Time & Temperature!

Today has been great and Tony and I and our four-leggers are enjoying the much cooler air inside, since turning on our three window air conditioning units. And here is a look at the present time & temperatures inside The Cabin and outside.

 As you can see it is only 81 degrees inside and 91 humid degrees outside and we can definitely live with that. So, because we broke our vows to go without using air conditioning until June 1st, we are  celebrating the lower, much more comfortable temperatures inside. And besides, it is only money.

As I finish writing this short post, Tony and I decided to not work on finishing the bedroom ceiling today as we had planned to do, because we just want to sit (let me take a nap with our dogs) and relax and give Tony's bum shoulder a day off. So Life is Good @ Big Foot Ranch. (Knock-on-Wood)

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Don't Worry!

Today has been great. This morning Tony and I worked on the bedroom ceiling for about an hour until his shoulder could do no more. But the good news is we only have about 1/4 left to do and it should be a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, we broke our vows today about not turning on the air conditioning units until June 1st, so we could save money on our electric bills. But the good news is the window units are working fine and definitely keeping us much more comfortable inside. And needless to say, "Our dogs love the cooler temps."

Tomorrow morning Tony and I get to work next door for a few hours and we have our fingers crossed that we can finish the bedroom ceiling before days end. So, Life is Good @ Big Foot Ranch (knock-on-wood).

And as Kinky told me this past weekend when I saw him, "Nance, just remember what Tom (his dad) always said when times are rough. "Don't worry. It only gets worse."" And he and I had a good laugh about it.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

P.S. Kathy, thank you for calling Steve. He called us and all is good. And thank you for still reading my blog—I am honored. Hugs to you and David!

Paycheck To Paycheck!

This past week has flown by so fast, because we've been working either on projects here or working next door. And the weather has been so hot outside and inside The Cabin.

You see when we bought this place, a giant China berry  tree covered and shaded the entire cabin's roof. But last August after we had that tree removed, because it was falling down and leaning on the front porch—The Cabin heated up and our electrical bill literally went through the roof, because The Cabin has a tin roof—but no ceiling/ insulated attic.

Our August electrical bill back then was over $350.00 using our three window air conditioning units that could only cool down The Cabin to 82 degrees when it was 90 degrees or higher outside.

Tony and I love The Cabin so much and the roof rafters make it look so cool and much bigger. In fact, this past winter, if the sun was shining outside it heated up the tin roof and it helped heat our home. So it was sort of energy efficient for a while.

In April when the temperatures started climbing, Tony and I vowed not to turn on the window units until June or longer, so we would not have sky-rocketing electric bills to pay. And the good news here is last month's electrical bill was only $34.00. But the bad news is—we're hot and sweaty and our dogs are miserable.

So a week ago yesterday, a friend helped us install an attic exhaust fan to help pull the hot air out of The Cabin. And that helped. Because before, when it was 85-94 degrees outside it was always ten degrees warmer (hotter) inside The Cabin. (85 degrees outside/ 95 degrees inside.) And since installing the attic exhaust fan the indoor temperature is now only 2 degrees higher or matching the outdoor temperatures. It was definitely an improvement.

But that wasn't good enough, because this past week it has been incredibly humid and hot outside and the inside temperature of The Cabin, before we go to bed at night has been ranging between 80 to 85 degrees. So needless to say—our four-leggers and us have not been happy campers. We've been hot, sweaty survivors.

So, Sunday morning after Tony and I had another meltdown inside The Cabin, we decided that we had to put a ceiling inside The Cabin and insulate it, even though it meant hiding the beautiful rafters and knowing that this ceiling project would be costly for us.

So we did some research and then I called Ronnie to ask him what he would do. And Ronnie suggested that we do the bedroom first, so we could at least use it to keep us cool. Then Tony and I went to the Home Depot, in Kerrville, to buy the materials.

Because of cost, because we are old and because Tony has a bad shoulder we knew that the two of us could not lift up heavy sheets of 4'x8' plywood, so we decided to use boards instead. Because lifting one board at a time would be much easier for us.

Here is a picture of the bedroom before we started installing the ceiling boards and then adding pink, R-30 insulation.

And here is what we had accomplished by Sunday afternoon/evening.

