paulinescountrytales

How Long Since You Cleaned Out Your Medicine Chest?

2012-01-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

Evidently its been a while for me as I found one medicne that expired in '03. No! I'm sure I've cleaned it out but I'm kind of inclined to be a hoarder when it comes to medicine. I'm always afraid I will be in pain or need something in the middle of the night so I hold on to it just in case. Of course that was before our all night Wal*Mart and who can say I can drive there if I'm sick as a dog. Okay its in the trash can now. What is the oddest or funniest thing you have found in your medicine chest? I did a good job today, took everything out, wiped it out, made myself throw some away with tears in my eyes. Lo and behold but what should I find lurking against the wall of the chest but two packages of lemon/lime Koolade. What in the world is that doing in there I thought. John is guilty but I rethink this idea. John woudn't put anything inside and close the door. He would leave it on the sink. After pondering a few minutes it came to me. Several years ago I was reading about cleaning things with safe products. Oh yes I read Koolade is good to clean the toilet bowl. I promptly opened one package and dumped it along the water line. Humm didn't smell bad, let it sit while I finished putting everything back neatly minus a few things. Used the brush and wha---la.

The People You Meet At Wal*Mart

2012-01-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

I was up early and dressed before John this morning to go to the ranch to feed the cattle and the turtles. Only two turtles came up as it was cool and the water must have been too cold for them. We found two more new calves so that makes seven since January 1st. It was still early when we got home so we took his car and his work truck to Wal*Mart to have the oil and filter changed. We sat in their little waiting room and watched and listened to the show (people watching). The first man who came in had brought his sister in to get a new tire as she had been driving on her donut for weeks. His job has taken him all over the country even though he looked just like an ole' country boy dressed in his overalls. He told us of lots of things he has seen in other states and told us he has been single for years but kept throwing in something in the conversation about his girlfriend. Next comes in another man in his overalls and tells us he is a farmer not by choice. He inherited the land and can not sell it. He and John had a lot to talk about. Cows, crops and everything agriculture. Until a lady came in interrupting by turning her speaker phone on so we could hear the person on the other end chewing her out. When she got off the phone she told us a lot. She was in the army and her rank is higher then the people at the Veteran's hospital so she could force them to give her information. Humm! She shot an illegal who was trying to get into her window. Her bother-in-law is trying to elimate everyone in the family so he can get all the money. I wanted to ask where she lives so I don't drive slowly by her house but I didn't, I just told her to have a good day.

A Cat Of Many Colors

2012-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

I was reminded of the song "A Coat Of Many Colors" yesterday. Didn't Dolly Parton sing it? Remember Daisy the neighbor's cat who eats at our back door? She had one black and white kitten a while back. I don't know what happened to the kitten but I'm hoping some kind soul took the precious thing in for their pet. Guess what? Daisy is in heat again and there was a tom cat of every color in my yard yesterday. I'm betting she will give birth to about six this time and by the looks of things there should be one of every color. I'm so tempted to dig out my cat carrier and carry Daisy to the vet for an operation but she isn't really my cat she just buffets at our house and we do talk to her. I think I really would do that but I don't have a place to put her inside for a few days so her stitches wouldn't be removed too early. John doesn't want animals in the house because of his allergy and the garage belongs to Susie. You think I'm kidding? Susie has her own recliner in there. Not to mention a steady supply of food and water, a litter box on paper. If I don't clean the littler box often enough to suit her she goes on the paper. She has her scratching post. I have been known to squirt that cheap perfume aound and turn on a fan or night light. Let me know what color of kitten you would like.

From The Water Well Fixin' Clan

2012-01-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

Maybe he will be the third generation water well fixer and maybe he will go to college and do something else but this country kid has nice manners and is a pleasure to be around. One day when we stopped to pay our bill he was in front with his horse so I took his picture. Water well fixers are much appreciated and especially in the Texas summer when you have cattle to water or crops to irrigate and the pump breaks down.

We Lucked Out

2012-01-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

Well it was stormin' last night but we are lucky we didn't get the tornado, hail, or high wind. San Antonio didn't fare quite so well. Some fires from lightening strikes. Rescues of people who insist on driving through water on the streets and wind damage in places. We couldn't wait to drive out to the ranch to see how much it rained as some time we get a good one here in town and none out there. Yep it was too wet to drive past the house. Everything looked greener already. We'll have to wait a little longer to found out which cow the new baby belongs to. It makes five new ones since the New Year. We had to make a stop on the way home as we spotted a down fence where someone had plowed through last night on property belonging to the owner of the cattle auction. It wasn't completely down but enough that a calf could get out. Hopefully he can get that fixed today. One less big black wild hog was hit and dead on the side of the road. Those things are hard to see in the dark of night and maybe when it was raining hard too. They predicted cloudy and more rain today but as of now the sun is shining bright.

Lonely Little Flower

2012-01-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is one lonely little flower blooming in the yard where the water tank for the farm house is located. You see how messy with grass it is but it is impossible to use a lawn mower in there because there are pipes and valves to transfer the water to the stock tank or to a trough in the pens. When we lived at the ranch it was my responsibility to fill the house tank. I even bought one of those weed slingers thinking I could neaten it up some. I guess I'm not strong enough because that didn't work either so the little yard stays messy. You can barely see the water tank at the top right of the picture. I had a cement block there and while I was waiting for the tank to fill I would spend the time reading. There is a hole near the top so when the water starts coming out there I would know to flip the switch and turn the water off. Just one of the little ranch responsibilities.

Our Crazy Schedule

2012-01-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

Jon's home made soup looked so good on his blog I got up at four thirty this morning and put a pot on to cook in the crock pot. Today was John's day off from burning pear and the soup was done at ten thirty so we had an early lunch. I washed the dishes. Not because I am so perfect but because all our bowls were dirty. Then off we went to look for a country cemetary on a country road. The sun is shining, a beautiful day. We went to two cemetaries and then found a road we hadn't explored yet. Nothing unusual but some old falling down houses and barns. John always has to tell me the story about when his Mother was buried and one of his bossy sisters insisted she knew a short cut to the country cemetary. She convinced the hearse driver to follow her and half of the funeral possesson followed suit. Sister got stuck in deep sand on the short cut road so the rest turned around and went back the normal way on good road. Anyway that road is passable now and we did drive down it. One of the cemetaries already has a few Sweet Williams blooming here and there and the Blue Bonnet plants are popping through the ground. On home and to the soup pot. we ate supper at 2:30. What a crazy schedule we have.

So much For Sipping Coffee In Your Housecoat

2012-01-20T07:39:00.000-08:00

If you have cattle don't ever have the idea you are going to relax with a cup of coffee one morning. That is the very morning the phone will ring and it will be John saying bring the compressor out, I have a very low tire. Did I think things would be different when the morning before he drove those tires over cactus and mesquite? He neglected to tell me all I had to do was hook the thing up to electricity to put air in it , I never did have a mechanical brain in me. I'm more the scrub the toilet and cook stove type. Guess that is why all his relatives like to stay here when they come to town. Anyway all's well that ends well. I was able to feed the turtles, the seven that braved the rippling water from the light breeze that was blowing . Their shells have a brown look now more then the green tinge they used to have. A whole flock of wild ducks have taken up residence in the stock tank. I don't know where they have been or where they are going but I am enjoying them while they are here. John's son had moved his cattle from this county to another county and one cow is not bred so he left it to visit John's bull. He told us it is a loner and boy is she. We wanted to check to see if she was still on the place. We finally found her on the east property all alone and when she saw us she ran away. At least I got a glimplse of her and know what to look for. A dark red cow with no horns. He had told us she was like "The Looker" but she is much more skittish. The looker comes up with the herd all time now but she still stares at us. I'm glad I don't believe in witch craft or I would think she is trying to put a hex on us.

My How Times Have Changed.

2012-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

John should have his own blog. The guy, man, boy who is helping burn pear for the cattle. I don't know what to call him has become quite the conversationalist. Yesterday he told John he was thinking about quiting that job as he doesn't like to get up in the mornings. Eight o'clock or nine if it is extra cold and he asks John to come later so he obliges. He told John his Dad told him he should keep helping John since he has ask him for the job. Today guy told John he is trying to father a child. Duh! I thought you needed a job and a good one to provide for a child. I'm so old fashioned.

The Pear Ball

2012-01-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is the pear ball I wrote about several weeks ago but didn't have a picture of it. This ball was found amid the bones from an old cow who died and we thought she was just old and didn't have any teeth with which to grind her food. This is the first one I have seen although I have heard about them. An old cow who doesn't have teeth any longer eats probably raw pear and then other things such as hay and it keeps wrapping and wrapping around until it becomes a hard ball in her stomach and she can't digest anything. John doesn't usaully keep a cow around when he notices she no longer has teeth but this one was skipped over somehow. Prickly pear is just one of the things ranchers deal with in south Texas. In a way it is good to have it as food when the grass is gone but work to burn the stickers off and the propane cost to burn with cost money. John is still burning every other day and probably will until spring has sprung and the grass is growing.

It Ain't Much Fun No More.

2012-01-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

The trip to Poth, Texas to buy cattle feed used to be a pleasure. It is always greener that direction to the east of us as they seem to get more rain. The farm-to-market road is good road. Ranches with pretty houses to gaze at in passing and my favorite the one that is just like a red barn. Now companies have rented land for oil field yards along the way and the big trucks are never ending. This is a two lane paved road with a shoulder on either side. I think it is against the law to drive on the shoulder but if I catch a glimpse in my rear view mirrow of one of those big truck barreling down on me I give him room and they don't hesitate to pass even in an unsafe situation at times. I realize time is money to them buuuut what about us farmers and ranchers? I just imagine they come upon a dirty work truck with a little ole' lady with her spiked hair sticking up and a gray headed man talking with his hands telling her how to drive they probably say we have no business on the road because they never nod, wave, or blink their lights to thank me for giving them room. When we get safely home with a load of feed I say a silent prayer of thanks to God. Sometime I want to say "go home oil field workers where ever you're from" but then the people who are leasing thier land making them able to pay off their farms and ranches, fix all their fences, and build big barns probably say "keep going oil field workers". Drive faster and tear up our roads and run those old coggers off the road. Like I said it isn't much fun anymore. It's work and a job to keep the cattle fed.

Who Goes There In The Dark Of Night?

