What A Nice Surprise! or We Love You, Eileen!

Today has been great even though last night I went to bed madder than a wet hen or at least that is the best way I know of describing it.

When I had finished reading another 100 pages of Wild, I was tired and ready to go to bed, so I called the dogs to let them go outside and they all came running out of our bedroom and then went outside to take care of business.

While they were outside I went into our bedroom to fold down the sheets and to my surprise—there was another big hole, at the top of the down comforter, chewed right next to the mending I had previously done and yes, feathers were everywhere to be found.

It made me so mad I wanted to scream, but I didn't. Instead I rolled up the comforter starting at the top, to prevent any further feather-leakage. Then I tossed our cheap, all chewed up fleece blanket over the top of our bed making sure to cover up the birds-of-a-feather comforter, at the end of the bed. Then I brought our dogs back inside. And not one of them looked guilty, as they raced past me to go back into our bedroom.

Then I went down the hall to tell Tony about one of our dogs chewing up the down comforter, again. And while he was defending his dogs Beau and Belle, the dogs started barking, in our bedroom. When I went to the bedroom to see what was the matter I started laughing, because they were barking at the covered up down blanket. I guess they thought there was a person hiding underneath the cheap blanket they had destroyed months ago. After showing them the rolled up comforter, I turned off the light and we all went to bed.

The first thing I did this morning after drinking a cup of H-E-B Texas Pecan Coffee was cook breakfast for Hank. Three eggs scrambled with one pound of sausage, because Tony was fixin' to go outside to start doing the chores and I wanted him to feed Hank first.

While Tony was outside, I took a shower, cleaned up the kitchen and then I got Eileen's "No More Radiation/ No More Cancer" celebration gift sack ready, because for lunch today, the volunteers and us were surprising Eileen, to celebrate her victory with cancer, at the Medina High Point's Koyote Grill. Our small gift was a sauce pot, a sauce mop and a six pack of Guiness Harp beer.

Then I went outside to greet Eileen, Suzanne, Kris & Jim and June, our dear friends/volunteers. I had a fun visit with everyone and I introduced them to Cheryl Strayed and then reintroduced them to Hank, who Tony had told me, "He ate all of his breakfast in just a few seconds and he loved it. I wished that you had saved some for me, because I'm..."

Eileen's "No More Cancer" celebration party was a total blast! Ellen and Jim, and Pam, June and Ellen's sweet cousin, who is Ed Helms, sweet mother, also joined our celebration. Kris had gotten Creative Cakes By Sharon to bake and design a very special No Cancer cake for Eileen and it was as awesome as it was delicious. And the pretty-in-pink, plastic forks, paper plates, tablecloth and napkins, that Kris had also picked up made everything perfect. 

I have taken these pictures to capture our fun time and the reason that Tony and I gave Eileen a sauce pot and sauce mop was because, we knew in advance that Jim was going to share his friend Claude's secret BBQ sauce and rub recipes with Eileen. Which now means that only us three have these secret BBQ recipes. And to say the least when Jim handed Eileen the folder with the recipes, "She was beside herself and more than thrilled to get these recipes."

Tony and I had to leave the party around 1:45, because we needed to get back to the rescue ranch, because we had another dog coming in, from Houston. A few years ago this nice couple had rescued this stray and since then their 93 year old father-in-law had come to live with them and because he was forgetful, etc. and accidentally letting the dog out in the neighborhood, "it was only a matter of time before something really bad happened."

After we got back home, I decided to put our big dogs out in the backyard, so I could once again mend our down comforter, that has recently brought little comfort to me. To reduce the feather-spread inside The Cabin, I had already decided to do this mending, out on the front porch.

The tear that I mended was nearly twenty inches long, and before I plucked it off of our bed, to take it outside, I took these two pictures to show why the comforter had scared our dogs last night.

Don't you love all of the holes aka air vents? And it does sort of look like a person buried under the blanket.

When I finished mending the down comforter, which I've now named Downer, I took it back into The Cabin and put it inside our bedroom closet aka wine cellar. And I plan to every night put it back on our bed and then remove it every morning, to spend its time with Hazel, in the wine cellar.