Yesterday, we had to go back to Home Depot and buy more materials and The Cabin in one big mess, which is driving me crazy. Because there is insulation, boards, cables/cords and tools scattered throughout The Cabin.

Last night, after we were totally exhausted from working on the ceiling, we called it a day. It was nearly 6:00 and I took this picture of the Atomic Clock which shows it was 88 degrees inside and 87 degrees outside The Cabin.

I took that picture, because I had planned to blog last night, but because it was so hot inside—I changed my mind and sat outside, on the front porch, with Henry Standing Bear, Little Debbie, Big Al(ice), Beau and Roy.

This morning as I finish writing this Tony is in Medina—getting his ears lowered (hair cut). And when he gets back home we plan/hope to finish installing the bedroom ceiling, so we can have a place to stay cool. And just so you'll know—we plan to keep going and install a ceiling in the kitchen/big room, too. And we will do it paycheck to paycheck until it is all done. 

Y'all have a great day/evening, keep on laughing and stay cool!

My Brilliant Idea!

Today has been great and so has this past week. I would have blogged, but honestly I was just too tired and there just wasn't that much happening that merited writing about.

The best thing or most exciting thing that did happen this past week was The Traveling Jacket is back home.

This past Sunday afternoon Chet O'Keefe came to see us on his journey back to Terlingua and we had a wonderful time visiting with him.

The first thing Chet did when he parked Ivan/iVan (a 2008 Toyota Sienna van) in our circular driveway, was return my Jack jacket to me. And he told me that he loved my coat, so much that he was going to buy one just like it, on Ebay, too.

Of course hearing that made my day, because I love that LL Bean barn jacket so much, because it is the coolest canvas jacket that I have ever owned. In fact, I love it even more than my four Carhartts put together.

Anyway, the good news is my famous Jack jacket is now back home in Texas. It is the one hanging on a nail underneath one of Tony's cowboy hats. Oh and please note that my pretty, pink/gray vest hanging to the left of it is a Carhartt and it is now my second most favorite jacket to wear.

After Chet and I had a long discussion about the Jack jacket, he unloaded some things out of my writing cabin that he had left stored here, because he did not want his stuff stolen out of iVan while he was touring in Norway.

While he and Tony were busy putting Chet's stuff back inside iVan, I noticed this clump of Chet's stuff that he had put on the ground that still needed to be loaded up, so I took this picture of it.

Then I told Chet, "Chet I just took a picture of that pile, because it would make a great album/CD cover for you. I think it says a lot. A hat, tools and a pillow...." But I don't think Chet or Tony were that impressed with my brilliant idea.

After all of the packing was done the three of us sat out on the front porch talking about his tour of Norway. And Chet told us that he loved Norway and the Norwegians and his tour went great, because Marita & Hans (B Good Promotion) did such a fabulous job booking him and getting him to his gigs, etc. And Chet is now looking forward to going back to Norway to tour again.

Well, other than that good news there is not much more to tell about my week, because we mainly worked here or next door or were sleeping. So I hope you can understand why I did not post anything on my blog.

But before I finish writing this, I want you to know that Tony and I went to Kerrville today to wash a couple of loads of laundry at the Country Clean laundromat, on Water Street. 

When we arrived at our favorite laundromat, in Kerrville, there were these two big trucks parked there with men unloading and installing brand new washers and dryers inside, even though we loved the machines they already had. And that is how exciting today has been for me.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

It Has Been A Good Trip!

Today has been great and so have the past few days. I am sorry for not writing lately, but Tony and I have been very busy this week. And every evening when I normally would write something for my blog I've just been too tired, so instead of writing I've been binge-watching Boston Legal, on Netflix.

Oh my goodness—I love Boston Legal! Every evening for the past couple of week Tony and I have been been addicted to watching this show and it is hilarious and full of surprises.

My favorite surprises have been when Betty White appears in the shows, because I love her and the quirky character that she plays. So, if you are looking for something fun to watch I highly recommend Boston Legal.

Chet O'Keefe sent me an e-mail this morning and in his e-mail he told me that "it has been a good trip." He also wrote:

"Last night was a place called Nestiboden which is the oldest wooden building in Norway. It used to be a storehouse for fishing boats. It was an older crowd and very warm friendly people."

