Miss Mia Armstrong

Okay, so we named the puppy. Meet Mia.

Mia is a Pekingese. She is very sweet and makes friends easily. Her hobbies include, grass rolling, chewing on flip flops, and chasing Chihuahuas around the house. She is sporting a pink camouflage collar and is freshly bathed.

What's in a Name?

This was my last day of vacation, sigh........ oh well, sigh........
I have a new puppy, a Pekingese. She is adorable. We are trying to think of a good name, and we can't agree on anything. I really like Mia, but Jon doesn't so much. She is very brave. She loves Darnell and thinks they are "potty partners". Darnell is very jealous and snaps at her all the time, but she is not deterred. She follows him around like he is Jerry Garcia. Butters is terrified of her and the puppy chases her all over the house. It's so funny. She really needs a name.
We watched a pretty good movie this evening, Away We Go. Maya Randolph was in it and that cute guy from The Office. They were a young couple with no close family ties, about to have a baby, and trying to find the perfect place to raise her. It's funny and sad and sweet and, yes, very adult, but well worth your time. Maya Randolph's character is named Verona, like the city in Italy and Romeo and Juliet. I like that name for my puppy.
It has always been hard to think of original names for my dogs. Cats are easy. Jon brought home a Siamese kitten once and I looked at him and said "what's your name?", and he said "Mao" so that was his name. Funny, he had the personality of a Chinese dictator. Jon brought home another kitten he found down by the school yard and of course his name was Julio. We've had Emma's and Annies and Stormy's and Muddy's, named after the great Muddy Waters. But dogs are just harder. They all have unique personalities and you want the name to fit the dog.
So what's it gonna be? I don't know, but I will get back with you when I do, and I'll have picture.

Wish You Were Here

This is our last day here in Galveston, and it is a beautiful one. The ocean right now is so many different shades of blue and green, I'm not sure a photo would do it justice.
The kids left about an hour ago, and I'm feeling pretty sad. This is how my grandma felt all those years ago. We would be leaving her house and all trying to kiss Grandma goodbye and get in the car before she started crying.
I think everyone had a lot of fun. Yesterday we walked around the Strand and then took the harbour tour. Jon and I went on Thursday, when it was cold and rainy, and thought they would enjoy it. Of course we all sunburned but we got to see a lot of dolphins and pelicans and a tropical bird called a frigate, that the captain said would only be in the area for a week or two. Plus we saw different kinds of ships and boats, even a WW2 destroyer and submarine.
Sarah, Jonathon and Eric and I played in the ocean until we were nice and crispy while Jon napped on the beach. We walked out pretty far to play in the waves and the fish were jumping out of the water. Seriously, big fish, well big for west Texas.
Last night Jon made this huge meal with cedar plank salmon, shrimp, rice, stuffed jalapenos, coconut ice cream and grilled pineapple. We were all so full and tired from the beach, we couldn't even stay up to watch the Texas Tech game, thank God.
We talked and laughed and just enjoyed the company. And we talked about Lauren. We always do. Just funny stories, nothing sad. I hope we always will.

My Tropical Depression

Here we are in Galveston. I am sitting on the deck watching the seagulls scavenge for food and drinking a somewhat local wine. Life is good. Now and then I wonder what is happening at work, then I remember how little I care. They may hate me. I may be the worse boss in history. But who cares? Not me, not today.

My main concern is, will the fruit flies leave me alone if I drink a dryer wine? And can you drink a dryer wine if you are still on the wash cycle? Okay, that was funny. Jon just said it was incredibly stupid, so maybe it will be edited out.

We had one nasty thunderstorm yesterday. I just kept thinking, how is this not a hurricane? Speaking of which, there is still a lot of cleaning up from hurricane Ike going on here. Out in west Texas, it's a little hard for us to imagine just how much damage water can do. We have a tornado, and the county just brings in some earth movers and such and we get that mess cleaned up. Some of these places look like a shrine to procrastination, but I think it must be tougher to rebuild than you might think.

We have found some pretty cool sea shells on the beach. I remember, when Lauren was three or four, we took the kids to Corpus. She was amazed at all the broken shells on the beach and was convinced they were teeth the Tooth Fairy had dropped. She said "Momma, look at all these loose toofs!" I think I will make a Sailors Valentine from the shells for Lauren's grave. I saw Martha Stewart do it once, I won't get as carried away as Martha or the ancient mariners did but it will be pretty.

On Friday, Eric, Sarah and Jonathon will be here. We are celebrating our thirtieth wedding anniversary. I can't wait to see them. Jon and I raised some pretty good kids.

I brought a new cookbook on this trip and planned to try some different recipes, but Jon is such a kitchen Nazi, I gave up and let him take over. It should be interesting when Eric gets here, as he suffers from the same affliction. Well I guess I'll just enjoy it while I can.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Jon took this picture this morning. I think it is quite good.

