T-Day Holiday

We had an excellent Thanksgiving. We did the usual baking of the pies on Wed. We did the drinking of the nog that evening. Thursday was filled with decorating the tables - which is Kathy's (Martha wanna-be) job. Since I would probably use paper plates if left with the decisions, Kathy is probably the better choice for decorating. We stuffed ourselves at lunch after cooking and tasting food all morning. The GGs were a big hit in the entertainment area. The Grand-dogs made themselves known also. We had the annual football game in the yard. GBN2 showed no fear in walking across the playing field to get to her daddy. We all managed a nap in the afternoon before the second round of eating and playing games. The younger kids and Jesse went to the movies to see "Boltz," which is a 3D movie. They came home wearing some pretty cool 3D glasses saying the movie was excellent. Most of us settled in to watch UT v A&M, which was not fun. Toby and I went over to my cousin's house to meet his new wife, which was much better than seeing UT win another game. The GGs went home with their parents while Toby, Jesse and I stayed another night at WF.

Since Toby and I get up early anyway, we decided to do some early morning shopping. After all, the stores were all opening very early. No, we did not get to Kohl's at 4AM. We did get there at 7AM and the check-out lines were wound around the store on both sides. We left and went to Home Depot, which had opened at 6AM. The grill we wanted to look at was not there after all, and the Christmas tree that Mom wanted was sold out. We then went to Harbor Freight, which was not so crowded. We also went by Sam's, which was not so bad either. By about 8 AM we headed to McDonald's for coffee before going back to Mom's with very few items purchased. Everyone was up and at 'em when we got to Mom's for the Hobbit's "second breakfast." We soon packed our stuff and headed across the river. Jesse stayed for another round of flag football with people from Pete's church. Toby and I were ready for a big-dog nap. Later in the afternoon, we met up with friends at the movies to see "Quantum of Solace," the new James Bond movie. I loved it. Lindz and Shay came over later in the evening to visit with Jes. They had some very funny tales to tell about being newly wed, but I will not share here. They sure seem happy.

Today, I baked some pies, which I normally do before going to Mom's for T-Day. I didn't really get the chance with Toby's mom here. I like to have some pies for us to eat at home. The pies we cook at Mom's house are for T-Day and usually get eaten up. I had to make another trip to Wal-Mart for more pie-making supplies. It was busy, but not beyond my tolerance level. It has been a very nice quiet day actually.

The last several days have been packed with friends and family, which I love. Toby teases me about getting so excited before holidays that I cannot sleep. There is just something about seeing everyone that makes me excited, but now I am ready for the quiet. I hope everyone else had just as much food, family, and fun as I did. I will get this posted and maybe later tell some stories in detail.

Treasure

Having Toby's mom here for the last couple of days has been a real treat. We have spent some fun time with the GGs. We spent some time shopping. We have spent too much time at Wal-Mart with me forgetting items for the Thanksgiving meal coming up. Last night the GGs came over for supper with Great-Gran and had a big time entertaining us. I had planned a "treasure hunt" since GBN1 has been interested in treasure maps lately. She has a map of the USA that she calls her treasure map. I thought it would be fun to make a map of places around here to keep her busy. I drew out clues and placed them around the house and out in the yard leading her from one place to the next to find "the treasure." It took her a minute to catch on, but once she did, she was so excited. The last clue was out in the tractor, and it was a picture of the mail box. GBN1 squealed, "The mailbox! We need the four-wheeler! Only three people can go." We managed to get four on the four-wheeler. At the mailbox, GBN1 found two Smarties candies. You would have thought she had found gold. I can't wait until we do the next treasure hunt! Grandbabies are such a treasure. (Jesse took photos, but I don't know if she will post them soon or not.)

I am headed to Mom's today to help cook pies and such. Have a blessed Thanksgiving with lots of good food and fellowship.

Not Much

I've started to blog several times this morning and nothing is coming forth. Brain freeze.

Last night we watched a sappy movie on the Family Channel. I do love silly movies now and then especially with a little romance thrown in. This movie was especially stupid with some seriously bad acting, but still we watched it until the end. Other than being a total waste of time, there was one thing that really bothered me. In the movie, one of the minor characters comes out of the closet and confesses on Christmas Day that he is gay. Other than the dad, who is portrayed as the stupid one, everyone is happy for the gay guy. It is as if TV Land is telling us how we are suppose to respond if we are "the cool" characters. The fact that the issue was brought up on a family channel and on a kid movie is bothersome. It is not just the gay issue, it is the whole sleeping around and other things that you would rather not have to explain to your kids just yet. So the moral of this story is to not let your children watch even "the safe" channels on TV by themselves. In this day and age, you have to be like a hawk carefully watching everything that is going on around your nest.

