We Love You Folks!

Today has been so much fun. This morning Tony and I worked next door at Escondida Resort. Our dear friends Kent Perkins and his sweet wife Ruth(ie) Buzzi have been staying there and after breakfast, before Tony and I came back home Kent pulled me aside and he told me that he and Ruthie and Ethan, their personal chef, wanted to come over for coffee and a visit after they had checked out. "We love you guys," Kent said. "We want to see your writing cabin and Little Debbie, too." I was thrilled.

So as soon as I got back home I quickly cleaned The Cabin, so it would not look like we live here. And I finished five minutes before they arrived in one of their beautiful Rolls Royces. It had been perfect timing to say the least.

Before we went inside The Cabin, Tony and I took them to see The Last Resort and I am proud to say that they totally loved it, too.

We hung inside there for about thirty minutes and before we left The Last Resort, I asked Ruthie & Kent to please sign the door and I asked Ethan to sign it, too.

And they signed it underneath what sweet Carol had written back in September.

When we came inside The Cabin to drink coffee, Ruthie and Kent took turns holding Little Debbie, because like so many of our friends—they love Little Debbie, too. 

While we were drinking coffee, Kent noticed Little Debbie sitting on Ruthie's lap, so he suggested, "Y'all should take a picture of Ruthie and Little Debbie."

Kent and I were sitting on the couch and I had Big Al(ice) sitting in my lap, so I asked Tony to please take a picture of Ruthie with Little Debbie. So he grabbed my camera, off of my desk and took this cute picture of them together.

Tony and I had so much fun visiting with Ruthie & Kent and Ethan. They stayed for about an hour and we hardly ever quit laughing until it was time for them to leave and head back to their ranch in North Texas.

And before Ruthie & Kent got back into their Rolls, they leaned on the hood and sang, "We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish...." to Tony and me. And when they had finished singing to us Tony and I sang "We wish you a Merry Christmas" back at them.

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

Be Cool!

Today has been great and this past week has simply flown by. It is hard for me to know where to start telling all of the things that have been going on, so I will just highlight the main events.

As y'all already know Tony and I put in a ceiling in the bedroom and it was a ton of work, especially for Tony, because he had to nail up one board after another and  then shoved the pink insulation between each rafter.

Anyway, because we were so thrilled how much our/his work helped cool the house we decided to go ahead and do the rest of The Cabin—the kitchen and the big room.

Long story short the other day when our dear friend Danny was here, Tony told him about our upcoming ceiling project. Danny offered to install the new ceiling and it turns out that Tony and him worked out a trade, so the only thing that would cost us was the materials.

So this past Saturday Tony and I took the day off from working next door and we worked here—helping (gopher-ing for) Danny and Ernest, his electrician helper. And just so you'll know, before we started The Cabin's front porch looked like Medina's version of Home Depot and the inside of The Cabin looked like a tornado had hit it.

With the four of us excited about putting in the ceiling by end of day things went south fast, because all 22 rafters were hanging at various heights from the roof and we also needed more electrical work than anticipated. So to say the least I tried to be optimistic about it all, but it was hard trying not to frown even though Danny had figured out a solution.

In no time flat Danny and Ernest started running string lines from the kitchen to the front door, underneath the rafters, etc. so they they could accurately measure and make each rafter the same height from the roof 

It took several hours for them to "rip" 22 strips from 2 x4s. And basically one end of the strip would be as tall as 3 inches and would go from 3" down to a thin sliver. And the pictures below shows some of the strips in place. (They are the white looking strips nailed to the bottom of the rafters.)

And while Danny and Ernest were fixing things Tony pulled me aside and suggested that I go work on my writing cabin, because I was talking to much to Danny, when he was trying to think.

My feelings weren't hurt, because I knew Tony was right, so I hauled several boards to my writing cabin while Tony was setting up the chop saw and connecting the nail guns to the air compressor, so I could work inside the cabin. And in no time at all I was chopping wood, nailing boards, etc. while listening to my music.

