Squishy sandals

That's right squishy sandals. While enjoying the lovely beaches of Sanibel Island, I wore my sandals into the water to protect my feet against sharp shells and miscellaneous sea creatures. These are just rubber with a little bit of velcro but they have a lot of support and fit just right. We've been back from vacation over a month now (sad to imagine since I still haven't finished the photo albums). Can you believe my sandals still squish? Not that there's any water coming out, but they still make that sound. So much for trying to sneak quietly down the hallway...it's not happening.

Chick up date

Sorry this isn't about hot dixie chicks-more like the kind that cluck and eat bugs out in the yard. Sunday is the big send off. Meaning I will put the eggs in the incubator. Days one through eighteen should have humidity of 50 percent-humidity gage bought with extra batteries. The trick will be keeping the humidity to just fifty percent. Temperature at 99.5-shouldn't be a problem.I think I will have sixteen eggs to put in the incubator so with a fifty percent success rate I should have eight babies. Talk about counting your chickens before the eggs hatch(sorry farm humor). Wish me luck. I have two roosters, three hens,  two turkeys, and two ducks  right now. I'd like to have at least six hens.

Would you stand with Wendy?

Last night in the Great state of Texas, "Wendy" stood up and voiced against a bill on abortion for over ten hours. She had that much to say. The articles on the bill say:
The measure would have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and would have required all clinics to be graded as surgical centers, with all doctors required to have admitting privileges at hospitals. It's estimated that nearly all of the state's clinics wouldn't have been able to meet the new standards.

I won't debate the isssue of abortion. You can't change my mind. No one ever has or ever will. But shutting "nearly all of the state's clinics?" I really can't see any good what so ever coming out of that one so yes this woman would have proudly stood with Wendy. God bless Wendy, Austin, and the Great State of Texas.

First time? No screwed it up

I read a blog today that asked "When was the last time you did something for the first time?"  It's easier for me to say when I haven't done something for the first time. Today. That's not true. I tried the Campbell chicken noodle soup in a microwaveable bowl(not a fan). Last week-I went to a club that I had never been to-and a complete stranger asked me to dance. I tried a new recipe that was a major success ( and it involved lots of goodies from the garden-major score). I love trying new things-this gets me into a lot of trouble in the kitchen. I know when the hubster isn't happy when he tells me to throw away the recipe (sorry, babe, I kept the one for the "funeral rolls") or to please keep away from pinterest for a while. I think he even blocked pinterest from my smart phone for a couple of days, but I can't prove it and we're up and running so no harm, no foul. I try new makeup combinations. Blue nail polish hasn't been my wisest choice. The peacock eyeshadow combo looked really good with my blue eyes,I look ok as a red head (not brave enough to go pure black). I've dyed, painted, weaved all sorts of things. I've been to places I've never dreamed I'd go-and have plans to keep doing things for the "first time". But,
I've also done things and royally screwed them up-only to learn from my mistakes. I really, really like it when this happens-the learning not the screwing up. There was a carmel cake that had runny icing. You can't do carmel icing when it's really humid. I've made it twice since then and with great success-people literally beg me to make that cake.And the last one even looked pretty! I'm hoping this is a trend because once again. I will attempt to hatch some chickens out of an incubator. Notice I said hatch "chickens" not roosters. I'm set  to do my research again before the eggs go into the incubator. I know I need to keep the humidity constant and drop it at a certain time to sex the eggs. But last time, I didn't do too bad -only three roosters out of fourteen. If I can do that well again, I will be very happy. But a little luck never hurts-send it my way please.

Special Day

A very happy birthday to my Daddy-aka-Papa. I can't believe you're 71! Wowsers! That's a lot of candles.
I hope your day is wonderful and that Karon lets you eat lots of cake.

and if you happen to go to work -tell your boss:ABC NewsSee realtime coverage Take your Dog to Work Day to promote pet adoptions-that's right it's take your dog to work day on Friday June 21st. I imagine Wolfie will cause quite a stir at the Arsenal.








TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- If you miss your dog while you're away at the office, Friday is the day to bring him into work. June 21 has been proclaimed Take Your Dog to Work Day, a holiday created by Pet Sitters International in 1999.




TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- If you miss your dog while you're away at the office, Friday is the day to bring him into work. June 21 has been proclaimed Take Your Dog to Work Day, a holiday created by Pet Sitters International in 1999.

Congratulations Lauren

Lauren has been accepted to CNA school. Certified Nursing Assistant here we come. She starts Monday July 8th. So proud that she has decided to continue her education.

I have loved you for a thousand years for Beth and Jody

so I heard this yesterday and realized that four months from today I will have a son-in-law.

Grumpy Cat

in the mood for Sushi...

Daily Chores

So I think about this every day ...

Remembering and praying for Colorado

A few years back, Dwight and I visited the Royal Gorge. The little blue tram that takes you to the bottom is gone now.

and so is the tram car that took you across the Gorge.

The wonderful wooden bridge is still there but sustained heavy damage and will remain closed for sometime. Mean while, the fire continues to rage. My friend Juliet is 3 miles from evacuation and they are watching all the news closely. Cell towers are down. Praying for them, my family, and all of Colorado at this time.

wonderful letter from Austin, TX

Dear Mr. Thatcher,




I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core™ or Dri-Weave™ absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.



Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?



As brand manager in the feminine-hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in capri pants. Which brings me to the reason for my letter.



Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."



Are you fucking kidding me?



What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness—actual smiling, laughing happiness—is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlúa and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreens armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man. If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just picking on us?



Sir, please inform your accounting department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.



Best,



Wendi Aarons

Austin, TX

Hay .. hay..it was the weekend

In case you missed it, the weekend has passed. If you live in Newton County, you probably participated in some form of hay gathering-baling, raking, loading, stacking. Dwight was no exception and has the farmers' tan to prove it.

Willie Nelson - All of Me (Official)

for your listening pleasure and because I really want to dance to this song one day.

This is how you do it

Sunday found Beth and Jody at a Bridal fair where they participated in a kissing contest. From what I hear, the first couple got a lot of applause. The second couple got even more-they had some sort of spark going. The third couple did a little bump and grind and no one really appreciated the view of that. Then Jody told Beth to hold on-he promptly spun her around into a dip and laid the classic smooch on her (see  picture below). Beth told me she couldn't tell if the blood was rushing to her head really bad or if the crowd just went wild, but there was a lot of clapping and they won the kissing contest. The prize? Wedding rings!!What a great story to tell their kids. If Jody keeps being this romantic, maybe I won't have to wait that long for my granddaughter (or grandson). Anyway, glad to see the classics are still classic.

I cried today

 No, nothing is wrong. These were those other tears that seem to come more recently. It seems even if I have nothing sad in my life I cry when I'm happy. There was an envelope that came in the mail today from NorthArk College. I thought there might be some bill to pay or a transcript for the CNA program that Lauren is preparing to start, but no it's her Associates Degree. My baby girl has a college degree. More happy tears. Three kids and more than three college degrees. I screw a lot of things up, but somewhere a long the line they listened to me about how important education is. I am so proud of all of the kids. I'm remember dropping Lauren off at the college in two casts not too  long ago-she could have given up or flunked that semester, but she didn't. Congratulations Lauren! I promise not to cry on your degree.