Big Paint Day

Yesterday was a lovely day with temperatures in the mid 70's. Who would think that it was the end of May! My painting buddies came, and we had a great time as usual. They all brought their quarter paintings that I mentioned previously so that we could put them together and see how they looked. We definitely have some different styles. This was a fun exercise, and we will be trying it again maybe with a little more cohesiveness.

The ladies wanted to paint flower cards. We each picked different flowers to paint. I chose this columbine, which I did not like my background, but there it is. Being a fast painter, I had time to do another painting and did a quick, loose poppie, which I liked better.

After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the cool outdoors and do some plein aire painting. My dogs loved the fact that we came outside. They were a bit pesty, but soon settled down. Each lady picked something to paint - two ladies painted our radio flyer wagon while another painted the chicken condo. I chose to paint one of the ladies. This painting needs more work, but I have my colors established. Now I need to go in and darken areas and put in a better background.

Today is another paint day with my art girls. It has been awhile since we have been together due to general busy-ness. I'm looking forward to being with my girls.

Long Dog Days

It has been one week since my art buddies and I went plein aire painting. It seems that I have been running since then with little time to stop and smell the roses. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some downtime – like yesterday when I took Toby’s truck to the dealer in Lawton to have some minor repairs done before the warranty expires. I sat for three hours in the waiting room. I did manage to finish a book and watch some TV while I waited, but I was a bit crazed when I left. Then I spent my afternoon at Wal-Mart, because the cupboard was bare after the long weekend.
We also had a little downtime on Monday when the GGs came over. GBN1 called early Monday morning and asked if we could come pick her and her sister up. It was an unauthorized phone call, but it was a good plan. They both had on their overalls and wanted to work in the garden. It was a bit wet for yard work, so we set up the kiddie pool for the first summer swim. I had bought cheap water guns for the lake, and they were quite popular with the girls and Toby. By the time we took the GGs home, Toby and I were pooped. We did manage a little yard work. I also played catch-up on the laundry – mostly beach towels, swimsuits, shorts, etc. from the weekend, but I also did our sheets and bedspread hanging them in the sun for that wonderful fresh smell.

After Lawton and Wal-Mart yesterday, I just wanted some chill time, but when I got home I still had groceries to unload and Ranger had puked on the carpet. After getting the carpet clean and the groceries put away, I sat down at the computer only to hear a commotion in the other room. Jack, the red heeler puppy, and the new cat, that I shall call El Diablo, were going at it in the litter box. Litter was everywhere. Later when I told Toby that I thought Jack ate the cat poop, he said, "So that is why he had that sh!t-eating grin on his face."

I had promised my neighbor that I would feed her large dogs while she was on vacation. Toby went with me, but we left Ranger at home, because the big dogs have been known to scratch the paint on our vehicle trying to get at Ranger. Ranger was not pleased to be left at home and puked on our bed – the bed with the fresh clean sheets and bedspread. I had to strip the bed and do laundry, which I was still doing late last night since we do not have a big washer/dryer.

Toby said he was feeling "draggy" and wanted to take a little nap before supper. I decided to feed his chickens for him. While gathering eggs, my art buddy called and said that we were not going to plein aire paint tomorrow and asked if I still wanted to host the painting at my house. I had one of those moments where I wanted to say no - thoughts of how much cleaning and yard work needed to be done to make my house presentable, but it really was my turn to host. I had just thought we were going out to paint – now I needed to do some major house cleaning and plan lunch for the ladies. I said yes. My friend also asked if I were getting my emails. That is when I realized that I may be having another computer problem - great.

I carried the eggs into the house and put them away. At some point I had stepped in chicken-doo and had tracked it all over the kitchen. Toby came in ready for supper about that time, and I nearly broke. Dog-doo, cat-doo, chicken-doo, and dog puke were my undoing. I don’t normally cry over such things, and I really had to fight off the tears and frustration. I think my hormones must be off.

While waiting on the sheets and stuff to finish, I got lots done last night. Then I slept like a rock. Now I need to get ready for the ladies to come for art. One of the things I hate about summer is the extra long days.

