A Walk in the Park

We recently visited Jacob L. Loose Park in Kansas City to get Hannah and Nick's engagement pictures taken.  The photographer they hired for their wedding is from that area.  Why would we hire a photographer from Kanasa City rather than around Pittsburg?  Good question!  We found a photographer in the Joplin area but she was very rude and seemed like we were bothering her with our questions so we noticed at the bottom of her Facebook page several other photographers were shown.  David Selby Films and Photos popped up so Hannah browsed his pictures he had online and loved them and sent him a message.  Within minutes David called and started asking her when the wedding was, what she had in mind, etc.  Once he found out her wedding wasn't until February, you would have thought we handed him a million bucks!  Photographers aren't as busy in February so he offered her the best package for the lowest priced package just because he and his videographer would be "bored" in February!!! LOL  

TAKE A WALK IN THE PARK day gave me the perfect opportunity to post a picture of me and Beau walking and playing in the park while Hannah and Nick had their photo session.  David took several candid shots of me and Beau playing which meant a great deal to Hannah and Nick.  I had no idea he was sneaking some pics in of us!!  I know it looks like we were looking at him, but we were really watching a gray squirrel "squirreling" around a tree.  

The park is beautiful and very large.  There are many things to do in the park like tennis, walking your dog, exercising, splash pad, ponds, geese and ducks, fountains, park benches everywhere, and large places to play or kick back and relax on a blanket.  

We had a wonderful time and they had a wonderful session.  Life is good, especially while spending it in the park.

Pink Foam Curlers

I don't know if they even make pink foam curlers anymore or not because I'm so traumatized from these nasty beasts that I think I've spent my entire life unknowingly avoiding whatever aisle they might be on in the store!

When I was a young girl, my sister and I had hair down to our waist.  Our hair was straight so my mom would wash our hair at night by lying us on the kitchen counter and we'd inch up to the sink and she'd wash our hair using the spray nozzle.  I think I'm traumatized from that as well because I cannot stand any type of rain, overspray at the carwash or beauty shoppe, splashing at the swimming pool like NOTHING in my face or eyes!!  Call me a wimp, I'm just telling you how it is!! lol

After we got our hair washed, we'd go get our pajamas on and then mom would comb our hair and roll it in the pink foam curlers.  Rolling the hair in the pink foam curlers was extremely disliked by my sister and me.  Have you tried to sleep with plastic gouging your head in all directions all night long?  It was uncomfortable and honestly barbaric! 

One day, we went to Otasco (a store back in the day before a Walmart) and mom bought a bubble hairdryer!  It was a blue plastic model (pictured below because she still has it) and our hopes of never having to sleep in the pink foam curlers again were quite promising.  Mom got the hairdryer out of the box, unlatched it and pulled the dome up and plugged it in.  I wanted to go first so I got to be the first one to sit under the new dryer, but my sister got to go first because you know, she's the favorite!!  Just kidding, but not really...back then I think she was!  Anyway, once we got done sitting under the dryer we were anxious to get those dreadful pink foam curlers out of our hair.  We found out real fast that mom only bought the bubble dryer so we wouldn't have to go to bed with wet hair any longer, not so we wouldn't have to sleep in the horrendous head-poking heinous hard-plastic pink foam hair curlers!!!!!  Why on earth should we still have to sleep in those pink foam hair curlers?  It was pure agony.  I'm just now realizing that I might honestly have been tortured as a child!!!  After complaining quite fiercely, we discovered that if we took out the unpleasant pink foam curlers that our straight hair that now has curls would be flat once we woke up the next morning.  It was a no-win situation for sure.

I spent many years having to endure the pink foam curlers, curling irons, electric hot rollers, and barrel brushes but something happened on a day in the fall of 1995.  I was getting a perm and was pregnant with Chet and from that day on I've had curly hair!  (Don't try this at home folks)  Seriously, isn't that weird?  It's like the hormones or something in my body during that time caused me to go from straight as an arrow hair to curly hair and life without those stinking pink foam curlers, curling irons, electric hot rollers, and the barrel brushes has been like heaven.  But wait for it...EVERYBODY WANTS STRAIGHT HAIR NOW!!!!  Bring on the flat iron!!!

Garnet and Purl

You've heard of garnets and pearls, but what is wild about the Garnet and Pearl I know is they were both my grandfathers' names.  Who names their child Garnet?!  Who names their child Pearl?  Priscilla and Alberta, my great-grandmothers, that's who!!  I never knew either of these women, but I did learn that my dear poor old' German great-grandmother might not have had been "on point" when spelling the names of her boys.  I found out from my mother that she not only named my grandpa, Pearl, but his brothers were named Jean and Leigh.  At least their brother, Harvey, had a name she couldn't "feminize"!!!  We laugh about this now, but back when my grandpa and his brothers enlisted in the Navy, thank goodness the military encouraged and helped Purl, Lee, and Gene change the official spelling of their first names!!  Learning about my family is so interesting to me, but what are the odds of having my paternal grandfather named Garnet and my maternal grandfather named Purl?  I guess that is why I am such a "Jewel"!!!

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald

I never knew anything about the SS Edmund Fitzgerald until I visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Michigan.  It was only then when we started to watch a video about the shipwreck that we were told the song written and sang by Gordon Lightfoot was a tribute to those that had died during that horrible day in November.  I've attached a link to the song below with the lyrics.  As we sat and watched the short documentary with the song playing softly in the background, there wasn't a dry eye in the museum after hearing the story.  The documentary included the family members of those that had perished and the story of the raising of the ship's brass bell. 

Prior to visiting, I couldn't imagine how a ship could sink or wreck in a lake.  My small-town country-girl brain was thinking of lakes we have around this area, a body of water that just sits there for recreational purposes!!  When you drive up the coast of Lake Michigan, the first lake you encounter, one might forget it's just a lake.  When you look out, one might possibly think they're viewing an ocean because the body of water is so huge.  Once we got further north in the U.P., we drove along the southern coast of Lake Superior and learned that Lake Superior is the largest lake of the "Greats" and the deepest and its southern shore of Lake Superior is known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" where more ships have been lost around the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm on the 10th of November, 1975, on Lake Superior.  All 29 crew members perished when the ship sank, and no bodies were ever recovered. Edmund Fitzgerald was swallowed up so intensely by Lake Superior that the 729-foot ship split in half; similar to the Titanic, and her two pieces sit approximately 170 feet apart at a depth of 1,333 feet in the "graveyard" of Lake Superior.  I had to purchase a book in the gift shop so I could read and learn more about the mighty "Big Fitz" as it was often called.

