel for ourselves the appropriateness of each situation. Sometimes it is a tough call. Sometimes we turn over a trust to our kids and they let us down – fall flat on their face – but we go on and try again maybe with more instruction next time. It seems we are constantly weighing moments, decisions – trying to decide what is right for each kid at that moment in time.

Did I think of all of that while letting GBN1 go into a bathroom stall by herself? No. Do I always let her go by herself? No. Each situation is different. GBN1 reacts differently at different times. She is certainly different than other kids. And I have been wrong before.

My daughter is 26 years old. She is single and lives at home. She works as a drafter for Halliburton. She has her own car, which she pays for. She has a motorcycle, which she bought for herself. She likes to travel and do adventurous things like scuba diving, sky diving, etc. She is a clotheshorse. Is all of that okay? Are there some things that I should say "No Way!" Until the day that she marries, she is still under our protection. We still expect her to be obedient to our rules, and she is. Could she turn and walk away from all that we have taught her? Yes. Does that scare the heck out of me? Most definitely.

Metaphorically speaking: Not everyone agrees when to let children go potty by themselves. Anything could happen. Bathrooms are dirty. They could potty on their clothes. They could play in the toilet. Sometimes they think because they went potty by themselves, they can do anything. Etc. It is a chance that you take. Although you might not realize it, but when you do let them go by themselves, and they accomplish their goal without any problems, it is such a victory for them. It just seems well worth the chance. Isn’t that why we parents are here? We check out the situation, we weigh the circumstances, and decide if our kids can handle things. We can be wrong. Our kids can fail. But a trust develops between you and your child. Hopefully, you make the right decisions at the right time. Hopefully, you learn to trust each other’s decisions. Hopefully, you have a husband who says, "It is all okay; quit worrying."