Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

SPOILED ROTTEN SNIVELING POOP

My poor sister has a terrible flu, or cold or something. Meanwhile, I have been picking on her and my brother, as I have done all our lives. My brother just doesn't pay attention to me and my sister apologizes. Finally yesterday she ask me if she ever did anything right?

Oh my goodness, gracious, sakes alive -- what a horrible person I am to evoke such a question from my loving, sister.

Have my siblings done anything right? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and that includes my siblings-in-law.

They are part of a loving army that has stood up for me through all the hills and valleys of turmoil in my life. They stood beside me through all kinds of crazy choices in my life. They have lifted me up and they have lifted up my children as crises have come and gone over the years.

Then, they forgive me for returning to being a spoiled rotten, sniveling poop at a moment's notice. Ron swears they all went together and paid him to take me off their hands. He, too, believes I am a bit demanding. I think I will change today.

SOLVE THE CRIME

I need help solving a crime. What is the crime, you ask? It is a crime about corporate mucky-mucks who have killed our Court TV.

January 1, 2007 the Dish Network eliminated the programming for Court TV and replaced it with the Biography Channel which I already have and rarely watched when I had one biography channel much less two.

The television moguls are doing battle while the "always-right-customer" waits. And, while we wait we get to keep paying.

I need Forensic Files, Psychic Detectives, Cops, etc. It has been over 30 days now and the withdrawal is beginning to kick in.

So, if we can't get Court TV on Dish, where can we get it? Is it just hanging out in limbo somewhere and no one can have it?

To top it off, it is snowing again and I can't get to the post office to pick up my newest Netflix.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID ME

My doctor's appointment is tomorrow. This is my cardiologist. He was very proud of me at my last appointment because I had managed to lose 48 pounds. I have now gained back 7 pounds. How did that happen? I'll tell you. Flavored coffee.

My precious oldest grandson introduced me to the beauty of cafe lattes and cappuccino. At home I began to add Hazelnut and French Vanilla, etc to my coffee. I avoided the sugar free flavorings because they are made with Splenda and I had given up Splenda because it has the same ingredients as rat poison minus one something or other.

I'm back to the poison. I got sugar free flavorings yesterday but not in time for my appointment tomorrow. Who knew the added calories in those wonderful, delicious, Quik Trip 89 cent hot coffee drinks!

SIBLINGS OUTSIDE THE TOUCH OF TIME

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~Clara Ortega

Every time I read this quote I picture another special memory of my brother and sister. I don't think I ever picture them as they are now. I always picture them as we were -- my brother taking his homemade pizza out of the oven to serve his multitude of friends, my sister falling out the backdoor with a staged knife tucked under her arm and ketchup all around it and me screaming for our parents. I know they have to remember me as always screaming for our parents!

Monday, January 22, 2007

JUST TO POST

I have posted this picture just to see if I could. I changed my blog to the new blogger and wasnt' sure if the photo posting would be the same. That is Beth and Ryan with Granny Annie between them. Those two ALWAYS need someone between them. Most of the time it's either their dad or poor Dillon. Look how tall Ryan is!!!!
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CHICKEN FEVER

I am getting chicken fever. No, I don’t mean bird flu! I am needing some baby chicks and it is not even spring. I am eager to acquire some black sex-link chicks and get my flock built up again for some good eggs. Most of my sex-links are gone now and they are the absolute best chickens to raise for perfect eggs.

The Araucanas have been fun for the colorful Easter eggs, and the Silkies are pretty little chickens, but the Sex-links are the perfect chicken. I don’t ever want anymore Australorps or Rhode Island Reds. They seem to molt all year round.

By the way, if you try to search “sex-links” on google you sure get a lot of porn sites! LOL

BOMBS BURSTING ....on the ground.

The ice is sliding off our metal barn roof and our house roof. It sounds like a war zone around here. Poor Slim thinks she is Don Quixote battling windmills. She hears the enemy, but it has splattered on the ground and become part of the scenery before she can take on the challenge.

LOOK AT THE ELEPHANT

Saturday I was reading and was reminded of this story. Five blind men are looking at an elephant with their hands. One grasps the ear and describes a leather fan, another feels a rope, another a snake, the man who feels the legs describes a tree, and the one feeling the large round body describes a floating barrel.

We are always receiving political emails. They usually dwell on a single negative or sometimes a single positive aspect of a candidate. We also read news reports and even blogs that feature some select element of a particular person or event.

It is like seeing bits and pieces of the elephant. It dawned on me that I need to be very careful to put the pieces together before deciding the big picture.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Dear Chelle, 35 years ago today seems only the blink of an eye. You have never stopped amazing me and making me proud. I love you! Happy, happy birthday to you. XO Mom

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

MY CHAMPION

There was a time in my life when home repair problems would hit and I would have to call and expensive repairman. Single women were the bonanza of all plumbers, electricians, car shops, etc.

