Aw....Mondays

I wanted to start off with this sweet share. Living in the suburbs near a major city, it sometime very hectic. I would like to sneak away to someplace quiet and have some solitude. It would be perfection.

I figured this cat could give you a smile or two. Stop by Aw.....Mondays.

Some of my Love is....are so tiny. But I sure love this one. I don't like when my hubby has to go to work. Although I am grateful for his job I wish he were here.

All of a sudden this tiny girl grew! Her little chicken legs filled in and she wanted to give everyone a smile.  Nick captured this for me Saturday. We had a barbeque for Nick, last minute of course, and I was lucky enough to watch this girl for a few hours until her daddy was off the clock! She is happy as long as she is held. She is definitely not a loner. She likes to be where the action is! She is a hand's on kinda girl. That's ok. I like holding babies but this little girl is so strong. She is starting to hold her head up and she seems like she wants to roll away. She makes us smile and we love that!

This little guy is a guy's guy! He loves his daddy and he will jump out of my arms into this Grandpa's arms!  His momma says he does that to her too with his daddy and also wanting his Papa Tim instead of  grammie Bobbie. He will be one on the 30th. Oh my goodness, how did he grow up so fast. He loves cars and trucks and his siblings too. Big brother makes sure he is safe. It is so sweet to watch them together. He is also a lovebug with big sister.  He is walking around everything. Plus if you turn away for a second he makes a mad dash out the doggy door at home! He is brave and handsome and we sure love him bunches!

Missing my sweet friend Debbie since she went off the grid to fast and pray in September 2019. She felt God calling her to pray. She is a wonderful prayer warrior and I worry because she lives so close to where so many of the fires are.  I still get to chat with her lovely daughter Stephanie. They live close the big wildfires here in Colorado, Please pray about those fires. It is miserable here.  My poor hubby can not breathe and I have a chronic headache. We try to stay indoors as much as possible.

Thinking  of Annie and sending her a bouquet and a cup of tea. 

Feline Friday and More Fhun

Like kids, felines are the same when it comes to playing with toys...nah...gimme da box!

Visit Feline Friday. This poor feline was put together piece by piece by piece. DO you know the Johnny Cash song "One Piece At A Time"?

Johnny Cash Lyrics

 

"One Piece At A Time"

Well, I left Kentucky back in '49
An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on cadillacs

Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black.

One day I devised myself a plan
That should be the envy of most any man
I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand.

[CHORUS]
I'd get it one piece at a time
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is a round.

So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
Now, I never considered myself a thief
GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years.

The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home.

Now, up to now my plan went all right
'Til we tried to put it all together one night
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.

The transmission was a '53
And the motor turned out to be a '73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.

So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help with an A-daptor kit
We had that engine runnin' just like a song
Now the headlight' was another sight
We had two on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on.

The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got thru
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said "Honey, take me for a spin."

So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed her right on down main drag
I could hear everybody laughin' for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.

[CHORUS]
I got it one piece at a time
And it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.

[Spoken] Ugh! Yow, RED RYDER
This is the COTTON MOUTH
In the PSYCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on

Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER
You might say I went right up to the factory
And picked it up, it's cheaper that way
Ugh!, what model is it?

This girl is so darn pretty. Miss Jaslin has an August birthday too so I am wishing her much happiness during the balance of 2020 and hoping all her dreams come true. This was her birthday a few years ago and I loved her holding up her "PINK" shirt. She is a perfect fit for Pink Saturday. I Hope you visit and share any pink you think is perfectly grand to share. 

Ellen and Lorianne co host this fun weekly Blog Hop. Join the fun!

1. I feel like running away sometime. To a quiet place where only kindness rules.

2. I wish I could exchange hate for kindness.

3. It's time for me to dream about cooler weather, golden leaves crunching under my feet, boots and sweaters. I am officially done with the summer heat.

4. Carrying a nerf bat and beating the mean out of people filled with hate is really tempting these days. (trust me, years ago, I Posed a similar question to a
shrink years ago. He said everyone had healthy fantasies like this. Acting it out, is where you get into serious trouble. But nerf bats aren't very dangerous! HeeHeeHee

"May God help you to fling yourself against the Rock, Jesus Christ, in utter faith, in a total abandonment of yourself, leaving behind your preconceived notions of what God is suppose to do for you and remembering that God never does anything to you that isn't for you."  Elisabeth Elliot, Stories of Jesus, cassette

I know my post is quite lengthy but today I had to run a few errands. I have not driven since October when my little car conked out. Since we have the Jeep I drove the Kia to Good Times to buy breakfast burritos for Rebekah and Nick and myself. I also stopped by the Dollar Tree to grab a few odds and ends for this last minute birthday party Nick had planned. It was already getting very hot (85) and I was not going to let that make me a grumpy Gus. On the way home, I dropped a card in the outgoing mail at the drive up mail boxes. From there, I took the back roads home again. I saw a couple wearing their masks, walking along, I smiled the biggest smile I could muster. They both waved and it made me smile. Then I came across a young man heading out to school. I Know because he had a backpack and was carrying some other things. I smiled, he smiled and we both waved. A little kindness goes a long way. Not only to the recipient but to the giver as well.

