Tortilla Flour!

Today has been a great day. Right before I fixed lunch for Tony, Aaron and me—we put away our tools, because we had finally finished building the new hen house. I love The Egg Palace and am so happy about it finally being ready to receive egg laying chickens. And, as soon as we get our chickens I will take a picture of it to show to y'all.

This afternoon while we were running errands, in Kerrville, we stopped by Wolfmueller's Books to visit with Sandy and Jon for a minute, and to also pick up a special book, that Sandy had just found and bought for me, the day before Levon Helm had died. The title of the book is, The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble, and it is filled with fabulous photographs taken by Paul Laraia and the foreword is by Levon Helm.

After paying them for the book and having a really fun visit with our dear friends we adios-ed them and went to H-E-B to buy our regular groceries and a special sack of Hill Country Tortilla Flour, that Elizabeth, a friend of mine had recommended to me, because she makes the best flour tortillas—in Texas.

On our way home I began reading The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble by Paul Laraia and I could not put it down long enough to backseat drive and by the time we had arrived home, I was over half-way through the book. "Omg, Tony. I love this book and you are going to love reading this book too. There are pictures of famous musician playing there, on every page with a comment they made. Like Steve Earle, Billy Bob Thornton, Phoebe Snow, Pinetop Perkins, Dr. John, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, Larry Campbell, John Sebastian, Sam Bush, Garth Hudson, Delbert McClinton, Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Rickie Lee Jones, etc. and it's totally amazing! And you are going to love the picture of Levon's dog—Muddy."

After we had put up our groceries I picked up the book and started reading it again and soon found that there are two pages of pictures of Kinky, Little Jewford and Washington Ratso performing at the Midnight Ramble and that Kinky wrote the blurb for the back jacket, so I called Kinky to ask him if I could come over to the Lodge.

Three minutes later, after telling Kinky about the fabulous Levon Helm book, I showed him the blurb that he had written on the back jacket, "There hasn't been this much musical talent on the same stage since Hank Williams opened for Mozart." And then I showed him the pictures of him, Little Jewford and Washington Ratso performing at the Midnight Ramble.

Then we thumbed through this awesome book. "I'll loan to you if you want to read it," I offered.

"Yes, I definitely want to read this book when I return to the ranch. I need an early wake up call in the morning, so I won't be late leaving in the morning..." Then we put the book down and went on a fun hike with The Friedmans and then I came back home.

When I finish writing this, I plan to open up my new sack of "miracle-tasting-tortilla" flour that I only have to add water to, which is sitting on the drainboard, and try to make up a batch of delicious homemade tortillas for breakfast tacos, in the morning, so please wish me luck tonight in the kitchen.

Y'all have a great evening!

Obama, Eva Longoria & Kinky!

Tonight's blog is going to be fairly short because Tony and I have basically been outside all day long mowing and edging the rescue ranch and it is now eight-fifteen and we just came inside. To say the least I am pooped and covered in grass and  dead weeds.

First off, I want to wish Karen Cares the Happiest Birthday ever and I hope that it has been a great one today! Secondly, I want to thank our dear friends and volunteers Lisa and Sidney for coming out late yesterday afternoon to visit with us and our dogs. And I want to thank Ellen, June, Eileen and Jim for coming out to walk our dogs and groom them. We loved it, but our dogs loved it more! All of Y'all Really Rock! Thank you so much!

This morning I didn't walk with Leslie inside, but I did walk, push-mowed and edged with Tony outside and my arms and legs are pretty sore. Hopefully I burned off a lot of calories.

Late this afternoon I took a much needed break from the overwhelming yard work and went over to the Lodge to visit with Kinky, Marcie and Will before a crew from San Antonio came out to interview and shoot Kinky for a documentary that they were doing on him.

When I arrived at the Lodge I was pleasantly surprised to also see Kinky's friends: Rambam, the famous international private eye, Washington Ratso and Dylan Ferrero! We talked and laughed as the men told us funny stories from their past. Rambam talked about the book that Kinky is writing about Rambams' most famous cases. Ratso and Dylan told us some very interesting and hilarious tales about their friends Bob Dylan, The Band and being at the filming of The Last Waltz and I was in total awe. Then the nice people from San Antone showed up to shoot and interview Kinky.

After introductions were made Marcie, T. and I visited quietly as we watched and listened as the crew interviewed and shot Kinky sitting at the picnic table. "Marcie," I whispered, "Kinky is doing great! He is such a natural when it comes to doing interviews and being in front of a camera..." Marcie nodded her head and totally agreed with me as Kink continued to answer one question after another and then he would say something that would make everyone laugh.

When the interview ended Kinky came over to us and said, "Nance, they want to go over to the rescue ranch to shoot you and me. Is that okay with you and Tone?" Then Kinky laughed and said under his breath, "I really like these people. They just told me that they had tried first to get Obama or Eva Longoria, but they got me." We all chuckled.

