Find your inner Smurf!

Now I never would have believed this in a hundred years!

Jerri took this great photo of Alexis (Chickie) the other day. I just had to show it!!

I am extremely happy that our Special K has some of her worries taken away. I'm here hoping she'll have lots of new adventures and good times ahead!!

"there I go, turn the page."

I have many talents but baking, where you have to do a lot of measuring and stuff, ain't one of them. My husband says, and I quote, "Brenda, you are the only person I know who can fuck up a pre-made, packaged cake."

I decided this morning that it's been way too long since I had FRESH bread. I replaced the bread machine fairly soon after the fire because these machines advertise to be NO FAIL and I'd had pretty good luck with the old one I'd had.
Folks, they are no fail but you do have to put things in them in the right order for them to be able to work.

About 30 minutes ago, I loaded the machine with 1 cup of room temperature water, then added my bread flour (wheat today), made my little hole in the flour and put in my yeast, then I glance over to my left and there is the little paddle do-hickey that is supposed to be attached BENEATH all that water, flour and yeast.

I dumped all that out and started again so keep your fingers crossed, this could be a breadless day.

I tried to post last night but blogger, or IE, or some unknown forces kept me from doing my deed. Being the lazy human that I am, I gave up after the second try.

I had a good day yesterday. We had a girls afternoon (except for Zach, but he didn't mind) at Jerri's. My sister was there with her daughter, my oldest daughter and her two girls, and of course little Miss Chickie. We spent the afternoon beneath the pecan trees in the yard and did absolutely nothing but talk, and laugh, and look through new scrapbooking supplies.

A lazy afternoon was had by all!


4 of my grandchildren and my Neice


My sister, Paula, and the dozing Chickie


My dauther, Trisha, with Jaylen


My Niece Megan


Jerri, Chickie's mommy

I just don't know what to do anymore. My kids are driving me nuts. Jami was here again this morning right after 8 a.m. with her three girls. I love my kids but I don't want to see them every day and I don't know how to tell them this without hurting their feelings big time. I'm committed to raising Zach, that's a given, but I also feel as though I'm still raising his mother too. I'm really getting depressed with the situation.

I don't feel like my youngest daughter is doing the best she can with housework and taking care of the girls. Actually she is pretty much doing the least that she can and I feel guilty because I just don't have the energy to take on the responsibility of more children. At the same time I get angry because I shouldn't have to feel guilt over it. I don't even know if I'm making any sense with this so I'm going to stop with it for now cause I feel a crying jag is in the works if I go on.

I can't remember much that I did today that mattered much. I got up this morning and I guess that was the major event. I went to work for a few hours and that was an aggravation. I finished the book I was reading (Amazonia) and now I'm hoping the next book I read will be as good in comparison. I cooked supper and then cooked MORE supper because my son mentioned that they were coming by, then they didn't, so most of tomorrow's supper is also cooked.

Somehow the day went by and now I'm sitting here contemplating on whether I can trust Zach to behave himself long enough for me to get in the tub for a nice soak. His poppop is here but is situated in the "magical" recliner that puts him to sleep as soon as his feet go up.

Tomorrow I plan on doing only as much as I absolutely have to.

Memphis police finally confirm that the body is that of the missing child.

A former neighbor snatched 7-year-old Tyra Knox off a Frayser street as the child played with a scooter, dragged her into a vacant house and suffocated her, according to police.

Tobias Johnson, 23, who formerly lived across the street from Tyra's home at 3567 Mountain Terrace, was charged Wednesday night in her abduction and slaying.
Tyra's mother, Angela Jones, reported the child missing about 4:40 p.m. Saturday.

Memphis police charged Johnson with first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of an aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated child abuse. He also is charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated child abuse.

Tyra was riding on the sidewalk in front of 3558 Mountain Terrace Saturday afternoon when she was pulled screaming from the scooter, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday evening by Homicide Sgt. Tim Helldorfer.

Johnson covered Tyra's mouth to prevent her from screaming as he dragged her and the scooter to a rear door, the charges state.

Once inside a rear bedroom, Johnson put his hand over Tyra's mouth and nose until she suffocated, the charges say. Then, according to the charges, Johnson concealed Tyra's body in the attic.

Police discovered the child's body Monday night. On Wednesday, they confirmed the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office had identified the dead child as Tyra and ruled her death a homicide by suffocation.

Johnson was arrested Tuesday night at 4687 Old Raleigh in Millington as a suspect in a rape that occurred two days before Tyra disappeared.

Earlier Tuesday evening he had walked into Saint Francis Hospital because he was suicidal, but walked away about 6 p.m.

When questioned Wednesday, Johnson admitted killing Tyra, according to the charges.

Johnson and other family members had lived previously at 3558 Mountain Terrace where the child's body was found.

Mattie Johnson, a relative who was the house's caretaker, summoned police after becoming suspicious when she went to check Monday.

The scooter that Tyra had been riding was found inside the house. A similar pink bicycle also was taken from the house.

Johnson was in Shelby County Jail Wednesday night awaiting a bond hearing.

The charges were the latest in a string of criminal and civil charges against Johnson, many involving the abuse of females.

In April, his estranged wife sought an order of protection against him, alleging he had fondled her three minor children. The Tennessee Department of Children's Services began an investigation, spokesman Carla Aaron said.

The investigation results were turned over to state prosecutors. The children were allowed to stay in the home of Teresa Harris-Johnson because state investigators were confident she would protect her children and keep Johnson from them, Aaron said. "The mother is very protective," Aaron said.

The rape allegation that led to Johnson's arrest Tuesday is not related to the allegations by his estranged wife.

He was charged in January 2000 with possession of marijuana. Police were called to 3558 Mountain Terrace by the mother of a runaway who said her daughter was being held at that address. Johnson was known to have hidden runaways in a shed behind the home, according to the arrest ticket in that case.

When police arrived, they found Johnson inside in a haze of marijuana, the report said. Two sisters, age 15 and 17, were hiding inside a cabinet. Their mother told police that there had been an order of protection issued two years earlier, prohibiting Johnson from being with the elder daughter.

In July 1999, Johnson's sister called police, saying he had tried to break into her house at 1783 Gowan.

Police arrested Johnson at 3558 Mountain Terrace after another call claimed he was holding an underage female against her will in the shed.
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I really love reading my daily network of blogs since they are a damn sure better than anything read in a newspaper these days and more entertaining than most television shows. I also enjoy writing in my blog as often as I can as well as finding and sharing things that make me laugh. But folks, I'm no Earnest Hemingway. In order to write what's on my mind, very little of the proper construction of the English lauguage is going to be found here.

I am not a writer. My meanderings come directly from my thought processes even though those processes are often screwed in backwards. I believe I get the meaning across even if my participles dangle in the wrong direction at times and my possessives get possessed. My pluperfect tenses might be assbackwards and my clauses lost causes but what you see is what you get except for when it gets away from me and then you'll help me find it, right?

What is it about me? I've been trying to get a nap in every day this week (I think the one I had on Sunday has ruined me) but who can sleep with folks tripping in and out of here all during the day? I had thoughts of taking a nap yesterday when I finally got the chickie down to sleep, but nooooooo,,,that damn phone rang 3 times and those thoughts were soon dashed. This morning I had to run errands and I drove like a bat outta hell to get home to catch a nap on the couch and 10 minutes after I get here, here comes Jami and the 3 girls. They just left and now I'm outta the mood!!

