This is a little family in the making, if you wonder what one looks like.

If you wonder what the life of Riley looks like, just take a gander at this little chickadee, all kicked back and taking it easy. 

 Now here we go just having a little peek at Grandma Lou.  This is the little angel that Grand Daughter Deven chose to weave a blanket and give it to her for Christmas.

And there she is hid behind all the toys that it is necessary for a tiny baby to tote around just to get through the day. 

And there is mom and soon to be dad.  I just wanted you to meet them.  I emailed her for the correct spellings on the names, but have not gotten an answer yet.  As soon as I get that I will formally introduce you to this little family who is slowly becoming a vital part of my life here in Pueblo. 

I do know the mom is Kimmie and her favorite food is Sloppy Joes!  I do know she is working on getting her Diploma and then going to school to make herself into something the Little Princess will be very proud of, and so will we!  Going to be there to see her walk up and grab that diploma and make us all proud!

Watch for them more in future postings!

Five words no mother wants to hear, ever.

Always in my mind, the 5 words I never wanted to hear were, "There has been an accident."  I heard them years ago when I lost my brother.  And then I heard them yesterday.  They held the same paralyzing fear yesterday as they did back in 1965.  Only this time I heard them through my mother's ears and there were other words, motorcycle, son, ambulance.  Each word was tearing me apart and I had to pull into a parking lot to make sense of them.

Lou, this is Carolyn and I was on my way to town and there has been an accident.  Bret, Amanda, motorcycle, Cruiser, ......."I need to know which hospital you want him transported to.  They will want to know."  A million questions rushed through my mind, but I asked none.  She had no answers, so it was not fair to ask.  My first instinct was to race to Santa Fe Drive to the scene, but a cooler head prevailed.  I would go to the hospital and wait.  So I did.  I left my car with the valet and went immediately to the ER.  No ambulance yet.

I would call my minister.  Phone book was in the car.  So I called the church.  Answering machine.  In case of emergency call.....my pen was in the car.  Why is it that we delude ourselves into believing we are organized right up until the moment when we need to lay our hands on information and we find we are like Babes in the woods.  I knew I should call some one, but I did not know who.  Oh, wait.  He has sisters, I have kids!  But what would I tell them?  What did I know?  Motorcycle, son, ambulance.

So, Lou Mercer, the woman with so many friends stood in an empty emergency room staring out a window all by herself, the loneliest woman in the world.  And like so many mothers before me I turned to the one person who could and would listen.  I had never faced anything like this with any of my children before, but yesterday I did and yesterday I remembered why I had spent my whole life clinging to this man.  So I called on him,  "Oh, God!  I know I am always wanting something, but this time I really, really need you to do this for me.  Make it right.  Make this go away and if you choose not to do that then give me the strength to deal with what I must."  I am sure there was a lot more said and I bet I made promises, but God knows me pretty good.  We have been there before and while some of his greatest gifts were unanswered prayers, I knew in the depths of my being that he would answer this one.

It was orchestrated from the beginning when a friend came upon the accident and she chose to call me instead of letting the sheriff call, and she was allowed to call.  Things always come easier when delivered by a friend.  I want to thank her for doing me that favor.  I will not use her last name, but she know who she is and she also knows that I loved her when she was my daughter in law and I love her today, because she is a beautiful person.

So, as you have guessed by now, little Bret is alright.  He is alright because all the things that usually happened did not.  The speed limit there where this happened is 50MPH but it was moving slow.  Amanda saw a wreck ahead so she slowed down and changed lanes.  Bret passed her and then he saw the accident so he cut in front of her and slowed.  Some one ahead hit the brakes, Bret hit his brakes and Amanda hit hers.  She hit the back of the bike which shot out from under Bret.  All speeds were reduced or the boy on the bike would not be here today.

Later Bret was recounting the accident and he said " I seen Amanda coming behind me and I knew she was going to hit me, but I had to brake."  I asked him, "Did you at that point in time wish you might have been a little nicer to her?"  His answer was, "Oh, yeah!"

So today we are getting through the "what if " phase of this.  Will he ride his bike again?  Sure!  Will he wear a helmet next time?  No!  I never wore one.  It restricted my vision and my hearing.  On long trips I guess they are all right.  Will Amanda drive again.  Sure!  I hauled her to work today, but that is not going to happen again.  Things happen.  Life goes on.  What will I do different?  Keep a phone list in my purse or make sure all the important numbers are in my phone.  But the most important number is burned in my brain and that is the hot line to Heaven.  And the best part is that no matter where I am, it is still a local call!

Hey! Wait just one minute here!