While at Whitefish Point, we stayed in the US Coast Guard's Captain's Quarters that has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast.  There is a beautiful lighthouse there, walking trails, a protected area for an endangered bird to lay its egg, and the round rocks creating the beach rather than sand were fun to pick up as if they were seashells.  We walked the beaches of Lake Superior, sat on a large piece of driftwood, and watched a ship cruise along the point and give a tug at its horn.  I could have sat there all day and night watching ships pass, but that tug of the horn left me entranced and wanting more.  I can't wait to go back!

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

The Worm

During my morning commute to work, I enjoy many things each and every day such as sipping on my freshly-brewed coffee, I enjoy listening to some 80s tunes...sometimes country and sometimes classic rock.  I look forward to visiting with my sister, I eagerly await the beautiful sunrise, I'm pretty pro at dodging idiot drivers, I can drive with my knee so I can eat my granola bar or banana while sipping on my freshly-brewed coffee...not a minute wasted...but, I never ever EVER planned to enjoy eating a tiny green worm all wrapped in white silk!  Thank goodness I could not find my granola bar on this one particular morning I speaketh of!!

On this particular morning I speaketh of, I zipped into the school parking lot, I got out of the car and went around to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door.  There, between the seat and the car door, was the granola bar that slid off the seat and fell to the floor and thankfully was out of my reach, and because of that, I was starving to death during my early morning commute.  Imagine how hangry I was!  I was dying to get in the school doors and high-tail it down the hall to unlock the library and turn on the lights.  My belly was growling fiercely as I threw down my bags and computer and plopped down in my chair while opening that granola bar package only to find white, finely spun silk, outlining the granola thin.  Hmmm!  I thought it looked weird like maybe I had actually purchased the s'mores one...if they even made the s'mores one...and also thought that the white stuff all the way around the edges of the granola thin was possibly a thin layer of marshmallow?  Aw, heck, no!  It really was finely spun silk and my eyes did not deceive me because there was all of a sudden some movement and would you believe that slowly, but surely, out inched the tiniest green worm I had ever seen?!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Had I eaten my granola bar in the car, I would never have seen the worm because it is dark in the car during my commute to work.  I would have eaten it.  I think I'm going to hurl just thinking about it.  What was I doing just sitting there?  Was I in shock?  I most definitely know I was dumbfounded!  At least I thought to video this miraculous moment in Nature Valley history!  I bet you just want to run out and buy yourself a box of Nature Valley Granola Thins...don't ya?!!! 

P.S.  I could not find the video at the moment, but I will look for it in my spare time if anyone is interested in viewing the little green worm and the web that came out of a thoroughly sealed package of granola thins!  I do keep the box on the top shelf of my library bookcase to serve as a constant reminder of what brand NOT to buy when purchasing granola bars!!!

Hawksbill Crag

If you're thinking about going on a hiking trip and you don't want to go too far away from home, look no further than the Buffalo National River area.  It is about a 3-hour drive, but it is a beautiful drive, especially if you take the route through War Eagle and check out the old mill and all it has to offer.

We stayed in Jasper, Arkansas because there is a restaurant where we could eat breakfast, lunch, and supper!  We have also stayed in an AirBnB where we took our own food and cooked all of our meals in the kitchen of the house we rented.  It is whatever floats your boat!  There are motels and gas and a DG in Jasper.  If you need a nearby Walmart, I'd suggest staying in Harrison and driving the thirty minutes each day you're hiking it would take you to get to any of the trailheads.  Jasper, it was a cute little town with character and charm though!

The first time I went, I took my daughter Hannah and my grandson Beau with me.  We got back home after our bike hiking excursion and showed our pictures to Nick, her fiance', and he couldn't wait to go so we planned another trip to the crag with Nicholas.  We really can't wait to go back.  I'm taking my husband next time as he wants to go too!  We left many trails untouched such as the Goat Trail and some we've done twice like the Hilltop.  Our favorite trail is the Hawksbill Crag at Whitaker's Point.  Once you reach the point, there is no view like it, it takes your breath away. 

Here is a picture of Hannah, Nick and Beau on Hawksbill Crag!

Grab Your Torch and Pitchfork

This is the time of year that I love to do yard work.  Raking under trees, around the foundation of the house, and even around the carport makes a huge difference.  I noticed the other day that the grass was growing like crazy and it is starting to look like a jungle out there!!  I threw our old mower away and need to go get a new one so I had better get on the stick and get one purchased or it's going to be "Houston, we've got a problem!"

One thing I really love about yard work is burning the dead leaves, sticks, and grass.  I love to throw on a few logs that we didn't burn in the fireplace during winter and have a wiener roast AND fix s'mores!  The kids usually invite their friends over and we sit around the fire enjoying one another's company until the fire dies down and it's time to call it a night.  One time my son even broke out the ukelele and we all sang.

I better grab the torch, light the fire, and load up the pitchfork with wieners because this girl is craving hotdogs and s'mores and this beautiful early spring weather is perfect for just that!

