The perfect heart

My dad, bless his pea picking heart, is Mr. Health. He has always eaten small portions of very healthy food and has gone to the Y daily. One day he lifts weights and the next day he runs. Every Saturday he works on his "acreage" and then Sunday is the "DAY OF REST". Monday...he starts all over again. I can tell you that he drinks chocolate soy milk at breakfast. He drinks a glass of cranberry juice every night at dinner. He eats an apple for his "late snack"(about 8:30PM on the nose). You will find him eating sardines, oysters, and if his mom was still here he would eat liver and kidneys too. Just to really irritate my mom, he refuses to eat the same meat twice in a row, and prefers to have different "main courses" every night. He loves spinach, Brussel sprouts, salad, nuts, dark chocolate, and green tea. Now before you gag here, let me tell you that my momma raised us about like that. When we were young, we had to eat spinach, Brussel sprouts, salad, liver, and fish (not sardines or oysters... thank the Lord for loving me!!!) It is just that I chased all that stuff down with bread, soda, bread and then something sweet for dessert number one, two and three. Then I was so full that I HAD to rest. Therefore...he weighs about 10 more pounds than he did when I was born. (Please insert smiley face with tongue sticking out here!) Why didn't I inherit that from him? Now here it is....that great word...BUT...now life at the Ponderosa has changed. About a week before the West Texas Blizzard of 2011, dad went in for a his bi-annual checkup (have no clue why he went twice a year. YUCK) During that visit our family doctor, was listening to the heart and looked puzzled. He looked at the chart, looked at dad and then announced to him: "You have a heart murmur. A real good one." So on the day that we had inches of snow on top of inches of ice, my mom and dad drove up to the Dr. Office (other side of town) for a visit. Within days we were talking open heart surgery. Hello, this is the man that eats sardines, liver and kidneys? The doctors decided that they would do some testing to decide the next step. After a month, they decided that he would be good to go and just have yearly checkups. Here it is again...BUT...he went with mom for her visit to their heart doctor and the doctor announced that he wasn't happy with that decision. So, 2 1/2 weeks ago, my dad had open heart surgery. Let me explain even better. There was no clogged arteries! There was no damage to the heart! The was no unnecessary pressure on the heart! The valve had ripped. The surgeon discussed a pig valve or a mechanical valve if they couldn't stitch his together. Dad became concerned for sure. A pig valve...Would we take him to shows...would he oink? Now the man with a perfect heart has a perfect mechanical valve AND a perfect pacemaker. he got a bonus feature while in there. What a journey. Surgery went well. He was in CCU one night and ICU (if there really is a difference) another. It was home week since my family either knew the people in ICU or a family member. Lots of visitors came and went. I must tell you that they kept us laughing. One of our visitors had open heart surgery by the same surgeon. When the surgeon walked by he spoke to DR. B. Dr. B just smiled and walked on. At that point, Bill said "Hmmm he must not recognize me." Then he grabbed his shirt and did the superman thing like he was going to rip his shirt off (he is over 75) and said "bet you would recognize me now!" Such a woman and obgyn thing. And now...the man with the perfect heart is doing great at home. However no more chocolate soy milk, spinach, brussel sprouts, and green tea. No dark green leafy salad. All those good things are on hold. Including the cranberry juice that he almost threw my son out of their house for drinking the last of it. And now by doctors orders, he is NOT to have certain things more than once a week. Interfers with regulating the medication. But wait...wait for it...he can have all the beer he might like! Ha Ha. What a turn of the menu! My dad still has a perfect heart. It just got a little "bling" added to it. He is still my daddy...perfect in my eyes even when he has his moments. As my daughter said: "Grandad, glad your here with metal and all. Better than the other options." Best of all...he doesn't oink!

