Belated Christmas Post

I cannot believe that it has been three whole weeks since I made a post. I guess that is a testamnet to the busy-ness of this season. Sally is officially out of school for a while. I took the week before Christmas off and Sally and I had a lovely time. We went to the theater with Lucille and Dr. Bill Welch, finished cleaning out the house for the remodel, tore down the man room, attended a lovely party at the Pickles' and prepared for Christmas. Whew!!!! What a week! We spent a lovely Christmas day with MiMi and Pa at The Forum. Chris and the Hemann's joined us and we gave MiMi a very spirited sing a long Christmas. Jessie, Heather and Whitney joined us on Saturday. Gran finished out the list of visitors on Sunday. Very lovely week. Very relaxed and enjoyable first ever literary Christmas at the nest!!!!

Wonderful Winter Weekend

Well our first little cold front brought some snow and a pretty fabulous and romantic weekend to Brneham Texas. Sally and I started the weekend early with a date night on Thursday. We didn’t actually plan a date night but it was sure nice when it happened. We went to check on her car after work and it wasn’t ready. So, we decided to go to our favorite Italian place in Brenham (The Coliseum). We followed that up with a trip to the movies. We saw “Blind Side”. It was very good. Friday brought the snow and the collards mentioned in the previous post. Saturday, we got up and started decorating the house for Christmas. We cooked breakfast, lit a fire and stayed in our PJs all day. The house looks better than it ever has. We even had a VERY exciting sideline. While we were making the bed, I threw a pillow up against a heater. We didn’t notice until the smell of smoke let us know something was wrong. What a close call!!! It reminded us that life truly can change in an instant. Anyway, we got through it. We finished up decorating around 4:00. We got ready for Sally to take part in the Downtown Brenham Christmas Parade. It was so much fun. Finally, Sunday found us at a church festival with our CCE class celebrating St. Nicholas’s saint day. Big time! After that, we loaded up the truck and headed to Carmine for steaks at JW’s. They were closed so Sally suggested we try the Brazos Belle in Burton. OMG!!! Turns out the Brazos Belle is a 4 star restaurant. Very yummy! After our tummies were full we went home and had a many hour grade-a-thon. All in all, it was a very nice, cold and snuggly weekend with the girl of my dreams!

Collards - Don't believe everything you hear!

Since the weather is so bad today, I got to work from home. Thank you Jesus (and Richard)! While I was sitting here, working away, it started to snow. Don't know why but this made me want to cook collards. Not sure why snow made me think of collards because I have never cooked collards before, but it did. And, since I had everything I need to cook them, and it was cold, that is what I decided to do.

So, I bundled up and went out to the garden and picked me a mess of greens (the proper term for a group of any type of green). Then I brought them in and stripped and washed them. I set them aside and proceeded to make a stock. This stock will become pot liquor (or pot likker) when the greens are done. To make my stock, I chopped up one whole yellow onion. I put a little EVOO in the bottom of the soup pot. I added the onions, ½ pound of smoked pork necks, 1 teaspoon (tsp) salt, 1 tsp Zattaran’s Cajun spice and fresh ground black pepper. I sautéed this until the onions were clear. I then added three cups of water and brought it all to a boil. I let it boil for about 3 minutes then I reduced it to simmer and covered. While the stock was simmering I put another big pot on to boil. I filled that pot half full of water and added 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of salt. Next, I started rolling and chopping the greens. I would take a small handful and roll them up like a cigar. I then took my knife and cut the roll into about 1/2” strips. When the green were all cut up I added them to the rapidly boiling salt water. I boiled them for three minutes and then poured off the water. This is supposed to help remove some of the bitterness. Finally, I added the drained greens to the stock and let it simmer for an hour. OMG!!!!! These things are wonderful! I just cannot believe my mother never fixed these for me growing up.

Back to the “Don’t believe everything you hear” part of the title. Everyone I have ever talked to said that collards stink when you cook them. Mine did not. They also said that they are so bitter you have to add lots of pepper sauce just to get them down. Mine are not bitter at all.

Cooking and listening to the Bellamy Brothers sing “You Aint Just a Whistlin’ Dixie” put me in a very mellow and nostalgic mood. Big M called and told me about how my grandfather used to love collards and poke salad. How Southern is that? Talking to her about my history while cooking collards really made me reflect on how truly happy and blessed I am to have been raised in the southern half of the USA. I am so thankful that I have a garden full of greens (chard, collards and turnips) and a beautiful yaupon in the front yard. I am thankful for homegrown fried green tomatoes and cornbread that Sally and I are going to have for dinner tonight. I am also especially thankful that this snow will not last like it does up north. And finally, I am truly thankful that once again God has made me aware of his majesty!

