I've Got Allergies Bad! or I Will Write More Tomorrow!

Down By The River!

Today has been great. This afternoon Tony and I met, Hans & Marita, our dear friends from Norway, for lunch at Monroe's East End Grill. To say the least the food was totally delicious and we had so much fun with our friends, as we sat out on the patio.

After lunch, because  we were having so much fun, no one wanted to adios each other yet, so I suggested that Hans & Marita follow us over to the park, so we could feed the ducks and geese and go for a stroll, from one bridge to another bridge and then back to where we had started.

I know that we could have gone to the park much faster by just crossing Water Street and walking down to the trail, but because they wanted to go to J.C. Pennies after our walk, is why I suggested that we go to where Mari and us always meet.

Anyway, on the way to Louise Hayes Park, I quickly filled up two baggies with corn, so Hans & Marita could have a bag to feed the ducks and geese, too.

First off, Marita and Hans were so impressed with the park when we arrived there, they suggested that we meet again, for a fun picnic there. We agreed to that and then the four of us took off.

Because we had not planned on going to the park today, Tony was sick that he had not brought along his camera. So, before our friends and I started hoofing-it, I loaned Tony my iPhone for a few minutes so he could take some pictures. And please note that I would have let him keep my cell phone as he waited for us, but I wanted to use it so it could count my steps.

Here are a few of the pictures he took today:

This is Hans actually shooting his beautiful wife down by the river, as she let my feathered friends eat the corn straight out of the baggie. (And just so you'll know—he was using his iPhone's camera.)

When the ducks and geese in the water saw Marita's All-You-Can-Eat Corn Buffet, they came a swimming and a waddling as fast as they could.

I've titled this photo "So Which One of You Two Called Me Ugly?"

This one I've titled "Don't Look Now. But Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner?" (The answer is King Tut.)

And Tony took this picture of all of these cool turtles sunbathing, on the sides of these beautiful, huge Cypress trees.

I had a wonderful time strolling through the park with Marita & Hans and the further we walked the more impressed our Norwegian friends were about this awesome, beautiful park.

In the parking lot, under the Sidney Baker Bridge, before adios-ing our dear, foreign friends, Marita & Hans and I pulled out our pedometers and checked how many steps we had taken on our bridge-to-bridge and back walk.

 And they were totally thrilled with their results and when they showed me their phone's pedometers to compare it to mine—we had walked the exact same distance. 

FYI: On my Apple-Health app the smaller spike is when Tony and I went shopping at the big H-E-B, before meeting up with our friends at Monroe's East End Grill.

And because Hans & Marita were so excited about discovering this great park they told us that they could not wait to meet us at the park, again. 

And that is about it for tonight, because I am tired and all I want to do is get into my pajamas, relax, drink one glass of my cheap, fine-boxed-wine and binge-watch the final episodes of Parks and Recreation. Because in a sense I've been there and done that. If you get my drift?

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

I Am In Love!

Today has been great. The weather was exceptionally great, too. And that is why Tony and I worked outside on—my writing cabin/guest house!

Tony sort of wanted to take the day off to rest, but he is so sweet he helped me haul sticks of lumber, chop wood using our chop saw and we just finished putting the floor down in the little cabin.

Not to brag, but to brag—the small cabin's wooden floor is totally awesome, because instead of spending money on new lumber we used repurposed wood taken from of my old, pink writing cabin, wood from our old big room, etc. and all of those good vibes are still there.

I also love the cabin's floor, because it does not look like your run-of-the-mill floors where it looks picture perfect, because we purposefully mixed up the patterns and the pieces of wood using different paint colors and stains, etc.

And I am proud to say that unlike the walls that we had to put up trim to hide so many of our mistakes, like jagged edges, crooked lines, etc.—this floor is everything that I had hoped it to be and much more.

Actually the floor is hard to describe how it looks, so tomorrow I will take pictures of it and show them to you, because right now I am too tired and Tony and I just decided to enjoy an early happy hour to celebrate today's accomplishments.

Tomorrow, I hope to work outside most of the day, inside the cabin—sanding some of the boards, cleaning the boards and then covering them in a few coats of matte finish, Varathane sealer to protect the wood.

Then in a few days I can finally start decorating it, even though we still need to insulate the ceiling and a few other things.

I am in love with my new writing cabin and it will be so much fun decorating it and that is about it for tonight.

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

Heaven!

