Monday, February 25, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb.26, 2008

Spring is definitely on its way. There have been at least two sighting in two different parts of the county of the long awaited Killdeers. They were actually one day early this year as they were seen on the 19th. I would imagine that they wished that they had stayed where they were as this week has been a roller coaster of weather. But that is the beauty of living in Kansas.
I gave my sister a hard time last year at this time for turning 60 years old. This year, however, I am feeling a little bad about all of the teasing I put her through.
Music was always a part of our lives and one of my best memories with Vickie was listening to music with her. She liked “American Bandstand”. I was so impressed with the Go-Go Girls. I wondered how you could possibly get to be one and how much fun that would be. I thought that the fringed outfits were far-out and groovy. The only dance I could almost do was the ‘Twist’. I am sure that I can not do it now as there is considerably more to twist than there was 45 years ago. One of my favorite records was “Lets Get Together” from the movie ‘Parent Trap’. There were all kinds of fun songs during that time-
A cousin of mine sent me this article I think that it is timely and maybe this will make Vickie feel better ----or not. See if you can remember these songs with the correct titles. The original author of the e-mail is unknown to me.
Here it goes.
It was fun being a baby boomer... until now. Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers: They include:
Herman's Hermits --- Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker.
Ringo Starr --- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.
The Bee Gees --- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip?
Bobby Darin --- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.
Roberta Flack --- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.
Johnny Nash --- I Can't See Clearly Now!
Paul Simon --- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver
The Commodores --- Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.
Marvin Gaye --- Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.
Procol Harem --- A Whiter Shade of Hair.
Leo Sayer--- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.
The Temptations --- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.
Abba --- Denture Queen!
Tony Orlando --- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.
Helen Reddy --- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore!
Leslie Gore --- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want Too!
And my favorite:
Willie Nelson --- On the Commode Again!!
I am sad to say that I can identify with a few of these songs. But I am not telling which ones.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb. 19, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb. 19, 2008
This week is starting out with a bang. It seems that I can go for several weeks without having a lot of extra things going on. I know that I am not the busiest person in the area. In fact, when I hear of others who live a more chaotic life than I do. Especially, when they are facing health issues and still keep on top of things, makes me ashamed of myself.
Someone once told me that if you have something extra on Monday hold to your hat, the rest of the week will be extremely full. I have found that to be true. I always like to do my laundry on Mondays and if something happens and I do not get that done--- well- poor Jim may be in a world of hurt by Friday. I know that some people do their laundry every day. I hate to do that because if I do laundry every day- I would never get it put away. My brain just does not work that way. It must go back to childhood - that is the way Mom always did it. However, I will never be the organized woman my mom is. She could do all kinds of things and always keep up with the everyday chores. I guess, I am not geared that way.
This week will be tough on all high school students, staff, faculty and parents, as this is Regional basketball week. The games are here which is good and bad- Good that we do not have to travel to see the kids’ play- bad that it is a lot of extra hours of work with less sleep to keep the tournament running smoothly. So sometimes by Saturday night things get a little intense. But that is all part of living.
I think that people who live in small communities very rarely get bored. I know that we do not have all of the activities that large cities have but we have plenty of services that we can do for each other. There are those who help others with gardening, lawn work, cattle work, painting, quilting and kinds of fun things. We have to make our own kind of fun just like we did when we were younger. Of all things in the world I could not stand to hear my kids say was that they were bored. I had a real good remedy for boredom- sticker pulling- there were always stickers of all varieties to pull. Or if they thought sticker pulling did not meet their ability, I had a barn that could be scooped out. I had a scoop shovel they were welcome to use any time they felt the need. When I hear a kid say that they are bored it sets off something in me that makes me want to show them the sticker patch. My kids refer to the word ‘bored’ as the “b” word. They did not have to pull very many sandburs, before they thought of something to do. So if any of you out there are the “b” word just let me know as I have a sticker patch just waiting for you.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb. 12, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb. 12, 2008
This has been a good week. I had the opportunity to spend time with my sister, Vickie, and my brother Virgil and his wife Karen. The reason for Vickie being here was to attend our Uncle Bobs funeral. His daughter, Sheryl had asked Vickie, Virgil, and myself to sing at the service. Since I have never sang at a funeral before I was quite nervous. In addition, the songs that our cousin had chosen for us to sing were two songs that I had never before. We practiced and practiced. I was so pleased that I did not humiliate my siblings or at least while we were singing. Then after the services, Virgil asked if Vickie and I would sing at his church in Minneola. We were so tickled that we eagerly agreed. We had a great time meeting his congregation.