I'll be really wired by tonight since I was awake at 4 this morning.

The police in Memphis are really fiddle-farting around with the investigation of the missing and murdered child. They still haven't released information that the body was that of the missing girl even though the news said this morning that they'd brought in a suspect for questioning.

I'm not sure how murders get solved here in Phillips County. I reckon they arrest the man with the smoking gun after they've stumbled over the body. I do know a call to the sheriff's dept down here results in a long wait due to all the guys waiting around so as not to have to be the first on the scene.

I found out that the helicopter that was circling my late sunflowers the other day was lucky enough to find some of the real stuff just a few miles west of here. The paper said they confiscated about 1000 plants.

I wonder if those plants would grow in amongst my sunflowers?

Whew, my day is almost done. That chickie and I really did play a lot today and this Nanny is bushed.

I had one little episode that made me feel like a total idiot today (and mind you that's hard to do when your only company is 6 months old!) Around 10 Alexis was getting sleepy so I changed her and we climbed into PopPop's recliner/rocker to sing her to sleep. She laid there and sang with me for a long time and then she started getting restless. I knew she wasn't hungry and knew she was sleepy so I figured maybe her diaper was wet again and slid my hand down the back of her diaper to check it. Well, she wasn't wet, but I went in knuckle deep into something worse! The kid and I were like acrobats in the bathroom with me trying to hold on to her whilst I navigated soap and water to try to clean my icky hand so that I could put her down to change her little package. That was about the shittiest part of my day.

I'm sitting with the Chickie again today. The regular sitter is taking her daughter to the doctor and Lexi refuses to stay with the backup sitter. I guess it's a good thing she loves her Nanny but Nanny sure is worn out at the end of the day.
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On Sunday, I heard on the news that a 7 yr old girl was missing from her home in Memphis. The mother was interviewed on television and she was upset that there had been no news coverage about her daughter's disappearance nor had it been issued on the national "Amber Alert" system until Sunday. The woman appeared to be much calmer than I could have been in that situation.

Last night a news alert came on during regular programming with information that the pink scooter had been found across the street from the child's home near an empty house. When officers were called to investigate, they found a child's body inside the house but they have not confirmed that it is the body of the missing child as yet.

This all sounds odd to me. A 7 yr., missing since Saturday afternoon, police, family, and neighbors searching, and no one goes across the street to the empty house to search the yard AND the house? Holy Shit people,,I'd be on my freaking KNEES looking for clues to find MY child, and an empty house nearby would be the FIRST place I'd look. I don't understand what is going on here, but I'll be watching the news for updates. A child is dead, how much more tragic can it get?
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You just know in your heart that this thief was a man,,,right?

Wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun, a thief burst into the
bank one day. Aiming his/her gun at the guard, the thief yelled,
"FREEZE, MOTHER-STICKERS, THIS IS A ****-UP!" For a moment,
everyone was silent. Then the snickers started. The guard
completely lost it and doubled over laughing. It probably saved
his life, because he'd been about to draw his gun. He couldn't
have drawn and fired before the thief got him. The would-be
thief ran away and is still at large.

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

This'll learn em dammit!! and it can be applied to any wartime situation.


How to win that war

Take all American women who are within five years of menopause - train us
for a few weeks, outfit us with automatic weapons, grenades, gas masks,
moisturizer with SPF 15, Prozac, hormones, chocolate, and canned tuna and
drop us (parachuted, preferably) across the landscape of Afghanistan, and
let us do what comes naturally.

Think about it.

Our anger quotient alone, even when doing standard stuff, like grocery
shopping and paying bills, is formidable enough to make even armed men in
turbans tremble.

We have had our children. We would gladly suffer or die to protect them
and their future. We would like to get away from our husbands, if they
haven't left already. And for those of us who are single, the prospect of
finding a good man with whom to share life is about as likely as being
struck by lightening. We have nothing to lose.

We have survived the water diet, the protein diet, the carbohydrate diet,
and the grapefruit diet in gyms and saunas across America and never lost
a pound. We can easily survive months in the hostile terrain of
Afghanistan with no food at all!

We have spent years tracking down our husbands or lovers in bars,
hardware stores, or sporting events----finding bin Laden in some cave
will be no problem.

Uniting all the warring tribes of Afghanistan in a new government? Oh,
please.... we have been planning seating arrangements for in-laws and
extended families at Thanksgiving dinners for years---we understand
tribal warfare.

Between us, we have divorced enough husbands to know every trick there is
for how they hide, launder, or cover up bank accounts and money sources.
We know how to find that money and we know how to seize it.... with or
without the government's help.

Let us go and fight. The Taliban hates women. Imagine their terror as we
crawl like ants with hot flashes over their godforsaken terrain!!!
***************************************************************

I found this on one of my surfing adventures

I Want To Go Back To The Time When.....
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming "do over!"
"Race issue" meant arguing about who rant he fastest
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly"
Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends
Being old referred to anyone over 20
The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball and rules didn't matter
the worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was "cooties"
It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb
It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event
Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot
Nobody was prettier than Mom
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the amusement park
A foot of snow was a dream come true
Abilities ere discovered because of a "double-dog-dare"
Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures
No shopping trip was complete unless a new toy was brought home
"oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense
Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team
War was a card game
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon
Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle
Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin
Ice cream was considered a basic food group
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors

Supper's all done and the dishes are swishing around in the washer so I thought I'd sit a bit. I did a "Stuff about Me" list and put the link down there below my favorites and email link in the margin. I'm impressed by all the 100 things that I've been reading, but get too distracted to think of that many things to list about myself. I'll be thinking of some, then I will remember that I have a load of laundry to put in the dryer and lose my way. I lose my way a LOT.

I've been smiling for two days after having chats with Kat. It doesn't matter how bad or cranky I feel, I gotta smile after that. We've talked a few times over the phone and since the first time, every time we chat on here, I hear her voice as she types and I read and I laugh all the harder. She's doesn't have a drawl for sure (grin).

Yesterday was pretty busy. Hubby got the bright idea to cook burgers and hotdogs on the grill for the kiddies. This was all well and good, but we ended up with 17 here for lunch and not all of them were knee-high to a grasshopper. After everyone left and hubby took his afternoon nap, I laid down on the bed around 3 to rest my eyes for a few and woke up over 3 hrs later. I could hear Zach in the living room when I regained consciousness and I thought, "HOLY SHIT, I OVERSLEPT!". Much to my relief, it was still Sunday and not Monday morning though.

This morning I went through the usual routine to get us ready since I had to get Zach to school and myself to work for a few hours. I haven't done much of anything since I've been home and plan a restful, mess-off day tomorrow since Zach will be with his mom until Wednesday when I pick him up after school again.

Did I mention that it's still HOT and dry here? I feel like one of those "suthurn" belles in the old south,,,I'm about to swoon heah!!

This is SO True!!

My favorite quotes by women.