Creepy Dolls

Dolls seem to be something that many people cherish and keep throughout the years.  Other people are very bothered by dolls.  I still have all my Barbie dolls and many of my baby dolls, but there is one doll that really stands out.  I got her for Christmas one year from my Grandma Bonnie.  I took her everywhere and played with her every chance I got.  She had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me, and she was pretty near "pertinear" as tall as I was.   Her name was Judith and she sure took a beating.  I didn't mean for her to lose an eye and a leg, it just happened.  I didn't mean to write on her face, it was an accident.  I didn't mean to cut her long hair, the scissors got in the way.  I'm sorry, Judith, but I obviously still love you because on my mantel you still sit...staring at people...creeping them out...and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Pepto Bismol

Have you ever wondered why Pepto Bismol is pink?  And what's with the name?!!  Pepto.  Clepto. Bismol.  Shamismol.  I had to buy a bottle of Pepto for my daughter the other day and it isn't very hard to find on the shelf, that's for sure...just look for the pink glow!  As I pilfered through the boxes of tablets and the various sizes of bottles, I wondered why Pepto Bismol is pink.  Was the original mixture so putrid that nobody in their right might would drink it so they had to add dyes or food coloring to disguise it?  Hmmmm.  Let me just read the ingredients.  Wait right here...

Ok, I'm back.  What color is pepsin?  What about zinc salts?  Salol anybody?  Wintergreen oil?  Ok, I've looked these things up because I just couldn't stand it.  Pepsin is a bunch of digestive enzymes, those are probably the color of nuclear green, wouldn't you say?!  Zinc salts are a blueish-silver.  Salol is a white powdery substance used as an antiseptic and I think we all know Wintergreen is probably green.  Would you drink this stuff if it were all mixed together?  Shoot, it might even be the color of Xanadu from my color poem!!  LOL, I think I totally understand mixing in some red dyes to make it a bubble gum pink color.  Who doesn't love bubble gum?! 

Pepto Bismol.  First created when looking to cure a scary form of cholera that caused severe diarrhea, vomiting, and sometimes death.  Back then, in the early 20th century, the concern for higher standards of hygiene and sanitation weren't as widespread as they are today.  Nowadays, we can't even bake cookies or brownies and send them to school with our children, everything has to be pre-packaged.  I wish it wasn't so because I love to bake, but thank goodness there's Pepto Bismol.

My First Car

I started driving a tractor around the farm when I was nine-years-old.  I got to disc and pull a harrow...if I kept it in the furrow!!!  I'd also get to drive my grandpa's 1969 Ford F-150 three-on-the-tree and the truck's name was Whitey because he was white!  Quite original I might add and my parents still have Whitey to this day!  Everybody in my family has a name for their vehicle so when I got my first vehicle I was so excited to name it, but it already had a name.  😒

My first car was a bright fire-engine red, wood-grain sided,  1976 Ford LTD Countrysquire station wagon named Mooney.  Why?  Because some old man named Gerald Mooney was drunk one night and side-swiped my sister.  From then on the car became Mooney.  I hated Mooney.  He was big and a station wagon and E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S-I-N-G!  I had hoped I would never have to drive Mooney.  He was my sister's car.  Why did I have to drive her hand-me-downs?  Why didn't I get a car and she keep driving Mooney?  Life is never fair for the youngest child in the family.  I was always getting gypped!  When I started driving Mooney, I felt like the Griswold's in the movie Vacation driving that scag-nasty green station wagon.  No wonder Audrey took to smoking pot!! LOL

I tried everything to keep from having to drive Mooney and I even tried tearing him up by bottoming out in the grocery store parking lot and bottoming out going through Sonic, but my dad would just keep fixing him.  I kind of feel bad about that now, but back then I sure didn't!  I finally gave up trying to tear him up and realized I could fit way more friends in my car than any other.  I got an 8-track stereo and some jammin' speakers and hooked them up all by myself!  I ordered new 8-track tapes through Columbia House so we would have some rad tunes to listen to as we cruised the gut because that is all there was to do in our small town.  We would all pile in old Mooney and could usually get about 12 of us in the car...of course this was back before seatbelt days!  We would even pop up the hidden jump seats in the very back and people would sit in them, they'd sit across the back in the area above the jump seats, they'd sit in the back bench seat and all across the front bench seat.  It was like the first of party buses, but the station wagon from the 70s...Mooney.

Dad, Charlie, and the Exotic Dancer

My parents live on the highway between Columbus and Crestline and have had many people stop over the years for various reasons like running out of gas, hitting a deer, car breaking down, wanting to sell them something, wanting to buy something my parents have, etc.  Thank goodness for the invention of cell phones because the people knocking at the door dwindled when cell phones came into existence.

One evening, Dad was waiting on Charlie to come and pick him up to go to work.  They worked at the Asbury Power Plant on swing shift so this particular week it was Charlie's turn to drive and they were working midnights.  My sister and I always had to be home at 11:15 no matter what shift Dad was working because my mom didn't like being at home by herself, especially at night.  As Dad waited for Charlie, he could hear the spew of water on the pavement made by vehicles passing since it had rained earlier.  He said that it was so clear that night that one could hear a pin drop.  The crickets, locusts, mosquitoes, the electric pole humming, everything.  But the one thing that Dad didn't hear was the spewing sound from the tires of an oncoming vehicle that suddenly stopped and in a few minutes a woman arose from the highway of darkness and was walking towards him up our long driveway and asked Dad for a ride.  She told him she had dropped her cigarette lighter in the floorboards of her car and reached down to get the lighter when all of a sudden she crashed her car in the wooded area out by the highway on my parents land.  She told Dad she was on her way to work and really needed to get there.  Charlie got there and Dad asked Charlie if they could give this young woman a ride to work in Pittsburg that she had crashed her car out by the highway.  Charlie said it shouldn't be a problem, but they needed to call in because they were probably going to arrive late.  Dad went back to the house and called him and Charlie in late and away they went to Pittsburg.  Dad said the woman, who was dressed rather provocatively, was an exotic dancer at Pat's Lounge.  Dad didn't tell Charlie where she worked until they got to Pittsburg because he knew Charlie would've had a freak out with the possibility of him and his vehicle being seen outside of Pat's Lounge.  He said Charlie had a hard enough time keeping his eyes on the road because he kept looking in the rearview mirror at this young woman and her attire!!  I laughed so hard at Dad when he was telling me this story because I was imagining Charlie gawking at this woman from his rearview mirror with his big, pop-bottle glasses and if you knew Charlie's wife there would be no more Charlie because Big Margaret would have squished him like a bug!!

