Near Disaster Lunch

 Well lunch was good but also an adventure. Not good or bad...just there.

Menu:

Smoked Sausage

Carrots

Green Beans with onion, bacon, a tiny bit of brown sugar. 

I just sliced the sausage down the middle so it would open up naturally with grease, I mean juices. 😀  I put it on parchment paper on my small baking sheet, the one I use for practically everything. And put it under the broiler. It was in there about 5 minutes & I looked at it & it was smoking & the paper was turning black. I pulled it out before there was a fire. But the smoke alarm did go off. I got it off 1st time though.

Meanwhile, back at the stove top, the green beans,bacon,onion, butter combo got just a little overdone as I was dealing with the smoke alarm.

My carrots did not realize anything was going on & were just  boiling away, minding their own business.

The beans were a little charred but not completely burned. Carrots are a favorite so they are always good. Sausage was perfect.

Lesson learned: Don't cook greasy things on parchment paper under the broiler. 🔥🚒

New Car Road Trip

 Back in November I bought a new Nissan Rogue & decided I needed a road trip.  I didn't have anywhere in particular so I decided I'd go to Rotan where my granddad was buried in the Grady cemetery.  His name was Lon & he died in a fire in 1924. My dad was 10, 2nd oldest. Uncle Raymond was 12 & there were 4 kids under them. For some reason, my granny always said she never wanted to go to Rotan again so after being a widow for 61 years, when she passed she was buried in Spur in our family plot. It always bothered me that my granddad was buried alone. 

The cemetery is just is quite away out in the country. Grady had been a community but like too many it has dried up. No one has maintained the cemetery since 1993. It is covered with weeds. I did find his grave & he had family buried around him including his dad & both of his wives, both named Martha. My granny went by Annie but her 1st name was Martha too. I left a flower on his grave.

When I was leaving & closing the large gate, a guest of wind caught it & it flew back & knocked me on my bohine. I wasn't hurt at all but it did knock the wind out of me. I was sitting up against a tire & a man stopped to make sure I was ok.  Just a little red faced.😊

After leaving the cemetery, I went through Rotan, a town that's not much. I finally stopped at a convenience store called the "Hop In" with a bunny on their sign. Poor store had seen better days. I went inside to get tea & got my ice & tried machine & got nada. I asked the clerk if I was doing something wrong because it wouldn't work. She said, "We have tea?". Not a good sign. I bought water.

Next stop was Aspermont, a nice & clean little town.  I had seen on Facebook that the Headquarters General Store. That was the reason I chose the date & the route. It was  pretty impressive for a town that size & lots of stuff. Kinda hard to believe they can make a go of it. Aspermont is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

Next stop, Jayton.

I graduated from Jayton High School 50 years ago this year. Fifty.Years.Ago  I've been through the town just a few times in all of those years. My dad passed away in the nursing home there. He'd been in there just a few days so I was there 2 times around that time. This is also a clean little town with nothing going on there too. I took the pictures & it's obvious that the town revolves around the school & sports. This sign oddly only shows 2 state championships but they also won some while I was in school. I can't remember how many.  And this year they won a state in boys basketball too. Basically, the school & teams are all they have. It's a rich school but a sad little town.

Last stop: Spur

I was born in Spur. When Mom & Daddy left the ranch, they moved into town, well technically across the street from town. They are now buried there, in our family area, along with my 2 sisters, 2 aunts, 3 uncles & 2  cousins. I try to get down a couple of times a year to take flowers for Mother's Day & Mom's birthday, both in May & to put out Christmas flowers. Only the girls get flowers.  There is space for me & for my nephew Steve but no way would I be buried. I've already paid for cremation when it's time.

Nothing left in Spur for me now except graves & memories. 💔

Then coming home, I come back on the Crosbyton highway.  There was a car broken down on the side of the highway & At first I thought it was an older woman & no one was stopping so I cut back around to check. I'm useless when it comes to car stuff but I wanted to make sure they could call for help. It was instead a young couple from Post with a baby. They had just bought their car & were going to parents house for a visit. They had called the dealership but they could not take all 3 of them so they were worried about what to do. But a man was coming from Dickens to help. So I came home. And I kicked myself for not offering to take mom & baby home to Post so dad could take care of things. 

