The Big Race

Aaannnd they’re off! I feel like the race has started. It is two weeks until Lindz’ wedding and two weeks until the art show (that I am in charge of). Today, I have several errands to run concerning both events. I am trying to finish a painting and I need to mat and frame some other pieces, not to mention the "putting on the show" stuff.

This evening is Lindz’ personal shower/bacherlorette party. Jesse is putting the shindig on and has needed my help. Among other things, yesterday I painted a "pin the bouquet on the bride" poster, and helped her carve pumpkins into a "bride and groom" for party decorations. Gutting the pumpkins and carving them was no easy job. I got Jesse going on them, and then she finished them. She complained that "the face was crooked" on the bride pumpkin. Good Grief! She just called and asked me to make a sign for the bride’s chair. I just laughed at her. She said, "Mom, I’m trying to make this special!" Yeah, Yeah, but these last minute things are killing me. And yet, I will do my duty to Lindz and Jes, to make this the most memorable shower and wedding possible.

I’d better get going if I am to finish this race. I will try to have some pics of the events sometime this weekend.

Update on the Murphy Day

RJ posted a surprising video link from YouTube in my comment section. Here is the link – it is worth your time.

Update: I found my phone under the seat in Toby’s truck probably where I had been searching for something to scrape the frost off the windshield. It was amazing what all was under Toby’s seat – kind of a catch-all place. I had to get a new battery for my car. Toby put it in the car and that night, but yesterday it still would not start. He says it is fixed now. Jesse’s tire was ruined and she had to go to McNair’s to replace the tire. For those of you who do not know McNair’s, you have really missed a treat. Phil, the owner, runs an interesting and booming business. Phil is great to take care of his customers and give you a good price on tires. It is a tire shop. It is filthy. While sitting inside the station one time, waiting on my tires and reading a magazine, I dropped the magazine on the floor. I did not bother to pick it up, because the floor was so nasty that I did not want to touch the magazine or the floor. Phil does have guys working for him who look like axe murders. They are always prompt and business like, but scary looking. We tease Jesse every time she has to visit McNair’s about getting her a boyfriend. The guys are always very "attentive" to her. At dinner we had this conversation:
Toby: Did you tell your mother about Darin?
Jesse bats her eyes: My new boyfriend.
Me: An axe murderer?
Jesse using her sweet silly voice: Yes, it is just a temporary job. Phil is helping him out since he recently got out of prison.
Jesse went on in this vein for a while causing me to LOL. Then last night I dreamed two guys were hanging out to visit her. I did not like either of them - thinking they were lazy. One of them had tattoos. It sure is funny how the mind works and causes us to dream. Do you think I really fear Jesse will bring home some mass-murderer with tattoos? Na, but it must have been on my brain.

Speaking of on the brain, I teased Jesse about walking like a "Baggett" with her shoulders back and arms down to her sides – gunslinger style. It is not really a problem unless she is squinting at you too. She said I made her feel self-conscious. Here is a picture of her on the baseball field at camp. Her walk is not so odd; it is just a Baggett thang. I remember my dad taking me for walks in RR and having me concentrate on not walking with my toes out - like a duck. Then my own mother used to instruct me this way, "Shoulders back, tummy in, hiney under..." Then I would hobble off concentrating on all she had said. Jesse posted some pics on her blog of camp. Pretty silly!

Different Strokes

Monet was on to something when he did so any studies/paintings of the same scene. Each time you paint something, you learn something new. Each painting is different. The lighting can be different. Colors can be different. Sometimes I have my art students all do the same painting. They are always amazed at the differences in style as if we all painted totally different things. Of course, when I paint the same scene over and over, my style is pretty much the same, but you can see some differences. Watercolor is especially fun, because the medium itself works differently every time. It is fun to experiment with the watercolor. I photographed these two paintings together so you could examine them without having to go from one photo to the other. It just makes it easier to compare the two. They are alike, yet different. Which do you prefer?

I also did a little sketch of one of my young art students while at camp. She was sitting with her head back which gave her a rather full jaw and neck. She is a lovely young lady and was very sweet and patient to pose for me. A friend of mine also sketched this portrait, and probably did a better job. Too bad that I don't have a copy of her sketch to compare to mine. When I photographed the sketch, it was difficult to see. I "enhanced" it with the color in order to see the lines better.

If you need another reason to not vote for Obama, go to this Fox News article.

Mr Murphy

I should have seen it coming. I should have known. Murphy (of the infamous Murphy’s Law) came calling this morning. I should have known he would show his ugly face, because Toby is out of town. It never fails that something will go wrong while Toby is gone.

