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Back to reality

Our time is up in our luxurious resort which I have never yet gotten to see in the daylight. Red Cross informed us tonight is our last night here. Don't know where they are moving us yet so don't know if we will have internet or not. We are working long days but we have a great team and love our work. It is still crazy and ever changing and some people have been sent home already so don't know from one day to next what will happen. They opened another kitchen yesterday in the Ramona area north of us. We get up at 5, go to work and load and unload trucks all day long then get home about 9, shower, and collapse into bed and do it all again the next day. But we have had more laughs and fun on this operation and enjoyed our fellow workers more than any operation this year. We work hard but we have a blast doing it. We call our work area "Happyville"--which irritates all the folks who are disgruntled about not getting to do the job they wanted to do. Anyway, I will blog more later--I started one and will add to it. Later.

It's Marme's Fault

OK--here I am loading and unloading trucks all day long and walking all over a huge parking lot so I am getting all this great exercise and should be working off some weight. Then I read Marme's wonderful list of fall favorites and she has to mention Starbuck's Pumpkin Cream cheese muffins! I had never had one before (seldom get to a Starbucks) so thought in her honor and to savor the full fall experience I should try one. I am totally hooked. They are wonderful. I eat one every morning and can't wait until the next morning for another. I do not even want to know their calorie count. We get so little sleep and have to head out at 6am for the 40 mile commute in traffic so we always stop at Starbucks first thing. So if I come home 10 pounds heavier it is all Marme's fault. (But I still thank you, Marme).

News from the Red Cross front

It was so good to read everyones blogs again. Still have not seen our fancy resort in daylight but by night it is beautiful with all the lights, fountains, and beautiful flowers. We have quite a walk each morning at 6 (the self-parking area is not near our room--they want you to use their valet service but we don't--you have to pay $10 a day just to park your car here overnight) but the walk is nice in that the air is cool and refreshing and helps you wake up. We have three others that ride with us--they are a fun bunch that we work with. Leslie is from Seattle area--she is the one we worked with during Katrina. Ray is from Michigan and Twyla is from Rome, Georgia. We have lots of laughs and fun times while working and driving.

Today at work we were applauded by everyone for being the most efficient, hard-working team that has ever loaded ERVs. We were very pleased with that. We try hard to have a good time and do a good job and make everyone smile. We call our loading area the "Happy Zone" and won't let the drivers leave until they smile. We have pallets of water, sweet snacks, salty snacks, clamshells and cutlery, and other stuff the ERVs need. They drive up and tell us how many hundred meals they are serving and we load their supplies for them. We made a sign for our area that says "Snacks R Us".

Today the sun was so strong--we had a nice breeze but the sun was brutal. My face is so very sunburned as I am just out in it all day. Then I was suddenly given the additional job as security supervisor and traffic control on the lot. For the past week we have had a security service that mans the entrances to the parking lot and keeps control of who comes and goes. But today they are gone (I am praying it is just because it is Sunday) and we only have 4 National guardsmen who help keep the street people off the lot. So I have to get two people to sit in the hot sun for an hour at the entrances. I HATE asking people to do this. We have lots of extra people but they just look at me with blank eyes when I ask for volunteers to do this. It really makes me mad--it is like some people come with the idea they are here to work and they will eagerly take on any task and others come with preplanned notions of what they expect and want to do and refuse to do anything else. I was fortunate in finding enough people to do it today and just pray that tomorrow the security service will reappear.

It is now late Tuesday and the security service did not reappear but the job was taken off my shoulders and placed on the national guard guys. They don't do a very good job though....
Work has really picked up and we are working all day long loading ERVs and unloading the big trucks bringing in supplies. Don is in heaven getting to drive the forklift and work around the big rigs. He NEVER sits down all day and works so hard. The sun is so brutal--weather is not hot but sun on your face sure is. My whole face and lips are just so sore. Thus the wacky hat I wear in the pictures.

Just as I am typing I am hearing the news that an earthquake has hit northern California. I did not feel it and I am sure glad. I am not all that impressed with California. People are rude on the freeways and the land is just not that pretty. San Diego is a nice pretty city, I guess, but too many people too close together. I like Texas.