Ten minutes later everyone arrived at the rescue ranch to shoot us and our dogs. Talk about nice people! After they interviewed us and shot Kinky and me and our dogs we all went into Outer Space and had a fun visit. Before they left they asked to shoot a group picture so T. took this picture of us in front of my writing cabin. Washington Ratso is standing next to me.

Y'all have a great evening! I am going to bed.

That Smells Good!

This morning, by request, Tony woke me up at six-ten, because the night before Kinky had called and asked me to give him an early wake up call at seven, because he was doing the Harley Show live at eight o'clock. When I called Kinky, he was already up and drinking coffee, with his old friend, Frank Mason, from Athens, Georgia. He told me that he and Frank were fixin' to head to Kerrville to do the show.

Kinky told me that he had met Frank, years ago, when he played at the Lone Star, in New York City, where Kinky used to perform. Frank was one of the club's bouncers, and he loved music. In fact, Frank knows just about every famous musician from that era, like Bob Dylan and Levon Helm, etc. I couldn't wait to meet him!

I watched the Harley Show, and Kinky was great, and the show was great, too! Harley interviewed Kinky for over an hour! Here's a picture of them at the Rose 99.9, that I took off of my computer screen:

After Kinky and Harley went off air, I walked six fast miles, and then I returned a few phone calls and e-mails. Then Tony took off for Kerrville to get a replacement fan motor for Buttermilk, so Aaron could install it and we would once again have air conditioning, without haveing to use a rock tool. After catching up, it was my turn to have some fun! I fixed Donald Trump's secret recipe, "Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers" for the very first time!

A few days ago, on Oprah, she did a show about her favorite foods, and she had The Donald on, and they visited and watched as a chef prepared his famous turkey burgers. After Oprah declared them her favorite turkey burgers in the world, I went online to Oprah, and fetched his secret recipe.

I followed the directions carefully, even though some of the ingredients surprised me. I had lunch ready at eleven-thirty, but Tone was running late, again, so I put the burgers on the back burner to warm, and I did some more paperwork. Twenty-five minutes later, Tony walked inside the trailer. "I'm sorry for being late, Nance," he said.

"What happened?" I asked, as I started reheating our lunch.

"I had to be a witness for a wreck. I was heading home on 16, and behind a car, at the light after the bridge, by the mall. When our light turned green, we took off, and a car on the right, suddenly pulled out into the intersection and bam! I pulled into the mall's parking lot, and went to check on the people. Then a squad car shows up, and the police officers wanted to talk to me about witnessing the wreck. That smells good. What are we having for lunch?"

"Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers, Oprah loves them, and I hope that they are good," I said, as I handed T. his turkey burger on a plate. "Try it. You're the designated guinea pig here. It's either going to be delicious or the worst thing that I've ever made."

Tony took a bite, and his eyes got big!

"What?" I anxiously asked!

"It's delicious, Nance!" Tone said, with food still in his mouth. Then he took another bite! "It's the best turkey burger I've ever eaten. Try it." Tony then took another bite. I was thrilled!

Well, I have to admit, it was the best turkey burger that I have ever eaten, too. I hope that y'all will try it. I promise that you'll love it! Here's the recipe, which I will soon be calling Cousin Nancy's Famous Turkey Burgers!

Around one o'clock, I went over to the Lodge, to visit with Kinky, and to get him to try one of my delicious turkey burgers. At first, he didn't want to eat it, because he said he wasn't hungry and he didn't particularly care for turkey burgers. Thirty minutes later, we went into the kitchen, and Kinky zapped my turkey burger in his microwave.

I watched as he took his first bite. Instead of talking with food in his mouth, like T., he gave me a two thumbs up, and then he nodded his head yes! Then he took another bite! "This is delicious, Nance! What's in it?"

"Two Granny apples, scallions, celery, ground turkey, salt, pepper, Tabasco's chipolte hot pepper sauce, Major Grey's Chutney from England, lemon and some parsley. And, I put ketchup and jalapeno mustard on the whole wheat buns."

After Kinky devoured my, Cousin Nancy's Famous Turkey Burger, Trigger took me back to the rescue ranch.

Later this evening, I went over to the Lodge and visited with Kinky, Will and Frank, and I really enjoyed visiting with them! Before leaving the Lodge, I told Will and Frank about my new delicious turkey burgers, and I promised them, that I would make them tomorrow for their lunch. Kinky seemed a little bit jealous, because he has to go 'on the road,' tomorrow morning.

Y'all have a great evening, even though Mercury is still in retrograde until the twenty-ninth!

Kinky Called!

This morning, I went out to the Space Ship and decided to build a bench seat, beneath the front window, in ‘the great room.’ After studying the angled wall at the bottom, for over twenty minutes, I figured out how to build the bench. Normally, you build a rectangle and shove it up against the straight wall, but this wall was angled out to the floor. I then went to cutting boards on the chop saw.

Twenty minutes later, I had all of the boards cut for the frame, and that was when Tony walked up. After explaining my design to Tony, he went to work—nailing and screwing the boards together. It took him about thirty minutes.

