El Centro de Los Pobres and the Preacher came through!

So you are not going to get the slide show, but you can click here to see the album

I do hope there is a slide show up there.  If not it might turn up later.  Google; gotta love them.  Last Thursday Pastor Faye Gallegos, Pastor Max and his wife Pastor Maurine Hale, and Pastor Frank  Jopp and his wife, Elfreida came to Pueblo to the El Centro de Los Pobres. That translates to The Center for the Poor.  It is located in Avondale and is a wonderful haven ran by a child of God named Sister Nancy.  It is for the migrant workers and their families.  The center is manned by only volunteers.  No paid staff at all.  Volunteers include Doctors, nurses, dentist, and people who donate what ever service is needed.  Donated clothing is separated and given to who ever needs it.  Food is portioned out equally to the families.  If you want to learn more you can call or visit the place.  719-947-3109.  Los Pobres Center, 212 East Hwy 50, Avondale, Colorado  81022.
  I am here to tell you two things.  The playground and the only place the kids had to play was destroyed by a storm.  Pastor Faye Gallegos, whom many of you know as my "preacher friend in the Springs" was touched to build a new playground and that is what she set out to do.  She sent letters to her friends.  She did not want to infringe on any entity except her circle of friends.  I am proud to be called a friend by this woman of God.  And, like everything she sets out to do, she accomplished this task.  Last Thursday, October 6, 2011, she arrived at The Center for the Poor and presented Sister Nancy with the monies collected for the playground.  Mission accomplished once more!

Sister Nancy then gave us the grand tour since the other Pastors had not had it yet.  And that is when the full realization of what this place is about hit me.  See this computer?  It is hooked directly to the prison.  Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?  What is it's purpose?  Women come in at a prearranged time and can visit face to face via the web cam with their husbands.  Kids can talk to daddy.  This is the only contact they have with their loved ones and is the last contact before the men are deported.      Why were these men stopped by the police?  Maybe a broken tail light, or jay walking or just about anything.  The important part is they have no papers and are in this country illegally.  Pastor Maureen had an especially hard time grasping the idea that a simple thing like this could be pretty much a death sentence to the family.  The men are deported back to Mexico.  The women and children are here illegally and so have no rights at all.  They can go home.  How?  They can not move freely as they are illegal, and probably have no money.  Many of the children have never known a home outside of this county.  Mexico? Some of them have never even heard of Mexico.  Kids are given schooling and such until they reach the age of  16(?) and then they are granted status of "Illegal Immigrant" and then they are subject to deportation.
   Seems like a few years back Pueblo County cracked down on the illegals that worked the fields.  Big roundups and back to Mexico with you, buddy.  Know what happened?  Crops rotted in the fields.  City people are not going to work in the blazing sun all day for the pittance the farmers pay.  They want a job with benefits.  And air conditioning.  Lunch breaks. Oh,yeah and insurance, paid vacation, sick days, etc, etc.  I know it is a dark, shadowy world and I know that emotions run high when we talk of closing the borders.  Hey!  I was right there with you on that, but I have had to rethink the whole thing.  I finally realized that what ever the pros and cons to the subject are, we are still dealing with human beings.  Flesh and blood men, women and innocent children who had no choice in anything that has befallen them.  Men and women come to this country seeking the illusive golden ring; children are by products of the system.
  But at least out in Avondale at the El Centro de Los Pobres (The Center for the Poor) there are children who for a few hours will have a place to play and a field to dream dreams, thank to people like Pastor Faye and Sister Nancy. 

As you have done this to the least of these my brethern, you have done it unto me.

Just a note to let you know.

Just want to let my friends know that I will not be participating in the SCAP Walk in the Garden which is this Saturday.  I raised my money, but in the process became disenchanted with the process.  After much deliberation I want to say that the Southern Colorado AIDS Project, while a worthy endeavor, is no longer a fit for me.  I will continue to do the Social Luncheons once a month, but there is where my allegiance will end.
I wish them well and my best to all the clients.  Better days ahead I am sure.
There is an old saying I learned at my mother's knee..."It isn't whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."  I choose to take the high road.

Why is a cross "CROSS WALK YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS"?

 Yesterday I had the scare of my young life.  I was driving across town to meet a friend for coffee and a planning session and came upon a cross walk in front of the Library.  You know, the one on Abriendo where there are two lanes of traffic going each way.  I was in the right hand lane and I noticed a pedestrian waiting to cross so out of habit, if no other reason, I stopped.  The car behind me stopped.  The man crossed in front of my car and just as he crossed my line of sight my peripheral vision caught a speeding car on my left.  I sat frozen in horror as the SUV sped past me and the man in the crosswalk froze in mid step and jumped backwards.  Had he finished that step he would have been slaughtered. The tan SUV continued on down the street oblivious to the catastrophe she had nearly created.  But who was really to blame here? 
 First on the scene was the pedestrian.  Had he not wanted to cross the street there never would have been a series of events to lead to tragedy.  Had he just stayed in the Library all would have been well.  And when I stopped he should never have trusted me.  He has no idea who I am.
 Second on the scene was me.  I stopped because it says "CROSS WALK YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS."  I thought that was a law and was to be obeyed.  Silly me!
 Third was the lady in the SUV.  In my humble opinion both lanes of traffic should stop for the cross walk.  If you are going to propel a ton of steel down the street where people are walking you ought to at very least pay attention to your surroundings.  If you are driving down the street and see two cars stopped in your lane, the answer is not to change lanes and speed up  and pass.  The answer is to check your surroundings and proceed with caution.  I am sure when you took your drivers test there was a question on there about pedestrians and the right of way.
 Now let's just put the blame where it really goes, the street department.  They put those signs up.  Why?  Oh they thought someone might look at them and obey what they said. What has happened is that they are giving a false sense of security to a vulnerable human body.  Everyone knows that the pedestrian has the right of way.  Sure they do.  Every where except in Pueblo, Colorado, that is.  Here they are just targets and cross walks are the field of play.  Fortunately they know this.   If they did not know it, they would just walk across the street and feel safe, but they know in this part of the world that they are the target.
 True, ever so often the police put up a reminder that the pedestrian has the right of way in the cross walk, but they do nothing about failure to yield.  They just move the sign some where else.  I was going to the Pantry one day and using that same cross walk.  I had parked by the Library and was trying to get across the street using the cross walk.  I stood there with a policeman and watched the cars zip by without even slowing.  I turned to him and said "Aren't we supposed to have the right of way?"  His reply was a simple, "Yep".  So if our men in blue do not care, why should I?  Why should I stop and let some guy think he can actually cross the street safely?  Seems I was just setting him up on that one.
 I must admit that I slept very little last night and when I did I woke up in a cold sweat seeing that man's face.  So now the question is what do I do about this?  I feel I must do something.  So here is this blog.  Now I will write a letter to the editor that I know no one will read.  Maybe I will go pay a visit to the local gestapo and ask them how we can make our city a safer place to walk.
 There you have it, my thoughts for today.

Happy Birthday to you, sonny!

Well, today is my son's Happy Birthday.  He lives in Dallas, Texas so I will not be running by with a cake.  And I am not going to tell you how many candles is on the cake he will have, assuming some one will come up with one.  But I can tell you this, when he was born he was very small and very bald,  but he was also very pretty.  That is assuming a man can be pretty and in my world they can and often are.  He was always a studious little fellow.  He used to grab up the cat and walk around explaining to said cat how the universe came into being.  Maybe you find that behaviour a bit strange?  That was back in Hutchinson, Kansas.
He went off to Garden City to live with his father early on, which was fine.  He excelled in school and drama.  He did move to Colorado to be with me most of his high school years and continued in the drama club until his Junior year, but that is another story.
So I just want to tell the little fellow who is no longer little Happy Birthday and wish him all the best.  I wish I were there!

Well, the day has finally come that marks the end of the trail here on South Road.