P.S. If you are interested in learning about pot liquor go here:
http://food.theatlantic.com/behind-the-counter/potlikker-from-slave-plantations.php

P.S.S. The first picture is the collards I grew and cooked accompanied by the pepper sauce that Sally and I grew and canned!

Thanksgiving 2009

Well, we are officially in the HOLIDAY SEASON! Went to Hubbard and had Thanksgiving lunch with Meg's in-laws and the Maynards. This was the first year that Mary Davis was not with us. I guess the big thing on this day was Heather buying a gun! I am so happy for her. She bought a lovely little single shot 410 shotgun. An excellent anti personell and snake weapon. Friday found us at Homestead Heritage. While it was fun to have all of the kids together, it was just too big and too commercial. I really don't think that we will do it again. Makes me sad. It really was a good tradition. After Homestead Heritage we celebrated my B-Day. Lot's of books. Thanks everyone. After my B-Day, we headed back to Brenham. Jessie and Josh joined us for the weekend. Saturday Lydia Dill Steel and her family came for the day. After they left we went to mass and then school. Jessie and I helped Sal do her door. Sunday brought us a visit from Heather and Jared and their kids. We had a lovely lunch. We ate out of the garden all weekend. All in all, it was a good break.

Here is a shot of me and some of my turnips!

Seven Year Itch!

Well, this past weekend, my bride and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I think Whitney said it best when we told her what we were doing. Her response, and this is a direct quote, was "Unh Unh, you are lying! There is no way you guys have been married that long!" Kinda know what she means. It really does not seem like we have been married that long (and that is a good thing). I am pleased to say I am still incredibly happily married and because of that Sally and I were able to a spend a most romantic retreat in Flatonia, Texas. Believe me, it was much more romantic than it sounds. We rented a cabin at the Goose's Roost Ranch (http://www.goosesroost.com/). It was a cute little cabin in the middle of a 256 acre ranch outside of Flatonia. We had such a lovely time sitting on the porch drinking wine and just being together. The cabin was very cute and the owner has tons of geese, chickens, peacocks, ducks and guinees (and cats) which made it very load and very fun in the morning.

We left the B&B and headed out to see the world famous Texas Painted Churches. What a lovely day to ride through the country and sight see. We went to Shiner, Praha, Swiss Alps, Dubina and Ammundsville. The churches were so pretty. You just have to admire the early German and Czech immigrants. They truly left things better than they found them. I am including a few pics. This is definately something we all need to do together soon. All in all it was a wonderful getaway and a wonderful time with the girl of my dreams!

Below are some images from the trip

FABULOUS WEEKEND!!!!!!

Don't you just love it when everything comes together. That is how this weekend was. Perfect weather first and fore most. Because of this wonderfully cool weather, Sally and I were able to sleep in Saturday! We never get to do this. What a luxury. Then after we got up and got going, the contractors starting coming. What lovely people we met. The young man that is doing our kitchen design is from Denmark. Very nice and very personable. Then, the earth moving guy showed up. His name is Mark Wellman and we have his son in our CCE class. Very nice man. He is going to build us a 24' X 95' parking pad. Very exciting. We won't have to park in the mud or the yard anymore. Next, we went to the Southern flyer at the Brenham Airport. It was such a lovely day so there were planes everywhere. We sat on the patio and watched plane after plane take off and land. What fun. And then, if we hadn't had enough blessings for one day, my lovely wife agreed to take me to the Antique Rose Emporium (ARE for the cool folks). IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!! Kids, make a note, fall at the ARE is a great time and place to host a wedding. Anyway, we brought home some White mist flower (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/eupatoriumwright.htm). It is a half round shrub that gets covered in the most fragrant white flowers. The butterflies love them and it is a Texas native. After we planted and gardened for a while, we went to see MiMi and Pa. Then we headed out to the Heman's for a fabulous Halloween Party. Buddy truly out did himself again. Sunday was kind of lazy but fun as well. CCE went well. It was Saint Day and that is my favorite class of the year. All the kids get to dress up like their Saint and tell their story. Very entertaining. After that it was home for more digging in the dirt. Sally helped me work on the Potager. Mark my words, that Potager is going to be really something come spring!!!! What a FABULOUS WEEKEND this turned out to be.

Been gone

It has been such a long time since I took time to do a post. It is really sad that I have not had anything to write about. Such is life. Kind of reminds me of a quote we learned in the military about combat: Combat is a few minutes of terror and confussion sandwiched between hours of boredom. That about sums everything up. I have learned that boredom is not neccessarily a bad thing. At least when you are bored you aren't terriffied or confused.