After letting the woman out at Pat's Lounge, Dad and Charlie headed on to Asbury to go to work.  They finished their shift and headed home the next morning.  Dad had gotten in the house and after a few minutes, there was a knock at the front door.  It was the young woman, a bouncer, and the owner of Pat's Lounge bringing her to get her car but it wasn't crashed in the trees where she left it.  Dad told the young lady that he didn't know where her car was and then the bouncer flashed open his jacket revealing a gun and he asked my dad again where her car was.  My dad didn't take too kindly to being threatened by a trashy man with a little handgun so he told them to wait right there, he'd call the sheriff and find out.  Dad went and got his shotgun, called the sheriff, and came back to the door holding his shotgun and told the bouncer that Sheriff Sharp had seen the car and towed it to the county lot for abandoned vehicles and they could get the "heck" off his land and never come back. 

I've never heard this story until yesterday because I'm sure that in Dad's mind he was protecting us and keeping us from worrying about sketchy people knocking at the front door. All I know is I'll never give an exotic dancer a ride nor will I ever feel the desire to visit Pat's Lounge!! 

This guy reminds me of Charlie!! LOL

Camp in a State Park...Not in the Left Lane

I talk to my sister every morning as we both commute to work.  Most people wouldn't be able to stand our kind of conversation, but we do make heads or tails out of each and every one of them!

If you were to listen in on our chatter each morning, it might sound a little something like this:
(some words may have been changed to make this blog a PG rating)

"What in the heck are you doing? and this little old lady on my route set out oranges for me...Oh no you didn't just pull out in front of me, I'd like to just ram you...and I thought I had lost Mr. Meche who used to give me oranges so now I have a new little lady...Get outta my way you stupid left lane driver...Left Lane is for passing, ya fool...well, I'm so excited you found a new lady to give you oranges...What an idiot, this guy just passed in a no-passing zone, where are the cops when you need them...those we picked from Mr. Meche that one Christmas were like eating liquid gold...I have early morning duty this morning and all these people are making me late (honk, honk tapping the horn lightly to speed people up...my husband disagrees as to what this really means) I'm never going to make it, oh this man is a thorn in my side every single day no matter what time I leave...is it that old man going for coffee?...Yep, I can't stand him...Stop at the coffee shop and give him a piece of your mind...he has no idea how he's backing up traffic...I don't have time to do that (another horn blast, laying on quite heavy as he pulls into Asbury Quick Stop and maybe a hand-gesture swinging out the window that I rolled down)...there, I feel better...(both of us laughing)...Did you talk to mom?...Yes, last night...did she play-by-play from the minute she woke up...Yep, like always...One of these days I'm going to miss that...Me Too...you stupid wench...what happened?...oh some lady is texting and driving crossing the center line (honking of the horn)...You're going to kill me and make my kids orphans, texting and driving, I wish I had a train horn and I'd just blast em the 'ignoranus'...Gooooooo, these mommas in their SUVs that don't know how to drive...oh don't get me started...did Bethany get her walls painted?...Yes, and Lohn Face-timed me and Get out of the left lane ya jackwagon...oh my gosh, here's a stinkin' train, now I'm going to be late to work too...well, it's 7:15 gotta go...talk to you tomorrow!!"

And there ya have it, folks!  A morning conversation between my sister and I!  Click on the link below and get an idea of something I secretly want to do someday...I know, it isn't a secret any longer!!!

One of My Favorites

Livin' la Vida Loca

It isn't every day that a girl lives a crazy life, but today was one of those days!  I got up early to clean the house, run some errands, and get ready for my trip to Warrensburg, Missouri.  My daughter, Hannah, called and told me to get ready they were a few miles down the road and we were going to breakfast.  I got around and within a few minutes, here they came.  I hopped into the back seat with Beau and away we went to Jimmy's Egg.  He had on the cutest Batman pants with a matching shirt and he held out his little hand for me to hold when I got in the car.  My heart was so happy as I sat there with our little man.  I washed down my french toast with some coffee and felt they were being a little weird.  As we were heading back to our house, Nick turned right instead of left.  I asked where we were going and got no answer, but we eventually pulled into the doctor's office so I asked if something was wrong.  I figured Hannah had a UTI or something.  Nothing was wrong but was told that Beau had something to show me.  Nick got Beau out of his car seat, he unzipped his jacket and had me read his shirt.  It said, "This Superhero is going to be a Big Brother."  I was quite shocked and happy but really wanted Hannah to finish school before expanding their little family.  She could tell I wasn't extremely excited, but I really am, I'm just a lame person to surprise!!  We all went into the doctor and he was so thrilled to see all of us, especially Beau.  Most doctors don't get to see the babies they deliver, but Beau made sure to give Dr. Seals the "mean muggins" look!  We plan to see our new little bundle around the first week of November.

After getting the surprise of my current life, we headed to Kansas City to the Jacob L. Loose Park so Hannah and Nick could get their engagement pictures taken.  We had a wonderful time and the park was beautiful.  Lots of trees, bridges, ponds, arches, stone buildings, benches, and so many people exercising and about 35,000 dogs being walked by their owners.  I pushed Beau around in the stroller as the photographer took pictures.  One of the backgrounds he chose was a ton of Pine trees in the middle of the park.  What we didn't know was the community of hippies in the middle of the community of Pine trees smoking marijuana and having a grand ol' time lying in their hammocks!  We left that area and headed over to the other side of the park where there were bridges and ponds.  The photographer finished up and even took some pictures of me and Beau looking at the ducks and geese.  We said our goodbyes and I headed to Warrensburg. 

I arrived in the old college town and grabbed some Chipotle, checked into my hotel, ate my supper, took a bubble bath, and sacked out in my bed all by myself!  I got to watch whatever I wanted on the television, set the room control on a nice 74 degrees because that's what I like, I stayed up late, and tried to write this blog but failed miserably.  I could not focus as I had the channel on Family Guy.  There wasn't anything on so I stopped surfing when I came to Family Guy.  I noticed Rick and Morty was up next and I've watched that with my son, Joe.  I never realized how funny but really crude the Family Guy is.  I laughed to myself at Quagmire and Brian, Peter and Lois.  I then realized as I sat there and laughed, I've never stayed in a hotel all by myself.  I've always had someone with me so that was a revolution all in itself!  Talking about one crazy day!  Finding out I'm going to be a grandma again, discovering pot smokers in the park, and enjoying my own company in a hotel room!!  I'm definitely livin' la vida loca!

means doing wild and crazy things that make you cool.

