Steve Harvey

You need to go to the bottom of my blog and turn off the "juke box" first.

Motorcycle For Sale

Yeppers. As bad as I hate to post this...the motorcycle in the header to my blog (above) is for sale.

I've tried. But after a year...when I'm still having to psych myself up to get on the bike and make two or three runs to the bathroom before getting on it... As I was getting dressed this morning I finally had a talk with myself. "Self," I said. "If this is bothering you so much, why do it?!" I got online and checked the resale price of the bike...when Sam came back in from doing a chore before we could head out, I told him that I was selling the bike.

Today I rode with him...beautiful ride to Paris, then on to Powderly. But the trip back reminded me why I wanted to ride my own. That pillion (passenger seat on a motorcycle) leaves a lot to be desired for comfort. By the time I got back home, my butt was numb (both cheeks), my right knee was hurting, and my ankle stayed sore for over an hour...only an hour and a half return trip...

When I first told Sam that I wanted my own bike, I asked for a second-hand Honda Shadow...in other words, something not over 750 cc. He bought me a 1584 cc bike weighing over 750 pounds. I just never got comfortable with it.

I don't know if I would've been comfortable with the smaller bike -- Sam's convinced I wouldn't but now we'll never know. (I can tell you that the 250cc Yamaha that I had 25+ years ago was a BLAST!)

So...if anyone's interested in the bike, give me a shout!

This Place is AWESOME!

What wonderful words! Sam and I went to David Beard's Catfish King in Mt. Pleasant for lunch a couple of days ago. They have restaurants in a few southern states, David Beard's Catfish Village, as well as several Catfish Kings sprinkled around. Catfish King is the 'fast food' place.


A couple of booths behind us, a little boy was awestruck when he opened his kid's meal. I don't know what he ordered, but it had plenty of fries with it, and he was excited. He was planning to take the box the meal came in home with him...and I think the toy was a boat...Get it? Catfish restaurant...boat... ;o)


All of a sudden we heard, "This place is AWESOME!"


I can not count the number of times we've been in a restaurant with misbehaving children. This was such a pleasure.


I subbed at high school yesterday. Jumped in the car after school and went to Mama's to pick up some okra to pickle. Gave her a hug and back in the car to the school to work the concession stand during the volleyball game. I left the house at 7:30 a.m. or so and got home about 8:30 p.m. Loooong day.


I got home to Sam and his brand new cold. I bent down to kiss him as he sat on the couch and he turned his head. I thought I'd been snubbed for being gone all day, but as my hand touched his neck - aw shucks...I wasn't just gonna give him a peck, I was gonna lay a big fat kiss on him... ;o)...I realized how hot he felt to the touch. He was running fever. Thank goodness he woke feeling better.

*** Well something happened and I lost internet before publishing this post, but I just noticed that it was saved in Drafts...so all was not lost ***

A few days have passed since the beginning of this post...

It was 59 degrees this morning!! I am so excited about the cool weather. Especially since we have officially entered fall and the grass is still green...almost unheard of here. On the way to school this morning, steam was wafting over the ponds and a low mist was just starting to dissipate in the areas surrounding stands of trees and woods. I wish I had a photo to show you but, alas, my ever trusty camera was at home in my sewing room.

Later gator!

It's Raining...

...it's pouring...

the old man is snoring...

I love it! We've had nearly eight inches of rain the last few days. It's been coming down slow and gentle so most is absorbing into the ground and filling creeks, ponds, and lakes.

We had a wonderful May...hot as hell June...milder than normal July and August. We are entering into the fall season with green grass! That is almost unheard of here in my corner of the world.

I'm loving it!

I subbed a few days, worked the concession stand for Thursday night football and a few volleyball games. Yesterday Sam and I sat around the house. I finished a paperback I'd been reading on for a couple of days...just so-so. I also studied quilt patterns for some "homespun" plaids. Asked Sam's opinion a few minutes ago...hmmm. He picked French Braid. I momentarily considered it but had almost decided against it. I'll have to revisit that idea again.