At 4:24, our dogs started barking. I figured the sweet couple and Gumbo were arriving, but I was wrong.

I was writing this post, so Tony went outside first. Then I went outside to greet David and his wife, but I didn't. Instead I hugged Tony and jumped for joy!

I was thrilled! My hiking boots had arrived three days early and they fit like a glove, if anyone were to put a glove on their foot. The boots also came with an embroidered PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) patch and I plan to sew it onto one of my blue jean jackets, but not today, because I am already tired of sewing.

At 4:58, our dogs started barking, again. This time I figured the sweet couple and Gumbo were arriving and I was right. So Tony and I both went outside to greet them and to welcome Gumbo.

Gumbo is a fabulous, handsome two-year-old male dog. We love him and the kind-hearted couple who brought him to us. Tomorrow I will take pictures of Gumbo, who I've renamed Forrest Gump, because he is starting a new life adventure. And that is about it for tonight, because I plan to wear my hiking boots and plop them up on the coffee table and continue reading Wild. And btw, just so you'll know, I am removing my Nike+ Fuel Band now, because I've already I met my goal of 2,000! Life is good.

Y'all have a great evening 

Wild! or Cheryl Strayed!

Things have been wild in more ways than one. Last night, after I blogged, I went to Amazon and downloaded the Kindle Version of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, because I could not wait to read her true story. This book is a New York Times Best Seller and Oprah's Book Club 2.0 selection.

Seconds later after downloading it, I opened up my iPad Mini and took this picture of the cover of the book. Then I spent the rest of my evening reading over 100 pages of the "I can't put this book down." I was hooked by the second page. It is a fabulous read and an incredible story.

During the middle of the night I woke up, not because it was snowing again—I simply woke up. When I turned my head and looked across the bed everyone was sleeping soundly, especially Little Debbie. She looked so cute. She was sleeping, on her side, with her head and upper part of her body resting on my pillow, with the covers pulled halfway up her small body and her little front leg was resting on top of the covers. She looked like a little human being and I had wished that I had my camera, before I fell back to sleep. So it's official that Little Debbie has truly stolen my heart.

Early this morning I got up to do Harley Belew's popular radio show The Harley Show, on REV FM 94.3, at 7:45 and Harley's Pet of the Week was Hazel. Hazel is the sweetest, four-year-old female shepherd mix that we rescued from the Kerrville pound, a few months ago.

After having a fun time visiting with Harley, On-Air, we adios-ed each other. Then I made myself a cup of H-E-B's delicious Texas Pecan Coffee. Then I sat down at the kitchen table, plugged in my Nike+ Fuel Band, that I haven't used for more than a year, so I could charge it and reset it, because I plan to wear it for my new hiking program, that starts as soon as my Danner Light Cascade hiking boots arrive, in four days. 

When it was completely charged, I slipped it on my left wrist and then I did some light house (trailer) cleaning until Tony returned home from The Old Timer. And before I cooked him breakfast I checked my Nike+ Fuel Band and I was thrilled when I saw the number 156, because I had set my daily goal to reach 2,000 points. I only had 1,844 points to go for the day.

Before Tony and I went outside to do the morning chores, I grabbed a Baggie and put a half pound of leftover meatloaf and a half teaspoon of minced garlic in it—then I zipped it close. 

Then I put it inside my coat pocket, along with my camera. Then I went outside to find Tony to find out where I should start feeding the dogs.

Around 11:00, as planned last week, Hank arrived back at our rescue ranch, because his owners had decided to return him to us for personal reasons. Hank is our famous dog that we rescued, in January 2010 and if you want to read about his rescue, escape, etc. Please check out my blog archives, on the side bar, to read these posts: 

     1/6/10 Hank The Cowed Dog!

     1/7/10 I Am Sick!

     1/8/10 Hank Update!

     1/9/10 Knock On Wood! 

