Saturday the 24th! or Mystery Musician! or The Carol Project!

The last few days have been great and with the help of our friend Aaron we did a whole lot of mowing and weed-eating. And now our rescue ranch looks like a beautiful, manicured dog-friendly park.

Today has been even greater, because Jim M., our great friend/dog-walking volunteer, came out and walked our dogs for us. Many of the others were no-shows, because of vacations, obligations, etc.

Anyway, after Jim walked our dogs we went to eat lunch, at the Medina Highpoint Resort's Koyote Grill. Besides our food being delicious and Tony and I ordering the exact same thing: Grilled Chicken Salad we had a really fun time.

And to top all of that off and "not to let the cat out of the bag" so to speak—I have some fabulous, exciting news, about a certain musician friend of ours who, Craig, the awesome General Manager, at the Medina Highpoint Resort, has booked to play on Saturday, June 24th, for their weekly, Saturday —All You Can Eat Pizza Night!

But the sad news is I can't announce who it is yet, until it is officially written down in stone or nailed down. And as soon as it is confirmed you'll be the first to know who this mystery musician is. So please go ahead and circle the date Saturday, the 24th, on your calendars.

After Tony and I adios-ed Jim, we left the Medina Highpoint Resort and we (I) talked non-stop about how excited I was that our friend would be playing the Saturday night gig up there. And before we came back home we made a quick pit stop to grab our mail.

But Tony didn't have much to grab, from the mailbox, this time, because there was just one letter and it was let's say "puffy." "What in the world is this?" Tony asked, as he handed the puffy letter to me.

I looked at who had sent it and I burst out laughing and couldn't stop laughing, because my good friend, Mari, had sent it to me. "What's so funny?" Tony asked. But I was speechless, because I could not quit laughing.

So the first thing that I did when we got back, to The Cabin, was to take a picture of Mari's puffy, "The Carol Project" letter with her special handling instructions, written near the bottom of the envelope.

Then I opened up Mari's puffy letter, even though I already knew what I would find inside and I took this picture of more of Mari's dog hair, for me to use for Carol's Christmas Top Bun, that I am making for her.

And when Tony saw the contents of Mari's "Hair Package" he finally started laughing, too. 

And that is about it for today. Because I need to take care of a little more rescue ranch business and then wash Mari's dog hair and dry it, in the salad spinner, before I start binge-watching the 3rd Season of The Ranch, on Netflix.

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

Between Heaven and Texas/From Here to Home! or Cale/Kale!

Last night after blogging, I finally found the perfect places to display my beautiful, little, hand-carved, wooden bear and the Made-In-Mexico, turquoise, stained glass cross with the cobalt blue center, that I purchased when Carol, Lorri and I were shopping, at the Terlingua Trading Company. While our three husbands were outside drinking beers, on the famous front porch, listening to Chet O'Keefe jam with Marc Utter.

Anyway, I put my adorable, little bear, on the top shelf, next to the two cows candle holder that don't have candles in them. And I hung the pretty cross, from the top shelf, too—above my kitchen sink. Because I do spend a lot of time, in that area.

Then I spent the rest of the evening reading and savoring the last few pages of Marie Bostwick's fabulous book Between Heaven and Texas.

If you'll remember, a while back, my good friend Kris gave me her copy of Marie Bostwick's awesome book From Here to Home and I could not put it down, because I loved reading it and it touched my heart in several  ways.

And not knowing that it was actually the second book of Bostwick's Texas novels—I read them out of sequence. But it actually didn't matter at all, because these two books can each stand alone, because they are such great reads. And I know that Carol will agree with me on this.

Today has been great. After our great friends/dog-walking-volunteers had walked our dogs for us we all decided to eat lunch, at the Medina Highpoint Resort's Koyote Grill. And to say the least, "Our meals were absolutely delicious." Eileen and I both ordered their delicious Steak Salad and we highly recommend it, too.

When we were about to adios each other and leave in different directions, we asked our friend, Craig Newton, the great General Manager, "Who is playing tonight, during y'all's delicious All You Can Eat Catfish Dinner?"

"Paul Hilliard," he answered. And then Eileen asked him who would be playing there, in May, because she has some musician friends, from Nashville, coming to visit. And when he told us that Hogan & Moss would be performing twice, in May, I interrupted him and started telling Eileen about how great those two musicians were. 

