Monday, November 28, 2011

You Can Lead a Horse to Water.....

This is a frolicking horse
My daughter and I love all of God's furry critters. We play hide and seek with our cats, fetch with our dogs and believe anything with a fur-like substance should be petted and cooed over. We've had all manner of critters over the years, a pet pig, rabbits, ferrets, lizards, fish, birds, cats and lots of dogs. When she moved back to Oklahoma, being around the family pets was as big a treat to her as being around the family. My brother raises horses, so she was excited to spend Thanksgiving at his place. She has been wanting to go riding, so she asked him about it a few weeks ago. He raises horses, but doesn't necessarily ride his horses and much to her dismay he doesn't "play" with his horses either (I know, it seems almost inhuman not to play with your pet), but then again, they're really not pets. See, I have a hard time understanding this too. It's the same with people who have hunting dogs but they don't play with them, they're considered tools (like a DeWalt electric drill), or insert quote from the Tom Hanks movie "Big".... Josh (Tom Hanks) is shown a new toy that his employers are working on. It's an immobile skyscraper that turns into a giant robot. "So what's so fun about playing with a building? That's not any fun!" What's fun about having horses if you can't play and frolick with them? I didn't specifically ask him about frolicking, but I will. Thanksgiving day my daughter brought two large bags of carrots and apples.... "To feed to the horses!" As we tromped through the mud to get to the horses my brother explained that his horses had never seen a carrot or an apple and probably wouldn't be too keen on eating either. We weren't deterred by his negative thinking, hey, they were horses weren't they? They came to the fence and in spite of our determination they weren't interested in our
offerings. Seriously, have they not seen "Mr. Ed?" My brother came lugging buckets of horse feed and told us to try the feed instead. Sure enough, lickety split, they nibbled it right out of our hands and headed to the trough for more as he poured it in. I guess it just goes to prove that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it eat a carrot if it doesn't want to... And apparently they also don't talk :-(

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Warm and Fuzzy

I just couldn't help myself this morning(I have that problem a lot), I just wanted to listen to Christmas music. I tried to put it off until after Thanksgiving, but with the cool damp weather, it just seemed like Christmas music kind of time. I love the old scratchy Dean Martin, Bing Crosby music, it just sounds right. Even if I'm not snuggled up on the couch, or sitting in front of a fire place, Christmas music makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Cokernut Pie!!! Tis the Best

Looks pretty huh? Yeah, it's not the one I made :-)
Have you ever done something knowing you shouldn't do it? Knowing that you would reap what you sowed for years on end... Yet you went ahead and committed the act? That's me tonight. I just had to have a coconut pie (pronounced cokernut, which drives my daughter crazy, but I'm more redneck than I admit to so my bad). I got the recipe from a lady who makes the best cokernut pie ever, hands down, because I don't even like cokernut. I even made the crust which always ends up looking like the quilt made of human skin on Silence of the Lambs. I have a Suzy Homemaker cousin who could make a pie crust in her sleep that would win awards, but I just didn't get that gene. Instead, I  combine my sewing skills (which are nil) with my baking skills, which aren't pretty but they'll do in a pinch and this is the result of my talent... A crust that looks like it's been formed from the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The reason I shouldn't be making cokernut pies isn't just because of my haphazard crusts, it's because my family isn't exactly sweet eating machines. My husband will eat chocolate cake but that's so ordinary. Plus, the last time I got on a pie kick I gained 15lbs which sadly, to this day, still hangs limply on either side of my hips.  But, it's the holidays. It's the holly, jolly, jiggly, wiggly holidays and by gosh I plan on jiggling and wiggling with the best of em.... Just me and my cokernut pies.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Gentle Touch





How many times have I felt like this little deer that was literally caught in the headlights? I've stood in the highway of life before, completely paralyzed with fear and shock. Times like those I'm thankful for the gentle touch of the Master or one of the Master's helpers that come up beside me, gently lift me up to deposit me out of harms way. The video perfectly depicts those times in my life where I was just grateful for a gentle loving touch.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

You Have the Most AMAZING.....

