Thursday

The River and Hills

I have a budding author in my midst. This child just decided one day to write a story & has even researched the era and area. Budding Harlequin author? Western? Time will tell as only a couple of pages have been written so far.

Said child who will now be referred to as J.K. Howling has hijacked asked me to share what has been written so far. (I think this is a future blogger) This is the unedited version, by the way. And, I must admit, it has a "graphic" fight scene. As the mother of J.K. Howling, I had to demand a couple of revisions. I'm thinking you might be able to figure out what they were as you read.

The River and Hills
ROBERT GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!’’ My mama yelled like a dog that got his tail slammed in the door. I got out of my ratty ole bed and dusted off my pants and put on my cowboy hat. I knew it would be a scolding hot day because its always a hot day in Phoenix Arizona and the mosquitoes are going to bite cause its close to the Gila River. I jumped downstairs and went to the table I smelled and saw bacon and eggs which we don’t get that much cause pa sells a bunch of chicken’s and pigs lately for some extra cash so it was a surprise. “Robert we need the extra cash.’’ My mama was saying beating around the bush. “Just get to the point’’ I yelled!

“We need you to be a miner and we will give you half the money plus we are tired of you running around with the rifle shooting the Apache making them mad and giving us heck.’’ My mama explained. “Okay.’’ I mumbled. The truth was that mining was a dangerous job with the Apache raiding the mines and the tunnel begins collapsing, plus I would rather join Colonel Jones and the militia driving the Indians back south of Gila River to Yuma so it wouldn’t be our problem plus he gives rifles, shotguns and some Indian junk plus you got money when you join which is way more than what a miner makes but I guess mama doesn’t want me to die, dang it. “MA I’m going to the ranch!’’ I hollered.

The ranch was a fun pace to work I loved playing with the cows and racing horses Thunder was my favorite ,today I went down to the bar to get a gallon of ale for pa cause now he sells ale too. I went inside and I found the most beautiful girl on the earth Elisabeth with her beautiful silk blond hair and her swan like body she was very flexible and she just came down from heaven. But there was Colonel Jones drunk as drunk can be. “Say son want to join militia?’’ Jones asked. I didn’t want to go behind my parents back but he also pays good money and I could do both plus I couldn’t pass an opportunity like this so I generally replied ‘’Why yes I would.’’ Then I got the ale got on Thunder and made her gallop straight to the ranch just in cause he changed his drunk mind. After a couple of more hours I retired to bed tomorrow will be a miner’s day.

I woke up in the evening with a smile on my face because I get to work in the mine I thought sarcastically. “Mama, don’t fret when I die.’’ I joked as I walked out the port with a piece of toast in my hand. “Don’t joke like that.” Mama hollered but who cares. I was walking to George Town mine Smitty my friend is working there too. I arrived I grabbed a pix axe and a helmet Smitty already showed up. “Nice to see you Rob!’’ Smitty hollered. That’s just like Smitty being loud and obnoxious. “Nice to see you too.” I replied. “So did you here the news?’’ Smitty asked. “No I guess I didn’t.” I replied as I knocked out a couple of diamonds. “The Apache are raiding the mines for their good.” He looked terrified when he told me. “Hey Mr. Arrow what’s this?” I asked. “That’s a ruby”, he said, “and it’s very valuable I say 200 bucks.” “What’s going on up their!” Mr. Arrow hollered at the top off his lungs. Swish Swish Swish there was three arrows lodged in Mr. Arrow’s body he drooped dead. “Smitty watch out!” I hollered. An Apache Indian was right there with a blood stained tomahawk sling Smitty was on the floor with a huge hole in his neck. I pulled out the tomahawk and ran. If it worked the Apache will follow me to Gila River where a black bear will hopefully be snacking on some berries. I ran to river side there was Elisabeth washing cloths “Hit the deck!” I hollered. Swish Elisabeth was hit in the hand. I turned around there was a huge Indian. “Come and get me.” I spoke calmly.

