A Scanning Fool - Part 2

Johnny Weissmuller - Again I have found more of the pictures of "Tarzan".  Daddy was the manager sporting goods department of the Oertles store here in Tulsa, which is long gone.  He put this event together together and was able to get Mr. Weissmuller there.  We kids were so excited. 

Awwww, this our little momma kitty, Susie.  She was such an awesome cat who had three litters of three kittens each time and on the fourth litter had five.  Mother put a stop to it and had her spayed.  The fifth litter yielded a wonderful cat we kept. Momma named her Pagliacci and we pronounced it Pollyiatchi.  Mother loved opera and it was supposed to mean something about clowns and Polly was so ugly she looked like a clown, or so mother said.  We loved that cat.  Susie was the best mother cat who had no bottom teeth.  Her tongue would slip out of her mouth and she drooled as she purred.  She had some kind of a worm when she was a kitten and lost her teeth.  Didn't stop her from dragging in field rats for mother. 

Daddy at his desk at Oertles.

My strong Daddy doing chin-ups on his honeymoon. 

Oh, this is the picture I have been looking for.  It is from Daddy's high school days.  Probably years 1952-53, the annual Junior-Senior fight in some mud area around the coal pits I believe.  He is dead center with the t-shirt #43.

I'm not sure who this is but believe it is my great-grandfather, Grady, and maybe my grandmother.  It is old and faded but I LOVE it!  It's like a postcard. 

Awww, Daddy!

My Granny (Momma's mom).  I can probably count on my fingers the times I saw this kind of laughter out of her.  Amazing picture for me.

EGAD...I so remember that look from Momma.  I believe she DID NOT want her picture taken.

Brother and I after he caught this huge catfish at the boy scout camp, Camp Scott.  I so remember that day, except it could be Daddy caught it, I just remember standing and having out picture taken.

Sweet girls.  Niece N, Zipper and our A

Beautiful B

My brother and B...love it.

Grandpa (Daddy's dad) and B!

B and Tippy!  Such a sad story about that little dog.  It was given to Grandpa because he love Chihuahua dogs, but the people lied the kind and it was too big and too much puppy for Grandpa.  B loved it so they gave him to us.  Our neighbors had Akita dogs and one day their female Akita broke through the fence and you know the rest.  It was awful and so sad.

OH MY GOODNESS, I think I have lost my breath!  I am reminded one reason I fell in love with this guy!  GORGEOUS! 

Brother with Great-granny's dog, Sandy!

Daddy and A

Mother-in-law's...Granny, Momma and Grandma!

Two of my very favortie people, Granddaddy and Granny!

Rings...Not What You Think

These are not what you think.  Yesterday I spent the day organizing "my" room or rather my space.  It had come to the point I could not walk around the junk I keep accumulating in it.  I had planned on painting but that didn't happen.  I COULDN'T get to my easel!  So, starting at one corner I ended up in the closet and actually got rid of a fairly large box of junk and trash.  One of my goals was to find some pictures of my Daddy in 1953 of what they called the Junior-Senior fight that I knew were here.  I want to scan them for Facebook and him.  When I went to his house to find them, low and behold they weren't there so I knew they had to be in my stuff.  After a day of searching I FOUND them!  I also found these rings.  These are friendship rings.  My best friend Sharon gave me the one on the left when we first became close friends and the second I can't remember exactly.  I was so excited to find them, especially since we have found each other again.  It means so very much to me to have her in my life again.  I have missed her so much.  Her friendship was something I have been missing for so long.  (Hey, they still fit-different fingers but they fit!)

Weather

Rain, rain, rain.  I'm kind of loving the rain we are getting here in Oklahoma right now and goodness knows we have needed it.  I'm afraid though that my hard work on Friday is all for naught.  It might just wash away but I can always replant if need be.  Early this morning a rumble woke me from a dead sleep and my first thought, because the whole room jiggled, was an earthquake.  I have been reassured by the weatherguys that it was thunder and not an earthquake, but goodness me.  I just rolled over and went back to sleep! 

When I was a kiddo I used to be terrified, absolutely terrified of thunder and rain and hail and wind. 

If the wind blew I would start shivering and my stomach would knot. 