A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who never owned a car. **Carrie Snow

A man's got to do what a man's got to do. A woman must do what he
can't. *Jane Sellman

Every time I close the door on reality it comes in through the
windows.
* Jennifer Unlimited

Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be
thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.
* Charlotte Whitton

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack
me at once.
* Jennifer Unlimited

If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.
* Catherine Aird

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being
hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.
* Erma Brombeck

Mammograms
Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test, and best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises right in your home.

EXERCISE 1: Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.
EXERCISE 2: Visit your garage at 3 AM when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat for the other breast.
EXERCISE 3: Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again. You are now properly prepared.
Author Unknown


My deck early this morning.

We watched two movies last night, and I found Kangaroo Jack to be much more believable than The Hunted but both were entertaining movies. One will make you laugh till you cry, the other will make you close your eyes during the continuous bloody scenes.

Sadly, I missed posting here yesterday. I came, I read blogs, I smiled, I laughed, I got squishy boob hug words, and then just as I was going to actually put words down, the interruptions would happen. When I first sat down here this morning I had to stop and think, "What was yesterday", then after I got past that, it was, "What did I do yesterday". Now it's sorta kinda coming back to me.

My son came with the tractor pretty early to mow the fodder out back so that all would be happy for the dove hunt the first weekend in September. (The shooting part must make the menfolk happy cause to me it sounds like a freakin WAR goin on and the doves are the winners.)

Then, since he forgot to pick up the brakes for hubby's truck, I had to drive into town and go to the parts store as well as buy a few more groceries that I'd forgotten on my previous trip to buy groceries, and then I stopped to fill up with gas on my way home. (Gas is up again here).

The afternoon rocked on until the next thing I knew, it was time to cook supper. Then just as I was going to lie down for a short nap, my son called and said they were bringing movies.

I guess my point is, yesterday flashed by without many accomplishments and now it's Sunday and that means tomorrow is Monday again!

Oh, but I did scan some photos of the grandbabies that ya'll can go take a look at if you want. Jerri took some lovely ones of the Chickie yesterday and I put a couple of those in.

I tried to be a bit constructive today. I mopped the kitchen floor before 8 a.m., vaccumed the living room, 1 bedroom, and the master bath, then I cooked dinner and my son and his wife and baby came to eat with us.

Now the dishes are done, the terrorist is bathed (he needed it after playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler), and I'm trying to unwind with a cup of coffee.

Jordan and Jaylen live in Little Rock


Neice, Cheryl with Zach and his sisters


Alexis at dinner tonight

Daddammit!! I am much too lazy to write stuff over again,,,and blogger seems determined to make me do just that!!

After the 28 straight hours with the Chickie, my EVERYTHING felt pretty much like it should be belonging to someone else this morning, but it being Thursday and all, I had to drag my old ass outta that bed and get myself dressed for work and the terrorist dressed for school.

It was hot again today, so I felt all sweaty and bitchy by the time I walked into the office. After I finished up as much as I felt up to doing there, I bought groceries, picked the kid up from school, and then cooked dinner. After dinner I laid down on the bed to rest a bit.

This lasted perhaps 10 minutes then the Zach came running in from outdoors chattering about the little "wolf" that was coming out of the field toward the yard. I hit the floor running with James just ahead of me. Our first thought was, wild animals will not come near humans or dogs (princess and the neighbor's St Bernard were out there with the kids). The sickly animal was not a wolf but an adult coyote and it was coming into right to the yard. James yelled at me to take the kids indoors and he ran to his truck to get his gun. The kids were upset that the animal had to be shot, but we feel sure it was rabid.

I do believe I've had enough excitement for the week.
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I found this at dailydirt.

The Whys and Wherefores of the Blues

If you're new to Blues music, or you like it but never really understood the whys and wherefores, here are some very fundamental rules:

1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning..."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."

3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then, find something that rhymes -- sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weigh 500 pound."

4. The Blues is not about choice. "You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch...ain't no way out."

5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs, and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.

6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.

7. Blues can take place in New York City, but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle are probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and N'awlins are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.

9. You can't have no Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places for the Blues: a. highway, b. jailhouse, c. empty bed, d. bottom of a whiskey glass.

11. Bad places for the Blues: a. Nordstrom's, b. gallery openings, c. Ivy League institutions, d. golf courses.

12. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, less you happen to be an old person, and you slept in it.

13. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if: a. you're older than dirt, b. you're blind, c. you shot a man in Memphis, d. you can't be satisfied. No, if: a. you have all your teeth, b. you were once blind but now can see, c. the man in Memphis lived, d. you have a 401 K or trust fund.

14. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could have. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the Blues.

15. If you ask for water and your darlin' gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are: a. cheap wine, b. whiskey or bourbon, c. muddy water, d. black coffee. The following are NOT Blues beverages: a. Perrier, b. Chardonnay, c. Snapple, d. Slim Fast.

16. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse, and dying lonely on a broken-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.

17. Some Blues names for women: a. Sadie, b. Big Mama, c. Bessie, d. Jennie.

18. Some Blues names for men: a. Joe, b. Willie, c. Little Willie, d. Big Willie.

19. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Debbie, and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

20. Blues Name Starter Kit: a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.), b. first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Peach, etc.), c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.). For example: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pegleg Lime Johnson, or Cripple Peach Fillmore, etc.

\

I thought I was going to bed, but I stumbled upon this little newsy item....Freaky!

~ Some miraculous prodigies weep blood and speak fluently in tongues they were never taught. Others exhibit stigmatic echoes of the wounds of Jesus Christ. For more than two weeksATTACK OF THE FLYBOY! earlier this summer, 13-year-old Chandan Goswami of West Bengal had full-grown winged insects flying out of his penis, the result of a bizarre and exceedingly rare type of parasitic infection of the bladder. Kinda makes your skin crawl to think of it, but you know, if this kid had played his cards right, he would be head guru at a brand-new Ashram right now, raking in wads of dough from gullible starlets and dim-witted "searchers" who might view his vile infestation as something beautiful and worthy of reverence… like this disease was symbolic of his power as a "hermaphroditic giver of life" or something. He could have given that ridiculous pick-pocket scam artist Sai Baba a run for his money!

The Chickie left her Nanny feeling like she'd been rode hard and put up wet!! But I did recall a few tidbits that I'd previously forgotten about kids today.

1. I can wash a bottle with one hand.
2. Kids will grab the nearest handy thing when you pick them up and hold on tightly, my tits are in tatters!
3. Kids can stay awake a LOT longer than adults.
4. A pork chop will keep em quiet while you finish cooking dinner.

There are probably lots more, but I'm just too damned tired to try to remember them.

I am not superwoman,,,youngsters do this sort of thing on a daily basis (why they do is beyond me!) Why I continue to do this on occasion is beyond me too!!!

Ya'll tell me if this looks like "pot" growing.


Autumn Sunflowers as they are now.


Autumn Sunflowers as they will be in a few weeks (except I hope this year there won't be a storm to blow them all over!!)

Do I look like I need to be irritated, agitated, and aggravated this morning??? Haloscan must think so cause they let me post a comment or two on some favorite blogs and now they are being a bitch and I can't get the comment thingy's to come up. Mine aren't showing up at ALL. Damn it anyway.....

In the past 18+ hours, I've come to understand why there is that time in your life (mainly over 40) when your baby making hardware (or is it software?) seems to go wacky. When Zach was a baby, a few short years ago, it was hard enough. Now that I'm too close to the mid-century mark, it's taking a VERY heavy toll.