Jesse headed off to work as usual this morning, but called me a few minutes later to say that she had a flat tire. We have had lessons on changing tires, but I don’t think she has ever actually had to do it all on her own and certainly not in the dark. Of course, I am still in my pink robe, but I told her that I would throw on some clothes and be there ASAP. As I am walking out the door, she called to remind me to bring a flashlight. Got it already and I’m on my way ('cause I am fast and smart). I decide to take my Toyota thinking that her Scion is also a Toyota and the tools may be interchangeable if we need something. I throw the flashlights into the Toyota, which is parked under the carport, and jump in to start it. The battery is dead. You’re kidding! I grab the flashlights and move them over to the truck when I realize that there is a nice layer of frost on the windshield because it was not parked under the carport. Augh! It will take me longer because I have to scrape ice. I started the truck and cranked up the defroster. Then I started looking for a scraper amidst the junk under the truck seat. I gave up quickly and came back into the house to find a scraper. I also dug through the glove/hat basket because my hands were cold. I called Jesse and said I was coming, but having problems. We decided it would be good to call one of her male coworkers in the meantime – just in case. I grabbed a plastic teacup (one of GBN1’s toys) which makes a good ice scraper and went back outside. I scraped off enough ice to get going and let the defroster do the rest of the job while I drove down the highway. As I pulled up behind Jesse and put on my hazard lights (tragedy lights as Jesse used to call them) I noticed that our neighbor and good friend was already there and helping Jesse, but he had no light. It was a good thing that I had brought the flashlights. He had the tire changed in no time. I started looking for my phone since Toby usually calls me first thing in the mornings when he is out of town. I thought my phone was in the truck, because it was not in my pocket. I couldn’t find it. I had Jesse call me so I could follow the sound. No luck. I figured that I had either dropped it in the yard while scraping ice, or left it in the house while looking for gloves, or someone came in while I wasn’t looking and took it (old family joke). I left Jesse with instructions to try and call me later so I could find my phone. As I drove home, I was thinking of all the things I was going to do today, but the dead battery in the Toyota was a problem. Plus, yesterday we had three truckloads of gravel put down the middle of our driveway. Anyone coming to the house (like all my art students) would have to drive through the pasture – surely they will figure that out. I should call them, but I can’t find my phone. I can’t call myself to find tmy phone. It reminded me of this Shel Silverstein poem.

Loser
Mama said I'd lose my headIf it wasn't fastened on.

Today I guess it wasn't

'Cause while playing with my cousin

It fell off and rolled away

And now its gone.

And I can't look for it

'Cause my eyes are in it,

And I can't call to it

'Cause my mouth is on it

(Couldn't hear me anyway'Cause my ears are on it),

Can't even think about it

'Cause my brain is in it.

So I guess I'll sit down

On this rock

And rest for just a minute....

Camp 08

As usual, camp was great fun. Toby and I spent Friday night in a tent with the temps dropping down in the 30's, but not freezing. Don't worry, we stayed warm. The day was spent playing volleyball and playing with the GGs. GBN1 is getting big enough to run and play with the other kids without as much supervision. GBN2 thinks she is big enough to run and play with the other kids. By Saturday night, we were all worn out and breaking down. Jesse stayed on through Sunday, but Toby and I went home Saturday night.

Our tent was back behind Toby and GBN2. Sisters do play together.

At the volleyball court At the baseball game - all was fun. I played Cranium with the young ladies.

Whose Morality Do We Choose

Another serious post.

In response to my last post, Buck commented: I do not believe gub'mint has any business legislating morality, and "morality" seems to be a large part of the religious right's agenda... i.e., repealing Roe v. Wade and the whole gay marriage flap... just to name two very prominent issues.

In response to Buck, I commented: Buck, I agree to a certain extent. I certainly don’t think the government needs to make "morality laws." I think the government’s main reason for being is to protect its citizens. But I am going to argue that Roe v Wade is not a morality law. Most all of us would agree that taking a life is a crime. So why doesn’t our government protect unborn children?

Please understand that Buck sides with Conservatives and read all of his comments. I had more on the subject and decided to post it rather than leave it on the comments. Once again, beware the serious thoughts!

I know that the government does not need to be in the business of making laws that govern our morality, yet they do just that every day. It is the questions of where we draw the line and whose morality we go with – mine or yours? I’m not sure where I stand with the whole "gay marriage flap." Personally, as an EC (Evangelical Christian), I don’t like the whole Gay thing, but I’m not sure the government should say who should get married and who should not. While I don’t really care to think about two men together or two women, maybe gay marriage is not such a big thing. Of course, I don’t understand how someone who already breaks such a law of God would care one way or the other about marriage, which is actually a Bible based law. So, should we also drop all of the laws governing marriage? Maybe the government should not decide how old we have to be to get married. How about laws of on bigamy - why can’t someone be married to several people if they are all consenting? Speaking of consent, why don’t we drop the laws governing sexual consent? Why should the government decide that for us? Is incest a moral question - we have laws governing that - should we drop those? Is this the kind of morality laws we should do away with? We should probably do away with drinking laws and drug laws as they pertain to morality too. I’m sure there are lots of laws governing morality that we could do away with. I find it quite ironic that the Liberals who want to okay Gay marriage and such were horrified that at the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints and their views of marriage. Although I may not be in either of those camps, it is the perfect example of whose morality do we go with when passing laws.

Isn’t it funny that Liberals are the one who pass some of these morality laws and not just the Conservatives? Like corporal punishment laws – it is usually the more liberal folk who do not want parents or teachers spanking children. Well, spanking is just about gone from public schools (along with any and all discipline) but now and then the Liberals try to pass laws against parents spanking their own children in their own homes. I guess it is okay if you kill your unborn child, just don’t spank him when he is a growing up. I did agree with Lori’s comment on Buck’s blog that a woman should have the right to do with her own body as she wishes. Maybe she should be able to have sex with whomever she wants, whenever she wants at whatever age. She can use and abuse her body as she pleases, I guess. Maybe she should be able to marry whomever and whenever. But when she is carrying a life, a baby, then it is no longer just her body – it is a human, and she should be held responsible. Whether you are Liberal or Conservative, most of us agree that killing someone is wrong. In fact, most Liberals don’t even like capital punishment finding it a form of murder. Yet, they will let a woman kill her baby as long as it is not totally out of the womb. It has always been odd to me that a person who kills a pregnant woman and therefore kills her unborn baby can be held responsible for two deaths. But if the pregnant woman herself has the baby killed, that is okay. Women have been held responsible for killing their newly born babies (usually by abandonment). But if they had just had their babies killed a month or so earlier by a doctor, it would have been fine. That kind of morality law is a strange thing to me, and it sends an odd message. It makes our government seem wishy-washy.


