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1. The latest book or movie that made you cry? More watching a trial for this city...the small girl was burned over 50% of her body [from a scalding hot shower]...I'm saying the parents are GUILTY even before the outcome!!! I hope they get life!!!

2. The fictional character most like you? Ummmmm, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".

3. The greatest album, ever? Seriously, the soundtrack from Phantom of the Opera...I LOVE the music.

4. Star Trek or Star Wars? Why? Star Wars most definitely. Why? Ever hear of Han Solo?

5. Your ideal brain food? Someone else cooking it instead of me. Anything'll do!!!!

6. Everyone is proud of a certain accomplishment, which one for you?? Learning to play the piano, and being able to speak several languages.

7. You want to be remembered for ...? Hootin' Anni: She came, she typed, she blogged.

8. Let's talk about recording artists. Who do you find the most inspirational? Luciano Pavarotti!!

9. The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature? Moaning Lisa!!

10. Your hidden talents . . .? I can cross my eyes and jump rope at the same time!! Actually...my talents are all visible.

11. The best piece of advice you actually followed? Be happy.

12. The best thing you ever bought, stole, or borrowed? A house.

13. What is the most comfortable clothes that you wear? Oh need you ask anyone? It's just gotta be SWEATS!!! Big, fat, loose-fitting sweats.

14. Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be? The Ritz? THEE Ritz? As in Carlton? President Obama. And you thought I was gonna say Johnny Depp didn't you?

15. Time travel: where, when and why? Anytime. Anyplace to get away from it all. Just 'cause.

16. Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac? Brute Force is always good...."hit man"...or hitman. Either one. [kidding]

17. Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or . . .? Don't drink coffee, but the rest....yes, anytime, anyplace. Or, did I say that once already?

18. Environment of choice: city or country, and where on the map? City...as much as I love the countryside and country living, I would much rather have the amenities of a city!!! Anyplace but Alaska...I hear tell I'd see Russia. Oh ya, and North Korea...after all they ARE allies of USA, right? Or was it EAST Korea?

19. What do you want to say to the leader of your country? Let's have dinner at the Ritz Carlton!!!! You....me....be there or be square!!

20. Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now? Working on trying to get through the day with nothing but smiles!!! [depends on the who wins NFL]


END of Sunday Stealing
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A few days ago, I posted about our bi-annual trip downtown to the oldtown area. There is this huge warehouse that was converted to a multi-room specialty shop. They always have seasonal items galore. The shop is called Bleu Frog. And Christmastime is my favorite time to go and walk around. Now, mind you, it's an extravagant place. Nothing's cheap. All the display 'cases' are pieces of antique furniture, wagons, curio cabinets, even one room has an old saloon's marble top bar for displaying items for sale. Oh, and there is a quaint little cafe that serves hot meals also. And each time Bud and I have been there, no matter what time of day, the cafe is popular!! And the wonderful odors drifting in and around the rooms from the cafe makes you wanna eat something. Also, there is a candy 'store' in the building that specializes in all flavors of homemade fudges, from milk chocolate to maple creams. That too is quite costly, but well worth getting a piece of it to munch on while perusing all the different rooms. This year, I kinda concentrated on a few items regarding Christmas of course; falling in 'love' with one particular tablescape dressed up for the holidays in black/white/reds and Santa themed.



Each item, each piece of tableware is priced individually, and of course that is where the high prices'll get you in the wallet!! But fun to get ideas. And then, go elsewhere and replicate the scene at a lesser expense. LOL

In another room it's all done up from the "Old West". You'll find a lot of Western Movie memorabilia; including a lot of John Wayne, antiqued rusted spurs, wagon wheels, local hot sauces, themed holiday ornaments that would pertain to the frontier, old fashioned dishes such as huge mixing bowls done in high fired and glazed clay of natural colors, etc. etc. And then, the gift ideas. Decorated animals are en vogue no matter what part of the country you travel, cows, pigs, dogs, even horses....here is one in particular I really liked---



Here is Bud, checking out the 'Old West' Ornaments with a Texas flair...



Walking over to another room through the threshold everything is of Spanish style. I have always liked St. Francis of Assisi with his love of animals. And this one caught my eye. Instead of being molded from cement and clay, this one was carved. At least that was the impression I got, I didn't get too close to it because of the "you break it you buy it" stipulations being that he was nestled in among a tonnage of ceramic things....




In another room, I found this sweet little morsel!! A special key for Santa. So he can unlock my heart the door for his entry into my home on Christmas Eve.






Another room...Christmas Tree Haven. All the Reds drew my attention!



...and into another room, another area, this is all for Jim Shore's Figurines. As I love Cardinals so much, Bud had to come get me [I was in another room at the time, drooling]...and show me this Cardinal ornament.



