Monday, April 30, 2012

Vacation, Well Maybe

Ice Plant - front yard
It's a rainy day this morning and I tried to sleep in a bit but the carpel tunnel in my right hand doesn't allow me to stay down too long.  I use and abuse that hand a lot with painting, knitting and crocheting all the time.  I can definitely tell that my joints are feeling my 55 years lately and I know that will only get worse if I don't keep up the exercise, so onward I go with that.  Move, move, move!


produce from my little garden - wilted lettuce salad and stir fry - yummy 
We went to the cabin this weekend and had a most wonderful time.  It was quiet and peaceful and I want to go back.  In fact, I proposed the idea to The Hubby yesterday that I wanted to take a vacation, soon, like this month, before the granddaughter makes her appearance.  He was intrigued and asked me where.  I told him I wanted to go to the cabin, he and I, for an entire week, no going back to Tulsa.  I wanted to go before it got stifling from the Oklahoma summer and while the fish are biting for him.  We HAVE a vacation home we only use for weekends and I think we need to use it for a vacation.  We have no plans for any travel in the foreseeable future, why not.  He needs a rest, I need a rest from town.  He is on board and kind of excited for the opportunity.  The stars are aligning for us to do this sometime in the next three weeks.  I can't wait to make it happen!!!!  We may not get another chance like this for awhile before we start more construction on the house (yes, I wrote that) and before our world changes with the grandbaby.   

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Weekend Continued...

This past weekend was just beautiful.  We didn't have much in the way of sun but the temperature was perfect and the birds were very happy, as was I.  The hammock didn't come out like planned but I did spend most of my time on the screened porch, even napping on the rocking couch.  I had a great morning reading, journaling, napping and watching all the birds find my feeders.  I moved a sprinkler around to the various places in the yard to which the robins were very happy to find several worms peeking up. 
Next door, Hari's wheelbarrow of flowers caught my eye and camera.  Beautiful isn't it.  May have to try and paint.


My roses and clematis are giving me lots to make my eyes happy! 

Oh yes, the hummingbirds are here too.  Last weekend I saw one, this weekend I had many visiting my feeders.  Also visiting the yard, bluebirds, scarlet tanager, prothonotary warbler, wrens, purple finches, and a  pileated woodpecker that I never saw but make the trees rattle with his hammering. 

Took a golf cart ride with Hari and spotted this blue heron taking a rest on a sand bar in the creek.  
The creek and bluffs... 

The weekend had a bit of a hitch though, not bad.  We were to gather at one of the cabins for a hotdog-hamburger cookout, organized by J on Saturday night.  By about 2 in the afternoon the plans went wonky.  J suddenly became very ill with chills and raging fever so they headed home.  The cabin it was to be hosted at could not come up so it was at the last minute moved to another cabin and we all had a good time with only hotdogs because the burger fixin's were still in town.  Oh, well, that is how it goes.  We had a great time with friends and the weekend was saved!  Hope J is not too ill.  

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Weekend Happenings!

Today I will spend my day doing this, not painting but laying in my hammock.  Looking at the sky, wondering, daydreaming, sleeping, reading, and contemplating the universe.  This will be all you get from me today!
Finished this one!

Have a great weekend everyone!



Friday, April 27, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday


"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."


I love this fortune, don't you.  It is something I truly believe in.  You may not be able to forget but you can always forgive and that in turn will change your future forever!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

We Have News

We have news...yes they are going to have a baby, but baby what...

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Can't wait till September!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Perplexed

Perplexed!  Yes I am perplexed because for the past three days I have watched my visitor numbers go up by nearly 500.  In fact I jumped to way over 50,000 views for the past 6 years.  I'm perplexed because of over 500 views and nearly no comments.  Do I not write to get comments?  Maybe I should change my focus and do some questionnaires or get political, nope don't think so.  I will just keep blogging away.  Glad to have anyone here to read my words.  Have a great Wednesday everyone!


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

One Hubby Down

The Hubby is down and out with his back.  He was washing his truck last week and something just went.  He's in such pain and is moving very slow and crooked!  The doctor is ordering up an MRI which the insurance company, LAST time, would not approve.  This time it is essential to make sure he has not herniated a disc.  He never does not exercise and it has been over a week of him not being able to hardly lift a book.  I hate seeing him in such pain and crookedness.  I certainly hope the doc calls with an appointment soon.  I'm now going to have to start mowing and weed-eating the cabin yard!!!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Hippity-Hop

Good Monday morning everyone! 

