Author: Mary Francis McNinch
Murdo Girl…Old people are funny
Those 70ish Girls
Murdo Girl…Saving time
Murdo Girl…The food swap ladies
Mom thinks that I complain too much. That really isn’t true.
I’m happy with a lot of things, if you want my point of view.
She said if I was seated upon a pot of gold
It would take me just a minute to find the pot too cold.
I’ll give you one example, though I have quite a few,
I’ve always told my Mother I hate her homemade stew.
Tonight I had a bowl full, and I ate every drop.
I didn’t even tell Mom her recipe’s a flop.
She said it was Bonna’s stew, as I tried to get it down.
I said,” Well that explains it. It’s been all over town.”

Bonna, Kitty, Elna, and Mom make casseroles galore
They’re the food swap ladies like you’ve never seen before.
We all sit at our tables and stare at empty plates.
My brother runs the food around while everybody waits.
Will we have Mom’s beans tonight with Kitty’s southern cornbread?
Or Elna’s tuna noodle dish that her kids have all been fed?
The food swap ladies method works , with just one small exception
One they didn’t think about upon the plan’s conception.
When Billy walks through the door with his heavy sack,
We’ve said a prayer Mom doesn’t get her own leftovers back!

Those 70ish girls…Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
We arrived at Palo Duro Canyon State Park on Sunday, the 29th. We got a beautiful camping spot with lots of nice areas to walk the dogs. We got concerned that our dogs weren’t eating enough so we bought some canned dog food to mix in with the kibbles. They gobbled it up. Monday night was spent taking care of two dogs with diarrhea. They were so good and were able to hold it each time they had an episode until we could get them outside. They finally settled down at 4:00 o’clock in the morning.
Monday night, we went to the beautiful amphitheater to see Texas, a spectacular musical play. Needless to say, we slept great on Monday night.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the canyon. We didn’t have cell service or internet, so no TV. We actually visited a lot, read our books, and took long walks with the dogs. We saw wild turkeys and a deer.
We left the canyon on Thursday and stopped in Clarendon to see the Charles Goodnight home place and museum. Kip had read a book about him and how he at one time owned a huge cattle ranch, which included what is now the State Park. I’m reading the book now, and it’s a great story.
We are now in Wichita Falls and will head for home tomorrow. It has truly been a great trip!








Those 70ish girls…FANdangle
Kip and I, along with the dogs, are on a West Texas RV trip. Our first stop was Albany, TX which is near Abilene. We’re having fun, but we’re not escaping any Texas heat. It’s in the 90’s.
Several years ago, our friends, Pat and Jerry Davis invited us to go with them to Albany to see Fandangle.
The Fort Griffin Fandangle is a historical, musical production presented by approximately 300 local residents. It’s quite a feat considering the population of Albany is only about 1800.
Beneath the summer stars of the Texas sky, history comes alive the last two weekends of every June with singing, dancing, pantomime, and pageantry. The Albany performers authentically recreate the Texas of the 1800’s in a beautiful acre size outdoor amphitheater. We got to see Pat and Jerry’s son Jeff, his wife Gaye, and their 2 kids perform in the one of a kind show. This year, we came back for more. Jeff was one of the cowboys. I couldn’t get really great pictures sitting amongst the crowd.



For over 85 years, the townspeople have told the story of the founding of the area, complete with the Plains Indians, soldiers, and settlers. You relive the heroism and hardships, the humor and humility of the early settlers. Covered wagons, horses and riders, and a majestic herd of longhorn tell the tales of the cowboy. You see the founding of a fort on a hill and the town that sprang to life beneath it in the merriment of the dancing, singing, and storytelling. It’s truly an awesome experience. We went Friday night, and we thoroughly enjoyed the show.



Tomorrow, we’re off to Palo Duro Canyon to see another production called, TX.