I come from an agricultural family. Not many of us live out on the farm any more but at one time I had relatives scattered all over Delta County, Texas. Delta County is the nest to smallest Texas county as far as acreage goes. Triangular in shape, it's borders are made up of the south and and north branches of the Sulphur River on the north and south and by HWY 904 to the west, aka County Line Road. The events of this story took place on FM 1532 which starts on 904 and goes pretty much straight east toward Cooper. I confess that I had to look up these road numbers as no one ever uses them. Instead we would identify a road or location by a nearby landmark or by the names of people or tiny settlements of maybe a couple of houses and a church or store that were located along the road.
There are very few straight roads in the area of northeast Texas where I grew up but 904 and 1532 are exceptions as is FM 64 which will come into play later. My aunt and uncle lived about 3 miles or so east of 904 on 1532. By the 80s when this all took place, there was only one other occupied house in their vicinity. By then, my uncle had a day job as most farmers did and continue to do. He had a long commute so my aunt was at home alone a lot of the time. She has rheumatoid arthritis and a tendency to gain weight so a daily walk was part of her routine. Their house was up on a hill in the middle of cultivated land with no trees for cover. You could see a long way from it. Looking to the east, you could see an old banister bridge down the hill. It was to this bridge that she liked to walk. She usually carried a rolled up newspaper to swat at flies or anything else that needed swatting.
One day as she was getting fairly close to the bridge, a car passed by her. She didn't recognize the care but thought nothing of it. The care went just over the hill, turned around and passed her again. She thought that was odd but there are at least 3 roads that head east off of 904. Maybe the driver had taken the wrong one. I don't know if she heard the car turn around again and stop behind her but she heard the footsteps of the driver as he ran toward her. Turning she was faced with a young man heading toward her at full speed wearing nothing but a pair of tennis shoes. Without thinking, she ran at him swinging her rolled up newspaper. Not expecting to be confronted in that way, he ran back to his car, jumped in and took off.
About the time he was out of sight, may dad happened to drive up. Seeing my aunt standing in the middle of the road visibly upset, he stopped. Upon hearing what had happened, he told her to get in and they took off in hot pursuit. Dad was driving that old farm truck for all it was worth. It had probably never moved that fast in its entire existence. The tool box attached to the bed next to the cab contained all manner of implements of destruction and construction which must have been rattling around something awful.
Before long they had the Volkswagen Golf in their sights. When the driver wouldn't stop, Dad rammed him a couple of times until he ended up in a ditch. Opening the toolbox, Dad grabbed his hammer before approaching the Golf and dragging the driver out. Keep in mind that said driver had had no chance to clothe himself and my dad didn't give him one. They made him get in the back of the truck just like he was while begging not to be hit with the hammer. Then they proceeded to drive him to the local cop shop in the county seat of Cooper.
I never heard what became of the guy my family called the Streaker but I'm pretty sure he didn't show his face or his short comings in Delta County, Texas after that. I'm also glad that my aunt was able to scare him by charging at him with nothing but a rolled up newspaper. You really shouldn't mess with members of my family. Once they open a can of Texas whoop ass you are screwed.
Sound track for this post:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxUfg3uCBbg
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
A year in Costa Rica
So now we have been in Costa Rica for a year more or less. We spent the summer of 2016 traveling around the north part of the country and came back to the area where we started. We rented a condo here for about a week before I had to be back in Austin for medical appointments. Before we left we rented a condo on the beach for 6 months, October through March. I'm glad I had the experience of living right on the beach but it isn't something I have to do again. It wasn't a quiet place at all. Lots of people vacation on the beach and when one is on vacation, one tends to do things, loud things, that one might never consider doing at home.
