This was supposed to be the week of our “vacation,” and we were planning a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which is one of our favorite places to visit. However, by the time we discovered that we really got this week, rooms at The Crescent were booked. We considered other hotels, but we discovered there is a festival going. Now festivals are fun, but neither my husband nor I are very fond of crowds, so it’s just as well we didn’t get to go. We are enjoying visiting around in our own neck of the woods, and we are just getting a few things done around the house. It’s all good.

Because we are headed to Austin for a Thursday Excursion, I decided to pull all the flotsam and jetsam into one post to make it my Thursday Thirteen. It’s a simple one, but includes some things

I’VE BEEN MEANING TO TELL YOU.

1. The first thing I want to be sure to tell you is that my friend Jessica the Rock Chick is participating in Blogathon 2007 on Saturday July 28th. That day, almost 500 bloggers will be blogging non-stop throughout the day to raise money for their favorite charities. Jessica has chosen, appropriately enough, to benefit VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Visit her post called Give A Little Bit for the full scoop, or you can read about the fun she has planned for the day at Fun, Fun, Fun. Today, she even showed pictures of prizes for a raffle she will have. So, you have to visit all day long, but better yet, click here to make a pledge. I got to write a guest post that she will use that day. I’ll let you know when she posts it. Thanks, Jessica, for the opportunity to write on your blog. I hope you make it to the “A List” soon, so I can say I wrote on an A list blog!

2. Yesterday, on an excursion to Dallas, we decided to try a Drive-In that was voted Best of Dallas in one paper or another (does it really matter?). It was an older drive-in restaurant in a rather run down part of town,

But, they had the best burger, cheese sandwich, and malts that we have tasted in a long time. And, yes, I was able to shove that whole grilled cheese sandwich in my mouth.

3. A couple of days ago, I ranted about hating the electric hand dryers in public restrooms. I think I like them better than what we used in the “old days.” This is what that little diner expected me to use to dry my hands.

4. My “contact” page is not working properly! Ack! Over the last several days, I’ve had more than five people tell me they tried to write me, and I never got the e-mail. If you have been trying to contact me, I’ll risk all the spam I will soon get and tell you my e-mail address. You have to take out the “at” and “dot” and replace it with the appropriate symbols. shelly “dot” tucker “at” gmail “dot” com If anybody writes me a bunch of spam or porn, I’ll send my cousin Guido to take care of you.

5. You might have noticed the Gack Ink B.Y.O.B. bling on my sidebar (or not).

I got accepted into the Bring Your Own Blog “family.” It’s a network of bloggers who work together to toward providing quality writing. I’m anxious to see where it goes, and delighted to be a part of the group. You can visit Gack Ink to find some wonderful reads. Thank you , Gack Ink for allowing me to be a part of it.

6. We went shopping at vintage stores while we were in Dallas. When I first started blogging, that was all I could talk about. I’m addicted. I love old junk. Dolly Python is a store in Dallas that is one of my favorites. That’s where I got the “shoe” that became a spice rack, This statue is what walked out with me yesterday:

Well, she didn’t really “walk,” but she had to be mine. I love her.

7. I also adore this find from Again & Again, a shop of consignment furniture located at 5207 Bonita and Henderson in Dallas.

This poor mannequin has to wear a sarong, because someone desecrated her lower anatomy. She requires “surgery” before she can sit on the mantle unclothed. Does my house have weird stuff in it? Don’t answer.

8. MammaBlogga has a writing contest going on for July with a random drawing for a $30 gift certificate from Amazon.com. Hurry to enter with a post with a theme of “Thanks Mom.” Click the link to read more. I found out about it after reading a poignant post by Kymberly at My Education Junction.

9. I told y’all some time back that my son had come for a visit from San Francisco. We went to meet “Setch”, whose real name is Matt, at the airport and stood around people watching while we waited for his plane to arrive. There was a chauffeur waiting for his client, standing bored and restless in his black suit and tie. My husband tried to hide behind me and get a picture of the guy, but the shots didn’t turn out. The sign he held said, “F. Butts.” No one ever showed up to get the ride (or perhaps preferred to remain anonymous), though I shadowed the chauffeur, because I wanted to know what kind of person would be named that. Sounds like a name for a plumber doesn’t it? I decided I had to have a sign for my son, so we grabbed a sheet of paper I had in my purse, and wrote “Setch” in lipstick on it. He was not impressed.

