Cowboys and Cowgirls

Today, hubby and I went to dive-bar!  This is a new place we had not been to before.  I heard about it in January when my cousin (third/once removed) told me about it.  Then last night, one of our neighbors mentioned that he goes to this place for Karaoke.  So we called my cousin and he and his wife were going there today too.  Since we have not seen them this year, we decided to travel about 20 miles to this place to see both our neighbor and my cousin.  As it turned out, two of other neighbors were there too.

One of the songs that singers sometimes sing is "Momma,  don't let your sons grow up to be cowboys."   I thought of this photo I took last week.  How appropriate, a momma and her "cowboy."

This dive bar was dimly lit and smokey, so from a distance I could see women dressed in flashy clothes and tight pants.  I first figured that the crowd was a lot younger than me.  But then I looked closely and saw that many faces had the weathered look of time written all over them.  It reminded me of this photo I took yesterday of a tortoise with their crepe neck line. 

Reminds me of the some of "cowgirls" I saw today.  Oh my, this is the time of women trying to look younger than they are by the outfits they wear.  I guess I'm not much better with my fat arms, tattoo,  and tank top!  Oh well!  Regretfully, we women with our crepe necklines are much like the tortoise in the story of the tortoise and the hare, we move slow and steady.  We may win the race, but we don't get the guys! 

Speaking of guys, my hubby had to get  one of the new phones for his job.   Now he can take photos too!  So what does he show me today, but a photo of me sleeping on the couch....I look terrible!!  All I can say is, it's a good thing we have been married almost 25 years or I'd be single again.  Ugh!  Even I was repulsed.  With that thought, I think I will have a beer!  Ten days until St. Patrick's Day!

Old Home Town

Yesterday I was surprised to get a call from Guest Relations (i.e. Receptionist) that I had a visitor that wanted to see me.  When I asked who, she replied, "Mizz Nelson."  Being I am in deep Texas where there are not very many Nelsons, I began to rack my brain for who it could be.  I thought, "No way!  My sister Romey (Nelson) is surprising me with a visit."  So I anxiously awaited my visitor. 

It was not my sister, but a friend of my parents from my old home town, Beulah Nelson.  She stopped by to say "hello," and give me some news about our mutual friends and her family.  It was nice to catch up with her. She was also a teacher to my youngest siblings and wanted to know how they were doing.  It was a very pleasant break in the day for me. 

About two hours later, I was returning to my office and knocking on my door were two other home town friends, John and Millie Lundgren.  Wow!  They were at the hospital visiting someone and decided to "see where I worked."  They came in and we had a nice visit.  They remarked on how frail my dad looked while he was here in Texas.  Yep, there is no doubt, he's frail.  Then we talked a bit about their son and his wife who just found out she has melanoma.  Oh my! 

It felt like a red-letter day for me seeing these friends from up North.  There are so many wonderful people all over, but there is always something special about seeing old friends in new places.  God bless them all!

What was I thinking?

What was I thinking?  I went to the new drugstore on the corner right after work when I was tired.  I don't make the best choices for myself when I'm tired.  I looked around and picked up a few toiletry items and ended up in the candy section.  Look what I found.

Oh my!  I love mint and raspberry and dark chocolate and they were on sale!  So I bought them. 

In Texas, we do a lot of bragging, I'm sure you're aware of that.  Everybody brags about the Texan ice cream named Blue Bell.  I somehow have avoided it for six plus years and today at the new store, I saw it again. 

Oh my!  I love chocolate, caramel, pecans, almonds and walnuts!  So I bought it.

So what was I thinking as I unloaded these items and took these photos while I was simmering my vegetable broth with chicken, broccoli and garlic?  I was thinking that good girls that eat a nutritious dinner, then walk a brisk mile, and then blog about...... deserve a couple of treats.  Right?  What was I thinking?  :)

Desserts

My sister posted a picture of some yummy looking brownies on Facebook today.  Since I did not have a theme or photo for today, I got to thinking of my new desserts.  Below is my photo of the day....