Sorry about the change in print and color background. I wanted to share the Johnny Cash lyrics to the song "One Piece At A Time" and it was quite lengthy so I cut and pasted it. I am no techie nerd, and that is a fact! Have a wonderful weekend.

Hodge Podge

Joyce wrote:

1. Five years ago this month, the hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to Palmetto state.
    what were you doing five years ago this month?

     We were getting our youngest child ready to head back to college. After two years at Cowley Community College (2012-2013) Nick moved to Salina, Kansas and the Kansas Wesleyan University. Those were some of the most wonderful years as he started running in the fifth grade, went on to high school to run for an amazing coach and then headed to Cowley to run for yet another great coach. At KWU he ran alongside some wonderful kids just as he had during his younger school years. But he also ran for Coach Brent Bailey. Without his coach's guidance and love for all his runners, Nick would never have had the experience he did.Being able to travel to many races and watch his run was a terrific time for us. The memories we have will forever be etched inside our hearts.

My #227. I Use to take the bib number and search the  Scriptures to match and would pray for all the runners. I really enioyed the opportunity his scholarship afforded us and so did my hubby.

2. What was the last 9-5 job you had? Tell us about it.

For 12 years I worked for an ENT surgeon. In the early days it was a great job with a terrific staff. When the office manager became very ill the doctor dumped her  so quickly and put a nightmare in her place. She was a nightmare but her replacement a few years later was a direct descendant of Satan himself! Theresa was rude, bossy and twisted. But she did her share of the work for a while. Then her husband kicked her to the curb and she lost it. She would spend all day on line  and finally started to steal large quantities of cash from the office. He let her go the week before Christmas and in her place was his sister-in-law.  She was hateful, racist, loud and overbearing and had a filthy mouth. One day I was called into his office after I had completed all my work and I was let go. I was angry and hurt but it took me lots of praying to heal. I realized if I had still been there I never would have had the opportunity to care for my grandson Colton's first child, Harrison James. I watched that little guy grow from an infant into a two and half year old before their life was changed and they no longer needed my help. It was a time I cherish and always will. Good things often come from the bad and it took me a while to learn it.

That Mickey Mouse table and chairs still is in use ! Harrison was enjoying his yogurt and toast with a fresh Colorado peach! (2017)

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life  in some way currently? Tell us how?

I Plead the fifth! With all the things going on in our world today I often plead the fifth instead of arguing or getting into a hate for all which many try to lure you into. i.e. A few people I know can not let the mask thing go. We are not ignorant. Most states still have government telling us we have to wear our mask in public. I do not believe that the majority of people are so dumb that they do not understand this. Yet they make a federal case about it every single day! It is so annoying and I wish I had the patience of Job. Pre pandemic times, I never really wanted to get into someone else's space. I am respectable and keep my distance as I would see most folks do too. Today everyone is so jumpy. I guess in some instances my faith is stronger then whatever some people choose to believe in. I do not want to die from anything but I trust God to do His will for me in His time.  So instead of arguing, I plead
 the fifth!

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

Personally, I spend more time at home, which I Love, then anywhere. There were times when I got so much done I would be exhausted. When the hubby was off every other week in May, we worked on several projects. Yesterday, as I started to try and finish this post, I was sitting next to a pile of clothes that just needed to be folded in one pile for giveaway and folded in a another pile for putting away. This week as been very productive. I rearranged one closet for the most part and started on another. My problem is I have so many clothes and they fill two small closets. Don't worry, I have a free standing closet as I would never push my hubby out of our closet that we share. The days that the youngest son is off, because he works from home, I am lazy and he and I order out. He is good about saving the extra fees so he picks up lunch for us a couple days a week. Our garage needs to be cleaned out, but not in this heat wave. I pray cooler weather sets in during the fall so we may tackle that problem. Our son-in-law and daughter that share our home are great cooks so a couple nights a week they cook for all of us. I like to daydream and I collect American Girl dolls, mostly recycles ones, so I get to dreaming about clothes I could find for them. I am child at heart. Perhaps I never grew up. I will never tell.