I guess the big thing is, the remodel is on! We are now finishing up with the bank and then the hammering will begin. We are looking at appliances today and we get the kitchen measure and design on Thursday. We will get a storage container delivered on Saturday so we can start emptying the house for the remodeler's. Here is a before pic of the back porch looking really bad. Hopefully the next pic will have the house looking fine!

Building character

Heather and Jared came last Friday. It is always lovely to have one of the kids home. Heather and I went for her first bike ride on Saturday morning. I am pleased to report that she did awesome! We went 13 miles with no major issues worth mentioning. Got home just in time for it to start raining. It started raining Saturday afternoon and it has not stopped yet. Do not like to complain about rain, but enough is enough.

I tried to take Monday off to study for my first real college test in quite a long time. Of course work would not let me. I spent over half of the day troubleshooting stuff while I should have been studying. When I took the test on Tuesday, my lack of study showed through. I made the worst grade I have ever made (43.2). I was devastated. I really did try to study and prepare. I was so upset I did not sleep Tuesday night. However, I did build Heather's kids a very cute doghouse to get rid of some of my frustrations. Wednesday was an ok day at work so I got to leave early so I could come home and get the first bid on the remodel. This contractor came at us with a $93K bid! I about died. I had told him we only wanted to spend around $50K. I was soooo upset that I basically ran him off. This upset me so much that I do not sleep Wednesday night. For those that know me, you know a lack of sleep is not a good thing for me to experience. I started getting sick. I ran 102 fever so I stayed home on Friday. It was nice. It was cold and rainy so I stayed in bed all day and read "The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society". Very enjoyable book.

Sally and I basically took this weekend off. We met with our new contractor on Saturday and then went to Houston. We say her parents and then delivered the doghouse to the grand dogs. We then did a little shopping at Dillard's and finally stopped at IKEA to price our kitchen. Sunday was nice and lazy. I am certainly glad that the past week is gone!

Life in the little city ...

Things are really hoping in our house right now. Sally and I are REALLY BUSY with our jobs. No problem there, that is how it is suppossed to be. However, instead of going with it like normal people we decide that I should go to grad school and remodel a house all at the same time. Let me give you a little tip ... DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN! I do not know why Sally and I cannot be content with a simple, quiet life. No matter how hard we try, we always sign up for more than we can chew. Oh well, at least we will have lots of memories when we are in the nursing home.

Last Saturday, Jessie and I participated in one of my favorite things; a bike ride! We met in Waco for the Wild West Century. We really had a great time. It was a very lovely, flat and windless ride. Jessie said it was her best yet. It really was lovely. The route let us ride on top of the dam. That was really pretty cool. We spent most of the weekend with Gran. She was very glad to have us. Sunday was blur. Church, CCE, Sally "installed" at the Luthern school, Lutheran communion (am I going to hell?), Herb and Pat, then disaster at work so i went in to the office and stayed till 7:30. heather and Petter for a short visit, then back to Brenham to finish work till 10:30! WHEW!!!! This is a typical day in our life right now.

O.K., enough whining. Time to give thanks. Thank you Jesus for Lycoros Radiata (Spider Lillies). We have a bumper crop of them this year and they are lovely. I do truly see GOD in my gardens. Speaking of gardens, the new Pospicil garden is doing great. Sally and I mulched it with newspaper and hay. We are going to have a bumper crop of COLLARD GREENS, CHARD, GREEN BEENS, YELLOW SQUASH, RUTABAGAS and TOMATOS. Finally, we met with the contractor last night. Jason Grimm. Nice fellow. He is excited to work on our old house and we are excited to have him. He has done Edna's house and her daughter's B&B. Very good and we are very excited.

Aggies vs Aggies

Well, Sally and I survived another fun and activity filled weekend! Started off with a Friday night trip to the Washington County Fair. Always a blast. I think it is the best fair in Texas. Saturday found us in the yard. Sally mowed and I ran the weed eater. After that we ran a few errands. Picked up hay, broccolli, cauliflower, onions, shallots and tomatos. Came back and put the brocolli and cauliflower in the ground. Also planted rutabagas and Swiss Chard. After all of that we were off the the A&M and Utah State game. Spent the whole afternoon with Uncle Donnie. Sally got to see her dad's memorial. She also got to see where he lived (Corp Band Dorms) and where he and her mom would meet to go to games. Very nice and very touching. Watched the Corp line up and step off. Very moving. Then we went to the game. The Aggies won so we had an almost perfect day.

Sunday took us to 8:00 mass and then we started CCE. Looks like a nice class. After that we went to Houston and had lunch with David and Pam. The we went to the Forum and visited with MiMi and Pa. Then we went to Sally's classroom and we did door decorations. We made a Scare Crow and "Miss White's" pumpkin patch. Very cute.

