Happy Blue Moon

Hope you are having a Freaky Friday and are planning to dance nekked in the Full Blue Moonlight tonite !!  It is once in a Blue Moon tonight, in case you have not heard, which just means that we have two full moons in one month.  The next one is supposed to be in 2015.  I think that is just the coolest thing ever and I plan to be outside soaking up all the moonlight I can.  The moon does do all kinds of crazy things to people or maybe it is that people do all kinds of crazy things cause the night is lit up with bright moonlight.  It was streaming in my extra large, double paned, bedroom windows so bright last nite I kept looking out hoping to see a Werewolf or live porcupine each very rare here in Texas.  Ohhh, that just made me think of a sad thing...road kill is always way up during the full moon.  Watch out for the little critters.  I gotta get busy.  Find mischief tonight and there is a parade in Bandera, Texas in the morning with Native Americans and Real Cowboys and longhorn cattle and everything !!!       Hope you get to 'Dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight' (not really the Devil unless your into that) tonight.   kisses

News of the World

It is after 12 noon and here I sit on my kinda comfortable almost soft, not sure what this material is, brown sofa.  I just put in my favorite Emmylou Harris CD-Red Dirt Girl.  I love every song but Red Dirt Girl kinda hits...you know what I mean?  Emmylou wrote most of the songs on this CD including Red Dirt Girl.  Flour Bluff had the very best high school English teachers on earth when I went there in the 70's.  Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Briedwell, Mrs. Polk could have devoted several days, weeks or months even, to class discussion on all the different literary aspects - time in history, phases of life, family dynamics, mental illness, small town culture and all that goes with it to this one song-pure poetry.  One of the lines 'there won't be a mention in the news of the world of the life and the death of a red dirt girl' is so true.  I was sad to hear one of the most interesting men and quite a character,  I have ever met passed away last week  in my red dirt town.  My small Texas town does not have its own newspaper.   News of our town is included in a supplement from a newspaper, that comes out once a week,  in the town 15 miles on down U.S. Route 90.    Obituaries are posted on the doors of local businesses, Scotch taped to the drive up pharmacy window at the Lowes Super S and the Post Office bulletin board.  That is the news of our world today-from last week.  By the time I heard 'Super Sonic' had passed away his funeral was over and just the usual 'so sad' comments and stories of his antics passed around in the local coffee shops.  'Super Sonic' was of course a nickname and how he introduced himself to me about 3 or 4 years ago.  Nicknames are common in Texas but I will save that for another day. I'm off to see another character, larger than life, preform in the big city of San Antonio.  He might just be mentioned in the news of the world some day.  But no matter, he matters to us and this is our world, my world and we matter!  kisses

Summer daze, Hurricane's

Good Monday Morning friends, family, neighbors, & general public I have not had the pleasure to meet yet.  The morning news is all a buzz with hurricane updates on Isaac.  Information of note to me is Isaac is predicted to make land fall 7 years to the day after Katrina.  Sort of a strange coincidence but maybe not so strange as September tends to be the busiest hurricane month with August coming in second.  I remember leaving Corpus Christi on August 3rd, 1970 just as Hurricane Celia was blowing in and most people were behind boarded up doors and windows.  Not us!  We were rocking and rolling in the family camper truck.  My Dad with his usual confidence that the Lord told him to get his family away from the storm and thus so we would reach our destination safely, no worries!  My Mom with her usual mistrust of his happy go lucky, trust the Lord, every little thing will be alright confidence.  Dad was smiling and breaking out in song from time to time while Mom was making her fear and probably a little terror known pretty much non-stop.  'Steve, are you sure we are not going to tump over, the camper is really rocking?'   'STEVE, there are no other cars on the road. Should we really be out here in this?'.            ' Relax Margie, the Lord told me to go so I'm going.  We will be fine. It's just a little wind.  Sit back and enjoy the ride.'     Mom did not enjoy the ride!  Us kids went back and forth from being scared when Mom was talking to 'enjoying the ride' while Dad was reassuring.   The drive home was almost as eventful as the closer we got to Corpus the more damage we saw.  Gas Station attendants  gave us free gas when they found out we lived in Flour Bluff.  Telephone lines and electricity were out so no way to find out ahead of time what condition our home was in.  Dad was sure we would find the sturdy little house he had built intact .  Mom was sure it would be leveled,  no roof or surely some kind of awful damage.  I remember driving past the Surf Drive-In on Ayers street.  Debris scattered everywhere, that huge drive-in screen completely demolished,  but Gone With the Wind was neatly lettered on the strangely intact marquee. Someone's idea of a joke no-doubt.  But I think a much needed comic relief in all the devastation.  The little wooden house my Dad had built for his bride was totally fine.  While several newer houses on our block lost roof's, windows and sustained major water damage.      Al Roker is on again with an update.  Keep those in Isaac's path in your thoughts and prayers.   Peace & kisses