Last night the son and his chosen one started hauling their possessions up the stairs, out of the trailer, and the storage shed and packing it into Jerry's van.  And then the trip to Florence and the new house began.  You know, it is kind of sad to see this happen.  Not because I will be alone, because I am a rather solitary person anyway, but rather because it marks the end of my child rearing days.  Started that little chapter in 1962 and now in 20ll I watch the last little fledgling spread his wings and try it solo.  The only difference here is if  the baby bird does not make it successfully, it will plop to the ground and either die from the fall or a cat will come along and eat it.  Not so with the human race.
I have friends that say, "Oh, he will be back."  I do not think they understand.  I do not want them back.  Not because I do not like them.  Nor because I want to live alone.  Or because I finally have a complete room for my eBay stuff.  I want them to succeed.
I want them to know the thrill of coming home at night after a hard day's work and turning their very own key in their very own door.  I want them to know who mows the grass, who washes the dishes, who pays the electric bill, who buys the dog food.  I want them to know the thrill of something called Independence.  While I did not give birth to this little bird, I taught him to walk, I potty trained him, sent him to school, and tried to instill in him a sense of right and wrong, justice and equality, and all the things he needs to know about being kind to the lesser on the planet whether man or beast.  I have tried to lead by example.  They never did catch on to the Recycle thing or the healthy diet, but I can't win them all.  Now we will see how that works out for me!
They did spend last night here, and that is what it was; the last night under Momma's roof.  When they were getting ready to take the load to Florence, Amanda asked me, "Well, how do you feel?  We are leaving.  You will be alone.  Are you going to miss us?"  And I answered as best I could to this girl who has become like a daughter to me.
"As for being alone, we are all alone.  I have been alone all my life.  Sure I will miss you, but this is life and it is time.  You kids need to build your own life.  You can never be on your own here in my house.  You need your own little corner." 
She did assure me that they will come and visit every day.  Well, every day that they work in the shop in Pueblo.  Maybe not every single day, but most of them. Ah, the exhuberance of youth!  Makes me remember back to the day when I was 19 years old and I looked up into a pair of the bluest eyes and knew I would never be alone again.  I was wrong on that day and have been wrong many times since.
And when it gets right down to it, we are alone and we will always be alone.  And such is life!

I am about to go to 10,000 readers.

I just checked to see how many readers I have on this blog and I see 9,999.  That does not mean there are that many people out there who are seperately signed up to read it.  That means my blog has been visited that many times since the inception.  I have about 30 people who read it on a regular basis though not every day, according to my stats.  Then there are those who pop in on occasion.  This is the first month I have had 1000 hits.
So this makes me happy. And happy at my house is good.  The kids are back from Grand Junction and today is moving day.  Hope this works out the way I have it planned.

Ghost Walk on Union Avenue wore my little legs out quickly!

Oh, yes, I love to walk. Last night I got a good one. I went with a friend to the Ghost Walk on Union Avenue. Well, it was really not Union Avenue as we started at the Museum and proceeded to the River Walk and then crossed Union to Victoria and down Victoria to the train station and the Heritage Center. Made 10 stops for reenactments. That is the part that got me. See, I can walk for miles at a brisk pace, but when I do the meandering thing and the stopping and standing, I am shot. Not good.
The Ghost Walk is put on every year at this time and is sponsored by the Domestic Violence Community Task Force which is compromised of Community Representatives and headed up by the YWCA Family Crisis Shelter.
For more info go visit the link I made for you.  Hope it works and it usually does. Google is so good!   click here to visit thier web site.
This was my first time going on this walk, because I am normally not a person who does anything after dark.  See I knew this started at 5:30 and I was sure I would be home before dark, but alas, such was not to be.  So I called the current SWM and told him I would pick him up.  Course he was all eager and what man in his right mind would not be?  So, we embarked on our journey and it got dark and then darker and I began to get antsy.  Finally it was over and all I wanted to do was go home.  Now he wanted to go get a root beer float. I told him I had to get home and shut up the geese so the fox would not eat them.  Know what he said?  "I have seen them geese and a fox would have to be friggin' nuts to go in that pen!  I would not go in that pen!  God himself would not go in that pen!"  But I left him standing on the curb shaking his head and I rushed home to my babies.  Poor guy.  LOL
I have decided that if my current volunteer work comes to an end, which I strongly suspect it will, that I will go work with the YWCA and the Family Crisis Center.  Maybe ACOVA as well.  Guess I could stay home and clean house........or not.  That is women's work.
Ok, got a ton of stuff to do today.  Have to go pack up and pick up a load of stuff for the scholarship fund and bring it home.  And since the kids are moving on Monday I need to fill some boxes with stuff they will need, like silverware, blankets, towels, toilet paper, paper towels, dishes, and cooking oil.  They love grease.
So I am whoooooshing on out of here!  Have a good one.

Oh, I been thwarted in my quest

Daughter called to remind me that I did not update you on what happened. The man I needed to talk to went to Denver today and I missed him. So I left a message and we will see if I get a phone call on Monday. Sure hope so. Maybe it can be resolved with no hard feelings. Maybe not. I emailed him and I was very tactful which was not my first gut reaction. But a few days of me cooling off may be a ploy on his part. We will see.
In the meantime I went off to the Ghost Walk on Union tonight. Went at 5:30, but it was 8:30 when I got home. Kind of fun, but a lot of walking. So I hurried home to the geese and they were very happy to see me and marched right into thier house. Good geese.
But tonight we have the tiniest of Crescent moons and it is blood red. It was so beautiful it almost broke my heart. I do love the moon. When Bret was little and lived far away and missed me I used to tell him that all he had to do was look at the moon and he would always know that I was looking at the same moon. Now I do not think he knows there is a moon.
Ok, I shall go gaze at the moon and eat some peaches and then I am off to bed. Just wanted to let you know that I know nothing.

An ill wind that blows nobody good.

Remember your momma telling you that when you were small? Ever wonder what that means exactly? Well, I figured it out. The ill wind is just the gossip and innuendo that preceeds something. There is an ill wind blowing in my life right now and I intend to stop it this afternoon. For several days now I have been hearing rumors that are upsetting. I do not like that, so this afternoon I shall "beard the lion in his den", so to speak. When I know, you will know. That is a given. You all know I can not keep a secret. What bothers me right now and has for several days is the "He said, she said." When we were kids in school we played a game called "Gossip." (Please remember I grew up in the Bible Belt!) We would set in a row, side by side, the girls and the boys. The teacher would whisper something in the first students ear. This student would in turn whisper to the next student until at last the "secret" was told to the last student who announced what they heard to the class. "Melba is going to France to have a baby." May have started out as "Melvin is going to the dance with a lady", but that was sure not what it ended up. The fun part of this is not knowing who changed which word, only that as innocent as the game was we learned how words can be misconstrued and misinterperted and how those same words that were so innocent can be twisted into something that is very different. I can write a sentence, but since the inflection is not in my voice and you have no idea what I am doing, it will mean something different to whoever reads it. Like this. I say " I am cold." What do you take that to mean? "Lou is cold. She has no heart." or "Lou is cold. She did not pay the heat bill." or "Lou is setting naked in front of the window again." So, before I play the "he said/she said" game I want all the he's and she's in a row so I can look them in the eye. Something about looking people in the eye that makes them accountable. Letters are a piece of cake cause you do not have to hear a rebuttal. Phone is easy, kind of, cause you can slam it down and walk off, but the eye to eye, somebody is going to blink! So that is where I am right now. I will come home from this little meeting either happy or very, very sad and will need to deal with that. Either way, you will get an update this evening or in the morning at the very latest. And right now the cold wind is blowing here at my house and I can definitely feel the nip of fall in the air. After this hot,hot summer, I kind of look forward to the fall. So this is not an ill wind here. Side note here, Do not go to my AIDS Walk site at this time as I am changing something on there. Will let you know when! ;)

Dillon's and King Sooper's rule!