Last week as I sat in my air chair on our new patio I was trying to focus my camera on the bird feeder when out of the corner of my eye a brown blur rushed right in front of me.  

I guess I was so still focusing the camera that he didn't notice me.  He was headed to the side of the house around a pillar out of my sight.  I leaned forward with my camera, with the tilt lens and there he was, munching on some tender grass shoots.  I snapped tons of pictures as he ate and he didn't even mind me at all.  

Hmmmm, I guess I will have to compete with him in my garden, unless Clayton has an objection, which he will!

Happy Monday!



Sunday, April 22, 2012

A Hard Day's Work


So very tired today and really sore but I got a lot done yesterday at the cabin yard.
This is or was a Carolina Jasmine.  I bought two a few weeks ago but we didn't get them in the ground that weekend and I thought they would be fine, I was wrong.  I told The Hubby to go ahead and plant them but planned on purchasing them again.

Then, this week I bought one and a passion flower to replace.  Look what I found when we arrived on Friday, green shoots. 
So I went ahead and just planted the new one next to it so just in case.

My poor clematis have fallen and then can't get up.  I spent a good hour working to get them upright again on the dead tree. 
Lookie...it worked!  All upright and ready for the sun.  Remember when you plant clematis, they like their "heads in the sun and feet in the shade!"   This is what my mother used to say all the time.

Oh, and the roses are in bloom! 

Before... 
After... 
the trash to haul off. 

I'm not sure what this tree or shrub is but it is sweet smelling and the whole time I was giving it a haircut there was low hum as the honey bees were a working it.  I would take it out except for the bees need it.  It also attracts loads of butterflies but for the life of me yesterday I could not get a picture.
More clematis and passion flower and my sun tea! 
Another after picture...there was so much junk there.  I'm not sure what I'm putting back but I need to divide some iris, day lilies and hostas. 
Just a snapshot of a crooked tomato cage.  I planted four tomatoes.  I have lots of creeping thyme, sage, and oregano. 
My beautiful hostas.  I love them.  It's funny that no one in our little cabin community can grow hostas because the deer eat them down to nubs.  But because my yard has tiers and is tightly enclosed with a nice wrought iron fence they won't jump in it.  I'm kind of lucky! 
Happy Gardening everyone.  My legs, shoulders, arms, back, etc., are letting me know this morning that I put in a hard days work yesterday!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A Gardening We Will Go...

Are we having fun yet.  I hope so today.  My plan, if it warms up a bit outside, is to start cleaning out some flowerbeds at the cabin.  I may run into a snake or two so I will be very, very cautious.  I may saw some weed trees down for some sun and I will plant a few flowers and veggies.  I was going to replace two Carolina Jasmine's that The Hubby put in the ground a couple of weeks.  We left them to plant on the following weekend and then found them DEAD...or so we thought.  
So I bought this cool thing called a passion flower.  It looked plastic and it liked full sun, perfect for the spot.  My iron fence will look beautiful this year along with the clematis that are blooming and my one lone rose.  
Now on to the flowerbeds that came with the cabin.  There are some very old iris, day lilies and just junk that needs to be done away with.  I will get the old junk out and then, hopefully next weekend or even during the week will bring up some loads of new top soil and mulch.  I plan on making this yard a country cottage garden.  Whew, big plans, let's hope I can fulfill them.  I will be digging a lot of the huge holes myself with a post hole digger as The Hubby has done something terrible to his back and we are afraid a herniated disk.  He's in a bit of pain.  EEK, that means man-handling the lawn mower.  Hey, I should lose some weight with all these labor intensive plans, don't you think.  Have to keep focused!

Toodles all...

Friday, April 20, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday


"Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. "

I truly believe this, even though I wrote about being an artist yesterday.  I believe that good character takes you a long way in life and is essential for living your life as a good and kind person.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

I Am An ____________

Last night as I was trying to go to sleep my mind was working a bit overtime.  In fact, It took a good hour for me to finally doze off, and it was a fitful sleep.  

While tossing and turning my mind went to what I accomplished yesterday.  I signed a painting, started a few more and felt like I had finally come into my own.

I have always wanted a title, an accountant, a lawyer, a teacher...something.

