Eulogy Of The Car

Wordless Wednesday

2002 Buick Century

Purchased January 9, 2003 ~ Traded July 26, 2008

R.I.P., old bucket.
(Rust In Pieces, that is.)

Can I Bore You Some More?

Word of the Post
Today's word is: caliginous
/ca*lidge"i*nous/ adjective
Misty, dark, dim, obscure.
London is often portrayed as claiginous. The murky fog dims the lights, and gives the city at night an ominous glow.
I was under the impression that it meant "made of tin", because of the line in The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard calls the Tin Man a "clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk". Made of tin would actually be "ferruginous", but that wouldn't alliterate with clinking and clattering, now, would it? The idea being communicated (supposedly above everyone's head) is that the Tin Man is rusted and heartless. I imagine a batch of tin cans tied to the back of a car at a wedding. Empty, noisy, old, rusted and utterly without beauty. The Wizard is attempting to insult the Tin Man, and show his great intelligence.
At this link I found an interesting discussion of this thought, spawned by his own ponderances of irony. Here I found another, more directly related to the script of the movie. This person delves into the plot twist that the "Oz is not that brilliant after all."
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I have a matter of very great concern. I don't want to give names, or too many details, for the sake of privacy. Please pray for my friend. She had a tubal pregnancy that was ended today. I am praying, and knowing that many of you will do the same for her. I praise God for His family of believers to help in this time of pain.

Ferret and Zipper are in town for Zipper's oral surgery on Wednesday. They are working in the back of her throat to close a little hole, so that she can keep air separated between her mouth and her nose. It will help her be able to make more consonant sounds when she speaks. This could be very interesting in the long run. Zipper-Speak is very vowel oriented, and very hard to understand, even sometimes for her mom. I have to be looking at her, to see what she is trying to do with her mouth to really get what she says. Today at lunch, she told us she needed a "map". She meant "nap". Close. Still, she hit that P with perfect clarity, and that is new in the past few months to me.

We took the Buick in to the Honda dealership last night, and got all our personal stuff out of it. It is a 2002 model, but it had a book for a 2003. Whatever. At least it had a book. I have never been so very happy to be rid of a car. The relief is so sweet. When we thought about buying a car before this, we were in the finance office of the Hyundai dealer before the dread nearly made me puke. This time, I never got the growling pit feeling in my tummy, I never got the "get me out of here, NOW" voice in my head. It was almost painless. I say almost, only because I now have to PAY the price we agreed upon. A little more friendly conversation got us a better interest rate, yet again. This is a total of 13 points better than the loan we got on the Buick in 2003. We have paid off two cars, early, since then, and have very little other debt. It is good to know that the hard work we have done was not useless.

Now, we have to figure out what sort of coverage we wish to carry on our cars, and get the insurance set up. If you live in Oklahoma, and have need of an insurance quote, I have the guy for you.

There is much to do this week, and not nearly enough time to get it all done. I hope I don't lose my mind!

Raise your glass to mindless existence! I shall enjoy mine filled with a little water, on the rocks.

...And We're Back. So, Chelf. Deal or No Deal?

OK. I have sent a few of you into a tizzy trying to guess what the "news" could be.
Muh hu ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I am such an evil blogger. Bad Chelf. Bad.

Sally is guessing that I am pregnant. (Nope. I do wish, though.)

Rachel caught me this morning at church. (I was hoping not to be seen just yet!)

Flea is every bit as impatient as I am, so... in light of the threat to my safety, here you go.

We bought a NEW car.

We couldn't find a Wii Fit, so we got a Honda Fit, instead. (DH just called it a Wee Fit. Isn't he funny?) Nearly as hard to find, and just as desirable. I have never in my life owned a brand new car. I love the smell of new car (plastic fumes) in the morning!

I am still running on the adrenaline from Saturday night. We were driving around, and decided to go look to see what the dealership had. There were three cars, all in my favorite color of BLUE... I even had two shades to pick from. Seriously, it came to a toss of a dime. (You think I am joking. How cute.) They were all 5-speed Manual, which gets better gas mileage, if you know how to drive one.

They were all sitting there... begging me to take them home.

And then I thought about the value of the Buick. That stupid, frustrating car that I have threatened to drive into the nearest lake. Maybe not the nearest lake, because Hefner is our area's water supply, and I like our water. But a lake, nevertheless. I added up in my head all the repairs that thing will need. I could repair our existing (and totally paid for!) car, at a cost of.... 6 months of payments toward this new one. And I still have no guarantee that it would be worry-free. It is so very out of warranty. Just the insurance and me against the probable loss of a stupid, worthless, scary, expensive piece of.... junk that we have owned for 5 1/2 years. (Notice please the restraint to keep the G-rating, and the anger out of that last sentence.) They gave us $3000, sight unseen, which I think is fair. I couldn't get $4000 by selling it on the street, because of the new issues it decided to give me. If they spend a little to fix it, they can make all their money back, or they can sell it at auction and let someone else worry about it.

