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....

Kansas State Fair

Went to the Kansas State Fair today. It was "Dillon's Day"...free admission with a Dillon's Plus Card. Don't know quite where the time went, as we arrived about 11 am and didn't leave til 4 pm. We rode around the grounds (a couple of times, in fact) on the free tram...first time I'd ever done that. Sure saves a lot of steps and you can decide if you want to walk back and look closer. We did take a 45 minute break and watched In Step, a local band of three guys. It was enjoyable! (And we each came away with a new old joke.) There's plenty to see and do. And, as always, half the crowd would probably qualify to be in one of the sideshows!!! Sorry...but there's some weird stuff walking around this old world!!!! (And maybe they look at me and think the same thing, who knows?!) There's still another six days of noise, crowds, and craziness so don't miss having your "fair" share!!!

Good Reading - Elsewhere!

I'm too lazy to even write today. My son dug out a couple of cedar stumps and mowed the yard midday while I began to dig/pull/cut out SOME of the day lilies. Day lilies are pretty when they're blooming but when they're done, they're really done. They just look weedy to me. I've decided to do away with a lot of them for next year. Thinking the ground would be good and soft because of all the rain, I ha ha ha thought ha ha ha I could just pull them up! Just try it...yeah, come on over!!! Clearly the roots are somewhere making trees in China! So I've starting cutting them off and cleaning up all the dead leaves and long stringy dead leaves of the day lilies themselves. I didn't make much of a dent - I'm using the excuse that the polycart is too full.

Also Tuesday the pool gets closed - professionally. So we removed the solar blanket and I've been cleaning/shocking/removing things from that area. My son said, "Don't you have a 'service' that does this?" My response, "Yeah...but they get paid by the hour!!!"

Anyway..since then, he's escaped and I've cleaned out the little fish-less pond (and trashed the zinnias), shocked the pool, folded and put away the solar blanket, put some of the lawn furniture in the shed, removed the thermometer from the pool, and had a shower! I'm tired!


But....the whole reason I started this blog. Others have brought to my attention in the past a couple of really good blogs. Take a few minutes and take a look at these two especially:
http://barnyardblessings.blogspot.com/
and
http://tolisannerosalie.blogspot.com/

Both are very well written. The barnyard blessings one is hilarious!!! And the lisannerosalie one has some incredible photography and craft ideas! Hope you'll take a few minutes and check them out. (Came back later and posted this: I can't seem to make these so you can just click on them...so copy and paste I guess..sorry.)

Well...I going to go pretend to read the Sunday paper....may have to check my eyelids for leaks from time to time however.
Later....

Beginning of the End

Well, it looks like this must be the beginning of the end of summer.

Here's a shot of my cannas. They have really pleased me this year. They're big and tall and completely hide the 6' privacy fence behind them. Of course, in a few weeks I'll be digging bulbs (I planted 71 bulbs and can't imagine what I'll reap...quadruple or more I'll bet.) Next year I'm going to try the "36 inch deep planting", supposedly you don't have to dig them up and replant because they're below the freeze line and will be ok. We'll see. (For a better look at these, just click on the picture.)






And here's my poor, tired elephant ears. They've had their fair share of compliments this summer, but now they're getting pretty tired looking. The bulbs here should be fairly easy to reap as they're planted in some good Miracle Grow potting soil. I planted 1 large and 3 small bulbs in April....hope to double or triple that in bulbs this year. I want to do a more extensive planting of these next year, where they'll be in the shade and get even more water. Less visibility to the public perhaps, but maybe it'll give me rewards in more bulbs again.






And then there's my poor fish-less pond. The zinnias have a blight of some sort. I went online to find out what's "buggin' em" and I think it's zinnia blight. All the description seems to fit. The leaves are dead, dying, looking like bad banana peels. Of course, the number one thing it says to do to prevent this: Don't water them from above...partly because it spreads the blight to the soil and you shouldn't plant zinnias there for at least two years. Well....duh....guess what, folks? Yep. But I think probably they'll be visiting the polycart this coming Wednesday. That should increase the daylight that the zebra grass gets too. I think it needs more sunlight. Next year I'm thinking maybe some Sweet Carolina - the sweet potato vine stuff - for low coverage and the zebra grass for height.

We've had wonderful rain and cool temperatures...which is nice...but I really hate to see summer go. It was incredibly short this year I thought. Maybe we'll have a long autumn. Count your blessings....they're plentiful!

Garage Sale Finds

Look at these neat stoneware "thingees" I found at a garage sale yesterday...2/$1. I love leaves and I think these will just fit right in...especially coming from a garage sale 'cause most of my house seems to have come from garage sales!!!

Anyway...just wanted to show you my cute little candle holders...or whatever they are.

Hutchinson Magazine

Hey...have you seen the new fall edition of the Hutchinson Magazine. Right there, on pages 28 & 29, Greg Holmes and his little buddy Ace Jackalope, better know as just "The Lope". Greg's a terrific guy with a great sense of humor and an incredible sense of "camera". He takes awesome photos! Take a few minutes (hours, days) and check out his blog. Worth the time to just relax and enjoy the scenery. So glad to see him get a little of much deserved fame.