“You will make a nice prize.’’ The Indian hollered. I heard a rustle there was a baby black bear cub. The Indian swung his tomahawk Slash this big Black bear showed up and slashed the Indian dead with two blows. I swung the tomahawk in the bear’s leg. I was about to go for the other leg but Elisabeth stopped me by saying “Let her go she means no harm.” By then the cub and the mother ran away. I picked up Elisabeth and set her on a rock then gentle pulled out the arrow. “AHHHHH!” She hollered. “There there.” I spoke very gentle. I plucked some of her hair and used it for stitches and carried her back to town. “Thanks Robert you’re so nice.” Elisabeth spoke so gentle and yet so sweet. I carried her back to her house. “Can I do any thing to repay you?” She asked. “Nah.” I replied. Then she went off to bed. I ran to the house as fast as I could. “Mama I have to work at another Mine!” I hollered. "No you’re going to work at the bar you keep the tips and split them in half for us.” Mama always had an answer. “Now wash up and have some supper.”

After some ham and boiled eggs I went off to bed. Shoot I forgot to go to the ranch Pa is going to kill me but who cares it was a rough day anyways.



What do you think? Can I retire soon? ;)


The Island Tag


My friend (IRL now) Forgetfulone tagged me.

“Your ship has sunk. (That's just my luck!) You have, of course, been stranded on a deserted island. You have salvaged a copy of the King James Version of the Bible and a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare. Nothing else. What? No Desmond, Jack, Jin, or Sawyer? I mean, if I'm Lost and all....

“The very next day you find one of those Arabian Lamps in the sand. Of course, you rub it and, of course, a rather grumpy Genie appears.

“‘Let’s get this straight - there is a recession going on. There are restrictions on the three wishes now. I don’t do water or air transport now so no boats, planes or magic carpets. As for electronics, forget it. There isn’t the infrastructure on this island.

“‘I can let you have one book and I mean one VOLUME, one essential item and one luxury item. ’”

This is hard. I promise you, I would choose every single thing Forgetfulone did. However, I promised I'd come up with my own answers. Sigh.

ONE:
Book: How on earth can I pick just one? I'm a reader! I know I said I'd come up with my own answers, but I just can not think of a better answer than the Harry Potter Books 1-7 Volume. I promise the others will be my own!

Essential Item: toothbrush. I wanted to pick bathtub, but alas.... I can't stand the feeling of dirty teeth so I'll go with my 2nd choice.

Luxury Item: a comfy bed!

Wednesday

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Legally Blonde Edition


One of the great things about living in Houston is the theatre. We are one of the cities that Broadway Across America visits and we also get some excellent shows. For instance, last Sunday, Lamb & I went with my mom to see Legally Blonde the Musical. We had a really good time!

Usually, Lamb is a good sport with my picture taking. Sunday, however, she "pretended" to act confused when I asked her to pose by the poster. Not one of my favorites! Sigh. ;)

After the show, we headed to the stage door for pictures and autographs. That's a trick that we recently discovered when we went to see Jersey Boys. I never even thought to do that!

The actress who played Elle graciously agreed to pose with Lamb.
Oops! Thank God for digital cameras! I immediately knew that she had closed her eyes. Definitely a 'Fro moment! Bless her kindness! She waited & smiled again so Lamb could have a good pic. Of course, it was in her best interest to stick around an extra minute also. ;)
There! Much better.


Tuesday

I Heart Faces in Black & White

Be sure to head on over to I ♥ faces to check out all of the beautiful face in B&W entries this week!

Sunday

Be Careful!

A couple of weeks ago, Bubba's Sis posted about an American Idol episode in which the judges over reacted.

They saw the error of their ways and released this statement. I personally think they should have made mention of it on the show. And I hope the poor guy who was accused got a formal apology.


Saturday

Camera Critters #46

If lizards make you nervous, don't look!





Alex trying to decide if he wants to sit on his limb or not....



Posted by Picasa

Thursday

Well, Ok then.

I have a very dainty, tight hoop in my ear cartilage. You wouldn't even notice it, probably.

Unless you are a 5th grade girl. I was told by one today that she loved my top ear ring. She plans on getting one when she's 15. When I suggested that she wait until she's older, she informed me: "Oh, no! When I'm 16, I'm getting my belly pierced."


*Google image search

Wednesday

Addicted to Lost?

Then this might be for you!



I'm waiting for mine to kick in.;)

Monday

How Will I Manage My Time?

Dancing With The Stars
American Idol
Amazing Race
Survivor

All on in the same season. My February through May will be very busy and I don't mean because of Little League Baseball!