In March we moved into a lovely but small place owned by a lovely couple from Canada. Things went well until mid April when construction began on the house next door. By next door, I mean 15 feet from our bedroom window. By began I mean starting before 7:30 am and continuing until at least 5pm, sometimes later. If were were out of the house all day, it might not have been such a problem but as it was, we had to get out of there. It took until July to find our current place, again owned by a man from Canada. Like every other place we've lived or stayed here, it has been lived in or rented short term and we have had to buy a lot of things that we need for day to day functioning. In the past year we have bought pots and pans, dishes and drink ware, kitchen gadgets of various types, sheets and other bedding, a few but not many home decor items such as lamps. We brought our own cutlery and flatware as well as towels and some bedding. We are planning to bring more lamps (they are hard to find and very expensive here), a few kitchen things that I haven't been able to find here, spices and other impossible to find food items, and a few other odds and ends for the car and house. I mention this to let anyone who is thinking about moving to Costa Rica or another country to let you know that you may not find all the comforts of home.
We are now living in the jungle about 3 to 4 blocks from the beach. I wish I could walk there but haven't felt strong enough yet. We can sometimes hear the waves on still quiet nights if they are crashing very loudly. We are in the last couple of months of the rainy season as I write this. The mosquitos are starting to get worse. We will be in the states during most of October and probably part of November trying to avoid them. However, Hurricane Harvey dumped so much rain on Texas that I think they may be pretty bad there, too.
It will turn hot and dry here starting around Thanksgiving unless there is another unusual event such as Hurricane Otto last year. Otto was the first hurricane ever recorded to come even close to Costa Rica. It smashed into the Caribbean side where Costa Rica meets Nicaragua causing a lot of flooding and other damage but crossed over the mountains before it got to us up here in the northwest part of the country. By the time it got to us, it was some fairly high winds and a lot of rain but not enough to cause flooding which had been the fear. Since it was moving away from us, we didn't get a storm surge. All together, we got off pretty lucky. I have now experienced a hurricane, an earth quake, and various tornado producing storms. I think that's about enough for one life time although I have to say that the quake was over before we realized what it was.
Photos: Top radon beach shot
Bottom: Lake Arenal
Soundtrack for this post: Changes in Latitude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56nHBah7mdE&list=RD56nHBah7mdE
In March we moved into a lovely but small place owned by a lovely couple from Canada. Things went well until mid April when construction began on the house next door. By next door, I mean 15 feet from our bedroom window. By began I mean starting before 7:30 am and continuing until at least 5pm, sometimes later. If were were out of the house all day, it might not have been such a problem but as it was, we had to get out of there. It took until July to find our current place, again owned by a man from Canada. Like every other place we've lived or stayed here, it has been lived in or rented short term and we have had to buy a lot of things that we need for day to day functioning. In the past year we have bought pots and pans, dishes and drink ware, kitchen gadgets of various types, sheets and other bedding, a few but not many home decor items such as lamps. We brought our own cutlery and flatware as well as towels and some bedding. We are planning to bring more lamps (they are hard to find and very expensive here), a few kitchen things that I haven't been able to find here, spices and other impossible to find food items, and a few other odds and ends for the car and house. I mention this to let anyone who is thinking about moving to Costa Rica or another country to let you know that you may not find all the comforts of home.We are now living in the jungle about 3 to 4 blocks from the beach. I wish I could walk there but haven't felt strong enough yet. We can sometimes hear the waves on still quiet nights if they are crashing very loudly. We are in the last couple of months of the rainy season as I write this. The mosquitos are starting to get worse. We will be in the states during most of October and probably part of November trying to avoid them. However, Hurricane Harvey dumped so much rain on Texas that I think they may be pretty bad there, too.
It will turn hot and dry here starting around Thanksgiving unless there is another unusual event such as Hurricane Otto last year. Otto was the first hurricane ever recorded to come even close to Costa Rica. It smashed into the Caribbean side where Costa Rica meets Nicaragua causing a lot of flooding and other damage but crossed over the mountains before it got to us up here in the northwest part of the country. By the time it got to us, it was some fairly high winds and a lot of rain but not enough to cause flooding which had been the fear. Since it was moving away from us, we didn't get a storm surge. All together, we got off pretty lucky. I have now experienced a hurricane, an earth quake, and various tornado producing storms. I think that's about enough for one life time although I have to say that the quake was over before we realized what it was.
