Country Gal by Vanita Blundell March 4, 2008

We were sorry to hear of the passing of Carlene Reed and Eunice Schenk. They were both special women and we will certainly miss them.
I have broken something that I have never broken before. I broke the arms on my bale bed. I thought that I had really done it this time- but after talking to others this is a common occurrence. Come to find out that I could have broken them completely off. That would not have made me a ‘happy camper’. It was nice not to be the only one who was ever done this- It is a little embarrassing to go to get a broken item fixed then having to explain how it happened.
But sometimes don’t you think that there are things that are just made-to-sell? They are not the least concerned with the quality or if it will work the way it is supposed to. I have found that I can normally break most things and if I do not break them, I can melt them. In the kitchen, I have broken more plates, cups, and utensils than most people have ever owned. And who got the idea about making cooking utensils out of plastic? I have melted almost every piece of “Tupperware” and “Rubbermaid’ ever made. My family has learned is when they smell the familiar aroma of searing plastic, they know that once again the measuring cups are too close the stove. I know that you are thinking that I should just use metal cookware- Well, metal- rusts, bend, and can be crushed. If you have a bent up measuring cup, is it still the correct amount that it is suppose to be? And those cups may not melt but they can still burn marks into your counters, and tabletops. One of my favorite’s kitchen items is my beautiful wooden rolling pin that Larry Harvey made for me. It is almost too pretty to use- but I do. I have yet to burn it, dent it, or break off the handles. This makes me think that if you want something really good, you have to either make it yourself- or find someone who can do the job, who knows how to build something they can be proud of. Or at least that how it is with this country gal.
Country Gal by Vanita Blundell March 11, 2008
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about communication. Well, maybe more accurately the lack of communication. There really is no excuse for not visiting or expressing our feelings, since we have so many different avenues to correspond. There are many more ways to communicate than our grandparents had. I am assuming that the caveman wrote on a rock and threw it. Maybe this was the first air-mail- I would guess that there would have been many ‘return to the sender’ rocks. The carrier pigeon was an interesting way to send messages - this worked ok- unless it was foggy out and pigeons can not find their way in the fog. Or unless, it was pigeon season and some hunter would shoot him out of the sky. And I am sure that almost everything eats a pigeon. So that was a flawed tactic.
The pony express was good- the horses would tire and the riders were far and few between. I always thought that being a pony express rider would be quite an adventure.
Then we had the telegraph. The telegraph was a way that those who had moved far from family could correspond with each other but was used mostly for the emergencies that had occurred. I think that is when the thinking that a telegram was a bad omen.
The telephone was something that astounded the public. When my granddad moved from his beloved State of Virginia he did not get to hear his mother’s voice until several years later when he took his family back for a visit. Now we have families who move across the ocean and they can not only talk, but they can send video back and forth.
Radio and television are remarkable to tell and find out all kinds of information. This does not even cover the CB’s- two- ways- and business band radios and now the fax machines, cell phones, internet along with e-mail, satellite radio and television. Can you imagine trying to explain the internet to our grandparents? They were thinking that the telephone was a fad. For me, this would be an impossible task as I have no earthly idea how or why it works. Just makes me wonder what is next?

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell March 18, 2008
We were so sad to hear that Elizabeth Adams passed away this week. I did not know Elizabeth well, but the times I had visited with her I found her witty and a wonderful sense of humor as well as an intelligent lady. I know her family will certainly miss her and there will be a hole in their hearts that never can be filled.
According to the calendar this week the long-awaited spring begins. I think this year everyone is ready to see the spring colors of the crocus, tulips and daffodils. There is a slight tinge of green in the pastures- the cattle are as anxious as we are to see the warmer weather begin.
The first day of spring reminds our family of dad’s birthday. I have been thinking a lot of dad accomplishments. Everyone thinks that their dad was extra special and I am no different. My dad worked so hard to get what little he had, so everything that he did acquire we want to keep. There is an eighty acre pasture that he bought and his dad told him that he would never live long enough to pay it off. Times got better and he paid it off. And later on the purchased the Alley land, his grandparents place. At the ‘Eighty’ dad’s parents, Neil and Elizabeth, lived their last days there. A few years after Grandma had died of cancer, granddad caught his house on fire and because of the location and not having the fire fighting equipment we have now - he died as a result of the fire. This pasture is in the middle of a section and it is difficult to get to. Getting there was always an adventure. There was a creek that we had to cross and we always got stuck- well-- not always -but it was not uncommon to get wet when getting to the pasture. Over thirty-five years ago we had to find another route, since the beavers have dammed the creek up, it is a huge swamp and impossible to cross. When I was a little girl, the ‘Eighty’ was the place where dad kept his horses. When we would finally get there dad would honk the pickup horn and the horses would appear. Oh, it would do your heart so much good to see those beautiful animals running out of the trees. We had all different colors- sorrels, bays, and one with a glass eye. Dad had a very small fruit orchard there for a while. In the summer he would bring Mom peaches to put up. My mother was a wonderful cook and homemaker, but she hated to can anything. And in moms defense, he would bring her some fruit that was not in the best conditions- buggy- wormy- and sometimes it was more seed than fruit. When he kept the horses there, they took care of the fruit trees. Now we love to go down to the ‘Eighty” and picnic and make memories with our kids. Dad had a pond built there- due to the help of our good neighbor John Deewall. We had run out of water and John helped Dad get the help he needed to get a pond dug for the cattle. So our kids have good memories of going down there to skate on the ice. They did not actually skate- but rather slide around on the ice. Then we would build a fire to warm up to and if we were not completely frozen we would cook some hot dogs. In the summer we could fish and picnic there, as well. Once on Mothers Day we had a picnic there, with Mom and Dad - we had an extra good time. It was really special day- Not knowing that the next day Dad would have had a heart attack. But it was a good memory and maybe sometime in the far away future we will be making memories with our grandkids. Mom has had several offers to sell this piece of ground, but there are things that money will never be able to buy.

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.

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.