My son delivered Alexis (the little southern chickie) at around 3 yesterday because her mommy just got a promotion at work and had to go out of town overnight for a training class for the new position. My son, Chickie's daddy, had to be up at 4 am this morning for work, so they asked Nanny if she could handle having the Chick overnight and until Mommy gets home this evening.

You know Nanny won't turn down a challenge, so here's Nanny, after a night sleeping with the Chick surrounded by mountains of pillows. But Nanny didn't get much sleep because she worried that the Chick might get over the mountains and fall on her head. Then Chick decides at 4 a.m. this morning that it's time to get up and play. Nanny is not a happy camper at 6 a.m. in the mornings, so you can imagine how much fun she was at 4!

I got the sweetie back to sleep in time to wake Zach up for school. I had him sitting at the island in the kitchen having pancakes when the neighbor's little girl came over to ride to school with us and she decided that she needed pancakes too. I fixed the Chick some tutti-frutti in her feeder doo-hickey and after getting Zach dressed, brushed and flossed and his snack packed, I got the Chick up, in her car seat with feeder stuck in her mouth, and off we went to school.

Once back home, the chick played, which gave me time to start my new virus program downloading. After that I put her in her chair and gave her a cookie while I washed the dishes. Once the cookie was consumed, the Chick had to be dunked in the tub too. I rocked her to sleep and now Nanny is sitting here with a hot cup of coffee, a cig, reading her favorite blogs while jumping up every few minutes to go and make sure the Chick hasn't climbed the mountain of pillows in her sleep.

Whew.............Did I mention that this Nanny is about to get too damned old for adventures and challenges? Now let me go see why there is a freakin helicopter circling around out here..if that fucker thinks he's going to land, he's in for a rude surprise! Dang I hope they don't think my autumn sunflowers is pot again!!
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Art sent this to my email this morning so I'm passing on the smiles.

The following are different answers given by school-age children to the given question:

Why did God make mothers?

1.-She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.

2.-Think about it, it was the best way to get more people.

3.-Mostly to clean the house.

4.-To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1.- He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2.- Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3.- God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1.- We're related.

2.- God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1- God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2.-They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string. I think.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1.- My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2.- I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3.- They say she used to be nice.

How did your mom meet your dad?

1.- Mom was working in a store and dad was shoplifting.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1.- His last name.

2.- She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on Beer? Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores.

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1.- My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.

2.- She got too old to do anything else with him.

3.- My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

What makes a real woman?

1.- It means you have to be really bossy without looking bossy.

Who's the boss at your house?

1.- Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dads such a goofball.

2.- Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3.- I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1.- Moms work at work and work at home, and dads just got to work at work.

2.- Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3.- Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you gotta ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1.- Mothers don't do spare time.

2.-To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What's the difference between moms and grandmas?

1.- About 30 years.

2.- You can always count on grandmothers for candy. Sometimes moms don't even have bread on them!

Describe the world's greatest mom?

1.- She would make broccoli taste like ice cream!

2.- The greatest mom in the world wouldn't make me kiss my fat aunts!

3.- She'd always be smiling and keep her opinions to herself.

Is anything about your mom perfect?

1.- Her teeth are perfect, but she bought them from the dentist.

2.- Her casserole recipes. But we hate them.

3.- Just her children

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1.- On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

2.- Diet. You know, her hair. I'd dye-it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

1.- She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.

2.- I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.

It is hot enough to scorch a lizard's ass this week, and that's hot!! At 1 p.m. yesterday the temp was 100 F with about 100% humidity. I sweated from just walking to my truck.

I drove into town to pick up cigs this morning after I dropped Zach off at school. I noticed this ugly little car in front of me so I had to come home and see which auto manufacturer made the boxy looking thing. I found out that the Aztek is made by Pontiac. The price is not so good for an ugly car either, damned if I'd pay $20,000 for a box with a steering wheel!!

SOUTHERN SAYINGS

A whistling woman and a crowing hen never comes to a very good end. (be who you are)
Ain't that the berries! (that is great!)
As easy as sliding off a greasy log backward. (very easy)
Barking up the wrong tree. (you are wrong)
Be like the old lady who fell out of the wagon. (you aren't involved, so stay out of it)
Busy as a stump-tailed cow in fly time. (very busy)
Caught with your pants down. (surprised and unprepared)
Chugged full. (full and over-flowing)
Do go on. (you must be joking)
Don't bite off more than you can chew. (attempt what you can accomplish)
Don't count your chickens until they hatch. (first know the results)
Don't let the tail wag the dog. (the cheif is in charge, not the Indians)
Don't let your mouth overload your ass. (talking too much)
Either fish or cut bait. (work or make way for those who will)
Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then. (everyone is sometimes lucky)
Every dog should have a few feas. (no one is perfect)
Fly off the handle. (angry and lashing out)
Get the short end of the stick. (not invited and treated wrong)
Give down the country. (give someone a peice of your mind)
Go hog wild. (have a good time)
Go off half-cocked. (have only half the facts)
Go to bed with the chickens. (in bed early)
Go whole hog. (go for it all)
Gone back on your raisin. (deny heritage)
Got your feathers ruffled. (upset and pouting)
Happy as a dead pig in the sunshine. (doesn't grasp or worry what's going on)
Have no axe to grind. (no strong opinion)
Holler like a stuck pig. (someone mislead you)
I do declare. (usually means nothing)
In high cotton. (rising up in society)
In a coon's age. (been a long time)
Like a bump on a log. (lazy and doing nothing)
Like two peas in a pod. (act and think alike)
Mend fences. (settle differences)
Scarce as hen's teeth. (no such thing)
Sight for sore eyes. (Nice to you!)
Stomping grounds. (familiar territory)
Sun don't shine on the same dog's tail all the time. (you'll get what you deserve)
That takes the cake. (surprised)
Too big for one's britches. (someone taking themself too seriously)
Two shakes of a sheep's tail. (done quickly)
Well, shut my mouth. (shocked and speechless)

AIM TO- plan to do
AIRISH- cold
BIGGITY- vain and overbearing
BITTY BIT- a small amount
CARRY ON- to carry on foolishness
CLODHOPPER- heavy work shoes or large shoes
CHUNK- throw, toss
'COON- Raccoon.
COW LICK- hair standing out on one's head.
DIRECTLY- in a little while, or a couple of weeks
DIXIE- Southern States of the U.S.A
DO-HICKY- substitute name. Like the terms whata-ma-call-it or thinga-ma-jig
FALLING OUT- disagreement
FEISTY- being frisky
FIXING TO- about to
HEY- hello
HOLD YOUR HORSES- (be patient)
HONEY- affectionate term
LAID UP- ill, hurt, unable to work
MESS-one who carries on, "He's a mess."
MUCH OBLIGED- thank you; hope to return the favor
PIDDLE- waste time, doing nothing
PLAYING POSSUM- playing dead
RECKON- think or supose so.
SHINDIG- dance or celebration
SMOKEHOUSE- Shed with a dirt floor where pork and other meats is cured, and then smoked.
SORRY- inferior quality, worthless, and lazy
SOUTHERN BELLE- Southern lady
SPRING CHICKEN- young thing
SWEET TALKING THING- has a good line
TIGHT- stingy with money
WAIT ON- serve or assist
WART-TAKER-one who removes warts by charms or incantations
WHITE LIGHTNING- moonshine whiskey
WORRY-WART- one who is annoying

Y'all know Southern girls are quick on the drawl.

