Thursday, October 30, 2008

sleepin GOOD

I slept good last night.

Yes, I know that proper English should be "I slept well last night."

But, as Kev says, I live in Kansas, and we don't have to speak proper English in Kansas.

So, I slept good.

You know what good means...

I slept all night long, didn't wake up once, and woke up refreshed, feelin' great.

Now think about it, when you sleep well ...well, that's different than sleepin' good. Isn't it.

When someone asks if you slept well, you will, more than likely, say yes.

And the word well encompasses a wide variety.

I can sleep well at a hotel, but I can't sleep good at a hotel.

See the difference?

So, last night, I slept good.

How 'bout you? Did you sleep well last night?

Or, like me, did you sleep good?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I want it Wednesday

I've wanted one of these since I was a Senior in High School.

See, around here, they are traditional graduation gifts for girls. We were even given a mini one from a local furniture dealer. I had my little one for years, until it got dropped and broke.

But, I want a big one. I want it to sit at the end of my bed. And, I finally have a bedroom big enough to allow one to sit at the end of the bed. I want to fill it with...stuff. Blankets and sweaters and fabric keepsakes.
Have you figured out yet what it is?






Yep, a hope chest.



Monday, October 27, 2008

Weekends

Weekends should last longer.

Seriously, they go by way to fast.

Friday night was Senior night at the football game. The Senior boys were recognized, with their parents at the game. Kev and I, and the other Senior parents received candy bouquets. Steve and his boys came down to watch Andy and Kim and Bob and their kids came down for the weekend too.

While Bucklin lost again, Andy got to start and he played the entire game. (One of the starters had gotten caught drinking the weekend before, so Andy sub'd for him.) After the game, we all tromped down and talked to him as the team went back to the locker room. Andy loved his "fan club." The grin on his face was a mile wide and didn't stop. He didn't care they'd been 45'd again, all he cared about was that all these people who cared about him were at the game.

Kim, Bob and their kids spent the weekend with us. Steve went back home to paint his garage. (He really needs to work on his prioritites!) Bob and Kev and Andy and Tate went to the farm to chop wood for our fireplace. Kim and I had to run to Dodge for a few groceries. We should have then taken the girls to the farm to goof off, cause the guys had such a good time, and we all enjoy being outside. Yet, we girls had a nice visit and did some baking and relaxing.

When the guys got home, we shot some trap and then cooked supper and sat around the firepit. Simple, relaxing times.

Yesterday, we had a delicious breakfast and wonderful lunch. The guys chopped wood and watched a ball game while Kim and I napped. Isn't that cool, to have friends that you can just take a nap with during a visit?

After they went home, Kev chopped more wood and I did the laundry. I truely enjoyed the weekend, but I sure wish it lasted a little longer.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Yummm...

This was taken at our local Sonic yesterday by a co-worker..


Anyone up for a burger?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I want it Wednesday

Today, my mind is thinking about what all we need to process deer.

See, one of the disadvantages of moving was leaving our hunting buddies and their labor and equipment! Gene, Lynn, Kev and I would cut up each other's deer. Gene owned a meat grinder. It was a old manual commercial one, but he'd rigged it up to a small motor and put it on a small platform, making it much easier and faster to grind that burger! Lynn had meat trays which we put our meat in after grinding and before wrapping. Gene skinned and cut the meat off the carcass and Lynn and Kev then de-boned it and cut steaks. My job was to grind burger and wrap the meat. Gene's wife was also a wrapper/grinder. Back when Lynn was married, Cindy also helped. Butchering goes really quickly when you've go so many people helping. We could usually do a deer in an hour--from carcass to freezer.

But...we had to move, and we had to leave our friends and their equipment. So, now we find ourselves needing to purchase our own equipment. This is the grinder I want...yes, I want this exact one. But, I'll probably get a slightly smaller one that's slightly cheaper. We don't really need this big of a grinder for just us, but I drool every time I see this!

So, what do you want???