Someone made a big boo boo and ordered WAY too many clamshells(what we serve the hot meals in)--like a million--and I mean literally a million. Last night we had to stay til after 8 unloading big rigs full of boxes of clamshells--they just kept on coming--it was so ridiculous it was funny. We just could not believe it. I think there was definitely some miscommunication somewhere up the line. I thought we should change our sign to "Clamshells R Us" and adopt a "no return" policy to get rid of them. The lot is full of them.

Today a Red Crosser got stung by a bee and stopped breathing and had to be taken to hospital. This is the fourth time EMS has been called to our lot. I am suprised OSHA does not investigate us.....

I must say this is the most fun we have had on a DR in a long time. We prayed for God to put us where he wanted us and tried so hard to take our hands off of it. The people on our team are all such hard, eager workers with great attitudes and senses of humor. We just make our work fun and try hard to cheer up the many disgruntled people who pass our way.

Unfortunately, it seems though that when extra work needs to be done in "dismal land"--the area across the lot where the unassigned people are(who sit in chairs grumbling all day)--they come to us and ask us to go do it since they see that we work. Last night, after an exceptionally hard day of more than normal trucks coming in, and after all the others had left for the day but we were still waiting for additional trucks coming in, they had the audacity to come ask us to go wash 40 cambros. Cambros are the ice-chest size containers that hold the hot food that is served on the ERVs. They are not fun to wash. We asked them why they would ask us, who worked hard all day and still had more work ahead to do that job???? Why did they let the slackers go home? We just flat out refused--not because we would have minded doing it but on principle. It was just wrong of them to ask us. They are always coming to us to do the extra jobs and just letting others do nothing. That kind of stuff just does not fly with me.
OK--that is all the news from the Red Cross front. I gotta get packed up for our move tomorrow.

From Rags to Riches

Boy, have we moved up in the world. Remember how we were living in a highschool gym with 500 other people--well, they were closing the staff shelter and moving us all to hotels. I went to HQ to get our hotel assignment, begging them to put us near our jobsite in downtown San Diego. They said they only had one hotel to choose from and it was 45 miles from San Diego in Carlsbad. I was really bummed about that thinking of how early we would have to get up in order to be at work by 8. We were very happy at the shelter--but school was reopening on Monday.
THEN, we arrived at our hotel--or should I say resort and spa--La Costa Resort and Spa--a five star famous resort where PGA golf tournaments are played. This place is fancy--way out of our league. I feel like a real fish out of water here. Marble everywhere---huge bathroom, gardens, pools--it is beautiful---though I must confess we have yet to see it in the daylight. We leave at 6am and get home after dark. I hope I get to see it in the daytime sometime before we leave. I don't know what on earth happened that Red Cross personnel are housed here--we are used to Days Inn and Red Roof Inns...not anything like this (well, since 9/11 when we stayed in Le Parker Meridian in New York). And wouldn't you know it--I ALWAYS carry my swim suit on Red Cross jobs--just in case--but this time to conserve space I took it out!!! How I would love to soak in the hot tub after a long day of loading trucks.

The bottle of Evian water in our hotel room costs $6.75! On the back of the door it says the rooms go for $475. I was scared to even use the shampoo for fear it would cost me....It is such a shame to have all these amenities and not ever be here to use them. I think we might be near the beach but have not had time to look yet. So frustrating. But luxury is nice--for a bit--but this is just way over the top for me--just too much. I will enjoy it but this kind of lifestyle is just not my cup of tea. The grounds are beautiful with Bird of Paradise flowers everywhere--reminds me of Kauai. If I ever get to be here in daylight I will post pictures but you can google it at La Costa Spa and Resort and take a picture tour.
I think they might have had to close a bit because of the fires and lost business so gave their rooms to Red Cross. How nice for us!

Sad News

I am very sad to report that Birdie died. I talked to Alisa a few days ago and she had found him dead in his cage. I knew he was not feeling well when we left and was really worried for him. I am just so sad and will miss him so much. He just brought so much joy to me--I loved to hear him sing and chatter--and he was so cute when he would ride in the car with me and look out the window. I really enjoyed him so much. It just won't be the same. I had him for five years and loved him dearly. I miss him.

This has been a sad year for me losing animals I love--Crackers, then Sadie, and now Birdie. It is hard to love and then lose--but I am so thankful for all the years of love and laughter all these special pets brought to me.