Today has been great and early this morning when Tony woke me, like I had asked him to, to tell me that I needed to get up, because we were going to work a few hours next door, I sat up in bed, and said, "Today is going to be a great day!" Then I clapped my hands together and after I jumped out of the bed—Henry Standing Bear ignored me and he continued to sleep on my pillow. So, I covered him with the covers, before I went to drink my first cup of coffee.

After my coffee fix, I showered first and when I came out of the bathroom—Henry was still sound asleep and snoring softly. And Little Debbie was snuggled up close to his head and she was sawing wood, too. And when we left to go next door they were both in La La Land.

This afternoon Tony and I took off for Kerrville, because we needed to do some laundry and grab some groceries and to let me walk at the park, because I really wanted to hit my daily goal of 10,000 steps, because this morning at work I had already walked close to 4,000 step!

I am having a hard time writing this right now, because I am listening to Pandora play one of my favorite songs The Hollies singing a live version of Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress and I want to dance instead of write. Gosh they are great and it is one really great song!

Okay, I just finished dancing with Henry and Little Debbie and I am back now and I wish that I was still wearing my Apple Health App pedometer, because I am sure I could have added about 1,000 more steps to it. But it doesn't matter, because I will tell you later.

While our laundry was washing in two machines, at Country Clean, Tony filled up Trigger, while I got our groceries.

When I came out of the big H-E-B, I heard a familiar woman's voice say, "Hey, Nancy!" And it was sweet Kris, so I stopped, so Kris and I could catch up with each other's news. And before she and I adios-ed each other I got to tell her my new duck joke and it made her laugh, so I promised her that when we got home that I would call her husband "The Mineral Man" and tell him the joke, too.

After we tossed our laundry into the dryers Trigger took Tony and I to my favorite park—Louise Hayes Park. And I got to feed my feathered friends, walk from the Sidney Baker Street Bridge to the Lemos Bridge and back, while Tony took more beautiful pictures. Then we came back home.

While Tone carried in the laundry and groceries I pulled out my iPhone to check to see how many steps I had taken and because I was so close to making my daily goal I slipped my iPhone back into my jean's pocket and then put up our laundry and the groceries.

Then I took a short, sleepless nap with Henry, Big Al(ice), Beau, Roy and Little Debbie. And honestly, I am so glad that I did not sleep, because just snuggling with my best friends is like heaven to me. Or better said—Nirvana.

As I finish writing this, I am proud to report that I hit my daily goal late this afternoon and that doesn't even count dancing with my dogs a while ago.

So, in one hour and 56 minutes of active time today, before I turned it off,  so I could paint a bookcase, my app shows that I burned-off 238 calories and walked 3.3 miles. And it recorded 10,890 steps! And I am thrilled.

Eric Clapton is now singing his Unplugged live version of Tears In Heaven. I love that song so much, even though it is hard to dance to, so I am going to grab my guitar and just play along with him. (Chords only.)

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

P.S. I did call Jim and tell him my duck joke and he thought it was funny, too.

Jonah Rules!

Today and the last few days have been great. Tony and I got to work several extra hours this week, at Escondida Resort and we were thrilled about it, because working next door is always fun, because the staff is literally the cream of the crop, so to speak.

My better half and I truly love everyone that works next door, because they are always upbeat, kind, conscientious about their work and they love to laugh as much as we do. Seriously, it is a dream job, because it has the best working environment that I've ever seen.

And the best part of our jobs is we get paid for working over there, which is always a bonus, because most of the at time I feel like we should be paying Kelli & Bob to get to work over there. And that is why the last few days I have not written much on my blog, because I have been spending my evenings binge-watching Parks and Recreation.

This past Thursday after work, Tony and I went to Kerrville to run a few errands. We needed to stock up on groceries, do some laundry and meet Mari at the Louise Hayes Park, so we could walk to get some exercise.

When Tony and I arrived at the park, Mari and Tex were already waiting for us. Before we started walking Mari  exercised Tex, her awesome, adorable Australian Cattle Dog (pup), using a flirt pole.

Tony and I had never heard of a flirt pole. So Mari & Tex put on an exhibition for us and they had our full attention, along with several other people walking-rubberneckers. And Tex could not wait to get started.

First off, a flirt pole is a long piece of wood or metal or pvc pipe, with a long bungee cord attached to one end and at the other end of the bungee cord is a fleece dog toy or strips of fleece. Here is a picture of one I found Online—Flirt Pole. 