Photos: Top radon beach shot
Bottom: Lake Arenal
Soundtrack for this post: Changes in Latitude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56nHBah7mdE&list=RD56nHBah7mdE
Friday, December 2, 2016
June 4, 2016
We made it to Costa Rica yesterday. Found that my feet, especially the left one, has swollen quite a bit during the flight. I guess this must be due to the removal of lymph nodes. That has never happened before even on long flights and I wasn't expecting it.
We are staying at Sugar Beach Resort. It's beautiful. Our phones don't work here so if you need to contact me please use Facebook messenger or email. We'll be checking both on at least a daily basis.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
On June 3 of 2016, we left Texas for Costa Rica not knowing exactly how long we'd stay. We had our all of our things in storage in Austin after giving up the house we were renting.
2015 an the beginning of 2016 had been a rough time for us. In January of 2-15 I went to the hospital in an ambulance where I was eventually diagnosed with colon cancer. We were told at the beginning that it was a slow growing tumor that had a 95 -98% cure rate. What we weren't told was that the treatments and complications could kill me and they almost did. My last surgery was between Christmas and New Years. The recovery has been tedious and at times excruciatingly slow. Costa Rica has been a place of healing for me in many ways.
We explored quite a bit of the country and got some dental work done before returning to the US in August for my follow up appointments and to help out with some family stuff in North Carolina. We returned to Costa Rica in October and have been living in a condo on the beach in Guanacaste. The following posts are taken from my Facebook page where I've been trying to give my friends a balanced picture of life here.
2015 an the beginning of 2016 had been a rough time for us. In January of 2-15 I went to the hospital in an ambulance where I was eventually diagnosed with colon cancer. We were told at the beginning that it was a slow growing tumor that had a 95 -98% cure rate. What we weren't told was that the treatments and complications could kill me and they almost did. My last surgery was between Christmas and New Years. The recovery has been tedious and at times excruciatingly slow. Costa Rica has been a place of healing for me in many ways.We explored quite a bit of the country and got some dental work done before returning to the US in August for my follow up appointments and to help out with some family stuff in North Carolina. We returned to Costa Rica in October and have been living in a condo on the beach in Guanacaste. The following posts are taken from my Facebook page where I've been trying to give my friends a balanced picture of life here.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Catching up
I'd like to believe that 2015 never happened. It was one of the worst years of my life. I spent most of it in bed due to colon cancer and its treatments as well as side effects of meds, adverse reactions to meds, and 2 rounds of a nasty infection. My husband Stephen was the most wonderful caregiver. He took care of me night and day, cleaned up every imaginable bodily fluid, kept track of all my appointments, and dealt with insurance companies, service providers and learned to cook. I doubt I'd'still be here without him.
In late May of this year, 2106, we had all of our belongings packed and moved into storage before leaving for a week at the Kerrville Folk Festival. It was a totally different experience for us to stay at the YO and only go to the ranch in the evenings. I couldn't walk around on the rough ground very well so we only saw a few acts from the back of the theater. We did get to see a lot of friends and that was the most important thing.
We left Kerrville on June 2 and drove to Houston where we left our car with friends and stayed the night in a hotel near the airport. The next day, we flew to Costa Rica.
In late May of this year, 2106, we had all of our belongings packed and moved into storage before leaving for a week at the Kerrville Folk Festival. It was a totally different experience for us to stay at the YO and only go to the ranch in the evenings. I couldn't walk around on the rough ground very well so we only saw a few acts from the back of the theater. We did get to see a lot of friends and that was the most important thing.
We left Kerrville on June 2 and drove to Houston where we left our car with friends and stayed the night in a hotel near the airport. The next day, we flew to Costa Rica.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
My New Site
If you happen across this blog, I invite you to check out my life coaching site: The Energy Alignment Coach
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Sunday, January 1, 2012
Monday, January 10, 2011
Williams Creek Reservoir
Sunday, January 9, 2011
How to Redecorate a Living Room in a Day with No Money
When we lived in Santa Fe, our house had a 27 inch door through which anything we took into the living room or kitchen had to pass. We really wanted a sofa but there was no way we could get the one we wanted through that door. Our solution was to buy a futon. That has worked out pretty well as we have used it for a guest bed several times. The cover I ordered for it was green. I mean really green. I had wanted a forest green but this one is bright Kelly green. That was OK in our tiny Santa Fe place but we didn't even want to try it in our current living room. For a while,we just left it off. The natural cotton didn't look that bad. However, a dog and a light colored couch is not a great combo and eventually, something had to be done.
