Happy Birthday Patty!

To my Older and Wiser Sister - Happy Birthday! Patty prefers pumpkin pie to cake as her birthday cake - so here ya go, I am giving you a slice of 100% calorie free Pumpkin Pie!

Patty is a whopping 13 months older than me - I figure that's at least a decade. And while my first thought for today's blog was to talk about everything I have to be thankful for...I remember today is a very joyous day and one of the things I'm most thankful for is officially 2 years older than me today!

Happy Birthday Patty!

long days and pleasant nights to ye...

Our New Bed

Sorry folks, but it seems that the only pictures of the puppies for awhile will be on "their" new bed. The bed is so very much softer than my old bed. And the great irony of the whole thing is that Nannie never ever EVER allowed animals in her house, much less on the bed.

She did begin to get soft and offered to allow them to sleep on the porch one weekend. I decided to let them vacation at Uncle Jimmy's house. There are cats to chase in Canadian.

Anywho. Millie (who is named after Nannie) has convinced Toby that they have to go back to bed right after breakfast and immediately after dinner. So, I'm pretty sure they sleep there all day too. In fact, making the bed in the morning is difficult. Today I literally shut the door and locked them out until the bed was made.

Thank you for the new wonderful bed Nannie. Hope you don't mind that the puppies like it as much as I do.

Long days and pleasant nights.

No Longer a Shar-Pei

The weekend was a bit stressful. Millie evidently stepped on a wasp or a stinging creature of some kind. At one point she looked like a baby shar-pei.
I was online desperately looking up whether or not dachshunds could take benedryl and if so, how much. Then when I learned that she was probably reacting to a bee or wasp sting or maybe even a snake bite, I began looking up aspirin and benedryl combo's on dachshunds.
Saturday night was the worst. All night she paced on the bed. And randomely decided that she would feel much better if she could scratch her face on my face.
Last evening I finally found the stinger. I had been looking on her face and neck - where the swelling was the worst. Then I noticed that she was licking her front legs and paws. So I studied her paws - sure enough - there it was in between two fingernails. I pulled it out, she jumped up and attacked me, then Toby. By this morning she was her beautiful dachshund self.
Thanks Jo and Renie for the helpful advice.
Long days and pleasant nights.

I baked a pie!

Finally, I have a picture to prove to all 2 of you that I actually baked a pie. Isn't is beautiful?

Yep this is my first ever raisin pie. It won't be my last since I learned that Splenda tastes just like sugar in the pie. You honestly don't know how excited that makes me.

Also I found this cute picture of my absolutely adorable Millie on her new bed that she loves.

More later...

long days and pleasant nights

Garth Visit...

The annual Thanksgiving meal at the station was yesterday. The way it plays out is the station buys the meat. Everyone else signs up to bring food. If you don't want to cook you can pay $5 for the meal. All proceeds go to our Education partner - Park Elementary. This year I opted to cook.

I felt that after that weekend in September with Nannie, I can bake anything. That is the funniest thought I believe I've had in a very long time. Raisin pie and Blackberry cobbler - almost totally from scratch were included in the meal yesterday. The only difficulties I had were that the cobbler had no top crust. Who knew it would fall? The only variation from Nannie's recipes (and strict instructions) was that I used Splenda in lieu of sugar. No one noticed that difference. Both were heartily eaten. I'm sure that they weren't enjoyed solely due to my standing over the dessert table, pointing out what I had made (from scratch) and insisting they be added to the each individual plate. Pictures of the dishes were taken, however, I can't figure out Nicole's camera so that will have to wait for another day.

This morning when I arrived at work, I was caught in the coffee room staring at one of the morning guests. I honestly thought that I was back in the early 1990's. Garth (young Garth) walked in to get a cup of water. I was pretty sure that no alcohol had been added to my oatmeal or coffee before coming to work. I looked around and Trisha wasn't there. It was odd. Turns out this gentleman has been named the "Best Garth Look-Alike" in all of America - supposedly by Garth himself. Honestly, I paid attention to the song he sang on the show. Not that impressed. Once you've seen the man himself perform, well let me just say, he is not duplicatable. (hope that's a word.)

OK, off to find more to do...

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

Impulse Buying Sucks

Ok roll your eyes now and get it over with.

Jo, you can get up off the floor and stop the hysterical laughter.

