loumercerwordsofwisdom.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sister Patty and her little brood, or some of them.

Here is sister Patty and if you look at the last picture down at the bottom, you will find her husband Bill.  I had him up here, but he jumped back down there.  Guess he wants to be the last in line. 

Now Patty is my second child.  Debbie was the first.  Patty lives in Western Kansas in a very small town.  Well, not in town, per se, but out in the country on the other side of the river.  She is retired from the library in that little town.  Bill works some where driving a truck.  He is usually home at night and if not Patty is where he is located.


 
This is Patty and her brother, Sam.  This was taken last week while Sam was here on his way back to Dallas, Texas.  We had a nice little family reunion.  The only one not here was Debbie, and that is just too far to drive to sleep on the floor!

Patty's hobbies are all art related.  She did all the art work for the Library when she was there.  Even designed their tee shirts.  She also is very accomplished in cross stitch.  I have several charcoal drawings and they are of professional quality.  She sure did not inherit that from my genes!

This is her oldest grandson, Javan.  He is a pistol and smart as a whip.  He was born out here in Colorado, so he is a transplant back to Kansas.  Seems to have taken root rather well!






And this is the little Kaison.  He is such a serious little fellow.  But he does love his granny Patty and his Grandma Lou.  Not to say that Javan does not, just that Kaison is a lot more demonstrative.  Kaison usually shuts his eyes at the exact moment the flash goes off, but I got lucky this time.  Might be because he loves his Uncle Sammy!




Here is the mother of the children and Patty's oldest daughter, September.  She and her kids and beloved live in Western Kansas, near Patty.  She has just completed her Master's Degree and is thinking about going for something else.  Doctorate?  I do not know.  I was lucky to make it though the college I took.  She is smart and gets on the Dean's list, and I know she got that from me!  Woohoo!  See that bear?  I made that for my dear husband who was a trucker.
And here is Patty's youngest daughter.  This one is my little Indian, Savannah. She and her chosen one live farther away so we do not see her that often.  They have one daughter to whom Vanny is a step mother.  If I ever had a step mother I would want her to be like Vanny as opposed to that witch Cinderella got...

Ok, now I am down here where Bill is supposed to be and that rascal has ran off again.  Ok, I got him again!  I better get this published before he gets away again!  He is not in the habit of taking off, just that he does not like to be seen online and in print.  A very hard working man and one of my favorite son-in-laws.  That is saying a lot since I only have 2. 

That is it for today.  Next time you meet a family member it will be my middle daughter.  Well, middle child and she is not that anymore.  I adopted one later so she lost her place in line. 

But there you have it from Western Kansas, near Garden City, and the one place I lived that was hotter than hell.  Well, maybe not, but 110-115 degrees was nothing unusual.  I had 3 kids while I was there.  Fond memories.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Even I have a win some times!


What you see here is the culmination of my thinking process over the last few months.  Of course I first had to have a seed planted.  The whole process began probably 7 or 8 years ago when some one suggested I might try making soap.  So I kicked that one around for a while.  I  remembered when mama used to drip water through wood ashes and get lye which she mixed with old grease and that was laundry soap.  So I studied up on that.  At the time I could buy lye about anywhere so I made my first batch of soap.  First I had to find beef tallow which I had to render.  The first batch was made with beef tallow, lard and olive oil.  And of course lye and water.  Amazed my self!  It was white and pretty.  My skin actually was not dry any more.

So on to different kinds of soap.  And then lotion.  Getting softer all the time.  Then Body Butter.  Fragrances.  Lip Balm.  And then a hippie friend explained about years ago and the lip balm that was made with hemp butter.  I researched the hemp factor and found that Cannabis Sativa  is loaded with Omega 6 and Omega 3  essential fatty acids.  It is one of the richest sources of complete protein.  It is also effective in the treatment of eczema.  That was all I needed to know.  First came the Lip Bong.  Then I began work on the Face/Body Butter and yesterday I reached perfection with the formula.