Hmmmmmmmmm maybe birthday parties are overrated.

MAN SHOOTS 6 AT SURPRISE PARTY!

OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian accidentally shot and wounded six of his friends at a surprise party to celebrate his 40th birthday, police said on Sunday.



The man found out about the party in a forest cabin in south Norway beforehand and hid behind trees nearby with a shotgun as about 30 guests turned up on Saturday night, hoping to turn the surprise on his friends,


He blasted off one round in the air, meaning it as a joke to shock the partygoers. But when he came out from his hiding place, he tripped and the gun went off again, badly hurting one woman in the legs and slightly injuring five others.


"Seven people were taken to hospital in Fredrikstad including the man who shot. He wasn't physically hurt but in deep shock," a police spokesman said.


The party was canceled.

1. Only you:: "can make my world seem right"

2. 33:: a long time ago

3. Foundation:: when I have to

4. Accidents:: Ouch

5. Hometown:: Brinkley

6. Natural:: State

7. Bombastic:: Holy shit

8. Bachelor:: Lucky

9. Far away:: Where I'd like to be

10. Tony:: I think there was a guy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Well, it's Monday. I rolled out of bed this morning before 6, got my coffee, took a quick bath, and relaxed a few minutes before waking the little terrorist to get ready for his first day back at school. He's excited about going into first grade but still doesn't understand that this isn't high school. We had to park a block from the building and walk through traffic but we made it to his room and I left him in the care of several teachers who will all be earning their salaries today.

After I left the school I went into work for an hour to do a little catch up since I missed going last Thursday. Then I did a little grocery shopping and stopped and bought a half bushel of peaches on the way home. Now I can relax for a little while.

Yesterday, on the Sci-fi channel, they had monster critter movies on all day. I didn't sit long enough to see more than a little of each movie, but Zach watched them until he went to bed at 9 last night. My subconsious must have gathered some of the information however, since I fought giagantic snakes all night long in my sleep. I was still holding my finger when I woke up this morning where that big ole snake took a bite!!

I reckon I could use a superhero down here,,what about it Special K???


Zach, ready for First Grade.

This house is like Grand Central Station sometimes and the lack of privacy is getting to be a problem.

Our neighbor usually comes by around 5:30 a.m. every morning for coffee and he and hubby discuss the day's farming doings. This isn't so bad since they seldom wake me and except for having coffee cups still in the living room when I get up, it's tolerable.
But weekends are a different story. More times than not his brother and cousin will join the neighbor in visiting for early morning coffee.

This morning I awoke to several empty coffee cups scattered here and there so I knew the "extras" had been by this morning. When hubby came in from where ever he had been, I remarked that it was kind of him to close the bedroom door before all of his company had arrived this morning. He informed me that when going after his second cup of coffee, he had passed the door and glanced in to see my naked butt shining so it occurred to him to close the door. Then when he told me that the door had been open when the others had gotten their first cups of coffee,,,,the shit hit the fan!

I don't know what's worse, having my bedroom next to the main living area of the house, or having company at 5 a.m. every morning!! Something has got to change or I'm going to have to start charging for the peek show!!!

The way we were....


Hoppy, Mike, and Dennis


Terri, Brenda, and Paula

That Special K has a way of reminding me of the good ole days. (the bee incident).

I've written before about my 3 "city" cousins who used to come spend time with us in the summer down on the farm. Hoppy (Gordon), Mike, and Dennis were sure greenhorns and my sisters and I had the best time teaching them the ropes!

I think it was Mike that we talked into riding a sapling one day. It took 4 of us to pull that little, stout tree over far enough for him to climb on and he barely had a good hold when we said "hang ON" and let er loose! I seem to recall Grandma giving us all a good whipping after daubbing his injuries with the idodine that she kept on hand for such emergencies. The whipping memory is faint because we got so many of them, it's not easy to remember which one went with which adventure.

My Goodness but it feels good to be mistaken for one of the younguns sometimes. Thank you Barry for thinking the first grader was one of my first generation offspring!

I slept until almost 9 a.m. this morning! Now I'm sneaking glances upwards in case the sky should decide to fall. Mind you I was up until after 1 watching some movie (I don't know the name of it), and then slept the first few hours on the sofa before moving to the bedroom around 5 or so, but even at that, I'm feeling much more rested.

Here are a few more photos that I think turned out well.




I took these on the last trip to visit my sister, going through the Ozarks.


On top of a little mountain in the fog.

This one is of a nest and a bird in my tree out front. I think you'll have to look closely.

Barton Elementary First Grade Supply List

1. Backpack - No wheels

2. Plastic school box (medium or large size)

3. 1 package of regular #2 pencils

4. 4 glue sticks

5. 4 block erasers

6. 2 boxes of crayons (Crayola brand - 16 or 24 count)

7. Sissors (Fiskars brand)

8. 3 folders (brief type with 3 prongs and pockets)

9. 1 box of Kleenex tissues

10. 1 - 8 oz bottle of hand sanitizer

11. $2.00 for D'Nelian writing tablets

12. $10 for classroom supply fee

I have no idea what the hell Fiskars brand sissors are. I have to buy two more glue sticks, and the hand sanitizer and tissues. Sounds like they are going to have a sticky party in there to me!!

Ahhhh hell, I had to try this even if I'm most like a dude than a dudette.

Boldly striving to overcome the darkness both in this world and within yourself, you are righteously devoted to forging your own destiny.

It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers.

School starts Monday here (little happy dance!) and that's a good thing. The stress level will be down for a few hours a day during the week and at the max after school when we have to do the homework thing again.

Zach has the idea that since he's graduated from kindergarten he's now eligible for high school. I'm not about to break his bubble but I sure hope he isn't too pissed at me when he finds out the truth.

Last evening Jami and I went to the open house at the school and met Zach's teacher and picked up the list of supplies he'll be needing as a first grader. It doesn't matter that last week I gathered up just about every supply that you'd think a first grader would need, there are still items on that list that I didn't think of and must go and purchase before Monday.

His teacher is a young lady that I've known since she was a toddler (does this make me old??) and she's a sweet thing so hopefully Zach won't terrorize her too badly. He is excited about returning to school so maybe he'll make it through the first two weeks this year without the dreaded paddlings.

Yesterday, it wasn't enough that I still felt like shit, I had a call from a client who'd filed an extension on their tax return who now wanted to file their return. Since the return has to be mailed today, you can imagine what I was doing for most of yesterday and last night. I hope he doesn't complain when I present him with the bill for my efforts. His wife owns the tax business that I work for so hopefully she will prepare him beforehand.

Today I must get some housework done. Himself mentioned last night that he sure hoped that I'd DO something today. I mentioned right back that I just might, but if he was really that concerned about it, he could consider doing it himself or finding someone else to do it for him.
That remark didn't go over too well but if he did the ranting and raving thing I missed it since I had to leave for the open house (grin).

Ya'll have a nice day now, ya hear?