And after I had quit raving about how great Jon Hogan's and Maria Moss' music was—Eileen could not wait to hear them. "I'm definitely coming to see them!" Eileen stated. "And I think we should get all of our volunteers to meet up here when they play. Wouldn't that be fun, Nancy?" I was so tired from talking so much about how great Hogan & Moss were—I just nodded my head. 

This afternoon when we got back to the rescue ranch, I told Tony, "Tony, last night I finished reading Between Heaven and Texas and I am just sick about it, because I love both of those books. Now, I don't have anything good to read, so I'm going to go to the Little Cottage Quilt Shop, in Medina and buy a few more yards of fabric, so I can work on my quilt."

The quilt shop was busy with friendly, quilting customers, so I strolled around the shop looking for more fabrics that would compliment the Crazy Quilt that I am already working on. And I found four more fabrics and I purchased them. And then I came back home.

A little while ago, I watched the most upbeat music, YouTube video of Eric Clapton performing, on stage, with JJ Cale, my rock 'n roll hero, playing that great song Call Me The Breeze, that JJ Cale wrote and Lynrd Skynrd made famous. It has had over 3 million views and it is totally awesome and here's the link to it. 

And while I was watching that video and enjoying the music, with the volume cranked up high, it reminded me that I had planned to fix us this new salad recipe I had found for our lunch today, but as you already know I didn't, because we ate lunch, at the Koyote Grill. 

Anyway, I think it is kind of weird that I was, sitting here, listening to JJ Cale and thinking about that Brussels Sprouts With Kale salad recipe, that is served with a Maple Syrup vinaigrette—at the exact same time. Get it? Cale/Kale. 

And tonight before I finish writing this I want to let you know that Tony and I won the race back to Medina, because Carol & Bill had to make a pit stop, at a roadside rest area, for their dogs: Scout and Pepper to exercise and for them to take care of "business." And all that I have to say about that is S*&% Happens!

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

Lunch Today Was A Blast!

Lunch today, at the Koyote Grill, was a blast. And only June, Ellen, Kris & Jim and Tony know what I'm talking about. And I am going to leave it at that.

Remember a while back when I blogged about our good friend, Jim winning H.E.B.'s recipe contest for The Best Labor Day Burger. Posted in the Hill Country Community Journal.

Well, Jim e-mailed me the recipe today, which of course, I've now stolen and plan to cook as soon as I go back, to H.E.B. in Kerrville, to buy a few of the ingredients that I don't have.

Anyway, I want to share his award winning recipe and give Jim the credit for it, before I erase his name and turn it into Cousin Nancy's Award-Winning Best Labor Day Burger. 

Because his recipe above may be a little hard for some of us to read, because we're old, I've taken the time to re-type it, so you can steal it right from here and name it whatever you want. But I strongly suggest that you call it Cousin Nancy's Award-Winning Best Labor Day Burger Recipe.

Jim Bobbitt's 

Best Labor Day Burger Recipe

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 lb. ground beef (85% lean)

2 heaping TBSP hatch chili, chopped (can or fresh)

1 tsp. Truffle salt

1 tsp. celery salt

2 TBSP minced garlic 

1 tsp.black pepper

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tsp Adam's Just Right Burger Spice

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients, but burger spices. Form into four patties. Generously season each side with burger spice. Grill as desired.

This evening I plan to start binge watching Netflix's Longmire 5th Season and I can't wait. But before I go I want to end this post with a laugh, because I think that we all need to laugh as much as we can.

Anyway, early this morning Kay and Sara came out to walk our dogs, before the rest of our friends/dog-walking volunteers had arrived. 

While I was visiting with them I told them about Buttercup aka Butterball coming back to us and Hazel getting adopted. And a few minutes later, Kay innocently remarked, "I am so happy for Hazel. She is such a great dog. I'm going to go give Butterbutt a few extra treats." (Like she really needs more treats.)

I immediately burst out laughing and then she started laughing, too. So, I half-hollered to Tony, "Kay just called Butterball—Butterbutt!"

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

Aggies Do Know How To Have Fun!

The past few days have been busy here and we've also had fun. Besides mowing almost every evening until dark and taking care of rescue ranch paperwork, etc.

Yesterday afternoon we found time to hook up for lunch with Marita & Hans, our new Norwegian friends.

Originally, we had decided to meet, in Kerrville, for lunch, but due to their unexpected rental car's trouble, we wound up going to, Fredericksburg, to eat lunch with them, at Hilda's Mexican Restaurant.