It was an emotional day for me & I was not thinking clearly. I was exhausted & covered with all kinds of thoughts. It took me the next day to recover. 

I'm glad I went but am not sure I ever need to do this particular trip again.

Bellamy Brothers

And last night, continuing my own concert tour...

At the historic Cactus Theater it was Bellamy Brothers time! I had seen them one other time in the old Lubbock Coliseum, better known as the Bubble.  They had actually been the opening act for the Oak Ridge Boys, many years ago. Funny, I just now remembered that I'd seen them before as I'm writing this. Weird.

Howard & David have been performing for 45 years according to their introduction announcement. They are just good old boys making good old music. And they still sounded perfect. They sang for an hour & a half & covered every song of theirs I'd ever heard. I love their music!! 😍  The evening was delightful.

They had an opening guy named Robert Sullivan who is with an Odessa band called Westbound Hearts. The entire band was there & supposed to perform but they could not all fit on the stage with all of BB gear.  Robert looks about 21 & had a great voice, covering a 90s "classic" country, probably my favorite time for country. If he & his band get to do their own show soon, I'll go to that.

Howard & David Bellamy

Little River Band & Three Dog Night

Last week, I went to the Buddy Holly Hall to see 2 of my favorite bands from the 70s bands. LRB was on it's 50th anniversary tour & the Dogs have been touring since 1968! There are no original members of course in LRB & 1 original Dog there since the beginning.  Both have young energetic bands behind them to keep the music going on & on.

LRB had good voices & they knew all the words to the songs but it was not quite the same.  I wonder sometimes why they choose to go with a legendary band name & music catalog instead of doing their own thing. We oldies want to hear the familiar songs of the band. They did a couple of their own songs too but the response was lukewarm because we were there to see LRB.

Three Dog Night's original member Danny Hutton is about 85 & still has a strong voice & his younger back ups were really good. The sound was great, good pace, amazing lighting. I hoped that LRB's lighting guy was paying attention. It was an tight show, like you'd expect from a band that had been performing for 57 years. I'd seen them in Vegas a long time ago & they pretty much sounded the same. 

I was almost in the rafters & my eyesight is not great so my sight & my pictures were not great. It was not a cheap show...I'm surprised I forked out that much money for a seat where I couldn't see that well. I mean, look at all those empty floor seats. 

But I enjoyed it!! 

Little River Band

Three Dog Night

They are a size 6.

 I have lost weight since September, about 16 pounds & I've gotten smaller. I have been wearing size 8 jeans, even 16 pounds heavier & they were getting a little droopy so I ordered a size 6 & they fit!!  Happy Dance.

Not sure I have ever been a size 6 as an adult, maybe not even when I was 6.  At 80 pounds heavier, I wore size 20 jeans.

I have to brag on my blog because I cannot brag to my best friend because she lectures me over & over about being to thin & I don't want to hear it.  And for the record I am not too thin. I could still survive 40 days in the desert.

Les Miserables

 

Sunday afternoon, I went to the Buddy Holly Center to see the Broadway Touring Company of Les Miserables. The musical is based on the book of the same name written by Victor Hugo in 1862. It's the story of a man who was sent to jail for breaking a window & stealing food for his family & about rebels in the French Revolution. It's also a story of redemption.

I saw it several years in the old Lubbock Colosseum & I was mesmorized, mainly because they sang the entire show.  I also saw it in Graham,TX, my friend Jimmy's hometown. He's a professional singer & he played Jean Valjean.  So this was the 3rd time I'd gotten to enjoy it. 

The singers were incredible & the production was amazing. 

There is a scene where Inspector Javert is committing suicide after Valjean, his mortal enemy, saves his life. The scene on stage is a murky sky & a drop down bridge wall. He jumps over & screen behind it moves down to simulate him jumping in the water. It was very impressive.