San Diego

Photo of our new home away from home...


(this was written days ago but I was not able to post it until now, 3 days later)

How quickly our life can change. One minute Don is building fence and I am making a grocery list fixin’ to go shopping when the phone rings and we are requested to go to California for the wildfires there. Yesterday, Red Cross had called us and asked us to drive the ERV there but they needed a three week commitment from us which we could not do as we need to be in New York on the 10th for big family shindig. So…..we thought we were off the hook---though we must admit that each time we watched the news about the fire we were so drawn to be there. So when the call came asking us to go as feeding supervisors and that a two week commitment was ok,, we said yes.



Then life got crazy. I had to call the Red Cross travel agency to schedule our flight--I was on hold for 1 hour 45 minutes--thousands of Red Cross volunteers have been called out on this job so they are swamped. I put it on speaker phone and did other tasks to get ready but it drove me nuts not to be able to make other necessary calls or get online. Don rushed around putting up tools and getting the animals taken care of while I packed up and loaded the car. Then finally my call was answered and we were given a flight that left Austin at 7:20 pm. Yikes! It was noon by now and we still had to gather up our three dogs, two cats, and bird and get to Marble Falls and pack for not only a two week stay in California but a 10 day stay in New York after that. It was crazy.



Lucy, our arrogant cat, sensed our tension and emotions and hid under the bed so it took both of us a half hour to capture her and get her in her hated crate. Don got away with only taking one dog and one cat--while I had a cat who pooped in her crate before we were off the ranch road (such a delightful aroma for a two hour drive), our lab, Hudson, who drooled all down my back, Alice, who whined, and Birdie who is acting real sick and has me really worried. Needless to say, it was a very stressful drive back home. And then a frantic packing party. Poor Alisa, once again we left the house looking like it was ransacked by burglars. We had to get to the chapter in Austin by 5 to get our staff cards and paperwork and then head to the airport. I had not eaten anything but a protein drink all day and was famished. We treated ourselves to an All-star special at Waffle House by the airport and then we were off.



Plane trip was great--no problems at all. Southwest was great--friendly, jovial flight crews and good flights. We got to Las Vegas twenty minutes earlier that scheduled so were able to catch an earlier flight out of there and avoid a layover. (I don’t like Las Vegas). So then we had to wait an extra hour in San Diego for our luggage to get there but that was ok and it all arrived just fine. We grabbed our rental car and picked up another Red Crosser from Massachusetts to ride with us and headed for the staff shelter which was at a local high school gym. It was after midnight when we arrived and we had to blow up our air mattresses and get settled in in the dark. Gym was filled with hundreds of Red Crossers already. (We were nice and blew up our air beds outside) So sure didn’t get much sleep as it was 3:15 our time (1:15 here) when we finally laid down. Boy were we so tired. And lots of people kept arriving all night long so it was not too quiet a place to sleep.



The gym lights come on at 6am. A three hour sleep after our day yesterday made for a rough day today. But the first day on an assignment is always a “hurry up and wait day”. It takes a day or two to get it all organized and running smoothly which is so frustrating as I would rather be working. But when you consider the monumental task of organizing thousands of volunteers from all parts of the country to do a bizillion different tasks on an operation that we are all just walking in on, it is pretty amazing that anything at all gets done.



We were assigned to the mobile kitchen run by Bakersfield Baptist Disaster Relief which was set up in the parking lot of Petco Park--not the animal store, but the stadium where the Padres play. It is a huge set-up with big 18-wheelers pulling in all day long with supplies and all of our ERVs pulling in from across the country. Remember, the ERV is the Emergency Response Vehicle which serves hot meals. This kitchen provides around 20,000 meals daily to 12-15 different shelters up and down the coast near San Diego. Don was given the job of yard supervisor--supervising the unloading and loading of all the trucks and getting the products to where they need to be. I supervise a great team of people in charge of loading the ERV’s with all the stuff they need to take out on their feeding routes It has been so fun to run into lots of folks we worked in Katrina with and have not seen since then. Our work crew all have great attitudes and make the work fun. Don and I are both enjoying this assignment.