And remember, to click over on the Homesteading Wife's link. This was Dana's idea, I just joined her. See what Dana wants...(but fair warning, she likes the same kind of kooky stuff that I do!)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Grandma's story

For G--I'll be scanning the original and mailing it to you.

The following is a short biography that my Grandma wrote for me a few years ago. In essence, this is a transcript.

Katherine Salene Miller

I was born April 23, 1923 in the farm home of my parents, Israel A and Olive May Miller, five miles north west of Englewood.

I cannot think my life was much different than any farm child of that era. My father died when I was 3 years and 3 or 5 days old, depending on what records you go back to. mother always said he died April 26, 1926, so that is what I remember. I had one brother, Clyde Allen, who was born near Lyons on October 18, 1904. My father and mother are both buried at Lyons, Ks.

I do not remember anything especially different about my childhood. We lived on a farm. We had chickens, pigs and milk cows. My brother did the farming.

After the stock market crash of 1929, everyone was poor, the dust bowl years soon followed, so no one had much above their expenses. We used kerosene lamps and sometime in the 30's we had a gasoline lamp, and since my brother was able to fix things, sometime in the late 30's, he was able to fix us electric lights [grandpa inserts 6 volt battery]. Where he got a motor to fix I do not know.

Nearly all farm homes at that time had cellars. That's where we kept our canned fruit and vegetables, also the cured and canned meats.

A little about Mother working. I think that my Mother did a lot of nursing during World War I. She was called an LPN nurse, and went into many homes when people had the flu, during the war. They had just moved to Clark Co., not too many years before that. She did so some nursing that I can remember but not much.

Clyde, my brother was a good mechanic. He was always working on some machinery, but I really don't know whether he liked to or not. We always had a car of some kind during those years. Just drove only when necessary. We walked to our neighbors, and they walked to our house.

The one think of my childhood years were dust storms. This was in the 1930's. We were dry! Kansas Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and north of us. The wind would start blowing and stir up the dust. You could not see across the road. You could clean your house, go to bed and the next morning, you had 1 to 3 inches of dust on the windowsills. The pattern on the floors were covered, so you couldn't make it out. The clean place on your pillow was where your head was. When you fixed a meal, you either covered the table with a tea towel or put your plates, cups, and glasses up side down. Everything had to be covered.

As I said during the 30's you did anything honest to make a nickle. Clyde did mechanical work. Also at one time, he worked a short time on WPA, a govt. work program and they planted trees along the highway. Also after some of the govt. programs for farmers were started he had a job helping measure the land.

We at times think we are poor, but farmers in the 30's and early 40's milked cows and had chickens. Your grocery money was from that. When we were married our grocery money was our egg and cream money. When I was little Mother would give me a penny and tell me to buy some candy. You knew which clerk gave you the most of 1 cent.

Clyde was also a pretty good artist. He made his pictures with colors (pastels) and he made several, but I don't know what Rose [his wife] did with them. He also liked to make fancy candy for Christmas, and was a pretty good cook if necessary. After I got old enough, I did the cooking if Mother wasn't able.

We also did a lot of canning, but we didn't have a pressure cooker. We canned in the old fashioned waterbath (3 hours of boiling water). When Graves' moved north of us, Edna had a pressure cooker and Mother did can corn up there.

All I remember about my childhood was it was alright. Since my Mother was a widow, she did do some work for other people. Until I was school age, people she worked for, knew I had to come along. She cleaned houses for people in town that could afford to pay someone. I usually set in the kitchen when she cleaned, or did the washing or ironing. The only ones I can think of now were the Billings and Lees. She also did washing for people at our home and Mother was a great seamstress, so she did a lot of sewing for other people. During the 1930's you either wore what you had or did without. My mother had a cousin, Florence Cole, who worked for people as a housekeeper. She sent Mother boxes of their no longer wore clothing, and that's what her clothes and mine were made from . The year I was a Senior in High School, I had my first new coat. It was a maroon wool coat. Since Mother sewed she taught me to sew when I was young, also to embroider, but since Mother was left handed, she couldn't teach me to crochet. ( I finally bought a book after I married, then I learned to crochet and knit.)

