Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Little Library's!

I ran across a little story the other day about a man named Todd Bol.  Todd built a tiny version of a one-room schoolhouse and mounted it on a post in front of his home in Wisconsin.  Then, to honor his mother, a teacher, he filled it with books for neighbors to borrow!

Now, three years later, there are 6,500 "little libraries" across the nation!  What a fantastic idea!!!  If you live in a neighborhood with kids you could fill it with Dr. Seuss or books for tweens.  If you live in a neighborhood full of retired folks, you could fill it with books that would appeal to them.  You could literally tailor your "little library" to your very own neighborhood. 

I have decided to do this up at our cabin.  It is pretty isolated (50 minutes one way to the nearest library) and I know the folks in the canyon would love this idea! 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Is It Worth The Money?

During our discussion with Nashville Kat this morning, she mentioned that Martina McBride just got a new Dyson vacuum and she was complaining about how technical it was.  Really?  I am a self-proclaimed "vacuum expert".  My friends used to always come to me if their vacuums broke because I always had one I had used for awhile and gotten frustrated with and put in a closet.

Then I got a Dyson.

It must be said, I am a picky housekeeper.  I can't stand furry floors or sticky countertops.  The furry floors part is tough because we have 5 cats and 3 dogs in our house.  The vacuuming never stops!  Then there is the West Texas dust.  That, alone has stopped the suction on many vacuums in the past.  Not the Dyson.

Now, I know they are expensive.  Over $500 for most of them.  But I know I spent more than that in one year on a collection of vacuums that stopped sucking!  Don't go for any of the really fancy ones.  The simple ball vacuum model is perfect for every floor surface.  My Dyson has been working without fail for 7 years.  And as for Martina's technical issues...I gotta say, this is also the easiest vacuum to take apart and clean that I have ever used.  So, maybe Miss McBride needs to let her teenager teach her how to use it.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Happy Ending

Last friday morning, my daughter found a beautiful chocolate lab sleeping under the bushes in our front drive.  He was sweet, gentle and graying a bit around his muzzle.  She brought him into the house, gave him a bath and asked "Can I keep him?"  I had already called Beth at Lonestar Sanctuary for Animals.  But he was so sweet and seemed to be really attached to my daughter so we let him stay.  He seemed so tired and hungry. 

She called him Buddy.  He ate, slept and was extremely tolerant of all the cats and dogs in the house.  But he was so well trained and clearly had been loved that I couldn't stop thinking that some family was really missing their beloved pet. 

On Sunday, we decided that he needed to go to Lonestar in case he had an identity chip and someone was looking for him.  On our way home from work yesterday, I got a text from Beth at Lonestar asking if we still had that chocolate lab because someone had called about missing their dog.  Mike took him right over and he was reunited with his very anxious family!  A happy ending...and his name was Jackson.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Counting My Blessings

We were watching a movie the other night, and in it the couple was really having a hard time "in this economy" surviving.  He had lost his job, she was having a tough time selling houses and their mortgage was 90 days overdue.  It made me think how lucky we have been here in West Texas! 

The economic nightmare that has hit most of the world...is not here in Texas.  All we have to complain about is the traffic and the long wait in restaurants!  So now when I think "I want to live someplace where it rains and things turn green" I stop and thank God I live in West Texas.  People are friendly, business is booming, and I can pay my mortgage!  How great is that!

Monday, June 10, 2013

WATER!

It's amazing how much you miss water when you can't have it anymore!  We live in a patio home and have very little real "yard".  What garden we do have, we have re-planted with drought tolerant plantings and put down a lot of mulch. 

The problem is, we have a central, saltillo tiled patio.  It has a fountain (over three feet tall so we can't use it) and 4 rooflines dump down into it.  When the dust blows it has a lovely (that is sarcasm) cyclone effect in our patio.  In years past, I have been able to keep it pretty clean with a good power wash about once a month.  But now, because of restrictions, I have not been able to wash it off for over a year.  We have our own little dust bowl in the center of our house!

Yesterday, when we were driving home we noticed a river of water running down several streets, into the storm drain.  I have no idea where it was coming from, probably someone's swimming pool, but it sure made me remember how nice it was to be able to use water to do things like wash your car, water your lawn, run your fountain, and wash off your patio!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

A Ringer!

The ConocoPhillips - Bad Boy Blast sporting clay shoot benefiting the Midland and Odessa Police Departments and Midland and Ector County Sheriff's Offices and Odessa Crime Stoppers is this Friday and Saturday at Windwalker Farms. 

I am going to be out there about 7am on Friday for the 8am flight.  Now, I am confessing that I will not be shooting.  I am bringing a ringer.  Our son, Eric, is a Cav Scout Sniper.  I am pretty sure he shoots better than me.  I am excited to see him in action.  He has been in the Army for almost two years, can shoot from a Blackhawk helicopter and has fired every single weapon the military has.  But can he shoot sporting clays?

Thanks to the great folks at the Bad Boy Blast for inviting us out for the fun.  And for giving me a chance to see my own "Bad Boy" in action!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Freedom!

I rarely ever wish I was back in elementary school.  In fact, I only think about it around this time of year.  Summer. 

Summer was freedom.  No alarm clock, no bedtime, no shoes and no idea what each day would bring.  My only restriction was that I had to take care of my little brother.  No problem, we just got into trouble together!!  Troy was great, he always ate my undercooked "Easy Bake Oven" concoctions!  When we found a bunch of Atlas Moving wardrobe boxes, we made a complete town!  Each box was a different store.

After a summer storm, Boulder Creek (Boulder, Colorado) flooded and left behind the biggest mud hole you have ever seen.  Troy and I had a blast just playing in the mud along with every other kid in our neighborhood.  We had to throw those clothes away afterward but it was soooo WORTH IT!! Sure, we had summer camps and day camps that we went to off and on just "to keep us out of trouble" but those are not the summer memories I keep in my heart and to this day my brother Troy can make me laugh like no other person in the world.

To a kid, summer is freedom...and we adults need to stop over-thinking (and over-planning) it!