The Wildwood

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

2011-12-24T22:13:00.001-06:00

Cuteness!

2011-11-27T23:40:00.000-06:00

My Jackie Girl, I can't help it she is just darn cute!

When I think of my Grandparents

2011-11-13T01:36:00.000-06:00

I think of the farm they lived on when we were young children in the 1950's

My cousins all thought that was a big house when we were kids in the 1950's. Funny how when you are an adult you realize how small it really was.

We used to like to sleep out on the upstairs sleeping porch in the summertime and you could see all across the pasture and to the barns.

Grandma and Grandpa milked and we used to like to separate the milk from the cream in the basement. I still remember that old separator, the bench it sat on was still in the basement room along with the dank smell that only an old basement has in 1993. We also had to pump water from a well to carry into the house. It had no running water, so that meant no indoor toilet. I would just die if I had to live like that now. You forget how spoiled we are now and how much has changed over that last 50 years.

This is also the house that the Butman's were building, friends of my grandparents, when my Mom was born in August 1923. It was 110 degrees and they took the new baby over with them to see the house. They say Mr. Butman saw them drive up and he stepped right out through the open porch window to get to hold my mom, the newborn, and the story was it was so hot they made homemade ice cream and fed the new baby. Maybe that is why my mom loves ice cream to this day 88 + years later.

This is my big brother who loved that farm and didn't ever want to go anywhere but to Grandma's!

This is also where I learned to love horses. This was Dusty and he was the best horse and was great with the kids. My brother loved that horse. It belonged to my uncle and we were all devistated when Dusty ate some loco weed and died.

The farm was for sale in this photo in about 1993, part of a large parcel broken up into smaller acreages, it had been bought in 1962 by a family, then sold again and for 30 years or so you couldn't even drive down the road because of a padlocked gate until this sale.

This is a photo of my mom and I in front of the barn door taken some 40 years after my Grandparents left the farm to move to town.

When I walked into the barn all the memories of that barn and my childhood memories of it came to me and transported me back to when I was about 5 years old and the smell was exactly the same as I remembered....way back then. I have been in lots of barns over the years but this one smelled different and the same as it did the last time I smelled it in 1962.....

It brought tears to my eyes and a overwhelming feeling of the loss of my grandparents and my cousins as we were as kids playing together gathering up eggs and running with the turkeys my Grandma used to raise. Thinking of my cousin Kathy going to get eggs from under a hen that had other ideas, chasing her, pecking her legs, and me laughing mercilessly! We were all together then and happy as little larks, now my grandparents are gone and my cousins are scattered to the wind all over the country.... Time changes,
people pass on, but the memories are always there.

Window of Past Grandeur

2011-11-05T23:15:00.003-05:00

Window of Past Grandeur, originally uploaded by ktsparks.

i won a 3rd place ribbon on this shot and tied for People's Choice Award. I didn't win the tie breaker, but I was honored to have gotten to the tie. I love this old window.

The Glorious Beauty of New Mexico

2011-11-04T23:51:00.000-05:00

New Mexico Snowfall

2011-11-04T23:40:00.000-05:00

TAOS

2011-10-27T15:26:00.002-05:00

A trip to New Mexico

2011-10-26T07:08:00.000-05:00

My husband and I went to New Mexico October 6 to visit some of our oldest and dearest friends who live north of Albuquerque. We were to meet up in a beautiful little ski town of Red River, New Mexico for the annual Corvette weekend, full of road trips, visit a Raspberry farm and just have fun.

We arrived a day early and it was a beautiful drive out through the Oklahoma Panhandle, yes, I said beautiful.

The photo above is of the Gloss or Glass Mountains just west of Enid, Oklahoma. We went a little out of the way because I had heard they were really pretty. There is some controversey as to the name given to them by a Scotsman who had a dialect hard to understand.

Most people don't believe that Panhandle and beautiful go together, but I love the diversity of the scenery.

Then we crossed the border into New Mexico

shots from Springer, New Mexico

When we arrived in Red River the Aspen trees were beautiful

with their gold and orange leaves!

How can you get any more beautiful than that?

more to come...

2011 Bartlesville Photo Walk

2011-10-02T22:08:00.001-05:00

2011 Bartlesville Photo Walk, a group on Flickr.

October 1, 2011 was the day for the Scott Kelby Worldwide photo walk. We chose Pawhuska, Oklahoma to be our shoot location.
We met there and took photos for 2.5 hours then we ate!

What a beautiful day we had here in Oklahoma!

Who wants to sweat??????

2011-08-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

This has been one of the, no let me correct that, the hottest summer in the history of our state of Oklahoma in recorded history, plus Oklahoma was recorded that July as the hottest state with the highest average temps ever recorded in the history of the lower 48 states! That being said we haven't done much all summer, it was just too hot to want to do anything much. You get in the car and you just about hear the water sizzling out of your body! We had several days well over 110 degrees and one day was 116 degrees.

This is just the weirdest thing because we had a state record low of -27 degrees in our town this past winter also...... I like seasons of change but this is just too drastic.

Really the only thing getting done around here is that we have been getting a deck built and I am excited about that and it should be finished next week. We still have to put up the iron deck railing, the steps are not done yet, and the side facing the photograph will have a screen for privacy to the neighborhood side. Plus we are having stone foundation laid at the base to cover the under side. Our friends Keith and Mike are doing the carpentry and as usual they are doing a great job.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-04-20T21:14:00.000-05:00

Three generations

Sunday Stills-spring is showing off around the yard

2011-04-17T20:56:00.000-05:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-03-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

The Hood, the joy of bad neighbors

2011-03-17T02:57:00.031-05:00

It isn't any better today....

I had words with "Mrs. Grouchy Neighbor" today when she ran at the fence shooing Lexi and

yelling at her.....I said if you didn't act like a threat and was nice she wouldn't bark at you.

She went off the rector scale....

I can not believe she would do that, but I really don't know why I am suprised by anything they do over there.

She said "talk to me"

but when I tried to talk to her about the puppy she said I get sick of her barking!

Lexi dosen't bark that much, my mom keeps her curbed

I said she is just a puppy and is only doing what she feels she needs to do to protect her property.

She yelled I don't care!

Then I said you are upsetting my Mother by acting like this,

she said "I don't care"!

So I get it, you don't care about us at all, just about yourself.

She did not want to talk to me,

she just wanted to yell at me and have a tantrum.

I finally decided I was her screaming board so

I just turned my back on her and told her

she was impossible and irrational.....

Oh my gosh I feel sorry for the newbies on the other side of them with the 2 under 8 yr old boys and one hound dog.....