After reading this about Nestiboden I was happy for Chet and then I got even more happy about (My Jack jacket) The Traveling Jacket having gone to Nestiboden. Because with the exception of Norwegians—not many people can brag that their jacket has been to Nestiboden—the oldest wooden building in Norway!

Then I read a little further: "I have been eating small sandwiches made with fish and caviar." And this is a picture of his sandwiches.

And Chet finished off his note with this: "The sky is still light here at 2 AM in the morning...." And this is the picture that he took of Bergen, Norway.

So  when I responded to Chet's e-mail, I wrote:

"....So you're eating tiny fish and caviar sandwiches. When I was in the 6th grade my teacher, Miss Reece, was from Russian and one day she made our class eat borscht and caviar to celebrate some Russian holiday. The borscht was okay, but the caviar was horrible and it came right back up. Not a pretty picture. And I got a D in citizenship on that awful day.

And now that I look back I am betting that my teacher was a Commie. That was in 1963 and the only two things that I remember about 1963 (I was 12) is Kennedy getting assassinated in Big D and me throwing up the caviar.

So long story short—I hope to never eat caviar again. I would have said "I will never" but I know what happens when you say "I will never.""

And to end my e-mail on a positive note I wrote:

"1964 was a much better year for me, because of the Beatles and I went on to junior high. Tony and I look forward to seeing you soon. Take care and keep on laughing!" And that is about it for now.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Be Good Promotion Rocks! & So Does Chet O'Keefe!

Today has been great. Tony and I worked this morning and we get to work tonight. We love Escondida Resort and we love working with our dear friends: Sarah, Darlene, Rob, Lisa, Rick and Lisa E. We are like one big happy family, where everyone wears a smile.

Since time is of the essence here, I checked B Good Promotion on Facebook, to check on Chet O'Keefe's whereabouts, The Traveling Jacket and our dear friends, Marita and Hans, who own B Good Promotion, in Norway.

B Good Promotion has posted another great video of Chet singing Game Bird, 12 hours ago. So here is the link to Chet performing Game Bird, in Norway. And I hope that all of y'all will share this link, to show your support of Chet's fabulous music and to B Good Promotion.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Take Me Down To The Liquor Store—in Norway!

Today has been great. Tony and I got to work this morning and when we got back home we ate lunch. Then I went on Facebook to see if I could find Chet O'Keefe, in Norway@ B Good Promotion.

Then I watched Chet performing his great song, Take Me Down To The Liquor Store, at the Frille go Dvekes Vinkjeller, in Bergen Norway! And I had a blast watching this video. I hope that y'all will watch this video and Share it or Like it on Facebook, too. Here's the link to B Good Promotion video of Chet performing Take Me Down To The Liquor Store, in Norway!

Y'all have a great day/evening and keep on laughing!

On The Rocks! or I'm On my way!

Today has been great, but yesterday after I wrote and posted it on my blog—things went south really fast! And not in a good way.

I was still sitting at my desk when suddenly Little Debbie, Henry Standing Bear and Big Al(ice) all started barking non-stop. So, I looked out the  front window to see if someone had pulled up to our gate.

No one was parked outside our gate. Then I followed the dog's stares and about 3-4 feet away from them there was this big snake, that had come through the front yard fence and it was having a stare down with the dogs.

I wanted to holler for Tony, but he was at the Old Timer, in Medina. I also wanted to faint, but  I knew I couldn't, because I needed to get our dogs inside The Cabin—fast!

So I skipped outside to the front porch and grabbed The Girls and then I yelled at Henry and told him to get inside.

With the dogs safely inside The Cabin, still barking, I grabbed my camera so I could take a picture of the snake intruder, so I could show it to Tony, because I was pretty sure that it was a rattle snake. Here's that picture. The snake is on the rocks, between and the terra-cotta pot the small two-toned pot. (It is not a very good picture.)

When I checked the picture I knew that I needed to get closer to it, so I went back outside and zoomed-in and got this picture of that big, fat, terrifying snake.

Then I skipped back inside and knew that I needed to call Tony, at the Old Timer. After I Googled the phone number I punched in the numbers.