Our lunch was so much fun. We traded jokes back and forth and we talked non-stop about music, musicians, artists and Terlingua, because they left early this morning for Terlingua, so they could spend a couple of days out there, before once again returning to Fred-town.

When we were talking about artists, Marita started telling us about their daughter Christina who in my opinion is an extremely talented artist. Seriously, I loved looking at her beautiful art, because some of it reminds me of Salvador Dali, who I am a big fan of.

When it was time for us to head back, to the rescue ranch, we did not want to leave, because we were having such a great time visiting with Marita & Hans. So before we adios-ed each other we made plans for them to come and see us, at the rescue ranch next week, before they fly out to California to join their Canadian friends.

This morning my dear friend Mari sent me the cutest e-mail about a dead cockroach, that was found under a stairwell, in the Texas A&M's Anthology building. And I promise that it will make you laugh out loud. So please click here if you would like a good laugh, because Aggies do know how to have fun.

This morning our great friends/volunteers came out and walked our dogs for us. We all decided to go to the Koyote Grill for lunch, which is now under new management, because we wanted to check out their new menu that so many people having been raving about.

All of us ordered different items from their menu, including Tony and me, which seldom happens.  Anyway, we all loved what we had ordered and we all agreed that the food was delicious and that we love their new menu. Here is a copy of Koyote Grill's new delicious menu and I hope that you'll go there and check them out soon. Because I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Late this afternoon I took a short, sleepless nap with our dogs and it completely re-energized me. So I went back outside and pushed the mower around for about an hour. And now I am poopedonce again. So that's about it for tonight.

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

Truck Trouble!

Yesterday, after I wrote and posted on my blog, Tony and I went outside to put the blue tarps up, on the Egg Palace, because a cold front was due to arrive late Friday night. And while we were out there working a UPS truck arrived to our surprise.

The friendly driver had a gift to deliver to us sent from our friends, Karen and Terry C. It was a Honey Baked Ham for our Thanksgiving dinner! And to say the least, we were thrilled to get it, because for the past several years, these super nice people have sent us these delicious hams. "Thank you Karen and Terry for making another one of our Thanksgiving dinners great. We wish you a happy Thanksgiving. And please come visit us when you can."

After we had finished working, on the Egg Palace, I went over to Kinky's, because he had called me, while we were outside to invite me to come over and go on another hike with him and The Friedmans.

Yesterday, when I wrote that there hadn't been a lot to write about for the past few days, the only thing that I forgot to mention was that Kinky and I have been going, almost every day, on late afternoon hikes, with his four precious dogs aka The Friedmans.

When we finished our long hike around the ranch, Kinky invited me to come inside for a visit. After we had discussed his new idea for the title of his latest book, he told me another funny Willie Nelson quote. Then we matched wits trying to remember the names and dog breeds of U.S. Presidents. Then said, "Nance, I'm hungry. I don't feel like cooking and I don't want to drive to town."

"Let's go up to Koyote," I suggested. "Tonight's their all you can eat catfish buffet." And seconds later, I was on Kinky's phone calling Tony to see if he wanted to go eat catfish with us.

Twelve minutes later, we drove up and parked Trigger right next to Mr. Green Jeans, Kinky's green Chevy pickup. Then Kinky walked up and greeted us.

During our fun, delicious meal, we waved to Sarah, who was working behind the counter. "Happy Birthday, Sarah!" The three of us said. Then our good friend, Sarah, came over to our table to greet us, thank us for her birthday card and visit with us. And she brought with her three, big slices of her chocolate birthday cake to enjoy.

After we finished eating, sweet Sarah asked if Tony would please take a few pictures of her and Kinky and then get her husband to take a few pictures of her posing with Kinky, Tony and me. "It will cost you $10.00 a picture," Tony joked, as he focused her camera on them. Here are a couple of pictures that Sarah posted, on her FaceBook page:

Following the fun photo-shoot, Sarah asked Kinky if he minded her posting his picture with her, on her FaceBook page. "Do it!" Kinky said. Then Sarah asked me how Little Debbie was doing? I told her that she was fine and then Kinky started laughing, and said, "I don't believe this! Everywhere I go somebody is always asking me about how Little Debbie is doing."

"That's because Little Debbie is famous, Kinky!" Sarah said. "She's even got her own blog and I...."

And a few minutes later, we adios-ed Sarah. And as we went out the door, Irene, another one of our favorite employees there, half-hollered, "Y'all have a great night!"

