§ A Look Back in Time....

Perusing blogs of others here of late, I have witnessed many authors going back in time with sharing photos of themselves and antiques from kitchens, etc. I enjoy these posts a lot. It is not only nostalgic, but it brings back memories of yore from my youth and early adulthood as well. I was too lazy to get all the photo boxes/albums down from the shelves, but I knew where a few "oldie" photos were. They are all in my old day planner at my desk. And they were handy to reach and get them photographed with my cellphone [remember scanners? Does anyone use them anymore...cellphones are so convenient!] and get them resized to share here. I apologize for the quality and clarity, they are OLD!! The first one, at the beginning of this post, is of me 1 1/2 weeks old!! If you embiggen the image, perhaps you can see the bird pattern on the blanket [bottom left]? Perhaps the beginning of my bird fetish!!

I guess for each photo taken there is a story behind it. And this one is no different. Many times at this age, I was told NOT to go near the 'crick'. Which in my language... it's creek! "The water is too swift and you will fall in and drown. Stay away from it." Of course I had that attitude "You can't tell me what to do" from the beginning of time! I went to the creek and threw rocks. Had a gay old time. Family searched and searched for me with the fear of the worst. I was hiding! I knew I was in trouble. Mud and all! So...the baby picture with the bird pattern, notice this one. Look close...on the wood door frame, there is a star...the Lonestar of Texas [Nebraska actually]. Do you see a pattern here? Seems I have been influenced and fate had a grip on me as a toddler to get to Texas. I wasn't born there, but got here as quickly as I could.

Since my sister and I have been celebrating our very own special Sister's Day on the 18th of March for years now, I thought it'd be appropriate to share this one. I was 2, my sister was 9! I have no idea where this photo was taken [she doesn't remember either], but it IS Nebraska of course. She DOES remember the colors of our dresses tho. Her's was dark blue plaid and mine was turquoise and white. We were inseperable forever. Always will be. In many cases we are two peas in a pod. Most everything in our lives and thoughts match to a "T". We sync our clocks, and each year we toast [me facing west to Colorado and she facing southeast to Texas] with a glass of champagne [I guess the correct term now-a-days is Sparkling Wine]. Here's to Sisterhood!!

§ Two Rooms Finished...

...well, one room and then the hallway. All the pictures have been cleaned and rearranged. That was a job of work that entailed many hours on the floor laying out the 'design' and then changing here and there before being hung on the walls.

The hallway is more or less everything 'family'. From the diningroom as you walk toward the hallway the 'centerpieces' are of my maternal grandmother, my mother, and me...we are all the same age!

Another section of hall is some momentoes of the past...

My mother's well-worn, well used, Bible. Her rings [high school granduation, original wedding set, mother's ring, and new wedding band], a linen hankerchief of hers. Bud's Grandmother, Bud's Grandparents had a grocery store in Co. Springs...this framed calendar is their gift to patrons in the year 1948. Bud's Gr. Grandfather's pipe. And no matter what home we lived in from Nebraska to Colorad [there were many], at her bedside, my mom had the plaque "The Lord is My Shepherd" going to sleep and waking in the morning! Now I have it.

The photo above is of my own offspring [and a sketch I did years ago of Clint, my grandson brushing his hair in front of a mirror-his other grandmother has the original photo].

...close ups...

Next up, yet to be composed, if you're interested, I will post the finished diningroom. Once it was done, and house cleaned up some, I vowed to take a week off. OFF THE LADDER!!! So, I hopefully will be able to get outdoors, birding and maybe some yard work. I also vowed to NOT put up and decorate a Christmas Tree this year...first time ever in my life with no tree. But, I will put out a few festive things to remind us of the holiday. *smile

§ The Week Before Christmas...