The weather has been great but there is smoke and ash in the air so we do worry about what we might be breathing. We were given masks to wear but they are so hot and sweaty and uncomfortable that no one wears them. Each day the air does seem to get better.
It is a very different kind of disaster to work as it is ongoing. Some fires are contained and evacuees can return home so shelters close but new fires pop up or the fire moves on and new shelters are opened up. Makes it so hard for planning meals and organizing things. We don’t get to see much TV so know little of the big picture.



Life in the staff shelter is really fun--we like it here. Lots of people in one big gym but amazingly it is not bad and we sleep well. Our air mattresses are the saving grace--cots are not too comfy. But I am weary so will stop for now and hope I find a place with wireless so I can post it. I sure miss my blogging family and can’t wait to catch up.

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Tag Game

Here is how it works. Tell in your blog seven things we never knew about you and now wish we didn't. In other words...Seven strange/weird/crazy things about me. Then tag someone else-(at bottom of your blog say--I tag_____. And post the blog.

I will be brave and get this over with first.

1. I tend to read magazines from the back to the front.

2. I love Christmas music and listen to it all year long.

3. I love school and office supplies and enjoy spending time just looking at them in stores. Maybe there is that inner urge in me to get organized......I love hardwares stores, too.

4. I get attached to inanimate objects: cups, stuffed animals, kitchen towels, pens, rocks, pillows....

5. I panic if I don't have my chapstick in my pocket.

6. I talk A LOT in my sleep.

7. I have a mole on my left wrist that (as a child) I thought meant that I was adopted. (I really am adopted).
OK--I tag Jenny.

Goin' Through Wilde boys withdrawal......

My boys left the ranch a few minutes ago and my heart hurts. I miss them so already. We had such a wonderful visit--everything a Gema could hope for. Mason and I caught frogs in the creek and found sparkly rocks and collected acorns and looked for different animal tracks in the creek mud and played Hi Ho! Cherry-O and watched the goats. He also was a big help to Pop-pop by helping pour concrete in the post holes. It just did my heart good to see Mason enjoying playing in the creek for hours and getting excited about all the treasure he would find in the nature of the ranch. The weather was gorgeous and perfect.

And Grant-- I can never get enough of holding him and snuggling him and watching his cute faces and listening to his sweet sounds. And I think he grew an inch and put on a pound while he was here. That boy is a meal hound. I just love his sweet little rolls and double chin. What a joy he is. He did great on his travels, too. Slept good and was just a fun, sweet, precious baby boy.

Jenny and I managed to get in a good visit, too, in between frog catchin’ and game playin’. She lucked out and caught me in a cookin’ mood so we had lots of good food along with the fellowship. One night we made caramel apples (Jenny had brought the makins’) and man, were they scrumptious--what a super fall treat!

It was just a wonderful, fun, relaxing long weekend and I am so glad they came. It was hard to let them all go back home but I know Troy must have missed them somethin’ awful so for his sake it made it easier to let them go. I can’t imagine how hard it is going to be on me to part from them after taking care of them for over three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas--but I can’t wait for that time to come! How blessed I am! And thank you, God, for getting them all safely back home to Troy.

Warning!

Long tedious blog to follow. Read at your own risk of boredom. I just needed to work through some crazy feelings and thoughts that were troubling my mind. It helped me to blog it. All is better now.

Home

Yesterday, Jenny and I went to Marble Falls to a baby shower . Amber kept Mason at our house and then Christy drove in from Austin where she was visiting to see us. How great to get to see two of my daughters in one weekend! It was so fun to spend time with Christy. I took Mason outside so he could jump on the trampoline and discovered lots of pecans on the ground. So we went in the barn to get some buckets and then spent time collecting pecans.

That is when I just felt overcome with emotion--a sadness mixed with thankfulness, treasured memories, yearnings, confusion, homesickness, undone tasks, loneliness for our friends and community--I just felt all mixed up.