Last night I heard howling and growling like a coyote.

then I figured it out, it was Mrs Grouchy Neighbor

howling at the full moon.......

I really don't want to complain, but there is a limit!

We have always loved our cul-de-sac of ten homes but we have one problem... a grouchy couple that are getting worse and it does not seem to matter what it is about, they don't like it.

They aren't what I would call old,

not much older than my husband and myself, we are

all baby boomers, some retired young .

We own 2 homes on our cul-de-sac amounting to about 2.5 acres of land and we live in one house and my mother lives in the other. This all got worse when my Mom moved in across the street. I don't understand why but it did. They make you feel like they resent you being in your own yard.

We have lived in our home for 20 years, the Grouchy neighbors have been on our street for about 10 or 12. . The point of telling you that is that we are not cramped into close quarters like you are in lots of additions .

It is mostly retired people with no children and if they do they are grown.

We bought the house kat-corner across the street about 5 years ago. It was in disrepair and we remodeled the inside and out and moved my Mother in so we could look more closely after her. Mothers yard had been neglected by it's aged past owner with not much grass because of overcrowding of the native trees.

We had some taken out to be able to have grass, which we now do.

"Mrs. Neighbor" came over and said to my husband she didn't like it and thought we should not be taking out trees, even though we had left 13 large ones, my husband couldn't believe the gall of that, nor could I.

Now these are the same people who have had tours on our cul-de-sac with buses and vans that totally over ran the block

because they were invited by them to see their house.

There is nothing ruder that a bunch of architects who want to see something and your newly seeded yard is in the way of gawlking at the "other" neighbors house

When we got Jackie our Jack Russell Terrier from the pound and she was bad about running off at first. One day Jackie escaped through the front door and my husband was right on her heels with the leash, but before he could get across the street to capture her the "Mrs Neighbor" was quick to start throwing rocks at her when she ran into her yard.

That was when the husband got fed up.

My mother's dog passed away last winter suddenly and she got an adorable, new puppy to help her with the grieving of Zoe.

She had not been alone without a dog since my dad died several years back .

Well guess what, if my mom's young dog runs toward the fence and barks they yell at her or squirt her with a water hose. Mom can't relax worried they will do something bad to her dog when she is out in her yard. Now how bad is that an older lady has to worry about the love of her life?

I don't know if they would hurt her, but they don't show any signs of animal love.

It happened today when I was out with the dogs and Mom's dog ran to the fence and barked twice.....

I spoke my piece...

was I wrong?

Now this dog does not make a pest out of herself, she doesn't bark at any of the other neighbors and she isn't allowed to just stand around and bark like some irresponsible dog owners let their dogs do. We don't operate like that and don't want anyone else to either.

I always make friends with neighbor dogs to avoid that sort of a problem with barking and it has always worked. If a neighbors dog barks I always call their name and it is over. When we walk our dogs they are on a leash and we pick up after them. One day last fall we were sitting in Mom's back yard and my husband had walked over to my Mom's house with our dog on leash. It wasn't very long at all until the "Mr. Neighbor "showed up saying to my husband, "Didn't you forget to pick up something in our yard"? My husband said "if you will go out there and look I think it will be clear to you it is wild fox scat and not my dog at all."

We live in a wooded area of town and there are all kinds of wildlife in our neighborhood and I guess we are solely responsible for all excrements from all living things that pass through.

When we had our snow storm our other next door neighbor who is fighting cancer was home with her teenage daughter while her husband was gone on a business trip. She called to have the driveway cleared off in case her daughter needed to get out if school started back up before the street cleared. I looked out my kitchen window to see "Mrs Neighbor" having a tantrum in the street because she did not like the way the man was clearing the snow. She was out in the street kicking her feet and shaking her fist at the man who had cleared the snow. I admit he did not do the best job with his work but it was not that big of a deal, he pushed it to their side of the street, on my mom's yard, not theirs. I think everyone else on the block saw her tantrum too because they asked me what the problem with her was.

We have a great little block except for the grouchy neighbors. I do not know why people live in town when they can not stand to have anyone else on the block with them. My mom says they must be unhappy and pitiful to jump on to everyone and everything. I think she is right and life is too short to be like that. They have no company and relatives seldom show up either, one lives on our cul-de-sac and I remember she did not want them moving on our street at the time.

Well now it will be interesting to see how they react to the new neighbors next door to them. They have a hound dog and 2 young children who are already running around the yard yelling and playing and they haven't even moved in yet. They are still remodeling before the move in.

So spring might be interesting on my little

cul-de-sac, should I tell the new neighbors about their grouchy

"Mr. and Mrs.Neighbor"

or wait for them to find out themselves?

P.S.
thank you for letting me vent

It is so boring around here....

2011-03-11T23:34:00.001-06:00

My mom is spending all her time at school

she is taking some class at the local Technical school
that she has been wanting to take

for a very long time.

That is well and good, but hey,
what about my needs?

About all the fun I seem to get is if I get up and stretch
my back, she is so engrossed in it.

Thank goodness
I have a daddy that will walk me and
sit with me while she is at class.

Did I tell you what her class is yet?
Mom is taking this crazy sounding one....

so hopefully one day she will figure out how to use it....
Mom said it is fun, but the teacher needs to be there
to hold her hand
and walk her through it....

I say
git a grip, Mom!

Just how hard can it be anyway?

and now on to more important things

lets all say a prayer for all the people who
were affected by the tsunami and it's wide reaching destruction.

amen

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-03-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

A Piece of My Heart

2011-03-04T19:42:00.000-06:00

being abused! LOL

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-02-26T14:31:00.000-06:00

Today is my one day of the year, I was born with a full moon..

Does that explain my personality?

This is me with my older and only brother

and it is the earliest photo of me that I know of.

Wasn't growing up in the 1950's great! :)

This is me at 2 years old with my

Momma. I am lucky to still have my

Momma, she is 87 now.

I am having a great day and looking forward to many more!

Thanks for all the birthday cards and wishes!

Two WEEKS IN FEBRUARY

2011-02-17T23:33:00.001-06:00

I am hoping this is the last of the snow photos for this year, well at least until next December!

Three weeks ago we had that record breaking snow blizzard and then within another week we had

record breaking low temps of -28F degrees along with another bigger snow of 13 inches at our house. Some places within 2 miles east of our house had 20 inches the second time and 14 inches the first snow, with about only half melting before the second time around. We usually have snows when the temps are around

28 to 30 F

and it will stay around a day or two and then

be gone....

Well this is Oklahoma....

they say if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma,

just wait a minute and it will change.

Well it lasted a little more than a minute this time,

the children all missed 2 weeks of school due to snow.

