Looking Back

For some reason, the past few days, I've been thinking of the way things were when I was a child. I believe what kicked the memories into gear was watching Kid Nation on Wednesday evening, as I watched one kid who's chore was to pump water, I turned to James and asked him if he remembered having to pump water from an old pitcher pump in the back yard every day.

I remember that being my chore a lot of times when I was about 7 and on up until I was 9 or so when we finally got an electric pump and were able to at least have running water in the kitchen. When we came back from MN, where my dad had been stationed for a year, he left for an overseas tour and we moved into an old house on the Ligon place because it was only a few miles from my grandparents.

I can't remember exactly how long we lived there before moving to a house across the dirt lane from my grandparents, but I do remember a time of hot weather and a time of freezing cold. I also remember pumping water from an old pitcher pump that was in the back yard. I knew, from helping my grandpa and uncles at their house, how to prime the old pump with a little water if none would come out, and even though I had to sort of do a little jump and hop sometimes to get that handle up and down, I was pretty good at filling up the old galvanized bucket that supplied our drinking and cooking water. Another memory is never being able to get a full bucket of water to the house because it was a heavy load for a 7 yr old and I'd usually slosh a lot of it on the ground and all over me before I made it there.

It took a whole lot of buckets full to fill up that #3 wash tub to take a bath or to do fill up the wringer washer to do laundry but we did it and I don't remember being dirty or wearing dirty clothes, ever. Baths in the summer time were easier because we'd just leave the tub on the back porch or in the back yard, hidden behind the house, so it was a shorter trip to tote the water.

The bucket sat in the kitchen and we had a ladle for dipping a drink or for mom to dip up however much she needed to cook with. In the summer the water was great right after it had been pumped and most of the time when we wanted a drink we'd go straight to the pump instead of getting a drink from the bucket in the house. In the winter it would be so cold in the house before mom got a fire started in that cast iron wood stove and we'd have to take the ladle and break the ice layer on top in order to dip out a drink. It was so cold and so good!

Now, I wonder if they filter that water before those kids drink it cause it was a lot cleaner and purer back when pumping water was a way of life for some folks.

Ha! I wonder if they use AT&T!

The failure of radio and telephone equipment at the Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center, which controls 100,000 square miles of air space include most of Arkansas, is causing flight delays at Little Rock National.

Those Devils at AT&T are messin with my mind!

Last winter I dropped everything but basic service on my land line phone. I'd previously been paying for 2 lines because I used one for that dreadful dial-up Internet service but with the installation of the new, faster, satellite service I no longer needed the extra line. I'd also previously had a intrastate and international long distance calling plan but with AT&T's acquisition of Southwestern Bell, and their immediate increases in these services, I decided I just didn't need all that anymore.

After I cancelled all the extra stuff, my bill for basic services was $34.73 per month and it stayed that way for 3 whole months. Then the crazy stuff started up.

In March it was $35.17

In May it was $34.97

In June it remained $34.97

In July it jumped up to $36.13 (due to a basic rate increase)

BUT, In August it was $35.59

So this morning I sent an email to AT&T customer service to ask some simple questions, "Why has my bill been going up and down and what IS the amount of my basic monthly bill."

Someone from AT&T's customer service just called me in regard to my email, woke me up from my nap, and I still don't know the answer to those 2 simple questions. After she hummed and hawed for 10 minutes or so, I told her to please hunt around and find someone who knows the answers and call me back,,,or even better, answer my email WITH an email and I can finish my nap.

Happy Fall Ya'll !

Two views from last November (click em for a bigger view)

I know the first day of Autumn was yesterday but I didn't get around to posting so I'm late with my greetings. I would love to say that Fall was my favorite time of the year, but because it leads to Winter, it just isn't so. I don't like Winter with it's short days, it's bare trees, and the cold that I feel in my bones. I reckon I'm lucky that we don't have too many really, really cold days though.

Since the trees in my part of the world won't be feeling too autumnish for a few more weeks, (we hang on to Summer as long as we can) I dug into some of my photo files from last year.

I'm a Seeing is Believing Kinda Gal

It's not easy to bullshit me, don't get me wrong, in most instances, I'd rather believe what a person tells me than not, but I do tend to disbelieve most of the hype on TV commercials or magazine ads. I figure, in those cases, they're gonna tell you mostly what they think you want to hear/read and if it means some major exaggeration to sell something, they'll do it in a heartbeat. They want your money, ya know?

