Wrapping paper litering the floor.......

My life has so many turns it's a wonder I don't have whiplash.

I thought we were going to have to take Mother to the hospital Christmas morning.

Her blood pressure dropped to 80/60. I was starting a chocolate pie(from

scratch), had the dressing in the oven, gravy, potatoes and cabbage on the

stove. I heard Mother calling me from her room. She was very weak and thought she was going to pass out. I called Crissie and Aaron to come help because I knew she would not go to the hospital without a fight. By the time Crissie and Aaron got out here she was feeling better and

didn't want to go to the ER. Crissie thinks it was because she tasted the

fudge she was making the night before. She was feeling well enough

to eat with us a couple of hours later. Never did get the pie made. We had

way too much food anyway. Crissie, Aaron, Emily, Makayla and a friend of Crissie's came out for dinner and presents.

I was suppose to leave on the 26th for Houston but decided to wait and see how Mother felt.

I got Mother into see the PA yesterday(the doctor wasn't in the office) and after hearing about the blood pressure dropping and asking a lot of questions she said the she didn't want to dismiss it even though there might not be a problem. She suggested "we" keep a close eye on her blood pressure, get some blood work done next week and have all the results in the file when Mother sees the doctor on the 9th. Then we both got flu shots. The PA said that the flu is a real problem in Houston. This is the first time I have taken a flu shot so I will probably get sick.

Needless to say, the trip to Houston is off.
With all of my mumbling and grumbling I realize how fortunate we are. Sitting at the dinner table were four generations. We had more than enough food. Actually, We could have fed 10 more people and still had leftovers. My father is 90 and my mother is 84. Both are in reasonably good health. I will be 60 in April and aside from needing to lose weight and chronic allergies, I'm doing well. I have wonderful children, terrific friends and .....I have dreams for the future.

With Age Comes.......

Okay, maybe it's not"with age" but just passing time and advanced technology. I no longer have to wrap coins or count out pennies to pay for things. No, I don't have more money than I did when I was younger. COIN STAR! A revolutionary concept. No more looks from the bank tellers when I bring in a bag of rolled coins. (they have to check every roll in case I try to slip in a Canadian dime) No more sighs from people behind me a the Inconvenience store while I count change for a gallon of gas. Now I can dump the box of change (that I have been saving for months) into the tray and the machine will find the Canadian dime and spit it out without comment. So, until I become wealthy or a machine is built that can mock me, I am content to use Coin Star! as my personal banker and friend.

Cold and Wet

I had hoped I would be able to get through the holiday season.... It comes as no surprise to me that there are more deaths, natural or otherwise, at this time of the year than any other. So it seems that"'tis the season" takes on a whole new meaning. I, like many, reflect on the past year. For me, that usually leads to guilt trip through previous years. Not a pretty sight. I have trouble finding a reason to do anything and yet I continue to go through the motions; not knowing why and not able to stop. And so it shall go until......

LESSONS LEARNED

You know there are some things that you must experience in order to learn a lesson. While trying to seal the windows in the kitchen to keep out the cold, my son knocked a few things off of a shelf. What we learned is that a can of Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr Pepper dropped from a height of 4.5 feet will rupture and spew more than twice the distance from which it was dropped. It might have been more but the ceiling in the kitchen is 10 feet. You may try this at home but I don't recommend it.

Thought for the day

Thought for the day

Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or hump it.
Piss on it and walk away.

Recovering from Turkey Coma

The leftovers of the Turkey Day feast are gone except for that which I carry with me. I am nothing if not a conglomeration of all family get-together's. Food is my drug of choice and it is never as evident as when we try to re-enact what we see on television. After a few years I should have recognized that the advertisement would never take place in my home. When living out of state I referred to these pilgrimages as The Great Texas Guilt Trip. Now I live in the middle of it. My mother has replaced my grandmother as the one to try to please but the result is the same.
Maybe I can find another piece of Pecan Pie and lapse into a sugar coma that will sustain me through Christmas.

To Teach or Not to Teach; is there another option?