This is not fair!  No way is this a fair thing to happen to me!  Yesterday it was 70+ degrees.  Day before that it hit 80.  Now  this morning there is snow.  Stop this madness.  It is Spring.  The Daffodils are blooming and everything!  The ducks are mating as are the geese. Now I have Robins playing in the snow.  What is wrong with this scenario?

Oh, yeah, now I remember, I live in Colorado!  Beautiful Colorado in the foothills to the Rockie Mountains.  Kenneth and I were on our way to a place near Durango many years ago to get a load of coal for some one.  Being the end of May and hotter than the dickens, I wore my shorts and we did not bother taking a coat.  The first problem we encountered was that the pass had the chain law in effect.  Usually we called and checked things like that, but rarely, if ever do you worry about it when it is 80 degrees.  Course there is that little altitude thing we should have thought about.  A lesson learned, but not retained, although we did make it a habit to carry chains and coats no matter where we went or when we went.

See, I should have known when I met that man what I was in for.  Before we ever did the "I do" thing in front of the minister in the assisted living center in Canon City and had a celebratory doughnut as our wedding supper, there were signs of the future.  Take for instance, the weekend camp out and boating trip the weekend AFTER Labor Day. 

We loaded the camper shell, boat, fishing tackle, lots of food, camp stove, two kids and my poodle/chihuahua, Sysnyck  and headed for Turquoise Lake, about as high up as you can get without going clear to heaven.  It was late when we got there so we immediately pitched the tent and went to bed.  It immediately began to rain.  The bathrooms were locked up, being after Labor Day and all, but it was a big forest.  Morning broke to show a beautiful view of the lake, ice floes and all.  Fuel had leaked out of the camp stove.  Kids were wet and frozen.  My bottom  and the forest floor did not take to well to each other.  But we had come to boat and fish and by jeepers that was what we would do.  And did it we did.

The worms were frozen, but the boat was not.  We boarded the seaworthy vessel and cranked it up;  fishing poles remained on the bank.  My stalwart Captain roared away from the dock, the dog jumped overboard, the daughter burst out in tears because she was going to die.  He idled, turned  around and picked up the dog and headed back to shore.  We arrived home early that afternoon and it was again 80 degrees, but we were still frozen.

The year on that was 1982.  Perhaps you recall that being the year there was a sudden spike in antibiotic sales?  Both kids had raging fevers the next day.  I am a firm believer that such things are brought on by a virus and not getting cold and wet, but I did make an exception in that case.

The following summer, July 4 weekend to be exact, we took a 3 day weekend, same boat, vacation to the high lakes in the Rockies.  Kids refused to step foot off the place after the first vacation.  When we got home I was so sunburned I had to sleep standing up.  Not really, but it was bad!  So I now know, but still occasionally forget what Colorado is all about.  Check my car.  I have blankets, coats, sunscreen, water, an emergency stable food source, and my Bible.  I am taking no chances. 

The kids are grown up and gone.  Kenny has passed to his much deserved  reward and I am here alone.  I do still go to the mountains, but only for the day.  I go with a friend or sometimes just drive up to Beulah to see my friend Jan.  So I stay in Colorado.  It has become home to me and I expect when I close my eyes and see Kenny coming to pick me up, his silhouette will be against the back drop of Pikes Peak or Turquoise Lake or something else quite as beautiful.  When that happens I will not look back.  And I expect you all to be happy and wish me bon voyage!  Cause I will be tripping the light fantastic with a man who never had a lick of rythym any where near his body, but he could catch a fish.

I saw a sign........

Men who beat their guns into plow shares, will be ruled by men who did not beat their guns into plow shares....(Or something like that!)  Thomas Jefferson.

Dougie Do and Elvira too!

Last Wednesday I had a date.  Well, Elvira and I did.  We had a date with Doug Poll who owns Doug's Grooming Salon.  What a delightful little fellow he is!  Elvira loves him.  See her there in his arms and see him kiss her.  Hard to believe that I have to take second place to a dog, but there you have it.   If I have to share the fellow, I am glad it is with my dog.

Elvira does not really like to go to the beauty shop, but she loves to go see Doug.   Flips me a look and off to the back room she goes.  Don't blame her for that.  When she comes back out she is going to be one pretty little girl! 

My first encounter with Doug was back in December.  My son's boss had been taking Cosmo to Doug for several years so I thought I ought to give him a try.  He is located at 2320 Thatcher here in Pueblo.  For many years I had lived right around the corner on Scranton, but moved to the Mesa before Doug started there.  But stranger yet, is that he started Doug's Grooming in that location on October 1, 1987!  Know what that is?  October 1 is my birthday!  Small world huh?

Want to get smaller?  His birthday is October 6.  I am not going to tell you the years cause I for one, am a tad bit vain!  Suffice it to say I am several years older then him.  What that has to do with anything, I have no idea!  But let me tell you this, I have always had a dog of some sort that had to be groomed so I am fairly wise to the groomers and how the doggie relates to them.

