Powerful

In light of the horrible destruction caused yesterday by the severe weather in parts of Georgia and Alabama, I realize that my little recount of the stormy weather here a couple of nights ago is pretty "light news".  

Please keep all of those affected by these horrific weather events in your prayers.

Well, here's the thing. 

The power came back on here at the farmhouse last night around 11.   I was absolutely thrilled when water started gushing out of the bathtub faucet and every single solitary light and fan in the house came on.

My nephew (Thanks Wes!) had set me up earlier in the day with a generator to run the refrigerator - what can I say?  I was concerned for the food.  I wanted to save it.  And maybe eat some of it.  I could also have either a lamp or a fan running.  I was in Heaven.

Well, Heaven, I suppose without hair dryers or hot water.

Oh yes, and humidity reducing AC...

There was a little issue with water, though.  I had forgotten that the water well pump is electric.  So after  a few brief uses, by about 9 last night there was nothing flowing.  Nada.

So I will spare you the details of how I took a bath (and shaved my legs) with less than a gallon of drinking water and the bathroom sink.

I do like to maintain an aura of mystery and glamour.

A tree had fallen on the power line between the two farms closest to us.  There were just three houses down this way without power.  We are the most remote.  Apparently we did not fall high on the priority repair list, as I am sure they service the most densely populated areas first.

Sometimes it stinks to be in the middle of nowhere.

The night of the storms was really very frightening. 

After the power went out (about 9:30 pm) and I realized I probably should have stayed in town, things got a little dicey.  I called my nephew over at my sister's ranch to tell him that I might try to drive over there, but after looking at the sky and the rain, and the wind, but mostly at the SCARY, I kind of decided to stay where I was.

It was a good thing because about that time I received one of many warning texts from The Chief and son Nick saying things like

"Stay put.  "Extremely dangerous cell headed directly for you!"

and 

"Mom. the color on the radar that's directly over the farm is a new, interesting, darker color than they show on the scale- uh, you might want to go to a bathroom, or a closet or maybe Arizona."

Thankfully, Weegie and I made it just fine.  

Up in town though, there was quite a bit of damage.  About a half mile from my parent's house, and less than that from the hospital where Daddy is , there was some major damage to homes and businesses.

(I should probably fess up that, when I learned of significant damage in the downtown area where Sonic is located, I threw up a quick prayer for their ice machine...)

Fortunately, no injuries were reported specifically related to the winds or the tornado.

But. 

The Steeple was blown off First Baptist Church where The Chief and I were married 29 years ago.

I'm hoping that the loss of this large, structural icon doesn't somehow cancel-out the validity of the marriage ceremonies conducted there in the past (Pre-steeple loss).

However, if by some chance this requires a re-marriage or some other ceremony-type event, it will not be all bad. 

I've always wanted to have a wedding shower where I got to go to Target or Macy's or some other place and "register" using one of those little" hand-held, remote, swipey things."

I mean HOW EXCITING WOULD THAT BE?

And this time I will register for some china with just a little "pop" of color.

Of course, all this is assuming that The Chief would go along with the whole thing.  He's not much on ceremony.

Or tuxes.

Or posing for pictures.

Or new diamond jewelry for that matter.

I'll let you know how it all plays out.

Lu

Oh, I Missed the Fully Square Cheez-It

I thought I should clear up any confusion about how I spent last evening.  I know you've all been wondering.

To those of you who guessed I was being wined and dined at an elegant social affair that will be the talk of the town for months to come, I say this:

"No, that was the night before."

But to those of you who guessed that I rode out a terrible, terrible, horrible, dangerous storm in the hall bath at the farmhouse accompanied only by The Weege( who smartly and strategically wedged himself between the back of the toilet bowl and the wall), two scorpions, and one pesky mosquito,  I say:

"BINGO."

And if  you also happened to guess that we were in the complete darkness, with a cell phone retaining only about .02% of it's battery life, a "big dog" battery-powered spotlight that went dead after the first 15 minutes, a large, watery Diet Coke from Sonic and a box of Cheez-it crumbs, I say:

"Quit spying on me."



