Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Brrrrrr. . .
The cold front is here! I love it, I love it, I love it! As I was helping DZ bring his laundry in this evening, I commented that this is the one time of year that I wish our washer and dryer were inside our house instead of in a shed in the back yard. (For those of you who haven't been here, our house was built in the 1940s - long before the luxurious laundry rooms in more modern homes.) He said, "Are you kidding? This is perfect weather - why now, instead of when it's 100 degrees out here?" So, I took him on a little trip down memory lane. And now, you're invited to join me there as well. . .
When we were little kids, Dad worked away from home A LOT, so he wasn't home too often for the day-to-day stuff like bathtime, mealtime, bedtime, etc. So, when he was home, it was a BIG DEAL for all of us. I remember when I was a little kid and he was home during a cold front. Mom had us in the tub, and Dad took three towels to the dryer and let them bounce around in the hot air while we splashed and played in the tub. Then, just when it was time to get out, he got the three towels and let us wrap up in them to stay warm. I felt like a Paris Princess that night, and I think of that every time I pull hot clothes out of the dryer on a cold night. Of course, scruffy beards also make me think of my dad in the winter time - and how he used to "sandpaper" us when we piled up in bed with them when Dad was home.
Of course, my good memories of Mom during cold weather are in much greater supply and don't involve facial hair, since she was the one doing all the bathing, and feeding, and bedtiming. In fact, as I sit here and type this I am wearing her comfy green "Color Me Cotton" housedress that she used to wear when it was cold! I remember getting to eat lots and lots of biscuits with Grandma's Molasses on 'em, as well as "chicken enchiladas" (King Ranch Casserole) and enough Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal to sustain a small army! "Eat this warm stuff," she would say. "It will stick to your ribs and keep you going until lunch!" She was right, as usual.
Of course, we grew up in Kingsville, so it wasn't exactly COLD too often. I remember going swimming on my birthday one year (in December)! Of course, it wasn't always so balmy. I also remember when we had a cold snap that froze our orange grove. . . that was no good!
If you're still reading, thanks for taking that little trip down memory lane with me. Not sure why I'm so nostalgic tonight - maybe it's because we were looking at DZ's baby pictures! Here's a photo send-off, to borrow Brittany's trademark conclusion. I think it explains a lot, don't you?
When we were little kids, Dad worked away from home A LOT, so he wasn't home too often for the day-to-day stuff like bathtime, mealtime, bedtime, etc. So, when he was home, it was a BIG DEAL for all of us. I remember when I was a little kid and he was home during a cold front. Mom had us in the tub, and Dad took three towels to the dryer and let them bounce around in the hot air while we splashed and played in the tub. Then, just when it was time to get out, he got the three towels and let us wrap up in them to stay warm. I felt like a Paris Princess that night, and I think of that every time I pull hot clothes out of the dryer on a cold night. Of course, scruffy beards also make me think of my dad in the winter time - and how he used to "sandpaper" us when we piled up in bed with them when Dad was home.
Of course, my good memories of Mom during cold weather are in much greater supply and don't involve facial hair, since she was the one doing all the bathing, and feeding, and bedtiming. In fact, as I sit here and type this I am wearing her comfy green "Color Me Cotton" housedress that she used to wear when it was cold! I remember getting to eat lots and lots of biscuits with Grandma's Molasses on 'em, as well as "chicken enchiladas" (King Ranch Casserole) and enough Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal to sustain a small army! "Eat this warm stuff," she would say. "It will stick to your ribs and keep you going until lunch!" She was right, as usual.
Of course, we grew up in Kingsville, so it wasn't exactly COLD too often. I remember going swimming on my birthday one year (in December)! Of course, it wasn't always so balmy. I also remember when we had a cold snap that froze our orange grove. . . that was no good!
If you're still reading, thanks for taking that little trip down memory lane with me. Not sure why I'm so nostalgic tonight - maybe it's because we were looking at DZ's baby pictures! Here's a photo send-off, to borrow Brittany's trademark conclusion. I think it explains a lot, don't you?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Oktoberfest
As Brennan so aptly put it, just another lunch meeting for these clowns. . . here's a picture of Zeke and his buddies in their lederhosen at Oktoberfest in Munich!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Happy Day, Daddy!
