Saturday, April 20, 2013

Ricochet Rabbit

I may have to change the name of my blog to "Wow, I have an amazing memory". I was lying in bed this morning, racking my poor little brain, trying to come up with an "R" post. Suddenly, my brain pulled out, "boing, boing, boing, Ricochet Rabbit".
www.cartoonlair.com 
I tried to download a free cartoon, but it was taking for-ev-er to load, so you will be spared. 

Looking at this picture has made me realize that a lot of cartoons from my generation revolved around "the Law."  Ricochet Rabbit was a sheriff, and his deputy was (his name just left me...oh yeah,) Droop-a-long. Of course, complete opposites. Then there was, Deputy Dawg and his sidekick, Mr. Mole. 
And, we can't forget Sheriff Quick Draw McGraw. His deputy was a slow poke, too. Then, there was Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, too, always trying to outsmart Ranger Smith(?) and get pic-a-nic baskets. 

My brain is a little tired after coming up with all these images from the past, so I'm going to boing! Boing! boing! Ricochet outta here!



Friday, April 19, 2013

QQQQQ

I had been dreading this post, until, miraculously, a word from my past, popped into my head. Now, there is some controversy about this word, but, it's not what you're thinking. How do I know that? Because I can read minds! Muwahha.

The word for today is "queep". I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of it, because I made it up. 

Back in the day, before the cursed political correctness ruled our lives, there was a perfectly great word, queer. In my dictionary (from 1975, it's an antique, I know), it was defined: 1)differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal, 2) eccentric, unconventional 3) mildly insane:touched...and finally,sexually deviate:homosexual. I had my own definition: weirdo. 

I used that word a lot on my sister and brothers, yelling at them, "You're so queer, you weirdo!" Redundant, I know. But, I enjoyed the satisfaction of name calling. One day, my sister and I were fighting. Again. I think she threw me in the closet. But, I also think it was because I took some of her candy. Hey, it was chocolate! And, on the way in the closet, my arm scraped against a nail head that was sticking out. I still have the scar, but it's starting to blend in with my wrinkles. Blinded by the pain, my mind was racing, trying to come up with the perfect word to hurl at her. Creep or queer? But, my words got mixed up, and I screamed, "You, queep!" 

"Queep? What's a queep? She mocked me.

"You're a creep! You queer!" It was too late. My vocabulary blunder destroyed the effect. Instead we started laughing at the new word. 

The controversy? My silly sister thinks that she came up with the word. How ridiculous is that? I just gave you the play by play account, (and my memory never fails me) so, if you should ever hear anyone say "queep", you will know the true story of its origination. 

In case you are wondering, my sister and I do not throw each other in the closet anymore. However, we may still fight over chocolate!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

P is for Pressure

The pressure of this A-Z Blogging challenge is profound. Every day a new letter to ponder. This causes quite a predicament, because my psyche goes practically blank, with each letter. I sit at my computer, staring out into space, probing my mind on what starts with the letter "p". Such a perplexing plight I'm in.

I worry about what persnickety people (I'm not talking about you) might be thinking about my pitiful blog. I'm not a perfectionist, (n)or precise. 

Please be patient while I  persevere and persist. I may come up with something pertinent to write about.

But, you may think, it's just a bunch of poppycock!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

O, Oh, Ohhh!

"Oh. My thoughts on "o". Here is a little story from days gone by, when my chillen's was little.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and we had just gotten home from church. I told my kids, ages 6,5,and 4, to change into play clothes before lunch. My 6 and 5 year old sons, were, for once, quite obedient, and they changed their clothes. My 4-year old daughter,(aka Amazing Daughter) on the other hand, decided that she did not want to change her clothes. I was in my room, and I could hear my 5-year old telling her to change her clothes. It went something like this:

5 year old: Mom said to change your clothes.
4 year old: I don't want to.
5 year old: But, Mom said to.
4 year old: I still don't want to and I'm not going to. 

Then there was a knock on my door. I opened it, and there stood my 5 year old, looking very serious, and exasperated. He said, "I told her she had to change her clothes, but, she won't do it." And, then he said, rather matter-of-factly, "She's just being obstinate." And, he marched down the stairs, washing his hands of the matter, leaving me with my mouth hanging open, wondering, "where in the world did he learn that word"? 