Turkey in the Straw

It was yesterday afternoon on March seventeen,
When I heard a sound coming from down the street.
I had not heard this sound in quite a while,
But you could faintly hear it for many a mile.

What do I speaketh of and what do I mean?
A little white truck with a music machine.
Usually painted white and annoying to some,
But out of the homes and yards, the children all come.

It's the ice cream truck, loaded with yummy treats,
It's the ice cream truck, many streets it has beat,
It's the ice cream truck, the prices kind of high,
It's the ice cream truck, hurry or it'll pass you by!

I cannot believe the ice cream truck was out and about in our neighborhood yesterday! I guess you could say it's a pretty good gig for approximately eight months out of the year. Hmmm?! Maybe this is something I can do when I retire?! I don't know though, driving 10 mph all day long would be utter pandemonium! I'm being serious too! But, if I could, I would have a beefed-up ice cream truck painted bright and colorful, not sketchy white! Wouldn't that lure the children in?

The song it was playing was Turkey in the Straw. Can you name at least three other songs the ice cream truck usually plays?

My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings,

And these are a few of MY fa-vor-ite things...

1.  Happy Color App - I can sit for hours and paint by number!

2.  Black Nike crew socks - I love how these socks hug and cushion my arch!

3.  Kum & Go's Unsweetened Iced Tea with Crushed Ice - the tea is strong and very tasty.

4.  Cato's Clearance Rack - I have purchased so many shirts for $3.99 it is crazy!

5.  Sonic Bacon Cheeseburgers - I never used to like mayonnaise on my burgers, but there is something about a Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger that makes it necessary.

6.  Jersey Knit Sheets - I sleep like a baby in these sheets.

7.  E-85 Gasoline - I feel like I get better gas mileage when I use this type of gas.

8.  Peacocks - they are just beautiful animals and I like to watch them and listen to them talk to one another and that turquoisey-blue color is stunning.

9.  Blueberry Bliss and Lemon Zest Luna Bars - I love that the Clif Bar company made the Luna Bar with women's health needs in mind.

10. Dexter - I can't stop watching...I am so hooked!

The Common Few

The Common Few is a band that started in Chanute, Kansas in 1964 and played through 1971.  They played a lot of soul music during the early years, mostly in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.  

My Father-in-law, Mike King, was the drummer in the band until he was drafted to go to Vietnam.  One of his favorite songs to play back then was "Wipe Out"!!  Another drummer, Cliff Wise, took his place while Mike was away fighting for our country. When Mike finished his tour and came back from 'Nam, he was disinterested in re-joining the band.  It wasn't until 2007 that the band was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.  

Before Mike left for Vietnam, they did record their only single, "Love Makes A Man" in 1968 and it received much regional recognition.  I've been fortunate to meet a few of the band members when they stopped by the house one day.  To sit back and hear all the stories that were told that day made me wish I would have been a roadie of their band.  

The Kansas Music Hall of Fame is located in Lawrence, Kansas.  I want to go visit someday and take in all the inductees.  Just last year I learned that Alexa Gillman's father, Lex Fox, joined the band in 2005...it sure is a small world!

This is the link to listen to the band's one and only song they recorded.  I can hear Mike drumming away and tinging on those cymbals! 
 Love Makes A Man

Yoopers

Michigan.  I never felt the desire to visit Michigan until I heard my mother telling about my parents' trip to Michigan and going on into the "upper part" and then visiting Mackinac Island.  What did she mean going on to the "upper part"? 

I'm pretty good at Geography.  I got an A in college.  I obviously have never paid that close attention to the state of Michigan.  I guess I wasn't interested enough in knowing anything about Michigan other than Holland so I can sometime visit the Tulip Time Festival held in May each year!  The tulip is my favorite flower. 🌷

Many years have passed by and I had put her comment about going to the "upper part" in the back of my mind and recalled it one day when my friend Nellie went to Michigan and posted her pictures on Facebook of all the lighthouses she and her husband visited.  I was envious and jealous!  I needed to go there and see what all Michigan had to offer too!  I conversed with Nellie about it and she was more than happy to show me her lighthouse map and other brochures of places they had visited while on their adventure through Michigan. 

Last May I planned a trip to Michigan...the upper part.  My friend Jenny and I headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for our first stop.  Since Jenny's late husband was in the military, we were able to get free tickets to a Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals game.  We were ecstatic because two of our favorite former Royals had been traded to the Brewers so we were really looking forward to going to the game and there is nothing much better than getting to go for free!  We stayed a couple of nights in Milwaukee and went to the Pabst Mansion, visited where Laverne and Shirley lived, took a tour of the bottling company they worked for and even saw the Fonz down on the Riverwalk!  Milwaukee is a place I would love to go back to when I can stay longer.

Driving across the bay bridge at Green Bay, Wisconsin we saw the Packers stadium and as we crossed that bridge I felt like I was entering another world!  The Upper Peninsula was just an hour away, but we were already seeing the differences in the lay of the land in the beautiful Pine and Hemlock trees and the many lighthouses surrounding Lake Michigan.  As we drove along the coast towards Marquette, we started seeing billboards for "Pasties".  I didn't know what a Pasty was and neither did Jenny.  We had our guesses, but found it best to keep our guesses to ourselves!  It turns out they are like a chicken pot pie folded in half and are fabulous!  We made it to Marquette which is located on the southern banks of Lake Superior.  Our goal was to visit as many waterfalls, state parks, lighthouses, and sights as we could in our week-long adventure.  We were now in Yooperville.

