My Great-Aunt Bea

I would like to tell y'all about my fondest memory of Great-Aunt Bea.

If you know me from my old blog, and my previous online presence, you know that I am a big advocate of holistic health.  Aunt Bea was the first one to introduce me to home remedies ... and I've been fascinated ever since. She taught me to have an open mind.

Bea was a petite lady, very poised, and easily admired for her gentle nature and kindness to all.  She was a dedicated Christian, and played the organ for years at her church. She spoke in a soothing whisper.

One mid-February day, about this time of year, not too long before she died, I went to visit her .... I had heard she was lonely and no one visited her much anymore.

Of course, it brightened up the cold, dreary day for her when her doorbell rang and she saw me grinning there.

It brightened up the blah-day for my Self too.

While we were visiting, I kept taking in her small living room ... all the flowers, all the photographs, all the delicate figurines, all the lace and pink accents ... but I was always drawn to her organ.

I asked Aunt Bea if she would play for me.

She was so happy making her way to the majestic, old organ and sitting down at it, and waiting for it to warm up ... she patted the small space next to her on the bench, and motioned for me to come join her.

Aunt Bea was already going into a flowy introduction to an old, moving gospel song when I noticed a translucent, ivory-colored floppy-looking thing draped over the shelf part of the organ that holds the sheet music .... what in the world!?!?

"Aunt Bea? What is that."

She nodded her head up and down, smiling with her eyes happy-wide, and exclaimed, waving it in the air, "Oh yes! Isn't it wonderful? It really works. But I doubt it would help you though. You don't have an organ."

"What is it."

Aunt Bea went on to describe how she was walking her little Pomeranian through the park across the street a few months ago, and found a little squishy square packet on the ground. She placed it in her pocket, and looked it over real good later when she got home and got Flossy fed. She recanted how the directions said to place it on the organ, and it would help prevent the spread of disease.

I could feel the tips of my ears pulsing ... my face had to have been so very red ... it was hot, and I was horrified.

"Aunt Bea I don't think that is what it is for. At all."

I will never forget the look on her face.

"Oh, no, sweet child, it is. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter!"

I, literally, fainted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have noticed two prominent assumptions about the world we live in: 

1) if your personal beliefs, lifestyle, or WHATEVER clashes/disagrees with another person's belief, lifestyle, or WHATEVER then you must avoid each other, fear each other and/or possibly even hate each other to establish/maintain some semblance of veiled peace ... 2) to be compassionate, friendly and loving toward someone means you must personally accept, agree and condone every single magnificent and miniscule thing that other someone believes and does. 

And my personal assumption ... nay, my personal belief ... is that these aforementioned assumptions are prominently bullshit.

I Am Back ...

... and, it's about damn time.

Audacity and Auditions

So, this past weekend,

my mom and I enjoyed ourselves

in downtown Fort Worth.

I remember my Dad

conducting a wedding ceremony

down there

on one of the larger concrete blocks

back in 1984/85.

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel

across the street

from the water gardens.

Saturday evening, we ate at the renowned

Joe T. Garcia's

... (since 1935) ...

located in the historic stockyard area.

After we ate, I took mother back to our comfortable retreat,

and I headed across town

to the storage unit

that held all of my/our earthly possessions.

This is the storage unit

that my middle miracle and I

tackled back in mid-June

... when we moved back to Texas

from Missouri.

I kinda blogged about all that here

Anyway...

it is time to transfer the stuff

to another location

so I pull into the storage facility

around 10:30 Saturday night

with another 17' foot truck.

By myself.

I planned to work through-out the night

with the sun asleep ...

there is no way in hell I could face another scorcher.

I open the doors, and this is what faced me.

I had to get real creative with the heavy/large pieces.

Please overlook the poor quality of the snapshots ...

I am still using my basic cellphone as my camera.

Here is an injury I sustained that night.

This is my left arm ... inside, at the bend of my elbow.

I was trying to lift an old rusted garden ornament

up, and over, a tall pile of stuff.

I lost my balance, and fell backwards with it, and it got me.

Got me good.

Here is the mean culprit.

This is the only decent picture I have of it

... it is buried into the ground ...

it was a large fire pit thingy before the bottom decayed.

It has jagged, rusty edges. 

Anyway ... enough of that audaciousness.

Before I close, I might as well tell y'all

that I am auditioning tonight

for a chance to go "in front of the crazy line" in Houston

to meet the producers of some new TV show

called The Voice.