The one thing that bothered me during most of my growing up years was I had hay fever and had trouble breathing. After I married, I found out what I was allergic too. Ragweed, which grew all around our house.

We were lucky as we had a small ice box that they had got sometime, and ice was not too expensive. We mostly kept it for our cream and milk. If you ever made ice tea or a cold drink, you were really entertaining. If anyone wanted a cold drink you went out to the well and got a drink of fresh well water. I guess that's a habit I never out grew because a good drink of water is still best.

If you had unexpected company you caught a chicken, especially in the summer. You would dress the chicken, cut it up and fry it for the meal. We usually had some beef in the winter, we would butcher or get 1/2 beef from a neighbor. The Elmer Walkers were a small family, so usually we traded with them. If anyone in the neighborhood butchered, everyone helped and you usually gave them liver or a mess of meat to take home. When the Ward family lived north of us, they had goats, so once in a while, we would have some goat meat. Mother always cooked it and if you are hungry, you eat it.

Sharing was also done if you had field corn or a large garden, or mulberries and we had black currants. Everyone managed to pick wild plums and we ate a lot for fruit. Mother always managed some way to buy a bushel of peaches and some blue plums. We had a lot of fruit for dessert when I was a child. Mothers favorite dessert was her one egg chocolate cake.

As our house was heated by a wood and coal stove, we lived in the dining room in the winter, as it was the easiest to heat. We slept in cold bedrooms and used flannel sheets and wool comforters on our beds that Mother made We also slept on feather beds at our home. The only thing with feather beds was that the bed was hard to make. On bath nights you heated the kitchen, heated water on the stove, carried in the wash tub and took a bath. We took more pan baths than tub baths. My bath tub is a luxury. In the summer we sometimes used straw mattresses, but I was allergic to straw so that wasn't very good. I was allergic to feathers I later found out too.

And that's where it ends. She never wrote anything else after this.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Volleyball

Believe it or not, there's another sport that I know as well as I know Football.

Scary, isn't it!

But, I know the ins and outs of Volleyball about as well as I know the ins and outs of Football.

See, back in the dark ages (aka 20+ years ago), when I was in High School and Junior High, we didn't have a Volleyball team. Oh, we played it some in P.E. class, but not seriously, and only for a week or two. But, the rules have changed since then and now Miss Kat is playing Volleyball. It's a sport now, not just a 2 week diversion in P.E. class.

Thursday, I took the afternoon off to go watch Miss Kat play in her last game of the season. She plays on the C team, but suits up and is on the B team roster. Watching 3 matches Thursday, I decided that the tallest and biggest girls play on the A team. The medium sized girls play B team and the smallest girls play C team.

We got to watch Miss Kat play in a game early in her season. She served some, but never hit the ball over the net and she didn't get many volley's back over the net either.

But Thursday was an entirely different game. All the girls have improved. Miss Kat has been the top scorer for the last 3 or 4 C team games. I know on Thursday, she scored at least 9 points serving and she scored a couple by hitting some volleys back over the net. She's really improved! And, it doesn't go to her head either, because when I said something about being top scorer, she said, "O, well, I never pay any attention to that." (She gets her modesty from her mother.)

I had no clue on some of the calls that the referee's made, and I did figure out that anytime the ball hits the floor, somebody gets a point. I think maybe the rules might be easier than the Football rules, so I might become an expert bench judge someday.

But, I enjoyed watching Miss Kat play. I really enjoy watching her interact with her friends. It was a neat experience...even if I didn't know what was going on most of the time!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

sharing

One of the things I love most about Kev is that he's so sharing.

For, example, once he brought home a piece of cheesecake that a co-worker had brought to work. It was cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. He could have eaten it at work, and never mentioned it to me, but instead, he brought it home to share with me.

He always shares a lap blanket with me when we are snuggled up on the couch, watching TV.

He will share the last piece of pie.

He shares news, and family gossip...eventually.

He shares funny stories from work.

He shares the car.

He shares his lunch hour with me sometimes too. That's always a treat, to get to eat lunch with my hubby.