Ah, this is like nothing you have ever felt.  It is like silk on your skin and there is no oily residue. I am still searching for a name.  Since it makes my face as soft as a baby's bottom, a friend in New York suggested I call it "Arse Lookin' At Ya!"  I am giving thought to that.  For now it is just Hemp Seed Body/Face Butter.  You can find it located in my eBay store or just email me.  I am pretty sure I have a winner here!

http://stores.ebay.com/Lou-Mercers-Grab-Bag

Friday, February 18, 2011

The son is here and the doggies are tired!

Well, the son arrived here from California yesterday afternoon.  Well, actually a little before noon.  He had left there at 1:00 PM the previous day to make the 22 hour drive.  By arriving here 23 hours later, I  am thinking he did not spend the night in a motel anywhere.

So let me introduce the dogs who are his family and accompanied him on his journey.  This is Oliver.  Ollie is a West Highland Terrier.  Kind of an oaf of a dog, and is constantly surprised by life in general.  He is learning many things.  One of which is that I have a cat and he does not know what a cat is.  He thinks it might be something to play with, but he is not real sure of that .  He also got introduced to the flock of geese and ducks.  This rather overwhelmed the poor fellow as he had only encountered wild life in a one on one setting.  After much trembling, Sam allowed him back in the sanctuary of the yard.
 This would be the poor little Emma, the very old poodle.  She is exhausted to the point of being unable to move at all.  Her only actual sign of her age is that her hearing is completely gone.  She is the most precious little dog and she loves to be held.  Sam left her with me while he took Oliver to the doggie wash.  Doggie wash is like a car wash only you wash a dog instead of a car!  Never heard of such a thing.   I sat in the recliner and she had a nice nap in my lap.  Surprisingly enough, Daisy and Elvira did not grab her leg and jerk her off my lap.


 And here they are making themselves at home on the couch.  Sam wanted me to know that Emma likes to fluff things up so I might want to keep an eye on her and my leather couch.  Yesterday she was way to tired to care about the fluffing thing.
Ok, there is a short introduction to the doggies. Tomorrow or later tonight we will delve into the actual son part.  Oh, and the girls are coming so there will  be lots going on.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day to you!

Let me see.  The last time I received any thing for Valentines Day was in 2003.  I got a set of pots and pans and they were exactly the kind and color I wanted.  Seems my husband had just passed away and left his wallet behind with just the right amount of money to pay for that purchase.  He always was considerate to a fault.

Then Marge gave me a thing that hangs from the ceiling and holds the pots and pans on hooks.  That is really nice.  So after all these years they are still in pretty good shape.  Well, occasionally an interloper will pass through my kitchen in search of food and use one to cook something.  No problem as long as they follow the rules which are simple.  No flash frying!  No smoke arising from any vessel.  Spray the inside lightly to prevent sticking.  But, alas, I can not guard the kitchen 24/7 and a few gouges have appeared and I may need to replace something.  These are Wearever Taste of Home collection.  I shall miss them when the time comes, but it is not going to be this year.

What do I have planned for tonight?  Ah, it is the Jeopardy! Challenge where Watson, the high powered computer built just for this, will go against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.  Being a die hard beleiver in human beings as opposed to machines, I am trusting that Watson will blow a fuse.  I have cleared my calendar for the next three days and will be plastered to the screen.  So do not call.  Do not drop by.  Do not email.  I wanted to take the kiddies to a movie tonight, but that will have to wait until after.  Oh, but then it will be cold and dark and I do not do that well at all. 

Ok.  This is my thoughts for the day.  I have something in mind for the PFLAG post so you might want to pop over there for a look.  http://www.pueblopflag.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Fun to have with a carrot on a snowy day.



Well, a bag of carrots, a couple Llama's, lot of snow, and a vegetarian dog makes for a fun slide show.  No animals were harmed in the making of this slide show.

I went to Safeway's and got a bag of carrots along with a lot of other stuff and when I got home and opened the carrots I found they had roots and greenery.  Sorry, not my idea of fresh.  I will not buy a bag next time that I can not see through.  So I figured this was my fault.  Since I live in the County it would have taken more gas to return them then they cost.  Once more, one of the lessons I have learned.

