Monday Blahs

There's not much blog- worthy going on today, so I thought I'd show you some sock progress. 

I've made it past the gusset decreases and am on to the foot. 

Alas, the sock is all I've been working on, when I've taken the time to knit.  As I said, I'm trying to get out and do more and not just huddle in my house all day. 

Well, that's about all I've got today.  Just for good measure, here's a picture of Jesse looking adorable. 

A Little Gardening

I got out and weeded the flower bed this afternoon. 

For the record, I think Weather Bug lied.  It said 82', but it sure felt hotter than that out there.  I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I persevered.

I got the entire bed weeded.

These colors aren't quite true.  Those zinnias are way orangier than this photo shows.  That's what I get for using my phone, but I just didn't want to drag the big camera out there.  Oh, and all that grass at the bottom is outside the flower bed.  I really did weed.  I think tomorrow after work, I'll go get some mulch to put down and the bed will be finished.

The plants on the west end of the bed are really struggling.  That end is lower than the other, and stays soggier.  And wouldn't you know it, it's raining again.  Sigh...

But I digress...those zinnias are really about the same color as this zinnia.  

After I took these photos, I did go back and deadhead everything.   This is just a general photo showing the three purple coneflowers that came back, my Agamemnon, and one of my lantanas. 

And here are my two surviving dahlias.  They still seem to be struggling, but they are hanging in there.  

The one on the left of the photo -- which is really the one on the right because the photo is upside down-- is the one I'm watching.  I think the other one might make it, but I'm not sure about the left one.  If it dies, I'm going to replace it with another of these lantanas. 

My grandma always had these in her flower beds.  I wasn't sure if they were the same plants she had until I smelled the blooms.  They say that memories of scents stay with you the longest.  I don't doubt that, because I recognized the scent of these flowers right away, and I knew then that I'd gotten the right ones. 

And finally, this is the east end of my flower bed. 

This is where I planted my wildflower mix.  I haven't weeded this side at all.  I did that last year, and ended up pulling up some stuff I should have kept.  So this year, I decided that the wildflowers would just have to compete with the weeds until they got big enough that I know for sure which ones to keep. 

I was going to go fishing again this evening, but when I got through working in the garden, I came in and took a shower.  I just didn't want to get all sweaty again, so I stayed home. 

And that's basically all I did today. 

Besides laundry, knitting, paying bills, and watching TV, that is. 

The Dance Of Joy

Do you remember the old 80s TV show called Perfect Strangers?

In the show, Balki and Larry had this dance they did called the Dance of  Joy. The dance evolved a bit from the first season and by the time the show ended it looked like this:



Today at work, I was doing some particularly obnoxious parts.  Several orders of them, at that.  It was after lunch when I finally finished the last one.  As I put the last header into the bin with the rest of the completed work, I said, "Now we are so happy, we do the Dance of Joy!" and I started doing it.

Right there at my brazing stand.

When I finished, I turned around and there were two of my supervisors, staring at me like I'd gone off my rocker.  Ronnie asked me if I'd been drinking.  I just laughed.

The plant has about 5 different supervisors now, each covering a different area.  Ronnie used to be over all of the assembly lines.  Well, really, at one time he was over the entire plant.  Then they started adding more supervisors for different areas.  Now Ronnie is over lines 3 & 4, and Alex is over lines 1 & 2.  That makes Alex my new supervisor.

Yesterday, he came up to me and said, "Did you see what [another supervisor] did?"  I responded that I hadn't, so Alex said that the other sup had flipped him off, and was worried that I'd seen it and would report him.  I said that no, I would leave it to them to settle their own differences.  Stuff has to be really bad for me to report it-- I mean like, safety hazard bad.

Anyway, Alex said, "Well, if you ever see him do it again, mess with him about it."

I have a feeling that things at work are about to get a lot more interesting.

He he he...

My Fishing Hole

One of them, at least.

 Fishing is a great activity for an introvert like me.

It's a calm, quiet activity, but with moments of excitement.

And the best part is, even if there are other people around, nobody really expects you to talk. 

You don't want to scare the fish, now do you?

