Poem with a Country Twist

The following was sent to me by a co-worker. I thought it was too cute not to share. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on..

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

Critter Christmas

Hey, stop playing with the tissue paper!

You're going to get us in trouble!

Maggie's stocking was filled with new squeaky toys.

She LOVES them!

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak....

You're Never to Old

To build and decorate a gingerbread house!

Countrychick ~ December 24, 2010

Christmas Times Two

Twas the day before Christmas eve...December 23. We gathered early to celebrate Christmas early with Cowboy M. He works for a local mining company and his schedule consists of shift work. His seven days off were just coming to an end and he went back on shift today, which means he is working night shifts for Christmas eve and Christmas day. (when one works nights, one sleeps during the day.)

Santa made an early stop to fill his stocking. My mom made this Christmas stocking for Cowboy M. for his first Christmas twenty-four years ago! We moved on to the gifts. Hmmmm, wonder what it could be?

Just what I wanted and NEEDED! I think someone LOVES his new programmable coffee maker! When one works shift work, coffee is an important part of every day! His old coffee pot was on its last legs.
We opened our gifts from Cowboy M. Countrychick found a new use for the wrapping paper...paper party hat or better yet, a rain hat. Love the look kiddo....*wink

Movies, movies, movies! Cowboy M. found the perfect movies for his sis.

He found this cute set of rooster canisters for me. There are three in the set. The perfect gift for me...Deserthen, the collector of all things poultry!
After gifts I made the kiddos pose for photos. Say CHEEEEZZZEEEEE! Okay one more, no wait just one more!

After presents we all headed to the local Basque restaurant for dinner. Much to my mothers dismay, I brought the camera into the restaurant. Countrychick and I take self portrait. (my mother freaks out when the flash goes off. *grin*)

Dinner was excellent! The conversation was lively and fun. Grandpa enjoyed the wine!

Hayman giving advice to Cowboy M.

The advice must have been good because Countrychick gave it a thumbs up! Grandma in the background wondering when I'm going to stop taking photos. (never, never, never...mwhahahaha)
We had a wonderful evening out! Cowboy M. went back to work this evening. Tomorrow my folks will travel out to our house to spend Christmas day with us and have dinner.

Remember...it's not the presents under the tree that matter, but the memories we make with family and friends that truly matter and stay with us forever!

We Wish You A Very Merry Christmas!

(Hayman, Deserthen, Countrychick and Cowboy M.)

There Are Just No Words

for the sadness that has touched our little valley! Last Thursday night our neighbor and friend passed from this beautiful earth in a tragic car accident on our county road. A road we all travel, day in and day out, the road that leads us all to town and home again. On that cold, foggy night a mother and father lost their son, a brother lost his sibling and best friend, a wife lost her beloved husband and two young, very sweet little girls lost their father! There really are no words to express the sadness and heartbreak that so many feel right now. So many thoughts are going through the minds of many, so many questions, so many whys. This young man will be missed by all who knew him and loved him. It didn't matter how long it had been since you had seen him last, he always had a big smile or hug for you when you met up again. He loved his family, adored his girls, had a big heart, infectious laugh, a zest for life and he loved to tease the little ones and some of us big ones too. He will be missed! Tomorrow will be an emotional day as family and friends come together to say their last good-bye's, to remember, to grieve and to celebrate a life cut short far too soon!

Please say a prayer for this dear family during this sad and heartbreaking time.

Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away to the next room.

I am I and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other,

That, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.

Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference into your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed

at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect.

Without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same that it ever was.

There is absolute unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind

because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.

For an interval.

Somewhere. Very near.

Just around the corner.

All is well.

Henry Scott Holland ~ 1847-1918

Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral ~ London. UK

Caught in the Act

"I didn't do it...wasn't me, blame the others!"

(if cats could talk, that is what Shopcat would say. Looks like a "guilty" cat look to me!)

We put the tree up and decorated it on Sunday. The cats started to undecorate the tree in the wee hours of Monday morning. I awoke to the sounds of ornaments clanking and rattling around. I grabbed my camera, stubbed my toe in the dark and snuck into the kitchen to flip on a bit of light. The cats didn't see me or hear me as they were too engrossed in their fun of "bat the ornaments all over the house"game! As I got ready to snap the photo, Shopcat launched the ornament (you see lying to the right in the photo) up into the air and it went flying as I snapped the shot. It landed in front of the couch. I caught her in the act and dang-it-all if she didn't try to look cute and innocent and blame it on the others...naughty cat that she is! The game continues on a nightly basis now as every morning this week we have had to redecorate the tree with the ornaments they are taking off during the night. What's that saying, "when the mice are away the cats will play." Yeah, play with the Christmas tree ornaments!