When the nice man returned Hank to us, he was feeling so terrible about having to do it. Tony had decided to put Hank in the writing cabin's front yard. Hank seemed nervous about what was going on in the yard. He sniffed Tony and me, but his tail was down between his legs the whole time. As Tony and I petted Hank, to reassure him that he would be fine, the nice man gave us Hank's paperwork, vet records, dog food, heart worm preventative, treats, his crate and then he also made a generous donation.

When I tried to give Hank the meatloaf, he acted uninterested. It was obvious to us that he was scared of what was happening to him, so we suggested that we take him inside the cabin, to hopefully calm him down, while his former owner drove away.

After Hank saw his best friend drive away without him, Tony and I went to work trying to distract Hank and make him feel better about his situation. We took turns sitting on the couches, encouraging Hank to come and sit with us, on the couches. And within forty-five minutes, Hank had begun to lift his tail and wag it and jump up on the couches. In fact, one time he got up on the couch with me and let me hug him tightly, for nearly thirty seconds and he ended up devouring that tasty meatloaf and he wanted more. And while all of this was going, I took some pictures of our returned guest.

While all of this was going on a bad thought popped into my head. "Tony, I want Hank to stay here, but something just popped into my head. Hank is an escape artist and I am afraid that he will try to escape to go back home, because he watches the door and checking out the fences. I hate to do this, but I think for the next three or four days we need to put Hank where Bonnie is, because that pen is escape proof."

"Nance, quit projecting."

"I'm not. Seriously, we need for him to settle in first. Then he won't try to escape. It's for his own good. I'll cook him sausage and eggs every morning just like I did the last time. He loves my cooking, too."

"I know. He loved the meatloaf."

Then I chuckled and said, "I know. He just ate your lunch....Okay, let's switch him and Bonnie out. Then we will go to Kerrville to eat lunch and then buy more dog food and get three pounds of sausage for Hank. We've got plenty of eggs..."

After we had moved the dogs, I called Hank's former owner to tell him that we had decided to put Hank in another, safer pen for the next three or four days and that I was going to be cooking for him. And that I would make him my official hiking dog, until he gets adopted. The man thanked me. Then Tone and I jumped into Trigger and took off for Kerrville. He was starving thanks to Hank.

Our first stop was at Randy & Lisa's Save Inn restaurant. The place was packed as always and we got to have a fun chat with Lisa before we ate our delicious lunch. Then we went to the big H-E-B.

On our way home, as we neared the top of the pass, we saw a dog, in the middle of the highway, that looked scared and lost—tail tucked between its legs, too. "Stop, Tony!" Two minutes later, this big, female puppy was sitting on our front seat—licking me to death, while Tony wrote a note about finding the dog that he stuck on a nearby mailbox.

"She's a stray, Nance. And I bet someone dumped her too," Tony said, disgustedly. "She's a sweetheart though and...." When we got back home, Tony put this sweet, approximately six-months-old pup, in the alley between Miranda Lambert and Merlin. Then we drove up to the house, to quickly unpack the groceries and I took this picture of Hank's sausage, before we went back outside to go feed and water her and take pictures, of this stray that I've named Cheryl Strayed, in honor of the fabulous author of Wild. 

When we got to Cheryl's alley, she and Miranda had already become fast friends, which is good, because maybe, after we get Ms. Strayed vetted, she and Miranda can be roomies. Here are some pictures I took of this sweet girl, who was once lost, too. Please meet Cheryl Strayed!

And y'all, that's about it for tonight, because I am fixin' to grab a glass of wine and start reading Wild, because I love strays. And just so you'll know my Nike+ Fuel Band is up to1,760!

Y'all have a great evening!

Foul Play! or Beau Was Here!

Today has been great, sort of, because of some foul play last night and today. Last night when I went to bed, I fell asleep fast. Around midnight, I woke up because I was cold and Tony was snoring loudly. So I turned on the bedside birdhouse lamp and then I reached down and pulled our down comforter up, that I had neatly folded, at the end of our bed.

