Hootin' Anni's Day Trippin'

For Fun Monday this week, Mariposa has challenged us with TWO topics. One is our blog name. The Who, What, Where's and Why our blog is named such as it is. And the second section of the week's challenge is our 'most common dish'.

[I'm assuming by dish, you're not talking Johnny Depp our mates? No? Ohhhhhhhhh, you mean food? Okay. Will do. At the last of my Fun Monday. But, really, it's not as appealing. Trust me.]

Okay, to get started.

My blog's name.

To fill you in on little bit of history. I HAVE been blogging for about four years now. My first blog was by a pseudonym of which it's not important today. And the 'old' blog of mine, still in existence but not active, was actually based on my childhood and early adulthood memories - a blast from the past, with the likes of Pez candy dispensers, hula hoops, cards pinned on my bike's spokes, raising two goofy infants filled with humor; things like that. Boring!!! The previous blog, which I blogged on from 2004, came to an end Christmas Day in 2006 for personal reasons! I haven't added to it since I began publishing blog posts in my 'new improved' blog. The one I now use daily; good ol' Hootin' Anni's! And naming it that is a simple story, really. My name is Anni. And I'm a hoot! [Now that I read what I just typed for the last couple sentences, it sounds like an AA meeting!]

Moving on....

For years and years, I've had so many people tell me, with much laughter, that "Oh Anni, you're such a hoot!" Life is so filled with tragedies and despairing goings-on that I wanted to blog for the fun of it! Whatever hit my fancy for the day. I wanted jokes, fun, and a 'feel good' blogging experience. AND --with audience participation. One day, after dear hubby said just those words -"Anni, you're such a hoot...a real hooten-anny." I went out to Google and typed in "define Hootenanny"...it came up for me as- Hootenanny: An Informal Performance with Audience Participation

Hence the blog name. My very first attempt at designing a blog with "Blogspot" - the old style, I figured out on my own how to make my 'personalized' template. Back then with the older version it was quite simple. I still have my original blog background image that I used and the title 'header' for sentimental reasons. Being in Texas [tho, I'm on the coast line] people assume living in this state, it's filled with dirt, cactus, hillbilly life style, and perhaps an armadillo or two. I went with the flow....made it a bit 'atmospheric' for the name plate. Afterall, a hootenanny is a regular 'hoedown' of a party. As you can see in the old auto in my 'header'...Bud and I are coming home from such a get together and still clinging to the idea!! And the 'sign' keeps us from getting lost in the Texas desert ---directing us to our 'home' behind the oversized armadillo in the shanty on the right!!! Or maybe the "Welcome to Hootin' Anni's" sign above the entryway perhaps takes us into an Old West barroom that we own; with whiskies and gunslingers ready to greet us for the day --a real thirst quencher of a place there in the arid Texan land...who knows. Now, the once 'beta' blogger was all new and xhml coding. A bit more of the most confusing, cascade style sheet, work in the layout. I have a friend who helped me get the whole gist of how to style the new blogger and I went from there ---loving the fact that I can restyle the atmosphere around here to coincide with holidays or how I feel at a certain time in my life. Right now, if y'all have really looked at my header above, you can just about guess how I've been feeling. LOL - I feel like a horse's ass!!! ROFLMAO

What better way to blog and meet new bloggin' friends when you're having fun?!! Right?

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As for my 'favorite dish'....if you're here often enough, you'll know that I love everything that is bad for my health! Pizza, cheese, eggs, burgers, fries....you name it. And I love to cook too. When we're planning on having cheeseburgers and it happens to rain or storm and the grill is outdoors, I end up cooking them indoors on top of the range/stove with a skillet. Ya, I fry 'em sometimes. And it tends to become a messy situation with grease splatterings and melted cheese. So I learned a newer way to cook the cheeseburgers indoors and that's to make them "inside out".

You make your beef [or ground turkey in my case] VERY thin. And you double the amount of burger patties made. In other words if you're wanting two cheeseburgers, form FOUR very thin patties. Place your cheese slice on top of one of the burger patties, and then the 2nd patty on top of the cheese. Pinching the two patties closed around the edges. Cook at a medium heat until well browned!! Voilá!! Delectable burgers without the mess!


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...and further:

A man and his wife are sitting in the living room and he says to her: "Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state dependent on some machine. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."

His wife gets up and unplugs the TV.

~...end Fun Monday
If you're not interested in American Politics, scroll down to the last 'Obama bumper sticker' to leave a comment.

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My new bumper sticker!