After Mari had exercised Tex for about five minutes, the three of us took off, while Tony stayed behind, because he wanted to feed the ducks and geese while taking close up pictures of them.

I had a blast strolling through the beautiful park and after we had walked from the Sidney Baker Bridge to the Lemos Bridge and back, I pulled out my iPhone to show Mari just how far we had walked and how many calories we had burned, etc. The Bottom   Line: almost 7,000 steps! And even though we had not walked our daily goals of 10,000 steps—we were still thrilled about it.

I love my new Apple Health App that tracks how many steps I've taken each day and although I've come close to meeting my daily goal—I've still fallen short. But the good news is my average steps per day is between 6,000 - 8,000. So in my book that makes me a winner!

Later this afternoon, Tony and I get to go back to work and we are thrilled about it, but our four-leggers aren't. So a few minutes ago, after telling Tony about me wanting to buy a flirt pole for our dogs—he told me that he will make me one tomorrow afternoon, after we buy a long bungee cord, at Gibson's. And yes, I am thrilled about that, too.

As I finish writing this, this afternoon, I want to share a great, inspiring, short, YouTube video that Mari sent to me this morning. It is about Jonah, this super-cool, eleven-year-old boy, in Michigan, who is hooked on crocheting. And he is doing awesome things with his crocheting by helping out charities. And I love this video so much, because our world needs more good people like Jonah in it. So please Watch It. 

And after just watching this great video again, I just had a lightbulb moment. And even though it is not for charity, I want Jean, my potholder-pal, to pay special attention to this great video, because Jonah's video has inspired me to think about Jean and I going back into business together and instead of producing more pretty, pink potholders (That never sold.)—we could turn our potholders into doggie-chew-toys.

"Doggie-chew-toys?" you may be asking right now? Yes, doggie-chew-toys! Because our dogs love to tear up my potholders. In fact, this morning Henry Standing Bear ate my red quilted one while we were at work.

Anyway, Tony and I can start mass producing pretty, pink flirt-poles with the doggie-chew-toys attached to the ends. I know that we could make tons of money selling these doggie flirt poles and we could sell replacement doggie-chew-toy parts too, because we have this huge potholder inventory of unwanted pretty-pink-potholders. And we could name our lucrative new business adventure—Hang On Loopy!

So, as I finish writing this again, because I had to stop and take a break, so we could eat a late lunch, I do want to salute Jonah for the good work that he is doing to make our Planet a better place to live. "Thank you, Jonah! Jonah Rules!"

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

P.S. It is now 3:19 Texas time and I am scheduling this to post at 6:30 tonight, because we will be having fun working next door.

Today Has Been Really Busy & I'm Pooped. Will Write Tomorrow!

One Of My Heroes!

Like most of us, I have my heroes and I can count them on one hand: Dad, my sweet sister Cindy, my awesome brother Ronnie and Tony and now I've added one more.

Last night after posting on my blog, I called Ronnie to tell him about how much I was enjoying binge-watching Parks and Recreation, so I could recommend that he and Nita watch that show, on Netflix. Because he and I are always recommending shows to watch. And it is probably very common with senior citizens, because many of my friends do it, too.

Anyway, during our fun conversation, Ronnie paused, and then he told me that he wanted to tell me about what had happened to him earlier that morning. And the way he said it—scared me. So, I held my breath and listened.

And in Reader's Digest form I will put it on a bumper-sticker for you. So here goes.

Early in the morning, on a Texas highway, in Austin, Ronnie was driving his Toyota Tundra pickup about 70 miles per hour when one of his almost new tires  had a blowout. So Ronnie quickly pulled off to the side of the highway. And vehicles were flying past him as he tried to fix his flat.

His truck was on an incline and even with the emergency brake on, the truck kept slipping off of the jack. Then the jack broke, so he got back into his truck and called Nita to see if she could bring him another car jack.

Sweet Nita did not know where the jack was, so Ronnie told her where to find it. Then he sat back, knowing that it would take Nita at least forty-minutes for her to get there. But Nita never came.

Nita never showed up, because within a few minutes Ronnie looked into his rear view mirror and saw this truck with these flashing blue and white lights pull up behind him. Ronnie figured it was the highway patrol, but it wasn't. It was a Texas Department of Transportation Hero! Thank goodness. This is a picture of a HERO truck that I took from this site.

I did not know this and neither did Ronnie, that TxDOT operates a free roadside assistance program for stranded motorists along US 183, I-35, US 290, SH 71 and MoPac.

