Bliss

I Was Thinking

2012-01-26T18:53:00.001-06:00

Back in about 1985, I remember thinking that when the year turned to 2000, I'd be 38 years old. I also remember thinking that 38 was, like, ancient.

I also remember thinking that in 2012 I'd turn 50 and O. M. G. I'd probably be headed to the nursing home. Or in an alternate vision I'd be a lottery winner.

You know what?

It's 2012.

I've got about three more days of being a youthful 49 and then I'll be an even younger 50.

And that right there is my new motto.

Pigs on Stage

2012-01-16T19:22:00.001-06:00

Or in the show ring, as the case may be.

It was the hottest thing going in Mooreland this last Saturday. Actually, being somewhat familiar with Mooreland, it might have been "Event of the Month".

I learned a few things while I was there.

First of all, if you are a Dad of a pig-shower, the must-have fashion accessory is a large orange super-duty spray bottle. You know, in case your kid's pig need a quick hairstylin' before entering the show ring. (I did not see anyone using them on the kid's hair, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.)

Here is an example of the Dad styling the pig's hair.

Once the pig looks like it has spent hours in a salon, and the Dad is satisfied and admiring his pig.....

....the pig, accompanied by the kid, heads into the show ring.

Meanwhile, the Dad surveys the situation over in the "Dads with Orange Bottles" section.

At times, the Dad also watches his nephew show a pig. A white pig with a tattoo on its, uh, ham.

In some instances, it's fairly easy to identify a pig's owner, because the kid and the owner resemble each other. See if you can tell who owns the pig in the photo below:

Hint: the eyeglasses ......

Also in that picture is the judge.

Now, not being completely certain what qualifies one to judge pigs, I can't tell you if he was a good judge or a bad judge. We didn't win, so I'm leaning toward bad.

Also, if you liked bacon better than ham, or pork chops better than pork roast, would that influence your decision?

But I digress.

I leave you with photos of the next in line to show a pig or five. At this particular show, she just did some cheerleading. (Go piggies, go piggies!)

And manipulated her Godmother. She has that down pat.

Get a Kick Out of This....

2012-01-14T07:21:00.001-06:00

One of the funniest blogs I've ran across in a while is this one:

Sober in a Nightclub

Fair warning: some of the stuff on there is not safe for work, some is downright filthy, and some of it, well, maybe it's only me that finds it funny. Like this:

Or this:

Or maybe even this:

Speaking of Facebook, that's where I first ran across this blog, somehow. And then the other day, I deactivated my Facebook account. Tired of the drivel. Actually my friend Kim said it best - that it's easy to start disliking someone just because of what they post on Facebook. Oh how true! I have found myself in disbelief at times wondering why in the world someone would think the world is interested in hearing, or even worse, seeing!!! what should be a private, personal matter.

Especially the younger set, you know, 30 and under... I personally know of one person who lost the chance for a promotion at their place of employment just because of what they found necessary to share on their "wall", not that it was too risqué but that it just indicated that they had a bad case of poor judgment. Funny stuff I can stand, idiocy, well, apparently not so much.

Anywho, back to the blog I started out yapping about here, if you're offended by the funniness, remember it's not on my damn wall and I'm not forcing you to read it. Hahaha!

The Very Best News of 2012, So Far

2012-01-13T18:57:00.001-06:00

The Brother is Back!

Aerobics

2012-01-12T21:37:00.001-06:00

Step, ball, change.

Well, That's Interesting.

2012-01-09T20:14:00.001-06:00

I was looking at a website today that advertises jobs that are available at a fabulous local university. Not to name names, but they drive around in a little wagon pulled by two little horses down on that there campus.

I'm not looking for a new job, or even another job. Already have two and one is new so I'm okay in the work department, and anyway, I wouldn't qualify for this one in any way imaginable.

If you can't see that job title....

Hahahahaha! I really don't even know what to say....

Uh, what is a Norman African?

Through the Calm and Through the Storm

2012-01-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

Last May, my cousins Cari and Dean lived in a nice home in the country.

But then, a mighty wind blew by.

(Don't get out, Chad. Chad. Chad.) (Holy S71t!!!) (Keep going!) (Stop!) (Keep Going!) (Stop!)
(I think Chad probably had a wardrobe malfunction of sorts somewhere in there.....)

Prayers went up.....

And prayers were answered.

And even when caught in the storms of this life, know that He is near.

(Cari and The Dean got to spend the holidays in this new home with their family, built in the same location). And the new house is complete with a little watchdog on the sidewalk!

It's 2012!

2012-01-01T06:30:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

And Then There Was One, Again

2011-12-31T17:45:00.001-06:00

On the Tuesday before Christmas, I had to give Madge away.

Giving up a pet you love is not the easiest thing in the world, but I felt like I'd ran out of options. it doesn't do a darned thing to lessen the guilt that I felt, and still feel when I think of it, when I left her.

I couldn't leave her outside because she dug up the entire yard (and I'm only exaggerating a tiny bit) AND she bit the neighbor's dog, through the chain link fence. The neighbors were, rightly so, afraid of her.

I had a doggie door installed. She ate it.

I checked into K-9 College. It started at $85 a day. That's pretty much out of my price range.

The last straw? She tore a hole clear through the sofa, and destroyed a nice living room chair, shredded an expensive rug. In one day.

I tried to get her into a shelter here that is a no-kill, but they don't take unwanted pets. Not sure what they do take, but again, didn't find the answer.

Finally I called my vet and explained the situation. I didn't know of anyone who would take her, and I was uncomfortable with giving her to anyone because of her aggressiveness.

So, I took her in to the vet, and they agreed to try to find her a home. I hope they have or will; at the very least, I hope they tell me they did, because that is what I an going to believe. I have to believe that.

I also hope that the vet will let me come back, because I sorta, well, I DID kind of sniffle and sob when I left her.

So now, it's just me and the Chloe again. It doesn't seem to me that she has missed Madge one bit. Which oughta tell me something.

Bless your heart, Madge.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T19:46:00.001-06:00

Gee, me, what did you do on Christmas Eve?

That's been me, all day. I really get into these holidays, let me tell ya!

Well, I did, for some reason, get to looking at some "images of vintage Christmas cards".....

Those kids walking down that road, a little creepy somehow...

Hmmmm.

Double hmmmm.

Funny how it's not okay to say Merry Christmas in some circles, but it is okay to say Happy Holidays.

It's funny because - would there be a holiday on December 25 if it weren't for CHRISTmas? Just sayin'.

May your Christmas be merry and bright, and may all your prayers be answered.

Love to all~~

Staci

A-Wreath-A

2011-12-10T20:47:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I saw a "Wreath-Making Class" advertised for today at the OKC Zoo. For a $25 fee/donation you got all the "makin's" of a Christmas-style wreath for your home, and all of the greenery would come from the botanical gardens and native plants on the zoo grounds. I thought that sounded pretty peachy, so I talked my friend Kim into going with me, and signed us up.

It was so much more than I expected! There were about 15 people there; everybody got a big grapevine wreath and there were all kinds of greenery, pine cones, berries... everything a person could want was already prepared. I also have to mention that there was even a man or two there... and I think that's pretty cool.

It was interesting that everyone had the same materials, but the finished wreaths were all so different from one another. The first photo is the one I made; the second photo is Kim's. Some of the other wreaths had a lot of bling!!!!! while others were plain greenery.

I'm already planning what I want to make next year. Heh!

Poor Doggie

2011-12-10T06:17:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Christmas Song

2011-12-05T19:33:00.001-06:00

Heh. Heh.

yadda yadda

2011-12-04T20:02:00.001-06:00

Just take a look at the orange Okies and the crimson Okies on the Facebook, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Oh Joy

2011-12-04T11:12:00.001-06:00

Let's begin with a little game.

That's a much much MUCH better game than the one I tried to watch on the tube last night. I was TRYING to watch it, but Good Lord, it was just too hard to see through my hands over my eyes.

Good luck to the Pokes if they are the team chosen to play Andy's beloved Tiggers. They will need it. And I'm not just saying that because I'm not a Pokey Fan. They really will need it. OSU fans are in for a, shall we say, rough awakening.

So, can you find the 8 differences?

Boomer to the Sooner! Have a great Sunday out there!

I'm gonna go try to fix four flat tires on a schooner.

Before Bedlam

2011-12-03T14:24:00.001-06:00

Gotta take a nap.

A Few Things I Like

2011-12-02T19:40:00.001-06:00

Howdy! Howdy!

2011-11-28T18:39:00.001-06:00

YouTube Video

That's how I'm greeted every night when I get home.

It's pretty nice to be so important!

Or, to be so the one who feeds her.....

I Wonder Where She Thinks She's Going

2011-11-24T18:51:00.001-06:00

Dog Owners: How do you stop a dog from digging holes?

I do believe that Madge thinks that a pirate buried his loot in the backyard and she's just the girl to find it.

Let's see. There are two good-sized holes over by a tree. And two right next to the concrete patio - one of which she dug so deep and narrow that I swore she was installing buried cable. I've scolded her, swatted her behind with a broom.... And it's like she forgets after a few days and is back on a treasure hunt.

Tonight, right after I finished vacuuming up enough dog hair to knit a sweater, she came in the house with the evidence (dirt) all over her face - and knew she was gonna be in trouble because she went straight to the "time-out rug", where she always goes when she needs to hide out and rest up from prospecting.

I thought she might outgrow this digging thing but I'm starting to wonder.....

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'All

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

Be merry.

A Day in the Life...

2011-11-23T22:19:00.001-06:00

Sunday: In preparation for going to a Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house, I get online and order a relish tray thing-a-ma-jig from the local Homeland. I ask for it to be ready for pickup today by 6 p.m. I'm charged about $33 for the damned thing.

Today, 6 p.m.: I swing by Homeland to pick up said relish tray.

Woman at the deli gets a funny look on her face when I ask for it. She heads to the "behind closed doors" part of the deli and then comes out and asks the other deli-woman to join her in the back. Then they both come out and say they can't find it. First woman tries to find order. Second woman keeps telling me that they're trying to get ahold of deli-manager. First woman says they never received order. I ask to see store manager. Store manager can't find order unless I can tell her exactly how much I was charged. (really? You search by $ amount?)