2012-01-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Sometime I wake up at four or four thirty a.m. so I get up to watch the local news, maybe put a load of laundry on and then go back to bed. After talking to our neighbor I'm thinking maybe I should go for a walk instead to see what is lurking out there. Our neighbor is a guard at a prison near another town so he has to leave at four a.m. He was telling us about the wild life he sometime sees in the dark of night when he is leaving for work. We think we live in the city but I'm not so sure of that now. He said he saw a racoon between our houses recently and it went toward my storage shed. One morning he saw a fox on John's vacant lot. He sees deer down the street. I'm afraid our wild life kingdom will disappear soon as they have started the plumbing work for the new apartment complex down and across the street from where we live. we talked to the neighbor because we were out checking my outside faucet night before last. It has been changing from summer to winter each day here. That night it was sooo cold I had wrapped my faucet and dripped the back one. When I checked the wrapped one was dripping wet. I just knew my pipe had burst but i guess it was on the verge and then the sun came out and started melting everything. I'll be dripping that one from now on when its going to freeze because that is the coldest part of my yard. The birdbath had ice in it right beside the faucet. We south Texans don't know how to deal with cold weather.

The Chili Pot

2012-01-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

From a distance this looked to me like a chili pot. This is on the east property and we hardly ever go to the back side there. I guess because the cattle doesn't hang around that area. When we do go that way I could see what I thought was a big chili pot and I always wondered Why someone (probably a hunter) would forget their chili pot or at least not go back to get it. A few weeks ago when we were over there and passing the chili pot I told John to stop and let me look in the chili pot to see if there is anything in it. When I pulled on the handle it was attached and the whole thing came up in my hand and the bottom was open. We had a good laugh. Now I'm asking someone to tell me what it is. I'm thinking it goes on the top of a house but I still don't know what it is doing out in the pasture.

Do You Know What A Whiffletree Is?

2012-01-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well yes it is like a singletree.The pivo- ted swinging bar to which the traces of a harness are fastened. A whiffletree here is probably our best restaurant and we had a good free meal there at lunch. I don't know where all these people get my name from. The invitation said not to bring our billfold as they were not selling anything. I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday but I'll listen to a spiel for a free meal, a good meal too. Sirloin steak to be exact. They were showing something to put in your attic to cut your heating and cooling bill. John liked the idea until his son put the ky-e-tus on that. Everyone there was a senior citizen and one was a former customer so they said. Last time we went to one of these seminars and free meal it was about fire prevention. They were selling fire prevention equipment such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. These two old senior citizens listened very carefully and then went to Wal*Mart and bought everything they suggested (except a bat to put by the bed to knock the window out) and at a very lower price plus we had a good free meal while we listened. They shouldn't invite us and mark my name off that list. Don't ya think?

A Fence Fixin' Hammer

2012-01-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

Today we drove to San Antonio to buy just the right fence fixin' hammer. I'm thinking seven or eight dollars, not more then ten. Wrong! That hammer cost $40.00. He didn't offer to buy one for me, thank goodness. I have my own special little teeney hammer that I hang pictures with. I use one small panneling nail to hang everything. I've had good luck until our company was here. I have the bathroom all decorated in country. The shower curtain is cow, barn, tractors, well completely farm country. The shower curtain clips are little tractors. The toothbrush holder is a tractor. I have two wall decorations that are tractors. Have you ever hear the song "She Thinks My Tractor Is Sexy"? Anyway while the company was here she hung a towel on a little shelf with a country scene in back and loosened that tiny panneling nail and when John went into the bathroom the little shelf fell on his hand and scratched him and made him bleed. Poor thing, now we are minus one country decoration. We got one good forty dollar fence fixin' hammer now. John had better protect it with his life. I'll stick to my small hammer that I hang pictures up with a tiny panneling nail.

A Memory From The Past

2012-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

A memory from my past popped up just now when I read Jack's entry over at Shipslog. When I was growing up there wasn't much entertainment in our small country town. Come Saturday night we were in high cotton though. A man and his son who owned a movie theater on the south side of San Antonio turned our high school auditorium into a movie theater. They would show one movie, usually a western, one continued serial such as Flash Gordon, and one cartoon. They even brought a commercial pop corn popper and something with soda (which we called soda water and it was a nickle) in it for sale. They would have an intermission and the older man nicknamed Pop Ellis would shout poppity poppity pop corn over and over. Boy! Did we look forward to Saturday night.

Labor Today, Feast Tomorrow

2012-01-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

This poem is dedicated to TexWisGirl and her squirrels. Her squirrels are country squirrels and mine in San Antonio were city squirrels but her blog reminds me of the squirrels that used to call my home their home.

The squirrels are so busy this time of the year, they forget that of cars they should have fear.

Up and down the trees they run and tease the dog just for fun.

They cross the street and then run back, too bad they couldn't just carry a sack.

They plan ahead for when the food is all gone, their instinct for storing is very well known.

They can hop from tree to tree and not fall down, run a long wires making a barking sound.

I don't begrudge them the pecans they eat, for the show they put on for me is really neat.

Please don't get in my attic or knock out the lights, for as the owner of this place I still have some rights.

Pauline Lieck

Spiked Hair & Clothes Hangers

2012-01-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

I did two things today that I have never done before. Have you ever just felt like doing something wild? The first one wasn't so wild but it was something I never thought I would do. I have always had access to free clothes hangers since my son-in-law and my ex-son-in-law both worked in offices and wore white shirts. I could always bum plenty of the good white hangers but today I found myself with wet clothes and no hangers and daughters too far away so I bought clothes hangers. The wild part is I've always wanted to spike my hair. Today I told the salon operator "do it" and after hesitating and looking at me she did it. So far I like it but I know when I get tired of it and want to let it grow out and it takes forever the self hate will appear. I know this is not a country tale but it is better then complaining which I could do.

Animal Shows

2012-01-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

I stepped out the back door to put something in the recycle bin. There was a fresh gopher hole and the gopher was hard at work kicking dirt out and Daisy was watching it with intense eyes ready to pounce. She missed and then noticed me and came over to see if I had anything for her to eat. Animals can put on quite a show at times. The insurance agent I wrote about has a bird that talks. She takes it back and forth to work and back home. Mynew (not sure of the spelling) is well behaved with the bird cage open it hangs on the door or stays in his cage. He mostly mocks the agents husband but sometime will mock the agent. She told us one night their electricity went off and the lights went out. Mynew said "hello" "hello" and when no one responded he said in her voice "what in the world?" They laughed so Mynew thought that was fun and wore that phrase out for a long time. When I was young and first married I bought a male parakeet. We lived in an upstairs duplex apartment. The walls were thin so my neighbors (two young Polish girls) must have tired of my constant "hello baby wanna kiss" as I was teaching my Pretty Boy to talk because they started mocking me on the other side of the wall. It got quite funny with the bantering back and forth.

A Useful Swiffter

2012-01-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

When she confronted a young rattlesnake in her own laundry room she turned shaky and womanly. This morning is the third day but not in a row that we have spent at my hometown with a lady I know. She is our new insurance agent and we are trying to get all vehicles and houses all with one company and one insurance agent. The problem is I have known she and her family a long time. She lives and works in my hometown so when we go there we keep getting off the subject of insurance and talking about people we know or have known. Plus she is an avid hunter of deer and wild hogs and lives among rattlesnakes, at least occasionally. She said her husband and son were gone and she went into the kitchen to have a snack. She heard what sounded like water running in her laundry room. When she peeked in to see what it was she saw a young rattlesnake. She didn't want to take her eyes off it and not know where it went. She couldn't reach anything to try to kill it with so she took a large dustpan and pinned it down and scooped it out to the middle of the floor in the kitchen where she could reach a swiffter. Not too swift a weapon but good to clean floors. She beat it with that until it was dead. I ask her if she ever though where there is one young one there may be more. She said yes it was three in the morning before her heart stopped beating fast and she could get to sleep.

Cactus Looks Like A Battle Field

2012-01-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

We've been having frost on the cars and roofs in the morning and that is cold for us. It warms up to the 60's in the afternoon. We went for a ride to the ranch this afternoon as I haven't been going since John has the big rent young man to carry the propane tank while John does the burning. John did get a longer hose so the young man told him he liked it because John hasn't been stepping on his toes or hitting him in the eye with the pear burner like he did with the short hose. The winter weeds are very green and the cows eat some of those. The stock tank is full of water. I can tell by the boat. It is in the water and sometime when its dry it's out of the water. A whole flock of wild duck have taken up swimming rights since I have been absent. I got to see the latest calf on the block. It's black and white with just a tip of white on it's tail. John sold three large calves this morning at auction and he was pleased with the price. The gas people haven't started digging yet but they had said in February. The cows have knocked over a lot of the stakes with little red ribbon on them but I imagine they have dealt with cattle before. The new year is moving right along. I didn't even realize yesterday was still the holidays until I went to City Hall to pay my water bill and to the post office to mail some calendars to John's sisters in Alaska. Nice cowboy calendars, cuter then the darn moose calendars they send to us. Meese are my least favorite animals and so are mooses. I always have to stop and think what is plural for moose. lol Anyway I don't like any of them.

Huzzy Dolly

2011-12-30T18:28:00.000-08:00

When my youngest daughter was a very little girl she got a pink doll from Santa. It was in a fuzzy snowsuit all but the face. we named it Fuzzy Dolly but she was just learning to talk and it would come out as Huzzy Dolly. My husband and I laughed when she would say that but my Mama thought it was a terrible thing that we didn't correct her. She turned out okay anyway. lol Recently she found that a good friend of her's also has a doll like that and has saved it all these many years so she took a cute picture of the two dolls hugging. I couldn't get it to post here so I will post the poem I wrote several years ago about Huzzy Dolly.

Huzzy Dolly arrived on Christmas morn, she was the sweetest baby doll ever born.

She was cute and cuddly in her little pink suit, sticking her head out from under the other Christmas loot.

Lynda loved the doll that was so fuzzy, but she couldn't talk too well so it came out Huzzy.

She loved her so much she took her everywhere. Of all her toys she held Hussy especially dear.

At bedtime she just had to be found, then Lynda could sleep without a sound.

We gave her a bath and hung her to dry. Lynda was brave and tried not to cry.

Hussy turned out as good as new, then Lynda smiled and wasn't so blue.

When Lynda left home she came back to retrieve, her beautiful pink Hussy Dolly she just couldn't leave.

Now Huzzy Dolly is old and a pitiful sight, but Lynda will always remember the comfort Huzzy gave her at night.