Tired ...

Well, I am beginning to get tired. Too much activity lately. There are issues at work that I have to get up at 5:00 each morning and tend to. Last weekend we went to Dora's wedding in Austin. It was very lovely and we had a great time. However, I was already tired of traveling. Then to make sure I was good and tired of traveling, we got up at 5:00 on the Saturday after the wedding so we could head to Tulsa to see Margret's dad. Don't get me wrong. The trip was truly needed. Margret needed it and so did Karl. However, it was very long drive in the pouring rain (both ways). It was made more bearable by the fact that we had a lovely traveling companion. Mary DeWalt joined us and what a time we had. She drove the entire way and we just talked about politics for two solid days. Truly a lovel trip. The Hartley's were very glad to have us. Poor Margret. Taking care of Karl during his last few days on earth is really wearing her down. Pray for her. We also celebrated Sally's birthday on the road home. Stopped in Denton for lunch with Jessie and Whit. Very nice and we really enjoyed seeing the girls!

Sally's Aunt Gloria passed away last week so we left Monday night to go to the Tuesday morning funeral. Spent Monday night with Katie and Moose. Katie really does keep a very nice house. I was very impressed. The next morning we drove to San Antonio and went to the funeral. Very nice as funerals go. Because of this funeral, Sally and I may have solved one of our dilemas -- where to be buried. I think we are going to be buried at Fort Sam Houston. It's free and they stick us in the same hole. Talk about spending eternity together! Finished up the trip by stopping back in San Marcos to celebrate Chris's birthday. All of this is wonderful and it is great to see everyone but I need a break. I do not want to leave Brenham for at least a couple of weeks

On a similar note, grad school is beginning to take its toll as well. I need someone to remind me why I though this was such a great idea. I am sure it will all work out in the end, but right now I am truly tired of everything. And .. just to make sure we don't get lazy, CCE starts this weekend. I really do think we are nuts.

On a happy note, Sally and I are going to the Washington County Fair and the Aggie game this weekend. So, regardless of all of my whinning in the previous paragraphs, life really is pretty good for us.

Whooping Cranes

This was a very exciting and productive LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!!! Saturday saw the beginning of the Potager. Sally and I got up at early and headed to the garden Sally dug bricks and i dug ditches untile we were almost sick. Then we cleaned up and had a nice grilled fish dinner at a new Brenham resturaunt. Then we went to her school and worked for a few hours. Then two amazing things happened. First, Joey Pospicil plowed me up a new garden! I am so excited. Then while we were visiting, 6 WHOOPING CRANES landed on a dead tree in Langke Lake. Seems we are on their annual migration path. joey said he sees them every year. Very exciting stuff.

Sunday started with another digging session. Then we were off to mass. This was third Latin Mass in a row. I am looking forward to hearing it in English again. After mass, we went to see Herb and Pat. Nice visit. After that we went to a surprise birthday party for Sally's Vice Principal. Heather and Jared called and surprised us with a visit. they stayed the night and we really enjoyed them.

We ended the weekend mostly by working. We grilled shrimp with the kids and then they left. Sally went to work on her school stuff and I went back to the garden. I planted a 25' row of collards and a 25' row of beans. Tommorrow i will plant brocolli, cauliflower, cabbage and squash.

What I learned from Ginna ..

A week has passed and I am just now getting around to writing about Ginna's funeral. I have to say I was very pleased. Her daughter, Megan put everything together. She did a wonderful job. So many people came. I counted 108 signatures in the visitation book. Then, so many showed up at the cemetary in 102 degree heat. Thank you to everyone! Ginna would have been very happy with the send off she recieved.

I heard one of mother's cousin's tell Aunt Sarah that they had meet there (there being Cade Cemetary) too many times. I got what she meant. She was sad that so many of our family have died. The fact that she had seen so many buried meant she would soon be in the cemetary too. She was mourning the lose of her life just as much as she was mourning the loss of Ginna's.

That comment, coupled with Ginna's death has made me go very deep. So please bear with me on this post. When someone you care about dies you try to find meaning in their passing. I think I have done that with Ginna. I am not here to beatify her, but I have learned some things about life through her death. I want to share those with you now

1. LIVE!!!! - We are all put here for a very short time and death is inevitable. Since we are all headed for a hole in the ground anyway, we might as well LIVE while we are here!!!! I had to give an intro of myself in grad school today. He asked us to tell the most exciting thing that had ever happened to us. I could not think of one thing; I thought of MANY!!! Why, because I have LIVED!!! I have publicly stuck my finger in a sheep's rectum and I lived to laugh about it! I kept getting married until I got it right. I feel like I have lived and I am happy.