Once the bench frame was built—we pushed it up to the three walls and Tony nailed and screwed the frame to the two sidewalls of the Space Ship. Then I started cutting the boards for the seat, as fast as I cut boards, Tony nailed them down to the frame. Unfortunately, because I am not an expert carpenter, like my brother Ronnie—we were three and half boards shy of completing the project. So, we went to Kerrville to eat and to buy more lumber.

I made a fool out of myself at Luby’s cafeteria as I was leaving. Tony had gone to the restroom, so I went to the cashier and paid our bill, and was then going to go outside to wait for him. As I started to push on the door, that would not open, I heard Tony laugh and say, “Nance, I’m taking you to the eye doctor on Tuesday. That’s a window that you are pushing on, the door is right here—right next to it.” Then Tony opened the door for me and we walked outside.

In my own self defense, the windows looked exactly like the doors—just no handles! I will never make that mistake again! Then we drove over to Home Depot and bought the extra boards, to complete the project.

When we returned to the rescue ranch—Kinky had called. Before going outside to work on the Space Ship, I returned his call.

“Nance,” Kinky said. “Last night was great with Levon Helm and a lot of fun. Is everything okay at the ranch and how are the Friedmans doing?”

“Kink, knock on wood—everyone and everything is fine.” I said. “That’s great about playing with Levon—I love him and his music and The Band. Where are you calling me from?”

“Ratso, Jewford and I are headed to Philadelphia, and we should be there in about an hour or so. I can’t wait for you to read this magazine article—I promise, that you will love it. And, you do know that Nancy Doyle., isn’t going to be able to visit us in September—don’t you?”

“I know,” I said. “She called me, the other day, and I am sick about it. She is such a great person. I was really looking forward to seeing her.” Kinky and I talked for a little bit longer, thank goodness, because I found out that I posted Kinky’s Tuesday’s shows wrong.

Kinky, Little Jewford and Washington Ratso will be doing Imus first, around 7:00 or 7:30, Tuesday morning, and then right after that, they will be doing Fox and Friends. Sorry about that.

Here is a picture of the bench and the matching quilt—doggie bed on the floor. I will make cushions for the bench seat—later this week. I miss Kinky!

Full Of Spirit!

This morning, while drinking coffee with Kinky, we discussed ranch business, and when that was done, Kinky showed me Mr. Magoo’s latest toy. It is a green and yellow, stuffed ball, and when you squeeze it—it starts playing zydeco music! Gooie was running around the Lodge, with the toy in his mouth—serenading us!

Then, while in the kitchen, we looked outside to find our donkeys, Roy and Gabby—trying to remove Kinky’s new rain gauge! We went outside, and quickly took it from Roy, and then Kinky remounted it in stump of wood.

Before leaving, Kinky told me that he was doing Fox and Friends, tomorrow morning at 7:15 am in Austin. Then he is doing Fox and Friends again on Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:15 am and then doing Imus live with Ratso and Little Jewford—right after he does Fox and Friends!

I just received a call that has made my day! My Spirit mattress and bedding is going to be delivered late this afternoon! Yee Haw! I can’t wait! It will definitely be a Kodak (Sony) moment and will post pictures on its arrival!

Kinky just called, and he is cooking boneless chicken thighs—for Toto! He is coming over in just a few minutes to have a picnic in Outer Space with Toto and my gang!

Here is an update on Kinky’s latest upcoming events:
Kinky & Co. Head East!

Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
.Start: Aug. 28 2008 - 7:30 pm
Join Kinky and special guests Little Jewford and Washington Ratso on August 28 for a night of classic Kinky Friedman songs at one of the DC area’s finest listening rooms, the Birchmere.

Kinky’s new book, What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed Up World, will also be available. With gas prices on the rise, an election on the horizon, and global warming making the summer hotter than ever, this country is in dire need of Kinky's notorious humor and wit this season.

The Birchmere is located at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. in Alexandria, VA. For tickets and more information, call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

Woodstock, NY - The Midnight Ramble
Start: Aug. 30 2008 - 8:00 pm
Kinky is joining Levon Helm (The Band) on August 30 for his legendary Midnight Ramble Sessions.

This show is one of the hottest tickets anywhere on the east coast. Held at Helm’s intimate home studio in the Catskill Mountains, the Sessions are known for their festival atmosphere and the great show Levon and his band put on.

Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Start: Aug. 31 2008 - 8:00 pm
Join Kinky and special guests Little Jewford and Washington Ratso on August 31 for a night of classic Kinky Friedman songs at one of Philly’s best venues, World Café Live. The small room upstairs is where it's at in this venue, and that's where Kinky and the boys will be presiding.    
                            
New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club
Start: Sept. 1 2008 - 8:00 pm
Join Kinky and special guests Little Jewford and Washington Ratso on September 1 for a night of classic Kinky Friedman songs at the legendary B.B. King Blues Club. Kinky hasn't played a full show in New York in so long, you'll definitely want to book your tickets early. The Village Irregulars and Kinkophiles will be haunting this show—a do not miss event!