Pauline Lieck
February 1993

Monkey Blood

2011-12-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Are you old enough to remember monkey blood? Do they still make that medicine? When I was young I always had scraped knees. I wanted monkey blood on them. The kind of medicine that didn't burn. Today we were walking between the medical building and the hospital and there was something spilled on the floor. It was a light red but not dark enough to be human blood so John said that looks like monkey blood. Then he ask me if I remember monkey blood. We had a good laugh about that and said how the young people probably doesn't know what monkey blood is. Maybe they call it by the correct name which I don't know how to spell but I know someone will tell me. As we were leaving the building we struck up a conversation with a man who had been to the Heart doctor in the building. we were parked at our favorite place that we always get by the door if it is available. The man and John and I were all three trying to get into the same car. He was looking at us and we were looking at him with a puzzled look on our faces. I finally said sir I think you are trying to get into the wrong car. He looked across the way and there was a car that looked very much like John's. He said I wondered why you was trying to get into my car. Senior citizens, you have to laugh to keep from crying.

A Terrible Thing

2011-12-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

John took me for a ride yesterday afternoon to show me what someone had done on a country road. This is the road we can take a short cut to the ranch his daughter lives on. The road where bad people used to dump all kinds of things. Even large swing sets and such. Its a nice road and curves around toward the highway but not pretty with junk on the sides so the owner of the surrounding property put up cameras pointing toward the road and warning signs. It stopped the dumping fast but now--- some nut had the nerve to remove the head of a deer. We couldn't tell what happened to the deer and didn't want to get out of the truck in front of that camera so we just paused. Someone had cut the head in a perfect circle around so it evidently had a nice rack of horns which they wanted to claim as their own. Maybe even mount and put it on the wall in their den. So bad!

Laughing @ My Header Picture

2011-12-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

I tried to download a header picture for ages last night and again this morning with no luck. Fianlly I just clicked on this cow and calf and low and behold it went but only the tail end with the calf nursing from the back end. Oh well it is kind of a strange Christmas this year anyway. One of my daughter's father-in-law passed away last week. Her ex-husband's brother passed away this week. Its a rainy dreary day but I'm going to be thankful for the slow soaking rain which we so desperately need. John and I went to the Stage Stop for breakfast this morning and besides us fools there were only two other customers. An AT&T man and an oil field man. We decided our best bet was to come home and stay put in this weather. So dangerous with the Christmas traffic and slick streets. John is in front of the TV and me the computer with the police scanner on. So far an eighteen wheeler has the highway blocked south of town from a mishap, an 81 year old man has died, and a funeral has ask for help with their possesion because of the weather. I wash everyone a safe trip in their travels and us too when we go to San Antonio tomorrow.

John Is From Mars

2011-12-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

We went to Poth to buy cattle feed as soon as John got home from burning pear. He has hired the big renter boy to carry the propane tank behind him while he does the burning. So he can burn more and not get as tired. John's old dirty work truck key dings when he leaves it in the ignitation and turns the motor off so when he went into the feed store he threw the key up on the dash board. The key slid down between the dash and the windshield. John couldn't get it out even using several different things to stick down trying to pry the key out. No luck! Cold in the truck! Panic! This is where John is from Mars comes in. If I make a mistake I figure it's my baby, Take responsibility. Call someone, call the Ford company in next town and see if they can make a key and bring it. Pay the price and learn from it. Call a wrecker and let them haul the whole kit and kaboddle, truck loaded with feed home. Pay the price and learn from it. John doesn't like dollar signs when they are going out so he goes into the feed store and asks for help. I'll bet a dime to a donut he told them I threw the keys on the dash. A young man came out with him. By that time the key has fallen completely out of sight. Young man tries to figure it out and works with a long wire to no avail. They finally decide to go ahead and damage the strip along the dash but when he starts prying with tools the strip pops right off and he is able to retrive the key with no problem and the strip went right back on with no tell tale sign of removal. We thanked the man profusley. John should have given the man a tip but he didn't. John thinks he gives them enough business. Yes he does but the man may not be the owner or the son of the owner, he may just work for wages.

Why Don't You Just Take The Truck?

2011-12-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

We ran out to the ranch this afternoon to see if the propane man had been there. When I say I'm going to run somewhere John says why don't you just take the truck? As we turned onto our street I glanced toward the yard of the second house and I saw a large garbage can on it's side in the drive-way and an elderly ladies head behind it with an arm waving. John go back someone needs our help. Where? What? By the time I convinced him a young couple had stopped. John backed up and we got out with the couple to see the lady had slipped on the acorns in her drive as she was getting her garbage can in. One arm was under her and her hand was bleeding. We covered her with a jacket and the young lady called an ambulance and we comforted her as best we could. As the ambulance drove up I thought they were going to back into the drive so I stepped backward and tripped on a decorative light and fell backward onto my back. Miss Graceful, that's my name. Gave me a jolt but I'm okay. They teased me that the lady was going to get the first ambulance. The young man picked grassburrs out of my jacket. The lady was loaded into the ambulance and we left the job to the police.

Not Quite Normal Yet

2011-12-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Comapny is gone and the house is almost back in order but I came down with a full blown old fashioned head cold plus Arthiritis in my right arm and shoulder. It even hurts to drive but I gritted my teeth and ran some errands this morning. In all fairness I have to say company took us for a wonderful catfish lunch near New Braunfels, Texas at Clearsprings restaurant before they left. It was in a huge tall old barn like building with all kinds of collectables hanging everywhere and on the wall. The burning pear by himself almost did John in this morning. I still haven't been to the ranch and don't know when I will go again.

"The Butcher, The Baker"

2011-12-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

Has anyone read this book? It's about a serial killer who had a family and his wife was a teacher. I can't wait to find it and read it as our company worked with the killer in the 70's. He is serving time now. I can't remember the killer's name or the author's name. I don't seek out this type book but since our company told us some about him it will be interesting. I think this is the book another brother-in-law of John's said they are making a movie out of it and his son has a bit part in it so that will make it doubly interesting.

Zebras In The County

2011-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

To get away from TV and trips to Wal*Mart we went for a drive south of town on a country road. We saw something in the distance in a field all white. Everyone was guessing what they were and then we came upon the same thing near the fence where we could see and they were Snow Geese so the male counterpart of our company said. Farther down there was a field of Sand Hill Cranes all covering the ground. I was wondering why we never see these anywhere else and he said there is probably still some kind of left over grain and this is a good place to feed before they go whereever they go. The most amazing to me was a large pen with Zebras and Buffaloes. I know there are other buffaloes in our county but the Zebras here are new to me. John said some are crossed with donkeys but they looked like pure Zebras to me and why would they need to cross them. I know they cross the buffaloes with cattle to make a leaner meat. Then we swung by where our old perfume factory used to be and the oil field has taken it over for some of their business. Several years ago a perfume factory came in here thinking of getting cheap labor but I think they were stealing them blind until the business folded. It was the cheap stinky perfume like you might find in a dollar store. One of John's renters worked there at one time and gave him several bottles of it. It is still in the garage and me not wanting to waste anything uses it for air freshener around Susie's littler box. I often wonder if she likes it.

Just Checking In

2011-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't been to the ranch since before December 1st. Company is still here since their next destination called and cancelled their short visit with them. Humm! The male counterpart is helping John burn pear every morning. He carrys the propane tank while John burns the stickers off the cactus for the cattle to eat. No new calves they say. We've had a lot of drizzle and light rain so that has been good. The days are cloudy and I'm enjoying that compared to last summer. we have done a lot of driving around the country side with coughing and nose blowing all the way. Seems we've just passed it around among the four of us but I think everyone is feeling better now. Someone drove a tractor and four wheeler into John's sister's property and another property in the country breaking fences and gates down. we plan to take company to Seguin, Texas on Monday for a nephew to take them to the airport in Austin, Texas where they will fly to Georgia to spend Christmas with a daughter and then on back home to Alaska to face the snow. They said they had 32 inches in November. See ya later!

How Do I Know It's Christmas?

2011-12-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't know it's the Christmas season if it wasn't for the Chia Pets. I walked past them at Wal*Mart when I was there for other things. We thought company was leaving in a few days but now they are staying another week. We went to Marble Falls and to another falls yesterday. Today was busy with laundry so no Christmas cards sent, no gifts bought, no decorations but I'll look forward to the New Year.

Children's Cough Medicine Doesn't Make You Feel Younger

2011-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

No nice lady over at Salemslot I'm not feeling any younger but since taking the medicine on schedule I feel like my head is in one hand and my body is in the other. Actually the first night I couldn't read the directions with my glasses and the magnifying glass so I kind of overdosed thinking if a kid can take a certain amount and me weighing 160 could take more. I never was any good at math and I was thinking boy that could put those little brats to sleep. Anyway we headed south after lunch to check out Choke Canyon. I think the lady in the office said the lake is down 11 and a half feet. We saw lots of deer in the park and even a brave eight or ten point buck crossed in front of the car and didn't seem too afraid of us. Lots of buzzards and armadillos made it a nice drive. Lady company goes to bed with the chickens so that leaves me some computer time.

Old Man Winter Has Reared His Ugly Head

2011-12-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I said that after the summer we suffered. Of course our central heat went out but we are surviving with three electric heaters. We took our company to Medina Lake in the hill country to see how low the lake has become since the drought. It is very low and will probably take two rainy years to fill again. So many summer homes for sale there . Now would be the time to buy and wait for the rain. We were amazed at the amount of deer in people's front yard and in the middle of the day. We had a nice lunch in Castroville, Texas. I think we were all high on children's cough medicine last night and slept good. Took our bottles with us and had to take a slug every four hours except the male counterpart of the couple because he did the driving. I finally decided I can't keep my house clean and my toaster pointing the way I like it. I wonder if someone read my blog, the last roll is hanging over the way it should. Might as well just go along for the ride I guess.

Does Your Toilet Tissue Hang Over Or Under?

2011-12-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

Lately mine has been hanging under and that just ain't right. It seems everytime it needs changing the woman half of the guests in in the bathroom. She seems to spend a lot of time in there and has suggested to John he put an extra toilet in the laundry room. Please! I spend a lot of time in there doing laundry. we also have a running battle with the toaster. I like my toaster sitting north and south. Everytime she uses it she leaves it catty cornered or east and west. Yes I know it's a backward toaster but I got it free and it is shiny. They came here half sick and now I have whatever they have. Maybe that is why I'm so grouchy. Its hard to do even a little house work as she has her stuff scattered from one end of the house to the other. She eats weird things like Humus and boiled egg whites but they did bring me a can of Almond Roca so I guess I can stand it.

