We’re not having fun, fun, fun, since Ruben took the convertible away!

When I first heard Lav and Yram were going to take a road trip, I was firm in my resolve not to document it. I thought like most of their ideas, this too would blow over. I should have listened to my Psyche. Unfortunately, my Psyche isn’t any smarter than my Psycho. So here is the beginning of what could be a very long summer. 

Lav: on the phone with Yram: Guess what Yram..I just talked to Ruben at the Pioneer Auto Museum and he said we could come and pick up the red convertible tomorrow. We get to take it on our road trip.

 

Yram: Get outta here! Who is Ruben?

Lav: You know Ruben, he’s the guy who answers the phone at the museum. He said he’d have the car all ready for us about 12ish.

Yram: You mean as in noonish?

Lav: No as in midnightish. He said something about under cover of darkness. If there’s a full moon then we have to wait a few days. Like I always say, “never look a horse-powered gift in the mouth.”

Yram: I’m in..I’ll meet you there at 11:45ish.

Lav: 10-4..and Yram..Wear black.

I guess it’s true what they say, “The Lord looks after small children and the clueless.” Yram and Lav managed to get the red convertible out of the museum and on the road. Well…sort of.

Yram: So I guess Ruben didn’t mention that we had to take the parts and pieces of the red convertible to some unnamed place to get it fixed before we could drive it. Did he give us the wheels? I didn’t see any wheels.

Lav: Well, he was right about one thing. He said the convertible would get good gas mileage. I don’t know about this old Ford truck though. He said it would go through gas like a physic. What is a physic Yram?

Yram: I’ll look it up…physic is an over-the-counter medication for constipation….It’s going to need a lot of gas Lav. I guess we better start looking for small jobs we can pick up along the way. Hey Look! There’s a help wanted sign. Pull over Lav.

Lav: But we’re not even out of Murdo yet Yram. I’m bummed. What kind of job is it?

Yram: Looks like a pizza place. P-R-A-I-R-I-E Pizza. Yup anybody can make pizza. I’ll make it and you can deliver it.

 

The next day…

Lav: I don’t get why we got fired. Do you Yram?

Yram: No Lav…They ordered one pepperoni pizza and that’s what we delivered.

Lav: How much was the final paycheck? We’re almost out of gas.

Yram: We each got $7.00 and the one pepperoni pizza…we better start looking for bottles and cans along the road. $14.00 won’t even get us to Kadoka. Maybe we can get jobs there that better meet our qualifications. I’m a crack-up reporter you know. 

Lav: I have lots of work experience.

Yram: Really Lav? How much do tumbleweeds “rake” in these days?

Lav: Probably about as much as you made wearing bunny ears to read at story hour.

 

I have never been fired from a babysitting job..know any kids?

Babysitting?

Is it all clear Yram? Yup Lav, put the pedal to the metal..If they see us getting smaller it’s cause we’re leavin…

Kadoka..Here we come!!

I shoulda seen them coming

 

 

Once upon a time, long ago, (yesterday), legend has it that three chiefs and three beautiful princesses, packed up their mobile teepees and caravanned across dangerous lands to a place called Albany, Texas, to see a thing called FANdangle. (The emphasis is on Fan.)

Before I tell you about the awesomeness and the pageantry of Fandangle, I’ll give you a little folklore, which means background info, on the three adventuresome trail blazing couples.

First, we have Chief Rain in the Face, who arrived at camp Ft. Griffin obviously hot under his headdress. It seems he washed his many horse-powered transportation right before beginning his journey, only to come upon a couple of miles of dirt road due to trail construction. If that wasn’t bad enough, he got behind a water-spraying covered wagon…hence the name, Rain in the Face, which  sounds more dignified than, Water and Dirt on the Horses.

The chief brought, She Who Must be Obeyed with him, mainly because she knows her way around a teepee and makes great seafood dishes. She is a retired code talker, which is code talk for teacher.

Chief Runs a Muck brought Princess Pass the Piece-pipe. Say that three times really fast. Her main job is to clean up the teepee after Chief Runs a Muck makes his favorite strawberry ice cream. She also helps with Buddy the canine who spends his days guarding the campsite and his nights tolerating Punkin and I can’t remember the other cat’s name, but it also starts with a P.

Last, we have Chief Eats a Lot with Princess Doesn’t have a Clue. Seriously, she doesn’t know the difference between a teepee and a wigwam. She spends her days scrounging around for food because Chief Eats a Lot...eats a lot.

Back to the Fandangle.

The three aforementioned couples had a fabulous time. We toured Ft. Griffin with Eric, who shared a wealth of information with us. The RV Park in Griffin State Park was great… (See the sunset below.)

