My Kids

 We're in the slow cooker now ... heating up to the perfect daytime temperature, only it comes at night.  60 degrees.  We should be well done by the time noon rolls around at 95.  My plans to be out in the van on the coast got waylaid.

We began the day like this.  Just hanging out ......

When I couldn't stand it any more, I finished up this quilt.  I'm not happy with it.  I suppose most people won't notice, but the stars around the edge are not centered.  I had all this fabric left over from the last one and just could not make myself throw it away at $15.00 a yard.  It cost me a couple of hours just getting it as good as it is.  Hopefully they won't notice.  

At noon we had a lunch meeting of the Elk minds to come up with a solution to our human problem.  Sadly, there is no acceptable solution.  We are stuck with someone who is killing the fun, lighthearted attitude for everyone, with several volunteers leaving completely.  I may be next.

Back home, Mr. Cooper desperately needed a bath.  Definitely NOT his idea of fun, but I had to insist.  We both got in the bathtub and rub-a-dub-dubbed him clean.  Still soaking wet, we played chase through the house because I couldn't catch him.  

A little hair dryer later ... which he hates by the way ... and he was ALMOST dry and fluffy.  Poor baby has these growths all over his back ... something I've never seen before ... and they itch.  The bath helped a bit, so we may have to play that game more often.

Out of nowhere, I got a bit dizzy and sick.  That's never happened before and I haven't been that kind of sick in 15 years.  Yikes!!  I spent the next five hours sitting on the couch miserable.  I wonder what was in those enchiladas I ate?  

That means no pictures and no food for the blog.  So here's my other kid ... Miss Jessie ... who passed away a few years go.  She was the first real house dog I ever had.  Let me just say that Jack Russells are a breed all their own.  She was a rescue and took three months before she would even get on the couch with me.  One owner dogs they are ... and her owner gave her up.

This was the face I saw 25 times a day.  She was not the least bit impressed with Mr. Cooper when he arrived, and growled at him constantly.  

About the first week, she went in the back yard and chased the horses.  Not a good idea for this little girl since she got stepped on.  Yup ... broken toes.  She was a trooper however and healed up just fine.  Thankfully she was a quick learner and never went in the corrals again.

Sadly, we all get old ... and she is no longer with me.  I miss her every day.

Hopefully today brings NO sick stomach and a gate repair.  I'm also going to call and see what an entire new gate opener will cost.  The only other solution will be to disconnect the swing arm, drill a big hole in the rock post and put a chain on it.  Not a good solution in my book.  I'm spoiled with a push button gate.

Now THIS Is COUNTRY

 We are extremely lucky here in California.  The beautiful cool nights and nice warm days continue as tornados rip through towns back East.  So very sad.  I remember driving through those states, listening every second to the radio ... not sleeping ... wondering how people could say they don't worry about them at all.  If it's your time, it's your time.  I would be parked in a barrel underground at every breath of wind.  Prayers to all those who have lost loved ones and everything they own.  

Those of us who live in California say thank goodness all we have are earthquakes ... and not very many of them.  Every morning as I take Mr. Cooper out on this walk, I look up at the ever changing sky and say thank you!!

I am also very thankful to have this beautiful van, though it was completely covered in dirt and dust.  Actually I was already dressed to hit the road for the fabric store.  They do longarm quilting and I needed  one quilt finished with a machine tougher than mine.  Since I could not see out the windshield, I figured I better give her a wash.

I don't know what they put on the windows and paint, but boy is this thing hard to wash.  You can wash and rinse twice, and the dirt and streaks are still there.  I finally gave up, started her up and hit the gate button to exit the back yard.

NOTHING!  There was nothing!!  Not a click, not a sound and certainly no movement.  Yet again, I'm locked in.  This is SO irritating!!  Unfortunately there is only one company to work on them, 45 minutes away.  They charge $325 for a house call ... and of course anyone who needs service is a house call!!

I checked the GFI and it is working just fine.  Big sigh.  I parked the rig back under the cover and took my truck.  Why do I have to keep resetting this thing when the breaker never went off?  I probably need an entire new controller, but no other brand opens the gate this way, or this direction, so a different brand won't work.  How frustrating!