If we decide that we can survive with only one car (as I don't work right now), we can always sell the Malibu to our friend, and use her payments to us as payments on the new one, too. I have a contingency plan for almost everything. I am tempted.

I can see the shaking heads, and hear the big sighs and screams of "NOOOOOO!!!!!" from those of you who know that I try to follow the plan of my rich friend Dave Ramsey. No, I really don't want a car payment. But... in all fairness, I don't want to finance the cost of repairs on a car that is bound to fail, either. And we would have to borrow to fix all the issues of the Buick. We got a much better rate (12 points better!) than we got when we financed the Buick. I got them to check another bank, and lower the interest again by 0.74%. See what a little pleasant conversation can do for you?

Would you like to see it?


The other blue was Vivid Blue Pearl, and was more a Royal Blue. This Baby Blue Silver shade is named Tidewater Blue Metallic. It sounds like a laundry detergent to me. I am going to apply for a special tag, MYCHELF. I have wanted that on a car ever since Amber called me that, 16 years ago. She was 2 at the time. She graduated High School this year. Now, like the car itself, I have the tough choice of what color to make the tag. If I go Baby Blue, I think it will clash, as will plain Silver. DH will have a hissy fit if I make it Pink. I was thinking if they have a White Pearl, that might look nice. If they have a "Choose Life" tag available still, and I can get my nickname on it, that may be the way to go.

Thanks to Dad, I learned on a Manual. However, it has been 13 or more years since I have driven one on a regular basis. You will have to ask DH if I did well driving today. I only killed it once. I think I did very well.

I am considering naming this car. The Bu (Malibu) and the Ick (Buick) have been just descriptive titles. I want some suggestions for Names for this Honda. Fenry is out, by the way. DH had a Honda Accord in High School that was Fenry Honda, so we don't want to taint that memory. But if you have any suggestions for this little beauty, I would love to hear them. I may even come up with a prize for a contest.

Hope I didn't disappoint too many of you. This car buying stuff is a real ADVENTURE. I am still high from the experience.

We Will Find Out........ Right After THIS!

I know I have been absent for a couple of days... I haven't even read one single email until so late on this wonderful Saturday evening.

Bear with me. Please. I have some awesome news, and a few things to share.

For now, I will simply say... I have not forgotten any of you, and you will get to share in the fun in a day or two. I promise.

I hope everyone is having an adventurous weekend!

The Number Of Crock-Pots Shall Be Three! (Five, Sir.)

For those who are wondering where I keep FOUR crock pots, I went and looked again. I actually have five, if you count the littlest one, that I can't cook in. To answer Flea's question, they are each in their own spot... scattered all over the 5 cabinets I have. Small ones up high, big ones down low. The 6 qt. pretty much lives on the cabinet, in the far left corner. All of them are Rival Crock-Pot brand. What have we here?

1. One 6 qt. oval removable crock. Temp adjustable with Hi, Lo and Warm. Deep green. The outside has herb leaves on it. I was hoping to win one of the new offerings from Stephanie's blog... those have a locking lid that would be helpful for travel. Oh, well. This is the one I use for the Pot Luck dinners. I couldn't find a red one, so I settled for green; but I love it.

2. One 4 qt. round removable crock. Temp adjustable with Hi and Lo. Maroon (got this as a wedding present). The outside has flowering pictures of herb plants on it. MIL wanted a removable crock, and couldn't kill her one piece. She jokingly threatened to steal mine. I offered to give it to her, but she refused. She didn't want to give up her working piece just for a flashier model. For a gift, I got her one. It was removable, an oval in blue, that matched her then new dishes. She donated her original wedding present to their church. It still works, and she had it since 1974.

3. One 2 qt. round, one piece. Knob with Off or On, but not really temp adjustable. Matches the chili pepper kitchen! I had to have this one. Don't argue with me. Seriously.

4. One 1 qt. Crock-ette, also called a Little Dipper, one piece. Plug in to turn on, no knobs at all. Deep green. Came with the 6 qt. and matches the herb pattern. This is the one I used for the Compote.

5. One Mini Potpourri Crock, one piece, plug in only. Deep green. This one could hold one cup of water, and is not designed for food. I think this one came with a set as well, but I don't really remember.

