Wowser

You can sure tell the season is changing....this week has been  non stop runnin' and gunnin' --and it's been a short one.  A longer week might have killed me.  Yesterday was an attempt to drown both Mary, my neighbor, and myself, on our outing to visit The Forum.  I offered last week to take her and yesterday was the day I could do it.  I kept praying she'd call and say the weather was too bad, but oh, hell no.  I figured if she wanted to go that bad, by gosh we were going, and it was actually kind of fun, if you think getting wet and walking yourself to death are fun.  We looked at several places and were able to identify one floor plan she really liked, and between the two of us, asked every possible question known to mankind.  We got her all the brochures, recommended movers, cleaner-outer people, plan your space and move you in folks, so now it's her kids ball.  It's time for me to bow out.  Mary had no idea all those people were even available and while she knows the services aren't free, you could just see her relax, knowing she doesn't have to do it all herself.  Or burden her kids with it.  Amen.

Today was fun "girl day" with some other ladies I didn't know well, but after yesterday's set up and today's Fall Fashion Show, and tear down, I feel like a have a new group of gal pals.  Women can just be so neat....smart women that is, and these were.  I used to think I just liked professional women.  Not so, Kemosabe.  I like capable women-- ones with a lot of life experience.  The ones you can learn from and know how to do everything--- and make it all look easy.  The ones that aren't into competition and just love to share whatever they know, and to teach nimrods like me how to do it, too.  I admire the hell out of women --certain women--who just have that unshakable sense of fun, coupled with a "can do, hell yes" attitude, that are creative down to their cuticles.  Now that's my kind of mentor.

Tomorrow baby Benji, Mr. NashTown, arrives around noon at DFW with GF, Andrea, in tow.  She is the cutest gal ever so it's a toss up who will get a hug first.  They will be here through Monday so I'm trying to steel myself for the birthday carnage that's likely to happen.  I guess I should recognize it since it's exactly what I used to do, birthday or otherwise.  When I lived in Austin and came home for the weekend, I used to strafe Northpark, and then the drugstore, stock up, throw everything in the trunk, and head back to Austin on Sunday, before the bills hit my dad's desk.  No wonder this sounds so familiar.

Nuh, huh

Hello, Houston....we have a problem.  Pantyhose....... and, I just can't face them.  I have to go to this lady doo tomorrow and unusually for me, I'm wearing a dress.  Yep, I am, or at least that's the plan.  But it's this hose thing that's really thrown me.  I don't do hose.  E-v-e-r.  But whadaya do in a dress?  My legs are just not suitable to be seen by the naked eye, naked, and those one legged thigh high things either look like a tourniquet or might fall down.  Now, yes, the easy answer is just to wear pants....I know that.  But what does the rest of the world of fifty somethings do?  Do you struggle into those body maiming pantyhose or do you have a better solution?  If you have an idea, comment quick because I have to be there early tomorrow and I am plotzed.  And don't say leg tanner--I think I'm allergic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Office Depot and God? Who kew?

I've been hunting for something to use as a God Box for several weeks and nothing seemed to be quite "it".  For those who don't know what a God Box is, its any box you want to use (think sort of a mailbox) where you can put slips of paper (or pages) of things you'd like to let go of, and give to God.  As in permanently.  The object is not to take the top off the box and take stuff back.  You leave it there.  Ultimately, you can take the top off and read all the stuff you gave God and see how it all worked out but not for a l-o-n-g time since God's time and yours may be radically different.  It usually is in my case.

This morning I needed to add some paper to the printer and voila', a Office Depot copy paper box--- with a big ol' Office Depot written in red all over it.  Admittedly, it's not fancy but I'm free to make it all beautiful if I want--quit laughing....I know you know I'm not gonna, but I just had to leave the door open for the artists in the group.  Anyway, I'm going to cut a mail slot in the top and I'm in bid'ness.  At first I wondered for a second if God would be offended by my lowly God box......I mean was it good enough??? And then I started laughing.  Seriously....you think maybe he's got bigger stuff going on than to take offense at my box??  He doesn't give a rats fanny what my box looks like...He just me wants me to use it.  The more I look at my "spiritual mailbox", the more I like it.  It's just soooo me.

Welcome, Fern!!!!!

So glad you joined us!  Welcome, welcome!

Remember her?? I cannot forget her

But for the grace of God it could be me.  99 lashes??  I am so angry I cannot even speak or type.  Heaven help her.  Men will not.  But they sure will have sex with her.  Unbelievable.

Yeast-- what a pain in the butt

Two loads of pizza dough later and I figured out all my yeast is dead.  Every single one of the packages--even the unopened ones.  Well, thank you very much Fleishman's, especially since it says good through April, 2011.  Fred is on his way to get me some that's live, since tonight is Pizza Night on my Egg and homemade dough is just soooo goood and sooo easy, if you have live yeast.  And since it needs to nap (rise) for an hour and a half, I'm burnin' daylight here.  We needed some AAA batteries, too, and forgot them earlier, so now he can knock out both.  I could go harvest the last of my basil but that requires getting up, and I'm just sooo comfy here in my chair, yakking.  After two loads of dough making, a girl needs her rest.  And a big old glass of freshly made iced tea....now that's what I'm talking about.  OOOOO, ahhhhh.  And perhaps a Wigman or a Sister girl in my lap.  On second thought, nahhhh....they chair hog too much.  I might as well get comfy since Fred is known to spend forever at the store.  I guess when you don't go much you don't remember where they put stuff and they constantly re-arrange stuff so it can get frustrating.


 Hallelujah the dough is made and actually seemed like dough this time.  It's covered and resting on top of the freezer in the Utility room, where it's toasty and warm.  And I made the pesto, too.  I filled four of those little bitty round Glad containers with the pesto to share or add to the freezer stash, and I saved some for tonight's pizzas. (I roast the garlic and the nuts and I think it really does make a difference when you do that.)  The flavor is just fuller to me.  Shoot...it lured Fred in to the kitchen from just the smell.  My one remaining basil bush was decapitated-- but all for a good cause.  Knowing that bush, she could still put out some more leaves before Fall but she's no longer pesto worthy.  Bruschetta, maybe.  Even that might be a stretch.

So, stick a fork in me, I'm d-o-n-e.  But I sure am ready for pizza......

Well...it's not exactly a Dove....

Oh, yes, he did.  Again.  When the birds quit flying, Bruce decided to try to call up a bobcat.  Again.  In an earlier post, I showed you the first one.  He said at first, he didn't see a thing.  Zero.  Squat nuthin'.  Then right as he was about to quit calling, he saw something at the base of a tree, sitting.... right... there.... just itching to be shot at.  He said this one took two shots and it tore it up a little, but not so much that one of Brian "Crashman" Harris's pal's, Jeff, still wanted it.  Jeff's a Marine so I guess that figures.  Bruce said when he got back to the big house and walked in with it, Brian just started laughing and shook his head.  Those two are each others biggest fan.  They are legends in their own minds.

When Bruce asked Brian how the hunting / shooting had gone, Brian said he'd had some trouble seeing clearly with his right eye, since that's the eye that suffered some permanent damage in his motorcycle crash.  He's always been the best shot in the family and we always called him Dead Eye Harris.  He said he decided to try shooting more with his left eye as the predominant eye and he got a dove just fine so his plan is to switch eyes.  Please.  I couldn't hit my car in the driveway, and he can hit a flying bird with his non-dominant eye.  C'mon. 

Bruce said using a shot gun you use both eyes, just one more than the other--with a rifle you use one.  Deer season ought to be real interesting.