summer of discontent

Don't want to revisit the summer of 2011.....ev-er. Hoping this is a 'once-in-a-lifetime' kind of character building experience.

Tried to obtain hay yesterday for my best-old-lady-horse-in-the-world, Rodney. There's no hay....for cows, horses, or any other ruminants. Oh I exaggerate, but the hay producers don't have much hay to sell. Limited quantities=high prices. Most producers are hoping we'll get some late summer rains to start a fall crop of hay. I dunno if that's gonna happen-the forecasts are not promising.

People are praying for rain. There's many a private prayer being offered and lots of public gatherings beseeching the Creator for more moisture. The governors of Texas and Oklahoma have asked the citizens to pray for rain. The governor of Oklahoma said "We're the Bible belt...praying is what we do". Well put, Governor.

We can't complain even though we (like many others) are selling cow herds. This is especially sad because it takes some time to put a cow herd together with the genetics just how you like them. There's no pasture, no pasture close by to lease and no feed. The economics are not working this year. We'll survive (by the grace of God)....but many will not.

I have an intense admiration and fondness for the salt-of-the-earthers in this area. They set their jaw and they get the job done. They understand hard times....their ancestors endured the dust bowl. Surviving tribulation is in their genes. It's a boot to the gut to witness these long-suffering folk lose their livelihood.

I'm praying for rain too, although I wonder what the larger lesson is we should be learning while living through this historic drought. All I can come up with is we are totally dependant on God...for every breath and for every drop of rain. His presence surrounds us in good times and in bad. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Any other lessons you can think of?

Oh....but there's one thing keeping us enthusiastic. The thing that makes us wanna get up and greet each new day with a grin and a shout. It's this bulging belly full of promise!


doesn't he look like he's going to have red hair??

 The Sprout was kind enough to let me take this photo. She generally shuns the limelight, unlike her overbearing mother. I think she's beautiful.

The bump helps me keep enthusiasm for the future. Makes me do silly things like pony-shop and write songs. In the midst of this summer of discontent, I am most profoundly grateful.

Cool misty love to all.

living, per se

I find per se to be the most liberating phrase in the English language. O.K., I know it's Latin, my fellow chicken-wingers. To be absolutely certain of the meaning, I looked it up. If I'm gonna be living my life per se, then I better know what it means....in and of itself, intrinsically.

You're saying per se doesn't do it for you? Allow me to explain.

Some of you remember the blog post about the adventure I had while being diagnosed with a heart ailment.
You can refresh your memory HERE.


not my actual chest



The Cliff Notes version:
Last Christmas my heart morphed into an uncontainable herd of sweaty, wild-eyed mustangs.

When the mustangs weren't kicking up their heels, my chest cavity became a holding pen for an anvil. I had a breathless episode one day-next thing I know I'm attached to a finicky Holter Monitor. Blah, blah, blah, blahty-blah-blah. The cardiologist prescribed a beta blocker. Said 'Take it the rest of your life' and 'see you in 3 years'.

I took the meds...I was a good patient. The meds relieved most of my symptoms...I think. Can't really remember too much because I slept through most of it. A mild-mannered pony replaced the remuda of mustangs, but now my legs became two heavy boat anchors and every movement was a chore.

In the midst of this drama, the Texan and I were taking care of our sweet moms in hospice (they were next door neighbors) and they subsequently died within about 3 weeks of each another. One day while cleaning out some of Mom's things from the nursing home, I ran across her blood pressure monitor. One of those nifty cuff things to help you monitor your blood pressure at home. I slapped it on my wrist and discovered I wasn't alive. Really. Put it on the Texan....alive. Put it on me....ready for a body bag.

This set me to pondering, Is something else wrong? Did I need a second opinion? I mustered all of my energy, made a phone call to the Cooper Clinic and folded my boat anchor legs into an airplane seat and got myself to Dallas, Texas.

If you don't know about the COOPER CLINIC, you should. You can read about it, but suffice it to say it is the leading preventative medicine clinic in the country. Dr. Kenneth Cooper founded it....he coined the term 'aerobic' exercise. Went there a couple of years back and passed with flying colors. Perhaps their internists and cardiologists could enlighten me?

Anyhoo (this is all getting really long), after going through their battery of tests, including their infamous 'stress test' (where they put you on a treadmill and try to make you literally DIE while monitoring all essential bodily functions) I had some answers.

My internist consulted with the cardiologist and here's the MONEY quote: I have reviewed the echocardiogram which has essentially normal readings with only what appears to be fairly trivial and common regurgitation of both mitral and tricuspid valves. This is a common finding and does not necessarily represent pathology per se.

The doc explained many...ahem...older folks have some amount of trivial leakage around the heart valves and it is not a pathology, per se. Why were there wild mustangs making a home pasture in my chest occasionally? He wasn't sure, but he was sure the arrythmia was not life-threatening or heart attack-inducing. Could it be...could it be...stress, perhaps?? Oh and by the by, quit taking the beta-blocker. It's making your blood pressure too low.

