Growing up in a small town can sometimes leave one a little too naive.
Moving to the big metropolis of Pittsburg, Kansas seemed like moving to New York City to me, especially back in 1986...back in the horse and buggy days!! (just kidding) I lived in the dorms my first year of college with one of my best friends from high school, met some more friends, then we all moved into a large home in the historic district of the Burg. There were four of us girls and we had so much fun living the college life...until it came to an abrupt end!
I moved to a little house out in the country, two of the girls moved back to their hometowns, and my friend from high school, Lisa, rented an apartment in downtown Pittsburg. We all still keep in contact today.
Enter the band "Country Alibi" (not their real name). Country Alibi was playing all over the area. My friend, Becky, saw a flyer and asked if I wanted to go. She had heard the band was good and the lead singer had a great voice. We drove clear to Piqua, Kansas which was an hour and a half from Pittsburg. Becky had heard right, the lead singer had an amazing voice and the band was excellent. We had the best of time and planned to go wherever Country Alibi was playing next. We became true roadies and we became true friends with every band member. We received invites to special events, invites to graduations, invites to the lake, backstage pass invites, you name it...when we received INVITES...we were there! We were just plain addicted to Country Alibi!!!
About a year into being roadies, the lead singer, "Rafe" (not his real name, but a cute name because fake Rafe was cute AND he could sing), asked me if I wanted to go grab a bite to eat after his show. We hopped in his fancy Corvette and headed into Pittsburg and had the best of conversation, the best bite to eat, and the best night ever. I was on cloud 9 that this lead singer seemed interested in me. I spent many evenings watching movies with Rafe. We would have dinner together on many occasions and during these awesome moments there was one night that he sang to me. Wow! If you've never had a guy...or girl sing to you, it is one of the most emotional and cherishable moments and I still cherish that moment to this day...even though what I'm about to tell you would make you want to erase the moment forever!! LOL
So, things are going GREAT...I haven't met his parents yet nor he mine...but we're getting close to that point. Are you ready for this...Country Alibi was asked to be the opening band for Diamond Rio!!! The hype was all over Pittsburg and frankly all over the area. Tickets were selling like hotcakes and eventually sold out, but Becky, Lisa and I got ours, thanks to Rafe, so we started planning for our special night. The weeks flew by as the date drew near. The best pair of Rockies and cool western shirt a girl could find were purchased as were new lace-up Ropers...this gal was ready to "meet in the middle" with Diamond Rio. The day of the concert finally arrived. Rafe came by and picked me up so we could go help the band get set up and afterwards we hung out and got super stoked about the night. Who gets to open up for Diamond Rio?!!!! Country Alibi! That's who!!
Becky, Lisa and I met at my house to do our hair, makeup and finish getting ready for the evening. We arrived at our destination about an hour early, found our seats and got settled in. We visited with each band member and wished them luck. We even checked on the sound man to be sure he had everything he needed and then made our way back to our seats. The show was getting ready to start and the moment we had all been waiting for. Country Alibi came out strong, singing their best songs in the perfect lineup. Everything was going perfectly...until the intermission.
Oh. My. Gosh. Are my eyes and ears deceiving me? What in the world just happened? Rafe just asked some girl to marry him in front of the entire audience...and it certainly wasn't me that he asked! I sat their with my mouth hanging clear to the floor. How could I not have known that Rafe had a girlfriend... NOT just a girlfriend...but a FIANCE'???? My whole body was on fire. I was speechleess. I am not into making a scene, but at this moment I so badly wanted to. I.am.so.NAIVE. I decided right then that I was NOT going to miss Diamond Rio for this poge. Yes, he was a colonel in the Marines. Ugh. Back at the table my friends consoled me and we decided what would be the best thing to do at this particular point in the evening. Folks...I'm a white personality...I'd rather dodge any type of confrontation if at all possible. So, what did I do? Well, I went up to the other band members and thanked them for telling me ( I was so nice it was sickening because they knew they should have told me) and then I went over to Rafe and "Pam" (not her real name) and congratulated the oh-so-happy couple! I then went and sat back down. I made it my purpose in life (at that moment anyway) to make Rafe as uncomfortable as I possibly could from then on out. I continued being a roadie and eventually "Pam" started to notice that we girls were there at every show. How did I not notice her before now? Was she ever even at any of the other shows? Over the course of several weekends, "Pam" got so used to seeing us at the shows that she started sitting at our table and hanging out with us! We became friends. I felt really bad because I really liked "Pam". If anyone wanted to be a fly on the wall, I imagine Rafe did! He was probably DYING to know what we were talking about while he was up there on the stage singing his little ol' heart out. I don't know about you, but I was secretly hoping he was squirming in his britches. He was probably praying that I wouldn't tell "Pam" his dirty little secret! Believe me, I wanted to tell her, but I didn't think it was my place...it was Rafe's place to tell her what a dirty rat he'd been.