5. Give us your top five of anything.

I am going to repeat myself. I am sick of the politics everywhere because it is too easy to catch up in it all so here is what I love, in the top five order.

Search the Scriptures. In these times, I want to be prepared. Plus no matter how many times I read a Scripture, I learn something new about it.
Search for American Girl dolls
Send cards to people in our encouragement group, that I usually do not know but love to be a source of encouragement to others .
I still write old fashioned hand written letters. Mostly to my oldest childhood friend who lives in Idaho.
Searching homes for sale and picking and choosing what I love most about different ones, the style,
the square footage and daydream.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I am gearing up for the cooler months with tons of books that are waiting for me to pick them up and read them. I like the touch of a real book, I do not like kindle or any of that stuff. If the power goes out I have a handy dandy little bright light that runs on batteries. Plus books are easier to handle for me. I have gone through at least 5 copies of To Kill A Mockingbird, 2 of the Good Earth, 2 of Don Quixote and I have at least six bibles including the very first one my hubby gave me 38 years ago before we were married. It is tattered and worn but I still cherish it.

Happy Tuesday and Tuesday Show and Tail

My sister Pat, who went to heaven in 2001 was married on this date in 1957.Here is a baby photo of her with our dad. She was his first born and the apple of his eye. Photo 1937.

My sister was the oldest and here she is with brother Bill and brother Ed . This is 1946.

My sister's wedding day. I was not quite three years old so you won't see me here. Cousin Ron, far left and the bride and groom are no longer residents of this earth. My brother Bill, cousin Charlotte and cousin Jeanne are still here along with our sister Mary and cousin Sharon.

My sister was so beautiful. She had a kind heart and so did her husband Gary. They lived many places while he was in the U.S. Army.

I wanted to share my sister with you for Happy Tuesday

These little prairie dogs reminded me of the fun we had with Tuesday Show and Tail. I Know they are not friend to farmers and ranchers and horses and livestock. But they have been slaughtered and forced out of their homes underground for years. If you knew them like I do you would see how very smart they are. Here are 8 facts about prairie dogs:
1. They are tough. They have very powerful teeth, are skilled fighters and have very sharp claws.

2. Their entire mating season is just one hour long in the winter. The female has 3 to 8 pups and only half will usually survive.

3. They live in tight knit family groups called couteries. Males often jump ship to other couteries but females stay together for life.  There are usually one or two breeding males and several females. Also the females new pups.

4. Their vocabulary is more advanced than any other animal language that has been decoded. to us they may sound squeaking, high pitched and repetitive but actually they can alert one and other to danger. For instance, instead of saying a human is approaching their burrow they say a human wearing the color blue.

5. They are cousins to your backyard squirrels and also groundhogs, chipmunks, marmots and woodchucks in their biological family of relatives.

6. Their historical range has shrunk to just 5%. Humans invade their spaces and take away their homes. They are smart little creatures. I Hate seeing them wiped out.'

7. They are still threatened by the same plague that caused the Black Death in Europe. Rats came over  to North America on European ships carrying the disease. They are still threatened by it today as it can wipe out an entire colony.

8. Black footed ferret depend on the prairie dogs. We are working to protect both of them.  Prairie dogs are the primary food source and habitant for the black footed ferret. At Fort Belknap Indiana Reservation in Montana. Tribal partners  are collaborating with WWF to monitor the prairie dog colonies. In 2015 new black footed ferrets were released into a healthy prairie dog colony and they quickly darted down the holes.

OH Maxine!

Aw.....Mondays

Always such a pleasure to join in the fun here. Visit Aw....Mondays

Our oldest son has a fascination with goats. I recently read an article saying that Nigerian Dwarf Goats are great pets. They are certainly very cute (the photo is not a photo of them). But they are very high maintenance goats. Unless you have all in the time in the world they are probably not the pet you dreamed about.  A fun fact I also read about goats in general are the mama goat will remember her baby.  I just thought this google images was very sweet. I found a blogger Why you don't want Nigerian dwarf Goats and this is the post she had. Those Nigerian Dwarf Goats are smart and sassy and the male, well, he is stinky, super stinky!

Love is...is always right on target. These are some of the cutest ones I have seen.

This chandelier hangs in the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. I have had Sally DeStefano on my mind all week along. I have her on mind most days but this past week, I really kept thinking of her and how much I Miss her hosting Blue Monday. She was a remarkable person and she visited every single person who participated. I admired Sally for her faith and the love of her phamily. So I found a few blues that made me smile in memory of Sally. I miss her today and always.

I thought this peaceful photo was perfect to remember a dear sweet lady. I will never forget Sally and hope to see her again on the other side.