My Seat Has Been Taken

2011-12-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

My seat in the work truck that is. John's sister and brother-in-law are visiting from Alaska. Trying to soak up some sun and get away from the cold. They will be staying from fourteen to eighteen days and I'm exhausted already. The brother-in-law has taken my place to the ranch and buying feed or whatever. The sister has had surgery recently so I'm kind of the sitter for her. They tell me Pal had a beautiful black bull calf with a white tippy tale. John ran a rattlesnake out of it's den with the hot blazing pear burner and killed it with the heat. See ya when I can have time to read a blog here and there or write. I'm missing my friends here already.

Was This A Major Mistake, I Didn't Think So

2011-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

When you read blogs does one sometime trigger a memory that you can't stop thinking about? Last week I was reading one (I think it was Jack's) writing about post offices and postage and we know how important they are at Christmastime. Sending out cards used to be my favorite part of Christmas and I used to send out lots of them but no more. One year at church the preacher's wife told me she received my card but the postage was due on it and she had to pay it. I have a few times in my life received something from someone with postage due so I paid and thought nothing more of it. I sure wouln't have confronted the person who sent it. So the next Sunday I handed her the exact amount of postage which wasn't much back then and she took it without saying a word. If it had been several dollars I could understand but a few cents?

Now I've Become A Trash Digger

2011-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

Not for food thank goodness and I'm thankful. Picture John losing his cattle check. Can you see the hissie fit? I put the check on the table for him to put into the bank. Oh it won't stay there long. Put it in, take it out to buy feed for the cattle that didn't get sold. John never cleans paper work off the table but yesterday he did. We surmised thats where the cattle check went into the outside garbage can. He had looked everywhere else and I had looked some but actually I was more interested in reading your blogs. When his fit grew louder I went out side turned the garbage can on it's side. The large one on wheels and there is no way to reach inside without diving in head first. I do try to put the yucky stuff in plastic bags and tie it shut buuuut. So I get the broom and start pulling the garbage to the top and pulling out letters and papers and looking to see if any of it was said envelope containing a cattle check from the cattle auction. It was cold out side and John seemed to find something to do inside so I said the heck with this. I went straight to his room and what should appear to my angry eyes as an upside down white envelope on the night stand. Now back to the mess outside. Right the garbage can, replace all the trash, close the lid and start for the street. John comes out the back door to say I'll take that to the street and I let him with my eyes flashing fire. Boy did he take me out to breakfast this morning and not to the hospital cafeteria, to a real restaurant. I haven't decided if he is off the hook yet.

A Recipe For A Country Comedy

2011-11-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

Take one older women, two diretic pills, and one little muddy spot behind the water tank. Lets just say it painted a funny picture and as a good friend of mine used to say "it will all come out in the wash". We went out this afternoon to see if we could find Pal and The Looker who are both due to have a calf. Neither showed up this morning when John was out. We didn't find either but that doesn't necessarily mean they are in trouble or have even given birth yet. John did take five large calves to maket today. He is trying to weed his herd down for the expected dry winter.

Ants

2011-11-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

I've kind of gotten attached to the ant on the upper right of my header. Someone said it must have been on my camera. Maybe that was the year we had ants in the house really bad but I learned how to get rid of those suckers but it takes a while. Put little bottle caps of corn meal in little out of the way places. No poisen involved and if one gets knocked over it is easy to clean up. They carry it back to their den and I think when they eat it, it bloats them or something and they die. Anyway I got rid of all of them (except the one on my header) and they haven't been back. I have lots of clean bottle caps in my junk drawer just in case.

House Shopping

2011-11-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

Not for us, for Susie. This is an old picture. No grass this green around here right now. The picture looks odd because of the way her head is turned and her coloring. I guess our winter has arrived but it feels so good after our brutal summer. I got the idea to buy her a little house for cold days and nights but didn't find anything at Wal*Mart. I had let her into the garage before I left since she doesn't like for the wind to blow her hair. What woman does? When I came home John and I were discussing how we needed to put some fresh dirty socks of ours in her bed so she doesn't feel lonely. Fresh means different ones from last winter and dirty means ones we have worn. Not filthy but with our scent on them. We opened the garage door from the kitchen and she had solved the bed problem herself. Doesn't cats usually do that? We had moved a recliner into the garage after buying a rocker for the living room. She was all cozy on the seat and didn't even raise up to greet us.

Ya Win Some, Ya Lose Some

2011-11-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

John lost some this morning, $300 worth of propane to be exact. He let me off at the tank to feed the turtles while he went to burn pear (thorns off cactus for cows to eat). I noticed the smell of gas was quite strong within a few minutes. I thought it was strange I could smell it from that far but thought it was the weather. After feeding the turtles a few minutes I looked up and it looked like fog had settled over the water. Little did I know it was the propane. When I heard the truck coming my way so soon I knew something was wrong. When he tried to hook the pear burner up to the propane tank something went wrong and he couldn't get it shut off so he drove off and left it spewing like a volcano. John called the propane man and he was to meet us back there in an hour. We could see the gas spewing from the highway as we drove off. When we came back before an hour was up the propane man was just driving down the lane. He fixed the problem and refilled the propane tank. John was disgusted and out of the mood to burn pear so we're home and in front of the TV and computer. Old people should know when to hang up their hat and call it a day.

Cow Pals

2011-11-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Cow pals would be Ginger and Pal. You may remember they were bought at the same time from across the road neighbors so the two cows could see and smell each other from across the road. After John bought them at the same time they have stayed together ever since. Best of friends. Now they are both pregnant at the same time and I can almost hear their conversations about their coming births. The neighboring heifer is causing trouble. She is a fence crawler and comes and goes from the neighbor's to John's. Now she has started leading other calves astray by jumping the cattle guard or the fence and some of the calves have started following. That is a bad thing because they have started giving ranchers a warning when their calves get out on the road. Two times, two warnings and the third time is a charm (NOT) a heaping large fine. I hear by way of the news the wild hogs are taking to higher education now. They have moved into grounds at University Of Texas San Antonio and Palo Alto college. Yep as a commenter said seems they have plans to take over the world along with the cockroaches.

Tankin' Up

2011-11-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

We went out late this afternoon to feed the cattle. They were "tankin' up" on cover. Mama used to use that expression when someone was eating to excess on one thing. The picture is an older one, the clover is not that high and not that thick. That may be a good thing as when they eat too much clover or tank up on it they can bloat and if something isn't done they can die. I was surprised when John told me he sticks a pin in them to let the air out. I thought he was kidding me. It doesn't seem to hurt them and it could save their life. Oh and that is not clover in the picture either but it is some of John's cattle. The one in the center with the long horns is part Watusi. He no longer has it.

Are Wild Hogs Into History Now?

2011-11-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

I lived near this San Antonio mission and one other when I lived in San Antonio. There are three others more on the outskirts but still in the city limits. Now we hear on the news the wild hogs have moved in to one of the missions. Well not in to but into the yard and doing enough damage that they are trapping them. When I hear they are window shopping in downtown San Antonio I'm heading for the hills.

Handiwork Of A South Texas Couple

2011-11-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

Where else but south Texas would you see the pretty and the ugly in the same picture? The roses are mine and the deer blind is my deceased husband's. I know it resembles an outhouse but note the narrow windows all around better to site in a deer from any direction. No he didn't hunt in the city. He built it at home and hauled it to his Grandma's ranch west of San Antonio.

Withdrawals and Pecans

2011-11-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

I've been without internet for hours which seems like days. Seems a storm knocked out the broadband and a man had to drive from Lubbock. Texas to climb the tower. Oh well I did make myself useful when I wasn't checking to see if I could get on. When cleaning the room behind the garage I found a bucket of pecans pushed to the back and forgotten about. I think they were not very good when someone gave them us so thats why they were forgotten. I had a good idea (I thought it was) to take them to the ranch and fill one of the holes in the lane. When we drive over them they would make perfect fill. John had other ideas of course. He decided we would each take half a bucket and spread them along the dry creek bed and see if any would come up. I don't see how they could grow when they are dry and dead inside but I humored him. I walked one direction and he walked the other spreading them out. It was good exercise and I found a lovely place for a picnic. We did have a pecan tree come up at one of our rent properties that we didn't plant so we figured a squirrel planted it. My inlaws had pecan trees tall like you would see on a river bottom and back in the day they harvested enough to pay all their taxes which I'm sure wouldn't be so now. A good friend and neighbor had very tall pecan trees also and she detested the squirrels stealing them. She set a trap and caught as many as she could then she would put them in the trunk of her car and haul them to the cemetary and release them. My inlaws are buried at this same cemetary so when I go there and see squirrels playing I think they must surely be ancestors of the ones Holly, my neighbor released. Can you tell pecans are my favorite nut?

A Solid Place To Chew The Fat Is Important

2011-11-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Since I exposed my country self in the last entry I decided to write about what we did have growing up. Our Daddy didn't think an indoor bathroom or hot running water was that important. After all we did have a wash tub to bathe in and a cook stove to heat water on. More work, yes but that wasn't important either. What was important was a roof that didn't leak and a good solid porch to chew the fat on (sit and talk to neighbors). Plenty of good food to invite any one who happened to stop by to stay for supper. We always had clothes that were in style because our Mama was a good seamstress. She could look at something and make it without a pattern. Our house needed painting as long as I can remember but that wasn't inportant either. I know it sounds odd to go out the front door dressed in style and go out the back door to use an outhouse but that was the way it was at our house growing up.

The Necessary House/ Picture Borrowed From The Internet/Poem by Pauline Lieck

2011-11-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

I'm admitting just how country I am when I post this entry. We still had an out house when I was a senior in high school. I didn't feel deprived then and I don't feel deprived now as I appreciate my house with not one but two real bathrooms.

For Jack and Sherry who discoved necessary rooms.

There was a little house a way out back, a good coat of paint it usually did lack.

The half moon window let in a little light, to us oldtimers memories are quite a sight.

Some were one hole Johnnys, some two or more, some you had to be careful not to fall through the floor.

A black widow spider usually made this her home, many daddy longlegs springing on their legs to roam.

All the old catalogs were stacked to the side, plenty of time to look and wish while time you did abide.

The catalogs had another use which we won't mention here. Memories of this little house is quite clear.

It didn't smell like a flower or even like a rose, because we didn't have canned air freshener, I suppose.

This was a good experience, to appreciate more our warm bathrooms with a good floor and door.

It was a necessary house, we like to reminisce, but our shiny modern bathrooms are just pure bliss.