Anyway, in my meandering way, I'm trying to say that I'm not easily fooled into spending my money on foolishness so I'd like to tell you about something I tried a sample of, and just ordered a 2 month supply of.
After using the sample, for 3 nights (it only included 6 patches), I woke up after the 2nd night without pain in most of my bodily parts for the first time in several years.

Those foot detox patches are pretty fine. The heat from the Detox Pad (Patch) helps absorb perspiration from the bottom of your foot. The bottom of the foot is the location where most of the nerves in our body end. Therefore it's used on the sole of the foot to clean out waste and toxic materials that are expelled in the form of sweat.

I decided to try them after visiting an online site about pain relief for arthritis. Old Arthur has been dealing me a heap of misery lately and I was near 'bout to get to the end of my rope. The patches are used for a whole lot of stuff like, "arthritis, to improve your immunity system, increase vitality and energy,
reduce stress and anxiety, improve circulation, improve sleep, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other things.

The main ingredients are wood vinegar extract, bamboo vinegar extract, and Tourmaline, but there's some more stuff the Japanese throw in there. It's all natural stuff too.

I'm going to try a round of 30 treatments first off cause I'm pretty sure there are enough toxins in my system to cause Green Peace to take up residence in my back yard. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wednesday Already???

Dusty Delta Sundown

Geez, where's this week going?

Beans got her cast off yesterday
and the poor baby has blisters all over her arm. She's afraid to use
that hand right now but I think she'll realize it doesn't hurt anymore
soon and be right back at it soon.

Zach and The Chick really got a workout at their Tae Kwon Do class yesterday. I makes me tired just watching them. Alexis also takes dance and tumbling so she's in good shape.

Trish sent me a copy of Jordan and Jaylen's 5 wk reports and those girls are shining! All A's for Jordan and nothing but good things for Jaylen.

We haven't gotten Zach's 5 wk report yet but I'm thinking there'll be room for improvement after looking at his grades online the other day. He seems to go from one extreme to the other.

Jami hasn't mentioned MeriKate, Krysten,
or Abie's grades but I've helped them with their homework some and they
seem to know what they're doing so I think their reports will be just
fine.

Ok, I'm outta here, the way my back feels, I think I'm getting a kidney infection. I'm a little nauseous too.

The West Memphis 3 Inspires a Cold Case File Episode

COLD CASE Episode Inspired by WM3 Story will air on Sept. 23rd.

Three young boys were reported missing in West Memphis, AR in May 1993 and shortly after their bodies were found, the press, with help from the police department, jumped on the bandwagon and inspired what became one of the most well-known witch hunts since the Salem Witch Trials.

With evidence consisting only of a "confession"( that very evening recanted), from Jesse Misskelley, JR, a mentally handicapped teen, given after being held and questioned for 12 consecuative hours without aid of council or parental consent, Misskelly, and acquaintances, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin, were arrested, tried, and convicted.

The case bothered me greatly from the get-go. My heart ached when I first heard the news about the missing boys and ached even more when their bodies were found and it was later announced that the suspects were teens, which to me meant they were also children.

Over the past 14 years, I've kept up with news about the West Memphis 3 and very shortly after the investigation and trial information became available, I read it all, and I came to believe that the murderer or murderers of those 3, 8 yr. old boys was never found. DNA evidence was finally completed this summer and no DNA from any of the West Memphis 3 was found and this, even without the other BS that went on during the trial, makes me feel even more certain that our Justice system has screwed up big time.

Read all about it here, or read all the other information to be found online, and tell me what you think.

Just so I can say I did,,,,,

Thought I'd post a little something even though little of nuttin' has been going on in my neck of the woods lately.

Yesterday I had play time with Jillian while Jerri took the Chick and Zach to Tae Kwon Do and we stayed pretty entertained the whole time.

First we were entertained by Jerri's Mom's 2 Poms. Baby Girl was in heat, and Skipper, who's been neutered, wrestled around with her for a short while before getting tired and losing interest. Then Baby Girl decided he wasn't putting forth enough effort, so she'd fool around with him for awhile. Jillian would get irritated because they were "wrestling" around so much they'd get in the way of her playing so she'd take her BOW WOW (this huge blow up hammer thingy) and bop the hell of of them. It was a lot more entertaining than the cartoons on TV.