If I heard raindrops on the roof and I was dead asleep I would instantly be awake and start the quiver in my belly.  We had a little pomeranian mix, Bunny, that would know to come to my bed because I would be awake, and shivering.  I ruined that sweet dog, making her scared of storms too.  I used to say that if there was a tornado, and it hit our house, you would find me on the toilet somewhere. 

 In sixth grade I did a report for school on weather and it helped me to understand a lot about it, and now I am a nut to watch the weather reports on TV.  The past few years I've come to realize that I'm not scared anymore, at least of the common rainstorm.  Now if the sirens are going off and the weather-people are saying take cover, well, I'm that quivering mess again, and theirs that toilet thing again.  But, all in all, I'm now okay with rain and thunder and lightening.  I've overcome a fear I would say, wouldn't you. 

An Object of Beauty

Recently I finished listening to the book An Object of Beauty, by Steve Martin.  I have to say he is a very intelligent writer, at least that is the word that pops into my head as I am listening to his words.  The book was about a lady, Lacey, that is involved in the world of fine art, in acquisitions and collecting in New York and abroad.  Sometimes I was ready to put it aside but I persisted till the end and I liked the book.  As you read, of course the title of the book is about a well known phrase, "an object of beauty" that is often times associated with art, literally.  My mind has wondered to all kinds of associations in life that are objects of beauty:  

A flower 

a bird 

children 

spouse 

sunrises 

memories.

What is an object of beauty for you!

The Dancing Cook

Today I think will be a ramble.  I am just going to type and see what pops up here.  Blank, blank, blank, blank....okay here we go....blank, blank, blank...

I received the new The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier the other day and the first thing I cooked was the Tequila Lime Chicken!!!  That was an A+ for me.  So very yummy.  Today I'm going to try the Dr. Pepper spicy pork butt.  I really like a lot of the recipes in this new edition and plan on trying quite a few.  Sometimes I get a cookbook, look at it and maybe try one recipe then it goes on the shelf but this one I will use.  I also got Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver.  I love, love, love his show on The Cooking Channel and have tried and plan to try several from that show and cookbook.  I'm not much of a recipe follower.  I tend to veer off the written word, a lot to make it my own but that is what cooking is all about isn't it. 

Boy, did I get off track.  I had to go to Amazon.com to find the titles of these cookbooks and ended up buying to Kindle books.  EGAD!  I am such an Internet shopper and such a sucker for a book.  I love, love, love books and my dream job or business would be a bookstore.  I can get so lost in a bookstore and I miss Borders. 

Last night The Hubby and I danced the light fantastic at the DVIS Mirror Ball (Domestic Violence Intervention Services).  It was a hoot of music, food, friends and a ton of dancing.  Oh my tootsies are not happy today and The Hubby spun my so much I got a charlie horse in my calf.  So much for laying off of exercise for the past week and a half!  Really, we had fun and The Hubby was a smiling fool on the dance floor.  He so enjoyed himself.  In fact it is nearly 9am and he is still in bed.  I'm going to finish here and then off to see my Daddy, the grocery store and back home to put that pork butt in the oven.  Hopefully a bit of painting will be done today as I accomplished reading yesterday by finishing two books. 

Toodles all and have a fabulous Sunday! 

A Gardening We Will Go

Yesterday I did this.  I planted all of this stuff and I thought I would not be able to move today but I'm fine!  I have to share the space with our gas meter and the neighbors gas meter but that is fine.  I just planted my cucumbers aroud them and will use to hang cuke's off of. 

Yes, yes I know that it is a bit early for the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers but I am so very anxious to get a garden in this year.  If the weather shows any kind of cold weather I have these...

Wall O Water!  Several years ago I used them very successfully and had tomatoes very early.  They're little individual greenhouses to put around the plants.  You fill them with water and they protect.  I may have to take the cages up first but no problem.  Very awesome. 

The only problem I have in my yard and garden are these stupid sweet gum balls.  Oh my gosh I hate to step on them with shoes and even worse without shoes.  When I was a kiddo we had two trees in our yard and we never wore shoes.  Let's just say I had callous an inch thick on my feet.  We don't have one in our yard now but the neighbor does and I hope they get so fed up they cut it down, I would! 