For the first time in several years I am not attending college. I thought I would be able to get my finances in order by substitute teaching in my spare time. I attended the orientation, filled out the paperwork and ....... That was several weeks ago and I haven't gotten my first job. I understand that if I were in another town I could work almost every day. That's what I was told about subbing here. I suppose I am at that awkward age; too old to be employable and too young to draw social insecurity.

October 26th

I knew when we started singing at the nursing home that sooner or later the residents would die. Knowing that and living that are very different. Mother and I attended a funeral yesterday for a true character. She was 91 and still loved to go fishing. She generally knew all of the "gossip"; meaning that she kept up with the health concerns of people in town as well as the residents. She had no children of her own but enjoyed my granddaughters on our weekly visits. I missed her today when we went to sing.
Tomorrow we will attend another funeral. Ivy didn't automatically join us when we first started to come to sing. I didn't realize it at the time but she was very shy. Her eyes had dimmed with cataracts. Slowly she came around and was usually waiting for us in the dining room when we arrived. If the girls weren't with us she wanted to know why. One day I told her that Emily had an earache. She asked if she could pray for her. When she finished her prayer she told me that she didn't pray for just anybody. It became our habit that when we sang IN THE GARDEN I would walk over to Ivy's wheelchair and hold her hand. Her hands were soft in stark contrast to mine. I have spent too many years not wearing gloves whether I was working with tools, chemicals or detergents but she didn't complain when she held my hand to her cheek.
I wonder if any of the people know how much they give me?

Thanks Microsoft!

I have not been able to post for several weeks. Part of it was because of the show in Wichita Falls but the rest is because of INTERNET EXPLORER 7. Have you "upgraded" yet? I would not have because I normally use Foxfire as my default browser. I use Incredimail to keep up with my email since I have more than one email account and I can use a preview window. I don't remember what I was doing ( MSN IM? )but as I was logging in a window appeared saying the if I wanted to continue I had to upgrade to Windows Live. After the UPgrade I was unable to access anything that required me to login. I couldn't get my Hotmail from any browser including Incredmail. I couldn't login to any of my accounts like eBay, Google, Yahoo Groups. The worst thing was that I couldn't check the substitute teacher website for work. After 2 weeks of scans, Live Q&A and DIY help websites I am able to get my mail, check for work and do most of the things I normally do. It's not 100%. I am still told that I am "unauthorized" to get my hotmail through Incredimail. I seems that all of the problems stem from a connectivity problem with IE 7. HMMMMMM......Live Q&A doesn't have any answers. For now, I am connected and back on the internet.

Day 247

This morning there was a link to a site on one of my email subscriptions for the World Clock. http://www.peterrussell.dreamhosters.com/Odds/WorldClock.php Among other things I found out that it was day 247. That may not mean much to most but for me it was startling. It means that this year is over 2/3's of the way to the end. It also means that I am running out of time to do all of the things I had planned. You may find this to be a reoccurring theme.

Yesterday I went to the college where I spent the last 4 years. I think I would have gone to school forever if I had been able. This was a place of relative safely where I could experiment, learn and grow as an artist and a person. I had created a comfort zone in the Fine Arts building; a place where I was able to work with the students. It was a place where I could teach and be taught. I walked through the building and visited the new addition. The Metals and Jewelry lab is wonderful. After watching the "work in progress" for a year and a half it was a little sad that I am not there to use the space or the new equipment. The ceramic lab and kiln yard are wonderful. For the first time ever there will be enough space to store supplies in all of the new rooms. The drawing room has real drawing benches . There are adjustable stools in the painting lab. The whole area is clean and new. And the bathrooms.....they are beautiful.

On another level, my choir director at the college, Ruby Moultrie, sang the National Anthem at the US Tennis Open last week. I wish I had known. I would have actually watched some of it. I have been looking on the Internet for a clip of it but haven't found anything so far. She has an amazing voice.

How Hot Is It?

I made an error yesterday. Not my first and certainly not my last. I went into town to work in the yard at the little house. Since no one is there and we have had so much rain the weeds had taken over. I thought when I checked the Weather Bug that the high was suppose to be 85 degrees. That's workable out here because of the low humidity. Well, I was wrong! Instead of 85 it was over 100 and humid. After a couple of hours I was wasted and had to come home.