As the months flew by and the big wedding approached, "Pam" asked me and Becky if we would like to cut the wedding cake and serve it at their reception. I didn't even blink an eye and told "Pam" that we would LOVE to attend their wedding and help out in any way we could. The big day came. Becky and I cut the cake. Becky and I served the cake. The photographer told Becky and I to get together with the Bride and Groom at the cake table so he could take a photo. We did. I'm glad to know that my cake-cutting picture is somewhere in Rafe's wedding photo album as a constant reminder of how awful he treated me. Not just me though...how awful he treated "Pam".
20 years later...I receive a "Friend Request" on Facebook from Rafe.
22 years later...A student asked me...with a big smile on her face...if I knew her Uncle Rafe...ugh!
25 years later...Rafe invites me to the Kansas Speedway to watch him and his daughter sing the National Anthem. They were nationally televised on ESPN. No, I did not attend, although I did give it a thought...or two. (I've never been to the Kansas Speedway)
26 years later...Rafe invites me to his retirement ceremony from the United States Marines in Topeka. I knew this was going to be a huge deal for him and I really did want to be there, but I just couldn't bring myself to go...not even as his friend.
I guess I am fresh out of accepting "INVITES".
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
It's More Than Just Music
I love music...Period! I can listen to any type of music, some genres longer than others, but I can listen to anything. Country, Pop, Classical, Oldies, Rap, Rock and Roll, Head-bangin' thrasher stuff, Classic anything, Reggae, Jazz, Alternative, Blues, Big Band, it doesn't matter, I LOVE MUSIC! I have always been musically inclined. I took piano lessons from 3rd grade through 12th grade and played the alto clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, and baritone saxophone from 5th grade through 12th grade. When it comes to musically inclined, my children have "inherited" some of my inclinations, they simply amaze me with their musical talents because they go far beyond what I ever could have imagined and would have wanted for them.
My oldest son, Joe, taught himself how to play the drums and signed up for band in 6th grade and finally told the teacher his senior year that he didn't know how to read the music that he just played by ear! He played all the percussion instruments and the trap set. His teacher was shocked none-the-less. Joe also played in a band his junior and senior year of high school. It was called The Middle Coast Band. There were four teenagers playing music that people love to hear, you know, the songs played at weddings and other events...those songs everybody knows and wants to hear...so they starting getting booked for gigs. Talking about one proud momma! Joe also learned how to play many guitars, both acoustic and bass. He learned the ukelele and the banjo and even the piano. I'm sure there are other instruments that I have forgotten, but you get the point. He loves The Beatles and was fascinated with George Harrison playing the sitar. He wanted a sitar very badly after I took him to see the Liverpool Legends in Branson and Pittsburg. I also took him to see Paul McCartney in Tulsa when he graduated from high school. He was kind of bummed because I wouldn't run out and buy him a sitar...he nagged me, but I didn't cave...they were around $500.00!!! One day we were driving in the bottoms and there was something in the road. He bet me that this piece of something lying in the road was a shingle, but I could have sworn it was a block of wood...I lost the bet and had to buy him a sitar. I wouldn't have bet a sitar had I not been 100% sure that the something lying in the road wasn't a block of wood!! Do you know how hard it is to find a sitar in the four-state area...or the United States??!! I had to order the stinking sitar from INDIA!!!!! It was a very costly bet and I learned something from that experience. I don't bet anymore...especially with Joe!
Chet, my second son taught himself how to play the drums as well. He also learned the piano and organ and can play the guitar and bass along with the many percussion instruments. Chet and Joe once played the Grand Piano at the Continental Hotel in Centerville, IA while guests dined in the hotel restaurant. The Continental Hotel is a beautiful historic hotel and played host to a number of famous historical figures such as Jesse James, Al Capone, Carrie Nation, Booker T. Washington, Senator Ted Cruz, Al Gore, Joe Biden and even First Lady Michelle Obama. The hotel is very grand and full of character. I am so glad we stayed there...we even had to cross an old catwalk to get to our room...creepy cool! Anyway, Chet and Joe played every song they knew and could play together or separate on that grand piano and the hotel guests and employees even clapped for them when they were finished playing! Chet never swindled me out of any musical instruments like Joe and the sitar...but there might have been a vehicle or two...but I learned from those experiences as well!
Gracie is my other musician. She taught herself to play the drums and the piano and organ. She can play the cymbals and is mighty good at crashing those two big circular pieces of copper together. She has just learned how to play the trap set and the acoustic guitar. I have no idea where these kids got all their talent, but I could never teach myself how to play anything but maybe the harmonica!!
Then there's Hannah...she has no musical talent what-so-ever! I think it is a lefty problem...just kidding...or maybe not! Sorry Hannah, but you don't and the truth hurts! Running was your niche. Hannah did win Regionals in the 400m and her relay team broke the school record in the 4 X 800m and the girl went to Regionals and State all four years of high school so I won't give her too much static for not being musically inclined!!
Since I've always loved music, I've always been a concert-goer...and a one-time roadie! I will have to write another blog about my roadie days because it is worthy of a story!! You won't believe the story...it is ridiculously funny...but it wasn't at the time...I probably should write it for tomorrow so I don't leave you hanging too long. I just hope one someone that the whole roadie story revolves around doesn't read my blog!! LOL
The first concert I ever went to was Air Supply. I'm listening to "All Out Of Love" as I write this blog and remembering the good time I had at my very first concert. I went with several kids from my youth group at church and this concert was probably the most moving concert I ever attended. Here is a list of other concerts I have been to:
-George Strait X 2
-Garth Brooks
-Night Ranger
-AC/DC X 3
-Hank Williams Jr.