But today, he went over the top today.

Today, he shared...

his cold.

He didn't have to share. In fact, I wish he hadn't shared it with me. But, that's the kind of guy he is.

Ain't he sweet?

I want it Wednesday

Over the past week, we've had at least 8 inches of rain.



We were about 6 inches behind "normal" rainfall for our area. I haven't seen official numbers, but I can safely say we're "over" normal amounts now.



Today, we can see the sun. I haven't seen the sun since Friday. I take that back, we briefly saw the sun Saturday morning, but she's been hiding since then.



Personally, I love rain, and this has been a nice, slow rain. No wind, steady rainfall.



But, it's soggy. I mean, there's water standing everywhere. We're saturated. Ponds are full to overflowing, but because it was such a slow rain, not any flooding in our area. Who knows, there might even be water in the Arkansas River! That would be awsome!



So, since it's soggy, and muddy outside, all we need right now--for "I want it Wednesday" are:



Waterproof, and versital, I can wear them to the treestand and not get my tootsies cold or wet or muddy.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Holding him back

I'm sorry to inform everyone of this fact, but...

Kev and I have decided that our young son, the Senior, needs to be held back.

I know, I know, holding your child back a grade is usually done in Grade School. But, we didn't think he needed to be held back then.

So, we're holding him back now.

Reasons to hold him back to repeat his Senior Year are:

  1. He'll be around another year to chauffeur his sister.
  2. He'll be around another year to keep an eye on his sister.
  3. He'll be around another year to play football.
  4. He'll be around another year to play basketball.
  5. He'll be around another year to run errands for his mommy.
  6. He'll be around another year to shoot in 4-H.
  7. He'll be around to do chores around the house.
  8. He'll be around the house where we can keep an eye on him for one more year.
  9. He'll be home where the girls can't find him.

Seriously, he's doing so well this year, that it makes us wish we had held him back years ago when he was in 2nd grade. His teacher at the time thought he wasn't as mature socially as the rest of the kids in his class. (Her primary justification to us was that he played with the same little boy every day and never anyone else. Hello! Phillip was his best friend, of course he wanted to play with him!)

We chose not to hold him back for that reason, it didn't seem valid to us, his parents. But now...now, we both agree that we wish we had simply because he's having so much fun and is doing so well with this group of kids. He's just so happy!

While his football team lost again, the coach told Andy, "You are making me look good." This compliment was due to Andy's good punts. That kid can really punt! Sad part is, he never had an opportunity to punt before, so for him to have that now is really wonderful. And, having that skill being recognized, that's wonderful.

And, Saturday was the 4-H State Trap shooting match. Andy took 4th place in the 16 yard shooters (with a 48 and then a 25 in the shoot-off). He took 10th place overall with a 92. (Out of 150 or so shooters.)

So, we should hold him back another year, cause then he can become a better punter, and maybe place higher in trap shooting and who knows what the rest of the year will bring...

So, holding him back isn't selfish at all. It's all about him, right? Right?...

Friday, October 10, 2008

I am a grocery store queen

Yesterday, I had to leave work early to go to the grocery store.

See, we carpool, and I'd hate to make Patrick wait on me while I'm shopping at the grocery store. So, I left work early (which I also hate doing). I left at 4:30, and had to pick the guys up at 5.

My list contained

Milk (4 gallons)
Cheese (sliced)
Butter (cause it was on sale.)

I was in and out of the store in 10 minutes.

I got 4 gallons milk
8 packages of cheese (each package was $1.00 off!)
5 lbs of butter (real butter thank you and I should have gotten 10)

I also grabbed some fajita marinade
some donuts
apples

That's it. In and out in 10 minutes, got only what I needed, and, I saved over $15 on my bill.

I like that. Especially since I noticed that flats of veggies have gone UP by $2.50 in the past week. Yikes!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

shooting

Kev and I got our bows out last night to get them sighted in and to get the "feel" of shooting again.

Bow season has already started, and we are just now getting our bows ready. That is so WRONG on so many levels.