During the "wrestling" match we were also watching for the hummingbirds to come to the feeder outside the living room window. I was trying to get Jillian to say "hummingbird" but she insisted they were "birds". Simple enough, she's not one for long, drawn out, conversations or elaborations.

We also made several potty trips during which we sang the "PeePee on the Potty" song, discussed the artwork on the walls, played peep-pie in the mirror, and had short answer discussions about if it was time to wipe or not. I bet we spent over half an hour in the bathroom during that play date.

Afterwards while I was trying to put a diaper on her as she was in an upright position (she insisted), I was having problems with getting the tabs straight,

Nanaw : Well, Shoot!

Jillian: Shit?

Nanaw: That's not what I said this time Jillian.

Jillian: Shoot.

Nanaw: Yep, let's go see if we can find some big girl panties, ok?

Mid-Week

A little blurry, but here are our two Tae Kwon Do beginners. I think they look as cute as little bugs in their uniforms. James told me I won't be thinking cute when one of them tries to use what they've learned on me.

They have a variety of students in their class but also have more than one instructor so that they are learning at different levels. The oldest student is my age. They were having to duck walk around the perimeter of the gym during one class and I was observing from the bleachers. When the "older student" was passing he breathlessly told me, "I'm getting too old for this." I replied, "You're doing a great job, if I were to get down that low it would take Turk's Crane Service to get my old butt upright again."

Jilly Beans saw the doctor yesterday and the cast stays on for at least another 2 weeks. When I saw her last night, I asked her what the doctor said, and being a child who doesn't waste a lot of time on chit-chat, she lifted her arm and told me, "Doctor, broke, boo-boo." I reckon that said it all.

When I dropped the Chick off at home after their class, Beans came running out of the house in her birthday suit to give me bye sugars. After she sat in my lap for a few minutes, confiscated my powdered donuts and Zach's left-over chips, she was ready to go back inside. Alexis had plans to show her momma and daddy what she'd learned in class so I bet it was a rowdy there for the next little while.

Trish called last night to tell me that she's officially on strike. She told Jordan and Jaylen that since they couldn't pick up their toys and clothes or clean their rooms, she couldn't drive them to ball practice or take them other places because she had to spend all of her time cleaning up their messes.

Jami came in this morning with 3 sad little girls. It seems, from first appearances, that someone has poisoned 3 of their dogs, two of which stay in a pen. The county Sheriff is one of their neighbors so I'm hoping they'll investigate and find out who did this because it takes someone mighty evil and cold-hearted to kill a pet.

UPDATE: Only one of the girls pets was poisoned, the ones in the pen were ok.

Burned Popcorn

Zach pushed too many buttons on the microwave the other evening when he was popping some popcorn. He doesn't stay around to wait on it so the result was a bag of popcorn that was reduced to cinders. Since then I've been trying to get the smell out of the microwave and my house.

Febreeze has done a lot towards reducing the nasty smell in the house but the microwave is another matter.

I first tried vinegar,,,zapped it several times, left it in there to cool, then washed the inside of the microwave out with the vinegar... Still had the cindered popcorn smell but with a pickled undertone.

Next I tried lemon. I zapped that lemon several times too. First in a bowl with a little water, then just tossed it in and tried it. Could still smell the popcorn-pickle, but now there was also a lemony smell added to it.

Oh, and I tried frebreezing it too,,,didn't work but it added floral notes to the others.

I just looked online and saw that someone there suggested vanilla. I may come up with a new frangrance here if this keeps up.

Turning Granny Cartwheels

Alexis did such a FANTASTIC job in her pageant last night. Her momma did a fine job finding this dress cause it showed off those pretty blue eyes of hers. It was her first trip out onto the stage without momma's help and she did it like a pro. Jerri and her mom took all the photos, Nanaw manned the video camera. I think there will be a lot of film with different butts in it even though I was trying to focus around them all during the pageant.
Jillian had her pageant last night too but since it was hot and muggy, and after her bed time, all she wanted was for that dress to be OFF so she could get cool. Jerri took this shot when they were trying on the dresses sometime last week. She's doing her wink.

I put 4 of my photos in the photography exhibit at the Tri-County Fair this year (same place they hold the pageants). I've thought about it the past several years but was so afraid that my "beginner" stuff would look pitiful being shown there with so many wonderfully creative shots by others.