I Am Woman

I was just reminded about August 26th, 1920 the day the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution became law.  When my children were young teenagers we would sing in our 1988 Ford Aerostar minivan, painted in Dallas Cowboy football colors,  pretty much any time we climbed in.  We all loved that van but that is a story for another day.    I had the Helen Reddy song 'I Am Woman' on a cassette tape.  I made sure my girls knew all the words and any little friends they had with them too.  I was fortunate that for being a conservative and proud of the title  'housewife'  my Mom was quite forward thinking when it came to women's rights.  She was an RN and made the decision with my Dad to stay home and take care of us kids.  I told my girls about my Grandmother's, one of them had a college degree and the other always ran her own business while raising a child on her own.  I explained to my girls and any little girls in the car that this was not usually accepted in that era.  They had strong, forward thinking and very independent Grandmothers. I told them about Grandma, my Mom, trying to get a credit card in the 70's in her name.  She was told that since she was married it would have to be in her husband's name.  My Mom was shocked at this denial of what she saw as acknowledging her as an individual and would just not accept it.  She was diligent,  wrote letters and made phone calls for about a year or more, she would not let up.  Finally she was granted a credit card in her name.  Our young women in 2012 have rights, freedom and protection because of the forward thinking, courage and diligence of our Mom's, Grandmother's and Great Grandmother's.  I think it is so important that we pass these stories down to our young people...otherwise...how will they know??  kisses

One Giant Leap

Good sunshine & awesome Summer Sunday day!   I heard on the news last nite about Neil Armstrong passing from this world to the next.  What a great loss for us mere mortals and especially Americans.  He was one of our true hero's and last of the few real role models.  I remember sitting in the living room with my Dad, Mom, brother and sister in front of our black and white TV with the rabbit ears.  The grainy screen and scratchy speakers bringing to us the most important event ever!  My Dad had set his Argus C2 up on a tripod to try and capture the event on film.  Dad had read Buck Rogers as a kid and landing on the moon was just almost unbelievable and most certainly a miracle, science fiction coming true, Wow!  My Dad, God bless him, kept shushing us and Lord help us if we tripped over that tripod.  I remember feeling that this must be very important for Dad to be making such a big deal of it.  I had always been fascinated by the 'man in the moon' mostly cause my Dad was always pointing it out and talking about the night sky.  There is a framed, signed photograph in my Dad's study of Neil Armstrong and the rest of that crew.  So long Neil Armstrong.  I salute you, your bravery, your courage and your strength of character.  The man in the moon is finally home.  kisses

Black/White

My parents were/are see the world in black and white.   No if any grey area.  White or black, right or wrong, sinner or saint.  That being true they of course hung out with like minded souls and that was my world for quite some time.  Time passed and I grew older-teenager and finally young adult.  During that time I was exposed to many new kinds of thinking and ways of life.  I started realizing I did not agree with the black/white thing.   Some things they thought were black were actually white in my eyes and there was all kinds of shades of grey or to me bright blue,  radiant red and sunshine yellow.  Grey is much too drab to compare to life.   Sometimes, when I was feeling brave and maybe a little Mountain Dew high ventured to question my parents beliefs.  Like "If God is in control He sure is not doing a very good job of it".   That went over like a lead balloon.  In church youth group which I loved and am thankful for most of the fun times and life lessons, they would have every now and then a tearful 'foot washing' service in which they had to wash each others feet in some sort of prayerful manor.  I say 'they' cause I never participated in that.  I'm sure I was on the 'Steffie is going thru a rebellious stage' ladies weekly prayer list.  I did not mean to be rebellious I just did not see what all the tearful drama was about and the thought of  washing a teenage boy's feet kinda creeped me out not to mention I like to keep my feet to myself.  Now I am all grown up with my own grown up kids.  I tried to be more of a free thinker with them and hopefully encouraged them to question...everything.  Now, I do have beliefs and convictions in Black/White, Bright Blue's, Sunshine Yellow's and Radiant Red's!  Love you my friends.  kisses

Good Foundation

Good Morning Good Morning.  It is a bright sunshiny Summer Friday day!  I love Friday's.  You know TGIF and all that stuff.  Somehow Friday brings the promise of a good time and the anticipation of plans talked about all week for a fun filled Saturday and Sunday.         I am so blessed to have good friends that watch out for me and are super fun.  Not one buzz kill in the bunch.  Things got a little rowdy last nite but no worries.  I know I am always safe.   I even have already gotten a phone call and a few text checking on my where a bouts and making sure I am okay.  So way cool.  My Memaw used to tell me..as she was putting on her girdle...'Steffie, never go out without a good foundation'.   I know she was using that as an object lesson.  Memaw was good for that.  I do have a good foundation thanks to her and my other set of Grandparents and my parents.  I hope I provided some of that for my kids.  I know I did not do as well but hopefully they have enough to figure out the rest.  You guys have a good weekend and make sure you provide your young'uns with a good foundation.  kisses