Now, I don't know exactly why I have the need to own FIVE crock pots. I have different uses for each one. There is the one that gets the cheese dip, the one that makes dinner for two, the one that makes leftovers for a week. I actually gave away a 2 qt. that matched the 4 qt. in exchange for getting to buy the one that had chili peppers on it. I have decided that I am totally wacko. I have so much kitchen stuff, and not nearly enough kitchen for half of it. Wishful thinking (there is another house in my future, I am sure) or just pack rat out of control? I can only say... "Whatever." I justified my pattern trade by letting one go out, to get one in. Seemed good to me at the time.

I love to cook, I love to make people happy with food. I have a need to have comfort food, and if I can make it fresh, it will certainly be better than the salt/fat/sugar laden canned stuff. I remember reading somewhere that there were studies done that said long, slow cooked food was better for you than seared and fast cooked food. (Don't tell Rachael Ray, her 30 minute meals are awesome, too.) I know that slow cooked meat is so much more tender than pan fried. I love a warmed and softened veggie, that still has some crunch to it. I LOVE that the term "stew" really does describe the mixing of the flavors; that the leftovers are just as good, if not better, on the next day.

I'm not so creative to make a New Year's Resolution to use the crock pot every day. (I really think Stephanie rocks!) I'm not so fanatical that I will tell you that you MUST be like me in my obsession. I like that the food can be slow cooked, and my house (and electric bill for counteracting the stove operating) doesn't have to get so hot. I adore baking, but it is a tedious and painful process in the summer. Oklahoma is not bakery friendly in the 100 degree, 80% humidity of July. I have been known to cook to keep the house warm in the winter, though.

I have learned a lot about Microwave cooking from my MIL. She is always happy to make things that don't take too long, and don't heat up the house. I had never thought of making casseroles in the microwave, and now I have a great time fixing DH's favorite. I have a few gadgets for that purpose, too. My kitchen has no shortage of interesting ways to cook dishes that I don't regularly make.

On to another subject. OH. MY. Goodness! How did it take me a whole month to read one little book? I will admit that I was reading only about one chapter a night, but... wow. I usually devour books. I don't know what is wrong with me. My friend David said that he has a sickness. We are in the same boat, seriously. See a book, buy the book. I have a whole shelf full to brimming, and that holds about 2/3 of the books I still own. I tried. I TRIED. I put enough books in the garage sale to fill a small shelf. I sold a few. But I brought back so many.

I don't know when/if I will try another garage sale. Roadrunner and I were going to do one together, but her plans have hit some unexpected bumps. I am seriously considering just dumping whole boxes of junk at Goodwill, and letting them deal with it. I figure the freedom of the clutter will help me declutter the rest of the house. I was hoping to make a little bit of money back on some of it, but that really has nothing to do with the decision. I can get a receipt for the donation of stuff. I don't really care. I just want it all out of my house.

I have always had piles of stuff, stacks of boxes in my way. I don't know why I keep some of it. There is a box of "hope chest" things, but I don't have a chest. I haven't even looked in that box in four years. I can't even tell you where it is right now. I have boxes of stuff my mom gave me from her house, that I haven't opened in almost 10 years. I haven't even been married that long! I think this year is the year to clean, DEEP CLEAN, my house. I complain that I don't know how to clean, which isn't technically true. I have never had a clean house to maintain, but that is no real excuse. "Mess equals Stress." Thank you, Mrs. Rice. Yes, I need to clean up, and maybe that will get rid of some of the depression, stress, and moodiness. I don't know. I should certainly try.

Time to jet. I have a women's class to attend, studying keeping cool and eating for less $$ and, most importantly, following God's plan for my household. Beginning, of course, with me. I need that lesson.

Have a happy day!

Inspired Cooking Experiments

Today, I got busy and cooked. I used two crock pots I have. OK, I have at least four, but that is totally beside the point. Today, I wanted to cook, but I didn't want my whole house to be heating up because of an oven, or me to be heating up because of the stove.

I got some pot roast meat the other day... a huge package for a discount. I cut the roast into six pieces, to make six meals for the two of us. I have a habit of cooking (particularly in a crock pot) for more than just the two of us. We eat leftovers for a week on the stews I usually come up with. Today, I used the 2 quart pot instead of the 6 quart oval one. {Edit: Oops! I actually used the 4 qt. crock. I didn't think about it, I just dumped stuff in it.}

Pot Roast Stew

About 1 pound of pot roast. I used thawed this time, but you can start with frozen, if you like.
3-4 medium red potatoes
2 stalks celery
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 carrots (fat ones. I LOVE carrots in stew!)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (no salt added)
Frozen corn (about 1 1/2 cups)
Frozen green beans (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (in the last 1/2 hour, to thicken the broth slightly)
1 bay leaf
Spices that sound good
Water (or beef stock) to cover at least 2/3 of the veggies (the veggies will give off some liquid, so make sure to leave at least 1 inch of space at the top)
Cook for 6 to 8 hours on Low, 4 to 6 hours on High.

