Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Mother's Day

 

Trying to remember my FIRST memory of my mom brought back MANY memories of her.  It's difficult to know if I actually remember this, or if I just remember the story being told over and over and over again.

Regardless, being a mother myself, I can imagine how she must have  felt the day that this happened.  I can almost feel her arms around me, trembling as she held me close.

The first house we lived in was west of Antlers, Oklahoma,  on the highway  to Darwin . . .  which also leads to Atoka.

That house was just up the hill on the opposite side of that highway where my paternal grandparents lived . . . Mam-ma and Papa Smith.

I'm not sure how old I was, but I was still riding a tricycle. 

Evidently, Mom let me out of her sight for a few minutes, so I headed out on my tricycle . . . down the middle of the highway.  This was a well traveled road, and even though it was in the country, the speed liimit was probably 55 mph.

Once she realized I wasn't at the house,  panic set in.

Of course, I don't remember any of these details.

The first car that came along was being driven by a lady who knew our family, and she was probably pretty surprised to see a toddler booking it down the hill in the middle of the highway on a red tricycle.  Thank goodness she saw me in time and was able to stop. 

By that time, Mom had spotted me and was running as fast as she could down the highway.  I would imagine she was doing the 55 mph speed limit, on foot.  Probably, barefoot.

This is the part I think I remember:

She lifted me off that tricycle, held me so close to her chest, and  asked, "Sweetheart, what are you doing ?"

"Me just going to Mam-ma and Papa's house."

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I have sooooooo many wonderful memories of my mom and think of her every day.

She was a Master Teacher and loved being in the classroom. She was my first teacher at a two-room country school north of Antlers, Oklahoma, called Kellond. We lived on the "teacherage."  (If you don't know what a teacherage is, think parsonage.) She was a talented seamtress and made all my clothes. At the time, I wanted "bought" clothes, but now realize I had my very own "haute coutre" closet.  She even designed and made my wedding dress.  She was also a great cook.  She made a mean peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Mom was probably the best Grandmother ever.  Her two granddaughters were treated to about anything they ever wanted...like warm brownies twenty-four hours a day. But mainly they were treated to  warm,  unconditional love twenty-four hours a day.

When I lost her, there were no words left unsaid.  She knew she was loved. I knew I was loved.

When I see the sun's rays or the stars twinkle at night, it reminds me of her beautiful smile.

If you are lucky enough to still have your mom, make sure you tell her you love her today, because E.V.E.R.Y. day is Mother's Day.

 This was our first house and a photo of Mom in the spring before she had me in June.

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Rocky Mountain Sunset

Without a doubt, some of the most spectacular sunsets happen here.

Where ?

In the Rocky Mountains . . . Colorado . . . Grand Junction . . . more specifically . . . in my backyard.

Obviously, it was difficult to choose just a few, so here are about 2,000 photos (more or less, mostly less)  of our sunset that occurred on Thursday, May 9. 2013.

You will see: 
Mt. Garfield, Colorado National Monument, Utah, The Bookcliffs, The Grand Mesa, inside the neighbor's kitchen window . . .

 

It was a this point that my neighbor yelled at me from across the street after she saw this cloud just above and to the right of Mt. Garfield.

This is how that conversation went. (Please keep in mind, I'm up on a hill about 4 acres away.)

Her:  Hey, Kathy !

Me:  Wot ?  (That Okie for 'what.')

Her:  Is that a tornado ?

Me:  Yes.  Bring the car and let's chase it.

Silence

I guess she may still be in her basement.

Dear Jodi:  I was just kidding.  

How Do You Spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R ?

Once uponce a time, a very very long time ago, we came home to a missing kitchen.  If my memory serves me correctly, I think HansMan's exact words were, "Holy $hi+, someone stole our kitchen."  (Actually, they did leave the kitchen sink sitting in the middle of the floor.)

I walked around in a daze for about three daze days, then we left town, thinking that when we returned, everything would be normal.  Not.  Even when things are normal around here, they aren't.

For awhile, it was a devastating feeling but then thoughts about those people who lost entire homes from Hurricane Sandy came protruding through and I decided things weren't so bad.

Besides, I've always wanted a new kitchen, just not like this.  (And all new wood floor and staircase.)

One thing I've learned about contractors, they are notorious for telling you the job will be finished in  three days, and three weeks later they're still showing up.

Just tell me it will take three weeks or three months initially, so I don't plan on you showing up again and again and again.

Also, please don't use the words "issue" and "problem" around me anymore.  As in, "We have an issue/problem."

That's why I hired you.  I don't know how to snake a wire through weight supporting beams and walls. 