Doubt

Doubt.  That is the question of the day from NaBloPoMo, to talk about the word doubt.  Very interesting because I spent the day Thursday with a bit of that on my mind, the word doubt.  I'll start with the throught process that was flooding through my brain while laying on the massage and facial tables yesterday.  I was talking to Jennifer that does my facials and we chatted about gardening then I had to shut my yap so she could work.  So while the mouth was sealed my mind wandered to 1980, the year after our oldest, B was born.  That summer I was doing Weight Watchers and I had discovered the world of gardening.  I could not get enough of gardening, doing, reading, and watching TV about it.  My mother started the training of "how to" from the point of view of old school and I was a sponge.  I had a huge garden that I tilled, weeded and grew everything and I have to say the weight fell off of me.  I was buff.  That experience is what inspired me to begin college and my first class....TaDa...was Horticulture.  I decided that I wanted to be a horticulturist and I did quite well in that class.  Doubt reared it's ugly head thought and made me doubt that I could actually do it.  There is a lot to being a horticulturist and since it was my first class of college and I was so unsure of myself in high school, I abandoned that thought process.  In fact, after that class I stopped and didn't go back until after the 2nd kiddo arrived on the scene, 1985.  Then I took the safe way and went business, since that is what I basically did, and that was a lot of the classes I took in high school.  My safety zone.  I doubted that I could branch out. 

The doubt had played a role in my life many times over the years and the horticulture era was not the first.  When I was 16 years, looking for my first job I had a thought about a vet clinic.  You see there were a few careers that I wanted to pursue in my life but there was not an avenue for it and I was stopped every step of the way.  The idea of woking at the vet clinic was because I wanted to be a veterinarian.  I talked to the vet, our vet and he told me that working at the clinic was not women's work.  That cleaning out the kitty litters and cages was not for a woman, or girl.  He made me doubt that I could do it and I quickly left that idea behind.  I realize now that I could have be a vet, easily. 

I also wanted to be a lawyer when I was a youngster, and even up until a few years ago The Hubby has tried to encourage me to go to law school.  That one I know I could do, no doubt, but I'm 55 years old and frankly, I'm done with school.  I don't want to, there is no doubt.  At one time I wanted to be the next Perry Mason but now I have found that I am happy being who I am.  I am a woman!  I am a happy woman!  I am a wife, a mother, friend, successful business woman (with The Hubby), an artist.  I don't doubt my ability anymore.  I am comfortable with myself! 

It's Working

It's working, I think.  The knee is definitely better but the ankles are a bit touchy yet.  I'm still going to stay fairly low key until next Tuesday, and in fact having a massage and facial today.  Unfortunately, we are supposed to go to a dance Saturday night and that is what tweeks my knee usually.  I hope we don't dance too much. 

Talking about dancing, I think I forgot about this little function and I don't know if I have anything to wear or even time to find something. I'm a bit of in an internal panic here this morning. I'll got through the closet...

this with a pair of flowly pants...or... 

if I keep on the salad this week and a pair of Spanx...

What do you think!

Wordless Wednesday

One Restful Day At A Time

Sorry I've been missing, but Sunday there was just nothing to say and yesterday the migraine monster popped up.  I started seeing a white light-thingy-squiggly in my eye and knew that if I didn't get proactive and take something and close my eyes for a bit the migraine would soon follow.  So far, I've been pretty successful in keeping them at bay with simple Advil and I was yesterday too. 

This is day whatever of my not exercising, so far so good but looking forward to getting back to it next week Wade.  The knee is better but not great and even last night as I was walking it just went with a sharp hot poker feeling again.  Got to be easy still. 

Trying to find something to write about today, the first thing I do is to go to the NaBloPoMo website for an idea which always is posted the night before.  I went and there was NOTHING!  What happened, someone fell down on the job there.  Have we run out of ideas or did the idea person just go to sleep, forgetting their job.  Now I'm left to my own imagination for ideas, as usual! 

