While wondering about what I was going write about this week it got me to thinking about Labor Day and the all of the traffic on the roads. It is a common comment that farmers and women are bad drivers. When a farmer/rancher travels they are interested in the crops and livestock along the highways so they might weave a little or if they are really curious they will pull over and look at whatever it was that caught their eye. It does not make them bad drivers it just makes them aware of their surroundings.
Women are not necessarily bad drivers we just think about other things- we are thinking about what we will do when we get to our destination. That does not make us unsafe- just organized.
Living in a small community we know our neighbors vehicles and we each other enough to know that even though we do not always use our blinkers- we know that the other person is turning to go home or into their pasture. We never honk unless there is something on fire or something is wrong with your vehicle (like maybe you forgot to untie rover from the bumper) or we honk passing by to say a friendly hello- If you honk at us trying to correct us while on the road we are libel to run into something or we will hit the brakes and if you are following too close you will rear-end us. One of my huge pet-peeves are honkers- those people who think that they need to correct something I have done- what it does is - it makes me do something else even worse. Now this does this mean that I do not make some really big mistakes? Of course I do, but someone blowing their horn at me just makes me angry and causes me to have some really ugly thoughts- it does not make me a better driver just an angry driver- then there is road rage, I truly believe honkers are the source of all road rage.
I am certainly not a world traveler but have you noticed what people do while they are driving? While on the road I have met people who are putting on make-up, reading not only maps but books, some even work on the their upper body dance moves or they are using this time to do their upper body exercises. Now that everyone has cell phones I honestly believe that over 80% of drivers that you meet on the roads are talking on a cell phone. Have you ever tried to dial a phone while driving? Some even text while driving. That is why the lawmakers are wanting to make it illegal to use a cell phone while driving.
I recently heard a story that I will share with you - it is about a man, who we will call George, was going to work in the city that must travel on the interstate to get to work. Here it goes-
One morning while on the interstate, George looked over to his left and there was a woman in a brand new Cadillac, doing 65 mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner. He looked away for a couple seconds! And when he looked back she was halfway over in his lane, still working on that makeup. As a macho man, he does not scare easily. But she scared him so much; He dropped his electric shaver, which knocked the donut out of his other hand. In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car, using his knees against the steering wheel, it knocked his cell phone away from his ear which fell into the coffee between his legs, splashed, and burned him, ruined the darned phone, soaked his trousers, and disconnected an important call.
Whether this is true or not I thought it was entertaining but after hearing this story I want you to be careful, please, when you are traveling-- you never know who you are going to meet out there on those roads.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug.21, 2007
There are two kinds of people in this world - those who sell and those who buy. I think that I must be a buyer as I am not a very good seller. My salesmanship leaves something to be desired. I am so glad that I do not have to find a buyer for my calves in the fall- I would probably end up giving them away. It seems that whenever livestock is in my corral it is not worth too much- but you take that very same animal and put it in someone else’s corral it automatically gains in value. I do not understand why. I am just not real comfortable in the selling field. I have learned this lesson in selling the pups. I want to find good homes for the little boogers. That is the most important thing to me. Jim has a little different outlook which is good, I think.
There are some who absolutely thrive on promoting a product. I have found this out while looking on the internet at others who are selling their animals. I could not believe my eyes when I found a site on designer dogs. You might be thinking, what is a designer dog? Well, I am glad you asked, a designer dog is a mutt. I thought to myself that whoever came up with that idea is a true salesman. When you have a dog and your neighbor has a dog and they have pups together- instead of wondering how you will get rid of the offspring- you decided how you are going to market them.
Labra-oodles were the first designer dog that I had heard of- They are a cross of Labrador Retriever and a Poodle - the advantage is that the offspring is suppose be hypo-allergenic the only thing is that they are not hypo-allergenic until the second generation, or at least, that is what I have been told. They are crossing almost everything with a Poodles- Cocker Spaniels- Yorkshire Terriers- Pomeranians- Pekinese - everything. They cross the bird dogs up with the coon hounds and the shepherds the up with the heelers and the Rottweilers with Labs. I know the argument is that when these are crossed up you get the best of both breeds, however it does not always work out that way. One of the strangest crosses that I heard of was a Red Heeler and a Greyhound, which just sounds awful to me. I bet it can outrun a calf and it will heel the coyotes. But the clincher that just kills me is that these mongrels are selling them for more than the purebreds. Now don’t get me wrong some of the smartest dogs that I have had were mutts and I could not have loved them anymore. But that is my luck- I bought a diesel truck since I thought that it would be cheaper to run- then the diesel prices went up over the gasoline prices - Now I have purebred puppies and I could have sold them for more and faster if they were designer dogs aka mutts. Sometimes it just does not pay to get up in the morning.