I love my sweets and struggle daily with my cravings trying to tempt me to go and get a candy bar or chocolate chip cookie.  So, I rely on my Extra support....Extra Dessert Delights sugar-free gum!  They started with Mint Chocolate Chip and then kept adding more new desserts.  Do you like Orange Creme Pop, Rainbow Sherbet, Lemon Squares or Apple Pie?  Those are some of the flavors I have tried.  Yum-yum!!

This gum has been a saving grace and support for me to continue with my healthy eating!  Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!  :)

Freedom

Today is President's Day.  Years ago, we celebrated the birthdays of a couple of the presidents - Washington and Lincoln - who were born in February.  Now we have a combined holiday.  It has become a day that we may have holiday off work, the banks and federal offices (namely the Post Office) are closed.   I don't know if the current schools focus on the presidents and their lives and accomplishments like we did in the past. 

Flags

All of our presidents have vowed to honor our flag.  The flag represents the freedoms that all of our presidents have vowed to protect.  I know that some people would disagree with me because they are the type of people that think that any president other than the one they voted for is a "moron" and an "imbecile."  I think it's so unfortunate that we have gotten to such a sorry state that there is little or no respect for our president.  It's doesn't matter if I voted for the blue or red president, I have the freedom to vote and I have the freedom to express my discontent with the president.  I just choose not to bad mouth our leaders, even if I may not agree with all their decisions.  But others do have the freedom to speak their minds, it's called freedom of speech.  I wonder where this will lead us? 

Change

Wow!  Change is happening!  I changed the name of this blog and changed the layout.

Am I prepared for my ramblings... here and there and everywhere?  I know it's time to start writing again, I missed it.  I am not a good writer, I am one of these people that just need to get my thoughts out on paper to feel resolution. 

Well to get started, here's a view that we church members were greeted to this morning.

Some one(s) broke into the storage shed and dumped about 9 or 10 gallons of paint in the church parking lot.  Quite a mess!  The pastor spoke about our Lenten journey and it got me thinking of what a mess my Lenten journey has been so far...and it's only the fifth day!  I often try to follow the Catholic tradition of "giving up" something for Lent.  So I vowed to give up facebook postings and comments.  I also vowed to give up sweets, as I really have been trying to focus on health eating this year (my new year's resolution). 

Yes, sometimes our lives seem like a mess, just like this paint.  But I look at this scene and I see large splat of red paint which is colorful and bright.  I also see how the red and white painted blended together, yet seemed to retain their original colors in narrow rivulets.  I find that in the messes of my life I can find bright spots, patterns among the chaos.  I am thankful of that. 




Here's a photo from yesterday's quilt show.

To some people, this quilt would look and feel chaotic, busy, and difficult to accept.  To me, in the midst of the chaos, I see bright colors and a pattern that connects one aspect and color to another. 

If I'm truly honest with myself and others, I do have a pattern to my chaos, craziness and inability to stick to something.  I ramble!  Yes, I ramble and I somehow enjoy it.  So, I guess I will continue with my Lenten journey and maybe by Easter, I will have some semblance of order to my life.  Maybe?

Been There, Done That

Been there, done that!  How many times do we hear or say that?  I have said it when I've visited a place or done something new and it doesn't really matter to me if I go there or do that again. 

But today's post is about the infamous weight loss scenario!  When I lost weight this past winter, I said "I am not going to gain weight and get up to ### weight again!  Been there, done that."  Well, guess what? I am not at that ### weight yet, but pretty darn close!  I can look back and see some of the good habits I learned last winter, I slowly forgot them and went back to old habits.  Good habits like weighing myself every day; drinking lots of water; eating fresh fruits and vegetables; and slowly eating my food.  I'm old enough that a person would think I had learned my lessons by now.

So, I am back to a weight loss plan.  It's not as hard as the first time last winter... err, I should say the umpteenth time I have been on a weight loss plan.  :)  I can do this because I have been there, done that!