Another year older...a sign of the times

Yes, I have explaining to do. Where have I been? What has been so important that I would forsake my buddies that read my blog? What else do I have to do with my spare time?' Hello, it is TAKS season....as well as baseball, Bible Bowl, as well as tax season. Let me just say that I am running around so that I have to write bathroom breaks into my daily schedule. Not because I am so important that everyone wants me to do things for them, but because I am just goofy enough to over schedule my life. I have so much to tell you...I have them all listed. However, I want to let you know that I am a year older as of Sunday. And as of Monday I have had to take an afternoon power nap just to make it to bedtime which has actually been about 45 min. earlier than 2 weeks ago. What is up with that? A sign of the time or is it that when the candle is burning at both ends, and you only have a birthday candle lit, it just gets tough when the flames get close to the middle. So, how did we celebrate? As you have read in previous years, I have gone to Dallas with the church group to the LTC meeting. This time, Easter comes MUCH later, and we did something different. My kids and I (Tony stayed to help my dad out) drove to Weatherford. Okay, stop laughing........I know you are wondering why not San Antonio, Dallas, or Somewhere full of adventure. We went there because that is where we stayed the night so that my son could attend NASCAR with my dear precious Suzie and her husband Bobby. Of course, I swap one son for one daughter (Nikki doesn't really care for NASCAR). I tell you, it was the best weekend so far this year.....okay, the best since we placed champions in the barn! It was the best because: 1. My kids and I have not been out of town ALONE in over two years. My daughter had not done her chores on Friday so she lost her phone privileges. Therefore, there were no cell phones, no videos, no ipods, no nothing but old fashioned books, magazines, discussions, and laughter!! Best of All......no arguing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2. We were with Suzie, Bobby and Nikki. I can not tell you how much we love being with them. Sometimes, I just need Suzie time. Funny thing is that Suzie was at the track with my son and I had Nikki! We just loved our Sunday drive home with them. We stopped and played all along the way. 3. No adventure? You haven't lived until you have had Nikki and Makaley AND stores! We shopped for about two hours. Then we went swimming. We dined at Logan's. We shopped some more. We ate yogurt. We shopped some more. Shopped until Nikki dropped! I think she just made up the fact that she needed the restroom so that she could sit and rest her weary head for a moment. 4. Sunday, we ate breakfast together while my two swam. Then we went to Whole Foods for shopping. Back to Weatherford to the market, then home. Miracles of miracles, my children voluntarily put up all electronic devices so we could talk and enjoy our time coming home. I am going to post my daughter's quote (said more than once) just so that when she is about to take my head off, I can pull this up and let her read it. She said several times "Mom, that was the best weekend ever." and then she would hug me! About 30 minutes later, she would say it again. Another hug. So, Thanks you Suzie and Bobby for my wonderful birthday! Our family needed that! Thank you to the rest of my family who allowed me to be selfish and leave town on my birthday...which was on a Sunday, the perfect time for family celebration time. The day ended with a wonderful dinner for two (thanks Tony) at Outback followed by a thundershower! And now....it is 9:35. I took and hour nap.......I hear my bed calling. Hope it's not a sign of the times.

Hello, is that a champion in my barn?

That answer would be YES!!! Not just one, but two. The photos below are small and I can't get them to enlarge, so get your cheaters on get you a good look!!!!

The first is Reba our duroc. This was Kauy's pig. We got Reba 2nd in our pig purchasing. Reba came in late on a Sat. or Sun. night. Can't remember, but I know that Jordan was excited, and he wanted Kauy to see her NOW! She was beautiful as a baby, but even better as a teenager! (They mature faster than most of us!! )ha ha. Reba was very, very smart. We discovered that she could pull the pin out of her gate lock and take herself for a walk. We had to chain her in her room. I have threatened her owner with the same thing if he didn't get the pens and his room (both about the same amount of dirt and smell) cleaned out. Look closely and you will see a belt buckle and a plaque. That belt buckle is from the Wylie Livestock Show where he beat 6 High School Students for the title of Overall Swine! If you don't do stock shows, that means top dog...well, pig. The plaque is from Taylor county where he beat out about 14-16 for top of class and then won Grand Champion Duroc. She was quite the conversation piece at the barns! He was quite shocked, and I was overly beaming as was everybody else that ever shoveled pig poop in the barn (that covers many!) When we returned home from Taylor County, she formed a taste for orange electrical cords. Just happy that she read the warning label and pulled it out of the outlet before chomping down on it. Of course, she had to do that during the "freeze out" we were having.