-John Anderson
-Def Leppard
-Molly Hatchet
-Travis Tritt
-Ronnie Milsap
-Aaron Tippin
-Restless Heart
-Cadillac Three
-Blonde Bombshell
-Steve Holy
-Porter Waggoner
-Trace Atkins
-Barney LIVE with Baby Bop and BJ (I know you're jealous)
-Reba McIntire
-Randy Travis
-Jason Aldean
-Jake Owen X 3
-Keith Urban
-Alan Jackson
-Alabama X 2
-Oak Ridge Boys
-John Michael Montgomery
-Kentucky Headhunters
-Little Liberace
-Rick Springfield X 3
-Kenny Rogers
-Eddie Rabbit
-Sawyer Brown
-Billy Dean
-Pam Tillis
-The Statler Brothers
-Dan Seals
-Ricky VanShelton
-Neal McCoy
-Collin Raye
-Terri Clark
-Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons
-Billy Ray Cyrus
-Ray Stevens
-Cinderella
-Ratt
-Blue Man Group
-Nazareth
I'm sure there some I have forgotten, but a concert-goer I was, especially before I had kids back in the 80s and early 90s!
I still have some of my concert shirts...AC/DC, Nazareth, Blue Man Group, Keith Urban, Jake Owen and Night Ranger....Going to concerts...it's more than just music.
I definitely had the BIG hair for concerts!!!
My oldest son, Joe, taught himself how to play the drums and signed up for band in 6th grade and finally told the teacher his senior year that he didn't know how to read the music that he just played by ear! He played all the percussion instruments and the trap set. His teacher was shocked none-the-less. Joe also played in a band his junior and senior year of high school. It was called The Middle Coast Band. There were four teenagers playing music that people love to hear, you know, the songs played at weddings and other events...those songs everybody knows and wants to hear...so they starting getting booked for gigs. Talking about one proud momma! Joe also learned how to play many guitars, both acoustic and bass. He learned the ukelele and the banjo and even the piano. I'm sure there are other instruments that I have forgotten, but you get the point. He loves The Beatles and was fascinated with George Harrison playing the sitar. He wanted a sitar very badly after I took him to see the Liverpool Legends in Branson and Pittsburg. I also took him to see Paul McCartney in Tulsa when he graduated from high school. He was kind of bummed because I wouldn't run out and buy him a sitar...he nagged me, but I didn't cave...they were around $500.00!!! One day we were driving in the bottoms and there was something in the road. He bet me that this piece of something lying in the road was a shingle, but I could have sworn it was a block of wood...I lost the bet and had to buy him a sitar. I wouldn't have bet a sitar had I not been 100% sure that the something lying in the road wasn't a block of wood!! Do you know how hard it is to find a sitar in the four-state area...or the United States??!! I had to order the stinking sitar from INDIA!!!!! It was a very costly bet and I learned something from that experience. I don't bet anymore...especially with Joe!
Chet, my second son taught himself how to play the drums as well. He also learned the piano and organ and can play the guitar and bass along with the many percussion instruments. Chet and Joe once played the Grand Piano at the Continental Hotel in Centerville, IA while guests dined in the hotel restaurant. The Continental Hotel is a beautiful historic hotel and played host to a number of famous historical figures such as Jesse James, Al Capone, Carrie Nation, Booker T. Washington, Senator Ted Cruz, Al Gore, Joe Biden and even First Lady Michelle Obama. The hotel is very grand and full of character. I am so glad we stayed there...we even had to cross an old catwalk to get to our room...creepy cool! Anyway, Chet and Joe played every song they knew and could play together or separate on that grand piano and the hotel guests and employees even clapped for them when they were finished playing! Chet never swindled me out of any musical instruments like Joe and the sitar...but there might have been a vehicle or two...but I learned from those experiences as well!
Gracie is my other musician. She taught herself to play the drums and the piano and organ. She can play the cymbals and is mighty good at crashing those two big circular pieces of copper together. She has just learned how to play the trap set and the acoustic guitar. I have no idea where these kids got all their talent, but I could never teach myself how to play anything but maybe the harmonica!!
Then there's Hannah...she has no musical talent what-so-ever! I think it is a lefty problem...just kidding...or maybe not! Sorry Hannah, but you don't and the truth hurts! Running was your niche. Hannah did win Regionals in the 400m and her relay team broke the school record in the 4 X 800m and the girl went to Regionals and State all four years of high school so I won't give her too much static for not being musically inclined!!