And that was my introduction to the Letter People, Miss O is obstinate.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

N is for New

This month we have had a lot of new things. New kittens top the list. They (all 6!) are now starting to open their eyes. Oh my, they are so cute, especially now that they are starting to look more like kittens than rats. I'm sure I will post more photos in the near future.

Another new thing this month is a washing machine. Our 13-year old machine went "ka-plu-ey" last week. Pricing new machines can be quite a shock to the old heart! There is a new top-loading style that has a very low thing-a-ma-jig in the center. I briefly thought about going that route, until I simulated getting laundry out of the 40 foot deep drum. Okay, that may be a little bit exaggerated, but it seemed about that deep. I felt as if I would topple over into the thing, and be stuck with my feet flaying about in the air. Not a pretty sight. So, I decided to stick with the front-loader style. We looked at all the different sizes - 3.3 cubic feet, 3.6 cubic feet, and 3.9 cubic feet. I wanted a large, heavy duty machine. As we tried to make a decision, Hubby asked which ones looked about the same size as the old one. I couldn't really tell. They all seemed to be the same size. We finally decided that the extra money for the 3.9 wasn't worth it, so we chose the 3.6. I hoped it was about the same size as my old machine. The delivery guys came and hooked up the machine the next day, then they left. I went to the basement with my son to check out the new addition. "Holy cow! That thing is HUGE!" We just started laughing. The door is about twice as big as the old one. And now, it looks like I really could crawl into the machine. I'll probably be able to get all my laundry done in two loads, and the machine will only be half full! That's just crazy. But, I think I will get used to it in a hurry. Less time spent doing laundry is a good thing!

And now, in honor of the word "new" here is a song, I think you might enjoy. (I enjoy it anyway!) The choral group I'm in will be singing this song at our concert coming up at the end of the month. I wish we would sound as good as these guys. (The King's Singers) (Fingers crossed I did this correctly! It's been awhile.)



Monday, April 15, 2013

Midnight Marauder Mystery

 The other day, Hubby and I were preparing to leave town for a couple days, to do a painting job. He was loading the pick-up truck before breakfast so we could get a good start. We always plan on getting a good start, but it never seems to happen. We just don't move as fast as we used to. I'm not sure why that is!

He came in for breakfast, rather perplexed. He said, "Something has been out tearing up the yard. I also noticed that the blueberry bushes have been uprooted. Now what would do that? I don't think deer would do that. There must be a wild boar running around."

We ate breakfast, still trying to solve the mystery. After breakfast, we all decided to go out and survey the damage more closely.
You can see how much damage was done. Amazing Daughter took these photos of us. Honestly, it took a moment for me to register who that old man was helping Hubby! Sad, isn't it? During the surveying, I spotted a small pile of poop. And, I said, "Look! Here's some poop!" Hubby exclaimed, "That's pig poop! (Only he didn't say "poop".)

We quickly turned our attention to the pig pen. Are the pigs in there? On our quick, little walk to check, we are both mentally wondering how in the world we were going to find our pigs, if they have gone missing! Oh, the joys of farming!

As we got closer, it was clear that they had, in fact, gotten out. I looked under the lean-to and saw two pigs for sure, but they were sleeping in a big pile, so I couldn't be sure. Hubby instructed me to pound on the roof to make them run. I pounded. No one moved a muscle! 

Turns out they were all three back in the pen. While they had a wild night of it, they all had the good sense to come back! 


Hubby triple-secured the gate. We knew Amazing Daughter would not be happy if she had to chase pigs while we were gone!

Library Life

L is for library, and since I've managed to stay employed there for five months now, I thought I'd share a few stories. 

After my kiddos  grew up, I rarely visited the library, so I'm still amazed that, in our small town, there is a line of people at the door, waiting to be the first to come in as soon as we open. 

I was quite flustered and nervous those first few weeks, and unfortunately, I don't have the gift of hiding those flaws very well. Case in point: library card applications. Recently, a man was having trouble checking out items. He said his pin number wasn't working, while also explaining that this was the first time he had used his new card. So, I scanned his card, checked on the pin number (the last four numbers of their phone), and saw that numbers had been reversed. I quickly,(and may I say expertly?) made the change and handed him back his card. As he took his card, he mentioned that the lady that had given him his new card seemed pretty flustered. I'm going to rest in the thought that he didn't recognize me, because it was me.