Sweet Mercy.  It was quite the night.


But don't worry.  I used up the last tiny bit of cell phone battery receiving texts with warnings and instructions from Dallas, The Woodlands, College Station, Santa Fe, NM., and even a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

It was kind of like my own little Weather Fest.


Like Chili Fest.

But without the beer.

Or frivolity.

Or any type of festivities at all.


I'll tell you more after I sleep one night with air conditioning.

Oh, and after I bathe and shave my legs.

I simply cannot do the rest of the story justice until my legs are smoothly shaven.


Lu

I Have Some Concerns

I don't know where to start.  Really.  There's just so much.

I hate to fall back on the traditional (and, yes I know, boring) list format, but I'm telling you today I think it's the only way to organize my thoughts.

Please forgive my lack of creativity.


1.  It rained here just a little bit yesterday. (Remember, I'm stationed here in Central Texas for the next week or so).  Daddy is stable right now in the hospital, and I am spending lots of time with him, and  with my Mom.  Weegie and I are headquartered at the farmhouse, but spend most of the time in town where my parents are.
Anyhoo, yesterday afternoon we had a little rain, and of course our regular torrential winds (but I promised myself yesterday I would quit complaining about the wind - let's see how long I can hold out...) but some apparently VERY SEVERE storms passed just to the north and east of this area.  I know this because my Mom and I spent most of the afternoon watching the Weather Channel.

I've said it before.  I live on the edge.

When I was driving back to the farm last evening there were still black ominous clouds just to the east -the direction I was driving (the farm is about 10 miles out of town).  I was a little distracted because during the rain that afternoon, in my desperation to remember how to turn the windshield wipers on in my car, I discovered all kinds of other levers and gadgets.  I had forgotten that I had a rear window wiper which I LOVE because it totally disappears out of sight when not in use.  And then there's the button that shows all the important info like miles per gallon, average speed, and the fact that I should have stopped to get gas before I left town because the chances of me making it back there today are logistically impossible.
Anyway, when I quit playing with all the buttons and stuff, I realized that lots of cars were pulled over on the side of the road with the occupants standing beside their vehicles looking up at the black clouds and pointing here and there.  There were even two ambulances.  But because I'm disturbingly slow in recognizing weather-related danger, I kept driving. Mainly because Dancing With the Stars was about to come on.

I know.  I'm probably not the girl you want to hang out with in some type of genuine emergency.

And besides, you know how clouds can be deceiving.  They look like they're directly overhead and they're actually in Louisiana.  You know.  But anyway, as I got closer to the farmhouse I worried that I may have slightly misjudged the distance.

Instead of being in the next state, they were over the barn.  Which is conveniently located near the house.

And well, after consulting Weegie, who by this time was in the front floorboard in the fetal position, I decided to kind of just sit and wait right there on the white rock road that leads to the house and hope that, well, and just hope.

Thankfully the clouds moved out pretty quickly, leaving everything here intact.

But I did miss the first 30 minutes or so of DWTS.

And then The Chief called me and I had to ask him how our new mattress was working out (it was delivered the afternoon that I left to come up here).  And he said it made his back hurt.  Then I tried to change the subject.  Because, ugh.

So, I'm just saying that I really saw very little of the show, and what I did see I don't really remember.  Because of the weather and the bed.

And Oh yes, the grits.  I made grits.




But let's move on to #2 on our list.

You should probably cover your ears and eyes and try to pretend you don't know me right about now.


I'm just sayin'.


2.  Some kind of critter is leaving EVIDENCE of their nightly visits around the kitchen of the farmhouse.

I told you to not look.

I really, really want y'all to think that the farmhouse is perfect and charming and rustic and lovely and welcoming.  I want you to envision it as one of those delightful homes that might be shown on the cover of Country Living or Southern Living or some other _______ Living magazine.

But although it is definitely some of those things, it's also a farmhouse.  A house that sits empty for days and sometimes weeks at a time.  A source of water.  An oasis for parched critters.