You are probably thinking that yes, we agree that murder is wrong, but the morality part and the part we disagree on is when does life begin. Let me tell it like it is. Conservative or Liberal - for a pregnant woman who wants her baby, life begins the minute she finds out she is going to have a baby. For a pregnant woman who does not want a baby, what is growing inside her is just cells. For those of us who think an unborn child is a human life, we don’t think there is a question of morality. We think murder is wrong. People who support abortion, are people who bury their head in the sand.

Yikes. I pushed "Publish" again~!

Artsy Quiz

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

13 Impressionist, -10 Islamic, -11 Ukiyo-e, 1 Cubist, 2 Abstract and -27 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Here is the artsy quiz.

Beware: My Politcial Opinions

You know me; I read lots of blogs that have political opinions. I have kept fairly quiet, but I do have some thoughts. If you don’t care for my political opinion, don’t read any further. This post is full of my thoughts on the presidential election. It has some questions that maybe you have thoughts on too. After I wrote this, I just closed my eyes and pushed publish - lets see what happens next. Now I am headed off to camp for the weekend.

Is the Media biased against Sarah Palin and saying she has no experience?
This may not be the best example, but Jimmy Carter was Governor of Georgia from 1971 – 75, and before that he was a member of the Georgia State Senate for a couple of years. Hmm, he didn’t have much experience did he? Bill Clinton had more years as Governor of Arkansas (approx. 10 yrs.), but before that his experience was only two years as Arkansas Att. General. Now Obama’s experience doesn’t seem like much with six years in the IL State Senate and less than three years as a Junior US Senator. Most of that last year, he has been running for President. It seems that his whole campaign is that he has no experience and is a clean slate. So why does the "elite media" bash Sarah Palin for her lack of experience? Why isn’t she a clean slate? If you count her years (starting in 1992) as City Council, Mayor, Chairperson for the Oil and Gas Commission in Alaska, and as Governor of Alaska, she has as much time in the political arena as Carter and Clinton, and she has even more than Obama. Maybe it is not the same experience, but experience none the less.

I don’t understand how Obama’s campaign can be all about change, but he chose Joe Biden as his running mate, longtime good ol’ boy in the Senate. Obviously, Biden was chosen as VP candidate because he balances Obama’s lack of experience. Or possibly he was chosen because he could not get elected to the Executive office any other way, yet he had seniority within the Democratic Party, which leads me to believe that the "good ol’ boys" are leading this campaign – not Obama. Makes me wonder if Obama is the "leader" the Dems say he is. So why didn’t the press jump on the Dems for being all about change, but then choosing Biden? Why don’t they attack Biden for all of the stupid things he has said in this campaign? Bias is the only thing I can think of – the Media has their own agenda.

So let me get this straight. Colin Powel would rather vote for a man who has little to no experience for President of the USA than chance McCain (a man with much political experience and military leadership) dying in office and Sarah Palin (who has just as much experience as Obama) becoming President. And he says this is not about race. Give me a break! If this is the best argument that you can come up with for not voting Republican, you are buying into the Media’s lies.

I can’t explain why women are not pulling for Sarah Palin. You would think that the women’s libbers would love her. After all, Palin has done it all. She is the perfect example of a beautiful, educated woman with a good marriage, a family, and career. She has managed to balance her career and her family just as those libbers promised all women could do. Sure, her family is not perfect, but they are pretty amazing in this day and age. I think this post over at Buck’s is part of the answer to why the libbers hate Palin. Plus, the libbers fear that Palin will push her views of pro-life. Or possibly some women are just jealous dogs.

That leads me to the next thing I don’t quite understand. Why are people afraid of evangelical Christians? Does integrity scare them? It seems these people want the majority to rule as long as it is not the Christian Conservative Majority (The same people say spread the wealth as long as it is not my wealth). Maybe they should keep in mind that we are not just a democracy, but a republic with laws that govern our country. There are laws that protect all of us from tyrannical leadership. Then again, maybe they want to change those laws to suit themselves. And that could happen. Evangelical Christians are not the boogey-man – they are people like you and me.
If you fear Christians, why not fear Left-wing Liberals?

Which leads me to my last point. Several people have pointed out that if Obama becomes President and he has a majority of Democrats in Congress, we will be pretty much be a liberal-run country where the Pres and the Congress can do as they please. Of course you still have the Judicial Branch to balance the powers, but you will be handing over the choice of future judges (who have no term expiration) to the left wing liberals. It won’t be exactly a balance of powers.

Am I mad that our current President has not done well lately and the Republicans in Congress have been do-nothings? Yep. But I am just as upset with the Dems in Congress who helped get us into this economic mess and have also done nothing. Will I vote against the Republicans just to show my anger and send a message. No, that would be to cut off my nose in spite of my face. How could I vote for the Dems who have done no better? Would I like some different choices? Sure, but I don’t have any at this time. I will vote my conscience.

Wrong Again

For those of you who do not know Jesse, her confusing words is normal and quite funny. The best part of her mixing up her words is that not only do we get to tease her and laugh at her, but she laughs at herself. But then, Jesse is just joy. When she gets tickled, we all get tickled.

Last night’s dinner time conversation:
Toby: Next year I want to plant more tomatoes so that I can make my own tomato sauce.
Jesse: I want to plant gourds so that I can make my own Macarenas.
Me: That is not the right word.
Jesse (bubbling with laughter): How do you say it?
Me: No, it is totally the wrong word.
Jesse: Then what is the right word? (LOL now)
Me: Now that you said it wrong, I can’t think of the right word. (all of us are laughing)
Jesse: Mariachi is the band? That can't be it.
Me: Huaraches are shoes.