This singing before an audience thing is new to me. Vickie has always sung for church and she sang with Dad some too. Virgil has taken up singing and is enjoying singing with a quartet. I have not really sung with anyone since my freshman year high school with the exception of Linda Winter. We sang a couple of times at the Wilmore Opry. People have been very kind - they have not thrown things at me, which is greatly appreciated.
As we grow older sometimes, there are times when we think back and see that there are things that we would like to change. I wished that I had taken music in high school more than the one required year. As odd, as it sounds I did take a Music Appreciation under Cindy Anthony my senior year. The year before this class was nothing and the kids did not do all that much or so I thought. I saw it as an easy A. However, this was Cindy Anthony’s the first year at Coldwater High School and she took this class very seriously. Since I was not out for music, she found me to be a frustrating student. But I must say that I learned a great deal under her. I found that I did enjoy music and I also learned that I get pleasure from many different kinds of music as well. I guess I need to look her up and thank her for patience with me.
I also wished that I sang more with Dad. He was always singing some little ditty. I wished that I knew all of his songs. There were some real heartbreakers, - ‘The Baggage Coach Ahead’ and ’Poor Charlie’ were the two that always made me cry. Mom had all kinds of little songs that she would sing, too. Hers were usually not so heart wrenching. Tuesday when Mom and I were coming home from Elk City, we sang a couple of songs and were commenting on how many words we had forgotten.
I think singing is a mirror to your soul. Consequently, when you sing it unlocks your heart and leaves it wide open for all of your emotions to pour out of your soul. So if you have any sadness, heartaches, or anger it will come gushing out. At least that is the way it is with this country gal.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Feb. 5, 2008

Our family has lost another member. My Uncle Bob passed away this week. He was the youngest and the last of Dads brothers and sisters. Uncle Bob was always so kind and nice to his nieces and nephews and very witty. All of Dads family was unforgettable characters. Uncle Bob had all kinds of stories of Granddad White. He lived through many traumatic experiences with Granddad at the wheel. Since he was the youngest he spent more time with Granddad one on one. I think that during that time you could say that it built moral fiber.
Bob might be remembered as someone who never got in a real hurry. He took his time and whatever he was doing he did it right. He helped us build our house. He was very methodical in every thing that we wanted him to do. He would measure twice and cut once. Instead cutting a board twice and it still would be too short. We will miss him greatly, but he has so many other family members waiting for him in heaven.
Baby calves are hitting the ground fast and furious. I was lucky and had several babies when the weather was nice. I have a real problem being able to tell a dead calf from a frozen calf. There really is little difference they are both lifeless and stiff and cold, so you see my dilemma. Dad would bring in a stiff, frozen baby and it looked dead to me -but after putting it under the heat lamp it would thaw out and start moving and bawling. This is when I really miss Dad with all of his expertise.
With the weather aside baby calves have other nemesis besides. One being coyotes. I had one red white-face calf come in with his tail ate off. I am glad that those ornery critters quit at the tail- I am guessing that the mamma cow took care of business. The coyotes seem to be a real problem this year. They love to torment our dogs by coming to the yard fence and taunting them. Since I finally got the dogs successfully penned they can only growl and bark at the intruders. I glad that we do not have chickens or they would be at the house during the daytime as well, stealing their breakfast, lunch and dinner. They must be eating the rabbits, quail, and pheasants as we have not been seeing as many as we used to. I wished that they would spend more time catching gophers. We seem to have an abundance of the little mound makers. Just shows once again that I am not in control of the universe.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 29, 2008

It seems that the most common conversation is the weather. Whether is it too cold - unseasonably warm- too wet - too dry whatever Mother Nature decides to hand to us we like to talk about it.