"Good night, Irene," I half-hollered back to her.

Then Kinky chuckled, and joked, "Nance, that would be a great title for a Country song." Seconds later, we adios-ed each other and climbed into the trucks. Tony and I took off first.

When Tony and I were walking up to The Cabin, I heard the phone ring, then I heard Kinky's voice, "Tony, Nancy. Nancy, Tony. Pick up the phone! Nancy, Tony. Call me!" As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard click.

I immediately checked the Caller I.D. to discover that Kinky had called us from his cell phone. So, I immediately punched in his phone number, thinking that he must of had truck trouble and needed our help. But once again, I was wrong.

"Nance, do you know where @#$ Wallace Creek Road is? There's a woman, on Wallace Creek Road, who stopped me. She is lost and she can't find the address where she is supposed to meet up with her boyfriend...." Kinky adios-ed us after he had talked to me and then Tony, about the address, because we weren't any help at all, because we know our neighbors, but not their addresses. Bottom line: Her boyfriend found her and she was pretty mad.

As I finish writing this tonight, I plan to write for a few more hours and then I'll decide which television show to watch. And because, there isn't much to choose from, I've narrowed it down to:
Turkey Fried Easy or Best Christmas Lights Ever. But since sweet Karen and Terry have sent us another delicious Honey Baked Ham, I am going to watch Best Christmas Lights Ever.

Y'all have a great evening!

Rock Steady! or Double Whammy! or Drive Carefully!

This past week has been pretty uneventful, so I didn't really have much to write about, but today has been great.

This morning our dear friends/volunteers came out to walk our dogs and our dogs totally loved it. Kay, our newest friend/volunteer came out too, because she and I had planned, earlier this week, for her to get to know Miranda better, because she was interested in possibly adopting her.

Miranda Lambert is our beautiful, sweet, 2 1/2 year old Great Pyrenees mix. Miranda is an awesome dog. When our dear friend Fay, up in Toronto, adopted Miranda's brother, Blake Shelton, last year from us, Miranda's behavior began changing and she started becoming more and more shy with strangers and would bark at them.

Miranda had never been like that when she was with her brother, so we figured that Blake had been her rock steady. She would always follow his lead. If he was friendly, she was friendly. If he barked, she would back him up, etc.

Anyway, after Blake moved up to Canada and became known as Ranger, Miranda decided to pick out Tony, Jim M., a few others and me to  be her rock steady, because she trusted all of us.

When Kay arrived, she and I immediately went to Miranda's pen, so I could put a leash on Miranda so we could take her for a long walk, down to the creek. When I went into her pen, Miranda was all happy to see me and she easily let me leash her up, but she was acting a little unsure of Kay, who was outside of the pen watching all of this.

Within less than two minutes, I handed Miranda's leash over to Kay and we continued walking and talking. Miranda still seemed a little uneasy about Kay, so when we arrived down at the creek I suggested that Kay and I sit down on a giant rock together and let Miranda get used to her.

A couple of minutes later, Miranda let Kay start petting her. Kay and I petted Miranda for several minutes and talked to her and then I stood up and told Kay that I was going to go sit on a rock about twenty feet away from them, so Miranda wouldn't lean on me for support.

And it worked! In less than a minute Miranda totally relaxed with Kay and she started enjoying Kay's attention and affection. After about twenty minutes, Kay stood up and walked Miranda to the creek and Miranda went in as far as the leash would allow. Her wet tail was wagging non-stop the entire time and it was obvious to both of us that Miranda now liked and trusted Kay, too. They were buddies. Bottom line: Kay is very excited about adopting sweet Miranda, in the very near future. So please keep your fingers crossed for Miranda.

Lunch with our friends/volunteers was a blast. We ate at the Medina Highpoint's Koyote Grill and believe it or not—Tony and I didn't order the exact same thing.

While we were eating lunch, June asked #$#@^*, "How was your doctor's appointment this morning?"

#$#@^* started laughing and so did I, because #$#@^* had told me about her doctor's appointment while we were standing in line, waiting to give Kelly our orders. Every time that #$#@^* started to tell June, she and I would burst out laughing. So finally, #$#@^* says, "Nancy, you tell June."

"Okay. #$#@^* had made a list of things to ask her doctor after he examined her hips (In the past two years #$#@^* had both of her hips replaced.).

