The Countdown Has Begun!

Today has been great. This morning I started my 10 day juice fast that only allows me to drink raw fruits and vegetables! At 9:00 this morning, Tony and prepared Joe Cross' Mean Green juice recipe and we added carrots to ours. And starting tomorrow, after we go to town, to buy more fruits and vegetable, we will also be adding Spirulina and a very tiny amount of beet to our super healthy Mean Green juice recipe.

I've decided to take pictures of the of all of the ingredients I use for each juice I drink, before I juice them and then take a picture of the amount of juice it actually makes. So here goes.

Breakfast:  Our Mean Green juice recipe that we both drank. Very tasty. It is made with celery, apples, kale, ginger, carrot, cucumber and lemon.

Lunch: Mixed fruit using peaches, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple,grapes, blueberries, banana and    orange. It made a little over 12 ounces and it was totally delicious!

Then our dear friends Suellen and Barry came out to pick up Longmire, because they want to foster him! They renamed him Sheriff Longmire and all of us were thrilled for the little sheriff, but not as much as he was.

Y'all are not going to believe what happened one and a half hours later—Longmire's roommate, Ringo Starr, got adopted and he is going to live in Medina! It is too hard for me to tell if it was Longmire or Ringo Starr who couldn't wait to leave our rescue ranch, so I guess I will call it a tie.

As soon as "Ringo has left the building" Tony and I jumped into Kermit and took off to B.B. King's pen, so we could put him in Ringo's and Longmire's empty pen. Tony walked Mr. King to his new pen and I followed behind, on Kermit.

2:30 Snack: Spinach and blueberries. Delicious and the next time I make it, I'm tossing in some ice cubes. All of that food only made about 2 ounces. Excerpted from the 728 pages book, the big book of juice  "....a fast delivery of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, carbohydrates, chlorophyll and countless other phytonutrients (nutrients derived from plants) to boost health...."

At 3:00, we closed our rescue ranch for the day and went over to Carol's ranch, so we could visit with Bill & Carol and her lovely family. And, I took Tony's book the big book of juices, because Carol & Bill can't wait to start juicing after Tony and I told them and Jeff & Lorrie and this book. That is the best book written about juicing. 

When we arrived at Carol's ranch, after howdies and hugs, Carol tells me that she is going to do the raw vegetables and fruits fast, starting tomorrow! And today Lorri had sent her an e-mail telling her that she has started the ten day raw vegetables and fruits fast, too. 

Then all of us started talking about the great health benefits of juicing, the life-changing documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, organic gardening, eating healthy, etc., as Bill thumbed through the book and found and read to us some very delicious sounding juice recipes to make, along with their health benefits. 

As I finish writing this tonight, I am not feeling hungry at all. So, my ten day, healthy, fast countdown has begun and it feels so good knowing that each day that I do it, I am going to be getting healthier and healthier. Life is good.

Y'all have a great evening!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving Day has been great. This morning our dear friends/volunteers came out to help prepare and serve our dogs their annual Thanksgiving Dinner. We loved doing it and our dogs loved eating it.

Late this afternoon, I put together a short slideshow, out of the pictures Lorri Park and I took this morning and I hope you will check it out: 2014 Thanksgiving Dinner for our dogs.

Y'all have a great Thanksgiving evening!

You Are My Sunshine!

Today has been great. This morning Tony did all of the chores outside, while I did all of the chores (dust and vacuum) inside The Cabin. And I think he got the better end of the deal, because when I started deep cleaning I couldn't quit cleaning this and that until it was time for me to cook our lunch.

Because we have watched that fabulous documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, we are seriously taking everything that we eat to whole higher level. In fact, this morning Tony and I juiced and each drank 16 ounces of Mean Green juice.

So, for lunch I sauteed some mushrooms and onions, with garlic, while cooking the veggie burgers. Then I peeled an avocado, added a small amount of salt to it and then mashed it up, because I was going to top our veggie burgers with the mushrooms, onions, garlic and avocado.

Then I made us healthy fruit smoothies made with blueberries, strawberries, banana, peach, pineapple, grapes, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds and almond milk. Then I let Jaws, our incredibly great Vitamix Machine pulverize it. Then I half-hollered down the hallway, "Tony! Lunch is ready!"
And needless to say, "Our lunch was absolutely delicious and Tony loved it!"

After lunch I cleaned up the kitchen and then I said, to whatever dogs were awake, in the big room, "I quit. No more cleaning. It is what it is. When our friends/volunteers come out tomorrow morning, to help us cook and serve our dogs their annual people Thanksgiving dinner—they are not going to care one bit how clean our home is." Then our dogs dozed off, again. "And I am taking the rest of today and tomorrow off, too." And no one responded, so I sat down, at the kitchen table to check my e-mail.