We saw the Fandangle parade where we listened to the calliope, and watched as beautiful horses passed by. Some were pulling wagons or proudly carrying riders holding flags. Others were ridden by women wearing costumes of the times.

The Jailhouse Museum and the Courthouse are really something to see, and the shops downtown are fun to explore. The pharmacy complete with a full service soda fountain is an experience you won’t want to miss.

We attended Church services where we were treated to the sounds of a beautiful pipe organ, not to mention a thought provoking sermon. I could go on and on about the town of Albany and it’s family oriented community.

The Fandangle is an experience like none other. Give yourself the gift of seeing the magic of the performances of a few hundred Albany residents. The ages of the talented participants range from three months to ninety-eight.

(These beautiful Longhorns are featured in the show.)

The story the narrators and the music tells is steeped in history and laced with pride and love. Fandangle is always the last two week-ends in June so there are shows next Friday and Saturday evening. The outdoor setting is beautiful and the music is incredible. The many prop changes are totally seamless.

Thank you Pat and Jerry Davis for suggesting this might be a fun outing for our little group of RVers, and many thanks to Jeff and Gaye Davis. They made our trip even more special by giving us the rundown on all there was to do. I don’t think we missed much. Their family, including Nolan and Lori, has been a part of Fandangle for over a dozen years. We were all invited to their beautiful home for lunch. Chief Eats a Lot loved it!

I think it goes without saying the three chiefs and three princesses, along with thousands of others, are big fans of Fandangle.

In case you haven’t heard, we got bumped down to the old grade school building. We call it The Whiteboard House. We have loads of do it yourself self help classes you can attend for a very reasonable fee. How does $0.00 sound to you? We won’t be able to offer these high quality classes for nothing for very long, so do your helpless self a favor and sign up before the cost becomes prohibitive.

The following do it yourself self help classes are currently available at the Whiteboard House

Lav is teaching: Life beyond the red convertible…This is a mental health issue many like Lav struggle with. Just when you think you’ve got it under control, a red convertible passes you, and you run after it like a dog. It can literally take seven years off your life. This class is for those without money who need help. If you’ve got money, then just buy yourself a red convertible. How’s that for a DIY solution. If you’re not flush enough, then take the class. You simply cannot avoid red convertibles the rest of your life. In the meantime, DO NOT VISIT THE PIONEER AUTO MUSEUM.

Sherri, the photographic drawer is teaching: DIY mug shots…You can draw your own mug or someone else’s. Sherri is a real what you call…rule follower. She makes even the most dangerous criminals sign a waiver before she draws their photographic mug. Anyway, you might learn something..I don’t really know. Bring a number 2 pencil and a box of freezer wrap. You’ll need that to mark the feet and inches of the perps you draw…and masking tape..you’ll need that to tape your chart up.

Queen E is teaching: Those who can’t do teach...It’s all about saving money. I know there is no charge for our DIY classes, but time is money right? She goes on and on and on about how to save your money…Just never have any with you …it’s as simple as that. A picture is worth a thousand DIY classes.

 

We have so much more to offer, but I have just been informed that The Murdo Coyote Newspaper has cut us off for this week. I guess they don’t know that ads for our zero cost DIY help yourself classes are PSA’s. Oh well, we at the Whiteboard House pick our battles. When we start charging, we will offer buy one and get another for a penny. Watch for our advertisements.

Our clinically proven motto is: If you point a finger at someself, there are 3 or 4 more pointing back at your DIY.

The local HyVee…I don’t think it matters what day it is.

 

I wonder what these guys are doing. Let’s listen in.

Chris: Hey Mick..what time is it?

Mick: It’s five minutes later than the last time you asked me Chris.

Gordon: Hey Mick..Why wouldn’t you tell Chris what time it is?

Mick: Because, he needs to learn how to tell time.

Roy: Jeez Gordon, are you trying to start something?

Gordon: What?

Frank: Didn’t we just have this same conversation yesterday?

Tom: No, I think it was the day before.

Roy: Hmm..I must not have been here.

Gordon: Yes you were Roy. I remember that shirt.

Roy: Oh yeah, that’s right. I like this shirt.

Chris: Hey Mick..What time is it?

Mick: Chris, why do you need to know what time it is all the time?

Gordon: Can I tell him?

Mick: Tell him what?

Frank: It sure is.

Roy: It sure is what Frank?

Frank: It sure is the same conversation we had day before yesterday. Roy had the same shirt on, and Chris kept asking what time it was.

Tom: Then what happened Frank?

Frank: I think the waitress came over and asked us how long our wives said we had to be gone.

Chris: She sure did. She said it was 10:00 o’clock.

Mick: Oh good, we can go home now.

Guy from Philip: See ya all tomorrow?