Yoopers?  What are yoopers?!  Yoopers are residents that live in the Upper Peninsula.  Those that live south of the Mackinac Bridge are lightheartedly referred to as "Trolls" since they live under the bridge!  Those of us visiting from elsewhere are "terrorists" but what they really mean are tourists!  That northern accent!!  While in Yooperville we managed to hike several trails, saw tons of waterfalls, toured lighthouses, saw many bears and actually got to hold and feed a baby bear, noticed a ton of snowmobile crossings, watched ships go through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie and learned about the sunken vessels in the Great Lakes.  The U.P. has so much to offer and I feel like an imbecile for never wanting to give Trollville or Yooperville a chance.  Their favorite saying up there is "Say Yah to da U.P., eh!"  I can't wait to go back to this awesome state!

500 Mile Yard Sale

Have you ever traveled the 500-mile yard sale trip?  I have gone a couple of times and would love to go again someday.  Since I have been there, Highway 127 that the yard and vendor sales are strung down has grown from 500 miles to 690 miles of sales with over 2,200 vendors.  The sale is only one time each year held the first full weekend of August.  This year it runs from August 1 - August 4.  When deciding where to begin, you can start in the south and head north or start in the north and head south.  Each time we went, we started in the south at Gadsden, Alabama and have never gone to the far northern part of Addison, Michigan because we always cut back over around Cincinnati, go through Indianapolis, head over to St. Louis and then home.

I always have something special to look for when going to the sales.  The first trip I was looking for anything Coca-Cola and vintage Levi's items.  The second trip I shopped for certain Pyrex dishes and bakeware and these Club brand aluminum pots and pans my parents still have that they received as a wedding gift in 1960 donning the color of turquoise!!  I know, pretty putrid, but they are the best and...I actually found a pink set for $40.00!  I also looked for old handkerchiefs the ladies used to use because my sister wants to make a handkerchief quilt.  Fun times were had both times we went and the food was amazing.  The first time I had ever heard of boiled peanuts was the summer of 2005!  The vendors had them cooking all along the 127 Corridor (http://www.127yardsale.com/) with every kind of spice or seasoning they could throw in the pot!  Cajun, BBQ, Ranch, plain, dill, you name it, they had it!

If you're thinking of going on the yard sale trip, take plenty of water and sunscreen...and of course money!!

Marvin Gardens

When I first landed on Marvin Gardens playing Monopoly, I wondered if it was the name of some fancy botanical garden in New York.  I have always thought that Monopoly was based on streets or avenues in New York City, but I am totally wrong.  The entire game is based on railroads, communities, streets, avenues, and utility companies in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

As it turns out, Marvin Gardens is really a housing community that has homes and gardens that have been immaculately maintained since the early 1920s and is clearly the most beautiful property on the Monopoly board.  I, on the other hand, would have guessed the best and prettiest property to be Park Place.  I also learned that Marvin Gardens is really spelled "Marven Gardens". 

Back in 1903, a lady by the name of Lizzie Magie created "The Landlord's Game" which was designed to demonstrate the economic ill effects on land monopolism.  Throughout the years, a patent was applied for and the game was hand-printed by college students and the spelling of Marven Gardens was accidentally changed.  But one very impartant thing remained, the Henry George theory of single taxation.  The story behind Lizzie Magie and "The Landlord's Game" and how Parker Brothers bought her out for $500.00 is rather controversial and the truth of how Parker Brothers came to purchase the rights to the game didn't evolve until 1976.  This story is a rather interesting read and somewhat makes my blood boil!

I don't get to play Monopoly very much due to my husband being so good at it!  Everyone we play Monopoly with ends up getting mad...me being included.  Over the years I have tried to watch what he does just in case he's pulling extra cash from the "bank" when he is the banker like his mother swears he does and I force myself to follow his decision-making skills on buying properties, motels and hotels.  I am just not able to catch him robbing the bank and I don't seem to have the same opportunities or luck when purchasing properties.   One of these days I might master Monopoly, but until then, I think I may just stick with physically visiting the places on the Monopoly board in real life rather than trying to snag them up before my husband does in the game of Monopoly!

March Madness

March Madness is right around the corner.  Who else is excited to fill out a bracket or two and watch 68 teams battle it out for the NCAA National Basketball Championship?

How do you go about filling out a bracket?  Are you one that studies all the statistics and chooses your teams in that manner or are you one that pays attention to the "flappers" or analysts and fills in their brackets according to the sports gospel?  What about watching YouTube, listening to a PodCast or even purchases a book titled How To Fill Out A Bracket For Dummies?  Some people even choose their bracket according to how the President of the United States chooses his!  I don't know about you, but I'm going to stick to the way I go about filling out my bracket.

I'm one that fills in my bracket in a more non-traditional way in that I choose my teams by their cool coach, or their colorful and striking uniforms, or the way their school name rolls off my tongue like Loyola or Gonzaga or Villanova.  I like to say those names over and over along with many other teams that sound unique.  I have several times chosen the Cinderella team, especially when Wichita State did so well a few years back and I have chosen teams with players I liked from the previous season or even teams with an awesome mascot.  I am also so nerdy that I find out what channels each team plays on and what time and jot that down on my bracket.  One never knows with me, but I do have fun making one or two or eight brackets.

Good luck on your bracket or brackets and if you've never filled one out before, look out, it can be addictive!

Men's Clothes...Who Picks Them Out?

Whenever I see a man dressed in an overly noticeable way, I often find myself wondering if he really picked out those clothes or did his wife or significant other go clothes-shopping for him?

The first time I met my husband, he was in a bucket truck in the neighbor's yard cutting down a tree.  He had on jeans, boots, and a white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off.  I noticed what clothes he was wearing because I was drawn to the muscle definition in his arms, chest, and back as he maneuvered his chainsaw.  As I stood there staring out my kitchen window at him, I might have drooled a bit.  I called my friend, Dana, and told her all about this tree man I was watching through my kitchen window as if I were Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched!  I needed some sort of plan to make contact with this guy without looking like a crazed idiot.  Dana and I decided to have one of the boys run over and find out if tree man could cut a limb that was scraping the roof of my house.  (There really was a limb scraping in case you are wondering!)  Chet was the one who volunteered to run over and came back and said tree man could cut the limb for $50 bucks.  At the time, I thought I was getting a good deal because I wouldn't have to replace any shingles or repair any other damage to my roof.   Now that I know more about the business, I feel I might have gotten robbed!!  I give my husband a hard time when we're reminiscing about how we first met.  I tell him that he robbed me, but he tells me that he was just trying to earn a living and had I come back with a counteroffer he would have considered it and since I didn't I must have thought $50 bucks was fair.