On The Road Again

2011-11-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

We decided to hit the road again and go back to one of the lonely peaceful country cemetaries we walked through before. John wanted to get some dates off an uncle's tombstone. We had found the graves of two people buried there that John knew but didn't know were buried at this cemetary. Since we were there they have put up a flag pole by the marker giving the name and who donated the land. The name is Starr and there are a lot of them buried there. There is still lots of room but no instructions how to contact someone if you wanted to use a plot. We are thinking they don't especially want people other then locals. The wind was blowing and the flag looked especially beautiful. I'm thinking it was raised for yesterday's holiday. There was another addition that made us laugh. Someone has put a very old out house at the back of the property. I'm talking very old. The door is off and there is no roof but it does face the brush. Of course I had to take time from reading tombstones to walk over and look inside. It has a nice comode seat over the hole. No, I didn't use it. You have to understand these old cemetaries are out in the boonies so when they have a funeral someone may be desperate enough to use one. We stayed there about an hour and not one vehicle passed the cemetary while we were there. Just wind and birds and quiet.

What Is It With These Young Mothers?

2011-11-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

We came home from Wal*Mart after dark and who had moved into our garage bag and baggage? Oreo,Daisy's baby, and no Daisy in sight. Where is she? Out getting pregnant again? How could this happen? I swore after Susie is gone I won't have anymore pets. Less expense, no responsibility. This is the same way we fell heir to Susie. Her wayward mother left her and two brothers here. The brothers went out tom catting around and didn't come home so I took responsibility and gave Susie a name and had her spayed. You say do the same for Daisy and her baby. Well they really are the neighbor's cats but they just won't go home. I always said "A Home Is Not A Home Without A Cat". Or two or three?

Just One Little Oreo Cookie

2011-11-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

The cat I wrote about that comes to our back door to eat and we named her Daisy finally showed her offspring. She only had one little black and white kitten. It's big enough to follow her everywhere now but can't figure out how it's Mama jumps up on the birdbath to drink. I think Daisy is going from door to door to get hand outs because she is fat. She kind of turns her nose up at dry cat food at our back door where she used to be glad to get it. I hope they don't get run-over by a car as they are crossing the street often. Little Oreo even got so brave today it crossed alone with Mama watching. Daisy is a very tame and loving cat but baby Oreo is as wild as a March Hare, however wild that is.

Just Short Of A Fence Fixin'

2011-11-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

While checking the cattle this morning we heard sirens and could see some of the emergency vehicles on the Farm to Market road that runs along side the ranch. We just thought they were going to a wreck the other side of town. When we came out of the lane and onto the paved road we could see red lights flashing near the fence to the west toward town. So we turned that way to check it out. There was only a highway Patrol car there beside a big red car on it's side very near the fence. It just missed the fence and some work for John. Someone must have fallen to sleep on their way to work or texting. Guess they had already been taken to the hospital. Hope they are okay and glad the fence wasn't broken. It was a little cold this morning so I knew the turtles wouldn't want to come out but yesterday there were about five little ones and they were sooo cute. Not as little as I would like to see but young. The Looker hasn't had her calf yet. John must have miscalculated. He thinks it will be December now. We had a a shower here in town yesterday but none at the ranch. However the little bit of grass is still green as we haven't had a frost yet.

Be Very Suspcious Of Ribs With No Bone

2011-11-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

No wonder they slather all that tangy barbeque sauce on those rib sandwiches. Could it be to cover up the taste of what is really in there? Top it off with soda with gasoline in it and you have a top notch meal. What is safe to eat anymore?

Cage Those Tires

2011-11-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

This was the subject at our little country historical church this morning more so then the usual subjects of church. You can imagine the picture in my head. I've never heard of a double rimmed wheel but I now know the damage it can cause a person when they try to put air in the tire on one. One of our deacons walked in with a purple chin and his two hands bandaged up like boxing gloves and tales of a trip to ER with a night's stay in the hospital plus other injuries under his clothes. He said he was just plain stupid and knew better. They say you should tie the wheel down or put it in a cage while airing up a tire on this type wheel. I've heard of putting animals in cages, but tires? You can tell I have a mechanical mind. I'll stick to the baby wipes.

A Tip From The lady Of The House

2011-11-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

Baby wipes are the greatest things since sliced bread. As a lady who has to take direutics and then leave for the ranch I always have baby wipes in my purse. I figure if they are good for babies behinds well. Do have to watch my balance behind the grain tank and near a cactus plant. Oh got side tracked. My tip is carry those baby wipes with you at all times. You never know when you will be in a drive-thru line at the gas station, bank, or fast food place. If the line is long you can clean your entire vehicle inside while you wait with non other then a baby wipe. They are especially good for steering wheel covers. You may not need that where you live but in south Texas if your car sits in a parking lot for a while the steering wheel gets sooo hot you can hardly drive. The steering wheel cover helps tremendously but it gets a sticky feel even if you don't eat in your car. A baby wipe can clean that right off.

Don't Judge Me Wrong

2011-11-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Wanna smoke and drink and stay out late.
Pick up a cute gal and go on a date.

Dad says no, he must remember when, now he thinks these things are a terrible sin.

Wanna feel the foot feed beneath my boot, collect some guns and learn to shoot.

Wear baggy clothes and let my hair grow long. I'm just kidding before you judge me wrong.

I'm a straight A student, don't miss a day. I have a parttime job to help earn my pay.

I don't smoke or drink or stay out late, someday I hope to meet a christian mate.

First there is college, earn my degree, the first few lines are a joke you see.

I intend to be a success, I will try so hard, knowing I will make it with the help of my Lord.

Pauline Lieck

The Big Round Table

2011-11-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

John was watching The Waltons a while ago and they were all eating around their table. John said that looks like us when I was growing up except we had a big round table. Then I told him about the big round table Mel's grandmother had and how we all fit around it when we went hunting at her ranch west of San Antonio which is now in the city. Everyone took something and Grandma cooked it on the old wood stove. After everyone came in from hunting we gathered around the big round table and there was room for everyone then the women washed the dishes and we all headed for San Antonio and our respective homes. Now that I'm older I wonder if she was glad to see us go or if it was lonely for her. Probably a little of both. We did do things for her during the year though. We hauled wood for her wood stoves or the men worked on her windmill when needed.

Country Tour

2011-10-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

John and I have been out and about the last few days with some of John's relatives. Friday night we went out to the boonies to see a relative's camp house. This house came from behind John's foot doctor's office. An old house advertised in the paper for free if someone could move it in a few days. The young couple having remodeled old houses before latched on to it and when they really latched on to it the floor fell out but they had it moved onto their ranch land anyway. It's all decorated in southwestern furniture and southwestern colors and a pretty wood floor. They plan to put a porch around three sides. It's in a spot to see the sunset and sunrise. Pure peace. Yesterday Saturday we went near a town east of us to see an old farm house owned by another family member. We could tell the house had not been a common old farm house it is's day. Bay windows in two rooms and windows all across the living room. Three bathrooms (outstanding for a farmhouse around here in that day), tall trees and a pond with fish. The last man who lived there (a renter) was a hoarder. I won't go into what he had because they had already cleaned a lot out. They had rented the largest dumpster they could and several people worked several days. Now they can use it for a camp house (very big camp house) cook and sleep and hunt. The next house we saw is modern country design and relatives live there. Main house only has two bedrooms but there is a long walk way leading to the guest house and the entire abode is covered with a shiny tin roof. As we drove up the narrow drive in the trees there were country signs welcoming us. Even the deer welcomed us (well almost). When we got to the yard there was a little fenced in place with a sign that read COMPOST HAPPENS. We could see the swimming pool from the dining room windows and watch squirrels at play. writing can't describe the three houses but we had a wonderful time touring.

If The Garbage Can Is On Fire Move It Outside.

2011-10-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Supper at the hospital cafeteria started out quiet but ended up with some excitement. One of the ladies who works there was eating with two grandchildren and a man who works there was having supper with his big family, a security guard, and us. I saw the lady go over and sniff the garbage can. She said there is a fire in there and she ran to the fire alarm and set it off. Doors started slamming, the workers running out with fire extingishers and then the man who works there ( a tech who gives tests) calmly walked over to the garbage can and said why don't you just take the thing out side? There is a door a few steps from the garbage can that goes out to a pretty courtyard with table to eat outside and flowers and shrubs. No it wasn't a cigarette. There is no smoking even by the building. Turns out someone cooked something in the microwve and then put it in the trash can. Guess it got too close to some paper. We think it was the security guard who used the microwave last but we won't tell. Poor guy, bet he felt stupid. Before we came home we walked down the hall to check out the pumpkin contest. Most departments decorated one to correspond with their department. They really had some cute ideas from poop to blood to everything you would see and they would deal with at a hospital.

The Rock

2011-10-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

This rock was located in front of the old school that I wrote about in my last entry. It now sits in front of the new namesake school donated by a former student, Bob Roberts. I read somewhere that children used to sit on it to eat their lunch. I wonder what they took for lunch back then. Edmund Lieck Elementary School was designed to accomodate 800 students. The most up-to-date technology has been installed including 200 desktop computers, 80netbook computers, 60 laptop computers, 81 printers and many more technical advantages too numerous to mention. I guess what I'm trying to say is wouldn't Edmund Lieck be in awe?

Edmund Lieck Elementary School

2011-10-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is my deceased husband's greatgrandfather. They have just named a new elementary school after him in northwest San Antonio. He was a true educational pioneer who helped establish the roots of that school district before the district was created. He was born in Heinsberg, Germany in 1845. His family immigrated to the United States when he was still a child. He and two younger brothers served in the Texas Calvary during the Civil War. He and his wife purchased ranch land west of San Antonio. Lieck and his neighbors built a one-room school on the ranch property. The school contained 25 homemade desks and a black potbelly stove. Lanterns were used to light the inside of the school and the library had five books. Lieck was the first teacher. He welcomed all children regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. The school also was a gathering place and functioned as a dance hall on Saturday nights, a Church on Sunday mornings. and a voting site on election day. It's been more then a century since Edmund Lieck and his neighbor's built the school but his legacy continues to thrive in his namesake school.