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.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Jan. 1, 2008

The saying for the year- Never put off what you can do today that you can put off tomorrow. I am not sure what that means but I think I like it. I have a favorite shirt with a motto printed on it, that reads, “Procrastinators unite-- tomorrow”.
This is a new year with new beginnings- We started the year with friends- we had a great time and I learned a couple of new games which really taxed my mind. The guys played pitch and I think they really enjoyed themselves.
I hate New Year’s resolutions as I tend to break them before the week is out. I went on-line today and looked at the headlines some were for weight loss- find a date- how to get ahead at work and looking at your horoscope for the year of 2008. The merchants are looking for all kinds of ways to get their product to the general public. Since I do not like to make resolutions -But---- this year my plans are to dejunk my house. I am not sure that I can get it done in a year. I am totally disgusted with myself by having so much junk around me that I do not want or need. So my plans are to tear each room apart - clean, throw away trash, get rid of the clothes that I will never, ever wear again. It is amazing what you can accumulate without even trying. So this might be a good time to invest in the “tote” stock market since I will be buying several totes to store things away. This does not sound like I am throwing much away, now does it. So you can see where the ‘rub’ is. The worst thing about getting rid of stuff is that you will probably be buying it back within six months.
Since Giz and Jennifer have been living with us, they watch home improvement shows this may prove to be not so good for Jim. I have seen all kinds of fun projects for him to do for me. After thirty years of marriage, mine may not be able to stand up to the pressures the home improvement shows are handing out. I want to do something different with my house and I do not do ‘change’ well. I am not really open to change. So you can see how difficult this is going to be. I can do it, I think, but it is going to take hours, maybe even days and possibly weeks of looking at color charts- floor types- paint samples and then thinking that maybe everything is just fine the way it is now. I think that I am a hopeless. Now that I am thinking about all of this I think I will get great things done. I will make a huge difference - I am going to put the fear in every dust bunny in my house -I think I will get started tomorrow.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Dec. 26, 2007

Another Christmas has come and gone and as we grow older Christmas is not the same as it was when we were young. My kids have said that Christmas just does not feel the same. Well, welcome to adulthood, that is the way it is. It is not a bad thing really; it is just a sign of growing up. I think that I fail to get the same enthusiasm as when they were little. This Christmas started out a little different and could have ended in disaster. As I got up and went to the kitchen to turn the coffee pot on and put the turkey in the oven - I needed the lid to my roaster. I went to open the door of the garage which is the kitchen door, as well, and there was a skunk- I yelled and he ran without spraying- thank goodness! I got Jim, and told him to do something I was not sure exactly what I wanted him to do, but something. He opened the garage door so the little visitor could leave on his own.
We had a nice Christmas, after I settled down a little. It was just the kids and us. It was our turn to have Jeff and Chelsea this year and it was really quiet, even though Jeff was here. Chelsea has been a wonderful addition to our family. I think that she is starting to get use to us. Jennifer’s husband, Giz, is certainly becoming one of us, as well. We are fortunate to have our kids close to home so that we can all get together; it makes for a nice Christmas. After we opened our presents and ate our lunch- we put a puzzle together as we always do - then we watched some new movies that were gifts. I have found that I do not follow movies that leave the realm of reality. I was so confused by the end of one movie that I had no idea what had happened. The kids laugh at me and point out that it must be a sign of getting older- I tell them that I am just too smart for the movie makers. So that is about all that we could do for this year. I hope that you all had a good Christmas.
This year we have had a few additions and sadly some subtractions to our family it makes me wonder what the New Year has in store for us. But ready or not here it comes.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Dec. 18, 2007

I am proud to report that I have electricity this week. I am ashamed to say that it is extremely difficult for me to write without my computer, in fact, it is almost impossible. But I feel that I must say a huge thank you to our electric co-op. We had power out all over the county and they worked until we were up and running again. I asked one the crew how much sleep he had and he told me that he had four hours in 48 hours. I cannot imagine having a job that I would be my busiest in the worst conditions that Mother Nature has to offer and to top it off with little or no sleep. I think our power company CMS is the best around.
With Christmas right around the corner I want you to watch your family table manners. While I was in northern Kansas cooking for hunters, I noticed something that really bothers me. In camp there were only four hunters and two guides so I set the table just like my mom had taught me when I was a little girl. They did not sit at the table and pass the food, not even the salt and pepper. Each one got up from his chair and got the food that they wanted on their plate. The first night I thought maybe they were not sure what was going on, but by the third night they were not doing any better. It got me to thinking why this has happened and the only explanation I could come up with is buffets and restaurants. People do not eat at home as much as we used to and I think that we have lost something. As a child growing up some of my favorite memories was at the table. Mom always had good meals; we always had meat, vegetables, fruit and dessert at every meal or almost every meal. We raised sheep so it was not uncommon to have lamb or mutton or our own farmed raised chicken, beef or pork. The folks never made a big deal over what we were eating- We ate heart, other parts, and once in a while, we had liver and onions too. After I was older that was not one of my favorite meals. Mom made sure that there was something that we would eat. I can not remember any time that there was any trauma over what we ate or would not eat. We took what we liked- It seems to have worked out okay as there are very few things that I do not like. Dad always bragged on Moms cooking so if I did not take something dad would brag on it and make me feel like I must have really missed out on a delicacy, so I would make sure and try it the next time. Not only did we have our own meat we had eggs- and milk, too, which meant we had lots of fresh cream- and one of dads favorite menu items was gravy.
At the table was when we talked about our day- either what we did or what we were about to do. Mealtime was never the place where correction took place, unless it was on our table manners. In the morning at the breakfast table Mom would read the daily devotions and the daily scripture. The one rule that Dad had was that we were never to sing or hum at the table- but once in a while we would play some sort of a game at the end of the meal- I would want us to do something fun and long, especially if it was my turn to do the dishes. I wanted to put that chore off as long as possible.
One time I was at a friend’s house and meal time was when the dad would point out to each family member what they had done wrong that day. I can tell you that the meal that his wife had worked hard on did not set well, at all. It was an uncomfortable feeling and it made me feel bad for everyone concerned.
When you sit down at the family table the next time, watch and see if you can actually pass the food to each other and remember to enjoy the food but more importantly each other.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH OF YOU!