It's August 20th, in case you didn't know. That means that summer is almost over and I haven't accomplished any of the things I had planned. My room is still a mess, my workspace isn't organized, the living room floors haven't been refinished and I can't find anything. It goes back to my organizational skills.

What time is it?

Well, it's 2:34 a.m. and I'm still trying to get some work done. My organizational skills leave a lot to be desired. I decided years ago that I was given a limited amount and I used them up when I was raising the kids. Now I can't find anything. The constant treasure hunt is really stressful which doesn't help matters. I have a show in September and I would like to have so much stock that there isn't enough space in my booth.
Maybe I should try to get some sleep.

To Amarillo....

We went to Amarillo on Saturday. There was a Pottery exhibit at the Art Museum and Amarillo Lights at the Sunset Mall. We were waiting on the steps when the man came to open the museum. He said it was a first for him; having people waiting to get inside. That's rather sad when you think abut it. The museum is located on the campus of Amarillo college. Aside from having a nice space they have some interesting art work.
I always like to see the photographs that were taken during the depression by Arthur Rothstein, Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee. These photographs recorded the heartbreak as well as the strength of the people who lived through the Great Depression. I have often marveled at their ingenuity. I'm don't think I would be able to cope as well. We, as a generation, have not needed to know how to grow or preserve food. Most of us don't really cook on a regular basis. How well could I handle using a hand pump to get water and cooking over a wood fire? I don't know and I hope I never have to find out. The closest thing I have done to real cooking was to go out a pick a bunch of Black-Eyed Peas. Mother shelled them and I cooked them.
A far cry from being self-reliant......
more about Amarillo later

Another Week.....

Another week begins and I don't seem to be able to get things together. Yea, I realize that it is 1:00 Sunday morning and I should be asleep but this is the time I can get a decent,.no, fair..no. Okay, I am stuck with a dial up connection that ranges in speed from 4.6 kbps to 31.9kbps. That is when I can get a connection at all. This is one of the really big downside to living in the country. I am too far out for DSL through the telephone company that services the area. I went online when I had one of the "good" speeds and tried other IPS's. Earthlink's site said they were always adding new areas and suggested I get on the waiting list. I tried but it wouldn't accept my email address.
Well, I just lost the connection again. I will see if I can reconnect and publish thies. Then I'm going to bed. Thanks Windstream.

A Great Loss....

A dear Friend died Monday morning. We had been friends for over 15 years. From our first meeting there was a kinship. She called me "Sis" and we were able to finish each other's sentences. Rosalee had a laugh that was contagious and people were drawn to her. I became a default family member and what a wonderful family. Bob and Rosalee had four sons by birth and the house was always busy with them and their friends. For Rosalee, three of the most important things in her life were faith, family and friends.
There is no doubt in my mind that Rosalee touched thousands of lives. Many were in the elementary school where she taught for many years. She also taught pottery classes on Tuesdays. When we went to Indian Pow Wows Rosalee usually had some clay with her and a group of children would be gathered around her learning to make pinch pots.
This little lady, who was just right of five feet tall, seemed fearless. I can't ever remember hearing her say that something couldn't be done. She was ready to tackle almost any project, including building her own studio and kick wheel to smoke tanning deer hide. It was with this attitude and courage that she faced her cancer. After the doctors had done everything they could and a cure was not found, God said "I can make her whole again"
Rosalee will dance to the sound of the drum that is the heartbeat of our Mother Earth. The laughter of "Gentle Wind" will be on every breeze. Her memory will be in my heart and the heart of those who love her.

You Must Have Art

I am very excited about the plans we have made for tomorrow. It will be a day dedicated to museums. First will be the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston. Then to the Health Museum and finally, the Childrens Museum. Since there are no special exhibitions at the MFAH I will be staying with the group. I must admit that the Impressionist exhibit from the Met. filled my soul. I will take a aketch book with me but with 3 girls I don't think I will be stopping anywhere for long.
A friend sent a link about an artist in Utah who paints portrairs of fallen soldiers for the familes who have given up sons, daughters,fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters so that we might be free. What an amazing talent and wonderful gift.

http://shock.military.com/Shock/videos.do?displayContent=141477&ESRC=army.nl

We will be leaving here Friday morning after 10 wonderful days. Everyone has had a great time and we appreciate the hospitality. I have survived the humidity that comes with Houston in July. It's like trying to breathe under water. I did not get to do any art supply shopping but I will survive. A new Jerry's Artarama opened here but it's about an hour and a half away. It's funny that I don't think much about driving an hour one way to eat dinner in West Texas but think twice about it here.

