Happy Birthday.....???

Ok...so today my blog address is no longer meaningful(?)...will u still luv me when I'm 64??? Well, you missed one heck of an opportunity....'cause today I'm 65. How in h--- did I ever get to be that old??? It's amazing...befuddling...downright disgusting!!!!

Early (well, 8 am) this morning my OLDER sister called. She said she knew it would take me a little longer to get to the phone "due to my advanced age"....I told her I was trying to get this 24-year-old stud out of bed...to which she responded, "What happened? The wall fall in?" Ouch!!

But then Mary and I went out for our standard birthday breakfast. Mary said she'd heard of a new place we should try out...there's a restaurant at Partridge. We bicycle ride to Partridge all the time so yeah, let's try the restaurant. As we drive the 10 miles over we pass right by The Dutch Kitchen - one of my very favorite places - but we go on to Partridge.

Partridge is a very small, rural town. Dirt main street - truly! We somehow didn't see the cafe when we came into town and went down the main drag, made a u-turn, and coming back there was a man walking down the middle of the street, evidently coming from the post office. So I rolled my window down and asked about the cafe, to which he responded, "Ya mean the grease spot?!?" (that's NOT the name of the restaurant, by the way.)

Yeah.....

"Yeah, it's up there on the corner...it's cheap...it's real cheap. You might not feel very good when you leave there, but it's cheap!"

I thanked him, rolled my window up, and Mary and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "Dutch Kitchen!"

We were both laughing about what a great recommendation: you might not feel very good when you leave there, but it's cheap!!! Now that's "word-of-mouth advertising"!!!!

So off we went, back to the Dutch Kitchen. You just can't beat the Amish and/or Mennonites for cooking and cleanliness! I had a half-order of biscuits and gravy, and Mary had a cinnamon roll. It was all delicious!!!! And we felt good when we left there! It may not qualify for some people's version of "Cheap"...but it's far from expensive!!! (Especially since Mary paid for it :) )

Anyway, today's going to be a kick back and do darned little day!!! It's my birthday and I don't havta do nuttin' I don't wanna!!!!! I'll count my blessings that I've made it this far, have lots of wonderful friends and family, and am blessed with good health.

Diggin' Cannas

This morning I thought "I need to start digging up cannas." I'd planted 71 cannas last spring...so I decided I'd dig 10 cannas a day for 7 days...that ought to about do it!! Then I went online and learned that you should wait until after the frost has "bitten" the leaves and then dig within a week or so.

But...this afternoon I got antsy and decided I'd just go dig up ONE!!! This ONE was behind the shed, not really in the line-up of good cannas....and this ONE, although as tall, wasn't NEARLY as big as the others. That's a tennis ball for reference in the second picture.

I picked and pulled and cleaned wet dirt away...I ended up with 24 "plantable" pieces...but probably 60% of those are double bulbs. There must have been at least 40-45 bulbs under just one canna....one "not in the good line-up" group. I am almost afraid of the good ones now!!!


I'm now thinking instead of digging 10 cannas for 7 days, I'll dig one canna each day for 10 days!!! That should be more than enough for me!!!

I've had several people say they'd like canna bulbs. So here's my plan: in about a week I'll start making phone calls. Bring bags or boxes and come dig 'em!!!!! Oh....you thought I'd dig them FOR you...WRONG!!!!! Actually they're pretty easy to dig as most of the bulbs are almost above the ground; it's just a matter of convincing the roots to turn loose.

So....if YOU'D like cannas just let me know!!! I have plenty for everyone I think!!!!

Count Your Blessings

Saw this on a picture...didn't care for the picture (too flowery for me)...but I really liked the poem.

"Dishes done, papers read,
Childred snuggled into bed,
Hours past the setting sun -
I count my blessings...one by one."

Now...while I like that very much, I'll also say...don't wait for everything else to be done before you recognize and acknowledge your own blessings!!!

Cousins!!

