Fat Cat!

Boy does my Mom need to slow down with the mowing and clean these windows!

Boring day today since she has so much to do outside. I could show you my new trick that I don't think she has found out about yet. 

She doesn't know that I have learned  how to lift up the lid on this box.

You see this box holds what I dream about night and day.

If she would feed me more than twice a day I wouldn't have to do these horrible things. Who can blame me though I am starving to death and she doesn't care so now when she is not around I can feed myself.

This is what I found when I came into the house today for my lunch break. It seems Tinkerbell could not wait for her food to be set out for her. 

What a little Piggy or should I say Fat Cat!

Love to all

Maggie

Memory Lane Monday The Trail Ride!

Good morning to all of you. First of all I my heart and prayers this morning are with all the families involved in the horrible shooting this morning at a school in Ohio. I just turned on the news this morning which is rare for me and found this sad news. Any time this happens it leaves all of us asking What has happened to our country?

Yesterday I realized that this was the last week in February so that meant it was time to join Donna at Brynwood  Needleworks for her Memory Lane Monday. I thought I would tell the story of the day my son Clint was born since it was the week of his birthday. Well thank goodness this ole lady checked former post in February and found she had already did this post. haha If you missed the birth of my second child you can click this link  Happy Birthday Son and it will take you to that story.

Now what do I write about since the story of Clint was already told. It seems the last week I have been doing a lot of writing about past memories of my life in prison. You need something different so since this time of the year in my area is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo why not tell you about me riding the famous Salt Grass Trail Ride.

The Salt Grass Trail Ride was conceived in 1952 while then the mayor of Brenham Mayor Reese Lockett was having cocktails with a Houston Post editor and the president of KPRC-TV in Houston. They were laughing about a trip to the Orange Bowl. The mayor of my small town had vowed to them never to travel anywhere again where he could not get back home on horseback. So in turn, to get to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that year, Mayor Lockett insisted he would ride from Brenham to Houston on his horse. In this cocktail-inspired, half-serious pledge, the group recognized a brilliant idea that would simultaneously generate publicity for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and celebrate Texas’ colorful history.

That year on Jan. 30, 1952, 17 riders trotted out of Brenham towards Houston, following many of the trails ridden by Texas cattlemen decades before. The following year, 80 riders made the ride; in 1954, 800; in 1956, the ride’s fourth year, more than 1,400 riders hit the trail for Houston. In short, the 1952 ride that sprang from the lunchtime banter at the long-since closed Cork Club evolved into the largest organized horseback movement to take place in modern times.

Skip ahead twenty years and you have me a young mother of one son and married to a man who thought only of being on a horse or with his horse.  We rode local trail rides on and off but the big daddy of all trail rides was the Salt Grass Trail Ride which by this had grown from 17 riders to more than 1,600 riders organized into approximately 40 wagons, which functioned as separate yet intermingling groups.

We left Brenham on a Saturday morning headed for Houston to join other trail rides for the huge parade in downtown Houston that kicked off the Livestock Show and Rodeo.

My favorite horse at the time was not ready to be ridden a 100 miles in seven days so the hubby opted for me to ride one of his. He failed to tell me that he was still training this particular horse and it was feisty.

It was custom back then to start the ride with a parade through the small town of Brenham. I was excited yet apprehensive since I was not familiar with the horse Brandi Wine and seven days was a long time to be straddled across a horse when the most I was use to was short trail rides two days at the most.

Brandi Wine and I turned on Main Street where the local town’s people were cheering us on and celebrating. She took maybe four steps forward and then two steps back and then the rodeo started. Never mind that we were a hundred miles from the real rodeo, she decided to have her own one horse show in the middle of a one horse town. (Sorry I could not resist) At the time Brenham was just about that to me coming from a much larger town on the beach near Houston.

Instead of a slow ride following along behind all the other wagons and riders we did a fast bucking ride all the way from one end of town to the next. She bucked so high that I can remember at times that I could actually see the tops of some of the covered wagons.

All I could do was hang on. After the parade ended so many riders patted me on the back and congratulated me for not being thrown off. Honestly how I stayed on is a miracle but I knew that I did not want be thrown through a glass plate window in one of the shops and I held on for dear life.

If this were a fairy tale and I was a princess the story would end here with me safe and sound. Not to be.

The same morning ten miles down the rode an older gentlemen wanted to help me adjust something on my saddle to make it more comfortable for me to ride so he told me that he and I should ride about six wagons or more ahead where he could adjust my saddle and by then our wagon would have caught up with us. I trusted the ole guy and did what he asked.

We were riding ahead when we came up to a wagon with a horse tied to the back of it. The horse tied to the wagon kicked at my horse making contact three times with my left leg. The third kick sent me flying over my horse onto the ground.

