Miranda Lambert Was Here! or Screen Writers Meeting! or Please Help Little Debbie!

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful, even though the weather was taking turns drizzling or raining. Tony and I got up real early, so we could start cooking the mixed vegetables and get things ready to prepare our rescued dogs their annual (People food) Thanksgiving dinner.

We put 3 large, 80 oz. sacks, of frozen mixed vegetable, that filled up 2 large, aluminum, baking pans. Then we put them inside the oven.

Then we drank some Donut Shop Coffee. While Tony showered Hazel and I sucked up all of the recently shed dog hair. Then it was my turn to take a shower.

Around 8:00, our good friend Aaron showed up, to help us prepare our dog's delicious turkey dinner. And because of the wet weather, we guessed that our friends might not show up, so around 8:30, the three of us started pouring all of the stuffing, garlic, cheese, eggs, cooked vegetables and ground turkey, into three, five gallon buckets, while the hot dinner rolls browned, inside the oven. Here is just some of the food that went into the buckets.

To our surprise, at 9:30, as earlier planned, our dear friends: Ellen, Kay and her husband Richard, arrived. And by 9:40, we went outside to serve our dogs their home/trailer-cooked Thanksgiving feast.

While Aaron and Tony fed our delicious, warmed dinner to our dogs, Ellen, Kay, Richard and I handed out hot dinner rolls and dog treats. Even though I couldn't take any pictures outside of our dogs enjoying their meal, because it was either drizzling or raining I can tell you that they loved it and they ate all of their vegetables and they licked their bowls clean!

After our friends left, to go home, I cleaned up our kitchen and then I started cooking our Thanksgiving dinner. 

Around 11:45, Aaron, Tony and I sat down, at the kitchen table and ate Karen & Terry's delicious Honey Baked, spiral cut ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce. I intentionally didn't serve dinner rolls or pies for dessert this year, because they are way too fattening and we didn't need to eat anymore extra calories. So, we had a great Thanksgiving Day and I hope that y'all did too.

This morning, it was still drizzling or raining outside, when Kay & Richard came out to pick up Miranda Lambert. They are planning to adopt her, in early December, but because of their tight schedules, they wanted to take her home and try her out, with their sweet Wolf Hound, until next Wednesday, when they will return her for only a few days. So needless to say, "Miranda Lambert was here."

Around 11:00, Tony and I jumped into Trigger and took off for Kerrville, because I had an important "screen writers lunch meeting" to attend with Lisa and Eileen, at the El Sol de Mexico Restaurant.

When we arrived at El Sol de Mexico, our favorite Mexican food restaurant, Eileen and Lisa were already sitting at a table for four. And before we could join them, Beto, our favorite waiter greeted us and then he took off to get us some iced teas.

As soon as we sat down with our dear friends, Eileen, Lisa and I immediately started discussing the Longmire video that we are going to make with our friends and volunteers, in hopes that the entire Longmire cast and crew will invite us to be, on location with them, when filming an episode of their upcoming Season 5. 

We came up with a funny plot and the great news is Little Debbie, our new ranch mascot, is going to star in it, too!

I can't divulge the actors or the plot, because of secrecy, but I can tell you that Little Debbie will be wearing an Alien-helmet. In case you have not read my two Cowgirl Sisterhood fictional, cliffhanger novellas, Lynda makes Carol and me Alien-helmets to wear, that she guarantees will help us attract Aliens.

In my fiction novellas, Lynda makes these shiny Alien-helmets for friends. Basically, they are aluminum, pot-pie pans, with two holes punched into them, so she can tie pretty ribbons to it, so we can tie them upside down, on our heads. They look like these and please note that mine has the pretty pink ribbons and the other one is for our guests to use.

Anyway, for Little Debbie to be in our funny, Longmire spoof, that hopefully will go viral and hopefully get all of us invited to be on the Longmire set during filming, Little Debbie has to be wearing an Alien-helmet, like mine, that is the size for a Chihuahua to wear.

So I am asking all of y'all to please help me find Little Debbie a tiny, aluminum, pot pie tin, that I can punch holes in and tie pink ribbons on. I plan to Google it tonight, but any help in locating one would be greatly appreciated, because time is of the essence. Please help Little Debbie. And that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!