Around 6:00, the four of us called it a day, because we were all tired and exhausted from the heat. And even though only six sheets of 4 x 8 OSB were hung up and the insulation installed we all felt good, because all of the building issues and electrical issues had been solved and fixed. And the only thing that left for us to do was put up the OSB sheets and insert the insulation. And this is how we left things, until Danny and Ernest come back this Saturday to finish putting up the ceiling. Then we will be done with expensive electric bills and be cool and comfortable.

And to my disbelief I honestly do love the new OSB ceiling, even though Danny had suggested that we paint it. But I've decided not to paint it, because it looks rustic just the way it is. So all is great.

This afternoon Tony and I went to Kerrville to run a few errands and I purchased a new rain gauge, at Home Depot, because when we had that freak hail storm it broke pieces out of the top yellow funnel—giving us inaccurate rain counts.

And here is our new magnified rain gauge that we purchased for less than $4.00!.

And that is about it for today, because Tony and I are going to go visit with Kent & Ruthie (Ruth Buzzi) and Sarah next door, at Escondida Resort. And then I plan to write the rest of the evening.

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

Happy New Year!

Today has been great and I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! It would not take much to make this a happier New Year than last year was for me. And I am not complaining, because 2019 is going to be a great year for all of us.

Of course, seeing is believing it will be a happier New Year. And I already like 2019, because I am so very grateful for so many things. And I already have Little Debbie's care package to look forward to.

You see, a few weeks ago our dear friend Kent Perkins got on Facebook and he told Tony that he and his sweet wife, Ruth Buzzi, know and are good friends with the real Little Debbie that those tasty snacks are named after.

Anyway, Kent told Tony that they were talking to Little Debbie and they had told her about our rescue ranch and about Tony and I rescuing (our) Little Debbie. And their Little Debbie loved it. And our Little Debbie loved it, too. And this is a picture that I took of Little Debbie after we had rescued her and a year before we had to have her eye removed.

And this is a picture of the other Little Debbie and a painting of her that is used on those famous, delicious Little Debbie snacks.

When Kent & Ruthie came to visit us recently Kent told us that their friend Little Debbie and our Little Debbie had a few things in common, but I am not at liberty to disclose. 

Anyway Kent asked me to please send him some pictures of our Little Debbie so they could pass  them on to their famous friend. So I sent Kent the link to Longmire-Texas Style starring Little Debbie and a few pictures including these two along with the one that I took of our Little Debbie sitting with Ruthie & Kent on our couch—and Tony's feet.

After completing that task I Googled their Little Debbie and soon discovered that Debbie McKee-Fowler is the original Little Debbie and then I read this awesome, Huffington Post article; "Real-Life Little Debbie Is All Grown UP (And Doing Well!)." And it made me so proud that I had named our Little Debbie after this great woman. 

As I finish writing this post, on January 1, 2019, I am excited to tell y'all that a few days ago Kent told Tony that Little Debbie (McKee-Fowler) has told Ruthie & Kent that she is honored that we named our Little Debbie after her and that she is sending us a Little Debbie care package filled with Little Debbie snacks, a personal letter from her along with an autographed picture! And I believe that this is proof enough that 2019 is already a great year. Little Debbies Rule!

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

Videos, Awards, Art, Music, Friends, Rocket Ships, Art-Again!

Today has been great and I'm thinking it is because of doing my new morning habit—"Today is going to be a great day!" Clap! Stomp! None the less—it is working and I love it.

This morning after Tony and I worked a few hours next door at Escondida we came back home with intentions of doing nothing but things that made us happy.

I chose to do a little more editing on this little video that Carol and I did, a few weeks ago, for some really cool, elementary school kids that I found out are big fans of my novellas. Talk about a feeling honored.

Anyway, that is all that I can say about it, except that after we made the video, I made these Cowgirl Sisterhood Official Ranch Hand awards to be handed out to the class, with their names on it, after they watch our Cowgirl Sisterhood video. Tony was the video-grapher for us and he did a great job. So, I want to do this shout out—"Thank You Sarah, Carol and Tony!"

After I cooked lunch for us and cleaned up the kitchen, I decided that I wanted to work on the cover painting for my third novella, so I filled every space in the kitchen with my paints, brushes, art supplies, etc. Then I took this picture of the painting so far.