By the end of the day my leg was swollen twice it’s size and the pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. My jeans were cut to my knee because of the swelling.

When we stopped for lunch that day I was inside the wagon with ice on my leg from what else but the beer keg and I overheard some guys talking to my husband. He told them there was no way with that injury would I be riding any further. Being the three stooges that they were they were envious of him for not having a wife that was going to be tagging along. Well that’s all it took. I never knew how hard headed I was until that moment.

I finished the hundred mile ride to Houston with a leg that looked like it needed a cast and I did it with out the help of alcohol or pain killers. Thinking back I might have been the only sober rider the day we rode into Houston but probably the dumbest since I rode all week injured. Since I did not drink alcohol I fit in that group about like I fit into the parties I attended in South Carolina for the GOP debates.

Did Brandi Wine behave that week? No there were several more incidents but not time to tell you now about them. Did my hubby behave? About like Brandi Wine behaved. What happened to the horse that was tied up behind the wagon and kicked the fool out of me. Well it turns out they found him that night kicking   the side of someone’s wagon and he and his owner were taken off the ride. I also had heard before he kicked me three times on my leg he had kicked a man earlier in the head. I never knew if this was true or not. I was hoping it was just a rumor.

After one long week we reached Houston Memorial Park and the next morning we rode our horses in the parade downtown. Thank goodness my husband had the sense enough to ride close to my horse and with the ole man on the other side of me they managed to keep Brandi Wine from doing a repeat performance of the rodeo she put on in Brenham. I had never been in such a big parade and  Houston looked totally different from the top of a wild horse.

Til to this day I can feel where the horse kicked me. He cracked a bone in my leg and if you feel that spot you can feel the indention in my bone.

Riding the Salt Grass Trail is one of those things when I think back on it now I can't believe that I did it. Even though I can remember as a child standing on the side walks of downtown Houston I would tell my girl friends one day I would be in that parade.  Never knew I would be so lucky. hahaha

Sorry for such a long post. I left out the whole week of incidents. If it could go wrong it did on this trip but I was lucky and made it home safe back to my son Chad. Never did I ever leave him for a  whole week again until he was grown.

Have a lovely week. Hope you are well and to my son Clint I hope you have the best Birthday ever. I will see you this weekend.

Click over to Donna's and join her Memory Lane Monday's at Brynwood Needleworks,

My love to all of you

Maggie

PS: Wish I could find the pictures of me on this ride but it was so long ago I have no idea what happened to them. These are just pictures off of the web. The last picture says it all. lol

She Now Wears Prison Whites!

You know at my age rarely should anything shock me anymore. Do most of us think that when we get older? Maybe it is because in our lives we have seen so much or even experienced it first hand.

Then out of the blue something will happen and you are blown away by it and realize you have not heard or seen it all there is will always be someone or something to shock you.

In this case it was a co-worker of mine at the prison I worked named Sherry.  My first position at the prison was an entry level one to get my foot in the door. Never did I dream that once that foot was in that door it would be there for years.  Sherry came into my life a few months after I was already working in the Mail Room.

I have to tell you the Mail Room position was the funniest job I have ever had in my life. We read both incoming and outgoing mail written to and by the inmates. It was hilarious to read their mail.

Each clerk was given a section of the alphabet to read. I am thinking mine was like S thru Z. The reason for a clerk to read one section day in and day out was to get to know the inmate and the people writing him. We were looking for anything that might set an alarm off that things were not right such as escapes, drugs, thoughts of suicide and of course gang related.

It was a full day because you not only read incoming and outgoing but you had other clerical duties in the mail room. Sherry and I sat next to each other in a very small working area.

This was in the late 80’s so smoking was the permitted everywhere. There were eight of us clerks in the small room with a nutty supervisor. None of us smoked thank goodness until the day Sherry came into our lives. She was a smoker and a chain smoker to boot.

Since the room was not the size of some people’s big walk in closets we were in trouble.

Each of us asked Sherry not to smoke in the room but to go out in the lobby which was right there by our office. When I look back now and know what I do about her I can see that she was the kind of person that could care less about anyone else. Obviously now I know she was one of those people that was living only for her self.

She ignored our pleas for not smoking in the office. We each suffered because of her selfish character.

I honestly believe she was one of the reason’s I had breast cancer. 

So you get the picture for the next nine months that I worked in the Mail Room I got to know all the ladies pretty well and have fond memories of most.  The very first week working with Sherry we found out she had two girls by a previous marriage and her first husband was raising her children. Having gone through a divorce years before this and raised my three children by myself until I remarried I could not even imagine not raising my kids. I worked three jobs to keep them with me. This thing about Sherry bothered me mainly because I could tell it was no big deal to her. She seemed to me not to be upset that she was not part of her daughter’s lives.