Head manager arrives. He says it's not a problem with being unable to find the order....it's that they gave it to someone else, and charged me for it. He finally agrees to refund my money.

I know damned well those two chicks in the deli knew exactly what they did from the very beginning. And chose to tell a big fat lie to try to cover it up. And then the manager woman tried to help them do it.

So, I'm going to have to go to the walmartian later and buy the stuff and make a dang relish tray. I. Swear.

9 p.m.: I go to walmartian to get the stuff. Naturally, I don't own any kind of relish tray/dish, so I've got to get one of those too. And naturally, they don't have any so I kinda have to design one from what they do have.

I get some grape tomatoes and green onions (keep those onions in mind, they'll be important later) and head to the pickles and olives. Pickles, check. Banana peppers, check. Another kind of pickles, check. Black olives? There's not a can, jar, not a SINGLE black olive to be found. I finally settle on some other kind (they're sort of red) because I don't like green ones, and head to the checkout.

So.

The checker is some Asian kid whose hair is about 8 inches long and combed straight down over his eyes. He is snorting and sniffling and coughing like the plague might have arrived on Garth Brooks Boulevard, and proceeds to throw (literally) all the breakable dishes in one sack. Then he puts 5 glass jars of stuff in another. I'm duly impressed.

Then, last thing, he tries to ring up those DAMNED ONIONS. He can't get them to scan and I don't think he could see to type in the barcode (might of been the hair, might if been the teary plague eyes) and so he just stands there. After I just stand there staring at him for what seems like a decade he finally says he'll call for help. I say I'll pay him 3 bucks for them if he will just ring them up as I'd like to get out of there. He says, oh no, I have to know the price. And then he says "do you know how much they are?"

I should have said 3 dollars, but by this time I am simply finding this whole evening a bit too challenging so I just stare at him.

Of course, whoever he has called for help doesn't show up. I tell the guy I'll just pass on the onions.

He finally gives me the total, and then when he tries to tear my receipt out if the register, he tears it completely in half. And hahahaha he finds that SO funny he stands there holding it, trying to fit the pieces together. I reach over and take the two pieces of the receipt from his little paw and get the hell out of there.

Those pickles better be good.

I have another thing to be thankful for. I am thankful that I wasn't armed. :)

Let's Go to a Bowl Game!

2011-11-20T16:48:00.001-06:00

My friend Mildred and I were discussing the chances that the beloved Sooners might actually be invited to a bowl game after two fascinating losses in a season where it seems nothing can go right (come on, Sooners, ever heard of a SECONDARY on the defensive side?). No you haven't? Ah ha! That explains quite a bit. Injuries might explain even more but really, no excuses is probably the way to go.

Anywho. Possible bowl invites will likely include:

The Rutabaga Bowl held in Green Acres, USA.

The Boot Hill Bowl held in Dodge City, Kansas.

The Mashed Potato Bowl at KFC.

The Bullpoop Bowl held at your favorite local feedlot. We're going with the one on Highway 64 between Alva and Buffalo, of which my Dad always said the aroma smelled like money.

The Toilet Bowl held in Stoolwater.

The No. 6 Bumper Lane Bowl held at Ramy's Bowling Alley on Oklahoma Boulevard.

I can tell you that I like this much: At least there won't be any more sportscasters in my lifetime that will be able to say, over and over AND OVER!!! that OU has never lost to Baylor on the football field.

Oh, silver lining!

There's always something to be grateful for if you look hard enough.

You all have a great Monday, ya hear?

More Than Bedlam

2011-11-19T09:52:00.001-06:00

Ba ha ha ha

2011-11-15T20:38:00.001-06:00

Rattle. Roll.

2011-11-06T08:15:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I watched a whole lot of football. Only one of the games turned out how I wanted it to and I bet you can guess which one, so I'm not even going into that right now.

So after the boys from the Flint Hills and the Large Elephant let me down, I decided to sleep off my bitterness and went to bed. Pouting.

A few minutes later I was back up because the whole house was shaking. And I don't mean just a little - the pictures on the wall were moving around, dishes rattling, dogs hiding... I'll admit right here it darned near scared me to death! My heart was racing so fast I was getting aerobic exercise just sitting on the edge of the bed!

We've been having little earthquakes in the area for months, and I'd felt a few of them before - but they were more like sonic booms. Just a BANG! and then over. This one, though, went on for what was probably 10 seconds but felt like 10 years. According to the news it measured 5.2. Big enough, I have to say. BIG ENOUGH! (are you hearing me, earth??)

Now, we Okies are tornado experts but not shaky-ground geniuses. I think everyone around here could tell you what mesocyclone, EF-5, and wall cloud means, but most of us don't have a clue about earthquakes. I've always thought that aftershocks were smaller than the main quake. We had already had a 4.something-or-other yesterday morning. So I wonder.... Is the biggun still on it's way?

I hope not or I'm gonna have to get a pacemaker.

Let's Go Camping

2011-10-22T18:39:00.001-05:00

I have had this dream (pipe dream probably) for a long while that one day I would like to have a camper of some sort. Not one of these:

Although I could probably live with that. Wouldn't be able to afford to put fuel in it, but I could live with it.

Nope, the campers that interest me are like this:

And this:

I like those wings. Heh. Shasta!

This one isn't bad either.

I believe that's called a Wa-Wa. It's made completely of wood-wood.

Then there's this one. I heart it.

I would live in that one all the time. And have a lot less junk, because I would have to.

It's made of wood-wood too, obviously.

So, y'all.

I was driving through the Lexington metro (that'd be Lexington, OK - and if it's considered a metro then so is Gotebo) and I spotted this.

Oh all that is holy!

Is that a hoot or what?

It looks like something for circus animals. I think the pups would dig it.

But here's the thing.

Look closely. It has a TV antenna. W. T. H. !!! Did the tiger have to watch Magnum PI between tiger shows? (I bring that up because I'd already watched 3 episodes of a young Tom Selleck in extremely tight short shorts by 9 a.m. this morning.)

My life. Don't let it thrill you.

Found Items

2011-10-14T19:10:00.001-05:00

Once in a while I visit Etsy.com and take a peak at what's out there in the "vintage" category.

Some of the things they call vintage would be better described as "bad fashion from the 70's". Some other things they call vintage are not nearly as old as yours truly, which is NOT APPRECIATED!!! (Truth is not necessarily necessary if you smell what I'm steppin' in).

But! I found this little jewel of a thing the other day and snatched it up. It arrived today. How cool is this?

I've always got my eye out for odd little Oklahoma things and this fit the bill exactly. I think it must have been intended to be hung on a wall - there's a place to tie a ribbon thru it - but I haven't decided yet what to do with it. Its ceramic, about 4x4 inches - so it will probably just sit around on the coffee table and make me happy.

It was sent to me by a seller from the east coast. She said she was glad it was going home. And it is.

Air Swimmers

2011-10-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Day

2011-10-09T17:16:00.001-05:00

And STILL RAINING!!! as I took the picture, a few minutes ago.

Yeah!

2011-10-08T10:27:00.001-05:00

That's what I'm talkin' about.

*Nowater, Oklahoma

2011-10-04T18:36:00.001-05:00

*Not to be confused with Nowata, which really is a town. Nowater, on the other hand, isn't. Yet.

I'd heard that Lake Overholser was dry, but I really had no idea - until the news started talking about things that were appearing on the dry lake bed. Including a car that had been there for a very long time, barrels, and very large unidentified pieces of junk. How does all that stuff get there? It's a mystery.

Anyway, I took a few pictures the other day. Keep in mind that this lake is one of the 'suppliers' of the water for OKC..... And I'd be willing to bet the other two, plus the North Canadian River, are similarly parched.

That tiny sliver of silver/blue way out there is the water line.

I feel thirsty all of a sudden.

Candy Apples

2011-10-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

A while back I ran across a book for the Kindle that looked interesting, so I threw down a few dollars and got it. I don't know....there was just something about the title.....

"The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life".

The book was written by an author named Laurie Notaro, who is described as a "Phoenix newspaper journalist who entertains readers with her wildly amusing autobiographical exploits and unique life experiences."

My land, this world and the next, my, my, I have almost laughed myself to death at some of her stories. All the way to the point that the pups moved far away from me and looked at me out of the corners of their eyes, just in case I was having a stroke or something. After all, I am the great hunter, the food-gatherer, and whatever would they do if I were to not supply them with food and treats upon their command.

So, here's an excerpt from one tale (The Candy Apple Freak Show) that I found especially amusing.

The Candy Apple Incident happened a few months ago when I was shopping and ran into a candy factory. There, in the window, was a shiny green apple wrapped in caramel and then rolled in Oreo cookie bits. It couldn't have been more perfect if my name had been written on it in white chocolate. It was mine, though I decided not to eat it until I got home, so I could savor its beauty in private, where that kind of love belongs.

Heading back to the freeway, I spotted a branch of my bank and decided to deposit a check I had in my purse, so I pulled into the packed drive-thru line and waited. As I was waiting, I looked at the candy apple glistening on the passenger seat. I picked it up by the top of the bag, turned it all the way around, looking at it, admiring it, then tore the cellophane bag off like an animal and sunk my big buck front teeth into it.

And then couldn't get them back out. You see, I had not prepared my toothy lunge with the correct leverage and had plunged my fangs into something of an apple abyss with no way to get them out.

They were stuck.

"Ehhh! Ehhh!" I grunted as I tussled with the apple, trying to pull it down, but not with too much force because my gums bleed already, and I was afraid that instead of ripping my teeth out of the apple, I'd rip my teeth out of my gums instead.

"EH MEH GAAA!" I cried (transforms without the candy apple lodged in my mouth: "Oh my God!") as I struggled, wiggling the candy apple stick to no avail. Then I had an idea. I opened up my jaw as wide as I could, figuring that if I could bite into the apple with my lower teeth, I could scrape up the inside of the apple and free my tusks that way.

I bit in. Hard. As soon as I did, however, I realized I had made a serious mistake when a wave of pain hit me and I understood that I had just pulled a big, fat, uncooperative muscle in both my face and neck and I was temporarily paralyzed.