I'm as lazy as a person can get today so far, so here are a few more of my favorite photos.



The Southern Chickie and her mommy.



I like this shot.


Nanny and Zach in the field last fall

Ya'll don't laugh too hard,,,I've actually done this shit.

HOW TO COW TIP

The stereotypical Arkansas pastime of days gone by. This is what your grandparents (and for some of you parents and yourself) did for fun.

Difficulty Level: easy

Time Required: bout 60 minutes

Here's How:

Get extremely drunk or extremely bored. Moonshine whiskey makes for the best cow tipping experience, but extreme boredom (teenagers with nothing to do) will suffice. Bring friends. Cow tipping is no fun without company! Find a pasture with cows. Everyone knows that everyone in Arkansas has cows so that won't be hard. Go at night so that you won't see the cow pies as you step in them...oh yeah, the cows will be asleep too. Find an isolated cow and be sure it's sleeping. Approach the cow against the wind. If you've been stepping in cow pies all night, the cow will smell you for sure if you are upwind of her and will run from the stench. Go for the tip! In a creeping motion, walk toward the cow, place both hands on one of its flanks, and push with a hard, but smooth stroke. RUN far away. The cow will wake up and tell all her friends about your stunt and they will stampede. The farmer won't be happy either (you don't want a hiney full of buckshot do you?). Go home to whittle or perhaps brew some more moonshine for your next cow tip!

Tips:

Be sure the "cow" you are trying to tip is not a bull. It is not wise to tip the bulls. Bulls are the cows with horns. Cows evolved to sleep standing up in order to better evade predators, obviously, since they can be tipped so easily, it didn't work. Don't try this at home! Cows have feelings too!!

25 Signs that Prove - "YOU'VE GROWN UP"

1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.

2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.

5. You hear your favorite song on an elevator.

6. You watch the Weather/Food Channel.

7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.

8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."

10. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door
won't turn down the stereo.

11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.

14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.

15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

16. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.

17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of
one.

18. Eating a basket of buffalo wings at 3 AM would severely upset,
rather than settle, your stomach.

19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and
pregnancy tests.

20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."

21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

22. "I just can't drink the way I used to," replaces, "I'm never going
to drink that much again."

23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is not for playing
games.

24. You no longer drink at home to save money before going to a bar.

25. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that
doesn't apply to you.

There are certain things in life that you just know are fact. The certainty that you'll die and pay taxes are just two of them. I've discovered another one.

On my death bed, that friggin phone is gonna ring, and it's either going to be my son asking me, "what are you doing?", or a telemarketer trying to sell me some freaking life insurance!!

The little older lady over on the other gravel road called me this afternoon. She invited me to a "meeting of the ladies" from her church. I told her thank you very much for the invitation but I had to decline because I was not feeling well, she replied that I did not sound well either (after removing myself from my prone position on the couch and a stumbling hunt for the phone,,I reckon I didn't sound so good). What I did not tell her was that I would be kinda nervous about attending a meeting with her church ladies. They are of the Penecostal Faith, I call it the holy roller's church.

I only ever attended one of their services back when I was a kid and about mid-way through the service when some of the ladies on the first row started rolling around in the floor and talking weird, I was looking for an exit or a place to make one. Some of these churches also have snake handlers, and I know for certain that I would not be able to politely sit through a service with snakes in attendance. I do believe I will be trying to avoid this little lady in the future.

Such was my day.

After 11 hours of this PAIN,,I finally decided to forget about biting the bullet and I've supplimented the ibupro with some pain pills the doc gave me for my back. It still hurts but I'm zoned out enough that it doesn't matter as much I reckon.

The right side of my head hurts from temple to below my ear so I'm not sure if it's an ear infection, achey tooth, or sinuses. I'm whiney, bitchy, and I think it's time to go back to the couch (if Zach will move over).

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and writes lots for me to read later!!


October 2002 Cotton

It is mid-August and I have that same feeling of loss about the summer soon to be gone. Next week they'll start to harvest some of the earlier varieties of beans, then will come the corn and rice, then the huge cotton pickers will be making their way through the fields. I dread winter when everything dies.


On a road leading to my house


The bayou beside one of the fields, taken last fall.


Ducks on Old Town Lake, last fall.

I found this on Leslie's page, and she found it on another favorite blog so I thought I'd try it.

1) Last dream: I never dream unless I'm sick and then it's a nightmare

2) Last car ride: To southland to pick up two bushels of peas yesterday (tues)afternoon.

3) Last kiss: Peck goodbye to hubby this morning

4) Last good cry: This morning

5) Last Missing Library Book: None.

6) Last movie seen: Phone Booth

7) Last Book Read: Still reading "The Apprentice" by Tess Gerritsen

8) Last curse word uttered: SHIT, SHIT,,SHIT this morning when I stumbed my toe one the coffee table for about the millionth time.

9) Last beverage drank: Coffee

10) Last food consumed: banana nut bread at 10 pm last night

11) Last crush: My biology teacher in the 9th grade

12) Last phone call made: Martins about the peas. Last one received: I don't know,,but when I find out I'm gonna say something stronger than shit!! (woke me this morning!)

13) Last TV show watched: Cold Case Files on

14) Last Item Bought: 2 bushels of shelled peas

15) Last time showered: Yesterday morning, a longgggggggggg lingering one

16) Last shoes worn: My earth sandals

17) Last CD played: Gary Allan, Smoke Rings

18) Last MP3 Downloaded: Never done it.

19) Last annoyance: That damned worm thingy I had to remove from my puter yesterday.

20) Last disappointment: Noone baked me a birthday cake dang it

21) Last soda drank: Diet Dr. Pepper

22) Last thing written: A comment in Leslie's blog

23) Last key used: my truck

24) Last phrase spoken: Bye

25) Last trip to the bathroom: 10 mins ago

26) Last sleep: off and on from 11 pm to 7:30

27) Last IM: Katrina on Sunday

28) Last sexual fantasy: Yesterday?

29) Last orgasm: Yesterday.

30) Last weird encounter: Meeting an old school mate a few years ago who I hadn't seen since age 13. She was a customer and we thought we recognized each other but didn't say anything for a few weeks.

31) Last Store Shopped at: Wal mart in Forrest City, AR (they don't irritate me as bad as the one West Helena)

32) Last ice cream eaten: Schwans Vanilla, chocolate swirl last month

33) Last time amused: This morning when Abie (age 2) came over (I had to take a break from typing this for a couple of hours). I am wearing a white cotton nightie and she was strolling by me in the kitchen, picked up the hem of my nightie, looked under and said, "Nanny, ju need to put some clothes on."

34) Last time wanting to die: When I had strep throat when my two youngest children were 2 & 3.

35) Last time in love: longgggggggg time ago

36) Last time hugged: This morning

37) Last time scolded: Yesterday

38) Last time resentful: This morning when the phone woke me up after a night of off and on sleep

39) Last chair sat in: My desk chair

40) Last lipstick used: Avon, pinkish something

41) Last underwear worn: panties yesterday morning (Victorias secret, second skin satin).