Since I've always loved music, I've always been a concert-goer...and a one-time roadie! I will have to write another blog about my roadie days because it is worthy of a story!! You won't believe the story...it is ridiculously funny...but it wasn't at the time...I probably should write it for tomorrow so I don't leave you hanging too long. I just hope one someone that the whole roadie story revolves around doesn't read my blog!! LOL
The first concert I ever went to was Air Supply. I'm listening to "All Out Of Love" as I write this blog and remembering the good time I had at my very first concert. I went with several kids from my youth group at church and this concert was probably the most moving concert I ever attended. Here is a list of other concerts I have been to:
-George Strait X 2
-Garth Brooks
-Night Ranger
-AC/DC X 3
-Hank Williams Jr.
-John Anderson
-Def Leppard
-Molly Hatchet
-Travis Tritt
-Ronnie Milsap
-Aaron Tippin
-Restless Heart
-Cadillac Three
-Blonde Bombshell
-Steve Holy
-Porter Waggoner
-Trace Atkins
-Barney LIVE with Baby Bop and BJ (I know you're jealous)
-Reba McIntire
-Randy Travis
-Jason Aldean
-Jake Owen X 3
-Keith Urban
-Alan Jackson
-Alabama X 2
-Oak Ridge Boys
-John Michael Montgomery
-Kentucky Headhunters
-Little Liberace
-Rick Springfield X 3
-Kenny Rogers
-Eddie Rabbit
-Sawyer Brown
-Billy Dean
-Pam Tillis
-The Statler Brothers
-Dan Seals
-Ricky VanShelton
-Neal McCoy
-Collin Raye
-Terri Clark
-Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons
-Billy Ray Cyrus
-Ray Stevens
-Cinderella
-Ratt
-Blue Man Group
-Nazareth
I'm sure there some I have forgotten, but a concert-goer I was, especially before I had kids back in the 80s and early 90s!
I still have some of my concert shirts...AC/DC, Nazareth, Blue Man Group, Keith Urban, Jake Owen and Night Ranger....Going to concerts...it's more than just music.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Back to the Bondo Buggy
Since 2002, I have driven "Bondo Buggies" back and forth to work. I went to an 8-hour Dave Ramsey seminar at the BOK (Bank of Oklahoma) Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I learned alot from Dave that day. I listened to every story he told about saving money, budgeting money, getting out of debt...the works. I bought his book, I bought his audio, and I bought his kit for kids on saving money. We were Dave Ramsey all the way! I zoned in on the part about him driving cars he could pay for with cash and I believed I could do that too. He called his first cash car a "Bondo Buggy" and I thought that was pretty hilarious since I was married to an auto body/technician! In case you don't know, "Bondo" is a putty used as a filler for when you have rust or dents and damage to your car or truck that auto body techs use to fix older cars rather than replacing a fender or a quarter panel and so on. It is a cheap fix in other words. Before I went and saw Dave, I used to have a 1999 Ford Mustang...fire engine red with white racing stripes...man, I thought I was uptown...especially with a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old riding in the backseat! I finally realized that I was racking up too many miles on my "cool" car and needed a daily driver...a true "Bondo Buggy". I purchased the worst vehicle ever...like the most awful on the face of the earth...a 1990 Dodge Caravan...navy blue...no tinted windows...no a/c or heat in the back rows...fogged up windows all the time...cold or hot kids in the back which in turn created whiney kids and to think I purchased this horrendous heap from my very own sister...who made me feel like I was getting a prize! I really felt duped! I sold that van, if you want to call it that, and swore I would NEVER EVER (I know these are harsh words) purchase another minivan again...so we bought a 1991 Pontiac Bonneville. Wahoo! It was white with a blue interior. When I drove it, I felt like I was steering a boat gliding across water and I really liked the car until the transmission started messing up. We put this sawdust stuff in the transmission and took it straight to the auction. I felt like Harry Wormwood in Matilda while we stood there...waiting for it to be sold...without the tranny leaking or smoking! We then bought a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba...bright, almost glowing red with a white vinyl top...I disliked it very much...I constantly complained about it to the dwelling point of complaing and was totally embarrassed to drive it...needless-to-say, it didn't last long. I might have not taken very good care of it...like never checked the oil and stuff...hee hee! I think my dad felt sorry for me having to drive these older "bondo buggies" that Craig bought at the auctions. This is when Dad finally started the "stalking movement" of purchasing cars. The "stalking movement" was called the "stalking movement" because my dad would "stalk" the obituary section and the auction listings of the local newspapers and he would listen and take notes during his daily attendance at the "coffee-drinking round table" where discussions by all the old cronies in town took place at the local restaurant. Dad found out who might have died or who had moved to the nursing home or even the assisted living quarters and if they had a vehicle for sale! I know, it sounds terrible, but older people take very good care of their cars! From the year of 2002 up until October, I have driven a "Bondo Buggy" and I could care less what the car looks like unlike before...ugh! That red and white Cordoba was absolutely hideous and we won't even speak of that dreadful Dodge Caravan...the mini who shall be named Voldemort!
So far, I've driven a 1994 Mercury Sable. (Mabel), 1996 Ford Taurus. (Willis), 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier. (Ol' Red), 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier. (Greenie), 1999 GMC Safari. (Whitey), 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. (Die Hard), 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. (Blue), 1995 Mercury Sable (Mrs. McElwain because I couldn't remember her first name, Valeta) and the 2000 Buick LeSabre. (Doris). If the car belonged to a person we knew, we named the car that name...like Mabel, Doris, Dan Willis, and Valeta McElwain...and my son even drove my grandma's car after she died so it's name was Juanita!