Saturday Night Lights

We went to The Pipers for supper and to watch the big game last night with the understanding that there was a ban on "ribbing." I knew what was going to happen before the game, but I was hoping that TT would make a good showing. Piper really thought that TT would/might win. I had my doubts. I felt like OU was the strongest team. I even felt like their loss to UT was a fluke (but then I think UT is a fluke). TT and UT were more equally matched, but when the Sooners start rolling they are a whole ‘nother team. Having OU win over TT certainly made the field of players more interesting. One thing for sure - there is never a dull moment in TX and OK football. And RJ, I love you, too.

The Royals were delightful and the food was superb. An evening at The Piper’s is always enjoyable.

Whimsical - great word

I’m ready for a "don’t mess with me" day. You know - that is when you don’t have to do anything for anybody or have to be anywhere at a certain time. My life is pretty free since I do not work outside of the home, but there are still obligations that I have to meet for family and friends. I love my family and friends and love being with them. But every once in a while, I just want to be left alone to do what I want, when I want, without answering to anyone all day. I just have not had a DMWM day in a long time.

Art was good yesterday because I love my girls and they make me smile. After art, I had to gather my art supplies and go to another Art Guild meeting. The AG had a visiting watercolorist who did a demonstration, and we all painted along with him. Most of the AG members are not watercolorist nor do they have watercolor supplies. So I supplied the supplies. The AG does not do a lot of watercolor things. Oils are the preferred medium. I do like to support any watercolorists in hopes of having more in the future. Last night’s visiting artist was a very nice man, but I was not impressed with his abilities. Whimsical would be the best word to describe his style. He had us sketch this house and then he painted it with all sorts of odd colors. It was fun, but as one of the AG members said, "It looks like a clown lives there."

Blogger has been giving me lots of problems lately in uploading photos to my blog. Then at night my internet has been so slow that I might as well not bother trying to look at anything online. I'd tell you more details, but it makes me want to cuss and I am trying to cut back. I'm trying something new as I type - we'll see.

Jesse is off to spend the night with friends in Ada tonight. It makes me think she is going into the "if I keep really, really busy, and run as fast as I can, I won’t feel sad or lonely" mode. She is much like her father. Contentment is the key here, but it will come. Sometimes you just have to work through the pain.

Lunch with the Girls

Yesterday was a "town" day. I had several errands to run including a trip to Wal-Mart. My DIL and the GGs went, too. It was a "learning experience" – no, not for me, but for GBN2, who seems to be pushing the boundaries these days. Booboo had to use the "teacher voice" several times. Still, I enjoyed being with my girls. They are coming over this morning too. Batten down the hatches!

I also went by to see Inpassing. For those of you who do not know, we share the GGs, but she does have two other grandchildren. She told me this great story on Zane, her 6-year-old grandson. At school he has been learning about the Indians and their roll in Thanksgiving. One of his buddies announced, "I’m half Indian." Zane replied, "Well, I’m half cowboy!"

Next, I had lunch with Jesse who was suppose to be meeting Reagan for lunch. It turns out that Reagan’s cousin, Farah, and a friend also showed up at lunch. Farah is drop-dead-gorgeous, and is also very entertaining. She and Reagan and Jesse had me rolling in the floor. Unfortunately, it was conversation that you really would have to have been there, but if you had been, they probably would have been more subdued. I can’t reveal what all was said. Let it suffice to know that it is not okay to marry or even date a guy named "Hale" in Oklahoma. How could any Okie holler his name across Wal-Mart?

I tried to post a photo of the girls taken at the personal shower, but blogger is not cooperating. I may try again later when the wind is not blowing (yeah right). But there is a photo here of the whole group of girls with Farah kneeling down near Lindz' head and Reagan standing on the back row - third girl with large polka-dots and Jesse sitting - second girl from left.