Today is my dad's birthday. He's going to be in Dallas with the rest of the family. I've been feeling very guilty for not being there. So many reasons (all of them viable), so little relief of guilt. Until, Monday afternoon, I found out SissieFace also won't be there. Ah-ha! I'm not the worst daughter in the world anymore (not alone with my crown, anyway). Then I was reminded by someone else that I did sneak off and get married in a white dress without my family there (apparently if you're not in white, it's ok!), so I am still the worst daughter in the world!
All I can say to that is, touche'. Come see me in Spacewood some time, Daddy. I'll make you a home-made key lime pie and we'll forget all about that time I didn't make it for your birthday!
Photo send-off. . . to follow my dear friend's tradition:
All I can say to that is, touche'. Come see me in Spacewood some time, Daddy. I'll make you a home-made key lime pie and we'll forget all about that time I didn't make it for your birthday!
Photo send-off. . . to follow my dear friend's tradition:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I ACCIDENTALLY ate a booger. . . and almost died!
OK, seriously. . . that's what just happened.
There I was, laying in bed reading a good book (I say a "good" book because just a few minutes ago I was reading a "school" book), enjoying my late-night alone-time. Without my husband here to remind me that it's "lights out" time and he's "not it," I have been staying up late and reading a lot these past few days. It's great! But I digress. . . back to the near-death booger experience.
So, I'm laying there, reading a book, picking my nose (Oh, come on, everybody does it!), when all of a sudden, I realized I had achieved my nose-picking purpose. Just as I was about to retreat with the "prize" in hand, my eyes fell on a funny punchline in an otherwise morose story about single life in NYC, causing me to throw my head back with laughter. You should know that even when I'm alone, I'm an all-out, open-mouthed, laugh-out-loud kind of girl. (You see where this is going, don't you?) My explosive laughter caused me to shake my "catch of the day" right off my finger, which was still close to my face. In dropped the little rascal, and at the exact same time, in went the breath for a good belly laugh. I gasped, I gagged, I choked a little bit, and I coughed something fierce as I tried to clear my own airway. It's a good thing I had been reading that school book earlier, or I might have choked to death on my own booger!
In retrospect, I am left wondering about a few things: where did that little booger go? What would I have done with him if he hadn't gone for such a wild ride on the old Upper Airway Express? And why was I so tickled by this story that I got out of bed in the middle of the night to share it with the world? Hmmm. . . many things to consider as I lay my head down - again. But first, I'm going to blow my nose!
There I was, laying in bed reading a good book (I say a "good" book because just a few minutes ago I was reading a "school" book), enjoying my late-night alone-time. Without my husband here to remind me that it's "lights out" time and he's "not it," I have been staying up late and reading a lot these past few days. It's great! But I digress. . . back to the near-death booger experience.
So, I'm laying there, reading a book, picking my nose (Oh, come on, everybody does it!), when all of a sudden, I realized I had achieved my nose-picking purpose. Just as I was about to retreat with the "prize" in hand, my eyes fell on a funny punchline in an otherwise morose story about single life in NYC, causing me to throw my head back with laughter. You should know that even when I'm alone, I'm an all-out, open-mouthed, laugh-out-loud kind of girl. (You see where this is going, don't you?) My explosive laughter caused me to shake my "catch of the day" right off my finger, which was still close to my face. In dropped the little rascal, and at the exact same time, in went the breath for a good belly laugh. I gasped, I gagged, I choked a little bit, and I coughed something fierce as I tried to clear my own airway. It's a good thing I had been reading that school book earlier, or I might have choked to death on my own booger!
In retrospect, I am left wondering about a few things: where did that little booger go? What would I have done with him if he hadn't gone for such a wild ride on the old Upper Airway Express? And why was I so tickled by this story that I got out of bed in the middle of the night to share it with the world? Hmmm. . . many things to consider as I lay my head down - again. But first, I'm going to blow my nose!
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