Then I put on my music and began painting certain things that must be in this painting. With my music cranked high I was having a blast making the additions—then I heard a car horn honk.

I put down my brush, looked outside and their was this black car stopped at our gate. As I clicked the remote to open our gate, I half-hollered, "Tony, someone is at the gate." 

Henry barked first and then Little Debbie and Big Al(ice) chimed-in with their high-pitched yapping, as Tony went outside to see who was here, while I put Henry Standing Bear in the side yard.

Oh my goodness, it was our dear friends Ruth Buzzi and her husband Kent Perkins! After howdies, hugs and handshakes, Kent said, "We came down to see Kinky yesterday. We are on our way back to our ranch and we just had to stop to say hi and drink a cup of coffee with y'all."

Of course, we said yes and invited them inside The Cabin. But the bad news was the kitchen looked like an artistic -tornado had hit it, because my paints, brushes, etc. were scattered everywhere there was space. So I apologized for the mess, as I turned down my music's volume. Then I made us some coffee.  

Ruthie and Kent stayed for about an hour and it was non-stop laughter, as we caught up with each others latest news. And at one point during our fun conversation Ruthie was holding Little Debbie, so I picked up my camera, and asked, "May I take a picture of y'all with Little Debbie?"

When it was time for our dear friends to leave we walked outside and Ruthie told me that she loved our little outdoor bistro sitting area.

After hugging Ruthie and Kent, before they got into their car, Kent complimented us on all of the work and improvements that we've done at our Big Foot Ranch. And when Kent looked at my RV (The Mother Ship) Bob, the little green alien that I painted it's door, Kent said, "I think y'all should paint this, black, water cistern and make it look like a rocket ship landing or taking off." And we all laughed about it. 

I liked Kent's suggestion, but I think that I will do that when spring arrives and it will be much warmer outside. So here is a before picture of that unpainted water tank.

After we adios-ed our good friends we came back inside and I cranked up my music and did a little more work on my painting. This painting is still a work in progress, but I want to show you what I've done so far. But I am not going to tell you what I've added.

And as I finish writing this post, all of my art supplies are back inside the closet. The kitchen looks like it should. And Henry is snoring on the couch, while my music serenades me. And needless to say—it really has been another great day. 

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

Foreign Friends! or Pot!

Tony and I have had so much fun these past few weeks, visiting with all of our foreign friends and Texas friends, is the main reason why I have not blogged. I would apologize for not blogging, but I can't, because we simply had too much fun getting to spend quality time with each and everyone of them.

During these past few weeks our foreign dignitaries represented their countries. Big Foot Ranch has hosted Marita & Hans from Bergen, Norway, Fay from Toronto, Canada, Liz from Mexico/Texas and Gaby from Germany. Also including our Texas friends: Stephen K. Morris & Eva Robinett from Fredericksburg, Chet O'Keefe from Terlingua, Xenia from Pleasanton, and our two mystery guests that unexpectedly showed up later today.

To put it on a bumper sticker—It Was A Busy Schedule, But We Had A Wonderful Time Seeing Everyone. Hmm...Somehow I don't think all of that would actually fit on a bumper sticker, but that's okay. And to say the least, "We would gladly do it all over again, because it was so nice to be with so many of our dear friends."

Yes, I know I could write volumes about each one of our friends visits, but time is of the essence here, because I need and want to spend this evening writing on my third novella, because lately it has been put, on the back burner so to speak. So I am only going to write about today.

Early this afternoon Gaby and her lovely daughter Xenia came to see us. Gaby (from Germany) has been spending a few weeks with Xenia and her family and today they drove up from Pleasanton to spend the day with us. Tony and I were thrilled about it and so was Kinky, because like us he loves her too and overtime that he tours Germany, she is always put on his German guest list.

After howdies and hugs today, we invited our sweet guests, inside The Cabin, so we could drink some coffee and munch on some fresh, homemade beignets, that I had cooked up earlier. But after serving delicious coffee, Gaby wanted to give us her gifts she had brought for Tony and me.

So while the beignets cooled, on the kitchen island, Gaby handed her gift for me to open, so I opened it. Omg! I about fell off of the couch when I saw her, six, beautiful, hand crocheted pot holders.

