It Happened Again!

Today has been great. And it happened twice to me this morning and I am blaming one of them on M.I. R., because Mercury has been in retrograde since May 19th and it doesn't go away until June 11th.

Early this morning before taking a stupid sponge bath, Little Debbie started barking outside, so I let the rest of our dogs go outside to find out what was going on. To my relief, I saw Tony and our great friend and plumber, Bill, working down by the pump house!

So I immediately celebrated "this exciting event" by turning on the faucets, in our 33 year old, plastic garden tub, because our temporary, self-imposed water restrictions were over and I could take another bath before going to my Blues workshop, at the Kerrville Folk Festival! Life was good—so far.

A little before 9:30, I grabbed my guitar and adios-ed Tony, but before I got out the front door, he made me stop so he could take another picture of me, posing in my latest folk festival/hiker/blues musician poser outfit. Then I adios-ed him again and our dogs and then jumped into Trigger and took off.

After parking Trigger, in their parking lot, across the road from the festival grounds, I carefully walked across Highway 16, carrying my guitar and purse. I hiked down the highway with my gear and it reminded me of when I used to hitchhike back in the early 70's. Even though my hiking boots, my poser outfit and the Martin guitar were just like the old days, I didn't have sweet Boomer, my first great Great Pyrenees, on a leash and a heavy backpack resting on my back. 

When I entered the grounds I started down the path that would take me to the Threadgill Theater and I started thinking about who I could borrow a backpack from for tomorrow's final workshop day. And guess what—I got lost and couldn't find it!

I couldn't believe that once again I had gotten lost and I felt so stupid for getting lost, even though everyone, in my family, has no sense of direction and we have spent our entire lifetimes getting lost. All of my life it has been a huge family joke and now the joke includes Kinky, Ben and Tony. And now Chet O'Keefe is in on the joke too, because after Cindy and I got back from Big Bend, in March, Tony told me that he had secretly asked Chet, in advance, to look out for us, because he didn't want Cindy and me getting lost in Big Bend.

Not wanting to be late for the workshop, I stumbled down two paths. One was a dead end and the other led to a bridge that took you to some kind of chapel, so I decided even though I would look stupid, it was time for me to go ask a friendly folk festival volunteer for directions to the theater. 

When I asked a nice volunteer he smiled at me and probably figured that I was a confused old woman, from the 60's, that was simply stoned, even though I wasn't, because I don't do drugs, because they're illegal and they make me dumber than I already am. Anyway, this kind man pointed the way to the theatre, even though we could not see the theater, because of all of the tents and tall, parked RVs.

I was only one minute late and only Reverend Robert B. Jones watched me go sit down, on a bench, on the second to the last row. And I am blaming getting lost on it being M.I.R. time, because traveling problems always happen during the M.I.R. days.

Today's Blues workshop was so much fun. I learned so much about using a slide and playing guitar in open tuning. And our dear sweet friend Donna Hatch, who gave me Ryan's ticket to this awesome workshop, showed up briefly, so she could take several pictures of us.

When I came back home, I told Tony about getting lost and of course, he laughed and teased me about it, while I turned on my amp and plugged in my guitar. 

"Listen to this, Tony. I've got to show you what I learned today." Tony sat down and then I picked up a pick and started playing some great blues rhythms and riffs, using my slide and Tony could not believe what he was hearing.

"Nance, you sound fantastic. Don't stop playing." I played for him for about ten minutes, then I unplugged and put away my guitar, because my fingers were sore from playing for four full hours.

Well, I've given up on borrowing a backpack for tomorrow, but I already know what I am going to wear to my last Blues workshop. Of course, I'll be wearing my hiking boots, Levi's and another pink bandana and I've chosen to wear my green, Appalachian Trail, long-sleeved t-shirt, because it will make people believe that I am one serious hiker. And I like that.

