Original thoughts...

   Is there still such a thing as an original thought?  It doesn't seem like it when you are trying to find a blog name or web domain.  You think of something type it in.  Up pops those red letter that said name is already taken please try again.  You almost feel like your at a slot machine.  You feed it names...and wait.  Red letters again and again.  Name after name.  Then just as you are about to give up...name available.  Alright you feel like you just won the lottery.  Woo hoo.  Now you can finally get started with your blog.  Yes...

      Wait.  What WAS that name you just entered????

What can you do with a burn...

   AAGHH. I couldn't post yesterday.  I was cooking dinner and got to thinking about what I wanted to post instead of what I was doing.  I forgot to vent the bowl of potatoes, so when I reached in to peel back the plastic wrap and stir them... You guessed it a rush of steam escaped and burned my thumb.  It is very hard to type and balance an ice pack on your thumb at the same time.  So I had to wait until today.  But it did give me something to write about. 
   One of my pet peeves is getting hurt that bad, and nothing really to show for it.  I mean a nasty papercut will get you more sympathy than a bad steam burn.  You can see the cut.  The burn swells the skin and turns red but not enough that someone whould notice.  Unless you point it out.  What is the point of putting on a brave face, if no one knows your doing it.  I mean if I'm going to be in that much pain, I want at least one "Poor baby, can I get you anything?". ...Is that asking too much???

   By the way, FYI if you get a burn (yes, blogger girl this includes sunburns) you need to get the heat out first.  Don't put lotion, or butter or anything on it until you do.  And butter is the last thing you should put on. Think about what happens when you put butter in a hot skillet.

  
    If it is a sunburn a cold shower works great.  Any other kind of burn ice packs and lots of them.  When the skin is no longer hot to the touch, then you can put burn cream, ointment, or my favorite Vitamin E and Aloe Vera on the burn.  If you clog the pore of your skin you trap the heat in, and it keeps doing it's damage.
   I once had a someone put out a cigarette on my knuckle in a crowded bar.  (Not on purpose, or we would have had a very serious discussion.)  Anyway it hurt like you know what.  I knew the waitresses and bartenders, so they keep me supplied with ice wrapped in towels all night.  When the ice melts you know it, the pain is instant.  After keeping ice on the burn for a couple of hours, I soaked a cotton ball with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera and taped over the burn.  Took a couple of aspirin and went to bed.  The next day when I took off the cotton ball, all I had was a small spot that looked like a callous.
   Oh, and the thumb...just slightly puffy and shinny today.  No more pain, Thank God.

Summer has arrived. Let the complaining began.

   All winter we sit indoors and complain because we want to be outside.  In the garden, at the park, on the beach, or anywhere but inside.  Then low and behold its summer.  That magical season we have been dreaming about.  So what do we do... We run outside, over do it, and start a whole new set of complaints.
    The garden is being over run by too many of the wrong bugs and not enough of the right bugs.  Bees are great in the garden. Ants are not, the dang leaf cutter ants took every plant in an entire row overnight.  You love the butterflies, but hate the caterpillars (almost as bad as the ants).
   The park is too crowded, the Frisbee players don't look where they are going, and you wind up playing defense while you try to relax. ( Have you seen the wine bottle juggling scene in Pink Panther 2, yeah like that.)  Or you are the Frisbee player and forget you haven't done anything more athletic than lift the remote for the last 5 months.  Don't worry you muscles will tell you all about it later.
   The beach is crowded and the sand is too hot.  You have totally forgotten over the winter how sand has a way of getting into places you don't want it to get into.  The water is relaxing though, so much so it can lull you a sleep and you wake up with a severe sunburn. 
   This is what we waited for all winter.... Sure is. 
   So grab the lawn chairs, a bottle of wine,  the sunscreen, and head out.  We can always complain later, but right now I've got some summer plans.

I'm a coffeeholic...

I'm a coffeeholic.  There I said it.  I love the smell, and taste of a good cup of coffee (or even a bad cup some mornings).  This is a problem when you have a heart condition.  When the cardiologist told me to cut down of the caffeine, I almost called him a few choose government words.  But then I realized two things...1) He said cut down, not give up....2) If something happened to me, who would take care of J and the dogs.  I mean I haven't even told him where I keep his credit cards.  (Oh, come on ladies, we always go together, and you know his wallet is going to end up in your purse anyway,so why carry two.)
So I decided I would cut back.  But how.  I drink coffee subconsciously.  I pour a cup and the next thing I know its empty. I don't have any memory of drinking it, (No, I'm not that old).  Maybe I have coffee gremlins. 
Then the answer hits me... I'm lazy.  So I started using one of those old dinner coffee cup, you know like on the newest movie of Indiana Jones.  It worked great.  The cup is only 6oz, and I don't like to keep getting up to refill it.  And as an added bonus the coffee stays warm to the end, or at least I think it does.  I still don't remember drinking it....

                                              Ah ha,  I KNEW IT.....

Gone Too Soon...

                   Your spirit continues to soar,
                          Fly on sweet angel.

