Vicki's Toe

Vicki got up one morning and said, "Yes", when her little niece asked her to go outside and kick the soccer ball with her. Vicki went out in socks and her robe, kicked the ball and broke her toe in 3 places. Limped back into the house with her toe hanging on to her foot by only the skin. That's Vicki's story and I totally support her.

Years ago, a cousin of Aunt Evelyn's went fishing and came back with no big toe. He said an alligator ate it. When you grow up in Louisiana and your family has a farm out in the country on the bayou, you always hear about a gator eating a small goat, chickens, a devil child, etc.

Johnny Jeff was always a bit strange, but about 6 months after he lost the toe, his Momma was washing his clothes and discovered a withered up disgusting thing in a nice linen handkerchief secured tightly with a rubber band. Johnny Jeff's toe. Kinda messed up the, "I had my foot hanging off the side of the perogue while fishing and the gater ate it story." Notice no one asked how the gator just ate the one big toe? Anyway, Johnny Jeff went to visit Pineville (the insane asylum) for a few months and came back misty eyed and dreamy. He and his Mother dropped in Aunt Evelyn's the next time we were visitng. Johnny Jeff was pretty quiet. During a lull in conversation, unusual since we all talked at once, Johnny Jeff turns to me and says, "Miss Lottie Kate, you and your little sister, Miss Lottie Mae look so much alike." Well, Miss Lottie Mae took wings with that sentence and for a year told everyone "people" think Mother and I are sisters and she's the younger one. Of all Mother and Aunt Evelyn's friends these two loved each other dearly. Took Aunt Evelyn about a year, but she interrupted Mom's story one day to say, "Lottie Mae, the "people" of whom you speak is an insane cousin of mine who lost his toe in a way we don't even want to know about and now carries a placebo toe in his pocket." I truly fell off my chair laughing and Mother had no sympathy for me.

So now you see why I support Vicki's toe story. Can't have her traisping off to Pineville over a toe.

Let It Ice

After the great ice storm, diamond and fairy dust sparkles everywhere. Here's a little tennis shoe fairy who lives in our back yard.

The Little Princess

Theses are not good pictures, but here's our little Princess. I haven't gotten around to making or getting her a little stool so she can hop on our bed easier. I have ideas, but no follow through. Should take a picture of her right now, she's curled up on the sofa. I upholstered the sofa in her colors. I put a bit of black velvet trim on the top of the back and along the side. My not black cat seems to get fur all over the black velvet. The fur fight in this house is constant, BlackJack adds to it a bit - a bit!?!?!

I'm going to brave the icy day and run to the grocery store. I'm out of strawberry cream cheese to go on my morning bagel. Can't face tomorrow morning without my sweet. A slight addiction there? We won't even talk about Grande Green Tea Frappicinos with extra whipped cream.

The Golden Child and Good Friends

Here's my little darling with Angie getting a haircut for the first time in several hundred years. I've cut his hair most of his life, but there's no longer trust - hair wise, between us. Angie, whom he barely knows - lots of trust there. During the holidays James Randall caught a virus and felt so bad we took him to the doctor. First time he's ever been to the doctor for anything other than a checkup. We had to go across the hall for bloodwork. A man on a walker was in the waiting room with me while they were sucking the blood out of my only child. He starts in - is that a boy or girl, so much hair, how long is his hair, etc. I said nothing. Not easy for me. But he continues so finally I get up to get a magazine and get right in his face and say, "IT'S ONLY HAIR". I'm usually pretty nice to people, especially people in walkers. Heaven knows I've had a few elderly relatives I love in walkers (and I was the relative with them in the doctor's office). I gave this guy a couple of comments and then realized he wasn't going to leave it alone until I responded. He should consider himself lucky that's all I said since he was dissing the golden child.

Here's a perfect example of why I'm so lucky with friends. At Vince's birthday party I mentioned to Lola I wish James Randall and film crew would get us going with the Barbaree Beat. Without missing a beat, Lola said, "It's OK, they're kids." Love that Lola.

January Texas Sculpture Association Board Meeting

Here's the Texas Sculpture Association Board meeting the first time this year. Cynthia and I drive to Oklahoma once a month to attend. Actually Nan's house is up Central Expressway at the Arapaho exit, but I think it's Oklahoma, because it's so far out of my 5 mile comfort zone. Cynthia's better about the drive than me. Thank goodness Bob drives us to Fort Worth every Saturday night while I play with his i-phone and pretend we aren't on a road trip.