After the mailroom I went into Security where I started a whole new life of being a Correctional Officer. Several years later Sherry divorced her husband and became an Officer too.  Our paths crossed little during this time. We worked different shifts but would see each other at functions given by the Unit.

You are probably by this point get on with this story Maggie….geez enough. Haha

 

Well a few years ago through my friends still at the prison I found out Sherry had been divorced again and remarried a retired Sargeant. She also had left TDCJ-ID and was living on a small farm with her husband and his father.

Turns out one morning Sherry murdered both of them while they were in bed a sleep. She had taken one of their rifles and heartlessly walked into their rooms and shot them. Cold blooded killer was now what she had turned into. 

Also charged but not for murder was the ex-husband of Sherry's that raised her daughters. It seems he had moved to this area and he and Sherry were together a lot and she confided in him about killing her husband.

Thank goodness Sherry was careless and ended up being caught for the murders. You can read her story here at http://www.cca.courts.state.tx.us/OPINIONS/HTMLOPINIONINFO.ASP?OPINIONID=20578. She now sits in a female prison here in Texas a little over a hundred miles from where the prison we both worked. Sherry is serving a Life for Capital Murder. 

Was I shocked finding out she had killed her husband and father-in-law for insurance money. Yes of course I was even though I knew she was selfish I never dreamed she could kill someone.

It bothers me that I think of her sometimes when I doing the smallest things around the North Forty. I guess as long as I live I will never wrap my mind totally around what she was capable of doing.

Now she has traded one honorable uniform for another. She is the one being guarded now and yes even her mail is as I write this being read by a mail room clerk.

I must go now and catch up around the North Forty. We are having unseasonable warm weather this week with every other day rain. Today we have a 75 percent chance so I may not get to mow.

Love to all

Maggie

Plants Can Be Deadly!

How are you tonight? Been trying my best to do a post tonight but seems like everything that can go wrong has gone wrong with this post. I guess sometimes you were meant to stay off of here. lol


Anyway I want to thank all of you for coming by and being so kind to Deb who did a fantastic post before this one as my Blogazine Guest. Deb sent me and email and said how fun it was meeting all of you. So thank you for going by Deb's site.


 Deb I also appreciate you taking the time to do this post for us. It is always a treat to have a guest  on here. Also I am so surprised by having so many new friends that have joined my little site. I really appreciate you for joining us here. We are just one big family and welcome. Please come often and get to know everyone. If you click on the comments or my list of followers you will meet my blogging family. Their all awesome and I appreciate each of you.

A few days ago I went to Lowe's and bought a few flowers to plant outdoors. I am getting Spring Fever already. Lowe's had some beautiful Hydrangea's so I had to have a few of them. For years I keep saying I am going to plant these in my yard. 


Then I saw some really pretty mixed colors of Poppy's and of course I wanted them too.

Something made me look the two plants up on Google and I found out their very poisonous to cats.

I had no idea that there are 140 various types of plants that are very poisonous to cats. Did you know this?

By the time I was through looking at all the different types of plants that will harm your pets I  was clueless as  what to plant now. I found out the Lily is the most dangerous followed by the Poinsettia and  then Hydrangeas. It mentioned if a cat just rubs up against a Lily it can kill them. Geezzz Louise.....does anyone 

know what I can plant that won't hurt my outside cats. 

There are also a lot of house plants that are dangerous to cats so with Tinkerbell inside I have to watch that too. How can I be this old and not know this information.

I am sick about the Hydrangeas because I was excited about having them in my yard. 

So all you animal lovers help me here. I sure don't want to go around hurting animals.

I see all of your pretty gardens and I miss having pretty flowers out here.  Any suggestions?

Today was the first day we had sunshine so I went out to mow in the back forty and would you believe there were two more huge Oak trees down. These two had fallen all the way over from the roots. I was shocked to see this. I have been out here five years and have never seen such damage to trees like this past month. Now there are four huge Oaks to be removed.

Well I need to get cleaned up and try to read a little before I turn in tonight. I am reading the book Unbroken. If  you get the chance read this book. It is incredible and so sad what our men went through in World War I or any war. I feel so ashamed of myself for complaining about little things when you read a book like this.

Have a wonderful week. Be good to everyone and Sweet Dreams....

Love to all

Maggie

Deb from Sweet Tea!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend! It is raining here and cool. The pond on the North Forty is actually running over which is a beautiful site after our dry summer.

Thanks for coming by again today. I have another Blogazine guest for you.

Deb writes the blog Sweet Tea and if you have not met her today is your lucky day.

(If you CLICK her site name in the sentence before this it will take you to her site.)

So here is Deb's Story.........