It just felt so weird to be home. Just this wave of nostalgia swept over me. We have been on the road so much this year with Red Cross or to visit Don’s family or we have been at the ranch. We have hardly been home over two weeks together at one stretch. It has just been weird. When we were out in the yard gathering those pecans it just felt like we were at an abandoned farm or something. I just felt sad. I felt homesick. I yearned for the days of the barnyard full of chickens and milk goats and a big vegetable garden beside it. It just brought be back to the past. I just can’t put into words how I felt. I guess there is still so much of that homestead kind of life in me--buried, but not dead--hoping to be revived someday. I love our home in Marble Falls--I love the land, the barn, the playground, the decrepit orchard, the big pecan trees that we planted long ago, the huge fig tree, the vine covered fences and arbor. So many wonderful memories there. How extremely blessed I am to have raised my kids in that one house. Brian, the oldest ,was 10, Micah,7, Christy,6, Josh,1, when we moved there in 1980. Jenny Rose was born there--at home--in that very house. God brought Beki and Gina to us at that home. And Tammie, Adam, and Amber lived with us there for seven years. I home schooled for 13 years in that upstairs schoolroom in that home. Umpteen beloved pets are buried on that land.

I think this time of year makes me especially nostalgic. I loved the beginning of the home school year. Playing games with the kids at recess out in the playground. Just the special feel of fall-- The way the north wind would whistle against the windows of the school room when a norther blew in; the leaves swirling around outside begging for kids to jump in them; the smell of that first fire of the season in our woodstove. I just love fall and I love home.

I guess I started rambling. My thoughts and feelings are all over the place and I need to write them. I think part of me yearns to just stay home, stay put, be stable and predictable, be there to plant and harvest a garden, to gather those eggs each day, to bring the house and barn back to life. It is vacant now. I feel it is lonely. I feel like it misses its family. Having the big dogs gone--(they are at the ranch with us)--that hit me hard yesterday, too. There is not much life left there. But the ducks, guineas, and barn cats are still there. And my wild birds. And my pot plants. Thank God for Alisa who diligently comes daily to care for them although they are all rather independent creatures. But I am glad there is still some life at home. Life will go on there and we will be back.

I just feel we are in a different season now. We have the time and freedom to do the disaster relief work we love to do. And to travel. And Don’s folks won’t be here forever--we need to spend time with them NOW. I just feel God has given us the means and freedom for such a time as this. I know He will let us know when it is time to become rooted at home once again. But for now, I am thankful for what we have. I love to travel. I love to work hard when we are on Red Cross jobs and to help others. I’m so thankful to be able to be there for family when they need us to come and help out. I love going to Haiti and helping to give fresh drinking water to people who had none before we repaired their wells. I love being in New York, Florida, and Arizona with Don’s family. And I absolutely love the ranch and being here.

The ranch. I feel the same about the ranch as home. I am sad when we leave here. There are sheep and goats and cows here that we have to leave to fend for themselves--(which they are very good at doing). But my heart aches when we leave here and it yearns to return here. There are projects and repairs to be done here as there are at home. It is such an incredible blessing to have two homes that you love so very much. BUT it is also incredibly difficult to do a good job of maintaining and caring for two homes, also. So the best thing we can do is to do the best we can. To prioritize needs and projects and spend chunks of time at each place taking care of those needs. Thank goodness it is only an hour and 15 minute drive from the ranch gate to the home driveway. I am not at all complaining. Just sorting it all out in my mind. Sometimes I worry we are not being good stewards of all this God has blessed us with. We try and we work hard, but sometimes the work is more than us.

I guess it would just be easier if I was a woman with few interests and desires. But I love life. I love being outdoors, observing nature, learning about all I can, being around animals, reading--all kinds of books about all kinds of things. I want to grow more, learn more, be more. I love learning. Everything interests me. I love meeting new people and making new friends and traveling to different places. I love seeing how others live in other parts of our nation or our world. I love adventure and travel. BUT.......... I also relish a consistent early morning quiet time with God; being at home and cooking and homemaking and gardening and weekly Bible studies and regular date nights with my husband and going to church each Sunday and being part of a home group and having girl’s movie nights and being part of a book club and just plain having a stable, comfortable routine.

Maybe that is it. Routine. I need a sense of routine and this year there has been very little routine in my life. Each day is different. While that can be enchanting and exciting--it can be unsettling, too. Ok--I am beginning to feel better. Maybe I just need to work harder to establish some basic routine in my life that can work wherever I am. That might help. I am going to try it. I think that part of my uneasiness is just not knowing what is coming next. I need something to be predictable. Some structure in my life. A plan. A direction. Certain goals to accomplish in a certain time. Not a legalistic dogma but firm ideas of what needs to be done daily-and in the immediate future to make me feel together.