My feet don't touch the floor when I sit in those chairs so after about an hour I'm squirming. Jay brought me a footstool once, I think it was a toolbox, but it worked.

Miss Calico (age 15) is having a hard time jumping on our bed and it's low. I need to make her a little footstool and I could take the footstool to the meetings. Last night Miss Calico was laying next to Bob while he was reading and petting her. She turned and fell off the bed. Life can sometimes be not easy for even the most pampered cat. She's not the smartest, or sweetest, but she is demanding and pretty. Gives her that great personality. Better get busy with the footstool before she sucks out my breath while I'm sleeping, little precious. I'll try to get a picture of our little darling for you.

Safe at the Estate Sale

David and Bob pose while I dig out my camera.

Bob and I decided to walk down the street to the estate sale this morning. Look who we ran into patrolling the world safe for us. Thank goodness for the good guys like David. May our neighbors continue to have the good sense to support neighborhood patrol.

YMCA

Bob and I went to the Y today and I had the courage to get on the scale. Low and behold I am at my goal weight, without shoes. Thought I'd dress up and show you how good I look. Top hat and tails suits me. Notice in the right light, the right camera, cool glasses, no hair and top hat, even my nose looks good.

Final 3 of 3 - Boy Babe's Birthday

This first picture is a beautiful doll Lola made for Bobbi for her birthday. Bobbi made the collage Lola'a holding. Are these girls talented or what? I could wander their house for hours and find oo's and ah's and "how did you make that?" And speaking of how - the stripes on the doll's skirt are glass rods, really. We're going to have to figure out how to have a two woman show.
And remember I told you they had great food? Not to mention the cake Laurie brought, delicious. Seeing food in their kitchen gave me the courage to walk into mine. I decided to make brocolli soup tonight. Yes, with the blender that doesn't like me. The blender pureed the ingredients very nicely, but until I wash it and hide it in the cabinet, I won't feel comfortable. Right now it's sitting on the kitchen counter by the sink plotting who knows what. But the soup was good. The garlic bread was soft and squishy. I put the knob on broil and put the bread on the first shelf in the oven. Butter dripped down making puddles on the oven floor? The bread already had the butter and garlic on it from the store. But most dripped off and down, nasty. I'm thinking the microwave is pretty much indifferent to all the strange vibes in the kitchen, but best not to ever let my guard down.

more Boy Babe Birthday Pictures

Here's our Boy Babe and his "singing" candle. But that didn't stop us songbirds. We sounded fabulous - to us. Well, maybe everyone wouldn't agree, but they were too busy singing. Notice the plants, the girls have wonderful indoor and outdoor plants. The gerbers on the table are real. Also notice how Cynthia hams it up whenever there's a camera. You can barely get a shot of anyone else.

The Actual Boy Babe Birthday

Sunday's Boy Babe Birthday Party at Bobbi and Lola's was lovely. They had chicken wings and lets and everyone brought other treats. The girls made Sweet Tea for me. I only have it at their house and Carol's. Nector of the Gods. Glo will try some, but usually has to add water. Exploring in their house is great. They showed us the new downstairs bathroom - think Hollywood. Bobbi's grandmother sold butter and eggs to buy a beautiful mirror Bobbi's hung over the pedastal sink. Great tile, colors, nooks and fixtures. We need to get this bathroom in a magazine, with me in a great Greta Garbo lookalike gown and hair/makeup. I do put on aires, we will dress up Bobbi and Lola, too. BARBAREE BEAT EPISODE.

Checked out the back yard. Bobbi's finished her tile carpet. I should have gotten you a picture. She's agreed to be on the garden tour next year. This year would be great, so imagine giving the back yard another year.

But wait, it's Vince's birthday with all his Babes celebrating him. So here he is.

Boy Babe Birthday

I'm off to a Barbaree Babe birthday affair. We are celebrating Boy Babe Vince's birthday.

I looked back on this blog to find I didn't post the last Barbaree Babe affair. We met at Carol's in December to wrap gifts for the family we adopted for Christmas. Carol spearheads our group in this endeavor. She sends out an email telling us the family members and we pick a child. Cynthia and I picked the 6 year old girl. The family was a single mom with 5 kids all under the age of 11. I know we made Christmas great, but what about the other 364 days of the year? I think, and I think the Babes agree with me, some birth control counseling or better, offer to pay for a patch that would last a couple of years to give this young and I mean young mother some breathing room.