A Breakdown!

Today has been great—until three hours ago when I tried to hook-up a new ink jet printer, because six days ago, the old one totally lost its mind and had a total breakdown. Even though everyday since its total breakdown, I have wasted many frustrating hours trying to revive it, I finally gave up yesterday afternoon and pronounced it dead.

My exact words, before Tony removed it from my office, were, "Good riddance. Rest in peace. And maybe the next time that you come back around, the printer gods will have given you a better unit than this one."

So late yesterday afternoon, Tony drove me to Office Max and I purchased a new, less expensive all-in-one model, figuring that keeping it simple would be the better choice. Well I was wrong about that, because today I have spent/wasted three frustrating hours trying to install the printer.

I finally gave up about thirty minutes ago, so I wouldn't have a total breakdown, caused by a stupid printer, because for one that would be too embarrassing for me. With people and friends saying things like, "Omg! Did you hear that Cousin Nancy had a breakdown?" And then when asked what caused it, they'd laugh and answer, "Printing problems."

Anyway, enough said about my personal, printing problems, because I am sure that all of us have had at least one, from time to time. So tomorrow will be a new day and after I finish helping Tony with the morning chores outside, I plan to call a printer tech to help walk me through the printing problem process. And I am sorry for dumping on y'all tonight, but I had to get it off of my chest.

Now let me tell you about the earlier part of my day, which was a total blast. Tony and I met our dear friend Marguerite, for lunch, at El Sol de Mexico, because we all love Mexican food and Marguerite had never eaten there!

Tony and I were the first to arrive at our favorite Mexican food restaurant and Beto, our favorite waiter, immediately greeted us and took us to one of his tables. Seconds later, he served us iced teas, because he knows that we always order iced teas. After we told him that there would be three of us, he wrote something down, on his order pad and then he smiled and showed it to us:

#26

#27

L-bowl guac

2-teas

"Am I right?" Beto asked. Tony and I nodded our heads up and down and then we all started laughing, because Tony always orders their #27 and I always order their #26, with a large side dish of freshly made guacamole. 

A few minutes later Marguerite arrived and the fun began. First off, we introduced her to Beto and when he went to get her iced tea, we told her that he is our favorite waiter and that everything on the menu was delicious. So after checking out the menu, Marguerite decided to order the Combo Plate, which Beto had highly recommended.  

During our fun, delicious lunch, we talked non-stop about our dogs and told funny stories about their quirky habits, etc. And when lunch ended, Marguerite invited us to follow her over to her house, so we could see her place and meet all of her cats and dogs , including the four lucky dogs that she has adopted from our rescue ranch: Enzo, Odi, Mini and Scout, the lucky pup.

Even though Tony jokingly remarked that Marguerite had a lead foot—he and Trigger did a fine job keeping pace with her and when we arrived at her ranch, both of our jaws dropped to the floorboard, because she has one of the coolest ranches, in the Hill Country.

The good vibes were everywhere and it was obviously a place of peace and quiet, until Marguerite let her dogs come outside to meet us. Only for a few minutes, Enzo, her German Shepherd, stood back to show that he was being protective and watching us, while Odie, Mini, Scout and her other adorable dogs sniffed and licked us, while wagging their tails. 

When her dogs settled down and went their separate ways, Marguerite gave us a grand tour of her home and it totally blew us away. Tony and I loved the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture home that her father had built and I was blown away with her creativeness and how she had decorated her home. "Tony, I would love to have a home just like this," I remarked, several times and I came close to asking her if she would come and decorate The Cabin for us.

Marguerite's gardens were also awesome and the yard art that she had created, in each area, nearly caused me to start drooling and the good thing was I had taken the napkin, from El Sol de Mexico, just in case. 

Her lovely home and beautiful gardens are a sanctuary and is filled with super cool bird feeders, solar lights of all kinds, beautiful statues, that she had made, and the whimsical yard art, has totally inspired me to get busy and make something. Anyway, we had a wonderful time today being with Marguerite. And that's about it for tonight. Please wish me luck with the printer.

Y'all have a great evening!

The Chair!