If I had to add up how much money has been spent on cars since 2002, it is probably way less than you would think!! I'd say the figure is around $10,000.00...in 16 years!!!
I need another "Bondo Buggy". In October, I took over my daughter's 2014 Impala because she had too many responsibilities between college and raising Beau, my grandson. I've already had to have three oil changes and three tire rotations and I'm getting very close to scheduling the fourth...in five months! I can't and won't rack up miles on a newer car, it is ridiculous.
Good news! My mom told me the other day that my great-aunt Betty (my grandma's sister) has finally decided she isn't going to drive any longer...she's only 94 years old!! LOL I am cracking up because she was only driving it up the gravel road to church on Sundays and the little country church of Bethlehem is only a mile away...bless her heart! She drives a 1998 Chevy Corsica...they don't even make that car anymore...I'll bet it only has 30,000 miles on it or so...and it is black! But, if I don't end up getting Black Betty, I will be joining the "stalking movement"!!
So far, I've driven a 1994 Mercury Sable. (Mabel), 1996 Ford Taurus. (Willis), 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier. (Ol' Red), 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier. (Greenie), 1999 GMC Safari. (Whitey), 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. (Die Hard), 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. (Blue), 1995 Mercury Sable (Mrs. McElwain because I couldn't remember her first name, Valeta) and the 2000 Buick LeSabre. (Doris). If the car belonged to a person we knew, we named the car that name...like Mabel, Doris, Dan Willis, and Valeta McElwain...and my son even drove my grandma's car after she died so it's name was Juanita!
If I had to add up how much money has been spent on cars since 2002, it is probably way less than you would think!! I'd say the figure is around $10,000.00...in 16 years!!!
I need another "Bondo Buggy". In October, I took over my daughter's 2014 Impala because she had too many responsibilities between college and raising Beau, my grandson. I've already had to have three oil changes and three tire rotations and I'm getting very close to scheduling the fourth...in five months! I can't and won't rack up miles on a newer car, it is ridiculous.
Good news! My mom told me the other day that my great-aunt Betty (my grandma's sister) has finally decided she isn't going to drive any longer...she's only 94 years old!! LOL I am cracking up because she was only driving it up the gravel road to church on Sundays and the little country church of Bethlehem is only a mile away...bless her heart! She drives a 1998 Chevy Corsica...they don't even make that car anymore...I'll bet it only has 30,000 miles on it or so...and it is black! But, if I don't end up getting Black Betty, I will be joining the "stalking movement"!!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Red-Headed Turkey Vultures
I've always been an animal lover. I lived in town the first five years of my life and had one cat and two dogs. I was born, I was five, then when we moved to the country. Blackberry was our cat's name and she was a pure black long-haired little furball with golden eyes. One dog's name was Buc and he was an English Setter. He had a black spot over one eye so hence the name...Buckeye or Buc for short! The other dog's name was Paddles. He was a tri-colored Beagle. My mom named him Paddles because when he took off running his little ears looked like paddles attached to a Jon boat rowing in the water!! These three animals were my first experiences with pets and turned me into the pet lover I am today...sort of!
45 years ago...we lived on the edge of town, one block from the elementary school I attended through 8th grade. Across the alley from our house was a nursing home. Having a nursing home behind your home brought much activity to one's life. My brother, sister and I were always playing outside in our backyard or at any of our neighborhood friends' yards around the block. We were outside from sun-up til sundown and it didn't seem to matter what time of year it was either. One routine my sister and I got into the habit of was visiting the residents of the nursing home. I have no idea what my mother was thinking letting us go over there unattended, but it was the 70's...I was four or five and my sister was six or seven! My sister and I would go door to door. Our Great-Aunt Clytie was there so we would go see her first. My favorite resident was an old man named Gene because he was really funny and he always let me help myself to some of his Brach's Rootbeer Barrel candy.
Somedays though...more like MANY days...we would hear the dogs barking and look out the back door and there would be a runner. Agnes was the best at running away, but Katherine was "running" a very close second. Is it sad we had the nursing home number memorized...429-2134? I think it is more sad that I still know the number! We would call and narc out the runaways...half the time they were still in their nightgowns or robes. After my five years of life there on the corner of Country Road and Vermont Streets, the nursing home planned to build a new facility on the west edge of town. Once they moved in to their new place they sold the old one to Elm Acres. Back then, it was a home for troubled boys and girls. Boys on one wing, girls on the other. After about a year of these troubled teens walking in front of our house (usually smoking cigarettes) or even cutting through our backyard, my parents had enough. Things were getting stolen and the teens were mean to us when they were headed back to the home after school. Needless-to-say, my parents put our house up for sale and it sold within 8 hours of being put on the market! Since the house sold so fast, we moved to a really cool rental house out in the country, almost to the Oklahoma state line. While living there I joined 4-H once I turned 8-years-old and I was able to talk my parents into letting me have my first pig to raise and show at the county fair...his name was Wilbur. I will tell you more about Wilbur in another blog AND my experiences in 4-H in another.