(We are all trying to spit out the right word.)
Jesse: So what is the right word?
Lou: I can’t think - I just know that macarena is wrong.
Toby is stumped too, but laughing at us. Then he says: Maracas!
Jesse: (ROTFLOL) Do you remember that booth at the wine festival where that lady had painted gourds? I told her that I wanted to grow gourds so that I could make my own macarenas! No wonder she just looked at me like "sure honey, you should not be allowed out by yourself."

Another conversation a few days ago:
Jesse: I really like Rugen. He is a good cat, but we need to get him "casterated" so that he won’t roam and the coyotes eat him.
Toby: That is "castrated." Maybe you should just say neutered.

Fun Photos and Great Paintings

The trip to Ft. Worth with three of my art girls was great. The weather was perfect if not a bit warm. The Impressionist exhibit at the Kimbell Museum was quite enjoyable. There was something like 92 paintings in the collection from the Chicago Art Institute – all Impressionists works – all favorites - Renior, Degas, Gauguin, C'ezanne, Van Gogh, Pissarro, and of course Claude Monet to name a few. Monet was probably everyone’s favorite because of his versatility of style and color. I love Renior – his subjects, his color, his softness, etc. Degas and his dancer paintings are always fun especially the pastels. I find them quite inspirational.

We started our tour through the exhibit about 11 AM with instructions to meet at 12:30. Then we each went off on our own with our audio players to take in the show at our leisure. It was a bit crowded due to some school kids being there, but it was still good. I found myself standing in front of some paintings trying to absorb the painting, the color, the brush stroke, and the fact that some very famous artist painted that very painting – that it probably hung in some very famous places. It was an overwhelming feeling – one that I can’t quite explain - one that I can’t quite take with me when I go. I had that same feeling standing in the Coliseum in Rome, but multiplied about ten times. I like to get up close and personal with the paintings. Then I like to stand back in the middle of the room to view them, and absorb their magic. Of course, the girls finished viewing the show and were waiting on me. I had them walk back through the show with me to discuss our thoughts and opinions. Truthfully, I just hated to leave. One of the most impressive pieces was Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris Street, Rainy Day painting. It was huge. But the fact that he also did a painting of a Calf Head and Ox Tongue from a butcher shop was very interesting. Ashley liked Van Gogh’s bedroom painting. Emily liked Jongkind’s Entrance to Port Honfleur – she likes boat paintings. None of us liked the Gauguin paintings all that well or the Manet – to dark. My favorite may have been Morisot’s Woman at Her Toilette. But the Monet’s – what can I say – he was just so prolific. He did so many studies of the same things. His paintings are just so awesome.

The collectors of these paintings made for some interesting reading – especially Bertha Honor'e Palmer, wife of Chicago tycoon, Potter Palmer, who built the Palmer House Hotel. Read about the Palmers in Wiki – well worth your time. My grandfather, who was a chef/caterer, worked in the Palmer House as a young man. Some day I would like to visit Chicago and stay at the Palmer.

Thanks to Ashley’s independent nature, we opted to skip the buffet at the museum and go to Joe T Garcia’s in the Stockyards. I guess quiche and soup did not sound as wonderful as Mexican food on a beautiful patio. We then walked through the Stockyards going in and out the tourist shops. The girls are always lots of fun. Here they are on some quarter horses. We tried on some expensive clothes – furs to be exact. Trying on boots may have been the best. Ashley looked pretty good in the red patent leather boots.

We made it home before dark, but I was worn out. Now it is back to rather mundane things like shopping at Wal-Mart. If I could just absorb that awe feeling of those famous paintings to carry with me day to day…

Thoughts

The weather has been beautiful here, but maybe just a tad warm. Today is suppose to be the last day for temps in the 80’s due to a cold front moving in tomorrow morning. Yesterday while hanging laundry on the clothesline, I had the thought: November in OK is like summer in NM. The morning was cool and crisp while the day warmed up to the lower 80’s. It is difficult to complain, but the house warmed up quite a bit too, because there was no breeze. I just refuse to turn the air conditioner on midway through October.

When Toby got home yesterday, we fed the chickens, picked a few more ripe tomatoes out of the garden and ate burgers cooked on the grill. It was such a lovely evening we decided to go for a bike ride. Unfortunately, Zoe, the Great Dane, decided to follow us. She came running down the road after we had ridden off. It would not be so bad, but I worry about her getting ran over by some big oil truck or other idiot who drives extremely fast on these back roads. We turned around and brought her home, but it was fun having her run beside us. It was beginning to get dark, so we went for a short walk on our property instead. I had another thought while walking: you know you are getting old when you want to hurry home so that you don’t miss "Antique Roadshow."

Another thought: Toby and I have been watching an Obama campaign commercial that I have thought did not sound right. I had Toby listen closer. Obama says that McCain is not going to give any thing to the middle and lower classes, but that he (Obama) is going to give three times what McCain gives. Hmm, 3 X 0 is 0. Sounds like Obama is not going to give anything either. Pretty words can be deceptive.

I’m off to Ft. Worth and the Kimball Museum. It should be a great day.

Full Plate

Saturday’s shopping trip was serious business. Jesse and I were both worn out at the end of the day. We didn’t just go to look, we went to buy. Jesse was in need of a few items for upcoming social events. I needed a new pair of jeans (my main wardrobe item) and we picked up a few things for Lindz’ personal shower – girlie things. I also picked up a couple of frames needed for the art show coming up. It was a good day.