This morning I get to break the news to my spouse that our water is off. We are on a well and this happens periodically. He goes out to the shop where the well-house is located and flips some switches or something, and the water comes back on. This will the the first time he gets to do this in 7 degree, icy weather. He will just do it because that is what he does.

I told my mother that we were ready for the storm. I listed all the functional things we had to meet the potential problems. My mother simply said, "You have Ron and that's all you need." She was certainly right about that.

Monday, January 15, 2007

WAITING OUR TURN




Calls are coming in. Friends and family wanting to know if we are okay and if we have power. We are sitting on the edge of the hardest hit area in Oklahoma. We still have power. It is unbelievable. We're ready in case with a propane heater, kerosene lanterns, plenty of food, etc. But, so far, so good. We do have a huge tree limb down on our porch and there is a part of a tree on the barn. The evergreen trees are loaded and leaning and look like struggling old mountain men trudging through a winter storm. We are thankful that we don't have to get out in this and go to work and we're thinking about all of you that do and hope your travels today are safe. If only I could get to my Netflix that are awaiting me at the post office:-) Posted by Picasa

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Ice, Ice Baby

Not snow but ice holds us hostage this weekend. We don't seem to have it as bad as Tulsa but we're definitely inside for the duration. Lots of power outages around us. We think we're ready if our electricty goes out. Poor Beth, all weekend activities were cancelled and even the boy's band events were cancelled. Posted by Picasa

EGG DISCOVERY


Here is my first Silky egg. Now what in the world will we do with this size egg? I'm thinking you would need about two dozen to make an omlet. I almost missed seeing this unique egg in the nest. If anyone knows a recipe for cooking with Silky eggs, please let me know.
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Friday, January 12, 2007

BETH SHINES

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THE YEAR OF BETH

My ten-year-old granddaughter takes a back seat to her two older brothers. Their activities and sports have caused poor Beth to put all her activities on hold. She is proud of her brothers and enjoys attending their ballgames, etc. But, now it appears her time has come. Not only did Beth get a call-back to try out for the high school production of The Music Man, she surprised us all by winning her school spelling bee.

Tomorrow she completes her try-out and in two weeks she goes to the district spelling bee. Oh, oh, oh, oh, it would be great for her to get the part and win the bee, but just getting this far is victory! You go girl!!!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

EXCUSES, EXCUSES!

Speaking of familiar phrases from our memory – how about “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” (or something like that)?

If I am not busy “doing”, I feel guilty. My mother was always on her feet, cleaning, cooking, doing church work, doing yard work, etc. (She did it all in a Donna Reed shirtwaist dress too, by the way.)

Ron will tell me to sit down when I find myself going in circles just to keep from becoming idle.

Thankfully there is always fishing. Fishing is the perfect excuse to do nothing. You are busy sitting and watching your pole. Your mind can drift on the water that is slapping the bank, the side of your boat or the boat dock. You can daydream to your hearts content with totally clear conscience because, after all, you are doing something – you are fishing.

Your meditation is only interrupted momentarily if you happen to actually catch a fish. Your reel it in, measure it, throw it back or keep it for dinner and return to your thoughts. It is a win-win situation if you catch a fish or not.


Wednesday, January 10, 2007

MISC.

Beth got a call-back for the part of Amaryllis in The Music Man and will try out again on Saturday. Fingers are crossed.

Mike scored for his team at his basketball game on Saturday.

Ryan goes to a meeting Thursday night preparing him to become a High School FRESHMAN!!!!! (Pick this granny up off the floor!)

Poor little Hope has a virus. She does not have strep throat, as her mother suspected. The doctor says the virus will simply have to run its course.

The chickens are laying eggs again.

One of the Silkie chickens disappears every evening in the hen house. She always reappears in the morning. I have tried and tried to see where she hides, but I cannot find her. I do not know why she does not roost with the rest of the chickens. I have looked high (in the rafters) and low (under the straw and hay) and unless she is tunneling through the ground, she simply becomes invisible once she crosses the threshold into the pen.

Ron is checking the lake reports daily as we prepare to start our early morning fishing expeditions. Yesterday we checked out the heated boat dock near our house and met the owners and some of the regulars. Seems like a good bunch to fish with. We did learn however that you can’t keep the crappie unless they are ten inches long or more.

I am listening daily to audio tapes of my maternal grandmother. I used to visit her once or twice a week and she would read her prepared notes as I recorded her vocal recollections from her journals. It is so warm and wonderful to listen to her beautiful voice and remember her smiles as she would talk about her childhood, her marriage to my grandfather, their four children and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. My grandmother lived past her 99th birthday and into her 100th year with a sharp mind and strong body almost to the very end.

