OMG It's Almost Here!!

Each year, about this time, Mike and I go really nuts.  Why?  The "Kicks Cares For Kids Celebration for Children's Miracle Network".  Four days of broadcasting live in the Dillards Court at Music City Mall.  It is a labor of love.  But it is also pretty scary.  I am going to tell you what few people know...this yearly broadcast is waaaayyyy out of our comfort zone!

First, you are taking us out of our little studio room and putting us on a public stage.  We are in radio for a reason, nobody can see us!  Second, we really feel the pressure to raise more money each year (of course) and take it very personally when we do or don't!  Our biggest fear is that no one will call and that we have failed to convey our deeply held belief that Children's Miracle Network is the most amazing children's charity!

We interview parents who have gone through terrifying moments with their children and feel every single emotion with them.  Then we stress about the editing (what to leave in, take out) and what song to put with the story.  We then worry about the broadcast itself.  Is the equipment going to work (it never does until right up to the hour it starts on Thursday morning!) 

But once the Celebration gets started, it is like a snowball rolling downhill.  We have an amazing amount of help and volunteers that come in from as far away as South Carolina each year just to help us.  We laugh, we love on all our Miracle Kids that come by each year to see us, and we miss our own Miracle Kid, Eric.
So we hope you will join us February 14-17 for our Celebration, because it really is one...and we need you.

Feeding The Beasties

We drove up to the cabin on Friday to check on the water situation (as in "is there any?") and found our neighbors at our cabin checking on that very thing.  We pulled up in the truck and started talking about the situation when Loretta (neighbor) looked behind me rather startled and said "You have company!" I turned around and there were 37 deer staring at us!

Now, Mike has been feeding these deer for 8 years.  We have 8 point bucks that come and eat at Chez Mikey!  He feeds some of them apples and they eat out of his hand.  They often come up to the porch and look in the door or windows looking for Mike.  And he feeds them everything he can find.  I have had to put "NOT DEER FOOD" on the cookie jar!

I grew up in Colorado.  My father was a hunter, and a very good one.  Until I was nine years old our winter meat was rabbit, venison and elk (and elk is some gooooood eating!)  So I have no illusions about deer as pets, believe me.  If my family is hungry, they will get some apple and corn fed deer!  But right now, Mike has a following.  I swear as the truck drives up the canyon the deer telegraph that "The Corn People are here!!"  Plus, I can literally watch him relax as he feeds them and that is a "good thing" as Martha Stewart would say!

Green With Envy!!

I have never been so jealous of anyone in my whole life.  My sister-in-law Michele (Mike's youngest sister) is an artist.  And I mean REALLY an Artist!!  She has amazing talent but she has also spent her whole life pursuing, nurturing, sacrificing and working to support that talent.  And last night she told us that she has been selected as the visual artist for the 2013 exchange with the Salzburg Kunstlerhaus in Austria from August 2 - September 25th.  All expenses paid, small stipend and free studio with living quarters!

Salzburg, Austria was the setting for "The Sound Of Music".  I WANT TO GO!!  I can't think of anything more amazing for an artist...or me!  I know this is a dream come true for Michele.  She has wanted it for years and the honor of being chosen is incredible...blah, blah, blah.  I WANT TO GO!!  I know I have to put my "big girl panties" on and just be happy for her.  And I am...but I WANT TO GO!!

I do not have ANY talent as an artist.  I talk for a living...and they won't send me to Austria for two months for that!  Congratulations Michele, you have worked for this and you deserve it!  I will come to Austria and clean your studio for you...do your laundry...cook...clean your paint brushes...carry your luggage.....

If you want to check out Michele's work go to www.micheleschuff.com.  Remember Michele, I am your favorite sister-in-law!

It's The Little Things!

Saturday the 19th was Mike's birthday.  We always spend a couple of days sleeping...I mean "relaxing"...at the cabin for his birthday.  The older we get, the more important sleep...I mean "relaxing" is!  So we left Saturday afternoon with our friend Rachel Dobbs to go to the cabin for a few days. 

We got there and were thrilled that we didn't have to put chains on the tires to get up the hill!  Then we went inside.  We hadn't been up in a couple of weeks.  It had been a couple of VERY cold weeks!  The water in the toilets was frozen!  And then Mike announced there was no running water.  Now, we had replaced all our pipes a couple of years ago when it was 20 below zero.  My poor brother Troy had spent a cold, muddy week there re-plumbing.  My little niece, Megan, was the only one skinny enough to crawl under the kitchen floor! 