Men These Days

Dear Facebook, 

No, as a matter of fact I am not have any trouble meeting young black men, or old white men, or firefighters, cowboys, soldiers, or any other kind of men, but thank you for asking.

I don't really date much any more.  OK, I don't really date at all any more, but let me tell you, things sure have changed since I was young.  Men no longer pursue women like they used to.  There is no courting, no attempts to win a girl's heart, no treating you like you're a priceless treasure. 

No, these days men just get up in your face and are all like, "Here I am, love me!"  I guess you're supposed to love them for just showing up. 

Sorry, Bubba.  Real life doesn't hand out participation trophies. 

I've actually had men I barely know just walk up to me an announce that they are coming home with me.  More than one, and no, not a one of them has ever seen the inside of my house.   But that's not the point.  There was no attempt to seduce me.  No attempt to woo me, or to make me feel special.  They acted like they were doing me a favor by bestowing their attention on me.

I've had others-- again, men I barely know-- walk up seemingly out of the blue and demand that I buy them stuff.  Why?  To prove to them where my heart was.  To prove that I loved them.  But what had they done to win my heart in the first place?  What had they done to win my love? 

A couple of years ago, I had coworker who claimed to love me so much.  He said he was going to bring me something for my birthday.  And do you know what that something was?  He gave me a list of things he wanted me to buy him from the lumber yard.  Yes, that was my gift.  The chance to prove I loved him by buying him a $100 worth of lumber.  That was what I got for my birthday that year.

Seriously. 

What gets me is that he couldn't understand why I wadded that list up and threw it back into his face.  He couldn't figure out why I got so mad about it. 

Needless to say, that was the end of that. 

On the off chance that you do find someone you can stand longer than a week or two, right away, he's wanting to move in with you, so you can prove your love supporting him completely.  If you are stupid enough to let one move in with you, he's going to quit his job --if he even has one-- prop his feet up in front of the TV and expect you to fix him a snack after you've spent 10 hours working in a factory to support his lazy bum. 

Yeah, that's not going to happen. 

Back in the mid 90s, when I still thought I wanted to maybe someday get married again, I read a book called For Women Only, by Shauti Feldhan.  In this book, the author had surveyed thousands of men to find out what they really feel and think. 

There is a chapter all about how men feel this tremendous burden to provide for their women.  Frankly, I don't know where she found these men, but she sure didn't survey any of the ones I've ever known.  Every man I've gone out with in the last 25 years-- and yes, that includes the one I married-- has expected me to completely bear the financial burden of the relationship.  This is why none of my relationships ever lasted long enough to make the front page of the gossip column. 

And it's not just the ones I've gone out with.  Several years ago, there was a man who worked at the plant.  I don't remember his name.  I don't know if I ever knew his name.  He quit not long after I started.  Anyway, I was in the break room one day and he was in there, too.  I overheard him complaining about his wife, and how she wasn't making enough money.  He said he was going to give her an ultimatum to either get a better paying job or he was going to leave her.  I don't know what happened in that situation, but I hope she did divorce him.  That ain't no kind of man.  He sure didn't feel the burden of supporting her, that's for sure. 

To me, the saddest part of it all is that young women and girls are growing up believing that this kind of behavior from men is normal and right.  They have no idea what a real man is supposed to be.  They have no idea what a real man is supposed to be or how he should treat them. 

They have no idea that a real man should be a protector and a provider, and he should treat them like a princess.  They have no idea that he should at least think they are worth his putting in a little effort to win their hearts.  I don't want to go into they whys and wearwithalls, but that's the way it is these days.  These girls don't know how precious they are, so they subjugate themselves to these whiny, spoiled, selfish overgrown babies who want mommies, not wives. 

People often tell me that I'm too picky when it comes to men.  That I should lower my standards, and just take whatever I can get.  But you know what? I'm not going to do that.  I'm not going to settle for a man who treats me like dirt just so I can have a man in my life. 

Somewhere out there is a knight in battle tested armor searching for his princess.

Searching for me. 

Someday he will find me.  But if he doesn't, if I'm one of the ones God has called to be single, I'm OK with that, too. 