There are some who absolutely thrive on promoting a product. I have found this out while looking on the internet at others who are selling their animals. I could not believe my eyes when I found a site on designer dogs. You might be thinking, what is a designer dog? Well, I am glad you asked, a designer dog is a mutt. I thought to myself that whoever came up with that idea is a true salesman. When you have a dog and your neighbor has a dog and they have pups together- instead of wondering how you will get rid of the offspring- you decided how you are going to market them.
Labra-oodles were the first designer dog that I had heard of- They are a cross of Labrador Retriever and a Poodle - the advantage is that the offspring is suppose be hypo-allergenic the only thing is that they are not hypo-allergenic until the second generation, or at least, that is what I have been told. They are crossing almost everything with a Poodles- Cocker Spaniels- Yorkshire Terriers- Pomeranians- Pekinese - everything. They cross the bird dogs up with the coon hounds and the shepherds the up with the heelers and the Rottweilers with Labs. I know the argument is that when these are crossed up you get the best of both breeds, however it does not always work out that way. One of the strangest crosses that I heard of was a Red Heeler and a Greyhound, which just sounds awful to me. I bet it can outrun a calf and it will heel the coyotes. But the clincher that just kills me is that these mongrels are selling them for more than the purebreds. Now don’t get me wrong some of the smartest dogs that I have had were mutts and I could not have loved them anymore. But that is my luck- I bought a diesel truck since I thought that it would be cheaper to run- then the diesel prices went up over the gasoline prices - Now I have purebred puppies and I could have sold them for more and faster if they were designer dogs aka mutts. Sometimes it just does not pay to get up in the morning.
Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug. 14, 2007
Mom and I made it back home It is great to go to visit- I love Ruidoso it is cool in the summer and there are very few bugs, the shopping is fun and I have heard that there are a few horse races going on as well- Oh- yeah and my sister and brother-in-law and her family are there, too. No, really it is so much fun to be with the Wideners.
Mom and I made a huge circle. We left home Thursday and went to Pueblo to deliver a pup. We stopped at a farmers market and bought a box of peaches. We do not think that you can find a better peach than in Colorado. The new owner of the pup seemed to be happy- so then we traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico. We spent the night and made it to Ruidoso early the next day.
Friday, Casey, Vickie’s second daughter, bought 2 tickets to the Fur Ball. She asked me to attend the function with her. It is a fund raiser for the humane society. It was a lot of fun and the food was wonderful. There was a silent auction and a regular auction. It was little different than the auctions that I normally attend. There were no bargains for example a gold necklace went for $1,300.00 and a painting went for $6,500.00. They were trying to raise money for a spay and neuter clinic.
On Saturday 6 of us girls got all dressed up and went to the Vickie Lawrence Show. It was called a two woman show- Vickie and Momma- She was entertaining and funny and a little bit naughty.
Mom and I were talking about how beautiful the scenery was. The corn fields were tall and the Milo fields were heading out- the wheat ground had been tilled and getting ready to be replanted. There were the onion fields that had been just picked and you could smell them as you passed by them. There were workers out in the fields picking vegetables. They looked really hot- I mean, sweaty and miserable not ooooh-la-la.
Ruidoso has had more rain than normal so things looked better than it has in the past few years. The fire hazard was low, which is good for them, at this time of year.
We left for home on Tuesday morning after thoroughly enjoying the Wideners - so we made a circle of over 1,500 miles and we were glad to see the ‘Welcome to Kansas’ road sign and even happier to see the Coldwater City limits.
So I think that the saying is right, “there’s no place like home.”
Mom and I made a huge circle. We left home Thursday and went to Pueblo to deliver a pup. We stopped at a farmers market and bought a box of peaches. We do not think that you can find a better peach than in Colorado. The new owner of the pup seemed to be happy- so then we traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico. We spent the night and made it to Ruidoso early the next day.
Friday, Casey, Vickie’s second daughter, bought 2 tickets to the Fur Ball. She asked me to attend the function with her. It is a fund raiser for the humane society. It was a lot of fun and the food was wonderful. There was a silent auction and a regular auction. It was little different than the auctions that I normally attend. There were no bargains for example a gold necklace went for $1,300.00 and a painting went for $6,500.00. They were trying to raise money for a spay and neuter clinic.
On Saturday 6 of us girls got all dressed up and went to the Vickie Lawrence Show. It was called a two woman show- Vickie and Momma- She was entertaining and funny and a little bit naughty.
Mom and I were talking about how beautiful the scenery was. The corn fields were tall and the Milo fields were heading out- the wheat ground had been tilled and getting ready to be replanted. There were the onion fields that had been just picked and you could smell them as you passed by them. There were workers out in the fields picking vegetables. They looked really hot- I mean, sweaty and miserable not ooooh-la-la.
Ruidoso has had more rain than normal so things looked better than it has in the past few years. The fire hazard was low, which is good for them, at this time of year.
