Trek to Corpus Christi for Haley's Grad

Well, we have a college grad in the family! We are proud of Haley, with her new degree in Occupational Education and minor in Marketing. Steve and I went down on Thursday, and on Friday, we did something Haley had been wanting to do, which was hike across the Harbor Bridge over Corpus Christi Bay. It was exhilerating, but kind of scary! When we were above the 6 story buildings by quite a bit, I knew we were high! Calvin and Beverly were there with their AirStream, and invited us over to the RV park for a shrimp boil. It was fun to see how the snowbirds live, and how they decorate their little trailers for Christmas. Haley graduated on Saturday, and it was a really nice ceremony. The A&M/Corpus campus is the only university that sits on its' own island, thus, they are the "Islanders", and they wear real flower leis at their graduation. Very pretty! Congrats, Haley!

Our Nativity

Here's a pic of the Nativity set I was lucky enough to get from Mom and Dad. This is the one we kids grew up with, and I still love it, and admire it every year. I still pack the figurines in the same box, with the same cotton that Mom always used, and when I pull it out, a dozen or so Christmas meories from my childhood and my children's childhoods come to mind. Guess it's getting close to being an antique by now, kind of like me. Thought Mom, Mike and Vicki might enjoy seeing it.

Thankgiving 2008

On Thanksgiving, our family celebrated with Doug, Stacey, Stuart and Christi. It was a gorgeous Fall day, and after a traditional feast, we walked out in the pasture. I loved seeing Doug and Stacey's new calves, and was reminded of my blessing of growing up in the country. You might have thought that those two good looking gals at the top were me and Stacey, but it's not - that's Jenny and Jenni, Doug's coyote-stomping donkeys. They are so cute, with their crosses on their backs. We gave them a treat of ground corn, which they were thankful for.

Our "New" Old Bathroom

I don't know if you can tell much from these pics, but our bathroom is now finished. It feels good to have it look all fresh, and I love the clean lines and stark contrasts. Ever since we have lived here, I have hated that yellow tile, and have tried to tone it down. I was going to tear it out, but do you know that back in the 60's they concreted that stuff to chicken wire and it is there to stay unless you hammer it out and pull out the wall. So, I decided to try to make the best of it, and I actually like it now that we've gone in with the black. Check out the giraffes on the back of the toilet that are dressed up like so many psychodelic zebras. If you can calmly do your business with them looking on, then you must be really secure (either that, or really disturbed). Anyway, I like it a lot!

Dear Maxine II

Dear Maxine: Well, the jig is up. The boy (aka "slob") found my post. He chastised me, informing me that I should not have posted that pic of him on the World Wide Web in his pink underwear, because there are sexual predators out there that might find it. Maxine, do you think that's possible? I'm really worried.

Signed,
Scared in Texas

Dear Scared in Texas:

I wouldn't worry about it too much - I don't see much there that anybody would want. What I would be more concerned with is vermin - Maxine (by the way, have you kicked his ass?)

Dear Maxine

Dear Maxine, I'm desperate. My son is a slob. I've tried and tried to get him to keep his room picked up, and he might do well for a few days, but then it's just right back to his old slovenly ways. Maxine, I may not be the neatest person, but I do know what clean is. What can I do?

Signed, Slob's Mom

Dear Slob's Mom,

Kick his ass! It might not change his slobbish ways, but you'll feel better - Maxine