"AHHHH! AHHHH!" I screamed in agony as I put my foot on the brake and clawed at the apple with both hands. As I wrestled with it, a massive chunk of the apple finally flew off and freed me, but the chunk was so large it wouldn't even fit in my mouth. I tried to chew it as apple juice streamed down my chin, as little bits fell from my chops, and that was when I looked over and found a mother-and-son team staring at me from their white Econoline van in the next lane, their jaws completely dropped in stupor.

What could I do? I just kept chewing and waved.

I adjusted the rearview mirror so I could wipe the juice off, and that's when I saw myself. Smears of cookie crumbs, apple juice, and caramel were all over my face, on my chin, on my nose, on my neck. One smudge almost went all the way to my ear. As I tried to wipe it off with the cellophane bag, I noticed the people in the van again, but this time they were laughing at me. The mom reached up and wiped her eyes.

Is it any wonder that her friends call her "Lockjaw" later in the story? Or that one of them remarked that "Sometimes I think if a caseworker from social services evaluated you, you could totally qualify for disability."

"Really?" she replies, trying hard not to get her hopes up......

It's the season for candy apples. Ehh Meh Gaaa!

Tall Drinks of Water

2011-09-27T07:37:00.001-05:00

One of my cousin's boys, Josh, got married last weekend in San Antonio. LUCKILY the newlyweds will live in ~~Oklahoma~~ God's Country and so we won't have to worry a whole bunch about any traitorous actions like becoming Aggie or Longhorn fans.

I have stolen this picture from the wedding.

The guy who is follicaly-challenged (ahem), to the left of the bride, is my cousin, Ken. He's not a short guy, even though he appears to be in the photo.

Now, for the life of me, I can't remember which of his sons is the oldest - might be Josh - might not be, but there's Jonathan, Joah, Jeff, and the groom. The lovely bride is Kathryn.

Those are some tall handsome dudes, aren't they?

Congratulations, Josh and Kathryn - may all your years ahead be happy!

The Big XII XI X IX Whatever Conference

2011-09-22T19:00:00.001-05:00

So, David Boren is having a press conference right now to announce that the conference isn't disbanding. The commissioner 'thoughtfully' resigned (read: was run out of town on a rail) and we will now look for some new teams/schools to join up. Maybe we should get rid of another one and just go back to being the Big 8. Or maybe we can just play a game and not worry about it, yes?

In other OU news, Bob Stoops got a raise - if I remember correctly without looking, 4 million smacks a year through 2018, a yearly bonus for every year he's here, other incentives like athletes' grades, conference championships, the elusive national championship, and who knows what else. I told my sister that he was probably going to get a bonus if he uses his turn signal while driving.

She believes that he should. Not that she's a Sooner fan or anything.

Ouch

2011-09-18T07:33:00.001-05:00

That game was kind of like 'I went to a fight and saw a football game' but I'll take the check in the win column however it happens. Boomer Sooner!

As a side note, our new play-caller Mr. Heupel needs to forget he ever knew the previous one and I do mean right now. One call was so bad that the electricity in my house went off to save me from having to watch! Oh wait, maybe that was the thunderstorm, I'm not sure....

Speaking of thunderstorms, over the last 3 days the rain gauge shows just a little over an inch. This is the first time that Madge has ever had the chance to experience rain and thunder and it practically scared her to death. But then again, she is afraid of the dark, the yardlight, dogs barking on TV, new people... Scaredy-cat.

I don't know if that's something that she'll grow out of or not. Maybe she's just not a social butterfly.

Chloe? She's just constantly asking for divine guidance.

And a Lot of It!

2011-09-11T06:20:00.001-05:00

It's early, it's Sunday, and the dogs are already performing their own version of Rumble in the Jungle.

This requires much coffee.

W..T..H..

2011-09-10T15:15:00.001-05:00

I did not realize until today, while watching the Memorial Service and Dedication for Flight 93, that the memorial at that site is not finished. 10 million dollars is still needed to finish it. They are trying to raise the money via donation.

What????

I simply do not understand this. We (as a country) throw billions of dollars to causes and countries that not only don't appreciate it, but seemingly grow more resentful of us every time they accept our handout. We build bridges and sidewalks to nowhere, yet we haven't finished that memorial?

I am disgusted and writing my congressman!

The passengers on that plane were the first in a long line of heroes on that day and in the days since. The Flight 93 memorial should have been finished years ago and YES with taxpayer money if necessary. I'd much rather my tax dollar go to that than to all these nanny programs that are draining (have drained) us dry.

Here and There

2011-09-07T15:51:00.001-05:00

For some reason, I've found this article's title to be rather entertaining.

"In the Land"? Really? It sounds sort of super-hero-ish. I guess I was expecting "In the Nation" but not IN THE LAND!!!!1!! You gotta say it with a big, boomer-ing voice to appreciate it.

~~~

I went out to lunch with a co-worker today. We went all the way across Oklahoma City because she wanted to go to Ann's Chicken Fry House.

Here's the thing about the Chicken Fry. The food is pretty good, especially if you like just about everything covered in cream gravy. The prices are fairly reasonable, compared to, say, Bricktown. And they have Frito chili pie (without the gravy) which makes me very happy.

Me loves Frito chili pie.

Anyway, what I like best about the place is the decor. It is chock full of useless stuff like Halloween masks from the 1960's. Which are really sort of creepy, come to think of it.

I'm certain that rabbit one that the kid on the right is wearing is in there. It was looking straight at me today. Straight. At. Me.

But anyway, my point of this story is that my friend drove us to the Chicken Fry. To get into the parking lot, you have to go about 1/2 a block west and then turn around and go back east. This is a 4-lane with a median (39th) and so she goes to the crossover and turns back toward the Fry. Thing is, she turns clear into the ditch on the side of the road and keeps on driving. Finally, I ask her where she's going, and she says "to the restaurant" like I've lost my mind.

So then I say, "IN THE DITCH?????" and it's like it dawns on her that she's not on the road. She yanks the wheel and we're back up on the street and we mosey on down to the Fry, where she nonchalantly acts as though nothing happened.

I told her I was gonna rat her out, and now I have.

Happy Wednesday!

Countdown

2011-09-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

At times I thought this day would never, ever come....

Eight!

Boomer!

The Crooner and the Movie Star

2011-09-02T15:33:00.004-05:00

Lou, you got Gibbs right. That picture of the guy in the Tux is indeed Barry.

The Bee Gees. I usually wouldn't call anyone a "crooner" but if a shoe ever fit, they are wearing the crooning shoes.

And the movie "stah"? And the professor and Mary Ann....

That'd be Ginger - irl Tina Louise. Hey! The lady was 73 years old when the bigger picture was taken so maybe she doesn't look all that bad....

And I guess nobody knows about "I Break With You, I Break With You, I Break With You". Way way back in the day, when Steve Martin was a comedian, he did a routine about how to break up with your significant other. Apparently, you walk up to them, say the "I Break With You" x3 line, and then throw dog poop on their shoes. If you feel a break-up coming on, might as well try it, I say.

EIGHT!!

BOOMER!!!

Happy Dance

2011-09-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

I'm doing one. That weatherman better not be pullin' our legs.

Who is This?

2011-09-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

Kinda freaked me out....

But not as bad as this one.

Well? Anybody care to take a guess?

That woman looks an awful lot like the Crypt Keeper, just sayin'.

Hint:

The guy in the tux is a crooner.

The woman, she was a movie "stah".

And the last dude, he keeps crypts.

You Dip

2011-08-31T13:32:00.000-05:00

Boo Mama is hosting her Diptacular 2011, just in time for football season. I've saved the post from the last time she hosted this, and made several of the dips (or talked somebody else into making them, heh heh) and lemme tell ya, you can't go wrong. Go check 'em out.

Andy - I saw this one on there - Louisiana Sin Dip - just for you Tigger fans. Le Smiles.

Slacker

2011-08-31T13:23:00.000-05:00

I've been one lately, when it comes to the bloggin'. Do you ever have those times when it feels as if your time is not your own? I'm havin' those times.

And I'm rather keyed up over the start of football season. I mean, how long have we fans been waiting? Years? Eons? Since the Jurassic Age?

I've never been so ready for anything in my life. Except maybe a day when it isn't 1,000 degrees. Of course, there is something to be said (but I don't know what it is) about a day when it's only 99 outside and you feel a chill.

So, I just read that Texas A&M has written their "I Break With You, I Break With You, I Break With You" (bragging rights to the first person who knows the comedian who said that) letter to the Big XII. It would be rather funny if another conference didn't ask them to join and they had to stick around or become an independent. Probably won't happen, but it would be funny.

What is it about these schools that get all mad and stomp their feet and run away because they don't get the best recruits and they don't win conference championships? Whinin' babies. Actually, I know babies that don't act like that when they don't get their way.

I know another thing too - I just reckon that every team in the Big XII is not going to feel bad about opening a can on the 12th Man, and I would expect some scores to be ran up pretty doggone high in the butt-kickin'.

As it should be.

Survivor Backyardia

2011-08-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

That plant is just about the only plant left alive in my yard after the summer from hell. Which apparently isn't over. I wish the devil would go back to Georgia and look for some souls to steal.

Chloe and Madge {Update}

2011-08-25T13:10:00.001-05:00

I am so entertained by these dogs.

As you can see, Miss Madgie Padgie is growing up fast. Chloe is 4 years old; Madge is 5 months old, and her legs are as long as Chloe's. They have totally different builds right now though - Chloe is stout/fluffy/chunky and Madge is skinny as a rail. Not that I really know how skinny a rail is, but it sounds good. The difference? Chloe has always been more than happy to eat anything that gets put in front of her. Madge is too spastic to eat. I think she is attention-deficit.

Chloe is a well-behaved dog who can be left alone in the house and she'll just get on the couch and snooze the day away. I'm hoping that Madge learns to be that way too. Madge apparently thinks "In your dreams!!"

I left both of them in the house the other day, with Madge out of her crate, while I ran to the store. When I got back, all the pillows on the sofa were on the floor, the kitchen-sink-rug was upside down and in the living room, and someone had been swimming in the water dish. I suppose I was only gone 20 minutes.

Neither of them acted like they had a thing to do with any of it. Innocent, I tell you!

I think they only let me in the house because they thought I might have went ~~hunting~~ shopping for chewy sticks. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they only let me live there because I'm the only one with a job and can buy their food. Otherwise they'd probably change the locks while I was gone.

Madge is in a "I'm scared of everything" phase. Speaking of the water dish, I tried to introduce them to a new one - one of those that have a reservoir so you don't have to fill it up every hour. Well, Madge was terrified of it - to the point she wouldn't even walk past it. We're back to using the old dish, obviously. Her biggest fear right now, though, seems to be male humans. Show Madge a man and she'll show you some growling and barking and ohnoineedtogetoutsiderightnowbecauseigottaGO!

Yes, Madge has freckles.

Chloe, on the other hand, is just taking this all in stride. At first she kind of let the pup run all over her, but lately she has demanded her rightful place as the queen of the rodeo.

I personally think she likes it when Madge has to go in the crate. I'm also very sure that she lays right outside the crate and antagonizes Madge every minute that I am gone. And then acts like she didn't when I get home.

Good Gravy! Only 10 Days!

2011-08-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

Until the foo-ball! I've only been waiting since January! And out of those days since January, there's been at least 50 that were over 100 degrees, 2 ice storms, 2 tornadoes, and an earthquake or two thrown in for good measure. And that's all right here in central Oklahoma.

I guess my point is that maybe football will put Mother Nature in a better mood. Or at least put yours truly in a better mood.

Now, this picture did not really improve my mood.

Why is my &*(%^&*%%( quarterback wearing a big ol' honkin' brace on his knee? Is he hurt? Is he afraid he's going to be hurt? I think he would look a whole lot tougher if he was throwing some passes while wearing flip-flops.

Now that would be a quarterback to be reckoned with.

That other guy in the picture is Kendal Thompson. His daddy used to be a big star at OU, until his "spectacular downfall".

Eight.

Boomer!

Hey, That Truck's on Fire

2011-08-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was on I-40 and saw red lights flashing. When I got closer, I saw what looked like a brand new big ol' Ford pickup truck, sitting in the ditch, with the engine and cab completely engulfed in flames. One cop car was there and a couple of people were standing around the pickup, so I guess everyone got out okay. It's one of those things where you don't really want to see it, but at the same time, you just can't look away. Kind of like what will happen if Bill Clinton really does appear on Dancing with the Stars. Watch and go blind.

Hey! There's a new link over on the right side of my blog - "Fancy Photos" - where I'm stashing all my latest "edited" (i.e., make better) pictures. Take a peek if you're interested.

And have a great Sunday! My agenda includes housecleaning, cleaning out a flower bed, and dog-wrangling. You?

Edit This

2011-08-16T11:42:00.002-05:00

I mentioned a while back that I got an I-Phone. It's not the newest model but I like it better than any cell phone I've ever had. And OHMYWORD I love the photo-editing apps..... I mean l-u-r-v-e those things. I've been playing with a few of the pics I took in Colorado.

That's a stream coming down the mountain next to a road that I believe is called Rat Creek. Maybe the stream itself is called Rat Creek, not sure. Didn't see any rats.....

That's a view of the valley in the same area.

That's my Uncle Jim and Max. Max is the best-behaved dog I have ever known. He is rather partial to his human dad.

The original photo was taken with the cell phone from a long distance and was incredibly blurry, so I used an app to change it to a pencil drawing. I is A AR-TEEST!

That one is also Colorado - but taken a couple of years ago up near Estes Park.

The last one is NOT Colorado. It was taken a while back near Lookout, Oklahoma. I just wanted to say that while the mountains are beautiful, and it's much more pleasant to breathe cool mountain air than the oven-roasted air we've had around here this summer, it's just hard to beat an Okie sunset.

Westward Ho, Part I

2011-08-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, I spent last week in Colorado - at a campground, in a cabin... but as most things go in my life, there was fun to be had in the traveling itself.

