NO NO NO IT IS TOO EARLY!!!

This has been a crazy year. We had tornadoes on New Year's Eve. Yesterday there were tornado watches in northern Arkansas. Two weeks ago our temperatures were in the seventies and the robins were hopping and trying to peck for worms all over the yard.
The other day Fran moved the swing out into the yard and fixed the top on it. Today he came in and asked if I would go outside and help him move the boats. I went out as he asked.  The tires on the boat trailer were stuck in the mud from all the melted snow. He kept reminding me that the trick of backing the pickup to the boat trailer had to be done perfectly; over and over and over. I wanted to scream at him, but I kept my cool and if I do say so I did it perfect. I think Fran was even surprised.
The phone was ringing so I came back inside then I heard it. There was a very loud noise outside. I knew it was not the snowblower for one thing, we had no snow for another thing, it was put away in the shed. It could not be the riding lawn mower because we had no grass. My youngest son was here so I thought maybe he was riding his three wheeler.
After a bit, Fran came in the house for supper and I asked him what the loud noise was outside. Just matter of factly said, "Well it was the tiller."
No!  The garden was full of mud. Remember the tires stuck in the mud?

Just so you  know, in my opinion it is too early, but my brother and I do have a bet who can raise the earliest tomato, so maybe dear husband has the best idea, get the weeds out early.

6.3

I have an on line friend that I "talk" to every once in awhile. Five months ago they had an earthquake which didn't hurt her. She woke up to the shaking and shivering she said.

Today the earth quake was 6.3 and did a lot of damage. She wrote quite an article about it this morning ( her time much later).  I think about lunch time. At this time there were about 65 people  killed.

I was relieved to see her light on, on my Stat Counter. 

The picture shows that the steeple was destroyed on the beautiful Catholic cathedral.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all in New Zealand.

Scrooge At His Finest Hour

Hello, I had a request for  a picture of Fran sewing the top on our swing. I would have done it the other day, but it was raining.

He announced today that the top had torn a little bit on the one corner (imagine that) so he needed to go outside and mend it. I didn't pay much attention until I read a comment from my friend in Colorado saying that Fran "needling" deserved a picture. I agreed so I put the chip in the camera and took a picture of the man "saving" about twelve dollars with an old sheet that should last one season.  Tiny Tim would never have gotten a turkey from Scrooge on that fateful Thanksgiving if his dad would have worked for Fran the Man!

What Is Spring Fever?

The title is "what is spring fever? " Is it the same as Cabin Fever? No. Is spring fever wanting to plant gardens, dig in the dirt, take walks in the sunshine. Maybe spring fever is stopping by a little creek and watching the tiny minnows and feeling the sunshine on your shoulders.

Today at our house, Spring Fever was repairing the top on our patio swing. It is almost seven years old. It has gone through near tornados, winter wind storms, torrential rains. We repaired with duct tape which is supposed to be a cure all for everything. Well it wasn't. Then last year we used some strapping tape. By the time it was September, the top was in shreds.

Well, today, Fran decided he was completely capable of sewing a new top for it out of an old sheet. Actually the sheet matched. I told him it really needed to be canvas, but he said this was cheaper. I threaded the machine for him and then I told him he was on his own. I made a batch of bread, did two loads of laundry and learned new words that were coming out of the sewing room. The problem was that he continued to break needles. He said the needles were too little. What ever the reason, he did get the top put together. It looked a little odd, but we stapled the corners together and we now have a cute little top for our swing.  What a man!!!

Good Husband, Good Wife?

Fran said he was going in to town today and wanted to know if I wanted anything. I told him that I wanted a small can of Crisco and a loaf of bread.

Fran always brings home more than his list has on it, so I wasn't surprised to see a can of Cashews in the bag.  I took the can and put it on the end table by his chair.
Sometime later, Fran mentioned that he had bought me that "stuff" that I had wanted. I then asked him "what stuff?" This kind of thing goes on all the time.  He then says, "you know that stuff."  I get so frustrated not only with his answers but with myself because I can't remember anything.

Sometime later I walked out to the kitchen and tried to rerun the stuff I took out of the sack. I then went to the living room to check out the cashews. The cashews had magically turned into a small can of Crisco. Ya just gotta laugh.

Lest We Forget The Leaves

I know I talk about Maggie a lot, but she is one third of our family, after all. Just like any "kid" she is a big problem sometimes.

In the winter she is a joy to watch. She runs and jumps, and burrows with her nose in the snow. She shakes the snow off and then goes for more. We have to watch her carefully so she doesn't freeze her little pads.

What really gets us is when she sits and stares at us. She doesn't talk "human" and we don't speak "dog." So we have to take her outside just like a little person that says he has to go potty just because he thinks it's fun to be whisked away to the bathroom with mama.

Maggie has a tiny little cry if we don't take her out right away.

Stage Right this morning. Fran took her out this morning and she just wanted to play. Three hours later she did the staring thing. I took her outside. She investigated the melting snow, the ice, did about five half squats just to get me excited that she really was going to go.