Sunday we spent time with the GGs. GBN2 becomes more of a clown every day making me laugh with her antics. GBN1 gets to be more of a young lady every day, but is still rough 'n tumble too. After supper with the GGs on Sunday evening, we made a raid on the storage unit. The storage unit is packed full of stuff waiting on my house to built someday (and it will happen). We dug out the Hoosier cabinet and a baker’s rack to see if Lindz needs either for her and Shay’s new apartment. We dug out the tent for this weekend, and we dug out the Nordic Trak for Bo and Sara. We brought home three boxes of winter clothes, which means I need to do some switching of the clothes. Why is it that one job leads to another job, which leads to another job, etc?

Things are getting busy around here. We have our annual church camp in the Wichita Mountains this weekend (more on the camp below). The next weekend is Lindz personal shower, which is kind of a bachelor-ette party, and Jesse is helping put that on. There are several other events surrounding Lindz’ wedding coming up. Plus, I am working on putting on this art show the same weekend as Lindz’ wedding. I feel like my plate is filling up fast. Tomorrow, I am taking a few of my art girls to Ft. Worth to the Kimball Museum to see an art exhibit from the Art Institute of Chicago. Yeha! A day with my favorite art girls and famous art to boot! It may mean that I do not blog tomorrow, but I will have lovely photos for you when I return.

We have been going to the Wichita Mountains for this church-wide camping trip for over ten years. Each year Jesse and her buddies have stayed in a tent together and made some sort of unique sign to hang on it. I think the first year the sign said, "No Boys!" After visiting the Lexington last year, Jesse made some sort of flag sign for their tent. She wanted to put "Request a pilot" flags, but thought better of it. They have some great memories. This will be Lindz last year in the "single girl" tent. It could be a tough weekend for Jesse. Here is another pic of a tent sign. Here is a pic of the girls way-back-when including Sara before she married my Bo. Chris, on the far right was one of my art students - she is expecting her third child soon. Where does the time go?

Early Mornin'

This is the view out our east door. That is Toby's mobile chicken coop in the foreground. Jesse and I are going shopping today. I love it when I get to spend time with just her 'n me.

Last October in CC

Last year at this time Toby was working in Corpus Christi. Jesse and I joined him for a most wonderful weekend. I thought the trip deserved another look. Here are some of my favorites photos. Bo says this photo looks like a postcard. It was taken from the 99cent margarita place which happens to be near the Lexington. Of course the highlight of the trip was our tour of the Lexington (well, the Mexican food at Jalisco's was just pretty darn good). Last year I posted a photo of Jesse pretending to shoot the margarita place with the big guns. This photo was less silly, but very nice. We had such a great time climbing around the ship. We enjoyed the beach too.

Another Painting

The weather has finally turned a bit chilly. Although we have been sleeping with the windows open, the daytime temps had been getting into the 80's making it just a bit uncomfortable during the day without the air conditioner. Yesterday, the temps only got up to the high 60's maybe 70 and was overcast making it seem cooler - not exactly jacket weather, but it was amazing how many people at church were wearing jackets. Our weekend is suppose to be perfect - cool temps and sunny.

I spent most of yesterday painting. I actually painted the portrait of GBN1 twice more. Here is the latest side by side with yesterday's painting to make it easier to compare. Notice that I have not put in a background color, and I may not. I think the "little girl" look is better, but the painting turned out bigger than I had meant for it to be (the upcoming show is a miniature show). Today is art with the big girls, and I will paint some more.

Crude Art

Here I sit at my computer and I realize that I may not be able to write anything serious today (I will wait for the applause).

Jesse and I are both still snotty. I think mine is more allergies, but hers is the "crud" in her chest causing her to cough. She can barely talk without coughing. Laughing is out of the question – she just cannot get enough air. Yes, she has been to a doctor. No, it is nothing serious. Mornings are the worst with both of us blowing our noses and coughing. This morning I woke up with a sinus headache which makes me not want to do much other than crawl back into bed. A good shower and some drugs worked wonders.

The reason I put "crud" in quotes is because Jesse used the term on her blog, but she had a typo and actually put "crude." I try not to correct her for such minor things, but I did point out that she might want to change the spelling. She did, but Toby and I still gave her a hard time about it. You can’t do anything around here that someone does not poke fun at you. We live to tease.
I have been working on a watercolor portrait of GBN1. I did this painting yesterday, but I want to re-do it today and correct my mistakes. Sometimes the first try at a painting is not what you had in mind. This painting has some things that I like, but lots that I do not. First of all, it does not look right. Second, I usually blow the whole painting when I try to do some "loose" background. The hair and face color is wrong. I seem to be having a difficult time with skin tone. I do like the red shirt and black cat, although they are a bit "tight" rather than having the loose quality I long for. If the second attempt at this portrait works out, I will show you later. If it does not work out, I will still probably show you. Stay tuned.

Farm Fun

Since last Friday’s mad dash to Tipton, OK, I have been way behind on my blog reading. I have to admit that I have sat down at the computer and just have not had the inclination to write or read.

Saturday, the GGs came out to the Lazy B and helped move the big bales with the old tractor. GBN1 loves to wear the "ear muffs" which are needed on the old tractor, because it is noisy. Toby put earplugs in GBN2 who sat patiently and let him plug them in, but later, she tossed them in the floor of the tractor. GBN1 reported, "…and they fell through a hole in the floor of the tractor." That was the end of the tractor ride for the GGs, but we moved over to the four-wheeler. The love the four-wheeler especially when the Great Dane runs beside us. I made the mistake of letting GBN2 set in front for a while, but she kept reaching to turn the key off. That was the end of the four-wheeler ride. We moved on to feeding chickens and gathering eggs and picking not-quite-ripe tomatoes. We eventually moved into the house to watch the OSU football game. What fun!