42) Last bra worn: Yesterday, A.M., (Victoria's Secret, second skin satin)

43) Last shirt worn: One of my Handicap Kids tees

44) Last class attended: 2 yrs ago, a Web Page designing class

45) Last Final taken: Same as above 2 yrs

46) Last time dancing: During my Biloxi trip the last week in July

47) Last poster looked at: I have two Georgie O'Keefe posters and one Monet poster in my home office

48) Last show attended: So long I can't remember

49) Last webpage visited: http://www.critterchick.blogspot.com/

I woke this morning with aches and fever but decided I would have to get better or die so I went to meet my friend as planned. Afterwards I shopped for vaccum food sealer bags and I finally made it home around 11, still feverish, but not dead.

I arrived home to tackle the reboot error problem that I was having with my computer last night (or was it this morning?). On my morning drive, I had heard news on the radio about a new worm virus (w32/lovsan.worm) that was wrecking havoc and felt the dread begin after they described the actions the worm would take. It seems that all you had to do was be connected to the internet to get the damn thing due to some loophole that Microsoft, in it's all holy wisdom, left open again for people who do these things.

I have over 860,000 files on this puter...do you know how long it takes to run a virus scan over that many files??? A LONG FUCKING TIME!! Therefore, my afternoon has been spent on the phone with my virus tech support, and downloading and installing a fix and doing another scan. Finally here I am. Still pissed off but finally through with it (hopefully, since I've not had the error message or a auto reboot in over an hour now).

And I still feel like shit warmed over.

Time for a beer!!!!!

I'm back. There wasn't much to see down there except for a lot of rice, soybean, and cotton fields. It felt about 20 degrees hotter out in the sun too!!


Guadulupe

I'm off to the farm today to get signatures on tax returns from that tractor driver, then meeting hubby for lunch at the general store down there for a bit of grease-soaked lunch. Jami hasn't come to pick up Zach as yet so I guess I'll be taking him down with me. That child is in his glory amid all the dust and dirt and tractors and other equipment. I'm taking the camera so maybe I'll find something interesting to shoot.

July storm on the farm, July 2002

I guess we'll spend another day doing the "find the comments link" again. This is royally pissing me off!!

Just when I think I've got it bad.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - Supermarket cashiers in Argentina are being forced to wear diapers to keep them from taking toilet breaks at work, a union says.

Female cashiers in western Mendoza province must wear adult diapers in case "cold, nerves, pressure or stress" provoke incontinence, union official Jorge Cordova told local news agency Diarios y Noticias on Thursday.

Cordova refused to name the supermarket, but he did say the chain is backed by foreign capital, said Sandra Varela, Mendoza's labor subsecretary.

"The truth is, it's difficult to imagine a line of 20 adult cashiers wearing diapers for eight hours," said Varela, who is investigating the matter.

"In seventeen years as a labor lawyer, I've never heard anything like this before," she added.

Last evening while I was banging pans and frying eggs I had a wonderful surprise call from Special K. Then later we were able to chat on yahoo for a bit. It was a great finish to a previously uneventful day for me.

Today I called her for another phone chat and, as usual, I ended up with tears in my eyes and a strain on my bladder from laughing so hard. I love that kid!!!!

This weekend has just been more of the SOS as usual. It's pretty hard to post something interesting when very little of interest has been happening. The most exciting thing of the weekend's activities? Krysten (#2 granddaughter) cut Abie's (# 4 granddaughter) bangs (almost to her scalp!) The kid is wearing a cap now in this hot weather. I thought safety sissors were for safety?????

The Perp (happy sissor kid)

The PerpEE,,, before sissors were applied

I have decided that if my kids must share all their cute little stories with me, I'll share them here, so be ready for whatever may come about!

Daughter #2, Jami, came by this morning and had to share with me. Abie, her youngest, is learning to use the potty. While she was at the sitter's yesterday she presented the sitter with an offering for praise. Yep, you guessed it. She retrieved her offering and took it to the living room for approval. Needless to say, there was a lot of scrubbing going on for a bit!

This has been a long week. I sent Zach home on Monday morning with his mom, he was back Tuesday morning with his allergies bothering him. Something there is causing him to swell and break out in a rash. I took him to the doctor today for medicine that will hopefully prevent these episodes so Nanny can get a couple of days rest every week.

Alexis spent all day Monday with me. My son was off work this week so he's popped in and out almost every day as well. All this led to the post of yesterday about prison (grin).


My son and the southern Chickie,,clowning

She's been trying to get these flowers for over a month,,she made it!!

I'm still laughing.....

A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They seat themselves, and engage in animated conversation.

The very proper lady sitting behind them ignores their conversation at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of the men say, "Emma come first. Den I come. Two asses, they come together. I come again. Two asses, they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come once-a more."

"You foul-mouthed swine," retorted the lady indignantly. "In this country we don't talk about our sex lives in public!"

"Hey, coola down lady," said the man. "I justa tella my friend how to spella Mississippi."

This seems appropriate to me today.

The Art of Being a Bitch
When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts, or do things my own way, they call me a bitch.
Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart. It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.
When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak up against it, I am defined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.
It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am & won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.
I am outspoken, opinionated and determined.
By Gawd, I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed.
And if that makes me a bitch, so be it. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.
B - Beauty I - In T - Total C - Control of H - Herself

I'm considering my options here.

In prison, you get three square meals a day.
At home, you cook three square meals a day
and try to get your kids to eat it.

In prison, you get an hour each day in the yard to exercise and mingle.
At home you get to clean the yard up so you can mow it so your kids
can spread more toys all over it so that you can go out and clean it
again because little Jr. can't sleep without his latest lego creation
In prison, you get to watch TV, cable even.
At home, you get to listen to your children fight over the
remote control and get treated to hours and hours of
mindless cartoons thanks to cable.

In prison, you can read whatever you want
and attend college for free.
At home, you get to read weekly readers starring Dick, Jane,
and Spot and worry about how to send Jr. to college and still
be able to eat for the next twenty years
In prison, all your medical care is free.
At home, you have to pawn your mother's silver and fill out
trillions of papers for insurance and hope the doctor
will see you before you die.

In prison, if you have visitors, all you do is go to a room, sit,
talk and then say good-bye when you are ready or your time is up.
At home, you get to clean for days in advance and then cook and
clean up after your guests and hope that they will one day leave
In prison, you can spend your free time writing letters
or just hang out in your own space all day.
At home, you get to clean your space and everyone else's
space, too, and what the heck is free time again?

In prison, you get your own personal toilet.
At home, you have to physically hold the bathroom door shut in order
to keep from having someone standing over you demanding to know how
long till you're done so you can do something for them.

In prison, the prison laundry takes care of all your dirty clothes.
At home, you get to take care of them yourself, plus everybody else's,
and get yelled at because somebody's favorite shirt isn't clean.

In prison, they take you everywhere you need to go.
At home, you take everybody else where they need to go.
In prison, the guards transport all your personal effects
for you and make sure nothing is missing.
At home, you have to lug around everybody else's stuff in your
purse and then wonder who went in it and took your last dollar.

In prison, there are no screaming or whining children or
spouses asking you to do something else for them,
or screaming at you because you didn't.
At home....stop me when I get to the downside of jail, will ya?

Ya'll need to take a look here, this gal gets cranky at times (grin).

When I can get past Andy Rooney's whiney voice, I like his attitude.

Subject: Andy Rooney

Andy Rooney always has a good angle...you may not agree, but he doesn't back down.