I don't watch TV so I don't know anything about it,

but I am going for it.

If I am good enough to make the top 12,

KRBC will post the video of my audition online

for the public to make the final decision

on who to send to Houston.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Love y'all.

Howdy Friends

The past three weeks have been wonderful.

I am thankful to finally have access to a computer

so I can share some of it.

Thank you for the emails ...

thank you for the increase of Facebook friendships.

Thank you for your love and patience, and understanding.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Life is such an adventure, such a blessing.

Especially mine.

My middle miracle and I loaded a 17' truck

by ourselves on the 15th of June.

It took us all day, and we didn't get on the road

until 8:30 that night.

I had wanted to see the scenery of the beautiful drive

down, and out, of the mountains

... but, it wasn't meant to be.

I drove that big truck, exhausted, well into the night

and didn't stop until 3:30 am for a soft bed in Arkadelphia.

We allowed ourselves to sleep in, and didn't hit the road

 the next morning until 10 or so.

As soon as we crossed the Texas border, we stopped at the FIRST

mexican restaurant we saw.

And we chewed through our giggles ... savoring every bite.

I think we made it to Fort Worth around 6:00 pm.

My youngest miracle laughed and sang the whole trip.

The next day, Friday the 17th, we unloaded the 17' truck

into an all-metal storage unit surrounded by asphalt and concrete.

106 degrees, with a heat index of who knows.

We were already burnt, and sore, and whooped, from the loading

... I don't have to describe the unloading, do I?

We didn't get to a cool place, and a soft bed, until 9:30 that night.

Saturday, the 18th, I hugged my girls good-bye as they headed west to Abilene

to spend their summer with family.

Mama had a mission:

to find a home and to find a job.

Sunday I called my father to let him know how much I admired him,

and then I recuperated.

Monday, June 20th, I hit the streets ... literally.

I still had no car, but still had lots of determination.

The first place I walked into, about a half-mile from where I was staying,

I was blessed with a temp job as a waitress.

Coincidentally, they were short-staffed at a very inopportune time

... pre-scheduled parties and such ...

and me walking into the door was a blessing for them.

I smiled, within, knowing

"Who Really IS in Control of Doors."

((( smile )))

So I was thrown into the fray the following Tuesday and Wednesday ...

thankful for my past restaurant experience, and thankful for the generous tips,

and thankful for being able to lend a hand ...

and I left knowing I could stay, if I needed/wanted to.

The staff was entirely Hispanic ... most, if not all, spoke no English.

But they took me under their wing with love, and their smiles

were genuine.

Reaching all the way up to their eyes.

And they fed me well.

I have never seen such a well-run kitchen, and I've been in many.

Language was our only barrier ... shame on me for not finishing

all of my Spanish courses in college.

(Not that I really had control of that time in my life, but I digress.)

I want them to know I love them, and appreciate them ...

I think my demeanor conveyed that.

Maybe language was not so much a barrier after all.

ANYWAY

If you want good "mescan" food, and are in Fort Worth,

go to Oscar's on Old Denton Highway.

Be patient with the staff, and their limited ability to commmunicate

... and their seeming cluelessness ...

but enjoy your meal knowing the precious people in the back

take enormous pride in cooking for you.

So ...anyway, again ...
 it is Friday, June 24th, and  I am back on the streets,

and knocking on doors.

I walked and walked and walked.

In the heat of the day.

Sometimes dressed in black slacks, and sometimes dressed in skirts.

On Thursday, June 30, I suffered a serious case of heat exhaustion.

Some say it was an actual heat stroke.

Surely, it wasn't ... but I don't know.

I don't recall much ... all I know is that I stopped sweating, and went cold,

and then I blacked out.

That's really all I remember.

I don't remember fainting, or falling, or being tended to.

I don't remember telling everyone I was okay

... really, thank you, but I am okay.

I don't remember vomiting ...

so forcefully my contact somehow managed to scratch my eyeball.

(At first I thought I had bursted a blood vessel in my eye,

but it couldn't be that since the redness has gone down ... but

the eyeball still feels bruised and tender.)

One day I walked, at best guesstimate, four miles away from my starting point

... which means, with a four mile trek BACK, it was an eight-mile day.

I blanketed, and canvassed, for a job the old-fashioned way.

And I met so many nice people.

Needless to say, I spent the next few days resting.

Actually, I am still resting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today is Wednesday, July 7th.