I just put the meat in the bottom, and layered each thing on top of the pile in the crock pot as I cut them into small, bite-sized chunks. I have a mortar and pestle, and I put in all the spices that sounded good, and ground them up together before putting them on top of the veggies. Then I poured the water over it all. This was great at 4 1/2 hours on High.

This one wasn't as good as others have been. The meat turned out tender, but not the fall-apart tender I love. I took it out, and cut it in small bite chunks to match the potatoes. But, it was good for as little work as I put into it. I thought of a nice little add-in today; I used Baby Goldfish Crackers to add a little crunch and cheese flavor. DH tried that, but also liked Club Crackers with the stew.

I had to clean to start the stew, and had to clean after, to have clean bowls to eat out of. I have been very tired since this weekend, when I helped with a Yard Sale. I don't do so well in the sunshine. The sun is my enemy. It saps the energy right out of me. Mom used to get cold sores if she was in the sun too long. I just get dehydrated, burned to a lobster redness, and too tired to move for a long while. It took me all day Sunday and most of today to recover. I wasn't burned this time. We were in the shade the whole day. I was rosy for several hours, but no burns. Hooray for sunscreen!

I decided that I had several kinds of fruit in the house, and I wanted something special for dessert. I found a recipe for a Peach Compote on Stephanie's site, and decided to try my own with the fruits available.

Fruit Basket Compote

1 Nectarine, cut into small pieces
1 Apple, cut into small pieces (I used a Gala)
Blueberries, about 1/3 cup
Black Cherries, pitted, about 1/3 cup
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar {Edit: Don't use this. Seriously. The next day, you taste it more.}
1/8 cup Dark Rum
1 tsp. Vanilla
Brown Sugar to taste (start small, and taste after an hour or so...), optional
Cinnamon, Nutmeg (could use pumpkin pie spices)
{Edit: Also add 1 to 2 Tbsp. Butter.}

I put all of this in a Little Dipper 1 quart crock pot, and let it steep for about 2 hours. There are no temperature options on that crock, it is either On or Off. I got DH to go to the local Freddy's and get some vanilla custard, to serve under the fruit. I missed the butter that apparently goes in a true compote recipe. I may add it later when I reheat the rest of it, for breakfast tomorrow.

I have to go now and put the leftovers in the fridge. I have been letting them cool on the counter since 9 pm (two hours). Don't want to break a crock by putting it in the fridge after being so hot... a full and then cracked crock in the fridge would cause a huge mess, and then I would have to buy a new crock pot. Since I didn't win one of the 10 at Stephanie's contest, I can't afford to lose one now.

Happy Dinners!

Because Falling Is Funny

I have felt today the true meaning of schadenfreude.

I was minding my own business, driving from a class at my church building (I was the class this week) to the grocery store in Edmond where I wished to buy fresh veggies and fruits. After entering the highway, I set my cruise to the limit of 60, and stayed in the right lane. I know that going ONLY the speed limit is irritating to some, so I follow the rules of the road; "Slow Traffic Keep Right".

Out of nowhere, there comes a little black car. He (She? I wasn't looking, really) passed me on the right, and in doing so cut back in front of me across the warning hash marks of the exit lane he was in. So, let's review. 1. Speeding (Remember that I am locked on the speed limit? I thought you were paying attention.) 2. Passing on the right. 3. Reckless driving. 4. Changing lanes without using a signal. 5. Crossing warning lines. (Should have exited at Hefner, dude.)

Now, I was having an OK sort of day, but there had been a few little things on my mind that were bothering me. This person cutting me off just made me shake my head and sigh. My first thought was my usual one when someone does something stupid in front of me in traffic: "Happy ticketing, jerk!" Yeah, I was good today, I didn't really say what I was thinking, even though I was in the car by myself. Usually, I tend to be more... inappropriate when I have nobody to hear me. Never a cop around when you need one. That dude needs a ticket, maybe he would slow down and not be a danger to others anymore. Somebody should have seen that!

And then the happiness burst forth. From traffic behind me, I saw a motorcycle cop maneuver through traffic, pass me, and get behind the little black car. Then the pretty Christmas lights (That is from the undercover cars, that look all normal, until they light up like a Christmas tree. No green; just red, white and blue.) came on, and the little siren that is impossible to hear over your stereo while on the highway. He actually pulled the little car over, and I was suddenly very happy.