More on the Wedding

I wanted to explain a little more about Lindz’ wedding since other bloggers like Jesse and the Piper have mentioned the wedding. It was a unique wedding in many ways. If you remember Lindz had about ten bridesmaids. They walked down the aisle in twos wearing dark blue dresses – each dress was different because each girl bought her own dress. The bridesmaids lined up on risers like a choir behind the preacher. There were three young men, Lind’z close friends and relatives, wearing lime-green shirts who joined the bridesmaids on the risers. Then the groom and his two groomsmen, wearing dark tux/suits, stood in the normal positions. Jesse, Reagan and Kat walked down the aisle individually wearing green dresses. I guess you could call them the maids of honor. Rather than have the usual wedding music, we all sang praise songs along with the band. Two ring bearers carried little pillows with the wedding rings. One of the ring boys was Rylie, whom Lindz used to baby sit and is the son of CoP. Then came four flower girls, because if one sister or cousin is involved all need to be involved. Jesse said the flower girls played games like "duck, duck, goose" while waiting for the wedding to begin, and kept everyone entertained. They were wearing blue dresses. Next Emma, who is just a pretty special little girl, walked down the aisle ringing a big bell announcing, "The bride is coming!" Then Lindz came in looking absolutely beautiful in her "mermaid" style dress with a long train and beige sash. Many different men including Toby, who were special to Lindz, escorted her down the aisle. Each took a few steps and handed her off to the next man. You see, Lindz’ father chose not to attend the wedding for petty, selfish reasons. The men in our church stepped in to make things special for Lindz. And it was very special.

Now, if you have never been to one of Reggie’s wedding ceremonies, you have really missed something. Reggie doesn’t just do the usual "do ya, do ya" wedding, he goes into detail about covenant – what it means to walk together in marriage before God and witnesses. At one point, Reggie had to stop because he teared up saying Lindz was "like his own." This was no impersonal wedding ceremony.

And of course there was the dance afterwards. There were lots of fathers and daughters, husband and wives, brothers and sisters, and lots of little girls dancing together. Then there were many line dances. I danced to something called the "Cha-cha, cha Slide" – the dance floor was packed. Several other women and me put out food that the women of our fellowship had prepared. Rather than having one big cake, Lindz had little tiny cakes on different pedestals decorating the tables. One cake had a little bride and groom sitting on the edge of the cake. It was so simple, and yet the whole thing was so elegant. What really made the wedding so special was the bond of unity, which is difficult to explain if you have never experienced it.

Jesse has a few more photos on her blog. Hopefully, I can find some really nice pics of Lindz and Shay to share sometime.

For My Next Trick...

Why are my leg muscles sore? Could it have been the standing and kitchen-work I did to prepare for the art show reception – nah. Could it have been rolling the tables out of the room and replacing them with screens, and then hanging paintings all afternoon – maybe? Could it have been standing around all evening at the reception mingling – some? Could it have been working like a sled dog at the wedding reception – probably? Could it have been dancing with the young people to some sort of line dance which called for "getting low" – I think we have a winner!

Sunday evening after the art show was packed up and put away and I got home around 5 PM, I just wanted to kick back and relax. I curled up in my chair with my book while Toby watched football. Jesse went to a neighbor’s to watch a movie. All was quite. Toby did eventually mention that his mother might come this weekend. That means I need to do the "mother-in-law" cleaning on my house. Sigh!

By the way I just wanted to mention that after the initial response to Lindz' leaving the wedding, Jesse is doing well. She is a trouper.

The Big Weekend

Friday night’s art show and reception went well. I won second place with my Lizzie and cat painting, which was a very nice surprise. Saturday I worked at the art show and Jesse and I each sold a painting – another nice surprise. Sunday we closed the art show. Most everyone was pleased with the whole enchilada. I had written a post on Saturday morning, but Blogger was a booger, and I gave up. Today that post seems irrelevant, and I am too tired to re-write stuff that now seems mundane.
Lindz’ wedding was beautiful and wonderful and all that a wedding should be. The bride was stunning. Jesse and the other bridesmaids were gorgeous. The flower girls dropped rose petals and giggled all the way down the aisle. All was perfect. As soon as the ceremony was over, I went to work in the kitchen – and I do mean work. There was foodstuff to put out and to be kept refilled. Keeping everyone in tea,water, and coffee was a chore. I guess they were having such fun, that they were just a thirsty bunch. Truthfully, I feel like I missed the party, although working to make sure that Lindz’ wedding was a smash hit, was not really work, but an act of love. I did manage a dance or two, and I rocked out in the kitchen a couple of times to the awe and wonder of some of my church friends who were raised here in the Bible Belt. Toward the end of the evening we waved the happy couple off to their honeymoon and I went back to the kitchen. Jesse came in a few minutes later and said, "Mom, I’m going home." She had big tears streaming down her face. It broke my heart.