My friend Linda's new foster pups

 I love their names.

 

Former Friend

Alexandra & Belle

I worked with a woman named Donna at Southwestern Bell/SBC/AT&T for about 20 years. We got set in a support role & worked well together. We became friends.  Actually she got a friend...I can't exactly say the same for me. 

I was there for her pregnancy & then for her bought with breast cancer. I ended up going back to regular desk & she was promoted. 

Looking back, we had very little in common. She is married to Danny & has a son, in his 40s now. I have none of those things.  And Donna's only life was her family. It was all she talked about. 

She is also one of the most selfish people I've ever known. She did nothing she did not want to do. When I went to her house in the metroplex, she'd decided what we were going to do & she was not about to make a change. A couple of times I told her I wanted to do something else & she absolutely refused. We watched the TV shows she wanted to watch (Rachel Maddow for stupid sake) or the movie she wanted to see. Her house was always freezing. Not asking for heat but a throw would have been nice. I took to taking my own. And I'd have to take it to bed with me too. They didn't care one ounce. Plus she kept the nastiest house ever. I swear there was a roach in her dining room that was there the year before when I was there.

I'd be mortified if someone was uncomfortable in my home.

A couple of years ago, Donna had knee surgery & was having issues.  I called every few days to check on her. She finally told me that I didn't need to call so often. If she needed me, she'd call me.  So I never called again & she didn't call me. It's been 2 years since I talked to her. 

I had already blocked her from Facebook but she felt the need to message me questioning my post. She wanted to know why I was following a brewery--my cousin's business. And she tried to take me to task when I posted about Dr Fauci being a fraud. She loved him. I told her we'd have to agree to disagree. I'm sure she was not pleased.

Donna & Danny were obnoxious, dyed in the wool Democrats & we definitely have different political views. But we never really discussed it.  But after the election this year, Danny wrote an asshole post on Facebook about losing the election & how he was cleaning out all his friends who did not agree with him. He burned a whole lot of bridges. 

So last week I got a note from Donna. She told me they were moving to be close to their son. She also said I was her dearest friend for 40 years & it was too bad that politics came between us. I had assumed that was the big issue but we did not discuss politics. And I have always been able to care about people even if they didn't agree with me on every thing. But I'm an adult, so there's that. I have to say the note made me angry. I shredded the note. And the only picture I had of the 2 of us. And I put the family cookbook she'd given me in the donation box. Did I mention I was angry?

The only thing I kept from her were 2 Boyds Bears years ago with 2 women on the phone...Alexandra & Belle. I'm confident I can still love them in spite of where they came from. 

 

 

 

Air Supply

I went to the Buddy Holly Center to watch the band Air Supply.  Lubbock was the 1st stop on their 50th anniversary tour. I've loved their music for all those years.  Basically, they are geezers, like me.

I've seen them 2x before...once at the Orleans in Vegas in 2015 & then at the local fair in maybe 2018. They put on a good show.

Neither of their voices are what they used to be but I'd hate to admit what I've lost as I've gotten older. Falsetto guy Russell still sounds good but partner Graham has lost most of his voice. However, G plays a mean guitar.  

They also had a young band behind them...one particular guitar player played "tortured" like he was in a hard rock band instead of a geezer band. It was humorous.

Russell had overdone the hair dye & the make up & was dressed in plain shirt, leather pants with studs & tassels & black shoes (or boots...couldn't tell) with rhinestones.  Graham looked normal.

My favorite song is 'Two Less Lonely People' ...because I relate to it:

I was down, my dreams were wearin' thin
When you're lost, where do you begin?
My heart always seemed to drift from day to day
Looking for the love that never came my way

Graham Russell

Russell Hitchcock

2025 Books

 

Books 2025

1. Hot Property             Mike Lupica  (Spenser)

2. Butcher Boys            Chris Gill

3. Perfect Alibi              Sheldon Siegel

4. Dark Purpose            Mary Stone

5. Influencing Justice    Kirkland & Hall

6. The Lawyer               John Ellsworth 

7. Felony Murder Rule  Sheldon Siegel

8. The Sublet                 Greer Hendricks

9. The Wife Between Us  Greer Hendricks &                                               Sarah Pekkanen

10. The Ascent                 Adam Plantinga

Vintage Christmas

 I love the idea of a perfect Christmas...especially vintage.  