2. WWDD or WWGD - Ginna is not solely responsible for this lesson, but it fits. Do what makes you happy. Do not live just to please someone else. That is what Ginna did (and what Uncle David still does, WWDD). I recently read an article that basically said most people do not really live until their parents die. How sad is that! I do not want that to happen to any of you. Sally and I are nosey and bossy and way too far into your business. Ya'll need to feel free to tell us "I love you but ya'll need to butt out! " Honestly! LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE!!! I promise, Sally and I will love you and be there for you no matter what you do.

3. LOVE - Ginna never found her true love and she never found acceptance. That to me is the true tragedy of Ginna's life. Find someone and something to love. I know this is not easy and it may take several tries, but do not give up! God made us to be with other people. Find someone and love them and let them love you back. I had a wonderful life before I met Sally, but it has been so much better since we came together. Also, find SOMETHING to love. Be passionate! I do not care what it is. Find something that makes you feel fulfilled and pursue it with gusto!

Along these lines, don't forget to tell people you love them. I love all of you so much! I am proud of each and everyone of you! Here is a quick note to each of you to tell you how I feel right now:

Sally, you are truly the peas to my carrots! To quote Tom Cruise, "You complete me!" I never knew love until I knew you. Thank you for chosing to love me each and everyday.

Katie, you have grown into such a loving and caring young woman. There is nothing more noble than giving aid to those that are less fortunate. I am proud of you for going back to school. I know it is hard but it will be worth it.

Chris, you are so passionate and so driven and I truly admire you. You are so kind and giving. You also understand that you have to do things your own way. Go forth and make things happen!

Jessie, you have recently shown me that beneath that mild demeanor is a tiger! I am so proud of the woman you are becoming! Keep growing and live YOUR life YOUR WAY! BE NOT AFARID!!!

Heather, You are like me in so many ways. You are doing things the way I wished I had when I was your age. I admire your intellect and your drive and the way you lead your life. Keep making good choices and you are bound to succeed!

Whitney, you have my soul. You are kind and loving and creative and I am so proud of all of the beautiful things you create. Do not let me get in your way. Continue to grow and travel your own path. I am proud of you and I want you to bloom.

God have mercy on her soul ...

Well, Ginna died last night. Not really sure how I feel. I am really glad that her earthly suffering is over. May God have mercy on her soul. Times like these are when you really have to think about what you believe. Ginna died of a horrible disease. I truly hope no one else in our family ever has to suffer through something like this. At least when death came it was quiet and quick.

We all new Ginna so I really don't know what to say to eulogize her. She died the way she lived; by her own rules. She was stubborn and hard headed and did just exactly as she pleased. That is also how she handled her disease. She did it her way! I can honestly say she was brave. I only heard her "kind of cry" twice while talking about it. I actually admire her for refusing a feeding tube and the breathing machine. She did not want to linger any longer than necessary.

We all have so many stories and memories of Ginna. Who can ever forget her Indian name or the way she had with people (like beating them into unconsciousness). She loved traveling and she was the hardest worker ever. She loved her family in her own way and she really loved her dogs! I will never be able to lift a piece of furniture without thinking of her. She helped Sally and I move so many times.

So here's to you Ginna! I hope you are in heaven with our dad right now laughing and hugging. You were a good sister to me and I will miss you terribly. I hope that wherever you are now you find the happiness you so badly wanted while you were here. I love you and I will miss. Rest in peace.

Graduation

Well it's official! Heather is the first in this branch of the family tree to get her MASTER"S DEGREE!!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!! We are all so proud of you!!!!!! And what a lovely trip we had to enjoy her graduation. Heather rode home with me on Thursday. Friday morning we swung by Waco and picked up Gran and Sassy. We all enjoyed our trip. Got there with time to spare so Heather had enough time to get beautiful for her walk across the stage. Because of a combination of the last name that I gave her and her college (The College of Visual Arts), she was the VERY LAST person to walk. Oh well, they saved the best for last.

After the ceremony we went to "The Greenhouse" in Denton (http://www.greenhouserestaurantdenton.com/). It is a lovely little resturaunt and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. The old foggies left early but Heather, Jessie and Whit stayed and partied the night away with their friends.

Saturday we went to the house museums that I like so much. I met the director. We both share an enthusiasm for antique roses. Then we helped Whitney move into her new place. After that we were back to Waco. We went and saw Ginna in the nursing home. Very sad. I hereby absolve anyone of any guilt or repercussions if you shoot me in the head when I get so sick that I have to be placed in a home. Really, just kill me. It was sooooo upsetting to see Ginna in that place. The only saving grace is the fact that she will not be here much longer. May God have mercy on her.