Lindz dancing with her brother. Little girls enjoying the dancing- including GBN1 in the black dress, and The Royals - one in the foreground and one in the background - both in pink. Twins dancing.

Great Minds and Mischief

Ashley was a great help to me yesterday in preparing and setting up the art show. For those of you who do not know, she is very organized (unlike me). She helped us slice and dice the foodstuff and put it on trays for the reception along with Neta, who is in charge of the food. We were cutting up a papaya that was absolutely beautiful – very paintable. Neta told us to squeeze a lime over it to make it taste wonderful. Never having had papaya, I wanted to taste the fruit without the lime, and then try it with the lime. Ashley and I each took a small bite. If you have ever seen the movie, "Big" with Tom Hanks, you can picture Ashley and her bite of papaya. It went into her mouth and right back out. Ashley said, "That tastes like a litter box." I was already laughing hard.

Then she went met me at the Hospital Education Center where the art show will take place. The hospital staff had not removed the large round tables and all of the chairs as they were supposed to do. Ashley was a real trooper jumping in to help. Being farm girls, we just rolled up our sleeves and rolled those tables out of there, stacked them in the alley and burned them. Okay, we didn’t really burn them, but it was a thought. At one point we had to go over to the hospital to talk to the person in charge of the Education Center where we are having the art show. Of course, the person was no where to be found and the young girl left in the office was of no help – a very sweet girl, but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. The girl had her hair pulled back in a very popular, but not so flattering style. As Ashley and I left the hospital, Ashley said, "Have you ever seen ‘Ice Age’? You know the sloth?" I burst out laughing knowing immediately where she was going with this line of thought. Yes, the young girl in the office did remind me of the sloth in "Ice Age." I told Ashley she was going to be a bad influence on me and get me into trouble with those sorts of thoughts.

Back at the Education room, we set up screens and took in art all afternoon. Ashley was great at it! She was so organized that she made "check in" very easy. Then an older lady, who "always does the check in" showed up. She was irritated that Ashley was doing "her job" (and doing it better) and she let Ashley know about it. I was proud of Ashley. She held her position and was not rude to the lady. But I did laugh every time Ashley looked at me with her big baby blues and rolled them to show her thoughts of the old lady. Ashley definitely made the day go by with lots of fun. The truth is that we should not be allowed to run together because we bring out the mischief in each other. In fact, Ashley’s dad called to check on her, and he asked if I was behaving. Ashley answered, "No."

I stole this pic from Ashley's blog.

The Race Is On

The next several days could be very busy as I coordinate the art show and prepare for Lindz' wedding. Today is art show stuff. This morning I will help prepare food for tomorrow night's reception. In the afternoon, we will set up the screens to display the art and then we will be taking art in until about 7PM tonight. Friday morning I will meet with the man who will judge the show. Friday evening is the meet the artist reception. Jesse will be attending Lindz' rehearsal dinner rather than the art show. Saturday I will work the art show, and Saturday evening I will attend the wedding and be in charge of the food at the reception. Sunday is more art show, but it is over by 4PM. I can see the finish line coming up.

Here are my finished art work in glass and frames, which may distort the picture a bit: "Lizzie and cat" - watercolor "Sunflowers" - watercolor

"Venice" oil "Cowgirl" - pastels

Art Entry

I often point out Jesse's great photographs, but for those of you who do not know what a fantastic artist Jesse is, here is her entry to the Duncan Miniature Art Show. Yeah, yeah, it is another plug for my daughter. Last night when she asked Toby what he thought, he said, "Well, it is no donkey, but it is okay."