Sometimes when I read obituaries some of the "older" ladies are listed as "housewives!"  In this day and time more women are working women so you don't see the term as often.  I have told the family, on numerous occasions that I would come back and haunt them if they put that in my obit.  I am much more than a housewife.  I am an office manager, partner in a business, scheduler, bookkeeper, planner, chef, etc.  I mean these things as all of women do, whether you work outside the home or not.  We ALL WORK!  I've been very proud that I was able to raise my children by being as close to a stay at home mother as possible while also enjoying the labors of have a job too.  Being self employed with The Hubby has given me that opportunity to pretty much set my hours to be with my kinds.  It has been a perfect "marriage."

With all that in mind, on my profile I list all of these assets with a bit about why I am called Jill of All Trades.  I talk about my ability to do a ton of stuff fairly well but not perfect and the fact that I tend to jump around with projects.  Whether it is a bit of ADD or the Gemini, Twin thing going on I have my fingers in all kinds of pots.  I've also listed that I now call myself an artist but that has been with a bit of apprehension.  I truly have not felt that I am even though I list it.  Yesterday, I felt that I was an artist.  I have come to realize that I have finally, FINALLY found a talent that I do very, very well.  Something that I can get paid for and noticed.  It is an exhilarating feeling I can tell you to know that I am an ARTIST!



I have done a few sketches of my friend Harri's sweet doggies that have passed recently in the hopes of trying to paint them.  Yesterday I started.  I have sort of promised to try and paint a family grouping for a friend from high school and started that this week in class.  I have to say even I can't believe I have done what I have done.

I finally have a title.
I am an ARTIST!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Onion Ho(e)s

My mother gave me a treasured piece of gardening equipment that I love, love, love.  It was a onion hoe.  I have not seen one in a store in years but I have mine and I got Mommas and had The Hubby fix it for Daddy, in return Daddy found two more rusted heads in his shed.  My father is a great guy but as far as taking care of his stuff he kind of fails.  His gardening tools are leaning against the house and some are leaning against the shed which is covered a bit.  The handles have rotted and broken and the metal parts are all rusted.  He usually chooses to buy new a lot of the times. 

These are rusted but are still in pretty good shape, thank goodness.  I wanted one for the cabin since I do have one for the house so I've been on the hunt for new handles. 
I have to find a handle that has a hole that will fit over this metal peg thingy.  

Finding a hole that is big enough, well that proved to be a problem.   I went to four different stores testing dozens of handles until I finally found two. 
I'm going to have The Hubby fix these, clean them up and put a bit of an edge on them.  They are the best for chopping out weeds and getting between very tight spots to work the soil and hack the unwanted pests. 

Think when I get them fixed I'll give the son-in-law one too.  Hopefully Daddy won't ask for it back which is always a possibility. 

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

365 Days A Year Of Good Reading Rack Service


I have neglected to draw attention to B's side blog, her third I think.  She's doing a project.  I will start from the beginning here.  She explains the origination of the thought of starting this project from finding the stash of pamphlets in a house we were renovating for resale.  So please stop by and take a visit to her 365 Days a Year of Good Reading Rack Service.  It's very interesting and as it says, 365 days so follow and visit.


Monday, April 16, 2012

Neighbors - Creepy Update - CAUTION when reading

I failed to mention on the previous week of posts about certain houses and some interesting memories, not so good really.  First is the Knoxville House where sweet Myrtle one evening ran to our house beating on the door screaming, "Dave shot Phyllis, Dave shot Phyllis."  The Hubby wasn't home and I was panicked by this.  It was a terrible story and I was very young, 22 years old and never, NEVER had been a part of something like it.  Her niece was shot point blank by her husband during a domestic thing.  She had gone to pick up some stuff with two police officers on either side of her and as they walked down the sidewalk to the car he came out of the house and shot her dead.  I did not know Phyllis or Dave but I knew Myrtle and I was devastated.  Definitely marked my memories.

The second home, The 58th Street Home had a story after we moved.  The people who bought the house were, shall we say a bit weird, a LOT weird.  There was a husband, wife and a grown son who lived with them.  They were all on all kinds of medication for various things and none worked, they were all on disability for mental somethings.  Well, the pool caused problems because they did not know how to take care of it and were calling The Hubby every year to help them take care of closing and opening and being the kind guy he is, he helped for a couple of years.  Then, one year they called to inform us that their adult son committed suicide in his chair in front of the fireplace (it wasn't pretty).  Great, that is where The Hubby's chair sat with the girls in his lap watching television.  GREAT, just great.  We could have done without that picture in our heads.  The pool has since been filled in and my wonderful flowerbeds are all gone and I've left that house far, far behind.