We should have started practicing in August.
We should already have everything lined up and ready to shoot.
We should, by now, be practiced, confident, and out hunting.

But we aren't. sigh.

My sight pin was way out of alignment. I use a pendulum sight pin now because I really suck at judging distances. Before, I'd have to guess which sight pin to use, and, I always asked Kev and Lynn Dale to draw me imaginary lines...10 yards, 20, yards, etc. Now, my pendulum pin should work up to 30 yards, and it adjusts itself to the target. Much nicer for distanace-challenged me.

I lost one arrow somewhere in the grass. I broke another arrow. I kept letting off from full draw which totally screws up your shot.

Kev, the jerk, just goes out, fires a couple of shots, adjusts a couple of small items, and he's back in business. The jerk. Why can't it be that easy for me???

Me...nothing is easy for me. After spending quite a bit of time looking for my arrows in the grass, Kev rigged up a back stop out of some plywood. But the idiot (she will remain nameless) who was moving my sight pin, moved it the wrong way, and I nailed the plywood.
  • My 47 lb bow can shoot an arrow through plywood.
  • Shooting arrows through plywood is hard on arrows.
  • Pulling arrows out of the plywood isn't easy.
  • Husbands get really annoyed when they have to pull your arrow out of the plywood.
  • They get really really annoyed when you shoot it again.

We finally got my bow close to where it needs to be set, but now we need to find my broadheads. We've talked about me switching to mechanical broadheads (mechanicals open when they hit the deer) and not regular 4 bladed broadheads. Cause once I shoot a broadhead, we'll have to sight it in again. I really hope we have mechanicals bought already for me to use. I hope we can find them if we bought them.

But, shooting outside does get me in the mood to hunt...course I can't go this weekend, because we will be at a trap shoot... but, by the time I can go, I should be ready!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

I want it Wednesday

Today I want this...

Yes, it's a Wind generator. I want one so I don't have to pay so much for electricity. I want to generate my own electricity. But, they cost a lot. More than I have right now. But, the wind blows all the time here. You might think that Chicago is the windiest city in the U.S., but it's not. Dodge City is. (look it up if you don't believe me.)

Wind farms are going up all around me and no one will pipe it into my house, so I'll just have to get my very own Wind generator.

random stuff...

Last night, we got a package in the mail from the gun club that sponsored the trap shoot Andy was recently in. You know, the one where he placed 4th.

Yesterday, he got a medal and a check for $22.00. Pretty cool if you ask me! He was pleased. And the timing is right, cause he'll shoot at the State Match this weekend. Of course the forecast is for windy conditions. But, we'll try to get there early to shoot before it gets too bad...I hope.

-----

Kev and I are getting old. We actually watched the presidential debate last night. And, we watched the VP debate when it was on. Count us among the undecided, cause I like one guy on one issue, and the other guy on another issue. But, deep down, I know that they are both blowing smoke and just saying what they think people want to hear just to get votes.

Yes, I'm cynical.

------

Yes, it's Wednesday, and I'll post something about that soon..

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

changes

Since being back "home", close to the area where I grew up, I've noticed some changes in lifestyles and population and how kids interact. I like these changes, and wish things had been like this when I grew up here...

Wwwwaaaaaaaayyyyy back when, when I was in school, our school, like every other school we competed against was white. There were zero kids of color. Don't get me wrong, I am not bragging or anything, that's just how it was. We did compete against one school with ONE black kid.

He was a novelty, because we seldom saw anyone of color anywhere. Seriously, we would all watch him on the basketball court simply because...well, because he stood out from the crowd! And, we all liked watching him because he was unique. Poor guy...

It was so bad that when I went to college, I did not know how to act around anyone who's skin was darker than mine. (Shut up you people who are thinking "Shell, everyone is darker than you, you pale, glow-in-the-dark skinned girl.") I didn't know what to say, and I had a hard time understanding the urban black dialect. Sometimes, I wondered if they spoke the same language that I did!