While we lived out on the prairie (as my mom called it), we only ever had dogs, cats, and the pigs. We did bring Blackberry, Buc and Paddles with us, but they eventually died. After living on the priairie for about six years, my parents built the home they live in today. We moved but weren't allowed to have any more pets after two of our dogs (Josie and Iggie) were killed out on the highway. We became crop farmers at our new home on the range. We didn't have cows or chickens or goats or sheep, but we did have wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, opossum, armadillos and raccoons. Rabbits...plenty of rabbits. Rabbits galore!!! My grandma had horses though and my uncle had cows, but we lived where the wild things roamed!
As I got older, mom gave in and we had a couple of Siamese cats Jonathan Denver and Simon. Bozz and Milo came later and I had a lavender-tip Siamese that was registered and named Alvin when I moved out on my own. Alvin could even play fetch! Mom also had a Maine Coon a few years back named Fats. She called him Dasher, but he couldn't "dash" anywhere because he was so fat which is why my dad started calling him Fats instead. Callie, Crush, Astrid, Kittay, and Richard are more cats that the kids have had over the years. I've had parakeets...Harold, Sprite, and Booker and Hannah had one named London that flew out the front door one day the neighbor boys came over and their dog ate it! Gracie has a Cockatiel now named Primrose. We have had a round with a Hamster named Gertrude and a couple of Hermit Crabs...Truman and Twain. Lots of Beta Fish have lived at our house over the years also. The girls have had two bunnies...Aspen and Annie...and then there's the dogs...Willie, Iggie, Josie, Jack, Ace, Zack, Pryo, Raider, Puppy, Ellie, Lucy, Hope, Adele, Karma and Jasmine.
50 years later...I am almost fizzled out when it comes to OWNING a pet. After owning many and letting my kids have many more pets that I ever should have agreed to...or not because they drug them home anyway...I probably will no longer have any desires to ever own another pet again.
Yesterday, as I'm driving home from Fredonia, Kansas I look up at an old barn and see two red-headed turkey vultures perched up on the ridge. I've always thought red-headed turkey vultures were so ugly they were quite cute! They look like the California Condor when they are in flight and their wingspan is quite grand. Red-headed turkey vultures look so majestic as they swirl through the bright blue skys that they almost take your breath away...I wonder what it would be like to have a red-headed turkey vulture as a pet?
45 years ago...we lived on the edge of town, one block from the elementary school I attended through 8th grade. Across the alley from our house was a nursing home. Having a nursing home behind your home brought much activity to one's life. My brother, sister and I were always playing outside in our backyard or at any of our neighborhood friends' yards around the block. We were outside from sun-up til sundown and it didn't seem to matter what time of year it was either. One routine my sister and I got into the habit of was visiting the residents of the nursing home. I have no idea what my mother was thinking letting us go over there unattended, but it was the 70's...I was four or five and my sister was six or seven! My sister and I would go door to door. Our Great-Aunt Clytie was there so we would go see her first. My favorite resident was an old man named Gene because he was really funny and he always let me help myself to some of his Brach's Rootbeer Barrel candy.
Somedays though...more like MANY days...we would hear the dogs barking and look out the back door and there would be a runner. Agnes was the best at running away, but Katherine was "running" a very close second. Is it sad we had the nursing home number memorized...429-2134? I think it is more sad that I still know the number! We would call and narc out the runaways...half the time they were still in their nightgowns or robes. After my five years of life there on the corner of Country Road and Vermont Streets, the nursing home planned to build a new facility on the west edge of town. Once they moved in to their new place they sold the old one to Elm Acres. Back then, it was a home for troubled boys and girls. Boys on one wing, girls on the other. After about a year of these troubled teens walking in front of our house (usually smoking cigarettes) or even cutting through our backyard, my parents had enough. Things were getting stolen and the teens were mean to us when they were headed back to the home after school. Needless-to-say, my parents put our house up for sale and it sold within 8 hours of being put on the market! Since the house sold so fast, we moved to a really cool rental house out in the country, almost to the Oklahoma state line. While living there I joined 4-H once I turned 8-years-old and I was able to talk my parents into letting me have my first pig to raise and show at the county fair...his name was Wilbur. I will tell you more about Wilbur in another blog AND my experiences in 4-H in another.
While we lived out on the prairie (as my mom called it), we only ever had dogs, cats, and the pigs. We did bring Blackberry, Buc and Paddles with us, but they eventually died. After living on the priairie for about six years, my parents built the home they live in today. We moved but weren't allowed to have any more pets after two of our dogs (Josie and Iggie) were killed out on the highway. We became crop farmers at our new home on the range. We didn't have cows or chickens or goats or sheep, but we did have wild turkeys, deer, coyotes, opossum, armadillos and raccoons. Rabbits...plenty of rabbits. Rabbits galore!!! My grandma had horses though and my uncle had cows, but we lived where the wild things roamed!