But Mike quickly discovered it was not our pipes that were frozen, there was no water coming IN to the cabin.  We found out that the pipe from the spring was frozen somewhere and that no one on our side of the canyon had water.  We quickly grabbed all the pitchers we could find and went up to another spring that just pours out of rock up the canyon.  After that, we thawed the toilets, went into Alamogordo to get bottles of drinking water, and settled down to a bath and shower free three days. 

I feel fortunate that Rachel is such a good friend that we didn't need to worry that she would freak out about  not being able to take a shower.  She did not freak out about having to flush the toilet with a bucket of water.  She just put on her cheeta footie pajamas and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.  And any conversation about how we smelled was forbidden!

Second Chances

We were talking to Beth from the Lonestar Sanctuary For Animals yesterday when she brought in Frankie for the show.  They adopted out 601 pets to forever homes last year!  That is more than double the number they adopted out in 2011. 

So here is a little report on some of those animals that get a second chance at becoming part of a family.  We have four of those amazing, loving, quirky animals.  My mom's little dachshound, Maggie, is so gentle and sweet.  She never leaves my mothers side.  But she is afraid of little boys with sticks.  Something in her history I am sure.

Sadie, our little rescue rat-russel terrier is the smartest dog I have ever had.  She is a very big dog in a little dogs body.  She talks all the time, has a real passion for chasing squirrels, racoons and wild turkeys and has developed a very protective love for Maggie.  If you mention the word "bath" she will crawl onto your lap and press herself against your mouth so you can't say it again.  She hates baths.

Fern is Rachel's doggie.  Fern chose Rachel as her human from the very first time they saw each other.  When Rachel is at work, Fern sits on my lap with her head on the arm of the chair so she can watch the front door until Rachel comes home.  She has learned to play tug-of-war with Sadie.  She used to be really quiet but she is now just as noisy as Sadie when they play together. 

Eric and Lilly adopted a sweet little dog named Gracie while they were here for Christmas.  Eric put his hand in her pen at Lonestar and Gracie laid her head in his hand and that was it.  He texted me this morning to tell me she goes crazy when he comes home from work, will hardly let him take his boots off and then follows him wherever he goes.  It is a wonderful thing to be greeted that way when he comes home from doing Army stuff all day!

There is something truly special about these pets.  It is as if they know they have gotten a second chance and they love you so much more just for giving them one!

A Warning!

Yesterday, Mike and I picked up a new over the range microwave at the store.  As we were leaving, we had to check out at the door with it.  I asked if a lot of people walked out of the store with appliances thinking, "who's gonna walk out the door with a refridgerator?"  The checker looked at me and said, "You would not believe how many appliances just walk out the door!"

Unfortunately, I am hearing this more and more these days.  People who have held garage sales and the professionals who manage estate sales have said the very same thing!  About half the items for sale are shoplifted.  And this weekend, the guy who is painting our kitchen was at the hospital with his daughter and everything was stolen out of his truck!

This is not the same community it was even 5 years ago.  We are now being targeted by scammers, professional panhandlers, con-men and thieves.  You have to be careful in parking lots.  Con men (and women) target people in expensive cars and hit them with stories about needing gas to get to the hospital in Lubbock, or they are just $20 short of their rent and they are about to be evicted.  And we are a community that is always ready and willing to help those in need!  But now you need to be careful how (and WHO) you are giving your money to!

We all complain about the increased traffic the oil boom has brought to the Basin.  But more cars is really the least of our problems!  Let's take care of ourselves and each other...this is West Texas after all.  We are very friendly, loving people...but we are not fools!  We will not be taken advantage of. 

Please Don't Make Me!

Am I the only person who would rather fashion a meal out of crackers and mustard than go to the grocery store?  Yesterday we cleaned the house (including mopping 2000 square feet of tile) and collapsed in front of the tv to rest.  About 3 oclock Mike turned to me and said "What's for dinner?"

I had nothing thawed, no lunch meat or bread, not even any cereal as a back-up!  Now, creative cooks can grab herbs and spaghetti and whip something up out of that.  Not me.  I am NOT a creative cook...or any KIND of cook for that matter.  I have a limited number of dishes I can produce...and yesterday I didn't have the ingredients for any of them.

Soooo, the obvious choice is get up, get out of the pajamas I cleaned the house in, wash my hair, put on some clothes and go to the store.  Right?  Not gonna happen.  As we all know, traffic is nuts, people are driving like they are on crack, the lines are long and the parking lots are crazy.  I had already battled all of that on Saturday.  You need at least one day without the madness, right?

So I figured, Mom eats her own stuff because of issues with her health.  Rachel is working nights now and is not home for dinner.  Mike would have to feed himself!  That was okay with him.  He knew I would make him go to the store with me...and he didn't want to get out of his camo jammies either.

