All things Old and New

Soggy Days Downtown

2009-10-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's raining it's pouring the old man is snoring;

He bumped his head when he fell out of bed and couldn't get up in the morning!

Beautiful pictures of Old Town Grants Pass,

in case you all didn't know....Fall is my favorite time of year!

Unfortunately, the leaves never last too long

if there is a wind to go along

with the rain!

I hope you enjoy these photos

of our sleepy little town.

It's Been A While

2009-10-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've seen one of these up close and personal; actually the last time I was close to one of these I was in New Mexico riding horses with my uncle. We were in the "box canyon" on a beautiful fall afternoon much like today.....partly cloudy, a breeze, luminous color in the trees: aspen, cottonwood, oak and various others.
We had ridden into the canyon with the wind to our backs, I was riding a young gelding named "Little Dan" who wasn't very little at all....
We had crossed the crick at least 3 times before we found our way to this very large elk! Guessing from his hoof size I'd wager that he was a LOT bigger than my "Little Dan" would ever be?! The sad thing about this monster with a 6 foot spread on his rack was the fact that some hunter was not quick enough to chase after him after using his compound bow. I'm not against hunting nor am I against hunting with a bow.....my only peeve is if you hunt with a bow make sure you're in terrifc shape to go after the elk!

What I saw was about two years' worth of meat spoiling in the sun in that canyon, it was disturbing enough that my uncle who is of very few words actually said more than four words that day to me!! I believe his exact words were, "That elk back there, seeing it just laying in the sun; did that make you sick looking at it?" Of course I was sick looking at it and smelling it was waaaaayyyyyy worse!!! And on that note, I was very glad to get a breeze tickling my nose with the smell of a warm horse and seasoned leather to take the image out of my mind and just enjoy the rest of my ride until we got back to the barn and could laze in the sun.

Fall or Summer.....which is it?

2009-10-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Fall or Summer? Ummmm......Mother Nature we need to talk!

Last week we had weather in the high 70's low 80's; I went to turn on the heat this morning and did a double take because only 4 days prior we had the air conditioning on!!

I'd like to bend Mother Nature's ear.....this is some strange weather we're having. I'm not going to complain about being able to drink delicious coffee in the morning to wake up, refuel in the afternoon or have with dessert in the evening.....provided I remember to fix decaf!

I unpacked all of my fall/winter clothes last week while still looking for warm weather clothes to wear to work? Huh.....you say? Yep that's exactly what I've been saying to myself! Especially after I packed all my sleeveless, short sleeved and lighter weight shirts thinking I was gearing up for colder weather???

If you'll excuse me now, I must go bend Mother Nature's ear before Father Time gets her too involved with Bingo!

I'm fine....just fine thanks.

2009-10-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm fine. Just fine.

Other than the hot flashes, cold flashes, night sweats, sudden bouts of uncontrollable crying, itchy skin, memory lapses, headaches, bodyaches, dizziness, bleeding gums, ringing ears, mysterious hair growth, and the fact that I sometimes pee when I sneeze......I'm just about friggin' PERFECT!!!!

I thought that this little anecdote described how I've been feeling these last few weeks;

and I also wanted to let you know I've been contemplating on rearranging

my living room furniture!

The only problem I seem to have is where do I put Dodgeman after

I remove his easy chair??

Because everytime I suggest "we" move the furniture around,

he sits down til the feeling goes away.

Not my feeling mind you....just his feeling!

For the most part, he goes along with my idea

and then he just goes; which is not to be mean or anything but I'll have to get some of those furniture sliders from my mom and like she always says:

DO IT YOURSELF SWEETIE.......

AND I DO!

Stay tuned to "As the furniture turns".....

The Glorius Days of Fall

2009-09-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ahh...Fall it's in the air, on the breeze and on the trees!! The leaves are turning slowly to their golden and reddish hues; the breeze in the afternoon is cooling quite a bit and the evenings are pure splendor.

Mornings require a good cup of coffee or tea to start the day......something to keep you warm. Going through all my drawers to find cooler weather clothes without destroying half of my side of the closet requires a bit a tact; and for the most part I have done my job very well!