My dear, old friend Judy, from Austin, had sent me an e-mail that linked me to a really cool site that calculated exactly how old you are today and all I had to do was just type in my birth date. Wow, it was amazingly fast, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know that:

     Today I am 23,051 days old
     3,293 weeks + 0 days old
     7,573 months old
     And was born on a Wednesday

Anyway, it was fun and if you want to check it out, here's the link to it.

This afternoon I practiced playing the scales on B.B. again, then I took a short sleepless nap with our four-legged family.

About one hour after getting off of the bed, I walked back into our bedroom to get something and I saw Little Debbie still sleeping, on top of the 2nd, cheap, protective blanket, that she, Alice and Beau have enjoyed ripping and tearing apart. So, I tip-toed back to the kitchen to get my camera. And seconds later, I took this cute picture of her and our 2nd torn up, cheap blanket-bedspread cover.

I love this picture, because she looks like a little angel sleeping, even though I am sure she was dreaming about where she was going to put another hole, in the inexpensive cover-blanket. And, I like that the "Yoda Lisa," above the headboard, is looking down on her. (I cut & pasted that picture of my dog Yoda, in 1994. She was another one of my soul-mates that loved me unconditionally and she always put a smile to my face.) I've named this picture of Little Debbie sleeping, You Are My Sunshine.

I this this early, and having it post at 5:30, because Tony and I will be over at Carol's ranch visiting with her & Bill and Lorri & Jeff and be playing guitars with Jeff. Jeff Severson is the prankster that tries to play phone pranks on me when he and Lorri come to visit Carol.

In fact, Jeff has already tried twice since he got there, on Monday. On his first phone prank this week, Jeff tried to sound like an Englishman and left a message, saying his name was Robert Glickman and he wanted to adopt some of our dogs and fly them over to England, but it didn't work, because I checked the caller ID and saw that it was a California area code. So, I called him back. He answered, "This is Robert Lickman."

"Jeff, I know it's you," I said, followed by a laugh.

"I'm sorry. This is Robert Glickman. Who is this and why are you calling me?...." Finally, he fessed up and then we laughed and visited for a few minutes.

This afternoon, Jeff left another message about him wanting to adopt an armadillo and I could hear Carol & Bill and Lorri laughing, in the background. It was pretty funny and you can Click Here to listen to Jeff's latest prank phone call that he tried to play on me. 

A few minutes later, I returned Jeff's aka Hans' phone call. When he answered, I said, "Hello, this is Gretel and yes, we do have an armadillo that you can adopt. But first, I need to know if you have a fenced back yard, Jeff! I got you, again!" And that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

No Longer Strapless!

Today has been great. This morning when Tony got back home, from drinking coffee with his friends, at The Old Timer, in Medina, he and I started preparing our (Joe Cross') Mean Green juice and I decided to photograph it.

This healthy, tasty juice recipe ingredients include: celery stalks, kale, apples, cucumber, lemon and ginger and we added carrots to ours. After we had put all of the required ingredients, on the pastry board, we divided them in half, because the juice nearly over flowed yesterday morning. Probably because of the carrots.

After I made mine first, I took a picture of the delicious, super healthy juice.

And then I took these pictures of Tony preparing his juice.

Then we clinked our juice glasses together and drank to our health.

This afternoon, we had to go to Kerrville, to run several errands. And one of our stops was at Stan's. He's our good friend that owns The Melody Corner music store, so I could buy a strap for B.B. King, my new, awesome Telecaster electric guitar.

We had a fun visit with Stan while I checked out his guitar strap's display and had finally picked out the perfect one and had purchased it. Then we came back home.

As soon as we had put up our last minute needed Thanksgiving groceries and our fruits and veggies for our juices, I put my pretty, pink guitar strap on B.B. and took this picture of him fully dressed.

Then I practiced playing the scales, that Jesse had taught me, for about forty minutes, on my no longer strapless, electric guitar. 

Early this evening, I went over to the Lodge and had a fun visit with Kinky. And that's about it for tonight, except for some very exciting news—Netflix has picked up Longmire and there is going to be a fourth season! So life is good, once again and I am so thankful that we don't have to go grocery shopping tomorrow for our Thanksgiving dinner. 

Y'all have a great evening!

Ruth Buzzi Rules! or Ten Days And Counting! or Almost Ready To Go!

This past Thursday, Tony and I went over to Kinky's lodge, around 5:00, so Tony could take a short video of Kinky and me saluting our dear friend Ruth Buzzi, for an upcoming Tribute to Ruth Buzzi, that was held for her, this past weekend.

Ours was to be a secret video, at the time and Ruthie knew nothing about her sweet husband Kent, Kinky, Tony and me doing it, along with many of her famous celebrity friends, such as Willie Nelson, that were all sending in their video tributes, too. We did this video in just one take and it is short, but because I am technology challenged or just plain stupid, it took me several hours of frustration trying to figure out how to reduce its gigantic 335 megabyte size, so I could get it to Kent, so he could pass it on to sweet Tara and then she could pass it on to the video editor. You can check our video out, on YouTube by clicking: We Love Ruth Buzzi, Too!