Sweet Debbie, the owner of the famous Old Timer answered, and said, "Hello Nancy"

"Is Tony there?"

"Yes he is. Let me get him for you. Hold on."

Seconds later, Tony said, "Hello."

"Tony, there is a gigantic rattle snake in our front yard!"

"I'm on my way." Click.

As soon as I heard the click, I went back to the front window and saw the snake exiting the front yard through the fence. But because of all of the rain we've been having—the grass was tall and I could not see where it went.

It seemed like hours passed before Tony finally got home, but actually it was only about twelve minutes. When he got out of Trigger, he asked, "Where is it? Did you hear the rattler?" 

After I explained to him about it disappearing in the grass and that I wasn't sure about hearing the rattles, because a neighbor was mowing nearby. "I heard something, but because I was so scared I am not sure what I heard. But I took pictures."

We went to my computer and I showed him the pictures. Tony thought it was a hognose snake, but he wasn't 100% sure what it was, because of my camera skills. So, I called Ronnie and sent him the pictures.

"Nance, I think that is a hognose snake," Ronnie said. "They are good snakes. They kill rattlers. Hey, Nita just told me that hognose snakes are real fat, too. How fat was it?"

"Probably about 5-6 inches round," I guessed. "Doesn't Joel know a lot about snakes?"

"Yes, Joel is a snake expert. I'll send him the picture and get back to you..."

Then to pass the time I sent Carol, Mari and Fourth the pictures asking them to help us identify the snake.

Then Ronnie called me back. "Joel just texted me. It is definitely a hognose snake. And I just sent you a screen shot of his reply...."

As soon as we adios-ed each other I checked my e-mail. This is what Ronnie sent me.

I was so relieved after reading Joel's reply, I immediately went back to the picture of the snake and enlarged it big time and if you look closely at the snake you can actually see his tail and it had no rattlers.

So, I quickly sent Carol, Mari and Fourth another e-mail to let them know it was a hognose snake and not a rattler.

Later in the evening I checked my e-mail, again. Here is Mari's reply:

"VERY jealous of your hognose because of the light, pretty coloring! The ones around here are dark and bland in color. Of course I've only seen one and it was years and years ago. I pressured it until it played dead so I could lift it up on a pitchfork and relocate it from where it was inside a dog run!

Mari"

And here is Fourth's reply:

"Yep, hognose……"

Then Carol called me and she told me that she has just seen two hognose snakes in the past couple of days, on her ranch, and then we quickly changed the subject and talked about happier things to get our minds off of snakes.

Like I said earlier, today has been great, because this morning before going to work next door I was thinking about the hognose snake being a good snake or at least trying to talk myself into believing it. 

So after I made a little prayer request to the snake gods asking them to please stay out of our yard and to please stay away from our dogs—I now believe that seeing that harmless, scary-looking hognose snake was actually a good omen for me. To let me know that he will keep our dogs safe. And that is how I am ending this story on a good note. Also because it is thundering outside and I need to unplug.

An after thought: Wouldn't you just hate for someone to call you a hognose? It is a horrible name. So, now I have some sympathy for hognose snakes.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

P.S. When Tony and I got back home from working—we mowed down the tall grass!

The Traveling Coat Update!

Today has turned out great. Early this morning a little before 6:00, a super loud lightning strike woke me up and it was so loud I forgot to do my morning habit. But don't worry. I did it an hour later while I was drinking some coffee.

We had heavy rain and thunderstorms almost all morning long and when they finally stopped Tony and I high-tailed it to Kerrville to wash and dry a load of clothes and to run a couple of errands.

When we got back home my Willie book had already arrived in the mail and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a hardback edition and not a paperback like the one I gave to Chet. Here's a picture of it, next to my Terlingua Ranch cap.

After putting up the groceries I checked my e-mail. Marita (Hans & Marita, in Norway) sent me this note:

"Hi!

We picked Chet up at the airport this afternoon. He is now sleeping.

Good you lent him a jacket. It’s been snowing here today. Cold wind.

Last week we had summer temperatures. Wearing shorts and flip flops, and now back to boots and jackets. The weather is just crazy. 

Hope y’all are doing well. See you in September – love you!"