Don't want to end this on a down note. Saturday night Jared drove up and brought the grand dogs. We had a lovely visit with he and Heather. Sally and finished the weekend by going to very good 8 a.m. mass and then visiting with MiMi and Pa. After a trip to IKEA we came home and did almost nothing. Nice ...

Annie Oakley

What a wekeend! This is the first weekend in quite some time that Sally and I did not travel anywhere. We started the weekend by stopping at an Estate Sale in Bellville on our way home from Houston Thursday night. Of course we found more treasures we could not live without. It was very fun. Friday was my first official work from home day. That went well. Whitney paid us a surprise visit Friday night. It was nice to have her in Brenham. On Saturday, I bought Sally a pistol. It is a 1950s Charter Arms 38 Special five shot revolver with a 2' barrel. She was too sick to go with me to get it so I took Miss Whit. The guy asked Whitney if she wanted to shoot it. He stood up a full size silhouette at about 30 feet. Turns out Whitney is a real live Annie Oakley! She fired four rounds 3 of them were heart shots! Two of her shots were so close together that she made a figure 8. It is really fun to discover hidden talents and I was reallyproud of her. I also saw the irony in this situation. Whitney, the most non-violent of our children, would be the one with the best chance of killing someone in fire fight!

After target practice, Whitney went "shopping" in the storage building and the spare bedroom. She is the fourth child that we have outfitted with furniture this month. She and I also stopped at a garage sale. We met the lovliest people. Lorraine is an 82 year old fireball that loves to garden. She was selling plants at her garage sale. Whitney and I loaded up! We really enjoyed meeting Lorraine and her daughter in law. After Whitney left, Sally and I finished the day by weeding the flower bed in front of the garden and planting most of the plants we got from Lorraine.

Finally, Sunday started with the Latin mass. We then went to visit our friend Edna and her daughter Mariann. Mariann owns the Wrigley House Bed and Breakfast in Brenham(http://www.wrigleyhouse.com/). Edna is a 92 year old firecaracker and I just love her. She has such a lovely home and garage apartment. I always leave her inspired to do more at my own home.

Finally, we went to the annual fund raiser for the Brenham Fire Department. What a great time. The fire department cooked a lovely steak dinner. Then we stayed for the auction. We bought a Yaupon tree and a piece of modern yard art. We sat with our State representive Lois Kiolkhorst (http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist13/kolkhorst.php) and her famil. Met other people and ran into friends. Really a nice time and it really does feel like we are becoming a part of the Brenham community.

Decorating II

I cannot believe I forgot to post the pic from our San Marcos trip. Here it is:

Also, here is a pic of the "study" that we set up so I can work at home:

Decorating

Sally and I went to San Marcos last weekend to help Katie and Moose get their new house in order. Chris came over and we had a very enjoyable day. We all worked together to hang pictures and get the place decorated. Then, the kids fixed us dinner. It was REALLY GOOD! Very good grilled chicken, healthy baked potato slices and a lovely little salad. After dinner, Chris had to leave for work so the rest of us headed out for a little DQ treat. After that, Sally and I went to a Spanish mass in Martindale, Texas. We discovered that we are not nearly as bi-lingual as we would like to think we are! We stopped at the Roadhouse Grill in Bastrop on the way home. I really love that place and give it two thumbs way up! Stop by is you have a chance.
http://www.kendrasroadhouse.com/rhmain.html

Sunday was a day for us to get our house in order. We worked all day getting the bedroom and a work area set up. It looks lovely and it is very nice to have a small bit of order restored to our lives. The Popisil's came by with a bottle of wine. It really is nice to have neighbors!

Garden Update

I have not posted much about our garden this year. Once again, it has been bountiful. Heather cooked us a ratatouille with things from the garden last night. It was very good. That got me thinking about our garden. This was a really good year for peas. We have pulled and shelled and eaten black eyed peas for quite some time. We also grew our first new potatos this year. Just when I think it is too hot and the garden is over, new things start blooming. We are still getting a few tomatos. Sally has a watermelon growing and a wonderful luffa crop. Our okra is really coming along and we are still get a few cucumbers. And of course, more peas!

Here are a few pics from this year's garden. I am also including a few pics of some of our potted plants.

Here is a luffa flower A small Basil plant

A succulent garden My hollyhocks

Colorado!

Sally and I were finally able to get out of Texas for a short while. We loaded up the truck and we headed to Colorado; Springs that is ... Mountains and Air Force Academy! On the way to the wedding of Sean Kettrick and Katie Jo Litteral we stopped in Pueblo, Co. We had a very lovely lunch in a very cute resturant on a very cute street in the cutest little downtown area you have ever seen! It was so lovely I would like to share some pictures

Here is a pic of Sally in front of the train depot. So many immigrants came through here at the turn of the century that Pueblo had newspapers in 17 languages!