I jumped in the truck and took off.  When I say I live in the country, this is what it looks like.  Narrow two lane roads with lots of orchards, mostly almonds and pistachios. 

This is how I get to the town about 25 miles away.  Talk about small!  This is Mennonite country, which is why they have the only quilt store within an hours drive since JoAnnes closed down.  Out here it's cotton, tomatoes and sweet potatoes, along with rice in certain sections.  

When the cattle prices went so low we had to sell them for less than we paid after feeding them for months, we went into the rice farming business.  That turned into tomatoes.  Anything to keep food on our table.

This is why I have to clean my house constantly.  All this farming requires lots of plowing and planting.  When the wind blows even a tiny bit, or crazy wild like it did yesterday, whirlwinds pick up dust and dirt, spreading it for miles around.  That makes this one of the premier locations to get Valley Fever.  

It's about as rural as it gets.  Believe it or not, this is the grocery store.  If you've got an old barn, you've got a place to sell food to the locals.  

I dropped off the fabric to be quilted, knowing this one was going to cost me.  I'm guessing $100, including batting.  Add to that the $130 for embroidery and $75 for fabric ... and you've got a pretty expensive Veterans quilt!!  Hopefully I can reduce that cost since most of this one is coming out of my pocket.  

I was actually then headed to Target ... I don't even remember for what ... when I was completely distracted by the HABIT sign.  Oh wait ... I was needing some stuff for appetizers, but the parking lot was completely full to the brim.  Nope ... not going in THERE!  So instead, my truck just drove itself across the street where we basically parked in their drive-thru for 30 minutes.  The food is good, but their service terrible.

I can't complain too much when I get a burger freshly made like this one.  It's about 4 inches tall.  It looks like all lettuce, but it's got loads of bacon tucked inside.  Yup ... I ate the WHOLE THING!  The good news is I was so full come dinner time that I didn't eat again.

I stewed about the gate opener, but decided to wait until Monday to call and see how much I have to sacrifice in order to get an entire new opener.  Yes I could put in a pin and open and close it by hand every single time, but I'm old and creaky.  

I tried to sew, but that's when I realized I put the second machine on the wrong side of the table.  I spent the next hour switching machines, which of course had to involve actually cleaning all the dust and dirt off.  As you know, that is not my forte!

In the end, I gave up and just sat on the couch while admiring my still absolutely gorgeous flowers after one whole week.  The roses dies, but these still look fresh!!  Besides, the Professional Bull Riders Association World Championships were on the Cowboy Channel.  These guys ... when you watch bull riding, most everyone gets bucked off.  These guys from Brazil, Australia and the U.S.?  They rode most every one.  It was the perfect way to end the day.

Thin Mints Do NOT Work

 Weather report:   Low of 55, with a lovely high of 75.  It's going to be a nice day in the Central Valley hood.  

The news has been interesting of late ... everything about food you didn't want to know.  Apparently the reason most everything doesn't taste as good as when you were a kid is due to all the additives the big production food people are hiding in plain sight.  I've mentioned it before ... this doesn't taste the same as I remember.  I thought that was just me.

NOW we learn the manufacturers are putting things in that can be addictive, so you will buy and eat more?  That's kind of a shocker!!  It certainly explains why there were no overweight kids in my grammar school ... but look now.  Then again, we were always outside playing to keep from having to do housework or empty the garbage.  We didn't sit on the couch with phones and X-boxes.  

And apparently you have to eat TWO boxes of Thin Mints for them to work.

  Here's a little more on Luke Bryan's Farm Tour.  Great idea to help out local FFA groups, though I don't know if they really ended up with any money.  Apparently 20,000 people were expected.  That's a lot to stuff into a small space like this, especially when all you have are two little two-lane roads to get there and only two entrances.  

Parking was crazy at $40.00 each because most everyone who bought tickets missed the "click here" for $20.00 parking.  