Some things I’ve learned along the way:
1.  No matter how much I love Garth Brooks, he is never going
      to marry me.
2.  Never try to “wax”  your nose hair.  Don’t ask me how I know.
3.  There are only two occasions worth getting up early for:
      to leave for vacation and/or to give birth.
4.  If you “step on a crack” your MaMa will still be OK.
5.  Blogging is not similar to jogging; it cannot be
     considered as a form of aerobic exercise. 
6.  All is fair in love, war, and hot flashes.
7.  Caution: Thongs are not for sissies.
8.  If you can find a man who gives foot massages - MARRY HIM!
9.  Margarita’s make everything better.
10. Margarita’s AND a good Friend make everything perfect!

“Banty Rooster”. 
That’s what my Dad called me during my teen years.  I never knew what that meant until recently. “They are called banty roosters after the bantam rooster both because of their size and because their behavior can "out-rooster" the more standard sized rooster. “  I stood 5’ tall and had a bit of an attitude in those days.  I’m still 5’ tall but I’ve mellowed a lot along the way. 
Would I lie to you? Huh? Huh?

I met my husband in a typing class in high school.
We married soon after high school.
We always tell our kids, “Be careful who you type with!”.

We have an “Open Marriage”.  He is open to the fact that I have
a huge crush on Garth Brooks.  I am open to the way he yearns for Michelle Phfifer.  Fantasy works nicely for us. 
We have 4 children; a daughter age 41, a son age 38, another son age 35,
and another daughter age 17.  Yep 17!  Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?  We’re still raising a teenager!!  We also have 3 beautiful Granddolls, age 13, 11, 8 - a blonde, a brunette, and a red-head!

Life really is “about the journey”, don’t you think? 
I’m thankful for where the journey has brought me in this season of life.  I was born in Oklahoma and lived my entire life there until 8 years ago.  It was then that a job change for my husband brought us to Louisiana.  I never dreamed we would ever leave Oklahoma.  Our family and friends worried that I’d be miserable and homesick and have a terrible time making the adjustment.  Surprise!  I love it here! 
I have always loved the written word.
I once wanted to by a Lyricist.
I wrote some song lyrics and even had a couple that were recorded.  Does anyone remember LuLu Roman Smith from Hee Haw days?  She recorded one of my songs.  Another was recorded by a gospel singer.  I was once invited by a music company to visit Nashville - It was during that visit  when I realized I liked to write, but I didn’t like to negotiate contracts.  I backed away from it all at that point.  No regrets. “Heee Haaaw!”
I love my online Friends.
I have met a group of women who I’ve known now for 8 years.
We live all across the US and even into Canada.
Once a year we vacation together, then throughout the year
we stay connected via the internet.
Real Friendships blossom and grown in Blogland.
This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and
“do life” with people we’d never get to know
otherwise.  I hope you’ll stop by to visit me.
There’s always plenty of “SWEET TEA”
for everyone and all are invited.
I’d love to meet you!

Deb


Honey I appreciate you writing this awesome story for us. I enjoyed reading it very much and I would love to meet you too.

 I have told Deb several times how I laugh every time I open her site up and see her headboard. Too funny! Be sure and go by Deb's site Sweet Tea. It's always fun to make new friends out here in our amazing big world of blogging.

All of You are so kind for leaving me your comments about My Night In Prison post.  If you have not had a chance to read it I would love for you to. I think my next post of the prison will be about my first job there and how I got hired. It will include working side by side with a woman in the mail room who is now on Death Row here in Texas. Sad story about my co-worker.

Believe it or not I did update my Blogazine List at the top of my home page. I added the past guest that I have been so far behind in listing. Please check and see if your site is on there and if not let me know so I can add it. Of course, if you have neglected to do a story for me then you won't find your name. hahaha
Sorry trying to be funny tonight. You know though it is never to late to tell your story and be a guest so all you have to do is send me your story and pictures to grandmayellowhair@gmail.com. Easy peasy......or something like that.

Been home this weekend because of the heavy rains we are having plus I my chest is making some kind of funny noise. I was laying in bed last night and I heard this noise both Tinkerbell and I raised up looking for something or someone else in the room and it was me. Yep I know I have lost it. lol

The last few days I have been sad over the news about our friend Dr. Kathy McCoy. She had a horrible accident at home and is now trying to rest and heal. I wish I could be there for her but of course I live so far away. Please add her to your prayer list. Dr. Kathy I am thinking of you dear friend.

 Also my middle son Clint has been going through a lot of test this month trying to find out why he has been feeling bad so I would love it if you could add Clint to your list of prayers too. He is the father of my two precious grand babies and I love him so much.

I love you too and enjoy your Sunday. I will be home watching Joel Olsteen instead of being in church.
We are having more rains tonight and tomorrow so I am not taking a chance of getting wet.
Well in the rain that is...I do take my baths. hahaha

Sweet Dreams
Maggie

PS
Geezzzz what are we going to do about this darn Word Verification at Google now for Blogs. I honestly can't see the words right and never have I been able to leave a comment on a site that uses it without trying three or four times. So is it just me?