Wintery Wednesday

~Pine tree outside my office building ~

It was raining last night on the way home from work. The rain turned to snow sometime during the night. We woke up to snow and ice this morning. The doors on my car were frozen shut, the car was frozen to the ground and the roads were a solid sheet of ice!

Out of the Box

Up it goes! Yes, we have an artificial tree.



(many moons ago we would go out and cut a tree or purchase a fresh tree, but that all stopped when the price of fresh trees went sky-high and we no longer lived in an area that afforded us the opportunity to go tree cutting) So, every year for the last seven years or so we have put up this tree. It's a "Douglas Fir"


(not to bad for a "fake" tree)

It takes team work to put all of the branches in, fluff the branches and put the lights on. This year Countrychick and I used the jump-rope technique to get the lights on the tree. We would pass them around one side and then flip the entire strand over the top of the tree and resume positioning from the other side. Worked like a charm!

After a few minor adjustments to the lights, it was ready to decorate.

(this is where I put down the camera and forgot to take photos of the process)

We are not "fancy" tree people, meaning that we don't have a perfect tree with perfect decorations, ribbons, bows or whatever. We are "tacky" tree people (as Scrappy would say. I love Scrappy and if you haven't checked out her blog....you MUST do so...right now...stop what you are doing and go check it out. Wait, finishing reading this post first. *wink* )

Countrychick and I chatted, laughed and reminisced about various ornaments as we decorated the tree. She commented that she is happy that we have a tree that means something, a tree that is full of stories and memories and I couldn't agree with her more!

Before we knew it all of the ornaments were on the tree and it was time to place the angel on top.

I purchased this angel in 1990 from a mail order catalog. Her wings are slightly tweaked, but she looks pretty darn good for being twenty years old!

Up she goes...

There she sits.

Pretty...but the apples are a tad distracting.
(my mom went through an apple phase one Christmas. I received some of the overflow. They are delightfully tacky! **wink**)

We Have Crabs!

Gotcha with that one didn't I!

Late last Friday afternoon conversation: My mom, "what are you fixing for dinner?'

Me, *sitting at my desk trying in vain to solve all of the worlds problems* "I have no clue."

My mom, "Raley's has crabs."

Me, "Excuse Me?"

My mom, "On sale, Raley's have crabs on sale this week."

Me, "oh, that's nice, but I don't want to have to go the store after work." *I'm lazy*

My mom, "Countrychick and I can go right now and be back before five."

Me, "Hmmm, okay, here's a list of items to pick up to go along with those crabs."

And off they go to buy crab....crab that was on sale.

"Hello, my name is Louie and I will be your dinner tonight."Countrychick, "mom, why are you talking in a French accent and pretending your the crab?"

Me, "because I'm tired and weird like that, now pour me some more wine!"

Countrychick, "well that doesn't explain anything." *insert laughing*

Me, "stop making fun of me and get to crack'in!"

Countrychick, "excuse me, you want me to do what?" *insert raised eyebrow* (I hate it when she does that because I can't!)

Me, "I said start crack'in that crab."Countrychick, "I refuse to crack the crab because you made it talk and gave it a French accent."

Guess who won that argument...( Holy Crabtastrophy Batman, that's a lot of crack'in and pick'in)

Just thought you'd like to look at a pretty food photo after seeing that mess above...*grin*
Dinner is served...fresh crab, salad, homemade cocktail sauce and french bread.
(wait, I didn't eat the french bread...I can't. That's a story for a different day though)

We enjoyed our crabs! *insert wink and big smile*

Nap

Cat nap that is! After a hard day of on-line shopping, Stinker calls it a day!

Crazy Cat Lady

The crazy is debatable, depends on the day! One thing for certain...the kitties and I enjoy relaxing in front of a good fire!