Day Eight

We have been in Houston for 8 days now. Yesterday we washed and folded a mountain of laundry. The girls added another load by going in and out of the pool several times. Each trip into the water meant another towel and different clothes. They were so tired last night that Emily ASKED for her allergy medicine so she could go to bed.
We went to Lake Charles Sunday and didn't have car trouble so that was a major plus. I enjoyed seeing the kids that have been a part of my life for so many years. Gwynyth, Makayla and Emily got to see their cousins and had a good time. Unfortunately, there has never been a Watson gathering that hasn't ended with hurt feelings. Those who should be closest to us have the power to hurt us the most. Shana was the one hurt by narrow closed minds and stupidity. As so often happens, one has the right to their own opinion as long as it aligns with everyone else.
And speaking of......I just got off the phone with my sister and breathed wrong. I know it's something I do. I will be going along, minding my own business and realize that I am not taking full breaths.....so I do; take a deep breath. I don't mean anything by it. Since that phone call I have noticed that I took a full breath in the car,on the stairs, in the grocery store and no one called me on it or accused me of having a hidden meaning behind it.
(Deep Breath)

Saturday

I am still in Houston and we are staying very busy. Last night it was the Harry Potter Party (say that 5 times) at Borders bookstore. I tried to lurk in the background and hoped that no one would ask me anything since I haven't read any of the books or seen any of the movies. I did manage to find 3 wonderful art books. The girls had fun playing games but it was really late when we got home.
Today we went to see Spiderman 3. After the movie and snacks Shana took the girls to the pool. This is the first day that it hasn't rained since we have been here. Not that a little rain has slowed us down. They must have stayed at the pool 2 hours. It was after 7 when they came in so it was time to eat and take a bath. It seems that so much water really makes kids hungry so they had to eat again before they went to bed.
Tomorrow we are going to Lake Charles so I had better try to get some sleep.

Raining

It has rained every day since we arrived in Houston. Not a heavy rain and not the entire day but enough that we have adjusted our plans. Yesterday an afternoon in the park turned into a trip to the Galleria. We adapt quickly.
The rain started today before we left the house. I has given us a chance to regroup ( laundry) and do something different. We turned off the lights, (it's not dark) Shana lit candles and we took turns making up stories. One person starts the story and passes it to the next. Each adds their twist as it goes around the room. Gwynyth can really add characters. Makayla is good at deciding when it's time to end it. It took Emily a couple of rounds to become confident enough to join.
Having the cousins together is interesting.

Houston

Okay, I know I am not beign as faithful in writing as I should. My granddaughter and I have been in Houston visiting my daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law. We have been here since Monday and haven't stopped since we got here. I am hoping that we will have a chance to to stay home tomorrow but there is so much to see and do.
Maybe I will write more later

HISPANIC LEADERS SPEAK OUT!

Will the last American to leave California please bring the flag???

HISPANIC LEADERS SPEAK OUT!


"They're afraid we're going to take over
the governmental institutions and other
institutions. They're right. We will take them over
. . . We are here to stay." Richard Alatorre, Los
Angeles City Council.


"The American Southwest seems to be slowly
returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without
firing a single shot." Excelsior, the national
newspaper of Mexico:

"We have an aging white America. They are
not making babies. They are dying The explosion is
in our population . .. I love it. They are shitting
in their pants with fear. I love it." Professor Jose
Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas

"Remember 187--proposition to deny taxpayer
funds for services to non-citizens--was the last
gasp of white America in California." Art Torres,
Chairman of the California Democratic Party,

"We are politicizing every single one of
these new citizens that are becoming citizens of
this country . . . I gotta tell you that a lot of
people are saying, "I'm going to go out there and
vote because I want to pay them back." G loria
Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor,

"California is going to be a Hispanic
state. Anyone who doesn't like it should leave."
Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic
Organizations and California State Secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry
Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by President Bill Clinton


"We are practicing 'La Reconquista' in
California." Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul
General ,


"We need to avoid a white backlash by using
codes understood by Latinos . . . " Professor
Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University


Are these just the words of a few
extremists? Consider that we could fill up many
pages with such quotes. Also, consider that these
are mainstream Mexican leaders.