If y'all ever come to South Coastal Texas, and we meet somewhere, we'll have to make a special trip to Bleu Frog. But fair warning, make sure, if you have any intentions of buying something, get a bank loan! [Or get a bail out...or somethin'] It's expensive.

Speaking of buying. Other than the fudge I bought to eat while walking the rooms and wishin' ---I did find a Santa I don't have in my collection. And it didn't cost an arm and a leg. A Cheese Knife. In fact, now that I think about it, it was less expensive than the two squares of fudge I bought for Bud and me ---




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For the week, projects and tasks accomplished were few but much needed to be done. I finished a crochet project that I will "show off" on Tuesday for Ruby Tuesday. I got all the packages and Christmas Cards addressed, stamped, weighed and shipped off for the holidays. I finished another project that I can't tell you much about until after the Christmas Season. You see, it's a secret. I've photographed it and will write about it more in depth, here, at another given time. Since the good, long time friend sometimes visits my blog, I don't want her to know what it is until she receives it. It's a surprise. I do, tho, hope she likes it. Bud gave it his approval. LOLOLOL Last night, after a two year absence when we didn't attend, Bud and I went and enjoyed the Harbor Lights on the Bayfront. This is where the city has a whole day of celebrations of Christmas with parades for the kids, Santa, programs, food vendors, music, and at night the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and the Parade of Boats in the Bay. Photos to come probably on Wednesday for Outdoor and Watery Wednesday - IF THEY 'TURNED OUT OKAY' - I haven't downloaded them yet. I think now, all I have to do is do a bit of holiday baking and I'm done. But that won't be until it gets nearer to the very day we celebrate.

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What was the last thing you put in your mouth? Cigarette

How late did you stay up last night and why? My usual, 10PM

If you could move somewhere else, would you? Not now, but maybe sometime in the future, who knows what kinda sexy dudes'll show up at the assisted living quarters in town!!

Have you ever been kissed under fireworks? Of course!

Do you believe ex’s can be friends? N/A

When was the last time you cried really hard? Reading an article about a fellow being deployed to Afghanistan and no one to take care of his fur baby here at home, in the states!

What items could you not go without during the day? The bare bear---oh, heck... necessities...silly!!!

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? About 16 years ago...before my mom passed away.

How do you feel about your life right now? Touchy feely...good!!

If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find? Facebook? You can't, my account is PRIVATE for family only.

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? This is a repeated question again....I'd get an A+ being that my drugs are legal.

Has anyone ever called you perfect before? Oh, ya...a perfect pain. Actually, a perfect ROYAL pain.

Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m.: who do you want it to be? The sandman, being that I'm now awake at 2:00 a.m.!!!

Do you think too much or too little? I think, therefore I am.

Do you believe in fairy tales? Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you, if you're young at heart!!

Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work? Ewwwwwww. No. But I have cleaned them. With Windex.

What’s the largest age difference between yourself and someone you’ve dated? 11 years. And I married the ol' geezer super stud!!

Have you ever been on a blind date? Long long long ago.

Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 10 years or more? Ummmmm, look at me....I'm in my 6th decade. I still keep in contact with some of my 4th grade friends. I do believe, if my math is correct, that's over 10 years!!

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? Oh yes....several. hehehehe...one in particular, my Biology teacher....what a hunk he was.

What song do you want played at your funeral? N/A

Would you tell your parents if you were gay? N/A [my parents are dead]

What would your last meal be before getting executed? Medium Rare, steak...must be juicy and hot...or I'll refuse it and have 'em get it right!!!

Do you walk around the house naked? My house isn't 'round!!!

What do you do as soon as you walk in the house? Shoes....take off shoes!!!

Who is the person you can count on the most? Myself

What is your favorite Holiday? Halloween isn't really a holiday, but I do love the day...guess it'd be Christmas!!!

Would you ever get plastic surgery? Who's paying...with Obama's Health Care Reform, it'll be a given won't it?

Have you ever caught a fish? Yep!!! The rest in the sea are for all the other women who have EX's!!!

What is the first thing you notice about people? Just how easy it is to piss 'em off!

What is the farthest you’ve been from home? From home to Hawai'i. What is that in miles? Don't ask me!!

How did you meet your spouse or significant other (or most recent one)? At work.

Where was the last place you drove (other than home/school/work)? I think I'm still on the road....I drove myself crazy just yesterday.