And if my Biology background proves correct, this critter is most likely very small and perhaps quite furry with a long tail , and particularly enjoys a nice pot of RATATOUILLE.

I will understand if you don't tune back in for the sequel.

And now I must go to the barn and try to remember which of the 42 gas containers located therein contains regular gas as opposed to diesel, which I believe The Chief may have, at one time suggested I NOT use in my car.

Lu

Do They Still Make AquaNet?

My first thought upon waking this morning was "WELL EXCUSE ME, BUT I BELIEVE SOMEONE FORGOT TO TELL ME THAT WE WERE EXPECTING A HURRICANE".

Of course as soon as my fuzzy sleep-muddled mind cleared I remembered:  "Oh that's right, it's normal now for the wind to blow at 40-50 miles an hour at all times."  And that wasn't rain (OH, I KID!) that I heard.  It was the rest of the limbs from the 200 year old oaks that surround the farmhouse being blown off the trees and hitting the roof.

Silly me.  It wasn't a hurricane at all.  It was just Monday morning in Central Texas.

The sarcasm.  It's oozing.


I could never live in Chicago.  Or The Midwestern states.  Or West Texas.  Or the tundra.

Or heaven help me, Lubbock.

This wind is getting on my very last nerve.  Not that I have a hairstyle or anything, but if I did ...GEEZ.

The wind makes me feel dirty.  And disheveled.  And disoriented.

And this, combined with my general everyday high level of disorientation has proven a challenge.

I blame the wind for the fact that yesterday, in an effort to serve my family some semblance of  an Easter meal, I completely forgot how to cook and concocted some type of potato dish that resembled small, crispy hockey pucks floating in a puddle of curdled sauce.

Thank goodness for pre-cooked, spiral-sliced ham, Sweet Hawaiian Rolls, and (I can't believe I am admitting this) Broccoli-Rice Casserole in a a Microwaveable bag.

My embarrassment is palpable.

But for dessert.  Yes, for dessert we had The Very First Dewberry Pie of the season.  The goodness of which completely cancelled out the living shame of the rest of the meal.

The dewberry crop has been nothing short of a  PLEASANT SURPRISE. To be honest, I wasn't holding out much hope that I would find enough berries to make even one tiny pie, much less two after our first picking expedition.  You know, since it hasn't, you know, actually rained since sometime back in the late '90's.

You know.

But after just one wasp sting (me), one almost broken leg (The Chief), and one near drowning in a sea of quicksand (Weegie), we came away from our first "pick" with almost half a gallon.  The next day my son Nick and his girlfriend, Morgan, added about a gallon to the count and I tell you we were GOLDEN.

Nick and I even made attempted to make some jam/jelly/preserves with some of the excess berries Saturday night.  Quite frankly, we probably should consult a recipe or some type of complicated instruction manual if we ever attempt this feat again.  Amen.

But forget the jam/jelly/preserves/burnt motor oil debacle.

The pies were a delight.



And I refuse to give the wind a lick of credit.

I staunchly maintain my resentment of it.

Then Sings My Soul

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How Great Thou Art,


How Great Thou Art!






Easter Hope to you all!

Lu

I Really Should Get Out More

I mentioned that I made these a few days ago

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

They are oh so very good.

The muffin story that follows is true.

Really.


At the beginning of April, when my Dad was first admitted to the hospital, my sister and I were taking turns staying with him at night.

It was a very difficult time.  During those nights, sleep was absolutely not even an option.

On my way to the hospital one afternoon I decided to stop at a rather large bookstore to find something to read.  Of course, I already had so much on my mind that I really had no desire to leisurely peruse the aisles searching for something that looked intriguing or interesting or even just OK.
I remembered that a friend had recently suggested a good cookbook to me, and because I like to read cookbooks just like a good novel, I decided I'd just look for that and call it a day.

I remembered the name of the book, but not the author or anything else.  In order to avoid  losing time blindly searching for the book in the very large cooking section of the store, I dragged myself up to the front to ask the librarian-ish looking lady behind the counter to see if she could find its location on the shelf via computer.