THE U.S. VS MEXICO: On February 15, 1998,
the U.S. and Mexican soccer teams met at the Los
Angeles Coliseum. The crowd was overwhelmingly
pro-Mexican even though most lived in this country.
They booed during the National Anthem and U.S. flags
were held upside down. As the match progressed,
supporters of the U.S. team were insulted, pelted
with projectiles, punched and spat upon. Beer and
trash were thrown at the U.S. players before and
after the match. The coach of the U.S. team, Steve
Sampson said, "This was the most painful experience
I have ever had in this profession."


Did you know that immigrants from Mexico
and other non-European countries can come to this
country and get preferences in jobs, education, and
government contracts?

Corporate America has signed on to the idea
that minorities and third world immigrants should
get special, privileged status. Some examples are
Exxon,Texaco, Merrill Lynch, Boeing, Paine Weber,
Starbucks and many more.


DID YOU KNOW?: Did you know that Mexico
regularly intercedes on the side of the defense in
criminal cases involving Mexican nationals? Did you
know that Mexico has NEVER extradited a Mexican
national accused of murder in the U.S. in spite of
agr eements to do so? According to the L.A. Times,
Orange County, California is home to 275 gangs with
17,000 members; 98% of which are Mexican and Asian.
How's your county doing?


Is education important to you? Here are the
words of a teacher who spent over 20 years in the
Los Angeles School system. "Imagine teachers in
classes containing 30-40 students of widely varying
attention spans and motivation, many of whom aren't
fluent in English. Educators seek learning materials
likely to reach the majority of students and that
means fewer words and math problems and more
pictures and multicultural references."



WHEN I WAS YOUNG: When I was young, I
remember hearing about the immigrants that came
through Ellis Island. They wanted to l earn English.
They wanted to breath free. They wanted to become
Americans. Now too many immigrants come here with
demands. They demand to be taught in their own
language. They demand special
privileges--affirmative action. They demand ethnic
studies that glorify their culture.


HOW CAN YOU HELP?: Send copies of this
letter to at least two other people, 100 would be
even better. Help us get the word out.

P.S. from Bobbie:
I believe the word is out. In fact the word was out years

ago and we did nothing. If we look at the history of this land we will

realize that in the beginning the original occupants did very little to

stop the flow of imigrants thinking that they would go away. It didn't work

then and it's not working now. For more informaion read "American Indians in

U.S. History" by Roger L. Nichols. Often at Indian PowWows I have seen

T-shirts and bumper stickers refering to the poor immigration policy of the

Indians in 1492. Is history doomed to repeat itself?

Do you remember hearing about LULAC? It stands for "League of United

Latin American Citizens" and it's purpose is "To advance the economic

condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil

rights of the Hispanic population of the United States. " Notice that there

is nothing said about United States citizens. Oh yeah, did you know that

LULAC was founded in 1929?

The question is, What are we going to do about it?

Bobbie Horn

1938 FM 403

H C 3 Box 60

Brownfield, Tx 79316

My Website www.ofearthandfire.com

My Blog www.westexaswinds.blogspot.com

.......so this begins another chapter

It has been 2 weeks since I have written. When I began this blog it was to be a type of journal for me; a way to chronicle and view my life. I have not been as faithful as I had hoped. Life has a way of happening.
Two years ago, my friend Tom moved from Austin to Lubbock so that he would me closer to his parents who lived in Brownfield. His father had been diagnosed with leukemia 4 years ago. He had rebounded several times from "this may be it" scares. The past few months, however, had brought complications that wore him out. His kidneys began to fail. Dialysis took a tremendous toll on his health. More than one session ended in the emergency room. I saw Tommy on Friday when I went to the house to pick up Tom. Tom had driven his father's car home and asked if I would take him back to Lubbock. As we were leaving I heard Tommy ask Bobbie where we were going. I am guessing that he was going to give Tom money to take me out to eat. On Sunday, after taking communion, visiting with friends and thanking Bobbie their for 64 years together, Tommy fell asleep. Tommy will be missed but his legacy and memory will remain.