~~~

A couple of days before I left, my sister was in town and we went to lunch; I told her that I was going to leave a day early and go as far as Trinidad so I could do some grocery shopping before I got to the campground, rather than make the drive all in one day and lug a bunch of food all the way from the Okie Heat to the Colorado Cool. She said that there's a bee-yoo-ti-ful college at Trinidad, and then went right into telling me that Trinidad is the "Transgender Capitol of the World" or something like that. I thought at the time that knowing such a thing is sort of unusual for a farm gal from the far reaches of northwestern Oklahoma, but I just chalked it up to that thing called "Internet Access" and really didn't think that much more about it.

That is, until I arrived in Trinidad, got checked into my hotel, and then zipped across the interstate to the local Wallyworld.

Naturally, the first person I saw was the greeter.

The greeter was about 6'4 and sported a very-noticeable Adam's Apple. And said "Welcome to Wal*mart" in a voice that would rival Barry White's. And wore a soft flowing dress.

I had to run back to the hotel to call the sister.

~~~

The next morning, I headed on to South Fork and the Lonesome Dove campground (after going to ANOTHER Wally, a City Market, and a Jack's Market) because every time I'd get back in the car, I'd realize I forgot to get something important - like COFFEE. And PIE. (Okay, I didn't buy a pie, but pie sounds good right now so I thought I'd throw that in there.)

Finally, I arrived.

That's not a very good picture - but what you're looking at is the side of the mountain just to the north of where my cabin was. I have no real idea why the picture is so blurry except that my photography skills were non-existent at the moment I took this - not that they exist at all - but I can tell you this, though: the sky was every bit that blue.

~~~

To wrap up this first installment, I'd like to mention that it was around 45-50 degrees at night - and maybe up to 80-85 in the hottest part of the day.

If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye, I don't know what will.

Credit Where Credit Might Be Due

2011-08-13T21:42:00.001-05:00

A week ago, I left for Colorado for a week I'm Colorado. I was SO looking forward to the cooler temperature since, you know, Oklahoma has been so miserably hot that it's like Satan has changed his address to Okie City - and to some rain, since the last measurable wet stuff we've had around here was light years ago.

It had been raining just about every day in the South Fork area so I was all prepared to stand in a downpour until I was near ta' drowning.

So I arrive out there and it sprinkles a few times, but drowning just isn't on the menu.

But back here at home? It flippin' rained! Like over an inch! Doesn't sound like much but you know, ya gotta start somewhere.

So I guess this means it rains wherever I am not. You're welcome, Okies!

You can send your monetary thanks to my address.

Lots of photos and a story or three to follow in the next few days!

It's Quiz Time!

2011-08-05T17:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.selectsmart.com/president

Well?

I got a match with Santorum. I don't know a thing about that guy....maybe I should.

I think I will just pencil in 'Ideal Theoretical Candidate'.

30, Make That 29, DAYS!!

2011-08-04T07:23:00.000-05:00

Sooners - 1st Practice This Morning

I have never been so anxious for that first kickoff in my life! Finally, something to think about besides weather/lack of rain/hellonearth heat.

We're goin' for 8. Or 27, depending on how you count 'em.

It's So Hot....

2011-08-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

.... the dope crop is ru-in-t!! Oh noes!

What It All Means

2011-07-31T18:30:00.001-05:00

There is a statement in an article on News 9 that says that the state only has enough money to make it's next weekly Medicaid payment cycle. If the Feds don't send $ we have no contingency plan to keep it going.

I suppose this means that the State will use state monies targeted toward State agencies to make up the missing Federal funds. Hello, more furlough days.

At best, more furlough days. At worst, I don't even know. I have my own contingency plan but there's many of my co-workers who don't.

Thank you, Washington. I don't think I'll ever vote for another incumbent. A kindergarten class could do better, even without a nap.

Redneck

2011-07-30T16:58:00.001-05:00

I guess my neck is red, because I like these.

I'm serious! Seriously!

Burnin' Up The Road

2011-07-27T19:23:00.001-05:00

I've been running up and down the highway even more than usual this week; we're getting ready for our second 'survey' (read: audit) at my second job-gig that takes place this Friday and Saturday. Here's to hoping that goes well and by Saturday afternoon we are all happy campers.

It's funny, the things you run across while driving. This morning, I was headed down Hwy 152, going the speed limit, seatbelt on, just practicing my Girl Scout behavior (like ALWAYS) and this State trooper merges in right behind me. He gets about 2 feet from my bumper on his big motorcycle and then drops back....repeat...repeat and I'm thinking he's going to make me pull over on a minute even though I can't fathom why. Finally I get a chance to get in the other lane and he gets up beside me and gives me this crazy look with a matching face.

Then, a stunned look passes over him and he sort of nods, shoots me a Queen of England/Rodeo Queen hybrid wave and hits the gas. I think he thought I was someone he knew and was a little bit surprised to find me behind the wheel.

Then this evening I'm driving down my street and notice a wheelchair sitting at the end of one of my neighbors driveways. Now, I don't know these people well but I am fairly certain neither of them uses a fancy wheelchair, so I'm left to wonder if Grandma made her escape or what.

One last thing. I am sick of the debt ceiling hoopla. First of all, I have a sneaking suspicion that the debt problems we're in can't be fixed. Secondly, it's hard for me to wrap my head around billions and trillions of dollars. I usually think in, say, ones and fives of dollars. Sometimes tens of dollars and twenties of dollars if it's around payday.

War Dogs

2011-07-24T05:05:00.001-05:00

I found this piece on a blog I was reading the other day - and since then, I've been trying to figure out exactly what blog that was, and I apparently have some early-onset Old-Timers because I cannotforthelifeofme remember. Otherwise, I'd give credit where credit is due. I can tell you that the pictures are from Foreign Policy and from K-9 Storm.

When US President Obama visited Fort Campbell for a highly publicized but very private meeting with the commando team that killed Osama bin Laden, only one of the 81 members of the super-secret SEAL unit was identified by name: Cairo, the war dog. Cairo is a Belgian Malinois, similar to a German Shepherd but smaller and more compact.

German shepherds and Labrador retrievers are still used as war dogs by the military but the lighter, stubbier Malinois is considered better for the tandem parachute jumping and rappelling operations undertaken by SEAL teams.

Like their human counterparts, the dog SEALs are highly trained, highly skilled, highly motivated special OPs experts, able to perform extraordinary military missions by Sea, Air, and Land (thus the SEAL acronym). The dogs carry out a wide range of specialized duties for the military teams to which they are attached: with a sense of smell 40 times greater than a humans, the dogs are trained to detect and identify both explosive material and hostile or hiding humans.