Saturday

Gushy Love Stuff

I got this in email and decided it'd be a cool blog post seeing as how it's Valentine's Day. This is all about the love story of Big D & me. Lucky ya'll!

What is his name? Big D

Who said, “I love you” first? He did.

Who is taller? He is a foot taller than I am.

Who drives most when you are together? He always does and he opens the car door for me unless I'm dawdling.

Who’s more sensitive? Oh, for sure Me.

Who does the laundry? He does. ;)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Right now, he does. Wait, the right side facing it? Yeah, he does. But, if you mean laying in it, I do. Told you I was horrible with directions.

Who pays the bills? He used to until about 10 years into our marriage. Then I told him that I wanted to so I knew what was going on in case something happened. Stupid, stupid me.

Who cooks more? I do. Although, he does help out by picking up pizza, making his "famous" pizza bread (noticing a trend?), & cooking/grilling steak & hamburgers.

Who is more stubborn? He is! But I guarantee he'd say that I am.

Who is the first to admit they are wrong? I am.

Who has more siblings? I do. He's an only child.

Who wears the pants? We both do. I don't wear dresses too much anymore. ;)

What do you like to do together? Watch movies, take pictures, have fun with the kids, travel, watch Heroes, Lost, The Office, & Chuck, hang out with Bubba's Sis & family, and go out to eat.

Who eats more sweets? We both eat sweets. We always have to have some chocolate in the house.

How did you meet? You can read all about it here. ;)

Who asked whom out first? Embarrassingly enough, my ex wicked stepmother is the one who asked me out for Big D. He was so mad at her because he was on his way home to call to ask me himself. That's how she rolled though. Anything to annoy anyone.

Who kissed who? It was a mutual effort. ;)

Who proposed? He did...but I knew it was coming just not when. He had been taking me to look at rings for awhile. We were engaged a week before we told anyone. I can't remember why now.

His best features & qualities? Gosh, he has so many. He'd do anything for his family or people he cares about. He is a dedicated, passionate father. He truly can't understand how anyone could think badly of me. There isn't anything the man can not do. He researches & learns all the time. He has a great smile, dimples & all, beautiful blue eyes, thick hair, & strong arms.

Tuesday

My Beloved is Mine


There is so much I can say and so few words I have to express the love I have for Big D, our love, our marriage, our family. Big D came into my life when I needed him to. I needed a hero. I needed a Prince Charming. And I got them both in Big D. I'm sure the broken, damaged girl I was then was a lot more than he bargained for! He often says that if we hadn't met then, we would have met in some other way. We are soul mates. I don't doubt him. But, I might not have needed him like I did in 1988. God knew what He was doing when he put Big D in my life June 15, 1988. And He allowed me to open my heart on July 15, 1988 when we had our first date.

Of course, I'm not that love struck "Cinderella" that I was in our early years. Having the highest of highs and the lowest of lows caused me to have a reality check. Big D is only a man. A man who loves me & our children to the best of his ability. And it's one of his many talents.

I have been with him for going on 21 years. Longer than the length of time I was without him. Married to him for 19 years. Longer than the length of time I wasn't married to him.

There is a quote that is attributed to Marilyn Monroe. It says: If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything. Besides the deep love, when I think of Big D, I think of laughter. He makes life fun and entertaining.

Besides the laughter, there are many things I love about Big D. I love how he fills up my car with gas. I love how when he goes out of town, he makes sure the kids & I have everything we need so I don't have to worry about it. I love how when I'm fixing dinner, he'll come up behind me & rub my back. I love how he'll go out late at night to satisfy our sweet teeth (he does moan & groan about it because he's not perfect). I love how he loves the kids. How he does anything within his power and reason for them and to help guide them in their paths.

1 Corinthians 13:7 says: It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
That is our love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
That is our marriage.

Yes, God sent Big D to me at a time I needed him the most. He keeps Big D with me because He meant for me to be Big D's beloved and for Big D to be my beloved. Our story is not unique, nor is it the only special one. But, it is ours and I love it. Almost as much as I love the hero, the Prince, the man in it.




A List of Stuff

I was tagged by Jennie. Ok, ok, so she didn't name me, but I read it. Therefore, I was tagged.