I have even managed to weed out the clothes I no longer can wear, were given to me or pirated out of the "community" closet at my parents house. Don't let my mom know about that......now if only I could part with some of those ugly shoes I called comfortable?

My quilts and blankets have been to the washer and dryer to freshen them before they are packed away for the winter and the winter quilts are destined for the same fate. Now don't get me wrong I'm not trying to rush Fall out and usher Winter in no no no........I am patiently waiting for Fall as it is my favorite time of year! The crispness of the air, the sweet breezes that ruffles the leaves in the trees and on the ground, the aroma of mulled spices and apple cider and the beautiful colors adorning the little shops along the walkway downtown.

Most of all, the smell of fresh popcorn drifting along the walkway as I'm headed to my favorite place to get a sweet treat of an ice cold Coca~Cola and a bag of old fashioned popcorn: there is no other place than "Blind George's Popcorn Stand" in beautiful downtown Grants Pass, Oregon.

Washing a Chicken

2009-09-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a wet chicken looks like?
Well look no further! Try not to look too close either; because the chicken and I can't remember whether its a hen or a rooster is a bit shy. He or she warmed up to me pretty quick considering I was the only person between "it" and the large Doberman Pinscher!
I doubt the dog would have done anything to the chicken since I'm told she is as afraid of the chicken as they are of her!! But I must say.......we look darn good don't we???

Recuperating

2009-09-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Recuperating from the long drive; I think as you get on in years ( I'm NOT THAT old) but all the same it takes awhile to get your second wind back from all the hustle and bustle from being gone for a week!!

You have laundry to catch up on, finding the nasty smell in your fridge, housework and a variety of other chores as well.

So Dodgeman and I returned home on Monday the actual Labor Day; we enjoyed ourselves, tho it was a very busy week!! We think that next year we will time our visit a little later than "fair time" in Nevada?
Although, I enjoyed the judging part of the 4-H'ers very much and it was great to see "the little ones" have gotten bigger!!
I did fall in love with a darling little girl who happens to be in 4-H!! I have yet to come up with a name for her, but oh my gosh!! Everyone needs a child as cute and sweet as her!! Oh it just came to me; I shall call her "Cuppycake".
So now "Cuppycake" has her own private name and those who have met her will know just how sweet she really is!

Sorry my post is short everybody......but the dog needs tending to, papers and cans must be recycled, laundry needs to be folded......and I FOUND the nasty smell in the fridge! Somebody let me know when Friday rolls around by then I will be out of hibernation!!

Chicken Nuggets and Other Questions

2009-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I arrived back home safe and sound? Well maybe not completely sound.....But I did enjoy myself and learned a lot of interesting things as well!

As my title indicates; I learned how to wash chickens, and how to offend them as well! It was not my intention to offend much less make them mad at me; it seems my bestest friend Deserthen's daughter keeps several roosters who do not care for the presence of my boots in their coop. To make matters a bit uncomfortable, I was asked to retrieve eggs on a Friday morning.....it is my favorite thing to do while I'm there and I love to visit with most of the hens and a few roosters!!!!
I entered the first coop and luckily the hens were not mad at me and gave up their eggs willingly. The next coop I moved to has a rooster named "Luke Duke"; this little guy and he IS little with a complex? comes running at me tongue sticking out (is that a warning sign I wonder?) and proceeds to beat the crap outta my boots, egg basket and green shovel!! Now the basket is to carry the eggs....the shovel is for protection from Luke and various ornery roosters....which I unfortunately left in the coop with Luke! Did I mention that had someone taped this we'd be rolling in the dough for sure? No?
Oh well, I wrestled the shovel and basket back from said "little Luke" to which I said Phooey it wasn't worth 3 eggs to get my eyes scratched out over. Next coop I move to has this hen who thinks she is a rooster.....talk about a "gender-bender" identity crises!
I later find out her name is Azul....she pecks at my boots' kilties which I laugh cause it tickles! You know the meaning of "Madder than a wet hen?" Well she was MAD!!! And I was to blame.....cause I made the mistake of giggling and she got madder. I moved on to the rest of the coop's tenants which were very easy to contend with including the fact that I had to literally crawl inside a coop or two to get the eggs!!
Last year, my bahookie was a lot smaller and this year I'm just glad that DodgeMan wasn't out there with the camera to snap a couple of pictures of my bahookie as it was a "wider" load!