She politely, yet somewhat curtly greeted me, and I told her the name of the book I was seeking.
She typed the information in, took a moment to study what appeared on the screen, then peered at me rather curiously over the top of her half glasses.

"So we're looking for a marijuana cookbook today, are we??" she slowly inquired.

And y'all I was tired.  And mentally exhausted.  And dazed and confused.  And disheveled.  And sad.  And probably many other adjectives that may have spoken volumes to her before I slowly mumbled

"Uh......... no.  Not today.  Muffins.  I want to make muffins."

And that's when the 17- ish year old cashier boy looked at me and y'all, he WINKED.

Oh yes he did.

A wink that said  "SURE you want to make muffins, lady."  "Right".

But blessedly, before I could implicate myself further, and just after I wiped most of the drool from my chin, the lady found the correct volume I was looking for.

Evidently there are at least TWO cookbooks with the title 'BAKED'.

This is the one I was looking for, the one I bought, and the one I've been baking from lately.

It includes the recipe for the muffins, along with all manner of other delights.

My muffins came out looking ( and tasting) just as wonderful as the photo in the book.

I highly recommend it.


But if you plan to go buy it, you might want to make sure you're getting the right one.


Especially if Derek helps you find it on the shelf.

Wink.

Lu

I'll Do Better Next Time

This is one of those days when I wish (for your sake) I had something delightfully entertaining to say.

Something more interesting than

* Yesterday my friend and neighbor forced me at gunpoint to accompany her into Sur la Table where she proceeded to make me buy a piece of Le Crueset cookware, a new Microplane (with a spiffy orange handle) and some nifty flexible cutting boards for the farm.
IT WAS AWFUL.

* I need to know:

Am I the only person who puts clothes on to wash and then forgets about them for two days, and then has to rewash them?

Am I also the only one who feels led by the spirit to purchase a huge bunch of bananas each and every time I darken the door of HEB and then let them turn black before I remember I bought them?  Even though they are sitting in plain sight on my counter?

Am I alone in the fact that I can no longer see well enough to pluck my own eyebrows?  I think I could do it with my glasses, but the frames of the glasses are directly over the target plucking area, rendering it logistically impossible.


* I need to go to the mattress store to pick out our new mattress.  I know y'all are excited with me.

* I have two hummingbirds fighting over my feeder.  Every few minutes they both crash into one of the many large windows across the back of the house.  You'd think they'd learn.  Or get a headache.  Or just maybe share.

* The Chief's truck (God rest it's soul) is at the Toyota place with transmission trouble.  He got a little Toyota Camry as a rental.  His 6'3" frame barely fits.  It reminds me of our drive to Dallas for our honeymoon lo so many years ago.  We borrowed someone's really tiny car (we were afraid that his car couldn't actually make it that far) I mean it was over 150 miles!  And my car was being repaired from the unfortunate little accident I caused when I ran into my VERY FIRST Texas State Trooper. Amen.

When we got to Dallas, he could barely stand up from being crammed inside that little bitty car, and I was horribly car sick.

Good Times.

*Speaking of The Chief, he zipped off early this morning in a private jet (OH, certainly not ours) to spend the day in Florida.  Business, of course.  In my jealousy, I think I'll short sheet his bed or something.  Or maybe not cook him dinner.

Nevermind.

Don't you just hate it when trying to punish someone is more work for you, or  leaves you with nothing to eat either?


Drat.



Y'all have a good day, ya hear!

Lu

No. This Wouldn't be Considered Earth-Shattering

Some of you have commented that you enjoy it when I write one of these Dancing with the Stars  re-caps and pretend I know what I'm talking about.

It's one of my favorite things to do, a hobby of sorts - pretending I'm knowledgeable about something.  Tonight it's dance.  Tomorrow? Who knows.