Because I've learned to be content with my life.  And I've learned that I am the daughter of the Most High God, and he wants the absolute best for me. 


If that includes a man in my life, or if it doesn't, I will continue to trust his plan for my life. 

On Christ the solid rock I'll stand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.   

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

Before we begin, let me comment on my lack of a post yesterday. I actually had a post planned out, but by the time I got home from work, I had such a blistering headache that I just didn't feel like typing it all out.  So I didn't.    I didn't do anything but sit in the chair.

I didn't go fishing. I didn't even shoot my bow.

I just sat.

Then I went to bed. So that's that.

 Now for today's chat.  Oh, and as always, I read all of your blogs if they are linked on Patrice's, even if my brain is too tired to comment--as it is tonight.  I appreciate those of you who take the time to read and comment on my poor little blog, as well.





1.  When it comes to vegetables, which do you use more often-- canned, frozen, or fresh?

I am not a vegetable person at all.  There are very few vegetables I like, so when I do use them, I used the bags of frozen vegetables.  That way, I can just take out what I need, and put the rest back into the freezer.

2.  Do you sew?

Yes, I do sew.  Not all the time, but I do sew.  In fact, I'm wearing a pair of shorts right now that I made myself.

3.  Do you have a common fear, such as fear of heights, spiders, snakes, small spaces, flying, etc?

No, not really.  I'm not real fond of spiders, but I don't freak out, scream, and run at the sight of one.  If they are small enough, it doesn't even bother me if they get on me.  Now, I don't want the big ones crawling on me, but I can still be around them.  

4.  Is there anything you recommend for cutting the grocery bill?  

Well, since it's just me, I don't usually have a problem with groceries.  However, there are a couple of things I still do.  I buy store brands instead of name brands.  I also buy in bulk when I can.  Like chicken, for example.  I buy the family pack of chicken legs then break it up into packages of two each, and freeze them that way.  I bought a small vacuum sealer a few years ago, and that makes the food last even longer in the freezer.

5.  Tell me something that made you happy over the past week.

I managed to find 250 more rounds of range ammo!  The funniest part was when the UPS man was delivering the package, Jake wanted him to throw a stick and actually followed the man into the truck.  I had to go out there and get him out of the truck so the man could get my package.   Jake is a very friendly dog, but he is a bit big, so many people are intimidated by his size.  To date, though, he has never bitten anyone.  Well, not to my knowledge, but since he isn't my dog, I can't say that for certain. 

I hope you've enjoyed this week's chat.   Since the weather is getting warmer, it'll be too hot to sit on the porch during the day, so we'll have our chats later in the day-- with lemonade instead of coffee. 

Be sure to come back next week for another chat. 

Dear CoWorker

Dear CoWorker

Despite the unseasonably cool weather we've had this spring, it would seem that summer has finally arrived, and it has arrived with a vengeance. 

You can start wearing your deodorant now. 

Really.  You can start wearing your deodorant.

Now.  

Thank you. 

That is all.

Fishing

You know, I can still remember the very first fish I caught.  I was three, and we had gone camping with my Grandma and Grandpa up at Toledo Bend Reservoir.  My parents, my older brother and I-- the younger ones not having been born yet.

Anyway, we were camping and fishing up at the lake, and my Grandpa and Grandma had taken my brother Russell and I out on the boat with them.  I'm not sure what we were fishing for, but we were using minnows for bait.  Grandpa put the minnow on my hook, and told me to put it into the water and let it grow up.

Well, I kept pulling it out to see if it was grown yet, until Grandma told me to leave it in the water, because it'll take a long time for it to grow up.  I put it back into the water and stared at the line for what seemed like forever.  Finally, Grandpa turned around and said, "Becky, your fish is grown up now.  You can reel it in."

So, I reeled it in and lo and behold that fish was big!  I was amazed that it had grown like that, and my first thought was to put it back into the water to see if it would get even bigger, but Grandma told me that it was as big as it was going to get.  Hey, I was only three.  It made sense to me at the time.

We fished on, but I don't remember any details after the excitement of that very first catch.  A few weeks later, my Grandma had a massive stroke that left her partially paralyzed and unable to speak clearly.  This is the only memory I have of her before that stroke, so it is extra special to me.