                                       Victoria Carol Foutz
                                   April 14th, 1986 -- April 18th, 2004



Today's blog is dedicated to a beautiful young lady that I knew. She was all girl and all teenager. Which meant that even though she loved her parents dearly, they didn't know what they were talking about. Just ask her. 

This typical young teen didn't get the chance to find out, her parent's knew a lot more than she thought they did. She will be missed by all the people she has touched in her short life.  But I know she is watching us now. Victoria you are missed by all of us.

Victoria's parents are in the process of writting a book. I will let everyone know when it is out.  If you would like to leave comments for them, I will pass them on.  Thank you all.

High Tech Redneck...

Okay, this is a real picture, taken of a real outhouse.  I found it on a real estate site advertising a home and property for sale. Kinda makes you wonder if there is also a flat screen TV. I guess the Reader's Digest just wasn't enough any more.
Or maybe they got the idea from the Reader's Digest book 'Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things' . You gotta admit that is, is defiantly an extraordinary use.

Just a few of my drawings...

As some of you know I have been using Xara Xtreme to make drawings.  I  can't remember who I sent what to...so here they are again.

              This candle was the first drawing I ever made in Xara.

                               I drew this one for our coffee website.

                Ditto for this one... I was trying out different patterns.

You might recognize this one.  I put it on the blog to invite people to grab a cup of coffee, relax and look around.


           And just in case coffee isn't your thing how about this one....

                Hey I was watching Deadwood.  What else could I draw...

Boy, I miss that show.  I was upset they killed off Wild Bill so soon, but I knew he died in Deadwood.  So it was just a matter of time.

Bailey Sophia has arrived...

We interrupt todays regularly scheduled blog to bring you some very  important news.  Move over Oprah, there is a new VIP in the world today.  Sorry Bradgalina, I'm not talking about y'all either.  I would like to proudly announce the arrival of.... BAILEY SOPHIA...  She arrived today at 12:23pm.  Her entourage included her parents, Josh and Lizzy.  The new superstar was sporting her brand new birthday suit on her 19 inch frame.  It showed off her 6 lb. 5.9 oz frame to perfection.  She currently in seclusion with her parents, but we hope to have arrival pictures soon.  We have sent in our best photographer, Auntie Derien.  But you know how these VIP Superstar types are.  They don't show their faces to the public until they have been primped and powdered by their entourage.  We will keep you up to date on the latest news about the new VIP, when it becomes available.

Happy Birthday Sis!!!!

Happy birthday to you... Good thing I'm typing it, I can't sing this worth a darn.  My little sister's birthday is today.  It seems amazing that she is now grow with 2 kids in college (Well he will be in college in the fall, so close enough).  At least the baby is still home, and the youngest daughter too.  I still remember luging she around on my hip, because she would get tired.  She would stop walking.  Sit down on the ground.  Lift her arms, and demand...'Cawee Mee...'  Loved her then and Love her still.  Happy birthday, M.E., Have a great time and know I'm thinking about you today.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DADS...

I would like to wish all the Father's out there a Happy Father's Day.    Yes, even you.  You are all very special.  With out Father's we would not be here.  The Father's of this world made us, but the DAD's are why we are who we are.  Almost anyone can be a Father, but it take time, patients, sacrifice and love to be a Dad.  A Dad is someone who is there for us as we grow and face life's challenges and problems.  A Dad is the one, who even thought it's tough on him at times, disciplines us to keep us on the right path.  It is easy say don't do it again, it is hard to discipline the child you love.  To look into those pleading eyes, and teach them that there are consequences to bad behavior.   A lesson that has to be taught to help us grow and be a good person.  A Dad is the one who's approval means everything to a child.  We all love our Mother's but we want our Dads to be proud of us.  We learn how to face the world through his eyes. We see how to handle our problems, and love our families.  We learn how to make sacrifices for those we love.  And how to show that love to those around us.  We learn how to take a stand for what is right, not what is popular.  To all the Dads out there, Thank You, and know we love you no matter what.  Have a wonderful Father's Day.

A picture is worth a Thousand word....