The next picture is of Girly! This is Makaley's Chester pig. This pig was to be named Lou Lou after one of our friends since they walked so much alike. BUT....Makaley decided that she would have a hard time putting Lou Lou on a dinner plate if need be so she went with Girly! Girly came into the barn already honking big! She was picked over several times, but as with our pig man Jordan, he just saw something in her. Hmmmm....maybe we should all be a little more like that. Anyway, Girly was the winner right out of the gate. First show we went to, Makaley received Reserve Grand Champion with her. She got all the money and big ribbons. She was on cloud 9 and never came down when it came to this pig. Makaley was the one to find the spots on Girly that scared us to death. She was the one who rubbed her with medication for several weeks. Girly never ran anywhere. She had that teenage strut about her that just screamed..Hello, watch me priss this load of muscle and fat and make you fall in love with me. Makely and Girly like Kauy and Reba did well at every show we attended...well, except Glenn Rose, but that was okay, we didn't want to be too showy! Makaley and Girly won first in class and Grand Champion of breed at the Wylie Show, and first in class and Reserve Grand of breed at Taylor County. Even better, after showing Girly, Makaley was selected as one of the 20 out of over 100 kids who participated in showmanship. So proud of my prissy little girl.

Both kids had two other pigs and they were also winners. Widget was Makaley's hamp. We got Widget first, and my mom named her. Widget was more fidget than widget. Mercy, we poured food into her like crazy, but she just didn't gain the weight. Girly out weighed her by 75 pounds. Widget was also a scrapper. She was in the walking pen with Kauy's cross pig Socks, and they got into it over a dirt clod. (Dumb teens!!) Next think I knew there was screaming and yelling, pigs flipping over in the air (seriously) and Jordan hurdling the the gate. He broke one of our pvc leader whips into a zillion pieces beating these hard headed pigs. Anyway, I figured that Widget wouldn't do well at Taylor county (she had placed 3rd at Wylie) so I went to get lunch. When I got back, there were Makaley and Widget penned in the arena. The judge loved her. She minded Makaley and they placed 3rd out of 16 in the class. The other winner was Socks. She was our last purchase. Our friends told me just today that she was the #1 winner on the grill last week when they went skiing. That is all I can say about that pig!

So where are Reba, Girly, and Widget? NOPE, they are not on a dinner plate or in someones freezer (as far as I know). They are with a breeder, being prepared to become mom's. Told you they mature quickly! Can't wait to see little Rebas and little Girlies. Those were some pigs. They both had the most beautiful faces, great easy going personalities, and could carry their weight majestically.

Maybe I do have something in common with them after all..........

The last picture speaks for itself. Thanks Jordan! And Danny....there's you some reading!

Happy 2011...