A sea of humans for as far as the eye can see.  Apparently they didn't have enough people at the gates, and entry was slow.  SO slow that it took most of the folks over 3 hours just to get on the tarmac.  Hundreds of unhappy campers just turned around and left, even after paying the ticket price.  Tickets ran from $86 to $436 each.  

Two other performers played for two hours, before Luke's one hour show, which was over by 10:00.  Unfortunately they parked everyone facing the wrong direction, so most folks didn't even get out of the parking lot until 3:00 am.  I love country music, but not quite THAT much.  

Friday there was another concert just down the highway ... and one more tonight.  Make hay while the sun shines!!  I did notice he rides around in a HUGE beautiful RV.

I, on the other hand, was more interested in what was keeping the gophers out of my back yard.  I haven't seen the foxy kids in some time now, but I imagine the big house built next door took away their habitat.  On very rare occasions, I've seen this black kitty hiding in the weeds, so I decided to give him a little snack.  

We have five wild kitties in the area that I think the locals keep fed.  I guess I'll do my part for this guy.

While outside, I checked the growy things.  These tomatoes ... WOW!  They are now twice the size of when I started.  The little tomatoes are getting bigger and bigger, but nothing is turning red.  What's up with that?  Maybe it's too early.  The zucchini is over a foot high already.  I can't wait to see little orange flowers.  So far my black thumb has been kept at bay.

It was another day of recouping and getting rid of that naggy headache I had.  I tried to push the Do Not Procrastinate button, but I think it's broken.  I did finally get up enough gumption to finish the binding on yet another quilt.  I now have eight of these completed, with five more half done.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  At least I hope that's a light and not just a train heading straight for me!  This one is my favorite.

Time to get my act together.  I'm taking one of those quilts to the fabric shop for quilting.  I'm afraid the embroidery is too thick for my machine ... and I'd rather they break theirs than I break mine.  Oh ... and Mr. Cooper needs a bath.  His least favorite thing to do, next to going to the Vet, which is next week.  I've been saving my pennies for that one!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

Well That Was Fun!!

 

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Central California and I'm feeling  F  I  N  E !  It didn't last however.  I healed up from the Mothers Day gala and really was feeling so much better that after taking Mr. Cooper for a walk, I decided to go for one myself.  Still a little stiff and sore, the best way to get rid of the last vestiges is to run.  And run I did ... for the first mile.  

Gasping for air, I quickly brought it down to a walk so I would enjoy the California poppies blooming amid the scrub brush.  Nothing says Spring like California poppies.  A little over 2 miles later, I drug myself through the door to the couch!!

Lunch was quick and simple.  BLT tacos ... my own invention.  The carrots come from the salad mix that probably SHOULD have been my lunch.  

I truly rested all day, which turned out to be a good thing.  It was Cattlemen's night at the lodge.  Little did I know what I was going to be in for.  First off ... what the heck is this?  It has, in days gone by, been the REAL appetizer of cattlemen everywhere.  Rocky Mountain Oysters.  I passed, however the Bingo crew (all guys of course) insisted they were just gizzards.  

I did not just fall off the turnip truck.  Born and raised on a cattle ranch, I'm very familiar with this little delicacy, which I only tasted ONCE.  Once was more than enough.  I finally did a teeny tiny taste test, to find they were correct.  Gizzards, along with some very tasty sausage.  

Other appetizers shared were this ... my all time favorite.  Mix some mayo with cheese and toss in a tiny can of green chili peppers.  Spread on French bread rounds and toast in the oven.  I could eat them all day long.

Fortified by a coke, the night began at 5:15.  We sold well over 150 tickets on this night, about the average of every lodge dinner night.  

This was the talk of the town.  Anyone recognize him?  It's Luke Brown, country and western singer who donates lots of money to Farmers Groups and FFA ... Future Farmers of America.  I've no idea in the world why they chose this crappy little town for a big concert.  Maybe it's the use of the Castle Air Force Base airfield ... home of the B-52 bombers of years past.  

That made for some crazy traffic into town for me, since they closed off all the main roads around the base.  I didn't buy any tickets, because I knew it was going to be awful.  