So, I am really glad that Chet has my "Jack jacket" to wear over there. And I am more than thrilled that I can now brag about "The Traveling Coat" having spent time in Norway, because not too many people that I know can brag about their jackets crossing the pond and traveling to England and then to Norway.

Anyway, hearing that Chet made it to Norway okay has made my day great after all.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

The Traveling Coat! or What If!

Tony and I had so much fun with Chet last night. When he arrived here I asked him if he was hungry, so I warmed him up a bowl of tortilla soup and then we got to visiting.

During our visit he told us that he had bought a new, used van and then we went outside to see it and to help him unpack.

As I was admiring his van, I asked him, "Have you named it yet?"

"Nope. Not yet."

And because I like naming things, I suggested, "Why don't you name it Ivan? I-van or iVan?" He and Tony laughed, but he did not commit. So we shall see.

After we unpacked Ivan he told us that he was flying to Norway tomorrow (today) for a ten day tour of Norway. Our dear friends Marita & Hans, in Bergen, Norway, had booked his tour, several months ago and Chet was looking forward to playing his music in Norway.

When I asked him about the weather over there, Chet told me that Marita had warned him that it was cold and she had advised him to bring a heavy jacket. "And I forgot to pack one," Chet told us.

Being the problem-solver that I am, I immediately suggested that he wear my "Jack Jacket." My beloved, comfortable, warm, canvas L.L. Bean ranch coat that Jack always wears in the awesome Canadian/Netflix series—Heartland. So Chet tried it on and it fit him perfectly. Here is a picture of Roy and me wearing my "Jack jacket" this past winter.

After I had wrapped up that problem, I started telling Chet about our mutual friend, Gerry Olert, giving me the awesome book It's A Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson with David Ritz and that it has now become one of my all-time, top 5 favorite books. 

Then I handed Chet the book and I could tell that he was interested in reading it. So I gave it to him, because I knew he would love reading it and he could read it during his long, nine hour flight.

Today has been great. This morning after I cooked breakfast for Chet and Tony, Chet O'Keefe loaded up Ivan  and he took off for Austin, so he could fly out of there @ 4:00 today. And after we had adios-ed Chet and he and Ivan were gone, Tony asked me, "Nance, you love that coat. I never thought that you would loan it to anyone."

"I'm not worried about loaning it to Chet. Besides when he gets back I can tell/brag to everyone that my "Jack jacket" has been on many stages, in Norway. And it'll become known as The Traveling Coat. Like my traveling pants."

Then Tony said, "I can't believe that you gave Chet your Willie book. You told me that you loved that book so much—that you would never loan it out."

"Never say never. And yes, I did say that," I confessed. "But it is really no big deal, because last night before going to bed, I bought another copy of it on Amazon. It will be here tomorrow."

Early this afternoon Tony and I met our dear friends for our monthly luncheon, at El Bracero de Jalisco restaurant, in Kerrville.

We got there twenty minutes early, so while Tony sat outside, sitting on a bench in front of Bracero's, I went shopping next door, at the Hometown Craft store. 

There were many items on sale that I wanted to purchase, but I controlled my temptations and I only bought a cute sign for the front porch. 

Tony and I had a blast eating lunch with Kris & Jim and Les & Denise and the food was delicious, too. And during our fun lunch I showed everyone the sign I had bought and it made them all chuckle. Which is exactly why I bought this sign in the first place. Because I love to laugh and to also make people laugh. Here's the sign.

And I hope the sign made you smile or laugh, too. Anyway, as soon as we got back home I took this picture of the "What If" sign and then I went outside and hung it up.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Tortilla Soup! or Fried Rice!

Today has been great or at least most of it was. You see, late this afternoon I was planning on spending the rest of the day and evening writing. And that didn't happen and it did.

When Tony was going out the door to go to Medina, he said, "I talked to Chet and he is coming over to see us around 6:00."

I was thrilled about seeing our dear friend Chet O'Keefe, but in my excitement I decided to go ahead and cook our dog's breakfast—brown rice, carrots, kale and hot dogs, so I wouldn't have to do it later tonight after Chet left.

Well let me say that at my age, it is not good to get me excited, because I can get easily distracted. Thoughts were racing through my head: "I need to get Hazel and vacuum the floor—I need to clean the kitchen—I need to put pillows back on the bed, etc."