The Hutchinson Magazine, for those of you who aren't local, is a relatively new (couple of years I think) publication by The Hutchinson News that seems to be "done right". Beautiful glossy photos, quality paper, interesting local people and places being interviewed and photographed....well done!!!!! I believe it comes out about every three months and is usually just left hanging on my door in a plastic bag...kind of like May flowers! Just a nice, pleasant gift! Please take time to check it out...especially the article about Greg...and don't miss his blog...humorous and educational and WONDERFUL photos!!!

Labor Day - 2009

Seems like I've really accomplished a lot this long weekend. Got Schiz' shots all taken care of, washed my car, ironed a TON of stuff, and today took a 22 mile bicycle ride with Concha. She called yesterday afternoon to see if I would like to ride today, and my answer was , "YES!!" We met at nine this morning and after a quick stop here to pump up her tires, we headed to the Highlands. We did a couple of laps up there and then headed back to town. Good ride, good company. We're kind of "new friends" and I think we surprized each other with our knowledge of mutual acquaintances. Small world...very small world.

After returning home, I decided to edge and mow before getting my shower. Then came cleaning the pool and shocking it (that's done with chemicals, not just my swimsuit!). Then I came in and got a shower and read the paper and worked the puzzles...and finally gave in to a little nap. (I'm known for being the master of the 7-minute nap! Seven minutes and it's a whole new ballgame!)

Anyway, so now I'm just "chillin'" and waiting for whatever happens next. Sure feels good to have accomplished so much.

and Things That Make Schiz Go "Hmmmmm"

Yesterday was Schiz' day to get all her shots...or most all. We had an 8:30 am appointment with the vet...who's located out in the country near Arlington. And, because they are in the country (I suppose), they have LOTS of animals. Yesterday I saw
a) a mid-size young black cat
b) 2 very large, very discontent (with each other) probably Tomcats
c) an adorable little tiny yellow kitten...maybe 4 or 5 weeks old...the kind that springs rather than walks
d) 2 cute little terrier-type puppies about 6 weeks old
e) and they even had a cow give birth while I was there.

Schiz feels about other animals much as she does about children (which were also there). She'd just as soon avoid them...especially baby animals. She has her buddy Wally that she's known since she was five months old and he's all she cares about. She'll sniff other animals, but just doesn't much care about them otherwise. She's not unfriendly...she just doesn't care to get involved. I think she'd like a cat as much (if not more) than a dog...only because they'd be about her size and probably ignore her as well.

I was holding her and I tried to introduce her to one of the puppies. She only wanted AWAY!!! The mid-size black cat might have had a chance, but then it decided to prove it's box-training wasn't perfect yet...so it got put outside real quick. The tiny little yellow kitten was persistent however.

After Schiz got her shots, I said I'd go put her in the car and be right back in to pay. As I walked to the car carrying Schiz, the little yellow kitten was just all over us...springing along under my feet. I kept pointing it out to Schiz and she was watching it too. I opened the back door of my car and put Schiz inside...checking to see where the kitten was. Schiz was watching too. The kitten went under the car right at the back door. I closed the car door and headed back to the building. As I opened the office door, the kitten came bounding out from under my car and went inside. So I KNEW WHERE THE KITTEN WAS. Good! (So, then I paid my bill and left..coming home.)

I pulled inside the garage, got out, opened the back door for Schiz to get out. She usually just hops right out and heads for the back garage door to go outside. Not this time! She hopped out and spun around, looking under the car very suspiciously. It was obvious that she still thought that silly little kitten was under there! I tried to convince her otherwise, but she's still giving wide berth to the car.

Then just as "icing on the cake"....I had a dream last night that I'd opened the door between the house and the garage and that little yellow kitten came prancing in!!!!! Sheeeeeessshhhh!!!!

Things That Make Me Go "Hmmmmmmmm...."

A couple of things I've read lately have me thinking, "Hmmmmmmm."

A line from one of Rod McKuen's poems about the "Grand opening going-out-of-business sale."

And...and I don't know where I saw this.... potato peeling pie.

Don't know why these two things have kind of gotten stuck in my head...probably all the other muck and mire in there!

Speaking of getting things "stuck in your head"...and you're gonna hate me for this.....'cause it'll be there the rest of the day!!!!!!

A frog, Kermit Jagger walks into the bank and goes up to the teller, Ms. Patricia Whack. He tells her he'd like to take out a $20,000 loan.
She said, "Well, Mr. Jagger, we don't know you. Do you have anything for collateral?"
At which point, Kermit Jagger says, "Well...my father is Mick Jagger, and I also have this"...and he sets a small ceramic elephant on the counter.
Patricia Whack says, "Sir, I'll need to talk to the bank president and be sure this transaction is alright with him, if you'll please excuse me."
She walks to the bank president's office and tells him, "Sir, there's a frog named Kermit Jagger in the lobby wanting a $20,000 loan. He says his father is Mick Jagger and all the other collateral he has is this ceramic elephant thing. What is it and what should I do?"
And the bank president says, "It's a knick knack, Patty Whack, give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rollin' Stone!"

Enjoy your day!! Have a great Labor Day holiday....and don't forget to count your blessings!