Please note that four days ago, I went outside to my pink, writing cabin and fetched our down comforter, that we have never used, because we specifically bought it, three years ago, to be used for our occasional overnight guests. (Rick & Leisa)

Anyway when I grabbed the comforter, it was like magic—snowflakes suddenly filled the air, in our bedroom! It was beautiful to watch, for a couple of seconds, then Little Debbie jumped into my arms, because a snowflake had fallen and was stuck on her one good eye. Then I realized that the snowflakes were feathers—DOWN FEATHERS—Beau was here.

Omg! While Tone, on the other side of the bed, made weird noises and slept through this, the feathers were floating everywhere around the bedroom—thanks to the ceiling fan. So I jumped out of bed and turned it off to stop the perfect storm. Then I went into our bathroom and looked into the mirror. My hair and pajamas were covered in small, white feathers. And when I combed my hair to try to remove the feathers—the feathers filled the air once again, before landing on the counter top, floor, towels, etc.
Knowing that there wasn't anything to do until the morning, I turned off the lights and went back to bed. And several times during the night, I would wake up to brush feathers away from my nose.

This morning Tony and I had a good laugh about last night's snowstorm, because we just can't have nice things—for very long. When I told Tony that his dog Beau had done it, he defended him, until I told him about me seeing Beau sleeping near his soon to be hole, in the down comforter. This morning, for contrast I put a navy turtleneck under the comforter to show Beau's damage.

When Tony went outside to do the chores I got busy mending the comforter and have these pictures to prove it.

Please note Beau watching from outside. And yes, I know it is time for me to Windex that window, again

.

After I mended it by hand and then by machine, I took it outside to shake off the feathers. Then I put it back on our bed. And please note the hole in the corner of my pillowcase.

Minutes later, I went into our bedroom and took this picture of Belle and Roy minus Beau, because I have (temporarily) banned him from our bedroom.

At 2:34 this afternoon, Tony and I went outside, because our friends Marvin and Anise, his sweet wife, that live down the road, were coming over to drop off Baby Huey, their pet rooster that needed a new home, because he was no longer getting along with their other rooster.

While Marvin and Tony carried the cage over to The Egg Palace, to set the rooster free, I had a fun visit with Marvin's wife. We mainly talked about our love for chickens, delicious free-range eggs and names that we had given to our foul friends. When Anise told me to feel free to rename their beautiful rooster, I said, "Well that's good, because I have already renamed him. His new name is Rooster Cogburn." Anise told me that she loved his new name and then we went inside the pigpen, so we could check on Rooster, inside The Egg Palace and I could take this picture of him, before we let him meet The Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls are in love with Mr. Cogburn and he seems to be very happy to be here. So all is good. And that is about it for tonight. 

Y'all have a great evening!

Blue! or Fritt-ins!

Today has been great even though the sunshine never showed up. This evening's post is going to be primarily pictures to catch y'all up, so even though it may look long—it should be an easy read.

Yesterday morning I woke up all excited about my package arriving and I ended up planning my day around its late afternoon arrival. Here's how yesterday went.

Around 11:00, after Tony had done his chores outside and I had done mine inside, we talked about having to go to the H-E-B, in Kerrville, to buy more dog food. "Hey," Tony said, "Let's call Fourth to see if he wants to meet us for lunch, at Billy Gene's? He and I talked about it the other day...."

We arrived at Gibson's so I could get what I needed for my package.

Twenty minutes later, we took off for Billy Gene's restaurant.

We had a great time with Fourth and our lunch was delicious, too. And as we were leaving Billy Gene's I heard a man say, "Hey, Cousin Nancy!" We turned around to find our dear friend Eileen and her sweet husband Wayne eating lunch, in a nearby booth. 

After a short, but fun visit with them, we adios-ed Fourth and then we went to the big H-E-B for Tony to buy dog food and for me to pick up a few groceries. Then we came home, so I could impatiently pace back and forth, in the big room, until my package arrived, around 4:40.

As soon as I put my package on the kitchen table, Tony helped me remove the plastic from my package. And I was thrilled and in-love with what I saw!

Please Note: MADE IN U.S.A.