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Dec. 04, 2007

I went to cook for hunters again last week - this time I was in the small town of Herndon, Kansas. Herndon is found northwest part of our state. This is a tiny town that has a Co-op, Post office and a recently opened café. The people there were very friendly and I enjoyed the hunters, too. I was in a nice house with all of the modern conveniences. I even had access to a television but no cable or a satellite dish. So I watched or listened to the one channel that was available and remembered why I quit watching soaps and talk shows. Both of these shows drive me nuts. Actually, there are not a whole lot of differences between soaps and all of the drama found on Dr. Phil and Oprah. Most all of the problems are a product of something crazy people have done to themselves. People cannot figure why their kids have a weight problem when they eat take out- order a large pizza for each member of the family, keep candy in every candy dish in the house, refuse to tell their kids no when they want to eat something sweet in the middle of the night and the most exercise they get is running to the toilet and they wonder what the problem is. I have trouble understanding that people cannot figure out where the dilemma could possibly be. I know that I am carrying several extra pounds, but I can guarantee that I am not going on a talk show to ask why those pounds have “mysteriously” appeared. I can tell you exactly where they came from but I really do not think that you want to know or even care. Or how about the guy who beats his wife. The unhappy couple comes on the stage and she says to the world that she does not like getting the sap beat out of her by her ‘loving’ husband. The husband, who is always sorry that she made him angry enough to hit her head against the wall, can not understand why she wants to leave. The host thinks that maybe the wife might not to want to live with the husband anymore. Well, Duh! I mean really, who wants to live with someone who will smack them around whenever life does not suit them.
Of course there are the mother-in-law issues. I imagine every married couple could tell something about their in-laws. Some have wonderful relationships where others have the mother who can not let their grown children have a life of their own and make their own mistakes. Here again, I am not sure that I need to hear about all of the gut wrenching heartaches.
With these kinds of shows on, this is why I watch the old shows where all of life problems can be fixed in thirty minutes. Life is hard enough without trying to fix the rest of the world not that any of us can. We certainly have our own problems just like everyone else, but nothing worth involving the media. However, would like to know why we spread rumors that have no truth to them. I have been guilty of telling something that was not even close to the truth. I have been told that before you even think that something might be true, you should wait to hear the same story three times and not by the same person. Then maybe just maybe there might be a little tiny bit of truth to it. And if it is not nice maybe it should go no farther. I guess that would be if we lived in a perfect world and we all know that our world is not flawless.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 27, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 27, 2007
Have you figured out what you are giving everyone on your Christmas list? I have received an early gift this year and I must say it is one of the most wonderful gifts that I have ever received. It was not extremely costly but it took a lot of time and thought, and I am not sure that I deserve that much effort.
I never had the opportunity to know my Dads mom, Elizabeth White, since she died ten years before I was born. From what I have heard from those who knew her, she was a very special woman. Dad held her in high regard and loved her dearly. My grandparents were not wealthy in terms of money, but they were rich in children and family. They had high moral standards and worked hard. If we can ever find anything that belonged to them it is very precious to any of the grandchildren. Granddad White burned down his home (well, not on purpose) is the reason that we do not have many items left to remember them by. (Granddad house is another story entirely) Many of the other grandkids knew Grandma White quite well- My cousin Sheryl and I would talk for hours about how much we would have liked to have known Grandma White and wondered if she would have liked us. We were pretty sure she would have as everyone else said she was a kind and loving person, after all she had six children and she was used to noise and tall tales and she loved them.
My cousin, Margaret Greene, is one of these people who can do anything. She can cook, sew, she is an artist, and a published author, she is intelligent and to top it off she is pretty. Anyway, she had a necklace that was Grandmas. As I said before Grandma did not have a lot of expensive jewelry and what she had was probably not valuable to anyone else, but to her. Given that Grandma has been gone for over 58 years there is not many things left that was hers. Margaret took the beads of Grandma’s necklace and made each one of the granddaughters a necklace. (Oh, did I forget to mention that she makes beautiful jewelry, too?) Each necklace was distinctive just like each of us are different. Some are shiny and others are plain- Some larger than another- some small and petite, but each necklace was just beautiful. She did not stop there she made each of us a card with a portrait of Grandma White that she had drawn and a touching note to tell us about Grandma. I can not tell you how much the necklace, card and note has meant to me. For once, I was almost speechless.
Since it is the Christmas season and you are stumped by what to give that special someone. Maybe you have something in your jewelry box or tool box that you could fix up for them. I have heard of people making picture frames out of barn wood of the family barn, just make sure that the barn is not in use anymore, and do not be ripping off any boards that just might be the support board of the whole barn, you could get hurt. There are so many things that can be done once you put your mind to it. It is fun to try to come up with something clever. Nothing is more meaningful than a gift from the heart.
Life is really tough at its best and when someone does something kind it makes life worth living.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 20, 2007

I hope most of you are ahead of me for the Thanksgiving Day Dinner. I have not done a thing for Thanksgiving yet. There are some people, who know that they are going to have a large number of people to cook for and they start way early and get their pies made, the turkey cooked, boned, sliced and the broth in a container ready for the dressing and gravy in freezer just waiting to be finished up. My turkey is still at the store along with everything else. I just now made my list and figured out what I would like to fix this year. I do not know about you - but I think that either I have been busier than ever or I am even more disorganized than normal- It just seems that I am running all the time and I get one thing done and there are ten more things yet to do. I know that I am not any busier than many of you, I am not as organized.
I have an easier Thanksgiving this year .We always have the White cousins reunion on Thanksgiving- but there are those who are unable to attend this year so I do not have as many to cook for. And to make things even easier Myrna has offered to make several items and with the two of us it will be a lot of fun. One year I prepared a duck along with a turkey and a ham. My kids really like having the duck. Another time I bought a turducken. What is a turducken you might ask- it is just what it sounds like- it is a turkey with a duck inside and a chicken inside the duck. No wonder it died! I could go on but I won’t. As strange as it sounds the turducken was really tasty. I think that it was more of a conversation topic than anything. I always like to fix something a little different just to make people wonder. This year I brought home some elk meat, I am thinking that I might try to do something with it. That way if anyone would like to try elk this will be their chance.
Different parts of the country have different traditions for the holidays- well, I guess not just different areas but families have different traditions. I like to find out if there is some food of a new family member that they like to have and have it there for them. Sometimes this is not a good idea as when you think you have done it just right, the comment is made that it is ok-- but not like what Mom used to make. But that is the chance you take.
It is good to have family and friends- I am going to brag here just a little bit. I have the best family anyone could wish for and wonderful friends. For this I am so thankful. I know many of you feel the same way towards your own family and friends. Please remember to let them know how much they mean to you this holiday season.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell-- Nov. 13, 2007

Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving? I am just getting over Independence Day. It seems that the stores buzz over Labor Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving and right in to Christmas. I do, however, love the animated toys. One of my favorites is the grandma reindeer sitting in a rocking chair - she sings ‘Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer’ while actually rocking. My newest one is a caroling dog with a hat that resembles a spring with a bell on top and he sings a Christmas version of ‘Shout’. His ears flap while he sings- he is just precious. That was something that Dad just loved was toys that did some sort of action. Whether it is nursing puppies with a momma dog or a dancing hamster it was a delight to him. So I guess I have inherited that from him.
We are in the process of trying to find Christmas gifts for everyone on our list. Our list is not large but it does not take a long list to make you nervous. But the most fun is the shopping. I love to shop I can enjoy looking at almost anything. From farm tools to jewelry I am happy just to see what there is to be had. So that means that there is no place safe for Jim. He gets nervous anywhere I go- for fear of what I might bring home. I have brought home a live glass eyed colt, goats, calves, chickens, wallpaper, camo overalls, black powder guns, strange clothes, carpet, elk meat, just to name a few. There are so many things to see, but as Jim has tried to explain to me is that I do not need to bring all of them home.
When shopping with Jim it does not matter what I find he says, “I can make that,” or “you really do not like that, do you”, or “you can make that” or “That is made too flimsy I can not believe anyone in their right mind would buy something made that poorly”. All of those comments are well and good with the except of that he never has the time to make a solid wood bed frame, headboard and footboard with all kinds of fancy carvings or the solid wood table with the cowhide padded chairs. He swears that it would be no problem to make. Or picture frames that he says he can make it would not take that much time. The thing is, he can make all of those things except that there is no time for him to make them. That is one thing that I have not ever found was a box of extra time. Now that would be a hot seller- if only, we could just figure that one out.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 16, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 16, 2007
People are made up differently- I am not a postal person. I really do not know why- I have been the recipient of many thoughtful and kind letters and cards in the mail. But the thing that really annoys me is chain letters. I hate to be threatened and that is exactly how a chain letter affects me. I know there are the neat recipe chain letters and if you do not break it you will receive all kinds of different- delicious recipes. There were the ones where you were to send a dollar bill to the person at the top of the list and it was guaranteed that you would receive hundreds of dollars for your one dollar investment IF no one broke the chain. Then there are the ones that would tell you that just by making twenty copies of the letter and mail it to twenty different people you were to have instantly good luck. If you were to break this chain you were doomed to all kinds of sadness and horrible luck. Why if you were to break the chain someone in your family might die. I have received two of these kinds of chain letters and the thing about them is that you do not know who sent it to you. The two that I received was when I was about 2 weeks from giving birth. I did not find any humor in the letters at all. Maybe some pregnant woman would find that entertaining, I was not one of them. In fact, I was upset and wondered where the letter came from. Since I have an awful time getting any letter to the mailbox sending chain letters are not one of the things that I do even if I could get it to the mail box. Now that the internet has come along and I really enjoy getting e-mails. I have received many funny and thought provoking items, but the chain letters are worst than ever. Now not only are you threatened that if you do not send the letter on to twenty different people you are either a bad American- unfaithful Christian- your selfish- or just an around jerk. Insulting me is not the way to my heart but it seems to work on some people. I guess that I have had enough bad luck without getting a chain letter that they do not threaten me as much as they might to someone who has lived a more sheltered life. The first one I got in the mail worried me a little- but after thinking about it and knowing that I had and all kinds of scary things happened before I ever received such a letter. I am, after all, the daughter of an accident prone farmer/rancher. My family could write a book on bad luck- here are just a couple- Never chase an egg-sucking dog in the barn - you might experience a great fall. Never grab a wire that is connected to the chicken house while riding on a horse bareback-you will having a shocking turn of events- I can tell you for sure both of these things are a painful experience whether you sent a chain letter or not.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 31, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 31, 2007
Home remedies are something that has always been around. Each family has their own thing. My Grandma Cary liked to use menthol and camphor. But my dad’s family remedy was to use laxatives for everything that was wrong with you. It did not matter what ailed you, from headaches, upset stomach, sore muscles, fever, coughs, colds, flu, poor vision, the cure was always the same, a laxative- if it did not work, you did not use enough of it.
Lately, I have had some neck problems- it was a kink that would not go away. Not really a stiff neck but it was getting there. I have been whining around the house, especially in the mornings. It felt like I had something out of whack. I hate to go to the doctor so I have been putting ice on it, and making Jim rub out the kinks. I even considered Dad method, but had not gotten that desperate. Now I have a remedy for my problem. I would not promote this particular method as I think that maybe the side effects may be worst than the disease. In fact- I am telling you this should not be tried at home- but this is what happened. We gathered our calves this past week to send them to market. After we got the calves loaded on the truck we were going to work the heifers that we kept back. And since I had a couple of baby calves we would work them also. When we work calves my job is to catch the head and Jim pushes them down the alley and into the chute. Well, the heifers were too big and I am not as strong as I once was, if I could catch the head she kept lifting me off the ground while I was trying to pull the head catch down. So Jim and I traded jobs- he would catch the head and I would get the heifers in the chute. This was working great until one heifer decided that she was going to back up- that was not so bad as I had put a pipe behind her so she could not go too far back- but I was on top of the corrals and so how- I do not know how this happened - but she some how knocked my feet out from under me and I was falling backwards and my knees caught the pipe so I fell backwards with me on one side of the pipe and my knees and feet on the other side and a heifer that kept going backwards and forwards again and again. When I hit the ground I first thought that maybe this was it- but after seeing the heifers behind coming at me, I was sure that I was definitely still among the living and I was about to get in real trouble. The heifer did not, however, go over the pipe, for which I am very grateful. Every time she came back I kept kicking her forwards. Finally she went in the chute and I got up and dusted myself off and took inventory of all of me. I seemed to be alright. That night I had really bad muscle spasms in my neck and I took some pain relievers and went to bed. The next morning my neck was better and I now I feel much better. So if you have a neck problem just fall off the top of corrals and land on the back your head and shoulders and you could possibly knock whatever is out, back in. This is not a perfect solution and again may not work every time but does anyone know how do you get rid of double vision?

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 16, 2007

People are made up differently- I am not a postal person. I really do not know why -I have been the recipient of many thoughtful and kind letters and cards in the mail. But the thing that really annoys me is chain letters. I hate to be threatened and that is exactly how a chain letter affects me. I know there are the neat recipe chain letters and if you do not break it you will receive all kinds of different- delicious recipes. There were the ones where you were to send a dollar bill to the person at the top of the list and it was guaranteed that you would receive hundreds of dollars for your one dollar investment IF no one broke the chain. Then there are the ones that would tell you that just by making twenty copies of the letter and mail it to twenty different people you were to have instantly good luck. If you were to break this chain you were doomed to all kinds of sadness and horrible luck. Why if you were to break the chain someone in your family might die. I have received two of these kinds of chain letters and the thing about them is that you do not know who sent it to you. The two that I received was when I was about 2 weeks from giving birth. I did not find any humor in the letters at all. Maybe some pregnant woman would find that entertaining, I was not one of them. In fact, I was upset and wondered where the letter came from. Since I have an awful time getting any letter to the mailbox sending chain letters are not one of the things that I do even if I could get it to the mail box. Now that the internet has come along and I really enjoy getting e-mails. I have received many funny and thought provoking items, but the chain letters are worst than ever. Now not only are you threatened that if you do not send the letter on to twenty different people you are either a bad American- unfaithful Christian- your selfish- or just an around jerk. Insulting me is not the way to my heart but it seems to work on some people. I guess that I have had enough bad luck without getting a chain letter that they do not threaten me as much as they might to someone who has lived a more sheltered life. The first one I got in the mail worried me a little- but after thinking about it and knowing that I had and all kinds of scary things happened before I ever received such a letter. I am, after all, the daughter of an accident prone farmer/rancher. My family could write a book on bad luck- here are just a couple- Never chase an egg-sucking dog in the barn - you might experience a great fall. Never grab a wire that is connected to the chicken house while riding on a horse bareback-you will having a shocking turn of events- I can tell you for sure both of these things are a painful experience whether you sent a chain letter or not.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 9, 2007