Burning Pear

2011-10-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

John is threatening to burn pear for his cattle again. We all tell him the work is too hard and hot and he can't do it any longer but he is determined. Burning pear is burning the stickers off cactus for the cattle to have something green to eat after the frost comes and there is no longer any green grass. Cows love it and learn the loud sound of the pear burner. See the tank sitting on the ground? It has propane in it with a long pipe attached which you light with fire and then you can adjust the flame to go stronger or lighter. He usually carries the tank on his back by a strap and has to put a piece of carpet between the tank and his body because the tank gets very cold and could burn your body. He is going to try to get his son to help him move the large propane tank to the ranch to be ready for about December. He will probably burn two tanks a day and transfers the propane from the large tank to the small one each time. It can be a dangerous job if it is dry but they cannot stop people from feeding their cattle and making their livlyhood like they can ban burning trash. One year I went with him each morning and we got up before daylight to beat the sun. My job was to let him off on one side of the cactus patch and then drive around to pick him up on the other side so he could get rid of the heavy tank into the truck. It is kind of a beautiful sight when it is still dark and all the little stickers are lit up. Kind of reminds you of Christmas. I probably won't be going with him much this time as a few years ago I had an abnormal chest exray and was sent to a Pulmonary doctor. He told me not to inhale that smoke anymore and that John shouldn't either. He won't pass up that free food (cactus) for his cattle other then the cost of the propane of course. He says he may hire the grown renter kid to carry the tank so that would help. Another thing they have to be careful of is rattlesnakes as they often make their home in cactus plants but if you see them in time the pear burner is a good weapon to burn them in their tracks.

A Doggie Brigade

2011-10-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Guess who we met as we drove into the trap near the cow pens? The three grown renter kids walking six little doggies on leashes. Guess all six are living inside the house. Wow I would be afraid I would step on them. They also had a large turkey in the back yard. John said maybe it is their Thanksgiving dinner. The rest of the yard was clear. After putting the feed in the tubs we rode around some and spotted one busy roadrunner and one dryland turtle. I stuck my head out the window and ask it if it is kin to Toby. John ask what did it say? It said yes Toby is a distant relative. It is permissable to be silly when you're old. It got fairly hot here today and really was A/C weather again.

Baby Blue Dragonflies & Clean Turtle Shells

2011-10-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

The sun is actually not bearing down to where we can go to the ranch after lunch and not melt. Not that much to do. John let me off at the stock tank while he went to fill the house water. The turtles were ready to eat and even some of them climbed the sides to get to me. Yeah right it was the bread they knew I had in my hand. The water is still up so I can't get down near the water like usual so I stood on top and they tried to come to me. Some of them could make it and some had to wait for me to pitch the bread into the water. Their shells are free of the ugly muck so they are pretty, at least for now. The mesquitoes are bad and there were lots of dragonflies over the edge of the water. The dragonflies are pretty too. They are baby blue in color and I've never seen that. I don't know if they are that color this time of year or if they are a certain kind but they sure were pretty. There was a few mud hens on the other side of the water but other then them everything was quiet. I put out some lettuce where I've seen the rabbit. Not much chance of it finding it as it covers a lot of area in it's travels looking for food. Even the renters were quiet and we can't figure them out. They have cleared out the whole back yard. No geese, chickens, cats, little dogs, turkeys. Before the yard was always full of animals.

What? That Was An Earthquake?

2011-10-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

When I was still in bed this morning stretched out on my back I felt what seemed like when a fat cat jumps on the foot of my bed. Susie is an outside cat. Surely she didn't run in when John opened the door. Susie doesn't do things like that. I raised up to look at the foot of my bed to see what was there. Nothing, nil, zero. So I looked down beside the bed and there was nothing there. What was that? Not my imagination? After a while I got up and went to the living room where John was watching TV. There has been an earthquake he said so we sat and watched the news people saying how their phones had lit up and they started interviewing people. Some didn't feel a thing, some said furniture moved. Some blamed the oil drilling but a supposedly expert says that is not to blame.Oh well I got four phone calls out of it. Both my daughters called, an old friend from Widowed Person's Sevices, and a tenant that I was landlady to back in the 70's. I guess they were all imagining me down in a deep crack with my voice echoing "help". So it was nice a few did care but it didn't actually happen here it was closer to where we go buy the cattle feed. It was an exciting morning to say the least.

The Things You Hear Senior Citzens Say

2011-10-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Recently John and I were sitting in a waiting area with other senior citizens waiting for the discount hour at a steak buffet. A couple came in and sat next to us. We thought there were married, they looked married. Then the man told us he lives on the north side and she lives there on the south side and they go to the steak buffet almost evryday. Then the lady got up to go get their favorite table while he waited for time to pay. In talking to John he misunderstood something John said and thought he said something about married. He said I wish I was married, She keeps forgetting to call the Priest. Duh! I'm thinking man don't you think if she really wanted to get married she would remember to call the Priest. In the meantime think of how many free steak buffets she is getting without having to clean up after you.

Lookin' For "The Looker"

2011-10-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

We went lookin' for the looker this morning. Remember she is the cow that never takes her eyes off us and never gets too close and never turns her back to us. I would say she doesn't trust us, wouldn't you? She is due to have the first calf she has had since John brought her to the ranch so he likes to kind of watch out and see if they and the calf come out okay. We finally found her on the east property and no baby yet. It was cool enough for a light jacket this morning and it felt sooo good. All the animals were huddling I guess because we didn't see anything but lots of Meadowlarks busy as little bees. The cows are not overly fat but they are surviving and do have short green grass so they don't pay a lot of attention to us. John is still giving them some supplement feed about every three days. Just heard on the police scanner there has just been another oifield explosion out near John's hometown. Gosh I guess that goes with an oil boom but I wasn't expecting that many (three) that quick. Hope no one is hurt.

I Knew There Was A Reason We Missed Church

2011-10-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

We love our little country historical church and hardly ever miss but today they were having a big ta-do where the church will be full for the once a year Decendant's Day opposed to eight to fifteen people. Sooo we went to the ranch to move the water. Yes even though it rained John is running water on the ground squeezing as much green grass out as he can before the first frost. Moving the water around was all he had to do so we went riding over the ranch to see what we could see. Picture the roads small and narrow and we're on the east property. Stop John there's a snake, it's a Blue Indigo. Stretched out on bare ground. He stopped the truck and we got out and the snake didn't move. Is it dead or in a trance I ask? It's alive and watching for some breakfast. Duh! I think of my camera on the seat of the truck and as I started running back I startled the snake and it slithered toward a cactus plant never to be seen again. Probably went into the first rat hole it came to and a rat was probably what is was waiting for as they like to live in holes in the fence line where cactus grows. The Blue Indigo is so dark blue it looks black to me and it's one solid color. He/she was a big one too. This is the second one we have seen lately and for years we only saw the one by the cow pens swallowing a rattlesnake head first. Blue Indigo good snake to have around and had we gone to church we would have missed seeing him/her.

Oh How Independent They Can Be

2011-10-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

The cattle are not meeting us in the mornings any longer. They are out grazing, there is water in the dry creek bed. They will find the feed in all the tubs later. we finidshed and headed for home at about ten this morning and the surveyers hadn't arrived at work yet and they said they would finish today. Cushy job? Maybe not, maybe they had to work somewhere else in the morning and are there now doing their thing. When we came home Susie had squeezed out the little space in the sliding door and came out into the carport to soak up some sun. She looks so much better but does walk with a little bit of limp on one back leg. Probably the leg the dog was pulling her by. We make it a point to check the house where the dogs live. There is only one dog in a chain link fenced yard and tied too. I hope that was just a one time thing that the dogs got out.

Who Would Find Little Sticks With Red Flags Exciting?

2011-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Us of course. The gas company doesn't give much warning. When they are ready to survey, they are ready to survey. The survey company for the gas pipe line that is going across the three ranch properties called John right after lunch and they were a mile past the ranch in his little hometown and they were ready to survey. The landowners turned it all over to John to let them in and show them where all the gates are and how to get in. They even left a message on my phone and then called John's number so he rushed out. He found out the pipeline will be going from Houston to Midland, Texas and will be 16 inches in diameter. Late this afternoon we drove around looking at all the stakes with the red ribbon to see how the pipe will go. So far they have surveyed the west property and tomorrow they will do the middle and the east. This crew wouldn't commit much to info. about the care of the cattle. They said he will have to talk to the construction crew about all that but they will put up some kind of barracade around the trenches and they probably won't start until about February, 2012 So that was our excitement today. Susie is still doing well but not coming out of the shed. She moves from the shelf to behind a tire on the floor. Comes out to eat or drink a little milk. No sign of the dogs but we're watching.

Two Rabbits In One Day

2011-10-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm having so much hope that the wild animals haven't all disappeared from south Texas. I'm sure they're thick other places on large ranches but we just don't see the animals we used to see here. John blames it on the wild hogs and there are those people who shoot anything that moves just to be shooting. I drug John for a ride to a country cemetary late this afternoon. As I was walking to a back corner to check out a family plot that someone had fixed up like a garden with a birdbath (no water), a nice oak tree which was getting a good start because there was a hose there where someone is giving it plenty of water in this drought. There was a pretty white archway with wind chime hanging in the middle and flowers planted. On close inspection of the tombstone the wife had died and the husband hasn't yet. He must have loved her very much to go to so much trouble, but back to the subject. Something jumped out from behind a tree and it was a large jackrabbit. Boy! I had forgotten how big those guys are. It ran a ways and stopped and listened while I talked to it. As soon as I moved on it ran away. This morning we saw one of the cottontails. So with them, the dry land turtle and the horned toad I have seen recently I'm having hope. As for the comments about the dog catcher if we catch the dogs out we will call again. We do know where they live and there is only one in the yard so we think the dogcatcher may have taken one in. i closed the sliding door to a point that a big dog couldn't get in but Susie can get some air. She can hide in that room. It is kind of dark in there even with the light on and she is dark in color so she can hide and she does hide in different places and won't answer me unless it is meal time then she will come out to eat her soft food. You may think we were mean to not take her to the vet and we did talk it over but knowing her being so old and getting so upset over strange people and places, we decided it was best to leave her in quiet and peace and take care of her the best we can.

Mad As A Hornet

2011-10-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

What good is a city ordinance if they don't inforce it? Coming from the ranch early this morning when we got to our neighborhood who should we meet prancing down the street with not one, not two, but three puppies trailing behind? One of the big dogs that attacked Susie yesterday. John called the city. Oh they were familiar with his name and they remembered. I sat on the porch and waited. The dog catcher never came. I think he picked up the male dog yesterday because it was no where in sight. The female was just as vicious. Susie is still improving. She is eating her soft food and can get up and down out of the shef but doen't come out of the shed. We have her because someone didn't take responsibility for their cats years ago. A mama cat left a litter in the carport and never came back for them. The three males dissappeared one by one so I took Susie and had her spayed and she has been with us ever since. Taking her to be spayed was no easy feat as she was wild and afraid of her shadow. She has remained on the wild side. Even I can not pick her up. If everything is very quiet and calm she will get in my lap when I am sitting on the porch. Any sudden noise or movement unsettles her. She would never have anything to do with anyone other then us but just recently my daughter and John's daughter both told me they petted her on the porch. This episode will set her back.