My next big flustery moment happened when a lady wanted to pay for her express movies (new releases - 53 cents). Then handed me a $10 bill. Then, as an afterthought, said to just put the rest on her fines. I was already in the computer cash register, and now the process was backwards as to how I should have done it. By that I mean, I was going to have to use my little brain to figure out the math in my head. I started to sweat and get that flustery feeling. Then I happened to glance up and see that my high school math teacher (of all people!) was waiting at the desk. Now, she wouldn't remember me from Eve, but still, knowing she taught math, made the sweat start rolling down my brow, my face felt red, a hot flash was coming on, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to do the math. I got out pencil and paper and started writing it all down. It turns out, she just did the math in her head and told me how much change she should be getting. "Oh, I said, laughing nervously and wiping sweat away, "you're one of those walking computers. I live with two of 'em!" She smiled sympathetically, with eyes that said, I'm sorry you're so dumb. After she left, I moved on the help my math teacher. I felt compelled to say, "I'm so embarrassed because you were my math teacher." She responded that she was embarrassed because she had fines to pay. 

But, life at the library is almost as entertaining as going to Wal-Mart. Surprisingly, the police have been called three times (that I know about) in the short time I've been there. We get some unruly patrons who like to be noisy and holler at no one in particular. Some people think that we are just adding fines onto their accounts for the fun of it. Some people make sure they have 99 items (the limit) checked out at all times. Some will check out 50 movies at a time. Seriously, who can watch 50 movies in a week? It is an interesting place to work.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Kittens Everywhere!

 Last summer, while driving home from a job, Hubby spotted a sign in yard, "Cute Kittens". Coincidentally, we were thinking of getting a kitten just in time for Sweetie Pie's visit. We stopped in to see how cute those kittens were, and the sign was correct. They were very cute kittens. We spotted a little ball of fur in the garden. "Purrrrfect," we said. (Sorry, I couldn't contain myself. heehee) Then, the man asked, "Do you want two?"  Before I could say, "No, one's enough", I heard Hubby say, "Sure!" I nearly had a heart attack right then and there. When the man left to go find the other kitten, I asked Hubby if he was crazy. Hubby assured me that he was not crazy, and that he was just thinking we could use an extra "mouser" on the farm. I was quite happy about the turn of events, because I do like cats. "Besides," Hubby continued, "Sweetie Pie will like them." Ohhh, now we're getting to the real reason. Trying to earn brownie points from the granddaughter! Of course, the plan kinda back-fired. When she arrived, the first words out of her mouth were, "Where are the kittens?"  She really LOVES those kittens! 

Her favorite is Prim
Prim and Rascal
Prim got the royal treatment
The kittens grew up and do what cats do,and now we have...

Prim and her new kitten
Rascal and her FIVE kittens
New born kittens
They like to sit in the shade and watch me work.
I told Hubby it's time to start working on our sign..."Cute Kittens".

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Jingle Jangle

(So apparently, even though I had scheduled my "I" post to show up yesterday, it rebelled against me and stayed in the draft file.)  Oh well, maybe it will work in my favor since today's post will  be short. I was wasting time playing spider solitaire instead of blogging. Opps. 

Jingle jangle, screeeeeech, clunk, clunk. That sorta, somewhat resembles the noises I heard coming from my fairly new washing machine. At least, it seems like it's a fairly new washing machine, even though we have had to have it repaired two other times.

It turns out, we bought this machine in 2000. Well, that was just a few years ago, right? Yikes! That's 13 years ago! Thirteen, the bad luck number? I remember hearing commercials about Maytag washers that lasted 30 years! Remember that poor, old Maytag repair man who had nothing to do? Guess those days are over. I don't have a Maytag, but that's incidental. 