Saturday evening, I watched two fabulous documentaries, back-to-back, on Netflix. The first one was Burt's Buzz and it was about the life of Burt Shavitz, the co-founder of Burt's Bees' products. Then I watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead by Joe Cross and it inspired me so much, it has and is going to change Tony's and my lifestyle food choices.

So Sunday morning, right after we did our morning chores outside, we went to Belk's, in Kerrville, so I could buy us a juicer and buy some organic vegetables, at the big H-E-B, on Main Street, because I could not wait to start juicing, once again.

Many years ago, Tony and I juiced everyday for at least two years, until we purchased Jaws, our fabulous Vitamix machine. I held on to our juicer for a couple of years and I stored it in our bedroom closet aka The Wine Cellar aka Hazel's Hangout and our clothes. And a few years back, I finally feng-shued it and gave it to the Salvation Army with no regrets until I watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. Here's what we bought!

And this is where it now lives. On the second shelf, above my red, hand-painted "May The Dog of Your Choice Bless You" sign, near the refrigerator.

Today has been a great day. This morning, before we went outside to do our chores, I asked Tony to please watch Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, with me, because I knew this informative documentary would inspire him, too. 

Before we watched this great documentary, Tony and I made the Joe Cross' "Mean Green" detox juice recipe, that Joe drinks, in the film and it was surprisingly delicious. Then we sipped our super healthy juice while we watched Joe and Phil shed hundreds of pounds, by only juicing vegetables and fruits. And after we watched it, Tony was as inspired as me.

This afternoon Tony and I went to Randy's & Lisa's Save Inn restaurant, because we were going to eat lunch with Kinky and Donna Hatch. All of us love Donna. She is one of the most upbeat people we know and because she is always ready for a laugh. So needless to say, "We laughed throughout our delicious meal.

At one point in our fun conversation, I told Kinky and Donna about us watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. Donna seemed really interested and wanted to know more, so I said, "Donna, I am seriously thinking about doing Joe's ten day juice fast and starting it the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, that's why I'm eating this chicken-fried steak today." 

"Let's do it together!" Donna said. "It will be more fun and we can help each other not fall off of the wagon."

"It says the first three days are the hardest," I warned.

"I know we can do it!" Then we talked about our upcoming "ten days and counting" juicing experiment. And that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

A Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was great. After we did our morning chores outside Tony and I decided that we would go to the big H-E-B, in Kerrville, to buy the "people food" for our rescued dog's annual, upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Then Kinky called me to ask if we wanted to meet him for lunch, in Kerrville.

Around 12:50, Tony and I walked into Wolfmueller's Books backdoor and greeted Sandy, who was busy working on her computer. After howdies and hugs, I told her, "We're meeting Kinky for lunch, at Conchita's and we would love for you and Jon to join us." Then we saw Kinky walk inside their front door and wave to us, in the back room.

At 1:00, Kinky, Tony and I crossed Main Street and then we went inside the popular Mexican food cafe, that actually offers "The Kinky Plate." Right after we had sat down, at our table, we saw our good friend, Kathy, walk inside the cafe. And after greetings we invited her to join us for lunch.

Kathy is the sweet wife of Dr. Craig Janssen, who owns Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic. She is a very pretty, upbeat, interesting, an ice skater and funny lady. After writing this last sentence, I have just realized that this sounds like I am am trying to adopt Kathy out and find her a good home, like I do with our rescued dogs, but I'm not because Kathy and Craig already have a great home. Anyway, our lunch with Kinky and Kathy was delicious and it was a lot of fun and filled with non-stop laughing. In other words, we were the loudest table.

When it was time to leave, Kathy insisted on treating all of us to lunch and before we adios-ed one another she gave me a hundred-dollar-bill and said, "Craig and I want you to use this money to help pay for your dog's annual Thanksgiving dinner. We thanked Kathy and asked her to thank Craig for us.
Then we adios-ed each other and then took off in different directions.

Tony and I jaywalked across Main Street and then went in the Wolfmueller's Books backdoor again, so we could visit with Sandy & Jon. And seconds later, while in the back of the bookstore with Sandy, we saw Kinky walk once again walk inside the bookstore's front door. When he saw us he started laughing and he joked, "We've got to quit meeting like this!" Then the five of us had a short, but fun visit, before we went to the big H-E-B store.

On the way to H-E-B, I told Tony, "That was so nice of Kathy and Craig wanting to help sponsor our dog's dinner. Kris and Jim have already offered to pay for the whole thing, so I guess you will need to pay first with the hundred dollar bill and then write a check for the remainder amount. Let's use two grocery carts and follow each other around the store, so I can get our stuff and you can get the dog's dinner..." And that's exactly what we did. Here is a picture of the receipt and total amount for our dog's Thanksgiving dinner and their people food.