Yesterday I asked him what I need to thaw for tomorrow (today now). He said, "Apricot fried pies." I know. I live with a comedian. We'll have pork steaks, sweet potatoes, and fried okra for supper.

In the meantime...this morning I cooked the two packages of dried apricots that I had stashed in the pantry. After lunch, I made the fried pies...

Hot Again...

Better enjoy the cool weather as long as it lasts...'cause sometimes here in northeast Texas it certainly doesn't last long! 90 degrees today. The nights are still cool and I would still be sleeping with the windows open...but "you know who" doesn't do that. ;o) The crisp of fall weather is in the air...just not as evident.

I so enjoy seeing a glimpse of color in the trees. Not much going on yet. This is across the road from our house. Leaves turning yellow.

This Tupelo (oak I think) is starting to turn red, but it barely shows in photos.

I did finish my quilt top. Got the last border on it a couple of days ago. I may machine quilt this one...haven't decided yet.

I only have a regular sewing machine...no mid- or long-arm...and no frame for it...which will make it quite bulky to deal with. But I've done a king-size on my machine before so this large queen-size shouldn't be too bad.

What I Did...

...while Sam was gone...

Once I got back from Mt. View with Mama...

The house was soooo quiet! But I got quite a bit of sewing done. I cleaned floors which consists mainly of tile - ran the dust mop, swept up the accumulated sand (about a cupful it seemed), mopped. Then I vacuumed the two bedrooms and my sewing room...and master bath closet...that's the only carpet in the house and IF I had my way it would be gone. Of course if I had my way, the tile would be hardwood. Tile is hard, cold, loud. I do not like it! But the house was only 1 1/2 years old when we bought it...and it's just 5 years later...so it'll be like this for a while longer.

I worked on a quilt top...that pinky/peach thing in previous posts. I need one more border...it'll be the dark blue that's in the quilt. I had to pick up more of that...

Girlfriends came over and we swam until after dark then came in and ate Artisan bread (see previous post) with butter, or watermelon, or Israel melon. We followed that with more visiting, gossiping, and looking at high school annuals. Earlene was sitting in the floor and I was sooo proud that my floor was clean. I even offered to let them eat off it. ;o)

Melanie and I went to Longview so that I could purchase that piece of fabric for the above mentioned quilt. We picked up Kathy and went shopping too. Well, Kathy purchased...Melanie and I looked.

I've worked at the high school two days this week and will also work tomorrow. I've worked volleyball and junior varsity football concessions two evenings this week with more on Saturday...volunteer with the Friends of the Library group - portion of the profits go to the Friends at the end of the season.

I mowed the yard with the New Holland tractor! First time for me. We have ten acres. Sam mows about seven or eight acres of it with a finish mower behind the tractor. I do the minor trimming with a little walk behind self-propelled Honda mower. We talked one night on the phone, and he told me where the grease fittings were located and about how many 'pumps' of grease each fitting needed...and I mowed the next day. Not everything that Sam mows, but a couple of passes down by the road and a couple of passes down the side of the driveway and the immediate yard around the house.

I lost about seven pounds! And intend to lose more which means when Sam wants to go eat out he'll be going by himself for a while...except he wants fried catfish and I'm definitely going for that!

When Sam drove up yesterday, I rushed out and hugged and kissed him and told him how much I missed him and said, "We don't have water." ;o) When I showered yesterday morning I noticed that the water pressure was low. I had just flushed the commode before climbing in the shower but normally that doesn't affect it. I did a little sleuthing (read a book last week that had that word in it...love it!) and decided I better turn the breaker off to the pump.

Sam fiddled with the pump a little bit before deciding the he'd tackle it this morning. We had water in the camper so he went out and turned the hot water heater on and showered there. ...brought in a bucket of water from the swimming pool to flush with and I set out some reserved jugs of water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing hands, etc. Being a country girl most of my life...I know what to do.

Elton came over this afternoon, and he and Sam pulled the pump out of the well and replaced a fitting. I had water when I got home after the football game.