Take Elvira.  Lady groomed her here at the house.  The little rat ran away, jumped off the dryer, and almost ended up completely bald on one side.  She is definitely a dog that needs a groomer with a firm hand.  Doug has that.  I do not stay to watch the process, but I know that this drop dead gorgeous little groomer will take her in hand and I get almost all the way home and he calls to say she is done.  So I go back to get her and Doug is holding her and look at how he smooches around on her.

Doug has 2 favorite charities.  The first is Multiple Sclerosis and the other is the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.   Can't fault a boy that supports causes like those!  And businesses in this fair city do not usually open until 9 or 9:30.  Not Dougie!  I can drop the dog off at 7:30.  Most people are not usually up that early, but he has his day pretty well started by then.

What I like best about Doug is that he is always such a happy little guy and always glad to see me.  Well, glad to see anyone.  And I am a firm believer that animals have a sixth sense about people.  The dogs all seem to like Doug, which means he is a good person deep down where it really counts.  If Elvira were to drag her feet and act like she did not want to go, you can bet I would be looking for a different groomer.  But she is always happy to go, so we have found a home with Doug.

My recommendation to you, if you have a poochie dog, is to grab up the phone and call Doug at 719-545-7300.  You are going to have to wait on your first appointment because he is in high demand.  But then you make your appointment when you pick the dog up and you are in like Flynn.  Just be prepared to take a back seat to your dog.  Doug and the dog will want to get to know each other.  That is the way of the world.

All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all....or something like that.  ;)

A sad state of affairs.

   See this wretched looking pooch here?  This was taken at the dog pound about a year or two ago.  The tech out there thought this dog was about 2 1/2 years old, female, Llaso Apso/Shitzu, and had just had puppies.  She was very matted and her hair was falling out.  Sad little species.  I brought her home and named her Elvira, Mistress of the night.

See this little wretch here?  This is her prison picture.  Probably should have named this one Bandit, but we named her Daisy.  Daisy is probably about six now and is the old lady of the bunch.  Elvira is about 4.  I always get my dogs at the pound because I know they need homes and I have a home.  Cool, huh?

              

 Now this is Lyn.  I did not get her at the pound.  She is my friend.  She is also the one who just gave little Elvira her bath and trimmed her hair.  Doesn't she look pretty?  I actually meant Elvira, but that goes for Lyn also.  Course Daisy wanted held also.  It is hard to imagine those two healthy looking pooches were once on their way to the execution chamber.  But now they are mine!

Now, you know there is going to be a point to this, don't you?  And here it comes.  I had to run into town to have lunch with a friend today.  Would rather have stayed home, but you know how it is some times.  So I zipped up South Road, which I have got to quit doing as the boy got a ticket for speeding and I don't want one.  But I then turned on Aspen headed for town.  In the middle of the road was a big black Lab.  Probably not full blooded Lab, but a big dog.

Oh, he was alright, but he was on a mission.  He was smack in the middle of the road and he was plodding his way toward town.  He did not have a collar.  He did not look happy at all.  He looked like what we see all to often out here in the county.  He looked like some one had driven him out and dumped him because they were, for what ever reason, no longer wanting to care for him.  So some one loaded him up and dropped him out in the middle of nowhere hoping what would happen?

Was it you?  Did you think he would just drop in some farmhouse and live happily ever after?  Most farms out here already have  dog or 2.  Maybe a cat.  These animals see the new dog as an interloper and chase it away.  Or, gee, maybe it could find some where to sleep and catch  mice or something to eat during the day.  It is a trained hunter?  I think not.  The dog I saw walking up Aspen was not a happy dog.  He looked like he was looking for you.  You are all he knew and you left him, quite by accident, I am sure, and he was just wanting to get home to you.  You may not have been the best master, but you were his and he remembers that. Probably a moot point as he was only about a mile from the highway.  You know, the one where cars drive 50 miles an hour through Blende and never think to watch for dogs looking for their masters.

We have a new dog pound.  Why didn't you just drop him off there?  At least that way he could have something to eat.  He could have some where to sleep where he felt safe.  He would have at least had a chance at being adopted.  And if he did not get a new home the worst that could happen is he would be euthanized.  At least that is a lot quicker then being hit by a car or starving out on the prairie.

I wish there were some way to make you people understand that the cute little puppy you bring home is dependent on you.  Even when it grows up and isn't so cute, it is your responsibility.  You picked, you played with it, and it is yours until one of you dies.  When I see a dog dumped like this I wonder what kind of people we are dealing with now days.  What kind of Father will you make?  What kind of mother?  The fields and the prairies are for the animals of the night, you know, coyotes, foxes, skunks, snakes, spiders.  That sort of stuff, not domesticated dogs.  Dogs we have bred and trained to be docile little creatures. 