When we were putting our groceries inside Buttermilk, I asked Tony how much the dog's dinner had cost and when he told me, I said, "Great, I can't wait to see Kris and Jim tomorrow and tell them about Kathy's and Craig's donation and that it will only cost them $47.97!"

Today has been great. June and Jim were the only friends/volunteers that came out today to walk our dogs and after they walked our dogs and handed our dog treats we went to the Koyote Grill for lunch, because Kris and Jim were going to meet us there.

After Tony and I placed our order, I went over to the table and told Kris and Jim that Craig and Kathy Janssen had given us $100.00 to help pay for our dog's annual Thanksgiving dinner and that the remaining amount was only $47.97. They told me they would write us a check for it.

Then June, unaware of what we had been talking about, came over to the table and sat down. "Nancy, I want to make a small donation for the dog's Thanksgiving dinner." Then she handed me three $20.00 bills. 

Then I joked to Kris and Jim, "Looks like y'all aren't going to have to pay for anything," I laughed and so did Kris and Jim. "June, we're not laughing at you and thank you very much..." Then I told her the dog's thanksgiving dinner donation story, how Kris and Jim had offered to pay for all of it and Kathy and Craig's $100.00 donation and that made her laugh, too.

"Well good," June said. "I'm glad I could help, too."

"Nancy," Jim said. "Let Kris and me pay for the dog's Christmas dinner. Okay?"

"I don't know?" I teased. "If things keep going like this, y'all might not ever get to pay for anything..."

As I finish writing this, it is nearly 4:00. I decided to write earlier than usual, because while we were up at Koyote, earlier today, we ran into our dear friend Jesse, the fabulously talented guitar player and his sweet daughter, that live across the highway from us. And Kris and Jim and Tony and I had a fun visit with them outside, in the parking lot, before we all adios-ed each other and drove away.

While we were stopped at the mailboxes and Tony was getting our mail out of our mailbox, Jesse and his daughter pulled up along side us, on Jesse's awesome Harley. "Nancy, I really want to check out your new electric guitar," Jesse said. "Do y'all have any plans for tonight?"

"We have no plans," I said.

"I hate to ask this, but would it be alright if Delores and me come over tonight?"

"Sure. That sounds great. I've named my new electric B.B. and maybe you can give me a short guitar lesson on how to play The Thrill Is Gone?..." 

And that is the reason why I am posting this now, because Jesse and Delores are coming over to see us and meet B.B., around 6:00 and I need to clean up The Cabin, so it doesn't look like Tony and I live here.

P.S. I almost forgot to tell you, that Jim told me that when they were at Hoegemeyers, Monday, he and Kathy Janssen were visiting and he mentioned to her that they were coming out here, Thanksgiving morning, to help prepare and feed our rescued dogs their annual home-(trailer) cooked Thanksgiving dinner and that's how Kathy knew about it.

Y'all have a great evening!

Bill's Signature Dish!

Today has been great. This afternoon Tony and I went to Kerrville to buy groceries and a bottle of whiskey and to pick up Dude, that dog we rescued that belonged to that homeless young man, trying to get back to his parent's home, in California.

At the big H-E-B, with the exception of whiskey, I filled my shopping cart with all of the ingredients needed to make Ree Drummod's Peach-Whiskey Chicken recipe. Her easy to make, delicious recipe is on the Food Network, courtesy of Ree Drummond. So click on: Peach-Whiskey Chicken to check it out, because it has a Five-Star rating on the Food Network.

I luckily found out about Ree Drummond's Peach-Whiskey Chicken recipe, because of my dear friend Carol. When she told me that it was Bill's signature dish and how much she loved it and Bill, I knew I had to try the recipe

When I made it for Chet, Kinky and Tony they loved it more than me, because they all got second servings. Anyway, I hope that y'all will try it, because I promise you that it will become your favorite recipe, too.

Before we went to Hoegemeyers we stopped, at Spec's liquor store, so I could buy the whiskey for the recipe. And when I was paying the cashier, a woman standing behind me tapped my shoulder and loudly said, "Trust me. This woman is way over twenty-one-years-old." Then our dear friend, Gerri laughed, the cashier laughed, the people in line behind me and I laughed.

"Yes, it's true," I joked back, as the cashier handed me my bottle of booze, in a sack. "And this woman is way over the legal drinking age, too! Good grief, Gerri! It is so good to see you. How are you and Don doing?...."

When we arrived at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic, I told Susan, "We're here to pick up Dude, but I want to change his name."

"I knew you would," Susan said, followed by a chuckle. "What's his new name?"

"I won't know until we meet him. I'll tell you in just a minute." Then we followed Robin to the kennels, in the back of the clinic, so we could meet him.

Oh my gosh, this great, once homeless dog, instantly stole my heart. His eyes are what did it for me, because they were full of love. Then Robin told us that he is really cool around other dogs, extremely sweet, but he does need to be leash trained. Then Robin showed us Daisy, a dog that we also rescued last week, from a man losing his battle with cancer, with little time left.