My brother-in-law has returned to his office this week for a few hours a day. He has recently recovered from pneumonia. We are so thankful!

Right now I hear Slim. It seems she has gotten herself trapped under the house again. I don’t know where she gets under the house and she obviously forgets where she got under the house, so I have to go out and open the crawl space so she can exit.

T.T.F.N. (ta-ta for now)

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Remains Of The Day

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ANOTHER TRADITION

Everyone observes special holiday traditions. Memories are made of what we did as children and traditions we passed on to our children. I have one tradition that I'm not sure my children follow or if they even remember.

Putting away the decorations is a big deal. My mother and I both cannot wait to put away our decorations. I don't know what that is about. We enjoy Christmas a lot. We like to look at decorations and we follow tradition in putting them out, but we both breath a sigh of relief when our decorations are down.

My personal tradition has grown out of what is left out. No matter how hard I try, I always leave something out after the Christmas containers are closed and put away. Somewhere along the way I decided, if it's left out, it's out for the year.

Two years ago our grandson Joey was here through Christmas and I challenged him to help me put away the decorations. I told him we wanted to be sure and get everything because anything we missed would stay out all year. We both worked diligently and we gathered up everything -- everything. We stood back and looked and we walked around and looked and we closed the containers and put them away.

When Ron and I returned from the airport sending Joey back to California, I saw the decoration the moment we turned toward our house. There was a small, hanging basket of Christmas greenery. I looked at that basket all year and remembered the special Christmas with Joey.

I always leave something out and I never try to leave something out. I truly make every effort to put everything away. What I leave out is always something of special significance or at least it becomes something special after being out all year. As I glimpse it through the following year it makes me smile.

This year I stacked ALL the decorations in the middle of the living room. I left them there for two days as I walked and looked and checked and re-checked. The second day I spotted a Santa placed over the door and said Ah Ha! Gotcha! I added it to the stack and put the decorations in the container. The lid was closed and the trunk put away.

As if it had been invisible, I walked into the living room and stepped on a floor mat that had bells on it and read, "Happy Holidays". I moved it to the utility room and it is out for the year.

Who says the Spirit of Christmas leaves after the holidays? I always have a reminder of the true Gift of Christmas.

Friday, January 05, 2007

STRIKE ENDS

Look at that big, beautiful, brown egg! That's a Curly egg. She is the only girl that lays that dark an egg. It appears that the egg strike may be over. That is the first egg since Thanksgiving.
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Ding Dong

My niece Karen takes her children to day-care in Chicago. Her infant son Grant and her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Nora.

The day-care has a wonderful safety system of requiring a secret code to be entered to release the lock and open the door. Parents all have the code but sometimes a new person will forget the code or sometimes the door simply will not function correctly. For such circumstances, there is a doorbell for people to press and a worker will come and let them in.

Yesterday the children were busy with crafts awaiting their parents to pick them up at the end of the day. Nora is a serious student of coloring and was occupied when the doorbell rang. Ding-Dong! Nora glanced up from her task and declared matter-of-factly, "Pizza's here!"

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

1964 NEW TOWN DIVAS

My family moved in 1963, the summer before my senior year in high school. I loved the town we were leaving and had spent four years there forming friendships and memories. Determined to hate New Town, Oklahoma, I landed there crying but did not cry for long.

The kids were friendly. They embraced me and made me a part of their world. It was a happy high school graduation in May, 1964 with New Town friendships and New Town memories.

Suddenly we are in touch again. Our 60th birthdays in 2006 caused the girls to plan a party. I had to miss the 1964 Diva's party held this past September, but email addresses were compiled and cyber space has allowed us to make contact and start filling in the blanks since our New Town years. It is a good feeling to touch these friends again.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Post Office Closed Tomorrow

The U.S. Post Offices will be closed tomorrow, January 2, 2007, in memory of Gerald R. Ford, 1913 - 2006.

SURVIVAL

Happy New Year everyone! This holiday season we have managed to survive lots of travel, snow storms, fire, theft and hopefully pneumonia. (David is supposed to go home from hospital tomorrow morning. All will be great if Elenore can keep from being admitted to the hospital tomorrow afternoon:-)

Thanks be to God! Amen

AQUARIANS

The astrological predictions this morning speak to Chelle and Jessi. Both are Aquarians and the words for them were:

"Aquarius, it is time for you to be more unusual than ever."

Is that frightening or what? LOL

Signature: The Grandchildren Were Here

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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

The New Year devotional speaks to the weary, the patient, the strong. The writer does not dwell on the first day of the New Year, but the second. The second day is the real beginning for us as we resume our routine lives.J.C. and Buddy by EAGHL 2003
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Signature: Grandchildren Were Here!

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The Decorations Are Down

It is time to put the decorations back in the box until next year.
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