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  But let me be clear about this.  A picture is worth a thousand words...only is you can see the @#$% thing.
We put in a window air conditioner in the office today.  What should have taken all of about 15 to 20 minutes, took over 2 hours.  AND we read the directions.  The problem is someone at LG must have heard that saying about pictures, so instead of tell you what to do, they drew up these cute little cartoons to show you. 
One of the directions reads and I quote:  "Insert frame guides (10) into the bottom of the cabinet."  Okay sounds simple.  You take the funny little plastic piece in the parts list and attach it to the bottom of the cabinet.  No screws to put in so this will be a snap.  Then you realize they didn't tell you were on the bottom to insert it, or how.  Well there is a picture let's see.  The picture has an arrow that points to the bottom of the unit, it doesn't show the the little plastic piece attached.  It does have a inserted picture with a hand and the piece.  BUT the picture is smaller than the size of a dime, and they show the hand going toward the unit, not inserting anywhere.  They could at least show the bottom with the piece attached.  But that would be to easy.  Okay at this point I have started using my government words.  We finally figure out were and how to insert the  darn thing. And it was easy IF you knew what to do.
Now let's add the braces and get this thing on, because the heat index is now hovering somewhere around 100 degrees.  All we have to do now is add the standoffs and slide in the unit.  Simple right.  Wrong.  The standoff attach to the bottom of the unit and rest on the window sill to support the air conditioner.  But the last adjustment on the unit puts the support bolts about 3/4 of an inch pass the window sill and into thin air.  More government words spoken loudly this time.  Finally got the dang thing in the window.  The side panels are not sealing because if the unit is tipped back 1/2 inch to allow the water to drain like it is suppose to, this makes the bottom of the panels...you guessed it 1/2 inch from the window.  At this point we could careless. I'll just buy some thick foam insulation and pack it around the gaps to seal them off.  AT LONG LAST we turned on the unit and there was air...FINALLY.
Oh and one last thing.  How come in the instruction manual  there is a man putting in the unit correctly, and the woman is plugging it in wrong, and making all the mistakes.  If you don't believe me check out the manual online.  Home Depot has it listed with the window units on their site.  Someone over at LG manual division is a serious sadist.

WOW, This is a really good book.

On these hot days its nice to curl up and read a book in the air conditioning when the heat index is over 100 degrees outside.  I just finished reading 'The Quickie' by James Patterson and Micheal Ledwidge. It was really good. Just when you thought you might have it figured out, you get something thrown in out of left field. It definitely keeps you turning the pages. Only it makes it real hard to put it down and do anything else, (like fix something to eat or clean).  This team is the same one that wrote "Step on a Crack' also a page turner.  If you haven't read either of these books, treat yourself.  You won't be disappointed.
Before that I read a Mary Higgins Clark book 'Mount Vernon: A Love Story'.  That woman can write.  This was one of her first books.  It's about George and Martha Washington. It goes back and forth from the last day of Washington's Presidency to the road that brought him and Martha to that point in time.  It is well worth your time to read this story.  You get a whole new outlook on our FIRST First Family.
Speaking of air conditioners. (I was in the first line of this blog. Remember.) Our air conditioner was out for a while, and  I wasn't sure we would survive much longer with out it. Thank goodness it is fixed now.
How the heck did our ancestors live with out it?  They were definatly a much stronger person than I am.  If it goes out again maybe I can channel them, or just go sit in the creek until it gets fixed.

My Gardening Angel and me

My gardening angel has been at it again.  I looked in the compost pile and there is a big beautiful watermelon or cantalope vine. Not sure which on I let you know when they set fruit. I don't know just how she does it. She must have a special planting dust that she uses. Last year I walked out the back gate and under the pine trees at the end of our property was about 15 to 20 cherry tomatoe plants full of tomatoes. Growing in the shade through the weeds, and no staking. I planted mine in the garden with no weeds and they died!  This year I can to the relization I wasn't a gardening angel who could just throw out the seeds and grow big beautiful plants with bountiful harvests. I had to put in the work. Turn the soil, till in the compost, and raise the bed. Add the furtilizer and water...water...water.   And last but not least pray that the leaf cutter ants, grass hoppers, and other insects would get lost on the way to the plants. We wont even talk about the daily fight with the weed demon (if there's a gardening angel, then there has to be a weed demon). Man I really hate that guy.  Last year he fooled me into thinking my spinach was grass when it came up. Needless to say I didn't have a big crop. If it hadn't been for my gardening angel hiding some of the plants until I could tell what they really were, I wouldn't have grown any. Well, at least this year my onions, bell peppers, squash, and others are doing good. At least they look good. Now if they would just set more than a couple of vegetables....

Hey you think google is trying to tell me something?  As soon as I wrote this I noticed there was an ad for back ache?  Google earth really can get close can't they?

Hello and welcome to my blog

This is the first blog I have ever done, so welcome to history in the making. I have named my blog after a line in a movie that I like. (It's so true.)  That quote is:  "There's is no normal life, Wyatt. There's just life. Ya live it." Can you name the movie? My life is no where near normal, never has been, never will be. But then maybe my life is normal and all those other ideils of normal are crazy. I have found that the only way to survive in this world is to not take it or yourself to serious. And to that end I would like to thank the boys in Washington who know better than any of us for turning off the TV. Since we live in the country and can't afford stattilite, I don't have to listen to them talk their governize. My cardiologist and blood pressure thank you very much. Not that I'm uninformed I just don't get informed every minute of everyday, what a relife. (I know it was suppose to be releaf, but I kind of like the way it turned out better. Sometimes my brain comes up with a winner.) For entertainment first there was talking and story telling, then books, then radio, then television. Now alot of use are back to talking, radio and books. I found out there is actualy other people who live with me, and I like them. Wow, who would have thought it. In case you haven't noticed by now I ramble alot I'll try to keep it under control, but no promises. Well that's enough for now, my brain just took a nap and I try not to anything with out it.