TxDOT in partnership with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, operates a free Highway Emergency Response Operator (HERO) patrol service program to clear minor crashes from area roadways and assist motorists in need. And HERO services include:

• Relocating disabled vehicles to safety
• Removing minor crashes from the roadway
• Providing traffic and lane control at crash scenes
• Removing debris from travel lanes
• Changing flat tires
• Giving air to low tires
• Adding gasoline and water
• Performing minor vehicle repairs
• Jump-starting batteries
• Assisting first responders at crash scenes
• Providing drinking water and cell phone services to stranded motorists

Now back to the story. Ronnie told me that this super-nice man got out of his truck and Ronnie told him that Nita was bringing him a jack, because his jack had broken. This awesome HERO told Ronnie that we would gladly change the flat for him and he suggested that Ronnie call Nita to tell her to forget bringing him a jack.

Ronnie said that the HERO then put these little cones around their trucks and within a few minutes the HERO had changed Ronnie's flat for him. 

Ronnie thanked him over and over again and then he offered to pay the HERO for helping him, but this great man politely refused the money, telling Ronnie, "Thank you, but I can't take your money. It's my job and this is what I do." He and Ronnie shook hands and then both of them drove away.

As Ronnie continued to rave about how great this HERO was, I teared up, because I knew that Ronnie could have been hit by a passing vehicle or even killed. But Ronnie didn't know I was tearing up, because I was looking up toward the ceiling to keep the tears away.

Then Ronnie told me that as soon as he got back home, he was so impressed with this HERO that he went to the TxDot HERO site and took the survey to tell TxDOT what had happened to him and to please thank the HERO for him. 

And just before Ronnie and I adios-ed each other, Ronnie said, "Thank goodness that HERO came to my rescue, because Nita could not find the jack. And when I got back home it was exactly where I had told her I had put it." And we burst out laughing.

As I finish writing this I want to thank the HERO for helping Ronnie on the highway, and to let him know that he is now one of my heroes, because he rescued one of my heroes. And that is why today has been so great.

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

Parks and Recreation!

Yesterday was a great day. I spent most of the day working on my third novella. I did some editing and rewrites on the plot. Then around 3:00, I took a much needed break and went over to visit Carol and her dear friend Cathy.

Of course, I had a wonderful time visiting with Cathy and Carol. Their positive energy, good vibes and all of the laughter that we did was good for my soul and it really helped me get out of my funk. So, "Thank you Cathy and Carol."

Last night, I was too pooped to work on my third novella again so, I relaxed and binge-watched Parks and Recreation, on Netflix.

Gosh, that is such an entertaining show. Each character is dynamic and quirky in one way or another, but I must admit that Amy Poehler's, Chris Pratt's and Nick Offerman's characters are my favorites.

Even though I accomplished a lot of editing yesterday I still have a lot more work to do on it, before I finally finish writing this Cowgirl Sisterhood Part: III novella. And tomorrow, because of the predicted chilly weather, I plan to spend most of my day, in my "pajamas" and sweat pants working on it. So please wish me luck with that.

Today has been great, too. But nothing exciting to report, so that's about it for tonight.

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

I Don't Know Who It Is!

Today has been great, because of dear friends. Since last Tuesday I've been pretty blue since our dear friend Rick passed away.

Tony and I are so lucky, because we got to work a few hours, next door, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and I tried to be cheerful at work and hide my sadness concerning Rick stepping on a rainbow. But I guess I wasn't very good at it. Because this morning when we went to work, sweet Darlene, who Tony and I just love and adore, took me aside and she handed me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And she said, "Nancy, these are for you. I must admit that I bought them for myself, but when you told me about your friend's passing I want you to have them. In hopes they will help you feel better...."

Darlene's gesture was so sweet and sincere I almost teared up, so I thanked her while I stared up at the kitchen's ceiling. Because years ago, sweet Nita, Ronnie's wife, had taught me the secret of always staring upwards to avoid tears. And it worked.

As usual work was fun, because we love everyone that works at Escondida. Anyway, Tony and I only worked about 2.5 hours today, because we were meeting our dear friends, Eileen, Chris and Suzanne at 11:45, for lunch at the Apple Store, in Medina.

When Tony and I got off work at 11:05, we came home and the first thing I did was put Darlene's lovely flowers in a vase.

Knowing that time was of the essence for us to be on time for our fun lunch, Tony and I quickly cleaned up The Cabin, because we had decided to invite our friends to come over after lunch, so we could show them all of the things we've done with The Cabin. And I am so glad that we did that.