We usually never have more than 4 snow days missed during a school year because of snow....

Snow, snow, snow

I was afraid to give Lexi her haircut for fear she would freeze to death! I did break it up in 2 sittings, because my old knee

still gives me fits, especially in this cold weather. If you notice

her little ears are still shaggy.

There, I finally got to the ears done and now they are not shaggy!

I started Obedience class with Lexi today and she did real well for her first class and acted like a little lady. I was afraid she would be like ricochet rabbit, but she wasn't! Weird!!!

And you know what the other weird thing about today was....

It was 85 degrees and the snow is gone,

now if now you figure out that temperature difference in just 8 days......

well, this is Oklahoma, but that is almost scary!

I WON A GIFT BAG FROM GUN DIVA!

2011-02-17T00:38:00.000-06:00

GUN DIVA had a drawing for some gift bags and I won! I got mine and my husbands eyes kinda popped out when he saw it was all gun related. I don't know why but maybe he thought I was getting to serious with my gun talk! ha ha

I thought those ear plugs were adorable that look like bullets sticking out of your ears! Thanks girls and anxious to see the blog when you change it up a bit. Mrs. Mom is letting loose of her part of the reins, but I know it will be in good hands. Thanks so much for my gift bag, you gals are swell!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-02-16T15:10:00.000-06:00

Oklahoma Sunset

2011-02-14T23:54:00.001-06:00

To Grandma's house

2011-02-12T00:12:00.000-06:00

We walked across the street so Jackie could visit her Grandma and play with her little Lexi girl.

Jackie has been going stir crazy just like the rest of us with this

weather.

It has been so deep the dogs don't like

being out, it is just too much work to try to get

around in it!

Lexi just can't figure the snow out. She looks at it and jumps up and down trying to decide what to do.

Finally she jumped out into it and gave it her all, the Girls got their exercise today!

Lexi had a hard time catching up to Jackie, she just isn't used to plowing through the snow.

Lexi tries to run on the top of the snow...

and Jackie just plows through

Here I come Momma!

I am trying to keep up !

Poor little Lexi, her hair is soaking wet and the snow is all balled up in it. She needs her haircut

but I am afraid she will freeze when I cut it off. To get the snow off a Schnauzer you have to put them in a warm tub of water to melt it off. Jackie laughs because you just have to hit her with a towel and she is dry.

I am going to trim her before Thursday, because that is our first day at beginner

Obedience class and I don't want her to be embarrased!

I just hope the dog isn't smarter than the trainer.....

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW...........

2011-02-09T20:37:00.001-06:00

We got another foot well 13 inches to be exact today. Gee the snow had not melted from the last one and here we have another 13 inches piled on top of that. It is pretty but I am getting tired of it...I mean there is only so long that you can stand being held up in the house!

The birds are eating more birdseed than ever, but I have noticed since it is so cold the squirrels aren't out and about, they are like us held up in their little nest.

The snow is deep enough today you can't see the steps.

but that did not bother Whacky Jackie....

She decided to go check on the cardinal nest..

but she didn't get them stirred out of the bush.

we also have our own small snowplow......with a little tail attached to the back. :)

She has been wearing alot of white snow on her nose

for a little bling an shine.

then around the bend she comes.....bending into the curve

with the precision of a fine racer.....

with top speed to come indoors

because her little toes got cold....

Sunday Stills

2011-02-06T21:53:00.000-06:00

We are still snowed under...

2011-02-03T15:31:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day that I went out with my husband in the truck. He ventured out yesterday but I stayed in. Our neighborhood streets are still pretty snow packed.

The field on the way to the Post Office

Jackie is finally getting out in it and having fun.

She loves to eat snow, stick her head down in it, just plain act like a goof!

She is just plows through like a little mini snow plow

She is so darn cute
I know I am just a softie
but just look at that face!!!!

You have to admit, she is darn cute!!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2011-02-02T23:32:00.001-06:00

Snow Day

2011-02-01T20:51:00.000-06:00

This is suppose to be a historic event we are experiencing with the snow. I don't think we got as much snow as they did in other places close, but the wind was blowing at blizzard and white out conditions for most of last night and until this afternoon. We have about 14 inches I think so far, and it is still snowing here at late afternoon.

The US highway 75 to Tulsa is closed today and the turnpike to Oklahoma City from Tulsa is closed also. I do not ever remember that happening before. The ceiling fell in on the Hard Rock Casino south east of Tulsa this morning from the snow. It would have really been bad but our snow here is dry as powder. I think south of us it is wetter because it was warmer. We were in the area of predicted 20 inches of snow but thank goodness it isn't going to be that deep.

The dogs don't care to go out in it because the wind chill was unbelievable. Jackie likes the snow but this snow, not so much. My mother was not able to get her dog to go out at all the last I talked to her. She put down newspapers for Lexi and hopefully she remembers her puppy training. :O

I am anxious for it to warm up a bit so I can go out and play in the snow with the dogs. It is now a balmy 13 degrees with a wind chill of -1 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon!

Maybe I should just relax and read my new book

Keep warm everyone and take the time to relax and enjoy the nature of it all.

ALL AROUND THE FEED TROUGH.....

2011-01-27T16:18:00.000-06:00

It's all about the birds this time, and we finally figured out how to keep the squirrels out of the flat feeder...grease the feeder pole good with Vaseline and it really has worked since summer!

Isn't there something about a bright red Cardinal in
the winter that gives you a dash of adrenalin when you see it?
It is almost like they are there just to make us feel better
during the darkness of a winters day.

I also love to see all the visits from the many yellow finches we get. They will be turning a very bright yellow within the next 6 weeks or so.

When we first moved to this house we put out thistle feeders for them and you could sit in the living room and just see all these bright yellow finches diving all around to feed. It would get daytime company going, "what was that!" We have a very large group of them here and you can't even count them most of the time.

then the little chickadee's are so adorabe!

the little house finches are super cute and love to chatter!

now the other problem is how do you get rid of these
old ladies
from eating up all the lunch?
I do love to hear them cooing
but

It is nothing to have 20 of these trying to all get in this little tray of sunflowers seeds!
Yes, the Mourning Doves are as bad as thre squirrels!

Celebrating a Train Wreck!

2011-01-19T17:34:00.001-06:00

We had visitors over a long weekend for a few days and it was fabulous

fun!

My friend TrainWreck from over at Cowboys, Kids, and Sunsets came to visit ,my husband and I, with her super handsome husband.

Today is her birthday and I am sending her
BIG BIRTHDAY WISHES!

We celebrated a little early

and Jackie was so excited about the cake she started singing,
Happy Birthday!

Our goodbye breakfast at McDonalds and they were off into the sunset.....