So I took my bag of carrots and my trusty camera and went to the side fence and called to the Llama's.  Of course they came.  I stuck the carrots in the fence to free my hands and then we talked.  Yes, they do like carrots and they do not mind that they are not crisp and crunchy.  They were most agreeable to have their pictures taken and I do think they posed for me a little bit.  Now I have heard and actually seen Llama's that spit, but these do not seem to have that habit.  For that I am grateful.

When I turned to come back to the house, the Daisy dog shot past me.  Seems she thought she would like a carrot.  She also knew she was not supposed to have it.  That is why I got very good pictures of the Llama's and Daisy ran from me.  Hope she enjoyed her carrot.  And I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Lunch with Grandma Lou!



Isn't it amazing that when you think there is no way to go but down,  life has a way of shaking you right out of that funk?  So I had company for lunch and when lunch was over, I had a nap.  There is nothing to perk an old lady up like a one year old, a 1 1/2 year old and a big old 6 year old.   Especially if I have ice cream and peaches to go with hamburgers.

The weight of the world equates to....nothing.

I remember when I was a kid I would see pictures of Atlas with the world on his shoulders.  Things like that stick with kids.  At that time I thought the world was very big and very heavy and the man that held the world was very strong.  I have since learned that such is not the case.

In the first place, there is no way a mere mortal could even get the world on his shoulders and if he did, where would he stand to hold it? I also remember my mother saying she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.  I thought she must be  a very strong woman.  Funny how a kid's mind will work.

And now that I am older, I get it.  Or at least I think I do.  Usually I am a rather upbeat person and can handle what ever the world throws at me, but then there are times when the powers of the Universe conspire against me and the weight of the world begins to pile on my shoulders.  This also gives credence to another saying, "It never rains, but what it pours." 

My world was on it's axis and spinning right along yesterday afternoon until early evening.  At that time I got the phone call that we had lost a client.  This one was totally unexpected.  A young woman with a small son and a bright and shining future.  She was engaged and life was good.  Right up till that last moment.  Then I had a phone call about a problem involving ego's and power struggles that are always unsolvable and just take up time.  Little weight of the world on my shoulders, but not really bad at all.  Got my new blog up and running and feeling good.

Then came the bright part of my day when my computer lit up with my friend and confidant.  And from there it was all down hill.  Cyber space is not all it cracked up to be.  Things said in jest can not be interpurted as such in black and white.  Emails do not always end up where they were sent and in some cases may be who knows where.  Or maybe they are just ignored in favor of something better?

Suffice it to say when the downward spiral begins there is not an easy fix, so by bedtime I was rethinking this whole life thing.  It seems that life actually can be equated  to doing the Texas Two Step on the way to the grave.  You know, the old two steps forward and one step back?  And  if you turn around and look backwards you are just liable to back right into the open grave. 

My nights get very long when I try to solve the world's problems.  I tried putting all my thoughts in piles and labeling them.  Pile number one was things I could do nothing about.... Egypt, Mubarac, the weather, death of a client went in one pile.  Things I could do something about in another pile...problems at church,  burned out ballast in the kitchen light, hole in the dining room carpet, the new blog went in another pile.  Then came the insurmountable problem of misunderstanding with a friend.  Personal relationships have always been hard ones for me.  And the sad part is that they still are and sometimes I just walk away when I think I am right.  Does not mean I am right or wrong, only means that is how I deal with life when it is more than I can understand.

God grant me the power to accept the things I can not change,  change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.  or something like that.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I am going to show you me in action!



Now, you should know that the first picture up there is the purse I am making all cut out and sewn onto the batting.  The next step in this little process was to trim the pieces and then turn them right side out.  Then I edge stitched and started the assembly.  Last pictures shows, voila!  I am finished and have a new purse.

Now I realize that anyone who does not sew will think I have created a master piece.  Let me tell you what I think is a masterpiece and that is that slide show running up there.  That is the miracle on this page.  Now the purse is really nice, but you people know how girlie I am not so what am I going to do with it now that I have it?  That is neither here nor there.  I am here to discuss this technology business.