The Weekend So Far

Things have been so busy the last few days, I don’t know where to begin – maybe the beginning. Toby took a half-day off on Thursday. We drove up to OK City where we met up with my blog buddy, Jo Castillo, at the Big 12 Conference Baseball Tournament. Jo and her husband Gene were delightful, and we had a great time watching UT beat Kansas. Don’t tell any of my Aggie relatives that I was cheering for UT. I find it very easy to cheer for good players. UT beat Kansas like a drum. After the game, Jo and Gene invited us for supper at Bourbon Street. We ate outside and did lots of visiting. After supper, we went back for a few innings of Baylor vs. Kansas State. The game looked promising, but Toby and I needed to head home since it was getting late.

Jo was everything I thought she would be from reading her blog the last several years. We often joke that we must be related since we have so much in common – South TX, Lubbock, NM, not to mention our art. We talked lots, and I am sure I kept her from her usual baseball game watching. I love baseball and really enjoyed the game, too. You know me, I can chat and watch baseball as well as chat and paint – Jo and I decided we were alike in that way too. Her husband, Gene, was not what I expected at all, but I found him fascinating and fun. As a retired DEA agent, who has lived all over South America, he had some great stories. He had piercing blue eyes with a fearless look. He reminded me of pictures of my grandfather, whom I have only heard stories of, but never knew. Gene likes to bicycle and is also from NM – he and Toby had a few things in common too. Jo and Gene will be in NM later this summer and into the fall. Hopefully we will get to meet up with them again in the mountains.

We got home from OK City about 10:30 PM. Although Toby took Friday off, we got up early so that he could go into the office and check on a few things. Then we took off across OK again. This time we went to Hitchcock, OK. The Junk Diva’s mother died and her funeral was in Hitchcock, which is north of Watongu. I didn’t know Sherry’s mom, but I wanted to show my support by being there. From what I gathered at the memorial service, Sherry’s mom was every bit the loving, giving, strong woman that her daughter is. Chara, Sherry’s daughter sang a song that she had written for her grandmother. As she stood up in front of the crowd and belted out the song in her beautiful voice, there was not a dry eye in the house. Chara broke a bit and did some guitar strumming to gather herself, but it was a beautiful tribute. Later, Chara told me that she looked out at the crowd, and everyone was tearing up – she just could not help but cry too. The Diva is so lucky to have a daughter like Chara – she will be like her grandmother too.

Saturday, we loaded up the truck and Hobie Cat to go to the lake. We loaded up Shay and Lindsay’s truck and let them pull the trailer with kayaks and bikes. We looked like a bunch of Okies headed to CA, but we only got to Waurika Lake where we biked, swam, and kayaked all day. The wind never got strong enough for the cat. It did rain a bit, but we still had a great time. The GGs and their parents joined us to make things even more fun. We cooked hot dogs and had some fried chicken. GBN2 seemed intent on mangling her dog - I loved the look on her face. Jesse has some video of her and Lindz being pretty funny. I’m sure she will post some photos later, too. I will just go ahead and admit that I fell over on my bike with Jesse snapping pics as I went down. I was slowing down to stop when my cell phone rang. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I took my right foot out of the clip. I was almost stopped, but I should have pulled my left foot out, because that is the foot I tried to put down and catch myself. I did not catch myself and went over in the grass with the cell phone to my ear. Everyone was concerned, but laughing too hard to show it. I lay in the grass and talked on the phone to my friend, Glenna. I did not admit that I had just fallen, but she did asked me if I was all right – probably ‘cause I was breathing so hard and trying not to laugh. I assured her I was fine. Toby and Shay picked me up and on we went.

We are off to have dinner with the in-laws tonight. More lake fun tomorrow – hopefully the wind will be up for catting on the lake!

Plein Aire with the Art Buddies

Last Friday while we were having thunderstorms, Toby was trying to get info on the Byers Bike Bash, which could have been canceled due to the storms. He called one of the local bike shops that told him that the BBB would send out an email. Because we had changed Internet servers and were no longer with Hughes, we were not sure we would get the emails. It turns out that I am able to go to the HughesNet site and get to emails, which still come to the old address. This is great, but I don’t particularly want to keep going to Hughes to check my email. I found all sorts of emails from people whom I thought I had sent the new email address. If you are a person who emails me occasionally and have not made the switch, please do so. In the meantime, I will continue to check the Hughes address now and then.