Here's a shot of two of my favorite people, my cousins Shon & Becky. They're sisters and I can't say which one is the orneriest!!! It's a close match!

We spent the day together in Abilene today. We visited the Bow Gallery and had a wonderful tour given by Inga Bow...a truly delightful woman! Inga is from Austria originally and she's as intelligent as she is beautiful, and vice versa. A real joy to chat with. I've known her for 10-15 years and she's just a neat lady! If you ever need a unique place to shop, go to the Bow Gallery on the south end of Abilene.

Then of course, we went out to the Russell Stover Candy Store! Whoo-hoo....another nice place to visit. I did notice they have big double wide doors that open when you walk up to them....that should have been the first hint: double-wide....hmmmmm. Sure is gooooooooood chocolate though!

After that a trip to a downtown restaurant where I'd been before. It was somewhat of a disappointment. The food wasn't nearly as good as it was last time although it was still pretty good. However, the place had a smell about it that was truly offensive. We moved once thinking maybe it was because we were sitting next to a stairway and perhaps the smell was coming from under that...musty, moldy smell. The move didn't really help...it still smelled bad.

Then the antique stores....four or five total....lots to see and admire and crave...and some to buy!!!

Then, because my first recent trip to Sonic had been so successful (see earlier blog), we decided to hit the Happy Hour at Sonic for cold drinks. I did NOT blow into the straw this time and stayed relatively unstained/unsticky!!!

Lots of laughs, lots of memories. Hope we'll be able to get together again soon and do it all again!!!!

And, especially for Becky.....don't forget to count your blessings!!!

What Happens to Smart Alecks

So, it's Sunday afternoon. Sonic has their Happy Hour drink special. J (my son) and I decide to go have one. I haven't been to Sonic very much...and I don't think EVER in Hutch...maybe years ago to the one on 4th Street.

J was harassing me about not knowing what to do to order, what to expect, what was what, etc. When we finally got our drinks, his was considerably larger than mine (as it was supposed to be) and yet I foolishly asked the wait-person, "Which one's the Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper?" Well...duh.....so J started in on me again!!!!

As we pulled out of the driveway (I'm driving) I took a sip and said, "mmmmmm". J interpreted that to mean something was wrong/different/??? He said it probably needed stirring because all the flavor might be in the bottom. Being a real smart a....leck, I just put the straw in my mouth and blew...you know, like we did when we were kids....well....the cup had a lid on it but that didn't even slow the soda down....here's my shirt. (Maybe that should be "Here's your sign...") I was so embarrassed that someone may have seen me do that and J and I both were laughing. However, his was more of a cruel snicker-y kind of laugh...you know, the "I told you so, you dumb a--" type!!!! And then, he didn't EVEN want to hold my cup while I got the car-towel to sop up some of my mess - he thought it was too sticky!!!! I just don't know who raised that kid!!!!

Which brings up another issue: the other day he was going to get some ice out of the ice tray and as he took the tray out of the freezer I heard him mumble something. I questioned it and he repeated, "Who was YOUR mother?" Seems there were only two ice cubes in the tray and he felt I should have refilled it! Funny thing...my sister says the same things to me about ice cube trays. Man, I hate those things!!! I like "store-bought" ice better anyway!!!

Well...signing off for now...I remain, Yours in Sticky Shirt................

Lyons Fair on the Square

Here's a shot of my little piece of the Lyons, Kansas "Fair on the Square" this past Saturday. (Please note that these pictures were taken very early in the day...many of the vendors weren't there and set up yet. It was a FULL square of vendors, even lining the sidewalks to and from the courthouse!)

Friday had been rainy, rainy, rainy and I was having serious doubts about getting to go. My friend Pat who makes Iris folded greeting cards was certain that she couldn't do it with all that moisture in the air. But...Saturday 5:45 am...we made the decision to GO!

It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. Pat was on the north-northeast corner and I was on the west-southwest corner...so with all the beautiful, big trees it was pretty chilly on the west side until around 11 am. But the rest of the day certainly made up for it. It was perfect!