I have told how my dad hated for anything to bother his hat. If I really wanted to get into trouble, all I had to do was the flip his hat- that got his attention and it was not the good kind. He could, however, flip your hat off your head and send it flying across the pasture and it was funny - if I even thought about doing that to his hat, I would get the “look” I never actually ever tossed his hat inside the house -as there were things that one just did not do.
When dad would come in at night it was always apparent of what kind of day he had just by the way he entered the house. If it was a windy day, you could be fairly certain that it had not been a good day. Since the wind would blow things around, blow dirt in your eyes, and it just might blow your hat right off your head. This was not good.
The wind that we have experienced lately made me remember the effects that it had on my family. Before we had rural water, our water supply depended on the wind. We had a supply tank by the windmill that kept our water. Every now and then if the wind did not blow, enough we would run out of water. Can you remember when it would freeze, the water that had run out and over in the supply tank, would be all icy? Looking back on it now, I am sure that the EPA or someone would try to do something about those tanks. I am sure that most the supply tanks would not meet their regulations. And they probably were not, but we somehow survived. I never remember having the water tested or the tank checked out. If it held water, it did the job. I know that our water was hard and it was not good to wash our clothes in. However, it seemed to be okay to drink. I had an aunt that always brought her own drinking water, as she would not drink ours. Mom had told me that the water had mineral in it and I thought maybe it might be good for me as when you take vitamins it would say on the box ‘vitamins and minerals for all of your daily needs’.
A little before my time Mom and Dad had a wind charger. The wind was important for us to have power. Now there are in large wind generators that create energy. I hope that we can make more use of our natural resources than we have been.
We have one water mill that if the wind blows to hard it will shut down and that some of the wind generators are the same way, or so I was told. As a result, a little wind is helpful, the weather we have been having has been it little more helpful than necessary. Especially when you can hear the wind whistling around the buildings is enough to chill you to the bone. It reminds me that wind, just like anything else, is good as long as you do not get too much of it.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 22. 2008

Old man winter is showing his face this year. It may not be the coldest winter ever, but I think that it has been colder than it has been in the past few years. Winter has always been hard on me even when I was a kid. I can remember when I was much younger and Dad and I would be riding horseback in the cold. I would put on a stocking hat and gloves and as many layer of clothes I could and still be able to get on my horse. Dad always had a pair of insulated coveralls and his cowboy felt hat. Mom would warm my clothes by the stove for me, so I would have a good warm start along with a nice hot breakfast. Dad and I would get on our horses, which was a jolt to start with as the saddles were not warmed by the fire and when you sit on a cold saddle… if you were not awake by then you would be. We would be riding out in the crisp morning air and the cold would somehow manage to penetrate all of my layers of warmth. It seems that the cold would start at my feet and hands and work its way inward. Toes would get to hurting and the fingers stiff. Dad and I separated and rode a distance apart- other wise he called it ‘one horsin’ it. He would tell me if I was goin’ to ride next to him or directly behind him I might as well go home as I was not accomplishing anything. So I was a ways off from him. When we would get back together he would say that I looked cold. I was not sure where the clue was that I was nearly frozen to death- it could have been- the ice that had formed in my hair along with the ice on the horses eye lashes or my teeth chattering so loud that you could hear me before you saw me or the way that I could hardly move as I was frozen in the saddle (or thought that I was) or the fact that all my blood had settled and froze in my lower extremities. Dad would get the oddest look on his face and ask me if I was as cold as I looked. I would ride next to him and grab his bare hands as he rarely ever wore gloves and he felt hot. It was like the cold weather had no effect on him. I never could understand why he was always so warm. I had thought that maybe it was because he was older- Well, I am older and winter freezes me just as much as it always has. That is not completely true as I do get heat in waves from time to time.