The Double 07 house came with the memories that are a bit terrifying to A and her memories.  It wasn't the house but the neighborhood.  Around the corner was a house that my child had been to play with the little girl that lived there.  They were in the same class in elementary school.  One day (Oct 19, 19970 I got a phone call at the office from the older girl B to inform me of a tragedy at the house.  The father, Ron Fluke carried out a heinous crime in that house to which he was eventually executed.  I won't go into it but you can read a brief thing about it clicking his name.  It traumatized my daughter who could not understand how a father could do something like that to a daughter.  Her friend Kathryn was gone.  How do you explain something like that to an 11 year old.

Hopefully, in our new house we won't ever have these kind of tragedies to deal with.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Cabin Time and Mood Music

Our one night at the cabin yielded a few nice pictures.  When we pulled up Friday night I was greeted with these beautiful clematis.  My clematis were in full bloom with the promise of more to come.  My new peonies were blooming but not very nice so no pictures yet.  
I also discovered these wonderful white iris.  They have been in one of the flowerbeds since we bought the place but this was the first time they have bloomed.  The neighbor decided to rip out all of the junk brush and trees on his side of the fence that hung over and shaded.  The upside is that there was enough sun the iris wanted to shine again.  Sadly he also ripped out a fabulous old fashioned lilac.  My heart was broken when I realized that.   
Oh look, there is a picture of the peony behind Clayton.  He was playing guard dog...HaHa! 
We were to come home Saturday afternoon for a party but found out it was canceled because of the threat of weather.  We could have stayed but wanted to spend a bit of time at home, together.  He was in a mood, playing love music all the way home.  Between him doing dishes and playing mood music I was happy for the foreplay!

Lugging my stuff down the steps to the car I nearly stepped on this handsome guy.  Isn't he a dream.  I may just have to paint him, on canvas!

By the way, I've written this late Saturday as we wait for the impending bad weather to descend upon us.  Sometime late in the middle of the night they say the squall line will hit and there will probably be very bad storms.  I certainly hope not.  



Saturday, April 14, 2012

Neighbors, Part 5 - Double 07 House

Now we continue the story from The 58th Street House...


We had sold the 58th Street House but the day of the closing on the new house came to a screeching halt.  The wonderful house in a culdesac with a HUGE backyard for a new pool and garden was not to be.  We were faxed the closing info so we could get the cashiers check and found a small paper showing a major gas pipeline that ran through the middle of the backyard property.  It cut through the area for the new pool and garden and the house had been built as far out as it could because of the easements of all of it.  We were lied to or at least the info was hidden in documentation.  We backed out and were left with four weeks to find another house because the closing on our old house was imminent.  I was devasted.  We had already bought a riding lawnmower because the "new" backyard was so huge. 

We were yet again on the hunt for a 4 bedroom 2 bath house in a neighborhood that I thought I HAD to have.  We looked at every house at least twice and then looked at a three bedroom that I had seen before, The Double 07 House.  It was a corner house and was a beauty but when I saw it a single man lived in it, a HUGE man.  His furniture was huge and made it seem so very small.  We looked again because it was empty.  We loved it and put a contract on it immediately.  We were happy again but that was short-lived as the guy and the realtor lied to us.  They hid that the house had water in the ducts and the roof leaked.  They patched and hid things.  We only found out because the engineer inspecting had done the previous and found old records of stuff that had NOT been fixed.  They got in tons of trouble, we got a new roof and french drains to fix the water issue. 

EEK....Apparantly I don't have pictures of this house either.  Moving day came and we had movers scheduled and had to be out of the house that weekend as we had closed on Friday and were given that weekend to move.  Saturday morning, bright and early we waited for the movers.  They didn't show.  Thank goodness we had a lot of friends with trucks and good backs.  That was the day I lost the feeling in my big toe from being on my feet all day long and more.  Oh my gosh I was tired.  We loved that house and had some wonderful neighbors but not as close as before. 

Remember I was going to relate back to the previous neighbors Bob and Kathleen with pesky Julie.  From the old neighborhood Bob and Katleen had moved nearly 5 years previously and we knew not where, nor did we care.  The pest had moved and were quite happy.  Guess what!  Across the street from the Double 07 House there were our old neighbors Bob and Kathleen.  Who in their wildest dreams think we would be neighbors again.  Thank goodness Julie had moved away and we never saw her again.  Bob and Kathleen because very nice neighbors which we enjoyed visiting with for the 10 years we lived there. 