Last week this gentleman told me that Daisy had showed up at his place and she looked like she had been hit by a car, because she had a hard time getting to her feet. He told me that she was a sweet dog, but due to his medical costs he could not afford to take her to a vet and there is more to Daisy's story, but not for tonight, due to time.

She is a lovely, sweet dog, but because she needs three expensive, upcoming surgeries, because she was hit by a car, she is going to have to stay, at the clinic, for a while. Here is a picture of Daisy that he had e-mailed to me earlier. She is only one-year-old and is as sweet as she can be.

When Tony and I returned to the lobby, I told Susan, "His new name is B.B. King!" That made Susan laugh as she changed it on B.B.'s rabies certificate. "And because we already have a Daisy, I'm changing her name to Bonnie Raitt." Susan and the people, in the lobby, chuckled. Tony didn't laugh, because he wasn't there, because he had gone to the rest room.

"Robin and I knew that you would change her name too," Susan teased. "Bonnie Raitt is a great name for her." Then we watched B.B. King literally drag Robin, out the front door. "Let me help you, Robin!" I half-hollered. Then I turned around and joked, "Better her than me." Then I left the building, to go help Robin load B.B. into a crate.

Mr. King road great, inside his crate, in the Expedition aka Buttermilk. Before Tony put him in a temporary pen, I tried to take some quick pictures of B.B., but he was so excited, because some of our dogs were barking at him, I didn't get a good picture of him, but I promise I will in the next few days.

Before we drove on up to The Cabin, I took this picture of Springsteen and Katee Sackhoff together at last, in their pen, because they had been the welcoming committee that greeted B.B. King, to the rescue ranch.

After we put up our groceries, I started cooking the Peach-Whiskey Chicken recipe, for tomorrow's lunch, because I do that often, so we will have a, warmed, delicious meal awaiting us, when we finish up our chores outside.

I had just started browning the chicken when Carol called me. "Carol, I am putting you on Speaker Phone, because I have just started cooking Bill's signature dish..." We had a really fun visit, filled with laughter, that lasted as long as it took me to put the foil over the Peach-Whiskey Chicken dish and slide it into the 300 degrees oven, to bake for one and a half hours. And that is about it for tonight. I wish y'all could join us for lunch tomorrow.

Y'all have a great evening!

A Meet & Greet Update!

I have two successful meet & greet updates to report. Longmire and Ringo are now together and they are best friends. And Katee Sackhoff is now living with Springstein and they love each other! Life is good at the rescue ranch.

Meet & Greet!

Today has already been great and it is still early! This morning, at 10:45, Katherine and Erin adopted Buddy, our super sweet dog that we called, The Ambassador, because we always try to put new rescued dogs with him, because he is so great with other dogs.

After Katherine and Erin adopted Buddy, I took this picture of them and with them putting a brand new dog collar on Buddy.

Before Sandy & Garnet's sweet daughter and granddaughter put Buddy into their car, I bent down and told Buddy how lucky he was and he looked up and kissed my cheek, which made me tear up, because I love this dog so much and am so happy for him getting a great home. But my tears quickly disappeared when Katherine told me about how well Ginger was doing with Garnet and Sandy's two other dogs and what a great dog she is.

After we adios-ed Buddy, Katherine and Erin they drove away, then Tony jumped into Kermit and drove away, too. And seconds later, Kermit and Tony returned with Longmire, in Tony's arms, because earlier this week, we had planned on putting Longmire, in the alley, next to Ringo Starr's pen, after Buddy got adopted, so they could meet & greet and hopefully become future running buddies.

The two, sweet fellas hit it off instantly with their tails wagging non-stop, so probably in just a few hours we will put Longmire in with Ringo.

Finally, the sun is shining brightly outside, thank goodness and with Buddy's SUPER ADOPTION this morning, this has already been a wonderful day for us. 

Y'all have a wonderful day, too!

We Are Family!

Friday and today have been great, but not very eventful. Basically, all I've done is do my morning chores outside, catch up on the paperwork, phone calls, cook, do the laundry, mess around with B.B., my new electric Telecaster, and get some more writing done on my third novella. And because there hasn't been any sunshine for the past several days, I've had the blahs, because I'm one of those people that requires sunshiny days.

Friday morning when I was checking my e-mail, Garnet sent me a picture of Ginger with their other two dogs: Bear and Lola, that really lifted my spirits, because if a dog we adopt out comes back to us, it will usually happen within the first few days. Garnet titled this cute picture, We Are Family! And I totally love it, because it truly says it all and it makes me so happy for Ginger that she has her a forever home.

Late this afternoon Tony and I had to go to the Home Depot, in Kerrville and we didn't really want to, but we had to, because Tony's wooden toilet seat, in his bathroom, down the hallway, broke in half. On our way there I teased Tony about his broken toilet seat, and I said, "Now, you know how I feel when you forget to lower the seat for me." He didn't laugh, but I did, because I thought it was funny.