Tony and I arrived first, at the Apple Store at 11:45, so we went ahead and placed our orders. Then we went outside and found a picnic table, under the sun, for all of us to eat at.

As the sun beamed down on us, Tony and I passed the time by betting who would show up first until we were served lunch. We thought about waiting for Eileen, Suzanne and Chris to arrive before eating our lunch, but time marched on and on and on. So we started eating our delicious lunch.

After we had finished-off our hamburgers, we took turns to go get our apple ice cream desserts, so one of us would be at the picnic table, to greet our friends. I went first.

Naturally, I was the first to finish my dessert, so I said, "Tony. I don't think they are coming. We must have had a miscommunication or something...." Tony nodded.

When we got back home, the first thing I did was check my e-mail and Eileen, at 7:59 this morning had sent me this note:

"Nancy,

Suzanne is sick, so we called off lunch for today. Will reschedule another day after she gets to feeling normal."

Then I sent Eileen a funny reply to let her know that we had not checked our messages or e-mails before going to work this morning and that we had enjoyed our lunch at the Apple Store and that we looked forward to having lunch with them sooner than later.

Then I heard a horn honk outside and our dogs started barking. As Tony exited his man-cave, I said, "Tony! Someone is at our gate, but I don't know who it is."

"It's Marita," Tony replied, matter of factly, as he walked past me on his way outside. 

"Marita & Hans?" I asked. "Our dear friends in Bergen, Norway?"

As we watched Hans & Marita's KIA rental car pull up to The Cabin, I asked, "How did you know it was Marita?"

"She had just messaged me," Tony explained. "Asking if they could drop by...."And that is when I thought—thank goodness we cleaned up the house.

Omg, we had so much fun visiting with our dear Norwegian friends. Over coffee, we caught up with each other's news. And that is when they told us that they had returned to Fredericksburg, so they could go to concerts all over the state and then go to Austin to attend SXSW.

And while we were outside, sitting on the front porch, laughing and talking about some of our favorite musicians, Terlingua, etc. we heard another honk and it was sweet Carol, driving by in her pickup—heading to her ranch. And as I finish writing this Carol just called and I let Carlton take the call, so I am now fixin' to call her back.

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

Happy Valentines's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! And Happy Birthday to Carol and Denise!

Rick "The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper!"

Yesterday was a good day, until our dear friend Tracy called around 9:30 PM to tell us the sad news that out dear friend,  Rick "The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper" in Port Aransas, had lost his battle with cancer.

We knew that Rick's time wasn't long, because we had been told that the doctors had given him weeks, so when we received the sad news—we were not prepared for it and we were without words, because we had just spoken to Rick on Sunday and he had sounded upbeat. And we are so glad that the conversation with him ended with him telling us he loved us and we told him that we loved him more. Anyway, that's life and it is what it is. Rick's gone and he is not coming back.

Losing loved ones is so difficult. And at my ripe old age, the worse part of getting old seems to be  I'm saying more and more "goodbyes" to loved ones. The numbers just keep increasing. But enough said about that.

Rick Reichenbach will be missed by many and he was a good man that followed his dreams and my favorite thing about Rick is he was always smiling and laughing, if he wasn't teasing me.

People were drawn to Rick, because of his quick wit and his humorous tales of his fascinating life. Such as; being famous for being "Rick, The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper" and just remembering some of Rick's hilarious tales about his adventures in Nicaraugua—has me smiling as I type this.

I also will never forget all of the fun we had visiting Rick at the lighthouse. Tony and I never went  alone to visit Rick without bringing along some of our dear friends, so we could share the awesome experience of being on a privately-owned island—that came with a working lighthouse and the funniest lighthouse keeper in the whole wide world.

On many of those fun-filled evenings, we would sit out on the beautiful porch, overlooking the gorgeous bay, enjoying adult beverages, with us playing guitars and mandolins, while our friends: John or Carol or Jon & Sandy or Fourth or Mark & Denise or Fourth and Jimmy or Cindy & Ray and Ronnie or Pete & Kelly or Tracy or Cindy and Nita or Chet relaxing and waving to the friendly sightseeing yachts that would stop and anchor nearby, so the tourists could take pictures of us and the famous lighthouse. And to me it was one of those once in a lifetime experiences we got to share with our dear friends and family, thanks to sweet Rick.