I had a short lunch and when I came home I looked for the black dog.  Don't know what I had planned if I found it, but I did not see it.  I am sure I will be thinking about it tonight when I should be sleeping.  And I hope you are thinking about it also.  I hope you realize what a stupid thing this was and I hope you at least regret your decision.  It is my fervent hope that you spend a lot of sleepless night and then one day, look up out of what ever gutter you are in and see your beautiful black dog ride by in the back of a mini van with a little girl hanging on his neck, with his tongue hanging out and a big smile on his face!

Always remember "When you dance, you got to pay the fiddler. " or "What goes around, comes around."

A day at the bowling alley in Midtown! or And a good time was had by all!

Well, remember when we had the walk and raised money for Pueblo SCAP? Linda, John, Erik and I decided we would like to do something fun with our funds. And so you see what we have now dubbed the once a month fun time. Well, I actually think it has a more formal name and that it has something to do with our team name, which was Loosey Goosey, but I do not remember at the moment and I can not call anyone because it is not to the crack of dawn yet.


First we have our humble lunch and then we are off to some where. This time it happens to be the bowling alley in Midtown. That is a fun place. It is under ground and has been there forever, I think. I used to bowl occasionally there with my third husbands ex-wife. She was really good. I forgot his name. But that has nothing to do with now.

We take clients, friends, volunteers and just whoever thinks they would like to join us and away we go. Next month is going to be a cook out in the park. But back to the bowling party. Now, if I was a tad bit smarter I would have all these pictures with labels, but I am not. Little disclaimer here. I told all the clients to turn their backs so the faces showing are some of my huge following on these outings. We really do have a very good time. See those two guys setting with me and smiling? They were a couple guys that let me take their pictures and told me they would not smile. Silly boys! Looks like the cat that ate the canaries to me!

And see that baby? She did not bowl. She just took it pretty easy with the feet all crossed and laying back in her little car seat thingy there. Oh, you should know those carriers are heavy! If I would have to raise a kid now, it would be one of those throw the baby out with the bath water days at my house.

Now, do not think that any of these people are actually super bowlers. I think only one or two out of 8 bowlers actually broke 100. I did not bowl for reasons unknown to me. Oh, wait, now I remember, I did not want to be laughed at. We reserved that for John! ;)

I bet that old bowling alley will remember we were there. They furnished shoes at no cost, which helps make our dollars go further. If you happen to get by there, tell them Linda from SCAP sent you. Makes them smile favorably on us. We have decided that next time we go we will have them put up the bumper things as there were an inordinate number of gutter balls thrown!

I will continue to report in monthly on our little forays. I am pretty sure several of the case managers at DSS will be joining us. Maybe we will invite the head office in Colorado Springs down! Got to start working on a menu since I am always in charge of that. Then shopping. Since the meals are paid for by an anonymous benefactor, next month will be a freebie on our funds. So, here is the deal. The Walk in the Garden has become an annual thing. So next fall when I hit you up for donations, remember these little outings and how you are helping people who need it to relax and forget for a few hours at least, how serious their lives actually are. Laughter has always proven to be the best medicine and that is my job at SCAP. I am there to make people happy and I do hope it is working!

Have a good one and remember, You can not sprinkle showers of happiness on other people without getting a few drops on yourself!

This is enough to make me want to give up eating!

 Know what that is up there?  Looks like a bowl of mashed potatoes, maybe?  Or maybe it is a bowl of ice cream?  First let me tell you what I made the other day.  It was client outing for the month of March at SCAP.  We were going bowling so I made Sloppy Joe's for lunch.  Kimie always comes when we have those and I love her baby! 

I like to try to cook kind of healthy most of the time, so I got me 6 pounds of hamburger.  I put this in a big pot and cover it with water.  Then I work the water into the hamburger.  This does 2 things.  First it makes the whole pot a more even consistency, no lumps.  Then it renders the fat out a little better then browning it in a skillet and trying to drain it all off the meat.  Then I pour the whole thing in a strainer set in a big stainless steel bowl.  Result is very dry hamburger with very little fat.  Then I throw it all back in the crock pot and add my onions, peppers, ketchup, garlic, brown sugar and what ever else and set it to simmer.  Result is some of the best Sloppy Joe's you are ever going to bite into and no preservatives except what snuck in with the ketchup.

So here set this bowl of water with grease on top of it.  What to do with that.  Can't put it in the sink.  Won't pour it over the fence cause the Llama's might eat it and get sick.  One solution and the only one I could think of was to let the grease get cool and harden and then skim it off and put it in the trash.  Crisis averted.