 
 
 
 

While I was in Hutch I needed some things from the local grocery, which is Dillon's. As you know, or at least I do, Dillon's in Kansas is run or owned by the same entity as King Sooper's in Colorado. I went through the self check out and apparently laid my rewards card on the machine and it neglected to jump back in my pocket, so it got left!
My cell phone is one number service which means if you call my home, it rings on my cell if the cell is turned on. So later that evening I received a phone call from a very nice man at Dillon's on 30th Street telling me I had left my card there. At the time I was busy and did not want to run back over so I told him to just toss it and I would get another when I got home. So I had been home 2 days and this came in the mail! What a wonderful man!
It seems these cards keep track of everything I buy and then I get a discount on gas and all kinds of good things. Had I forfeited that card and got a new one I would have lost my points. The man who put this in the mail to me knew that.
So, to the man at Dillon's who mailed this to me, I want to say a big "Thank You!" In my usual bumbling manner I did not even ask his name when he called and I am very sorry for that oversight. I am hoping that whoever runs the office there on 30th will trace the fellow down and give him a big "atta boy".
It is great to know that big corporations like Dillon/King Sooper are looking out for the little old ladies in Colorado. In this day and age so much of business is conducted in a selfish manner. By returning my card I get my rewards which costs them. They paid for the stamp. But they have made a friend for life!
Thank you to the Dillon's Store on 30th Street in Hutchinson, Kansas from loumercer3 in Pueblo, Colorado!

Emily Carter Event

Ok, this is what I did yesterday. I will not go into a lot of detail as this slide show has all the information on each picture and you can pause it and I made it big. Oh, I am so good!! I do want to say up front that these pictures were taken at Sprinkle Sewing Center in Pueblo, Colorado. It is located at 1740 Eagleridge Blvd. #120. You will be met at the door by Cosmo, the actual ruler of the domain. Lovely little white dog who would be most appreciative if you would bring him a small treat. Course Jerry does not appreciate that much as Cosmo may lose his waistline! For years and years I thought a serger was only good for finishing the edges of material, but I have been brought kicking and screaming into the new age of sergers. Emily Carter has lived in Pueblo for many years. She was actually the first person to work for Jerry when he opened Sprinkles God only knows how long ago. (Side note here. The mark of a good journalist is that she will have all her facts at hand before she begins to write. She will not call upon God as a resource!) That being said Emily is the Babylock Representative and Educator. Did you get a good look at that stuff she made on her serger! Until I set down to this serger in this class with Emily at the helm I had not a clue. And the very saddest part is that I own 3 sergers. And one of them is the evolve which is air thread and does everything the newest one does except the Wave Stitch. 5 needle capabilities. Cover stitch. Everything! And I use it to serger around the edge of seed catchers. Paid over $1000 for it and use it like a $100 piece of crap! I should be horse whipped. So any way, Emily is one of the most knowledgeable people I have come across and she taught me a lot, which people have been trying to do for years, and with no luck. See, most of it I think I already know. But, then here came Emily to wake me up. And note the little lady named Wyna. She was right across from me and such a delight. Well, everyone was, but her and I clicked. She used to live in New York and I just love people from the East...Well, Back East, I should say. They tend to be a little more refined than me. So Wyna, here is my email. Keep in touch! loumercer3@aol.com Now, enjoy the show!

I just want to tell you about the Pecan Tree.

We are on the final two weeks here! Click here to donate to the AIDS Walk!

At my sister Donna's house in her back yard is a very tall Pecan tree.  Every year the squirrels slither in and pick all the Pecans and hide them all over the North end of town.  If you look very closely at that last picture you can see one of the little fellows looking back at you.  They do not like to have their pictures taken so they sort of hid.

I made this picture extra large so you can see that beady little eye in the upper left hand corner, kind of .  Do you know these things spit at you?  Well, for the record, they do.  And they also chatter away and Lord only

knows what they are saying.

 Now this is a Pecan that is not ready.  I understand that had I picked this a few days earlier the inside would have been liquid.  That is very weird.  And do you see those brown fingers I got for my effort?  You may be interested to know that I still have those brown fingers and will no doubt die with them.  That is the thanks I get.

Now comes the weird part.  Karen had noticed the leaves seem to fall suddenly and completely.  Upon investigation, she was told that the tree is "self grooming".  That means that it will loose all it's leaf clusters when it decides the time is right.  And what do you think finally happened?  The tree, Karen and the video camera all had the same "aha moment".   It was a very still day; not a breeze stirring.  Karen glanced out the back window and noticed a few leaf clusters on the ground.  Then a couple fell and a light clicked on in her memory bank.  She ran for the video camera which by some sort of miracle in itself was charged and ready.  She took three video's and when she was done, so was the tree.  Bare as bare could be.  She showed me the video's and I asked for copies to be emailed to me.  But there you go.  I know how to upload to Youtube and download to my computer, but I do not know how to tell someone else how to do it.  So sad.
So this is all I wanted to tell you about the Pecan tree, the tree with a mind of it's own.  Someday we will have the video's on this computer and when we do then I can figure out how to get them on the blog for you.  It seems like most of my life is spent "figuring things out"  and not always coming to a good end on them.  But what is life if not a learning experience?
As Paul Harvey, or some one would say.  "Good Day."

Who is paying who off in this deal?

Time to donate is running out!!

Now you all know I just went to Kansas and you know good and well that I had lunch with my favorite Republican.  That happens every time I cross that state line, so this is no surprise to any one.  Now, I know this picture may look just a little bit suspicious to some, but there is a good explanation for this.  See Joe agreed to sponsor me on the AIDS Walk in the Garden so when I met him he pulled out the money.  I thought there should be a picture to commemorate the big event so I handed the camera to someone at  our table.  When this picture came up it looked a lot like there was a payoff being made and it was from me to him.  So, I decided we should go public with this one right away and not wait for the New York Times to dig it out of the archives and then paint me as the other woman or some such nonsense.

See, I found out a lot of things on this trip.  I found that Joe has "aspirations".  Now what exactly does that mean?  I do not know, but it sounds like he is aspiring to be something higher than the position he now holds.  Representative or Senator to the big house in Washington, D.C.?  Governor?  President?  Who knows.  Pretty sure of one thing, and that is what ever he decides to do he is going to do it well.  We were discussing a bit of political positions and I find him to be just enough Liberal that I can like him and he still maintains his Republican beliefs.  And he is working on some sort of Energy & Utilities Committee.  We discussed the wind energy that is in place at Spearville, Kansas.  I clocked the wind farm and found it to be 6 miles long.  Joe says there are 100 of the turbines there and when I asked him how many homes that would power he said about 30.  I was astounded as I thought they were more powerful than that.  He did say they have a lot of work to do to make them more effiecient.

But that is not the worst of what I learned that Friday.  It seems that I am supposed to address him as Honorable Joe Seiwert.  Now rest assured, this is one of the most honorable men I have ever come across and I have come across a lot of men in my time.  He does not even cuss!  It is just that I never thought of Joe in this context.  He won his election with 72% of the vote so I am not alone in this.  Just how do I seperate Joe the friend from Joe the politician?

State legislators

The Honorable Joe Seiwert Address goes here

See, I copied it from the place I looked it up.   So now this throws a whole new slant on this friendship.  See, I thought he was just a farmer down in Pretty Prairie.  But,  now that I know I am supposed to call him Honorable it rather scares me.  See, he is my friend.  Now, I am having to rethink the whole thing.  Not only is he Honorable, he is  aspiring.  And what if this Honorable little fellow were to wind up Governor or something like that?  Now, you people know how much class I have.  If you don't then let me tell you....Uh, not a drop. I do have acquaintances in high places, but this is a friend.  I have never seen this man in anything but jeans and a Harley tee shirt, with straw stuck in his hair.  Look at him up there!  He just looks like a ornery little boy there.  Who would know he may one day be President of this great country.  And a very fine President he will be! 
Oh, the twists and turns life hands us. 

Time to go home, I guess.