Last week we had to say good-bye to my Aunt Alma Haas. She was the last of Dads sisters to leave this ol’ world. Aunt Alma had a hard life- but she was a fighter she had gone thru many hardships, which was not uncommon for those who grew up during the depression. When we had family reunions she was always on top of the game-, she was a great cook and always looked like a million bucks. She worked hard and she never broke a sweat- I could do the same thing and I would look like I had been drug thru a knothole. I never knew her secret. Alma had two children - one boy - Jim Huddleston and one daughter Liz Dean. The neat thing about having children is that you are never really gone. You leave a little bit of you behind when you go.
This past weekend Mom and I got to be a part of the city wide garage sale- this was due to Deanna and John Chenoweth. Deanna wanted to bring some things to sell from Texas, so she did all of the legwork to get in on the city wide sales. They brought some awesome stuff. Mother decided that since Deanna was selling some stuff that she would sell some of her things as well. We had a good time Saturday visiting with all of the shoppers. Everyone looking for a good deal- and we were willing to give them a bargain you could not refuse. Some were looking for that one certain item; others just seeing what was there. People are so much fun to watch. You can see sisters and friends shopping, it is a way for mothers and daughters to have a good time. Some of the men look like they would rather take a beating than be there, but they are smiling in the hopes that the torture will end soon. No telling what the women had to promise to get them to go and to carry all of their numerous treasures to the car, time after time. Of course, the car had to be parked several blocks away. You can tell the husbands that are not crazy about his wife’s purchases as they are muttering to themselves about where they are going to put this new acquisition. Some men are mumbling about having to build another shelf- Others are just softly sobbing and quietly praying that this will be their last trip to the car or if not maybe, they could be hit by an on-coming car and get them out of their misery.
When I go bargain hunting I love find pretty dishes, plates, bowls, etc… - Jim likes tools- Jennifer likes drinking glasses- Jeff is not a shopper, but he does prefer garage sales to auctions-
What is surprising is what sells- the things that you are certain will sell right off are the things that end up in the free pile and the things that you think are a waste of time to even set out are the first things to go. Life is funny that way-

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 3, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Oct. 3, 2007
Fall is in the air, I do believe. The air is getting crisp-fall means many things to different people. To some it is the football season, some people just feel better as the cooler weather starts to some it is the fear that the snow is just that much closer that they are going to have to work in. For me it is a mixture of feelings-but the best thing about fall I that loved growing up was ‘fall round-up’. I liked the ‘fall round-up’ more than the ‘spring round-up’ because in the spring we had to work the calves and pair them back up with their mothers. Fall round-up you gathered all of the cattle from every nook and cranny- every little gully and out of the brush- every cow, calf and bull must be brought in.
I can remember my first and only pair of chaps- it was getting close fall and we were at the Coldwater Sale Barn and a man was there selling tack and other assortments that a cowboy might need. I had never even thought that I would ever get a pair of chaps - but Dad thought it was time - maybe he thought that I might not get much taller and this pair would last me for many years to come. I was so excited to get them I could not to wear them. Dad knew that we would be going to Stewart Carthraes and that the chaps would be beneficial for me.
Stewart and Marion lived near Aetna and Dad had helped them gathered cattle for many years. The Friday night before we were to go, as usual, I could hardly sleep, but knew that I had better since we had to get up in the wee hours to make it to Carthraes by sunrise. I think it must have taken up at least 30 to 45 minutes to get there, if the roads were not muddy. Sometimes we would stop and pick-up Short Goebel- Short was fun to ride with, he was almost as ornery as Dad. We would get to our appointed spot and unload our horses. The only worry I had was getting lost. Dad would give me a landmark to follow and told me to listen for the truck horn that would be honking to help lure the cows in- My landmark was Carthraes TV antenna. It was very tall and you could see it from almost everywhere on the ranch. Dad would tell me to ‘push’ the cows toward the antenna and the sound of the horn and I would find everyone else, eventually. Dad would go one way- Short would go another and I would go somewhere in-between. Gathering cattle for the Stewart was more of a challenged as he had brush that went up and down the river. That to make things even for exciting was the fact that there was quick sand in the river, as well. In the fall, the brush was filled with heavy dew in the early morning hours and when you would disturb it you would get soaked to the skin. So I thought since I had my new chaps I would hardly even notice the heavy dew- but that was not entirely true- my chaps were leather, of course, but they had the rough out and not smooth like Dads. Because the rough was out I think that the leather just absorbed the water, instead of shedding it. It was still better than not having them as they protected my legs from the thorns and sharp limbs. Since I had the shorter horse Dad would send me in under the brush and trees to get the stubborn cows out. Some of the cows would let you ride right over the top of them and not budge hoping that you would not see them. Once a cow gets in the brush and likes it there it is very difficult to get them out. Stewart tried many different ways to get the cows out of the brush, but that is another story entirely.
I was sad to hear that Marion passed away last week. I know her daughters and family are going to miss her terribly. But as we all know, we do not live forever and she has gone to a better place- For me- if heaven is no more than a beautiful valley with a ridge. The mornings are clear and still, the air is crisp - you can sit on top of a rim rock on your favorite, faithful pony. You look down and see the morning fog rise up out of the river bottoms and the cattle are grazing unconcerned, you watch as the deer come out of the river brush, - you can hear nothing but nature waking up to face the day and the occasional calf cry for his mother and your horse is relaxed watching to sunrise with you- what more could you possibly want?