Now the day before, we washed chickens. Yep, you heard and read right.....washing chickens is no easy feat either! Which is why the chickens were still holding a grudge the next day when I went for the eggs?? I made the mistake of asking politely, "Just exactly where are the nuggets located on a chicken"? BIG MISTAKE!!!! I offended one of the ornery roosters who while he was outside drying in the fresh air did a "cockle doodle doo" to tellegraph to the other chickens: " do not be nice to the tall dark haired woman when she collects eggs!! She wants to know where, I said, where in the world are the nuggets on a chicken!!!!" And that my friends is how and probably WHY Luke Duke took it upon himself to put me in my place the next morning!!!
Of course, I later learned that the little roosters complex contributes to the fact that he's mean to DesertHen's daughter as well!! And here I thought it was because of me offending the other rooster while giving him a bath!!!

The Great Escape

2009-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

You know when you plan your "Great Escape" do you ever think about what snazzy color your post text should be?
I thought about it myself; and I also thought about where I was headed and decided to post in a desert-y tan. You know how you picture some places and the colors just come to your mind? Well, if and when you ever get to Nevada or in the area......this particular color I'm posting in just jumps right up and smacks you in the face! A few other colors grab my attention as well; the reddish pink over the desert at sunset, the vivid blue of the sky in the afternoon, the pale wash of some of the historical buildings around town, etc.

I really could live in Nevada except for a couple of minor details: both sets of parents would miss us terribly! And my daughter would be terrified of giving up her "let me stand out like a sore thumb" look and attitude! I love my ElectricGirl she's 16 and going thru the awkward stage of trying very hard to NOT blend in with fellow students; unfortunately she doesn't see that she looks just like them. Might be a good thing if we did relocate? But we will not until we know there are jobs available with a decent living wage for both Dodgeman and I to pursue. In the meantime, we will continue to plan our "Great Escape" year after year until we get brave enough to say "we're moving"!

Friday Nights

2009-08-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes on Friday's you get soooo tired that there is no cup of coffee, caffeine infused soda or energy drink that will lift your bum off the floor??

Today, I have experienced that day!

I will be taking a break for about a week to go on vacation to visit

my dear sweet bestest friend:

DesertHen in Nevada.

My job as I've been informed by her

is to judge knitting/crocheting

for the youth groups of

4H/FFA.

I'm looking forward to my task!

In the meantime, I need to gather laundry to wash,

pack my clothing,

avoid making eye contact with Miss Tess

and hopefully not forget a dang thing!!

In my absence, I will be keeping a blogger's journal

of my travels,

experience and funny things to happen while we are there;

I am looking forward to sharing with you all.

Mr. Potato Head

2009-08-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last year while visiting Nevada, my daughter ElectricGirl decided to spend some of her time creating a "potato friend"; I don't remember his name but it might jog my memory in a bit.
He was a handsome fellow and my daughter and her two friends spent equal amounts of time making sure the cats didn't play with him, nor the dog trying to eat him! As you can see his 'do isn't very normal for rural Nevada; don't think I've seen a spud with a mohawk before nor will I again?!

The girl in the photo is my friend's daughter, she had to have her picture taken with the spud and I think another friend also had her picture taken as well. Still can't remember his name; just know that this year we won't be taking any passengers home with us and won't have to worry about the possibility of sitting on his mohawk in case he falls into my lap!

Counting the days down till we hit the road for our "Great Escape"!!

Barking out loud

2009-08-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Hi there! Tess here again....mom is letting me do a post for her! Today, I finally coaxed mom and dad to take me to the Co-op and get me some "cookie bones" BOL! I love cookie bones....I do tricks for cookies, in fact I will actually do my 'business' outside, not bark at the neighbors and be a good girl cuz I can; especially if you mention cookies!