I'll get off the soap box and let you enjoy pictures of these great Babes and of course Boy Babe.

Alfred Hichkock's The Birds

Went to my aunt's the other day. Her back yard is a scene from the movie, "The Birds". She and her husband have several feeders and only one little birdbath. She needed another birdbath, especially one I've jazzed up. They can always put food in this wide bowl. Their cats and two dogs are dive bombed when they go outside. Some of the birds could pick up her smallest cat and fly away. I'm serious, those black birds remind me of the giant ravens at the Tower of London. English ravens look you in the eye and you know they are thinking - LUNCH! The ravens probably drag off a tourist every couple of days and munch until the buzzards insist it's their turn. You think when you see all those ravens on the Tower's lawn cackling they are just visiting? No, the ravens are conferencing and the subject is which tourist looks juciest. The Beefeaters are too scared to turn them in or are in cahoots with the ravens. Someone has to dump tourist bones in the moat.

Thank goodness I'm not paranoid or I'd really start to worry about the birds in my aunts back yard.

Todd's Camera and Paper Class

I had the hardest time thinking of something to make for Todd's function. Then I remembered, Cynthia gave him a camera (real one) for Christmas. Hopefully, he will like this one and it will bring in a few bucks at auction.

Dropped in at CAC tonight to give the camera to Cynthia. Had another agenda. We want Dan to teach Cynthia, Arlene and me his sculptural paper. Arlene didn't know she wanted this. We were just including her without asking her. We weren't expecting to see her, but she dropped in for a makeup class, and darling that she is, agreed on the spot and the three of us converged on Dan. He was sitting in the welding area with his brand new students lecturing. One thing about Dan, you can interrupt his class if you have hugs and kisses for him. He agreed to the paper class and we assumed we'd be scheduling soon. But Dan says the class requires summer and shorts because you get so wet. Does that sound like a wet t-shirt fantasy class for Dan or what?

Shoe Art

Between working on Bob's end of year books and typing a feasibility study he's writing, I have plenty to keep me busy. But this morning I was reading Art Groups DFW and saw a call to artists for shoe art. Is that up my alley? Yes. Here's a sea creature I made from a shoe for a Christmas ornament auction for the CAC. This is Mother's green lizard Bruno Magli (right foot). Thanks, Mom.

Rather than type the study or work on end of year books, I dug out Mom's left shoe and started another sea creature. I think I'm in my sea creature phase. When Shoe Sea Creature is complete, I want to make a shrimp even though I should start a mermaid for a future Bath House mermaid show. Shrimp need spotlighting. No one loves crawfish more than me, but I don't know to make one that wouldn't be confused with a lobster. Size? But Bob's eaten "mudbugs" in Australia that are the size of lobsters. Too confusing.

And you thought you had problems.

Missed a day

OK, I missed a day posting and didn't even notice. But I'm here now, starting up again.

Beautiful day for welding today so I decided to make a piece for Todd's function. Finished it except for adding some glass. Didn't get a picture for you, but will have one tomorrow.

Cleaned up and took Ms. Hensley stuff and picked up stuff. She is a little past Walnut Hill - road trip! I hate this time of year with all the bookkeeping for Bob's company. I never have it completely together even though I try really really hard.

Stopped in at Clothes Circuit on the way back toward the Arboretum. Tried on the cutest jacket, unusual peach color with a zip front. I took it to the big mirror, tried it on, tried to zip it up. Not easy unless serious sucking in. Asked a customer who was walking by if she thought the jacket was to small. She said perhaps. Then she said, "Is that the giant size malt in your hand?" I gave her a dirty look and didn't respond. Didn't by the jacket either. I have a few jackets in my closet that are a "touch" small.

On to the Arboretum for Artscape meeting. Got there at 4:00 on the dot. No one in our meeting room. Felt that little nagging feeling when you know you've screwed up. To the office, saw Charlotte. Asked the receptionist. Yup. As she called Melissa, I remembered the meeting was changed to noon. I remembered Melissa sending us a reminder notice. Well, shoot. So sad that I can't blame this one on a conspiracy, isn't it? Wait, give me a day or two and I'll figure a way.