As I got older, mom gave in and we had a couple of Siamese cats Jonathan Denver and Simon. Bozz and Milo came later and I had a lavender-tip Siamese that was registered and named Alvin when I moved out on my own. Alvin could even play fetch! Mom also had a Maine Coon a few years back named Fats. She called him Dasher, but he couldn't "dash" anywhere because he was so fat which is why my dad started calling him Fats instead. Callie, Crush, Astrid, Kittay, and Richard are more cats that the kids have had over the years. I've had parakeets...Harold, Sprite, and Booker and Hannah had one named London that flew out the front door one day the neighbor boys came over and their dog ate it! Gracie has a Cockatiel now named Primrose. We have had a round with a Hamster named Gertrude and a couple of Hermit Crabs...Truman and Twain. Lots of Beta Fish have lived at our house over the years also. The girls have had two bunnies...Aspen and Annie...and then there's the dogs...Willie, Iggie, Josie, Jack, Ace, Zack, Pryo, Raider, Puppy, Ellie, Lucy, Hope, Adele, Karma and Jasmine.
50 years later...I am almost fizzled out when it comes to OWNING a pet. After owning many and letting my kids have many more pets that I ever should have agreed to...or not because they drug them home anyway...I probably will no longer have any desires to ever own another pet again.
Yesterday, as I'm driving home from Fredonia, Kansas I look up at an old barn and see two red-headed turkey vultures perched up on the ridge. I've always thought red-headed turkey vultures were so ugly they were quite cute! They look like the California Condor when they are in flight and their wingspan is quite grand. Red-headed turkey vultures look so majestic as they swirl through the bright blue skys that they almost take your breath away...I wonder what it would be like to have a red-headed turkey vulture as a pet?
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey
It has been 28 weeks or 197 days, whichever calculation you prefer, since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and flooded, damaged or destroyed many homes, buildings and even vehicles. Harvey is tied with Hurricane Katrina for being the most costly storm to hit the Gulf racking up over $125 billion dollars in damage.
Thanks to many of you, our family, friends, and communities, we were able to gather donations for the subdivision where my sister lives in Dayton, Texas. My friend, Jenny, and I delivered them in October and spent a few days in Texas helping do whatever needed to be done. The Chevy Traverse was loaded to the ceiling from the floorboards! Whether it was offering moral support or packing up a pantry to scrubbing bathrooms and sanitizing patios. Whatever needed to be done, we stepped in and did it. Dayton received 40 inches of rainfall, one of the hardest hit areas of suburban Houston. My sister and her husband are very thankful to have had your help as were their neighbors. Each house in the neighborhood had anywhere from 2 feet to 4 feet of Type 4 flood waters inside their homes...that is the worst type of flooding and involves raw sewage, E.Coli and Coliform amongst other bacteria and waste.
After Jenny and I headed back to Kansas, Susan and John loaded up the supplies that were brought down onto a wagon pulled by the four-wheeler. They went door-to-door delivering much-needed items around their neighborhood. Many nights were spent cooking out for the entire neighborhood and gathering at one home's back patio or another's driveway to come together, worship, and have lunch and dinner and try to forget the devastation that each of them were going through.
Where did they live during the flood? They stayed in a hotel for a couple of weeks and then John and Susan were fortunate enough to borrow an uncle's RV. The uncle lives in San Antonio, Texas so they had to drive the four hours over and pick it up...with a gas shortage! They made it there and back and were able to vacate the hotel room they were shacking up in for a couple of weeks...life at the hotel is a whole other story! FEMA told each homeowner that if they vacated the premises there would be no help from them. So, everyone that could went and got some sort of trailer to park in their driveway. Unfortunately, those trailers are still parked outside of each of the homes in their subdivision except for two. Can you imagine living in an RV for more than a month? I've stayed in one for a week and that was enough for me!
The drying process of the home took weeks. Each day, John took a meter and placed it on the exposed wooden two by fours and read the percentage of moisture that was still in the walls. In humid Texas, it took a couple of months for it to be dry enough to start redoing sheetrock and floors. Walls had to be cut 2 - 5 feet from the floor depending on how high the flood waters receded and seeped up the wall. Contractors were hard to choose from because not all were honest. Many were out to make a buck and others that were excellent were already booked to the limit and beyond. So many people needed contractors and carpenters there wasn't enough to go around.
I talk to my sister almost every morning on our commutes to work. We talk for about 15-20 minutes of our drive. I have heard every single trouble and problem that has risen since Harvey hit and cannot believe how awful it must be to feel so helpless. There are no trailers from FEMA given like during our Joplin tornado. 90% of the homes are without flood insurance because of the way Texas insurance laws decides who needs flood insurance and who doesn't. She has spent countless hours on the phone with insurance adjusters, agents and Fema representatives. Needless-to-say, after 197 days, the tile is replaced and the drywall is complete, the painting is done and the cleaning and scrubbing begins. I feel like such an uncaring sister because I can't just hop in my car and go down to help her clean and move back in. Dayton is about a 12-hour drive from my house. I am trying to figure out a plan...Spring Break isn't an option since I had prior plans for Colorado. I am just so happy that the light is at the end of the tunnel for them.