The Best Veteran's Day

Every Veteran’s Day I am reminded of one of the best vacations ever. Five years ago (gosh, has it been that long?) Jesse and I spent four days in Washington DC with my uncle and his family for the Ia Drang Valley Veteran’s Reunion. I have mentioned this before in several different posts, but I wanted to share some photos and memories again. It was just such an eye-opening experience. Just reading the book, "We Were Soldiers" is an experience you will not forget, but to be with the veterans and their families on Veteran'’ weekend in Washington DC was awesome. These men, this band of brothers, were so humble and loving. On the surface they seem like normal men, but to me – knowing their sacrifices, they are heroes. The first day in DC before we went sightseeing, we spent time in the hospitality room of the hotel getting autographs. Here is Jesse with Ret. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway. I love this pic of her and the color guard from Ft. Hood. Notice in these pictures how young Jesse looked.

Then we went sight seeing – having a real pilot/wizo (Capt. Jeff) take you through the Air and Space Museum is so much better than just reading the plaques. Later we got dressed up and went to the banquet. One of my uncle's vet buddies was shocked to see Jesse, because he had assumed she was about 15 yrs old - then suddenly she did not look so young after all. Uncle Bob made sure that Jeff wore his dress blues – the Vietnam Vets were all over Jeff wanting to know about his Iraq War experiences. It was just funny that Jeff was trying to get pictures and autographs of the vets, but they were trying to get pictures and autographs of him.

Sunday morning at dawn, there was roll call at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. I can’t begin to tell you how moving it is to hear the names of those that died read aloud by Gen Moore and Mr. Galloway.

Later we did more sightseeing. Then before Jesse and I flew home on Veteran’s Day, we went to the Arlington National Cemetery. Here are the sights that met our eyes. At first we did not know what was going on, but we were enjoying the photo ops. It turns out that President Bush was going to speak that day and security was tight. You can see the camera setting up at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We did not stay for his speech, because we had a plane to catch and things to see before we left. We continued our sightseeing tour including visiting the Iwo Jima Memorial. It was such an amazing experience, the next year we took Toby with us.

Veterans are just an amazing group of people – tell one "thank you" today.

Working Weekend

It was kind of farm girl sort of weekend. Saturday was so beautiful here in OK, we just had to do some farm work. First we loaded all of the patio furniture up onto the flatbed trailer and moved it all to the barn. Jesse helped with this before she took off to the City for another bachelorette party with Lindz and her relatives. When Toby backed the trailer up to the barn and I got out to start unloading, I noticed that the picnic table was not on the trailer. My first thought was, "Gee, how did Jesse unload that heavy table without us?" Then I looked back toward the house and the picnic table was sitting in the pasture as if it belonged there. After Jesse abandoned me for parties unknown, Toby and I loaded three round bales of hay onto the flatbed trailer and hauled them to a neighbor in need of hay. Of course, Toby used the tractor to set the bales on the trailer, but then we had to push and roll them around to get them all to fit on the trailer. Then, of course, there was the unloading which consisted of pushing them off of the trailer and then pushing them into an up-right position. It is a good thing he married such a strong woman :)


After lunch, we started tearing up our patio. Jesse had started a patchwork patio with odd bricks and rocks. It was looking pretty good, but then we put a stop to it once we started thinking about building on to that side of the house. You might remember a post a few years back about Jesse and I collecting bricks for the patio. We found a man who had some old cistern bricks (solid red) out in his pasture that he was willing to sell to Jesse and me. We were pretty pleased with our find and were happily loading the bricks into the truck when we uncovered a snake. The snake slithered off further into the pile of bricks. No matter how good those bricks were, Jesse and I just could not seem to make ourselves continue digging in the pile for more bricks. Now we have collected several piles of bricks, and some day we will continue with the patchwork patio. For now, we need to focus on the addition to the house. While Toby and I were tearing up the patio, I wondered why it is that we always have to tear something up before we can build something new.


Later in the afternoon, we went over to the GGs house for fajitas and to watch the OSU v TT game. We left at half time. I kind of wanted TT to win, but I wanted OSU to give them more of a fight. Oh well, I was pooped and my arms were sore from all the farm work. I better get in shape if we start working on the house. It sure would be nice if Jesse could meet a strong young man sometime soon with lots of construction experience.

Here is a re-run pic of GBN1 and the Royals playing in the sand where Jesse was working on the patio.