One Night In Prison!

As most of you know I worked for almost fifteen years at a prison here in Texas.

The picture above is the oldest prison in our state called the Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas. It was built I believe in the 1800's and up until a few years ago was where they did the horrible executions from death row. Now they have moved death row to Livingston, Texas after the famous notorious break out the the seven inmates that ended up killing others while escaped.

The Walls is where I did my Basic Training to become a Correctional Officer.

It is a very depressing prison and one that I would never want to work in any longer than the period of time I was training. Actually their all depressing but this one is soooooo old which makes it even worse than the others.

Lot's of ghost stories are told about this Unit. Stories by both Inmates and Officers.

I searched the Internet last night trying to find a picture of a preremeter

guard tower similar to the one like we had at our prison. It is not easy finding pictures of prisons because you can't just drive up and take pictures. lol

Out of these three pictures I found the first one above is closer

 to ones we had surrounding the prison where I worked.

I do think that our pickets were taller than these. To get inside one the Officer

working the picket has to drop a bag down to you with the key to the door in it.

You then unlock the door and in our case you climbed and climbed ladders until you reached the trap door which was swung open for you to crawl up into the picket. Not an easy way to get to your assigned position for the night.

Why I wanted to show you these towers is to help you visualize the story I am sharing with you today about a night I spent in three picket.

This little picket here must be a prison's radio picket and entry picket since it is short and close to parking spaces. All prisons have these pickets where all workers and visitors have to stop here show their Id's and then this Officer will open several gates for the person to enter the prison.

The night of this story I was assigned to three picket which was located in the very back of the prison. It is the tallest of all the pickets where you can see just about everything surrounding the unit.

About two in the morning I was talking on the picket phone to another Officer on the Radio picket. She and I were close friends and when I worked a picket now and then we tried to catch up on each other.

Of course we could not talk but a few minutes each call because being on the phone was not a good idea.

This night we were talking about some ghost stories we had been told. I had a Aunt who use to fill my head full of ghost stories. Anyway we hung our phones and I went over to sit in the big chair that sits right in the middle of the picket. The chair is not only big but really high. It was not easy for a person my size to get in and out of this chair but wanting to get off my feet sometimes I managed to crawl up it from time to time. lol

Not five minutes after hanging up the phone with Daisy about the ghost stories I am looking straight ahead at the back of the prison where the rec yard is located. The picket is built where there are brick walls half way up and then the rest of the top of the room is glass. Glass on all four sides where you can see for miles.  In the glass I see a reflection of something big, wide and white floating towards me from behind.

It was coming right toward me and all I could see was big white things floating out on each side. Of course anyone might think Ghost.

You can imagine the shock of seeing this in the glass. I jumped out of the chair and reached for my 357 Magnum that was in a holstered around my waist.  Now mind you not even a 357 would of taken care of a ghost. hahaha

All of sudden it flew into the glass and fell to the iron walkway that surrounded the picket. I ran over and looked out the window where I saw a beautiful dazed white

 Owl. He or she was shaking his head as if it were saying What the heck just happened?

Of course, I was relieved that it was a Owl but also very surprised. I have never seen a White Owl and especially one within touching distance. I froze watching it not wanting to scare it away. After a short time it flew upon the railing and sat there I guess about ten minutes getting it's wits about him back and then it turned gave me a parting look and flew off.

I phoned Daisy on the Radio Picket and told her we were

never ever going to talk about Ghost again.

She of course had a good laugh at me drawing the 357 out and ready to fire. Thank goodness I did not do that it would of been hard to explain to higher ups why I shot through one of my windows. lol

In the three picket you are assigned three weapons. A shotgun, AR15 rifle and the 357 pistol. You wear the 357 and keep the other two where you can get to them fast. I always kept the rifle by the door that was overlooking a  fence that if an Inmate should go over it there

 was nothing but open fields

where if I shot the rifle and missed chances of me hitting some one else were probably not going to happen since it was wide open.

The shotgun I kept it located by the door that when you walked out it you were near the fence by the rec yard and about a hundred yards from the unit where inmates slept. I knew I did not want to use the rifle there unless I knew for sure I would hit what I was aiming at.

When I first became a Officer I studied the perimenters of each picket that I worked on because I often thought of how easily one could shoot an innocent person if something like an escape should go down.

I never asked other Officers how or where they kept their guns and if they thought of the same things I could not help but think about. On two picket though it had dozen of weapons. It was where they kept extra guns for the unit.

Nights were really long on those outside pickets but thank goodness I never had to fire my guns at anyone. I did have to cock them a few times. In the middle of the night when you pump a shot gun believe me that sound usually will turn someone back towards the direction in which they came from.

