Her passing makes the memories of her 83rd birthday all the more precious. I think we devoured a dinner of steak and crab legs last year to celebrate. Had some family over. She relished every minute of her birthday. Said they NEVER served steak and crab legs in the retirement home.
The mood of our chicken coop here On a Chicken Wing and a Prayer has been...well....sad, is what it's been.
But we take solace in sharing our fond and funny memories of Mom....Grandma.... Aunt...Sis.......Joy. She was one-of-a-kind and we will miss her. The hospice nurse told me I would never go anywhere without her and she'd never go anywhere without me. I think that's right.
On a mission to document Spring! Grabbed the camera and tromped around the homestead with my wiener sidekick to take killer, artistic shots of the emerging season. I envisioned tender buds on shrubs, trees preparing to burst forth and shy crocus revealing their purple crowns above the snow. I desired to show you, my fellow chicken-wingers, the gloriousness of the changing seasons.
Sniffing out Spring
What I found: dead (or gravely injured) nandina, boxwoods with brown and frost-damaged leaves, and a couple of brave daffodil bulbs peeking up only to have their green tops brutalized by the recent cold snaps. Who wants to see a photo of such winter's carnage?? Not me.
Spring seems far, far away.
Like a distant galaxy. Like Pluto. It's there, but we can't see it with the naked(I said naked!!) eye.
I'm sure it's charging up the hill, streaking like a meteor.
But I must use the telescope to catch a glimpse. Hey!....did you just see that....that shooting star??
The reminders of Winter are so.....ever-present.
And the promise of Spring is still just that.....a promise.
Winter and grayness are still the focus. Spring may be coming....but it's blurry.
Sunday found me at Mom's nursing home visiting with the residents. My sidekick today was the amazing, famous waving bichonfreee-say Sophie.
Remember her CHRISTMAS ANTICS?
She's the BEST nursing home dog...she'll do anything for a treat. Can we say time to diet?? Wave, speak, play dead, shake, sit up....you name it and Soph will do it. Sometimes she waves out of the kindness of her little white heart, but mostly she waves her paws off for foodical tidbits. The dog loves the nursing home!
enjoying warmer temperatures at the lake last summer
The residents have different reactions to the famous waving bichon. One nice lady (whose head is always perilously close to dropping into her mashed potatoes) manages to lift her heavy head and smile. Sophie waves. Another resident (who is barely verbal) speaks and wants to pet her. Sophie waves. Another resident gives her a very hearty 'HEL-LO'. Sophie waves.
I met a new friend...a resident named 'D'. D spoke slowly and articulately of his two poodles he dearly loved. Sophie waved. Said his children had to do something with them when he went into the hospital last June. He never had the heart to ask what they did with his two beloved pets and his children never volunteered the information. Sophie waved. I told D he looked too young and healthy to be at the nursing home. He proudly related he was 80 and he had had 15 strokes. (15!!) He asked if I would visit room 17 whenever I came around with the dogs.
Of course, I will. You must be a some kinda tough guy, D, to have survived 15 strokes!
No, I'm not a tough guy....I have a big God.
Sophie waved. I waved. If you can't find me in Mom's room, look for me in Room 17.
Never cared much for dolls. I was more of a singin', dancin', makin' up plays sort of drama kid.
To tell you the truth, dolls kinda creep me out. Any of you remember the Twilight Zone episode with Agnes Morehead, where the little alien people landed on her roof? She went nuts and tried to kill the little folks (looked like dolls to me) with a butcher knife?
Pediophobia(fear of dolls) must be universal.
Need any proof other than the ghoulish Chucky movie series?
Chucky in Child's Play #3!
Isn't he getting more and more adorable? So loveable, he took an evil bride.
Who could forget Seed of Chucky...a very bad seed, indeed.
****best Rod Serling voice imitation****
Imagine, if you will, my shock and utter horror when I was confronted with these 2 characters at our office recently.