My favorite past time is licking plates; any kind of plate. When I go out to my Grammies house and she cooks anything yummy which is all my Grammie makes; I get to lick the plates.....BOL!! Grammie uses the good plates when we go out there of course, the good plates are made of paper and I can chew on them when I'm done......bol......you know my train of thought is very short like me and so I'm gonna let you go so I can go sing a song of loneliness and despair!

It starts like this.....hoooooooowwwwwl......bark bark bark.......aroooooooo......bark bark bark.......hoooowwwwwl......breathe breathe ....hoooooooooowwwwwl.......arrrrrrooooooo.......well you get the picture? Mom says its time for my nap...... Oh for Barking Out Loud!! Bark at ya'll later......Love from Tess

Burros in the Road

2009-08-17T15:37:00.001-07:00

This little guy or gal slowed us down a bit last year. It was standing by the roadside and since we weren't sure how fast he could run.......we decided to slow down and snap a few pictures. The only problem about taking a few pictures of these guys/gals?? Pretty soon they start to look the same, and you start to ask yourself: didn't we just take a picture of that group say 6 or 7 miles ago???

This one was just too cute to not take a picture! See how non chalant she is? Like she's daring you to snap a picture or two and maybe even try getting out of the truck and pet her? Or maybe.....she's hoping you don't get too close? You know those wild oats she's been eating pack a wallop when it comes to relieving a little gas?! Since we've hit that note which can be a bit overwhelming I believe I hear some laundry calling my name. While you're out on the back roads of life and moving a bit slower than usual.....take some pictures of some scenery, animals and old buildings! Life comes at you fast......make sure you've got your camera ready to go!!!

Eggs in my geranium

2009-08-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Do you see the eggs?? Yeah neither do I; but my mom assured me I would see some eggs when I watered! So I watered from the bottom tray like she told me; yada yada. I did as I was told...... see my sheepish grin here.....and then I went home to think about my dilemma of no eggs!!

I went back a few days later, and I found the egg! We think(dangerous concept), that the eggs were those of hummingbirds because they are sooooo tiny! And when I took the first picture a hummingbird zoomed out and almost gave me "what for and how come" for peering into the nest. It's not like she was nekked or anything.....but she sure didn't like being disturbed that day!!

Road Signs

2009-08-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to the Burma Shave signs???

When my mom was a young girl she and her family would drive back east through the Southwestern desert on their way to Oklahoma; along the way they would pass the time looking for the Burma Shave signs.

Mom said the topics ranged from shave cream to hair cream to livestock slogans! To which I really had to laugh........a few years ago, I was asked to deliver flowers on Mother's Day weekend. While I was out in the "boonies" delivering on this gravel road, I came across a smaller version of a Burma Shave sign. The gals at the florist laughed when I told them where I was headed; apparently they had already seen those signs as well!!!

So I hope I do these signs justice? Painted a bright red with white lettering; the first sign went as follows: Watch Out For Cows....Please Drive Slow......That Old Bull......Is Some Cow's Beau!!!!

To this day, I still get a laugh when I think about that particular sign. But the best part......I sure wish I knew where they came up with their slogans? And wouldn't it be a hoot if the ad companies brought back the "Classic Burma Shave" signs?? Hey I know......do you know of any Burma Shave signs from your travels?? Would you be willing to share them with me on my blog? Lately, I've got a hankering for the "good ole days" as I am suffering from "August-itis" which I think is a good thing????