Friday, March 9, 2018
Onion Rings and Things
Onion Rings and Things
I love onion rings! I'm kind of picky about my onion rings though. Onion straws, onion blossoms and onion petals are NOT the same thing as true onion rings...and certainly, most definitely not a blooming onion! Good grief! There are many restaurants that offer onion rings, but there are so many different varieties with thick and thin sliced onions, full circular onions or small strips of the onion...and then there's the batter varieties and let's not forget all the flavors of dipping sauces which completely skews the judging of the best onion ring out there.
Kasey and I like to go out to eat and we made a "pact" to order onion rings at all the fine eating establishments and some of the fast food joints that offer them and pick THE ONE favorite basket of onion rings that exist on the face of the earth...or, at least up in our neck of the woods. I sometimes like to consider myself an onion ring connoisseur! Here they are in order of least favorite to THE FAVORITE:
1. Frozen ones from the grocery store are a sorry example of onion rings. These onion rings are diced or minced onions inside of the ring and I truly kind of think they are actually fake onions pretending to be real onions.
2. Hardee's
3. Colton's Steak House has onion straws and an onion blossom...blek.
4. Rib Crib has too thick and heavily breaded onion rings.
5. Sonic has decent onion rings...with salt and ketchup
6. Arby's
7. Pickled Pete's...frozen, but decent.
8. Barto's Idle Hour has breading the same as the chicken so they taste the same...add salt!
9. Chicken Mary's
10. Chicken Annie's Original
11. Chicken Annie's Girard
12. Jim's Steakhouse
13. Gebhardt's Chicken Dinners
Disclaimer: This list is subject to change at any moment!
We usually cannot finish an entire order of onion rings so I always make sure to ask for a togo box and bring our leftover onion rings to none other than Mrs. Storm. SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVES ONION RINGS! She would eat them every day if she could. It doesn't matter if they are cold or hot, she eats them for lunch and if she cannot wait, she eats them for breakfast! She is a true Onion Ring arbiter of taste! What are some of your favorite places to eat onion rings? We might need to venture around the Webb City and Joplin area to find out!
Onion Rings from Chicken Annie's Original
Thursday, March 8, 2018
The Donut Dilemma
So donuts, pies, pastries, and ice cream are my nemeses...I can say no to cakes, cookies, brownies, etc., but the aforementioned items are just too stinkin' good! The donut dilemma began way back on Saturday, November 25th. I stopped at a QT out by Salina, Kansas for gas and it was then that I saw the most spectacular display and presentation of pumpkin donuts! Oh. My. Goodness. Anyone that knows me well knows that I can eat, smell, sleep and repeat pumpkin!!
I paid for my gas, a pumpkin-spiced coffee, and one of those yummy looking pumpkin donuts. I headed East past Bel Aire where I took a 3-mile side trip for fun because who wouldn’t want to hunt down the Fresh Prince, right?! Just kidding, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air was from the ritzy part of Los Angeles, California!! This Kansas town called Bel Aire appears to be full of “Fresh Prince” farmers only!! As I drive back to the highway to head towards home, I decided to say "no" to the donut. I kept hearing Kasey's voice (my husband) in my head telling me the ingredients of a donut and all the fat and empty wasted calories and sugars and yeast, etc., etc., and I tried to block it out, but it is embedded in there so I stuck the donut in the console, this way I couldn't see it or smell it on my 4-hour drive back home.
After I got home, I unloaded the car. I didn't forget about the donut, but I purposely left it in the console, hidden away in the plastic sack, deep down towards the bottom as a reminder or a token or trophy that I said "no" to a donut. It was a big deal for me, actually a huge deal!!
I took the donut out of my car on January 6th because my son wanted to borrow my car to take to Texas and I didn't want him getting in my console and throwing out the "special" donut!! I brought the donut in the house and placed it up on top of my refrigerator, still in the plastic sack it came in. It has now been 103 days since I purchased this would-have-been-wonderful-donut-had-I-eaten-it! Here it is, March 8th, and my donut still looks good enough to eat after 103 days!! I took a picture of my donut on January 6th. I took a picture of my donut today...I cannot tell which is which other than the bag is more wrinkled!! How about those preservatives?!! Yum!
The dilemma...how long do I keep this donut on top of my refrigerator?! When should I throw it away? Do I take it back to the QT store and show them how nicely it has held up?! Should I frame this unedible masterpiece? I just don’t even know what to do with this donut...What a Dilemma!
UPDATE: (from 30 seconds ago!!) I have decided to hang on to my donut a little while longer because it’s only been 103 days, which is approximately 3-1/2 months. I also feel as though my donut deserves a name. I’m thinking Mr. Belvedier the Donut is a fine name. What would you name my donut?! I’m also debating on entering Mr. Belevedier in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest-survivng donut!! I am starting to believe I have some real options here. Donut Dilemma Solved! Donuts Up, bring on the holes!
Mr. Belvedier on January 6, 2018
Mr. Belvedier on March 8, 2018
Mr. Belvedier's Refrigerator-Rooftop View from the kitchen
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