Comfort Zone

Happy Happy Sunshine Saturday.    It is really a bright dodger blue,  sunshiny, fluffy white marshmallow clouds,  flying birds and singing insects kind of day.  Before I go jump in my pool I am thinking and trying not to stress about some of my recent life choices.  They are really not recent decisions it is just that the time has come to put them into action.  Somehow no matter how much I think I am planning ahead I end up down to the wire.  But hey,  I think I work best under pressure!  I thank God, Jesus, my parents, perfect brother, pretty great little sister, grown up and doing well children,  guardian angel and all the friends that somehow put up with me that I am incredibly blessed.  I am also a believer in karma so maybe I have done one or two things in my life pretty okay, course that leaves all the rest so I know the heavy foot can fall at any time....oopsey!  Someone I used to respect a whole lot used to tell me-Gotta keep moving forward.  I like that.  Gotta keep moving and doing something different is so important to me.  Getting out of my comfort zone for me is difficult but I know I must to have the life I want.  Still kinda figuring out the details of what I want but I have a general idea and it is getting more detailed all the time.  You guys get outside!  We all need our vitamin D.  kisses

I was a waitress

Hope you are having a fun freaky Summer Friday night.  My waitress career lasted 2 whole days.   The first day, after the insane mind numbing lunch rush and cleaning up the carnage left behind afterward-I left an hour early.  My back hurt, I was pooped, I was hot and sweaty and yucky and just done for the day.  The 2nd day I was asked to leave- after the mind numbing rush and cleaning up the carnage left behind afterward.   Well, that was fun and I can say I was a waitress-for 2 whole days.  Now on to something else.  Dum de dum de dum...what to do, what to do?  There must be something out there I can do.  I will have to think on this a bit.  kisses

New Path

 Good Wednesday Morning.  The sun is on its way bringing familiar Summer Texas temperatures to triple digits.  I hear the few meet at the town diner for coffee and chit chat and early commuters pass by my little house.  I am starting a new job today.  Well, not just a new job but new kind of job.  I have been a nurse for oh, 20 some odd years, 24 actually I think.  I still remember nursing school with all the craziness, exhaustion, and excitement after passing each semester and finally getting my black striped cap and pin.  Nurses do not even get a hat anymore.  I was proud of my starched white dress with the puffy sleeves, white hose, polished white nursing shoes,  short perfectly trimmed fingernails with clear polish (no long or artificial nails allowed) , stiffly starched white nurses hat with the one black stripe across the top-bobby pinned very securely around the bun that held my long dark hair.   Physicians arriving at the nurses station would look for that hat knowing that only an RN wore them and would be qualified to assist in patient rounds.         I was blessed to start at a teaching hospital with lots of experienced nurses.  I have had to deal with patients in various states of disease, injury, end of life and just a multitude of situations nursing school did not even touch upon.  I learned a lot.  You never stop learning and just when you think 'you have seen it all'  you realize you haven't.  I do not even know how to begin to describe what it feels like to deal with some of the things I cannot even bring myself to talk about to anyone.  I lost count the first year of patients that passed away and never in my wildest dreams of wanting to be a nurse did I realize I would have to "get them ready" for the family to say their good byes.  Well, I gotta get ready for work, but not nursing.  I think at least for now I am kinda done with that.  Gotta keep moving forward and try new things.  Have a Hunky Dory Hump day.  kisses

Daydreams & Report Cards

Welp, it's Monday nite and I am watching Grimm, on my flat screen, digital TV with rabbit ears strategically placed at the moment on the floor.  Why I use rabbit ears I will save for another day.     I so enjoy this series. When I was a kid I had this super crazy imagination ( I know, hard to believe, right?) I would see an odd person in the grocery store and I just knew they were really a goblin, or alien from another planet sent to do some sort of mischief.  A really nice lady that smiled at me in Shopper's World and said something to my Mom was really a fairy making sure I was okay.  I cannot say I truly believed they were goblins, or fairies or creatures from beyond.  I just preferred to think it and make up elaborate scenarios that kept me busy and caused my grade school teachers to send home weekly notes "Stephanie, continues to day dream.  She does not take her studies seriously".   My adult children get a kick out of my handwritten heavy cardboard report cards.  My Mom, God bless her, saved them for me.  I went to grade school before computer print outs made students into a number and teacher comments in a school board approved legend on the right.   My teachers every year from 1st to 5th grade wrote out in various colors of ink and lucky for me, clearly legible cursive, "Stephanie, talks too much in class"    "Stephanie does not work up to her potential. Testing shows she can do much better".    They passed me on to the next grade with my imagination intact, my daydreams all mine and even though I did not ever take my studies all that seriously.  My teachers were all wonderful and God bless them for putting up with me.  Grimm is now over and almost time for bed.  I leave a light on in the hall, just in case my fairy needs to check on me...  Nite everybody.  Sweet dreams.  kisses