Think I'll have an opinion on some stuff:

• Oklahoma politics - Stupid!  Makes me want to move.
• Politics - Stupid in general...Really, Republican party, is this all you have to offer up, really!
• The Bachelor Ben - Stupid!  Is it really surprising he picked her or that he took a step back after he saw her antics on the show.  My take is that it won't last.
• Just heard a news report about people stealing Tide detergent from store shelves and re-selling! What?  Hmm, black market Tide!
• Pinterest - Not so much anymore...Delete!  Had posted some stuff that I felt might not be accredited back to me, the creditor!
• Girl Scout Cookies - Not in my house! (Really would like but the hips not so much.)

Migraine

Migraine....sorry

Blog Break Day

I'm taking a blog break day today....tomorrow all!

Sleep, Flowers and Friends

Good Saturday morning all. It's a beautiful sun shining morning, a bit nippy, and the call of rain is imminent later this evening. We have definitely had some rest last night.  After an evening at Harri & Jimbo's cabin next door, and a drink or two, back along the stone walkway and to bed for me.  I climbed into the fresh sheet bed ready to do a bit of reading at 8:30 but the eyes were not cooperating and I was nestled in and out at 8:40.  Clayton just couldn't get comfy and tried to wake us at 3:30, thinking it was time for his breakfast.  NOT!  A quick trip to the great cold outdoors and back to bed where we didn't arise until 8:30 this morning.  That would be nearly 12 hours of sleep!  Boy, did I need that.  A few more days of some rest like that and I should be ready for getting back to exercise in a week or so, I hope. 

I took some snapshots from our small cabin yard...

I feel very lucky that my clematis' are coming up after The Hubby decided that the ring they are in should be burned out from the leaves last fall.  I was so mad at him because they come back on the old wood.   Imagine my surprise yesterday when we arrived and found these!

As I took my short stroll out in the yard I found that my flowering almond is in full bloom.  Looks a bit like a peony doesn't it.  One of my favorite shrubs...but,

the flowers are very tiny on the stems. 

Have a great weekend!

To Walk or Not to Walk!



(playing with the camera yesterday)

 Monday evening was the start of the second week of my WalkFit program.  We are supposed to come to the group walk Monday and Wednesday nights and then on our own Saturday's and another day added in somewhere.  Last week I missed the second night, Wednesday, because of the party at Cain's Ballroom, but I figured we danced our little butts off and that would work.  This week I went Monday night and just as we took off walking my shins started burning like they were on fire.  I had to STOP!  I waited until the group came back around with one of the coaches and that gave enough time for my legs to stop hurting.  I know it was because I needed more warm up but my feet were hurting and had been for awhile and my right knee was giving me a tweak here and there.  I'm just in horrible shape with my knees and feet, I have to face it.  With plantar fasciitis in my feet and the dancing torquing my knees this 56 year old body is just not what it used to be.  I'm still getting up and working with my trainer 3 days a week and the dancing on top of it all.  I decided that I needed a BREAK before my body breaks.  So I emailed the WalkFit people and told them I was going to stop the rest of this week and next.  I contacted my trainer and laid off the rest of this week and next week.  I am resting this body.  That doesn't mean I can't walk the dog, slowly and ride on my stationary bike but walking on the asphalt is just going to have to stop for a bit.  I'm tired of getting up at 5 every morning.  I tired of hitting the floor every morning and run, run, run till the end of the day.  The morning stuff is not that bad and I prefer getting my exercise out of the way in the morning.  By the end of the day, when the walk stuff starts is when my body and head wants to stop and do NOTHING!  If I'm going to do this walk thing I need to do it in the mornings.  So I will keep up with the trainer but the walking in the evenings...STOP! 

Trunk Diving

I've been trunk diving...

Since spending time with the scanner last week I decided that it was time to do some trunk diving.  My very old trunk is full of old letters, newspapers, wedding dresses, and a multitude of junk

The local newspaper...dated 1955 and 1952 

Oh my I did not remember that I had Momma's wedding dress and veil.  I also have mine and the prom dress she crocheted for me. 

Oh look, I promise I am a good swimmer and lifesaver, I'm certified! 