Well, look here, I got lonely for you people.  I am on day number 5 and have been having a pretty good time, as good times go, but this morning I heard a goose honk.  Now mind you my bed is in the basement and the house is in a residential area and there are no geese around for many miles.  So methinks it is purely psychological.  I have talked to the boy child only once since I have been here and that was when he called me to tell me he thought someone had broken into the house and stolen the fried chicken he had left in the refrigerator.  Should he call the police?  I told him not to for the simple reason that I have a coded lock and only a few people have the combination.  Well they actually have there own set of numbers.  So when I get home I will just change the code.  I would let him do it, but I might not be able to get in when I get home.
I have known for sometime that some one is creeping around my house, but no one seemed to be alarmed until the chicken disappeared, so go figure.
So Saturday, I worked in the kitchen at  Skaets all day.  That was fun and it brought back a lot of old memories.  Also brought a back ache on and a memory of why I do not want to get back into the resturant business.  That is one of the jobs that shall remain in my past when I was a lot younger.  I seen Vi, Evie, Kay, the house where I used live which is now a vacant lot, the Red Carpet resturant, cousin Sandy and Daryle, but not Stephen.  Do not know when I will see him.  Seems he was out rather late Saturday night and coming home he made a left hand turn into a telephone pole while catching a quick nap.  Luckily the only damage was to his car and thumb. Seems that little thing is now shattered and would like to be put back together.  Oh, the tricks life plays on us!
Now, this evening I am going to sister Dorothy's house and making Green Chile and Burritoes.  Michele is buying what I need, so all I have to do is cook it.  Oh, I have to buy the chiles because they have no idea about that sort of thing.  She got me 2 cans of coffee cause there was a really good sale on it here last week.  Donna and Karen do not eat spicy stuff so they are not dining with us tonight.  Mary is in Wichita and we were going over today, but her son is planning on spending the day with her so I will catch her next time.  I may see if Donna wants to run over to Nickerson this morning and complete my old home week.  Oh, and I have to visit my dad and brother out at Peace Creek.  Mom is just west of town and I will run out there pretty soon.
I looked up the numbers of a couple old boyfriends, but did not write them down.  That one would be really old and the other probably does not even have a guitar any more.  Water under the bridge.  I have been gone from this town for over 30 years and after that much time, people tend to forget.  Well, some of us do anyway.  Apparently , I am not one who forgets easily!  It is kind of sad to drive around town and see all the houses that need painting and upkeep.  Hutch is getting so run down that city council just passed a resolution that the houses that are in bad need of paint and upkeep must be brought up to code or torn down.  City will condemn them if no action is taken.  Sounds like a gestapo action to me, but who am I to say.
I just took a quick peek at AOL to see how many emails I have and I should have not done that.  That is a task I do not even want to undertake when I get home.  But, tomorrow I will.  I plan on leaving here early and stopping in Lakin on my way through for lunch.  So, if you contacted me, I will answer you tomorrow evening.  Wednesday I will get up and go have breakfast with Kay and then be right back in the grind I left.  Sometimes I think I want to move back here.  All my family is here.  My roots are here, but my friends and my heart are in Colorado.  So what to do remains the dilemma.   So until I come to a cross roads, the Ford throws a rod, or God quits giving me choices I guess I will continue to run back and forth and have the best of both worlds.  This way everyone on this end is tickled when "Lou is in town!"  Momma always said that Familiarity breeds contempt and I think there is probably a lot to be said for that statement!

No, it don't take much, does it?

Time is running out for me to meet my goal for this year!! Help Me!

Some times it is not what some one says, but rather what they do not say.  Or maybe what someone does not say is expounded by what some one else did say.  It throws me into a quandary and keeps me awake at night.  First the boy and girl brought home KFC.  And while we were eating they announced that they would be moving to Idaho this winter.  I knew they were moving, but not quite that far.  Thought it was just across town.  Course the fact that the life I planned for him with Sprinkles and all is sort of fodder for the grist mill with this announcement.  But I can live with that.
I put my last years AIDS Walk shoes up for auction on eBay.  I put a link to the chat room and it stayed up about 10 minutes before some one reported me and it was pulled.  What a jerk.  We are not supposed to do business in the chat rooms, but I hardly thought the link to an auction that is 100% charity on eBay, through an eBay forum was "doing business."   I think the word AIDS had more to do with that then anything, but I am sure someone will set me straight. (Hi, Steven).  But that is alright because I had my opening bid before I even posted to the chat room. ;)
So with these two little set backs under my belt, I settled in to enjoy the little soft rain we were getting.  And I was sort of thinking some one special might email me and tell to have a safe trip.  But that did not happen.  Maybe he was just so busy he could not spare two minutes to shoot out an email.  Or maybe he forgot.  Or maybe he just doesn't care.  The point here is this (and you  knew there would be one!)......
I have gotten soft in my old age.  I have actually come to think that how other people interact with me actually matters.  A few years ago I would have blown this incident off and not given it a second thought.  But here I am this morning feeling sorry for myself, or depressed or something.  Something I sure do not like to feel.  And I am reflecting back on things I have done to other people and never given a thought to how they felt.  Selfish Lou.  I guess this is what we call  "man's inhumanity to man." 
And how many times have I neglected to send a card, make a call, tap out an email or made contact in some way with a person who could have used that one little human contact at just that moment? How many times have I forgotten to just smile at a stranger for no reason?  How many times have I not walked those extra two steps to give a hug to some one I know needs one?  But I am very quick to point out to someone else how they neglected me.  Look, you hurt me.  You made me cry.  Poor me.  The world is spinning out of control and all I care about is me!
Maybe I do need a vacation.  I am sure I need some time to reflect on life in general. I will have 8 hours alone with myself in the car going and another 8 hours coming back.  That is a total of 16 hours to think about things.  My brain may explode.  But I am nothing if not organized.  I have a very pretty notebook and I fully intend to make lots of notes and hopefully I will be in a better frame of mind when I arrive at my destination.  I talked to Vi yesterday and she will meet me there.  So that is good.  Step daughter just called and told me to drive safely.  And an email from a friend telling me to have a good time.  So I guess there are people out there who care after all.  I guess I do win now and then, just makes me sad that I can not win them all!
See you in about a week unless I feel a driving need to tell you something.

Well, I am going to have a vacation whether I want to or not!

Don't miss your chance to donate to the AIDS Walk. Click here!