Yesterday we took a quick look around to see about how much we would have to spend! That caused a heart attack. There's a new style that looks interesting. It's a top loader, but with no big thing-a-ma-jig in the center. The drawback to me is that the drum is extremely deep. I dig a quick acting out of emptying the machine, and felt like I was falling into the thing. While at the same time, the lid kind of plopped on my head. The sales guy quickly pulled it off me while apologizing. I said, "That's OK, it's probably what would happen at home." There's a good chance I'll stick with the front-loader style, after that little mishap.

It looks like Hubby and I will be out shopping for a new washer. Hopefully, soon, or we'll have to be shopping in the nude. And, nobody wants that to happen! EEEEEEEK!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Ice Cream

 First of all, I have to say that my favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. And, it has to be the big, thick chocolate chips, not the shaved sprinkling of chocolate. Nine times out of ten, I will choose mint chocolate chip ice cream. I wish I had a big bowl in front of me. Yummmm.

Second, I hope it won't be considered cheating if I post a picture that I intended to post the other day. In case you missed my delicious dessert from the "d" day, you can see how delectable this ice cream dessert is. First, make a crust with Oreos and melted butter. Then spread softened vanilla ice cream over the cooled crust. On top of the ice cream, pour a jar of hot fudge sauce, and a jar of caramel sauce. Spanish peanuts are next, then cover it all with a tub of Cool Whip. Put it back in the freezer until ready to eat, but let it soften a little before serving. One bite, and you will be singing, "heaven, I'm in heaven..." 

It goes fast at our house!


Monday, April 8, 2013

Hogs on the Homestead

Too bad our last name isn't MacDonald. E-I-E-I-O. With an oink, oink here. We have recently acquired hogs, three, to be exact. We like to call them our three little pigs.

This won't be a very informative blog, because I don't even know the name of the breed. Well, I did know, but I've forgotten, and Hubby isn't here to ask. Although, truthfully, he might not remember either. Yes, it's a pretty scary state of affairs we find ourselves in. Not remembering. (For the record, I hate the grammar rule that states "Never end a sentence with a preposition." Is it still a rule? I break it all the time.)


Anyway, back to the hogs. I think they are a Heritage breed that originated in England, but that's all I know. They sleep a lot, eat a lot, and root a lot. I'm just waiting for the  bacon.


When Hubby was growing up, he had a family friend who made the best whole hog sausage he ever tasted. Unfortunately, the man took his recipe with him to the grave. So Hubby has a goal to recreate this fabulous sausage. Time will tell if he is successful.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of our three little pigs. I mean, hogs. Ha.Ha.





God

This is a big subject for a shallow mind, but it occurred to me that during my soapbox sessions and rantings and ravings (ohh, I could use those titles for "r" and "s"! but, I won't.) that I have been lax in sharing my world view. To be honest, that term kind of confused me when I first started hearing it. (Told ya I have a shallow mind.) But, this is how I viewed things before it was called "world view". 

God is Creator. God is King. God in the flesh is Jesus Christ, Savior to those who will accept Him. God loves us so deeply, that He stopped at nothing in order to be in relationship with us. It's hard to comprehend the depth of that kind of love, but there it is. Seeing movies of the crucifixion, always made me wonder why Christ had to suffer such an unspeakably horrible death. But, then it became clear that the crucifixion is a picture of the horribleness of sin. 

People have been turning their backs on God's grace and faithfulness since the beginning of time. So, I shouldn't be surprised that in this day and age, there is a concerted effort to declare God dead, and every mention of Him erased and removed from all our public buildings, while at the same time replacing the God of Heaven and Earth with the god of Saving the Planet, the god of Civil Rights, the god of Me. 

And this brings me to the mystery of the outcome of our past election. We had a clear choice. One who loves America and one who wants to transform America. One who serves God, and one who can quote the Koran with perfection. And, yet, more Christians stayed home this election than in 2008. I heard many say, "I just couldn't vote for a Mormon." How very religious of you. The one who said that we need to get back to God was rejected by those claim to proclaim God. I don't get it. My conclusion? We are under judgement. It sounds harsh, but I believe it to be true. We claim to be a Christian nation, but we don't live as a Christian nation. As a nation, we can kill our unborn children, but go to prison for killing or abusing an animal. As a nation, anyone who is against homosexual "marriage" is a hater. And so, God is giving us what we say we want. 

God has given us a choice between live and prosperity and death and destruction. 