Texas Monthly's April 2012 issue did a story about Rick being the "Friendly Lighthouse Keeper." And here is a link to that fabulous article. Please click here. Below is a picture of the Texas Monthly article and the photograph of Rick and the lighthouse is by Kenny Braun.

And here is one of my favorite photos of Rick that I took of him during the 2012 holiday season. Here he is pretending to be warming himself near the fake "wood burning fireplace" that I had programmed to loop on the DVD player for ambience.

Late this morning I called Kinky to tell him the sad news about Rick's passing and the news saddened him, too. "....Rick was a really good man and I wish him God's speed..."

There is so much more that I could say about good ol' Rick and how much his friendship meant to Tony and me, but I've written enough for now. So, "Rest in Peace, Rick. You will not be forgotten. Love Always, Nancy"

Sew Sew!

Today has been great, even though it was another chilly, gray, drizzlin' day, so I guess the weather-people lied again, because they said that it was going to be a beautiful, warmer, sun-shiny day.

Anyway, I am sure that they didn't mean to lie or at least I hope not for their sake.

So, since the weather was ugly outside, I slept in. The dogs loved it.

Early this afternoon I decided to be productive somehow, so I decided to sew curtains for my soon-to-be super-cool writing cabin.

And after sewing three sets of curtains I changed my mind and decided to use different fabrics that I had on hand. So, I sewed another three sets of curtains and I really like them much better than the first ones I made.

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

The End!

Today has been great or at least if I keep saying that over and over again—it will be great. Actually today has been fine and the reason that it wasn't a great day is because I need sunshine and because I've almost totally forgotten what the sun looks like, because we've had too many cold, gray days. And this is all of the complaining I am going to do for now, because I always have so much to be grateful for.

Omg, last night I stayed up late with Roy Rogers, Beau Bridges, Henry Standing Bear, Little Debbie, Big Al(ice) and we watched Wonder, this incredibly great movie starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay.

Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson have always been some of my favorite actors and after watching this beautiful movie I am now adding Jacob Tremblay to that list, because this movie Wonder was so good that it touched my heart and I've thought about it several times today.

Anyway, I highly recommend watching this feel good movie and I am thinking about watching it again this evening. So if you are interested in watching this inspiring movie please click here to view the official movie trailer for Wonder.

Early this afternoon, after hibernating inside The Cabin for too many cold, gray days outside, Tony and I went to Kerrville to wash and dry our clothes, etc. Which means while doing the laundry we would get groceries at the big H-E-B and then go to Louise Hays Park, so I could feed the ducks, geese, King Tut and Tut-Two (Tut-Two-Common) and do some walking while Tony took some more awesome pictures.

And we had a big surprise waiting for us when we arrived at the park this afternoon, because when we went to feed all of my feathered friends. This is what we saw swimming to the shore.

I was shocked to see the six darling goslings with their proud mother Tut-Two, because I thought Tut-Two was a male. So before I even started to throw out some corn I renamed Tut-Two—Queen Tut. And here are a few of Tony's pictures of these six little cuties.

Here they are learning to dance the Tut-Strut with their mama.

And I've already named this handsome little fella, Ryan Gosling, because he is so good-looking.

And I call this one of King Tut-The End Is Near 

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

Cold & Boring!

Today has been great, but it was also cold & boring, so that is about it for tonight.

A Straight Line!

Since I last wrote a post I had walked over 13,000 steps and yesterday and today I've walked just a little over 7,000 steps each day and not reaching my daily goal of 10,000 steps.

Now, you might be asking why the sudden decrease in steps and I have only two good reasons for it:

1. I overdid it and my feet were sore as were my arms and legs. Because I was pumping iron while I was walking and using my pretty, 1 lb. purple hand weights.

2. Tony and I took advantage of the beautiful spring-like weather, before the cold front arrives tonight—working on my writing cabin.

And I am proud to announce that I love what all we have accomplished.

First let me say that yesterday was a great day, besides me being a tenderfoot and walking softly. And even though I was walking softly I was carrying a lot of big sticks. 1'X4's to be exact and half sheets of bead board and long sheets of tin, with Tony's help, of course.

As we listened to some of my favorite music outside, we worked hard. We cut tin, hammered, cut wood, etc.

We put up the wainscot on all four walls first. Then we put the tin up on the back wall. And all of this was a little bit tricky for us, because neither one of us are great at cutting a straight line using a jigsaw or our electric tin snips. We're talking a little bit jagged edges with a few unintended major gaps.