Yesterday’s plein aire painting was wonderful. As usual, I had a great day with my painting buddies. We drove through the Wichita Wildlife Refuge and then over to Medicine Park for lunch. We took lots of photos for future paintings. Then we painted. We only had time to paint for about an hour, because we had done so much sightseeing. Lunch at the Riverside Cafe was a bit slow, but good. The day was perfect spring weather. Here is a photo of what I was painting. Here is my unfinished painting – as I said, we were only able to paint for an hour before we needed to pack up and head home (and make a few more shopping stops along the way).

Today Toby and I are headed to OK City to attend the Big 12 Conference baseball tournament. I am meeting Jo, blog buddy and fellow artist, and her husband at the UT game. I'm pretty psyched.

New Cat

We got a new addition to Lou’s Zoo – this little feisty, black and white kitten. It has no name yet, but it is one tough kitty so far. It spits and hisses at the dogs, but does not run. It lets the GGs wag it around fairly well. The GGs are not so good at holding the cat. The cat is not so good with its claws – kind of a catch 22. It is a very sociable cat always wanting to be with someone, but it plays rough – fighting and biting. Since it is just a little fur ball, it does not hurt anyone, but can be a pest. Jesse posted a photo of the cat too, plus there are some photos of the BBB.

My paint buddies are going to Medicine Park/Meers area today. We may choose to paint in the Wildlife refuge. It should be fun - a little plein aire is good for the artist. I will take pics.

Byers Bike Bash

Many times in my marriage to Toby, I have thought, "What has he gotten me into now?" This weekend I had that thought several times as well as a few other similar thoughts. We rode our bicycles 25 miles in the Byers Bike Bash. Byers is a small town just across the Red River between here and Wichita Falls. We had been planning on riding in this event – sent our money in a month ago. I was looking forward to it since I had such a great time riding the HHH last August. Although I have not ridden my bike much this spring with all of the rain, cool temps, and hellacious winds, I have ridden some – like the 16 miles into town last week. Byers has more hills than the HHH, but less than the hills around my house where we ride all of the time. I’ve also been nursing a cold, but I still thought the ride would be a cinch.

We had thunderstorms on Friday evening, but the storms past, leaving cool temps and some rain. The ride was on. At the last minute, Jesse decided to ride with us, which turned out to be the best part of the ride. We started out smoothly and Toby left us to pursue his own record. I was soon struggling. I mentioned my struggle to Jesse who was riding along on her dad’s mountain bike as if she rode all of the time. She didn’t seem to think it was so hard. Me, "Jes, I feel like I am just dragging." Jes, "You are just not warmed up yet." Me, "Is this road particularly rough?" Jes, "Not to me; I have shocks." Me, "Well, it is just pretty darn rough. Hey, take a look at my back tire." Jes, "Yep, it is flat."

I pulled over to wait on the SAG (?) truck and sent Jesse on so that she would not be at the end of pack of riders. A man from Texoma Cycling soon stopped and changed my flat tire. We do lots of business with Texoma Cycling and appreciate those guys. He had me on the road in no time, but I was one of the last riders – in the back with the kids and moms and old ladies. Eventually I caught up with Jesse who had slowed way down and was riding along with a little 8 year old girl named Nat Nat. They were laughing and having a good time when I caught them. Jesse didn’t have to ride with Nat. She could have been long gone. Once again, I appreciated her for waiting on me and for taking care of Nat Nat until the little girl’s grandparent’s picked her up. Then Jesse and I worked to make up time. Jesse, "Now we are cooking with grease." That made me LOL. Jesse, "Oil?" I laughed harder. Jes, "Gas! I know it’s gas."

After the flat tire, my bike began having gear problems. Toby and I disagree on what is a "low gear" and what is a "high gear." But when going up a hill, I would shift to an easier gear. Unfortunately, my gears would start slipping, which sounded like the gears were changing on their own accord. Jes, "Your bike seems to be possessed."

Toby, being the wonderful husband that he is, waited on us at the first rest stop. His cell phone had quit working, and he had not gotten my message about the flat tire. Now all three of us were at the tail end of the pack of riders, but riding together was much more fun. For some reason Toby tends to sing old country-western songs as he rides – which cracks me up. At this point the weather was cool with light rain falling, but the ride was nice. I was having some charley horse problems in my legs, but I figured it was the new bike shoes that clip to the pedals – I got the shoes and pedals for Mother’s Day and was not used to them. Maybe it was just being out of shape or lack of some essential element, but I kept riding.