It's a new year and I am soooo far behind that once again I look like I am in the lead. Those of you in the lead.....lead on!!! I will follow only if you don't stray!
What can I say about 2o10....
1. It flew by!
2. The new school setting has been a good thing after all. I hate it when God puts a drastic halt to my pity parties!!! My son (who always received the Spirit award which meant we are glad you are here) not only had AB report cards this semester, he also received the outstanding citizenship award for his class first six weeks, and outstanding 4th grade music student second six weeks. My daughter....overcame the issue at school. You just get up from the lunch table and move to a new one where you make new friends. She is also doing great.
3. My job has never been this busy in the fall. We have had some sad situations at school which have kept me on my toes.
4. Pigs, Pigs, Pigs. Pig poop still sticks to everything, and still stinks. Especially in the car when the heat is turned on. We have the best pigs we have ever had. We have Widget, Reba (red), Girly(white) and Socks (solid black with 4 white feet, and probably our next Christmas ham!!!) The kids have won several top awards with them at the jackpots, and this week begins the real test of what we have been doing. We ate Sallye for Christmas Lunch. OMG...you must have home grown ham to understand the difference between "from barn to butcher "and "pig to grocery store."
5. I have had to grow up and admit the following: I am a tad jealous of my friends whose children are already grown up and can take them to the air port so they can fly around the world. But not jealous enough to give up the laughter that is in my house daily!!! Okay, almost daily!
6. This year I also discovered that I am definitely not through with my grief process. Year ten has been tough as well as growing more. There have been so many mile stones this year for the kids, and family has done well, but there has been this empty spot with his name on it. A friend of mine told me there would be days like this years down the line. The week before Christmas, his horse, Blackjack, died. Even the kids were saddened by that, and once again I was able to let go of more tears.
7. We also went to the Cowboy Christmas ball this year with friends. You have to go. It is so family and so fun. I haven't been in....over 10 years. Kelly and I led it the year we got married. The boys (the three amigos from birth) decided that they would ask their moms to dance and then go for the girls. All three of us moms were on the floor at the same time laughing and smiling. The boys were very dashing. Our own dates weren't too bad either! Miss thing....even danced with her brother and a very cute cowboy friend!!! She dances like her daddy. I am still laughing. A body on fence posts! My son was all over the place! They definately didn't get my family's dancing ability.
8.. I am going to be a grandmother.........bet I got your attention. Well, it really isn't a true grandmother, but it isn't anything with 4 legs either!!! Our bigs are expecting, and I get to stand in if needed. That is a big IF because this precious baby is a huge blessing to all, and I figure that the true grandparents will take every opportunity to be here at any moment. But...my son talks about his new "niece" all the time, and I have to assure people that it is not my own flesh and blood!!!! Anyway, we are so excited. We have been so blessed by them.
9. You don't always get what you want for Christmas, but you also get some wonderful surprises. I have a clean and organized shed complete with shelves!!! Now if the mowers (yes plural and yes the ones with gas) would work.
10. Drawing names for Christmas is fun as long as Aunt Traci is in charge of the games!!! We played all sorts of fun games on Christmas Eve. Check out my cousins facebook posts for Christmas Eve. My precious 94 yr. old grandmother even played Left, Right, Center. We played with quarters instead of dollars. She loved it and would have won except she rolled a right and gave her quarter to mom. My aunt hit center, so mom won!
11. We are all double digit birthdays in my house as of 2011. So, do you start saying things like,"Grow up", "You're almost a teenager, quit that!", or do you let them grow slowly and hope that you don't have to come change their underwear in the gym locker room. And with the teenager, it is just the opposite. "Quite acting like his mother!" "Do you have enough perfume on?" Tony keeps me from really going into a spin.
12. We have decided at our house that we want Disney to be closer so that we can go more often. We have family there right now, and every time we get a text (greatest thing since mac and cheese), we feel like we did the week we were there in the spring. We also decided(and the kids have told me more than once) that moving out here is the best thing we have done (except Disney). A few weeks ago, mom and dad were on their front porch at 2AM and we were on our front porch (2AM) watching the eclipse, but mom and I were on the phone talking about the things going on around us! Too much fun! If she had stepped to her mailbox, we could have just shouted! It is also fun when you stop to visit with a neighbor and they tell you that you have really helped the neighborhood look better. Not me, but the yard. ha ha.
13..Lucky number 13! No matter how many lottery tickets you buy, you don't break even unless you win the big one. Well, since I am in Texas and the winner was up in the Northwest, you can bet that I will be teaching on Tuesdays at the university, and hoping to sell pigs for bigger bucks.
Hang on for more to come. I wish that I could tell you all the funny moments we have had this year. My son is such the comedian, and my precious blue-eyed baby girl is working on it. Love them.
Love you...thanks for reading....
Happy 2011