Wine and Clay

Okay the title of this post may be a bit misleading.... Lat wekend I participated in the Llano Estacado Wine and Clay Festival. As a member of the Llano Estacado Clay Guild I was able to exhibit my work. Since I'm a beginner with working clay I showed my jewelry.. I say I 'showed' my jewelry since there wasn't much selling. I know there must be something I am doing wrong. I did make expenses but I need to be able to support my passion and that didn't happen. This seems to be a common problem each time I do a show.

The truly great thing about this show is that it is held on the grounds of the Llano Estacado Winery. The winery provided tickets for the artists to use for food and/or wine. I had one glass Saturday and two on Sunday. If the show had lasted longer.....I had a dozen tickets left over.

I suppose this summer is a turning point for me. The grants a scholarship that I had counted on to go to school in the fall didn't come through so I am going to change directions.

"Hi, welcome to WalMart"

Ah, Summer!

After a strangely cold and rainy start it looks like we are getting a glimpse of summer. The past few days have been in the 80's so I replaced the pump in the air conditioner. (In dry areas evaporative or "swamp" coolers are ofter used.) Now, according to the Weatherbug, it will be cool(high of 72 degrees and damp) That is very unusual for this part of the country. The farmers are actually complaining about having too much rain! Needless to say, the weeds are taking over and I can't get the mower to start. The last time it took to repairman a year and a half to get here.
So much to do, so little motivation. Knowledge of small engine repair would help.

It's Over!

It's official. I have gotten through another semester of college. I say that like it was really bad and I'm glad to be through but I have mixed emotions about the end of the semester. I am tired and there are so many things that need my attention here but I am really going to miss the structure and friends. While I am at school I can work without worrying about the weeds in the yard or laundry. It's my time to do what I love. I have asked other artist how they make time for their work. One said she writes it down. I think I may need to work on that.

Last night I went out with Jerry and Tom (to be referred to as "the guys") for dinner and then to Slaton for several Tech student's art shows. The main reason we were there was to see the work of Joel Kiser, the boyfriend of a friend from South Plains. Lacey and I were the ones who stayed at the school late and taught ourselves the throw pottery on a wheel. Joel has accepted a position in the grad program at TCU and Lacey will be going to TWU in the Fall. Anyway, Joel's work was great. He draws, paints and does sculpture. There was some very impressive work. At another building there was pottery that was good.

On the other hand.....I hope some of those students have other career options.

I can't believe it's May.

I started this blog with the idea of using it as a journal; a cheap, impersonal sounding board for the ebb and flow of daily life. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I have not had the time or energy to keep up with this. As I have posted on my emails "In life's Sea of Insanity I'm treading water"

After May 10th I will have put another semester of college behind me. Okay, maybe not. I still have unfinished business and I am hoping that I will me able to continue things in the Fall.

What the.......

Okay, the official beginning of Spring was two weeks ago. Last week we had a high temperature of 88 degrees. Last night we had snow and we have reached high temperature today of 26 degrees. I don't even want to know what's next and yet I am drawn to the Weatherbug on my computer. Every time I hear the chirping I click of the bug to see what is going on. Surprise, surprise; a winter weather advisory. Tomorrow little girls will want to wear their new dresses and sandals and eggs will be hidden in the snow.
And for the next twist; Monday we will see a high of 75 degrees. Remind me why I am living here.....

Is is really April????

I almost died this morning. I say that rather flippantly but it was real. I live in West Texas; a rather flat area where lights from homes or vehicles can be seen for miles when you are in the country. There are very few trees blocking the view and the stars are magnificent. I live in the country. away from the street lights on a two lane farm to market road. The nearest town is about 5 miles away and has a population of around nine thousand people.
This morning(as usual) I left at 6:30. With daylight savings time it is still very dark outside. Our little two lane road has a 70 MPH speed limit. There is no shoulder on this road; a stretch of asphalt that sees more tractors than BMW's. For the most part the road is flat but there is one small area where there is a depression. It is a "no passing zone" complete with a double yellow stripe. This morning there were two trucks on the road; one in his lane and one in mine. I watched as this lunatic drove his white Ford crew cab truck into a field and wondered if he was going to need to clean out his seat. I also wondered why I didn't have more of a reaction.