I've finished getting the house cleaned. Today I'm baking pecan cookies, tomorrow I will make peanut brittle and popcorn balls, then, the next day I'll make a couple of pies. I know for sure, one pumpkin [it's Erik's favorite] and either a cherry or apple pie. On the Christmas menu we will again have roasted turkey, dressing, 3 bean salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry waldorf jello salad [cherry jello, whole cranberries, celery, marshmallows and pecans], yams, cole slaw, yeast rolls and probably a relish dish with pickles, olives, cheeses, etc. I don't know why I make all the extra stuff, 'cause we all favor the turkey, dressing and potatoes most. Egg nog will be served, along with liquor and ice water [ice water for me!!]

We have games lined up, Uno, Pinochle [partners], the deluxe quadruple scrabble, trivial pursuit, hearts, and probably penny ante poker.

My sister and I plan on making a gingerbread house. That'll be a 'first' for us both. Sharon seems excited about it. That's what counts...give her a bit of entertainment and hopefully some giggles. New Year's Day is her birthday, so dining out is called for...dunno where yet, tho.  Along with champagne.   Needless to say, it'll be two weeks of a continual sugar-high!!!

This will be my last post until after New Year's sometime. I think Sharon will depart for a flight back home to Colorado on the 4th. Then, I'll tear down the decorations and get home back to normal and return to blogging.

By the way, altho my profile states I began blogging in November of 2006. That is partially true. I don't consider that my blog-o-versary tho. My very first blog post was on Christmas DAY!! So, on Christmas, this will be my 15th year of blogging. Checking my stats it shows I've published 3685 posts in that time frame! I really didn't know I was that gabby. Guess so. At the beginning my blog was Hootin' Anni's Chronicles, but after I decided to 'chronicle' my bird day trips and calculate my goal of 10K steps each day walking, etc. I changed it to Hootin' Anni's Day Trippin' and stuck with that title. More fitting!

I admit, I get easily side-tracked at times while blogging. Sketching, photography, humor, crafting [like the Santa afghan shown here. I made my own graph to follow and I think it turned out pretty good!], etc. As far as blogging goes, I do tend to stay away from politics and religion [that's all too personal], and besides, I don't like to be preached to or I don't like others trying to get me to change my standing on government...so, why should I sit here and preach or campaign to those who read my blog? Sometimes, the finding of a good book or watching an exceptional movie gets my attention and I blog about it.  Sometimes I blog about family.  I've been meaning to blog about my youngest grandson and what he's been doing of which I am so proud!  I keep forgetting.  Maybe I will remember to write about it all in the future.

Well, I best go get to working on other things. I plan to take a short drive to the bay coast [not the islands] this morning before making cookies. A newly constructed pier was 'christened' this past weekend after Hurricane Harvey demolished the old one. I will take photos hopefully. I am sure if I don't get there before the 'newness' wears thin, there will be trash and graffiti and it won't be pretty as it looked on the news the other night. And the weather will be cool with a promise of some rain... before it turns tropical-warm again before the week's over.

Y'all take care, I will return after the first week in January sometime. In the meantime, have a great holiday if you observe, stay safe.  Stay healthy!  Maybe the valediction is redundant but... See'ya in 2022!!!

§ A Sepia Rainbow...

'Tis early morning, and I type this out to share with you. It's a bit eclectic; something I choose to do oftentimes when I need to get things off my thought-wave and onto paper so to speak. I'll start with a bit of humor. Some of you may have seen this before but it's worth repeating...

....something I should consider doing!!
[image not mine; unknown source]

Sunday morning, on my drive home after my walk in the park, I pulled over, off the road, and walked into the field to get photos. Looks to me, with all the crops around town and outside the limits, that it's gonna be a bumper crop this year [both the cotton and sorghum]!!! Now, question is, will the economy of our country do the farmers any good with selling this to the right bidder? Anyway, the cotton fields are lush, thick, and green. The blossoms so far are heavy and ripe...