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you live and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord you God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is you life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."  Deut. 30:19-20

And, that's how I view the world.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Freedom, Farm and Fleas?

Oh yes, I had a few ideas rolling around in my head for the letter "f". I thought about elaborating, yet again, on the freedoms we are losing on a daily basis. I wish I could blame it all on the Obama administration, but I have only heard from a minute few Republicans, or I would be more correct in saying Conservatives,(dare I say Tea Party?) who are actually fighting the fight. It won't be long until the 2nd Amendment will be ripped out of the Constitution. No more guns for law-abiding citizens. I love how the GOP is standing up and fighting for the people they are supposed to represent. Whenever Hubby has called in to ask our Representative where he stands on the 2nd Amendment, do you know what the response is? "No, he hasn't made a decision yet." REALLY? He can't say, "Yes, I stand for the 2nd Amendment."? Do these people not take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution? I shall take a deep breath now.

My other idea was to tell you all about our little farm which is slowly transforming. Very slowly. It seems slow to us, but others say that we have really done a lot in the last year.  We have a few chickens roaming the homestead, and we recently bought three little pigs. (They have done nothing to build their own homes yet. They don't know that Hubby is the big, bad wolf, and they are the ones who will end up in the pot!)

And, now I come to the dreaded topic of fleas. Oh yes. Amazing Daughter is going to flip out when she reads this! (And, I'm not sure I can keep it a secret from Hubby, who will not only flip out, but ban the cats from ever coming into the house again!) Our one cat, Prim, had kittens the other day. Only one survived. They're supposed to be outside cats, but have inside privileges. Well, since it has been so cold out, we let mama Prim and her little kitten stay inside, in Amazing Daughter's room. All has been well, until today when I was giving little "Lutrell" some attention. I freaked out when I noticed some small things crawling in his fur. Ohhhhh, f-u-d-g-e! I immediately checked online to find a proper flea killer for kittens. It turns out lemon juice will get rid of the problem. So Prim and Lutrell abruptly found themselves outside. Poor Prim didn't know what to think. She has gotten quite comfortable with her inside birthing privileges. I can only hope that I caught it soon enough, and we won't have an infestation of fleas. Can I keep Hubby from finding out? I'm sure gonna try!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Eye Candy for You

I understand if you want to take a few minutes to just gaze into those beautiful baby blues. I know I've been mesmerized for a while, now....
Ahh, yes, here is the epitome of good looks. 

I received this as an email, and thought you might enjoy it. Both the picture and the story that follows.



Paul Newman

Only women of a certain era will fully appreciate this ... true story.
(if you don't understand this, tell your mother, she'll get it)

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small new England town
where Paul Newman and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk.
After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip
chocolate ice cream cone.

She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village
and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store:
Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact
with those famous baby-blue eyes.

The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely.

Pull yourself together! She chides herself You're a happily married woman
with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager!

The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone
in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door,
avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction.

When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change
but her other hand was empty.
Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop
she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder
on the counter or something. No ice cream cone was in sight.

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.
His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman,

'You put it in your purse.'





Thursday, April 4, 2013

Dessert!

Deliciousness abounds. This is my Easter dessert. It is scrump-dilly-icious, but not, I'm sorry to say, low calorie. Oh well. Just eat a small bite...if you can. mwwhaah. (I can't laugh a proper witch's laugh, and I can't spell it correctly either.)

On to the dessert!

Yummy Ice Cream Dessert  (I came up with this title all on my own.)

Crush 1 bag of Oreos (you know it's going to be good already, don't you?) and mix with 1/3 cup melted butter. Put in 9x13-inch dish. Cool. Spread with 1/2 gallon of softened vanilla ice cream. (Mint chocolate chip would also be delicious) Pour one jar of hot fudge sauce and one jar carmel sauce over the ice cream. (Are you drooling?) Sprinkle with Spanish peanuts (honey roasted peanuts also work) Chop them if you like. I do. Top it with a container of softened Cool Whip. (you decide on the size of container!) Sprinkle with oreo crumbs, if you remember to keep some out, then freeze. Allow to soften a little before eating.  The words that come out of your mouth will be..."ohhhh,my gosh, yuuuuuuum"

Here's another dessert, without commentary. I have eaten this, but have not made it. It's an authentic Amish recipe.