Roll forward about five years, we ran into each other again at the grocery store, but this time he was wearing old yellow and very faded swimming trunks...out in public...and he had no plans to go swimming!!  I don't understand how anyone could leave the house in their swimming trunks if they weren't going swimming?!  Even athletic shorts make me want to hurl.  They are despicable!  I never want to dress my husband by laying out his clothes each morning nor do I want to tell him what he can and can't wear, but I draw the line when it comes to swimming trunks and athletic shorts!  Ew!

There has been one offense since I drew the line.  I stopped by the house to pick him up and he came out wearing long, wide-legged and flowing, white athletic shorts.  Because we were in a hurry to get to a track meet I didn't say anything, I just gave him the look.  He knew.  He tried to plead his case and told me he was going to an athletic event and he was dressed for the occasion.  Very displeased, I put the car in drive and headed down the road.  Needless-to-say, he hasn't worn them out in public since...that I know of!  In fact, wearing of the swimming trunks or athletic shorts is heavily frowned down upon in the King house.  So much so, he's switched to wearing boxer shorts!!  I find this rather amusing and I think he feels he has one-uped me, but I secretly don't mind the boxer shorts if it keeps him from wearing the other two repulsive items.  I have tried to grab every pair of athletic shorts or old swim trunks that I run across, but they seem to be endless as if they are multiplying in their hiding places!!  I certainly don't want to take a chance of a repeat offense going into this year's track season, so when I do find a pair, they disappear!  Poof!

Do you pick out or purchase your boyfriend, husband or significant other's clothes?  Inquiry minds want to know!

One of these days, we will be old and gray and I hope his style of clothing doesn't veer too much from the normal jeans, shirts, and shorts.  Let's get real, his fashion statement is definitely not what swooped me off my feet!!  I don't know what I will do if he starts wearing bright primary colored shirts with plaid, striped, or pattern-printed pants, or begins lining the dashboard of our car with bobbing dogs, stuffed animals, or baseball hats or worse yet, starts riding a tricycle with artificial flowers duct-taped to the antenna.  I guess I will just continue to love him and all of his uniqueness til death do us part.

Adele

Adele is our 13+ year-old Miniature Poodle.  We don't know how old she really is and neither does our veterinarian, but she guesses around 13.

Adele came to us through my daughter, Hannah, who was staying with a friend all weekend who miraculously lives a half-mile down the road from the Humane Society.  Hannah and Maggie were riding four wheelers through a field and almost ran over this poor little dog with matted fur and full of stick-tights.

Side-note:  While I was writing this blog, I decided to Google "stick-tights" to see if I spelled the word correctly and found out that stick-tights have a few other names...

1.  Devil's Beggarticks                           
2.  Beggar's Lice
3.  Beggar Weed
4.  Burdocks
5.  Foxtails
6.  Hedge Parsley

I don't know about you, but the Devil's Beggarticks sounds like a rather harsh name for seeds from a plant!

Anyway, the girls brought the dog back to Maggie's house, gave her a bath, and tried to trim her matted fur.  They checked with the Humane Society to see if they were missing a dog and of course they said they weren't!!  They hung up signs and after a week Hannah begged me to bring the dog home because it was "having" to live in Maggie's garage.  Now, I don't know about you, but if I were a dumped dog and living in the fields and nearby woods, I'd think a garage was pretty cushy...but who am I?!

Nine years later, here we are, enjoying the lost or dumped dog.  She has brought much love and joy to our family over the years.  Back when we first brought her home she used to wear you out playing fetch with golf balls.  You were always the one quitting before she did!  She used to love taking long walks and she was the best shotgun rider during any car ride.  But, over the years, Adele has gotten cataracts and is now blind.  She can no longer play fetch or go on long walks and she doesn't realize she sits backward in the car seat pretending that she can really see!  She still gets around the house pretty good because we don't move furniture too often, but there are moments she gets turned around and bumps into something and it makes me feel bad...or we snicker so she can't hear us making fun of her!

Adele is quite spoiled and pampered but she has developed this annoying cough.  Sometimes that little "annoying" cough turns into a full-blown coughing spree anytime my son, Chet, brings over June and May, his Chihuahuas.  I've been on to her quirky behavior for some time now and decided that these coughing episodes are fake.  I think she is craving attention and jealous of May and June. 

Roll forward about three years:  I have recently learned from the vet after mentioning her peculiar behavior towards Chet's dogs that Adele has a  heart condition developing which normally happens in older dogs.  Boy!  Do I ever feel like a heel!   I learned from the vet that her airway collapses on occasion due to her age and she does the coughing to open up her airway.  The collapse is brought on by a change in temperature, nervousness or anxiety!  Did you catch that?  She gets anxious and nervous when May and June come over and here all this time I thought she was fake-coughing to gain all the attention and being drogmatic!!

Since she has been diagnosed with congenital heart failure I simply asked Hannah if she would call the vet and inquire about signs to look for when is it close to having to make a decision to put an older dog down.  Was the coughing hurting her, is she in pain, does the collapsing of the airway deprive her of too much oxygen, etc.  Little did I know that all Hannah heard in that conversation was "find out a time when we can put the dog down"!!  I received a phone call from Hannah later that day letting me know what time Adele was going to be put down.  I was beside myself.  I wasn't ready for this.  I didn't think Adele was to that point yet.  Gracie found out and told me I was being selfish and told Hannah she was a cold-hearted "snake"!  Hannah was now irritated because she had taken the time to call and make all the arrangements.   She even growled at me over the phone and told me she wasn't calling the vet back to cancel and I'd have to do it myself!  So, I called the vet and asked if I could change the euthanasia appointment to a bath and haircut appointment.  There was a pause and then the "sure, we'll get that switched for you."  The next morning, when I stopped by to drop Adele off to get her bath and haircut, I had to explain how this all went down.  The girls at the vet rolled with laughter after hearing how an inquiry turned into putting a dog down to simply getting a dog groomed!!  #doglife

To Cruise or not to Cruise...that's the Question!