Andy Rooney said on 60 minutes a few weeks back: (for those of you that don't know Andy Rooney, he is a 82 year old US TV commentator)


I like big cars, big boats, big motorcycles, big houses and big campfires.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some governmental stooge with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts for squirting out babies.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens. Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off. When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.

I know what sex is, and there are not varying degrees of it. If I received sex from one of my subordinates in my office, it wouldn't be a private matter or my personal business. I would be "FIRED" immediately!

I believe that if you are selling me a milk shake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours. I think the police should have
every right to shoot your sorry self if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation recount votes when needed. I know what the definition of lying is.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and
tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor. I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I believe a self-righteous liberal or conservative with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude. (AMEN to that)

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's
better, and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary,
and say "NO!"

"I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me french fries!

I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"?
Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European- American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else.

And if you don't like my point of view, tough. DON'T PASS IT ON!!

My poll to gain and idea about how often women think about sex is not gaining in big numbers. There have only been 28 participants and at least one of those claims to be dead, so that sure doesn't help the statistics much.

The results so far,,,,,,

What is your age?

18-25 (53%)


26-35 (21%)


36-40 (10%)


41-50 (10%)


51 or above (3%)

How often do you think of sex?

Every few hours (50%)


Every few minutes (28%)


Every few days (10%)


Once a month (7%)


I'm dead (3%)
Is sex important to you?

Yes, sometimes (50%)


Yes, can't live without it (42%)


Not really (8%)


Never (0%)

I'm gathering, from the percentage so far, that most women do not think of sex as often as most men claim to.

I feel the stress building up again too soon after my few days in the sun. The short break has made me a tad resentful about my position here as chief cook, housekeeper, and childcare provider. Hubby dared to mention in passing how he sure would appreciate some "special service". After I responded with, "Yeah, right, Valentino", he decided that dropping the subject would probably allow him to continue breathing. I just don't see the point in expending the energy to satisfy his 10 minutes of glory.

I have a cold too...this sucks.

I've been doing a little checking and our 19th Annual King Biscuit Blues Fest is scheduled for Oct. 9th, 10th, and 11th this year. I reckon I'm gonna rest up a bit and hopefully my sisters will come for at least one night of the fest to party. As soon as I find their 2003 web site I'll be hooking ya'll up with the link.
Here are some photos from previous Fests......


2001 with my sister Paula

2001 with Terri,,and who knows who that dude is beside us!

Robert B. Jones, singin dem blues....

Race means nothing to me, nor does a person's nationality. Good people mean everything to me and learning about them, knowing them, is important to me. However, it does bother me when people expect something for nothing!

I learned first hand about getting a lot for nothing from managing a tax office. A lot of the earliest filers there want the rapid refunds because they are getting the earned income credit money. The average refund check that I printed for these filers was for about $5,000.00 and I've learned that approximately 70% of the people that claim the earned income credit, claim it fraudulently. The difference in their refund with and without the credit would be tremendous because these people also rarely work enough to even owe taxes. A bigger income would screw up their other government payments!!

We are required by law to inform our clients of the possible penalties for committing tax fraud and I have a prepared list of questions that our clients read and sign that I put in their file stating that they understand the penalties.

The clients will come in and claim they aren't married, then each spouse will go to a different tax preparation service and claim head of household status. This gives them a bigger standard deduction than if they had filed jointly, and also allows their separate incomes to fall into the brackets that will allow them to each qualify for the earned income credit if they have dependent children. A thing that a lot of single tax payers are doing, is "borrowing" dependents in order to qualify for the HHH status and also the earned income credit. I know these are not the only ways that tax fraud is committed, but they are the most common and it is causing the honest taxpayers BILLIONS of dollars!

I never realized how much of this went on until I began working for this service 3 years ago and each year the stress of handling these filers the first 2 weeks in February is almost more than I can tolerate. There is very little that I can do about it because I am only allowed to ask the questions, not make the determination as to if they are telling the truth or not. I am allowed to contact the IRS to report cases that I may suspect are questionable, but in the past 3 years, I've not had one of the cases that I reported investigated.

So, tell me people, does this appear to be a government that is truly interested in saving the taxpayers a bit of money? Only in America huh??

I've got to attend a danged family reunion today...color me dreading it.......

Good morning! I was greeted this morning with a message from Squawkbox telling me that I'd have to upgrade to continue their services so.....trying this other one and I reckon I'll know in a few weeks if they expect me to upgrade it as well. Geez these free services suck sometimes.

The trip to the gulf was great! We made good time on the way down to Biloxi. The drive across to Batesville where we got on I55 going south wasn't as bad as it has been. It's just a two lane highway across the delta so it is not unusual to suddenly be poking along behind a load of hay, cows or a piece of farm equipment.

We crossed the Tallahachi River right before we got to Batesville and left the flatlands behind. Crossing that river always makes me think of that song about Billy Joe McAllister (the one I can never remember the name of from wayyyy back yonder).
We grabbed a sandwich before hitting the interstate and then settled at a steady 75 mph for the 2 hour leg of the trip to Jackson, MS.

We stopped just on the south side of Jackson, in Florence, for a pee break and to top off the gas tank. At Jackson we exited onto Hwy 49 and continued our drive south through Hattisburg and on to the gulf. The drive was nicer because we actually went through all the little towns with the quaint names like Seminary and Sanatorium and the small rolling hills and pine trees offered a break from the flat land we are used to in the delta.

When we arrived in Gulf Port, we turned onto Hwy 90 which followed the beach and we didn't have far to go before we entered the Biloxi city limits and found our hotel. We hurriedly unloaded the truck and changed into our suits and went across to the beach where Nanny took a nice little nap in the sun.

Around 6, after Cheryl got a little hug from a jellyfish and Zach walked atop the waves back to the beach, we went to our room, showered and went out to O'Charlies for shrimp and crab appetizers and a grilled shrimp entree. After a couple of coronas, Nanny was ready to call it a day so the kids took a swim in the hotel pool and I put on pjs and read until bedtime.



On Tuesday we slept until after 9 and after breakfast and a quick trip to Wal mart we spent the day on the beach.





Two evenings while the kids were busy in the pool, I want to the lounge downstairs and had a few drinks and great conversation with a woman I met who was there from Shreveport, LA. We even danced a few times with some hunky studs from a construction crew that were staying there while they worked. Best of all, the beers were cold, and the margaritas strong!



On Wednesday it was stormy off and on in the morning so we gave up the beach after Zach had a jellyfish sting on his tummy. They played in the pool for most of the afternoon and Nanny had another good nap.

It was sad to have to pack up and come home yesterday but I was quite sure that I didn't want to stay a day longer with a big convention coming up today. The traffic was pretty bad without a lot of extras!

I had to try that (grin).

LUST
"passion, awareness, aliveness"
You exhibit an excitement and enthusiasm about life
as well as multi-faceted creativity. You have
the gifts of perception, extended vision,
insight, and intuition and display an eagerness
to display your full creative expression. You
have the ability to fully express yourself,
free of lies and masks and falsehoods. You can
overcome your fears using your creativity, as
shown by the woman on the card.


which major arcana of the thoth tarot deck are you? short, with pictures and detailed results
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