Chocolate Cherry Cookers

 

Cream together:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

Then add:

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cups cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder 

1/4 baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cherry juice 

1 maraschino cherry per cookie

Use 1" cookie scoop or roll into balls, put one cherry on top & bake 10 minutes.

I think I officially have a new favorite cookie.

Clydesdales

I technically should be embarrassed because I saw the Clydesdales were going to be at my United Supermarket. I wasn't sure what to expect but, like an excited little kid, I went to see.  We had to stand in line for a few minutes & then we got our picture made.  Today, there was one handsome guy but at the football game on Saturday, they'll have a  team hitched up.  Sadly, I'm not going to the game.  

The Budweiser Clydesdales are an American icon and one of the world’s most recognized brand symbols. Beginning this summer, they are traveling to communities across the country to military events and venues in support of Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with Folds of Honor. Through its scholarship program, Folds of Honor ensures that families of fallen or disabled U.S. service members and families of first responders receive educational opportunities and support.

Horses chosen for the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch must be at least three years of age, stand approximately 18 hands – or six feet – at the shoulder, weigh an average of 2,000 pounds, must be bay in color, have four white legs, and a blaze of white on the face and black mane and tail. A gentle temperament is very important as hitch horses meet millions of people each year.

I have never seen the official Clydesdales but remember being down in the Weatherford area & saw a field that had about half a dozen colts.  Beautiful.

Clydesdales at St Louis Cardinals opening day 2024

Art Deco

Art Deco Mailbox (Letter Box) French Building, 551 Fifth Avenue, NYC, 1927 by Sloan and Robertson and H. Douglas Ives.

Entrance door in Art Nouveau House on Rue du Lac,6. Brussels

 

ALOHA” PRIVATE HOUSE, Art Deco Revival from 1920s, Melbourne, Australia

Dalcrombie House, Olinda,Victoria, Austrailia

Car is 1937 Cord 812 Westchester Sedan

 

Lopez Boathouse, 1936, Iloilo City, Philippines

Robert Hosmer Morse House, Lake Forest, IL

Art Nouveau Building, Cannes, France

1930's Moon Lamp

 

Just a beautiful green clock..

Spiral Staircase

Glass House

Peacock Gate, 4 Seasons, Budapest,Hungary

Front door in a building in Prague

About my Daddy

This post will be endless.  I'll be updating...

Daddy was born in 1914, the second oldest of 6 kids. My Uncle Raymond was first, in 1912.  Then Uncle Dub, Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Jiggs & Aunt Allene.  Their dad died in 1924, in a fire. My grand parents lived on a share farm & my Granny didn't work or drive.  They moved in with one of my granddads uncle but all of the boys had to leave school early to support their family.

My Uncle Raymond was the oldest son, caring for a widowed mother & did not go to WWII.  All 3 of the others did.  Uncle never married & cared for his mom til she passed away. He was 74 when she died. He was always a lovable old grump but he never got to have his own life so I get it. To be fair, all the siblings contributed to Granny's care.

My dad would tell you he was a farmer from 1931-1932. He was a cow man.  He started cowboying at 17, working for several ranches. He did that solely til he got drafted in 1942. He said those days were the best of his life. Sleeping under the stars, eating off a chuck wagon.living what he thought was the good life. 

When he came home from WWII he met & married my mom.  2 years later they had 2 little girls, my sisters Cathy & Jo. (I came along in 1957) And they all lived on various ranches til 1960 when we all moved to Arizona & my dad went to work in an open pit copper mine with my Uncle Dub. He worked on a ranch on the weekends & in 1970, went to work for ranch solely.