Another week comes to an end....

This has been a busy week at school. Actually, they are all busy but since a couple of other students and myself decided to teach ourselves to throw pots on a wheel....Let's just say that it's time consuming, energy depleting and totally addictive. Tuesday I didn't leave until after 10:00 and tonight it was just after 9:00 . I was thrilled with the first thing I did on the wheel. I hesitate to call it a pot although it did have a nice shape before it slumped. The walls were too thick and I used too much water. Now I mess up two thirds of the pieces I try to throw and throw that clay back in the bucket. Clay is reusable.
I will be doing a small exhibit next week. I don't expect any sales, although it would be nice. This will be more of a meet and greet. It will be a chance for my work to be seen and who knows.....

March is almost over

It's hard to believe that March is almost over. Before I know it another semester will be gone and I will have some decisions to make. Being in school has given me a much needed social life. I have had the freedom thanks to understanding instructors to leave for emergencies or family matters. They know I will get my work done and then some. Amazingly enough, I love going to school. The problem is that I am out of grant money. I have 3 small scholarships and possibly, a work/study position for next Fall. I should be able to get another scholarship through the theater department since the director has asked me to design the sets for one of Shakespeare's plays in the Fall. I am very excited about the opportunity to design the sets. How often does that come along?
However......
Some of my family are ready for me to graduate and get a "real" job. In Brownfield that means WalMart, United Markets or the lunch room at one of the schools...........(Fill in the blank*)

After Spring Break

I spent Spring Break in Houston with my older daughter, Shana and her family. Since Crissie(she lives here) is going through a divorce and had to work I took her 2 girls with me. We didn't stop for 6 days. It was shopping and museums the whole time. Shana took the 3 cousins to the children's museum while I spent several hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. The highlight was an exhibition from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. It was 184 works of Impressionist Artists from 1800 to 1920. Amazing! I came back to school with a renewed enthusiasm.

I am back in classes and don't know when to go home. The time change hasn't helped anything. Tuesday another student and I stayed to throw some pottery on the wheel. Since this isn't part of the class and we don't know what we are doing we wait until most of the students have left. The sun was still up so we didn't realize how late it was. I started home around 9:00. I am hoping that in the expansion of the Fine Arts building they have included a room for me. I have checked the blueprints several times......

My Father

This afternoon as our father was having more tests run my sister arrived. It was time for me to go home as she took over. She will be taking Daddy back to NW Arkansas where an appointment has been made for him to see a series of specialists.
Daddy and I had a good time as he was getting his strength back. We made little "trips" to the library, the bank and Dairy Queen. We stopped at the church to see if one of the members was there to find that the women had just finished their meeting so several went to the car to see him. It took 2 trips to see him land. As we were going to the Silo Farm the cell phone rang Mike and Anita were at the house and we were not. We went back to visit with them.
And so less than 3 hours after my sister's arrival I found myself packed and on my way home. I'm glad we got to spend the past couple of days together. We talked about things important and not so important. We said "I love you" many times, perhaps to make up for the years it it hadn't been said. I left with the feeling that I wouldn't see my father alive again.

Tuesday

Tuesday and Thursday are usually my busy days but today was a real doozy. It's been .....well, I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out. I will be going to Coleman to see about my father. He has been having some problems which came to a head today when he fell. He has some stitches on a cut on his head and is in the hospital. I have a meeting with his doctor tomorrow afternoon.
I'm not ready for this.

and so it begins...

March has indeed "come in like a lion". February actually ended with several gusts of wind...and blowing sand,...Well, it is West Texas. Tumbleweeds driven by the wind have stacked up against fences until some collapse. It's different living in a place where the first sign of Spring is a 65 MPH wind pushing tumbleweeds, ripping shingles off of roofs and driving sand into everything. This is not a time to wear lip gloss.