The last rest stop was in Petrolia, and then we turned north to ride the last leg of the 25 miles into Byers. We turned into the wind, which seemed to pick up, as did the rain. This part of the ride was on a busy highway with lots of trucks and vehicles passing us, splashing us as they blew by. The highway shoulder was wide, but filled with road kill. I bet we avoided at least four dead armadillos, one rabbit, one skunk, many turtles and one coyote whose teeth still showed although he was flatter than a flitter. The zipping traffic and the road kill did not give us warm fuzzy feelings. My thoughts turned pretty sour. We were all riding side by side when Toby said we were like the Cartwright's on Bonanza. I started singing their theme song. Our laughter really lightened up the ride especially when Toby reminded us of watching Bonanza while we were in Italy years ago. You haven’t seen anything funny until you have seen Hoss and Little Joe conversing in Italian.

We managed to pass a few people on the last leg of the ride so that we were not dead last. We were soaked to the bone, cold, and hungry when we got to Byers. Changing out of my bike shorts in the port-o-potty was like peeling off a swimsuit in a contortionist’s chamber – Houdini has nothing on me. When we got home and had a hot shower, I slept for several hours. Jes went a motor-cross race. Ah to be young and full of energy! The Tour de Meers is coming up this weekend - can I do it? Jesse probably won't appreciate my posting this pic, but it shows the mud up her backside.

Another Softball Game

Jesse had a softball game last night. We picked up GBN1 and took her to the game with us. Yes, I left GBN2 at home. Yes, I felt very guilty, but I did want to be able to watch the game without chasing little girls. Toby did not go to the game. Maybe if he had been there, we could have divided and conquered. GBN1 loved the game. She was interested in everything, but stayed right with me. She was pretty intent on the game. It helps that she knew most of the players including her Uncle Trabis (Travis) and Aunt YaYa (Sarah). The bag of popcorn from the concession stand was a treat too. After the game, GBN1 was wound up and not wanting to go home. We called her parents to see if she could spend the night with me. Yes, they made me feel guilty for not wanting to pick up GBN2, but I did want to sleep at some point. Sometimes it is good to only take one child and have some quality time. GBN1 promised to stay home next time and let me take GBN2 somewhere - yeah right!

Notice the leaves on the ground in the photo above. We had some strong storms Wed. night that brought high winds and some hail. The forecast is for more storms tonight.

Painting Portions

Last week when I met with my painting buddies, we decided to each do a portion of a painting separately, and then bring all our paintings together and see what happens. We chose a Venice scene, made a copy of the picture, cut into four pieces, and each chose a piece. Yesterday, I finished my portion, while the other ladies were not quite finished with theirs. We did put the four together to see how it will look. It will be different. Here is my quarter (the lower left corner), and I will try to show the finished product soon.

Remember the watercolor workshop that I attended last fall. At the workshop I met a group of ladies who paint together and do "Canvas by Canvas" paintings. Check out their blog. Here is an example of their art which consists of nine small oil paintings done separately.

I don't think my art buddies' watercolor will work quite the same. We did not work together in one particular style. We actually decided to purposefully paint in our own unique styles and then show them together.

Ballerinas

I'm off to paint with my art buddies today. Last weekend at the Arts for All Festival, Jesse and I took some photos of little ballerinas. I would like to paint them today, but we will see. As a young girl, I took ballet in Taos, NM, with a lady named Betty. Her home and dance studio was north of the blinking light out in the middle of the sagebrush. Betty was so tall that when she did a cartwheel with her arms and legs extended, she grazed the ceiling of her low-beamed adobe home/studio. Her studio windows overlooked Taos Mountain. With the windows on one side of the studio and mirrors on the other side, the effect was quite dramatic. I loved going to Betty's home and dancing with my friends.

Thrown off

Toby is home sick today. It is throwing me off. No, it isn't the swine flu - probably more like a spring cold. The rain and cool weather seems to be throwing both of us off - I have had the snotty nose and sore throat too.