I've missed a couple of weeks and we've lost Wendy and Sugar Ray.  It's down to eight competitors now, and I like the fact that there is no clear front-runner.  In some seasons it's just hard to watch when one or two people are obviously SO much more talented on the dance floor than others. Like the season when the Goo-Goo Dolls chick was on.  They should have just given her the mirror ball trophy after week two and put everyone else out of their misery, no?

It can be painful.  I have cried many tears of woe.

Tonight was Salute to America Night.  Made all the more entertaining/awkward when an All American music selection was oddly paired with a Saucy and Sexy  Latin Dance.

An interesting juxtaposition.

I just wanted to use that word.  And admit it.  It TOTALLY WORKS in this instance.


Here goes:

1.  Ralph/Karina - Being first on the floor has got to be tough.  They performed a Samba to Sweet Home Alabama.  Weird combination. And I'm just sorry, but Ralph just looked unnatural and wrong in the cowboy hat and western attire.  The jeans didn't fit right (not that I notice that kind of thing) or anything, and he didn't look comfortable with the whole number.  He doesn't have the cowboy swagger.  I'm a Texan.  I know these things.  He's so much more suited to the elegant ballroom dances.

2.  Chris/Cheryl - Their Viennese Waltz to America the Beautiful was one of the few pairings that made sense.  I'll admit that in the beginning I didn't really like Chris at all much.  I'm not a wrestling fan, and he came across as fake, stiff, and posey (whatever, he seemed to POSE a lot for the camera), but now, I'm kinda on the "Chris fence" so to speak.  He appears to have loosened up a bit, and lost some of the fakiness (oh yes, that is a word).  His performance was pretty darn good. I applaud you  Chris.

3.  Petra/Dimitri - I know I've mentioned this before, but I get the feeling the judges are afraid of being too critical with Petra.  They seem much more guarded in their comments to her than to any of the other contestants.  Have they been warned not to be too harsh?  Intriguing.  She always looks stiff to me. I suppose this could be due to her tsunami-related injuries.  I thought her Quickstep to Viva Las Vegas by Elvis was a little off somehow.  Petra was, as usual, gorgeous and regal, and if we were voting on costumes, hers was beautiful.

4.  Lil Romeo/Chelsie - He likes to look cool.  Just like his Dad.  But I have to give him credit.  He did a great job in this Foxtrot to New York, New York.  The judges really liked it, and he scored well, but I thought he looked a tad forced  and technically I believe he needs to work on extending all of his moves.  Reach, Lil' guy! Reach!

 And well, we all know I am a technical dance expert.


5.  Hines/Kym - He's just naturally charming.  He's smooth.  He's cute.  He and Kym are a great pair.  And since I can't think of anything at all negative to say, let's just talk about Kym's costume, shall we?  Seriously, the woman can WORK the teensy tiny costume.  I have decided to have a similar costume made for myself.  Of course, whereas hers consisted of lets say 1/2 yard of gauzy fabric, mine will take about six yards of a nice, thick burlap because Heaven Knows, no one wants a glimpse of what's underneath mine.

6.  Kirstie/Maks - Really?  Was Maks shirtless?  I didn't notice.  But I did notice Kirstie's long (and I'm sorry, but) stringy hair that the hair/makeup people DESPERATELY NEED TO GET OUT OF HER FACE.  After a comical intervention by the Dance Doctor (aka John Travolta) during practice, Kirstie and Maks pulled off an odd yet effective Foxtrot to American Woman.  She didn't lose a shoe, and Maks didn't collapse, so I guess that's a plus.  But Kirstie's going to have to step! it! up! if she wants to hang with the rest of the contestants who are showing more and more improvement each week.


7.  Kendra/Louis - This couple had the privilege of performing the 1000th competitive dance on DWTS.  And after some streamers and other hoopla, Kendra and Louis did a Foxtrot to Yankee Doodle.  I mean no disrespect to my country or the song, but I thought it was awful.  She looked like a wind-up toy.  I'm so sorry.  The judges though, disagreed with me and gave her pretty good scores.