Today has been great. This afternoon Tony and I met Carol and Kris at El Sol de Mexico for a really fun lunch. We all arrived about the same time and as soon as we sat down at our table, the laughter never stopped.

When we started talking about traveling and our friends going around the world to visit different countries, Kris mentioned our friend going to Paris. "I want to go to Paris, Texas," I said. "To see that famous, tall statue of Jesus wearing cowboy boots. My sister and I have often talked about going up there to see it and visit the graves of distant relatives, because she's into genealogy."

"Are you serious?" Carol asked, while Tony and Kris chuckled.

"Yes, in fact I've just come up with a great idea, thanks to y'all and Kinky. The other day Kinky and I were talking about his upcoming tour which includes Paris, Texas. When I reminded him about me wanting to see the famous statue, he starts teasing me and tells me that I should go to Paris soon, to see the statue of Jesus wearing cowboy boots, because it is number one on my bucket list."

"Tell us about your idea," Kris said.

"I'm thinking about naming my third novella The Cowgirl Sisterhood: Part III, The Bucket List. Carol and I could go to Paris, Texas and solve another mystery."

"Excuse me, but I'm from Paris, Texas," said a young woman, sitting at the table next to ours. "When I heard you say Paris, Texas I couldn't help but ease drop."

"Have you seen the famous statue of Jesus wearing cowboy boots?" Carol asked, the friendly stranger.

"No, I've never heard of it," she answered. "And I lived there most of my life." All of us started laughing.

"Google it," I suggested.

"I will as soon as I get home. Enjoy your lunch." Then she and her friends left the restaurant.

A little later on, I started laughing. "Carol, you've got to tell Kris about The Chair." Carol and Tony burst out laughing.

"Okay. Kris, last week I went Online and ordered a beautiful, comfy chair, for my big room. It is cream colored linen, with windowpane red stripes and has nailed brads."

"It's a beautiful chair," I added.

"It was delivered yesterday. When Nancy and Tony came over to visit me, they saw the chair box, on the deck and Nancy asked me, "Did your chair arrive?" Then Carol, Tony and I started laughing again. "I told her yes, but there is a little problem with it." Then I asked them if they wanted to see it. Nancy says yes, and then she tells Tony, "Tony, don't laugh," as we entered the house. As soon as Nancy saw my chair she burst out laughing and then she and I couldn't stop laughing. I love the chair, but I'm on the fence about shipping it back or keeping it."

"What's wrong with the chair?" Kris asked.

"It's real tiny," Carol answered. "I think it might be a kid's chair."

"Really?" Kris asked, before chuckling.

"Yes. You should have heard all of Nancy's wisecracks about it, as we stared it. Nancy described it best when she said it was the perfect size for a visiting leprechaun. I love the chair. It's comfortable, it supports my back and it fits me perfectly. Nancy even suggested that I put it in the bathroom, because it is so small."

"Carol, I love your new chair and I think you should keep it," I said. "It will be a real ice-breaker when new friends come into your home for the first time. In fact, if I were you I'd invite them in and say nothing about the chair, as they stare at it and wonder if you have grand kids."

"Nancy even suggested that I move all of the end tables away from it, because they are so much taller than the the arms of the chair, so they don't dwarf it," Carol said, followed by us laughing.

"If a tall man sits in it, his knees will be higher than his head is," I added.

"I want to see this chair," Kris said.

"Tony took pictures of it yesterday," Carol continued, "while we were laughing about it. In fact, to show how small it is, he took a picture of Nancy, who is only five-foot-two standing beside me, sitting in the chair and she looks six feet tall."

"It's true," I said. "We need to get Tony to take a picture of you standing beside the chair, because you're only two inches taller than me. Carol, do you mind if I blog about this tonight?"

After Carol had quit laughing she told me that I could. Here's Tony's picture and that is about it for tonight, because Tony and I are going back over to Carol's ranch for another photo shoot of the chair, with her standing beside it.

Y'all have a great evening!

Lulu!

Today has been great and so was yesterday. Late Tuesday afternoon after taking a sleepless nap with our dogs, Hazel and I quickly cleaned the trailer. Because our friend, "Rick, The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper," had called earlier to ask if he could come spend a few days with us. We were thrilled, so of course we said yes.