Yes, today I went to WalMart to purchase the stuff necessary to make blackberry cobbler and raisin pie (from scratch) for the station Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow. I almost made it out of the store with only the stuff that is needed for Nannie's recipes. When what did I spy hanging out on the counter by the register? You guessed it - Toby! And I can't just walk by and not at least touch the disc that bears his likeness.

To my delight it has two cd's and hopefully a video. I'll keep you updated.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

It's a Wonderful Life Indeed

Those of you who know me, know that life hasn't been all that great the last few weeks. You also know that Christmas isn't one of my favorite holidays.

It's a Wonderful Life is one of my two favorite Christmas movies and definately in the top five of my all time favorite movies. This last month I have come to know how much one life affects the world around a person. And indeed, I know that one of the bells that rang last week was significant of Nannie earning her wings.

Every time someone asks me how I like being back in Tulsa, the answer is always, I love it. And then the follow up - how do you like your job is followed by I LOVE IT. The people are wonderful, the atmosphere is wonderful, it's is just where I belong.

I've never been gone from a job more than a week at a time. For Nannie, I was away from work for two solid weeks. I have to admit that when I noticed that the mail had been sorted and handed out, I was concerned that they may have learned how to live without me. Today was my first day back and the first day of living my life without Nannie.

The mail was taken care of, however, nothing else was. What a wonderful surprise. Carlton couldn't even operate because he had no one to find him a yellow legal pad. Chris had no clue how I handle timesheets and time cards, they guessed at that. All the on-air persons gave me huge hugs (even Frank and Lincoln) and told me how much I was missed. Carlton and Chris assured me that I would never again be gone a full two weeks.

Thru all this, I know that if I had needed a few more days, it would've been granted. I also learned that my job is secure and they love me as much as I love them.

Also, one of the first things that Nannie did when she arrived in Heaven was to find a church I would go to. Let me explain... I've been casually visiting different churches and haven't found a spiritual home in 2 years. This upset her. Our conversations always turned to the question of whether I had found a church. Today I saw in the Sapulpa newspaper that one of my favorite priests has been assigned to the Episcopal church in Sapulpa. So my answer is, Yes Ma'am, I'll get my tail to church Sunday. Thanks Nannie.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights to ye...

My Baby Girl is 21

November 9 is a day that ye should begin celebrating. It is the day that Nicole was born. The year only matters a few times, and this year is one of those times.

She was at the bar at Midnight Thursday to have her first official drink. Then she continued the celebrating Friday with happy hour and on into the wee hours of Saturday morning.

She and Ryan arrived at my house Saturday afternoon in time to drop-off their stuff and meet her grandparents for dinner. They came back to my house for some OU football and beer. Then they were off to meet some friends.

This is where the story begins to get a bit funny. Grab a beer and read along. Nicole and Ryan were a bit irritated with their friend before leaving my place. You see, he kept them from going to the bar for 2 whole hours. Then he decided, without consulting Nicole or Ryan, to bring along his 20 year-old girlfriend. At the same time he decided to do this, he also decided that instead of going to a bar they would go bowling. After a couple of conversations on the phone, and one threat of abandoning the friends, Nicole and Ryan finally left my house around 9:30ish to go bowling. I did remind them that bowling alleys sell beer. That made it a bit easier.

I pulled out the sleeper sofa. Placed clean sheets on it and a quilt. Then I went to bed. This morning when I woke, I thought it was odd that they made it into the house without the dogs alarming me. The reason is - the bed wasn't touched! So, I put on coffee, let the dogs out and began putting the bed back together. In the middle of that Ryan came falling thru the front door announcing that Nicole is freaking crazy. Then Nicole came falling thru the front door. She went straight to the bathroom. Ryan walked in circles around the living room with me trying to get him to go lay down on the bed. He finally went that direction, I finished with the couch and heard a loud THUMP from the direction of the bedroom.

I turned to see what happened. There sat Nicole in the middle of the floor. She had fallen off the bed while trying to get on it. Honestly I should have helped her, but the laughter prevented me. They both finally found the bed and didn't move for a good 3 hours.

I had to get ready for the party so I went to the bathroom via my bedroom. It smelled like day old bathtub gin that had gone bad. I found her car key on the bathroom floor and her Arvest card in the washing machine. (I am her mom and washed the smelly clothes)

Ryan was the first awake and we had lunch while I heard the story of the night before. Seems they didn't make it to the bar until 1 am. Fortunate for Ryan - he found a credit card receipt from the bar - he left the tab open for Nicole - she managed to drink $47 in shots. Tequilla shots. I really don't need to say more, but I will...