We are now out of that neighborhood and into our 4th house and the plans are for it to be our last but you know that magic 10 year thing is fast approaching.  I may get itchy feet to do it again!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Neighbors, Part 4, 58th Street House

The 58th Street House -

It's funny that I don't seem to have any pictures of this house, at least on my computer.  I'm going to have to do some scanning I see.  

After 10 years in The Knoxville Home we were bursting at the seams.  We had just had our second girl, A, and it was a tight fit.  Our friend, Gail had gotten her real estate license and she was on the hunt for something for us.  As it turns out she found a beauty down the street from her and Kelly.  We were in heaven as we were always getting together to play cards and hang out as Kelly was The Hubby's best bud.  The house was perfect for me and it had a POOL!  I was ecstatic but The Hubby, not so much but he was a good guy and knew it was best at the time. 

We moved in, down the street from our best friends! 
The day we moved in with moving vans, two children, my mother and exhaustion we were surprised by the young couple that lived next door, Kevin and Kay.  They stopped over and brought us dinner.  I can't for the life of me remember what it was but it was welcomed by the tired and hungry movers.  That was an inkling to the kindness and friendship that began that day.  They had no children then but after a few years I can remember Kay standing in the front yard with me chatting and her announcing they were to be parents.  I was so excited.  We had become so close with them and when they welcomed their first son on July 4 we were one of the first to visit them in the hospital.  Kevin was instrumental in exposing me to the world of computers.  When I didn't have a computer I was able to use theirs for school while they worked during the day.  I watched their son and they watched our girls.  We shared many, many a meal and holiday with them.  Sadly one day they announced they were moving for work.  I thought my world would crumble.  The day they packed up the last of their belongings we all stood out front hugging and crying, even Kevin.  I sobbed and sobbed to see my friend move.  They've moved many times and added a son to their family.  We have remained very close friends to this day.

Across the street was another couple Bob and Kathleen and they had a daughter named Julie. Nice, nerdy couple but the daughter! Julie was about 3 years older than B and there were no other kids around for her to play with so she was always over. Besides, we had a pool! It got to the point though that we kept the garage door down, the front door closed and the curtains pulled and when the doorbell rang we didn't answer. She was a pest for sure. More on this later!

When Kevin and Kay moved they sold their house to an older gentleman named Joe Shelfo.  He was the sweetest man.  He owned a restaurant in Tulsa at one time called Pepe's (sp), a well known Italian restaurant.  He was a severe diabetic but loved his sweets and when we had birthday parties we invited him and he would always bring pies for each of the girls.  He wore lots of gold chains and bracelets and was quite a ladies man.  By his chair in the living room he had stacks of Playboy magazines.  We didn't go there often! 

After 10 years I was ready to move up again.  I was going to miss that pool but I felt that we were bursting again.  So we were on the move again.  We have been very fortunate that when we are ready to move we buy the next house and are able to fix up the old house and sell and usually it is less than a month on the market.  This house was no exception.  We had found our next house and since we were close to closing put the 58th Street House on the market.  It sold quick, like in 2 weeks.  Bad news though as the one we were buying had a problem....continued...

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Neighbors, Part 3 - The Knoxville Home

Our first home, The Knoxville Home. Very interesting story here. When we were married our intention was to save and buy a house. The Hubby could not stand to owe ANYONE and rent counted in that category. He thought you were pissing away money. 
We got a phone call one day from one of his mother's best friends, Myrtle, who lived (rented) in the house to the right of this picture.  Myrtle thought we might be interested in the house.  The man that lived in the house had passed away and they were going to sell the house in probate.  It was a tiny 900 square foot house and I really don't remember even going inside to look at it before we bought it.  As it turns out The Hubby used to mow the lawn for the couple that lived in it.  I think their name was Penrose and they had no children.  In fact, I think he died in the house and they were the first owners, we were number two.  My grandfather, being in real estate helped us to facilitate the process and I believe part of the down payment.  When we three kids were born they bought insurance policies and as we needed the money in special ways they cashed them in and gave us the money.  We paid $15,000. for this little cracker box of a house and lived in it for 10 years.  We had two children and ran our business out of it.  My father thought The Hubby was crazy moving his daughter from the quiet small town of Broken Arrow to Tulsa and then to NORTH Tulsa.  Daddy just didn't understand the beauty of the little neighborhood.  We loved it.  The house next door saw a few changes too.  Myrtle had a daughter and son, dear friends of ours now.  The son had already gone to college and the daughter lived with her mother there for a couple of years.  It was awesome to have a mother figure close by and her daughter that was close to my age.  When Myrtle moved out her son moved in and he was single.  PARTY!  He loved to play the drums and being young I did not mind at all.  It was great fun having him next door.  Then he married and moved to Arkansas.  New neighbors!  The house, which was a rental was then inhabited by a young guy our age, Craig.  Craig was dating a girl, Susie, whose grandmother owned the house.  Craig and Susie married and began their family there.  They bought the house from her grandmother and they still live there to this day.  We are still dear friends with them watching their children grow and now grandchildren.  What great friends they are.  