Another story for some other time. My girlfriend Sharon and I were talking about how popular Owls were now and this story popped into my brain where memories are stored.

I thought hey I can blog about this. lol....There are so many prison memories that I might just start telling them on here every once in while so I can have them written some where. Does that make sense?

Of course it may not be what one would want to read but there are some crazy stories to tell.

It is turning cool again here and more rain tonight and tomorrow. It is so muddy on the North Forty I could easily get stuck out here.

Tomorrow I have to work on some plumbing over at my house in town with my baby brother Gary.

He of course will be doing the hard stuff and I will be his go get this and that for him.

Hope you are well and if not then please get well. lol

Seriously sending you good thoughts and much love

Maggie

Please Be Mine!

This is the prefect day to tell you that I appreciate you and so glad you are in my life.

Without you there would be no blog Just Between Me and You.....

Know that you will always be my friend....

Today I am Blessed and I adore you

Please Be My Valentine!

Love to you,

Maggie

These wonderful pic's were in a collection Barbara has by the artist Lorri Portika

Myrtle Beach!

How are you tonight? Hope you had a warm and cozy weekend.  It was cold and rainy here so I stayed in most of the time and tried to organize and clean up my desk and bedroom.

I even watched a little TV. Being Valentine weekend today was a lot of girlie movies on and now the movie The Holiday is playing. As you know I don't watch a lot of TV but who can resist a girlie movie.

I found a few pic's that I took on my short walk while visiting Myrtle Beach last month. Very hard
staying on the beach and not get to enjoy it but for only a short walk. Thank goodness though I did have that chance. It is a lovely beach.

We drove 18 hours the first day on our way to Myrtle Beach. Left at 3:00 Am from Texas stopped at Tallashassee, Florida at a Flying J Truck Stop where Barbara slept for about four hours. It was so cold  inside the RV that I went inside and drank hot chocolate with the truck drivers all night. I can scratch that one off by bucket list. hahaha.

Then we drove 12 hours the next day to Myrtle Beach. I can remember by the second day and listening to Barbara talk politics non stop I tried excusing myself to the back of the RV so I could rest my mind for a few minutes but I swear to you while back in the RV I was tossed around like a fruit salad at Christmas time. I actually thought of Lucille Ball while I was flying around in that darn thing. Needless to say I did not last long in the back. It was either loose my mind listening about Newt or get seriously hurt being tossed around so I chose loosing my mind.

We drove up to the Sheridan about 7 PM and it was filled with nothing but men in suits and ties and women dressed to the nines and here Barbara and I walk in grungee looking after driving for two days with no shower. I felt like a street person amongst all of them.  You can imagine the snooty looks we were getting. Then there was all the secret service guys to deal with trying to get to our room. What a trip!

It was strange that I only a saw maybe one other person walking that day. I expected a busy place like Myrtle Beach to find the beach crowded but I got really lucky as you can see.

Funny how you always see pictures of footprints in the sand so I had to try taking some myself. lol

I would think this foot print belonged to a very tall man.  lol

As you know my trip to Myrtle Beach was for the GOP Debates. It was a hard trip because we never slowed down. Barbara wanted to be everywhere Newt Gingrich was and believe me that man was in a lot of places in and around Myrtle Beach.

There were receptions, conferences, lunches and dinners involving the candidates. I did beg out of most of them so I could do other things. Like the walk on the beach.

I met most of the candidates workers since I kept running into them everywhere. I found the ones that worked for Ron Paul were the friendliest. Barbara never meets a stranger so we met a lot of people. The last time I talked to her on the phone she was working for Gingrich now in her home state of Nevada. I know that she is giddy with happiness.

Romney I think were the most distant. He of course had more secret service guys or security than the others. We stayed at the same hotels with them and in Charleston the same floor which made for a lot of security checks going up and down the elevators.

I never could make myself like being at these functions. The waste of money for having these events kept me from enjoying myself. I kept thinking of how much waste was being spent by all of these people trying to get their man elected.

One banquet we attended the main course was prime rib. That was the one where Senator Thompson spoke. I did enjoy meeting him. He seemed like a very nice man. I remember watching him on Law and Order.

I did enjoy that night because the young man that sat beside me was funny and we laughed a lot. He worked in Washington but I never found out what his job was there. I told him my daughter was Ms. Texas and was single so you can imagine how much attention he paid me all night. When I tried to tell him the truth about Christi he refused to believe me and insisted we exchange phone numbers. lol Don't worry I did not give him my number.

I fully intended on doing an entirely different post tonight so how I ended up on Myrtle Beach is beyond me. Must have something to do with the ride in the back of the RV.