So when I got home that evening the grease was indeed firm enough to remove.  So I did that I put it in this bowl.  I dumped the water and washed that bowl and went to bed.  The next morning when I got up and went to make coffee I found this on the counter.  First thought was it was a bowl of mashed potatoes some one forgot to put away.  Silly Lou!  It was that bowl of fat!  Light bulb went on and I knew what I had to do. 

When we think about fat, it is something we never visualize.  Well here it is for you to look at and think about.  This bowl of fat weighs in at 12 ounces, sans bowl.  6 pounds of hamburger yields 12 ounces of fat or 12.5% fat.  That equates to roughly 2 ounces of fat in each pound of hamburger.  Visual here....picture a pound of hamburger made into 4 patties.  Half of one of those patties is solid fat.  Now picture your self with a spoon dipping in that bowl and chowing down on a couple spoonfuls of that crap in that bowl. When you read the nutritional info on the back of a package of what ever, think about this.

This is fat.  This is what it looks like.  Whether it shows up in a pot pie, a bowl of ice cream, a pat of butter, glass of milk, or a doughnut, this is what it looks like.  Ever watch the Biggest Loser?  I rest my case.

Do not misconstrue this message.  Our bodies do require fat.  Check with your doctor or dietitian as to your needs.  I profess to being ignorant in these matters and bring a doughnut to the party and I am all over that sucker.  Just thought you would like to see what it looks like piled up in a bowl!

The feeble mind is easily amused!

Nuclear Power Plant or not?

I will not try to explain the use of Nuclear Power.     Neither will I try to defend either position.  Mine is more of a "what if" piece, which is what I do best.  You have all seen the images out of Japan.  This is modern technology at it's best and the worst.  Images are the best, while what the images show is at it's worst. 

I understand that Nuclear power at it's best is probably a boon to mankind.  I really don't know.  It will bring all these jobs and yada, yada.  The land of milk and honey and all that.  The thing I want to know, and bear in mind that I am a full fledged, recycling, semi vegetarian, environment loving, tree hugging fool, is what happened to the wind farms?  We build the things for the wind farms right behind my house.  The are green, clean, and quiet.  We have more sunshine than half the world making this a mecca for solar power.

Right now they are telling of the 50 men in Japan who are trying to prevent a meltdown of the Nuclear Power Plant there.  They are telling about how high the radiation levels are.  And listen to this.....they actually think this may slow down the expansion of Nuclear Reactors in this country.  Well, duh!  Ram a fork in my  eye over that one.  Oh, good, the radiation cloud is being blown out over the Pacific!  That is a rather out of sight out of mind statement if I ever heard one!  Jerk the fork out of that eye and ram it in the other one!  Now, my problems are all over because I am completely blind!  Hell, I ought to run for Congress!

Oh, yeah, I lied up there!  I do not care how safe it is, I do not want this in my back yard!  Hell, I don't want this in any one's back yard!  We are the Garden of Eden as a renewable energy source so why would I want anyone to put a time bomb in my world and haul Uranium in to feed it and hope nothing goes wrong?  Crap, I still remember what a simple "o" ring did to a shuttle full of people.  Oops!  Acceptable levels of radiation do not exist in my world!  I rank that right up there "safer statin" drugs. 

Some time back they widened the highway East of town.  Made it with passing lanes and all.  That was great, but I could not help but wonder why turning lanes were built to turn into field's where there were no roads.  Just my inquisitive mind?  I think not.  The powers who are closer to the inner circle than I am have answers I want.  Will I get them?  Sure!  All I have to do is look at the map of where this proposed plant will be built!  There it is!  The green square in that same field. 

  My job is to set here and look stupid.  I have a receiver in my bedroom in case something goes wrong out at the PDA where they are burning the chemical stuff left over from when they stored this stuff years ago.  So will I be at the Arts Center tonight at  5:00 P M? Is a pig made out of pork? Is the Pope Catholic? That would be a yes.



Spring is here!  Green things are popping up all over.  A time for rebirth.  A time to build a Nuclear Reactor next to my house?  I think not! 

I just figured this out.  The boy just came up to go to the shower.  He refuses to go with me tonight.  Nuclear Power is perfect and it is perfectly safe.  So was the Challenger.  I point out that in my short life I have been witness to Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, so many I can see in my minds eye, but not recall the year or name, and 50 men basically committing slow suicide in Japan.  He rolls his eyes and explains it saves fossil fuel!  We have lost the younger generation to video games and technology that I do not understand.  So tonight at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center, I will be there with my old cronies. 