In 1971, we moved home to Texas where he worked for ranches,the last one for 25 years til his retirement at age 82.  

After retirement one of the things he did was care for calves who were sick or having pregnancy issues.  The large animal vet would refer people to him because he knew everything.

He moved up to Lubbock with me at age 93 & passed away in 2009 at age 95.

I miss him greatly.

But that wasn't all of him.  

He always had a job & that allowed my mom to stay home with us. She wasn't forced.  She wanted to do it. She did drive school van for awhile & later worked in a sewing factory & a charity office.  I'll write about her later.

Daddy's job cowboying usually came with a house & beef & pork & chickens & a garden.  We weren't ever rich but we were also never poor.  There were always people with less than us. They managed to send us all to college, at least for a little while.  😅

**

I haven't mentioned that they raised my sister's Jo after she passed away in 1970.

**

Daddy killed all the snakes.  One time we were at a town festival & my friend & I were walking through an alley & there was a man laying in a doorway.  I didn't look for a cop...I found my daddy. (The guy was just passed out drunk).

**

The deal is, he was a man. He'd been a soldier. He adored his wife. He loved his little girls & his grandson. He loved his grandchildren. And he was a cowboy.

**

If we had a stopped up drain he'd try the normal stuff but then tell us to call a plumber if it didn't work.  He was not a car mechanic.  He was a "cow puncher" according to his army induction papers though I never personally saw him punch a cow. 

**

When he retired from his last job his boss got him an expensive black felt Stetson hat. When it was time to bury him, I was going to send it with him but my niece wanted it so I sent him to Heaven without a hat.  He didn't go to the mailbox without a hat.  

**

I 100% got my sense of humor & a genial attitude from him.  He found joy & humor in everything. 

**

I think about everything he saw in is 95 years. I remember showing him pictures my niece sent of her children.  He asked "How did they get in there?" and I had to admit I don't know.  

**

For the 58 years my parents were married before we lost mom, he brought home his paycheck every week & gave it to her. He got $20 & 1 check & if he couldn't account for the check, he couldn't have another.  Well, more if he came to Lubbock but he brought home receipts on paper, paper bags & napkins.  He never paid a bill as long as she was here. I paid them later.  For the record, my mom could have balanced the federal budget in 2 weeks flat.

**

He lived in our small town & his brother Raymond & sister Dorothy lived in same town.  They'd get into spats but he saw them every day.

**

He was a social butterfly & that's something I did not necessarily inherit from him.  His day was coffee at the co-op gin in the morning, then coffee at the bank, then home for a nap & then coffee with the boys at the Dairy Queen about 2.  He had a full day!

**

My friend Deb called him "cute" & he rode that wave for the last years of his life.

**

A couple of months ago I went to Spur to take flowers down to graves.  I stopped to visit with a dear friend of my dad's. Eric gave the eulogy at Daddy's funeral.  He is a lawyer & a very good storyteller.

He was talking about daddy's blue heeler dog, Pup.  Eric's father-in-law was JB, my dad's boss for the last 25 years he worked.  Eric told a story when Daddy, JB & Eric were trying to get 3 bulls into a trailer.  The first 2 just went right in.  The trailer had a divider & that divider was closed.  The last bull was fighting til the end. Eric said they were all really hot & they were ready to give up for awhile.  Daddy said they needed to let Pup get him in.  Daddy told him to get the bull into the trailer. Pup got in front of the bull & bit him on the nose & ran into the trailer & the ticked off bull followed him in & Pup slid under the divider & Daddy closed the back gate.  Daddy & Pup were a great team.  He loved that dog. 