But I was okay with the way it looked or at least that is what I told Tony, before we called it a day and put up our tools.

After we ate dinner, I could not quit thinking about how to repair or disguise our wood and metal mistakes and it nearly drove me crazy. And that is why I didn't write anything last night, because my mind was elsewhere.

So, after deciding not to write and to put an end to worrying about our building blunders, I checked out, HEAL, this new documentary on Netflix. And I am so glad that I did, because it was so awesome and exactly "what the doctor ordered." Please click here to see the HEAL trailer, on YouTube, but you might have to skip the 4 second ad.

Anyway, I LOVE this documentary so much and I highly recommend watching it. In fact, Tony has agreed to watch it with me this weekend, while it is too cold for us to work outside.

Today has been great too, because last night, in bed, just before I started receiving my beauty sleep, I figured out a way to cover up our mistakes and those unsightly gaps.

So this afternoon, after we had worked next door, at Escondida, we ate lunch and then we got back to work on my writing cabin/guesthouse.

We went with my fixer-upper idea, so we did some painting and staining and then we chopped a lot of sticks of wood and used our nail guns. And now my cabin is looking even cooler than I ever could have imagined it would. Thank goodness for mistakes.

So even though my writing cabin now looks flawless—that beauty sleep that I received last night is nonexistent, but at least my feet aren't sore anymore.

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

Two-Tut-Common! or Up Against The Wall!

Today has been great. Late this morning Tony and I went to Kerrville to run a few errands. Our first stop was at that great laundromat, Country Clean Laundromat, on Water Street.

While our clothes, etc. were swishing around in two Speed Queen tubs, we went to the big H-E-B on Main Street to get some groceries.

When our clothes, etc. were twirling around in one big dryer, we took off for Louise Hays Park and to our surprise, because it was trying to drizzle, a lot of people were there walking dogs, skating, bicycling, etc. But no one was feeding the lovely ducks, beautiful geese and King Tut and Tut-Two.

FYI: Since my last Duck Report I've renamed Tut-Two to Two-Tut-Common, because it makes me laugh and that is the way it sounds, with my Texas accent, when I pronounce the Egyptian King's name.

Anyway, as soon as we got there I race-walked to the ducks usual hangout and I am positive they recognized me—because they all came swimming and waddling as fast as they could towards me.

And because I am a little tired tonight from walking so much today I am going to show you some of my favorite pictures that Tony took today at the park. And I am going to put captions with each picture. So here we go!

MY FAIR-WEATHERED FRIENDS

HEY! WHO INVITED YOU

I'M NEW HERE. SO HOW DOES THIS WORK?

STUPID MALLARD

DID YOU CALL ME STUPID?

YES I DID! AND CAN YOU DO THIS?

UP AGAINST THE WALL

The reason I titled the photo above Up Against The Wall is because it looks like this duck is standing next to a wall. But it isn't. Actually, because there was some scattered bird poop on the sidewalk, I cropped it out and got this.

Well, not to brag (But to brag.) I had a wonderful time at the park and I walked to the Lemos Street Bridge and back, before Tony and left to go pick up our laundry.

As I mentioned earlier in the post about me being tired from walking today it is because I set a new record for myself. I walked in the park and then later this afternoon while carrying weights I did laps around the kitchen and big room while listening to my music. And needless to say our dogs thought I was a little loopy as I race-walked around them for nearly forty-minutes. And here is the proof! (And my dogs are killing me.)

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

248!

Today has been great and it was sort of boring. So the most exciting thing for me today is I walked and walked and walked around The Cabin, because I was determined to hit my daily goal of 10,000 steps.

In between my walking around and around and around which semi-freaked out our dogs, because they all wanted me to sit down, so they could get on my lap or lay down beside my chair and rest, I decided to check out this website that Carol had sent to me a few weeks ago, because it is one of her favorite websites.

So, I went to the NutritionFacts.org Introduction page and quickly found myself watching Dr. Greger's informative, 2 -5 minute captivating videos about the many health benefits from eating a healthy diet. And he had the scientific facts to back him up and he was not trying to sell a single product.

I was instantly hooked, so I signed myself up to use this free website that only exists exclusively on donations, because it is a not for profit 501(c)(3) which means to use this site for health information is totally free to the Public.

There are no adds to buy something, no commercials, because it is a Public Service for Evidence Based Nutrition. And I loved this site so much I then I downloaded the NutritionFacts.org Apps to both my iPhone and iPad.