It went by way to quickly and it was so much fun!
There is nothing much better than good friends and a good time.
Miss you already!

I know...we did not get a picture of that elusive husband of TrainWreck.....yes he is cute but he is so nice and says
Yes, Ma'am!

Today's Adventure

2011-01-10T20:11:00.000-06:00

We had our 1st bit of snow today for this whole winter! It has been so dry here and every little bit helps no matter what form it comes in.

Jackie and I took lunch to my Mom who lives across the street.

We had a nice lunch and when we went to go home, I had Jackie on leash, with a shopping bag full of Tupperware containers and a glass dish with a lid from previous food deliveries to my Mom. I opened the door and Mom's Lexi darted out and would not stop! She shocked me because she has never done anything like that before. She flew past Jackie and ran out into the street then down the driveway to our front door. I thought she would stop there and wait for us. Oh, not a chance...she turned and ran back up the incline to the side yard and down into the neighbor's yard behind the houses in a flash with me trailing with Jackie still on leash and a sack of Tupperware swinging wildly. My neck scarf was flying and trying to blind me at times. Finally I threw the bag of Tupperware down on the ground to help my speed, Jackie was wanting to go the opposite direction and slinging me about. Good thing for snow because we live in the woods and I was able to follow Lexi's tracks.....whew!!!!

My 87 year old Mom was following me the best she could, and I thought I would see her fall, or drop dead in the snow behind me of a heart attack! I don't really know how long it lasted but it seemed forever to me.

(Mom thought she would find me dead in the snow)

That is sad when your aged Mom thinks she is stronger than you are!

Finally Lexi got where I had her cornered at a neighbors front door and I nabbed her and told her what a bad dog she was...

she already knew by the look on her face.

I am too stove up to be chasing puppies in the snow down hills and over icy sidewalks! Naturally the husband was out of town at a doctor appointment today. He is usually my herder if one of the critters runs off since I had my knee screwed up. Jackie is the escape artist but comes back after a bit. I just worry about them getting run over by a car. The dogs I had just previous to this never would do such a thing. We are always so careful with our animals. I have got to get some training for that pup, that is totally unacceptable behavior.

I am sure the neighborhood had a good laugh at my expense if they were watching. I can only hope they were all watching
General Hospital.......

that's it for today...life in the fast lane. :)

Lexi is 10 months old today!

2011-01-07T00:45:00.000-06:00

Lexi and Jackie just play all the time and Jackie gets a little tired trying to keep up with a youngster, but she gives it a good go!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T19:03:00.002-06:00

A GIGGLE with the GOATS Jingle Bells Holiday Performance

2010-12-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

O Christmas Tree.....(S)

2010-12-11T23:50:00.001-06:00

Last year there wasn't a tree at our house because I was still sick with my Staph infection fiasco so it was exciting to get the Christmas tree's up this year!

This is my little Western tree I have next to my desk, and I think it is so cute!

This is my big tree that has all the ornaments collected over the years of my having my very own trees as far back as before my husband and I married. Some of my most precious things on this tree are the tree skirt and the handmade felt ornaments my husbands grandmother made when she was in her 80's.

It is so fun to have the twinkle of lights and the magic of Christmas in the air.

I like to decorate the back yard as well.....

I hope you find the magic of the season and have a

Merry Christmas!

It is really feeling like Christmas this evening

because the cold weather has moved in with high wind.

Brrrrr......

ROWDY GIRLS!

2010-11-29T20:56:00.001-06:00

Down the stairs they go...


wrestling over a stick

The race is always on with these two. We all have more fun watching the interaction between these two girls and are amazed at the patience and willingness the Jackie girl has with the Lexi girl especially with the age difference!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-21T15:48:00.002-06:00

I received this and I thought it was a very poignant

so I wanted to share the message.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have..

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your family and friends!

Take off your Spurs and Stay awhile...

2010-11-13T17:36:00.001-06:00

Our guest bedroom was fussy with blue and white porcelain with light yellow walls. Very traditional and feminine.

When we started our remodel I decided I was going with a Western theme. We had discarded our headboard when we got a King bed and I decided to resurrect it with hair on hide and nailhead trim and use it for the guest room. I made a paper pattern to cut the hide to size and attached it with Barge glue. Since the headboard was pressed wood with a veneer over it I had to rethink my just nailing....I had to actually drill every hole for the tacks because the nails would just bend and not go in. It was a very time consuming process but worth the outcome.

The semi finished project, I still have to make a cover for the window seat and a Roman Shade for the window. I have a few more things to hang on the wall, but I am happy so far. Notice in the top photo there was a door where the window seat is now. I have prints on the wall you can't see here that are a cherished gift from my dear "TrainWreck" over at Cowboys, Kids, and Sunsets blog.
I am lucky to have several ultra talented artist friends, makes me feel so inadequate but we all have our strengths I guess, just don't know where mine are yet....!!!!

Oh heck,
I will show you that wall so you can see what a great artist she is.

VETERANS DAY

2010-11-11T16:23:00.002-06:00

A Veteran
is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable
to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,
their life. That is beyond honor.

Thank you to my brother and my father who served the United States Army

and sacrificing so much for our freedom,

and to all the other military men and women who fought before, after and along side of them.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

My dad served 12 years in the Army

WWII

and the Korean Conflict

My brother served in Viet Nam

HOW CAN YOU NOT BE IN LOVE?

2010-11-08T00:13:00.000-06:00

yes, we are!!!!

Buddy Tough, RIP, a nationional disgrace on the face of Hydro and to OKLAHOMA

2010-10-31T14:33:00.001-05:00

This is a follow up on the article Buddy Tough the POODLE and his owner Mr. Fry who police in Hydro, Oklahoma killed because the owner was jailed for breaking him out of the pound because he couldn't afford the $100 fee to do it legally.

I believe this was a gross injustice and other options could have been worked out . Whatever happened to bringing the owner in and trying to work it out instead of being a vigilante police force to an old man and his little dog?

I am outraged and saddened that people can be so cruel and uncaring about such a petty problem as the Poodle and his owner were presenting to the citizens of this small place. This has made the national and foreign news and I see this as a total disgrace by the city of Hydro toward a citizen of it's community and the state, now the nation.

Another YES, BISCUIT blogger had this to say .

Hydro man lands in jail over poodle rescue

2010-10-26T17:46:00.007-05:00

I am not ashamed to say I am extremely upset by this article and I want to know what you think of this situation that happened in Hydro, Oklahoma.

It was in our local newspaper and even made it to the CBS national news, MSNBC and other newspapers all over the country.

....yes it is a true story.

Click on the link below to read the article.