We left for home on Tuesday morning after thoroughly enjoying the Wideners - so we made a circle of over 1,500 miles and we were glad to see the ‘Welcome to Kansas’ road sign and even happier to see the Coldwater City limits.
So I think that the saying is right, “there’s no place like home.”
Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug. 7, 2007
Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug. 7, 2007
While growing up in the country our television viewing was limited. We only received one station and on a very clear and still day we might have been able to view two stations and the regular one came clear- as- a -bell. Of course, we only had black and white. We did not get color TV until I was in Jr. High or High School. I have always liked TV even when it was hard to make out the features of the people as the screen was snowy. I can remember when I found out that Matt Dillon’s horse was a buckskin horse. Since I had only seen Gunsmoke in black and white I thought his horse was a grey. This was important to me as I always wanted a horse just like his. I watched the show with Dad and he would always point out what good horses they had. He would say just look at that good ‘horseflesh”. I figured if that impressed him it was even more impressive to me. I loved Gunsmoke; I thought Miss Kitty was a wonderful woman. She was someone who I wanted to be like; it was until much, much later, after the show had been off the air for years that I realized that Miss Kitty was a harlot. I always thought that when other women did not approve of her, on the show it was because they were jealous of her- since she was beautiful, smart, and Matt’s girlfriend.
Not counting Gunsmoke, comedies were our favorite. Lucille Ball was one of the best- but Dick Van Dyke was good, too. We enjoyed My Three Sons, Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, it seemed that if it was not a western it was a comedy.
Then the variety shows started, Rowan Martin Laugh In, Jackie Gleason Show and later The Sonny and Cher Show. Our family’s favorite was “The Carol Burnett Show”. She was sooo funny along with Harvey Korman, Vickie Lawrence and Tim Conway. No’ I did not forget Lyle Waggoner. Their sketches were original and I thought they were just great. My favorite characters were Eunice, Mrs. Wiggins, played by Carol, and when Tim Conway played the old man who was so slow. I loved to watch Harvey get tickled and broke character, it made the show seem like it was performed by real people with real emotions. Vickie was great as well in her roles - my favorite with her was ‘Mama’.
What has reminded of all of this is that I get to go to Ruidoso and see Vickie Lawrence. For Mothers Day, my sister, Vickie received tickets to see Vickie Lawrence, as she will be in Ruidoso, performing. My nieces bought me a ticket to go with them. So Saturday evening I will be enjoying life to the fullest.
I think what we watch as we grow up forms us in some way- I grew with comedies and westerns - Where the good guy always wins - It makes me wonder- the networks are mostly crime shows with death and destruction. I think we need more humor less death.
While growing up in the country our television viewing was limited. We only received one station and on a very clear and still day we might have been able to view two stations and the regular one came clear- as- a -bell. Of course, we only had black and white. We did not get color TV until I was in Jr. High or High School. I have always liked TV even when it was hard to make out the features of the people as the screen was snowy. I can remember when I found out that Matt Dillon’s horse was a buckskin horse. Since I had only seen Gunsmoke in black and white I thought his horse was a grey. This was important to me as I always wanted a horse just like his. I watched the show with Dad and he would always point out what good horses they had. He would say just look at that good ‘horseflesh”. I figured if that impressed him it was even more impressive to me. I loved Gunsmoke; I thought Miss Kitty was a wonderful woman. She was someone who I wanted to be like; it was until much, much later, after the show had been off the air for years that I realized that Miss Kitty was a harlot. I always thought that when other women did not approve of her, on the show it was because they were jealous of her- since she was beautiful, smart, and Matt’s girlfriend.
Not counting Gunsmoke, comedies were our favorite. Lucille Ball was one of the best- but Dick Van Dyke was good, too. We enjoyed My Three Sons, Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, it seemed that if it was not a western it was a comedy.
Then the variety shows started, Rowan Martin Laugh In, Jackie Gleason Show and later The Sonny and Cher Show. Our family’s favorite was “The Carol Burnett Show”. She was sooo funny along with Harvey Korman, Vickie Lawrence and Tim Conway. No’ I did not forget Lyle Waggoner. Their sketches were original and I thought they were just great. My favorite characters were Eunice, Mrs. Wiggins, played by Carol, and when Tim Conway played the old man who was so slow. I loved to watch Harvey get tickled and broke character, it made the show seem like it was performed by real people with real emotions. Vickie was great as well in her roles - my favorite with her was ‘Mama’.
What has reminded of all of this is that I get to go to Ruidoso and see Vickie Lawrence. For Mothers Day, my sister, Vickie received tickets to see Vickie Lawrence, as she will be in Ruidoso, performing. My nieces bought me a ticket to go with them. So Saturday evening I will be enjoying life to the fullest.
I think what we watch as we grow up forms us in some way- I grew with comedies and westerns - Where the good guy always wins - It makes me wonder- the networks are mostly crime shows with death and destruction. I think we need more humor less death.
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