Here's to Education

I am hoping that your first few days of the new school year went great. For those of you with no children in the public/private school sector, I hope that you thought sweet thoughts for those of us who do. As for me and my house it was not just another day and certainly not just another day at school. We started in a new district. We being my kids did physically and I did mentally. This was a tough decision for Makely. Kauy was all about it, and me....the jury is still out. I decided to let them make this decision, and I could make the rules that would follow.
The first day started out great...well almost. Makaley begin having her stomach aches about 10 minutes before take off! I finally told her I was leaving and she could either ride with me to her friend's house, or she could walk the 5 plus miles to school...in the heat..with her lunch.
Dropped her off with her precious friend and headed to drop Kauy off. We actually got to school a little early, but his teacher was kind enough to let him just sit in his class.
About 9:30 the school Nurse from Makaley's school called. I was afraid that she had fainted, but the nurse just wanted to discuss medication with me. Towards the end of the conversation she asked if we had ever been to counseling for separation anxiety. hello...we are a close family. And, bless their hearts(love that phrase) my kids just have an older than average mom. Doesn't bother me....unless you think I need counseling for it.
At 3:35, my office phone rang and Kauy was on the other end. The first two words were "hey mom" and then it went to blubber and tears. He was to ride the bus to my parent's house so we could see how long it took. When he got on the bus and told the driver he needed off at "said street", the bus driver said that there was no such street on his list. (There is a street by that name on his route, but since 90% of the people on that street are over 55 and have grandchildren, they don't list it any more). So Kauy got off the bus and called me. Thank you to my friends in the office for helping him out. And we found out that my parents can forget the speed limit when one of their "babies" is needing help. Mom sat in the truck and Dad went in to "handle things". Everyone came home laughing.
At 5:30 I go to pick Makaley up after volleyball practice. Her first day ended up being just fine.
But the 10 sentences for homework became a real 45 minute chore.
Today......Mom and Dad took the kids to school for me. And bless his heart(there's that phrase again), my dad was parked in the wrong lane (out of a zillion) and was asked to move and not block the way.
Kauy rode the bus home. The difference you ask? My dad told him to tell the bus driver to let him off at our house, and dad was there waiting for him. All was well except for the foul words that I hope don't stick with my child. Makaley had practice. My heart broke for her when she didn't make the volleyball team. Not the A...Not the B...and don't know if there really is a C team. Then she tells me that her clarinet squeaked all through band practice and she was the only one that had that problem. She said you could hear her above the whole band, and she wanted to just hide. But then she continues to say...if that weren't bad enough, she went to athletics and upon returning to the locker room, found her lunch had been stolen. Okay...let me preach here for just a moment. Not only did we not make the team...seriously, some person wanted cucumbers, apples with yogurt, whole wheat pretzels and a very bland turkey sandwich on wheat? Pleeease. She went to school last year in a school that many parents would say to me "I would worry about my child going there." In the first week of school last year, she saw a student have a serious melt down and one taken off in handcuffs. There are 7 feeder schools to that school and students had to figure out the pecking order. Never in those 180 days did my daughter ever have anything stolen. She left stuff on her desk all the time. Never in those 180 days was my daughter ever "bullied" by someone (secretly bullied)!!! Okay...can you tell it irked me just a little?
And to boot...It rained all around my house and all I got was a handful of sprinkles.
However.....as Paul Harvey would say: Now for the "Rest of the Story".
Makaley and Kauy ate a great supper. We all went outside and enjoyed the wonderfully cool air while she practiced her volleyball. Down balls, bumps, and sets. She's not really bad, just needs more strength. Tony suggested weights on her wrists and legs for about 2 weeks and then see what happens. She is determined to show the coaches. She was all excited about this teacher or that teacher, and couldn't stop talking about her friends. Kauy was sad to learn that my parents may pick them up at school. He kinda liked the bus. Wasn't real scared of the High School kids that sat with him. And he can't wait to go to class tomorrow.
Maybe I have done a pretty good job with these two. They seemed to handle these two days much better than I have. I have cried both days and I didn't start a new school, miss a bus, practice hard and not make the team or have my lunch stolen. I just went to work.
At first I thought that our first two days could be summed up by the famous Hee Haw song "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." But now I think you could sum it up with something like "I will Survive!".

