Kitchen stories: An earful

When I was young I loved to listen to grown-ups talking at the kitchen table. After dinner, the dishes removed and replaced with cups of coffee, they'd talk about all sorts of grown-up things. Politics, gossip but what I like most, old family stories. My cousins were off doing something else but I was quiet so most times I'd go unnoticed and get to stay. I'm not sure I spoke much and for a while thought I might be invisible but that's another story. Many times I remembered playing under the table. If they did shoo me away I'd end up in the hall just past the light from the kitchen, still within earshot.

My mother's uncle Jim was a great story teller and I'm sure added things that weren't exactly the truth but he could spin a tale. One of my favorites was the one he told often about his mother, Susan Truesdell.

The Truesdell family had eleven children surviving to adulthood but when this story took place there were only a few. They were a farm family and though school was available the older boys didn't stay in school very long. One reason might be they were feisty boys.

One evening one of the older boys, about twelve came home from school and told their mother, Susie about the teacher whipping him with a switch. Susie never asked what he'd done but went to the barn, saddled her horse and loaded her pistol. Off she rode down the road to the school house. Driving his buggy home that evening the teacher saw Susie coming, slowed his horse, got out and stood next to the buggy. There were no pleasantries exchanged. From horseback Susie shouted at the teacher, "Did you whip my boy Martin?" The teacher said yes and started to explain the reason. Susie drew her pistol, said "Don't you ever touch one of my children again, " and fired hitting him in the ear. She calmly rode off.

The teacher, far from mortally wounded but seriously scared, jumped into his buggy and sped away to town. He found the sheriff and insisted he arrest Mrs. Truesdell showing his bloodied ear. The next day the sheriff arrested Susie and took her before the judge with the teacher. The judge listened while the teacher, with a bandaged ear, emotionally told his side of the story. The judge never listened to Susie but told the teacher, "Susie Truesdell is a pretty good shot. If she wanted you dead you would be. I'd suggest not whipping her boys anymore. Case dismissed."

The teacher taught the rest of the term but never raised his hand in anger against any of the Truesdell children.

Babies?

There are babies coming.
Tiny toes,
tiny ears,
big voices and wet bottoms.

Sweet little hungry pink mouths
darling knees;
they are coming two by two
one pink one blue.

Chubby round little faces and dark eyes
tiny grasping hands complete with finger nails;
Can't wait to see the color of their hair.

They are coming and
Mommies and Daddies are anxious, too.

Updates to follow.

He could read the friggin' phone book and sell it

I just like to hear him speak but can't stand all the "after" drama. I don't need anyone to tell me what I heard. I liked what I heard.

Text of his speech

Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal is trying to make a name for himself and run for President. Jindal's politics are firmly on the Republican right: he is opposed to abortion, embryonic stem cell research, gay marriage and the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling. We will hear more from this punk.

Information pant-load

Let me just say one thing about our new President. Leave him the hell alone; it's only been a month. Do I like every single thing he's done? No, but I like it a thousand times, maybe a trillion time, more than the last administration. I hated them the moment they took office.

Why does he need to be scrutinized every day? This information overload is disturbing. There are so many news outlets needing to say something new or different that they look like sharks feeding.

In my opinion Bush was elected by the Supreme Court and not the American people for his first term. What happened four years later just amazed me but the Dems did not have a decent candidate but enough about the past eight years, time will be the judge on that presidency.

So will giving each person a check work? I don't think so; I didn't like it when it came from the past administration and I think it's fluff but it's part of the package. Now one thing that could help is the subsidy for COBRA for laid off workers. I know a few and if you are trying to find a job the last thing you need to worry about is health insurance for your family. This part of the package addresses people who need it.


What worries me more? Those monkeys in Sacramento. You need to keep tabs on them and they are way easier to contact. Find your monkey from this link. California State Representative.

Need to drive in the Carpool lane?

I'm sure this would qualify you for the HOV lane. Sure, just tell the cop, when he stops you, these are co-workers.

Buddy?

This is not our dog; repeat, NOT BUDDY. He looks like Buddy but it's his doppelganger. He seems to be the anti-buddy. Click the link to see a video and read about this amazing dog. "Thrown Away Dog Saves Little Girl."


This is our Buddy. He's never saved a life, that we know of, and he's just a tiny bit bigger than the dog above. He is a very loyal, good at heart, dog. If I'm sick he'll stay right at the foot of the bed and he barks at intruders. I love him just as much as he's heroic cousin.