Comparing this craft fair to the one at Yoder, Kansas a few weeks ago, I was initially disappointed because at 9:30 I had yet to make a sale...or even cause a ripple!!! Pat was having similar experiences on her side...but her neighboring vendor told her to just be patient, that's it's a slow-starter!

About 10 o'clock it got into full swing...and by 3:00 pm I was one happy camper/vendor! It turned out to be a great day for sterling silver jewelry sales! Normally I keep track of everything (the old accountant in me I think)...but I chose not to keep track this time. I didn't know what my tally was until I got home, but I kept thinking it felt like it might be pretty good. And it was: I did about 30% better than I'd done at Yoder in actually less time. Both fairs are on my "let's do that again" list!!!!

One of the best things about the Fair on the Square was the congeniality and friendliness and open-heartedness of the community. We were set up all around their beautiful historic courthouse, and the courthouse was open so that people could go in to use the restrooms. The Lyons Chamber of Commerce had people who walked the perimeter of the sale asking if you needed anything: a break, food, drink, whatever. Early in the morning while we were still setting up our booths, two young people pulling a wagon came around with a big container of hot coffee and a tray of donuts...FREE! And my booth-neighbors were super too. One gentleman had heard me say I wasn't much of a coffee drinker and knew we were all cold, so he went over to their printing shop business (about 1/2 block west of us) and made his wife and me each of big cup of delicious hot cocoa! Whatta guy, huh???

All in all, I say KUDOS to the great people of the Lyons Chamber of Commerce and the entire community of Lyons! It was a job very well done!!! Hopefully I'll get invited back next year - I did try to be on my best behavior (but ya know how that sometimes goes!)

Autumnal Equinox

Yep...that's what today is: The Autumnal Equinox

Seeing that on my calendar and not really knowing exactly what it was, I went on-line to find out.

Wikipedia says this:
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the Sun being vertically above a point on the Equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long. It may be better understood to mean that latitudes +L and -L north and south of the equator experience nights of equal length.
The word is also used for the same event happening on other planets and in setting up a celestial coordinate system; see equinox (celestial coordinates).
At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.
An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location on the Earth's Equator where the centre of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year.

So, having that knowledge....that probably explains why I slept til 8:20 this morning. But I feel rested and "caught up"...it's good!!!

Autumn's Comin'

And soon we'll be into winter. This is a beautiful time of year....but ya gotta know that winter's coming soon!

My pampas grass has just plumed within this past week. The pool was prepped and closed last Tuesday.

Today I even pulled up the tomato plants and stuffed them into the polycart. Yep, winter's gonna be here before long.

But I'm going to refuse to recognize it until November 1.

During our ride earlier today we saw lots of caterpillars....and they were all almost totally black. According to an article in the News in the past week or so, if they are yellow and black, mild winter; mostly black, hard winter. PLLLLLLTTTTTT! I think the caterpillars and the weather forecasters should take the same bus south!!!!

Oh...and the little purple flowers...I don't know what those are, do you? Let me know if you recognize them. They come back year after year and I don't have a clue. The leaves kind of look like mint, but I pinched them and they don't have much smell at all.


Later: My cousin Shon tells me the purple flowers are ageratum. I like 'em!! And I'm not sure I didn't plant them this year...I planted a couple of bags of seeds...???? Who knows????

The Long Ride

What a great day!!! Concha called Thursday evening to see if I'd be ready for a bicycle ride this morning - YEAH! Then I called Mary and we got her in the mix too. We headed out at 9 am this morning, dodging early fair traffic and just trying to get away from town before it got any busier. Concha and I met at 4th & Severance, then rode south on Severance to meet Mary down by Carey Park. We got out onto 50 Hwy and rode east 2 miles to the Yoder Road. One mile south intersects Illinois Road...and that's where we wanted to be. We took Illinois east, taking a short break at the Buhler-Haven Road, then continued on east another five miles to where the road turns to gravel (or you can go north into Burrton). We chose to turn back at that point. There was very little wind, absolutely beautiful, clear blue skies, and a truly gorgeous day! I got home with 34.47 miles. The miles pass so much faster and so much easier with company. And with three women, I guarantee there's no lack of conversation!!! What fun!!!!
Hope your day's as enjoyable! Don't forget to count your blessings - I sure have!!!