Not only was the driver doing all those things I listed above, I think I saw a phone on the ear. I can't be certain. Maybe he wasn't wearing his seat belt. A part of me hopes that he got a hefty fine for all the rudeness. It was about 12:15 in the afternoon, so the dude (dudette, if that applies) was probably rushing around to get lunch and go back to an office job he hates. Life can be pretty easy, until you make it hard on yourself, you know? I just think it was funny.

The rest of the traffic around me slowed down when they saw the cop going for the reckless speeder. They had all been pretty far behind me, but suddenly were next to me, but pretending to obey the law they should have been following all along. It feels good to know that I was obeying the traffic laws, and that by breaking them around me, someone got caught. That has happened more in the past couple of years... I wonder if there are more cops, or if it is just that I happen to be at the right place at the right time? Truly, I believe that the world is out to get me.

I think I have a sign that shows up when I drive: It is Neon Green, and flashes the words, "Woman Driver, Please Cut Me Off". It changes color and adds words when I am with Roadrunner. Then it looks like a flashing traffic signal: Green, Yellow, Red... "Two women on board. You are required to do something stupid in front of this car". When we add Roadrunner's "I LOVE my children!", the sign goes even further: Blinking in the colors of the rainbow, the words, "We have children, we are women, hear us scream when you perform illegal and stupid acts near this car!"

I have my Dad's uncanny ability to kill streetlamps by merely driving past. I have my Mom's sense to tell people to stop, but usually the people in the other car can't hear me. I talk to the traffic, like Rachael Ray talks to her food. It is habit, and a nasty one, at that. I also get from Dad the knack for hitting every light red, especially when running late. DH has this too, but I don't know from whence he inherited. Unless my marriage to him made some of my dumb luck rub off on him?

For all of you who have ever sat out there in the traffic jam caused by the longest train known to exist in captivity, take heart. It really will be moved sometime this century. I promise. Even if by only microns per year. When it is blocking the one thing you want to do.... (just across the tracks in front of you!) say a prayer, and remember that you can't get a ticket for waiting on a train.

Or obeying the law.

I am truly giddy over this, and I should not be. This is bad.

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Crock-Pot That's A Basket

I have just added a link to the coolest recipe site I have found yet.

I would love to introduce you to Stephanie. She is the self-proclaimed Crock-Pot Lady. She made a New Year's Resolution to cook something every day for her family in a Crock-Pot. She was featured on July 9th on the Rachael Ray show, and has given the world her blog, to follow her progress.

Most of her recipes are gluten free, because of her family's diet restrictions. She will tell you if the recipe is NOT gluten free. (She is nice that way.) For those of you who think you have no time to cook, you really do have time to cook. Healthy, warm, and without the hot house and overworked air conditioner.

Go check her site out! She is having a contest right now to give away 10 fancy new Crock-Pot brand crocks. If you don't want one, enter anyway, and you can send it to me!

So, I know that several of my readers are frugal homemakers who have limitless resources to eat healthy and homemade. What are your favorite recipe sites out there? Do you have a favorite Crock-Pot recipe? Do you have something that you do that you have not seen in a book? I am looking for ideas. I need help to make the same-old same-old food with a new twist, so that it is interesting for me, and not too daringly different for DH.

Hope your summer is going swimmingly!

Old And Young - I Must Be Middle-Aged

Word of the Post
Today's word is: antimacassar
/an*ti*muh*kas"er/ noun
Coined in 1852 from anti (as if you didn't know this means against) and macassar oil which is imported hair tonic from Sulawesi. I don't know where that is, but OK. These were cloth (often a lace doily) used to protect chairs and sofa fabrics from people leaning their oily heads against them.
I found this definition at the Online Etymology Dictionary, and confirmed it on Dictionary.com.

I heard this word used on a Password Plus rerun while watching the Game Show Network. Oh, my days are exciting! The guy who used it as a clue (he was hoping his partner would answer "doily") was the host of Match Game, Gene Rayburn. The host of this episode, Tom Kennedy, knew what he was talking about, but the word judges did not. They were trying to check that he hadn't said two words. I had to check three different sites, looking through the Thesaurus links, to find this.