Then I started walking/pacing/strolling around The Cabin again, as I continued to listen to Dr. Greger's health videos. Bottom   Line: I LOVE Dr. Greger and NutritionFacts.org! "Thank you, Carol!"

And I do hope that you will at least check this site out, at least the Introduction page and watch his short, 2 minute videos explaining who Dr. Greger is and why he has chosen to do this Public Service for free—with no strings attached.

Late this afternoon, I finally decided to quit walking and rest, so I could check my Apple Health-Pacer Pedometer Step Tracker App to see what my walking results were. And I am thrilled to say that by 4:46, I had completed my daily goal and then some, of walking at least 10,000 steps per day.

Seriously, I walked 11,069 steps, burned-off 248 calories, covered over 3.7 miles, inside The Cabin, within 1h 49m of total active time.

And as I finish writing this post tonight I am totally excited about making some healthier lifestyle changes by incorporating Dr. Greger's NutritionFacts.org information and using my Apple Health-Pacer Pedometer Step Tracker App.

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

Google Him! or 77!

Today has been great. This morning after doing my morning habit and then bouncing out of bed I decided to drink my first cup of coffee while reading my e-mails.

My dear friend Nancy D. and her super-cool cat, Theodora, who live up in Chicago and have survived the Polar Vortex, sent me an e-mail and she attached two photos. This is the one of her beautiful photos of Theodora.

Nancy D. wrote:

"Hi Nancy, I wanted you to see this picture of my friend Will Soto and his four dogs, sound asleep with a remote in each hand. How sweet! Will lives in Key West, you can Google him....P.S. All four of these lucky dogs are rescues! And it is 80 degrees there."

So I wrote Nancy back. I told her that I loved both of these photos and then I Googled Will Soto. Omg, when I went to Will Soto's website: www.willsoto.net I quickly discovered that he is very famous and that his wife Amy is also a well known baker, in Key West.

Will Soto, who Nancy D. has been best friends with for over thirty-eight years, does comedy, juggling, tightrope, crowd participation, fire-dancing, magic, etc. and he is the founding performer of the famous Mallory Square Sunset Celebration, in Key West.

When I watched this awesome, YouTube video of Will Soto being interviewed by Jenna Stauffer I was even more amazed, because Will is still doing what he loves to do even though he is now in his 70s and has semi-retired. And I admire that so much. So Google him!

This afternoon I walked for 32 minutes non-stop and I used my iPhone's new Apple Health— Pacer Pedometer & Step Tracker App that I had downloaded earlier. And as you can see below I only burned-off 77 calories, walked 3566 steps making it a grand total of only 1.2 miles. And that's at least a start in my book.

When I started walking I started listening to one of my favorite play lists of my music, but five minutes into my walk I decided to turn it off, so I could enjoy nature and say my daily prayers. And I am glad that I did, because when I had finished walking—I still had over twenty friends/family to say prayers for.

So I walked a little further to include everyone in my prayers and then I walked a little bit further, so I could include Will & Amy Soto, too.

And that is about it for today, because Tony and I are going to watch Super Bowl—even though The Cowboys aren't playing in it. And because I love my new easy to use Apple Health-Pacer Pedometer Step Tracker App, I think that I will spend some time, during Super Bowl, walking in place or walking around The Cabin, so I can maybe burn-off 10-20 more calories.

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

The Lumber Yard!

Today has been great. Around 10:30 this morning Tony and I decided to work outside. So we started cleaning up the Lumber Yard.

The Lumber Yard is located outside our side yard fence that is closest to Highway 16, where we have been storing extra piles of wood, scraps, sheets of plywood, roofing tin, metal posts, etc. And in no time flat we had filled up the wheelbarrow with scraps of wood that we could not use or did not want to use. So we decided to burn it. And here is a picture of the wood burning in the fire pit.

By early afternoon, Tony and I had hauled 18 or 19 wheelbarrow loads, out of the Lumber Yard, to the burn pile and I am thrilled to say that the Lumber Yard looks so much cleaner and organized, since we removed all of that unwanted wood.

But I am sad to say that both of our backs are aching tonight, because of all the bending over and heavy lifting that we did. But I am not complaining, because we both needed the exercise and Big Foot Ranch looks even more beautiful than before we burned that wood.

And that is about it for tonight, because needless to say our day has been pretty boring unless you are a pyromaniac. Which we are not.

Have a great evening and keep on laughing!