Muddy Mucky Mess

The snow has all but melted in these parts and the usual high desert brown of the landscape has returned. Weather sure is a funny and fickle thing. We had snow for Thanksgiving which is a bit unusual for this area and it certainly was pretty and pretty darn cold too, but I seriously doubt we will have snow for Christmas what with the way the temps have warmed up. A girl can hope for snow though because at this point I would much rather be driving in/on snow rather than on the muddy roads that have become such a pain in the rear this past week! (thanks to an individual who shall remain nameless who had the bright idea to convince the county road department to treat our county road with a chemical that keeps the dust down during the summer months but turns the road to a wretched mess at the first sign of rain/snow...thank you so much for your bright idea! This could be an entire post in and of itself, but I won't go there! )

After traversing the muddy, mucky roads day in and day out for the last week to get back and forth to work, I can tell you that I'm certainly looking forward to parking the car for the weekend and staying home. Think I will enjoy a glass or two of the red stuff and decorate for Christmas...wait, I might need a bottle or two in that case!

I shall leave you with this cute cartoon...Happy Friday!

Vampire Wars

No it's not the latest series of Vampire books or shows. It just so happens to be the 'war' that happens in our house every Thursday night. (Or 'Hot Sexy Vampire Night' as I like to call it) 'I' being Countrychick. 'Tis true, I have taken over my mothers blog for the day, and no I have not hog tied her, stuffed a sock in her mouth and locked her in my closet... hehe. No really I haven't, I promise! So you can just ignore those strange muffled cries for help that just so happen to be coming from my room...

Sorry, had to fit my humor in there somewhere. I'm quite the comedian at times which I'm sure my mother's probably mentioned. Anywho, back to business! About a year or so ago (maybe less. Whenever Vampire Diaries premiered) I started watching it and instantly became hooked! My mom had no interest in the vampire stuff at that time so she'd just leave me to drool over my new favorite show. But a few months ago while I was watching an episode of the show she just so happened to sit down and watch it with me, as well as the other three episodes that I had recorded! She became addicted and was sad that the last episode was the season finale! (Sad being, she threw herself on the floor demanding to know why there were no more episodes!) She then proceeded to record all the re-runs so she could catch up on what she'd missed. Even though I'd been telling her for weeks that this show was the greatest thing ever and that she needed to watch it! (Do ya think she listened?) Anyways, once she was caught up on all the action she waited for the new season to start. In the mean time she became addicted to Twilight. I thought I was obsessed but she beats me by a long shot on that one! There are actually days where I wish I hadn't taken her to see Eclipse! LOL! But I love her just the same. No matter how much extensive 'Vampire' rehab I think she might need =)




So every Thursday night as most of you might know 'Vampire Diaries' is on, and for those of us that are just a little "vampire obsessed" things tend to get ugly! lol. In other words my mom and I tend to fight over who gets who! Kinda hard though when we're both fighting over Damon. Or drooling, which ever happens to come first! ...... Probably the drooling. I tell her the same thing every time though. That since I watched the show before she started watching, I've called dibs on Damon already and she can have Stefan. She wants no part of it and that usually leads to the 'Vampire argument'


Mom: "I don't care if you were watching it first, I call Damon."


Countrychick: "Nuh uh! I already called him so back off lady!"


Mom: *Stares blankly*


Countrychick: "You already have dibs on Edward (not that I want him anyways
*cough*GoTeamJacob*cough*) and Emmet! So therefore you can add Stefan to your little collection of vampires and leave Damon alone! Like I said he's mine!"


Mom: "No I still think I want Damon." *Smirks evilly*


Countrychick: *Raises one eyebrow* (Note: She hates when I do that 'cause she can't! haha!)


Mom: "I will fight you for him!"


Countrychick: "I'll BITE you!"


Mom: *No response*



And Damon is mine for another day *Insert dreamy look here* But yes that is just a little taste of what goes on during the commercial break of Vampire Diaries every Thursday night. Most of the time my dad will come out from playing his video game (He's not a fan of the vampires so he leaves to do something else.) and on the way back to the bedroom he'll stop and look at us arguing before shaking his head and going back to his game. The thought going through his mind (Typical women *insert eye roll here*) At the end of the night though we can both still agree that Vampire Diaries is one of thee best shows ever!!! YAY for hot vampires!! (That and Damon's still mine!) ;) hehe.

But I mean seriously, who wouldn't want some of that!

Realizing that I've probably just caused half of you to faint with that photo... hehe... I shall end this post with another Epic photo of vampire sexiness!

I like my Men Cold, Dead, And A Little Less 'Sparkly' ;)