Does anyone remember way back when you would take pictures and then you took the film out and and took it to some place and got your pictures developed?  I can remember when color first came to pictures.  Oh, and the Polaroid Land Camera that developed the picture while you waited.  I remember the first camera I ever owned was a Brownie that my brother brought me home from Germany.  Used to hold it down about my waist and look down into the view finder until I got zeroed in and then click and when the roll was taken, off we went to get it developed.  As I recall it was about 6" x 6".  Very ugly black thing.

Well, now I have this little green thing that is about ½" thick.  I point and shoot and there is no focusing or any of that stuff going on.  When I have what I want I pull out the card and slip it in the slot in the computer or plug in my cord and the pictures pop up for my approval.  If I do not like one I delete it.  I can type in what they are and the date is automatic.  Then I click on a few more things and have this slide show for you.  Time expired maybe 2 minutes.  I can take a picture of a crying baby and send the picture to its mother and she will see it before the tears are dry.  Technology.

And do you want to know something else?  I have friends who think I am a genius!  Well, maybe I will just let them think that.  Going to send my sister a link on her email and she can read this and watch the slide show and she will think I am smart.  Or not.  See my location down there?  Takes me 48 seconds to find it and post it.  I have links on the side to other blogs.  Course I never get any house work done, my butt is as wide as the chair, and my social life is in the crapper, but I am a genius!!  LOL

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Pueblo Community College has a state of the art Learning Center.

December 1, 2010 when we were at the Pueblo Community College I sat for hours and watched students go down one hallway and come out another.  I thought maybe there was something to eat down there cause it seemed to be a very popular place.  And then along came Ross and he gave me the grand tour!


This is the door to the inner sanctum at Pueblo Community College.  I had done some embroidery work for Ross who runs the Learning Center, but I had no idea what the place actually entailed.  When we were at the college for World AIDS Day I got a chance to see and I was very impressed.  This program takes up the whole bottom floor of the building we were in and it is always busy.  Let me just shoot through here and point out a few things, then we will talk!

This is Ross's office.  It is very nice and he has lots of little momento's setting and hanging here and there.  He is into Rainbow's which are also a weakness of mine.  He has way more then me though.  I just keep buying rainbow fabric and not using it.  You know me well!  His office is in the center of the commons area.  He has windows on three sides so he can keep an eye on day to day operations.  Guess he never stopped to think, they can keep an eye on him also!
This is the commons area of the Learning Center. There are computers every where and they are there for the students to use. There are also little rooms here and there for different things that the students need.  There are computers in those rooms as well.

A little further down you will see a girl at a computer. She is not just any girl, she is the one who makes the media for special needs, such as braille.


Now, I forgot who this is, but he is a reception area person and I am sure he is very important since every one in the place seems to have a job that is thier job and they do it very well.  Ross is a very good task master!


 Ah!  Here we are entering what is known as the Disability Resources Center.  This is where the special stuff is made that people who need it, get it!

 And here is the girl I told you that does it.  She is a very nice girl and I wish I knew where I wrote her name down.  I am sure when I hit the publish button it will come to me.  She is a very nice girl and we chatted amicably about her role in preparing media for special needs.  This is a very vital part of what goes on in this place!

And here is my little Ross!  He is an amazing creature!  He actually rides his bike to work and drinks lots of water.  I could go on for days about the virtues of this man, but he would just roll his eyes so I am not going there.  Anyone who has ever dealt with Ross Barnhart has nothing but praise for him both as a professional and as a human being.  I am included in his fan club.

I attended a two year college and I am sure there were resources that I could have accessed, but nothing like this operation!  I can attest by sheer virtue of watching how many students accessed this area that it is a vital part of an education at PCC.  And with Ross at the helm this place can do nothing but thrive and grow!

You have met Ross Barnhart, the academia person, but this was my first encounter with that side of Ross.  I have known him for many, many years.  I knew him when he lived in Seattle.  Well, we are not that old so it was not that long ago, it just sounds like it.  Actually, I have known his mother, Nancy Martin, for about 20 years, but they were very short years!  OK, there is a point here!

If you think Ross, the professional is a wonderful man, you should meet Ross the philanthropist and activist.  My kind of man!  This article was to acquaint you with the Learning Center.  I will do an article on Ross Barnhart that will make the world stand up and take notice.  I think he would make a wonderful President!  We could write him on the ballot!