10. I’m going to tell you parents of young children who are reading this to enjoy your young ones while you can! Not long ago, I held a tiny baby in my arms. Now, I’ve got a grown man. They grow up too quickly, folks.

11. We had an excellent visit, even though he had to spread his time out with his Dad’s family in Southlake, mine here in Denton, and his friends who are scattered over several different cities. My family came for a “reunion” at my house. For a week, my husband and I had worked ourselves to pieces cleaning, caring for the lawn, and hiding all the junk in an effort to fool my family into believing that I keep house all the time. We vacuumed cat hair, because my brother is allergic, and really had it looking good. Fifteen minutes after my grandnieces (ages 6 and 3) came in the door, no one would have believed it was clean in the first place. No one was looking anyway! So, I learned that there is not any point in doing that housecleaning before a family gathering. I’ll know better next time.

12. Before he left, my son and I were sitting on the porch chatting. We have very loud and annoying cicadas, and lots of birds chirping. He had told me that at his apartment, near Union Square in San Francisco, he heard lots of sirens (there is a fire station next door) and prostitutes on the street corners calling to the johns. Matt said, “I’m getting sick of the sounds of nature.” I answered, “What? This is the critters singing love songs. You’d rather hear the whores?” “It’s a different love song,” he said. “Oh, my son,” I told him, “that’s not about a love song at all!” Still, he was ready for vacation to be over, and he got to his home safely. I managed not to cry when I dropped him off at his Dad’s house the night before he left. At least I didn’t cry until after I had driven away. I know he’s happy in San Francisco, but darn that’s so far away!

13. Today, I scheduled two more Share A Square Days here in Texas. I’ll update the page on Friday with the information about it, but am still waiting on confirmation of a couple of things. We will be in Austin all day, so I probably won’t post when we get home. I have posted a few new things if you haven’t visited in a day or so. Click the icon below if you want to know.

If you managed to read this far, leave a comment and you will be magically linked on this post. Then go visit other Thursday Thirteen participants. Come back another day and “set a spell” on the porch with me.

Technorati Tags: Thursday Thirteen, Blogathon 2007, Gack Ink, writing contest, Share A Square Day, Thursday Thirteen

Sometimes it’s hard to see the good in the world around us. Every time we turn on the television or pick up a newspaper, we get bombarded by news of war, crimes, accidents, hate, and destruction. We look at our checkbooks and see that money goes out faster than we can put it back in. Drivers on the road act like idiots and conspire to make us late to our destination. We face the stresses of meeting the needs of spouses, bosses, children, parents and friends. There is too much to do and not enough time. It’s easy to throw up our hands and moan, “Woe is me!” Do y’all do that? I know that I do.

Several months back, I saw a post that Marcia had put up on her blog Tumbled Words. It was called Only The Good. She asked us to look at a photograph and only see the good in it, not the flaws. I discovered that Nancy J. Bond had created a website dedicated to finding Only The Good in photographs. Why?

“The purpose of this exercise is to get people to look at the world in a different way, to acknowledge–if only for the brief time they do this exercise–that there is good in everything and everyone…to briefly change shadow to light.”

To be honest, first I laughed. Yes, I did. But, I tried it. A few days later when there was a minor glitch in my world, I stopped before I threw my hands in the air and thought, “Wait. What’s good about this?” Friends, I was actually able to find something good about a bad situation. That de-fused my exasperation, and I was able to carry on with my activities.

Finding the good takes practice sometimes. Though this may seem silly to you, give it a try. I want you to look at the following two photographs and find Only The Good. It’s a difficult one, and I’m having a hard time with it.

I went out to sit on my back porch and glanced at the hummingbird feeder. I thought, “That dang thing is growing some kind of fungus—or is that a tarantula?” Then, I realized it was bees!