Ryan and the bartender carried her to the car. Ryan had to explain to a passerby that he wasn't trying to take advantage of her, she was actually with him before getting her to the car. He was smart enough to know that neither of them could drive and tried desperately to find my phone number. He didn't so they slept in the car in a parking lot. He stayed awake long enough to hold her head while she vomited several times and to make sure she was ok.

He woke up at around 8am because the car was moving. Somehow Nicole had gotten they key and decided to drive to my house. He said as scary as that was - when she went into the ditch at my house was the absolute scariest part.

I'll end with, we all had fun laughing at and with her at the birthday party. She had a wonderful 3 day long birthday that she won't remember. You Go Girl!



And this is what she looked like an hour or so before leaving Tulsa to go back to Norman.


Happy Days and Pleasant Nights to Ye!

Nannie

It has been a very long 2 weeks. Actually the last month seems to be endless.

Uncle Fred died Sept 29. The day I moved into the new house. Nannie literally lost her life-long best friend that day.

A few days after the funeral she became ill. She never recovered.

That's about all I can say at this point.

Mildred Louise McKee Dellinger was reunited with her husband and brother about 5pm, Sunday, Nov. 4.

She will be laid to rest Wednesday morning - November 7.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye.

Goodbye City Life?

Green acres is the place to be.
Farm livin’ is the life for me.
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

New York is where I’d rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

The chores. The stores.
Fresh air. Times Square
You are my wife Good bye, city life.

Green Acres we are there!

Wait a dag-gone minute. I moved to the "country" a couple weeks ago. After last night's Storm of the Century I'm considering moving the 3 blocks it will take to get me back to the City.

I lost my cable connection. At first I thought it was just the storm that had blown out something. Seems that is exactly what happened - it blew my cable line off the pole. Now, I know you think that there was life before cable, let me plead my case. Tonight is an extremely important game. Hopefully it will be the last ALCS game. I must watch this game. The problem is, even if I did get rabbit ears for the TV - the game is only on cable. Baseball existed half a century before TV so I think I'm just in whining over this.

Rocktober is HERE!

Let's just say that up until literally this week I haven't been too interested in the notion of the MLB Playoffs or World Series. Why? Well let's just say that I didn't (and still don't) think some of the participants were "real" MLB teams.

Let me do some 'splainin'. After the awesomeness of the MLB in the 1970's, baseball went thru a very bleak period. It was during the 1980's that we saw two major league player strikes. One of them affected the playoffs and World Series. My team was winning the race at the midway point that year. Then after the strike they were eliminated. The strike being the deciding factor. That is also the decade that saw Pete Rose permanently banned from the Hall of Fame for gambling. These were very dark days. We had no single team or player that stood out and caught the love of the fans. It seemed that everything MLB had been was gone. Not to mention the sky-rocketing prices at the pro-ballparks. A family could no longer afford to spend an afternoon or evening enjoying America's sport.

So in the early 1990's the MLB commission decided that to get more fans to attend, they would just add 4 more teams. Technically they only added three. The Washington Senators were reborn in that decision.

So to get to my lack of interest this year. Back in 1993 the first season of the "new" Colorado Rockies. I vehemently denied them access to my television for the years that followed. Then a few years ago, maybe 2 or 3, they bought the Tulsa Drillers. This is a team that I truly enjoy watching. It's baseball at its best. Still, I refused to acknowledge the Rockies. Then, Tuesday, Oct. 16 Chris Lincoln (greatest sportscaster in all of Tulsa) announced that there were eleven Drillers on the Rockies team. WOW! Texas never did that. btw - we can partially thank W. for that.

So I tuned in Tuesday night and watched them whoop up on the Diamond Backs. Who still are not a MLB team in my book. They played solid baseball and what a game. The star of the team is Matt Holliday - born right here in Oklahoma! In fact he is the NL MVP this year! Now hopefully they will kick some Indian butt! At this point I must apologize to Gan's human part - I really don't want the Red Sox to go to the World Series. It's time for the Tribe.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Nicole Visited

It was "Take Your College Age Daughter To Work Day" for me. She had dental and hair appointments in Pryor and decided to stop in Tulsa for some of Mama's home-cooked food. I was going to take off early, but Frank was on vacation and Clint was asked to do TDFN. I called Nicole and she was happy to stop by East Central and hang out while I worked.