A few years ago, I fell in love with a discontinued Ralph Lauren bedding fabric and found a canvas duvet cover on eBay. I never quite got use to using the duvet cover and finally just gave in and replaced it with a comforter so I had the duvet just hanging out on a closet shelf.
I decided that it would make a great cover for the futon.
It looks a little bit off the stripe in the photo but that has been corrected now that we have been sitting on it for a few weeks.
There was enough fabric left over (the duvet was queen size and the futon in full size) to cover the rocking chair.
I also made pillows for the ends of the futon and a small on to go on the cedar chest where I also put a small rug that I had been using on the table next to the futon.
I took a runner out of the closet and put it on the table along with some cut flowers.
I had chosen the fabric pattern in the first place because I thought it looked great with this poster by one of my favorite artists, Donna Howell-Sickles. I bought it in Telluride in the early '90s. Of course, I moved it from the bedroom and put it over the living room mantle.
The whole project took 7-8 hours. I did it in 2 afternoons but could have done it in a day if I had started early enough. Since I already had all of the materials, this project cost nothing.
A few years ago, I fell in love with a discontinued Ralph Lauren bedding fabric and found a canvas duvet cover on eBay. I never quite got use to using the duvet cover and finally just gave in and replaced it with a comforter so I had the duvet just hanging out on a closet shelf.
I decided that it would make a great cover for the futon.
It looks a little bit off the stripe in the photo but that has been corrected now that we have been sitting on it for a few weeks.
There was enough fabric left over (the duvet was queen size and the futon in full size) to cover the rocking chair.
I also made pillows for the ends of the futon and a small on to go on the cedar chest where I also put a small rug that I had been using on the table next to the futon.
I took a runner out of the closet and put it on the table along with some cut flowers.
I had chosen the fabric pattern in the first place because I thought it looked great with this poster by one of my favorite artists, Donna Howell-Sickles. I bought it in Telluride in the early '90s. Of course, I moved it from the bedroom and put it over the living room mantle.
The whole project took 7-8 hours. I did it in 2 afternoons but could have done it in a day if I had started early enough. Since I already had all of the materials, this project cost nothing.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Pagosa Springs
For those of you who haven't heard, Stephen got a fantastic job in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and we moved up here last month. I look forward to developing a massage, craniosacral,Reiki and bodywork practice here.
I am not going into the reasons that I have neglected blogging for so long. I will say that I am making an effort to post positive thoughts here and I just couldn't get there in Santa Fe. I will always view Santa Fe as a great place to visit. It just was not a good fit for us on many levels. 'Nough said.
I am really loving Pagosa Springs. There are a suprising number of live music venues here for a place this size. Fall here has been beautiful and I have taken several drives through the mountains. The aspens are amazing to see.
The people Stephen works for/with are very cool. He is working for Parelli Natural Horsmanship,Inc. in their tech department. I have to say that I was a little bit skeptical of Pat Parelli when Stephen started considering applying for this gig until I his bio and learned that he has studied with some of my all time hero horse trainers. I was immediately won over. I have yet to meet Pat and Linda Parelli (they move their operations to Florida in the winter). I am looking forward to making their aquaintance.
Music, horses and mountains. Three of the great loves of my life. What more could I ask for? Some massage clients, for sure.
I am not going into the reasons that I have neglected blogging for so long. I will say that I am making an effort to post positive thoughts here and I just couldn't get there in Santa Fe. I will always view Santa Fe as a great place to visit. It just was not a good fit for us on many levels. 'Nough said.
I am really loving Pagosa Springs. There are a suprising number of live music venues here for a place this size. Fall here has been beautiful and I have taken several drives through the mountains. The aspens are amazing to see.