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For another year, the Texas Gulf Hurricane Season will come to a close. For the past few weeks the Atlantic Hurricane email alerts I receive throughout the season from May to November have been absent from my inbox!! It's always a relief in a way...tho, I know the odds of a hurricane of significant force hitting directly into our city is very low...I do keep my eyes pealed for the six months. And the weather around here has really become beautiful...and in a way, picture perfect. The nights have been chilly and the air much drier. During the daylight hours the highs reach into the 70s with the breezes ever so light...just an ideal time of year. And this is the time of year Bud and I get busy after a long, hot summer. We cleaned out the thirty foot long raised flower bed this past week...the bird of paradise went 'hog wild' this summer!! A lot had to be cut out; it should really be thinned out completely at the root system...it's just too over-grown. But we settled this year...settling to just prune out the over-growth. Our Lady Banks rose is growing leaps and bounds also, but that is so 'weeping' it's beautiful in the Spring. We decided to just let it be. The huge Lantana [which is as high as our 6 foot privacy fence] was pruned at the bottom and used the hedger at the top to level it with the fence top. We cut out several of the overhanging branches of the pyracantha bush...tho we left the berried branches alone as the Mockingbirds love the berries...it's a good attraction for them, and no doubt much needed nourishment. Altho, I dislike working with this bush in particular, because of the nasty, nasty thorns!! The last we did in that flower bed was to thin out the Duranta bush [photo here]...that quickly grows out of control, but the flowers year 'round are a gorgeous deep purple and the berries are a golden pea size on hanging branches...very pretty this time of year. We edged both back and front lawns, and adjusted the mower to where it cut the grass very close...mulching for the season. Still that has to be done, is trim the roses after they're done blooming [yes, they bloom through the year until about the end of December if I keep them watered], the bougainvilleas need to be trimmed somewhat, the palm trees need to have the dried up fronds clipped, the huge gardenia bush needs to be manicured a lot, and then we should be done 'til Spring if it remains dry. And, not to forget, all the pecans have been shelled and stored for safe keeping.

I've noticed in the city, while driving around, that there are more and more shoppers at the malls, and strip malls, and on the freeways! It's that time of year. Bargains and store incentives to get the crazies buyers out in full force. I do like to go window shopping in the malls and specialty shops this time of year....we really don't shop much for the two of us, and I usually have stuff purchased way ahead of the holidays for the grandsons to ship 'em their gifts just after Thanksgiving. But, I never seem to not stop and check out the shoes. I found a cute, cute summery pair that was on sale at Macy's the other day and bought 'em. They're open heel, with black around the toes....with embroidered roses on top. The heels and sole are surrounded with light colored jute. Altho, the heel is a bit too high for me personally since I do a lot of walking about, I couldn't resist with the price they were selling for, and thought they'd be okay when we go out. That is, where I don't have to do too much walking in 'em. LOLOLOL Speaking of shopping, Bud and I took our semi-annual trek to the old part of town where a huge warehouse was turned into a great specialty shop of selling merchandise...some very unique while other items are just special [like Jim Shore, Willow Tree, etc.]. We perused this great place for over an hour, I purchased a wee tiny Santa Spreading Knife...that's all, but I will share our 'adventure' in a few days...take you shopping with us during the holiday season---with photos of the day.


I just took the turkey out of the freezer to thaw before Thanksgiving morning, I'll be making pumpkin pies and preparing the dressing, etc. etc....all that I can do ahead of time before the 'big day'. Seldom do I take the time to cook big meals anymore, and Thanksgiving is a solid reason to enjoy all the good stuff....and from scratch. The two I really look forward to consuming is mashed potatoes and homemade turkey gravy. The gravy has always been a 'downfall' for me...I so love it, and know it's not the healthiest food on the planet...but once in a while I partake, and put on the pounds!!! That's when the walking hardily comes in. It's contentment I think they call it...good food, a sunny warm day, the silence of the season knowing all are at home with their loved ones and friends...yep, a 'feel good' kinda day.


One more thing today before I wrap my blogging, another appointment for me tomorrow. I'm hoping this'll be the last for the year. This time it's for blood work. Y'all know what that means, right? Cholesterol. Ewwwww. That's a four letter word for BAD ANNI, I know.

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1. Have you turned the heat on in your house yet this fall? Heat? Turn it on? Ummmmm, not here!! The 'heat is turned on' when we open the door...it's 80 degrees here in the Fall!! Question is: Have you turned your A C off yet? We haven't...it's running 24/7 still.

2. Do you allow your pets on the furniture? It's rather the opposite here...it should be do our pets allow US on the furniture? We recently bought a couch and loveseat...and before we had the last of the cushions placed in place, BOTH CATS took possession!!!

3. What were your final words for September? "Tomorrow's October"

4. What are your first words for October? "Today is October"

5. Do you think you’ve ever seen a ghost? I haven't, but Bud swears he has!! In our Colorado home.

6. What is the one color that represents this time of year? Aspen Gold

7. Which of your senses do you think is most sensitive this time of year? Smell...the smell of apples baking, pies, cool fresh ocean breezes...scents of outdoors!!