I sure love this inviting blue door. I wish I could step inside and see Sally again.

I love doors so this blue door with the doily like covering made me happy. I think Sally would have enjoyed all the blues today.
McGuffy's Reader.com Although Annie has been on hiatus I thought of her too and wanted to share these words:

"If someone were to pay you ten cents for every kind word you said and collect five cents for every unkind word you said, would you be rich or poor?" Author unknown, quoted by Jacob M. Braude

That is a very good question we should all ask ourselves.

Feline Friday and Fhun

Oh Garfield, darn it! I am trying to watch my carbs! HaHaHa! Always a comic favorite of mine, I never knew a cat who loved pasta so much! Feline Friday Please visit and share a favorite feline too.

ah...unveiling the answers to these great questions:

1. I  like ketchup on my french fries and sometime I like Ranch dressing! I hear some folks dunk their fries in a milkshake. Hmmmm...... I guess it is that sweet and salty all together now!

2. Heat waves remind me of cool Autumn breezes and crunching leave underneath my feet.

3. It pains me to pay bills! But I am so proud of myself. With the magical wand my hubby has we worked hard and recently paid off a slew of annoying bills. Grateful for his job and everything good in our lives.

4. I can't survive without my hubby. He is the one thing in this life that keeps me safe and happy. Plus he is silly so there is that!

Please remember to thank these ladies for the questions and hosting this blog hop. Ellen and Lorianne.

I loved Elisabeth Elliot as a young mom. Her story is amazing, so if you do not know who she was, please google her. She wrote many books and had a pure heart for Jesus. This verse, I have used it twice before in 2020. I loved the image from google so I thought it seemed perfect. We have traveled some difficult roads and choppy seas lately, all together, so these are the things that keep me afloat and help me navigate the difficulties.

My niece is very much like her dad. She shared this. I always wondered about the flat earth society. Especially because I truly believe this:

I have used this verse before too. But it fits perfectly, even with some humor, to know GOD is in charge of this world. So have no fear.

Thankful Thursday and More

What is your pleasure? Ice Tea or Sweet Tea? With this following Crumbl cookie I recommend regular ice tea.

This is a Crumbl cookie. There is a story behind it.

Visit Thankful Thursday and tell everyone what you are thankful for. Now these Crumbl cookies are not for the calorie counter. This Chocolate Carmel Crunch Cookie , although load with sugar and calories is surprisingly not as sweet as some of their more plain variety cookies. My son bought me this cookie and I ate it in four days. It is pure delightful goodness with chocolate, carmel and crunch. Sigh......something to be very thankful for, but not to be eaten everyday.  It is delightful with a cup of steaming hot tea or a tall cold glass of milk. I am going to jump in and share my Ten Things of Thankful.

1. Let's just say that cookie is number #1! I don't indulge too much but once and a while I love to share this cookie with my Sweets. He is not suppose to have too much sugar. He needs lots of sodium instead. So help me out if you know or have some sodium rich foods.

2.

When I meet people this is the first thing I notice about them. A doctor I knew, who sculpted as a hobby, made many people beautiful again with perfectly scuplted noses as he was an ENT/Plastic Surgeon. He was left handed! Genius! Ha Ha - I too am left handed. The nuns at Catholic school dared to try to right my wrong as they called this the devil's hand. Well, I won, they lost and I love being left handed. I am thankful that God gave me my left handed domination.

3.

My Hibiscus is blooming and I caught it when the dew was still on the petals. This is a grocery store purchase. The second one I bought. My first was yellow but I Lost it a few years ago due to a terrible frost.  I will be more careful with this one.As you can see my rose is not faring as well. The heat has been brutal this year.  I Love flowers and am thankful to grow some in our yard.

4. Ah.....a new favorite tea. Talk about reducing stress! Bigelow makes this yummy rose/mint herbal tea. Shh......I have more coming. Thankful for all the tea I love and drink daily.

5. H U M O R : There are so many things that are uncomfortable to talk about today and some folks use humor to calm their nerves. Others go ballistic and have fits! Just remember everyone uses different mechanisms to cope with the unknown, the stress of life, sadness, etc. My oldest son dislikes clowns intensely yet I sent this to him this morning! He laughed out loud! Thanks to Karen D. Milstein for sharing this. Karen had an awful few years. First their leather shop/business burned to the ground. The insurance had expired. Her husband suffered a near fatal accident at their home. He spent many moths at Craig Rehab Hospital. He came home and passed away peacefully although Karen and her phamily were grilled by the local authorities. As if they had committed a crime. So be thankful for humor. Some of us need it more than others. Remember these words:

Be kind and most of all be thankful for all you have.  Be thankful for those you know and love. Be kind, use it like glitter so it sticks to everything and everyone  you come in contact with. I am exceptionally thankful for humor and kindness.