After he picked out his new wooden toilet seat, that comes with a three-year warranty, just like his old one did, that lasted him ten years, we went to their garden section and bought some beautiful Pansies to put in Outer Space. And that cheered me up, because I was tired of looking at toilet seats.

Then we went to the little H-E-B and bought a few groceries and on our way back to Trigger, we saw our good friends Dick and Elaine, in the parking lot and we had a fun visit with them. We did a lot of laughing and I sure needed that. 

So tonight, as I finish writing this, Tony is in his /guest bathroom, happily installing his new wooded toilet seat. And I bet you, that in just a few minutes, he will ask me to come admire his new reseated throne. Which, of course, I will do, but I won't be bringing my camera along, because this kind of stuff is personal—something that you don't want the whole world to know about.

Tomorrow morning, Garnet's and Sandy's sweet daughter is coming out to adopt Buddy and we are thrilled for Buddy even though we're going to miss him. So I guess I could say, "Life is good," even though I'm fixing to go admire Tone's throne.

Y'all have a great evening!

B.B.!

Today has been great and I promise you that this will be a short post and a quick read.

This afternoon Tony and I went to our good friend Stan's music store, Melody Corner, in Kerrville, so I could buy an inexpensive electric guitar, because I am determined to learn how to play B.B. King's signature song, The Thrill Is Gone.

Kinky, Tony and I love Stan a lot and when Tony and I walked inside his super cool music store, Stan looked up, smiled and said, "Hi Cousin Nancy and Tony! It is so good to see you two." After greetings, I told Stan that I was looking to buy an inexpensive electric guitar. "Well, I've got a great, country-sounding electric to show you. It's the one hanging up, in the corner over there."

Then Tony says, "Stan, she's wanting a pink one. If you've got one." Then he and Tony chuckled.

"Sorry Cousin Nancy, I don't have any pink ones in stock right now."

I chuckled and then I said, "Stan, I'm actually looking for an electric, that I can play B.B.'s The Thrill is Gone on." After we had quit laughing about Stan assuming that I wanted a country-sounding electric, he showed me a Telecaster that was pretty and definitely the right price for me. In other words, It was cheap. "I like it and want to buy it."

"Great, but first let me play it for you, so you can check out it's sound. It has two pickups." Then Stan grabbed my Telecaster from the rack, sat down, on a stool and plugged my Telecaster into a nearby Marshall amp. Then he started playing B.B.'s most famous song that I absolutely love and never get tired of hearing. And he and it sounded so good it seriously blew Tony and me out of the saddle and it gave me instant goose bumps, because Stan is such an awesome musician and he can play any song and any musical instrument.

So tonight I am spending the evening messing around with my new Telecaster and here's a picture of it. And just so you'll know—I've already named it B.B. and I totally love it and the thrill is definitely not gone, because it is not pink!

Y'all have a great evening!

My Head On Collision!

Late Sunday afternoon, Tony and I were sitting outside, in my cabin's front yard, visiting with Tony's sweet sister and her husband. Tony and Annie love photography and they both had their cameras, on the table, ready to grab and capture the next pretty bird or butterfly that came our way.

While we were catching up with each others news, we were startled when we heard a loud noise and then watched a huge flock of frightened, white-winged doves take flight. "There's a hawk nearby," Tony stated.

Then Tony started to tell them our Coopers Hawk story, about us sitting in the front yard and watching a Coopers Hawk, swoop down, about ten feet away from us and grab a little bird and take off with it and that is when I nearly had my head on collision!

Out of nowhere this gigantic Coopers Hawk comes flying, literally at breakneck speed, over the top of my cabin, dives down heading straight towards my face and right before it got to me it flew upward and disappeared into the trees, in the pigpen behind us. Just barely missing the top of my head. All of us were shocked at what we had just witnessed and no one got a picture of it, because it happened so fast and their cameras were still on the table.

Annie and Tony were sick about not getting to capture the scary and exciting event. And as we talked about that fly-by, I remarked, "Well, I'm just glad that I didn't have Little Debbie out here, running around in the yard, because he could have scooped her up after turning my face into a permanent caricature!"

Yesterday was a great day. In the afternoon, Tony and I went to Kerrville for three reasons: Hazel, Longmire and Katee Sackhoff. And I am proud to announce that Longmire enjoyed the road trip to the rescue ranch, because I held him in my arms, so he could look out the window.

Before we put them into their pens, I tried to take some better pictures of them. We found out that little Longmire is approximately one-year-old and he never takes a bad picture, because he is so cute and that he must have been a race car driver in a previous life time, because he always wants to drive.

Hazel is a very sweet four-year-old dog and we put her in Tom Landry's pen and put Landry in the alley, in hopes that they will become fast friends. 