Oh, and lest not forget the flipping and investigating the dry leaves that she may or maynot have investigated before, either this year or last year. Once again she is sitting on top of the couch looking out "her" window thinking of a way to get me to take her outside. Hmm

Is It My Fault, Now Really?

We have a very long porch on the northside of our house. It used to be a carport. Fran enclosed it and screened it for me. I love to sit out there three seasons and watch the birds, have coffee and visit with friends in my favorite room.
A little while ago Fran came in and said, "I had to get that bird out of there." And of course, I said, "What bird?"  He said that it was my fault of course. We always laugh with that remark. We sound like the Mucinex commercial when the girl says it is all the mucous' fault.
Any way I am rambling again. He said there was a wren that had gotten trapped in the porch when I left the door open. If you believe that, I have some beach front property for sale. Fran said that when he first saw the bird he had a seed in it's mouth then he quickly grabbed another seed as Fran propped the door open. (do you notice that there were several seeds on the floor? ) The bird was very fat and calmly walked, yes walked out the door.

I am thinking that, that bird was among hundreds that were eating out of the feeder the other day and was very disappointed in us for not keeping the feeder full. The reason was just because the roads were drifted shut and I felt our safety was more important than a bunch of birds that were upset with us for not filling their feeder. I have thought and thought about this and I still think I am right!

Scoops

There are many different kinds of scoops. I have a sugar scoop, and Fran has a snow scoop. Reporters get scoops on breaking news related to newspaper headlines or television break ins.  My dad used to have a corn scoop that he used to throw corn to the hogs.

And... pooper scooper that dog walkers use.  In fact in the grocery store the other day, yes I said the grocery store, hanging with the mops and brooms was a zebra printed pooper scooper. I couldn't believe it.  People that have cats need a scoop that scoops the poop out of the kitty litter.  Fran just said, "Don't forget a scoop of ice cream!" Leave it to him to think of food.

Now that we are done with that, I will tell you my favorite kind of scoop; the wonderful scoop that scoops up heavy dips. In my estimation they are one of the best inventions ever! I make a very heavy Mexican dip that breaks every chip ever made, but when I use a Scoop they do the trick. They are wonderful. If you use a regular tortilla chip, you end up with broken chips throughout the dip. Yuk! 

Long live the scoops and I am out to the kitchen to make my dip! Can't wait to scoop it up.

How Many People Does It Take To Make A Party?

I was thinking today about a Superbowl Party as we were in the grocery store. When my kids were little the "guys" went to Minnesota to watch the Vikings play whether they were in the Superbowl or not. We were very poor. In the '60's I think my husband made about $3.00 or less an hour, so if the guys wanted to go they had to get odd jobs to ride the bus, pay for their food, and of course pay for some drinks/beer.
They built a fence for a man one year, another year they put a new roof up for someone, and one year they made a clothes line for a lady. They had so much fun, just like they did when they were kids.

Well "us" girls had a ball while they were gone too. Of course, we had the little ones to take care of, but for meals we could make hot dogs and mac and cheese every night if we wanted to, because the kids loved it.

Sodas were very special drinks, so while the guys were gone, I can remember treating my kids to a soda.

The first year that I can remember a Superbowl party in South Dakota I was heart broken because my little dog ran out the door and got run over by a car.

Other Superbowl parties were happier, I didn't care for football so I went shopping. I loved that. And sometimes I took the kids with me and we went to McDonalds which was a special treat.
Then something magic happened. I started to like football. I became a monster. I stood up from my chair and yelled and screamed and hollered. I love it. And furthermore the first game that I watched with Fran I was against his team. Things were kind of quiet on the home front. That was our first Superbowl party. He still talks about me being a traitor. lol Sometimes it is just the two of us which means I don't have to make much food or sometimes it is a party with our neighbors. It is fun, so in answer to my question?  I think you can have a party of one or one hundred. I love parties no matter how many. Happy Superbowl Party, everybody!

A Time For The Funniest!

Throughout my life I have done dumb things. Things that make me laugh, things that make other people laugh and things that are just laughable period.

Last week I told you about spraying my hair with Lysol. Now that was purely Fran's fault because he was rushing me.

I wear false teeth. Last night my upper plate was hurting me for some reason so it went in a cup.

This morning I went into a panic. I could not find my teeth. I tore the bed apart. Then I went half crying to Fran. He tore the bed apart. Fran got a little fussy with me and told me to really watch Maggie because she would eat them up if she found them. I mentally tabulated how much a new pair would cost and how much I hated Fran for being "mean" to me.

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down to pout in the living room. As I swallowed the hot coffee I kind of made a little sucking motion with my tongue. Yup, you guessed it I had my teeth in my mouth.

I told Fran I had found my teeth; they were in my mouth. He was in the kitchen doorway and just stared at me. He had a little sparkle in his brown eyes, and a tiny little chuckle and a barely perceptible shake of his head. He then turned and went outside to blow snow.

I didn't do it, but I wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but of course, that would have been childish!