It's funny that last Wednesday night I happen to be talking to some friends about the Walk for Mankind that I had done when I was a teen.  I don't think I really knew what it was about, but I did it at least 2 years that I remember.  Going through the trunk I found these pins and a certificate.  We walked 20 miles each time in a day and I remember walking a good part of it one year barefoot.  Back then I NEVER wore shoes and had callous's on my feet at least an inch think.  It was as close as I could get to being a hippy and being politically involved in the early '70's. 

Oh man, and I found these, my very first concert.  The Hubby took me before we married. 

Another hippy thing.  This was the back pocket and the leg of my very hip-hugger jeans from the era.  Wore the things completely out.  Also my autograph book but alas, no one famous, just family and friends.

Art work from the 70's that adorned my walls and door.  I loved this cow. 

Comments vs Readers

The question today at NaBloPoMo is: "Would you rather have more blog readers or more blog comments?" I've pondered that question a few times before. Hmm, I have about 76 readers but in reality I have many more that just don't comment or are a part of the "system". I won't lie it would be awesome to hit 100 readers but I'm okay with my wonderful readers now. I definitely would like more comments. Sometimes you want to hear that what you are writing and sharing is okay. So, to answer the question, I would rather have more comments.

Picture of the day - At my vets office...Best Friends!

(sorry it's blurry-camera phone)

Super Tuesday

Today is Super Tuesday here in Oklahoma.  I really can't wait till this stupid election is over, mainly to have different news to watch.  I'm already tired of the commercials and every single news program is nothing but election stuff.  The main thing I'm ready to end are the phone calls.  They come every single day, several times a day, Sunday's included.  Yesterday, when I got home from a very long day at the office I checked our phone messages which usually area NONE.  There were no less than six messages, one was a message we needed.  That meant five were political and they were all within less than an hour.  I'm glad I wasn't home.  Last night I went to the walking group and while The Hubby was home but on a walk with Clayton I came home to find the light blinking.  There were another three messages, one an actual message.  It is just ridiculous.  I deal with sales crap calls all day long at the office and trust me, you don't want me to answer your phone call.  Normally I am a very nice person on the phone but sales calls and now political calls...OOOOOOooooo!  Unfortunately the political ones are usually automated and recorded,  I can't rail at anyone person! 

Would you rather travel to space or go deep into the ocean?

The question today for National Blog Posting Month is "Would you rather travel to space or go deep into the ocean?"  That is such an easy one for me!  First, definitely NOT deep into the ocean.  I hate any water to swim in unless you can see the bottom and yes I know you can see the bottom in some waters.  I then qualify that statement to say you have to see the bottom and absolutely NO critters in the waters.  So I'm pretty happy in a pool.  Ever since the movie Jaws came out I have had some horrible fears of the ocean and lake waters.  I am an excellent swimmer with earning the Senior Lifesaving at the age of 14 but NO WAY!  I don't even like to watch television shows about what is down there. 

Now the space travel.  Yes, yes, yes, I would be on the first space shuttle to live in outer space.  I have been enamoured with space travel ever since the first man in space.  The love was also fueled by television shows like Lost In Space and Star Trek.  Oh how that would be such an adventure, and I am NOT an adventurer, at all. 

How about you, which would you like to do if any?

A Scanning Fool

I decided to get my Momma & Daddy's Wedding album out and scan some pictures on Friday.  What treasures I found in that album that I either had forgotten or mother had hidden behind other pictures.

My dear Daddy, #43 for the Broken Arrow Tigers, probably 1953-54

Oh my goodness, Momma.  What a cutie and those huge pants.

That would be me in my momma's belly! I was born June 56.

 A find behind a picture.  That is my Daddy squatting down by the bin of tops for fishing reels.   He worked for ZEBCO or formally known Zero-Hour Bomb Company during the war. 

"Whistle" - Momma!

Love this picture of Momma.

Comment Verification

A friend commented the other day that she could not comment on my blog because of the comment verification problem so I took it off.  It has been a couple of weeks and the spam I am getting is horrendous.  I have put it back to save my email account the workout.  Really, it was getting silly and I know it is probably the automated stuff.  I love email, snail mail anything and it was tiring to hear, "You've Got Mail," and find junk stuff.  So sorry for the inconvenience but it has to be for a bit.  For the one who had the problem, lets try again and see if it works, if not I may consider undoing again as I love to hear from you.