Dusty Roads Revisited a.k.a. The Great Escape

2009-08-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, I like to go through my photos and look back to see where I've been in my travels. My hubby Dodgeman is the pilot to our destinations.
Our favorite destination is Winnemucca, Nevada!! My very bestest friend and her family live there; so we travel at least once a year to visit, help with "fair time" chores.
Now don't get the idea that I barge into my friends' home and take over! "Fair Time" chores means I get to collect the chicken eggs, feed the chickens, take pictures of chickens and spoil their "animal babies" to the fullest extent of my capabilities.........which is darn good!!
We look forward to taking this trip every year; sometimes we take our daughter with us and other times we go by ourselves!! This year......we go by OUR SELVES!!! We need "adult time" this year. Not only that, but we discovered that "school" resumes a lot earlier than we realized; so daughter "ElectricGirl" will be staying at home. We will be missing her "entertainment" of keeping us in stitches, grinning from ear to ear and most importantly........drooling on ourselves from laughing SO HARD and not being able to control our giggles!! I will keep you posted on our adventures in Winnemucca and what happens prior to our GREAT ESCAPE!!!

The Calm After the Storm

2009-08-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

Do you remember the first time
you heard the sound of thunder?

I do, and it at first was kinda scary!
I remember hiding in my closet with a flashlight to keep the "scaries" away.

Later, when I got older I didn't get as scared;
in fact I would sit out on the front porch just so I could hear and see the lightning better! Like a "bird's eye view" of nature up close and personal!!

When my Grampa passed away, there was a spring storm that gave us thunder and lightning; and when my Gramma died the same thing in the fall. At my Grampa's gathering, my second cousin was afraid of the thunder; one of my cousins told him that Heaven was like a "big bowling alley" and every time he heard a clap of thunder, God was rolling his bowling ball down the lane towards the pins.
When he asked about the lightning, my cousin said, "well, when the light flashes....that means God got his strike!" It explained everything in simple terms to a five year old.
Years later, when my Gramma passed away; I asked him about the "bowling alley" in Heaven and did he remember us telling that to comfort his fears? He grinned and at 14 years old he told us that he remembered it and it gave him comfort through some pretty nasty storms!

Fluffy Stuff

2009-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

I usually don't post on a Tuesday, don't ask cause even I don't know why?
But the housework has been taking over my life; and like my momma said, "its a never ending affair with the washer and dryer!"
So today, I took apart my bedding starting with the down comforter. Why I have a down comforter on my bed during the hottest part of summer I'll never know? But the duvet cover looked like it had seen better days; so it got to the washer first!
The comforter is next but it has to go to my mom's house because she has the bigger washer hee hee! See how this works?? I also go out there to pick veggies from my dad's garden, let my little alarm clock run wild, and sit on her deck to enjoy the scenery and take pictures of their crazy dog Danny. Woo hoo...bol!!
In the meantime.....please don't think I'm a terrible house keeper.....but sometimes life gets in the way...and you gotta slow down a bit to enjoy what really matters most.....your family and friends! Because somewhere at the end of the hallway waits another pile of laundry!! And it has my personal phone number.

Things that go Boom!

2009-08-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

This is Tess Mess, and my momma let me do my own blog today.

Last night we hads a terrible thunder and lightning storm.....BOL! The whole house shook and trembled, wiff big ole rain drops, lots of stuffy air outside and mommas neighbor was grilling some scrumtious steaks that I could have eaten wiffout swallowing!! Talk about "barking out loud"........BOL!
So this morning I got up to have breafast wiff my daddy, which consisted of me begging for cinnamon rolls and I know I not sposed too but I do anyways hee hee. Then later, I licked my momma's ears so her would get up....but her went back to sleep! So I gave her a "power washing" in her left ear and then I nibbled on her toes, her yelped and got up.
We watched Bull riding today, and I begged from momma some chicken salad samwich and Doritos nacho cheese is my favorite...bol....and now I gots to go.....literally...... so bark at you later! Love to everbody, Tess Mess

Friday Evening Posts

2009-07-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of the Saturday Evevning Post?

Well this my version of the "Friday Evening Post", and I must admit mine isn't all that wonderful!

I shall do my best in keeping you posted( pardon the pun); our weather here in Grass Pants, Or has finally cooled down to a "bearable" temperature. Today we evened out at a whopping 96 degrees and to walk across the parking lots downtown did not render "melted shoes"!!

* * *

I do recall a friend of mine once stating while living in Phoenix, Az

that in the summer time one should be required to wear "asbestos" shoes!