There is however, a small RV park at the base where my friends got spots for their RVs.  They were parked very early in the morning.  She sent out this message to me at 4:15.  Just walked a mile to the tarmac, where we are waiting in the VIP area to be allowed in.  Bought one beer ... $17.00.  Bought one small fries ... $25.00.  That's absolute crazy!!  

For $20.00, I got this fabulous Elks Lodge dinner.  I already consumed the homemade chili beans ... YUM!!  I brought the rest home.  There I was, minding my own business when someone came up and started a fight with someone at my table.  Well that was fun.  I won't go into details, and in fact I just deleted some of my post.

There's no use talking about it, though I may ask your opinions later on, since I'm truly not used to dealing with stuff like this.

The best thing for me is to head out on another run this morning.  I'm sure I can switch the brain talk to GOSH I CAN'T BREATHE or HOW DID I GET SO OUT OF SHAPE!!  By the way, I've actually lost nine pounds, in spite of all the lodge food I keep consuming.  If only I can keep it up for nine more!!!

Look At These Babies!!

 Now THIS is perfect weather for California.  Low of 55, high of 82.  I think it's TAN time!  A little sun exposure is supposed to help with your sleep.  So did that little pill I took last night.  I still woke up six times, but I finally feel like a human being this morning.

These babies ... just look at them!  They have obviously been sleeping well over the last four months.  I was shocked to see just how big they have become.  

In no time they will be flapping their wings and flying off into the wild blue yonder, hopefully to learn how to catch their own dinner in the lake below.  They are flapping their wings a lot already.  It's pretty amazing that both of them survived.  

After spending way too much time watching their nest antics, I got to work.  Spring time is full of chores, the first of which is changing out the filters in my house.  There are three of them.  It never used to bother me being that high, but this one .... it feels like being on top of the Matterhorn.  It's 12 feet off the floor with nothing to hang on to.  No worries, I go very slow and am deliberate in my moves.  

On to the other two ... easy peasy this one.  I do keep my phone on me just in case I need to make a 911 call.  I'm probably kidding myself there ... if I fell that far, I'd be a goner.

Pretty dirty they were, but I guess that just means they were working.  It doesn't help that I'm in the middle of dusty dirty orchards and farmland. 

I was still pretty tired, but had to make a trip to town for paper bowls and plates.  It's interesting to note that First Street products at Smart and Final have NOT been reduced in size, nor increased in price.  I got everything I need and pushed the cart out the door.  And THEN IT HAPPENED ...

Before I even made it near my truck, the cart came to a screeching halt.  What the heck?  It would not push even two inches.  Did the wheel break?  I finally grabbed the front and DRUG it as close to the door as I could get it.  How irritating is THAT!!

I could NOT get it to move ... so I left it in the middle of the parking lot.  Turns out the homeless, of which we have hundreds in our little town, steal the shopping carts right and left.  The wheels are made to only go a few feet from the front door before locking up so as not to be movable.  They can no longer steal shopping carts.  Good idea but what an absolute PAIN for people who just want to get stuff to their car!  Has anyone heard of this before??  Pretty much makes me not want to shop there.

I stopped at the lodge to pick up my leftover lunch from yesterday ... because it was supposed to be dinner last night ... but got waylaid into signing a check.  Lots of talk ensued ... and I completely FORGOT my dinner once again.  Oh I remembered it ... when I walked in my back door at home.

I spent the afternoon hand sewing while watching more rodeo.  This is the Professional Bull Riders World Championship.  They have started up a program where they bring riders from all over the world.  Mostly they come from Mexico, Australia and Brazil, to make up teams that compete for the championship, as well as individual championships.  

Our bulls are much harder buckers than theirs, but boy can those guys ride.  And TOUGH ... they are tough as nails those kids.  Yessiree, this guy is upside down as he's being thrown off.  That ground doesn't look very soft either.  

Flying high this one!  I'll bet he was 15 feet off the ground before he came down, landing on his shoulder.  OUCH!!!!  

An afternoon nap eluded me once again, so Mr. Cooper took one for me.  Oh to be able to sleep like this kid does!!