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 25, 2007

Elk Season is going strong in New Mexico- I made it to the camp with eight hunters, one spectator, and seven guides. Since this is archery season it is more difficult to get the elk. The guide tries to call the elk within 50 yards or less of the hunter. Some of the hunters can shoot up to 65 yards, but most of them would like the elk 30 yards or closer. If the hunter has not ever been around elk before it is a little over whelming as the bull elk are in rut and they are bulging and screaming so when they come within 20 yards of the hunter sometimes he freezes and is unable to shoot the elk. But he has a great story to tell in camp. However, out of the eight hunters seven went proudly home with their elk and the other hunter had tales to tell of the ones that got away.
In camp we had two pharmacists, a dentist, a mechanic, a financial adviser, a tomato farmer, a deputy, a truck driver and a real estate broker. With all of the diverse ways to make a dollar we had plenty of interesting conversation. I can remember something that Rocky Stewart said ‘you learn more with your mouth shut than you do with your mouth open’. That is so true, one time in camp one of the hunters was talking about looking for sheds. I should have just kept quiet, but oh, no not me, I just had to put in my two cents and told them that Mom likes to look at different kinds to barns, as well. I had no more than said that than I knew that I had inserted my foot so far in my mouth I should have choked on it. They were talking about the antlers that the deer and elk shed every year. I was so embarrassed but I have learned my lesson. I am trying to keep some of my opinions to myself but there are times when I just cannot keep it in. Such as when one of the guides was telling us that his wife was about to deliver their third baby and the other guides told him that the third baby did not count and he was not required to be there. Where do guys get that kind of information? I just had to give them my opinion and did my best to shame all of them. The expectant father went home the next morning. Jennifer and Jeff say that I have a passive aggressive personality so I am good at giving guilt.
While I was away Jennifer sold a puppy for me, so I have 6 down and 2 to go. Life over all is good.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 18th

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 18th
The State Fair has come and gone by the time this article is published. I have fond memories of the State Fair. I still get excited just thinking about it. As a kid I liked the rides- except for the Old Mill- I was a fearful child and the dark tunnel with things jumping out at me was not what I thought was fun. My sister, however, thought it was wonderful. So much so that she spent her hard earned money to buy both of us a ticket. I think at the time it was either a quarter or fifty cents to ride- she insisted that it would be fun. I very cautiously got in the boat; I got to sit in the middle between Vickie and a complete stranger, which was terrifying in itself. After getting seated I prepared myself for what was lying ahead. I did what, all brave people do I shut my eyes and did not open them until the ride was completed. . When Vickie had realized that I had shut my eyes she was disgusted with me. Oh well, like that had not happened before. I worked hard sometimes to disgust her. However, I must admit that I did not see anything to scary.
I loved the carousal and the Scrambler. I could usually talk Mom into riding a couple of rides with me if they were not too wild.
The worst thing that I ever did to my family was that I wanted to ride the roller coaster and I wanted Vickie and Dad to ride with me. They half-heartedly agreed to ride with me. After all, Vickie had just tried to scare me to death in the Old Mill. So I figured she owed me. When we got in line Vickie and Dad tried to talk me out riding the death trap. I figured it would not have been as scary as riding with Dad when he was after a cow in the pick-up. But then again why would I need to pay for a ride that I could get at home for nothing? Dad said that if I wanted to go up and down hills at a fast pace just ride with him the next time the sheep got out, he promised that it could be exciting. But nothing would have it; I had to ride the roller coast. The seats were made for two passengers not three but the carnie allowed the three of us in the seat- but before Dad could get seated and secured they started the ride- we started the slow uphill climb with Vickie franticly trying to get Dad the rest of the way in the roller coaster car, by the time we had rounded the curve Dad still had one leg hanging out and Vickie, being the dramatic one, was yelling for me to help hang on to dad as we were headed for the downhill slope, we were yelling and Vickie was pulling then we had a couple more turns and a couple more bumps. I am not sure if we ever got Dad all the way in the car. By the time the ride was over I thought it was great - but by the looks I got from Vickie and Dad, I did not have the nerve to ask to ride again. Vickie was wild eyed and Dad went to find some Pepto- Bismal. I did not think that I ever got Dad to ride a roller coaster again. Then several years ago I took my kids to the Fair. I thought I would take Jeff and Jennifer on the coaster of death that Vickie, Dad and I had ridden years before. Sure enough the very same ride was there. I learned my lesson I did not try to get the three of us in one car. I was telling the kids how much fun they were going to have. When the ride started Jeff was not impressed at all and all during the ride Jeff screamed ‘you lied, you lied, this is not fun’. I must admit I did not feel too good when it was over- but I did not want to kids know.
Now when I go to the fair I enjoy the exhibits and the animal barn and yes, the food. Where else can you get flowering onions, potato curls, salt water taffy, carmeled apples, chicken and noodles, and bierocs? No more roller coasters for me as I do not like to ‘toss my cookies’ in public. I like to see all the free stuff and the pig races. The next time I make it to the Fair; I think I will see if I can get a golf cart to ride around. This is just exactly how I keep my nice round figure- I certainly can not maintain it by walking and exercise.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept.11, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept.11, 2007
I was sad to hear the news of Rocky Stewarts mother, Betty Stewart had passed away. She had a long battle with cancer. Although I did not know Mrs. Stewart, personally, I knew that she must have been a wonderful woman since the daughter-in-laws said that they always felt to be part of the family- not just someone who her sons had married. Acceptance is so important to have a happy family. I went to funeral with friends and it was good to see Shelly and Brandi Stewart. Rock and Libby must be proud to have such beautiful and gracious daughters.
This past weekend was Football Homecoming. We had the King and Queen candidates and their attendants. It seems that everything pertaining to school events, I have tendency to compare them to my school years. As I said last week everything changes- Do you remember when one of the organizations sold the huge Mums? If memory serves me, you could buy them in red, white, or bronze. Bronze was my favorite. When I was living in Texas, at their homecomings they had the big Mums then if a boy liked a girl, (whether romantic, secret admirer, or as just friends) he would buy her a ribbon to add to her flower. The ribbon was in one of the school colors and was at least two inches wide and over twenty-four inches long. Some girls might have eight or more ribbons to add to her corsage. When I was in the lower grades I could not wait until I could either buy a mum or better yet receive one from that someone special.
The other day I was looking an annual from the 60’s and the girls had the long white gloves and the enormous evening gowns and the ‘beehive’ hair. They must have had to make the platforms for the Kings Court larger than they do now, just to hold those dresses and their hair. I am sure there were times when parents were relieved when their daughter was not chosen to be a candidate as the purchase of a dress would have been a hardship for them.
Homecoming, years ago, was later in the school year and the weather was usually cooler and sometimes downright icy out, those poor girls were so cold - I have been told that some of the girls had long johns on under their gowns to help keep them from freezing to death.
My senior year when we had our football homecoming, I was dating Jim and he was so beat-up and exhausted from the game. I was excited to go to the dance since I had a date and everything, but at the party he actually nodded off while we were dancing. The only thing that kept him awake was the throbbing pain from the beating he took during the game. I guess does not say much for my company, but he was really ready to go home and be left alone. And besides, the dance started so late and I had to be home by 11:00, and since he was so tired, we left before the dance was over and he got me home early- Which made my dad very happy. I have always thought we would have enjoyed the homecoming dance more if it would have been the following evening rather than directly after the game and it might have helped if we would have won.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 04, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 04, 2007
Another Labor Day has come and gone. This is the time of year that school should be starting instead of two or three weeks ago. I have mentioned before that school was not my favorite thing to do- but it did have its merits- such as recess - gym class- music - and lunch. I had a strong dislike for phonics - SRA readers- and nap time. As most of you know I went to school in Wilmore until it closed in 1971. I loved the playground at the school- there were two big trees that we found to be suitable for playing house in. We would pick weeds and make little brooms and we would clean out the bottom of the tree around the roots and make a playhouse there. We had found some left over coal and we used the coal for ‘gold‘. We would have our ‘husbands’ go out and get us some ‘money’ and the bad guys would rob them and we would spend the rest of the recess time chasing the robbers to get our ‘gold’ back. Now when I go back and look at the trees that we played in they do not look nearly as huge as I had remembered them and the roots that we sat on are not as big and wide as I had pictured in my mind. Of course, I am considerably larger now so I guess everything has a way of evening out.
We had music every year at Wilmore. I was annoyed when the Music teacher would teach us about time and notes and sometimes even about composers. I just liked to sing - but as I got older I realized how much I had learned. Mrs. Miller, Mr. Haynes, Mrs. Hosey, Mary Margaret Pierce, there is one more music teacher that I cannot recall, were our music teachers. But they had actually taught me something and it did not hurt one little bit. I can still remember the teacher with her pointer, pointing out notes on a board and she was showing us all about the different kind of notes and counting them.
I always liked P.E. class- we had two ropes that was attached to the ceiling of the gym and we took turns trying to climb to the very top. It scared me to death when I finally made it to what seemed like the top of the world. Almost everyone made it to the top at least once. I think, I was in fourth grade when we got the dreaded ‘peg board‘. The peg board was the worst thing. It had to have been inspired by the devil himself. It was a 2x12 board with large holes drilled in to it that was bolted to the wall. At the time, I thought that the board must have been 20 feet long. The idea was to climb to the top of the board by using a peg in each hand to climb the board. I do not think that I ever got past the first or second row of holes. It seemed to me that the first row of holes were, at least, five feet off the gym floor so I had to stand on my tippy toes to even get started. It was truly a terrifying experience. I always thought it was a ‘guy’ thing as the guys did not seem to have the problems with it as the girls did.
Then we had lunch time- Lunch at the Wilmore Grade School was great- Our last year there was the best- the other years were good, too, but the last year so extra special. Since there were only17 students- we had home cooked meals- We had fried chicken- always homemade bread. I am sure that all of the schools had good food as well- but I always thought we had the best.
Now I am older - my school days are over, the Wilmore School is gone, I doubt that I can climb any rope and I do not mind taking a nap once in a while, but I still love music and I still like lunches. It seems that life is ever changing and the only thing that is consistent, in this ole’ life of ours is inconsistency.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug 28, 2007