So, the annoying little pieces of material that fall off the arms and in between the cushions on your Lay Z Boy have an actual name. I suppose I am too young to know these things. Grams crochets beautiful blankets, and I think she could easily do antimacassars too.
~~~~~~~~~~
Fantastical memories and ethereal mush cloud my dreams lately. I have people who have never met, in places that are unlikely, colliding in situations that should never happen, all happily playing havoc on my tired mind at night. Unfortunately, this means that I do not sleep well. After the long weekend, I needed the sleep that has been missing.

This morning, however, I was sleeping so well, I had a wonderful dream. It hurt to wake up, I was enjoying myself so. I tried to go back to sleep to recapture parts of it. No success. I woke again feeling a sense of loss, an incompleteness of the thought. It took almost an hour to get back to what day and time it was. I give you, a day late and a brain short, this list I started on Thursday, but I didn't finish it until today.

Tardy Thursday Thirteen

Reasons To Feel Young

1. Watching the babies learn new things.
2. Listening to the Aunts talk.
3. Contemplating how old I am not.
4. Being asked for marital advice.
5. Realizing that I have very little advice to offer.
6. Realizing how much time I have yet to go.
(Isn't old always at least 10 years older than you currently are?)
7. Being called a baby by my OLD friends.
(I am not naming names here, Jan.)
8. Watching Grams walk with a walker.
9. Seeing the houses that my family have built.
(actual houses, not the homes.)
10. Finding archaic words or songs that I didn't know before.
11. Remembering that I could not have invented telephones, computers or space travel.
(I do believe I could have invented the toilet, though.)
12. Seeing how busy my schedule is.
13. Getting to travel without kids.

I hope you are feeling young today!

Freedom Day Celebrations

Friday morning, we packed all the necessities and a few "just in case" items into the car, and set off for our short trip to Aunt Sharon's house, near Parsons, KS. I am used to the drive taking more time. Did I drive slower when I was single? I must have stopped more often, or there was construction that I have forgotten. Whatever the reason, it took almost an hour less than I thought to get there, and that was including the 1/2 hour or so we spent in a restaurant in Tulsa on the way through. Aunt's house has been Grand Central Station at Fourth of July for as long as I can remember. This year was no different. Actually, this year was a little different. Aunt Marilyn usually stays at a hotel, but her kids stay at the house. This year, DH and I stayed at the same hotel as Aunt Marilyn and Uncle John for the first night. Since some of the cousins left on Saturday, we all stayed at the house on Saturday night, as there were more rooms free. This is Aunt Sharon and Uncle Roy, sorting change for Hope Harbor Children's Home. We joked that they were so poor after the 4th, that they were scrounging for pennies to fill the Food Fund.


Usually, if everyone were to show up, there would be no less than 29 people. We also have close family friends who might as well be related, as many as 12 more from their family, who will come to our party to watch the fireworks. This year, we had 22 all together. My parents couldn't come from so far away, a few cousins couldn't come because of work or distance; they were greatly missed. This is Beka, her hubby Kyle, and the newest cousin, Kaylynn.


"The Girls" are all about 16 to 23, and there are 7 of them. These girls are mostly my 2nd cousins, but there are two 1st cousins. (Kaylynn is the only 3rd cousin, so far.) They all pile in and do fun things. Friday afternoon, there were two different games of Taboo; Saturday, the game of the hours was Rummicube; I tried to teach Andrea to play Cribbage, but we never got to finish the game. Now that several are old enough to drive, and have cars, they go to the swimming pool in Oswego, KS by themselves. That is the pool where I learned to swim at age 14. It is so neat to know that The Girls have turned out so well. Good kids, all. I remember when Jess was barely old enough to try walking, and now she is a college graduate, with a good job, and a bright future. Yep, part of that feeling old coming back up. This is the whole batch, watching the fireworks.



I have always been in the middle. Stuck at the kiddie table, and desperate to be at the adult table. The older than me cousins are around 10 years older. The younger group is at least 10 years younger than me. The younger cousins and the second cousins are not so far apart in age. I used to get shuffled with the younger kids, I suppose because there just wasn't room where I wanted to be. Honestly, if there is a disconnect in our family, it is your own fault. There are plenty of things to do, people to hang out with, and everyone is friendly. But... there are times when The Girls make me crazy. They are all so pretty, thin, tanned and tall. I only got one of those traits (pretty is the one I am selfishly and vainly claiming). This is Grams, with DH and Me. See where I got all that beauty? I only hope that I have that much hair when I am 88. Kinda tough, since I don't think I have that much hair now.