Life Ain't Always Fair Even For Animals

2011-10-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

She stays on her own property, on her own porch, or her own tree, or yard. She doesn't climb on screens. She doesn't meow needlessly. For a cat she is almost perfect after coming from a broken home and a runnaway mother. Yesterday we were on our way to pay one of the lease payments. John stepped out the door ahead of me and just in time. Two big light colored dogs meant to kill. They were on our porch and had already broke her cute little turtle dish and one was dragging her by the leg and the other had his mouth around her middle. John yelled and they turned her loose and ran down the street. John called the police where the dog catcher is headquartered from. They came right out but the dogs were no where to be seen. She is here in our little kitty hospital recuperating on a shelf where she feels safe that nothing can reach her. She was able to get up there by herself so I think she is just sore and still scared. I'm checking on her several times a day and giving her all soft food which is the kind she likes. A trama like that is hard on an old person so it must be on a cat. Feel better Susie!

2011-10-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

I was in the bathfoom last night when the wind was whistling. A tornado crossed my mind and I looked over at the bathtub with thought of taking my pillow and crawling in. The rain was beautiful here and at the ranch. With the little one and this one we got four inches at the ranch. The cows are already ignoring us. They are such fickle girls. The stock tank has plenty of water and the grass looks to be growing already. We had a hard rain about three in the morning and then a slow rain to soak in the rest of the night and into the morning. we're so thankful. Hope others who need it so bad got theirs too.

Fixin' That Boss Cow

2011-10-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

I wonder what she will think now. She can't hog the feed and the second boss can't either. On the way to the ranch we stopped at John's daughters and picked up about six or eight empty mineral tubs. John scattered them all around the cow yard plus three bath tubs already there. Now one cow can't stand there and hog the feed and chase the others away because they are too far apart for her to control. John really wants to cut her horns but its been too hot. that would take some of the starch out of her. I do hate to see him cut the pretty horns as it gives them their personality and looks. John doesn't care about personality and looks, he wants babies to sell. lol It must have rained right ahead of us at the ranch as it was cool and fresh and little mud puddles everywhere. The rain gauge mesaured a quarter inch. The tank dam was even a little slippery and we spun a little. When we got to the east property we scared up a small herd of deer. They were moving on as if they know deer season is right around the corner. They needn't fear us. We don't hunt anything except with our eyes to admire.

Which Season?

2011-10-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in October, 1993 when it snowed in San Antonio. It didn't stick that year but it was unusual to get snow that early in south Texas when we rarely get it and certainly not that early. It's October now and not about to snow. More like summer but they are predicting rain for Sunday. Fingers crossed X.
Which Season? Pauline Lieck
Winter came in with whistles and howls. Pecans and leaves fell side by side like pals.
Snowflakes whirling, what a surprise, gaining momentum as they doubled in size.
Later the sun came on out as usual, a dreary day was Mother Nature's refusal.
It's beautiful out there on this October day, if it holds true to fashion the wind will lay.
Soon it will go back to our normal weather, the breeze will blow low and soft as a feather.
The sun will beat down, no snowflakes in range,but just wait a minute our weather will change.

Are Nerve Pills For The Cattle Next?

2011-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

John just got word from one of the landlords at the ranch that a gas pipeline will be run across two of the ranch properties. The east part and the back of the middle part. Wow how is this going to affect the cattle? They are getting used to all the oilfield traffic. We met about twenty very large frac trucks this moning. They probably fracked a well last night or maybe more then one with the amount of trucks and were on their way in. We knew there was an gas line going through but had no idea it was going to cross the ranch. Where it is coming from and where it is going we don't know yet but it will be interesting how it affects everything. I'm sure they have it down to a science and will do as little damage as possible. It has just been an unusual year for this area with the drought, the oil boom, and now the gas line. Poor little cows have less and less peace.

Cow Moving Day

2011-10-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yep cows can move too. Part of John's cows were at his daughter's and part at the ranch. There is nothing on the ground at her place and the tank is going dry so John moved his cows from her place to the ranch to join his other cows. Didn't take a moving van, just a truck, trailer, and a cowboy on a horse. We went back out this afternoon to see if the moved cows had located or settled in. They seem happy with the green grass where John is running water. When we are sitting in the truck watching them we imagine what the cows are saying or thinking. Gets kind of funny sometime. When we drove on the tank dam we scared a bunch of big black buzzards that were gathered on the ground. Sometime that means something has died so we parked and went to search. We didn't find anything so John surmised they were just there to get a good drink of water. When we went to the back forty we scared up another bunch of buzzards. This was really a day for buzzards. We drove slowly along the bankers deer proof fence and found a dead coyote had tried to cross the deer proof fence and got caught on the fence and died there. The buzzards were ready to make a meal of it until we scared them. I'm sure they came back as soon as we drove off but that is the way nature takes care of itself. John has 40 cows on the ranch now, one big bull, and one young bull coming along. I don't know how many calves are there but it is a bunch of them. This is the smallest herd he has had in a long time but if he can get them through this drought he can always build his herd back up if he wants. It probably is enough to care for at his age anyway. This is an old picture of buzzards on the fence when it was greener pastures.

The Cat Lady

2011-10-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Jean over at "The Boyetts" wrote about her dream in her blog and made me think of the dream I had a couple of nights ago about the cat lady as I call her. The cat lady is a cat lady who covers my up-right vacuum. You've probably seen them in the popular little catalogs. she has on a long dress, has bead eyes and whiskers. Her hands are holding a whole fish scale. I use her since I'm limited on space so she is next to my bed covering my vacuum. I can turn her face different ways and sometime as I'm making the bed her head gets turned to the side and it looks like she is staring across the hall and into the bathroom. The last time John's sister and brother-in-law visited John's sister told me her husband didn't like my cat lady. When they left I noticed he had turned her head to face the wall. This is not the dream this was for real. I like my cat lady, she serves her purpose well.

Wild Hog Population in South Texas

2011-09-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

Most of the wild hogs we have trapped are larger and black so this one was kind of different. I was just reading an article in our paper yesterday about these bad guys who have tried to take over our land. They are destructive to land, animals, crops and anything that gets in their way. They have no natural predators so they go on and on and reproduce at a fast rate. Texas is home to nearly 2.6 million feral hogs and the largest feral hog population in the U.S.

Added Insult To The Misery

2011-09-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

As if it isn't hot enough and dry enough someone had to drive into a telephone pole down by the post office and knocked out our electricity for seven hours. Do you know what it's like without air in south Texas in summer? Yes we still have summer and no rain. However a big wind storm blew up last night and tore our back storm door off. John has a habit of not closing it good. His house is flat on the ground so now any varmit or bug can gome in if he leaves the big door open. We have had two oilfield explosions in one week last week. Guess accidents go with an oil boom but sad two men were burned in one of them and a lot of big trucks were destroyed in the other. No Jack I wasn't on the cruise but I did spend a lot of time on my new mat but I'm feeling better now. There is just not much to write about without repeating how hot and dry it is here. The cows are holding their own with John going out often with feed and keeping the water going. I'm sad we are not seeing the cottontail rabbits and quail. I had hoped they were being replentished but somthing else must have needed lunch.

Happy Diez Y Seis

2011-09-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

No I'm not Mexican but in south Texas you get to know about the Mexican culture so today we ate tamales at little tables with small sombreros in the center for center pieces. When I was growing up we used to go to the Cinco De Mayo and Diez Y Seis celebrations to watch the festivities from the back ground. Watch the dancing and admire the bright costumes. Spin the wheel to try to win a prize and eat a taco and drink a Big Red. The 50's were the days.

It's A Mud Puddle

2011-09-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

As we neared the ranch we saw that it had showered. Not a hard rain or soaking rain like we need but wet is wet. At the gate there was actually a mud puddle. It felt so fresh with the windows down driving through where the hungry cows were waiting. The boss cow followed us everywhere trying to take the food away from the poorer cows. She is a big black with a white face and big horns. Then there is a second boss. Who would have thought cows have a pecking order? We haven't seen the quail in a few days. I'm hoping the renter's cats haven't had them for lunch. I intended to take some extra lettuce and put it into the pens where I see the little cotton tail but I forgot it so next time hopefully. We have a slim chance for rain for several days. It won't cure the problem but we're thankful for any amount in this stage of the game. One of the Jersey's has a new baby and it is sooo tiny. All the new calves are black so there is no need to name them as I can't tell them apart as they grow.

The Whiff Of Cow Poop Fills The Air

2011-09-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

At least it isn't smoke today. I took John up the street to the cattle auction to collect his check from selling several large calves. He made two trips and two telephone calls and he went to bed without his check. we heard there was the largest amount of tucks, trailers, pick-ups and anything they could haul a cow or a bunch in. People are having to sell out. The drought is past serious. The stock tank where John's daughter lives is the lowest it has been since John has leased the ranch. So far the well is holding up to fill the stock tank at the ranch where the renters live and provide enough water for the renters. Cows drink a lot of water. John has moved a large trough near the water for the house and fills it every other day. The cows are enjoying the fresher water. If they would use their head and not poop and pee in the tank when they stand in there. Cows can be dumb in someways but when it comes to taking care of their babies they are smart. So far John is hanging in there but he talks everyday about maybe having to sell. Its a hard decision to make as sometime just when you sell the rains come and it cost more to replace. We have a chance for some showers next week but showers won't cut it at this stage in the game although we will be thankful for anything we get.

I Saw It!

2011-09-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

I saw the pear ball. Yuck! John wanted me to touch it to see how hard it was and it is old and maybe already shrunk some. It would have been interesting to see the inside and how the cow's food had wrapped around. I refrained as I have a low immune system due to low blood platelets. Mine were at last blood work 70,000 when they should be between 150,000 and 400,000. Last summer they were down to 41,000 so I try not to touch nasty things like pear balls and use lots of hand sanitiser. We saw another kind of unusual thing today. A squirrel in the pasture. We never see squirrels on this place. I'm sure it was hard pressed to find a mesquite bean or acorn left. The quail have moved up near the farm house and I don't think they hatched any little ones thise year. Also saw one of the cute little cotton tails. It was by the pens. I watched it watch John getting feed out of the grain tank. I'm sure it has figured out there is good stuff in there and scoops up any that John or the cows drop. When we left the ranch at ten it was already heating up. Haven't heard the news today if there are any wild fires. Almost everyday there are one or two new ones.