I am currently thinking on a more serious post (serious – yeah right), but we will see if it comes to fruition. I still need to do some catching up, and today is the younger art class that takes more of my time.

Matney

I had not meant to write so much about the Matneys, but it kind of got away from me. So here is some family stuff.

I had expected Friday to be a quiet day with no big plans. I wanted to spend some time at home getting a few things done and maybe go visit my friend Charlisa who has been down in her back. But at 7 AM my mother called to tell me that my great uncle Dub’s memorial service was to be held that morning in Tipton, OK, which is about two hours away from Duncan. Yikes! I had to jump through some hoops and get on the road. Mom and I had known that Uncle Dub had died, but my great aunt Mildred was suppose to have called with the details. She never called my mom with the memorial plans, although she claims she did. It is so typical "Aunt Mildred" that it was really kind of funny.

I have posted about the Matney side of the family in the past, but not much. We tease about the Matneys being loud and rambunctious, prone to exaggerate and a bit competitive. My grandmother, Essie Mae, was the second oldest child of ten children born to William and Lula Matney. William was part Indian and Lula was German. Together they made three beautiful daughters and seven handsome athletic sons with dark wavy hair and blue eyes. The Matney boys were quite popular in west Texas and southern OK with their good looks and amazing athletic ability. Several of my great uncles played college football and professional baseball. Several of them became coaches. Several uncles served in WWII and were heroes.

Yep, them Matney boys could play some ball – whatever sport you named, they could do it. The story goes that there was some famous OK football coach who was being interviewed. When asked who was the best athlete he had ever coached (with expectations of some famous football player as the answer), the coach replied, "Homer Matney."
Out of the ten Matney children, three were still surviving and living in this area when we moved back. With Uncle Dub’s death, there is only two Matneys of that generation left. Being a close family, I know that is hard on my Uncle Homer and Aunt Mildred, both of whom are in their 80’s. My mother is only a few years younger than her aunt and uncles. She and Aunt Mildred are more like sisters. Aunt Mildred's first words to me when she saw me at the funeral were, "Why Lou, you sure have aged." I just hugged her and said, "Aunt Mildred, it is always a pleasure to see you."
There used to be lots of Matney reunions, because family was important, and the Matneys always seemed to really enjoy each other. There was a passel of first cousins at the Matney family reunions, and they were loud and fun. Although my mother is actually a first cousin, my brother and I were just old enough to hang with the younger first cousins. When I was little, I wanted to marry a Matney because I thought they were so handsome, and they always seemed to be laughing, hunting, fishing playing ball, etc. Many of the cousins inherited the Matney athletic ability and played sports – two cousins making it to professional baseball. Both my brothers inherited the athletic ability and are still amazing at any sport. After that first generation, none of the cousins was big enough for college or pro football. I guess God decided that would just be too much in one package.

It was good to see the Matneys again even if it had to be at Uncle Dub’s memorial service. He had two daughters just younger than me whom I used to play with, but we have grown apart. He had several grandsons whom he loved to watch play sports. His daughter Debbie said it best, "If you want to talk to my dad, you have to know two things. You have to know football. And you have to know his grandchildren walk on water.

Here is Uncle Homer with his wife, Aunt Doris, their daughter, Connie, and my cousin Paul whose father is one of the older Matneys that died sevreal years ago.

College Football

The truth is that I don't watch a lot of football anymore, but I did watch some yesterday, and it was quite a fun day for college football. Most of you know that I was raised in a family of Texas Aggies, but now that Dad is gone, I do not keep up with them like I used to (and they really have not been giving me any reason to watch them). I was taught from an early age that you NEVER yell for UT - so I learned to sing Boom a Sooner when UT played OU. But then my son graduated from OSU - so I quit singing Boom a Sooner in order to cheer for OSU. During yesterday's game, I was torn as who to cheer for since I do not really like either OU or UT. I did think it was a heck of a game, and I was kind of glad that UT won and shook up OU's world. When OSU beat Missouri, I was plumb tickled. But the icing on the cake was Texas Tech's win over Nebraska. TT was my college of choice and where I went for two years before Toby moved us to SWTSU in San Marcos. Sometimes college football is like a horse race; you just never know how it will turn out.

Sat. Afternoon

It has been a busy last few days, but I am working on a post. The GGs are on their way over now. Gotta go.

Did you see the Texas vs. OU game? Now that was some football!

Another Lady Named Lou

For those of you who have not read "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert Service, here is a copy of the poem. I have always been intrigued by "the Lady known as Lou."


A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a rag-time tune;Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that’s known as Lou.

When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and glare,There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.There was none could place the stranger’s face, though we searched ourselves for a clue;But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.

There’s men that somehow just grip your eyes, and hold them hard like a spell;And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,And I turned my head — and there watching him was the lady that’s known as Lou.

His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway,Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands — my God! but that man could play.

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear;With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,A helf-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;While high overhead, green, yellow, and red, the North Lights swept in bars? — Then you've a hunch what the music meant . . . hunger and might and the stars.

And hunger not of the belly kind, that’s banished with bacon and beans,But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowded with a woman’s love — A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true — (God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, — the lady that’s known as Lou.)

Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;But you felt that your life had been looted clean of all that it once held dear;That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil’s lie;That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.'Twas the crowning cry of a heart’s despair, and it thrilled you through and through — "I guess I'll make it a spread misere," said Dangerous Dan McGrew.

The music almost dies away . . . then it burst like a pent-up flood;And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,And the lust awoke to kill, to kill . . . then the music stopped with a crash,And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;

In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;Then his lips went in in a kind of grin, and he spoke, and his voice was calm,And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;But I want to state, and my words are straight, and I'll bet my poke they're true,That one of you is a hound of hell . . . and that one is Dan McGrew."