Well, the wiccan and I were all good to go right up to the time she figured out that raising a toddler for her son was a crook in the road, so to speak.  Seems the hubby works and the lady who takes the baby to day care would be leaving town with me.  What to do!  What to do!  Oh, I know!  I spent years doing it!  Stay home and do it yourself.  There, that solves that little problem.  It does not, however, solve the one about the family and friends waiting on the other end for us.  This entails 3 sisters, my girl cousin, my favorite Republican, my boy cousins, my friend from Missouri, Karen, Evie, the guy at McDonald's who's name I forgot, not to mention my daughters and their families in Lakin that I stop and see on my way down.  Oh, yeah, and the gas stations that rely on me for income!  Now, be very sure that they are all going to miss Lyn and I am a poor substitute, man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
So, I will be making the trek by my tiny little self!  Just me and Charlie Pride, Porter Wagoner, Emmy Lou and a few others.  Oh, and a big jug of ice water and something to munch on.  And I have to stop in Las Animas to buy lottery tickets.  See, this is my last shot at freedom before the kids move to their new digs.  I have that flock of geese out back that has to be tended to and the neighbors that I counted on for all those years done moved to Rapid City, South Dakota.  While I am on good terms with the new neighbors we have not reached the "Hey, go get goose bit while I am gone." stage.  And while I have friends in town who would sacrifice a limb for me, I do not want to be obligated.  Know what I mean?
I have always envied the people who can plan a vacation and then do it.  You know the ones who say, " Oh, we are off to Cancun for the week.  No, we do not have 2 dogs, a cat and 13 geese to worry about while we are gone.  We are footloose and fancy free!"  Nor do they have a store on eBay or luncheons for clients or guild meetings or winter sales coming up that need soap and lotions to be made.  Now I do not want you to think for one moment that I am complaining, cause I am not.  I have worked hard making my little corner of the world as busy as I can because my momma raised me to believe that "Busy hands are happy hands."  And that is usually true as I meet myself coming or going.
"But", and that is a big word.  That and "If".  But sometimes I set and take stock.  I do many things and I am not sure that I do any of them real well.  I might be better served if I just stopped doing a few of them.  Like the spinning wheel.  Well, I actually have 2 of those.  Neither of which I have used in months.  I could sell those.  When I do then I will need to sell the wool I have stored up to spin.  I have two floor looms, a four shaft and an 8 shaft.  I can not weave on two at the same time.  But which one should I sell?  Then there is the long arm machine quilter.  I make money with that, but not very often.  More often than with the 6 needle professional embroidery machine that has it's own room.  Soap and lotion is a definite keeper cause I can not buy anything this good on the open market.  That brings us to the gluten free pantry that I maintain so I can bake for a few of my friends.  Then there are the 2 rooms and one trailer for the eBay stuff.  This is ludicrous!
So here is the deal.  I am going to make this a working vacation.  I am going to take a notebook and make me a giant list.  I will list everything I do and what equipment it entails and when I come back I am going to have a plan for my life.  I am pretty sure the blog and ebay will stay.  Right now that is all I am sure of.  So, I am going to be gone for a while.  Maybe I will borrow my sisters computer and do a blog while I am gone, but in case I do not, just remember that I am out there somewhere working through something in my befuddled little mind and if you are so inclined, you could say a little prayer or novena or some thing!  Lord only knows, I need all the help I can get, because it seems in the back of my little mind, I recall doing a blog  just like this the last time I went on vacation!
Oh and then there is that poison ivy that I manage to get into every time I go down there.  Last time I was not allowed out of the house and I assume this time will be the same deal.  I do not want any more of that stuff!
Peace, Bro!

They are winging their way to Hong Kong!

First..click here to donate to my account for the AIDS Walk!

Today I had a small victory and I want to share it with you!  See that package  up above?  That contains 4 vinyl records and I built that box with my own two hands.  Why?  Because anything over 4 pounds going to Hong Kong requires Priority Shipping; under 4 is First Class which is much cheaper.  Now I am getting quite proficient at doing the online International shipping, but this one had me stymied.  Until, along came Matt!

This is Matt Phelps and he is my buddy at the Mesa Pharmacy. I had packed this order very carefully the night before thinking my maximum weight was 5 pounds. I could not buy first class postage online because that is just the way it is, and besides that the address was too long. See, here we just say John Doe, 54 elm,nowhere, no state 12345.  In Hong Kong the addresses are 4 blocks long.  So when I got to the post office I found that it was a pound over and would cost me $49.98.  No way.  So Matt unpacked the whole thing and weighed the box, my packing materials, the records and pronounced it a mess.  He looked for a box, but still it was overweight.  So I brought it home and constructed a box that was lighter, smaller, but still sturdy.  The corners of the albums I protected with bent card board  and lined with foam sheets.  Back I went and Matt met me at the door.  To the scale and voila!  A miracle.  3 pounds and 14 ounces!  First class and money saved.

  

Here is my receipt for $32.87, exactly what I had charged Mr. Cheng!  I will not figure the profit on this little transaction at an hourly wage, because the packing, running back and forth and the stress of the whole thing could not be measured.  Below you see the change I received from two $20 bills. You also will see the front of Mesa Pharmacy.  

So, today I salute Matt Phelps who works at Mesa Pharmacy out here in Blende.  25th Lane and Highway 50.  If you get a chance to pop out and see him, be sure to tell him Lou put in a good word for him.  He is one of the good guys and they are getting so few and far between that it is kind of sad!  So I gotta say thanks to Matt and tell you girls out there that he is still single!  But watch him go!

If it was fun last year, it will probably be fun this year!

To donate for my team and I online go here!
I have had a few people show interest in walking with me at the AIDS Walk in the Garden.  The boy cousins may make it up for that.  Sure hope so.  But a couple people at church are entertaining ideas of tagging along with me.  And it seems the first thing they want to know is "Is it fun?"  Well, I have to say it sure is, for me anyway.
First I get to raise money for a cause that is very dear to my heart.  I also get to tell people what AIDS is and why it is important that I raise money for this particular cause.  All the money we raise in Pueblo, stays in Pueblo. Not Colorado Springs.   We were given a choice of what to use our money for, no strings attached.  Linda, John and I immediately decided we could use it to pay some ones light bill, or co pays, or any number of things like that, but there is a fund for that.  So we decided to be very selfish!  We wanted to have fun!
Now, selfish is not really what I am about, but you know that!  The second Tuesday of every month, I fix us all a lunch.  Sometimes there are only about 15 of us, but a cookout in the park will bring out 40 or more.  I fund the food myself which leaves us more money for other things.  After the lunch we all load up and go some where fun.  Miniature golf, the zoo, museum, bowling and last month we dined and Soup or Salad (paid for out of our funds) and then off to the movie.  See, education does not always have to take place in a formal setting.  For some of our clients this is the only outlet they have.  Before we lucked into this money, I would just do a social luncheon.  That was good, but it was rather sterile if you know what I mean.  We hold this in a conference room and then set and visit.  Getting the picture?  Plastic tables, steel chairs, microwave and paper plates.  Acceptable, but not near as much fun as a picnic at the Nature Center.  I work hard for my money and enjoy feeding people, but I can not afford the little extras that this money buys.

And, if you have never walked in the Garden of the Gods, in Colorado Springs, you do not know what you are missing.  The walk is October 8 and registration begins at 8:00.  When that is over Richard will do a little pep talk up there on his stage and we will all cheer and then we are fired up to go.  I love that walk.  I feel so close to God up there among those boulders.  How any one place could hold so much grandeur amazes me.  And the only man made parts are the walk ways.  All the scenery and the beautiful blue sky are just the way God threw them down all those many years ago. 
If you are just wanting a walk, come join me, but remember I am very competitive and it will be my goal this year to start dead last and finish in the top 10.  Oh, wait!  I did that last year!  Maybe this year I will start first and finish last.  NOT!
So, if you are thinking about donating to a worthy cause this year, look my way.  I know we are a small corner of the world, but this small corner sure needs a bright spot occasionally and that is what this money does.  We won't change the world and we are not trying to.  We are just a bunch of people trying to make the best of a bad situation and bring a smile to lives where there is not a lot to smile about.  And you know what?  It helps.  It builds self esteem so one of our clients has gone back to school to get her degree dispite a mountain of adversity.  Several come just to see their friends.  Sometimes by making people take the first step, they begin a journey to a way better place.

Please think about donating to me and my little band of forgotten people.  And know how very grateful me and my little corner of the world will be.  God Bless!

to donate to us online go here!

Oh, is the country life really for me?