Friday, February 4, 2011

So that was yesterday and now we are on today!

I know you are holding your breathe to see how the "date" worked out last night.  Well, it was not quiet what I feared.  Joan made a very lovely dinner.  Her and Bobby's daughter, son-in-law, and the son from New York were there.  (Bobby is Ray's twin brother.) Course about as soon as I got into town, it started snowing.  Very big flakes!  If one hit me in the head I would have been history. 

So I called Ray and explained that rather than jockey vehicles around, I would just pick him up.  That was mistake #1 on my part.  Mistake #1 on his part was the screaming that went on during the trip across town.  Apparently he has not become accustomed to being at the mercy of a female driver in a blizzard.  Seemed to  be a lot of sniveling and crying going on over there in the passenger seat!

Conversation was great and the son-in-law and nephew gave me some tips on just how long to dip the lady fingers for a perfect Tiramasu.  The first time I made it I held them in the Kahlua until they quit bubbling.  I thought I had maybe not done it correctly since 3 people eating that first one I made, failed breathalizer tests alonside the road.  I now know you grasp the lady finger firmly and dip and raise rather quickly.  No bubbling should occur!  Just to be on the safe side, I had taken a Peanut Butter Pie for dessert!

Bobby gave me a tour of the house which included several stained glass windows that he had made.  They are really great and he seems to go more for the different textures as opposed to bright colors.  Very subtle.  Very nice.  And of course the snow continued to fall!  Time to go and Bobby cleared a path to the car for us.  There was some mention of a cook out in the summer!  That was rather tentative as to exactly when.

By this time those giant flakes had been falling for 3 hours, so I let Ray drive home.  Same sniveling and crying from the passenger seat, only this time it was not him!  I never knew my car could plow through drifts that deep and that fast!  He did trust me to hop in the drivers side when we got to his place and drive the seven miles of country roads to my place alone.  Course he did remind me to call when I got home so he would not have to worry.  I did.  The line was busy.

And there you have it in a nutshell.  One interesting note here,  he lives 3 blocks from the SWM of last summer fame.  Since we drove right past his house I pointed out his Victorian with the 3rd floor turret and the 7 windows that I made curtains for that are  still  not hung.  Small world after all.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

So much for the warm and fuzzy, now let me hop up on the soapbox!

I just finished watching a segment on what is happening in Egypt.  In this segment the petite little female reporter was complaining about how those rioters actually punched her photographer!  Hello!  Here we have people who are fighting for a cause that means their very life and this guy has the nerve to stick a camera in their face!  I would have done a lot worse than punch him!

I would like to know at what point freedom of the press ends and infringement on human rights begins?  Have you ever watched the news very carefully?  I realize this all seemed to start about the time we bombed Baghdad and we could set in the comfort of our homes and watch the war unfold.  I realize further that we need to know the conditions our servicemen are laboring under.  What happened to creative writing?  Why must we practice the  "picture is worth a thousand words" philosophy?

In the center of every picture is a human being.  The man with his leg blown off, the woman sobbing with her dead, bloody baby in her arms,  the bomb in the car, on and on and on we go.  This is sensationalism at it's very worst.  Every station tries to go one better than the one before it did.  Whoever shows the most blood on the 6 o'clock news wins the rating war.  I am sorry, I do not look at it anymore.

Reporters have their jobs and some of them I admire very much.  Right now we are in the middle of very frigid temperatures and I just seen a young lady explaining to me how dangerous the weather was.  I could have been a little more convinced had she actually dressed for the conditions and not had to be seen with her lovely hair whipping around her well manicured face.  Just me.

I was taught, and by a very able teacher she was, that I must make the reader see what I see.  I must get my thoughts into the readers head and make them feel what I felt.  The victim must remain faceless.  I am perhaps out of touch with the media reality of today, but out of touch I shall remain.  In all my writing you will find only the essence of pain, tragedy, or grief.  Does that make me a better reporter then the one who motions the cameraman forward to see the dying face of the rebel?  I sure like to think so.

And how do we go back to the old style of reporting?  We probably don't.  Our world has become a world where seeing is believing why bother visualizing when it is right there to look at, up close and personal.  I have found the off button on my set!