Then I ducked my head and the lights went out, and two guns blazed in the dark;And a woman screamed, and the lights went up, and two men lay stiff and stark.Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that’s known as Lou.

These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch," and I'm not denying it’s so.I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two — The woman that kissed him — and pinched his poke — was the lady known as Lou.

The Lady Lou Ella

It is funny how something like spreading mayo on a sandwich can remind me of my grandfather. I never knew my dad’s dad, Popoo, but there are things that I know of him from my own father. My grandfather was a chef, a caterer, a steward, and a hotel/restaurant manager among other things. As a young man he worked at the famous Palmer House in Chicago. He was a salesman and probably a bit of a con man. At one time, he worked for a company that sold land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in the years before the Depression. He bought some of that land himself, but went broke a year or so later with the Depression. So why does spreading mayo remind me of him? Apparently, he would get very upset if someone double-dipped in the mayo jar. You were suppose to just dip once, get enough mayo to spread on your bread, but you were not suppose to go back into the jar after touching your bread. Just try it; it is rather difficult.

This memory took me to the next memory of my grandmother. As ornery and difficult as my grandfather seemed to have been, my grandmother was always a lady, gracious and pleasant. I often wonder how my tall (5’11") graceful grandmother fell for my short (5’6") grumpy grandfather. (I also wonder why I could not have gotten the tall gene rather than the short gene.) My mom says he was a "beautiful little man," charming and quite handsome. Maybe it was the con man in him that was able to con my grandmother into marriage. Throughout their marriage, five children, moves from Chicago to Harlingen, TX, back to Wichita Falls, and many different career moves, my grandmother was always a good wife and mother – never complaining – just working along side her husband. I have written about my grandfather’s obscure past and my grandmother’s reluctance to look into his past in this post. I have also been told of my grandfather’s love of strong drink. After he died, whiskey bottles were found hidden all over the garage and storeroom. Apparently, he did not drink in the house – could that have been out of love and respect for my grandmother? Like I said, she was never harsh or mean. I doubt Popoo had any fear of her, but he did have love and respect for her as a lady and his wife.

My grandmother was no pushover. She was one strong lady. As Wichita Falls expanded, the city bought up the land and house where my grandparents lived, which had been my great-grandmother’s house. My grandmother took the money and immediately went and bought another house in Wichita Falls. She did this without my grandfather’s knowledge or okay, but she did it before he could get the money and blow it on some "great scheme." According to my father, Popoo was pretty upset and stayed gone for three days. When he came home, he never said another word about the incident. There is another story that when Popoo found out he had cancer, instead of going to bed, he went to work to make more money for my grandmother to live on after he died.

That brings me to another memory. About six years ago, my brother and I attended the Wichita Falls High School "Friends of the Forties" reunion with our parents. At the reunion we were introduced to Lloyd Ruby, the famous race car driver, who happens to have gone to high school with my father. My brother and I were standing there in awe talking to Lloyd and his wife. I don’t remember much of what Lloyd said, maybe because he was visiting more with my brother, but his wife said something I will never forget. She told me that as a young girl she had worked with my grandmother at the YMCA where as I understand, my grandparents were caterers. Mrs. Ruby said something like this, "Your grandmother was a great influence in my life. She was always so gracious and always a lady. I wanted to be like her." She went on to talk about how she tried to emulate my grandmother throughout her life. Wow! What a testimony that my grandmother could change a young girl’s life!

You know I am named after my grandmother, Lou Ella. My name is also, Lou Ella, but I was always called Lou. I thought that appropriate. As a kid I associated the name "Lou Ella" as her name – a ladies’ name, a gracious, beautiful name. Someday, I would like to be Lou Ella, but then, maybe I have a little too much of Popoo in me as well.

Favorites

Back in my public school teaching days, I had a student accuse me of "having favorites." My response: Darn right I do! There are just some people I like better than others. You might want to get on my good side.
Today is Ashley’s birthday. You know she is one of my favorites. She is not just one of my art students, she is my good friend. In the years since she has been in OK, I have watched her grow and mature into this amazing woman. I have seen the light bulb go off over her head and the light go on in her heart. She makes me laugh and she laughs at me. She lets me be me, and I let her be her. She is sunshine and joy and fun. She loves animals and she loves mine. She is an observer of human nature and a partaker in life. She is strong and courageous, as a Christian woman should be, yet she has a gentle and meek spirit. She is practical and organized. She is wise and wonderful. I pray blessings on her life. May she continue to grow to the fullness of understanding and knowledge in the Lord. And I pray that the Lord prepares her a husband who loves her enough to lay down his life, that he will love her animals, and that he will love her art.

Festival and Shower

There was a wine tasting festival in Duncan to raise money for Ambucks on Saturday. Four OK wineries were invited to show off their wines. Yep, there are wineries in OK, and a few people who drink wine even in a Bible Belt area. Toby was not impressed with the wine. He said he tasted a muscadine wine that he "had to jump up to get it down." Arts and craft booths were set up in the park. It was a rather small affair since it was the first year for the money raising festival. The weather was nice – a little breezy, but not bad. There was live music and entertainment. The Art Guild had a booth where we displayed our paintings. I was there early to set up our booth and stayed until about 1:30 PM. Toby and Jesse came after attending a memorial service for our neighbor who died on Monday. Jesse was wearing a dress and high-heels. She kind of stood out in the crowd of wine taster/festival goers. Several of her male coworkers showed up and they made an interesting little group. Toby kept watch while tasting wine. He said that the wine pour-ers only gave him a "taste" while they gave the younger guys in the group half a glass. I guess he looked like an old wine-o. The whole festival was a bit of a flop, but maybe it will do better in years to come. Two of my paintings sold and one of Jesse’s – the only three paintings sold all day. Imagine that!?