The other day when I posted my share of pencil sketches, most of you mentioned in the comments that the one of Clint by the mirror, brushing his hair, was your favorite [as is mine]. Well, skimming through my photo folders, I came upon the copy of the original that Irene sent me so I could sketch it at the time. Here is the color photo [an aged, very faded copy]. I thought y'all might like seeing what I used to achieve the sketch.  When I take time to stop and view either the photo or my drawing, I feel the bittersweet tears of memories of those scary days when we nearly lost him...

...and then, today I leave you with the thought that has been running thru my mind these past weeks of global turmoil.  First, the statues being torn down and demolished....they are our heritage and history, people, you can't erase history!  Second, the Churchill statue in London, being defaced with graffiti...the word "Racist".  I'm sad because of this, the unrest...if only the younger generation would realize if it weren't for Winston Churchill, England would be a fascist country today, if not for his strength and determination to beat Hitler!  Lost lives, true, but for freedom...the price tho heavy, was necessary.  Oh, and all the websites removing anything relating to Gone With the Wind...it's fiction dear friends!!  I can't help but ask myself  "What is wrong with people?"  One online friend, as we discussed this about Churchill, Phil [England] reminded me that "Anni, the difference is, you and I have lived through the University of Life, but the young ones have yet a lot to learn".  Indeed.  Now, my vision of a rainbow and racial colors of the todays and those of the tomorrows...

Take a Rainbow
by
Anni
© June 2020


[image courtesy of Google Images made sepia by my software program]

Take a rainbow
Make it sepia tone...
The colors blend
None standing alone!
The browns, whites, yellows and other hues
meld into a simple beauty of mix...
The rainbow still lives on, arching to the sky.
You can see the glory of it all if you so choose.  
It reaches across the land for people passing by.
Colors we cannot change, nor want to fix.
Take the rainbow and...
And see the sepia tone...
Colors that blend
Together, none standing alone!!!

original poem by me
do not copy or steal

§ Family....

Just this past week, at the cemetery, I walk the paved pathways, and found this. I thought it was fitting for the memory of Sharon...
This pink carnation was lain atop a headstone...poignant. For an instant it made my heart skip a beat!!

It's been a while since I've posted here, and a week of family loss. Altho my brother and sister-in-law divorced many years ago, I just recently got word  that Sharon [my ex SIL, not my sister] was found in her bed by her son, my nephew. She had passed away. I am in shock...she was a couple of years younger than I am. It's been a quiet few days for me, reflecting on my nephew's loss of his beloved mother; what he must be going through emotionally and physically!! John, my nephew, and his wife have three young sons. What a tragedy for them also. It's heart wrenching to get news like this, even tho Sharon was estranged from her in-laws, I can't help but feel a need for quiet and solitude and deep thoughts for what the family is going through and what lies ahead for them all..

May we all find peace of mind in these images...

§ The Heat is ON!!!

There were 5 days in a row with heat advisories this week. I've been staying indoors past the hour of 10 a.m. And, I must add, I'm getting tired of using my stationary bike and reading. LOL I wanna be outdoors more, walking, birding, enjoying the air.  Sure, I'm getting the exercise and burning calories, counting the bike activity with my phone app and getting up to near 5 to 7 miles a day.  I started reading the one 'new' book I found at Half Price Books. "Wesley The Owl". I tellya, I seriously did NOT want to put the book down. I'm an animal lover for the most part...to be honest, there are slithery animals that are not included here...like snakes...but Wesley? . . . He's a Barn Owl. This is a story that'll make you laugh, giggle out loud, expand your curiosity, cry, bawl, turn the next page and fall in love with him!! Stacey O'Brien, the author, tells the story. But Wesley is the character that will melt your soul with a literate affection that will astound you. His intelligence is beyond amazing. You'll find yourself, shocked, sometimes horrified by detail, yet...enjoying the humor.  But at the end, a warning:   the tears flow down your face and onto the book. The mutual devotion and relationship of the two, Stacey and Wesley, is like a love story of the ages. Filled with intrigue, suspense, buffoonery of words/reactions, passion...an affair of the hearts. Yes, I say hearts - as in plural - both the caretaker's and the bird's.  WESLEY the OWL is unforgettable.  WESLEY the OWL will leave you filled with awe.  WESLEY the OWL will put an indelible mark in your life.