Lawn Mowers, Bull Riders and Those behind the mask

The lawn saga continues on and on. I was able to share it with my massage therapist last week during my session. Love those days. But I really loved what she had to say other than the fact that she thought she needed pink underwear like mine since her husband liked pink! Now, for you faint of heart...those of you who are not able to handle the vocabulary of the world, click off now! I would like to share with the rest of you who can handle it, the words of the massage therapist! She worked long and hard on my shoulders. Asked me what I had been doing that made me so tight? Of course....I have been hauling a heavy gas weed eater around. She worked on my lower back. Then she began to work on my rear. She compliments my "pink" and then exclaims: "Trina, for a woman your age, you have, may I say, the tightest ass!" I just about rolled off the table laughing. She repeated the comment when she continued to the other cheek. I laughed again. So, that mower is good for one thing. I may have a tight ass, but she really had to push through the fat to find it. I wish that everyone could see that! But I have a tight tush! And I got it from hard work! (Okay, so she may not have meant it that way, but hey, I am taking it to the max.)
Then for the rest of the massage, I explained to her the landscape and the mower. After talking to some of my neighbors, I have discovered that the previous owner wanted to be a farmer/rancher. Therefore he bought a tractor. He just drove it every three or four months and plowed up the dirt. No disc. No planting of seeds for wheat, maize, cotton, or grass. Just till up the dirt and watch it wash away in the rain. So...now I have 5 acres of land that are uneven, sloped, riveted, sandy, and filled with grass burrs. All because he wanted to be something he wasn't! Hello, Barbie and I are the same age. I would love to look like Barbie. But I don't. I just don't think the rest of Abilene is ready for me to walk around in no bra, painted on underwear, and clothes that are skin tight. I just don't think that would work. I don't have the figure for it. I am thinking that he didn't have the true meaning of the word tractor...well unless he thought his tractor made him sexy. So, I work hard at being Barbie with a real woman's figure!
This brings me to my thoughts as I was riding that tractor for 4 hours yesterday. Something that has been on my for the last few days. Something that hurts others more than it hurts ourself. How many of us pretend to be something we truly aren't. This is one thing I struggle with and try not to do! It is hard sometimes!!! But I want people to love me for me. I love my family...but I don't want people to love me because of them. I want to be loved for me being me. So...yesterday I went to dinner without styling my hair, or applying makeup (of course, I was so tired I couldn't lift my arms up to do any of that!!! I had been holding onto the wheel of a lawnmower). i told the wait person that I was totaly exhausted and sleepy, but I would be a very polite diner. Point is....I didn't cause anyone to pass from this life because I was just me. I didn't get shunned. I was allowed to enter a restaurant and order dinner......without styled hair and makeup!!! And, even though I was totally exhausted, I was still courteous and fun to the wait staff. I was without my mask! It was wonderful!!! As for who I am at home versus school and public life. I try to be an open book. Ask my students.....Ask my kids. I will chew them out in public as well as in private. I will love on them at home as well as in public. The question to myself yesterday during that 4 hours was: When I get my feelings hurt, or am frustrated with someone, or angry with someone, am I hiding behind a mask when I don't step out there and voice my thoughts (not in an ugly way, but even in a kind way?) Is that a mask, or is it just my way of keeping peace among all people?
As for the bull rider in the title? I won't even pretend to be a bull rider, but after 4 hours of a bucking lawn mower, I think 8 seconds would be an easy ride. It's just getting off the bull that would get me!

Front Porch moment

Today's lesson on yard work is small. Pull weeds while it is sprinkling! You can't tell if it is sweat or rain running down your forehead, cleavage and back. However, I do have a question. At the time of the flood, why did the Lord leave us mosquitoes and grassburrs. He could have done away with both, and I would have been okay with that! One would think childbirth, passing kidney and gall stones, and dealing with Social Security is punishment enough.
On a better note!
We are a "Front Porch" family lately. Twice today, my children and I sat on the porch to watch our newest friends........ Tiny, Flower, Mumble, and Spot (the hummingbird clan). Our front porch has also grown to include two baby birds who rest there at night. However, our front porch included some other important friends through out the day who were as mesmerized by our little birds, as we were. Grandad came for a spell; Tony came for supper and sat out to watch, then Ashley and Jordan came calling. Tony just couldn't believe how relaxing and cool these guys are. We visited and watched the birds.
After two days of enjoying these hummingbirds, we decided to check out where they nest and sleep at night. We found a great site to read and enjoyed several videos. We were watching the amazing video where the mother was feeding her two babies. After about day 28 the babies are fairly grown, and the mom is still feeding them a mixture of insects (spiders) and nectar. She does this by sticking her long slender beak down into the mouths of the babies. My daughter without missing a beat said: "That's gotta hurt! That gives a whole new meaning to a nosey mom!" Enough said!
Loving our front porch times!