Friday

Toby took yesterday off and we went to WF taking the GGs with us while their parents went to OK City. We got an early start, because the GGs do better in the mornings, but get tired and cranky as the afternoon rolls around (so do Booboo and Crewcraw). Toby and I both had lots of errands to run in WF. Mine had to do with the upcoming art show. Not only am I getting my artwork ready and Jesse’s art work ready, I had to buy supplies and food stuff for the art show. Toby bought new hiking boots. Since I had to stop at Hobby Lobby, Toby had to stop at Harbor Freight. Mom and her friends were home from their trip – so we went by to see her. The GGs put on a show for Great-grandma and her friends. We also stopped by to see Uncle Pete. At one point, I told GBN2 to say good morning to Uncle Pete. She looked at Pete’s dog and said, "Good morning, Uncle Pete." Then she gave the dog a big hug.

It was a good day with the girls. I think we were all worn out by the end of the day. We got home about 8 PM. Jesse had a movie rented (Iron Man) and coffee made – we just kicked back and relaxed.

Black Honey

Many a time Lynda and I sat on our horses watching our kids ride. We always rode with the kids. We hauled kids and horses all over NM to different horse events. We put on riding clinics and 4H events ourselves. Every summer Lynda put on a Rodeo Queen’s clinic teaching the young girls to dress and behave and ride like a real cowgirl. Lynda was the Queen and I was the Sidekick. I can’t count how many times Lynda would look over at me and say, "Do you have any lip stuff?" I would answer with my usual, "Yeah" and hand her a tube of Clinique Black Honey. The tube was slim and easy to carry in my pocket. The color, Black Honey, looked rather dark in the tube, but it went on shear and moist. It felt like silk on your lips. Lynda and I would smear the lipstick on our lips, smack our lips together in the dry NM air, and comment about how good the Black Honey was. It became a ritual.
Today, I still carry a tube of Clinique Black Honey. I never put it on without thinking of Lynda and the passing of the lipstick tube from one cowgirl to another – one friend to another. What will I do if Clinique quits making Black Honey?

Me and Lynda in front of her barn in Questa, NM.

A New Season

My dad and I used to sit down at the end of the summer and discuss how we thought the summer went. He would say, "How was your summer?" And the discussion would begin. We would talk about people we met, old friends we saw, good things that happened, bad things that happened and even sort of rate the summer. I loved those kinds of talk with my dad. Now that I am a parent, I know how much he loved those talks too. One thing that it taught me was to look at life and see the good and capitalize on it. But also to look at the bad and what went wrong. Maybe you put the bad behind you, but definitely you moved on, and tried to make things better if you could. I hated to see summer end and I usually cried and moped around the house for a week, because I missed the mountains so much. Then the school year would start. I always loved the beginning of a new season – meeting new friends, seeing old friends, finding out who my teachers would be, etc. Maybe the year would go well; maybe it would not, but new beginnings always excite me even when I am sad to see the old pass away. There is always hope for good things. And then there would be another summer…

I did not watch any news shows yesterday, because I hate listening to all of the "speculation" from the media. I just wanted to wait until the fat lady sang. This morning I turned on the computer to see whom our next President would be. Was I disappointed, surprised, etc? Not really. Well, maybe a bit disappointed. And yet, I know in who my trust and hope is, and it is not Obama. I know in whose kingdom I am a citizen, and I am not talking about the USA. No matter what changes go on in this world, my beliefs and faith will not change. In times of prosperity or in times of want, my life is supposed to be straight and steady. There is a touch of excitement for me (maybe because I am an optimist) in having a new president. It is kind of that same feeling as starting a new school year.

I can look back at the Bush era and think, "Wow, there was some good things, and there was some bad." I can be excited to see what Obama does now without too much worry, because my life is on a steady walk. No matter who our government leaders are, I will pray for them to be wise. And if they are not, life will go on.

Where in the World is Grandma

About a month ago, my mom called and asked if I wanted to go to Chicago with her and her friends. It would be like last December's New York trip where we would fly stand-by and get really cheap tickets since one of Mom's friends' has a daughter who works for Southwest Airlines. I declined the trip offer because with the upcoming wedding and art show, I just have too much on my plate. Mom and the ladies left on Sunday without me. She called this morning telling me what a wonderful time they were having. Then she mentioned "the Canadian falls." Hmm, that was not ringing a bell for me, and I was doubting my geography knowledge. So I asked her if she had been by the Palmer House Hotel (where my grandfather worked as a young man back in the 20's). She paused, and said, "No, we are in Niagara Falls."

Do you know where your mother is?

One More Political Post for the Road.