We'll be watching and waiting

It has been a year since my beloved had a cancer removed from his bladder and four periodic test for the recurrence of that cancer. Now, instead of every three months he will go every four months for a test. Doesn't sound all that much better but it is because it a step closer to going every five months for a year, then twice a year, and finally yearly. You see, his type of cancer is what the Dr called an annoyance like some skin cancers. You just have to keep watching to make sure they don't come back.

So when you find yourself at your happiest you also get bad news. Why? Who the hell knows, it's just how the universe works. I'm thrilled and a good friend is sitting in the hospital with her husband and her news isn't so good. He has Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. I've read it responds well to chemo and I do hope this is the case with him. They are a darling couple and I think of her by his side and how lucky he is to have her. I also think of her pain and wish there would be something I could do or say to help. But there is no magic cure, just waiting.

Sisters

Publishing photos of myself is something different for this blog but I got such joy from finding this photo. I was contemplating giving away an old book and there it was, stuck in the back. As with all photographs there is a story.

In 1988 Doodles and her beloved invited us to their condo in Key Largo, Florida. They were living in Connecticut and thought it would be fun to celebrate Christmas in their little corner of paradise. I even made t-shirts for the trip for everyone--I'm wearing one in this photo-- which was not something our sixteen-year-old lil bird had a desire to wear but did without too much complaining.

We had a great trip of sightseeing, snorkeling, and boating and way too much laughing but that's what family's are all about. Now the next June, sister Doodles invited me down to celebrate my 40th birthday, just the two of us, and we won't tell anyone what we did.

We have our winner!

What a great event! I've selected two winners and they are:

Donna K Schrader at cards and clay in Alaska. She'll be receiving the set of art cards.

Chris Bennet at Creative Corner in New South Wales, Australia. The handmade felt lapel pin will be traveling off to her.

Check out their blogs to see some creative people. Thanks to all the artsy folks participating in this fun event and to all those who came to comment. Don't be strangers.

Weather report: Damn this is good

If I complain about wind I should surely express my thoughts of our current weather, rain. Lovely, soothing rain. The sound, the smell, the wetness--wetness? It is music to my dry ears and has come at a wonderful time, on the heals of a horrible windy January. I can't say enough. Sure, I can't walk or go to water aerobics but our rainy season will be all to short so will sit and enjoy. Reading, knitting, writing, anything quiet enough not to interfere with the drops.

We are trying to conserve water so days like this are a bonus for my thirsty citrus trees though the orange tree, in full blossom, has shed a number of blooms under a pounding shower a few days ago. The fruit from the orange has never been prized but the lemon, ah the lemon, is a favorite with friends and neighbors.

For the dry times I have a CD on my Ipod, Thunderstorms. I've gone to sleep many a time listening to that one. I should really live in the PacNorthwest where rain is not the fleeting visitor but a companion. I did try but we had to move to Bakersfield and after that the prices of property in Oregon skyrocketed; now with the crap economy we can't afford anything. Oh, well I'm reduced to dreaming and listening to our brief rain.

Some can never be rehabilitated

Our darling Buddy dog, at one time in his life, was a monster. Chewed everything mine, including an expensive signed by the photographer art book. I would refer to his as the "bastard with fur " and his breed being a "wire-haired terrorist." His only interest, not that he has a lot now, was finding a way to get into the trash. We'd had baby-locks on the cupboard with the can until we remodeled and have a wonderful slide out drawer; fooled him.

After my beloved retired seven years about Buddy became a model citizen. Imagine that, he was just lonely. He loves going camping and doesn't bolt out the door when it's opened. He is quite enjoyable even though he's not a cuddly dog. I do miss my Sheba, she was the best snuggler in dogdom. Buddy will sleep on the bed but faces the door waiting for some bungler to attack, he's ever vigilant.

Just to keep up the aforementioned title, ever so often, Buddy will pull something sneaky. Last week he must have felt no one was paying enough attention. My Aunt and I were heading for the Getty Villa and, out the door, I remembered my camera and returned to the house. There he was standing in the middle of the dining table his muzzle deep into the remnants of a cup of coffee I had carelessly left. He was so busy slurping up the coffee he didn't notice me and I was too shocked to say anything. Too bad I had not gotten my camera yet as that would have been a fantastic snap. He finally did look up and just turned, jumped to a chair, then the floor, and out the doggy door like nothing happened. Thanks, Buddy, I thought you'd lost all your spirit.

Starry mornings

The weather has been near perfect, still a bit windy but warm, not hot, and clear. If mornings in the spa were like this every day I'd never get anything done. Now the moon is almost half it is cutting down on the star viewing but still great.

For three days we were host to our darling 83 year-old aunt. She enjoyed her visit so and that's all that matters. Her husband of more than 50 years of marriage passed away two years ago and she will never get over it. It's true you can die of a broken heart.