Wednesday, May 30, 2012

MISS ALMOST BEEN

Awe...I love Facebook.  It took me the longest time to get on board because my baby bo peep gave me strict orders...do NOT get on Facebook and check out what I'm up to because you will be a nerd mother.

Then, I decided to promote my online news sites with its powerful connectivity and in the meantime "friended" my children...and they friended me back...none of them are up to anything anymore.

This is what I saw a few days ago

After 8 LONG years of road trips, long distance phone calls, Skype dates, and lots of goodbyes, I could not be more happy that Cody Mac and I finally live in the same city :) Beyond excited to begin this new journey! — with Cody Mac Been.


It really tugged at my heart because I really didn't realize just how hard their love journey had been.  I have told her often in her sadness how lucky she was because  I had to actually write a letter that took a long time to send and receive, and phone calls at $2.50 per minute were a luxury--and short.  


They have dated off and on through a high school romance, going off to colleges in different states and different times, and finally discovering they had the real thing to last a lifetime.


And this is the photo I saw on Facebook today thanks to his fun sister
Coach Been
you look exactly the same
I hope you saved this vest

June 30
here we come!

From the mother of the bride
I am beyond excited
 right there with you
Miss Almost Been






MY NEIGHBOR

T is my neighbor across the street
our town is a pop-up oilfield town and you might find
the nicest homes across the street from a trailer park
(our zoning commission has changed this)

we just accept it

T lives with his mom and their house is decently nice with huge potential to be awesome
I am reminded that beauty is in the eye of the beholder 
and maybe
he thinks it is awesome
most bachelors would
most busy bachelors could care less about cute little window boxes filled with cheery geraniums

Before I lived at 822, I would drive by his house often and wish I could buy it
because I knew that whoever bought 822 would do what I'm doing and then
 this block could have 4 very nice homes on it.

It would annoy me that 
he would use his hay thrasher to mow and EDGE his front yard
park his truck (and hay thrasher) in his front yard
and that his beautiful turquoise front door was covered up by 28 huge light bulbs for
12 years

But the other day we were about to get a huge thunderstorm on a
shipment of lumber..possibly hail...

He went to his shop and came back with tarps
and helped us cover our wood
and this is what I got to thinking about him

I really like and maybe even love him
he was in the same grade as my youngest brother and they grew up together
he looks exactly like a Spanish Smokey Robinson
he takes good care of his mother
(he just bought her a new ac unit, mows her grass with a tractor, sits outside and visits with her)
he has been known to drink beer from both hands at the same time
he recently moved 28 light bulbs from his front porch

 he came to our rescue in the time of need
to cover up our wood
because he is a good neighbor

And while he and I might not have the same taste in decorating
I can live with the kind of neighbor he is 
because he's a good one!




Tuesday, May 29, 2012

YARD OF THE WEEK

In our little corner of the world we have those who appreciate beauty

I was the chamber of commerce exec for 8 years about 8 years ago
the guy who took my place didn't care that much about
Yard of the Week (he's a guy!)
when I did it, there were 4 signs so each week from Memorial Day through Labor Day
4 city yards would be chosen and then put in the local paper

Folks really liked it and it was a friendly competition

When he stopped doing it
I asked if he would mind if I took over again
via
HIGH PLAINS OBSERVER
I felt it was appropriate for my local internet news site to choose
and was excited about the traffic it would drive to my site.
Yay!

But...I could only find one sign...which didn't matter to me..one yard per week was all I needed

Well this year
as the editor of the HPO
(ahem)
I have given the first award of the season to
ME!
Here's why

1.  I am the chooser
2.  I am in possession of the sign
3.  I can (within reason) do what I want to because I really don't care what people say
4.  My yard...FINALLY looks DANG GOOD!

Congratulations 822!

Happy Memorial Day to all!




Monday, May 28, 2012

ANGEL FLIGHT







In honor and memory of 
Ray Glenn Bulls
killed at 19 and buried in France
my dad's twin

Thank you for giving your life
Uncle Ray
and for serving all your life
Roy Lynn Bulls
my dad,
my precious dad

you are together now
celebrate



Sunday, May 27, 2012

SANTORINI BLUE

Mattie worked very hard at SHS
she graduated with a 101+ GPA
and was Salutatorian (smart class)
So that summer we told her we'd take her on a trip
thinking she'd choose
Las Vegas?
Hollywood?
NYC?


Thank You

she chose Santorini
As it turns out, she entered Texas A&M that fall as a sophomore
allowing her to graduate in 3 years..
..so we figured she saved us a bundle in tuition

she invited a friend (her June 30th sister-in-law) and off we went
Athens, Mykonos, Santorini

Everything in Santorini is blue
 blue and white
and I just fell in love with that bold vivid color
MEDITERRANEAN CRISP

Never..NEVER in a million years did I dream that someday 
(actually I dreamed all my life)
we would own 822
and 
build a pool
a very BLUE one
(I am the luckiest girl alive!)