Click below to donate for the annual AIDS Walk in the Garden!  I am behind on donations and will look like a piker, so save me the humilitation!  Please!!

http://www.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=489730&u=489730-227465622

My head is pounding.  My eyes are bagging.  My poor neck is stiff and I am going to shoot the neighbors!  Why do people get dogs, just to listen to them howl?  My dogs are here by my feet looking up at me with adoring eyes.  Last night they were in my bedroom.  One was in her crate cause she has bad habits.  The other was on the floor by my head snoring.  On the other hand, the people who are directly Southwest of my bedroom and only about 500 feet away were busy sleeping while their dog howled at the moon and was answered by the dogs who live right East of me. 
See last night when I went to shut up the geese I heard dogs in the field behind me.  They were barking at me.  Scared me so I hurried back in and locked the door.  I do not know if they can open doors or not, but I take no chances!  I always worry that something will want me.  Hasn't bothered me so far in my journey through life, but you just never know when a lunatic may cast his eyes upon me and lose control!  Hey!  It could happen.
So we came in and since it was dark, we got ready for bed.  Now I sleep with my bedroom window wide open!  Nights are cool here in Colorado and this makes for some good sleeping.  Or it should.  But not if the other people in my world are inconsiderate oafs!  I live in the middle of my own little acre and there is an empty acre West and more South. This should tell you that my neighbors are not real close there. Ah, but a doggie voice can carry for miles on the night air!  And the fact that the neighbors East have probably a total of  9 dogs makes for a situation that might drive me mad. 
First the dog that I had never heard bark, so he must be new over there.  And big, I might add, if his bark is any indication.  He barked several times and the 9 answered.  Then he howled.  That seemed to really get their attention!  Now, have you ever tried to sleep with a howling cacophony of beasts of all sizes and shapes?  And just as I would start to drift off, the leader would remember that he was outside, alone and wanted someone to come and pet him.  So that is how I spent my night.  My dogs were very quiet and complacent in that they felt no need to add to the melee. For that I was grateful.
And then about 4:30 AM my little eyes popped open and it was very quiet.  I think that is what woke me up!  Complete silence except for the occasional chirp of a cricket.  Now the key here is I was now awake.  I could have lain there for hours, but when I wake up, I get up.  I do not fall back asleep.  Oh, I will when I set down in the recliner to watch the news or Jeopardy! but not while I am laying there in my bed in my jammies with the sun thinking about coming up.  I do some of my best work in the wee, wee hours.  So, I get up and make my coffee and listen intently for the dogs.  They have all apparently worn themselves completely out, because there is nary a sound.
Now, I can devote myself to thinking about how I could possibly get even with those jerks over there with the howling dog.  I at one point in time had a spotlight that would light up the hillside a mile or so away.  I am going to look in the top of the garage because I think that is where I put it when I burned a hole in my doily with it.  I am going to find it and mount it on a pole out there and point it at their bedroom window.  I will plug it in to a sensor box so every time their dog barks the light will come on for just a few seconds.  I am telling you that thing is bright!  If I leave it on, my meter will explode and if it doesn't it will burn all the vegetation between here and there.  So it shall be internittent.  That should do it.
Ok, enough of my tale of woe.  It is a new day.  No dogs are barking.  I will go let my geese out and then cook me an egg or two.  Then I shall stroll up the road to see my step daughter and pick up some stuff she has that needs altered.  When I get home, I will set in my recliner and catch Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and if I happen to drift off, well that is just the breaks of the game.  Not like I have anything to do today, since it is Labor Day and the last holiday of the summer season.  Someone will call me later and invite me over because they are having a cook out and I am always hungry.  And I am always fun!  Or at least I am when I get my good nights sleep.
Caio!  (Did I spell it right?)

Well, the kiddies are on vacation, again.

You know what amazes me?  The son and his girlfriend work 32 hours a week and are just absolutely exhausted from that effort.  When I was raising the babies, I worked my regular job at the Red Carpet Restaurant 6 days a week, 8 hours a day for 48 hours.  Then I went to the bakery for a 3 hour shift 5 days a week.  So that total came to 63 hours.  Oh, and some times I would take a shift at the Dutch Mill as barmaid, just so I could go dancing.  Then I was home for the fun parts of cleaning, laundry, and all the other fun stuff that kept a home running.

After the kids got a little bigger and the divorce was reality and I came to Colorado and another divorce was another reality, I worked in an office 40 hours a week, waited tables in a restaurant 18 hours a week, cooked 2 shifts for another 16 hours and went to school  3 hours a night  5 nights a week to finish my degree. (Please note here that I remained on the Deans List the whole time and finished #2 in my class.) That was a total of 89 hours.  And of course with all the coming and going I lost a lot of time.  And of course, there was that sleeping thing that had to go on.  Oh, and dating.  Speed dating I called it.  I did manage to marry once in that time frame.  I had to quit the restaurant at that time since the guy was very needy, but that is neither here nor there in this musing.

There is a point to this narrative.  The kids are on vacation.  When they come back from vacation they are off to Grand Junction and some where else for training in their jobs.  Then comes the fun part.  These two over worked people in the prime of thier lives are moving out of my house.  They are moving into thier very own space.  The will be cooking, cleaning, paying bills, maintaining a yard, doing thier own laundry and all the stuff that adults are expected to do when they become adults.

Now I know you remember little Bret as the wide eyed little fellow who was so innocent he stunk, but times have changed.  He works and earns a paycheck.  He has wrecked his car twice, been in trouble with me several times for his choices, has a live in girl friend and it is time to cut the cord.  I want him to get out in the real world and get a taste of that while he is young and still knows all the answers.  And, let's face it, I have spent 55 years raising kids and I am tired.  I want to clean my house and it stays clean.  If I want cabbage for supper I can have it.  I do not want to worry anymore about whether or not there are clean towels in the cupboard.  I use one towel for 2 or three days.  They use 2 or three towels per shower per day and when they are done they are "dirty".  My washer and dryer run constantly.

I am sure we will have a "house warming party" of some sort.  I am giving them my deep fat fryer and a gallon of cooking oil.  That should hold them for a week or so.  I am also giving them my pots and pans.  I bought them when Kenneth passed and kept them in pristine shape hanging from the rack in my kitchen until they started cooking.  Since they prefer thier pans with burned on grease and gouges, I will give them these and I will buy new ones.  I am giving them most of the towels, all the queen size sheets except my pretty lavender flowered ones.  Lots of blankets.  A couple dressers.  Not my drafting table and not the round drop leaf oak table.  A snow shovel, a rake, a regular shovel, my Batter Pro..... Lots of stuff I no longer have any use for when they leave.  But I will also buy them some new stuff.  Not going to just use them for a dumping ground. 

Do not think I am complaining for myself.  Here is the deal.  What a culture shock this is going to be when they reach for a towel and none is there!  Or when they look at a sink full of dishes and it is there!  And I would like to be a fly on the wall when they get the first electric bill.  They may then understand what I was talking about.  They buy their own groceries now, but only because they eat differently than I do.  Bret thinks lettuce is what food eats!  Days go buy when I subsist on a "no meat" diet.  Not because I am a vegetarian, but because I just don't bother with the meat stuff. 

Now, these kids are great at getting up on the days they need to work and they pack thier lunch.  Then they come home and play video games.  Some times I cook.  Sometimes they cook.  Or some times I  cook and they cook.  Rather informal so the cooking thing I beleive they can do.  It is just the rest of it I worry about.  But, here is the deal, there is a thing called "pride in ownership" that I am hoping will kick in here.  I think it will.  And if it doesn't, I am 30 miles away and can not see thier house from here.  They can even fight all night and I won't know.  Ahh, ignorance is surely bliss! 

Fall is in the air, believe it or not!

I know it is a little hard to believe that Fall is almost here when you are sweating your way through another one of those 100 degree days, but trust me on this!  I am setting here in my jammies with by coffee and looking out my office window at the Cherry tree.  And there is another bone of contention with me.  Kenneth and I bought that Cherry tree when we first moved in here almost 30 years ago.  Bought it and two Peach trees.  The Peach trees stood side by side in the front yard and the one on the right was loaded with the biggest sweetest peaches you ever seen.  Course in my little Utopia here,  you only get a crop every 7 years.  But when you get one, it is fantastic!  So the one on the right was prolific and the one on the left must have been a boy cause it never even bloomed.  Finally the bores got to them both and they had to be pulled out.

And all the while the Cherry tree which we planted right out side the office window grew like a weed into a beautiful specimen.  Every year it was covered with blooms and every year not a cherry in sight.  The neighbors have one that is always loaded and the bees are swarming on mine, but not a cherry one.  I have to get out there every few years and trim around on it to keep it from rubbing on the house.  I have thought that maybe I would take it down, but the birds and squirrels like to play in the branches and peer in here at me, so it stays.

When we were hauling in Paonia we went and picked Apricots on the BLM, which you can do.  I had a bread sack full that I brought home and made into jam.  I threw the seeds out by the septic tank and the next Spring I had lots of seedlings, which I planted here and at my mother in law's.  I am down to only two, but they faithfully produce every 7 years.  The reason that happens every 7 years is the weather pattern more than something mystical, I  think.  I do not like Apricots, but some people do and the ducks (before they were fox food) and geese love them.  Course either way, I have to pick them.