Then all four of us burst out laughing, and Gaby said, "I read about your famous, pink pot holder, on your blog and you needing your friend, Jean, to help you finish it off, so I decided to make you six, cotton yarn, pot holders that are machine washable."

"After I thanked her, I turned around and pointed upwards, and said, "There is that famous pot holder!" And all of us started laughing again.

Bottom   Line: We spent the next several hours catching up with each other and doing a lot of laughing. And the best part about it for me was that I got to tell Gaby and Xenia my off-colored joke, because I think they are the last two people that we know on the Planet, that I've not told it to! Xenia burst out loud when I told the punchline, but it took Gaby a few seconds longer to get it, because she is from Germany. Anyway, they loved my joke and I enjoyed making them laugh.

Around 3:30, Kinky called to let us know he was back from town and he invited us to come over. And ten minutes later, we were having fun visiting with Kinky, Rick, Zoie and The Friedmans.

About an hour or so later, our dear friends Kent Perkins and his beautiful wife, Ruth Buzzi, arrived to complete the festive party. Gaby and Xenia were so excited to meet Ruthie and soon after visiting with her, Ruthie posed for pictures with them.

About another hour later, it was time for us to return home and when I adios-ed Kinky and Kent, in Kinky's office, Kent asked me if he and Ruthie could come over to see The Cabin, because the last time they had seen it—we had just bought it and had not started our renovations.

So, we caravan-ed over to Big Foot Ranch. Tony and I led the way, Ruthie & Kent followed us in one of their Rolls Royce and Xenia and Gaby followed them.

When Kent & Ruthie walked inside The Cabin their jaws dropped, and Ruthie said, "I love it!..." So after we gave them the grand tour all of us were back in the kitchen, and Kent said, "Are these what I think they are?"

"Yes!" I said, followed by a chuckle. "Help yourselves to the beignets. I made them earlier...." So everyone grabbed a tasty beignet and the powder sugar started flying (out of our mouths). And after accepting several compliments on the delicious beignets, I said, "Thank y'all, but they are not as good as Ruthie's beignets. Hers are to die for. In fact, several years ago, Ruthie taught me how to make them and just about every time that Kent & Ruthie have come down for a visit with Kinky and us—we usually cook up a batch of beignets...." And after another fun visit our dear friends we adios-ed them.

As soon as everyone had left Big Foot Ranch I grabbed Gaby's pretty pot holders and laid them out, so I could take a better picture of them. So you could see how beautiful they are.

And if you look closely at the picture above, you can see part of the blue handle casserole dish that I had put the over-a-dozen beignets in. And this is what was left of my beignets, after all of us had eaten our fair share of them.

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

Ruth (Buzzi) & Kent Perkins For Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch!

The last few days have been great even though it is FMT (Full Moon Time). The past few days we've
had a lot of visitors and they were all fun visits. In between that, I've been busy doing ranch work and trying to catch up with all of the paperwork, phone calls, e-mails, etc. and during my breaks from that I've been deep cleaning The Cabin and I am making progress with both. Thank goodness.

I have some great news, too. This past week, Gerry Olert, our good friend and our official videographer for the rescue ranch, because he is the Best Videographer In Texas, finished editing the new video that he made for our rescue ranch. And to say the least, "We Totally LOVE It!"

I don't know if y'all remember me blogging about Gerry, Tony and me meeting up with our good friends, Kent & Ruth Buzzi Perkins, at the YO Hotel, last month, so Gerry could film them talking about our Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, because they love it. And they are huge supporters of it and have been for over 18 years.

I hope that y'all will check out Gerry Olert's latest, fabulous video that he did for free for our rescue ranch, because like Kent & Ruthie he loves our Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. Please note that you can watch it at: www.utopiarescue.com or you can click here.

Our good friend Chet O'Keefe called me about an hour or so ago and we just got off the phone, because we had a lot of catching up to do, so that's it for tonight. And tomorrow, I promise to write more.

And Gerry's video also stars, our good friend, Dr. Craig Janssen, DVM, at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic.

Y'all have a great evening!