The Perfect Dog!

Today has been great. This morning I got up real early, so Hazel and I could remove the latest dog-hair- drifts that had accumulated on our wooden floors, before I called Harley Belew to do his popular morning radio show.

When the floors were once again hair-free Hazel went back in the closet. Then I called Harley and I really enjoyed visiting with him On-Air and talking about our rescue ranch. Bee Spears, the sweet eight-year-old dog was Harley's Pet Of The Week.

At 9:00 sharp, as scheduled, the nice man, Steve, from Hill Country Pest Control, showed up to exterminate our trailer, yard and my writing and that is the reason why Hazel and me vacuumed the floors so early this morning. Tony and I really like Steve, because he is professional, friendly, gets the job done fast, he is proud to work for Hill Country Pest Control and he always does a great job for us. And that is one of the reasons why we only use Hill Country Pest Control. The other reason why we only use Hill Country Pest Control is because they are heavily involved with helping out the community.

After Steve drove away, I went outside to go help Tony finish up our morning chores and luckily for me, he was nearly done. I only had to clean two dog pens. When I had finished picking up, I decided to push the lawn mower around. I ended up mowing down the tall grass in Springsteen's dog pen and two more alleys. Then I came back inside to cook lunch for Tony and me.

Because we have zucchini coming out-of-our-ears I went Online, to The Food Network and found this fast and easy way to make Zucchini Fritter recipe, so I decided to give it a try. Thirty minutes later, while Tony and I ate our rib-eye steaks with delicious zucchini fritters, Tony asked me to please make it again, because he absolutely loved it and so did I. So, here's the link to The Food Network's delicious Zucchini Fritter Recipe. 

This afternoon we went to Kerrville to grab a few groceries, mail out some of my books and then go to, Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic, to drop off Tuesday Weld, pick up another refill of Mama's pain pills and that super sweet, ten- year-old Molly Ivins.

When we got back home, while I was putting up our groceries, Tony put Molly, in my pink cabin's front yard and she seems to really like it there too. Thirty minutes later, when I went outside to go have a little talk with Molly Ivins, she was happily rolling around in the grass and sniffing things.

After I had welcomed Molly back to the rescue ranch, after having been gone from here for over nine years and explaining to her that some times life throws us a curve—I took these two pictures of her posing for me. So if any of y'all know of someone who is looking for the perfect dog, Molly Ivins is definitely it. She is sweet, a little bit on the chunky side, house broken, ten-years-old, gets along great with kids and other dogs— please call me at the rescue ranch.

I went over to Kinky's early this evening for a fun visit with him and The Friedmans. While I was there I took these two pictures of his young, handsome cat, Yellowy, that he rescued and Peanut, the thirteen-year-old Poodle that he is fostering for his friend who is very ill and in and out of the hospital. 

Y'all have a great evening!

Hair Removal!

Today has been fun. This afternoon we took off, for Kerrville, to meet Kinky for lunch and to run a few errands.

When we arrived at his friend's restaurant the parking lot was completely empty, so we drove up to the door and the sign on the door read, "Closed On Monday," so I grabbed my cell phone, out of my purse and punched in Kinky's cell phone number. "Hi, Kink. We're here and the restaurant is closed on Mondays, so where do you want to eat now?"

After telling me where he wanted to eat, we adios-ed each other and as I was putting my cell phone back into my purse a good-looking, young man, probably in his early thirties, pulled into the vacant parking lot, to my side of Buttermilk and then he waved at us to lower my window.

Since he was wearing a big grin on his face I lowered my window and smiled at him. "Are you Cousin Nancy?" he asked. Tony started chuckling.

"Yes, I am," I answered, as I began to blush. Then he chuckled and pointed his finger at me.

"I knew it was you!" The happy man said. "When I saw the rescue ranch sign on your Expedition, I just had to follow y'all, so I could put a face to your voice. I hear you all of the time on Harley's show." And that made me chuckle.

"I love Harley and I am glad that you listen to his morning show."

"Harley's great. Well, I am sorry for wasting your time, but I just had to meet you."