The temperatures there could fry an egg on the sidewalk

at 4:00 in the afternoon!

I actually tried it once, frying the egg on the sidewalk;

but I didn't have the ambition to eat it afterwards!

* * *

The air conditioner at my place of business decided this past week

to die a "miserable" death.

The owner of the establishment called on a repair man early last week,

he finally showed up at 5:00 pm only to tell us that

the unit was ancient( we knew that); and it needed serviced

and to be recharged!

Listen to this one: he would send us a "service" bill!!

We walked in today and finally felt the cool air cascading

down upon us!

Dag nabbit too;

I was all prepared to wear one of those neckerchief's

around my neck to keep cool.

Ya'll know the ones: you see them at the county fairs

they try to sell you for an arm, leg and your first born child?

Well, mine didn't cost me a first born child,

but it was all ready to go around my neck;

and I didn't even get to use it.....phooey!

* * *

Speaking of County Fairs.

Ours is about "pathetic" this year!

We have only two music acts and they aren't much worth

paying for "parking" - $5.00

entrance admission - $8.00

sweating - in the hot sun to get the "good seats"

RIDICULOUS!!!!

We have the wonderful

Roy Clark and I'm dating myself

when I say he was the better part of

Hee Haw!

Then we have Kristy Lee Cook;

she's a local who made it fairly far on

American Idol; thanks to millions of people

in Southern Oregon who can afford

to run up their cell phone bill

"voting" for her with umpteen million texts.

Sorry, I didn't vote for her.

I don't even watch American Idol;

not that I don't like it but I have enough drama

in the shop where I work!

Why would I do that to myself?

To me, that's like breaking back in to Alcatraz!!!!

* * *

This concludes my edition of "Friday Evening Posts",

stay tuned for more exciting news next Friday!

Until then, God Bless you

and have a wonderful weekend with your

family and friends!!

Trouble at the watering hole

2009-07-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Anytime you have 5 or 6 boys gathered around the garden hose you know there's gonna be trouble!!

These boys found relief in Gramma's hose on a hot Saturday afternoon.

I know because I watched Gramma help them out with the water balloons!!

Somehow the pictures are worth a 1,000 words....and it looks like to me that these fellas have decided to call a truce with the one holding the water balloon. In all fairness, the one with the balloon is the one who holds the cards in this game!

Unknown titles......got your attention, eh?

2009-07-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I noticed that my "wordless Wednesday" post didn't grant me any comments. Kinda wondering if this heat wave may have addled our brains from the "extreme" temps? So until the "heat wave" subsides;

I will keep posting water themed pictures until we across the country can feel a difference in the temperatures! You know......I think that will be a great idea!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Just some pretty pictures.

2009-07-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

I went out to my folks house to snap a few pictures! So I found my camera, and my dad's beautiful zinnia's with a butterfly I must have chased around for a good 15 minutes!!
After that little expedition, I looked up to see our American flag fluttering in the breeze and snapped a picture. All the colors that day were so brilliant!

So then, I looked over the railing and found my mom's hydrangea bush I gave her for Mother's day at least 9 years ago, still as blue as the day I gave her the pot.

I just felt like being snap-happy that day! Hope you enjoy the colors!

Birds in my Martha Washington

2009-07-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

Do you see the bird's nest in the plant?
It turns out that when you buy Martha Washington Geraniums here in Oregon; you get a few "perks" along with the plant!
My mom asked me to water her darling geraniums while she's on a "vacay" for a bit. She noticed one day while watering from the top of the plant( normal thing to do), there were little tiny eggs floating in the water!
Upon looking closer: she saw a birds nest built into the soil just below the rim of the planter. To be careful so as to not disturb momma bird and babies she's been watering from the drip tray only. I peeked this morning thinking I might find a baby, but all I found was a tiny green hummingbird flitting about the blossoms and she refused to hold still long enough for me to snap a picture!! Maybe I can talk Dodgeman into a new camera fast enough into taking pictures of hummingbirds?? I'm not sure they make those but I'm gonna try my hardest!