8. What is your favorite thing to do at the county fair? Since our county fair here is held in February, I love to walk around check out the crafts and check out the 4H animal exhibits...blue ribbon predictions!

9. What do you like when you have a cold? My warm wuzzy BED!!

10. Are you willing to spend over $100 for a piece of winter clothing, like boots or a coat? I have. But that's our little secret....I don't think Bud knows.

12. What do you have too much of in your kitchen? Too many cooks spoil the broth? Nah...don't cook much....I guess it'd hafta be dishes that need to be put in the dishwasher....that's Bud's job.

13. What gripes do you have about this time of year? None whatsoever....this is a favorite time of year from now 'til it gets hot again in May.

14. Other than yourself, are you responsible for getting anyone ready in the morning? Who would that be?

15. When was the last time you cleaned your gutters? There are no gutters around here....with hurricanes, gutters are something you don't see on homes.

16. So, it’s after Labor Day. Will you still be wearing white? Perhaps....which makes me think of an old jingle...oh you wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent.

17. What shows are you most looking forward to this Fall? I WAS looking forward to two...NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, but so far, sorely disappointed in both. Actually, more so would be the Baseball Playoff Games. League Championships, and then WORLD SERIES. That's my final answer...and I'm sticking to it.

18. What three things have you just not gotten around to from the summer, but probably should do before snow flies? Snow? It doesn't snow here. Thank gawd!!!!! And I'm laughing myself silly for all those who like it....my sister told me yesterday the high country is getting snow....awwwwwwwwwww, poor thing! [she lives in the high country on the western slope of the Rockies]


END OF SUNDAY STEALING
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Sunday's Summary

Nuttin' Honey!!!
From Monday of this past week, it was a bit boring. Nothing was crucial in getting done. Mostly watching a new storm developing below the island of Cuba and becoming stationary for some time. Predictions are it {named storm, Richard} will be heading into the Gulf waters soon. The path is still a bit 'unknown'...I guess it depends on pressure areas and temperatures. There will be a chance it heads to the Texas coast, but for now, a slim chance of it being a STRONG storm...

Bud and I had planned on going to the opening of the new Matt Damon movie, "Hereafter". But, after reading the professional critics' critiques and the movie goers reviews, we changed our minds...I understand there are a lot of subtitles and such...I personally don't want to READ a movie!! LOL And of course, our walks along the beaches. We stopped at a new section. Well, new to us anyway. We've never pulled off the freeway to stop at this particular area near Nueces Bay ---the park is AT sea level and floods easily. Each and every time we've driven by the park, it was always a bit 'under water' from storms. It's not worth getting the car stuck in the mire and pay for a towing job. Since it's been dryer these past few weeks, we decided to go by and see if it was 'safe' to drive into the area.

The book I've been reading [and finished] was really good. It really wasn't a crumby book from the beginning, but slow to begin. After the queen was beheaded, I didn't want to put it down. How I love to read about this era. In fiction of course. And this author, tho I've not read any previous writings of hers, is just simply super. With this particular novel, she has written it in first person, which is the best for me anyway...it's like sitting at the hearth on a cold wintry night and the person is regaling to me a life experience. And in Old English style...her chapters are even marked....Chapter the First, Chapter the Eleventh and so on....unique. Heck, it doesn't take all that much to please me. LOL The book is "The Queens Governess"...it begins with Anne Boleyn and her lady...and the lady is now the governess of the daughter, Elizabeth, the Queen. Wonderful. I highly recommend it for those who like England's historical novels. I'm trying to decide which book to begin reading now...I have three I'd really like to start reading. Two books, one, a long time hunted for book that I found in Books, Ink. over in Portland a couple of weeks ago, when we drove over to attend the Fall Festival...on the way back home, we stopped at a little 'corner' bookstore of used books...and I found it. My mother in law highly recommended it years and years ago...and I FOUND a copy and bought it!!! The Silver Chalice---since it's so very old [first printed in the early 1950's] it's out of print of course, the only way to have found it is to look in used book stores ---I did see a copy of it quite a while ago at Abe Books [online book finders], but never ordered it. The 2nd of the two books I found there was a novel on Lizzie Borden [the infamous 'ax girl'] which is entitled "Lizzie". The third book is one I found at Half Price books the other day is Archie and Amélie. Of course they're all novels of historical value, The Silver Chalice is about a silversmith commissioned to produce a silver holder for the 'holy grail'...while Lizzie is a novelized version of Lizzie Borden and her lifestyle; the third one is a novel of the Astor Family, the rich, filled with scandals--love, marriage, drugs, with a bit of his psychiatric tendencies and time spent in an asylum....