Equipped with video cameras, the dogs also enter certain danger zones first, allowing their handlers to see whats ahead before humans follow. As mentioned, SEAL dogs are even trained parachutists, jumping either in tandem with their handlers, or solo, if the jump is into water.

When the seal team hit bin Laden's compound, Cairo was wearing super-strong, flexible body armour and outfitted with high-tech equipment that includes doggles (specially designed and fitted dog goggles with night-vision and infrared capability) that would even allow him to see human heat forms through concrete walls.

These are great stories (and photos):

War Dog

War Dog II

Foreign Policy also does a series called "War Dog of the Week". If you google it, and read the stories, have a big ol' box of tissue handy.

Test

2011-07-22T12:58:00.001-05:00

Strange Things Appear

2011-07-22T12:06:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when I returned to my desk after a meeting - (see, I really do work at work, even though not everyone believes it. Or, at least I go to meetings to talk about work while at work) - I found this sitting there:

I don't know if she is making a statement on my hairstyle but I like her (and the hairstyle too, heh). I think she needs a name and a purpose. Gotta work on that.

Hey! It's almost the weekend! Have a great one!

Madge and Chloe, Update #2

2011-07-22T05:40:00.000-05:00

Oh, she's so nice and cuddly.....

....when she's sleeping.

I always get this feeling that somebody's watching me. And then I see them.

It's a terrible thing to be the older "sees-ter" and eat your treat way too fast, and then realize that the irritating youngster still has hers, and you can't have it.

BUT!! You can lie really close to her and keep your eyes peeled, and maybe you can snatch it when she gets distracted.

What might distract Madge? Anything from a sonic boom to a fleeting thought.

If either happens, Chloe is on the job.

Chloe is so nice to pose for pictures.

Madge is a whole different kettle of fish.

I had to take this in the dark - with flash on - so she didn't know I was going to take it. Otherwise she'd have started acting all goofy.

Her legs are taller than her body is long. She's a danged jackrabbit.

That's Funny

2011-07-21T20:10:00.001-05:00

I found a funny little thing on this blogger today.

If you type "Osama" (as in, bin Laden) and run the spellchecker, it says its spelled wrong. Guess what the correct spelling is?

A Strange Thing Was Seen On The Way To The Office

2011-07-21T10:53:00.004-05:00

I was headed into work this morning, and very near the office, I saw that three OCPD cars had part of the road blocked, with lights flashing....this isn't that unusual in this part of town, so traffic just moves on as usual.

As I got closer, I noticed three police officers standing in the area where that giant sinkhole once was and they had their perpetrator in custody. There were two large muscle-men types, and one female cop. Luckily the suspect wasn't too much for them to handle and they didn't require any additional back-up to make their arrest.

I SoOOOooo wish I could have taken a picture, but I imagined that they would run over to my car and break my camera, or maybe my nose.

Who did they have under armed guard?

A miniature horse. On a leash.

Which is pretty odd - and even more so when you realize I'm on 36th and Martin Luther King.

Little guy reminded me of the "Days of Thunder". Thunder the horse, that is.

There Isn't Much More To Say.....

2011-07-18T07:08:00.004-05:00

Other than there have been way, WAY too many days of this heat. You know if it says 102 it means 110.

Funny of the Day

2011-07-17T21:07:00.001-05:00

I'm Tryin' This Out.

2011-07-15T16:31:00.001-05:00

Posting from iPhone.

Oh, Christina!

2011-07-14T14:26:00.005-05:00

Hey, I bet the Governor of your State doesn't have a daughter like the Governor of my State does. Nah nah nah!

Fallin's kid Christina was chosen as some magazine's "Girl of the Month" for August - and the video/photo shoot was done at the Governor's mansion. From what I've read, unbeknownst to the Governor. Good God, I bet she's proud. :)

The girl just got married a few weeks ago too..... in Ireland....

The wedding attire was by GaGa Bridal, I think. I lean towards thinking that Christina thinks she IS Gaga.

I don't know who the hubby thinks he is, other than a dude wearing a tux that's a few sizes too small and some large brown farmer lace-up boots. I do know he's got a record and I don't mean the kind you listen to on your I-Pod.

It's been interesting the past few days to watch that video go up on various websites and then be pulled from various websites, only to be re-posted later.

Puppy Update

2011-07-13T04:41:00.008-05:00

In case you can't tell what's going on here, the girls are taking a little nap. Chloe, ever the faithful, loving, and true older sister has her left arm (paw/leg) around little Madge, comforting her as they rest.

Wait, what?

This is a scene from Doggie WWF. Chloe is trying to bite out Madge's tongue and is holding her down with that arm.

Jesus help me, I cannot decide.

Greedy

2011-07-12T05:10:00.000-05:00

I don't really give a hoot about professional sports unless there happens to be a former Sooner on the team, and since the overpaid crybabies (owners, players, however you look at it) are apparently going to whine and spit and not even play this year, I care EVEN LESS - other than this.

There's a helluva lot of people who are employed by either the OKC Thunder or the OKC Arena to work at the basketball games. A helluva lot of people who probably get paid a little bit of nothing to empty trash or clean restrooms or what-have-you. But the rich players and owners, due to their own greed, will put those folks out of work so they can make another million/billion.

Not that the working class will be totally out of a job - there's still other things that go on in the Arena. But I believe the Thunder play well over 40 games a year there (40 nights of employment for the janitorial staff) and that's quite a cut into the paycheck for most people.

Okay, well, I'm even less of a fan than I was before I wrote this post. :)

I got this funny in an e-mail from somebody a while back:

BTW, if you play that "Arms of an Angel" song from those tearjerker abused pet commercials, it'll help to set the mood....

Can You Help?

Americans have come together as never before in our generation. We have banded together to overcome adversity. We have overcome corporate/government scandal, layoffs, unemployment, stock price plunges, droughts, fires, mad cow, SARS, and high gasoline prices. But now, we must come together once again to overcome our greatest challenge yet.

Hundreds of Professional Football players in our very own nation are going to be locked out, living at well below the seven-figure salary level. And as if that weren't bad enough they could be deprived of their life giving pay for several months, possibly longer, as a result of the upcoming lockout situation. But you can help!

For only $27,080 a month, about $902.75 a day (that's less than the cost of a large screen projection TV) you can help an NFL player remain economically viable during his time of need. This contribution by no means solves the problem as it barely covers the annual minimum salary, but it's a start, and every little bit will help!

Although $900 may not seem like a lot of money to you, to a football player it could mean the difference between spending the lockout golfing in Florida or on a Mediterranean cruise. For you, nine hundred dollars is nothing more than a month's rent, a mortgage payment, or a month of medical insurance, but to a football player, $900 will partially replace his daily salary.

Your commitment of less than $900 a day will enable a player to buy that home entertainment center, trade in the year-old Lexus for a new Ferrari, or enjoy a weekend in Rio .

HOW WILL I KNOW I'M HELPING?

Each month, you will receive a complete financial report on the player you sponsor. Detailed information about his stocks, bonds, 401(k), real estate, and other investment holdings will be mailed to your home. Plus, upon signing up for this program, you will receive an unsigned photo of the player lounging during the lockout on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean (for a signed photo, please include an additional $150). Put the photo on your refrigerator to remind you of other peoples' suffering.

HOW WILL HE KNOW I'M HELPING?

Your NFL player will be told that he has a SPECIAL FRIEND who just wants to help in a time of need. Although the player won't know your name, he will be able to make collect calls to your home via a special operator in case additional funds are needed for unforeseen expenses.

Remember, a lifestyle is a horrible thing to waste...

---------------------------------------------------------

YES, I WANT TO HELP!

I would like to sponsor a locked out NFL player. My preference is (check below):

[ ] Offense [ ] Defense [ ] Special Teams [ ] Entire team

Please charge the account listed below $902.75 per day for the duration of the lockout. Please send me a picture of the player and my very own Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) pin to wear proudly on my hat (include $80 for hat).

Your Name:____________________Telephone Number:___________________

Account Number:__________________Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Other

Signature:_______________________

Alternate card (when the primary card exceeds its credit limit):

Account Number:_______________________ Exp.Date:_______

[ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Other

Signature:______________________

p.s. If you have a little extra, please enclose for the cheerleaders. Contrary to public opinion, cheerleaders are people too.

Summertime, and the Livin' is AWFUL DAMN HOT

2011-07-11T09:33:00.020-05:00

You ever hear that song that says it's too hot to fish, too hot for golf...lalalala.... well, it apparently has been too hot to blog because I've been slackin' even more than usual. There's nothing to talk about except the lack of rain, the burning heat, crunchy grass, and dead tomato plants.

So let's talk about dead tomato plants.

I faithfully watered those darn things, and the herbs, every single day in June. Finally, three tomatoes appeared. The first one got to that pink stage and so I decided to go ahead and take it off the vine....only to find that it was brown mush inside. Still had two on the plants, of the yellow tomato variety, so I was waiting on those to get nice and ripe. They were almost there on Friday, and I decided to leave them until Saturday.

Saturday, they were GONE. Apparently the squirrels (?) were hungry for a tomato salad.

So Saturday, I formally quit watering them. They were barely hanging on. Sunday, I formally pronounced them deader than a doornail.

So let's talk about the burning heat.

My hometown of Freedom, Oklahoma, set a record for being the hottest place in the state over the weekend - I believe the temp there was 114 degrees. At my sister's place, in the same county, it was 119 degrees. ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN DEGREES!! That's just not right.

So let's talk about rain. And crunchy grass.

There's no rain in sight. There's lots of crunchy grass. Enough said.

The 5th of July

2011-07-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

I hope everybody had a grand ol' time on Independence Day. I spent my days (I was off work both Friday and Monday - yep, I know how to stretch out a holiday) chasing a puppy hither and yon, and spending some quality time with family and friends. Didn't take a single photo. It was too hot to hold a camera. And I'm not kidding.

But I truly love all those folks, whatever the weather.

~~~

Yesterday, there was a neighborhood cookout (started at 4 in the afternoon) - right at the time the thermometer indicated "self-clean oven". I liked to have croaked. And the flies! Have I mentioned the flies? I have yet to see a mosquito this year - but the DAMNED FLIES are worse! They BITE!! They are all over EVERYTHING!! It just does not make for a pleasant outdoor eating experience.

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. ~~ Erma Bombeck

~~~

Something I've done recently:

Got an I-Phone. Lovelovelove it. I don't know why I didn't do this before.

~~~

I'm not going to comment about that Casey Anthony not-guilty-verdict, except for this one time:

ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME???