The other book I found and bought the same day is Imperial Dreams.  I have been looking for an older published book in the birding section of the store, The Ghost Birds, that Marie mentioned to me a few weeks back. This book, the Imperial Dreams, is about another species thought to be extinct [or very rare]...in Old Mexico. The author, T. Gallagher, wrote another book I read last month and so enjoyed...about The Ivory Billed in our Southern states. But, I must admit, after reading and so enjoying the Wesley saga, finding another book that will be HALF as good just may be nigh-on to impossible right now.



- - -

It is so hot here that:

...I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they were both walking!

...The Jehovah Witnesses have stopped walking from door to door and are now telemarketing!

...My seat belt can be used as a branding iron!!


...I had a dozen chicks in the egg carton by the time I arrived home from the store!

...consider the wind chill factor today, and the temp makes it only 112 degrees.

...Today, I saw a squirrel fanning his nuts!!


- - -

Oh, I haven't been locked in the house all the time. We decided to drive to Padre Island [north!] and walk the beach one day. At least early enough before it became too hot to walk.


Two Black Skimmers along the shore...


A seagull high above the sand dunes...


Palm Trees against a cloudless sky near the residential area of Oso Bay...


- - -

As with the aforementioned book being a true story, I watched a newly, factually,  released movie this week! I found myself cheering for every small victory along the way, and saddened by the tragic tale of the Holocaust and wrongful Nazi's behavior with the lives of the Jewish people and their lifestyles.  The movie...based on a true story....WOMAN IN GOLD. This was a remarkable film. In short, Dame Helen Mirren once again shines with outstanding acting abilities, portraying an Austrian-born woman who immigrated to America ...the movie focusing on the historical, overwhelming, robbery of her family's fortune and material wealth by Hitler's Nazi party during World War II.  Marie, portrayed at the age of 82, and her young lawyer, fight a long battle against the modern Austrian government to reclaim what is rightfully hers....one in particular, the gold [real gold filigree] artwork, worth millions today, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. [the Woman in Gold] -- Perhaps another Oscar nominee in the future?  At least, if not for movie, Ms. Mirren's talent should be recognized.  The movie was well-cast, the direction was nearly flawless, the historical value was priceless...the outcome brilliantly done.

image source


- - -

And to close my post for the day, I found this photo generator/editor online that promised me a bit of fun time. There are so many options. And it's free. You can save your pieces of work to your computer to send in emails, or post on a blog, etc. The first one, I uploaded a photo of my daughter and made this "Funny Face" clown. The second one...A ship in a bottle...from a shrimp boat sketch of mine:


Wanna play with some of your photos too? CLICK HERE

§ Ummmm....Oysters anyone?

My Bird Photo for Wild Bird Wednesday [linked on sidebar]:

I'm having a bit of difficulty ID'ing these birds. There were dozens of them at the edge of the bay waters the other day, all grouped together, most of them were sleeping. Hence the 'white eyes'. But, what species are they? Of that, I'm not certain. So many shore birds are marked with such similar colors and beaks/feet, etc. I'm thinking Short Billed Dowitcher, but could be a long billed dowitcher maybe 'cause I've not seen either to compare. Perhaps a totally different sandpiper species? Help me if you can, purdy please, with sugar on top?!!!





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HODGEPODGE [linked on sidebar]
Joyce has these questions for us to answer today:


1. Do you play games of luck/chance for money? Have you ever played bingo for money? Visited a casino? Placed a bet on a horse? Bought a lottery ticket? I used to go to the casinos in AZ and in NV. I purchase a lottery ticket once in a while. No financial gain tho...from either.  I do better collecting my $200 when I pass 'go' in Monopoly!!