Enough. I feel better. Thank you for wading through these crazy feelings and garbled thoughts.

I Can't Wait!!

Yea! Those Wilde boys are comin’ to the ranch tomorrow to see their Gema. I am so excited. I can’t wait to go frog huntin’ and exploring along the creek with Mason. And, oh, to hold my sweet little Grant in my arms again. I know he has grown so in the three weeks since I saw him last. And, of course, I look forward to time with Jenny. It will just be so good to have them all here.

Saturday should be a fun day for us, too, as we are going to a baby shower in Marble Falls and will get to see lots of old friends. And I just love these gorgeous October days--a wonderful time to be on the ranch.

What happened to all of you?

Ok--I have eagerly awaited today to see what everyone would write in their poetry assignment and no one but Jenny and I did it. Where is your courage, your sense of adventure and stepping out of your comfort zone.

On the other hand, Jenny's friends wrote some beautiful poems which I very much enjoyed and I thank them very much.

As for me, Jenny, I would love to try some more of your creative ideas. Thank you.

My 6th Grade Poem assignment

I did my poem but you will have to scroll down. Evidently, when you save in draft it posts it in the order of when you wrote it, not published it. I did my homework!!!

I'm Excited!

OK, everyone--I hope you all will take Jenny's challenge and do her 6th grade writing assignment. I am very excited to see what everyone will say. I have mine all ready to post on Saturday. It was lots of fun to do and very insightful. Made me really think. For me, I found it easiest to just go with the first thing that came to my mind when I began to ponder the question. Isn't there something that says your first thoughts or answers are usually the most truthful, or something like that. But I must say that a poem like that will also depend on the mood you are in when you are writing it. Anyway, I just wanted to encourage all of you to take the challenge and DO IT! I would love to do something like this again, too. Maybe you could just practice ideas on us, Jenny????

Fences

Don is tackling a huge task all on his own. Our ranch is cross fenced but the front part of one section is just along the road with only cattle guards to contain animals. Goats and sheep think nothing of leaping over cattle guards so to be able to use this 50 acres or so we need to fence it. That is about 1500 feet of fencing needed--and the biggest problem is rocks--large, underground huge slabs of rock--some of them flint. Right now, Don is trying to dig the post holes with his bobcat and a huge drill that is supposed to go through rock. But it does not like flint. He has another drill that is smaller and breaks up the rock so then he can use the bigger drill. It is a long, tedious job--he gets maybe 1-2 holes dug a day. Yesterday, he gave up on the machinery and used hand tools to finish digging it out. Don is the hardest working man I have ever seen. He has the tenacity of a bull dog. He just keeps at something until he gets it done. Long ago, I would have scrapped it all and grabbed the phone book and hired a fencing crew. But Don loves big projects and is in his element. Last night he came in so dog tired I didn't think he would be outa bed for two days. But before daylight this morning he was up and ready to tackle another day.

And after this fence is done--we have the fences on both sides that need to be re-done. I am glad he likes the work and being outdoors and the exercise it gives him. We both love being on the ranch and all our animals we bring with us do, also. And one other thing--when Don builds something it is done solidly and it will last. He does not cut corners. I just hope he and "bob" can win the battle with the rocks. It is a real war. Our two natural resources on this ranch are rocks and firewood---and good grazing grass when the rains come--and wonderful, always flowing springs.

I just wish I could help him more and knew more but I am sure when it comes time to attaching the wire or fence (he keeps going back and forth between using barbwire or field fencing) I will be able to help. We have done that together before.

Another problem we have with fences is our neighbors--the ones with the Longhorns who wander over here. Evidently, their fences are not good so they have opened the gates between them and their neighbors so the cows can go where they want, and now they have broken down our fence in order to come visit our cows. They seem very unconcerned about this. BUT, we have sheep and goats that we want to keep on our own land and when their cows tear down our fence it becomes a problem for us. I just keep thinking back to that line that goes "Good fences make for good neighbors"--lots of truth in that.

I Am.....