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.

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.

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.”

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.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Aug.2, 2007

I do not know about you but I think the more I know about the outside world- there are times when I would just like to go home and never leave. I call it the ostrich effect. You know, when you want to stick your head in the sand and let the world go by and hope that no one can see you.
Since I have been in the process of selling my pups, I have encountered an entire different type of people. I have been around horse traders but some of these people would make the most unscrupulous individuals look like saints. Technology has come so far that when you put ads in some papers, those ads go on-line. This is a good and bad situation. The good being, that the on-line ads has the potential of reaching many more people. The bad is that some people use the on-line ads to defraud the advertiser. I have received as many as seven different relay calls (normally used for the hearing impaired or those that are unable to speak) that were bogus and a couple of e-mails that were counterfeits. It has not been all bad as I have been in contact with several nice people. But I never imagined that someone in another country would see my ad and contact me for the sole purpose to swindle me. That whole concept is just overwhelming. I guess that I am more naïve than I thought. I did, however, catch on fairly quickly with the assistance of others who have been in the same situation. I wrote a friend who is all knowing of the internet and he gave me a site to look at. On that site, there were many people who had been taken with similar scams and warning others on what to look for. One doctor had been taken for over $200 thousand. So, I feel lucky that I received good advice and have not been taken, so far.
Do you remember when you were a kid and your folks ask you to do something that you did not want to do - so you come up with all kinds of devices to keep from doing the chore? I can remember sitting in the hot bathroom at harvest time after lunch to try to keep from doing the little dab of dishes that we had to do. I spent more time trying to keep from doing the dishes than the job actually took. Or when you were in school trying to keep from doing your homework, all the time and scheming you went through took more brainpower and time than the actual assignment.
If all of those people who work so hard to defraud others would put their efforts into honest labor they would be rich beyond their dreams or at least able to sleep well at night. My cousin gave me some wise words of wisdom- he said that he did not understand the 'thing' with money; you can work for all you want. The key word being ‘work’.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 24, 2007

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 24, 2007
Can you believe that I have been out of high school for 30 years? I was having a little trouble believing it myself. Class reunions are great. It is nice to see what your classmates have done in the last 30 years. Our class has not moved all that far away. We go as far north as the Kansas/ Nebraska line and as far south as Houston, Texas area as far west as Ft. Collins Colorado and east, no one lives farther east than the Kansas/ Missouri line. However, we have three missing classmates that we cannot find- so we may be scattered more than we thought. Some classmates look almost the same and others I could not recognize. There are nine of us who live here in Comanche County - so- many hands makes light work. Tony Koehn smoked an assortment of meat for our lunch and he did a wonderful job. Marty Dillinger did all kinds of work to get us organized. The rest of us did what we could. We had 34 in our graduating class and we have not lost anyone to death that we know of. To my knowledge, we have not lost anyone from first grade on. That is really saying something.
I cannot believe all of the different occupations that my classmates have found for themselves. We have a Chief Financial Officer- Nurse-Cowboy- Assistant Vice President of a Savings and Loan- Teachers-Electronic Technician- Carpenter-Custodians-Food Service- Coca Cola employee- Gravel pit owner - Departmental Managers. I am very proud of our class’s accomplishments. I would say that if you need any of these services you would be hard pressed to find anyone any better than my classmates to do the job.
We talked about the jobs we did to raise money for the Senior Trip. Our class had to raise over $5,000.00 to go to California. We did all kinds of odd jobs and the boys worked really hard- chopping firewood- bucking bales- we all painted houses. We had a great time on the west coast.
For the ones who have not been back for a few years the tour of the school was a little shocking. They had a hard time adjusting to the Green and Black and not an eagle in sight. Other than the color and mascot change, part of the grade school being torn down and a playground in its place, the school had not changed all that much.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 17, 2007