A Little Excitement!!

I had a little excitement here this morning! I was just calling a friend when I heard/felt a loud BOOM!!!!! I looked out my north bedroom window (which was open) and couldn't see anything, but could hear a crackling noise...at first I thought it was rain hitting leaves on the tree, but then there was no water on the sidewalk. So I went to the other bedroom and looked out the west window....to see flames about 15-20 feet high! From my vantage point it looked like they were going right into the two ?? telephone, cable, power??? lines above them. (Later, from a different angle I could see the lines were north of where the actual flames were.)

Meanwhile, my friend had answered the phone and I said, "Sorry...I'll have to call you right back!" and I immediately called 911.

The flames were in my neighbor's backyard (directly behind me). I thought surely a propane tank or something must have blown up. It wasn't a paint can or hair spray can boom...it was a BIG BOOM!!! It rattled my windows!!! (Not to mention by "cool"!)

I started telling the 911 operator what had occurred and she of course, needed to know what kind of an explosion...I don't know. As we talked, I saw the neighbor man Frank (that's NOT the same f-word I have repeatedly used to define him for the rest of this day however!!!) I told the 911 operator that he was walking around and didn't seem to be upset or hurt or in a hurry....maybe this is ok...maybe he has it under control.

She asked that I go outside and talk to him and find out what's happening. So I did. I yelled "Hello" pretty loud several times over the privacy fence, and he finally said, "Yeah?" I asked him if he was ok...yeah.

"Did you mean for this to happen...is it controlled?"

He said, "Yeah...I'm just burning off some old drift wood and stuff..."

I said to the 911 operator, "Yeah...he's ok...evidently he MEANS to be doing this. Isn't it illegal to burn like this in the city?"

She assured me it was illegal unless he has a permit. She kept saying she was going to have a firetruck come check it out and I kept saying he says he has it under control. But she insisted...and what was I to do but agree that would probably be a good idea!!! (Actually, I wanted to say, send police too, because we may have a violent person in the neighborhood at any minute!)

Within about five minutes the firemen arrived and walked through his garage into the backyard. They were there for a few minutes, and I have no idea what the conversation was. I can only hope that he was fined for what he was doing!

As the day progressed he has continued to be out there from time to time. Up until just a couple of hours ago I could still see smoke rising off the residue. I can't see the actual base of the burn as I have a 6' privacy fence. The fire appeared to be about 3-4 feet the other side of my fence...putting it about 6-10 feet from my shed...which has combustible pool supplies in it!

Before dark this evening, I fully intend to go out and climb up on the railroad ties behind my shed and look over to see if the fence was damaged and to make sure the fire appears totally out before bedtime. If I get told that I'm being nosy or stepping over my boundaries, I probably will just break down and cry...well, either that or hop the fence and tear the jackass a new one!!! (Those of you who know me can probably figure that one out.)

So I ask you, what's a person to do when you have a total moron for a neighbor? Is this what one should expect when they live in town? I've tried to be a good neighbor..I really have! I put up new fencing; I keep my dog from barking; I don't play loud music (they do); I don't drink beer and throw the loudly clattering glass bottles into a tub every 10-12 minutes (they do); I don't have grandkids that scream and scream and scream when they come to play in my pool (they do); I clean up my one dog's piles immediately (they have at least 3 dogs and NEVER clean them up!!!!);....so bottom line, I'M DONE! No more Ms. Nice Gal! You mess with the bull, you get the horn!!!!

Well...I feel better now that I've vented. Think I'll go look over that fence now that I'm good and warmed up. Later....