Hells Bells!! Per se is now my favorite word. Per se, per se, per se-hey-hey! Had a burial at sea for my two boat anchors. I'm squeezing all the joy and life out of every per se day. Getting ready for my per se grandson! Playing more ball with my per se wiener dog!

I'm exercising and enjoying myself every damned per se day. No mustangs in this chest...only a faithful Quarter Horse by my side. Haven't even experienced as much as a chest pony-kick since my second opinion. Hal-le-freakin'-lu-YAH!!

Does this mean I'm a fat worry-wart hypochondriac? Uh....yeah, probably. But, I think it mainly means I'm human and I can live with that.

Hoping you find the per se in YOUR day!
Exuberant love to all.

birds and ashes

The mountain vacation was a Colo-palooza! Nine breathless days in the gloriously glittery high country air.
It was a fun time to enjoy friends and family. There was a theme to our trip this year. A couple of things I hadn't experienced before.

The trip was NOT mainly about canoe races.

Nor was it about the courageous souls who braved the zip line.

Uh...didya think to bring some dry clothes?

It wasn't about winning at mountain golf or lining up the perfect putt.

Yes, smarty. I missed the putt.

It wasn't mainly about fishing, even though we fished and caught a respectable amount.

Walter is still out there....FYI.

And it wasn't about going on long death marches with uber-fit mountain bichons.


Helluva mountain dog if ever there was one!

Nor was it about the ginormous amounts of food consumed at our humble dining room table.

Miles from a fast-food restaurant!

The theme of this trip was the robin's nest in the window!


Can you see the debris hanging down from the corner of  the second window? That's our bird's nest.



Each day dawned a new chapter in the life of our robin family. We even stayed out of the sunroom so as not to disturb our growing young family.


The mother AND father were industrious and faithful in taking turns feeding the babies. The dad-bird would squawk and cause a commotion if you got too close to the nest.

The father bird with a meal for the young 'uns.

It was something extraordinary to see the workings of this family...even though robins are considered a rather ordinary bird.

Watching the bird's pin feathers pop out day-by-day...we were astounded at the rapid changes in the babies.

This mother was faithful and protective. She sat on the nest at night and during some noisy rain/hail storms.

The second theme to our trip was ashes. Mom's ashes. Since her death in February, I've been mulling exactly what to do with her ashes...she couldn't spend eternity on our bookshelf at home! The decision was made early on to take her to the mountains. I just couldn't come up with exactly where to lay her earthly remains...in the water...on the hills...under a tree...scattered to the four winds-what?


The black plastic box containing her remains sat on the fireplace mantle and waited. I admit it...I was having some trouble. Maybe I wanted it to be too perfect. My children and family gathered around and reciting the ashes to ashes Bible verse. Sorry Mom, I couldn't make it work out like that.


One afternoon (towards the end of the trip...I was feeling pressure) I bounced up from a little nap and told the Texan.
'Now....we're taking Mom up the hill and spreading her ashes near the guest house where she spent so many summers with us.'
The Texan found just the right spot in the center of a circle of small pine trees overlooking the lake and just up from the guest house.
 
I gingerly poured her out of her plastic bag and surveyed her view. I kissed the Texan and we walked down the hill and back to the house. Unceremonious, perhaps...but I think she would approve.
 
She would've adored the summer of the robins.
 
Safe, nesty love to all
 
 

Freedoms

Been nursing a sick doxy this week. She got into something....ate crap she shouldn't have. Not sure of too many details, but I am sure of one thing. The freedom-loving wiener ate a whole clove of garlic (don't ask how I know...too graphic for this idyllic blog). Garlic?! Did you know garlic and onions can be quite toxic to dogs? After two vet visits in four days...I get it. Dogs shouldn't have the freedom to eat garlic. The doxy is recovering...thank God

Pondering the meaning of the upcoming holiday weekend..... .I'm grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in the USA. Hope I live up to the blessings and responsibilities of citizenship in this great land. I don't want to take one minute for granted.
A familiar poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. It inspires me every time I read it. Many thanks to Emma Lazarus:

The New Colossus



Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,


With conquering limbs astride from land to land;


Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand


A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame


Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name


Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand


Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command


The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.


"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she


With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,


Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,


The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.


Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,


I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Liberating love to all this weekend!

Stay away from the garlic.



meet me at the ballpark

Our local baseball team unveiled a new mascot at the ball park last night. Didn't have the privilege of being there, but OH....HOW I WISH I HAD BEEN THERE!

Seems the team owner/manager ordered the costume (we are the Sox!) but didn't have time to check it out before the mascot started pressing the flesh. Read all the sordid details HERE.

Voila-instant classic mascot and how to trend on Twitter!! I'd like to shake his hand....or whatever. Wouldn't you love to have your photo made with the new, energetic and virile Amarillo Sox mascot?

Looks like a sock to me!

Are you feelin' the Sox love?! You've gotta understand....it's kinda hard living in Amarillo right now. We broke the temperature record yesterday....the thermometer registered 113 degrees at my house. We've got at least another week of extreme heat ahead of us. We are in the midst of the worst drought ever recorded. We are crackly dry and most every day a fire flares up somewhere. It's damn depressing here right now. Never seen anything like this.