I spent the rest of the evening fighting with Jeeves ... the multi-named Robot that refuses to do as told.  I'm pretty sure he clicks off his internet connection on purpose, which kills his energizer-bunny batteries.  No matter what I do, he goes under the exact same chair, in the exact same way every time, and gets stuck.  I'm going to try and run a piece of clear tape across the bottom and see if that helps.  Aren't they supposed to LEARN their route?

I have yet ANOTHER meeting tonight ... and THEN ... four whole days off from the lodge.  YAY!!  Maybe I can catch up on my sleep.  In the meantime, I'll be on the lounge chair outside in the glorious sun!!

Ignore The Full Moon

 Good morning Good morning!!  Maybe if I say that enough I will convince myself.  Oh my great aunt Suzie!!  I feel like I got run over by a truck and then bucked off my Mare-With-An-Attitude.  In spite of doing quite a bit of stretching, I'm stiff as a board.  All I want to do is sit on the couch ... which of course is probably the worst possible thing I can do.  So let's see if I can BUCK UP!

In spite of trying to sleep, it was not to be.  And in spite of trying to SLEEP IN, that didn't happen either.  I didn't even get in a few winks before heading out to the lodge to the call of the bookkeeper. 

But first, I really needed SUGAR to provide some energy.  I settled for brunch instead.  That's a tamale hiding under the bacon, because if I don't see it, I don't have to count the calories.  The avocado, purchased I think five days ago and placed in the water bath ... was perfect.  

In no time, I was off to the Lodge.  The receipts were coming in from the Officers trip to the Southern California Elks convention.  

Things like drinks and tips have to be removed.  That's on you.  What we were left with was one single slice of pizza for $18.99.  Multiply that by at least eight slices, and that hotel charged $152.00 for that entire pizza.  I'm calling that a major rip-off of Southern California to cash in big time.  One single cup of coffee was $5.00.  There was NO free coffee in the rooms.  Ridiculous does not express what I'm thinking.

I signed off on what was left, signed some checks and grabbed a BLT sandwich for dinner.  That and a huge pile of onion rings (making three meals for me) came to $13.00.  SO much better than So Cal.

That's when I realized .... to my HORROR .... that the full moon had occurred on Monday night.  The carryover is always bad.  It's the flower moon.  I bet you can guess why ... because of May flowers.  It's okay, just IGNORE the moon.

I'd much rather have a few Bingo nights without the full moon, since I have a new cash register trainee.  Last time was perfect, since I didn't show her all the hard stuff.  She did great and left while there was NO full moon.  On THIS night ... she got the full treatment.

Almost immediately, we had someone come in to buy seven sets for seven people.  The girl came back to say she was missing one full pack of games.  I checked her receipt.  She bought two, but was insisting it should be three.  Out came the pitchfork.  She tried to say I gave her the wrong cards, but she handed them to me first ... then I counted ... then she was charged.  She refused to pay for the third pack, so left the table empty handed ... and MAD!  I'll be honest, I wasn't in the moon for shenanigans.  

The next gal up had a rather rude T-shirt on ... something about the Bingo Balls ... which I tried to ignore.  As I counted, our new gal ran the cash register, doing a great job.  BUT ...  you just can't spend time talking to the players about their T-shirts.  Your job is to get through the 120-some people before the games begin.  There's no time for chit-chat.  

The NEXT lady up had on an even MORE disturbing T-shirt.  Something about rub WHAT for luck?  Sorry, I can't even type it out.  Let's just say I wouldn't wear that T-shirt in a million years.  My new gal loved it.  Okay then ..... on with the line ..... we don't have time to waste.

The next two hours was spent relating nurse stories, since she's a retired nurse.  In return I related bingo stories and how they will try to cheat you if you don't pay attention.  

Now comes the hard part.  I showed her payouts, which she did very well.  Unfortunately, no one will be able to read her handwriting on the paperwork we have to fill out.  Then came the hard part.  Closing up and balancing.  I gave her the option of waiting until next week, but she bravely went forward.  YAY!!  I think it was the challenge, since when I walked away once, she was told it's the worst job in the place!