8.  Chelsea/Mark - Well, Chelsea's just a natural dancer and performer.  She's usually fun to watch, and her Samba to Party in the U.S.A. was no exception.  Her fringy pants were perfect.  Not many people can pull off a pair of striped fringy pants (well, most of us could, you know, PULL THEM OFF, but I meant it the other way, like ROCK THEM.)  Hello, my name is Lu and I tend to overexplain.

So there you go.



In Danger of Being Voted Off:  Kendra, Petra, Ralph???

Pulling Ahead of the Pack: Chelsea, Hines


Now that you know what I think about all that, please go about your day reassured that I have the important topics covered.

Tomorrow I'm thinking flight dynamics or maybe auto repair.



Lu

A Few Things

I just got back home after a stay out of town to help care for my Mom and Dad.  Daddy is doing better than we expected at this point, and for this we feel ever so grateful and blessed. I ask that you continue to pray for his comfort and peace.  I assure you, the prayers are genuinely and humbly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone.



Now, a few things.


1.  The wind.  I think I've had enough for now, Thank You.

2.  I made these last night

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins.

After tasting one, The Chief said it was OK that I continue living here and making him muffins - at least for now.

3. The Weege is what we like to call Farm Dog Tired.  He'll be this way for two days.

4.  Here he is arrogantly avoiding the camera at the farm.

5.  He reluctantly agreed to let Nick (my baby boy) drive the Mule.

Oh, and all of that dark stuff on Nick's face?  All shadows.  It just looks like a scraggly beard...

6.  Some of the pelicans have started to show up on parts of the lake.  They apparently enjoy a winter vacation in a more tropical climate.  Or Disney World.

6. It's New Calf time!  And we have lots!  Here's the newest one.

Mama Cow only allows the paparazzi to get sooo close.

7.  A few of the others...

8.  Soon, these adorable little ones will become defiant teenagers like these

Darn those teenage hormones.

9.  Maybe one day all of y'all can come visit us at the farm

Weegie would enjoy that.  Especially if you were into Mule-riding.  Or looking for fresh cow poop.

Either one.

And by the look of those spots around his back leg and hip it appears as if he scored on the cow poop.


10.  Oh, and did I mention the wind?  Really.  I'm over it.




Happy Monday Everyone! What's New?

Lu

That Which is Wrong

Now here's the thing.

I had a dream last night.
Of course, that's not big news in itself as I dream every night.

All night.

I'm a dreamer.

I dream weird, weird things.  My dreams are not necessarily happy ones where I flit through a field of flowers sporting long legs, thin hips and thighs, and beautifully tanned skin, nor are they typically horrible, scary, or gory.

No.  Usually my dreams are just confusing.

And I suppose that's not a real surprise given my non-sleeping penchant for the rambling thought and the forever run-on sentence.

But in my dreams The Chief is always logical.  Just as in real life.  Orderly.  Engineering-like. The way things should be.
I should say though, that in most of my dreams The Chief usually politely excuses himself before things get really confusing. 

I'm telling you HE'S THAT GOOD AT PLANNING AHEAD.

So you can understand how disturbed I was when I woke up this morning at the the Crack of the A.M. and remembered the following:

I was dreaming that I lived in a house that was, well, alive.  Or seemed to be.  It talked, and did things like raise the garage doors whenever it took the notion, or started filling the bathtub, or you know, other things an ALIVE HOUSE WOULD DO.

But the really, really, creepy and disturbing thing about the dream was not that the house was exhibiting characteristics that your typical home on HOUSE HUNTERS probably wouldn't have.

No.  The creepy thing was that when I told The Chief that I thought the house was, you know, possessed or something he calmly replied

"Lu, I think you might be right."


And I don't think I need to list for you the upteen many ways in which that is just frightening.

And oh so very wrong.

Perhaps a TAB or two will help me forget.

Lu

Wednesday

I bring you news from Wednesday.
For the last couple of days, Daddy has improved. There have even been some complaints about the hospital food - a good thing.

I am trying to keep it all in some perspective, so just let me say thanks again for the prayers and the encouragement.  I don't think my words can do my feelings justice here.

Your continued prayers would be so appreciated.  I feel them all.