With Kaylynn, we now have five living generations. Somewhere, there are generational pictures. I don't have any of them, and I didn't get one of my own, but I did get this picture of the top and bottom of the list. This is Grams, holding Kaylynn... her only (there will be others, so first!) Great Great Grandchild.



I wish that we could get together more than once a year, but we are all so spread out, and getting more so with every cousin that marries and moves great distances due to jobs. When I moved to Oklahoma, I was moving closer. Top to bottom and left to right: DH, Me, Kyle holding Kaylynn, Alysia, Rebekah, Morgan, Laura, Andrea, Colby, Jessica and Chelsea. Photo on my camera, courtesy of cousin Kelley.



I have seriously considered starting a Facebook page. Not because I just want another blog to bore you with, but because I have friends who have invited me to join. Now, I find that several of the cousins have a Facebook. Much like the blogs, I want to do it to keep in touch, since none of us seem to use a telephone anymore. A letter? What is that? This is Crazy Faces.


We found we have talents as pyrotechnical engineers. Did you know that a Black Cat will still blow up if you drop it in a bucket of water? It does, and it does not destroy the bucket. There was the game of Fireworks Ball. A lit Black Cat pitched from the deck to the batter on the ground who is holding a splintered 2 x 4 or a fireplace shovel. Then, there were the rogue fireworks that tried to chase Jayson. Seriously, it was kinda scary. One of the roman candles fell over and off the table after the first shot. It got turned a little more clockwise with each shot, and that was the direction that Jayson ran. We were laughing so hard, once we knew that he was not burned, and the trees had not caught fire. He didn't know why it was following him, and I reminded him that "smoke follows beauty". This is the dusk view of the firestarters. How many cousins can one deck hold? (I have the tune of Ariel's song in the cavern from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" playing in my head now. Don't you?)


We went to church with Grams on Sunday, and we are happy to stand while singing. The little building has the hardest, oddest angled, close-set wooden benches with no padding at all. Back in 2003 (the last time DH and I went to the 4th), cousin Kevin was leading the singing, and asked, "Would you please stand?" and DH said (not realizing how out loud...), "GLADLY!" Oddly, they sang two songs that I didn't know. That is rare. I love it! We had lunch on Sunday at a Chinese buffet, which was pretty good. We drove home Sunday afternoon, in the same easy, lazy way we came back from NM. We took our time, enjoyed the view. OK, I slept while DH drove. Don't laugh. It is our way. We came home sunburned, and tired, but it was a wonderfully fun holiday. The Fourth has been the big annual holiday since I was a little kid. I hope to share that with my family for many years to come.

Happy...

Graphic from free website: http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/

I hope that everyone has a happy, loud and full day!

1 Lit Black Cat Explosive+ 1 Empty Tuna Can = Fun With Fireworks!

Thursday Thirteen

I don't usually get into these weekly features, but today I thought I might. Guess it is my newly found tolerance for memes. I am not certain. Then I had to find something to make a 13 list about.



Thirteen things that make me feel old.

1. Kids I saw born are now adults.
2. Kids I babysat getting married.
3. Kids I babysat having kids.
4. Second Cousins having kids. Yes, I have one little Third Cousin.
5. Chasing the Candy Kids.
6. Lifting a baby in a car carrier.
7. Finding that first gray (white!) hair.
8. Getting out of my bed while making those grunting sounds.
9. Cars made the year I graduated High School would be driving teens by now.
10. Kids know how to be careful with CDs. I had 8 track tapes, cassette tapes, and LPs.
11. A car built the year I was born would easily be "antique" by now. (They hit that at 25 yrs, right? 30? I still have it beat.)
12. The cost of postage stamps has gone up an average of one penny every year I have been alive.
13. I remember when Maria on Sesame Street was YOUNG.

I also have many reasons to feel young. That may be next week's list. No promises, though.

I am making Bread Pizza tonight for dinner, to use up the spaghetti sauce that is patiently waiting in the fridge. I didn't use the whole jar the other day on another modification of Sloppy Joe. We have pepperoni, onions, bell pepper, cheese, and Texas Toast to build it all upon.

Then we are going to our favorite coffee shop for their Movie Night. We get free Popcorn, and a Corny Movie. The movie is different every week. Tonight, they are showing the original Mystery Science Theater 3000. Bad movies with funny comments. {Edit: The movie was not played, but there were two other customers there, which is good.} If we don't want to pay attention to the movie, we can play card games or Scrabble. We are also taking the laptop, so I can blog or email or surf the web. DH designed a new flavor mix of Smooffee. It is a smoothie-coffee. They also make drinks without the espresso. We refer to those as a Smoo. He wants to make one that is chocolate and marshmallow flavored, with graham cracker bits mixed in. He called it a S'moreffee. The owner thought it sounded good, and the idea got at least one other person interested in coming to the shop. Not only are we faithful customers, we bring in more people. Can't pay for loyalty like that! I like what the owner once said. He doesn't have to boycott Starbucks. He owns his shop, and it helps that he thinks his coffee is better than Starbucks. I just like supporting my friend in his business. DH doesn't even like coffee, but he can find drinks that he likes. It is so neat to have our own version of Central Perk (Friends) or Cafe Nervosa (Frasier). "It's my Chez away from Chez." ~ Frasier