My dad and my grandpa were both avid fishermen, and usually took Russell and me with them.  About a year later, we were fishing down along the seawall.  I don't remember if it was at Sabine Pass, Sea Rim,  or Rollover Pass, but that's not important anyway.

My dad had bought Russell and me these little green rod and reel combos.  The rods were the kind that were in two pieces, for easier storage.  That day, I was 4-ish and was doing more playing than fishing.  I decided to fish for a minute, so I ran over and grabbed up my rod and cast it.  To my horror, the top half of my rod came off and flew out into the water!

I stood there with my mouth open, trying to figure out how I was going to fish with that short, stubby rod.  Off to my left, I could hear my Grandpa laughing at me- which kind of hurt my feelings just a little.  But my dad calmly walked over and took my rod from my hands.  He reeled it in, and there was the top half of my rod, caught on the hook.  He put my rod back together, a little more firmly this time, and gave it back to me. I was so relieved.  I'm not sure if I caught anything other than the top of my rod that day, but that wasn't the point.  I was fishing.  And I was loving it.

Fishing has always been a part of my life.  Across the street from my house was a narrow, muddy waterway that went solely by the name of  The Gully.

.
That's my childhood home, third from the right on the South side of the street.

Many happy childhood hours were spent fishing in The Gully.  Mostly catfish and perch, but a few gar and grinnel, too.  I used to catch minnows with an old butter tub.  Seriously.  I'd crouch by the edge of the water for hours, and when I saw a good minnow, I'd scoop it up with that butter tub.  I was pretty good at it, too.  One year, I started putting them in my sister's little swimming pool.  My mother wouldn't let me have an aquarium, so I had to make do.  My sister wasn't too happy about it, but in the pool the minnows stayed.

As I got older, my aunt and uncle would sometimes take me with them when when they went camping up at Toledo Bend or Lake Sam Rayburn.  Behold a very much younger me with one of the fish I caught.

Or my uncle would take me out on day trips out on the bayous and such.  Even when we weren't going anywhere,  I would fish in his pond out in the cow pasture.  There were some nice size fish in that pond, let me tell you.  Bass, bream, gar...sometimes I stay so late that I had to make my way back home in the dark.  One time, James had to come find me with a lantern, because I'd stayed out fishing for so long.

All that changed when I went to Navy boot camp.  I gave all my fishing gear to my cousin John, and left Southeast Texas for my adventures in the wide world.

In the intervening 20 something years, I've often talked about taking up fishing again, but it was seldom more than a passing fancy.  But in all that time, the hunger never left me, and a week or two ago, I decided it was time.

It was time to start fishing again.

I got my license, and bought a rod and reel.  Not as fancy as the ones I'd had before, but it's purple.

Yes, it's purple.  It's purple, y'all!

I bought some extra line, hooks, weights, and stuff.

And a nifty little tackle box to keep it all in.

I don't know what you're going to do this weekend, but as for me,

I'm going fishing.

Knitting and ...Stuff

So, yeah, I did not sleep well at all last night, what with tossing and turning and sweating and freezing-- and dreaming of pledging the flag and singing the National Anthem over and over and over, then not even getting to ride the pony-- my brain is not fully functioning today.

Not sure how coherent this post is going to be.  But here it is nevertheless...

Let's start off by showing you the progress I've made on Kyle's blankie.

I've got the third row done, but have set it aside to work on my sock.  Before we move on to that, here is an artsy fartsy shot of the blankie.

Lovely, huh?  Now, on to the sock.

As you can see, I've made it past the heel turn, and have picked up the gusset stitches.  Unfortunately, the gussets are my least favorite part of the sock-- which is probably why I haven't knit a stitch on it in two days.

I must get back to work on it, though, as my old socks are starting to wear out at an alarming rate.  But, given that they are all in the 5 - 6 year old area, it shouldn't be such a surprise.

I'm having just as much trouble getting inspired to work in the flower bed, too.  Because it's been so chilly and wet --really, really wet-- this spring, I just haven't gotten in to it.  Even my little plants are struggling.