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We did attend the 50th annual Jazz Festival over the past weekend. But the time there was cut short because of the daytime ballgame. Heritage Park and the City of Corpus Christi each year holds a terrific festival of many many nation-wide jazz bands attending for the festival held over three days. There are three different bandstands within the park along with food, historic homes to tour, craft booths and drinks!! All three days, the times are from noon 'til the wee hours of the morning. Each band has a time slot to perform, usually about 45 minutes. Some with encores.

This one band in particular was local, and as Bud and I toured the grounds, their music was superb, so we stopped and enjoyed the ambiance their talents poured out. So many 'jazz' bands are NOT jazz to me, but either modern jazz [more of a rock genre] or BLUES. To me, Blues is not JAZZ. This band [the three top photos] were the good 'old time jazz'!! The older gentlemen performing for us were playing the oldies but goodies...at the time of the photo shoot...they were playing "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons" with a fabulous 'jazzy' rhythm...quite good...I used to love listening to Nat King Cole sing this very song! While the last photo taken at another bandstand was more blues....we didn't hang around much longer after that. And the third bandstand was more Latin rhythm jazz...this other one we walked over to see, the program was nothing exciting...In the past, I've found that the 'best bands' are playing at night when the crowds are much larger. And there is something quite special when the lights are strung from tree to tree, around the bandstands, and through the grassy areas of the park...it just has an old tyme atmosphere of the days past. Quite fun and the demeanor of the attendees are more relaxed and enjoying the surroundings.

Well, the Texas Rangers Won the AL pennant!! I was so excited. Either team in the playoffs for the American League winning would have pleased me. Tho the Yankees lost, and deservedly so since they played like Little League to me....the Rangers are IN!! The first time for a long time that a Texas team has gone this far....wow. The way they played the past couple of weeks, I think they have a biting chance of taking the Fall Classic Trophy. Exciting.

§ ANNUAL EVENTS---

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SUNDAY STEALING

26. Do you like someone? Of course....too many to mention here I guess. Tell me, do YOU like someone?

27. The last song you listened to? We went to the Jazz Festival yesterday and the last one we listened to was "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons".

28. What time of day were you born? Oh....my. I do know it was late...like 11 something at night. Too lazy to get my Birth Certificate out tho....Unlike Obama, I have it right here with me. Somewhere.

29. What’s your favorite number? I like 5...seems like a lot in my life has the number 5. And....I'm the 5th child in my immediate family.

30. Where did you live in 1987? Colorado. [at that time, our first born had just recently graduated from high school]

31. Are you jealous of anyone? Nah...no need to carry that burden.

32. Is anyone jealous of you? I've been told by a few that they are jealous of me and my lifestyle. Why, I can't understand.

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? Doing what I'm doing now...typing on the keyboard, online, a group telling me that the Twin Towers were 'attacked'....an online group message board.

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Walk away.

35. Do you consider yourself kind? I guess. It actually depends on my mood. But, ya, most always.

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? I do have one right now [A tiger butterfly face I designed myself]...and I didn't HAVE to GET IT. If I had to get another, it'd be on my shoulder probably.


37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? I am...Spanish. I can speak a bit of French, Danish [only because of Mutti, she's helped me a lot], German, and Latin. So, if I'd like to learn another language and be fluent, it'd be Italian

38. Would you move for the person you loved? Of course.

39. Are you touchy feely? No

40. What’s your life motto? Live and Let Live

41. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Hair, Skin, and wedding rings.

42. What’s your favourite town/city? In America....I love and return to oftentimes...San Diego.

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Groceries

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? I've written notes of thanks to Congressmen {I feel that a positive deserves a positive} when I appreciate what they've done. I've recently written letters to those that I want to thank, in a more personal way.

45. Can you change the oil on a car? Yes! I actually think the oil filter wrench is cool looking. And wonder if there is one in a neck size 17 1/2?

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? He's happily married.

47. How far back do you know about your ancestry? 1600s....Northern Ireland. And royalty. Wooohoo.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? A woman's suit...to my Son's graduation from St. Thomas University [his master's degree]

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? No. Just got up. Wait a few hours then return to ask this question.

50. Have you been burned by love? No....hurt by a KIA in Viet Nam, but never burned.



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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

HOLY CROSS CEMETERY
in Corpus Christi
is reportedly haunted...

BUD AND I WENT
to walk the grounds
I love doing this so near Halloween
Gets me 'into the spirit' more so.