I am kind and considerate
I wonder what animals think
I hear the sweet song of a mockingbird on a summer evening
I see hills of trees painted with all the autumn colors
I want a new digital camera with a long zoom
I am kind and considerate


I pretend to understand all my husband tells me about his fence building woes
I feel so very thankful for all I have
I touch Grant's little hands and feet and soft head
I worry about losing a loved one
I cry when I feel the nearness of God
I am kind and considerate



I understand that God loves me and will never leave me.
I say with God all things are possible
I dream of traveling to all kinds of different places
I try to please my husband
I hope to grow closer to each of my family members
I am kind and considerate.

Just Rambling

Monday morning I left early for Marble Falls to pick up our mail, run some errands, return library books, and check on things at home. I had envisioned getting all this done and headed back to Fredericksburg in early afternoon. Ha!! First mistake was going IN the library instead of just dropping off my books. I spent an hour or more selecting a bag full of new books to take back with me. I LOVE THE LIBRARY!! To me it is just one of those places I can look and look and get lost in. I mean where else can you go and load up on a bag full of treasures and have it cost you nothing. The library has always been my place to go when I just need to go somewhere and indulge myself but have no money to spend. I even get nostalgic over the kids book section remembering the many days of bringing home huge bags of preschool books for the nightly bedtime stories. I got the new Nicholas Sparks book THE CHOICE which I have just begun and looks to be a good read.

Ran some more quick errands then on a whim decided I had better get my oil changed (I was overdue about 2000 miles…..), not something I wanted to do but I noticed there was no line so I pulled in and it took all of 8 minutes. But during that time I received a phone call from Red Cross asking me to go see about a house fire in Kingsland. UGH! I was not excited about adding this to my list of things to do. How awful and selfish is that--here someone loses their home and I am griping about losing some time. After I gave myself a talking to, changed my attitude, and repented, I called up the lady who had the fire. She was so very nice and eager to see me so I headed right over there. She had left food on the stove cooking while she went next door to talk to her neighbor. Thankfully, the kitchen was the only part destroyed but black smoke and soot was all over the house. She was able to stay with her neighbor for now but the only other openings the housing authority had were in Marble Falls or Fredericksburg. She was not happy at the thought of leaving her close friends and neighbors where she lived to move to another town. I felt so sorry for her. I was able to give her some funds for food and bedding and some referrals for more help from other agencies.

After that, I decided I was just going to spend the night at home and go back to the ranch the next day. Was so glad I did that as it gave me chance to clean the house a bit, go through all the mail there, and just not feel so rushed. Thought I would even try to have lunch the next day with Amber so left her a voice mail inviting her.

Next morning went to Walmart to get stuff for Don--never heard from Amber so was headed back to the house to gather my stuff and the big dogs and head for the ranch. As I pulled out of Walmart I spied a VW Beetle with a sign on the back that said: Learning how to drive standard. For your own safety don't stop too close to me." I thought to myself that that was something Amber would do--when out popped a head from the driver’s side, hollering “Gema” with a big wave. I followed her back to her apartment and we did go to lunch together. We had a good laugh about her sign and the struggles with learning to drive a standard shift car. I learned to drive in my daddy’s ’52 hunting jeep. I remember sitting in it for hours just practicing shifting the gears. Amber and I both agreed that hills were the tough part--especially when you were stopped at a stop sign or red light on one . You either stall the engine trying to get going or peel out too fast. Ah, the joys and fun of standard…….We had a nice long lunch and visit. It was so good to catch up with her.

Then I loaded up the big dogs and left for the ranch again. We have not often taken Hudson, our lab, or Roxie, our mixed basenji to the ranch. They were very hesitant about getting in the car--I am sure they associated it with vet visits. But they are doing very well here on the ranch. Hudson barked lots the first night but was great last night--we left the porch light on for him. Roxie wants to be with Don every second and just lays by the gate until he returns from fence building. The cats are not too crazy about having these dogs invade their domain but have accepted them for the most part. Lily is still staying on the stairs or in the cabin most days--someplace that she can make a quick getaway (Hudson has been known to chase cats) but Lucy just does not let them bother her and lays on the porch beside them.

Thus is the synopsis of my last few days. Not too exciting, huh?

Lets Go, Yankees!

Ok--Just wanted to say I am going to sit down and cheer the Yankees and help them beat those Indians. And in order to do this properly I will indulge in one of my most favorite treats; fritos with bean dip and a cold Lonestar beer. Life is good. Go Yankees!!