Now let me back up for a minute. Early this afternoon Tony and I went to the big H-E-B to get groceries, so I could make us some tortilla soup for a late lunch. I made the soup and it was absolutely delicious.

Okay, now back to the story. After eating lunch I decided to leave the soup, in the Instant Pot pot, so it would cool before I put it in baggies, so I could freeze it.

Well, in my haste, knowing but forgetting that the soup was cooling in the pot, on the kitchen island I measured out the brown rice—tossed it into the Instant Pot. Then I added four cups of water, put the lid on it and turned it on. And that is when I realized that I had put the ingredients directly into the Instant Pot—missing its pot, because it was on the kitchen island!

So, I immediately unplugged my Instant Pot and was wishing that Tony was here to help me.

At first, I decided to just throw away my Instant Pot machine, because I knew that it was ruined, because water and rice were leaking from the bottom of the Instant Pot. And that is when things got more than interesting.

Because I love my Instant Pot I did not want to throw it out, so I poured the rice and water out of the machine, into the sink. Then I turned it upside down to inspect the bottom.

The next thing I did was grab my power drill and removed the plastic bottom and inspected the Instant Pot's guts. And it was pretty, but was wet and full of uncooked brown rice.

And that was when I decided to take pictures, to document what I had done if I got electrocuted, so Tony, our four-leggers and the Police would know—"She died for her Instant Pot. She died cooking for her dogs..." Figuring that would be my epitaph even though I want to be cremated and not electrocuted.

After I had shaken the Instant Pot nearly to death with a pile of brown rice in the kitchen sink, I decided to dry the insides of the machine. So I turned on my turbo floor fan and aimed it into the guts of the Instant Pot.

About twenty minutes of blow drying, I turned off the fan and inspected the Instant Pot insides.

The fan had done its job. It had blown most of the rice out and it looked pretty dry, so the next thing I did was grab Hazel and vacuumed out the remainder of the dirty rice.

Then I decided to use my hair dryer to help make sure that it was as dry as possible.

I then said a quick prayer thanking God for everything, as I poured the cooled-off soup into a gallon Baggie.

As I placed the soup bag into the freezer I also thanked God for Tony, my beautiful family, dogs, friends, etc. 

Then I washed out the Instant Pot's pot and put it inside the machine and measured out 2 cups of brown rice and 4 cups of water. Then I secured the lid. But before I plugged it in, I went into the bathroom and removed my dentures, because the thought of having Tony find me with melted dentures was not how I wanted Tony and the dogs to remember me. And yes, it was a little vain.

Then I asked God to forgive me for being vain. Then I held my breath and plugged in the Instant Pot. The thing beeped like it always does, so I set the timer for 24 minutes and then walked away thanking God for not taking me today and keeping my Instant Pot alive.

As I finish writing this, Chet should be here in just a few minutes and we cannot wait to see him. And knowing that the rice is cooked and not fried rice I plan to finish making the dog's breakfast while Chet is here.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

P.S. I do not recommend doing what I did with my Instant Pot, because it really could be dangerous. And if this ever happens again, I am just going to throw it out and buy another one.

Taking A Hike!

FYI: I am writing this early, because the threat of thunderstorms are predicted for this evening, so I will probably be unplugged.

Today has been great and I am so excited about the prospect of something exciting happening for Little Debbie and me, in the near future. 

And it will also involve sweet Mari and her handsome dog Si(las)—if Mari and I can pull this adventure off.

You see this morning my dear friend Mari sent me this e-mail and that is how all of this got started. Mari wrote:

"I don’t know if you ever pick up a free copy of Hill Country Culture outside HEB, but I get it in the Kerrville Times, so I do read it.

I was thrilled to see the headline : Woman Brings Dream to Life and the subheadline “Hill Country Local Hikes Appalachian Trail”. I just KNEW the article was about YOU. I thought THAT’s why you’ve been walking with me at the Park – it was for PRACTICE.

So you can imagine how disappointed I was to see someone ELSE’s name in the article.