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Neighbors, Part 2

I've written about neighbors growing up now I'm on to neighbors after I married!

You see me there, apartment 1, on the porch.  We drive by this apartment building often and I still dream about it.  We lived there exactly one year when we bought our first home.  Those porches are now enclosed rooms.  I hated that they did that.  In my dream world we purchase the six apartment building and make it a house for us.  That first year was the hardest but the one with some of the most wonderful memories for me.  Upstairs in apartment 3 lived a guy named Steve.  The Hubby still hears from him once in awhile.  Nice guy, single, big, big curly hair.  We used to hear his music, which we didn't mind but we also heard other sounds....he was single!  EGAD!  To the right, apartment 2 we had several neighbors but one I remember was a young girl that sang opera.  You could hear her practice and I loved it.  Our landlord was an old guy in his early 80's named Mr. Zwieacher (think that is how I remember it spelled).  He was an amazing man.  One day The Hubby came home to find him on the back staircase with a hot water tank on his back trying to haul it upstairs to install.  Amazing man!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Neighbors

Well, again the NaBloPoMo link has failed to give a prompt for writing.  They have missed yesterday and today and sometimes I NEED that help.  So I've been forced to try and come up with some ideas on my own.  Okay, I think I will write about neighbors, our neighbors.  I will start as far back as I can remember. 

When I was 6 years old our family moved to Siloam Springs, Arkansas, the second part of my first grade.  We moved to the country, way out in the middle of nowhere.  We lived in a two story farmhouse with pig sty's, no pigs, thank goodness.  The roads were dirt and rock and the one that ran in front of our house was a part of a three-way split.  One way led up a huge hill, a mountain to a 6 year old, and the other around the bend to my friend Sharon's house.  We only lived in that house for 6 months but a lot of memories were made then.  Up the "hill" were Fred and Mary and I believe an older daughter.  Mother loved them but I don't remember too much about them.  Sharon, my friend and saviour on the bus rides to school, lived in a very small house with her parents and a passel full of children.  What comes to mind is Ma and Pa Kettle kind of family.  Sharon had a pet baby raccoon.  That was so awesome.  She was a few years older than me and a tomboy, again my saviour on the bus.  The school system was so small then that all the grades rode the same bus.  The older boys were very mean to me and she protected me. 

Now we skip ahead, a couple of houses later, actually to the house I spent most of my life in.  The one Daddy still lives. 
You see to the left there, another house.  Both houses were built by a widow lady for investment.  Her name I believe was Mrs. Elsie Koshow.  She was remarried to a man named Mr. Herman Schumacher.  They were both widowers at the time and he had a daughter.  She had no children.  The houses were nearly the same but I really don't remember what theirs looked like inside.  Mrs. (Koshow) Schumacher had a reputation with neighborhood kids as being a witch and being incredibly mean.  We three kids did not believe that, we were their friends.  In fact, we loved Mr. Schumacher better.  He was a darling man and everyday as we walked to school and home again he would sit in his window or on the porch and wave to us.  If he wasn't there we knew he was sick.  If he was sick we would bake cookies and make cards and take them to him. 

Mrs. Schumacher had long, very long hair to her knees and when she washed it, would walk up and down the sidewalk letting it flow behind her to dry.  I loved it.  Sadly, when I was a senior in high school Mrs. Schumacher passed away and he moved to Wagoner to be closer to his daughter.  When they lived next door he had a fig tree in his back yard and he pampered that thing.  Every year, the first fig, he would call and I would get to eat it.  So yummy.  I still have a cute little evergreen scented candle in a glass jar he gave to us for Christmas one year.  A prized possession.  After he moved to Wagoner I continued to write to him and have many letters he wrote back.  He was a sweet man.  He died the first year I was married and it made me very sad. 