We've had rain today and it is absolutely lovely outside. Temperature is 68 degrees. A nice wind is blowing from the north. I tried raising the windows...that lasted about 15 minutes. They are closed. A/C is on. ;o( I mentioned to Sam last spring that I wanted an old iron bed with a foam mattress covered in all-weather fabric in the screen room so that when I wanted to raise windows and enjoy the cool breezes and mild weather that I could sleep out there...I want to do it again. I'll be on the lookout for the bed. It could be a sofa during the day and a nice place to catch a breeze at night...

Oh, he didn't ask me about my hair cut until just before bed last night. I was beginning to wonder...

Artisan Bread

Isn't this pretty?

Martha over at Lines from Linderhof posted a delicious recipe of Artisan Bread. http://www.linesfromlinderhof.com/2009/08/homebaked-bread.html

I had to give it a try...

If you are expecting the taste of fresh made white yeast bread, this will be a bit of a disappointment. My BFF, Earlene, said that it tasted a bit like sourdough. I thought it tasted flat...so I worked a bit more salt in the second loaf and liked it better.

Okay. Just WHAT is artisan bread? HA! I've been making it all along! Artisan bread is bread that is not mass produced! So...okay...my single loaves of white bread (sometimes mixed with whole wheat flour) are actually artisan bread. I'm feeling oh so smug right now.

I've made mention a time or two about Sam being gone. He's home now! I don't generally advertise when we are (or he is) going to be gone. He and his youngest brother Terry rode their Harley's around the Grand Canyon. They trailered the bikes to near Flagstaff, rode around the Canyon, Terry loaded his bike up and headed back home 'cause he is still a poor working man. Sam continued the trip by going up into Colorado and visiting friends in Cedaredge and Delta. Sam was gone two full weeks!

He's HOME! I wasn't expecting him until mid-morning tomorrow but he got here about 4 or 4:30 p.m. It was so good to see him pull up in the driveway.

...We've had such mild weather that I've had the a/c turned off the last four or five days and have been sleeping with the windows open. I mean, when you get up in the morning at it's 63 degrees outside...why oh why is the a/c on?! I have soooo enjoyed it.

Sam's home! Did I mention that? And the windows are down and the a/c is on...and it'll be mid-60's again tonight. I do love him! But what oh what am I going to do with him?! ;o)

Early Fall

A couple of weeks ago I made the statement to Sam that we were in for an early fall. He asked me what criteria did I use to base my observation on. Well. Let us not forget that my grandmother told me on numerous occasions that her grandmother was full-blood Cherokee from Paul's Valley Oklahoma. But with Sam needing more 'scientific' reasoning behind my statement I merely replied...'Cause we had our August in June. June was the hottest I can ever remember. Combined with the lack of rain...well...I still ascertain that we will have an early fall.

Now. I modestly (ha!) present these three photos as proof.

Yellowing leaves from two different trees...

Look at the brown pine needles!

I rest my case! (Thank you great-great grandmother!)

Sam's going to be shocked when he sees me. I got my hair cut. Long overdue as far as he's concerned...he will be pleased.

I hate self-photos. If I'd wear more makeup it might help. Then...maybe not. ;o) Droopy eyelids...genetics!

My beautician (yet another Sherry) knows that I work my hair to death and initially prefer to have every hair in place. She told me that after I wash it to just comb it back and let it dry...scrunching it up a bit. So...I've been trying that. Takes me about that ***snap*** long to 'style' my hair now. I'm enjoying it!

Sam's Gone...

So I've been sewing...making scrubs for Jonathan. I found this cute, cute ghostie camo fabric in Mt. View.

I also found a piece of fabric with autumn colored leaves scattered around. Made a top out of that and evidently didn't get a photo before mailing...

Jonathan requested a camo set with hunter orange trim. Well....I shouldn't've made all those orange pockets. BUT...they are on there and I didn't take them off. No, siree. Don't undo unless there's a construction mistake. Those folks in the nursing home will be able to see him coming camo fabric or not!

Sometime during all this getting the pattern to fit and adding elements not on the pattern, he asked for a cell phone pocket. I made one with a velcro closure...Jonathan doesn't like velcro, so I dug around in my snaps. (I made his dad's western-style shirts.)