Elderly Hydro Man Lands in Jail Over Poodle Rescue

The Oklahoman Graphics

Note from me:

I am appalled by the Police department in the town of Hydro, Oklahoma. I believe they did this for spite and to hurt Mr. Fry and euthanized his dog to teach him the lesson that they are the higher authority. Yes, Mr.Fry,the owner was wrong, but he was desperate, they had threatened him by saying they were going to kill it, and his dog was his only family it appears. This dog was a poodle, not a Pit Bull or a large menacing breed. I know that I am totally ashamed that this situation happened in the state I have always been proud of.

I believe the State of Oklahoma should charge the city of Hydro, Oklahoma and the Police officer with animal abuse.

I think this was a crime against Mr. Fry and his dog being euthanized was the price Mr Fry had to pay to satisfy the police department or Officer Chancellor, it's sad and cruel.

There is a lot more to this story than you read I am sure.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A SMALL TOWN, EVEN A MOVIE????

2010-10-24T18:46:00.001-05:00

It all started out when I first blogged about Christian Bale being in my hometown some time ago, and what the heck was that all about? He visited the waste water treatment plant where a friend of mine works and then was spotted in Starbuck's locally. The town was abuzz and then a friend of mine saw Rachael McAdams at a little downtown cafe one morning at breakfast, weird we thought.

Then there is a casting call for our town and also in Tulsa and Oklahoma City to be extras in a movie to be filmed here in our area. Several people I know went to audition, but it was an unnamed project and no details were given.

Then speculation broke out when Ben Affleck showed up all over town with his beautiful wife Jennifer Garner, children in tow.

They campused our short block to look at houses to film in and around. My neighbor took the film scout into her home to see if they would be interested in using hers to film in. She said they took lots of photographs of the neighborhood. She was so excited!

A lot of people thought wow, they are doing Pioneer Woman's love story to Marlboro Man, but I did not think it was related to this since Christian Bale had been here before Ree's movie project had been talked about. Then Pioneer Woman posted that it was in fact not her story, but her brother had gone to audition and got a call back. You see Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, is a local girl from my town also. This is the town where she grew up until she went to college, then came home met Ladd and married. I know her parents when I see them, and she was a little ballerina at the same time as a friend of mine back in the day.

During the Indian Summer Festival they were filming at the Pow Wow the night my mom and I attended, but we really did not think much about it. I thought they were just doing a promotion piece for the festival for tourism.

They were filming all around my 87 year old mom and she was getting irritated because they were in her line of vision filming Olga Kurylenko and she was there to see the Indian dancers! Oh my goodness, I am surprised she didn't give them a piece of her mind. I was watching some of that while I climbed up to the top of the bleachers to take photos of the dancing.

Olga Kurylenko

My mom was sitting right in front of this. Who knows she might be an extra by pure luck

The papers started reporting on movie starting to shoot and then it all got going. Here are some of Ben on our downtown street taken by a local woman who was lucky to have her camera with her.

They have been filming around town and in Pawhuska also. One of the local ranch lady Frances Gardner got a paid part at 92 years old.

The funny thing last week was the newspaper had on the front page for us to leave them alone while they are the streets of our lovely town filming! It cracked me up, what do they expect? Yes, there are people who want to see movie stars in their town and might want a autograph and a picture but all in all we are a respectful bunch here in Oklahoma, we are not like home grown paparazzi here!

Our friends from the UK (Aberdeen Scotland) were here in town and Richard thought it was a joke we were telling him that they were filming a major movie in Bartlesville! He heard it again when he reported into work here at ConocoPhillips, so he then had to believe us! Then as the week progressed they were all around town this week and even in the hotel our friends were staying in. On the last night that our friends were here we saw them filming at the Romine house, so Angela got to see that happening before she left.

The project is still unnamed and it is reported to be an epic love story about a fisherman who works at the waste water treatment plant, and that is all I know about the plot. Odd sounding story line if you ask me......

but I am excited for it to come out so I can see my town and some people I know in the big lights! They could have the Premier here too when they are set to release it!

So I guess exciting things can happen to a small town in Oklahoma!

This is a report from the Tulsa World below:

Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz Starring in Terrence Malick's Next?

August 12, 2010
Source: The Wrap, TulsaWorld.com
by Alex Billington

What the heck is Terrence Malick up to? Although we haven't even seen his latest film, The Tree of Life, which no one knows when we even will see it or even what the heck it's even about, that's not stopping the filmmaker from starting work on his next film. The Wrap reports that Malick has already begun casting and location scouting for his latest currently untitled project. Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz have reportedly joined the cast and interesting reports from various remote shooting locations are starting to trickle in, too. This is that same "romance" project announced in February at the Berlin Film Festival.

In that original announcement, Malick's next project was described as a "romantic drama" and a "powerful and moving love story." But as anyone who's seen Malick's work knows, referring to one of his films as just a "romance" isn't exactly accurate, as there's always a lot more depth to them. Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams and Olga Kurylenko were all announced originally, but word is that Affleck is replacing Bale, and Weisz may just be joining (not replacing anyone). Production is scheduled to begin the first week of October in Oklahoma, which is where some odd celebrity reports have been popping up recently as well.
Our friends at AICN point out that TulsaWorld.com recent published an article saying that Ben Affleck and his wife Jennifer Garner were spotted at a local store in Bartlesville, OK buying fishing supplies. Malick grew up in Bartlesville and apparently Christian Bale and Rachel McAdams were also spotted in the same area last year, scouting for this exact Malick film, which is why it makes sense that Affleck has replaced Bale and is out getting familiar with the area as well. Affleck apparently told an employee at the fishing shop hat he was filming a movie in Bartlesville, playing a fisherman, and needed to buy some fishing equipment.
Considering Malick's projects are always very secretive, that's about as much as we'll probably know about this until he finishes editing it some two or three years from now. It's always interesting to learn about the next project from someone as incredible as Terrence Malick (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World), but I'm more interested in figuring out when we'll finally get to feast our eyes on Tree of Life. We'll keep you updated on anything related to Malick and his two upcoming films, so stay tuned here.

My Weekend....

2010-10-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

I had tons of things to do this weekend, but for some reason I got bit by the "lets make jewelry bug"!

I put on my IPOD and listen to Bob Wills and away the weekend goes...

I listen to more than Bob Wills, but this weekend he seemed to be my favorite.

My mom said "I didn't think you made jewelry anymore",

which I replied

"I haven't had time or the energy to dig it all out!"

The cooler weather and the adjustment to my thyroid has made me much more energetic!

I have a companion who likes Bob Wills music too.

and she likes mink also....

nothing is too good for the princess.....