Adventures with Mark and Jen

Guess I'll never forget the summer of 2008, and I have to admit that what happened - well, I didn't see it coming. In late May, I heard through the Norman grapevine (Mom) on about a Thursday that a certain nephew of mine was headed our way on the coming Sunday. As I remember, Mark called on Sunday, as he was headed south out of Norman to make sure we had gotton wind of said rumor. I said, sure, come on, and was pleased that he would be staying with us for a couple of weeks as he started his new job in Dallas, and secured a domicile for his soon-to-be new bride, Jen. The domicile hunt did not go well for Mark, and on the Wednesday before he was to leave on Thursday (for his wedding on Saturday, June 28th), I told him, well, since you didn't secure a domicile, you and Jen are welcome here after the honeymoon. I told my family that I had to have a picture of the groom carrying his bride over MY threshold, so I could hold it over Mark's head for the rest of his life. So Mike, who had talked to them when they got back into Dallas from their honeymoon and were on their way to McKinney, gave me the heads up - thus I was able to get this pic for posterity. As it turned out, the domicile hunt proved difficult for the newlyweds, as well, and I was forced to make a phone call to Oklahoma and advise Mike and Cindy that we had situation developing here in Texas, with which we needed some pretty immediate assistance (I think we were in about week four by this time). Low and behold, the domicile hunt was brought to a conclusion when, after an intensive search of 3 days, Mark and Jen found a home in Plano. Since the closing was five weeks out, we still had (in Mike's words) some more bonding time. I coined a new phrase during this time, "company is kinda like pregnancy - it starts to get old after the first trimester." I'm sure Mark and Jen could probably coin a few phrases of their own, such as "family is like a bowl of trail mix - a blend of fruits and nuts!" We had many adventures during our time as roommates, which I may elaborate on at a later date, but this is already long, so I'll just give it a wrap. All tolled, it was a fun, unique time, and a blessing!

The Dog Gallery

Seems everyone has a dog these days, except Mike and Cindy. Since I don't have any grandkids, I'll feature the family's dogs and my own good boy, Lucky.

Now meet Phyllis and Phoebe, the phabulous and phun part of our phamily! They are quite a pair, as well, and keep all the rest of phamily pretty much in line, people and their dogs included! Phoebe has been a little God-send, first with Dad, who loved her very much, and now she's Mom's walking buddy and phriend, known throughout the River Chase neighborhood by almost everyone!

See Chloe and Lynley? Now there's a pair. Both of them are going to do things just like they like to do them! Fortunately, Lynley doesn't like to grab her bed with her teeth and pull it around the house, but Chloe sure does! Chloe is my original granddog, and has her idiosyncrasies, (probably because she lived in California for 4 years), but we find it quite entertaining. Since they live less than a mile away, Lynley brings Chloe to visit "Mam-maw", so she can lay in the sun in the backyard and do a little "Lucky herding". Chloe has the softest fur, which Lynley likes to wear wherever she goes.

Lucky came to us 7 years ago. We were in the market for a dog, because Landry had begged for a dog for a long time. When our neighbors ended up with a couple of puppies that had been rescued from the dumpster behind Bill Smith's Cafe, it seemed like the right time and the right dog. We named him Lucky because we thought he was pretty lucky to find a home. Turns out we were the lucky ones - Lucky is one awesome dog. He knows lots of tricks and he is my good walking buddy. But he's not perfect - he has a barking habit that is a little disconcerting to whomever walks in the front door. But we love him.

That little white dog is Haley and Wes's Westie named Scout. You see him there on cat patrol. That's his job - to keep all cats off his property there in Portland, Texas. He's a character, and he likes to play soccer. Scout is always up for a little play time. Haley and I took a trip to Stillwater three years ago to pick him up. I've heard rumors that he may be getting a little sister.

11/2/08 Stacey and Skip dropped by after Skip's visit to Petsmart for a bath. He showed up smelling really fine - Pumpkin Spice, compliments of the groomer. Skip is Lucky's country cousin and he doesn't get into town very often. We don't know where he came from - he just showed up one day this past summer at Doug and Stacey's and quickly won them over. He's got them right where he wants them - wrapped around his dew claw!

In the Garden

Sunday morning, a sunny day, an extra hour (thanks to the time change), and 60 degrees - that's what I call a genuine gift from the good Lord! I couldn't resist getting out in the back yard (yes, barefoot and in my jammies) to do a little moseying around. I don't know why garden tools had to be invented, since God put 10 perfect ones hanging off the end of my arms (see picture of hand). Mom always says "Where are your gloves?" when I start digging in the yard. They get in my way. The statue is old St. Fracar, the patron saint of the garden. One of my Catholic friends gave me him, and I like him, I don't care if I AM a Protestant! The coleus and salvia are gorgeous. I had noticed that my kolanches looked like they had a bunch of perfect little buds on them, so I'm trying to start some to winter over and plant next spring. We spend a lot of time in the backyard, especially this year when we decided to have a "stay-cation" instead of a vacation. It's a little mini-vacation every time I step out, and the cares of the world seem to slip away.