~~~

I like birds. And I like to make strange things on the computer machines. So I made this.

It's words from the blog, in a shape. Nifty, eh?

~~~

And finally, I would like to live in this house.

I stole the picture from this blog. There'd be so much less to clean if I lived in a tiny house. Not that the house I live in could be considered big anywhere but in a land of gnomes.

Only 60+ Days

2011-07-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

And THIS is specifically for ANDY.

Boomer!

Chloe's Mini-Me

2011-06-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

Today is Chloe's 4th birthday.

I'm sure she wants cake and ice cream. If you knew Chloe personally, you'd know I'm right.

She'll more than likely get some, too. If you know me personally, you know that's right.

She also got this.

A little sister. Or, "leetle see-ster", however you want to say it.

This is Madge.

Madge is loving her new life as a pampered pooch.

She even sings about it.

Everywhere that Chloe goes, Madge is sure to follow.....

I think Chloe is still a little undecided about this turn of events, but she is really enjoying "rasslin" around with the little one. Madge has been with us now since Thursday and every day Chloe gets a little more attached to her. Madge? She was attached to Chloe from the minute she saw her.

The Rain or Lack Thereof

2011-06-21T12:46:00.000-05:00

Out of all the plants I put in the dirt this spring, the banana peppers have been the best producers. I guess banana peppers like 110 degree heat and gale-force winds. The tomatoes and the herbs - not so much.

That's my favorite one, kind of looks like a long-faced Santa Claus.

If you have a vivid imagination.

The lamb's ear has tried hard and I appreciate its efforts.

Last year it had such nice purple blooms. This year, the wind has nearly beat it to death.

Last night, I heard a mysterious sound coming from outside, and when I opened the door, it was raining cats and dogs. I mean, it was pounding down.

It was all over in less than two minutes.

In 10 minutes, you couldn't even tell it had happened.

In about half an hour, I went out back and noticed some angry-looking clouds.

See? Looks wicked, doesn't it?

Still wicked.

Wicked-er.

Then I noticed that little hang-down thing. On the left side. See it?

Probably wasn't anything, but it caught my attention.

It finally just moved off to the right. So, the dog and I went in and watched a Hoarders show about rats.

The End.

This is a Quotable Quote

2011-06-20T11:05:00.001-05:00

"The greatest justice in life is that your vision and your looks tend to go simultaneously."

Guess who said it?

Update: It was Kevin Bacon. Surprised the heck outa me. I didn't know he needed glasses. :)

The Top Ten - Betty White

2011-06-14T09:57:00.001-05:00

Gotta get past that commercial, plus get past Letterman (he makes me nauseous)....but she is a funny lady. #4 is my favorite.

I bought a juicer, thinking I'd try some of that healthy stuff. Honestly, using a juicer is just more trouble than its worth. What a mess! It'd be a lot easier to just go buy a V-8 or something.

Here's to You

2011-06-10T06:23:00.000-05:00

My sometimes-favorite-radio-station plays this every morning about 6 a.m. It's the song that's always playing about the time I get to work.

Thing is, I'm not sure I'd ever heard it before the classic rockers on Bob FM started playing it. I must have spaced it out, back in the day.

Things Everybody Needs

2011-06-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I went to a training seminar hosted by a major food supplier (where the majority of the food supplies are purchased by the agency I work for). As is typical, they handed out free calendars and all that fun stuff - but included in the freebies was this pin.

Yes, that's a potato. To wear on your shirt. And it says Idaho. I. Da. Ho.

I didn't really want it, so I passed it on to a friend here at work.

Yeah, she says she's still my friend.

And then yesterday, I went to this local interesting restaurant called "Picasso" for lunch, with the friend who owns an I Da Ho potato pin. We don't drink our lunch, but Picasso always has some interesting drink concoctions on the menu, so I was reading all about them, and ran across something called State Pen Ale. I asked the waitress to bring out a bottle.

Made in Santa Fe, NM - home of one of the worst prison riots in American history.

Now, that is an interesting marketing technique.

The Unidentified Speeding Truck

2011-06-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

The other day I was driving down I-40.

Out of nowhere, this big black vehicle flew past me, like I was the turtle and it was the rabbit.

It looked like this:

But - it was completely dark brown, almost black (like an armored UPS truck!) and only had one small window in the door - and no others, except for the windshield of course. It was totally unmarked, no logos, no identification of any sort, other than the license tag, which was government issue.

I tried to catch up with it to take another look, but my car doesn't appear to go quite that fast. I mean, that thing was haulin'!

I have tried and tried to find a picture of a similar vehicle - but all I can find are Brinks or other money-movers. The pictures of government vehicles don't have anything similar.

I can tell you, though, that it exists!

Now, I have considered that it might be an armored car carrying something, like ALL MY GOLD BARS, from one Mint to another. Maybe Denver to Fort Knox? But then again, if that were happening, I can't imagine why they'd be on I-40 west of El Reno, Oklahoma. Perhaps taking the scenic route.

Maybe it was just hauling Obama's single chest hair around. I guess I'll never know.

A Funny.

2011-06-07T14:50:00.002-05:00

This — after President Obama suggested to PM Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel return to its 1967 borders:

Dear President Obama,

I am writing today with a somewhat unusual request. First and foremost, I will be asking that you return the United States to its August 20th, 1959 borders so that Hawaii is no longer a state and you are no longer a citizen.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel

Middle-Aged Texting Codes

2011-06-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Stolen from the Facebook:

MIDDLE AGE TEXTING CODES:

ATD; at the doctor.

BFF; best friend fell.

BTW; bring the wheelchair.

BYOT; bring your own teeth.

FWIW; forgot where I was.

GGPBL; gotta go, pacemaker battery low.

GHA; got heartburn again.

IMHO; is my hearing aid on?

LMDO; laughing my dentures out.

OMMR; on my massage recliner.

ROFLACGU; rolling on floor laughing and can't get up.

Heh.

My Dog Needs Counseling

2011-06-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

And it doesn't seem to be because she sometimes is forced to wear bows in her hair.

Back in January, she had something that I believe (because the vet used a bunch of animal-health technology that I really didn't understand) is similar to an ulcer in a human. I thought she was just sick because she ate way too many Christmas treats....but she didn't get better and finally ended up in the doggie hospital, getting some IV fluids and other medicine due to dehydration. A million dollars later (that could be a slight exaggeration) she seemed to be fine. The vet said that she was probably just stressed and the stress culminated in ulcerative colitis or something like that.

Flash forward to last weekend: Chloe had to stay at the Vet ( in boarding) for a few days while I was gone to Lubbock. When I went to pick her up, they describe that she has the same symptoms she had in January, but she seems to be improving. So, she comes home for three days, and yesterday, I have her back at the vet's office. Same deal, only this time she didn't need the IV. So it was only half a million dollars, and I learned that she's just a Nervous Nellie if I'm not around.

There's something touching about an animal being so attached to their master that they pine away when they are apart, isn't there?

Well, there's also something about the animal being a bit high-strung and diva-ish. And incredibly spoiled. That's the way I like her.

Every dog should be so lucky, eh?

Birds and Tomatoes, Oh My!

2011-06-02T20:53:00.001-05:00

I am continuously having very good intentions of posting more often, and then before I know it, days have passed. I’d like to say that I’ve just been SO BUSY but instead I probably should admit I start a post, and then get distracted, and then when I come back to it, it seems ridiculous, so I delete it. Ah, whatever.

I am sorta busy… I took this week off from my regular job so I could work exclusively on my second job, at the counseling center. We’ll be having another survey (audit) at the end of July so it’s time to get all the paperwork lookin’ purdy. That’s excuse #1.

Excuse #2: I went to Lubbock over the Memorial Day weekend to attend the graduation of one of my cousin’s kids, Landry, who finished high school at Coronado. I set foot on the campus of Texas Tech (where graduation was) and did a whole lot of running around. It was 109 degrees there on Saturday. Went to Lowe’s and Target and Kohl’s (like those stores don’t exist here) and to a FANTASTIC grocery store (Fresh Market?) and World Market (that don’t exist here). I could spend a whole lot of money in that World Market place.

If I ever complain again that it doesn’t rain in Oklahoma, I will have to remind myself of the Texas panhandle. My Lord it is DRY out there. And did I mention it was 109 degrees?

Oh, yes, I did.

Back here in Oklahoma, the wind is blowing one-thousand-billion miles an hour. Now, I know that the wind usually blows here, but this year it has been relentless. It has about beat my little tomato garden to death; but it’s trying its darndest to hang in there.

I’ve harvested the herbs already – fresh dill, cilantro, sage, rosemary, and basil; if the number of blooms is any indication, I’m going to have many, many banana peppers; and lo and behold….

There’s a little tomato.

The lamb’s ear is flourishing this year. Apparently it likes hot wind.

Those are “scarlet runner” beans. I ordered the seeds from Burpee, I think it was – not that I really wanted to grow a bunch of beans, but according to the catalog, they have a long runner that produces a crimson flower before it turns into a bean. Crimson flower = good, yes I’ll like that.

While I was out inspecting my wind-whipped garden plants, I noticed these two birdies on the neighbor’s fence post.

I think they just might be young woodpeckers! The way they were moving up and down the post, and the affection they showed for the suet block sure did remind me of the old woodpecker that hangs around here in mid-summer.

Maybe he isn’t as old as I thought.

A Tornado, in Review

2011-05-26T19:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's place (I don't think I can really say "house" anymore, because there's really not much house there).

You know, I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, I've seen tornadoes, I've seen pictures of what they leave behind... but I hadn't, until yesterday, personally seen the devastation of property. So let's do a little re-cap from Tuesday.

Like I said earlier, the weather-folks were just about to pop a gasket and the Governor closed all state offices at 3:00 - just to get everybody off the roads - so I was home at about 3:30 and turned on the tube to watch Gary England. He was a little, shall we say, intense - but I honestly believe that it is his (and others) expertise that have saved countless lives of Oklahomans in these situations. I've said before, you can ask any Oklahoma native (Okie!) what a mesocyclone or a hook echo or even a wind shear updraft debris ball is and by GOD!! we know.