I hope to have pictures and stories after this weekend's festivities. I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!

(Photos of fireworks from a free site online: http://www.cepolina.com/freephoto/)

Mug Meme

I used to be crabby about memes. I don't really like them. They seemed a waste of time. Like blogging isn't, right? So, I have decided to stop being so crabby. I can choose which memes I participate in, and which ones I don't. I just need to lighten up. Which is why I am hoping to unload so much stuff when I finally get to do the garage sale.

I am supposed to show you pictures of my Mugs. Jan told me to just dust them off, not clean them all. Well, as you can see, there are a lot of them, and they are all pretty dusty. These hang on a hat rack, on the right side of my dining room window to the back yard. The top three are Garfield collectibles from McDonalds many decades ago. The middle four and the middle of the bottom three are what Jack and Ron called Butt Mugs. They are pictures of the KYIS 98 Morning DJs' butts, and many of them have autographs. They sell for a lot of money in this area, if you have one that someone missed. I know, silly. Don't ask. They are nice guys. Bottom row left is Celestial Seasonings in the pattern of the Mandarin Orange Spice. I got this years ago, not at their factory this year. Bottom row right is Rt.66.


This next picture is the left side of the dining room, where I hang more mugs on a larger hat rack. This batch have been dusted in the past two months, so there is not nearly so much dust. Top to bottom, and left to righ; Row 1t: DH's Big Blue Band from High School; Mary Englebreight "Life is a chair of bowlies"; handmade colorful mug with little imprints of cat sillouettes; Sleeping Beauty. Row 2: Niagara Falls; Maxine "Just because you're in love, don't go getting disgusting in public."; Maxine "Don't worry if I bite your head off. I'll spit it out."; Hallmark comic "Please, please, PLEASE let my car start this morning!"; DH's fave college team, OU. Row 3: My High School, Farmington NM Scorpions, the front is our school logo, the back is a list of the 300+ graduates names. VERY TINY print; Oklahoma Christian University logo; Precious Moments mug that has my name across a heart; handmade mug that my Aunt S bought for me for Christmas about 10 years ago, it has buttons designed on it, and a scripture printed out, Psalm 33:3.


The next two pictures are three mugs I got on my trip to Colorado in April. The first is the best chocolate in my little world. Not a bad mug either. The handle is really chunky, and has a little imprint for your thumb. Nifty!


The next two are mugs we bought at the Celestial Seasonings store. We were planning to come home and join a Scrabble Tournament at our favorite coffee shop. I brought the mugs, and let everyone use them. We didn't drink out of them, and we all cheated with them, so at least it was equal cheating. They have many words all around the sides (some repeated, but hey, it's a start) that start with the letter on the tile picture.


This next one, I tried to get a picture of the tiny print on the bottom, but the picture just came out white. It says the cup was made in Occupied Japan. This is big, because there are not a lot of pieces that were left intact. Occupied Japan had a problem with being Occupied, so when they kicked out the invaders, they destroyed a lot of beautiful pieces. I have a larger dish also made in Occupied Japan, but not in this pattern.


There you have it. Muggy Chelf's Collection of Collections.

I won a contest over at Flea's blog. I named a Chicken. I got the chicken in the mail today, and opened it. But I was running late, and I left the tan puffy envelope, with the chicken inside, on our couch. When we came back from our mid-week Bible classes (and the dinner the church serves on Wednesday nights) we found this: An empty envelope.


Then DH hollers to me from our Bedroom. "Did you have the chicken back here?" I said no, I left it in the living room. Marvel, I am pretty sure, stole my chicken, and took it back to the bedroom, and left it like he leaves his Gift of Mouse toys. This is at the foot of the bed, on my side, near a pile of throw blankets I keep meaning to wash.


Poor "Fowler" (I won by Flea's helper-son picking my name suggestion for the chicken) was put in Kitty Toy P.O.W. Camp. He was chewed before he even got to fly. So sad. I still haven't removed the tag, and I can see that the cat chewed the tag a bit. I am surprised, really, that the head isn't gone, and the thick rubber isn't chewed to tiny bits. I have put Fowler in a safer place for the night. I think he needs to come to the family reunion in Kansas this weekend. I just need to make sure that the mean boy cousins don't attach him to a rocket.