As I was sitting at Bill Hoofers funeral and heard what Mike Crowe had written about Bill- It brought back a flood of memories. I can remember going into Hoofers Grocery Store and the sound that the wood floors made was unique to that particular store. We would get our shopping cart and when we got to the meat department, Mom would tell Bill or Ralph how much bacon and lunch meat she needed. I did not know that bacon came prepackage until I was in high school. I just loved to go behind the counter and watch them slice our bacon. I can remember seeing that big slab of bacon all covered with pepper, then they would slice the bacon however thick you wanted it. They would layer the bacon in-between papers and wrap it up in white butchers’ paper. If you wanted liverwurst they were very nice to always put each slice between papers so the slices would not stick together. I liked liverwurst and chopped ham. Dad liked bologna. Do you remember when we learned about shredded ham? I bet that was a nightmare for the guys, but I never heard them complain.
After we got our shopping done we would roll our cart to the counter- We ran a bill so either Bill or Ralph would write down everything that we had put in our cart. That must have been quite a chore but they never seemed to mind. As you were getting checked out they would put your groceries in a nice sturdy box- And the box would either sit on the counter, if you did not have a lot of groceries or it would sit on a lower counter that was at the end of the taller counter. The lower counter was just the right height to double as chair. I thought it was nice for them to provide a spot for husbands or old people to sit while they were waiting for their wives or mates to finish up the shopping. Since we usually got a box, they would tie string around the top of the box to help hold up the sides up. I can remember wondering if they ever would run out of string, as it looked like to me that it was sort of magical how it came out of the hole in the counter from an unknown source. It did not take much to amuse me. Since we ran a bill there I thought that it was really neat, once when we went to town I got away from Mom and went into Hoofers to get an ice cream bar - Ralph asked me if I was going to pay for my ice cream I told him to just put it on the bill, he asked me if mom said it was ok. I was shocked that he thought that I would have to ask Mom. Well, Ralph was right. I should have asked Mom. I learned then, that just because you put it on the bill does not mean that you do not have to pay for it.
As time went on the Hoofers moved with the times as it got to where they did not have to write down each article that you purchased as the new fangled cash register helped them out and saved them a lot of time. They moved across the street to the old Gambles Store which is now Dave’s Pizza Oven. They had more room and could sell more products- but somehow I missed the creaky wood floors. I know that the only thing that stays the same is that the world is ever changing. We are going to miss Bill Hoofer- but it is not too late to let Ralph know what much we appreciated their store and their kindness.
Thanks, Ralph!!

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 4, 2007

When I was growing up it was a goal at our house to have the wheat cut by the 4th of July. If we were not done Mom was not in the mood to go town. It was real hard for her when people would ask if we were done with harvest. Dad’s mood was not perky to say the least. I can not imagine how he would have been this year- I am sure that would have been a lot of tears. I enjoyed harvest - riding the combine with Dad or sitting in the wheat truck and going into town to the elevator. If things went just right and harvest was over and Dad thought that he could afford it he would buy a few fireworks. Oh, that was so exciting! Virgil showed me how to do the snakes and when I got older we blew up ant dens with firecrackers. We quickly learned that when you blow up ant dens to RUN away from the den as the ants that were air born would land in your hair and shirts, ants do bite and it hurts. Virgil was a great older brother he taught me all kinds of important things like how to strategically place the firecracker that would make the biggest hole. After I married Jim, he showed me how to blow up gourds. The gourds are like little grenades. They were a lot of fun. The firecrackers now do not have the kick that they used to. That is probably because of all of the fingers, eyes, burn holes in legs arms and other places and hearing people lost during this time of celebration.
This year will be different than in the past years. We usually stay at home - and go to Myrna Bumgarner’s but this 4th we have been invited to go to Sharon and celebrate with the Sharon folk as they are dedicating their city park. When I went over to Sharon during Christmas they had nice decorations in the park. For such a small town I was impressed that they had any thing at all. We will miss Myrna’s cookout as she is such a good hostess. She always makes sure her guests are well taken care of.
I wish you all a great, and safe 4th of July.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 12, 2007

Well it is the time of year that Grandchildren are spending time with their grandparents. I know I have talked to lots of people who talk about how much fun they had as children going to their grandparents place for the summer. I hope that the grandchildren know that spending time with their grandparents was just as wonderful for the grandparents as it was for them. I think that when kids who live in town that get to spend time on the farm is such a change from what they are used to. When you can go down to the creek and get your feet all gooey and get all dirty and then get hosed off with the garden hose. And getting dirty was not necessarily a bad thing. Making mud pies and learning that just because they are called pies you really do not eat them. Finding a nest of kittens or baby chickens and getting chased by the ole’ hen was always exciting. Gathering eggs was fun for the grandkids until they found a snake in the nest.
I can remember when Vickie would let her kids stay with us. Since I was 12 years old when Vickie had Sheila I had the opportunity to play with her while she vacationed with the folks. In view of the fact that she was the first niece and the first baby I had ever been around I thought she was the most wonderful and the most beautiful little girl God had ever created. There is something about the first one, it is not that you love them more than the other nieces and nephews they were just the first. If Vickie and Randy had not let the kids come for a visit I would have never gotten acquainted with them. Sometimes we got them during harvest. You might think that was not a good time, but it was as it nice to have new life in the house. Vickie had Mike year and couple months after Sheila so we would get both of them at the same time. They were so special. I just could not wait for our time to come so we play with the little ones.
One year Mom and Dad had a garden and Mom went out to dig some potatoes and Mike informed her that his mother bought clean potatoes not dirty one like those. Mike was always the one who wanted to help with everything. He was a fun little guy to have around.
We wondered what Sheila would call the Mom and Dad as Randy’s parents lived close to Vickie and Randy and grandma and grandpa names were already taken. Kids have a way of telling the grandparents apart without any help from us. Dad thought Sheila was just wonderful and he really liked to tease her. So one day when she was very little and was just learning how to talk, she saw a picture of Dad she said, “Oh! Ha ha Pa pa.” So for years Dad was Ha Ha Pa Pa. That really tickled Dad. It is amazing that she thought that- since she did spend time with us during harvest that she thought he was ha ha anything.