She and Chris became fast friends. I can't say that for Clint. Seems Clint allowed his OSU side to come out while in the presence of well, an OU person. We all know how quiet Nicole is and that she never speaks her mind. So, don't worry Frank, you are still her favorite Weatherman.

After the news, we picked up my new kitchen table. Then we were off to the house. She and I made ghoulash, fried potatoes and cornbread. Patty and Jimmy were in town for Miranda's 21st birthday and came over for dinner. We had a blast.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye.

Been Away Too Long

Sorry that I have been absent. The last few weeks have been some kind of crazy. The bullet points to catch you up are:

I moved. Holy cow was that an interesting time. Kara and I painted for what seemed like a month. Turns out it was only 3 days. Then the move day was pretty smooth. I had no clue how many or who would be there to help out until literally the morning of the move. Kevin had enlisted and was scheduled to leave for boot camp the Thursday before moving day. Thank Gan the Army doctor noticed a weird rash-like something on his torso. That post-poned his departure so, he was able to help. Jimmy's Service Emergency was cancelled, however, he was forced to work 6 day weeks at that time. He was out. Colt became very ill and had to visit the dr. the morning of the move. Fortunately they arrived at the apartment about midway thru the loading. Patty had surgery on her shoulder, Steve has Hep C treatments going... Kenna and Miranda dropped by to help me with the packing... It all worked out very well in the end. Especially since all Daddy had to do was give Kevin orders, drive and eat. =) A couple weeks later and the place is beginning to look like home. Patty has already made and delivered curtains!

Work has been more demanding than normal. You can see how busy I am these days... So no time to blog there.

I finally turned on my computer at home night before last. Seems I need to call Cox and find out why the Internet connection isn't working.

The MLB playoffs are in full swing and honestly the blog takes back seat to that.

Long days and pleasant nights to ye.

Did You See Me Winning?

Hayden is officially a Boys and Girls Club member. Yesterday was his first soccer game.

He called me at 5:30 last night to ask if I'm coming to his game. Well, I was at work in Tulsa, the game started at 6pm, so I had to say no. Being 4, he didn't let it drop there. He assured me that 'Calester isn't very far and I could make it. When I disagreed, he said, "Let me talk to Frank." I'm not sure what Frank could do to fix the fact that I was a two hour drive from the soccer game that was starting in half an hour.

Patty and Jimmy (aka Aunt DaDa and Unc Immy) made it to the game. Patty said that he was the most excellent goalie. Even while he was flapping his arms like a bird. Then the coach let him on the field to play. At one point he was kicking the ball and running by them. He looked to the sideline and yelled "Do you see me winning?" I'm sure that everyone on the sideline fell off their chairs laughing at this.

I'm so sad that I missed this game. Sometimes I wish I lived closer to 'Calester.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

Moving

Moving day is approaching fast. Honestly I coudn't have picked a worse week to do this. Co-workers and I have been spending hours at the new place painting and cleaning. I really don't want to move in with the grime from the 20-something male. I have two 20-something male nephews and trust me, I would disinfect before moving into a place they had recently vacated.

Anywho, House premeires tonight. I have the ol' DVR set to record and will watch it before I go to bed, but I won't be there to view it while it is happening. =( This is also ABC premiere week. I can't wait for Gray's and three new shows. This is highly unusual for me. However, I've been addicted to House and Gray's for 2 seasons now. And I can't not watch the spin-off of Gray's. When she first cam on the scene, I really didn't want to like Addison, now she is one of my favorites.

I've also been so preoccupied that I haven't kept up with the news. To my surprise Kiefer was arrested for DUI. OMG - I'm going to have to rush to LA to stop this totally false accusation.

On the home front. Toby and Millie love their new home. They have a new friend, Dopey. Dopey is a standard dachshund. The three of them love to run up and down the fence barking at nothing really. When Dopey is in his house, Millie sits by the fence patiently asking if he can come out and play. Toby sits quietly and waits.

Moving day is Saturday. The countdown has begun...

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

OU Comes To T-Town

That's right. Tonight the OU Sooners will be in town to face the Golden Hurricane. While I would like to say this will be an absolutely awesome game, but I really can't.