A Real Date!!

I have a date tonight!  A real date!  Usually, Mike and I consider the weekly trip to Wal-Mart as our date night.  It started out as a joke but, sadly, became almost the only night out we ever have!  So, as we are in town this weekend, we have decided to catch a double feature at the drive-in movies!

Mike and I are pretty casual so we don't dress up unless we are forced to at gun point.  And, at the drive-in you can even wear your jammies if you want to (and don't plan to visit the concession stand.)  Of course we don't wear our jammies because Mike likes to go in and get a Chihuahua.  So for the entire movie the truck smells like onions.  Could be worse.

We remember the very distant past when you had to hang the tinny sounding speaker from your window, and keep moving around the lot until you found one that worked!  Now it is all so easy!  Great stereo sound, big windshield, the privacy of your vehicle.  This is truly an invention from the country that created the whole "car culture".  I love sitting in the relative coziness of our truck, talking out loud if we want to, not having to worry about someones cell phone or the two girls behind you that won't shut up.

But the best part of Date Night is getting to spend time alone with Mike.  You would think that we get enough time together.  We are usually with each other 24/7.  But as much fun as working with him is...NOT working with him is even more fun because we still make each other laugh!  We talk about the kids, the past, the future and everything else.  Mike is, even after 21 years of marriage, the person I most want to be with.  And I am always thankful that I have such an amazing friend.

Finding A Treasure

Mike and I used to go "junking" a lot.  We loved finding "just the thing" for this room or that room.  However, we now have two homes stuffed with furniture so we stopped.  Yesterday, we got a wild hair and went over to Habitat Restore to see if there was something we could rescue.  I love Restore.  If you want cabinet hardware, sinks, doors, shutters, tile, etc. it is the place to visit!!  However, it was like re-visiting my past through decorating.  Lots of pinks, greens, taupe and plaid.  It made me realize how completely colors, metals, woods, countertops and appliance colors go out of style.  There were a lot of gold lighting fixtures as the style now is brushed nickel or bronze.  Someday, they will also be out of style.

Anyway, we moved on to Joseph's at Wadley and Midkiff.  I have collected Fiesta Ware for over 20 years and I am always looking.  Joseph had some pieces there that I thought were mythical.  Sometimes it is enough to just go and look at beautiful things from the past.  Fiesta does for me exactly what it was designed to do during the Great Depression.  It cheers me up.  The colors and design are so bright and fun you can't help but smile when you see it. 

Then we spotted an old cedar chest we thought we could use as a blanket chest.  It was a real find at a great price and we snapped it up.  It is just a simple cedar chest from the 40's that needs a little love but will always be more special than something new.  The best part is that Mike and I went somewhere other than Wal-Mart together.  It was fun to go looking for a treasure together and finding one we both loved.  Hopefully, when we get it to the cabin, we won't have to carry it up the mountain...

Learning Your Lessons!

I wrote yesterday about the crazy weekend we had at the cabin.  Today, I write about the lessons learned from that weekend.  First, newest isn't always bestest!  I bought "chains" for our 4 wheel drive Tundra so that we could get up the steep 100 yard slope to our cabin in the snow.  I did my research.  All the reviews said these "chains" were easy to put on and worked perfectly.  They were neither.  We parked at the bottom of the hill after many attempts to go up.  The "chains" were broken and worthless.  They were really cables with metal rings on them and they were really complicated to put on.  They went into the dumpster on Sunday!

While we were struggling with our truck we stood aside to watch a neighbor with REAL chains on all four tires just drive up the hill without sliding even once!  So, when I got home on Sunday I ordered real, old fashioned tire chains.  Lesson learned.

Second, we rarely go to the cabin without taking some stuff with us.  Groceries, canned goods, dishes, furniture, etc.  This time it was all those things!  We decided to replace an old recliner with a chair and ottoman (my preferance over a recliner) and we had it with us in the truck.  So, on Saturday we had to get that chair up the hill.  During that difficult and exhausting process it actually struck me that Mike and I are not spring chickens anymore.  At 8000 feet the air is thin and catching your breath is tough!  I actually worried that one or both of us could have a heart attack right there on the hill below our cabin!

So, I have resolved to get into better shape.  I have also decided that whatever furniture is at the cabin, stays there and we will add no more to it!  This was the SECOND piece of furniture that we have humped up that hill in the snow over the last 5 years.  The first was a couch that is NEVER leaving the cabin!

Weird Weekend!