I guess when it cools down again and my Achilles tendon is healed, we’ll have to practice some more………   Mari"

So I wrote back:

"Hi Mari. I love reading Hill Country Culture and I love the Kerrville Daily Times. That is too hilarious about you thinking (wink) it was me hiking "The Trail." And I think it is really cool about that woman actually hiking the Appalachian Trail. I do admire Lorrie Hess.

Why don't you and I actually hike it? It would be so much fun and maybe then Hill Country Culture could write a funny story about us, over the hill, gals taking a hike!

We could make it a two day event and get back here, so we could be with our dogs. And we could take Si and Little Debbie and I could make a hilarious video of us actually walking the Appalachian Trail or at least stepping on the trail, because that counts as hiking the Trail. They could even use this Photoshopped picture that Tony took of me, in Louise Hays Park, pretending to be hiking on the trail.

And instead of me wearing a back pack Si could wear a back pack to carry our 2 bottles of water, because it would only take us about an hour to shoot the video. And maybe Si could possibly carry Little Debbie, too. She is a great traveler as long as her feet never touch the ground.

All we have to do is take multiple shirts and change them out and take photographs of ourselves wearing different clothes and then stand in front of different places and take pictures of ourselves. As if we have spent a month, 2 months, etc. hiking together. Omg, let's do this! Nancy

P.S. Have you read Bill Bryson's book A Walk In The Woods or seen the hilarious movie starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson and Mary Steenbergen? If not it is a must read and a must see for you. It is one of my favorite all time fun movies to watch. And besides it being a fabulous movie, the photography and music are incredibly great, too.

P.S.S. Plus this would be a perfect opportunity for Little Debbie and I to wear our matching Uggs! We've got to do this!!!!"

So as I finish writing this tonight I am (im)patiently waiting for Mari to get back to me.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Tortilla Soup!

The past few days have been great. Two days ago Tony and I decided to tackle the small shed we built over a year and a half ago.

We built this small shed and I named it the Wash House, because we had planned to put in a shower, toilet and a sink for when we have guests. But those plans literally went down the drain, because when we finally made the move over here, we ended up stuffing the shed with tons of packed boxes, etc. So it basically became an outdoor closet filled with a lot of our treasured stuff.

Anyway, it has been so long since we had stuffed this shed—we had no clue what was inside there.  But we soon found out.

So Monday afternoon, we put on our leather work gloves and we started hauling everything that was inside—outside. We piled box after box on top of the picnic table and chairs and it sort of looked like we were having an unannounced garage sale that no one was invited to attend.

As we dug into each box we soon discovered that we needed several garbage sacks, because so much of our treasured stuff we needed to throw away, because it was stuff that we didn't want or couldn't use.

But the good news is that we found one box that I had carefully packed that had come out of my pink writing cabin. And it was like Christmas in April for me.

I found some of my favorite books, important rocks, signs, framed pictures, decorative throw pillows, crystals, stuffed toys and a boatload of knickknacks that I had totally forgotten about.
And most of this cool stuff either needed to be cleaned, vacuumed or washed, so I sorted them into piles. Here are two items that I love that I had washed in the kitchen sink: my big, cobalt blue ball that now permanently resides above the kitchen sink and my adorable Boston Terrier Christmas ornament which  is now hanging outside near ET.

So yesterday afternoon Tony and I loaded up the truck with ten, industrial-sized garbage bags that were full of unwanted stuff that we've been storing in the shed and we (Actually it was just Tony) unloaded them, at the Kerrville dump and it felt so good, because now we know exactly what is inside that shed and I have been reunited with some of my missing, treasured stuff.

To celebrate finally feng-shuiing the Wash House and dumping a ton of its contents, at the county dump, we dropped by Wolfmueller's Books, for a fun visit with Sandy & Jon. And needless to say we did a lot of laughing with our dear friends.

As I finish writing this post, it is not yet 10:00 in the morning. Tony is working next door, at Escondida Resort, for a few hours and I am cooking us a pot of tortilla soup for our lunch. And the two reasons why I have written this post early is because thunderstorms with some possible hail are predicted for today, so I will most likely be unplugged, and also because I plan to spend today and tonight working on my third novella.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

P.S. "Gaby, yesterday we received your cute Easter postcard that you sent to us from Germany and we love it. And I/we hope that you had a wonderful Easter, too!"