 Will my voice be heard?  One way or another.  There was a time when I had dirt on the County Commissioners and was sure at least two of them would listen, but I have become complacent and not kept up on that.  Bad Lou.  In this fast moving world we all need to remain vigilant cause if we don't we are going to find ourselves living in a world where 7 toes and boils on our faces and hair all gone is normal.  I myself like the world here from my deck.  Animals, birds, Llama's next door, clouds floating by with out a hint of radiation anywhere.  I can have my coffee knowing my water contains acceptable levels of arsenic, nitrates, nitrites, selenium and that the squirrel that fell in the river upstream has been purified. 

God is good.  Let's help him out a bit here!

*S*
Added note here.  Boy just came out of the shower, smiled and said, "Maybe."  I have hope for him because he is the same one that marched with me for Gay Rights, walked in the AIDS Walks for years, and attended the candle light services on World AIDS Day. 

This is my first sight when I set down to the computer in the morning.  Icarus has slept with me all night, but she knows it is morning and  the routine is same-o, same-o.  See that little picture just to the right of the cd's?  That is my momma and daddy when they were young.  That was a long time ago, but she likes to keep an eye on me even today.  So I behave.  Doesn't Icarus look crazy?  She is!

After I have been up a while the sun thinks it should come up also.  These two shots are looking Northwest out my office window.  Course I know the sun comes up in the East, but I like this view of the sun just painting the clouds a beautiful pink.  The tree on the left is a Cherry tree.  It will be covered with blossoms probably in the next week or so.  I planted this when we first moved in here in 1982.  It has never had a Cherry.  The neighbors in front have a Cherry tree and it is prolific, so I know it gets pollinated.  I think it hates me!

This is looking North out the living room window.  Contrary to popular beliefs those white squares are not flying saucers, but reflections of light fixtures in the dining room.  Feel better?

                                    

Now I ask you, with a view like this who would not want to jump out of bed and see it?  Colorado does have pretty clouds.  I just love clouds and these pink ones are especially nice.

OK, so here is the real crux of the matter.  I spend 50% of my time taking pictures and 50% looking for them on this goofy computer.  I try putting them in albums, but then I have the original picture, plus the album.  So then I think I will put them in folders.  I then have the original, the album and now the folder.  Oh, plus every thing I do is backed up in Document, HP, Picassa, Snapfish and no doubt the camera is storing them also even though I use a card and delete it after each use.  Now I heard that if I actually delete pictures then they will disappear from where I have sent them, ie; blog, eBay, etc.

So here is my solution, I am going to jerk out my hard drive and take it to the geek guy over on the highway and have a little talk with the boy.  He has got to be way smarter than I am.  Hell, if he can eat without running the fork in his eye he has me beat!

Ok, Icarus is down, sun is up, fowl are out of the pen, clock is announcing nine o'clock and here I set in my jammies.  Better at least act like I am alive.  I think the wiccan is coming to help me do something downstairs.  Right now I am starving!  You have a very good day and I will surely check in again. 

Grand kids, great grand kids, dogs and ducks abound at my house.

This is what I call two little great grandsons at my house.  These pictures were taken when the son was here a few weeks back.  Those two belong to the grand daughter, September.  The little one is on Sam's lap and the big one is being held still by Great Grandma Lou.  Those kids can move faster than I can blink.  See the little one there has already broken his arm once and healed it up.  He could crawl up on furniture and leap off way before he could walk.  He started walking when he was 9 months old and running at 9 1/2!  The older one was raised on Baby Einstien and I think he started Calculus when he was 3.      

Now these little play pretties belong to the Grandson, Jason.  He in turn belongs to my middle daughter, Dona.  This picture is over a year old, but aren't they little blondies?  The pictures of my kids when they were small shows them all to be very blonde.  Course it helped that my husband, their father was a platinum blond German guy.  Drop dead gorgeous, but that is neither here nor there, so to speak.   Dona was the only one that kept the blonde hair.  She does not use anything, it just stayed blond.  But aren't these little honeys precious?

You met 3 more of my great grand kids back in Longton last summer.  Now understand this and why I do it this way...these are great grandkids that can be traced back directly to my and Earl's blood line.  I got a  ton of grandkids when I count the steps and the step greats would be completely over the top, but those kids have other grandmothers that can rightfully lay claim to them on both sides of the family.  Mine are reduced to just me.  Grandpa has been gone many years, so it is just me left to hold down the fort here, so to speak.  I keep thinking someone of them will be interested in a little of the family history, but so far not much.  So I continue to blog away and have them printed and stuck in a drawer so some day, if some one wonders, there will at least be a tiny peek at my life.  Not so much to see what I did or did not accomplish, but rather so they can see where their roots are planted.