Rick arrived a little after 4:00 and our fun began. Yesterday morning after cooking a big breakfast for us, Rick told us that he wanted to treat us to lunch in Kerrville. We told Rick about how much we loved El Sol de Mexico, so after all of the chores were done and we had cleaned up, we jumped into Buttermilk and went to our favorite Mexican food restaurant, before running a few errands.

Rick loved El Sol de Mexico's delicious food, too. He and I ordered their #26 and Tony ordered their #27. And because I was so full, Rick ended up eating my puffy taco, but he was too full to eat my cheese enchilada.

After lunch we ran a few errands and then we came home. Around 4:00, Karen brought over Brandon, Sophia, Natalia and Elle, from the Medina Children's Home, so they could walk our dogs. And our friend Simone, from Amsterdam, who was visiting Kinky and us showed up too, so she could walk our dogs with the kids.

Needless to say, our dogs love these great kids and we all had a fun time watching our dogs swim and romp.

After the kids left, Rick, Tony and I had a happy hour, while I cooked Rick a peach cobbler to take back with him. Then we called it an early night.

This morning Tony woke me up at 6:00, so I could do The Harley Show at 7:45. Rick, Tony and I drank some coffee, before he and Tony took off, for The Old Timer, to drink some more coffee with Tony's friends, because Rick really enjoys doing that when he is here.

Lulu was Harley's Pet of the Week and I had fun doing his popular radio show this morning. Lulu is about ten-years-old and she is a sweetheart.

Rick adios-ed Tony, at The Old Timer and took off for Port Aransas. We really enjoyed his fun visit as always. After we did our chores this morning, I returned e-mails, phone calls and did the middle-of-the-month paperwork for several hours and then I worked on my novella. And that is about it for today, because I am tired from sitting in front of my laptop.

Y'all have a great evening!

Best Friends!

Today has been great. This afternoon, before we met Kris for lunch at El Sol de Mexico, our favorite Mexican food restaurant, in Kerrville, we went to the Melody Corner Music Center. "Stan the Music Man" is the owner of the cool music store and he is good friends with Kinky and us. I took my mandolin to him, so he could put some new strings on it and check out a sound problem it has developed, because it is over twenty years old. While he checked it out and fixed it for me and restrung it, we had a fun visit with him.

Lunch with Kris was a blast and we wished that her husband, The Mineral Man could have joined us. As always, Kris and I ordered their #26 and Tony ordered their #27 and our lunch was totally delicious.

When we got back to the rescue ranch, Kinky called me. "Nance, Little Jewford is over here and you and Tony need to come over."

"I'd love to see Little Jewford, but Tony is at the Medina Ace Hardware store right now. I'll be over there in just a minute."

Little Jewford is one of the funniest men that I know and every time that we get together he and I get to cutting up and joking and laughing about life and today was no different. The three of us sat outside on Kinky's front porch, with The Friedmans and we did so much laughing my back is aching as I type this.

I gave him a signed copy of my first novella, The Cowgirl Sisterhood: The Membership Drive, Part I and he was thrilled to know that I am writing fiction, novella cliffhangers. He teased me and told me that he could not wait to read it and that he planned to read it as he drove himself back to Austin tonight. Anyway, it was great seeing Little Jewford and catching up with him and visiting with Kinky.

Before I finish writing tonight, I spoke to Wendi, a dear friend of ours, who works at the famous Best Friends Animal Society, in Kanab, Utah. They are trying to get the word out about Texas House Bill 2981. Kinky, Tony and I love Best Friends and admire their work and we want to help them help our Texas Dogs. The House Bill 2981 is supposed to be voted on early next week. So please take the time to read what they sent us below and check out Best Friends site concerning this important bill. They wrote:

"Fellow Texans, Lone Star pets need your help. Please ask your state representative to support House Bill 2981, the Tax Saving Pet Adoption, Sterilization, and Transfer Act, which encourages government animal shelters and rescue groups to work together to save the lives of our pets. Remember, politics is not a spectator sport. So speak up for House Bill 2981. Check it out at Best Friends."

I hope that you can help get this Bill passed and that is about it for tonight.

Y'all have a great evening!