This particular cemetery is HUGE...we walked only part of it since on the other side there was a funeral going on, and neither of us wanted to disturb or be disrespectful. Altho, we didn't witness any activity of the paranormal [the link above, in bold type, shows one apparition that is quite haunting---at first glance I thought it was a blurred vision of a headstone...but it's out of place and not 'in a row']. It was an interesting walk-through. We saw a lot of beautiful stones, grave markings. Some with photos encased in the headstones, some with embellishments that would make a millionaire these days blink twice...others broken, others so very old [there are supposed to be some buried here born in the 1700s...we didn't find them. I think the earliest birth I saw was in the early 1800s]. The 2nd photo down from top, on the left, has the date 1813 or 1819 as birth date. The oldest that I found in the short time we visited, was 94 while the youngest was 4 days old. Some were double graves marked Padre and Madre [there is a lot of Mexican descent here being that Texas was once Old Mexico]. While, surprisingly, many many were of Irish descent...birth Ireland. And the two of us being of the Irish bloodlines, we paid particular attention to them ---one even the same surname as one I found doing my family's genealogy. All in all it was a very interesting hour or two spent in the hot sun. Here are some photos I took off my cellphone. I'll post half of them today [9 photos], and tomorrow the last of them [9 more]---







I always thought "Buffalo Bill" Cody
was buried in Deadwood South Dakota?!!

It was something to see the same name
as his...on this headstone.







Yet, for me, Halloween is a great time of year to walk cemetery grounds that are reported haunted....still, the history of families and the ages, the military service of some, the diseases, the images and thoughts of all the stress of illnesses and deaths---well, it brings me to a more stable feeling...knowing that I'm alive to read about the surroundings in awe and respect for the dead.

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FRIDAY Bud and I went to see the newest comedy action film, RED. Starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren. Along with Morgan Freeman and a 'favorite' of mine, John Malkovich. It was very funny...but, it took a long time getting 'to the action' and the whole cast. The first 15 minutes or so, it was kinda slow in taking off---afterward it was quite funny and filled with action and fast paced thrills for the latter part; a comedy spy thriller of sorts...it'll keep you on your toes and have you laughing a lot. The new girlfriend...Bruce Willis' girlfriend in the movie, Mary-Louise Parker, was a hoot!! Very enjoyable it was. And, all's well that ends well in my opinion. When the movie ended, we went out to eat at Cheddars.


THIS WEEKEND
THE TEXAS JAZZ FESTIVAL
IS IN
CORPUS CHRISTI!!
Another annual thing
we go to enjoy....
Over this weekend the Texas Jazz Festival is in full swing! [no pun intended] ---it's the 50th anniversary show this weekend. Been around in Corpus for 50 years. Whoa. We attended just a short while yesterday since there was an AL Championship game being played in the afternoon. Hey? Baseball is priority. LOL But, I took a few photos while there and will share at a later time since the blog today is quite full already.

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SUNDAY STEALING

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? Mac Davis's song "Oh lord it's hard to be humble". LOL

2. How much cash do you have on you? None. I rarely have ca$h.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? Snore. Is this going to be a bore [the meme questions]?

4. Favorite planet? Besides this one we're on? The one with the rings...ya, Saturn. I think I was born under Saturn's something or other....or some such nonsense.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Dunno...don't look at that. I really don't care. If it was an important call that I missed, they'll call back.

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Right now...Beethoven's 5th.

7. What shirt are you wearING? A white T-shirt with a USMC eagle globe and anchor that says: "yes, the Marines are part of the Navy, the MEN'S parts"

8. Do you label yourself? ya, and the label is with Scotch Tape, to hold it all together.

9. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Barefoot.

10. Bright or Dark Room? Dark...

11. Did you do anything to celebrate John Lennon's 70th yesterday? Are you kiddin' me? I'm not nor will I ever be a fan of the Beatles. [I do like the song, Imagine, tho....go figure]

12. What does your watch look like? I have several...the one I'm wearing now has three cameos on each side of the watch's face.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? See #3...my first answer.

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? I have had that disabled entirely.

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? It's all "Stripes" here in Texas. No 7-11's that I've seen anywhere in the state.

16. What’s a word that you say a lot? Ha....I plead the 5th on this question.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? My dear husband.

18. Last furry thing you touched? Kitties....but, that is NOT what I first thought of....again, the 5th I plead.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Heart meds....in other words, LEGAL drugs.

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? Film? What's that? I probably have film on the bathtub that needs attention...does that count?

21. Favorite age you have been so far? right here, right now.

22. Your worst enemy? Sitting here on my butt getting broad from answering Sunday's questions.

23. What is your current desktop picture (extra points if you post it.)? A bird photo I took.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? Good Morning

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? A Million...I could hire someone then, to do the flying FOR me.


* *END SUNDAY STEALING
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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

I'm Texan by choice, and the Texas Rangers have been doing well in the division playoff games -except for yesterday's game...I think they deserved to lose the way they played. "My" Yankees won last night...now they advance ---who will be their opponent?!! The Rangers or the Rays? That will be known in time....For the Rays it's one and Rangers two wins.... I think I can almost guarantee that whomever wins the League Championship they'll be the stronger in the World Series than the National League. It's been that way all season...the AL played better. Just my opinion.