Maybe this mascot is just the ticket to lift us back to life!

Take me out to the ball game!

See ya at the ballpark!

3 strikes and yer out love to all.

new baby technology

Have you gone to an upscale baby store lately? Wowza! Visited Baby Bliss in Dallas recently because the pregnant sprout told me I should take a look-see. Baby paraphernalia sure has changed....I literally had NO IDEA of the purpose of  half  the items in the store. The baby design market has been claimed by the Europeans.....think IKEA...only for baby. Ergonomic bottle shapes, video monitors, pads with sensors, and swaddling blankets complete with womb noises to soothe the fussy newborn are de rigueur.

Aye, the strollers! Have you seen the new strollers?! Oh, excuse me....they are no longer referred to as strollers, rather infant transportation systems....ahem. Technological marvels and they are a bargain at the price of a little less than a Prius.

I tried to find an internet photo of the type of umbrella stroller in which I schlepped my infants. Couldn't find a photo that was realistically ugly enough. Picture folding, rickety bright yellow vinyl attached to four headstrong wheels each wanting to turn his own direction. Included was a plastic strap that had to be threaded through a metal loop around baby's waist while baby was impatiently screaming and flailing. The strap coming up between baby's leg to keep him from falling out was broken. Sunshade? Don't picture one, cuz I didn't have one. We didn't know sun was bad for babies back then. The noisy contraption was heavy, but it did fold in half and would kinda fit in the back of a Suburban.

From that....to my future grandson's infant transportation system!!

Ta...dah!!!

Read how the company describes the modern marvel:

Bugaboo - Cameleon Stroller - Red Base
The Mercedes of stroller...what can't this stoller do? The Bugaboo Cameleon is a celebration of individualism and transformation. It adapts to the needs of you and your child from 0 to 4 years in almost any environment and climate. It features adjustable suspension, an adjustable handlebar, and an easy-to-compact aluminum frame. Equally unique, it also offers a wide range of tailored fabrics, colors, and thoughtful accessories which allows you to customize the Cameleon and transform it into an expression of your own taste, mood, and style.


Features Include:


- Undercarriage with wheels


- Seat/Carrycot frame


- Carrycot fabric


- Seat fabric


- Sun canopy


- Under seat storage basket


- Mosquito net


- Rain cover


- Carry handle


- Maintenance kit


- Customizable tailored fabrics (one fabric color included)


- Reversible seat


- Reversible handlebar


- 2-Wheel position for sand and snow


- 3-Position tilting seat


- Folds compactly


- Wheel suspension


- Easy maneuverability


- Aerosleep mattress


- Adaptable to various car seats


- Carrycot can be used separately


- Weight - 19.8 lbs.

The pregnant Sprout proudly demonstrated all the features of this incredible stroller....forward, backwards, in, out, up, down, gadgets that attach and unattach with the press of a button.
It even comes with an optional port for your ipad2 and an electrical outlet for blending margaritas on the fly. Honest.

I confess...it's an engineering marvel. Amazing. But.....will this techie challenged, arthritic-handed granny be able to use it? Uh....we'll see. Maybe if it was equipped with an Icy-Hot dispenser. I'll write the company.

While in Dallas, I purchased a practical gift for the grandson.

One never knows when the grandson will need to trim the sails with his granny, Ms. Lustywhip. Best to be prepared.

 Top-sider love to all.

stripper or granny?

I'm admitting it. My thinking is just wrong on so many levels....but, I can't help myself.

The dilemma:  the middle sprout is having a BABY!!! One of the male variety!! Isn't that just the most outstandingly happy, super-duper wildly wonderful-est news ever? Why.....yes it is!

Among the impending details....the Texan and I must think of our 'grandparent names'. Are we simply gonna be granny and grampa or grandma and gramps or what?

The trend among my savvy-grandma friends is to christen themselves with a cute and memorable grandma moniker. This is an outstanding idea.....BUT....I know I'm the WORST....they all sound like stripper names to me. When they read this, I will now have no more grandma friends.

Maybe I'm the sicko....but YOU be the judge. Here are some actual 'granny' names. I've taken the liberty of adding the flavorful and zesty last names.

Bubbles Glitzhaven
Mimi LaFeet
Sugar Mittens
Birdie Paradisio
GayGay NoSay

See what I mean? Stripper, stripper....stripper! I'm so wildly desperate, I visited the stripper name generator (don't even PRETEND like you haven't seen these links on Facebook. I'm not buyin' it!) to uncover my colorful, exciting granny name. My results:

Raquelle Lustywhip

What do you think? Appropriate? I kinda like it.

Anyhoo, I'm still mulling. May take the simple way out and just go by my first name......Kate, or Kathy. What do you think? The beloved, now-deceased mother-in-law was simply 'Trish' to my kids. It seemed to work really well all these years. As always, Trish set a fine example.

I value your opinion. Don't be afraid to speak up.
I'm also in the market for a good pony. You'll contact me if you know of one....yes?
What about Lexxxie?....oh....pity the poor grandson!
Raquelle-amour to all this week.