When you hear of a group people freezing to death, I would bet you that the women were the last to go. Unless, of course, they were killed by the others who were getting tired of hearing shivering and then seeing the red face and the sweating and the pulling off the sweaters and jackets then the shivering again. It is a viscous cycle. Well, I hope you all keep warm and remember that spring is getting closer.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 22. 2008

Old man winter is showing his face this year. It may not be the coldest winter ever, but I think that it has been colder than it has been in the past few years. Winter has always been hard on me even when I was a kid. I can remember when I was much younger and Dad and I would be riding horseback in the cold. I would put on a stocking hat and gloves and as many layer of clothes I could and still be able to get on my horse. Dad always had a pair of insulated coveralls and his cowboy felt hat. Mom would warm my clothes by the stove for me, so I would have a good warm start along with a nice hot breakfast. Dad and I would get on our horses, which was a jolt to start with as the saddles were not warmed by the fire and when you sit on a cold saddle… if you were not awake by then you would be. We would be riding out in the crisp morning air and the cold would somehow manage to penetrate all of my layers of warmth. It seems that the cold would start at my feet and hands and work its way inward. Toes would get to hurting and the fingers stiff. Dad and I separated and rode a distance apart- other wise he called it ‘one horsin’ it. He would tell me if I was goin’ to ride next to him or directly behind him I might as well go home as I was not accomplishing anything. So I was a ways off from him. When we would get back together he would say that I looked cold. I was not sure where the clue was that I was nearly frozen to death- it could have been- the ice that had formed in my hair along with the ice on the horses eye lashes or my teeth chattering so loud that you could hear me before you saw me or the way that I could hardly move as I was frozen in the saddle (or thought that I was) or the fact that all my blood had settled and froze in my lower extremities. Dad would get the oddest look on his face and ask me if I was as cold as I looked. I would ride next to him and grab his bare hands as he rarely ever wore gloves and he felt hot. It was like the cold weather had no effect on him. I never could understand why he was always so warm. I had thought that maybe it was because he was older- Well, I am older and winter freezes me just as much as it always has. That is not completely true as I do get heat in waves from time to time.
When you hear of a group people freezing to death, I would bet you that the women were the last to go. Unless, of course, they were killed by the others who were getting tired of hearing shivering and then seeing the red face and the sweating and the pulling off the sweaters and jackets then the shivering again. It is a viscous cycle. Well, I hope you all keep warm and remember that spring is getting closer.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 15, 2008

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 15, 2008
Babies are Gods way of letting us know that the world should keep going.
Twenty-one years ago on the sixteenth of this month the weather was snowy and cold. There was quite a bit of snow on the ground and our driveway was almost snowed shut. Bob Currier came and opened up our drive as he knew that we were close to having a baby. But what he did not know was that we were already in Medicine Lodge having our second child - our son Jeffery Alan. Jim had a terrible cold and felt really bad so when he came home the opened drive way was a welcomed sight. Our world has not been the same since January 16, 1987.
It is something how our lives change- With births and deaths, alone, our lives are forever altered. Our children have certainly made a huge difference in our lives. Kids change the way you spend what little money you have, and the way you spend your time. You end up finding out all about the new toys and gadgets just to find out that the kids like the box better than what came in them. As your children grow up they let you know that you are getting older. You become a referee from all of the altercations in the back seat of the vehicle. You are either the smartest person alive or they think you have no idea what is going on in the world.
When you have children you have a huge responsibility to create a new life and try to make them good honest people. Someone who you will be proud of. You try to instill the values that you think are important. Parenting is probably the most difficult thing you can do.
Some people have pets who are like children and sometimes are better behaved than most kids. While you were Christmas shopping, did you notice all of the clothing for pets? You can dress your pet in a tux - ballerina- like other animals- t-shirts with your favorite team- bandanas- sweaters and fluffy dresses. Not only can you buy clothes, you can get hats and shoes as well. I must admit that Jake (the dog) received shoes for Christmas. He gets so cold outside and he really does like his new footwear. I did not think that he would leave them on, but he does. I have heard that other pets in other households have been donning various apparel. Can you imagine what our grandparents would think of all the toys kids have today and the treatment of pets? As I have said before the only thing consist in life is change.