Roy, Frank, Tom, Chris, and Gordon: Yup…God willing and the creek don’t rise. Don’t forget your coffee cup.

Mick: Tomorrow we’ll talk about Billy Francis. Remember him?

Frank: Nah, we had that conversation yesterday

**************************

Some of these guys went to school with my brother. The class of 62 had 23 graduates. There were 18 boys and 5 girls. All but one learned how to tell time.

 

 

 

Just one pretty flower

by Mary Francis McNinch

Put a flower on my grave. That’s all she asked of me.

Just one pretty flower that I’ll be sure to see.

She never had a chance they said. She won’t make it through the night.

She might have won some battles, but she’ll lose this final fight.

I tried to say I love you as I stood beside her bed.

She smiled her biggest smile, and this is what she said.

You know I’ll never leave you right? It’s really not that far.

Look through all the darkness. Give my name to one bright star.

“It never did make sense they’ll say. She had little ones to rear.”

“Nothing much that she could do.” I know that’s what you’ll hear.

 I said, what you did mattered, and she held my trembling hand.

She saw her Country struggle and she had to take a stand.

There are those who disagree. It’s their right to think that way.

They might not survive tomorrow, but they’ll live free today.

Tell the kids I love them. Show them my picture now and then.

Tell them where I’m going, but don’t tell them where I’ve been.

I hope the evil can be stopped and we keep our flag unfurled

I gave you all my love she said. My life I gave the world.

The last time she closed her eyes, I knew what she would see

Whatever love looks like ..to those who fought to keep us free.

Put a flower on my grave, that’s all she asked of me.

Just one pretty flower that I’ll be sure to see.

It seems to me that the negatives in our world are out to get the positives. I am not a scholar of such things, but you don’t (usually) have to hit me on the head with a board before I get it. How can anyone be right if no one is wrong? Sometimes it seems that everyone on this great earth wakes up frustrated and goes to bed angry. In the end, we all hang on to life as long as we can, because life is sweet, especially to those who know the end is much closer than the long ago beginning.

If you are still trying to figure out whose fault it was that you were traumatized when you were twelve, how can you enjoy life when you are 40 or 50 or 60? I see inspirational quotes, I hear beautiful music, and I feel alive. I turn on the news, look at the date of birth on my driver’s license, feel a new ache or pain, and I am fearful.

I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid I won’t live long enough. There is a difference. There is a phrase that captures the essence of life. Without hope, there is nothing. I will add that without love, there is no hope. Love of nature, family, animals, flowers, God, other people, art, poetry, the seasons, reading, work, movies, history, and a million other things foster hope to those who look at it that way. No matter how oppressed we are, given the chance, inclination, and the support of another, I believe we can find hope and maybe even joy. Have you noticed I haven’t mentioned money at all.

It’s not easy to fight through pain and fear. I have succumbed to both more than once. I have used too much energy fighting the wrong battles, winning the wrong wars, and pointing my finger at the wrong people… but guess what?

I’m just like everybody else I know. We all have our crosses to bear. There will always be someone better off than I am, and there will always be those that suffer far more than I do.

I choose to have fun!!

I love this water tower. It was submitted by Nancy Authier. She embellished it, but it is a real photo of a real WT. I have chosen it to be the  Beastertown water tower. Beastertown is another children’s book I am writing about the Beasterhop, who as most of you know, is a rabbit that rides on a bicycle. I am not going to blog the story this time, and I haven’t written it all yet, but I am having a ton of fun taking the photos for it. You know most of this already don’t you?

I am also editing Connie’s story for a book, and writing Dakota’s story, The Whiteboard House, showcasing my Water Tower Collection, and other things on the blog. In between all of these things, I sometimes throw in a load of laundry or say hi to Kip. I have some wonderful friends who pretend to understand me. Pat is especially good at that. I work a couple of days a week, but I can’t really count that because the lady I help out has become a good friend too. (I think you also know all of that.) Oh, and once in a while I go to Goodwill.

We get to go on RV trips, and really enjoy the friendship of some fun fellow RVer’s. When the stars are all aligned, we get to see a few of our 8 grand kids and 3 great grand kids, who are sometimes attached to our four kids and their husbands and wives. We also have 3 doggies and a cat who love us. The dogs mostly like Kip, but the cat likes me the best. Be careful what you wish for.

I can look at the photos I have accumulated in the last 2 years and feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I love people and animals that I have never met. Old friends have become new again, and I have come to really appreciate Murdo, the place where I grew up. I have been touched by so many, and my life has become so rich and fulfilled.

Yet…I still get sad, depressed, disappointed, unreasonable, irritated, tired, stubborn, and all those other stupid things.

How much do I know, and when did I know it? Don’t ask me, I’m too busy to answer a dumb question like that.