And then there's sweet, affectionate, one-year-old Katee Sackhoff. We have temporarity put her in the alley, between Springsteen and Gonzo & Daisy, in hopes that she can be Springsteen's partner. Good grief, Katee is so camera shy, unlike the great actress, on Longmire, because I tried, for over ten minutes, to take a good picture of her and so far, these are the two best. And I am not going to give up on taking a great picture of her and a better one of Hazel. Here's Katee hamming it up in front of the camera!

Before Tony and I went to get dog food for these three great dogs I took this picture of Katee visiting with Gonzo, by the gate and I was surprised with the outcome, so I quickly snapped my camera again. I have not enhanced these pictures and I love the pink rays. Tony told me the pink is from the glare of the sun, but I choose to think differently.  : )

Today has been great. Since this past weekend, after happily finding out that Garnet & Sandy's daughter's family have decided to adopt our sweet Buddy, this coming Saturday, we rescued another dog today. This afternoon, I talked to a very nice man, that volunteers for a Kerrville non-profit charity. First, he asked me if we could take a sweet, young dog, then he told me why. The charity that he volunteers for is trying to help raise the bus fare, to California, to help a homeless, young man get back to his family."This young man told us that he found the dog and he doesn't want it." So after our conversation, I called Susan, at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic, to tell her that we had another incoming. And that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

We Had It All Planned! or Utopia Skies! or Moose Playing Guitar!

Yesterday and today have been great. Friday morning around 10:30, I went outside to greet and visit with our good friends/volunteers. When I was talking to June, Ellen and Eileen about Ginger, the new Boxer, that we recently rescued, who is staying in my pink cabin's front yard, June said, "I want to meet her." So, we hoofed it down to my pretty, pink writing cabin.

As we took turns petting Ginger, Sandy & Garnet, our good friends, from Utopia, arrived with their daughter Kathryn and husband. Garnet had called me Thursday evening to ask if it would be okay for them to come out Friday morning, because they wanted Kathryn and her sweet husband to see our rescue ranch, meet our super volunteers and to also go to lunch with all of us, at the Medina Highpoint's Koyote Grill.

When Garnet got out of their car, she immediately noticed Ginger and remarked, "Sandy, they've got a Boxer! I love Boxers and have always wanted one." Then we hugged each other before introductions.

"Ginger's a great dog," I said, as Garnet went over to the gate to pet her. "Look! She loves you, Garnet." Then  her husband Sandy went over to the fence to meet Ginger, too. "Turn on the charm, Ginger," I joked. "Here's your chance for a great home, on a beautiful ranch, in Utopia." Ginger seemed to understand what I said to her and she wagged her stubby tail and then she licked their hands. While June, Ellen, Eileen, Tony and me started trying to "sell" Ginger to Sandy & Garnet. Jokingly saying things like, "What's one more mouth to feed? It looks like she really wants to go home with y'all. Hey, there's no pressure from us. Work it, Girlfriend...."

"I love this dog and if you had had her six months ago, we would have adopted her. Dang it..."

"Then I joked, "Hey, it worked! Garnet, I confess. We planned this whole thing, to get y'all to adopt Ginger." Then Kathryn and her husband walked up and met Ginger. Ginger stole their hearts, too, before all of us went to go eat lunch.

Last night when I came back inside The Cabin, Carlton was flashing, on top of the breakfast bar. Garnet had left us a message. "We want to adopt Ginger and we'll come out tomorrow to pick her up. As soon as we left y'all, all I have done is think about Ginger..." So, I punched in Garnet's phone number and thanked her and Sandy, for giving this beautiful, four-year-old Boxer a fabulous forever home and then she told me that they would pick her up around lunchtime today. To say the least, "We were more than thrilled for Ginger and so was Kinky." After Garnet and I adios-ed each other, I went outside and told Ginger the great news and she seemed to understand that, too.

This morning around 8:48, when Tony and I came back inside after doing our chores outside, Carlton was once again flashing, on top of our breakfast bar. And Garnet had once again left us a message, "Nancy, we can't wait to get Ginger around lunchtime. We're leaving Utopia right now and we should be there in about forty-five minutes. Bye."

When Sandy & Garnet arrived, we were drinking coffee with Chet, so we invited them to come inside with us and drink a cup of coffee. "Nancy, I want to give you and Tony a copy of my book, Utopia Skies." Then she handed it to me.

I Love Garnet's Introduction 

Then Chet, Tony and I checked out her beautiful book of her photography. All of us thought Garnet Sheffield's pictures were stunningly beautiful and beyond breath taking. "Wow, Garnet!" I said. "Thank you so much. We love your photography book and I love you & Sandy! Now let's go outside and adopt us a dog." And before Garnet put the leash on Ginger, I said, "Ginger, I hope we never see you again. You're a lucky, girl."

And then Ginger looked me in the eye and I'm sure in doggie-language, she said, "And Nancy, I hope that I never see you or Tony again, too. Let's roll!"

This afternoon I cooked a meatloaf, a squash casserole and pinto beans for lunch and right when we were ready to eat, Kinky called. "Is the Catfish Buffet tonight, at the Koyote Grill or was it last night? I'm hungry and..."