From the festival we moved on to a bigger party. Lindz and Shay had their wedding shower. It was rather unique in that it was a potluck picnic at Aunt B’s house. Everyone from our church was there. Tents were set up for the gifts, the food, the drinks and chairs were set up in the shade. Aunt B has the best volleyball court although I did not play since I am recovering from this flu thing. Just visiting with my friends and watching everyone else was great. The ladies presented their wedding ring quilt at the shower. It was gorgeous.

My GGs were there along with the Royals, and they kept me entertained. GBN1 found this sleeping ceramic pig in a hammock and just could not seem to leave it alone. The pumpkins she was standing on were not easy to balance on and kept rocking her off. She never could get that pig, but not for lack of trying. Some older kids brought water balloons and were filling them at an outside water hose. GBN1 was fascinated with the balloons. The big kids gave her one, and she learned that throwing the balloons at people was great fun. She got her Aunt Jes in the back, but the balloon did not burst. Still, GBN1 would belly laugh when she threw the balloon. What fun! The bigger kids had moved on so I went to help GBN1 fill her balloon. There were several small children standing around watching and waiting on me to fill their balloons. Some way, the hose slipped and hit the mud and sent a spray of mud all over me – from my feet to my face spotting my white blouse. It was difficult to explain that I was filling water balloons for the kids. Toby got a real kick out of it when I ‘fessed up.
GBN2 found freedom and was everywhere. She enjoyed swinging with her Aunt Jes and sliding. Aunt Jes has taught her to say, "ciao baby" which comes out very funny in her rather deep, little voice.
The Diva and Dawn were there. It was just a great time. Maybe Jes will post more photos on her blog later. If the shower was this fun, the wedding should be a blast.

Sunday we just rested. Jesse is still feeling pretty tired from this flu. Late in the afternoon, the GGs came over. We played in the tractor and rode the four wheeler. The GGs got a big kick out of Zoe, the Great Dane, racing along beside the four wheeler. The cat got carried around until it learned to hide better. The dogs were able to eat a few cookies that were held at their level or dropped. It was a nice way to finish off the weekend.

Hay Day

Although the weather has been beautiful here in OK, there has been no rain since early September. The weatherman has been forecasting more of the same – no clouds, no rain, no moisture in the air, warm sunny days through the weekend. So why did we have a big thunder/lightning/rainstorm last night? It must be because we cut our hay. Toby says it is a sure rainmaker – kind of like washing your car. For those who are not farmers, the hay is cut and left to dry for a day or two depending on the moisture. Then it is raked up and baled. If it rains on the cut hay, it has to be left to dry longer - maybe raked up and turned over to dry some more. If it is baled too wet, it could mold. Hay can actually combust if put up too wet. We went to bed last night about 10 PM, and our friendly neighborhood hay-baler was still working. It stormed early this morning about 3 AM. By the light of the early morning, it looks like the hay all got baled – yeha!

Although I felt better yesterday, I did not have art. Jesse and I stayed home to rest and try to get well. It was nice to have her home with me – like old times. Too bad we were both sick. We just lay around most of the day. I had to go to an Art Guild meeting last night and it wore me out. This morning, I feel better, but still sound like Mae West. I think another day of rest and recuperation is in order. Thanks for your concern and prayers.

Mountain Peace

I greatly appreciated all of the well wishes, advice, and prayers concerning my allergies. Yesterday I went to town to run some errands. Although I was feeling lousy, there were certain things needed from Wal-Mart. Even then, I started to call Toby and say that I was not coming to town and get him to make the Wal-Mart run, but I decided that I would stop at the pharmacy and quiz the druggist on what would help my allergies. I felt so lousy that I considered going to the doctor, and I rarely go to a doctor. I met Toby and Jesse at the park for lunch. Rather than walk with him (exercise) I decided to save my energy for WM and left him with Jesse. At WM, I broke out into a sweat. I guess I had been running a low-grade fever. When I got home, I managed to take a good nap and felt much better when I awoke. Although I felt better, Toby suggested that I not go to sign class or church. He was right, I started feeling lousy again and ran another low fever. Jesse came home from work and said that she did not feel good either and went to bed. Hmm, this may be more than just allergies. After taking some new drugs (Claritin D) last night, I slept fairly well and woke up feeling much better. I don’t know about art today. Right now, I feel pretty good. If this is an allergy, then I want to have art. If this is some sort of sickness, I do not want to spread it. I guess we will just wait and see.

There was a comment form Eric S, Small Town Mountain Boy, yesterday. I had been by his blog before, but I revisited it yesterday. He wrote about losing his muse (writing) and not being in the beautiful mountains of CO to find it. It reminded me of how the mountains can bring such a peaceful easy feeling into your life. I have known a lot of people who go to the mountains looking for that peace – maybe looking for God. I have lain in a meadow of dandelions surrounded by mountains and blue sky. I have listened to the wind whispering in the trees. I have stood on the tallest mountain and looked down into the valleys and out over the miles of scenery and felt the awe. I have watched a storm blow in and seen the lightning strike across the valley. I have smelled the seasons change. I have sat still while my mom worked the sap and pine needles from my hair and scrubbed the black dirt out from under my fingernails. I have known the beauty and peace of the mountains. I know the peace of God, and that peace is everywhere – not just in the mountains. You can look for the peace of God in earthly places and not find it. It is in the heavenlies. It is in your heart.
This is a print from the James Field Gallery. I bought this print before Toby and I married as my wedding gift to him. The actual painting is from floor to ceiling.