Lots more explaining happened, but luckily the full moon stayed at bay.  We balanced to the penny.  Take THAT full moon!!   In a flash, I was out the door, forgetting my sandwich that was lounging in the walk-in fridge.  

The second I got home, I knew.  As I looked out my driveway, I saw TWO street lights, but there is only one.  It WAS a FULL MOON!!   Boy did I dodge a bullet!!  Or maybe I caught one in my teeth since I didn't scare off the new help.  WOOHOO!!

Though I would love to play couch potato, I have to go back first thing this morning to go over another reimbursement.  They require two signatures, and the recipient is going out of town today.  At least I can pick up my sandwich!!  

My thought was to head south today to get in a little instruction on my embroidery machine, but alas, I'm just too tired.  Maybe next week.  See how good I am at procrastinating?????

THE THIRD DAY

Good morning world ... up and at 'em!!!  For anyone who has ever run a marathon before, or even just run around the block a few times, you know the pain.  The second day after hard work .... and you think .... that wasn't bad.  I feel pretty good!!  Then the THIRD day comes around and you can't walk.  You're all bent over like you're a century old.  The interesting part is the stranglehold my ring has on my right hand.  It's ASPIRIN day!

It was also very COLD.  The first day after 90 degrees was quite a bit cooler ... but the SECOND day.  Good grief.  I literally FROZE last night.  I didn't want to get up ... that would wake me up too much, so I just grabbed all the clothes on the end of the bed, threw them over me, and tried to cover THAT up with the bottom half of the quilt.  And so I'm exhausted from being awake most of the night.

 Good news however, even though it was chilly, the sun was out.  I received an update from the Lodge Secretary that her helper can't count.  We fed a total of 405 folks for Mother's Day.  NICE!!  

After taking Mr. Cooper out for a short walk, I thought I would get in maybe a mile to counteract the sore I knew was coming.  I don't think I got even 100 yards before I turned around and came back.  Nope ... not doing it.  With my luck I'd get down the road and need someone to carry me back like I do Cooper.  I walked very slowly back home.

I also forgot to mention that I checked my watch when I got home that afternoon.  I was pretty shocked ... I walked 5.1 miles in a 20 x 10 foot kitchen space.  That surprised me!!

A quick check of my garden and I was back on the couch.  The zucchini are happy campers!!

Here's my latest "let's see if this works".  I love avocados, but the $1.59 price each is just too high, so I buy those little hard-as-a-rock ones in the mesh bag.  It doesn't take them long to ripen on the counter, but eating eight of them when they ripen all at once is a problem.  

I saw this somewhere ... place them in a container of water in the fridge.  This is the first test drive.  So far, I took out one and it was perfect.  Time will tell as it marches along, if it keeps them from over ripening before I eat them.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

One more quilt was placed in the DONE pile as I finished up the binding on this one.  I started yet another and should be finished with it today.  At least if I'm sitting on the couch all day, I can still be a little productive.  Hey ... maybe that hand sewing is why my right hand hurts so much!!

After a call from a friend who needed a ride to the next town ... it's a long story ... so she could pick up her husband at the hospital, I waited and waited for the phone call.  He's fine ... just tests ... but he wasn't supposed to drive.  To keep me occupied, I decided to redecorate my sewing room.  

The embroidery machine takes up WAY too much room and it's a pain to switch from embroidery to just regular sewing.  I thought I would put my regular machine on the same table.  It's the one I kept in Tucson.  If only my table was just a tad bit bigger.  

I admit, the dirt that came off the table where I threw everything "sewing", was epic.  I'm pretty sure most of it landed on the floor, so I will actually have to VACUUM today.  You KNOW that's a dirty word!!  I stashed things everywhere.  When I'm gone from this earth, someone is going to be cussing me out when they have to clean the closets!!

In the end, the test RESULTS took so long to get, husband was fine to drive home.  I wandered outside to check the air, only to find it covered with clouds.  Highs today in the 60's ... meaning I now have to dig in that big box and find my flannel shirts to wear tonight at Bingo. 

I'm feeling pretty beat up, so will try and sneak in a nap later this morning.  It always pays to be prepared ... and wide awake ... for Bingo!!