This rain is much needed, but it is a mess. Jesse posted some photos of soccer in the mud. It may be softball in the mud on Thursday. I will try to remember my camera and take some photos of her infamous softball games since she is suppose to be playing and not taking photos. It seems that I have gotten thrown off of the habit of taking photos since I had so much problem posting them in the past few months. I will try to do better. Or I will get on her computer and steal some photos:)

Speaking of thrown off - Has anyone been watching "Dancing with the Stars" this season? Ty Murray, the bullrider, made it to the final four. It is not his dancing ability that got him there. It is his "want to" and great personality. He definitely gets the award for "most improved" dancer. He is really not a bad dancer; there are just those better than he is. He will probably get thrown off tonight. I bet he is probably used to being thrown. Maybe if they did a Texas Two-step...

GBN1

GBN1 is growing up before my eyes. She is sounding out words and reading. She is turning into a little girl and not just a baby any more. You can see understanding in her eyes now. Her little personality is changing and more mature. She can be a drama queen. She can be very serious, but she has the best laugh, and it is very contagious.

My DIL took GBN1 to the dentist office for her first teeth cleaning and check-up. Upon entering the office GBN1 announced, "Look, a snake." No one paid much attention to her, but she was insistent. About the third time she said it, the office worker came around the desk and looked for herself. Sure enough, curled up, but hidden there was a little grass snake in the office. The dentist, the only male in the office, was called to remove the snake. The rest of the dentist visit went without incident. Knowing GBN1, she will think that seeing a snake in the dentist’s office is quite normal from now on.

GBN1 was playing with my hair the other day when she announced, "Booboo, you have a hole in your hair." My reply, "That’s odd." Then in her very matter-of-fact voice GBN1 said, "No Booboo, that is just the way God made you."

On Sunday after church I was having a discussion with Ashley’s father. GBN1 came running up. He said hello to her. GBN1 threw a handful of leaves at him. I explained that GBN1 is going through an odd stage where she is not sure how to react to people. She wants to interact, but sometimes does it poorly.
Ashley’s Father: So this is her being nice?
Me: Actually, yes.

Rain and Gain

Here is a photo of Jes and Lindz and Reagan taken a few years ago, but very appropriate for the weather we are having now. It was called "Raining Girls."


Last week Buck sent me instructions on how to post a video. At the time, I did not really have a video to post, but Jesse did. Then I saw this video over at blog buddy, Kris's Journal. It is a great video, and I wanted to post it too. Several times this weekend I gave it my best shot, but my computer skills seem to be limited. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. Jesse did not have time to look at it and share her computer knowledge with me. I will keep trying to learn this new trick, but in the meantime, either go to Kris's blog and watch the video or try YouTube.


Weekend Report:
It has been raining in OK for a while now. The humidity has been something else. I gave up trying to straighten and fix my hair and have adopted the free and easy curls that are inevitable. One of the young ladies at church said that she liked my "beechy" hair. I like to think of it as "hippie hair." The temps on Friday were in the high 90's with high humidity. We took the GGs to WF to do some shopping. It was a wild day. We were looking for a new tent to do some camping with the girls, but we could not make a decision. The heat and humidity about did all of us in. We were planning on keeping the girls all night, but Crewcraw and Booboo were worn out as were the GGs. But the girls came back over on Sunday and had a nice Mother's Day lunch with us. It was a bit wet outside to romp and stomp on the ranch.


Saturday we went to the Arts for All Festival in Lawton. The temps were in the upper 60's - only in OK do they go from upper 90's one day to upper 60's the next. The humidity was still soaring. I saw my old art teacher at the festival showing his pottery. I had not seen him in several years - so it was fun to catch up. When I was in high school, Mr. K was not really much older than I was, but I did not understand that at the time. My senior year I decided to take art, but the school decided to go to a tri-semester that year. They roped the German teacher into teaching art. Rather than getting the veteran art teachers, I got the only art class that the German teacher taught. She could not keep up with me. Mr. K recognized my abilities and got me out of her class when he could. He taught me to throw pots on a kick wheel. He taught me to mat and frame my art. He was the kind of teacher who stepped out of the box and helped the students. Over the years, our paths have crossed several times, and he is still ready and willing to help others with their art. I owe him lots.

We also attended a home school graduation. There were six kids graduating. These graduation ceremonies are very personal with parents speaking to their child as they give out the diplomas. One of my art students graduated and gave me a rose as an acknowledgement and thank you for teaching art. It is nice to be recognized - it is an encouragement.