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Another week has flown by. The weather has turned almost perfect now! There is still a threat of possible hurricanes, but I feel 'safe' from harm until the new season of threats in 2011. While wading along the shore the other day, the water temperature has dropped considerably now, and the humidity has almost disappeared. Anyway, we drove from Corpus up to the little town of Calallen...you know, the home of the Wildcats? Oh, I guess you don't know...it's a high school team. And their football team seems to always get in the running for state champs. LOL Moving on....just a few miles northwest of Calallen there is a county park. Named after the land donater...Hazel Bazemore. And it is world known for the hawk migration. I think we went too early in the day to find any hawks...but we did find ---or should I change that wording, the mosquitoes found US. And you know what they say, "everything's bigger in Texas". Taking pictures, all of a sudden my new camera [which I'm still learning to use] flashes a message for me..."internal memory is full". Well now, I never had that happen to me until now! I was wondering just what the heck that meant. And if you've purchased anything new that is digital in any way recently, you don't get an 'in-depth' idiot guide unless you order one or go online to read it. I don't have ink in my printer, so I haven't yet printed out the 90 page user's guide. Back to internal memory...how the heck can I take more pictures? What did I do wrong? What does all this mean? The shutter release wouldn't work...I was missing all kinds of photo ops!! Dang. I was getting really p!ssed with myself and the camera and the company 'cause they are too cheap to add a full-sized guide for dummies even if we DID pay hundreds of dollars for their product!! So, the mosquitoes finally won out...we left to go walking around in the little town. We then took the interstate back home instead of the back country roads. Once home, I went into the office/library and sat down to check out my emails, etc. As I sat down, I noticed the camera's photo card was still in the chip's reader...hooked up to the USB cable!! #@!!! The chip was not put back into the camera before we left. Oh I made sure there were charged batteries in the camera beforehand, but forgot to reinstall the chip!! It took me hours to figure out how to copy the internal memory onto the card because of the fact there is nothing in the little pamphlet you get with the camera, and everything online to help is so vague. I was really feeling stupid. But I got it done. After all the stress, I ended up with only ONE bird photo, two other gnarly photos which I'll post about sometime. In the meantime, I added the bird photo on my photo blog. The bird is only found in coastal Texas...south to South America. So, you may have not seen this particular one before.

By the way, this park is super. It has boundaries of the Nueces River, water-fowl galore, a huge beautiful golf course for another boundary...and open land to the East....with a meandering one way drive throughout. And hawk watching platforms in some areas.

since I couldn't take photos myself...
panoramic view of park area from park brochure

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Yesterday, we drove over to Portland Texas and walked around through the Fall Festival. There wasn't much, I did find the cutest scarecrows in one of the craft booths...didn't buy one, but did snap a photo of it on my cellphone so I could 'copy' the idea and make one or two for myself at a later time. I'll share photos in a bit...haven't taken them off the phone yet...too busy watching ballgames. LOL





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I was awarded this sweet gift from Freda at Fredamans this past Tuesday, and I must say I'm very pleased!! Thank you so much for thinking of me!!! This is what makes a blogger feel 'loved' and appreciated. Now, I'm supposed to answer the question given to me: "Would you go back and change anything in your life"? I answer a definite no. I've asked myself this over and over, and I think that by learning as you live is most important...whether right or wrong in decision making.

§ WEATHER or not, here I come---well back up 40 years----

and
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SUNDAY STEALING
note: a most unique and fun stolen meme this week!



1. Depending on your age, go back 10, 15, 20, or even more years.

2. Tell us how many years back you have traveled and why. I'm gonna go back 40 years! Whoa!! Reason why...would be that is when I really started learning about life and motherhood.

3. Pretend you have met yourself during that era, and tell us where you are. I'm in Colorado, recently married just over a year, and a new mother....first child, Irene.

4. You only have one "date" with this former self.

5. Answer these questions.

Okay, as we start, what year is it and how old are you? The year 1969...I'm 20.

1. Would your younger self (YYS, from here) recognize you when you first meet? I'm sure...I haven't changed much except for weathered skin from continually being outdoors in summer, winter, fall and springtime. LOL

2. Would YYS be surprised to discover what you are doing job wise? No....I've always wanted to be married and a full-time mother of two. In 1969, I remember I had the financial ability to quit my outside-the-home career and raise children....my choice.

3. What piece of fashion advice would you give YYS? Other than always be yourself? Wear your best smile!!

4. What do you think YYS is most going to want to know? What's happening in your life?

5. How would you answer YYS's question? Motherhood is not an 8-5 job, it's a lifetime job!! One that reaps benefits galore!!


6. What would probably be the best thing to tell YYS? Enjoy every day and live like there is no tomorrow. Don't fret over the small stuff...the world keeps on turning.