The Sooners are like light-years ahead of TU in the football realm. My heart is for TU though. Back when I was a young-un, TU was my college of choice. The Theater Dept actively recruited me and although I had an offer of a 4-year full-ride at NSU, I chose TU. That is where I met Jeff and well, the result of that meeting is the creation of the Light of my life.

Ok, back to the game... While OU is expected to give TU a serious Whomping, you must remember the brain power that is required to attend TU vs. the brains of the OU boys. When you consider brain over brawn - well TU wins hands-down.

Ok, OU does have smart people too. Nicole and Ryan for example. However, they are not on the football team. So realistically when you compare the football teams, OU may be meaner, but TU is SMARTER. In the long run the TU boys will cumulatively make more money than the OU boys.

So, in my way of thinking, this all makes TU the winning team.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

Homecoming

This is a word that means different things to different people. To me it is the second Sunday of September. Not just this year, but every year as long as I can remember.
There are certain things you just don't miss: Nannie's birthday, Decoration (you get to pick West Liberty or Palestine), and Homecoming.
Although, I have missed several over the years it is always wonderful when I'm there. I'm not sure who thought up Homecoming, but I am sure it happened long before I was born. This is a day set aside each year where the service is (as Brother Ralph says) AB LIB and anything goes. Everyone currently attending regularly are encouraged to call those family and friends who no longer call Palestine "home" to come "home" for a visit. After Sunday School and more songs than you can imagine, you get a brief sermon and then FOOD! Oh my the food.
This year was especially special. Patty was crippled and Nannie needed help cooking. So she volunteered me. I was more than happy to go along for the memory. She taught me that to cook a ham you need the biggest one in the supermarket and it can't be bought in McAlester. They don't know how to properly cut a ham. You need at least 10 handfuls of brown sugar to properly cure the ham once you have it in the bag. I can also make Nannie's raisin pie and her blackberry cobbler. I promise these items will not be made in my kitchen until after I get on the Honeysuckle Rose in October. =)
I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to Palestine in the past year. That is sad. But we had so much fun. In fact, Patty, Beth and I began planning stuff for next year's Homecoming at the end of this Homecoming. By the way, the tall blonde is Beth Stanfield-Something. I'm pretty sure she and Patty were the same height at some point.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

Guess Who's Moving In!

Millie will be able to herd a horse! Well, first we will have to train the horse not to use Millie as a soccer ball.

Millie loves going to Uncle Jimmy's because he has cats to herd. In fact last weekend she managed to get 6 of the 7 onto one table at one time. The fact that cat food was on the table had no bearing on the achievement.

The point being, Jo is positive that Strait is now spoiled beyond belief. He has been living at the Aunt Kathy Horse Resort since Tex (aka Diablo) was born. Now the time for him to come home is nearing and I'll have a back yard. Jo also knows that Strait will be treated like a true farm animal. No spoiling at Aunt Tammie's house.

Hmm, I might need to get a larger bed. Strait is a bit bigger than Colt and the bed was crowded with Toby, Colt, Emma Lou and me.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Did You Miss Me?

Oh my gosh I can't believe I haven't blogged in FOREVER!

Not much to say. But, I should've kept you updated.

My eyes are doing so much better. A small incident yesterday sent me to the eye doctor this morning. I discovered a stye or something like that on one of the sutures. This suture had been trying to come out for a couple of weeks so when I noticed white stuff on it, I called the Dr. This morning he told me it was nothing to worry about. It was only the stitch wanting to stay in while my body wanted it to go. So he took it out, popped the white thing, gave me instructions to put neopsporin on it for a few days and I was on my way.

Patty is also doing well. When I checked on her last night she was complaining that she is bored. This is good news. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, she had a torn muscle in her shoulder that needed repaired. While repairing the tear, the doctor found the real cause or her pain, a bone spur sitting on the torn muscle. He removed that and now she is on her way to recovery. One final note on this...I never signed up to wash my sister's hair or give her a sponge bath. =)

I'm slowly getting into class this semester. It's different when you don't physically go to Claremore every day.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Moving

Yep, I have found a small, one bedroom house that is perfect for the puppies and me. It is even so close to work that I can walk. All I have to do is climb Mt. Crumpit.

It has a small yard so Millie can go out and bark to her hearts content. This place is less expensive than the apartment. So life is getting better.

More details later.

Long days and pleasant nights