And, to make matters worse, there are 3 count them t.h.r.e.e.guys namedKevin who are working. I never know if it's workworker Kevin, light builder Kevin, or telelphone man Kevin.  Then, there is contractor Brian and wood floor guy, Brian. Could I be any more cornfoosed ?  And, Tammy, and Brav, and Cooper, and Jerry the tile people.  And, Trent the plumber.  And, Clayton and Dietz the electricians.  And, Carrie Anne the cabinet designer.  And, Les the painter.  And,  the sheet rocker whose name I don't know.   Is it five o'clock yet ?

But, as usual, I digress.  Here are the photos.  And yes, it's like camping in my own house:

Looking down at the contents of the 'pantry,' dog beds, vacumn, and various items I don't recognize, or care to recognize.

Standing at front door looking through entry and into living area. 
Do you like my new floors ?  It's called "the cardboard effect.'
If you look closely, you can spot (pun intended) the tell-tale remains of just one of the places Lola Cherry Cola threw up part of the six-pound homemade lasagne she inhaled this week.

Standing in entry looking left into what we call the Barnes & Noble room. That's because we read in there.  Notice the 'new floor?'   The green carpet went missing !

Standing inside Barnes & Noble room looking through the French doors.  Oops. The French doors went missing, too.  That will someday be a wall ! 

Moving on through entry, looking into kitchen.  Or what used to be a kitchen.
Yes, those cabinets hanging on the wall will go missing, too.  And instead of sitting here writing this post, someone should be down there packing all the dishes that are in those cabinets.

Looking at kitchen towards Barnes & Noble room.  That framed-in corner is a future pantry.

Close-up of pantry.

Framed in bi-level bar/counter top.   Hans managed to somehow haul in a picnic table from the deck.   There is no horizontal surface in this house that is not covered in clutter.

Up close and personal shot of bar.  Bar ? 

What was once a living area is now a pantry-combo-dog room.

Did I mention clutter ?

Beginning to relish this no-furniture-look.  If there's no furniture, there's nothing to dust.  If there's no dusting, there's more time to play.

 

Did someone mention clutter ? 

So, we'll end with Lola's artwork.  Just imagine a pile of ricotta, parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, sausage, turkey, and more sausage, noodles, and lots and lots and lots of spaghetti sauce.  This was NOT the only example of her artwork.

The tentative completion of tile foor is May 8.
The tentative completion of the wood floor is May 24
The tentative install date for the cabinets is May 28. 
The tentataive return of furniture is May 30.

The exact date of arrival of youngest daughter's family, whether anything is finished or not, is June 3.

That's all that really matters.

 

 

Jones on the Jukebox

 

Hearing about the passing of George Jones this week caused my mind to rewind back to the 1950's and early 1960's when we lived just north of Antlers, Oklahoma.  At Kellond, in a small, white-framed  house called a 'teacherage' (think parsonage, but school) was where I first heard George Jones sing "White Lighting", "Tender Years," "She Thinks I Still Care." 

My parents were in their early 30's . . . she was one of the two school teachers at Kellond (a two-room country school)  and he worked as an accountant for the highway department.

During the summer when it was blistering hot and the humidity was about 120, mom would open up the two windows in the bedroom.  One was on the north side and one was on the west side and no matter what the temperature was outside, a cool breeze always blew through that room.

Mom was an expert seamtress, so she spent most of her 'summer vacation' making clothes at the sewing machine in this room.  Between the foot of my bed and her sewing machine was a wobbly table that held  a small plastic record player that played 45's.  The kind where you stacked all the records on a cylinder, placed an arm over the top record, and watched a dusty, scratched, sometimes warped vinyl disc drop down to a spinning turntable. 

And just like magic, voices would come from a tiny speaker.  Those were the voices of Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Kitty Wells,  Gene Autry, Ernest Tubb, Red Foley,  Eddy Arnold, Lefty Frizzel,  Hank Williams, Skeeter Davis, Ferlin Husky, Marty Robbins,  Ray Price. . . and yes, George Jones.

Yes, I know every word to "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."  For a five-or-six-year-old who went to church every Sunday, the lyrics to this song were quite confusing.  Nevertheless, my mom and I sang that song, along with all the others, with wild abandon and to the tops of our lungs in the boondocks of southeastern Oklahoma.

There's no tellin' how many times those vinyl 45's turned round and round to the delight of a little girl who spent hours and hours watching her mother create gorgeous 'outfits' on her Singer and singing these wonderful old songs . . . every verse . . . every word.

No, I never did learn to sew no matter how much she tried to teach me. 

And no, I still can't carry a tune-in-a-bucket.

But, I have these wonderful memories etched in my mind as if they happened yesterday.

Fast-foward to this week.

Hearing the news about the death of George Jones re-wound me back to those childhood days at Kellond.

It also, took me to present-day time to someone I met several years ago. That person's name is Becky Hobbs and here is that story

The Cliff's notes version, in case you don't have time to visit those links is this:   I met my husband's 'old flame' at the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  She, dressed to the nines and me, in my pajamas.  Oh, what an impression I made.