"Don't apologize. You just made my day and I thank you." Then we adios-ed each other and took off in different directions and T. teased me all of the way to the restaurant.

Kinky pulled into the #2, his second choice restaurant, right behind us, so after greeting each other we started walking toward the door, but we didn't make it inside, because a smiling man hollered out, "Hey, Kinky!" So, we made a detour over to the man and his friend.

While shaking hands with each other, the friendly man introduced himself and his friend to us and then Kinky introduced Tone and me to them. "Kinky, I am Molly Ivins brother and..." Then we had a fun conversation with the men, in the crowded parking lot.

And Molly's brother and friend laughed a lot, after Kink and I told them the funny story about a woman asking me to sign her "A Night With Bob Wills" program, at the Cailloux Theatre, during an intermission, and after I had signed my name she sincerely said to me, as she walked away, "I love you, Molly Ivins. Thank you so much."

After an enjoyable lunch with Kinky we went our separate ways to run our errands. And when we returned home Tony was thrilled, because his "Shed Pal," an incredible cordless pet grooming vac, that he had ordered for our dogs online, had arrived.

Tony tried it out on our dogs while Kinky, The Friedmans and I went on a fun hike and when I came back home I used it on Belle and Roy, again and they loved it as much as I did. So yes, I am endorsing the Shed Pal, that costs under $20.00, because I also used it on our (Roy's, Belle's and Abbie's) chair cushions and it was a fast and easy hair removal device. And that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

We Love Gerry Olert & Alan Warren!

This morning after Tony and I had done our morning chores outside I checked my e-mail to discover that Gerry Olert, our good friend and extremely talented videographer, had finished the video about our rescue ranch, that Alan Warren had asked him to do for us and it is incredibly great! Kinky loves it, T. and I love it and I promise that you're going to love it, too.

And I am proud to announce that our good friends Eileen Gotke and Lisa Williams, two of our wonderful volunteers, are in Gerry's great video and they are now famous! Thank you, Gerry Olert and Warren Alan for helping our rescue ranch

Please help out our rescue ranch by sending The Story Of The Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch to all of your friends. Thank you and enjoy!

Well, I'm A Long Tall Texan—I Wish!

Early this morning before Tony did his chores outside he and I went to Kerrville to eat breakfast at Randy and Lisa's Save Inn Restaurant. They make the best breakfast in town and to prove it, when we arrived their parking lot was nearly full and the restaurant was packed with happy people laughing inside. The reason that it is a happy place can be blamed on the sweet and funny waitresses and the good food. Not a bad combination if you ask me. And as always our breakfast was absolutely delicious.

After we left the Save Inn Restaurant we went to H.E.B. to get a few groceries and that is when things got a little weird and ugly. As Tony and I were walking to the store an old man probably about my age came walking out of the store nicely dressed but wearing shorts and it was twenty-nine degrees outside. Tony and I looked at each other and chuckled because we knew what each other was thinking—the guy was crazy.

When we arrived in the dairy section I just about had a cow when I saw an old woman probably about my age wearing just a sweatshirt and sneakers with rolled down black socks. We're talkin' no pants at all and the bottom of her dark blue sweatshirt just barely covered her bottom and she had varicose veins so bad her legs looked like a road map done by a drunk tattoo artists who had tried to connect all of her dots—it was not a pretty sight to see!

Everybody was staring at her and holding their breath as she casually lifted a quart of milk off of the shelf and then put it into her carry basket.  Tony and I looked at each other trying not to laugh and then we got out of there as fast as we could. As soon as we were three isles down and completely out of sight of her, near the frozen pizza section I said, "Tony, that woman wasn't wearing any pants! I can't believe it. Thank goodness the milk wasn't on a lower or higher shelf." Then we laughed all of the way to the bean isle.

When we got home at nine-thirty I helped Tony clean pens while he fed the dogs. Then I spent the rest of my day working on my book. Around four o'clock I went back into my office to try to find the picture I have of Molly Ivins and me because I want to put it into my book. After a ten minute search I found it along with a couple of hilarious pictures of me when I was young. They made me laugh out loud.