Pueblo also had a very lovey river walk. Sally and I were very impressed with this little town. Here we are on that riverwalk.

Finally, here is a bad picture of the wedding. This is in the Catholic Chapel at the Air Force Academy. They were not able to use the main chapel as there was a VIP wedding scheduled at the same time. The wedding was wonderful. It was great to spend time with our friends.

FLATLAND CENTURY

I am pleased to report that my lovely wife participated in her first ever organzied bike ride! Sally did the 32 mile route at the Katy Flatland Century. I was very proud of her! We rode with Johnny P and his oldest daughter Sidney. It was hot, but we had a really good time. I had my first bike wreck so that made it somewhat interesting for a short while. Also had a flat (which contributed to the wreck). I don't know what it is with me and Katy. I have done two organized rides there and had THREE FLATS!!!! Oh well, I guess that is all a part of it.

After the race Sally and I went by Nelson's Water Gardens. Nice nursery. We really enjoyed looking at all of the water gardens. I think there is definately some aquatic plants in our future. After we got home we were wiped! So we took a two hour nap. After that Sally went into to Houston to Celebrate Lydia Dill Steele's 30th Birtday. I stayed home and planted. I planted pumpkins for Sally. I also planted a flat of broccoli and a flat of cauliflower. I also did six squash plants. This is my first attempt to grow these veggies from seed and then transplant into the fall garden. We will see how it works out.

El Guapo's Pescado Grande!!!!

April 11, 2009 - We left the home of the mother moose at 6:00 am. We were in search of big redfish and other aquatic lifeforms. Evidently Chris, Moose and Cameron were feeling nervous. They began drinking liquid courage at 6 a.m! We meet Clyde at Buc-ees and we headed out for a date with destiny (and Redfish Raymond).

Clyde had not warned us that Redfish Raymond was a Baptist. Evidently he was offended with alcohol being consumed on his boat. Needless to say, things got off to a little bit of a rocky start! No one wants to pay that much money to have a good time and have the Captain start yelling at you the instant you get on the boat. The bad karma set the tone for the rest of the day. We did not catch much. I caught 1 keeper red and so did Raymond. Everyone caught something but not much stayed in the cooler. We stayed out until 3:30. We were wiped! We were suppossed to go hear a Beattles and Eagles tribute band but were too tired. We came home and meet up with our women (and Heather too) and ate pizza on the porch.

Sunday was a busy day as well. We loaded up a trailer full of furniture for Jessie and Cameron. After they left Chris cooked our sausage, chicken and the redfish on the grill. It was all good, but the fish was the best I have ever had! All in all it was a great weekend.

Happy Birthday America (and Heather) !!!!!!!!!

Well, America's Birthday weekend was a flurry of activity for the White Family. First, Heather and Jared moved to Houston!!! WOO! WOO!!! They picked an absolutely beautiful weekend to move. Only 103! Sally and I and Andy and Nathan Petter helped the kids get unloaded. Then Andy treated us to Niko Niko's. Very nice time.

Saturday morning Sally and I picked up Heather and Jared and went to Buffalo Grill for chilliquilles. That always makes for a fabulous start to the weekend. Then Sally and I went to Dillard's for a little shopping. Then we were back to celebrate Heather's 23rd Birthday! Whitney came with her mother and Sal. Nice time. After the party it was off to Kim and Buddy's for a rip roaring good time making gumbo and hanging out with the Krischke's. The whole Fam Damily showed up. All of the male Krischke's (Pa, David and Michael, Taylor, Zach, Buddy, Kevin, Scott and Kieth) cooked gumbo. Secrets were passed to the younger generations. Great time was had by all. The evening ended with fireworks in the front of the Hemann house. Thanks Kim and Buddy for a lovely day.

The weekend ended in Brenham with Jessie and Cameron staying at the nest. We put up our mailbox and built a birdhouse. I was showing Cameron the bees and we got swarmed! I was messing with the hive again. (I shouldn't have been doing it this time...they are VERY protective) This is two weekends in a row! He got stung twice and me once. Plus, I took a wicked fall running from them. All in all it was a very exciting and action packed weekend!

MOVING!!!!!!

Well, this was the weekend that we finally "moved" to Brenham. Thank God for Katie and Moose. We truly could not have done it with out them! We rented a U-Haul and Moose and Katie showed up at the Barclay at 8:30. Moose and I loaded until 12:30 and Katie and Sally packed. Thanks goodness the weather cooperated. It was only 101 so it was pleasant. We go to Brenham and unloaded the truck. After a short cool down period, we went to the airport for dinner. Very nice evening. Saw a restored Chinese Yak.