After Tony and I ate lunch, we jumped into Buttermilk and went over the river and through the woods to deliver our leftover lunch to Kinky and Chet. And not to brag, "They ate it all and loved it, too."

Later this afternoon, Chet came back over for a visit and to help Tony work on his VW Beetle's engine. When Chet walked inside The Cabin, he said, "I have a gift for you and Tony. It's my drawing of a moose playing guitar and I want you to have it. I thought I had lost it, but I found it." And needless to say, "We absolutely love it and we have it already hanging on the wall, in between the kitchen and big room, next to our homemade wineglass hanger or above Carlton."

And that's about it for tonight. Don't forget that our good friend, Chet O'Keefe, will be playing his fabulous music, during brunch, at The Hunt Store, tomorrow from 11:00 to 3:00. And we're going to try to be there, because there's nothing better than great food and great music.

Y'all have a great evening!

Road Trips!

Yesterday, while it was RAINING outside, thank goodness, I got a phone call from a nice woman that works, at the Kerr County Animal Services. She told me a sad story about an older woman recently passing away. This woman left behind a very sweet, female dog, that her children surrendered to the pound. She told me that this woman's dog was probably a Lab mix and that the dog had shyness issues and would we consider meeting her and possibly rescuing her, because the dog's time was running out.

I hate hearing stories like this because it always breaks my heart, so I said, "Yes, we might be able to help this poor dog. How much time does she have left? Because I know that we can't make it there today or tomorrow, because of all of the rain and possible flooding conditions. But maybe we could Friday afternoon, after our volunteers finish walking our dogs for us."

There was the sound of silence for a few seconds and then this kind-hearted woman trying to help this dog said, "Oh thank you so much! She's a really great dog, once she gets to know you. I'll make sure that we keep her until Monday, if that helps you out? And please, don't get on the roads just to come here in case it floods. The dog is safe and we'll definitely hold on to her until Monday..."

Early this afternoon Tony and I went to Kerrville. Our first stop was at El Sol de Mexico restaurant to eat a delicious lunch there and to take home a dozen of their tasty tamales, because everyone knows that they make the best tamales, in the Texas Hill Country. Or better yet said, "El Sol de Mexico Makes the Best Tamales on the Planet."

 After we left El Sol de Mexico we went to the pound, but it was closed until 1:00. It was 12:48, so we decided to wait, at the closed gate, for twelve minutes, but we didn't have to wait, because one of their friendly staff women came outside, waved to us and then opened up the gate to let us drive in. "Thanks for opening the gate," Tony said.

The smiling woman said, "It's not a problem! We'll always open it for y'all. Come on in, so I can show you this dog..."

Fifteen minutes later, I signed off on their paperwork, at their desk, then I went outside and pulled my new iPhone 5S (One of Tony's birthday presents to me this year.) out of my purse to take these pictures.

This is a picture of that woman's shy dog, already loaded inside our crate and I named her Hazel, because this dog wasn't shy acting with Tony and me or the friendly woman who helped us. And I think Hazel is an upbeat name for her, because I loved watching that television show. Here's Hazel!

I named this cute girl Katee Sackhoff, because she is the super cool actress that plays the character Victoria, a Deputy on Longmire—my favorite television show! It is not a very good picture of her, because she was so excited to be rescued, she kept jumping up and down, etc.

Here are Hazel and Katee already loaded up and ready to go to Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic. Hazel is in our crate and we put Katee in the smaller crate that we had to borrow from the pound. 

And we also rescued Longmire! This sweet little guy was so happy to get out of there, he wanted to drive us to Hoegemeyers, but Tony wouldn't let him drive, so I ended up holding him in my arms, on the short road trip over to the clinic. And please note that this little, handsome dog loves riding in cars and I hope that after he is neutered tomorrow morning, he will still want to go on road trips.

Before we adios-ed the friendly, helpful staff, at the pound, we had a fun visit with the staff, who were thrilled about us taking Hazel, Katee and Longmire. And one of the men Officers told us that he loved that we had named the little guy Longmire and that he had also spent some time working with Katee and he thought she was a very cool dog.

When Tony and I walked inside Hoegemeyers, Robin looked up from the desk and greeted us. Then I said, "We have three-incoming! We just rescued three dogs from the pound. And this little guy is named Longmire!

"I love Longmire!" Robin said. 

"The dog or the show?" I joked.

"Both. That's a really great name for this little fella..." 

And that is about it for tonight. And I'll keep y'all posted on Longmire's reaction about going on another road trip with us, when we pick him up, at Hoegemeyers, to bring him to the rescue ranch. 

And now I have some late breaking news! Tony has just walked into the kitchen and said, "Big G just told me that Chet is going to be playing again, at The Hunt Store, this Sunday from 1l:00 to 3:00, when they will be serving their famous brunch!"

Y'all have a great evening!