I'll write about the next neighbors sometime soon. 

Monday, April 09, 2012

Easter Aftermath

It's Monday morning, early, like 5:30 and here I sit typing away.  The cell phone alarm went off at 4:45 and little Clayton crawled out from under the covers to start pawing, "get up, it's time to eat."  That is why he is so geared to getting up  and eating at five in the morning.  We've done it to ourselves but when you get up that time, it is inevitable to happen.  He eats at five in the evening too.  We had a houseful yesterday with The Hubby's family and it was great fun.  Everything went swimmingly.  B&B2 brought their beast, Mondo, the granddog.
He had on his Easter bonnet.  Really that is an old picture of him but I thought it fit.  Isn't he handsome.  The "boys" had great fun with the great-nephews chasing them and kissing and hugging.  Both of these boys just love kiddos and will be wonderful with the grandchild!  My daddy arrived and hour and a half early yesterday and just sat and waited.  The Hubby could not understand why he did that, but he always does.  I think he is so excited to come over that he just can't sit around and wait at home by himself and so he arrives early.  I'm fine with it and really The Hubby doesn't mind, it was just that he was still in shower.  The meal was easy, easy, easy.  I did the ham which is a no-brainer, canned green beans that I tweak, Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes that I made the day before and deviled eggs.  I tell you it was the easiest meals I've ever prepared and they loved it.  My day was done. 

I feel pretty good too since my refrigerator got a huge clean out, the house picked up, finished a book, finished a painting and started another.  All in all it was a great weekend with tons accomplished.  Now we start the week with rain yet again in the forecast.  What's the saying, "April showers bring May flowers."  Bring it on I say! 

Have a great Monday all and thank you for being here! 

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Happy Easter

Good Easter morning all.  Is everyone else getting ready for company?  I know I am.  Yesterday I spent the day making Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes and my deviled eggs.  Today I will warm up a pre-cooked ham and green beans, make a relish plate of pickles and olive, take the pre-made Tres Leches cake out of the refrigertator and the pre-made rolls of of the freezer to bake.  Yesterday I set the tables, finished a book, finished a painting and blocked another one.  It was a good day.  The Hubby has spent the whole weekend at the Tulsa Swing Fling (or something like that).  It's a dance weekend which I DO not participate in, even though he would like for me too.  I was perfectly happy yesterday cooking, painting and reading! 

Happy Easter to everyone!

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Snorking

I know there are different definitions for snorking but for me the definition is The Hubby snoring!  The story goes like this:

Several years ago The Hubby had a huge snoring issue, horrible!  He reminded me of my father who is the king of snoring and peeling the paint off the walls.  He would wake himself up choking, unable to get his breath, wheezing.  It was scary.  It also seemed that the minute he would set down in his chair in the evenings that a switch was on his butt to click to sleep.  He could never stay awake.  I feared sleep apnea, which is very unhealthy.  I urged him to see a doctor.  The doctor suggested a sleep study where they found he was only getting about 10 minutes an hour of sleep and was not able to get to R.E.M. sleep.  He was not dreaming.  The option they gave him was surgery.  You see as you get older things kind of sag, and in his case the uvula in the back of his throat was sagging and choking him in his sleep.  Plus he had a deviated septum that hindered his sleep and breathing. 

(EGAD, I just googled uvula and people PIERCE that!)

So the surgery was set.  They were going to laser off his sagging uvula and fix the deviated septum.  Easy peasy!  I drove him to the outpatient clinic and his mother met us.  She was very worried.  He went in and was out within an hour all groggy and packed.  I took him home with a few prescriptions for pain and one for pain suckers at a apothecary pharmacy.  He was in pain!!!  Imagine having your uvula lasered off!  EEK! 

(I know this is a long story.)

That first night The Hubby said he had never, ever been in so much pain in his life, but, it was the first time in years he actually dreamed.  He had the best night of actual sleep, with the pain, he had ever had.  Best thing he had ever done, but also the worst. 

Now, several years later and we are at a point that he has started, not snoring, but snorking.  At least that is the word I think of as he is making that sound at night.  It's kind of a wheezing, whistling, lame snore.  Trust me it is not as bad as the snoring used to be but it is annoying. 