At least, I’m hoping that they are bees and not hornets! I wasn’t about to walk closer to look! But, I got out our Bushnell Spotting Telescope and tried to get a close-up. This is the best I could do:

As I was trying to get these pictures, one of my hummingbird friends tried to muscle his way in to get a drink and had to back away. He sat on a dead branch looking at me and we just shrugged at each other. What can you do?

The bees drank that dry; but they still come back to check it. So do my poor hummingbirds, but I’m afraid to fill it again. I’m going to have to talk to Morgen at The Wren’s Nest(who has all kinds of wonderful supplies for feeding our feathered friends) and see if he has any ideas of what to do so that my hummingbirds will quit guilt jerking me!

All I can see good here is some happy bees and an interesting phenomenon. So, help me out. What do you see that’s good? When you’ve told me in a comment, then I want you to go out into your own world and look for the good. If you decide to post a photograph to find only the good, got to Nancy’s blog and read what she has to say, then come back and tell me and I will link you here.

Here’s hoping your day is filled with only the good.

See other Only The Good Posts:
Tumbled Words
Inside Mo’s Mind
Only The Good

Technorati Tags: Only The Good, photographs, hummingbird feeder, bees

Have y’all ever had a leaky toilet? You know how first you hear that “drip—-drip—-drip?” But, you think it will stop, so you ignore it. After you flush the toilet a couple more times, instead of a drip you have a trickle, and that grows louder and louder and never stops. Y’all have had that happen, haven’t you?

I try not to rant too often on this blog, because I don’t want to be as annoying as that leaky toilet. Yet, I guess it’s time for a good rant. I opened up my e-mail on Sunday morning to discover I had been tagged twice to answer some questions. Both Nigel at FatBloke Thin and Jessica the Rock Chick at Life is RANTastic handed me “The Moaning Meme.” Why was I not surprised to find that this meme was started by Simon, The Freelance Cynic?

I love all these bloggers to pieces, yet right now I’d like to threaten them with a “tongue lashing.” They aren’t from Texas, though, so they’d think that sounded like something fun! It’s not. They know full well that I am busy. But, I guess they know I need to vent, too. In fact, I tried to vent yesterday, but couldn’t get an internet connection. I guess I need to thank y’all for the opportunity to cut loose. Usually, when a Texan says, “I tell you whut” they never really tell you; it’s just an exclamation. But, I mona tell you whut [Texan for "I'm going to tell you what."] Sit back from the monitor. This could curl your hair.

5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them.

1. SusieJ is on vacation at her lake house and has to drive to town to get WiFi. By the time she reads this, her computer will have used up its battery and she won’t be able to comment to fuss at me.
2. Vickie at Vixen’s Den. She can’t comment to me, because she uses the name “Vixen” and my spam filter thinks she is going to write porn. If I don’t like what she says, I don’t have to de-spam her comment.
3. Cathy, the ArkieMama has been battling mono and the travails of parenthood. This is just what she needs.
4. Sherry at Yellow Rose’s Garden is busily trying to get ready for a move to Texas. She doesn’t have enough to do.
5. Stacy at Entertaining Angels is much too nice to complain. Let your hair down, Stacy.

4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.
“Room 101″ is a Brit thang. It lost something in translation, but here’s what should be removed from the face of the earth.

1. Electric hand dryers in public restrooms. Now, what’s up with that? Half the time they don’t work, and if they do it takes five minutes to get your hands dry! I only use them to mask “the sound” if the bathroom has thin walls. I have a “bashful bladder.” [Is that too much information?] When public bathrooms don’t have paper towels, I just wipe my hands on my jeans. Frankly, I’m not sure there is much point in even washing your hands in some of those places. As soon as you touch the doorknob, you pick up all the germs left by the person before you who did not wash her hands.