Celebratory Lunch with Julie - to her Good Health

Julie, me, lunch, shopping and most important celebrating Julie's good health. Doesn't she look great? And she's happy. She was leaving for Atlanta later in the day. Julie and Bill started their married life in Atlanta and her first child was born there. Circle closed with much happiness.

We had lunch at Nordstroms. I'd never been to the restaurant - ladies lunch type place. Good thing Julie had on jeans, too, or I'd have had to ask for many napkins to cover me. We got there early, but by the time we left the restaurant was full. Great people watching. Ladies with big hair, bold makeup and large jewels all wearing Chanel and St. John suits. See what I mean about jeans?

Julie had gift cards and Nordstoms had "reduced" signs everywhere, so we shopped. We checked out little girls shoes, nothing I liked. Downstairs to big girl shoes. Every pair I liked started in a size 6. The red shoe I'm showing off in the picture with Julie would need lots of toilet paper stuffed in the toe. I hate big girl shoes. Not only are there no size 5's in ladies shoes anymore, but the sales people act like there never were size 5. Like I made this up. Another conspiracy!?!? If I had one friend with size 5 feet I could start a write in or something. Maybe now's the time to begin a foot size survey.

Forest Hills Garden Club - PARTY TIME

Garden Club party was last night at my house. A lovely time was had. Much more interesting two years ago at Barb's house when there was a lot of drama with the trades and steals. Tonight nearly everyone loved the gift they got. But later we did get into a lively discussion about some divorced neighbors. Josephine likes the wife, I like the husband. Unfortunately, Josephine's to nice for discussion to become trashy.

Andie was our first timer. She should have been a comedian. I have never met someone who can hand out one liners faster and all night. She said she's here with us for life. Hooray. Her yard will be featured on our garden tour. Great yard with a big dinosaur. You know I love dinosaurs. I'm thinking of making making fused glass earrings for the dinosaur. Male and female dinosaurs alike love earrings. I'm a semi-expert on dinosaur accessories.

My bartender, Bob, took care of the girls with their drinks and then went back in his office to escape. Easy for him because he has his office to escape to. He's like Barb's John, makes an appearance and then slips out. They're scared, but always brave.

I COOKED something, those little pastries Katrina had at last month's meeting. She wasn't here to be impressed, but everyone else was. I forget who, but someone asked how many times Bob had to eat these before I tried them out on the girls. Only 3 times. I even bought parchment paper to cook them on. Didn't call Martha this time, so I had to ask someone at Tom Thumb what in the world parchment is and then have them show me. Wouldn't you think paper in the oven equals fire? I would know having plopped chocolate chip cookie dough from a tub on wax paper in the oven. My first fire (in this house's oven) was when I heated the oven for a pizza the first night we moved in here. Previous owner put the instruction manual in the oven. Who would think to look to see if books are in the oven before pre-heating? Some people.

One of the garden girls, I suspect Delores, asks what's in my pastry rollups and I fell for it thinking she cared. I list the ingredients and mentioned ham last. OOOPS! Immediately looked at Abbie and apologized for my faux pas. How indelicate of me. Abbie would have thrown a rollup at me if there'd been any left.

Several ladies brought goodies and all were delicious. Barb went that extra mile and made some cookies everyone went crazy over. I stopped at 4. And Judy thought she'd be able to sneak a few cookies home for Jack, not. Give me a year and I'm having Barb over with her blender and learn to make those cookies. Can't right now. Remember I have that little garbage disposal issue in my sink right now. Loved the cookies, but not enough to be swallowed by the disposal or whatever devilish scheme it has in mind for me. Best is to avoid possessed disposal and kitchen for a few months.

Thanks for coming ladies. No one had more fun than me.

Last Christmas party pictures

Here's the last of the party pictures. Saved Weldon's picture for last grouping, that's him with Nancy. Have adored him forever. Many many years ago (34 summers ago) Weldon use to produce bird shows at a sealife park. Some of those shows I was his only audience. I ran the games and I wasn't swamped with "guests". Weldon's contract said he had to put on his bird shows whether he had an audience or not. I took it on myself to always look in his audience. If no one was there, I'd plop myself front row center and applaud like this was the first time I'd seen his show. Obviously, the sealife park wasn't having a good summer. But we had good times. Weldon still does bird shows and I'll be back in his audience someday. Love those animal parks, some furry little monster always escaping looking for a child to eat. I am not kidding.