Really.



In a bit of other, much less important news, I am writing this blog from the farm.

The land of scorpions, cows and drought.

The land of a large white, void-type area on the Verizon coverage map.

But The Chief.  He loves me.  He got me a laptop and a Wi-Fi thingie, and here I am.

And NEVERYOUMIND that the little Wi-Fi device is nestled in a carefully formed aluminum foil bowl that is suspended from a chain on the front porch that usually holds a birdfeeder, and that I am sitting in the front end loader of the tractor raised about 15 feet in the air.

No neveryoumind.

I'm connected.

What's up with all of you?

Lu









.

Checking In and Thanks

Hi everyone.

I came home for a couple of days to get some rest and a few extra clothes.  Daddy has been moved from the hospital in Waco back to the hospital in his hometown of Groesbeck. There was unfortunately nothing further they could do to help him surgically.
The goal now is to regulate his pain and to try to keep him as comfortable as possible.

We have someone who is staying nights with my Mom and I can't tell you what a blessing and a relief that has been.  My sister and I (along with my Mom) still have lots of hard decisions to make.  Please pray for our stamina.

I cannot begin to find the words to express the emotions I have felt over the last 10 days or so, but I want you to know how very, very much your prayers have meant to all of us and how encouraging it is when I get a minute to check e-mail or messages to find something there from one of you.

I feel blessed to call all of you my friends

Lu

An Update

It's Thursday and I'm currently in the hospital cafeteria.
For those of you who haven't heard, my sweet Daddy is in pretty serious condition right now. The long- term prognosis is not what we would like to hear. But God is good and gracious and oh so very merciful.
We will all be fine, and I very humbly ask for your continued prayers for he and my precious Mom.

Love to you all-

Lu

The Techno-Loser Announces the Winner!

Enter a lower limit:
Enter an upper limit:
Random Number:

---

OK y'all.  It's just been an effort in techno-futility.

I got it to work, but I couldn't figure out how to copy the thing over here with the numbers still in it.

I am ashamed.

But the WINNER!

The Winner was #2 - Lisa!  Lisa Tarver! One of my sweet former drill team girls!!

I'm old.  Very old.

So Lisa, since we're FB buddies, why don't you send me your mailing address that way and I will ship this bowl to you lickety split.

Or Tuesday of next week.  Whichever comes first.

Thanks for entering everyone!

Lu

Try to Wrap Your Head Around this Awesomeness

We PASSED y'all.

Or maybe we failed.

To be honest, I'm not sure which.

But remember the mattress saga? You know the whole deflated, rolling on the floor, concern over the LARGE SIZE OF MY HIPS, submitting a photographic essay, visit from the mattress inspector thing??

Well, the company has decided to honor its warranty.

Really.

I have to say I'm a little surprised.

And while I'd like to complain a little more about the hoop-jumping that the process required, I won't.


The Chief and I are pleased.


Thank you Simmons.



In other, equally shocking news, I finally made a meal last night that we could, you know, EAT!

I probably haven't mentioned to y'all because of the ABJECT HORROR of the situation, that, well, I've been having what might be adequately (yet mildly) described as a cooking meltdown.

And I really don't want to go into it, because just thinking about it makes me want to roll up into a ball and suck my thumb, so all I'll say is this:

there was burning
there was crying
inedible pasta salad
counseling
tasteless and oozing empanadas
stinky crab cakes
more burning
and did I mention crying?

But I think I may have my groove back.

Nevermind that I still have absolutely no powers of estimation - we have enough Mexican Rice left over for about 18 more servings.

No.  NEVERYOUMINDTHAT.

What matters is the groove.

I think it's back.

And I am grateful.

And relieved.




AND OH MY GOSH.  I ALMOST FORGOT.  I HAVE TO DRAW FOR THE BOWL WINNER.

I'll be back in a bit.

After I figure out how to use the random integer generator thingie.

I hope it's not complicated.


If it is I'll use a bowl.(Ha! A BOWL!)

And little pieces of paper with numbers!


Lu