2. Tamper proof medicine bottles. What idiot thought that was a good idea? Oh, I know the manufacturers are trying to keep some lunatic from poisoning us. The manufacturers are only doing that to save their own skin; they don’t care about us. When I need an Ibuprofen, I don’t want to have to search for thirty minutes to find where I put the pliers the last time I used them so that I can get the lid off the bottle; then search another ten minutes for the scissor to cut through the foil; and then get the tweezers to pull out the cotton ball. By the time I deal with all that frustration, I’m liable to keel over with an aneurysm! That’ll kill you just as dead as poison will!

3. Blue Tooth Cell Phone thingies. I’m sorry, but nobody needs to be that connected. I walked into the post office the other day and saw a man walking toward me talking. I thought he was talking to me, so I talked back. He looked at me like I was the idiot. I think they oughta give those things to the homeless folks who wander the streets talking to themselves. If those pitiful folks had an earpiece phone, it would look like they were having a real conversation, and they wouldn’t frighten small children. Or would they?

4. Commercials in movie theaters. Great Balls of Fire! A movie was a “cheap date” when I was a kid [and we walked to school 10 miles, and it was uphill both ways...]. These days, two people can’t enjoy a movie, two cokes and a large popcorn without taking out a bank loan. You settle in your seat to enjoy a movie and get blasted with ads for Viagra, cheap used cars, and sleazy lawyers who will “help you out” by starting another frivolous law suit. With the junk put out by Hollywood lately, that almost makes watching television sound good.

The above things may sound like “piddly” things to you, but for a menopausal woman, they are not!

3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently.

1. Speaking of “piddle,” don’t pee on the toilet seat! Clean up your own mess! I swan I never can get used to dealing with pee on the toilet. Men are notoriously awful about not hitting that target (even though it’s a foot and a half wide!). If they were shooting a gun, they wouldn’t expect anything less than a bullseye. I think all toilet seats should be engraved with the words, “Those with short hoses stand close.” If the truth is told, some women aren’t much more fastidious, they just have less chance of missing.

2. Have proper telephone etiquette! If I have taken time out of my schedule to meet you for lunch, don’t you dare answer that cell phone unless it’s your babysitter, your boss, or the Texas Lottery Commission! When you must talk to someone on your cell phone in a public place, use your “inside voice.” Nobody else is interested in hearing about Uncle Herbert’s hemorrhoids or Aunt Martha’s hysterectomy. Don’t use your cell phone as a flashlight in a movie theater. Don’t even have the dang thing turned on, or if you must have it on (because you are an important popular person)then put it on “vibrate” and stick it in your pocket. If it rings, it might give you a thrill. If you are behind the wheel of a vehicle, shut up and drive.

3. Don’t block my right turn lane! In Texas on the highways, we have a “right turn on red” at the traffic lights. In Britain, it may be “left turn on red.” Traffic backs up for miles sometimes, because some inconsiderate driver feels the need to stop in the middle of two lanes so that no one can pass them. That makes me so mad that I want to knock them into next week.

2 things you find yourself moaning about.

1. Menopause. I think it is a cruel joke that Mother Nature has played. I’m a fifty-three year old woman and I still get pimples…and now I have to pluck my mustache.

2. I don’t know if it’s a “woman thing” or a “Southern thing,” but I have a hard time asking for help when I need it and accepting help if it’s offered. For some reason, I think I have to be a big girl and take care of myself. Now if you need help, I’ll be quick to offer it, in fact I’ll ram it down your throat. I’m changing a little bit. This evening, I’ll be posting an update to Share A Square, and I’ll make myself ask for the help I need (the project is coming along nicely, but there are some things I’m going to ask). I hope some of you will be willing.

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.

I have become my mother. They said it would happen, I didn’t believe it, but it’s true!

Finally, these are the rules….

* Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
* Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
* Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
* Post these rules at the end of every meme!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Ahhh. That was cathartic. Technically, I was tagged twice, so I can tag five more people. Let me know if you want to get all up in this, and I’ll be happy to pass it to you. AND, watch out! Since I was tagged twice, I can complain twice.

Now, I’ve got to get back to work. Y’all check in after 5:00 p.m. Texas time, and I’ll have an update on the Share A Square Update page. Don’t even click that link, if it’s not 5 p.m.

Technorati Tags: The Moaning Meme, Share A Square