Have you ever been in a situation where you let your guard down because there was something more pressing?   Can you describe your pain you felt at the lowest moment of your life?  Or do you need someone to take a picture and show it to you as a bitter reminder?  I don't.  I can still feel the ache and raw grief in every fiber of my being.  Shall I describe it to you?

And tonight will mark a new era!

I have fully recovered from my little dating fiasco of last summer, so I am going to try this one again.  Not real sure of this guy's political affiliations, but I have pointed mine out to him.  I even printed my profile description and gave it to him to study.  He does not have a computer so he has not read my blog.  I do not know if that is good or bad.  I have taken him to Weaver's Guild where he was the only man in a room full of women and he seemed comfortable.  He has attended my church several times and fits in well in that area of my  life.

OK, I met him and his brother and his sister in law at the craft fair last November.  They do woodworking, so I know he is adept at something.  Then I found out he is a weaver, so I sold him a loom.  And some thread.  And loaned him some books.  And some shuttles.  He was out for coffee and pie once.  He has met Tim.  And sister Mary, who thinks he is a very handsome fella'.  But you know me,  "Beauty is skin deep, while ugly goes clear to the bone."

So, he has a tremendous sense of humor which is a definite plus in my world.  He knows where I do volunteer work and why and seems very compassionate in that area.  He even goes to the gym several times a week and works out, so he is into the fitness thing.  He has a dog just like Elvira only his is a full blooded Lahso and Elvira is part Shitzu. 

So, after 8 years of dinging around on my own, I may be on the verge of entering uncharted waters.  After 3 months of casual friendship I am going some where in the dark, so I almost have to call it a date.  I hope nothing changes, cause I been enjoying the friendship part.  I do know Kenny did not want me to spend my life alone, but he may not get his way on this one.  Time will tell.

By the way, just for future reference, his name is Ray.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The end of an era here in my corner of the world.

A moving trailer backed up to the house and with that simple move we end an era here.  Twenty-five years is a lot like a quarter of a century any way you cut it.  I remember when Jacque and Clifford moved in.  There was a ratty old double wide trailer on an acre of ground.  The huge shop building was the only solid thing on the property.  They had no kids at home, but his mom and dad lived over on the corner.  They came with 2 dogs and a parrot.  That soon changed.

Seems the property came with a miniature goat.  Well, that goat was pregnant.  Soon there were 2 goats, and the cat, Blueberry.  Then came 3 turkeys and a few more goats.  Then the turkeys hatched babies, and they bought more goats.  Well, then along came a grand son, born to the son who was in the service and stationed  in Okinawa.  Then the dogs got old and died and they got more dogs, and more cats.  Pretty soon it looked like Green Acres over there! 

Well, then they adopted the grandson.  We adopted our grandson.  They were the same age and learned to get into lots of things together.  I got lots of good pictures before we got them trained to keep their clothes on and only pee in the house.  Some day those pictures are going to come in handy!

They decided to put a new double wide on the property since the other one was falling down.  They bought a camper to live in while that was happening.  I did lots of cooking, the neighborly thing to do!  The new double wide on a foundation was a definite improvement! 

Time passed and things happened.  They buried his Mother and Father.  I buried lots of people, including my mother, sister and husband.  When I needed some thing that I was incapable of doing, I knew Clifford was there for me.  Anything from a mechanical problem to untangling the barbed wire in the high wheeler to wringing the neck of the goose who was having seizures! 

We grew apart, but not really.  They were always there.  They waved and I waved.  Occasionally I baked something and took it over.  It became a more taken for granted thing than an active friendship, but  a friendship none the less.  Then she lost her job and he lost his.  A sign of the times.  Then it seemed that a major move was the only answer.  She scored first in North Dakota, of all places!

And that is why yesterday when I went out to start the car very early and found the Uhaul backed up to the door, it hit me.  And there was Clifford.  We made small talk about the weather and how it might slow down the move, but not much.  Then there was nothing else to say.  So I just hugged him.  Another part of my life is over. 

Another year down the tubes!

Counting today, there are only 5 days left in this year.    Momma nailed it when she said "When you are over the hill you pick up speed...