My dahlias are dying, and I think they just drowned.  Yes, it's been that wet.  These two are completely dead.

So, yesterday, I got out there and pulled them up.  I replaced them with this double profusion zinnia-- which I finally found some of. 

I'd looked all over for them when I was planting my flowers, but nobody had them then. But, yesterday, I found them at Wal-Mart, of all places.  But it looked like I was going to have to settle for an all orange garden when I found these:

Lantanas in pink and yellow.  I got two of them, so far.  My remaining two dahlias aren't looking so sporty, and if they go ahead and die, I'll get two more lantanas.  My grandma always had these in her flower bed, and believe it or not, I remembered them by the smell. 

If you read my blog last year, you may remember that I had planted 6 purple coneflowers.  Well, only three of them came back this year, and one of those is struggling. 

But look!  One of them has a flower on it!  Kinda pale, but still a flower.

So, that's it for tonight's incoherent post.  I think I'm going to go to bed early and read for a little bit.  I'm reading The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown.  I know there's been a lot of controversy about the book, but it was a freebie, and I decided to reserve judgement until I'd read it for my self.

I'm also reading American Sniper: The Chris Kyle Story.  I'm really enjoying it, so far, but fair warning-- he was a Navy man, and cussed like a sailor.  If you can get past that, I think you'd really enjoy it. 

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

1. When you were a child, what age did you think was "OLD"?
   
   30. I think that's the age most little kids think is OLD. How naive we were then!
   
   
2. How often do you have dessert?
   
   When I was growing up, we didn't have dessert regularly. It was a special treat rather than an every day thing, so I don't feel the need to have dessert that often. Usually, we reserve it for Holidays-- Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.
   
   
3. What's your favorite kind of exercise?
   
   NONE! I hate to exercise. I usually enjoy walking, when I stay in the habit of it, but that's more for being out in the hills away from traffic and noise than the exercise part of it.
   
   
4. Do you watch movies on TV, movies from a rental or the library, or movies online?
   
   Sometimes I'll watch movies on TV, but mostly it's either on Netflix streaming or Amazon Prime, or something from my movie collection.
   
   
5. Tell me something you remember about your grand mother's/grand father's house? I'm thinking of something you saw all of the time, like a picture, clock, statue, teapot. or some thing that was always there.
   
   The smell of mothballs. My grandma had this thing for mothballs, and to this day, that smell reminds me of her. In my Mammaw's house, it was her cookie jar ,and the bread box. She always had cookies, Milky Way bars, and orange slices for us. And her carpet sweeper. We fought over who got to sweep Mammaw's carpet.

Memorial Day

 

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Graduation

Tonight was the local high school graduation.

I didn't go, since Cody graduated last year. 

But people at work were talking about it.  One of my friends said he was leaving work early to go to graduation.  I asked him who was graduating, and he said he was-- from preschool.  We had a good laugh, but then I mentioned that I still remember my kindergarten graduation.

Our program was nursery rhymes.  Can you guess which nursery rhyme character I was?  Here's a hint:

Yep, that's me in my little bloomers, sun bonnet, and watering can.   Have you guessed who I was yet?

OK, I'll tell you.  I was Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. 

My friend said, "They had you pegged."  I knocked him in his head.  But not really, because I would have gotten fired.  But I wanted to.

I still remember my line, too.  The teacher said, "Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?"

And I said, "With silver bells, and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row." 

Our actual graduation ceremony, when they handed out the diplomas and such was on a different night, but I wore the same dress.  Sans sun bonnet and bloomers, of course.

It seems so long ago now. 

Anyway, good luck to all the graduates this year, and may you do well with your lives.

My thanks to my brother for scanning these old photos for me.

Last Day

of my vacation.

Sigh...

No, I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.   On the other hand, I could be off for the rest of my life and still not look forward to going back to work.

I'd planned on going to Greenwood to do a little shopping, because I hadn't been to Greenwood in forever, but that got thrown for a loop because Cody's truck is broke down.

Something with the transmission and motor, and I don't know what else.