The people Stephen works for/with are very cool. He is working for Parelli Natural Horsmanship,Inc. in their tech department. I have to say that I was a little bit skeptical of Pat Parelli when Stephen started considering applying for this gig until I his bio and learned that he has studied with some of my all time hero horse trainers. I was immediately won over. I have yet to meet Pat and Linda Parelli (they move their operations to Florida in the winter). I am looking forward to making their aquaintance.
Music, horses and mountains. Three of the great loves of my life. What more could I ask for? Some massage clients, for sure.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
No More Anonymous Comments
I like getting comments, I really do. However, I have gotten really tired of anonymous comments directing readers to commercial sites. Therefore, I have disabled anonymous comments until further notice.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Making Crystalized Ginger II
I have decided to make crystallized ginger again. This time, I am going more for the syrup than the ginger. I am making bread pudding for Thanksgiving and I think that a ginger syrup glaze will really put it over the top. Thanks to Minstrel Boy at Harp and Sword for the original recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds fresh, peeled ginger, cut into medallions (should be about a quart by volume)
3 cups sugar
1 lemon, sliced thin and seeded
1 cup light Karo® syrup (usually when I use a brand name it is because I've tried another label and not have had good results. Go ahead and use an off brand if you want, but there's something about the Karo® that works in this one)
large granule sugar for dusting
It takes four or five days to make this and I will do it in three this time by doing a step every morning and every evening.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Greyhounds Needing Homes
I got this information from one of my Facebook/blog friends. If you or anyone you know is in a position to help, please do so. Also, feel free to pass this on.
Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009. 900 Greyhounds need to be adopted or they will be euthanized. Please help me get the word out; there is only 6 weeks to get this task done. Contact Joanne Kehoe Operations Director P: 312.559.0887 Or Dairyland Race Track Adoption Center direct at (262) 612-8256
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Questions
I try to keep it positive on this blog but the men in Congress carrying on about abortion are pissing me off. I have some questions I'd like to hear them and any other men who think they should have a say regarding this issue answer.
Have you ever had a one night stand?
Have you ever convinced a woman to have sex with you and then never called her again?
Have you had sex with a woman without it ever crossing your mind that she might become the mother of your child?
Have you had sex with a woman with whom you would never want to have children?
Do you know a mother who has had to take the father of her child to court to get child support?
Are you capable of carrying a child in your body and going through all of the discomfort of pregnancy and childbirth?
Are you naive enough to think that making abortion will stop it from happening? Have you ever heard of back alleys and clothes hangers?
As long as you can have sex without thinking about any of these things, how can you think that decisions regarding pregnancy and its management are not yours to make?
Have you ever had a one night stand?
Have you ever convinced a woman to have sex with you and then never called her again?
Have you had sex with a woman without it ever crossing your mind that she might become the mother of your child?
Have you had sex with a woman with whom you would never want to have children?
Do you know a mother who has had to take the father of her child to court to get child support?
Are you capable of carrying a child in your body and going through all of the discomfort of pregnancy and childbirth?
Are you naive enough to think that making abortion will stop it from happening? Have you ever heard of back alleys and clothes hangers?
As long as you can have sex without thinking about any of these things, how can you think that decisions regarding pregnancy and its management are not yours to make?
Monday, October 26, 2009
First Snow of the Year
We had a tiny bit of snow last week but it was really wet and didn't stick. It did leave quite a bit of snow on the mountains. Last night's snow decorated cars, rooftops, trees, and these flowers next to a wall in my neighborhood.
Soundtrack for this post: Townes Van Zant's Snowing on Raton because is really has and we are all hoping for a good ski season.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Not Quite as Good as I Thought
It seems that the bill that passed the House which would expand the range of the mustangs and make the BLM free the thousands that they have in holding pens has not made it to the Senate and it may not ever. We need to contact out senators NOW. One of the senators from Wyoming strongly opposes the bill and will do her best not to pass. THE HORSES MAY BE KILLED unless the senate takes action. The Senate will only take action if we let them know that we want them to do so. Please take a look at this site and take whatever action you feel is right for you.
Photo borrowed from http://tinyurl.com/kvgrrw
No soundtrack for this one. It just makes me sick.
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