As I said earlier, the GGs came for lunch. Bo and Sara gave me a sink for Mother's Day. A sink!? Yep, it is a beautiful Mexican-style painted sink for my new house. It was a perfect gift for me. I love the bright colors, and it will be perfect for my future house. Jesse gave me a gift certificate to Regal Nails - another perfect gift. You know how I love to have my nails done - no pain - no gain.

It has rained off and on the whole weekend, and it is raining right now. The pond is full and the ground is soaked. All of that is good, but I may need these soon.

First Game

Softball season has started, and Jesse is playing again this summer. Last night was her first game. Toby and I rode our bikes into town to see the game, and Jesse brought us home in the truck. It was about a 16 mile ride. My face was beet red and my bottom was sore when we got there. Fortunately the game was a good one. Jesse played hind-catcher. Since it is a co-ed team, the rules are very strange. Most of the time girls play behind home plate, because there is not any base stealing and little pressure on the catcher. Jesse has improved over the years, but she is still not a power player. Last night's game was close with both teams pretty equal. It came down to the last inning with the other team up to bat. There were two outs and two people on base - if they scored, Jesse's team would lose. About that time the batter popped up a foul close to the backstop. Jesse ran over and stuck her glove up. Her face was to the crowd, and we got a perfect close-up to the play. The ball landed in her glove, and her face was one of awe and surprise. The game was over, and her team won! Her team really teased her about catching the foul and winning the game.

We have the GGs today - all day!

Discoveries

The sun shone yesterday - the first time in several days of dreary rain. The rain, thunder and lightning have been incredible at times. Good news: The pond is full and overflowing and things are green. Bad news: My new Internet went down for a whole day due to weather.
I met with my art ladies yesterday, and we had a great time painting. I am kind of awed at these new friendships. None of these ladies are someone that I would have thought I would enjoy so much. When I first met Glenna, I thought she was one sharp lady and very personable. Jean is a little older, but after being on the Art Guild Board with her, I learned that she had a great sense of humor and was humble compared to the other egos at the AG. Barb is just so very different being from California via Tulsa and now new to Duncan. She makes all of our painting sessions interesting. It may be the art that brings us together, but it is actually our differences that hold us. For me, I just find them so darn interesting and fun. Here is what we painted yesterday. We set up fresh cut flowers from Jean’s yard, which is amazing with its flowers and herbs – we have drank all sorts of herbal tea fresh from her garden. Glenna took lots of time to set up the scene and light – something I would have thrown together and called it good, but Glenna is more of a perfectionist. Barb put in her two cents on the flowers and arrangement and kept us entertained with her fresh outlook – maybe it is because at 50+ years old, she is a newly wed and has a new lease on life. Notice the differences in our paintings.

Of course we all chat throughout our painting session. I’d share what all we talk about, but then I’d have to kill you. No, I learned a long time ago that what goes on the road stays on the road, or in this case, what we say when we paint, stays on the canvas. You know me, I have always been amazed at people and their ways. Yesterday, we reached a new level of sharing personal information as if we are getting easier with each other – kind of freaks me out. Here is an example that I will share: we were discussing attending an art workshop in Dallas next fall. It is a five-day workshop at a reasonable price, but we would have to stay in a hotel. When I said we could share a room, two of the ladies said, "No way." Then I said that we could get two rooms and each have our own bed. I still got the "No way"from the same two ladies. Two of these ladies would rather not share a room much less a bed – interesting. Barb and I were the two that thought sharing a room would be fgreat fun and a bed if necessary – interesting. I love discovering such things about each other. And now we will use that info to tease the heck out of each other.

Sometimes while we discuss our children and husbands, I am reminded at how different Toby and I raised our children. During these conversations I find myself holding back my thoughts because I am the odd man out in this case. I don’t begrudge anyone the way they raised their kids. Raising children is tough. We all do what we think is best for our children. Those differences are what make the world what it is.

The Family

My friend, Barb, loaned me Mario Puzo’s "The Family" on cassette tapes. It was the first time I had ever listened to a book on tapes. It was convenient while driving to town or to WF to pop in a tape and listen to the story, but I think I would prefer to have the book in my hands. I wouldn’t mind having one of those Kinder Books, but I could potentially spend way too much money on something like that.