Make a list of things you can see without getting up: My computer and the completely cluttered desk, High School Musical on the tv, a pile of dvds scattered on the floor thanks to Elvis, Charlie's bin.

What were you like when you were five? Good grief, like I can remember that? Probably silly.

What are you wearing now? I ♥ Jim shirt and yoga pants

What story/book/novel have you read over and over again in your life? There are so many books in my list that I don't tend to re-read. However, if I had all the time in the world, I'd re-read the Stephanie Plum (early ones) and Eve & Roarke series, Jane Austen, and Gone with the Wind. I'm sure there are more but those popped first in my head.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Hey! And I reread it to refresh my memory before I read Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman.

Do you nap a lot? No, I can't sleep in light unless I'm extremely tired.

Who was the last person you hugged? a student

What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction? The Office since I feel I'm late to the game on it. I just started watching it this summer.

What was the last thing you ate today? blueberry muffin chased by a Mountain Dew

What websites do you always visit when you go online? AOL, bank, gmail, blogging friends, & facebook

What was the last thing you bought? new bedding for my bed...on clearance! I saved over $100. Love that!

What are you listening to right now? Big D vacuuming. When that stops, I'll hear High School Musical.

What movie are (or were!) you most excited to show your kids? Gosh, a lot. The ones that I loved at their ages. Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing, Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz...just to name a few.

If you could have any super power, what would it be? I'd love to read minds, as long as I could turn it off at will. Or mind control. It'd be nice to have people do my bidding. ;)

What is your favorite weather, and why? temps in the 80s & sunny

What time do you usually get up? I should get up at 5:45 but I tend to stay in bed until 6:30

What is your most challenging goal right now? learning to live with Big D's pay cut

Say something to the person who tagged you: Jennie, I think you are great and keep things real!

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? anywhere along the Emerald Coast in Florida

Favorite vacation spot? DisneyWorld.

What is your favorite children’s book? I have no idea growing up, but right now, anything by Sandra Boynton. Lamb LOVED her! And The Kissing Hand really spoke to Bear. I recently read The Shivers in the Fridge and adored it!

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: "Unhealthy" food

If you could meet anyone famous - huh. I'm not sure.

If you could go back in time to any part of your life, when would you revisit? When my babies were babies, I really miss that. I want to hold them in my arms again. If I tried now, I'd get strange looks.

Tag! You're it!

Sunday

Um, Do I Know You?

Usually, when I get a friend request on facebook and I don't immediately know them, I ask myself: Is S their friend, too? S was my best friend and I figure if she knew them, then I must also! I really need to dig out my yearbooks.

I didn't follow my own advice last week. I had a friend suggestion from one of my friends. I thought I remembered the name so I requested the friendship.

I was accepted and then I immediately realized I have NO clue who this person is. And guess what? S isn't a friend!!!

I really need to dig out my yearbooks.

Saturday

Camera Critters #44


Balloon Dog
On the roof of the MET in New York City.

Disregard the cranky critter in green. ;)


Wednesday

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Fuzzy Edition


I was so sad to see this picture turned out blurry. On the little display screen on the camera, it looked fine. Even right here, it doesn't look half bad. But, if you click on it, you'll see exactly what I mean.
Even so, I don't like the look of me. Hee!


Sunday

Brought to You by the Letter D

Maggie over at Life With Boys has a fun game going on and I thought it would be fun to play along! If you would like to play, here's how: tell me by leaving a comment on this post, and I will assign you a letter. Then post ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter on your blog. Explain the rules with your ten things and when others comment requesting a letter, assign one to them; thus, the chain continues.

Maggie assigned me the letter 'D'. D, an amazing letter! Fourth in the alphabet so it's got to be pretty dang divine!

In no particular order (really), Ten things I love starting with the letter D:

  1. Big D!


  2. my Daughter - Lamb


  3. my Dad - D.... Sr.



  4. Diet Coke


  5. my Dog - Ty


  6. Disney World


  7. Destin, Florida


  8. Daisies


  9. Diamonds


  10. Dorks



Are You Ready?

Wings? Check!
TV on the right channel? Check!
Refreshments easily reached? Check!
Fan favorite attire? Check!
DVR set "just in case"? Check!

We are ready for the hour long Office episode immediately following some little game called the Super Bowl!