I snore too.  It is especially bad if my allergies are in an uproar and being spring in Oklahoma they are.  I have to say though I dream, dream, dream.  I get a good nights sleep snoring and all.  The Hubby keeps saying I forced him to have the surgery and so he wants me to!  WHAT!  No friggin' way!  Besides, I don't have sleep apnea.  My uvula is safe and sound and will never see the bad side of a laser I can tell you.  And for the record I only told him to see the doctor, he made his own decision for surgery. 

Friday, April 06, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday

This is something new I'm going to try.  For at least the past 10 years The Hubby and I have eaten at this wonderful Thai buffet called Bangkok every single Friday.  It is delicious, which is why we continue.  When our ticket is laid on the table it is accompanied with two fortune cookies and even if the wait staff misses The Hubby goes over to get us our fortunes.  It has become a tradition for us.  I keep those fortunes and give them to B for a project she plans on doing sometime so we've amassed many fortunes.  I decided that I should have Fortune Cookie Friday because there are some really interesting questions or statements that could be used for discussion.  So here we have the first of Fortune Cookie Friday!

Do what is right, not what you should.

I think this is a statement that many a parent has told their child, I know mine did.  It is my mantra, or least I try to do it.  I am probably not very successful but I like to think that I live by this, doing right.  It's not an easy road.  You have to be able to step out of your comfort zone and most people can't.  What about you? 

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Every summer for several years when I was little, my siblings and I, and mother would take a vacation to spend a week at my Greatgranny's in Jay, Oklahoma.  The most wonderful time of my life.  I digress though...

In the "town" of Jay there were a couple of junk stores, not antique, because back then there were not antique stores in the country, only junk stores.  We loved to go in them and find treasures.  We would save our money from chores and spend it in those dusty and mildewy junk stores buying dishes, toys and books.  One of my finds was this 4x6 little poetry book called "Longfellow's Poems".  It was only 25 cents and for me it was the best treasure find I could have ever had.
It has a copyright of 1902, so this precious little book is 110 years old now and I LOVE IT!  It also fed my love for poetry.  
 I read this little book often and one of my favorite ones, although very sad was

The Slave's Dream
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1807-1882)

Beside the ungathered rice he lay,
   His sickle in his hand;
His breast was bare, his matted hair
   Was buried in the sand.
Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep,
   He saw his Native Land.

Wide through the landscape of his dreams
   The lordly Niger flowed;
Beneath the palm-trees on the plain
   Once more a king he strode;
And heard the tinkling caravans
   Descend the mountain-road.

He saw once more his dark-eyed queen
   Among her children stand;
They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheeks,
   They held him by the hand!--
A tear burst from the sleeper's lids
   And fell into the sand.

And then at furious speed he rode
   Along the Niger's bank;
His bridle-reins were golden chains,
   And, with a martial clank,
At each leap he could feel his scabbard of steel
   Smiting his stallion's flank.

Before him, like a blood-red flag,
   The bright flamingoes flew;
From morn till night he followed their flight,
   O'er plains where the tamarind grew,
Till he saw the roofs of Caffre huts,
   And the ocean rose to view.

At night he heard the lion roar,
   And the hyena scream,
And the river-horse, as he crushed the reeds
   Beside some hidden stream;
And it passed, like a glorious roll of drums,
   Through the triumph of his dream.

The forests, with their myriad tongues,
   Shouted of liberty;
And the Blast of the Desert cried aloud,
   With a voice so wild and free,
That he started in his sleep and smiled
   At their tempestuous glee.

He did not feel the driver's whip,
   Nor the burning heat of day;
For Death had illumined the Land of Sleep,
   And his lifeless body lay
A worn-out fetter, that the soul
   Had broken and thrown away!

Such a sad poem for me to read as a child but I thought it was beautiful. 

My love for poetry started at a very young age.  Mother read to us all the time, all kinds of books but I discovered poetry on my own.

I've written about these books before but will share again.  We had the entire set of these, The Children's Hour, sort of like an encyclopedia of literature. 
Mother would read to us from these and when we were old enough, we read to ourselves.  There are a few pages with crayola markings but they were much loved.  I still have these and cherish them, and am looking forward to sharing and reading to our first grandchild soon.
My favorite one was Best Loved Poems.  I read that one front to back and adored the art.   
I even have a second copy of Book #5 just in case I want to frame some of the pictures in it but I'm not sure I can tear out pages.   
Not only did I find my love for poetry here I found my love for art.  I would draw these pictures all the time and still have my attempts stashed away in my trunk.
How can you not just love this book with art and poetry like this.