Longhorns and Cowboys, Dewey, Oklahoma

2010-09-25T00:24:00.001-05:00

Dewey had their Western Heritage Parade and Wild West Show last weekend.

I thought this little team of donkeys and wagon were adorable!

to see the rodeo photos click below

The One Armed Bandit Rodeo Enertainers

Opps, they were getting a little out of hand .....

and those horns were longer than most that you see....

especially since we were at eye level...

Mom and my friend, Linda

Bartlesville, Indian Summer Festival

2010-09-23T00:24:00.000-05:00

Bartlesville is host an inter tribal Indian Art show and Pow Wow in each year in September. I always like to go and it is a good opportunity to see friends who I don't bump into on an everyday basis. It is very colorful and this year the weather was really hot, but no rain so that was good.

The Princesses were all so very beautiful in their native dress

I love the fancy dancers!

Sweetest of Babes

2010-09-16T12:06:00.001-05:00

I took this photos yesterday of this brother and his little sister....they are the cutiest little ones!

I asked him if he could kiss his sissy and he said NO!

hopefully he doesn't push her in the water.... LOL!

but he did.... cute aren't they?

I asked him if he could look at the camera and so did his mom...he said, NO!

but he did...

his sister was born on our wedding anniversary!

This is a couple of proud grandparents and they should be!

Sweet Babes

2010-09-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

Got a photo of the family all together this evening. There was another fawn with them but I don't know who he belongs to!

HAPPY LABOR DAY

2010-09-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

FROM ME AND JACKIE

That's Life BBC 1986 soda water dogs (Zomergasten 2010)

2010-09-04T17:19:00.000-05:00

Hummingbirds

2010-09-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

There are even more hummingbirds feeding this week than before. They must be in the numbers of a hundred or more. I just can't believe it! They are so much fun to watch and so cute!

Here is a male Ruby Throat Hummingbird.

The males are harder to photograph because they don't sit still as long as the females do, and there aren't as many of them.

They are really hard to photograph because they move so fast and are so small

I have used up about 10 lbs of sugar this week alone feeding them!

Usually they only have one to two birds on a feeder, now they are usually 6 or more birds on a feeder. I have 8 feeders around the yard. They seem to like this one the best that hangs right outside the window by my desk.

This little one hit the glass of the window and knocked the sense out of herself. I picked her up before Jackie could nail it and I hope it recovered. I placed it by the Yew bush outside the fence. Sometimes they do recover and sometimes they don't if they get a bad injury. We have only lost 2 this summer that I know of due to hitting the windows. It just hurts my heart when it happens....

DEWEY, OKLAHOMA (INDIAN TERRITORY) PAST AND PRESENT

2010-08-29T15:46:00.001-05:00


My girlfriend's dad's truck Eli's Hog Hauler

The photos above were taken this August at the Dewey Antique Car show at the Dewey Hotel.


Veranda of the Dewey Hotel before statehood when it was Indian Territory

History of Dewey, Oklahoma

Dewey, Oklahoma is located approximately 49 miles north of Tulsa in Washington County. Dewey is about 15 miles south of the Kansas border.
Jake Bartles started the city of Dewey (which was originally part of Indian Territory, allotted to the Cherokee Nation) back in the 1890's after moving his general store from Bartlesville. During the move of the store, the Bartles family also began building the Dewey Hotel, which was completed in 1899. Dewey became a thriving community thanks to oil drilling, and was officially chartered December 8, 1905.
Today Dewey, Oklahoma sits quietly enjoying its role as a small town in the northeastern part of the state. If you drove through Dewey today you might find it hard to believe that for almost 20 years, the community was known around the world for its annual roundup. "The Dewey Roundup," as it was called, occurred every year for three days over the 4th of July holiday.
The event was foremost a contest of cowboy skills with prize money given to the winners, but other things happened as well. Airplane demonstrations were given everyday. Car and horse races, boxing matches, and Wild West shows filled the arena north of town. The Roundup began as a reunion for town founder Jake Bartles and his friends from the Civil War. It soon, however, turned into much more than that. After the first Roundup in 1908 Jake's son Joe made the event an annual affair, and so the tradition began.
So many people flooded into Dewey beginning in late June that special railroad tracks were built just to handle the traffic. Lodging was so impossible to find that people camped out in the yards of nearby houses or strung hammocks between building columns.
Every year the Roundup promised something special for those attending. Bulldogging from an airplane occurred in 1915, while in 1919 all of the prize money was issued in the form of solid gold coins minted especially for the event. Legend has it that the Dewey Roundup was the inspiration for the now famous Calgary Stampede and that a train car of Roundup officials from Dewey traveled to Canada to oversee the creation of that event.
The Roundup was an unofficial measure of one's skill as a cowboy. If you did well at Dewey then you knew that you were one of the best in the country. Ropers, riders and bulldoggers made their way to Dewey each year from almost every state in the union putting their skills, reputations, and sometimes careers to the test. Western movie stars were discovered and hired at the Roundup, and many a ranch hand got his first job based on his performance there. The Roundup is a piece of cowboy history, and many people from Dewey still remember the chaotic three days occurring every July. The Great Depression of 1929 put a stop to the Roundup, and the collapse of the mammoth grandstands in the 1930s signaled the end of any hope for a revival. It was in this week of 1908 that the first Dewey Roundup took place, starting a tradition and creating memories that would live on for decades.

Tom Mix served as town Marshal in 1912. He later became a world-famous silent film adventure actor. Dewey is home of the Tom Mix Museum and hosts an annual Tom Mix Festival and Wild West Show in September. The Tom Mix Museum serves as the city's Visitor Information Center.
The Dewey Portland Cement Company was most beneficial to the city. Owner Don Tyler not only benefited the local economy with Dewey Portland Cement, but was able to build the Washington County Fairgrounds, Library, the school gymnasium, and a community center. Several houses in the city are made with Dewey Portland cement. Dewey also had concrete electrical poles, some of which are still being used. Dewey had paved streets and sidewalks before most cities did!

Attend the city of Dewey

Western Heritage Days Parade

September, 18, 2010

3 PM
Dewey's Tom Mix Festival and Wild West Show are coming up September 18 and 19. The events together make up Deweys Western Heritage Weekend.

Saturday's entertainment will include music, gun fights, children's games, an antique tractor show, great food and other vendors, tours of the Tom Mix Museum and haunted Dewey Hotel Museum, and a western parade - complete with a longhorn cattle drive through downtown Dewey!

Sunday's activities start with the "Sermon on the Mount" (horse-whispering), a chuck wagon breakfast, and moves on to more food vendors, gun fights, live music, Prairie Song tours, and culminates in a Wild West Show featuring the One Arm Bandit and other western acts!