A few minutes later, my neighbors to the east came by and we were discussing which cellar we would go to. One of them had just rode out the tornado in Joplin... about a mile from the hospital that was destroyed... so there was definitely a sense of anxiety brewing.

(As an aside, the neighbor who had been in Joplin - I don't know her very well - had apparently been there for a bowling tournament? Or maybe just likes to bowl? Anyway, she said she and her companion were fine, but the bowling balls were in the bed of the pickup, and the storm "blew their balls away". I'm just sayin'.)

So they leave, and I sit down to watch some more weather... and Gary is yelling that there's a tornado on the ground near Binger. Actually it was more like "Tornadoontheground! Tornadoontheground!" And, dang it, I recognized the landscape - it looked very much like the area where my cousin lives - and so I sat there for a minute, stunned, and then full-fledged panic set in.

There is nothing like the helpless feeling you have when you know something terrible is happening, and you are unable to do a thing about it.

When I was able to gather my wits, and try to call her, I got the evil message that "all circuits are busy", so I sent a text:

Are you ok?

Not long after that, got one back.

I'm ok, but lost everything.

By that time, my phone is ringing, and I have texts coming in, and the TV keeps popping on and off, and my stress level is about 40-eleven thousand, and I am totally confused as to what I should and can do. It's still storming here at the house, Gary England is still telling me to put on long pants and a helmet if I got one, and I'm spending all my time turning the TV back on and wandering from the back door to the front door to the back door.

The same tornado that took Cari's home traveled north of me - it was on the ground for nearly 75 miles. Piedmont, where it left so much destruction, is about 10 miles due north of where I live.

I sent another message to her later in the evening, to let her know that Channel 9 was en route to Lookeba (which would be her house - there were only 4 homes in the area, I think, that were affected). And about 30 minutes after that, I heard her talking on TV. She, apparently, did not want to be on camera; but she was absolutely extraordinary, telling her story, and I'm not just saying that because I am related to her. She even managed to throw in a little giggle here and there, which, even if she doesn't know it, did wonders to let me know she was really okay.

So, now we're back to yesterday, when I loaded up with storage boxes, water, ice chests, and snacks and headed west.

The tornado apparently crossed I-40 a few miles west of Exit 108, which is the Cherokee Trading Post/Geary Spur. This part of I-40 is where the east and west bound lanes separate and there's all kinds of trees in the median. The tornado traveled southwest to northeast, yet all the trees I saw that had been torn out by the roots or broken off were all pointing to the south. I found that pretty strange.... then there was just assorted insulation and tin and unidentifiable debris laying everywhere.

The first thing I noticed at the ruins of the home was this:

That's the cellar where Cari got herself to, just in time. She said she shanghaied the dogs to get down there with her, and took along her phone, a candle, and a newspaper (I guess she planned to catch up on her reading) and was in the cellar for only seconds when the roar started, so loud that she had to cover her ears to think. She said she smelled dirt, grass, wheat, just an onslaught to the senses, and then all was quiet.

They have a close neighbor to the west who called her, and said that they were trapped in their cellar, so if she got out, to come let them out. She told them that her husband, Deano, would be home from work soon and they'd be over then; but then, someone started pounding on the cellar door and said, "Caddo County Sheriff, open the door." And that's when she knew that she was not going to like what she found outside, so she told the sheriff to open the door himself.

That is the remains of the neighbor's camper. It had to have flown directly over her, while she was in the cellar. And the field it's laying in? It had vegetation in it Tuesday at noon. Tuesday at 5 p.m., not so much.

That right there is Deano, doing a bit of housecleaning.

Not only did they lose their home, but Deano also lost his pontoon boat (there's one pontoon laying in the yard - the rest of it, possibly in Kansas or somewhere - and his pickup, a piece of which might have been laying along I-40. They also lost their personal car - and Cari's work car - and a pop-up camper, which for some unexplained reason is actually west of their house.

But they are fine, the dogs are fine, and Stuart the cat rode out the wind under a bed in the house, and that's all that matters in the end.

Here's an incredible thing.

On the front of their home, they had what I always referred to as the portico, even though that might not be what it was. It was a covered patio where they had plants and decor and lawn chairs, you know, kind of an outside living area. On the right hand side of the picture, right in front of the torn-up tree and the car in the distance, is one of the brick supports to the portico.

The other brick support is laying on the ground in front of the white car. Inside the bricks was a pipe - maybe 5-6 inches in diameter, which had been buried in about 2 feet on concrete and then bricks were built up around it.

The pipe is still in the concrete, and the whole thing was uprooted like a weed and tossed aside.

Yet that tree, just a matter of feet from the downed brick support, didn't lose a limb or a leaf.

And, they found these pictures of their daughters today, buried under a brick wall:

Glass isn't even broken.

I am so glad these two are okay! Thanks be to God!

(And by the way, OKC Thunder, you really should send them season tickets for next year....)

Pictures shamelessly stolen from Laryn and other family members.

All's Okay Here

2011-05-24T19:58:00.000-05:00

But not so well in other parts of Oklahoma.

This is what's left of my cousin's house, south of Hinton:

I just talked with her and both she and her husband are fine. She found the pork chops she'd laid out to cook for supper earlier... their house might be broken but the sense of humor is intact.

Katy Bar the Door

2011-05-24T15:37:00.001-05:00

When a local meteorologist (not Gary England) posts this on his Facebook page:

Still looking at model data, OMG. Pray hard, pray now. I can't stress this enough. We are in trouble folks. OKC=F5 bullseye

Should I be worried?

Well, I’m not actually worried per se, but I do have my eyes glued to the TV for all the latest weather updates. Looks like right now, there’s a big tornado on the ground near Canton, and possibly another close to the Binger/Hinton area.

So far, nothing right here in the metro, but the evening is young.

Update:

The one at Binger? Five vortexes.

Damage at Canton Lake . . . .

Update #2:

HUGE tornado near El Reno – I think it might go north of me but sirens are going off… to the cellar I go…..

Blogger!

2011-05-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

For some reason unbeknownst to me, this blogger thingy eats my posts every so often. And there's a couple of blogs, also on blogger, that open so s l o w that I lose patience. Does anybody else have this stuff going on? Or have I just offended the blogger somehow?

A Short Sooner Update

2011-05-18T04:00:00.002-05:00

From Saturday:

Sam Bradford (center) and his Heisman Statue

Everywhere you turn, there's a Sooner celeb entertaining OU supporters here at tonight's gala event. A quick list: Sam Bradford, Coach Bob Stoops, Coach Lon Kruger, Coach Sherri Coale, DeMarco Murray, Jammal Brown, Quinton Carter, Spencer Tillman, Keith Jackson, all three Selmon brothers, Coach Barry Switzer, Coach Billy Tubbs, Coach Chuck Fairbanks, Steve Owens, Trent Smith, Jason White, Jon Cooper, Joe Jon Finley, Bob Barry, Jonathan Horton, Billy Sims, Stacey Dales, Mossis Madu, Jermaine Gresham, Gerald McCoy, Clendon Thomas.

Also.....

Brian Lepak

If you've got a minute, go read this.

A Great Read!

2011-05-17T07:27:00.002-05:00

At the start of last weekend, I was fresh out of paper-and-print books to read, and I was also out of those newfangled instantaneous books to read on the Kindle. This doesn't happen very often as I have to have at least one book "in process" at all times, or I feel like something is missing.

There's also the thing about how I CANNOT go to sleep unless I do a bunch of reading first. It's been that way since I was 6 and learned to read Cowboy Dan.

By the way, that page is my most favorite in the book. Because he's a "rootin' tootin' cowboy".

Anyway, I was over on the Google Reader thing and there was a new post at The Cumberland Post, compliments of Dan Jewell. I noticed his book, Blood Country, is available on Kindle and so I clickety-clicked and SHAZAM! There the book was, ready to read.

The story is very entertaining - and the "Sideman", Joe Rose, seems like the kind of guy you'd want to know personally. Being not so familiar with all things Nashville, I was appreciative of Mr. Jewell's descriptiveness of the country music "scene" and of Nashville itself. Joe Rose seems to be a little like Harry Bosch with maybe a touch of Jack Reacher thrown in, and it doesn't get much better than that.

My only question is....when's the next Sideman story coming out?

There was this other passage I found to be very interesting.....

"Three musicians were already on the stage tuning up. I saw Nashville Dobro specialist Buck Pennington with his Gibson Squareneck, and Andy Reeves who had an acoustic, bowl back Ovation Legend."

Those names seem to be a little bit familiar.....!

In All Fairness...

2011-05-12T12:18:00.000-05:00

I was over at MUD's place today, reading his post about how so many people today want everything to be "fair". That got me to thinking about something that one of my supervisors said to me many years ago, when I was much younger and, more than likely, much dumber, if that is possible (heh).

I was whining/ranting about something that I didn't much care for that was going on, I don't remember anymore what that was, exactly, but the oh-so-wise snoopervisor said:

"You know, if things aren't the way you want them to be, then, maybe it's your fault."

I also don't remember if I argued that point with him, but I probably did.

But how true it is.

I think of all the times that things haven't turned out exactly as I had envisioned them. And then I think - if I would have just done this little thing differently, or that little thing differently, the outcome would have been a little, or a lot, different.

And that in itself is fairness, isn't it? Our own actions decide just how fair the world is to us.

Or, a person's actions determine how fair the world is to that person.

I bet ol' Don-the-Snoopervisor had no idea that I'd remember that one line fifteen years later. He'd probably like it that I do, though, because he was sort of a philosopher - (think old hippie) - type.

Speaking of which, I called him an "old hippie" once and he said:

"No, I am a beatnik."

And honestly, today is the first day I ever looked that up.

I'd rather be a beatnik than a hippie, too.

Lo and Behold......

2011-05-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

I was just getting ready to start writing this post when this phenomena began outside my window.

Good Lord, it was RAIN!!!

(picture from the WWW; if it were really taken here, there'd be dry crunchy grass outside the window, not that lush green stuff)

Of course there's only a few drops coming down - not even enough to cover the sidewalk - but at this point, I think everyone in central Oklahoma and points west will take whatever they can get.

I had to go outside and stand in it. Just to make sure it was wet.