You know that I am no economics expert, but I had this thought the other day and I ran it by Toby. As we were driving into town, I was thinking how nice it is that gas prices are going down. Here in OK, they are about $2.09. Now I am thrilled like everyone else, but then again, it is cause for worry. While oil prices have been up, things in this area have been booming. Halliburton has been hiring as well as other oil production companies in the area. Toby’s nephew, who lives in Bridgeport, TX, has been doing great working for an oil field construction company. Sam, a young friend of ours with four children, has been able to do very well for his family while living in Ft. Worth and working for a company similar to Halliburton. Sam does not have any special skills or education, yet he is a hard worker and the oil field has been perfect for him. Before his oilfield job, Sam’s family had to rely on welfare and other government handouts to make ends meet. That is kind of the way it is around here. With prices up, there has been lots of new production and re-opening of wells and such. People are working. When prices drop, so will jobs.

So, if the oil/gas prices go down, will production continue? I can remember Toby’s brother-in-law explaining years ago, that some wells were not worth pumping when oil prices dropped. Some are just shut down or capped. But when prices are up, it is worth the time, effort and money to go back in and start pumping these wells. When prices are up, it is worth the effort to do new drilling. But when oil prices are down, the cost of pumping and production is just not worth it. As prices drop, so will production, so will exploration, so will the job opportunities, etc. When I mentioned this thought to Toby, he added that the Democrats want to reinstate the windfall profit tax – add extra taxes on those who make money – tax the wealthy. I did go to Wiki and read up on windfall profit tax and found it very interesting. And you know that Obama and the Dems are just itching to pass this tax on oil companies and "spread the wealth." So, I don’t understand how the Dems can be for more domestic oil production and yet want to impede oil companies. What is their incentive to keep up production and look for new production? If an oil company or other oil production related companies are hiring and spending money and making money and paying taxes, why does Obama want to penalize them or cripple them with higher taxes? Aren’t these companies already spreading the wealth?

I guess, I just don't get it. I just don't understand how someone could want to take someone else's money other than because of greed and covetousness.

This morning I told Toby that I was going to need to make a trip to WF and Sam's Club sometime this week. He responded by grabbing the Harbor Freight flier to see if he needed me to pick up any new tools. While perusing the ads, he saw, "rat zapper ultra." He looked up at me and said, "Sometimes I feel like Wylie Coyote."

We watched the TT v UT game last night. It was so exciting that I could not crochet or read my book - I was glued to the TV. All I can say is Go Tech!

Dancing Queens

One event down and lots more to go: The Shower

Part of putting on a wedding is making good memories that will last a lifetime. That was the purpose for the Mia Mamas dancing at Lindz' personal shower and bachelorette party. I've had to keep this a big secret for over a month while we choreographed and practiced our routine. It was a total surprise to Lindz and most all of the girls at the shower. Jesse knew, but had no idea the extent of our show - or just how good we were:) We got the idea from the movie "Mama Mia" where Meryle Streep's character and her two buddies sing and dance at her daughter's bachelorette party. We were not nearly as fancily dressed, but we were great. We sang Super Trouper by ABBA. The really important part is the fun and laughs we had putting this together. The first time we got together, we spent more time running down the hall to the bathroom, because we were laughing so hard. You know, it is really tougher than it looks to dance and sing at the same time. Now, I think we need to take this show on the road!

When we came dancing out at the shower, the girls had no idea, but they were soon squealing and clapping and snapping photos. I felt like we were at a real show with flashes going off (not hot flashes either) and the girls cheering us on. The look on Lindz’ face was worth every ounce of sweat, and believe me there was a lot of sweat while working on our routine. Jesse told me later that I was so pretty – that kind of made it worth while too. We definitely made some great memories and strengthened some friendships.

Here are the pics – Thank goodness it was Halloween so no one thought it was strange that we were dressed like this. I could not take pictures with my camera as we danced, but I will find some from someone. It was videoed... There was all sorts wedding shower games. "Shay Triva" was great with Jesse reading questions and Lindz was so cute answering them. Kat made a lovely Vanna. Regan was in charge of the buzzer. They also did the toilet paper bride dress. Of course Lindz won. I painted this silly poster for "pin the bouquet on the bride as well as carved two "bride and groom" pumpkins for center pieces - one wore a top hat and the other wore a veil - sorry no pic. Here is a pic of the bride and her bridesmaids. And yes, I will do this again someday for Jesse - probably more.