6. This is a photo I took last week. Since then our squash and zucchini is bursting forth everywhere. I am grateful and very thankful for fresh garden veggies. We also have a bounty of fresh tomatoes, Marzano, Big Girl and Cherry. I like to pop those cherry tomatoes like candy and they are better for me than anything sweet, even my favorite Crumbl cookie.

7. Everyone knows the hubby and I have matching t shirts. We love them from Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse to The Avengers and U of Ky Wildcat Basketball! This is one I really want to have.  I actually have those glasses and I L O V E my glasses since I am as blind as a bat! I am thankful for a good husband who takes good care of me and always has taken care of his phamily.

You can't see his shirt but we love U of Kentucky basketball. My big sis Pat lived in Kentucky near Louisville ( not Louisville basketball fans hahaha) for many years before she passed away. My niece attended U of Ky. to complete her Master's degree. It is funny we are all Kentucky Wildcat fans!

8. We love traveling but we are happy to confine our travels to the USA! This is the Cave of the Winds in Colorado. It is an amazing place to visit. I have been to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico and one of the Kentucky Caves. I was a teen way back than and my dad was not thrilled being in such a confided space. I was young and carefree now I am more like my dad was. Funny how life changes you. But travel is always on our minds. I love the small community of Salina, Kansas.People are friendly, they have a beautiful private university (Nick graduated from there) and there have so many fun shops to visit. Plus their zoo is a great place to visit. One place I want to visit is the OKC Bombing Memorial. Our youngest daughter made the trip and said it was incredibly sad. I love history and I Love landmarks.  Grateful and thankful to have visited many states and seen lots of wonderful landmarks and have eaten many good meals.

9. Thankful for my collection of dolls and bears. I even have a pink and purple Unicorn. This is Old Friend Bear and American Girl Josefina. I Buy many used AG dolls as they are pretty pricey. I Have loved dolls since I was a small child. One of the first dolls I had was a Revlon Girl that my brother Bill bought for myself and my older sister.  They were very glamours. Somewhere I do have a photo of me with them. My big sister Pat brought two German dolls home from Germany when she was living there in their military days.  They were not properly stored and probably were tosses away. :-( I had a Shirley Temple doll too. She was simply lovely. Some dolls today look more like night walkers from Colfax Avenue in Denver after dark.

Holiday Barbie 2019. My oldest Noelle buys these dolls for me every year. I wish I Had a large room to showcase all of them. My late friend Kathy O'Gane had a massive doll collection. She had John Wayne and all sorts of celebrity dolls like that. Her cousin made a floor to ceiling curio that encompassed a room and she had those dolls on display. They were amazing. I am thnakful I was able to collect so many dolls.

10. Vitamins. I am very grateful and very thankful we take a daily regime of Vitamins. I do not take much medication. I Only take on prescription and like to use natural remedies when I can. The hubby has asthma so it is harder for him to get away from all the Big Pharma drugs and I hate it with a passion. So many of those drugs are hard on your organs and many of them make him so tired. I do my best to keep him healthier with Vitamins and other health and wellness products. Do you know how many people I know that have never given their child so much as a child dose of pain reliever? They live very healthy lifestyles and steer away from the big corporate medicine. Two very dear friends both passed away in 2010, taking the same regime for mental health -  Big Pharma drugs and died from massive heart attacks in their early 40's. Coincidence, I doubt it. Another friend who took all those very same drugs now is needing a transplant. It is very sad that many in our society would rather have a pill, a label or a popular ailment then stay healthy. Of course, not everyone is blessed with good health and so I am thankful I can pray.  I worked in the medical school. I worked for the department of Microbiology and Immunlogy. I know what can be created in a lab. Just an FYI! Also always remember, doctors are people not GOD Himself so be careful putting them on a pedestal.

sharing the Friday Friendly Fill In questions. Thank Ellen and Lorianne for sharing their questions with all of us. I appreciate these ladies very much.

1. I Like ketchup on my __________________.

2. _______________reminds me of ______________.

3. It pains me to__________________.

4. I can't _________________without ____________.

                      Finally, I am thankful I can say goodnight in my ancestors native tongue.
I am going to put up my birthday wishes post for my son-in-law Zach before his 30th birthday ends today along with his twin sister Alexa. Please stop by to see some super cute photos of them he shared with me at mytatatscottage.blogspot.com

                          Born on this day in 1860, Annie Oakley is still an America hero to me.