Pear Ball?

2011-09-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've heard of Hardware disease in cattle from them swallowing something along the line of hardware. As in a rusty nail being caught in a bale of hay and a cow accidently swallows it while eating hay but a pear ball? When John was looking for a baby calf he came upon some cow bones and there was a pear ball with the bones. I hope to see it tomorrow and take a picture of it. John said they sometime happen to swallow a whole cactus pear without chewing it up and digesting it. Food keeps wraping around it and it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Then the cow feels full and doesn't eat and gets weak and dies. Today we met the renter girls walking their birds and stopped to talk to them and admire their birds. They do have dogs but they walk their birds with them riding on their finger or shoulder. I don't know what kind they are. Not a parakeet and not a parrot but somewhere in between. They walk in the hot part of the day for exercise which they need. They carry a mist bottle and squirt the birds when they get hot. They say the birds let them know when its time to mist by hollering what sounds like "hot". They have their wings clipped and are very tame so they don't fly away.

Matts

2011-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Have you priced a new mattress lately? You almost have to take out a loan to buy one. The lady at the furniture store kept calling them matts. Huh? I said a couple of times. Well (thats a word we use down here not only to get water out of) well after having a crick in my neck for over a week and using Good ole' Bio-Freeze, and John's prescription medicine, and getting a neck and shoulder massage, I still had it. Finally I decided it was "the matt", see I can be "with it" too. My matress was so old it had this big sunk in spot in the middle where my tired body lay. At the end of the hole my neck shot straight up onto my pillow causing an unnatural connection. I bought it this morning and they delivered it free this afternoon and was going to haul off the old one free. What a deal! John waylayed them at the truck and wouldn't let them take the old one. He has been calling around trying to give people my old mattress which he is telling them is a good one. It is clean but good is a matter of opinion. The last person he offered it to said she would have her husband come to get it tomorrow when he gets off work but she was looking a little puzzled as we drove off. Probably wondering why we are getting a new one if that one is sooo good.

Honesty Still The Best Policy

2011-09-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was reading something a second cousin of my husband wrote about they they built Hwy 37 throught the east side of san antonio. She said the police were giving the teens a hassle about racing on the public streets so they got the idea to mark off the new highway with start and finish signs and use it for racing before it was opened to public traffic. I don't imagine that lasted long either. It reminded me ofou r own story of then they built the new highway. My husband's younger brother and his wife were newly married and living in a large two story apartment house slap dab in the highway's path. Everyone had a limited timee to vacate so they could dispose of the houses. They were the only people still left on their street because they had to wait until they completed papers on buying a house in another part of town. We went to visit them one last time. There was a chain length fence around the place with good double gates. Wonder what they are going to do with those gates my husband ask his brother. They are just disposing fo everything as far as I know he said. My husband said I sure could use those gates. They decided he may as well have them as anyone so they loaded them up on lur pickup. I wasn't too keen on it but thought well I guess its okay. In the middle of the night Mel's conscience paid him a visit. He couldn't sleep, he had to work next day. Needed to get to sleep, but couldn't. Finally I told him if it bothers you that much take those gates back. He called his brother in the middle of the night and told him I'm bringing the gates back.. Mel loaded them back up, took them back an unloaded them, came home and slept peacefully forever after.

When Does A Subject Become A Whine?

2011-09-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is a what the ranch looks like minus the green streaks other then where John has been running water to grow green grass for the cattle. We go to the ranch, we feed the cattle and the turtles. We do all the usual things but its no fun. Everything is dead, dry, and ugly. Today we had an added burden. The wind and when the wind blows on these country roads where there are fields that are not planted the white dust is everywhere. You feel it in your throat and hear it in your voice. Well we are suppose to have a cool front tomorrow as in 97 degrees and 59 at night. That 59 sounds good but can I believe the weatherman?

Is She A Loaner Cat Or Is She A Loner Cat?

2011-08-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Daisy

I'm speaking of Daisy the cat I wrote about recently who adopted us when I had said absolutely no more pets. Daisy is both a loaner and a loner. She is a loaner because we surmise she comes from the herd of cats our catty corner neighbors own. She is a loner cat because she wants nothing to do with other cats. She stays across the street at my house most time under the lantana and where the air conditioner drains. She comes to John's house early in the morning for a hand-out but she doesn't infrindge on Susie's area. Susie's area is the front yard, front porch, and front tree. Daisy avoids that like the plague by walking across his vacant lot next door and then cutting to the back door where she waits with the patience of Job for someone to open the back door. She gets up from a nap stretching and looking at the door opener with begging eyes. She isn't too picky either. I guess I was wrong about her having kittens under my shed but she doesn't look too thin to be a free loader so she may be going to have some. If she does I hope she moves them as soon as possible to our catty corner neighbor's where they would rightfully belong.

Who Is That Hootin' In Our Back Yard?

2011-08-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Last Night John woke me in the middle of the night to ask me if I wanted to hear two owls talking. Do kids like candy? It isn't every night we have owls in our back yard here in town. One was on the electrical pole and the other was in our tree. One would say something and then the other would answer. Wouldn't you love to know what they were saying? I would

The Prayer Of South Texas

2011-08-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Thank you God for water well repairmen, air conditioning repairmen, and firemen. Amen. It is good we left before day light for the ranch this morning. John had left the water running into the stock tank. It takes several days to add enough water to bring the level up. He was going to change the water over to the resevoir for house water for the rent house where five very large people live so therefore a lot of showers. Plus one of the girls had taken it on herself to fill large tubs of water for the cows to come drink by the back gate. She loves animals and I'm sure she thought she was doing them a big favor giving them clean water. I'm sure she doesn't realize that is just the way cows are. They stand in the water they drink buuut this was helping to deplete their house water supply and making John have to fill the resevoir more often. When we got there and checked, the water wasn't running. In this heat that is pure panic. After tinkering around a bit we ran up to the water well man's house. He was in his truck ready to leave but he agreed to come down and check the well. Thank goodness the pump wasn't out. He thinks it was something due to the extreme heat we had yesterday. He was able to get the water running and we left it filling the stock tank. We'll go back in a few minutes to see if it is still running and John will have to buy one new electrical box. On days like this John threatens to sell out and quit.

A Little More About The Buzzard Eggs

2011-08-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Since a couple of you were surprised mama buzzard layed her eggs where she did I'll tell you I was surprised as anyone because I never knew anything about buzzards except that we see them eating road kill. John had just bought a place south of here with the old house in my header. Not occupied for years. We didn't go there but maybe once a week as he didn't have cattle there yet. One day we went in the old house to look around. It was only a kitchen and bedroom.. There were two large eggs on the kitchen floor, not even in a nest. John run the buzzard out and closed up the chimney and a window that had been broken out. He threw the eggs away.Buzzard and eggs forgotten about. Next time we went out she had layed two more in what used to be a shed and they were on the floor, no nest. I told John let let her hatch them s to see what baby buzzards look like. I never dreamed we would actually get to see baby buzzards.

What Would You Do?

2011-08-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

If you were out driving and came around a corner and there was a casket up beside a fence? My husband Mel worked the city of San Antonio and a lot of South Texas as a commercial refrigeration mechanic. One night when he came home he told me of drivng a country road in this county and came upon a casket by a fence at a corner. I ask him if he got out and opened it and he said no I did not. He stopped at the nearest funeral home which was here in our town to see if they had lost one. They said they had not but they would call around. We never knew if the rightful owner was reunited or not. I would have been very tempted to look in but on the other hand would have been afraid it was a sick joke and someone would pop up. What would you have done?

Buzzard Eggs

2011-08-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Okay my server will not allow me to post a picture of a cute little post office south of here. Wondered if they will let me post a picture of buzzard eggs that belonged to a Mama buzzard. I've wrote before about this Mama buzzard. We watched these hatch and the little buzzard were as cute as a button until they started growing and the soft yellow feathers turned black and a few long ones stuck straight out the back. They finally flew away to never be seen again.

A Test, But A Pretty One

2011-08-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Iwent back to my old AOL to see if still have so much trouble posting pictures and yes I do. So aggravating. Oh well I can always throw my blog to the four winds. Anyway this is a picture of a Texas cake Leah made for my birthday one year. As far as the people having trouble commenting I have tried to figure out if there is anything I can do on this end and if there is I can't figure it out. Sorry!

Too Late Too Sorry

2011-08-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

DD wrote in her blog today about giving away a rug to charity and wishing she had it back. Made me think of something I sold at a garage sale and wished I had not sold. When I was young my Mama and Daddy bought groceries at a country store. The owners used to give my sister and I a bag of penny candy as a pelone and on Christmas they gave every family who traded with them all year a nice gift. The year I was going to get married they gave me one of the gifts along with Mama and Daddy's. It was a white pedastal cake plate trimmed in gold. It was pretty but not very practical so after years past when I used one of the poplar at that time covered tin cake plates I put that other one in a yard sale. A good friend bought it and later I often wondered what she did with it. I wished I had kept it but I wasn't about to ask her.

Dry Land Turtle

2011-08-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is the little dry land turtle I found recently at the ranch. It is a good thing he is dry land, see how dry the land is

A Good Fairy Came To The Ranch

2011-08-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Wow they have changed the way you post. Kinda nice, maybe? Early this morning when we drove into the trap there was a surprise. John said who put hay out? Beats me! Between the grain tank and an old barn was a big glob of hay with two cows "goin' to town on it". Then we noticed the old bathtubs John uses to put salt and mineral in for the cows was filled with hay. Good lookin' hay too. Yeah hay can be good looking if you're a rancher or farmer. John got out and looked around trying to figure out who would have left free hay. The cows wouldn't tell. We think maybe the farmhouse renters were at the flea market and someone had one bale left and gave it to them. Maybe they bought it to use for bedding for some animal and then didn't get it. Maybe we'll never know. The renters sleep late so we didn't disturb them. We didn't have to feed or change the water so we just rode around looking at cows and fences. As we came onto the tank dam I spotted a flock of wild turkeys running along a fence line. It didn't take them long to go through the fence and disapper into the tall dead grass where they blend in and can't be seen. All the cows are fine but they sure woud be finer if it would rain.