So this is how it goes around here... The back acre is barren except for goat heads which the geese refuse to eat regardless of what you and I both heard about them eating goat heads!  The garden area is weed free for the first month of planting and sprouting season and then my mind wanders and it gets hot and the weeds take over.  But the zucchini produces prolifically and I chop them for the geese.  Saves on grain.

The yard area is pretty well going to pot.  At one time I had 64 rose bushes which I fed and pruned faithfully, but the last couple years the ground has gotten so far down there that it has become impossible to do what was once so easy and so much fun!  So the rose bushes are about gone.  Except by the front gate and in the back.  And the Choke Cherry bush that I planted 20 years ago has now spread out and enveloped most of the side yard.  It has completely swallowed my Austrailian Copper  Rose and is encroaching on the Lavender and Sage Herb garden.  But you know what?  I think this will make a very nice wild life area.  The birds have first call on any fruit that pops up out there since they are a hell of a lot faster than me, so why bother?  The Raspberry bush has thorns sharp enough to pierce my heart so that fruit is gone.  The Rhubarb is inside the protection of the Rambling Rose which has thorns with hooks that have left scars all over me.  I think me and and Round Up are going to have us some quality time this fall.

But any way, what I started out to tell you is this, fall is in the air.  I once more have not gotten done what I dreamed of last winter.  So here is the plan now, as I see it.  Fall is here.  I am too late for the Spring pruning.  I think I will take a drive to the mountains and enjoy the fall colors.  I will call Renate and Val and Dale and we will have a tiny picnic.  Then I will come home and once more start thinking about what I am going to do this next Spring.  I will write it down so I remember.  Trim the Evergreens on the North side of the house.  Trim the Cherry tree out of the rain gutter.  Top the Austree by the car port.  Oh, and do something with that tin shed!  Or not...........

Now I have not thought of this man in forever!

  There is no picture of this guy.  Well there is one of him in overalls standing in front of an orphanage.  That was where he lived.  See, many years before he met my mother, my father was married and had 5 kids.  Two of them died of something called "Sand Pneumonia".  A boy and a girl.  Then his wife died.  My father put the remaining 3 sons in an orphanage. Earl was adopted by a family named Siefert.  Richard by a family named Nichols.  Gene was never adopted and eventually left the orphange and went into the Army.  Both he and Richard served in World War II.

 Earl went to work at the power plant in Hutchinson and eventually retired from there.  He had a lovely wife named Gertrude and we of course, called her "Gertie".  They had a daughter, Lorainne, and two sons named Leon and Leonard ( I think).  Earl was a part of our growing up years.  Richard moved to Nebraska and then to Denver.  He never really fit in with society.   He was never married and came to visit us on rare occasions. 

  But Gene!  William Eugene Bartholomew!  There was a character.  I first recall seeing him when I was 4 or 5 years old.  He had just gotten out of the Army and came to our house in Nickerson.  Then he disappeared for several years.  Then he appeared again.  Every time he came he went to the Arkansas River to stay alone for several days. Then, poof! he was gone again.  By the time I reached high school I found out why he was disappearing .  He had a wife.  He had a son.  He had a bad habit of writing checks on some one elses account.  And of course, law enforcement had a bad habit of locking him up! Around this time of my life 2 things happened.  Gene was locked up and the movie "Picnic" was made in our town.  I took my brownie camera my brother Jake had sent me from Germany and went to take pictures.   The assistant director took my camera and went and took pictures of Kim Novak and Bill Holden behind the scenes.  He took 7 or 8 pictures.  I was on cloud nine when those pictures were developed.  I had pictures of movie stars!  So I took my precious treasures and tucked them in an envelope and sent them to my dear brother, Gene, in care of the Lansing Prison there in Eastern Kansas.  He wrote me lots of letters, you know.  Wrote them in Calligraphy!  Practicing his craft, I guess.

  And for years after that I told people that I "used to have pictures of Kim Novak and  Bill Holden that were taken on my very own camera".  I never saw the pictures again.  I do not know where the negatives went.  I never saw my brother Gene after he got out of Lansing.  We did search for him, but the last anyone saw of him was when he was in jail in Nebraska for vagrancy and they let him out on the edge of town headed west.  Never a word after that.  Like he walked off into the sunset and poofed.  Earl and Richard have long since passed and I am sure Gene has also.  But I will let you in on a little secret.  Promise not to tell? 

  In that closet right over there not 12 feet away is a box.  And in it are my treasures.  I have my grandma's braid.  I have Bret's ponytail.  And I have letters from Gene Bartholomew to our father that were written by a 10 year old boy in an orphange.  In one he is so proud because they got new overalls.  And in one he pleads for his father to write.  Somewhere in this world is a man named Billy Bartholomew.  He may not be alive any longer, but I bet he has heirs that would like to read these letters.  I know I would like to talk  to him.  Isn't it strange how we hide little pieces of our past and never pull them out or think about them and then when we least expect it, we wake up and find our selves recalling so much of the past that we can not even put it all down on paper?  Life has a funny little way of catching up with us and bringing us to our knees.

  And that is where you will find me this morning.  I have lost so much in my life.  Friends, family, pets, memories....  I want something to hold on to.  If there is anyone out there who knows a Bartholomew let me know.  My father, Ruben Floyd Bartholomew was born in Hudson, Kansas and is buried near there now with his son and daughter.  And my brother Delbert Leroy Bartholomew.

So I was watching television tonight and I flashed on this....

I rarely watch television, but tonight after Jeopardy! was over I found myself watching one of those mindless sitcoms.  I do not remember what it was and I am sure it had nothing to do with my mind wandering back to Plevna, Kansas.  I went to live with my grandma Haas and Great Grandma Hatfield when I was 15 years old.  Grandma Haas had suffered a stroke at some point in time and was not able to get around very well.  She was only 72 at the time (as I recall).  Great Grandma was 99 and taking care of her.  It was getting to be a strain on her and I was young so I could be of some use to them.  It was a learning experience for the three of us. 

First thing I learned was that Great Grandma had been married 3 times or almost 3 times.  The first husband was Frank Miller.  He was father to her three children; Louis, Mabel and Josie.  Josie was my Grandma.  After he passed she married a man whose last name was Hatfield.  He had a son named Steven who had a wife named Bertie and a stepson and step daughter.  When he died Steven remained devoted to Great Grandma who he called mother.  When Great Grandma was 75 years old she became engaged to another man whose name I do not recall.  Sadly , he croaked before they could get the knot tied and Great Grandma just gave it up.  Said she had buried enough men and would not bury another one.  She then sold her house on the Main Street of Plevna, Kansas and moved in with Grandma.  Grandma had been widowed several years before.

In typical fashion they became quite adept at surviving alone.  By the time I arrived on the scene they were very ensconced in routine.  The table was set at night before bed.  We each had a plate, fork, knife, coffee cup, and half an orange.  This was covered with a cloth.  The coffee pot was a drip-a-lator which was filled with water ,  coffee grounds placed in the middle part, and the unit set on a pilot light on the stove.  The egg poacher was filled with water and set on the other pilot light.  The toaster was set on a back burner.  I should note here that toasters in that time period were used over a burner, not like today when they pop right up.  Had to be careful or you could char the bread very easily.  The next morning the coffee pot was pulled forward and the burner lit.  Same with the egg poacher.  Bread was put in the toaster and that burner lit.  In less than 7 minutes, during which time we ate our half an orange, breakfast was ready.  One slice of toast, one poached egg, and a cup of coffee with heavy cream.  Course there was home made jelly or jam and bread and butter pickles.  And don't forget the freshly churned butter.