Date Nut Pudding

Mix together  in large bowl: 1 cup cut-up dates, 1 cup boiling water, 1 tsp. baking soda. Let set 'till cold.

Add and then mix all together: 1 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup English walnuts, 1 TBSP. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

While it is baking, make the sauce:
Melt together and cook 5 - 10 minutes: 1 cup brown sugar and 3 TBSP. butter. Add 1 cup water and cook until dissolved Add 2 1/2 TBSP. clear jell mixed with 1/2 cup cold water. Simmer 10 minutes. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp maple flavoring.

Cut cooled cake into 1-inch squares. Put into layers with cool whip, sliced bananas, and sauce. 



Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Cats, Chocolate, Crazy

Criminey! I'm so crusty from not blogging, it takes me forever to remember the process. After looking all over the screen, I finally spotted the little orange square that says "new post". Sigh. Maybe I shouldn't share so much information, especially if this happens to be your first time visiting. 

Cats. We have two of 'em. Actually, two and a newborn kitten. But, more are coming. When we got our kittens last summer, Hubby was adamant that they were to be outside cats, barn cats, if you will, even though we don't have a barn. I reluctantly agreed. That agreement lasted about two weeks, until granddaughter, Sweetie Pie, came for a visit. She only had to ask her Pappy one time if the kittens could come inside for a little while. Of course, he melted into a puddle, and immediately said, "yes, but only for a little while."
During her visit, the little while stretched out to be longer and longer. After she left, Amazing Daughter and I tried to melt Pappy's heart with our nagging pouting lips and batting eyes, to convince him to let the kittens stay in. He finally partially relented, saying they could stay in during the day, but they had to go out at night. His hope of having good mousers has gone by the wayside. It doesn't seem that they try to catch any varmints at night, because they act like they've never been fed in their lives by the time morning rolls around. 
The kitties were very clean while Sweetie Pie was here.
She insisted on giving them several baths.
Prim and her new baby


Rascal waiting for her delivery day
Moving on to chocolate. I love anything chocolate. On second thought, I did try chocolate covered bacon. Not a fan. My sweet tooth (actually the entire bottom row, and some on the top)  are constantly telling me to eat chocolate.  A day without chocolate is a very bad day, and I try not to have too many of those. And, in case you're wondering, I have already had some chocolate today. Right after breakfast, in fact. 
And now for the dreaded topic of "am I crazy?". I fear the answer is yes, but, I'm in denial. Here's a small example. This morning, Hubby and I sat down to breakfast, jabbering about something or other. I jumped up to get something I forgot then sat down again. By this time, Amazing Daughter had joined us. We all started eating, and I asked if we were going to pray first. Hubby looked at me like I had just come from outer space. 

"We just prayed", he said. "We did not.", I said. "Yes we did."  "No we didn't."
Amazing Daughter chimed in and said, "Gee, I wish I would have been here to witness it." "Me too, then you would know that I'm right", I said. 

Hubby said again, "We prayed." (But, I know we didn't! And, if we did, then I am, in fact, losing my mind, such as it is!) Finally, I said, "Well, it must have been really short, or I wasn't paying attention."  Which could also be a possibility.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Blissview Acres

 Last year Hubby and I bought a little house that sits on five acres. We had been searching for a place for several years. We found many almost perfect places, but they never became reality for one reason or another. However, as each place became a "no", the next place was always a little more perfect than the previous one.  Of course, since we couldn't see into the future, each "no" brought with it frustration and disappointment.

In 2011, someone told us about a place they passed everyday while going to work. We said we'd check it out, but never got around to it. Then in the fall, we were reminded about it again, and decided to check it out. It was a foreclosure, and had been empty for 18 months or so. Our searches had consisted mainly of foreclosures. So, we weren't put-off at all at the first sight of it.
We were much more concerned with the inside of the house.



And, we wanted enough land to work with.

To make a long story short, we were completely blessed by God with this property. The reason I know this is because after we bought it, everybody and their brother told us how they had tried to buy it, but couldn't get to first base on it. 