Oh I did want to mention that you are so sweet leaving me all the kind comments on my last post. That was another post that I did not intend to write. lol....Believe me when I say that if I can get up on a Holly or John and mow then all of you can too. There is nothing special about me doing it. In my situation over the last few years I have done lot's of things that never would I have ever thought of doing but nothing that you could not do in the same situation. When your left to fend for yourself you find out there is lot's of things you can do that you never dreamed of even trying.  We are all survivors. So don't ever think you could not do it. I know each and every one of you and I know your capable of doing anything you want or need to do.

I am overwhelmed at the Love you show me. Your right I am not alone. Love to all and

Sweet Dreams

Maggie

Never Thought at 63!

Yesterday it was cool and cloudy with no rain predicted until the night so I made myself climb up on Holly. My Kaci and Bailey have named everything out here on the North Forty.  Since this is a Holland Tractor it was christened Holly.

Holly and I are not close like you would think we should be.

You see I am intimidated by her. Look at the tires on Holly.  When I drive ole John around (the smaller John Deere) I feel okay. But sitting on top of  Holly I get nervous. The view from the drivers seat feels like I am way too high off the ground and when I look down I see nothing but the huge black tires turning and I am thinking it would only take a minute and I could be under one of them.

The only time I use Holly is when I absolutely have too. She has a shredder and since our area has had nothing but three and four inches of rain about every other day for the past month I have no choice but to stop being a sissy and climb up put her in gear and hope for the best. The weeds are just too high for a smaller tractor.

While sitting up there yesterday I drove her so slow it gave me plenty of time for reflections. I thought of my Granddaddy Keeton and how he made his living off of driving tractors. He was a farmer. I bet he never sat up there looking down at the big tires scared. Also I am positive he did not ponder on things like I do. I think of silly things like how did a woman like me at my ole age end up on a tractor named Holly.

I mean I was born and raised on the Coast. We only saw tractors if we visited my granddaddy in East Texas. Sure it was cool when my dad would sit me up on his dad's lap and take my picture but good gosh I never thought when I was in my 60's that I would be the one driving.

Then I thought of how Grand Dad and I both were alone in our old age. I remember going to see him and how I felt sorry for him living alone in an ole farm house down an old dirt road with just a dog on the porch for company. It bothered me as a child thinking that one of us should stay with him instead of us all getting back in the car to go home. You see I had four brothers and in my mind two or three of them could of stayed and kept him company. lol  I wondered if when Kaci and Bailey are driving off waving at me if their thinking the same thing.

On the long trips home I asked my Dad and Mother questions concerning him being alone. I even suggested that leaving one of the boys with him was a good idea. It seems they just told me to sit back and enjoy the ride home. The ride home was sitting in the middle of four brothers and one of them constantly was striking a knuckle sandwich on the brother farthest from them putting me in the line of fire.

I think of my Grand Dad Keeton often on how he lived and raised five children by himself. My dad's mother got sick right after the fifth child was born and they were raised alone by their dad. I was told that Grand Dad was such a good baseball player that he was contacted by the Phillies to play pro ball for them but being a single father he passed up probably his dream in life of playing pro ball.

Baseball though was always a big pass time for the Keeton family. When the farm work was done they played ball in the fields with the neighbor kids. Same thing me and my brothers did when growing up except we played in a empty lot next to our house.

Rumor is when mother and daddy were young he told her he wanted a big family. If possible 9 boys for a base ball team. Well I was the second born and being a girl that put a kink in their plans but they did have three boys after me.

Now my grandson Bailey has the same dreams of playing pro ball. He is only 7 but his plans are to play football and baseball for the University of Texas. Then he plans on playing for the Dallas Cowboys after college. 

I am pretty sure that Bailey will make his dreams come true. I don't think at the age of 63 he will be sitting on top of a ole tractor wondering How did he end up there?

Hopefully if it keeps raining over the weekend I can slow down and catch up with you. I know I keep telling you I am going to be a better blogging buddy but it seems like every day something puts a kink in my plans. lol

Have a wonderful weekend! I will be thinking of you.

Love to all

Maggie 

Never Boring!

As you can see by these pictures lightening does strike in the same place twice. We have went from severe drought all summer to heavy rains all the month of January. Not complaining of the rain but gosh these thunder storms and tornadoes are enough to make me crawl under the beds with Tinkerbell.

These pictures are of two trees on the North Forty struck by lightening this past week. Guess who is going to be busy busy busy clearing away debris. Thank goodness I am going to get help with these because if I were doing it alone it would take me til next January.

Now the weeds are so high I am going to have to get the tractors out and shred. I tried mowing with just a John Deere the other day but the weeds were too high so now I have to get out the big one.