**

Another dog story.  My nephew had Pomeranians & he had a litter of puppies & one was a big time runt & only one eye.  Steve brought her to mom.  Mom named her Sissy but Daddy called her Pup.  Not a lot of dog name imagination. 😀   My dad never was one for a dog in the house--all of the others slept in boxed in porch or sometimes in the backyard in their doghouse.  But Daddy loved that dog too. I went in one day & the 2 of them were asleep in the chair.  The foot part was up & Pup was laying beside him.  Daddy heard me come in & he put the foot down & pushed Pup out of the chair.  Pup barked & barked at him.  Daddy said "I don't know what she's so upset about"....I asked him how he'd feel if he was sound asleep & someone pushed him out of a chair.  He allowed that he might be upset too.

**

One Sunday morning, Daddy went with neighbor to look at show pigs for his girls.  While he was gone, I made a cake & left it on the counter & went to take a shower.  When I got back into the kitchen, I looked at my cake & told Daddy that I think we had a rat!  He asked what I was talking about.  I told I'm something had eaten a corner off my cake!  He told me it was a rat...he'd seen it!!  

**

Did I mention I miss him?

The King Banana Pudding

 

Pretty Rooms--Kitchens

 

Christmas prayer of thanks

We ask your blessing, Lord, on this gathering

We whom you’ve already blessed so lavishly,

With friendship, health,children,,comfort & love

If we knew nothing of your works except for the faces around this table,

Our feeling of gratitude would far exceed our power to express it.

For loved ones near & far we ask your protection.

We humbly honor you on this the day of your miracle

We are ever mindful & thankful that every day we live we’ll somehow be surprised by Grace. 

9-11=2011

So 23 years ago I was at work & our office went oddly silent. My friend Jason came in & told us about the 1st plane. Our entire office was in break room, watching TV when 2nd plane hit. We were stunned. The rest of the day, the rest of week is kind of a blur.

It was heartbreaking but in the days that followed we saw a unity & patriotism in this country that sadly we may never see again. In spite of today's canvas, we are still the best country in the world.

We went to NYC in September of 2019 & visited ground zero. It was eerie & everyone around was very respectful. The only other time I had that feeling was at Pearl Harbor. I could feel the souls in both places.

Cake

 

This is my Butter Pecan Bundt cake that I made today.  I'm not posting the recipe because while it's tastes good the recipe is not worth the trouble.  It's not something I'll make again.  Here are this cake's facts:

1. The recipe is just weird.  Starts off like a normal cake, then had me adding milk & vanilla in the middle of the flour adds & then sour cream.  I followed exactly but it could have been done easier.

2. Cake is pretty dry, expecially for a cake with 4 eggs, milk & sour cream.  Recipe says to cook 60-70 minutes. I cooked 60, too much apparently.  Doesn't matter...won't make again.

3. This is my 2nd Bundt cake I've made in the last of months & they came out perfect.  I'm so proud.  I love Baker's Joy.  I might be ready for a fancy Bundt pan.  Next year.

4. My first glaze didn't work.  I know what I did wrong now.

5. I toasted pecans for the first time ever.

6. I'm unclear how exactly my kitchen looks like a tornado hit it when I cook but luckily I can clean up my kitchen like a tornado too.

7. I like baking

Another cake story:  Back in the early 1970s I was 13 & we lived in the cookhouse at the Pitchfork Ranch.  My mom cooked 3 meals a day for the single cowboys in the bunkhouse.  The married guys lived in the ranch houses & the company provided groceries.  Part of the duties of the cookhouse were ordering groceries, stocking the commissary & then once a week, filling orders from the ranch houses.  There was one of the wives who made a cake every week & bragged that she was such a good cook & only made her cakes from scratch.  She publicly turned up her nose at cake mixes.  But the truth is she ordered one every week!  She'd order a strawberry mix & like magic, she'd make a strawberry cake.  My dad & I would laugh about it every week but we never snitched her off.  

Ok, one more.  I was probably about 11 when my favorite aunt & uncle came to visit.  Uncle's birthday was in the middle of the visit.  I made his cake.  I don't remember what kind of cake but his favorite color was green so I made green icing.  And I don't remember how many candles but I put one on for each year.  When we lit the candles it looked like a big green porcupine on fire.  He either really loved it or he was a really good sport.  I so adored him.