Now you see it...

Now you don't.

I found out that Jonathan's been ironing the scrubs that need ironed with his girlfriend's hair straightener iron. Raise your eyebrows here? I mean an iron can be as cheap as $9.99 at the dollar stores. Roll eyes here. ;o) So, when I sent the scrubs, I sent my old Rowenta that started slobbering all over my clothes. Evidently the water reservoir is cracked. But it heats up and will make a good dry iron with a can of starch or a spritz bottle of water.

Now that those are completed and in the mail, I've been cleaning house. Arrgghhhh! Where's the maid? Maid? What maid. Oh! I'm the maid! Sigh. Took all day to do the tile floors. I put everything up and out of the way yesterday morning and 'ran' the dustmop. Whew! So much red sand from tracking in and out during the work done on Sam's building.

...then I stopped for a break. An all day break. ;o) I hit the roads...Melanie and I went out for pizza, then cruised around the area. She's kind of looking for a house out of town...or at least away from her current neighbors. Saw places I haven't seen in a long time...maybe never!

After I got back home, I mopped. Thought about going to bed early since I'd worked so hard...it was about 6:30 p.m. ;o) But then got a phone call...Earlene and Nancy inviting themselves over to swim. I called Melanie to join us. THEN got up and put all the stuff I had moved so that I could do the floors...put all that stuff back where it belonged.

I know. I've gotten plum lazy.

This morning, I've vacuumed the carpet in the bedrooms and dusted the furniture in there. Did some ironing. Cut out one of the borders for my quilt and sewed one on...and here I sit.

I'll try to get the living room dusted sometime today. And after I get the borders sewn on the quilt top, I'll vacuum this room. Think I'll go eat lunch then take a nap first though. ;o) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Mama and Me

Mama and I went to Mt. View Arkansas for a few days. In her mini-van not on the motorcycle. When she found out that Sam set out on his trip to and around the Grand Canyon...and that I was not going...she made reservations in Mt. View...and off we went. To...Mountains, Music, and Motorcycles! Mt. View's annual motorcycle event. Which we knew nothing about! We were surprised that she could get a room on such short notice during the event.

We saw motorcycles...

Motorcycles...

And more motorcycles!

We made it to several antique stores in the area. She directed me around behind 'town proper' in Calico Rock and found a 'ghost' town. I've forgotten the name...but the area was evidently once fairly prosperous if the amount of abandoned commerical buildings is any indicator.

While sitting in Jimmy Driftwoods', I tried the self-photo thing. I'm not very good at this.

I received a back-handed compliment from Pat Cash aka Aunt Minnie at Cash's White River Hoedown. Sam has a joke that he tells about grandpa and the outhouse. I told Pat. She told me that I looked like my mother but acted like my dad. ;o)

Pat is the main comedic act at the Hoedown. Daddy would tell her jokes that he had heard. Some she could clean up and use in her act. Some...not.

I told it like this:

We spent a lot of time at my grandparents. As we arrived one evening, my uncle grabbed my oldest brother and our older cousin for help in moving the outhouse. He'd dug a new hole.

That night Grandpa woke the entire household hollering, "Fire! Fire!" We all jumped up out of beds, Daddy found a flashlight and everyone ran outside to the sound of Grandpa hollering, "Fire! Fire!" Grandpa had fallen in the old outhouse hole. Every time he bobbed up, he hollered, "Fire! Fire!" About the third time he bobbed up, my uncle grabbed him. He and Daddy got Grandpa pulled out of the hole and cleaned off somewhat.

One of my brothers asked, "Grandpa, why were you hollering 'fire'?"

Grandpa said, "How much attention do you think I'd gotten if I'd hollered, 'Sh#t'!?"

My mother, who was listening, looked at Pat and said, "That did not happen with my family." She turned and walked off.

I'm sure she walked off because of her back. She's facing another back surgery. When she's walked or stood as long as she can stand it...she HAS to sit...then gets immediate relief...