But I digress . . .

You know how a song can get stuck in your head and stay there for what seems like hours. . . days?

This song has been playing, non-stop, between my ears since I heard the news. 

 

 

Just in case you want to know more about Becky, whose probably most famous song is Alabama's hit, "Angels Among Us," and who is working on what will probably be one of the greatest Broadway plays ever, "Nanyehi."  HERE is her OFFICIAL SITE.

And now, please excuse me while I drift back to that tiny little bedroom in southeastern Oklahoma and lose myself in the classic country songs of the 50's and 60's.

Thanks, Beckaroo !

Tiptoe Through the Tulips (and Daffodils) with Me

Remember this photo taken of my garden about a week ago ?

Here are a few flowers that were hiding beneath the snow:

 

Gambel Quail Eggs

Update #2 from the Emergency Quail-Egg-Watch Broadcast System !

Mama was sitting on the eggs today.  She may have been laying another egg . . .

Update #1 from the Emergency Quail-Egg-Watch Broadcast System !

Since posting yesterday, I became concerned about the eggs as I had not seen or heard Mama or Daddy in the area.  So, I did as I always do when I have a question . . . I 'google' it.

This is what I found:  CLICK HERE

So, I called the number, and guess what ?  Jeani answered the phone and visited with me at length about these eggs.  Amazing that there are real people who still answer a phone and take the time to help !!!   I learned SO MUCH from her. 

I have now set up a camera to be able to watch and see if there's any activity around the hay bales. I'm so hoping  Mama and Daddy come back.

Did you know that the female will lay one egg a day, or as often as there's enough calcium in her body to do so ?  The best I can tell, there are about ten eggs visible in the photo below.   That means she's been busy for about two weeks.  

Once she finishes laying all the eggs, she will then start sitting on them.  Incubationn is about twenty-one days.  The babies are precocial.  That was a new word for me. 

Oh, this is so much fun. 

Now excuse me while I go watch my nest !

*******************************************************

Do you see what I see nestled between the two hay bales . . . 

 

When I moved from "Okrahoma" to  Colorado, two of the sounds I missed was the call of the Bob White and the Whipporwill.

The first spring that rolled around here in the High Desert, I noticed birds walking around with little top knots on their heads and learned they were Gambel Quails.  The male's markings are darker and he is larger.  Most always, they are in pairs.  This winter, we had about twenty of them 'roost' in our evergreen trees out front.

They call each other when they become separated and when looking for a mate.

If you've never heard the call of a Gambel Quail, 'clink the link' for a listen.

Call of the Gambel Quail

 

Hopefully, the eggs pictured above will hatch and we will see the flurry of a new covey in several weeks. Mom and Dad were no where around, so the dogs and I vacated the premises in hopes they would return.

The two photos above were taken last July when Little Miss P (Pippa) was visiting.

How many quail do you see ?  Did you spot Mama Quail ?

 

S.N.A.R.T (Snow Art)

 It came quietly . . .

covering everything. . .

with perfect white crystals !

Lots of perfect white crystals !

Come along with me on this snowy walkabout through our yard.  Instead of having to bundle up with a coat, gloves, hat, and boots like I did at 7:00 this morning,  just grab a cup of hot tea and enjoy.

View looking west through balcony rail of Colorado National Monument.

 

From the end of the driveway looking through the Kokopellis toward the house.

Crab apple

The other crab apple.  Obviously, different species from the one above.

Some kind of grass that volunteered to grow from seeds that blew here from the neighbors up the street.

Apple trees

Apple tree branch

Apple tree branch with a hat

Tiny icicle hanging from apple blossom

Cottonwood

Another cottowood

How many letters can you find in this cottonwood ?

Peach tree

Garden
Underneath are tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, jonquils, irises . . .

 

Merry-Go-Round    (Reminiscent of Kellond School)

Sagebrush, jupiters, junipers,  pinons . . .

 

Ground level view of The Monument

Apricot tree

Chilly cherry tree

 

Any guesses what this is ?

If you guessed Buddha, you're correct.

Secret garden where we have tea parties

Picnic anyone ?

My feet

Old school bell  (Also reminiscent of Kellond School)

Strawberry pot full of shelled peanuts for the critters

Wagon wheel and skull

Corral

Hay bales inside corral

Bunkhouse

Corn for the critters

Another wagon wheel

 

Outdoor kitchen

Tiki torch

Backyard steps

No one is justa swangin'

Bird feeder

Saguaro

Wagon

Aspen tree

Don't know about you, but I'm tired.
Here's a bench for us to sit down on.
(I just ended a sentence with two prepositions.)

Back inside the house
View looking east through balcony rail at Mt. Garfield and the Bookcliffs

************************

Dear HansMan,

This post is for you since you're not here to enjoy the snow.