And that is about it for tonight, because I am going to watch Texas Rising, the new History Channel series, that our good artist friend, Steve Pietzsch recommended that we watch it, because a character playing Big Foot Wallace, Tony's famous, Texas Ranger relative, will be making an appearance, in one of the upcoming episodes. Here's the link that Steve sent to me and you can click on Texas Rising to check out this new series about Texas history. 

P.S. I don't think the show airs tonight, because yesterday I recorded the first two episodes, but I bet they will be running reruns and you can watch it on demand.

Y'all have a great evening!

Figs For Jalapenos!

Today has been great. After we did our morning chores outside I came inside to check my e-mail and I am so glad that I did, because my dear friend Mari, who we were later meeting for lunch, in Kerrville, had sent me one, asking if we liked figs, because if we did, she wanted to trade us some of her figs for Tony's jalapenos. So, I shot her back an e-mail telling her that we would love to trade figs for jalapenos, then I jumped into the shower to get cleaned up.

Tony and I love Mari and getting to have lunch with her is one of our most favorite things to do and after we have lunch with Mari, I always wish that we could do it more often, because on a scale, from one to ten, with ten being the highest, of "Favorite Things To Do"—she's a twelve.

Before leaving the rescue ranch, Tony quickly handpicked a fresh crop of his jalapenos for Mari and then he loaded up two dog crates, in the back of Buttermilk, then we took off for Kerrville.

Our lunch today with Mari was a total blast. When she arrived two minutes after we got there, she was carrying a large white box and a gigantic, plastic bag filled with the biggest figs that we've ever seen and before she sat down, Mari handed me the heavy box and said, "I have one and I bought this for you, because you love Roy Rogers as much as I do."

When I opened up the white box, I was instantly thrilled at what I saw. It was this beautiful 399 page book, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans: It Was Always The Music, a celebration of Roy and Dale's singing cowboy B-Western era of country-western music, by Eric van Hamersveld, authorized by Dale Evans Rogers, Roy "Dusty" Rogers, Jr., and the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum! "Mari, I love this. It is so beautiful. Thank you, so much!" Then our waiter appeared and interrupted me, so he could take our order. (Mari and I ordered the exact same thing from the menu, except she requested Charro beans, instead of the refried beans that I ordered.)

"I knew you would love it, since you have started playing your guitar again, " Mari said. "It has every song, from all of their movies, with the music and lyrics and it is filled with movie pictures that you're going to love and..."

Because Mari is one of the most well informed, intelligent, humorous women that I have ever met, she and I were either talking or laughing non-stop, about dogs, the importance of buying Made In America products, politics, music, The NoMads, figs, jalapenos, West Texas, Terlingua, drivers license, tuna fish from Thailand, etc. and poor Tony hardly ever got to get a word in edgewise. And after two fun-filled hours had passed, Tone finally got to say, "Nance, it's nearly three o'clock and we need to get back to the ranch." Which totally shocked Mari and me, that so much time had passed, because we were having so much fun.

"Tony, will you please carry my book for me, because it is so heavy?" I asked. "And the figs."

While T. was gone to put our giant sack of figs and my newest, favorite book inside Buttermilk and getting Mari's jalapenos for her, Mari wanted me to listen to this great song, No One Kisses Their Horses Anymore. So when Tony joined us, we chuckled as we listened to it, standing in the parking lot. Then we adios-ed each other and left.

Our next stop was just down the street at Hoegemeyer Animal Clinic, to pick up Hank Williams, Sr. and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, so we could bring them home. And Hank, the handsome Yellow Labrador barked, I mean, serenaded us all of the way home.

When we got back to the rescue ranch, I took these pictures of Hank, wearing his temporary lampshade and not knowing what to think about it and cute, little Jackie O. 

Early this evening, I went over to the Lodge to visit with Kinky and Marcie and I had a fun, one hour,  really enjoyable visit with them, before coming back home. And that is about it for tonight, because I plan to learn how to play a few Roy & Dale songs on my guitar, until my fingers are killing me and then read my newest, favorite book. "Thank you, Mari! I love my book!  Let's do lunch sooner than later!"

Y'all have a great evening!