Anyway, the photos of my Butterfly, Zach and Abby, and Jillybeans Wiggle, all won blue ribbons and you can't imagine how excited I was. But then I looked for the Sunflower shot I'd entered and I couldn't find it. I looked some more, and it just wasn't there with all the others being displayed on that side of the hall. I was starting to give up, thinking they'd disqualified it for some reason, when Zach told me there were some pictures over on the other side. I walked over there and looked around the walls and didn't notice it at first even though it was directly in front of me. If my old, butt hadn't been so tired I'd have tried a cartwheel or two, right there on the spot cause there, under the Best of Show Banner was my Sunflower photo with a blue ribbon AND a Best of Show ribbon.

I was a little excited about that.

Germantown Performing Arts Center Bullshit

You know what? I'm tired of this bullshit. These employees were fired for tying off excess ropes in the same way that, apparently, it's done in theatres everywhere, worldwide. Should I also take offense because one of my great, great, great, uncles was hanged for horse thievery?

As a U.S. citizen, I'm tired of all the controversy over whether or not we are offending some group, individual, or their culture, if we choose to show our patriotism or practice our right to free speech, and I'm tired of every, little, mundane action being treated as a racial slur. In my country, you may practice this right to free speech but when you're all done whining, complaining, and putting down our cultures, and way of life, you can practice another right freely given in this country, you can leave.

We're Americans dammit! We're made up of a variety of cultural backgrounds but we chose democracy in this country and lately our rights, as American citizens, are being stomped on.

You want to live here?

Learn English, it's our national language, and by the way, Ebonics is NOT a language.
Practice your religion, it's another of the freedoms our constitution gives you, but don't you dare object when I, as a citizen, practice my own. "In God We Trust" is our national motto because this nation was founded on religious principles.

Wear what you want and eat what you want, and I'll do the same.

Leave my flag alone! I have a right to wave it.

I'm going to continue to say Merry Christmas and if you're polite you'll nod your head and smile. I won't take offense if you wish to give me your preferred greetings either,,,well most of them.

I take offense when someone who's never been to Africa, who's parent's have never been to Africa, or who's grandparent's have never been to Africa, refer to themselves as African Americans, but I don't protest this offense on the national news. My heritage is German/Irish/American Indian/and who knows what else, but I don't go around telling everyone that I'm German/Irish/American Indian/and who knows what else in every conversation, nor do I put this information on any personal information I'm filling out. You are African/Irish/German/etc,,, American IF you were BORN in another country, were a citizen of that country, and MOVED here and became a citizen of this country.

Ok, I'm done bitching for the moment.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope every one's having a great holiday weekend. It's been a hot one here but a bit cooler than it was in August, thank goodness, but still, I've spent most of the long weekend avoiding things that make me sweat.

Beans got her cast last Wednesday, finally. It's green and they've already painted it with some sparkles, and Jerri is trying to think of a way to decorate it a bit for their pageants coming up on Tuesday night.

The doc also decided to put Jami's broken foot in a cast since the boot/splint wasn't doing the job to let it heal.

Tae Kwon Do classes are going well for Zach and Alexis and they both like it. Their uniforms (do you call them that?) should be in on Tuesday so they'll look like little MA students then.

Trish, Jordan, and Jaylen are in town for the weekend and we went over on Saturday to spend some time with them. I swear, those girls look as though they've grown an inch just over the past few weeks!

Jordan's softball team was ranked 3rd/4th (depends on which championship you read) in the state and 6th in the nation this season!

I got the news the other day that one of my past tax clients is in jail for handling an incident on his own with some good ole boy redneck justice. Apparently he'd been having problems with someone breaking into his welding shop and stealing stuff, so he decided to set up an ambush for them. He decked himself out in cammo clothing and night vision goggles and waited. When they broke in the other night he met them with shotgun blasts and killed two men.

I've heard, through the grapevine, that they're charging him with first degree murder but haven't seen anything on the news about it, so who knows?

This guy was working on a part for my son-in-law and the part became part of a crime scene. I think the sheriff escorted him onto the property the next day and let him get it so he could put his truck back together.

School's going good so far this year, I've heard no complaints from Zach's teachers. I went up on Friday and met with all of them except 1 and I'm really encouraged that this year will work out better than previous ones.