God has a reason for everything he does. Some people (apparently that would be me) couldn't handle wealth and so he allows them to be poor. Some people couldn't handle fame so he allows them to be obscure. I've always said that God didn't make me a size 0 and beautiful because I couldn't handle it. It's absolutely true! Unless you consider shoe shopping and party planning a talent, I'm a Jac (get that?) of all trades and the master of nothing... Until a few weeks ago when I received a phone call from the Oklahoma Blood Institute. The nurse told me the last time I gave blood they noticed I had an amazing platelet count and wanted to know if I would consider donating platelets. Being the goodhearted, civic minded person I am, I thought that sounded like a swell idea. I showed up last night for my first platelet donation and the nurse that checked me in commented on how AMAZING my platelets were. I'm kind a shy when it comes to accepting a compliment and gave her the ole' "You probably say that to all the donors" look. When they got me settled into my recliner (great way to spend a Tuesday night!), the two nurses hooking me up to the machine, were both bragging on my AMAZING platelets. It was getting down right awkward and I could actually feel my head begin to swell from the pride. See! This is exactly why I'm not a size 0! I can't wait to schedule my next donation. I'm terribly afraid that God is going to humble me by zapping my AMAZING platelets and turning them into mediocre ones that no one wants. If that happens I'll be nothing more than a girl with a lot of shoes who knows how to throw a great party. Right now I am all that with amazing platelets to boot.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Things are a-Changin'

This summer I would have said Fall was going to be a colorless season this year. The record breaking heat wave of 2011 made everything a dry, drab canvas. It's simply amazing what cooler temperatures and a little rain can do. The yards have filled up with clover, trees thought dead have come back to life. Flowers that I thought were too far gone, have come back bolder and brighter than when I bought them this Spring. The view outside my office window is spectacular. Just when I thought things were going to be dreary forever, color rained down on me and I realized things are a-changing.... In more ways than one.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

We Have it All, Shake, Rattle & Roll

This weekend Oklahoma wasn't notorious for it's wind... Well, no more than usual. We didn't set any record breaking lows, because we did that in the beginning of the year (-31 in Nowata). We didn't break our scorching heat of this summer (115). No, this weekend was relatively mild and uneventful except for the earthquakes (yes that would be multiple). The largest of which was 5.6 which shook us up and rattled our
cages. There's just never a dull moment around these plains. My initial thought was it was just the Sooner fans jaws dropping as they realized the Cowboys had just moved to the #2 spot in football while they remained #6. Then I realized that part of it was probably due the the magnitude of the angels doing the happy dance for the underdog. Whatever the cause, it rocked our house, rattled our mirrors and made me feel all funny inside. I chalked it up to another experience checked off my bucket list. Yesterday things were back to normal, tornadoes, flooding, that kind of thing. We had an aftershock last night (I guess that's what it was), but I didn't worry enough to get out of bed to find out how big it was. Like everything else in Oklahoma.... After a while it just gets boring. My brother posted on Facebook, all we needed now was a hurricane and  volcano and we'd pretty much have all of the bases covered. If you feel like you're missing something, just move to Oklahoma where you can have it all.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

There! Satisfied?

Tired of all of the Sooner fans whining because I hadn't posted their new ranking for this week.... Hey, I've been busy! So, here it is your new rating came up from last week. Satisfied? Yea, I didn't think so. Rumor has it ya'll are a lil worried about Bedlam this year :-)



Moments later a revision was done.... Guess it really wasn't good enough.

Fuzzy Socks

What is it about watching the blue skies of a cold front blow in that makes me feel warm all over? Maybe it's the anticipation of snuggling, cuddling and fuzzy socks. Yep, that must be it :-)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Sets My World Right

Memories of defining moments wrap around my heart today. Upon remembrance, a mixture of comfort and terror sweep over me as I view the ever changing tide of life. Questions of how I made it through and what will tomorrow bring assault my mind. Amid the questions a deep peace shrouds my heart. Life is such a contradiction of emotion; the moment you have it all figured out, everything changes. The unconditional nature of your love substains me, settles my mind and quiets my soul. It amazes me what one look, one touch or one word from you will do... It sets my world right again.