Jinxed?

I feel I need to mention a little problem we seem to be having with our new personalized camo license plates.  It may just be coincidence...but I don't think so. 

We were coming back from the cabin weekend before last.  We were just coming out of the mountains on 82 in New Mexico and I got pulled over by our favorite NM State Trooper.  I don't know what his name is but he is VERY rude!  Let me preface this by saying that I was NOT speeding.  In fact, I had done nothing wrong.  He was in an un-marked vehicle that just looked like an SUV to me.  He pulled up right on my bumper and was following me really closely.  So I pulled over to the shoulder to let him pass.  I did this a couple of times because I wanted him to pass me.  Then the lights came on.

He told me I seemed to have trouble staying in my lane!  And then he told me he couldn't tell from my license plate what State I was from and that was illegal.  Of course, the plate has a big white TEXAS on it but whatever!  I didn't get a ticket, he just wanted to check out the plate I think.

Then, on our way to Fort Worth last Friday, everyone around me was going 82 or 83 on I-20.  I was going 79 in a 75.  We saw exactly one State Trooper and he stopped ME!  Once again, I did not get a ticket...I think he was just wondering about the license plate.  I am beginning to think it might be jinxed.  We are driving back to the cabin for the weekend.  I will keep you posted!

A Texas Treasure!

Mike and I went to Fort Worth this weekend to visit our kids and see their new house.  And while we were there I got to go to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the first time in all the years I have lived in Texas!  Now, we talk about Billy Bob's tickets, etc. but I have never actually been there.  I have always thought "The Stockyards" would be a big fenced-in area with lots of cow poop and, of course, the cows that go with that.

Nooooo.  The Stockyards are really old Fort Worth!  Wonderful old brick streets, great old buildings, antique stores, Billy Bobs (of course) and some fabulous restaurants!  They still run cattle through the streets a couple times a day, so be prepared.  It is truly the taste of Texas that you imagine it to be.

We had a late dinner at "Cattleman's" restaurant (look for the big cow on the sign) and it was the best filet I have EVER had!  And there was just a hint of cow in the air when we walked to the car after dinner.  Perfect!

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! 

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.

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.

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!

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!