It will take another post to cover what all has happened this past week

since the heat exhaustion incident.

I just wanted to let all of you know that we are alive, and still

facing life with optimism, and thankfulness.

As far as doors opening ...

one by one, they began flying open as soon as I quit knocking.

Or, maybe, as soon as I myself was knocked down.

I love you all.

Come Back to Texas

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Troy Aikmen wants you back
Willie Nelson wants you back
N.A.S.A. wants you back
And the Bush twins want you back
(La la la la)
And Pantera wants you back
(La la la la)
And Bluebell wants you back

I got a premonition
I'm takin' a petition
And the whole state's gonna sign

Come back to Texas
... it's just not the same since you went away
 

I bet you missed your exit
And drove right on through the Lonestar State
 

There's a seat for you at the Rodeo
And I've got every slow dance saved

Besides the Mexican food sucks north of here anyway

(Bowling for Soup)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Smart Mama

I'm proud of myself

... I solved a problem by using my head.

My clothes dryer got hot ... real hot.

My clothes dryer tumbled ... real good.

So why was it taking up to three hours to dry clothes?

I looked behind the machine, and the tube-thingy wasn't bent or crushed.

I shimmied the machine away from the wall, and pulled the tube-thingy off
... it was clear.

I walked outside, and checked the vent-thingy out there
... it was clear, too.

Hmmmm ... what in the world?

Think, think, think, think.

I pull the tube-thingy off the machine 

... and, lo and behold.

A bird flew into the vent, and all the way up the tube

... and built its nest IN the dryer.

Smart mama ... both of us, if I may say so.

*smile*

I am loving our little adventures here.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Terlingua: One Year Ago

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

One year ago, I went down to Lajitas and Terlingua for a visit.

 

 

Here is where I stayed ... Patricia's domed guest house.

Here is a picture of me, and   

Mr. Terlingua-or-Bust Smith.

And, here is a picture of me, OGT, and Julianne.

Me and OGT ... Off-Grid-Terlingua.

And, of course, I met  

Mr. Wells at his Field Lab,

but I didn't get any pictures.

Here is my favorite of him, though.

 

I am ready to go back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Setting Up Safe Haven and Strawberry Jam

Been busy here ... as you can imagine ...

with homemaking chores, and homesteading routines,

and whatnot.

At this point, the focus is just upon emptying boxes.

I'll figure out where everything will "best go" later.

Here is my safe haven.

And here is my Strawberry Jam-Making Session.

The jam didn't "set" all the way solid ...

the only thing I can figure I did wrong was

I added six cups of sugar, and not seven.

It still tastes delicious ... as you can imagine.

Ozarks Sunset from My Front Porch

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

I am a long way from Texas ... long, long way.

It is beautiful here.

 

This is the view straight out my front porch.

And here is "my" big red farm truck

sitting in the property's main driveway.

I got my first real lesson in

learning how to drive in the snow

this morning.

I was a freezing-cold, nervous wreck.

When I got to the little cafe downtown, 

and was asked what I would like to drink ...

I said, "I need something to calm my nerves, and warm me up,

so I'll just take a shot of tequila, please ma'am."

I think it might take these people up here 

a while to "get" my Texas flavor.

Who orders a cheeseburger for breakfast, 

and asks for jalapenos instead of pickles!?

With a big ole grin I says, "What!? No jalapenos, no tequila ... 

I really AM a long way from Texas."

I'm gonna let y'all guess where I be ...

since, as Andy says, I like to keep y'all guessin' ... heeheehee.

I think there may be a tiny hint of my location

in one of my more recent blogs.

 

Above is a closer view of the pond to the right of my "front yard."

Below is the main driveway in front of the house 

with the gate that takes you up to the highway

through the front half of the hilly property.

 

Another close-up of the pond.

 And here is the main driveway in front of the house 

with the gate that takes you to the back hilly-half of the property 

where the barn and chicken house and cows are.

This picture was taken directly in front of the truck ...
which is parked right in front of the house.

I have a camera now ... finally ... yeehaw ...

and still have a TON of boxes to sort and unpack ...

but I am thrilled to announce that I will be posting more often now.

I really do have soooo much to tell y'all.

And, Tript2, it is very nice to see you again ... 

made me smile when I saw that you had found me.

I hope you are well.

(((  hugs for all  )))

Stay warm, my friends, and thank you for your patience.

Major Changes Ahead ...

Woo-Hoo ... to be continued