7. What is something that you probably wouldn't tell YYS? I'd think 'sucka'!!! And let MYS try natural birthing just because....but I WOULD say secretly now that I know better....Don't be a fool, just to experience 'natural' birth....ask for drugs!!!

8. What do you think will most surprise YYS about you? That I lost all the 'baby fat' from pregnancy and more pounds after giving birth.

9. What do you think will least surprise YYS? I'm happy where I am in life as a new mother...doting over Irene and loving Bud for helping me create the miracle.

10. At this point in your life, would YYS like to run into "you" from the future? I would hope so!!!

...and regarding #8 ---

Guess what? Moving to today: I found 'em and more!! They [the pounds I lost] really weren't LOST...they were hiding, and jumped on me from outta nowhere.

END OF SUNDAY STEALING
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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

Did any of you Blogspot Bloggers realize they now have a comment SPAM folder?!! For your blogs? Yes indeedy folks...step right up, step right up...hear it here, hear it now: While in your editing window for Blogger, see the comments tab? [orange highlight] Well, click on it...it opens a spam folder for all your comments. You can accomplish a whole slew of things. To the far right, it also tells you how many comments you've had since the very first post ever made. Well, it's news to me anyway; y'all may have known about it already. Goes to show you how 'on top I am' of things with 'what's new'. I just happen to click on COMMENTS in my admin/editing and found it. I clicked on the "spam" tab and found three comments that needed to be approved. Hmmmm, LOL Here is an example:




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SUNDAY'S SUMMARY

Yet another walk along the beach. This time, we went to the Ships' channel that comes right from the open Gulf of Mexico...Aransas Pass Texas. The sea shell season is beginning to come to life once again now that the water is slowly cooling off in temperature. I found only but a few, but I enjoyed the walk along the surf. I also played a while with something new to me...there is a feature on my newer camera that has a panoramic setting. Tho I don't have a hard copy of the 'idiot's book' on operating this new fangled thing, I find anyway that by 'doing' I learn faster and remember what I've done. Instead of reading and then getting out there and trying to recall just what it is I'm supposed to do and when and how. Well, the panoramic is new to me as I said, and I just experimented with it the one time. The photo I took is now posted on my photo blog---'testing the waters'---literally one of us at the time was testing the waters while the other...well, just testing!!! You'll see what I post about if you click on the link aforementioned in bold text. Personally, I don't think I'll be using it much, but it's still nice to know I have the feature on my camera; just in case. I still consider myself a novice on photography, but it most definitely is addictive!! Bud and I only walked from the jetty to the pier and didn't stay as long as I'd like, there is a lighthouse nearby this channel, and I read that you can see it from the shore...it's now a non-operative lighthouse and the only way you can get 'up close and personal'...without stepping foot on the private property, is by chartering a boat into one of the off waterways from the channel...for a photo op. Well, the charter boats are expensive, and I don't think it's worth the money...but I did finally spot it jutting up in the horizon from the beach! To be honest, I knew about it being there, but never knew just where to look on the horizon....now I know and I will go back real soon to take time to see how well the camera works for me from the shore on that subject. Real soon, I hope. Now that the weather will turn half-way tolerable during the day, I'm sure we'll go back to the area in no time 'cause this is a great place for bird migration!! And speaking of birds, I've noticed the last couple of days that a hummingbird has taken claim of our reviving flowers from the summer heat....I took the liberty of getting down our four hummingbird feeders and scrubbed them out thoroughly to rehang. Soon, with the coming colder air up North, we'll have a winter migration of seed-eating birds and the nectar loving birds in our yard! I always feed 'em beginning in Autumn through the Spring months when they arrive again going back North. I love watching them all, and I also look forward to traveling around the Texas Birding Highways and Birding Reserves this time of year. It's so exhilarating to see a species, watch it, log the time and place I spotted it...and photograph it if possible. Oh and I also made the most delicious apple crisp ever!!! A neighbor gave me 3 pounds of Jonathon apples and they were kinda dry and mealy, so instead of munching on them just whole and fresh, I peeled 'em all...made the oatmeal crunchie mixer and baked....I have a photo of a piece of it, which I swore I'd not show online 'cause it's appearance leaves a lot to be desired...kinda gross-looking...but here it is...in all its glory. I never measure when I cook...just toss in this and add that, but this time, the apples were cooked to perfection, and the cinnamon and sugar mix was perfect. We topped it off with frozen fat free yogurt and a hot cinnamon syrup. I want more!! And the last tidbit for the week...Bud and I actually went to the theater to see a movie Friday.....The Town. Unless you like the "F" word...don't go!! Seriously, every other word in the movie script IS the "F" word...even the female lead says it. The story isn't too bad. I did like how it ended...but it's NOT worth any money. And I'm sure it won't be on free TV anytime soon either.