Category: Prattling On

Dog Days “Scout, a friend”

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"when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" – Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813. Well, that’s what Wikipedia says.

This is picture of my friend and neighbor’s pup Scout, a cute little Boston terrier who loves to come play. He’s very keen on Maisy.

Last night I left work late (again), hopped into the supermarket for yet another half-assed grocery trip, and brought work home (again). But this time I saw the looks on my dog’s faces, put the milk in the fridge, grabbed the leashes and took them for a beautiful golden twilight jaunt. We live just around the corner from the historic district so there’s always alot to see on our walks. Things I saw:

  • the late day light is changing to that warmer autumn tone
  • the water tower is almost all painted.. white with Beware, Wildcat Country! (in purple)
  • there’s an art show at Kingfisher Gallery
  • lots of people are at City Cafe for the Wednesday night Home style buffet… Pot Roast & Fried Chicken. Love their lemon meringue pie.
  • Maisy is getting much better on her leash.
  • I needed this as much as my 3 dogs
  • Work can and will wait

So today I donned my favorite white eyelet skirt, a sage blouse and my favorite flip-flops to wear to work. Yep, you heard right, flip-flops to the office.

Today I need to get a package together for a new friend (S—it may be mañana, send a birthday card to my mother ( I just started her gift, of course).

I have started knitting Wisp in Rowan Kid Silk Haze color—Trance, a beautiful teal. The last time I knit with this yarn…I wasn’t in love with it. But I am soooo digging it this time, wonder if I chose a better needle for the mohair. Think I may need to knit some of these as gifts, it is so luxurious and so delicate. Yummy.

I also need to decide on a scarf for my downstream pal  for the Ravelry Scarf Exchange. She ‘s not a fan of Mohair, so Wisp is out… maybe Steam?

Am also quickly knitting the Bubbly Curtain from Mason Dixon for the husbands bathroom and the hinky little window on the front door.

Am also thinking of setting up an Etsy shop to peddle my invites, announcements and stationary.

 

400 Children and Crap in the Field

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07aspr_wg239_m01I ordered this skirt online and wish it was as long as it is on this girl, cuz it is way too above the knees for a sturdy girl over 40 to be sporting. Just when did that happen? God I was so brave in my twenties.

One of the cool things about my job is that the edit dept receives lots of music for review and they can be up for grabs most of the time. I scored the new Lori McKenna today when I went to fetch a cup of mint tea. It’s obviously more produced than The Kitchen Tapes and not as sweet as Bittertown but I love " I’m Not Crazy"

Finally ordered Bend the Rules Sewing I can’t wait to finish the guest room so I have some room to sew and quilt and just be.

The pie social was a big hit… there were twelve eleven pies in all:

  • wild blueberry almond crumble (mine, the blurry pie pictured below… camera phones kinda suck)
  • apple pandowdy (which is not technically a pie and actually leads to another whole can of worms such as cobblers, brown Betties, Charlotte’s, crisps and other  topics which deserve discussion, just not now)
  • peach
  • peach cherry
  • buttermilk
  • peach custard
  • blueberry lattice
  • Oreo
  • million dollar
  • treacle (I’m serious)
  • key lime
  • apple

    Noname_3

I think it’s important to note there that not one of these Texans brought a pecan pie. . . very strange, even though it’s not quite pecan season.

While I’m in list making mode . . . I am compiling a play list of 70’s country tunes that used to play on the jukebox of the Golden Spike, the truck stop my parents ran in Colorado.  So far the list is looking like this:

  1. Happiest Girl | Donna Fargo
  2. Behind Closed Doors | Charlie Rich
  3. Jolene | Dolly Parton
  4. Kiss an Angel This Morning | Charlie Pride
  5. Rose Garden | Lynn Anderson
  6. Lucille | Kenny Rogers ( and I think it’s 4 hungry children, not 400 children as I believed for like, oh forever)* Did I ever mention that I saw Kenny Rogers perform at the Miss America Pageant? I’ve been twice . . .  another story for another day.
  7. Help Me Make it Through the Night | Kris Kristofferson version..maybe but not if I include #9
  8. undefined Her Was Easier | Kris Kristofferson
  9. Paper Roses | Marie Osmond
  10. Ode to Billy Joe | Bobbie Gentry
  11. Race is On | George Jones
  12. Wichita Lineman | Glen Campbell (this is one of my all time favorite songs, I’m serious)
  13. Delta Dawn | Tanya Tucker (because where there’s Glen . . .)

other possible contenders are

One Tin Soldier
Ramblin’ Man
Sunshine on My Shoulders

am I forgetting any?

*Oh I almost forgot, speaking of  misheard lyrics…  check this site out http://www.kissthisguy.com

TV Tray Confessional

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Pie
My family ran a kinda sorta truck stop called the Golden Spike Inn, sometime in the mid seventies.

  The Golden Spike was a truck stop in Byers, Colorado. Every Friday after school at Sunset Ridge Elementary we’d pile in the baby shit brown Buick Le Sabre and drive out to Kiowa County. I loved the ride. I looked forward to the ride all week, every week. We’d leave the windows down and the radio up high, listening to the Allman Brothers, Tanya Tucker and Charlie Rich. We knew we were getting close when the smell of cow manure hit us like heat escaping from an oven door. We’d shriek and hold our noses until we saw the Stuckey’s, happy that the stench had subsided, but a little sad that our ride was almost over. I also remember trying to figure out what movie was playing at the drive-in as we drove by at sunset on the way home Sunday nights. I have such a vivid image imprinted of Charlton Heston (as Moses)

  I don’t remember much about Byers…the water tower, the swings at the school and our trailer we stayed in . I loved swinging on the empty playground, I felt like ghost. I’d look at the black school windows and wonder about the kids that went there and was envious of their lives…  there.

  The golden spike was great, your quintessential truck stop grub…Denver omelets, open-face chili burgers and BLT’s. My sisters and I would hang out all day and night making suicides at the soda fountain, swiping cherry Certs from under the cash register, an feeding the jukebox. To this day I’m stopped dead in my tracks whenever I hear one of those songs, which isn’t often. The jukebox was full of songs by Charlie Pride, Helen Reddy, the Kendalls, Dolly Parton, and at my sister’s insistence… Marie Osmond. Can anyone hum a few bars of " Paper Roses" ?

I embraced this part of my life and credit (or blame) those years for my penchant for diners, Airstream trailers, Loretta Lynn and all things that smack of retro Americana culture.