This weekend was one for the books (or the blog!)  First, we did not expect to go back up to the cabin so soon after the holidays but it was a free weekend, our daughter wanted to go up and as that is a fairly rare occurance we jumped at the opportunity.

By the time we got there late Friday afternoon, it had just stopped snowing.  The truck was not going up our hill in the snow, even in 4 wheel drive.  So we ended up hiking everything up the hill to the cabin.  It was about 35 degrees inside the cabin so it took awhile to warm up.  We were going to light the big, old, wood-burning stove in the corner of the kitchen but we heard a bird fluttering in the stove pipe.  Not an unusual happening.  Every year we fish a dead bird out of that old stove. 

So, Saturday night we were watching tv and Mike gets up and goes over to that old stove in the kitchen and opens the door.  And standing there is a little bird (a junco) covered in ash and scared.  Mike just reached in and carefully held the poor little thing.  He let it go outside and it flew up to the tree tops.  We were all so relieved it was alive!! Rachel baked a celebratory cake!  We were enjoying our cake, watching tv again when Rachel screams "Bat!!!" and dives under her blanket.  Yes, there was a bat flying around inside the cabin.  We have no idea how it got in but Rachel and I were not going to stop screaming OR come out from under blankets until it was gone.

Mike finished his cake calmly.  Then got up, got a container, waited for the bat to land on the curtain and captured it.  He took it outside and let it fly away.  It sure got the dogs excited!

Then on Sunday, Mike lost his phone while throwing away the trash on the way out of the canyon.  Fortunately, a lovely couple found it and is sending it to him today.  What a weekend!!  How was yours?

The Fun, The Presents...The Smells!!

Ahhh Christmas.  It was great this year at our house!  A new daughter-in-law, soldier boy home for two weeks, a little more time with our oldest son and his wife all added up to a great holiday.

However, when they all left the cabin on the Saturday after Christmas, Mike and I were left with the mess, the trash...and the smell!  I literally spent the whole day Saturday cleaning up.  Mike took 13 bags of trash to the compactor down the canyon!  Then he escaped to Alamogordo to do some food replenishing (boy, can they all EAT) and I put Christmas away, stripped beds, found left behind socks, did a LOT of laundry and collapsed.

When Mike got home we vacuumed, mopped and re-arranged the furniture back to the pre-Christmas arrangement, missing the kids the whole time.  However, we did reflect on a few things.  First, no amount of potpourri, candles, Febreeze or those little waxy-melty things could overpower the smell of feet (among other things) in the cabin.

Second, when do boys stop smelling?  Our sons are now in their 20's...so when do they start smelling good?  Mike smells good all the time.  We are pretty sure that about the time our boys start to smell good, they will have babies and we start all over with the smell!  The girls were just as messy but they smelled better.

We sat in our quiet, clean cabin (that smelled faintly of Fabuloso) on Saturday night, reflected on the events of the week, missed our kids and relaxed.  Another Christmas is over, the New Year has begun and we are praying yours is fantastic!

They Did It!!

Mike and the boys (Eric and Adam) made plans before Christmas to go camping sometime during the holidays at the cabin.  And they did it!! 

We all went to lunch at the Lodge in Cloudcroft (a Christmas tradition that I personally LOVE!!) and then made a trip "down the hill" to Alamogordo for a day-after-Christmas trip through Wal-Mart for groceries and a few items for the camping trip.

By the time we got back up to the cabin, the sun was beginning to go behind the mountain.  They packed up in a hurry and headed up the mountain.  The girls and I noticed they forgot matches, flashlights and toilet paper.  Also, they left one of the adult sleeping bags behind and accidentally took the old kids bag with the smiley face on it (designed for sleep-overs, not sub-zero temperatures.)

We girls settled down in the warm cabin with new Kindles and some lovely wine. 

The next day, I drove up to pick them up at the appointed time.  I found three frozen men who were so desperate for a hot bath and a warm bed that they could barely speak.  But the story did come out.  They found a semi-flat surface in the dark.  Set up tents, started a campfire, ate the military MRE's that Eric brought them for dinner and decided at 9pm that it was time to turn in.  That's when the fun started, they said. 

First, snow is unforgiving.  Soft at first, then it becomes ice.  And even on a very gradual slope, that ice becomes a tent-luge.  All night long they fought the tent, sleeping bags, cold, wind and "something" walking around outside in the snow that kinda freaked them out.

When all is said and done, the one thing Adam and Eric were most impressed by was that Mike urinated his name in the snow.  It was actually the first thing the boys told me when they got into the truck.  Adam said the "M" was perfect!  I am left wondering if he wrote "Mike" or "Michael".  I am not going to ask.