SaturdayMorning TV

Like most kids of the sixties, I was raised on TV. Our moms were not concerned about the effect it would have on our eyes or our lives. If we were quiet, and not in her hair, all was right with the world.

Of course, television was much better in those days, especially on Saturday mornings. We only had one TV in our house, so I usually had to fight to watch what I wanted to watch. Two of my brothers were wrestling fans. Trust me, wrestling in the sixties was more lame and idiotic than now. My brother, Jerry, the intelligent one, and I were of like minds. So I generally could depend on him to take my side. We knew from the beginning, Looney Tunes would never be topped.

When I was very young, I absolutely LOVED Roy Rogers. This seems kind of odd to me now since I really don't even like westerns. Roy Rogers was handsome and brave and he wore a white cowboy hat that never came off in a fight, but only when he met a pretty lady. But most appealing was how he could sing after nabbing the black hatted bad guy. Ah.... we all need a hero.

Mighty Mouse was clever and funny. Rocky and Bullwinkle was the best. I loved the Fractured Fairytale segment. But in Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny taught us how to be a wise guy and still enjoy classical music. Daffy taught us stupid people can be lovable too. and Foghorn Leghorn showed us the dangers of unrequited love. OK, so I had to stretch for that last one.

This Saturday morning, as I was drinking my coffee watching Rick Steves European Travels, I couldn't help but think of Saturdays past. In my mind, I'm a little girl, sitting cross legged, drinking my chocolate Quik, with a bowl of Cheerios, watching my Saturday Morning heroes.

Dressed To Kill

We were watching the movie, The Natural, yesterday and I realized something. People don't dress up anymore. Not like they used to, anyway. In the movie, during the scenes filmed at the ball park, I noticed most of the men were wearing ties. The newspaper reporters were very well dressed, and Glenn Close was wearing a dress, hat and gloves. It must have been hot and uncomfortable, but she looked fabulous.

I know we all remember how June Cleaver cleaned house in a dress and pearls, and Carol Brady looked so spiffy in her polyester pantsuits. No, kids, it wasn't just a TV thing. People used to take pride in their appearance.

I remember, with great horror, my mother, in her dress and stockings, carrying her big purse around Six Flags. All was well, until she tried to straddle the log in the log ride.

There was a time when a woman could go to the Sears catalog and order something called a house dress. My mom and grandmothers all had them. They were usually bright, floral prints, loose fitting, with a zipper or buttons down the front. They were perfect for after church when you knew you would be going to evening services. You could just slip it on, fry your chicken, make your gravy, and keep your church dress clean for later.

One thing I never understood was the roller bonnet. This was a colorful bonnet that fit over your curlers and was supposed to be more attractive than a head full of rollers. When I was a little girl, my mother made me wear pink sponge rollers in my hair all day on Saturdays. I think my first big rebellion was taking all styling rights away from her and wearing my hair long and straight. Now I am paying for it. If only my hair would just bend a little.

Have you noticed most college age girls look like they just rolled out of bed at two o clock in the afternoon. They wear flannel pajama pants and flip flops everywhere they go. Their ponytails look like they have been slept in and they are wearing whatever free Tshirt they can find. The shirt is too short, the pants too low, and we can all see their "crack art". Girls, please save this look for marriage!

My Grass is Blue

I've always wanted to play the violin. Well to be honest I've always wanted to play the "fiddle".
I love bluegrass music. That high lonesome sound tugs at my heart and brings tears to my eyes. It reminds me of sweet old people I love so much and long to see again.
My Uncle Ulysse, one of those old people, was a fiddle player.When I knew him, he always wore overalls and had a glass eye. He married my mom's sister Lorene, despite threats and warnings from my grandpa. Grandpa thought a dance hall fiddler was in no way suitable for his sixteen year old daughter, but Lorene was in love and ran off with him anyway. Somewhere along the way, Ulysse met Jesus and started playing fiddle for his church. They raised a big family and had a very happy life until Ulysse died at the ripe old age of ninety eight.
As a child, I loved going to their house. Every morning I would wake up to the sound of that fiddle."five foot two, eyes of blue" that was Ulysse' song for Lorene. Saturdays were spent watching his favorite TV shows. Hee Haw, Porter Wagner, anything with music and musicians. Sundays we went to church. Ulysse loved his church, and he loved his preacher, which just so happened to be his son.
I remember once when asked why he volunteered for Meals on Wheels, Ulysse said he had to help those poor lonesome old people. He was ninety at the time.
I believe heaven is like an east Texas family reunion. There will be fishing and swimming and of course all day singing and eating on the ground. And there will be bluegrass music and a sweet old guy playing the fiddle. I think Jesus will dance.