After lots of elbow grease, paint, sweat, and more sweat, things are shaping up. (I have some after pictures, but as slow as my computer is running, I don't think I'll have time to post them, because I should be getting ready for work right now. But, I'm sure sometime this year, I'll get around to it. I think. If I don't forget.)

So I will abruptly end this post by saying, we have named our little farm "Blissview Acres", because it brings us much bliss.

(And, may I just say to everyone who commented on yesterday's post, "thank you". I appreciate it so much. And, I've missed you all! I will be around to visit soon!)

Take care, and till next time,

Monday, April 1, 2013

A - My Name is Angry

Well, HI-dee-ho, Good Blogging Friends. Yes, it has been a long time since I logged into blogger.com, and, truthfully, I nearly forgot how. But, what a better time to get started again, than the A-Z Blogging Challenge?


I was talking with Amazing Daughter last night when she asked me, "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

Me: "Uhhhh, April Fool's? I'm ready for it, so don't try to trick me!"

Her: " No, Silly Mother, it's the A-Z Challenge. You gonna do it?"

Me: (Groan) Ohh, I don't know. I've just been feeling so depressed and upset with what is happening in and to our country, that I'm afraid everything will come out sounding angry.

Her: "A is for angry. B is for Blissview. C is for cats..."

She continued through the alphabet, while I hollered, "Hold on! Let me get a pencil and paper. What was "a" again?"  She made I have my entire list made out, except for q, x, and z. 

I woke up early, thinking about everything that's making me angry, and now, I can't seem to make the transition onto paper. Well, this isn't really paper, is it? But, it was brilliantly written in my head. 

So, here I sit, staring at the computer, drumming my fingers, thinking about how to express my anger, without sounding too angry. But, I guess I'll just open the flood gates, and see what spews out! Every day, it seems, there is a new assault on our Constitution and our God-given freedoms. This administration, the state-run media, lily-livered Republicans who think they'll be loved if they agree with the administration, are doing everything possible to make legal gun owners the evil ones. People have the right to defend themselves, their families, and their homes. Who honestly thinks that stricter gun laws and gun confiscation is going to rid us of gun killings? I'm sure that criminals will happily turn in all their guns, and we can all live happily ever after. Why don't we just enforce the laws that are already on the books? I'm sure there are already about a ka-zillion. Or, what about this law...Thou shalt not kill? Just kidding. Now, I'm being ridiculous. 

Why is it so important to have gay marriage? I have a gay marriage. I have been gayfully married for almost 34 years. I grew up hearing that marriage is dead. Nobody wants or needs to get married. Just live together. Look at Goldie Hawn and what's his name, (sorry I can't think of it). They haven't needed a piece of worthless paper to prove their love for each other. Look how happy they are. You don't see them running to the alter. Why aren't they screaming about their rights to be married? Or, Brad Pitt and Angelina? They have been happily living together for how many years? They're fighting for gay marriage, while they, themselves, avoid it like the plague. Hmmmm, it couldn't be a liberal agenda trying to destroy families? Nah, that's ridiculous. It's all about true love and happily ever after. 

Have you heard about what's happening over in Cyprus? The banksters need money. I guess they're all broke, or something. Funny thing that there's all that money just sitting in the bank, which unfortunately, belongs to other people. If only they could get their hands on it...oh yeah, they did get their hands on it. People went to bed with 100,000 euros (or whatever) in the bank, and woke up one morning with only 40,000. Oh, those greedy rich people deserve to lose their money. Who needs that much money anyway? Umm, possibly employers? They may have a hard time meeting payroll. And, if all goes well in Cyprus, then France, and Spain, and England, and a bunch of other European countries plan to give it a go. And, oh yeah, Canada may try it, too. But, no worries here in the U.S. We have the F.D.I.C. Whew. That's a relief. Peace and safety. Happily ever after.

So, if you've made it all the way to end, you can understand my absence from the blogging world. And, my fear of sounding angry. But, it is what it is. Our world is transforming right before our eyes. We can close our eyes to it, say that politics don't affect us, and go on our merry, happy way. And then, one day, we'll wake up and say, "What has happened to our country?" and, "When did this happen?" And the answer will be, "While you were sleeping." Elections have consequences. 

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