~~~~~

I'm not a fan of American Idol - in fact, I've never watched an episode of it - but I do like reading about the old rocker, Steven Tyler, who is a judge this season.

(another picture from the WWW)

I think its probably the smartest career move he could have ever made. Pretty good deal for a guy who was born in 1948 and has been a rock star for 40 years, eh? A new book, magazine covers, now an Emmy nomination from a show on Nickelodeon, no less... A re-invented life. Re-purposed. Re-furbished. Re-something.

The best thing about his "judging"? What he says.

What's with the jujubees on your oohoohbees?

You don't look a day over fabulous.

You keep singing like that and you'll be able to afford the rest of that dress.

Nothing I could say to you that an old fashioned pair of high-heeled cowboy boots wouldn't fix.

You'd be surprised how expensive it costs to look this cheap.

Anybody who doesn't know that they can fail is bound to win.

ha ha ha

2011-05-09T14:31:00.002-05:00

So, I Was Thinking...

2011-05-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

And I wrote down several things I wanted to talk about on here. Thing is, if you don't talk about them real quick-like they become totally irrelevant, ever noticed that?

One of the things I wrote down was "How many years is a generation?" (I know, but I think about details like that). When I was finally around the Internet again, I tried looking that up, and it appears that it depends on who you as, or who's asking...it can be 20 years, or 30 years, or 40 years. The question about generation length came to me as I was considering how long it's been since September 11, 2001.

If you look at a generation as 20 years, then nearly one-half of the newest generation weren't born when the attacks happened.

Time passes quickly, doesn't it? Not quite as fast as the money runs out of my bank account, but still, fast.

Side Note: How many billions in aid have we sent to Pakistan? And they harbored the terrorist king? Judas. H. Priest.

It is Monday, for sure.

Wednesday News

2011-05-04T13:38:00.001-05:00

I am very glad that the US military finally had their way with Osama BL, but the celebrations in the street turned my stomach a little. Reminded me a lot of what a third-world country would do, ya know? But no matter what else, it's a darned good thing that he's out of the world and is now feeding the fishes. I have read so many articles about it, and as I've mentioned before, my favorite part of reading what some reporter says is reading what the commenters have to say. I'm amused at how many bleeding hearts want to give the credit to Obama. He was sitting in the corner of a room in Washington, DC, not on the ground in Pakistan, for Pete's sake! Let's give credit where credit is due.

Here's a cheery picture:

That's the new baby at the zoo with her mother and her "aunt". Oh my goodness, I want one of those! Can't you keep elephants in the refrigerator or something?

Sunday is this boy's First Communion:

Don't you worry, Austin isn't ornery or anything like that.

And spoiled? Never! He is just used to royal treatment (like you couldn't tell from the picture....)

Update: I just now paid some attention to where OBL was killed. Would that be I-Bought-It-Bad, Pakistan?

USA! USA!

2011-05-02T06:36:00.000-05:00

I hear that Chuck Norris is on his way home from Pok-i-stahn this morning.

But really...

God Bless the US Military!

Playing Cards

2011-04-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

There's a whole lot of talk today over the head cheese president-in-chief guy finally releasing his birth certificate. First off, I don't consider myself a "birther" or what-have-you, but I do wonder why it wasn't released until now. Was it a love of the resulting controversy over whether or not it even existed? Did a new one have to be created? I don't know, it just seems to me that it would have been so much simpler to throw the thing out there way back in like, 2008 or something. There's enough drama without making some more by not just handing it over when it (the missing BC) first hit the news. Releasing it now only adds to my (and I suppose many others') scepticism. Not necessarily over whether it's a real birth certificate or not - but as to the timing. Ya know? I feel like it's probably an attention grabber by the right hand while something really underhanded, sly, evil, and illegal is being done by the left hand.

So, this post by your MoM has had me thinking today.

Story #1:

A few years back I was the chair of an affirmative action committee. It's not real often that a white person chairs such a committee, and I'm so white I will blind you like the sun, but there you have it. My committee was comprised of 7 members. 4 were white, 1 was Native American, and 2 were black. We met once a month. That is, the white members and the Native American met; the two black members never attended a meeting because they said it was too far to drive.

We met in a central location, approximately the same driving distance for all. So I guess actually it was inconvenient for them and thus, unimportant. But, they said they'd be GLAD to come if we had meetings in their work locations.

I tried free cookies and they still wouldn't come. The cookies were pretty good, too.

I'm pretty sure you can guess what I learned from this experience. It starts with an "N" and ends with "OTHING".

Actually what I learned is that there's all these affirmative action committees and groups (I think now they are calling them "diversity groups") that were initiated just for minority factions of society, to make sure they get a fair shake, but if it inconveniences those same minorities, then ohhellno.

Story #2:

The place where I work now is pretty racially and culturally diverse - I think just about every nationality and culture is represented either a little or a lot - but there are high numbers of black folks who work in this area, which sort of evens out the racial breakdown statewide. The location I used to work at? I can only recall two black employees out of probably 200.

So the black employees in this area call my previous work location "Bubba Land". Out loud. I am not supposed to be offended by that - but you can bet that if I used some sort of description, similar-yet-not-similar, to that to describe my current work location, that. would. not. be. cool.

Story #3:

Here's a few comments that were made to me yesterday (by a black gentleman):

"I'm a Republican but I vote my conscience."

And then he said...

"Bush was a liar, I didn't vote for him either time". (Your conscience told you to vote for Al Gore and John Kerry? Your conscience might need some therapy, just sayin'.)

And then he said....

"Obama is a good president, don't know how or why he's getting blamed for everything Bush done did." (yeah, done did is a direct quote)

My first thought - why is the guy a Republican?

My second thought - Just admit it, you voted for Obama just because of skin color....

When is that big wedding anyhow? I need me some happy.

Gardens, Cars, and Wet Stuff Falling From the Sky

2011-04-25T17:58:00.001-05:00

Remember the tomatoes and the herbs? Here they are on April 8:

Here it is today:

Not bad!

I went car shopping. I bought one just like that one. It has one zillion gadgets that I don’t know how to use. Took me from here to Bethany to figure out how to find the radio station I wanted to listen to. Love the car….cannot stand car salesmen. Good Lord, they made buying a vehicle seem like what Hell might include. But in the end, I guess I got what I wanted, and I’m sure they ripped me off somehow, but at some point I just decided “whatever” and drove off. In that J.E.T.

Somehow, it has managed to rain a little bit here, about an inch I think, not NEARLY enough but you have to start somewhere. I think the ground is maybe a very slight “softer” form of concrete now.

And, one last thing, I am sorta excited about the Royal Wedding. So shoot me, it somehow fascinates me. If that’s weird, well, whatever. Again.

135 Days

2011-04-20T12:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was visiting with my friend Joe, who recently got a new job up towards Tulsa. He's going to be working for some company whose headquarters are down in the south, you know, that SEC country.

Joe was invited to have lunch at the company's OKC office, and unbeknownst to him, the "big cheeses" from HQ were in town. So it turned out he was wined and dined with the big boys, and as you would expect, the talk turned to football.

Joe said that every one of the "boys" had a favorite team in the SEC and much arguing and discussing and exaggerating was taking place. Then, in a lull in the conversation, one of them asked Joe if he actually attended the University of Oklahoma. Joe replied that he did; that's where he graduated from.

Then the guy said, "Where did you get your education?"

Bada Bing. Bam. Boom.

Oh September, ye fairest of months, when shall ye arrive?

Stupid Taxes

2011-04-19T04:36:00.001-05:00

In honor of yesterday, I have a couple of tax-type stories that I’ve been saving for just so spay-shul an occasion.

There’s a tax law in Oklahoma that forces employees of the state to pay their state taxes. To the best of my knowledge, this law was enacted in 2003 or so, and what it means is this:

If you’re an employee of the state, and you don’t pay or make arrangements to pay your taxes by tax day, then your name is placed on a list that’s sent to individual state agency heads. Then, you get a letter from the agency that you work for that they know you’re a slacker, and you have so-many-days to work out a plan to pay them, or just pay them. If you don’t, then steps are taken and you are fired.

Now, I really don’t have a problem with this – other than it only applies to state employees. What about everybody else? And you know, if you lose your job, then paying those state taxes probably isn’t going to be at the top of your worry list, you know?

Guess what? Just NOW are the elected officials adding themselves to the list of positions that fall under this law. Funny how that works. Actually I guess I should be surprised that they’re getting added in at all.

INTERRUPTION: I…..HATE…..WIND!

The other weird tax law I heard about from some folks, so it’s second-hand or maybe even sixth-hand but it sounds about right to me.

There’s a small, locally-owned hotel in a town here in Oklahoma. Lots of state workers have stayed there when they travel to do work in that area and have commented on how clean it is, they are made to feel welcome, and they enjoy supporting the locals (not to mention that the hotel has given the “state rate” without fail).

So, as the story goes, this little hotel has fallen behind on paying their state taxes, and so the state employees are no longer authorized to stay there.

So, even though money is owed to the state, it’s the state itself that is keeping the business from earning income to pay the taxes? Seems like there would have been a better solution than adding to the threat of closure of the business, having people lose their jobs, etc. than just deciding they weren’t on the “friendly” list.

Who makes up this silly stuff anyway?

Friday…..

2011-04-17T17:53:00.001-05:00

I went to see….

Sarah Palin……

At the “Women of Joy” conference that went on all weekend at the State Fair Grounds.

She. Is. Sharp. Maybe not presidential-sharp like I would like to define it, but then again, this was a religious conference, not a politickin’ thing, and she mainly spoke about her family, with only a few political digs thrown in there. I’d of been sorely disappointed if she avoided politics all together, so YAY!

I saw church busses from as far away as Nebraska and Mississippi. There might have even been some from farther away, but I can testify to the fact that there was representation from those two states, because I had to sit in the traffic with them for an eternity.

(Note to State Fair people: if you know that 9,000 people are coming to the Arena for a conference, well, then clean off the chairs in the upper decks. Okay? There was dust from the actual DUST BOWL on those old wood theater chairs, which probably included some tantalizing dust from pig and sheep shows….just sayin’.)