I never dreamed when I ran barefooted down the country roads in Nickerson, Kansas what lay ahead for me, nor behind for that matter.  But now, when I look back I can see it so clearly.  I have become my mother!  Mother had 1 son and 5 daughters.  I ended up with 2 sons and 4 daughters.  Six either way you count.  Mama worked her whole life to raise us kids.  I worked my whole life to raise mine.  She never really got done and neither have I!  She ended up with 13 grand kids, mine total 8.  Then she ended up with 20 greats and I total 7.  So while I was the most prolific of her children, I am whittling the numbers down.

Oh, it is a little early in the morning to think so hard.  It is shaping up to be a very pretty day, so I think I will grab my gloves and head out to do some raking and burning.  But first maybe one more cup of coffee and let me look at pictures for a bit.....life is good!

Course I might have tried to get even with my little Ryan subconsiously !

Well, if you read the last post you will know Ryan tried to kill me albeit quite by accident and he did not succeed.  What the little fellow does not know, and Grandma does, is that I almost did him in and it was with absolutely no malice of forethought.

It was a year or so later that I decided I was sick to death of the cast iron bathtub that was in my powder room.  You know the one that would have lasted forever and was gleaming white with very little effort?  Yeah, that one that was installed and then the room built around it.  So off I went with Kenny in tow to the city to find the perfect set up.  And there it was at that place on the hill.  Forgot the name.  Nice white plastic tub and the nice white plastic surround.  Little pricey, but what the hey!

Enter son-in-law that I did not particular like, but he worked cheap.  Rip out the wall, rip out the tub and haul it out back.  I will not go into the particulars of how many days it took to get that bathroom back in working order or how frustrated we got before we decided that son-in-law had to go.  Nor will I go into the time frame of how long it took Bret to get a chair in the tub and poke a hole in the side of the new plastic POS.  This story is about Ryan!

It took 4 men and a horse to drag that cast iron tub out back.  And there it set.  Trash man did not want it.  Scrap man did not want it.  So it set there.  Looking back I can now think of many things I could have used it for.  Could have been a strawberry bed.  I could have become Catholic and it could have been a great grotto or what ever those things are.  But it set there.  Enter frustrated grandson with a sledge hammer and it became something to relieve said frustration.  Now cast iron can be broken if it is hit just right.  First it was in two pieces and then three and you know the routine.

At that time I also had a chicken pen I wanted ripped out so I could make that area a garden.   I was trying to pull one of the t-posts out of the ground and having no luck at all.  Enter Ryan.  He thought he was way bigger than he was.  I might interject here that the easiest way to remove a t-post is with a jack and a chain, but that was in the garage and there was Ryan.  So the little fellow braced his feet, grabbed the post and jerked.  He did that several times and nothing happened.  Then he decided it was do or die and made one final attempt.  At the point when I thought he was going to pop a blood vessel, it came loose.  As the law of momentum is want to do, Ryan fell backwards and landed flat on his back with the t-post still firmly in his grasp.

And protruding into the air, barely one inch from his left shoulder blade was a foot long piece of cast iron the shape of a stiletto!  My life flashed before my eyes as he lay there with the biggest grin on his face!  He was so proud that he had removed that post by brute force.  All I could think of was what the scene would have been had he been turned just slightly, or the post had been over 8 inches, or this, or that.

When I said my prayers that night and for many nights thereafter, I thanked my omnipotent God for knowing way more than me and for thinking ahead more than this old woman, and for keeping his arm around Ryan and keeping him safe.  Do you remember this, my little Ryan?  That is one I am not going to forget in this lifetime.

So now go vote in the poll up there on the left.  It is no wonder you never come over and want to help old Granny anymore!

Time to dig out the bike and dust it off for Spring!

Well, Spring is going to be here pretty quick and I want to be ready!  Here is the bike and it is going to get ridden just pretty soon.  I keep thinking I am going to get a new bike and I almost did.  I found a really pretty Lavender one at Target for only $104.00, but you know how it goes.  This bike has lots of memories and if it could talk it might get me in a bit of trouble!  Look at that seat!  Isn't that pretty?

This bike came off the neighbors junk pile and it used to be blue and rust.  I mean real rust, not the color.  So, Tim pulled it off the pile and brought it over to my garage.  Then began the transformation.  He took it all apart and made sure everything was there.  Tires were all right, but the tubes were shot.  New tubes, oil the chain, sand the frame and then came the best part, he and Chris painted it Lavender!  I had Goop! for the tubes.   So off to the store to buy the new seat.  That is called a tractor seat, in case you wonder.  The handle bars are some sort of ram's horn.  Total cost to get her road worthy was $26.99. 

You do realize this is a balloon tire bike and has no gears and to stop I pedal backwards.  I never could figure out the gears on those other things and the concept of squeezing the handle bar to stop was totally foreign to this girl!  I have another balloon tire hanging up in the garage that is a complete hoot to ride.  It is a boys bike and bigger than this one, but I did ride it some several years back. OMG!  Ryan, the grandson was probably 10 years old then which would have made it more like 15 years ago.  He damn near got me killed on that thing.  I know he is reading this, so I am going to let you be the judge here.