For more information about any of the activities, including the overnight cattle drive, here are the contacts: Parade, Craig Epps 337-3379 (or pick up a parade entry form at City Hall); Cattle Drive, Rod Nicholas 534-1809; Vending applications, Nick Brown 534-7428.

Dewey continues to be a thriving community today. I am proud to say that this is the town that I grew up in!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-08-25T21:06:00.000-05:00

Window Washer For Hire

2010-08-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

Will work for Doggie Treats

Hummingbird Wars and Feeding Frenzie!

2010-08-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

We have had a larger than normal amount of hummingbirds at our house this year.

They sure do cuss me out when I am outside and interrupting

their feeding. I just love to listen to the chatter of those little guys!

There are so many of them I can not even try to count.

I have 8 feeders up and I have to fill them every day to day and a half.

I am keeping the sugar company in business!

My recipe

1part sugar

4 parts water, boiled

let cool then fill feeders

THE FAMILY

2010-08-13T22:52:00.000-05:00

SHEDDING DOG HAIR.....YUCK!

2010-08-08T18:27:00.002-05:00

Kelsey our rescue

We have been up to our eyeballs with dog hair. Kelsey was blackish and white and she was a real shedding machine...I said I don't want anymore dogs that shed, especially white ones..... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to wear black, I love to wear black as much as I love to sleep late and stay up late..... My miniature schnauzers don't shed so I had gotten spoiled. So then when Kelsey passed on I was sure we would just have Schnauzers from then on, Chloe was still fairly young and so we were finally free of dog hair clogging up and burning out all the vacuum motors! We went through several of them with Kelsey. Dog hair is really hard on motors!

Chloe, Zoe, and Kelsey

Chloe then soon came down with Cushings Disease and diabetes soon and within 6 months I had lost both of my beautiful girls... We were then dog-less.

Well I was watching the morning news program out of Tulsa a few months later and they had this cute little Jack Russell on trying to find her a good home...

well you know the rest of the story........


How could I resist those eyes??????

Yes, it was Jackie and does she shed white hair??????

Oh my goodness, yes,

but our friend who is a Jack Russell owner told us about this product to help with shedding that they use on Ellie's food. I got on line and ordered it immediately!

Halo Dream Coat

It took a while to receive in the mail, but it works, it worked within a week! Yes, Jackie still sheds some but it is amazing how it works! The online prices vary greatly but the link above has the best price I could find. It took awhile to get it but well worth the wait. Try it I think you will like it and they get so shiny too!

It is also for cats

That is my best tip of the month or maybe ever!

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-08-08T01:18:00.001-05:00

Mom celebrated her 87th birthday on the 6th. Her friends threw her a party at a local steak house and 18 attended. Mom and her friends are all square dancers and have been friends for many years. My parents started square dancing in about 1957, but most of those that danced before about 1965 or so have gone on now. When Mom had her 80th birthday celebration we had square danceing along with the party.... my in-laws couldn't believe she still had the dosey doe goin' on, and she still does!

Wilma made the cake...

yep, it was good!

Ruth Ann cut the cake....

and everyone had a good time

including the birthday girl!

Happy Birthday Momma

I love you!

The Brave One

2010-08-04T22:19:00.001-05:00

Our resident doe has twins again this year but they don't usually get up close enough to the house to photograph, and when they do I am asleep (I sleep late) or it is too shady in the evening with the trees.

This one seems to be the brave one and he was up posing for some time the other evening.

cute little cuss!

Grandparents

2010-08-01T22:59:00.002-05:00

An old photo of my family back in around 1980 at the Coors Plant:

Dad, Sarah ,my niece, Mom, and me.

A little humor to lighten your day....

1. A grandmother was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young
granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on
again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.
Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,
"Who was THAT?"

4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We
picked wild raspberries in the woods."
The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?''

"You're both old," he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story.
"What's it about?" he asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I
continued. At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.
Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure."

"Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool.

"That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?"
"It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher.

The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder
pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked.
"Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.
"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.
"No," said another. "He's just for good luck."
A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."

13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."

14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

15. My Grandparents are funny, when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog.

16. A little 4 year old girl was watching her Grandmother put on her makeup one morning in the bathroom mirror. The grandmother said in an uncertain tone, "does this makeup make me look tacky?"
In such a approving excited tone the little girl responded,
"oh yes, very tacky!".

Summer Heat Warning

2010-07-26T00:17:00.003-05:00

I don't know how Lexi can stand to be running around in this heat!

We are sweltering here and I am paying for it.
I had heat stroke once as a kid while hauling hay and I have to be careful or it will get me again. It did about 15 years ago when we were moving my in-laws and now it is worse since then.

Phwewwwww... please cool off some soon!

I would love to head to the mountains for a week or so, but it is not in the cards this summer. A big cold pool of water sounds so good to me also....I can handle the heat if I am floating in water!

Jackie is teaching Lexi how to hunt for Turtles......her favorite pastime at my mom's house. She finds them when I do not know how she knows where they are!

Lexi is growing and learning quickly and she is about as onery as a two year old, but Mom and her are having a good time and we all are all pretty crazy about her.

It makes me want to get another puppy myself, but then when she occasionally poops on the floor, I think, maybe not.....

I don't get it, she knows better but she has ADD I think, she goes out and starts looking at all the other stuff and forgets what she is suppose to be doing out there!

Well you all stay cool out there and enjoy the rest of your summer. It really has gone quickly even if it is hot. I feel like it has been a boring summer for me, but when I think about it, it really hasn't.

Maybe it was just the let down after all of my adventures last summer..... I am going to be happy I missed some of my excitement I had last summer and be grateful for my "quiet" summer this year.

Fun with Family

2010-07-19T17:42:00.001-05:00

My brother and his daughter came up from Texas with her son and two dogs, Chica and Sasha. We had a good week visiting and reminiscing.

They went home this morning so now Lexi is going to have to find someone else to hold to the floor......

Company arrives today

2010-07-14T12:41:00.001-05:00

Wesley walking Chica and Sasha, originally uploaded by ktsparks.

Wesley walking Chica and Sasha on the state line visitor center between Oklahoma and Texas.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND

2010-07-10T00:37:00.001-05:00

26 years ago today

2010-06-30T13:00:00.002-05:00

TWO SPECIAL BLESSINGS

2010-06-28T22:03:00.006-05:00

We have two very special young women in our lives and I thank my stars for them every day. They have always been good children, good adolescents and now they have graduated
high school with honors, AND starting
at University this fall.
Ignore me I am a doting auntie!