After breakfast I was allowed to pile the dishes in the dish pan and cover them with a tea towel because I had to hurry off to school.  The way the dishes were done was this; When I got home from school, I would put the tea kettle on and heat water which I poured in the dish pan.  Then I refilled the tea kettle to heat the water to rinse them.  No hot water heater in this house.  Oh, and yes, we had an "out house" for our personal use.  Uncle Ray had installed a "commode" for Grandma's use, but we did not want to take the chance of wearing it out so we did our business outside.  Kind of nice one with a concrete floor and all.  When I came home at noon for lunch Great Grandma always had a sandwich waiting for me.  She also had the market report on the radio.  Not that we farmed, but old habits die hard.  Those dishes went in the pan with the breakfast dishes.

After dishes were done it was time to water plants and such.  We did not listen to the radio at night.  One of us would read from the Bible while the other 2 crocheted.  I learned the fine art of handiwork from my Great Grandmother.  She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever known.  I mean inside.  She was a very regal woman and she seemed very tall to me, but course I was only 5 feet so every body seemed tall.  Grandma and Aunt Mabel had married brothers.  Josie married Frank Haas and he was my Grandpa.  Aunt Mabel married his brother Gottlieb Haas.  Uncle Louis had cast eyes on the sister, Lena Haas, but Great Grandma put her foot down on that one.  So Uncle Lou married Aunt Eva  and Aunt Lena was a spinster her whole life.  But she was a fun old gal.  She was the one that kept a horse tank full of water for us to play in on hot days and took us to the stock pond seining for minnows with our skirts.  She died when she was 100 years old.  Haas  and Gagnebein blood is strong genes.  My Grandma was 73 when she died and that was so sad because she was so young.  Great Grandma Hatfield was 104.  Uncle Goll was 98.  Uncle Ray was 96. I am not sure, but there may be some of them still alive.  They just seem to live forever.

But what I was thinking of tonight was the piece of furniture that was behind the stove.  It was not a couch.  It was like a couch except it was oak and very dark brown leather.  It was not for comfort.  It was functional.  So was the library table.  And the Hoosier in the kitchen.  It held sugar, flour, had a top that pulled out and you could stand right there in one place and make a pie.  Now I have oak cupboards and shelves that slide out.  I have two freezers.  I have hot and cold running water.  I have all the conveniences that these two women did not even know existed.  It was a two story house.  The 2 Grandma's slept in the front bedroom.  I slept on the couch.  There were two bedrooms upstairs, but they were afraid to have me away from them.  Some times I resented that cause that was one lumpy damn couch.  But looking back, and believe me, hindsight is always clearer then fore sight, I was the most blessed 15 year old girl on the face of this earth, because those two women loved me.  They taught me needlework that has won me many ribbons at the State Fairs.  And they taught me that life goes on without a television, or radio, or trash novels.  The one book we do need is the Bible and I never touch my Bible without thinking of the two women in my life who instilled in me my love for the Book.  One was the Matriarch and the other the sweetest little lady I have ever known.  And in the picture there Great Grandma is holding Grandma up to have her picture taken.  that is something the women in my family have always done, been there to hold each other up.  I sure hope I do not disappoint my kids and sisters.  I am going to try not to.  

Bet you did not know this one!

http://www.secondchancewildlife.net/

  Ever wonder what happens to that cute little fox or baby deer or bird or racoon when it's mother was hit by a car and it was left beside the road all alone in this big cruel world?  You contact the Department of Wildlife or someone who is caring and compassionate might help you pick it up and take it "some where".  By picking it up and putting it in your car you have just broken a Colorado law.   Let me tell you where it is going to end up at.

  There is in this city a very lovely lady by the name of Nancy J. Kelly who will take it in and nurse it back to health and then turn it back into the wild.  And want to know how much she gets paid for this from the State of Colorado?  That is it!  Nada!  Zip! Zilch!  She does have to have a license to handle wildlife, but it is a volunteer position and as such is not a paid postition.  Oh, and the food the animals eat, the medications, the bedding, the paper towels, detergent, and the myriad of things they need to recuperate and grow with are all coming out of her pocket.  She does have a few friends, but you should know, she needs a lot more!

  Since 1992 Nancy has done this all by herself, but as people and animals interact more there is more injuries and more need for Nancy and her friends.  I know there are times when wild animals are a definite pain in the butt.  See, I had 36 ducks out back along with 6 geese.  Over the past two years I have lost all the ducks and I know exactly where they went.  The fox had a den about 25 feet from my duck pen and she also had 4 or 5 babies.  Baby foxes got to eat and I watched my flock dwindle a duck at a time until I was down to 2.  Those two got relocated to Pueblo West to the big pond out there, I think.  Hope no one tells on me.  If they do, you should know I am old and borderline senile!

  I put you a link on up there so you can go read all about Nancy and her good works.  Two more things you should know.. Albertson's donates a portion of sales to Second Chance Wildlife if you have the bar code.  I am sure she will send you one.  But failing in that here are the numbers off it and I am sure the clerk will punch them in for you!   4  9001020490  9

  Now, the second thing is she is holding a Walk for Hope at the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo on Saturday, September 17, 2011.  I fully intend to be there and hope to see you.  If you don't or can't make it I am sure taking donations.  I can take money through paypal or a check or meet you somewhere.

  In the meantime, go check out this link and you will learn that I am a very lazy person and do all my work through links and such.  But hey!  Life is short!  Sing like no one hears!  Dance like no one sees!  And love some thing or someone every day.  It will keep you young!

Here is the television shop in Wales.

View all

Get your own

This is run by friends of Alex Campbell who lives in Wales.  He is a friend I met online.  Nice guy.  Wait!  That should be ...Nice guy?
Melanie runs this shop with her husband.  Since this is my first International interview, I am doing it the lazy way.  Above is a slide show that shows both the shop and the area around where they live.  I think that it would be lots of fun to be that near a large body of water.  Alex says this is the bay or something like that.  I can not remember everything!

So anyway, I asked her questions and she sent me answers.  To clarify who is who I will be the blue words and she can be the black words.  Black words carry more weight then blue words.  ;)

Hi Melanie,

Alex sent me pictures of your little shop.  He said I should talk to you about the blog.  Some people do read it and I will give you the link when I do yours and you can send it to your friends.  That will help us both.  I think if you poke your reply button, and then make your font a different color you will be able to answer the question in the space following it.  That should make it really easy to see and I can actually cut and paste the interview.  Maybe.  What i would like to know is:
How long have you had your store?We have been running it as a family for 10 years
My Dad took it over for 2 years but then he retired so its been mine and my husbands for 8 years.

How many square feet?Ohhhhh im not sure, LOL
Weve got a Shop, Office & Repair Workshop on the ground floor.
We live in the three bedroom flat above
Nice big 3 Storey building, great for partys, LOL

Where is it located?Barry the biggest town in Wales, UK
Were at 23 Thompson Street, Barry, CF63 4JL
Just off the main high street
Barry Island our beach area has been a popular holiday spot for over 100 years
The BBC made a TV Sitcom called  "Gavin & Stacey" about 2 familys and the town which made it more famous recently

Those appear to be transistor products.  Are they?We sell new Radios
The main brands we do are Roberts & Pure
There are a few old original 1960 / 1970 Roberts radios on display to show how reliable they are, not for sale though, my mini museum, LOL

My husband does Tv Installs, tuning and some simple repairs.
But we have a fully trained engineer that comes in twice a week to repair TV & Hifi & Radio

We also have engineers that install Satellites & Aerials

Where do you get them?We deal direct with some manufacturers or their wholesalers

Do you have a web address or how can some one like me be  able to purchase from you?Brian my husband is building our web site at the moment.
Were on Facebook if you search for Television Shop you will find us

This should hold me for a little bit, but be aware I am pretty nosey!  LOLThats OK so am I, LOL

X Melanie

Louhttp://www.loumercerwordsofwisdom.blogspot.com/

So that concluded the interview.  I find this just fascinating that I now know someone who lives in Wales, the United Kingdom.  I will probably bring you word of Melanie and Brian from time to time as we are now friends on facebook.

Just thought you might get a kick out of this!