Well, at long last, our company has left. They left about 2:30 Sunday afternoon. We had a lot of fun catching up on life back in the state we left behind! My niece, my brother's oldest daughter and her life partner hold 1/3 interest each [with a third party who is 'holding down the fort' for now] at a gallery in West Colorado. After this winter, or so it seems, they're all seriously wanting to get out of the state. Can't blame 'em. Afterall, hubby and I wanted out too! I guess it comes with age. [She turned 50 just 6 days before I had my birthday. I remember the day she was born. My brother told me I was an aunt. And I couldn't be, I told him....I wasn't married yet! The only aunts I KNEW were married at my tender age of 8!! I couldn't possibly be an aunt. What did I know?] The two left here heading now to California. They've got some property prospects in San Francisco. Anyway, it was a lot of fun!! I had a great time.




This past Friday [the above news clip -I'm in the front row to the far left --in red! Next to the gal in black who is signing for the deaf], when they went up to San Antonio to view some prospective buildings becoming vacant soon, we stayed here. We had a day of destiny planned for us. I so desperately wanted to see Senator Barack Obama in person. Our son gave me for my birthday Obama's book, and with the campaign rally here in Corpus, I thought I had a window of opportunity open before my very eyes; to maybe, perhaps, get his autograph?

We weren't pleased with Hillary's campaign speech just the week prior. I really wanted to hear Mr. Obama's take on his run. Now, to get things started, when we attended Ms. Clinton's speech, her talk was scheduled to begin at 2pm. She was late. There was a crowd of estimated 3000-4000. A lot of people were kept outside the hall because she had her staff cordon off hundreds of seats for school children!!! 'Nother bad feeling from me! These were children of ages 9-12 years old....not old enough to vote! And yet the voters were left outside to hear the campaign that was taking place from indoors? Oh well.....that's over and done. Let me get to the Obama campaign rally.

His speech was slated for 4PM, Friday. I wanted to get there early enough to be one of the first inside. Well, we got there at 11AM prepared to spend the next 4 hours or so in line. HA!!! Hundreds had the same idea. We weren't even CLOSE to being the first 500 in line [eventually the paper told us that his 'gathering' was close to 6000!!! Eat your heart out Hillary!]. We were finally allowed to enter the arena through the metal detectors [just like at an airport]...empty pockets, etc, etc, get 'frisked' with the wand, and then enter to find a place to be during his speech.

Fate was on my side!! I was the first one through, then hubby followed behind. While he was getting the once-over with the wand, I was waiting for him. A girl came up to me with a badge "Campaign Captain" on her blouse. She said to me:

"Ma'am, would you be okay with standing another hour during his speech while being up on the podium with Mr. Obama?"

I replied in these words:

"Oh my god! You're damn straight, I would!!"

Well, she asked if my husband would be there with me, and I said "Yes" without even asking him. LOL We were then escorted back stage where they had us sit until it was just about time for the speech to begin. Once we were told where we were to be, we were lead to the podium and we were there!!! Right there!!! I got to meet personally, Representative Juan Garcia and shake his hand. [He gave me a peck on the cheek and told dear hubby he was happy to see he brought his daughter with him"]...ya, politicians!!! Geez. ::giggles::

He arrived on stage [in fact about 5 minutes early!] to an outburst of applause and whistles and cheers of "Yes We Can"...had an opening prayer, and a moment of silence for the fallen policeman of Ms. Clinton's motorcade...he lost his life while driving a motorcycle, escorting Hillary. In Dallas, I believe it was.

Then, the speech!!! A lot of serious talk, amongst more pauses of cheering. And a bit of humor that we ALL appreciated. In fact, I would almost guarantee that ALL Americans would have found this 'cute'....he said at least there isn't a Bush on the ballot, & that Washington was gonna send him back to Texas.....:::lots of laughs and whistles and cheers for the fact that Bush will finally be an 'ex-president':::

After the speech, he made his rounds shaking hands. Yes, I got to shake his hand. So did Bud!! We were thrilled. "Perhaps I got to shake the next president's hand" ---

We then were instructed to file out from backstage. I asked the girl escort if there was a possibility I could get my book [which I held during the entire time] autographed. She took me further 'backstage' to a Secret Service dude and I told him what I wanted. He told me to give him the book and wait out in the lobby. Okay...ya, I can do that. I was then directed to stand by another secret service dude [a real cutie patootie too!] and wait. Finally yet another secret service dude came back to me with my book!! Yessiree, I got it autographed!!!

We then went out to dinner. Got home around 8PM and made sure we watched the 10 o'clock local news. And there we were; on the news!!!----------

What a day. What a night! I couldn't fall asleep. I was running through his speech over and over, making up my decision that I had pretty well already conceded that he'd get my vote if he's nominated for the Democratic Party. And perhaps for the first time in nearly 12-16 years, hubby and I are in agreement on the nomination. Hey, I've never said life in politics at Hootin' Anni's has been easy. LOL

If you want to drop by my special Obama Page for February 22nd, Here's the link. It's not much of anything but photos.... It should take you there via a new window.