Merry Past Christmas - Thank goodness!

Ah, finally the Season of Shopaholics is OVER.  I HATE to shop.  Hate it, hate it, hate it.  I don't even like to go grocery shopping.  It's all a necesary evil.  The new fangled internet shopping has saved my butt a few times the most recent Christmas Season.  Love ya, Amazon.  Ya never screw my orders up and usually the shipping is FREE!

My granddaughter on the left, and me on the right at approximately the same ages.  My folks used the photo of me on their christmas cards in 1953.

I hate being patient and waiting in line at Wally World for a bag of dog food during the Shopaholic Marathon. I sometimes wish Christmas would just go back to being the religious holiday it should be.  They start putting out the Christmas items BEFORE Halloween now for crimey sakes.  Give me a break....

Why Wyoming is the Least Populated State in the US

Ever take water coming out of the tap for granted?  Last week we sure did NOT.

Minus 15 degrees the thermometer read December 9th morning.  Yeppers, that's 15 degrees BELOW ZERO - Maybe you've wondered why Wyoming has only 500,000 people living here.  It's because all the weak ones have winter killed.

Ah the pleasures of minus zero weather, Day One my car battery died ($134.00 for a new heavy duty one; I can now start a bulldozer with my car!!), and the shower froze up in the master bath, okay not a problem, use the bath #2 tub.

 Day Two, the sink in the 2nd bath is leaking -- oh goody, need to replace that ($34.95) when we have time.  Shut off sink. 

Day three, sink in master bath Freezes UP.  Oh this is getting serious - use Kitchen sink.....

By Day four we are down to kitchen sink and back bathtub but we survived!!!  Ah the joys of living in a lousy mobile home outside of civilization!!!  Temps above zero this week and even the forties by the end of the week! Life goes on.

EVIL Dogs! Will Trade for a Cat.

Came home from Christmas shopping only to discover the schnoodle, Jericho aka as Shitmire Macguire, had opened the refrigerator door, drug out the turkey and it was scattered (or rather it's remains) all over the house!!  Assisted no doubt by the aged schnauzer.  Jericho is not commenting on his destructive evil deed on advice of his attorney.  Only remaining decision is whether this is a capital crime or one involving corporal punishment.  Will trade for a CAT!!! (the highest insult available!)

Thanksgiving is Over! WHEW!

What is with Thanksgiving and the cooking dilemnas???  Have one of the six pies in BOTH hands, done to perfection and as I am taking it out of the oven, the cheap tin pie plate literally collaspes in two like a errant taco and the whole blooming pie is now all over the bottom of my HOT oven!!! ARGHHH!!!  Well end of using disposable tin pie plates!!  ARE YOU LISTENING TIN PIE PLATE MAKERS!!  I am not using your cheap thin pie plates anymore.  Back to my nice sturdy Pyrex ones. And out the door with the convenience.  Then to top it off, after cleaning the OVEN in the middle of this, my meringue on the sour cream raisin pies separated because the oven wasn't hot enough.....sheesh!

Had a wonderful Turkey Day with the relatives though.  I must say, I apologize to the in-laws for calling them hillbillies.  Just because their mother was born on Possum Trot and went to school at Hawg Waller is no reason to think that possibly they are descended from Ozark Hillbillies...........................

Went with the darling granddaughter and her mummy & daddy to see the CHOO-CHOO trains at the Central Wyoming Railroader's open house.  22 Trains on their set-ups in various scales. What Fun!  Thank you guys for opening up and allowing us to share your hobby!

Thanksgiving and other Family Fiascoes

Enter Young Bride into this Tale -- Married six months, never fixed a bloomin' turkey in her life.  HOW hard can that be???  Thaw it out, pop it in the oven right?  Feed entire family of in-laws (all former hillbillies so there are LOTS of them!).  Six a.m. thanksgiving morning -- wake up to having a half-thawed wet cold turkey thrown into bed with me.  New Hubby grinning like a demonic banshee yelling "GET UP AND COOK WOMAN!!"  Thinks he is real amusing.  A regular Soupy Sales that one.

(Left - New Hubby and I rode away from the church on Dog & Pepper, both were Thoroughbred Morgan crosses.  Six months Before Perfect Turkey Day)

Okay, fast forward five and half hours to Young Bride with In-Law Mother and Sister assisting in kitchen.  Young Bride takes out first Turkey, browned to PERFECTION.  And starts to take out STUFFING, done to PERFECTION EXCEPT FOR ---- the giblet, neck plastic bags in the middle of Said Stuffing!!  Ooops.  So much for Perfection Theory.

Fast forward eleven Thanksgivings.  #2 Son is scheduled for Tonsilectomy Monday before Thanksgiving.  Hubby working Thanksgiving.  In-Law says, Thanksgiving Saturday at your house.  Okel dokel.  Thanksgiving Saturday after holiday.  Gotcha.

Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving, house is knee deep in laundry, suitcases, etc trying to get ready for hospital with #2 Son on Monday. Doorbell rings, porch FULL of hillbilly In-Laws with token food for Thanksgiving!!! Yikes!  In Law MEANT Saturday BEFORE!!!  YIKES.  Put Turkey Ham from freezer and whatever-else I can dig up in Microwave.  Have something near to Food for meal in Laundry Heaps.  Survived....barely!!  And Every Blooming Thanksgiving AFTER someone always mentions, Remember When ....... Argh!!(*&$#*)

Blessed be the Daughter In Laws

I'm such a lucky woman.  My mother wanted a granddaughter so badly.  Everytime either I or my sister-in-law was pregnant, Mom bought the cutest little baby girl dress EVER.  And every bloomin' time, four in total, we had grandsons!!

So no daughters in our household, just two lil' boys who were minature "Hubbys".  And both grew up, survived their young foolish years and married two of most wonderful women on the face of the Earth.

Hubby, Me & No. 1 Son in 1981.

No. 1 Son's wife is Perfect Daughter In Law #1 - and she loves horses.  We have a lot in common and she is just the perfect fit in our family.

No. 2 Son's wife is Perfect Daughter In Law #2 and I nominate her for Best Mother On Earth award.  I hope someday our darling little granddaughter realizes what a wonderful mother she has.  But you know, you never appreciate your own mother till You Are One!

No. 2 Son on his horse, Freckles at age 4.  Wish we still had this old pony for our granddaughter.

The girls have made our family complete.  They are the daughters I never had. They are the cement that holds our family together.  The mortar that keeps the ties strongs.

So girls, please know this.  I will always treat both of you with respect and love.  Because I know it will be YOU and not those boys will wipe the drool from mouth, make sure I take my meds and see I am taken care of in my old age.  Girls are like that!

Affectionately,  Your Mother In Law

Rub A Dub - Here's to the Scrub

Oh it's Friday the 13th -- and what am I doing?  Laundry, the every present, ever growing mound of laundry.  At least there is not so much as there were when the boys were home.  Most of my laundry is just plain dirt - horse dirt with a little cow dirt (and both can include some 'poopy' things).  But can you imagine the laundry of a gal married to a vet??? YUCK, now there would be some really gross work clothes!

It's cold today in Wyoming and you can feel ol' Man Winter crawling in.  Not too far away from this - which by the way was taken on October 11th, 2008.  It was our first snow of the winter.  This year we had the same scenery on October 9th.  But we have 46 tons of hay for the winter and a pellet stove we just installed.  So Cmon' Ol' Man Winter, bring it on!!!