Way before that we had gone to an auction and much to hub's dismay
I purchased these pots...for $5  (x 5)

They have been in my garage for nearly ever
but today, I brought them out 
and while hubs worked on the jalopy picnic table
(the fence will be gone Tuesday, the bobcat is to dig the pool and he found that awesome hat in our garage)

I gave them a coat of
Santorini Blue
(butterflies and twirlies)


as opposed to the wonderful lavenders and purples often
seen in my Taos


822 has a very French (Euro) feel 
I have always loved the blue doors and blue shutters
and blue accents...

...maybe it's just that all around cool countries like blue stuff

and very very very
cool
hats


A PICNIC

In addition to rarely losing my cool,
when I do get mad I back off pretty quickly
except that thing that happened 28 years ago and oh yeah that one thing that happened about 6 years ago
that I'm currently forgetting


So yesterday I was all prepared to go 
"have a word" with mr. frame man 
if and when he showed up


I happened to be gone to my daily workout when he did
and then by the time... blah blah blah

well

I lost my muster

and I am so glad I did because
when I got back from having lunch with hubby, all was quiet and I assumed they had left for lunch
so I was going to go snoop to see what all had been done

when I turned the corner
there they all were
having a picnic in my backyard

They were just normal guys (with ponytails)
one was sitting on a stack of lumber eating a baloney sandwich
two had moved our jalopy picnic table under a tree
(the one we plan to renovate this weekend--the one with the beehive on it when we bought 822)

one was sitting on another pile of lumber reading what looked like a history book

man..my heart just went soft

you know...stuff happens
rain delays, water pumps, sick kids, phone service cutoff...just stuff -just life
I may not be the kind of person who leaves one hanging, but I do have my own faults
one of them is being chatty

I think at lunch today I will go sit at that picnic table with them, offer them some sweet tea
and tell them all about the huge old beehive that was living on it when we bought 822
and that after the holiday weekend and the next time they see it
it will be cedar and carrara marble leftover from other projects
and they can sit there in the shade and listen to the doves coo
and eat BBQ chips and
frame my house

Friday, May 25, 2012

GRADUATION



All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.


Yep...today I think I just might wear a bowl upside down on my head dangled with fruitloops


Thursday, May 24, 2012

WAR PATH


It's been a very long time since I have 

lost my temper

I'm usually a pretty easy going patient person and when I do get feisty
I tend to take it out on hubs, poor guy listening to my whining

but yesterday I fired off a pretty pointed email to contractor
to which I'm sure his reaction was
woo...I'm really scared

You see...I realize we live in TimBukTu
but that is just no excuse for all the excuses

frame man has been on board since March and we have been making ready for him
We have had this quote from frame man for 
3 WEEKS
"I will be there this week"

Monday, contractor said
"he'll be here today"
Wednesday he said 
"he'll be here at noon"
Wednesday at 5 I fired framer in a surly text to contractor
wooo

Thank goodness hubs is much more rational and cool headed
he talked me down from the ledge

It's called the "who else are we going to hire ledge"

So here I sit, in front of my computer, Thursday morning, pretending I am 
NOT looking out my window waiting to introduce myself to framer

I am so glad I have a smudge stick
if he's like most framers he will be delighted
when I smudge him with what looks like a very large 
joint


It's just a smudge stick that we native Americans use to ward off
the bad mojo
but he might (MIGHT) be thinking
dang...why did I wait so long to get here!

teehee


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

THE ATRIUM


It is no where near selection time
but I can toy with thinking about it right?

This space is kind of odd
JUST LIKE I LIKE IT!

It will be the space that connects the original house to the 
renovated garage apartment turning master suite, and is only about
20 x 15 x 10

It will be 2 stories of glass and cedar
the art studio loft upstairs will have a turret and the office will be below the studio
there will be double doors that step out into the yard and patio and pool

I have put a drain in the center in case I want a 
Zen Garden with fountain
Butterfly Habitat
or 
Inside/Outside shower
:-)

so the floor must accommodate that 
and I do not want it to look new


tumbled marble?

I have white carpet and very dark handscraped wood 
in the other parts of the house

It's my chance for some of that blue color that I love and 
that will bring the color of the pool indoors!
My one chance to pop on this end of the house

but I love this shape and color and could have a nice blue rug

but I find myself loving
these Moroccon Mediterranean Casablanca tiles

I could polish the concrete and paint a mural

but I just keep thinking about these tiles!

I don't have a good vision for how something square is going to fit into this odd triangle
still thinking....
suggestions?


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

JENA LEE--NOT YET

This is the space that I am 
searching searching searching for 
just the right thing

there have been several things here
and then I decided that I wanted something 
pastoral
so I did a number on these cheap frames and planned for a holiday (Memorial Day) for
hubby to paint me some pastoral scenes..
he needs a holiday because he paints much better after some wine

nope...not working

so I got the bright idea that I would turn 
 this
into this
making them look like Charles and Jena

and THEN I got the bright idea I would just paint 
JENA
(at her shower)

This huge canvas came from an old building and the very first night we stayed at the
Bishop Cottage B&B
(we had to be our own first guests you know..to make sure everything was perfect)
We divided it in half
took the primary colors
and I painted hubby and he painted me

You can see here a pencil, a calculator, the Eiffel Tower, prime numbers
for sure a cork or two!