Even though my Danner hiking boots looked a little big, I immediately put on my new thermal socks and laced up my "very expensive for me" hiking boots. Then I took a couple of steps in them and then I sat back down in the kitchen chair to check the sizing. They were way too big and then I got depressed.

I got depressed, because for over two months I have been wanting a pair of these light weight hiking boots, because they look so much like my old pair of Vasque hiking boots, that I wore when I lived in Crested Butte, Colorado, in the early 70's. 

Those Vasques and these Danner boots reminded me of the good ol' days when I was in my early twenties. Back then life was so simple and all I owned or needed I could easily fit inside Blue, my navy blue '67 VW bug. And what I put inside that awesome VW were my 0018 Martin Guitar, that my parents had bought me for my 18th birthday, an Academy Surplus army duffel bag filled with my clothes and Boomer, my very first Great Pyrenees. 

I stored the Martin and my duffel bag behind the backseat, because Boomer, my sweet, female best friend and bodyguard, took up the whole backseat. I always left the front seat empty for a boyfriend or for a hitcher I picked up.

Okay, for 2 months I kept talking myself out of buying these Danner boots, even though I wanted them more than anything. And then I thought it was a sign for me when I told my sister about wanting these boots so badly and she tells me that she had just seen these boots in the new movie Wild starring Reese Witherspoon and she loved the movie. Then when I told Chet and Drew about wanting these expensive pair of hiking boots, they tell me that I should buy them, because they had just seen them in the movie Wild. "Nancy, there's a scene in the movie where REI delivers a pair to Reese Witherspoon...."

So a week ago Monday, I decided to buy them using a credit card. I then called REI, in San Antone to discover that they had sold out and there were only 3 pair left in my size and they were in Berkeley, California. And that is why I got depressed yesterday. If you want to check out these boots please click this link, to view Reese Witherspoon wearing them in the movie. And one last thing, the reviews on these light weight hiking boots say, "These boots are designed like the classic hiking boots, in the early 70's."

And the great news is that last night I called REI about returning my boots and I now have the right size being delivered to me this coming Monday. And once again—I can't wait!

Today Is Mainly Pictures, So You're Almost Done!

Late this morning I took a break from my paperwork to cook us lunch. Because it was a dark and dreary day I decided to be creative in the kitchen, in hopes to improve my mood. After I cranked up my Bose I decided to make us a zucchini frittata and while I was making it, I decided to try making Cousin Nancy's Zucchini Frittata CUPCAKES. 

While I was sauteing zucchini, garlic, onion, red and green bell peppers I mixed a drained can of corn with six eggs and stirred.

Then I added a three cheese blend to the corn mixture.

Then I added the vegetables to the mixture and stirred. Then I greased a muffin tin and filled the cups with the mixture and topped it off with more cheese.

I baked the veggie-egg frittata/muffins at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick came out clean. 

Then I topped off the fritt-ins with homemade salsa and served it with avocado and homemade beans. And it was totally delicious and we loved the texture.

Then I made us delicious Bear Paw juice for our dessert. The ingredients for it are one apple, one pear, a little lemon and a lot of red cabbage. (See I told you this would go fast.)

After I cleaned up the kitchen, I removed the four leftover "fritt-ins" from the pan, to let them cool, before putting them in the fridge. 

And while they were cooling, on the drain board, I typed out a short note of instruction, to the REI Returns Center, because Tony and I had decided to go to town to run a few errands. And while I was typing away, Tony's dog, Belle, about six feet behind me—stole two of the fritt-ins! And I know it was her, because I caught her pulling the second one off of the plate, before gobbling it down. So now we are down to only two.

After I put the two leftover fritt-ins, in the fridge for safe-keeping, I took a picture of my package and then we took off for FedEx, our first stop. 

After I mailed my package to REI, in Sumner, Washington, we went to the big H-E-B and that's where we ran into our dear friend Jim "The Mineral Man." 

We had a fun visit with Jim, did a little more shopping and then we came back home. "And that is the rest of the story" for now.

Y'all have a great evening!