Sunday morning, Sally and I got up early to change out the entrance reducer on the bee hine. I suited up. I went to pull it out and it didn't work. SWARM!!!! OMG!!!! I swear thousands of bees instantly swarmed Sally and me. Since I was in the suit, I was ok. Sally was not so lucky. She got stung three times in the head!!!! After that we cooked blue berry pancakes and took the truck back. Then Katie and Moose went home.

After the kids left Sally and I cooked a meal that came completely from our garden. We had peas, cucumbers and onions and tomatoes. It was truly fabulous.

One down!

Well, by tommorrow morning, I will have completed my first grad school class. I am very pleased wirth my performance. It was a little rocky at first. Sally thought she was going to have to either kill me or leave me! Thank God she agreed to stay! Here is a link to what I created for Horticulture 605: http://people.tamu.edu/~Yupneck1/Project/JUA_Index.html.

I really enjoyed learning to do this. I hope the rest of my grad school experience is as pleasant as this has been.

Sally and I are now offically in "hair on fire" mode. Our house closes on July 6. We have to be out of the house by July 3 so we can help Heather move in on July 4. Sally is going to Tulsa to help a friend so I will be trying do most of the move by myself. Katie and Moose and Chris are coming on Saturday to help me get the big stuff. The race is on!

On a more zen like note, the garden is really coming in! We have onions, squash, egg plant and tomatoes! However, the thing we have most is PURPLR HULL PEAS!!! I have been eating peas for a week! God how I love those black eyed peas and cornbread! Thank goodness Sally knows how to cook them.

April 14, 1912, 10:00 pm – What a marvelous day! Boat handling like a dream. New York in one day away. At this point I cannot help but be overwhelmed at just how lucky I am and how fabulously my life is going. Truly at the top of my game! Top captain on the top boat on the top line in the world! God is good!!!!

This is an excerpt from Captain Edward John Smith’s diary (not really, I just made it up. However there is a point to it so follow along). In case you don’t know Captain Smith, he was the lucky man selected to pilot the HMS Titanic on her maiden voyage. As we all know, after writing this journal entry, his life began to spiral downward very quickly.

After this past week, I know exactly how Edward must have felt about 11 pm on that cold April night. One minute, life is so good. The next, your cold dead body is bobbing up and down with Leonardo DiCapprio’s body in front of Kate Winslet!

That is pretty much how my week has gone. Sunday, after running the nightly processes for the Budget apps I went to bed. I was awaken by a terrible rumbling down below. OMG!!!!! I WAS SICK! SICK like I have only been one other time in my life. I will spare you the details but I WAS SICK! Then, to top that off, the budgeting system was refusing to work. So for the next 5 days my life has been nothing but work, sleep and work some more. Then, to make it just a little more special, grad school started on Monday. Talk about stress. Oh well. What does not kill us makes us stronger.

With all of the work problems and grad school stresses I have been an absolute bear to live with. I am sorry Sally. You always take your frustrations out on the ones you love. And, unfortunately for you right now, I love you a bunch!

Memorial Day Weekend

Sally and I started our weekend with a lovely bike ride. We went on a very pretty and hilly route that leads to Greenvine. She did much better this time. The Heather, Jessie and their “kids” got to Brenham around 1:00. Just in time for it to start raining. It rained almost the entire weekend. We needed the rain but it did put a little bit of a damper on our plans. It wasn’t a total waste. When it stopped raining, we made a new friend. Saturday night we went and saw "Angels and Demons. TWO THUMBS UP!!!! I definitely recommend you go see this one.

Sunday was a work day. Sally and I worked all day at the church festival. Very fun. The girls came and helped for a while. Then we all got to play. We all won prizes at the various booths. Heather and Jessie cheated. They sat and watched the wheels and determined which numbers were coming up the most often. Then they bet on those. It paid off as we took home a cake, cupcakes, mystery cookies, a diet coke and TONS of PLANTS. After the festival, Then we went home and grilled. AWESOME!

The girls left Monday morning. Sally and I went to work. We mowed down the bluebonnets and edged and cleaned the yard. I washed the truck and she cleaned the house. The place really is lovely when it is mowed. Pulled our first produce of the season; an onion. All in all, it was another fab weekend in Brenham!

Multi Picture Test

Here is Whitney and Sally holding our very first container of bees.

This is what greated us at the nest Tuesday night. Very lovely and very big chicken snake. Since I like snakes, I did not bother him. Unfortunately, my neighbor does not share may affinatinely for our legless friends. He killed this one and its mate Wednesday morning.