My new neighbors who moved into the pink house have a little dog. One of those that is real skinny smaller than a rat and barks all the time. Well he is so small he gets out of their picket fence and finds me and barks his fool head off. I love love dogs but I am use to peace and quiet out here not a dog following me around barking. He followed me into the barn just a yapping and I pretty much wanted to scream at him and chase him away but I pretty much kept my cool. I start taking the booster cables off the tractor and moving them and the charger to the back of the barn when he scared me and the cables touched and sparks flew. Scared me so bad I thought I was going to have an accident. Then I am thinking I have been shocked and my hair is probably standing up straight out on my head. About then his owner walks inside the barn and I jump back and scream like ET had just entered the barn. lol

She said," My mom always told me when a person is jumpy like that their a mean person.....I told her that her mom could be right."  hahaha

When I am on the North Forty I am not use to anyone being around.

I am sitting here eating a warm bowl of chili while watching Sleepless in Seattle. I feel like I am not an American for not watching a movie while the Super Bowl is  going on.

How about you are you watching the Super Bowl? I use to love football but not so much any more. Actually I hardly watch TV. Lately I have been enjoying my new Color Nook the kids gave me for Christmas. I was so proud of myself when I downloaded a book from my library. It only took me a couple of hours but I managed to finally figure it out. lol

I just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy so if any one has a Nook and wants to rend them I will try and figure out how to lend them.  I told my son Chad that I read faster with my Nook. Wish you could of seen the look on his face. Priceless!

Last weekend at Kaci's Basketball Game, I snapped this pic of Chad and Christi!

Good things seem to be happening for Christi. She started her new job this past week. I am excited for her.

Last Tuesday the day before my renters were to move in they backed out. I was really upset but God as always was watching over me and sent me the sweetest renter. She just moved here with her two small children and is recently divorced. I immediately liked her and she moved into today. So once again my prayers have been answered. Job for Christi and my house rented.

Now I must go but I am sending you the best wishes for a wonderful week. May all your prayers be answered.

Love to all

Maggie

Last Weekend!

How are you this morning? Gosh I have missed you! Another week of me neglecting you is just not acceptable. I do have a good excuse so please forgive me.

I wanted to give you a little peek of what a awesome time I had with my family last weekend.

If you can remember a week back I posted about giving my grand babies tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters in Austin. Wow it was a terrific fun evening one filled with nothing but smiles. Those guys know how to entertain you.  The best memory came when the game ended and Bailey stood up beside me and just went wild cheering the guys off the field. I think you could of heard a pin drop with everyone watching his salute to them. haha

Of course the good blogger that I have turned into my camera was left in my suitcase.  I did buy Bailey and Kaci a throw away camera for them to take pic's of the game and they loved doing that so maybe I can get some of their pictures and share.

The fab pic's I am sharing with you today are of Bailey and Kaci on their way the next morning to Bailey's Boy Scout Derby and fundraiser.

As you can see I am just the luckiest ole yellow haired grandma alive to spend the day with family. Well in the picture below you will question why they call me Grandma Yellow Hair.  As Bailey once brought it to my attention....Grandma I don't think your hair is yellow anymore! hahaha In this pic is Kaci and her Beautiful mom Andrea selling Girl Scout cookies at the same event of the Derby. How cool Girl Scouts at a Boy Scouts function. Anyway Bailey's scout leaders wife jumped in the picture the one in the middle. Some people run for a camera when they see while others like me run from it. I was not suppose to be in the pic but my son Clint included me.

As I am writing this post this morning I am having my healthy breakfast of Diet Dr. Pepper and Girl Scout Cookies. Lemonades are the choice this morning and boy are they good.

Bailey's car did not come in first but he was first with me because he walked around his big neighborhood gathering food for this fundraiser. He hung pamphlets on their doors asking for donations on one Saturday and then the next he picked up boxes and boxes of food.

Great job Bale's you worked really hard and I am proud of you!

Here Bailey on the left and a friend are up in the bleachers waiting on their cars to run.

I have to tell you a quick funny about the night before when we were driving to see the Harlem Globe Trotters. I of course was the one talking and I was telling them about Gov. Rick Perry dropping out of the debates. My Kaci says I can't stand him. This shocked me because in her ten years of life I have never heard her say something bad about anyone. I turned and said," You don't like Rick Perry!" she replied WHO Does!.........from the mouth of babes. Priceless!

After the derby event Bailey went into their bathroom changed into a basketball uniform and off to his game at 11:00AM.  Then home for lunch and then at three we went to Kaci's Basketball game.

My son Clint said, Mom Welcome to our Saturdays.  haha

I have to say this without sounding like I am bragging but Clint and Andrea were meant to be parents. They give their all being the best parents any child could dare dream of having.  Every time I think of how they are raising my two grand babies I turn my head upward to Heaven and Thank God for these two. God Bless Them Both.

God Bless You too and thank you for being my friend. I hope to be back soon.

Love to all

Maggie