Then #$#@^* interrupted me. "Okay, I can tell it. After his examination I asked him to please check behind my scar, because there seemed to be some kind of swelling back there. I joked to him that it might be a fat pone." Then #$#@^* and I both started laughing, again.

"Please stop laughing and tell us," June begged.

"Okay," #$#@^* said. "He said, "Yes, it is a fat pone." Jim, Tony and June joined #$#@^* and me in laughter. "Wait there's more to tell," #$#@^* said. "I asked him to please check my other hip and it was a fat pone, too! But he said that it was much smaller!"

"A double whammy!" I interjected. June liked my comment and she nearly fell out of her chair, because she was laughing so hard. "Or you could call them bumpers for your hips," I teased. "With a bumper sticker, across her behind that reads, "Caution Wide Load..."

After we had all calmed down and quit teasing #$#@^*, Suzanne confessed about recently getting a warning ticket for speeding and then we started talking about who likes to drive fast and who likes to drive slow. And it was by a unanimous vote that Lisa, hands down, wins the award for driving way too fast, with Ellen, June and me tying for being the slowest drivers. And that's about it for today. Drive carefully.

Y'all have a great evening!

A Roll! or Flat Tire!

Today has been great. This morning June, Eileen, The Mineral Man, Suzanne and Jim, our great friends/volunteers came out to walk our dogs for us and Jim brought along Ruthie, his super sweet sister-in-law, that is down here visiting them.

Before we all went up to the Koyote Grill, at the Medina Highpoint Resort, to eat lunch together, I invited everyone to come up to The Cabin, because I could not wait to show them my new Mara, Made In Mexico, mugs that I love and am so proud of.

Everyone loved my marvelous, Mara mugs. Ruthie liked the howling coyote, in the desert, mug that she was drinking coffee out of and Eileen was fond of the bear paw mug. Tony's favorite is the dragonfly mug and my favorite mug, for now, is the moose, in the mountains, even though I actually love all six of them.

When all of us took off to go eat lunch together, at the Medina Highpoint Resort's Koyote Grill, Tony and I, who were the last to leave, saw Carol & Bill, our dear friends and newly wed, wave to us as they drove past us, as we were about to turn onto Hwy. 16. And they ended up eating lunch with all of us, too!

Omg, our lunch with our fabulous, fun to be with friends, was so much fun and the food was delicious, too. At one point during our hilarious conversations I told them the story, that I had recently heard, about the famous Gage Hotel's White Buffalo Bar that has a white buffalo head mounted on its wall.

Then I completely changed the subject, because I love buffaloes and white buffaloes are considered sacred by Native Americans. "Last night, for some reason, I was surfing the channels and decided to watch the Science channel. I've never watched the Science channel, because I nearly flunked science, in high school. Anyway, I ended up watching two episodes of NASA's Unexplained Files."

"The first show was titled Did We Nuke Jupiter and it was an investigation about the possibility of NASA intentionally crashing a newly, retired, nuclear spacecraft, from the Apollo program, on Jupiter..." After their eyes quit rolling, several hilarious remarks made, some teasing and a lot of laughter, I realized that I was on a roll, so I decided to tell them about the other NASA's Unexplained Files episode that I had also watched.

"The second episode I watched was about NASA having put one of their sophisticated "land rovers," on Mars, to roam around and take pictures of the planet, so they could learn more about Mars. Anyway, this unmanned, land rover ended up taking several pictures of something it found on the ground, that looked just like a half-eaten jellyroll and none of NASA's brilliant scientists could explain it." Then everyone, at our table, burst out laughing including me.

When the laughter finally subsided, I continued on, "Seriously, I saw the pictures taken of it and it looked just like a half-eaten jellyroll with red jelly on the inside." Then I stopped talking, because everyone was laughing so hard and making hilarious comments about it. "Personally, I am thinking that the jellyroll was left there by a Martian, with a good sense of humor, to be a joke, after an Earth visit."

Then Carol winks at me and jokes, "Yeah, and who knows just how long that half-eaten thing has been on Mars, because the nasty stuff they put in jellyrolls today can take years and years to digest or maybe never disintegrate." And her hilarious remark made all of us roar with laughter.

And that is about it for tonight, because we're fixin' to go outside to do some more mowing. And after that I plan to watch the Science Channel's MythBusters episode, at 8:00, titled Fix A Flat, a 2011 documentary about changing a flat tire without a spare, because I love the Science Channel and need to know this stuff!

Y'all have a great evening!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Love Garnet's Introduction 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Y'all have a great evening!