2. Will you be preparing and/or dining on the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage meal this St. Patrick's Day? Mashed-baked-hash browned-french fried...your favorite way to have potatoes? Our traditional St. Patty's Day is GREEN BEER. Been a tradition for many decades. Seldom do I take the time to make corned beef. As for potatoes, mashed is my all time favorite. Yet, in all honesty, I LOVE potatoes, no matter how their cooked. I have been known to even munch on raw potatoes when I'm peeling them for a meal.

poster courtesy of Photobucket images

3. What's the last thing you felt 'green with envy' over? Right about now, with the continuous drought conditions here, I envy those that are getting Spring snows and rains!!!  But...normally,  I'm really not a person who envies anyone, or any thing.   Oh, I do take notice of youth and sometimes wish I could turn back the clock, knowing what I know now, and do some things differently and still have what I have [family, home, financial security, etc]. But, that will come with my 'next life'.

4. What's at the end of your rainbow? Age...and with that, Knowledge

5. March 12th marks the anniversary of the death of Anne Frank (June 12, 1929-March, 1945). Anne's diary detailing her time spent hiding from the Nazi's during the war ranks as one of the best selling books of all time. Besides your blog, do you keep any sort of diary or journal? Was this a habit you developed as a child or is journaling something new for you? I guess the only sort of diary of my life and generations before me is:  I have a wealth of photos. From ancestors' tintypes to my grandkids!! Pictures not only paint a thousand words, they hold a whole lotta memories.

6. What's an item in your home or closet that contains every color of the rainbow? As for the closet as in clothing...Nuttin' Honey. Why? 'Cause I don't do orange!!!   But, some costume jewelry and t-shirts are adorned with rhinestones...they're a rainbow prism when they move with the body's motions!!

7. Write a limerick with you as the subject. You can do it!! Just remember this is a family friendly blog...don't make me get out my wooden spoon. Oh my....a limerick you say?  The ones I know are always a bit on the nasty side ... Goodness gracious. Okay, I'll give it a go, without being x-rated [I hope]...

There once was a gal named Anni.

Who was seen dining on fatty fried food.

The edibles were simple but a tiny bit crude.

The crowd at her table became rowdy 'n' roister...

As they watched Anni gnaw on a rocky mount'n oyster!!.

Rocky Mountain Oysters, what are they? Click Here to find out!!

photo courtesy of Google Image Search

8. Insert your own random thought here. Speaking of tintype photos: These are from a previous post dated 2008 --

"...Anyway, at one time months after dad died, Bud and I were with my brother, just talking. And one thing lead to another - you know how it is; the family albums came out. During our gab session and reminiscing of the 'good ol' days' we came upon these. I remember mom showing them to me and telling me they're all kin. I was young and I looked at these tintypes and thought to myself....they look like bandits from the old west; the kind you see in movies and Gunsmoke!! Well, when my brother opened the page and I saw them, I pleaded with him to give me just the one that meant more to me than I thought for him. There were less than a dozen of them, but like I said, "They're kinfolk." He ended up giving them all to me....." [I'll only post two of the eight I posted before]

§ Family, traditions, and tin...

Tomorrow is the 4th of July...What better time to show off my baseball cap - all hand stitched with red, white and blue sequins and gold beads around the stars----It's as "American" as baseball, an old tradition in our country, but most of all, tradition in our own household:




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Tina's Picstory challenge this week is *old * I posted these just a little over two years ago, I went back to my blogger admin and typed in family --- tho, this is not what I had in mind to begin with [I was looking for my grandmother's wedding portrait to share], I am going to settle for this "old" post all about "old" tintypes I have in my possession. They're all relatives, but I don't know who they all are, one is a great grandmother Ann ---as you know I was named after my mother's sister, Annie ---but my great grandmother's name was Ann, so I'm nearly 100% positive we both carried her namesake....

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