Anyway, he had a dentist appointment at 1:00, and Beverly's doctor appointment got rescheduled to this afternoon, so she couldn't take him.  So, I got tagged for that.

I suppose I could have gone this morning, but I didn't want to be spending my whole time watching the clock.  I'll just go another day. 

So, what did I spend my last day of vacation doing, besides taking Cody to the dentist?

I cleaned snake tanks.  

And what did those ungrateful snakes do?  They shed in their nice clean tanks.

Well, Sunny did at least. 

Seriously?  You couldn't even wait one day before messing it up?  Sigh...

Don't sit there and pretend you're all sweet and innocent, Mr. Jesse.

You're the one who put muddy footprints all over my freshly shampooed carpet.  Yeah, I'm on to you.

The good news is, we have a whole week with no rain in the forecast.  Maybe my yard will dry out.

I hope so.  I've had enough of mud for one year.

A Trip To The Zoo

Things got pretty hairy last night what with the storms and all, but we came through OK. Some of my friends still don't have electricity, but mine only flickered off for a minute then came right back on.

This morning, the worst of it had passed, but there was still a chance of showers, so I set out for a shopping trip to Southaven. By the time I got there, though, the clouds were breaking up and the sun was shining.

Abrupt change of plans-- I went to the zoo.

It was a great day to go to the zoo.  It wasn't crowded at all, and it wasn't too hot.  I didn't take a whole lot of pictures.  I didn't even take my camera, but I did take a few with my phone.  

The bull elk still growing his antlers.  I must remember to try to go back in the fall before he sheds them.

An Arctic wolf

The big silverback gorilla

The new reticulated python.  I say new, but she's been there a couple of years already.

A warthog

They had some new things there, including an elevated giraffe feeding platform, a birds and bees exhibit, and the coolest of them all, Stingray Bay.

You could put your hands in there and touch the rays.  For some reason, they seemed to love my hand and kept kissing me.  It felt really nifty.  The stingrays themselves didn't feel anything like I expected them to.  I thought they'd feel like rubber or smooth plastic, but they felt really velvety.  I could have stayed in there all day.

They also had bamboo sharks

 And this great big ray that I can't remember what it's called

and these baby hammerhead sharks.

I didn't touch the sharks, because my arm wasn't long enough.  They stayed at the very bottom of the pool.  I tried, but I couldn't quite reach them.  And the volunteer ran over to tell me not to touch them near the mouth-- like I really needed to be told that. 

Hammerheads.  Yeah.  They eat people. 

Hammerhead.  It was also my Grandpa's pet name for me when I was a kid. 

Finally, this owl kept staring at me the whole time I was staring at him.

And I kept thinking, I get that same look from my cat.

BTW, the glass seemed to really confuse the camera on my phone.  Every photo I took through glass was out of focus.

Anyway, if you want to see more zoo photos, you can see the ones I've posted from previous trips by clicking on the Memphis Zoo label at the bottom of this post.  

If you're ever in Memphis, don't pass up a chance to visit this zoo.  It's a really nice zoo. 

I need to get up there more often. 

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

1. Are you a heavy sleep, light sleeper, or somewhere in between?
   
   I'e always been a very light sleeper. I have to sleep with the fan on all year round, just so the white noise will block out all the little creaks and night noises that would normally wake me up.
   
   
2. Are you currently reading anything interesting?
   
   Right now I'm reading The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding the book, but I'll reserve judgement until I've read it for myself.
   
   
3. Do you like to enter contests?
   
   Yes and no. It depends on the contest. If it's too complicated, or asks for too much information, or makes me do too much, then no. It also depends on the prize. I'm not one of those people who enters contests just to be entering contests.
   
   
4. Are you good about taking time to do things you enjoy?
   
   No, I'm not. There are so many things I say I'm going to do, but once I get home from work and my butt's planted in the chair, it doesn't get out until bedtime. I keep saying I'm going to get out more and do stuff, but I never do.
   
   
5. What's your favorite food to cook on the grill, or enjoy at a BBQ?
   
   Ribs. Definitely ribs.
   
   

I hope you've enjoyed this week's chat. Let's keep the people of Oklahoma in our prayers.