But now, there's lots of color at area games. Black, white, brown, green, purple. It's a good thing, the kids there today are learning that color doesn't matter, it's the person who matters. So, it's all good. In fact, the kids don't say "that black girl, or that mexican guy." They say, "Bob, or Jose or Keesha, or that boy, or that girl."

Another difference, was that we all spoke English! There were some Mexican families in all our neighboring towns, but none could speak Spanish--they all had been here for a long time and spoke English. Now, most of our little communities have a more significant Mexican population.

The last thing I've noticed since being back in this area is that the kids in different communities interact more and my kids are friends with kids who live in other towns and go to other schools. That was unheard of in my day. You didn't talk to anyone from another town or school unless you had the misfortune to be related to them.

Isn't that sad? We were so isolated. I know it affected me, because when I went to college, not only did I not know how to talk to someone who's skin was darker than mine, (shut up, shut up, shut up) but I didn't know how to talk to anyone--especially guys. I still have trouble talking to someone I don't know well. And, I know it's because we were so isolated.

I'm glad to see these changes. It's good that kids don't see color first. It's good that kids have friends and contacts in other communities, it's good to be exposed to different cultures. These changes, I like.

Monday, October 06, 2008

just cause

Kev didn't remember what "Rock 'n Roll Love letter" sounded like, so I added it to my play list. Listen if you don't remember.

It goes real well with my other songs...country music all the way!

If you don't like music while reading, simply click on the playlist, then hit the stop button.

Somtimes I feel like music, sometimes I don't!

I won't keep "rock n roll love letter" forever, cause it just ISN'T me! But, give it a listen, and maybe it will be in YOUR head all dang day too.

You're welcome.

Friday, October 03, 2008

rock n roll love letter

For some reason, this tune is rolling around in my head this morning.

And, it's driving me crazy.

Flashback--1970's

Baycity Rollers

"This is my rock-n-roll love letter

To you.

This is my rock-n-roll love letter

To you.

Gonna sign it, gonna seal it, gonna mail it away..."

dada da da-da....

Everybody, sing along...

Please, cause it'd driving me insane! I can't take much more of the Baycity Rollers or lame cheesy 1970's pop music.

ARRRRGGGGGGGGGG

Thursday, October 02, 2008

My kids both had their names in the paper last night.

Andy had kicked 105 yards last game and his farthest punt was 45 yards. I'm assuming that is good. Right?

Miss Kat even had her name in the paper for scoring the most points in the "C" team Volleyball game for Jr High. She had 4 points.

I "whoo hoo'd" both kids for getting their names in the paper. For some reason, they both rolled their eyes. At least I didn't get up and dance with them and spin them around and such. They should be grateful!

Now, I need to actually clip those articles out and get my CM stuff unpacked and get albums caught up!

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

the pond...

You know how I mentioned earlier that the pond was finished.

Yeah.

And, remember I mentioned that it was losing water, so Kev has to take care of that now?

Yeah.

Last night, he said, "You know, I think I'll go get a bunch more cleache rocks and put them on the other side of the stream. Where it's losing water. Because then I can build that side up, and those timbers that are there now really look like crap."

Yeah.

The pond will N.E.V.E.R. be finished.

I want it Wednesday!


To go with my old fashioned looking stove, I want a farm sink. (I neglected last week to say that my old stove is really a reproduction. It's a modern stove made to look like an old one.) Back to farm sinks...

You might call it, an apron front sink.

Whatever. I want one. I don't need a double sink, one will do. I don't like stainless steel. (I know, I can hear you all gasping in shock!) Stainless steel is boring. I want an old, heavy single sink. And the apron front ones are drop dead beautiful.


Now the beauty above is a double sink, but she's a copper sink. Isn't she lovely? She'd really look good with my reproduction old fashioned stove. Of course she isn't cheap, but neither am I!

Can't you see me, standing in front of my sink, doing dishes, or peeling potatoes or canning tomatoes? See, that sink would look gggggoooooodddd next to me!

I want it!

Be sure to click over on the Homesteading Housewife to see what Dana wants. Hey, this is entirely her idea! I just stole it :)