B's version of me...not sure if I should be flattered or not....
this hung in the Bishop until we created Zulu Art Gallery
I had to paint clothes on "me"
to cover up that one perky boob 
because my little art students were way too interested in the nude version
and I also spent alot of time explaining why I had no arms

these are my colors...we bought it in Paris along the Seine
and it hangs on the opposite wall

I might also add...I have no paints (at my sister's house in Dallas) 
which means a trip at least 45 miles away 
to get little artist paints...hmmm...
how about all that wall paint wasting away in the garage
green, white, coral, gold
yes I can make that work David Bromstad style

so I spend a good hour getting prepared
ready--set
and I could not do it
too precious and full of sweet memories to paint over
I was surprised to discover it meant so much to me

so...I skulked around the basement and came across this 
water color from a very famous area artist
it was in an auction in Beaver Oklahoma
and we paid $15 dollars for it
I had it framed true to the 1960's style which is why it's been in the basement

I may not leave it...it's not exactly what I want here
but by now
I have totally lost my 
mojo to create this space
so I think I'll 
buy a canvas to paint Jena next time I go to Amarillo
hang the dual portrait in my studio upstairs when it gets built
and go watch Eddy work



Monday, May 21, 2012

911

What's your emergency?

ok...true small town PURA VIDA story

Friend, grandsons and son in law (and new dad) spend 10 hours waxing vintage car for parade
Line-up is at 10 am at the mall--parade at 11
dad of 3 week old baby gets urgent phone call, new mom has locked the keys and baby in car
dad is in parade line and suggests mom call 911
mom calls 911

and gets a message machine

she leaves a message
but as you might be putting 2 + 2 together
all emergency vehicles and personnel are
in the parade

not to worry

the right person does get the message, leaves the parade and makes it to the car to unlock
mom and baby are just fine


after all
even 911 folks should get to enjoy the parade!

We have laughed and laughed over this moment
filled in our own comments
(You have reached 911, we cannot currently attend to your emergency as we are leading the parade, please leave a detailed message as it will be over in less than 15 minutes, at which time we will be right there)

and laughed more

but we have also said a bit of a prayer of gratitude 
that we live in such a place that this is our form of emergency 
and no matter where you are 
you're only 5 minutes from where you need to be

Sunday, May 20, 2012

FOUR

 
we did it
Regalia is not that easy
it is NOT costume it is regalia
and while it's not that hard,
it's not that easy

buckskin
beads
braids

four generations of
Choctaw women
on a mustang
driven by our son
in the
2012 Heritage Days Parade

we did it
proudly

THAT KIND OF MAN



file

We need to teach our daughters to distinguish between
a man who flatters her
and a man who compliments her,

a man who spends money on her
and a man who invests in her,

a man who views her as property
and a man who views her properly,

a man who lusts after her
and man who loves her,

a man who believes he’s a gift to women
and a man who believes she’s a gift to him.

And then we need to teach our sons
to be that kind of man.


file

Friday, May 18, 2012

A POINTING ISSUE


Last night we took baby bo peep to eat pizza with family for a belated
mother day feast.

When we took her back home, mom asked how things went and she said
"I had a pointing issue"

While it is true, we asked her not to point when she pointed, it just about killed me that this is what she took home from the experience.

She is 4
She was shushed a time or two for using her outside voice
and she pointed at a new baby who came in with the parents she knew

She is 4
she was excited about coloring her page with the crayons they gave her
she was excited about seeing a newborn baby

here are the things she did NOT do
and I am about to point!

She did NOT
  • turn up the tv too loud to watch basketball
  • test drive a vehicle in the parking lot while waiting on our table
  • fart and pretend no one heard
  • blow her nose at the table and then examine it for what seemed like 5 minutes
  • smack


She might have thought she had a pointing issue
but I happen think there were a few adults that could take a lesson from this 
4 year old
on how to act




Thursday, May 17, 2012

MAY DAYS

Spring is a breezy blossomy season and it comes in 2nd as my favorite behind October.

Our temperatures are mild and the sun is warm with cool breezes

My top 5 favorite sounds in May


Thunder
You just can't beat a good thunderstorm rolling across the plains

Glee
822 is just around the corner of the Gus Birdwell Elementary
something about the end of school nearing--I love to hear the children at play at recess

Hammering
at my house
=
progress

google

The song of a cardinal near my house
we don't have that many

The melody 
of
windchimes
lawn mowers
and that
chch chch chch of a sprinkler on my yard

and as I was browsing my photos, I came across
Lola and Mr. Sweety Pie
I hope they are happy living in the country now
they would really like 822