Over my screaming and the embarassing puddle on the carpet, the middle Sprout struggled to explain.......
What a week! Not one I want to re-live anytime soon.
Like much of the country, West Texas was in Old Man Winter's icy clutch last week. Temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind blew for three days straight 40 to 50 mph. Wind chills registering -30F!!
The Texan and I did battle with no gas (not the stomach kind, the house-heating kind), no water in the house because of frozen pipes, and a big water leakage freeze-a-palooza with our well. The Texan is seeing money signs flying around possible replacement of the well.
Checked out some of our cattle at the grow-yard yesterday. Lots of the young cattle didn't make it through the cold blast. Some of their sad, lifeless bodies were drug to the side of the yard. Other bodies were still littering the pens. The owners and employees of this cattle grow-yard looked drawn and weary. They'd worked their butts off under unbelievably bitter conditions to save cattle. Talk about good people....they are my heroes. Crazy storms.....s**t happens. Let's keep on keepin' on.
But hey, we're still here and we have lots for which to be grateful. Today it is snowing, and it almost seems warm compared to the frigid weather of just a few days ago. We desperately need this moisture.
To kick-off your Super Sunday, I'm sharing this little, short (har-har) video. It gives you a taste of what it's like to live with a highly interactive wiener dog. She's doing what she was born to do. Perhaps it will make you smile??
Now....lean back in your recliner. Light the fire. Gather family/friends and the young'uns around. Grab your favorite adult beverage and scoop that chip deep into your favorite carb-laden dip. Savor this Sunday. Eat a brat for me, will you?
Highly interactive love to all.
I think I've found the origin of my heart problem.
The racing, thumping and quick starting and stopping.
Some doctors say I was probably born with mitral valve prolapse syndrome, but I'm not too sure.
While cleaning out some of my mother's stuff, I ran across THISdamnable photo.
It's enough to scare the bejesus out of ya!
I think it started my heart palpitations.
Not to mention the number it did on my visual acuity.
Don't look if you are prone to seizures.
Or, if you have a sensitive stomach.
Or, if you've ever read ANYTHING by Tim Gunn!
That's right....the Texan!! He's responsible.
His checked (skin-tight...woo-hoo) polyester pants.
I was only 19 and the sight of this must have overwhelmed my sensitive cardiovascular and neurological systems.
It feels so good to place blame where blame is due.
Now, go wash your eyes out with saline. Grab a National Geographic and stare at the pictures (the topless ones are probably the best). Anything to erase this troubling image. Don't want YOU to end up like me.
Received a sweet note from a friend a few days ago. I was struck by the descriptiveness of the note writer's street name....Rippling Creek Drive. Doesn't that conjure up picturesque images?? No way you'll find a street name like that 'round these arid parts of West Texas. Any road name including the terms 'creek', 'stream', 'springs', 'lake' or 'shady' and you know some street namer's lyin'! Got me wee mind a'wonderin'....how would I describe the roads and boulevards I frequent every single day? What would I name......
2. The nursing home road where Mom lives?
Sundown Lane
Goin' West Way
Polident Path
Last Leg Lane
Dulocolax Drive
Ancient Avenue
3. The road to my #3 Sprout's house....where a hot grass fire just missed burning their house down?
Tinderbox Turnpike
Blazing Saddles Boulevard
Great Bonfire Way
Conflagration Course
Still Standin' Street
4. The footpath to Cadillac Ranch? A popular tourist attraction on Interstate 40 just outside the city limits.
Dead Auto Alley
Gas Guzzler Drive
5. The internet route to On a Chicken Wing and a Prayer?
Chicken Coop Terrace
Hen House Highway
Rue la Menopause
Heart Attack Overlook
Cock-a-doodle-do Concourse
Winding Wiener Way
What would you name the byway to your house? C'mon and tell me.
Here's wishing your week includes a trip down Lover's Lane.