I have never been on a cruise.  I sort of feel like I'm the only one left in the world that hasn't been on one!  Am I missing out?  I don't know.  I have always wanted to go on a cruise, but I am nervous that I will be sick the entire trip.  That doesn't sound fun at all!  I never used to get sick on airplanes, trains, amusement park rides or even heights, but since I've had kids...I get sick.  I guess they threw my equilibrium off or something!   That's my story anyway...and I'm sticking to it!!  I know there are pills and patches for motion-sickness, but I am still afraid that those aren't going to work and there I'd be, sicker than a dog.

Cruising seems so fun and takes me back to watching television with the family back in the late 70s and 80s.  We had our favorite shows to watch and one of them was The Love Boat.  How I loved Captain Merrill Stubing and Isaac Washington and the rest of the cast.  Someone was always going to fall in love on the "love" boat.  I particularly enjoyed the movie stars they would incorporate into the show.  It was always fun to see them in a different role.  Ever since I fell in "love" watching The Love Boat, I have wanted to board a big cruise ship as well.  I just can't imagine how majestic the cruise ship must be sitting at port, slowly bobbing up and down in the water, waiting for the passengers to board.  I think I would feel like Rose DeWitt Bukater, AKA Rose Dawson boarding the Titanic!

One of these days, I will get over my fear of getting sick on board a cruise ship...or will I?

Arnie

If you come to my house and look really close, you will see him.  He loves wrapping up in his milky-white plastic sack he uses for a blanket and he lies all sprawled out on top of our refrigerator.  I've tried to send him packing, but there is just something about him that won't let me toss him out like yesterday's garbage!

Who am I talking about you might ask?  I'm talking about Arnie, my pumpkin spice donut.  I got the name Arnie from a book that is in our library...Arnie the Doughnut!  I like the silly name Arnie and I love donuts and so it transpired from there!

Arnie came to live with us over Thanksgiving 2017.  I believe Arnie has the same disease as Bob Costas because Bob never ages and neither does Arnie!  I bought Arnie at the Quick Trip (QT) out by Wichita, Kansas and was too full to eat him on my drive home so I stuck him in my car console for safekeeping.  Arnie actually rode around in my car for a couple of weeks before I remembered him.  He stowed away in the tiny plastic container jammed with extra napkins, gloves, and music CDs from the '80s.  I suppose Arnie felt as if he were Harry Potter living in the cupboard under the stairs with the Dursley's at 4 Privot Drive.  Poor Arnie! 

I have now given Arnie a comfortable place to stay, warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer.  The Fiestaware dessert plate as his bed has provided him with pure cushy-coziness helping him to keep his donuty form.  What more could a donut ask for?

It is March 8, 2019, and Arnie is now a year and three months old and still looks the same as the day I purchased him.  He isn't even rock hard nor is his frosting breaking off.  I wonder just how many preservatives are in him?  Or, did they use embalming fluid as the preservatives?  I must now go to the "Googles" and look up the ingredients for embalming fluid and the ingredients used for preservatives and make a comparison...I'm kind of scared, but until then, I will continue eating those warm and fresh and tasty donuts!

Xanadu...My Color Poem!

XANADU

Xanadu feels like the Great Wall of China

Xanadu tastes like Prickly Pear

Xanadu smells like Lemongrass

Xanadu sounds like Olivia Newton-John singing Xanadu

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLi8fTlDEag)

Xanadu looks like a Philodendron 

XANADU

Rutabagas, Rhubarb, and Other Wretched Stuff

Why are certain foods so undesirable?  I compiled a list of my "Top 10" foods I will never intentionally eat:

10. Rutabagas

9.  Quinoa

8.  Parsnips

7.  Gooseberries

6.  Sushi

5.  Clams

4.  Cooked Spinach

3.  Rhubarb

2.  Turnips

1.  Tomatoes

I could keep going, but this list will suffice...Maybe...

  0  Sardines

- 1  Green Olives

- 2  Jalapenos

- 3  Eggplant

- 4  Artichokes

- 5  Yogurt with "live cultures"

- 6  Liver

- 7  Oysters

- 8  Tapioca

- 9  Bleu/Blue Cheese

- 10  I told you I could keep going!!!!

Dear Abby,

For the last five years...probably...I've been saying that I'm going to exercise more.  I've done fairly well with eating more healthy...only because my husband eats healthy and he's the one that cooks or decides if we are going out to eat.  I love to go out to lunch or supper because I so desire dessert on occasion, but my healthy-conscientious husband unintentionally makes me feel like a complete tub of lard if I consider ordering a piece of pie or ice cream!!  He doesn't even have to say anything or make faces, I just think I know what he must be thinking!!

I believe my main problem is that I am too sedentary...like rocks that have settled in the last layer of the Earth's crust!! There is no movement down there folks!  Since my kids have gotten older, I'm not having to chase after them anymore and I'm not constantly picking up and putting away until my head hits the pillow!! I know I'm getting older, but I am NOT that old!!  I think I need some motivation.  Whatever happened to the exercise challenge Winnie and Rachael were doing district-wide?  Did the challenge stop because everyone got skinny but me?!  I'm needing some helpful tips on how to get started exercising daily and keeping at it.  When do you find the time to exercise or what do you do to keep that muffin top at bay?

Signed,

Fatty Lumpkins

The Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate fountain, chocolate fountain how I love thee,

to dip strawberries, bananas, or a big cherry.

Milk chocolate, dark chocolate or even plain white,

Marshmallows on a stick, I can’t wait to take a bite!

Chocolate fountain, chocolate fountain how I love thee,

big and tall and majestic like a monstrous redwood tree.

Rushing, swirling, flowing like Niagara Falls,

Crashing, bellowing, swishing through my belly’s walls.

Yum!