As for the story itself, "The Family" was very interesting. Apparently Puzo was fascinated by the Borgias and did quite a bit of research throughout his life on the family, but died before publishing his findings. Puzo considered Pope Alexander VI the first don and used much of the Pope’s story in his Mafia stories. I was pretty caught up in the story of the Borgias Family myself. Years ago when I read Samuel Shellabarger’s "Prince of Foxes," I was introduced to the Borgia family and was intrigued at that time. Although I had read of the corruption in the Catholic Church, it was the first that I had heard of a Pope having children. In "Prince of Foxes" Shellabarger had a character who was hired to see that the marriage of Pope Alexander’s daughter, Lucrezia, went through to the Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. While in Italy (about 8 years ago) we visited the Caslte d’Este in Ferrara – it was fascinating, but we had not read "Prince of Foxes" at that time. Someday I would like to go back to Ferrara and see the castle again with new eyes and a bigger imagination. In fact after ready/hearing both books, there is lots I would like to go back to see in Italy. Plus, I need a new purse. Here is a postcard of the Castlello Estense and a photo of Bo and Jesse on the balcony/wall of the castle.

Weekend Report

Saturday was raining and dreary. I got lots done around the house while Toby had to do some work at H. I managed to squeeze the Kentucky Derby into my busy day. It was a horse race for sure! Something you may not know is that Toby’s dad raised racehorses back in the 60’s and early 70’s. He did most of his racing at Ruidosa and Sunland Park and the brush track in Lubbock. Toby grew up going to the racetrack and knows a lot about racing and horses. While living in NM, we often went to the races at Raton, Santa Fe or Alb. Toby’s grandparents had a cabin in Ruidosa. It was fun to go see them and go to the races there. I’m not a big gambler, but I do like to try and pick a horse and put a small bet on the race. Toby was better at the big bets like trifectas, exactas, and such. Our favorite place to see the horses was the NM State Fair in September. We could take the kids around to the exhibits in the morning, hit the races for lunch and most of the afternoon, and then head to the midway for lots of rides and carnival games. It was good quality time as a family. Here is a photo of the family at the NM State Fair in Sept of 1986. Notice the stuffed animals won on the midway. Here are the kids riding the bumper boats.
Shay and Lindz came over on Sunday after church. Lindz and Jesse had some quality time together while Shay worked on our computers. We got quality time with Shay, too, and it was a fun afternoon. And our computers are up and working again.

Jesse and I took the GGs to lunch after church – popcorn chicken and curly fries at the local greasy spoon. Bo and Sara joined us eventually (Sunday was their 6th wedding anniversary), as did Shay and Lindz and lots of other folk from the fellowship. It was kind of like a party at SpeedyG’s. The GGs were in entertainment mode. They kept us on our toes and laughing. GBN2 picked up a lemon slice and started eating it. Every once in a while, she would take a bite of lemon and shiver from her head to her toes – very entertaining if you are easily entertained as we are.

Still Experiencing Problems - All Is Good

Although I am alive and kicking, I am still having computer problems. In a way, it has been good for me to be away from the computer for a while. Thursday I went to Sulphur, OK. My friend, Naomi, had some art work in a gallery there. Naomi is deaf, but she is an amazingly outgoing, talented woman. Her paintings were very nice. I took some photos of her work, but since I am on Jesse’s laptop right now, I will not post them today. The computer issues are with my desktop and my laptop. I enjoyed my time with Naomi. Talking and signing with her is like a mind workout - it is mentally and physically exhausting, but makes you feel great.

Thursday afternoon, I drove to WF to meet my sister at Mom’s house. The plan was just to enjoy some visiting and to do my sister’s hair. We also did Mom’s hair and let my little brother join us for lunch on Friday. It was a good visit with my sister and Mom. Pete was good too. We managed to squeeze in some shopping. I bought a few things at Hobby Lobby – you know how I love art supplies. I drove home Friday afternoon and picked up Toby who had been in Houston for a few day – work related. Jesse came home and I thought the three of us would have a nice quiet evening together. But Jes decided to go play volleyball. Today she has gone to a Renaissance Fair with friends. I sure am glad she has all of this free time now that the play is over.

Toby had to do some work at H this morning – accountant end of the month stuff. He has been very good to try and solve my computer problems, but he has also been very busy with work. So I have been cleaning house, doing laundry, and reading my new book since I finished one yesterday. It is good to be away from the puter.