At four-thirty Kinky called to ask if he could come over so he could have a picnic with Toto. Ten minutes later Kinky was having a picnic on the front porch with Thunder, Little Girl, Hank and Toto. Here is picture that I took of the picnic.

When the picnic was over and our dogs were full of fried chicken I showed Kinky the photos that I had found. He loved this one of Molly and me that was taken in 1999 while she and I were visiting backstage at our first Bonefit.

Then Kinky laughed out loud when I showed him this goofy picture of my sister Cindy and me on my parent's patio, when I was a sweet sixteen. We were working on a dance routine for the song "Well, I'm A Long Tall Texan." Cindy is wearing the hat and I'm pointing a fake pistol at her. 

And Kinky nearly flipped out and then he started laughing when he saw me wearing a "Flip" hairdo at a party at my Uncle Howard's house. I was seventeen. My grandfather is the gray-haired man on the left standing by the door watching the man flirting with me.

Well, I hope that my pictures made you laugh out loud because I am still laughing about them. The Grammy's are fixin' to come on so I must end tonight's blog. I've gotta feeling that the Black Eyed Peas will win everything tonight and I hope they will.

Y'all have a great evening!

A Ride With Bob

This morning, I went over to visit Kinky. We started reminiscing about the past, and I remembered this story.

A couple of years ago, Kinky invited Tony and I to go with him to Kerrville, to see the musical, “A Ride With Bob,” the first ever, musical drama about the music and life of Bob Wills, starring Ray Benson, and Asleep at the Wheel!

We went early that evening, so Kinky could visit with his good friend, Ray before the show. We went to Ray’s bus and he invited us to come aboard! Kinky and Ray talked some politics and we left the bus twenty minutes later—with upgraded seats—compliments of Ray and the cast!

Before going inside the civic center, I saw an old friend of mine, Jim Finney, who was the Wheels sound man! Way back when, I used to embroider all of the jackets and caps for Asleep at the Wheel, and Jim was usually the man that we dealt with. I hadn’t seen Jim since 1995! We had a brief visit and agreed to catch up with each other, after the show.

The center was packed, and when the usher took us to our seats—I about fainted! We had the only box seats—right next to the stage!

Everybody there, was staring at us, because we had the best seats in the auditorium, but more importantly—because Kinky was there!

When the lights went down, Ray came out on the stage to talk to the crowd before the show began. “I want to say hello to my good friend,” Ray announced, just as a spotlight, from up above, shone down on the three of us. “Kinky Friedman! The next governor of the great state of Texas!”

The crowed roared with applause, and then Kinky stood up, and waved his cowboy hat at the crowd. When the applause ended—the show began. And, it was awesome!

During the intermission, about fifty or sixty people came over to our box, requesting autographs from Kinky and to wish him luck in his campaign! After ten minutes had passed, while Kinky was still busily signing away, a woman, who was probably in her early forties, walked up to me and handed me her program and a pen—asking me for my autograph.

What? Why does she want my autograph for? I thought. I politely took her pen, and wrote on her program—Nancy Parker-Simons—feeling dumbstruck. When I returned her pen and program, she said, “I love you—Molly Ivins! Thank you.” And then she vanished into the crowd.

After the show was over, Tony and I visited with Jim, while Kinky signed one autograph after another, in the lobby. Before leaving, Kinky visited with Ray and invited the entire cast to come out and see us. Then we left.

On our way back home, that night, I told Kinky and Tony about the woman wanting my autograph and Kinky almost wrecked the car, because he was laughing so hard. Kinky said, “I’m calling Molly tomorrow to tell her about this! I know it will make her laugh!”

“Well, ” I said. “I just feel sorry for that woman, because tomorrow morning, just as she is fixing to frame her Molly Ivins, signed program, and then reads my name instead, she’ll be asking herself, ‘Who is Nancy Parker-Simons?’ How sad can that be?”

The following morning—the entire cast showed up out here—and we had a blast!