This thing had Ape Hanger Handle bars which are wonderful to hang onto and ride.  However, it also had knobby tires for God only knows what reason.  Course Ryan had his little bike he jumps with which I forget what they are called. But off we went over to the highway where there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Going to eat a  little lunch and ride back, cause that is what grandma's and grand kids do...eat.  We stayed on the sidewalk where there was sidewalk.  A small section of the sidewalk was gone, so I, being the cautious one, dismounted and walked it around the 7 inch drop.  Of course, during lunch I was chided for this.

"Grandma!  It is a tiny drop and you can do it.  Just get your speed up and pull back on the handle bars and you will be fine.  You can do it, I know you can."  Ah, sometimes old ladies hear a different drummer and it all seems to make a lot of sense.  He was a kid and he could do it; sure I could do it!  I would make him proud!

Did you ever read Casey at the Bat?  That flashed through my mind as I pulled back on the handle bars.  As that knobby tire caught on the edge, I heard the swish of the bat, and as I landed on Highway 50 East with the Ape Hanger Handle Bar implanted firmly in my ribs, I realized, "There is no joy in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out!" 

Now, Ryan, I know you remember this a little different, but I am proud to say, you will always remember this Grandma with a laugh.  Right?  I will remember you as the grandson who tried to kill me.  But even as I write this, I can see your little face bending over me.  I can see your eyes and I had no idea you could open them that far!  But what I will always remember is what you told your mother, between your gales of laughter!  "Oh, mom, you should have seen it!  Grandma was like in slow motion.......over, over, over....SPLAT!" 

Now, I know you ride a little bit different bike, one called a HOG and I mostly try to stay on the edge of the road and try not to get hit by a car, but surely we still have something in common.  Hey, come pick me up and we will go cruising!  Or maybe I will just make you some cookies since that is what grandma's are supposed to do!

Now be sure you vote in the poll up there on the left.  Got a bet going on this one!

Take me home, country roads!

Oh, I thought  I had already done this blog!  When I had taken Sister Mary to meet her kids, we met at the Garden City Truck Plaza.  As luck would have it there was a display of old restored Triumph motorcycles.  Oh, I was so happy that I had the trusty camera!
 
Oh, there is just something about a Triumph, or an Indian that just brings back old memories.  Harley Davidson has that wonderful rumble that they have tried to patent, but Triumph's always bring back my gully jumping days.  Do not think I did this a lot and at no time was I ever the driver when the bike left the ground, but I did have a husband at one time who thought that he was Evil Knievel.  Remember him?  I mean Evil Knievel, not my husband.    The man was actually very good at the art of jumping and landing on the other side still upright.  I was damn good at hanging on, too!

At that point in my life I rode a Honda, as I recall.  I loved that bike.  I was waiting tables at the Red Rooster Restaurant in Hutchinson, Kansas along with my mother.  My good friend Gibby was the cook.....but that brings up a whole 'nother subject.  I rode my bike every day that it was not raining or the wind blowing at 40 knots.  We did not have to wear helmets at that time, and I tell you there is just something about the wind in my hair  and the road blurred beneath  the bike that makes this girl want to strap a guitar on her back and hit the open road and not look back! But, alas, I was a mother and mother's do not do that.  They go to work and come home.  Take the kiddies for short bike rides and instill in them the thrill of the open road. 

But what does all this have to do with a Triumph and gully jumping?  Who knows.  I did have a wonderful outing in Colorado Springs not long ago with a fellow who took me to a meeting of the British Motorcycle Group up there.  I met a really nice bunch of guys.  Upon finding myself the only female in the group, I had a brief moment of panic.  But then I seen the difference between the group and the gang mentality.  These guys were perfect gentlemen!  There was not even the slightest hint that I would need to rear back on the "bitch seat" and pull my tee shirt up for the whole world to see.  These were just a bunch of guys who really enjoyed talking about their prize possessions which just happened to be motorcycles.  One guy rides a Kawasaki!  I think one might have a Harley.  Guy I was with has a whole garage full of them, but the one I am looking forward to a day trip on is the BMW.  I am not sure he remembers he has it, but I think I can remind him!

I will make that my mission for this summer.  That will be just great to pack a little lunch, crawl on the back of that big machine and head up the mountain for the day.  I will get to sight see while he has to watch the road.  Oh, high altitude, pace maker, high blood pressure....maybe not.  Well, it was a thought!

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.

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

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.

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/

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.

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.

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

Fun Places to Go!

http://www.pueblopflag.blogspot.com/

See if this works!