Karly, Robin, Taylr

I am so proud of the way they turned out, and their mother did a great job raising them and giving them a great sense of who they are.

It just seems impossible that they are not the babies, who are twins, we loved so much.

Karly spent this month of June showing her
paint gelding "Spot" at the Pinto World Show in Tulsa, OK and then on to the Paint World Show in Ft. Worth, Tx.
Taylr came along this time and has decided she is going to follow suite and start showing again also. Her activity has been cheer leading but now she has decided to give it a go again since she had so much fun at the shows this month.

Karly started riding Spot as a 2 year old, trained him herself and she has competed for the past 3 years on him at the World level.
Spot is a 5 year old now, so his winnings are very impressive for such a young horse, but he is such a sweet gentleman!

Karly was 7th in Western Plesure at the APHA World show

add to that this year's Pinto World finishes; 3rd in Trail,

Reserve World Champion Ideal Pinto Western Horse (which they won the last two years),

Reserve World Champion Pinto World Western Pleasure (which they won last year),

and

Pinto World Champion Disciplined Rail.

All the hard work has paid off and it couldn't have happened to a NICER young woman!

Next year we will be looking forward to cheering Taylr on also!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-06-23T17:23:00.001-05:00

The Weather is Killing me!

2010-06-22T02:41:00.003-05:00

It is so hot here that the dog has passed out!

Wish I had that much energy!

2010-06-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

We are still having tons of fun with Lexi since she joined the family! She is one funny little spoiled princess and my mom is adoring her, even though she is wearing the pants off my mom!

I think we must have forgotten just how precocious and busy a puppy can be! She seems to be very smart and I think she is going to be a great watch dog. She already notices everything that isn't in it's normal place or anything out of the normal around the yard.

She gives Jackie a good run for her money also. They are doing very well hanging together and Lexi is so involved on doing all the BIG dog things Jackie does....

Now it is okay for me to jump around but you better play nice Jackie...I'm just a little bitty girl!

No, I don't wanna come down there where you are!

How about tug o' war???

Finally nap time!

Sunday Play Date

2010-05-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

My mother's new puppy Lexi is a hoot, let me tell you! Of course we are a very partial family to Miniature Schnauzers! We are just like most people, who get a breed and no matter what just can not stand to be without one.

My mom is in love with her new girl and I can say I do not blame her one bit because we are smitten with the cute bug too! Now, Jackie is not so sure what the thing is jumping on and all around her! LOL

I am so proud of Jackie because she is showing a great deal of patience.

Jackie was devastated by the loss of my mothers Miniature Schnauzer, Zoe, so I was hopeful. I was not sure if she would have any patience with a puppy, but so far so good.

welcome little one!

Life is good!

My Mama's New Baby!

2010-05-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

7lbs and 11 weeks old....bundle of joy

Her name is Lexi and we are so excited to have her in our family!

My favorite Rose

2010-05-16T13:58:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love this rose bush that my husband gave to me for Valentine's Day several years ago, it never disappoints and the clearness of the pink is beautiful. It is a Bonica Shrub Rose if I remember correctly

News on 6 - Local Photographer Makes a Difference

2010-05-05T21:18:00.000-05:00

The Wildwood

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

Cuteness!

When I think of my Grandparents

Window of Past Grandeur

The Glorious Beauty of New Mexico

New Mexico Snowfall

TAOS

A trip to New Mexico

2011 Bartlesville Photo Walk

Who wants to sweat??????

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Sunday Stills-spring is showing off around the yard

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

The Hood, the joy of bad neighbors

It is so boring around here....

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

A Piece of My Heart

Happy Birthday to me!

Two WEEKS IN FEBRUARY

I WON A GIFT BAG FROM GUN DIVA!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Oklahoma Sunset

To Grandma's house

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW...........

Sunday Stills

We are still snowed under...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Snow Day

ALL AROUND THE FEED TROUGH.....

Celebrating a Train Wreck!

Today's Adventure

Lexi is 10 months old today!

Wordless Wednesday

A GIGGLE with the GOATS Jingle Bells Holiday Performance

O Christmas Tree.....(S)

ROWDY GIRLS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Take off your Spurs and Stay awhile...

VETERANS DAY

A Veteranis someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payableto the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. That is beyond honor.

HOW CAN YOU NOT BE IN LOVE?

Buddy Tough, RIP, a nationional disgrace on the face of Hydro and to OKLAHOMA

Hydro man lands in jail over poodle rescue

WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A SMALL TOWN, EVEN A MOVIE????

Then there is a casting call for our town and also in Tulsa and Oklahoma City to be extras in a movie to be filmed here in our area. Several people I know went to audition, but it was an unnamed project and no details were given.

Then speculation broke out when Ben Affleck showed up all over town with his beautiful wife Jennifer Garner, children in tow.

They campused our short block to look at houses to film in and around. My neighbor took the film scout into her home to see if they would be interested in using hers to film in. She said they took lots of photographs of the neighborhood. She was so excited!

During the Indian Summer Festival they were filming at the Pow Wow the night my mom and I attended, but we really did not think much about it. I thought they were just doing a promotion piece for the festival for tourism.

Olga Kurylenko

The papers started reporting on movie starting to shoot and then it all got going. Here are some of Ben on our downtown street taken by a local woman who was lucky to have her camera with her.

They have been filming around town and in Pawhuska also. One of the local ranch lady Frances Gardner got a paid part at 92 years old.

The project is still unnamed and it is reported to be an epic love story about a fisherman who works at the waste water treatment plant, and that is all I know about the plot. Odd sounding story line if you ask me......

but I am excited for it to come out so I can see my town and some people I know in the big lights! They could have the Premier here too when they are set to release it!

So I guess exciting things can happen to a small town in Oklahoma!

This is a report from the Tulsa World below:

Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz Starring in Terrence Malick's Next?

My Weekend....

Longhorns and Cowboys, Dewey, Oklahoma

Bartlesville, Indian Summer Festival

Sweetest of Babes

Sweet Babes

HAPPY LABOR DAY

That's Life BBC 1986 soda water dogs (Zomergasten 2010)

Hummingbirds

DEWEY, OKLAHOMA (INDIAN TERRITORY) PAST AND PRESENT

The photos above were taken this August at the Dewey Antique Car show at the Dewey Hotel.

History of Dewey, Oklahoma

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Window Washer For Hire

Hummingbird Wars and Feeding Frenzie!

THE FAMILY

SHEDDING DOG HAIR.....YUCK!

Happy Birthday Mom

The Brave One

Grandparents

Summer Heat Warning

Fun with Family

Company arrives today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND

A Veteran
is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable
to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including,
their life. That is beyond honor.