Country Gal Nov. 28, 2006

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 28, 06
Life is full of puzzles and if your life is not puzzling enough - you can actually purchase any kind of torture you would like to mess with your brain - eyes - and patience. Not to mention it can drain your bank account. Mom started to do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. She would ask me questions that she did not know. I was impressed that I actually knew something helpful. What mom and I did not know we used the very ragged, cornered crossword dictionary unless Vickie is here and she knows stuff. Mom and I have always joked that we share a brain.
While I was cooking in New Mexico I found Mom a doubled sided, horse shaped, puzzle. It is really hard but she is getting it done. The Thanksgiving guests helped out some and gave it them something to do as we visited.
My niece, Wendy, does the sudoku puzzles. I had never seen one worked before. She was showing me how they work and how to do them. I thought that they looked like fun so I got a book and I think that I like the crossword puzzles better. But they are fun; even Jeff likes some of them.
Mother does not buy the crossword books- why you might wonder since she loves the do the one in the paper? Well, it is because my mother who I love very much is a cheater. If she has the answers in the back of the book she cannot help herself when she gets stuck on a word, she looks in the back and cheats. That is why she likes the puzzles in the paper since she cannot get the answers until the next day.
Mom and I work the crossword while we are on the road. We were traveling to Wichita the other day and I had given her an answer and Mom said, “Vanita, I think that maybe you might be a little smarter than we had thought.” Thanks Mom, I think.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 21, 06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Nov. 21, 06
You know what? Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. I hope you are ready- I am getting in the mind set. However, it seems to be difficult since all of the stores have forgotten Thanksgiving and jumped ahead to Christmas. The reasoning must be that we have not commercialized Thanksgiving as we have Christmas; maybe we ought to be thankful of that. Turkey day is a wonderful day to get with all of those that we love and remember all of the happy times in your life. Maybe even write a letter to someone who has made a difference in your life. It is never too late to let someone know that they are important to you. We have many people in the community who do so much for so many.
I am excited that my sister’s family and my brother’s family will be here. I get to have Vickie and Randy’s family at my house along with Lori and Roy Claycamp. My house will be full of lots of fun and entertainment. Vickie’s little grandson, Michael Ethan, is a very busy little boy. He will add some excitement. Virgil and Karen’s family entire will get to be with us.Virgil and Karen have two grandchildren and they will both be here as well, so I will be blessed this year.
Jennifer is planning to go shopping on Black Friday- you know- that Friday after Thanksgiving. I have absolutely no interest in going. I love to shop but in a mob of busy, pushing, people with no parking spaces except for the ones that are a half a mile away. In addition, the stores put on the sales that you just cannot say no to. It just exhausts me to think about it. So to all of you brave souls who are going out in the cold, cruel world on Friday- I send to you good luck and safe driving.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your friends and family.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 11-07-06

I am slowly getting back in to the swing of things. When I got back on Friday from the Gila Wilderness -we had to get ready to sell calves. The cattle truck was to be at the pens by noon so this fat girl had to get to moving. We got the calves in good time only because I had good help and then we had to get some bills paid just like everyone else. On Tuesday the calves sold and we worked on the trailer lights. I know what you are thinking why worry about the lights after we got the calves to town. We had to get the lights working so we could take the trailer to my brothers- Virgil’s- on Wednesday - to help him move all of his shop stuff. Or at least we thought we had the lights working- We had just left Coffeeville a little ways and we realized that we had no running lights on the trailer. We had brake and turning lights just no tail lights or clearance lights. We pulled over at a quick stop and tried to find where our problem was. Jim decided to just rewire the lights. We were working hard trying to get everything working when a fellow pull up besides us and saw our dilemma- he said, “you oughtta do what I do- just like *#** and get to where you are going”. Jim told him that would work just fine if we did not have another four and half hours left to travel and we had to go thru Joplin and we would be on the interstate. The guy gave us his condolences and left. He was great help. But we got the lights working and we were on our way and made it without any more problems.
Virgil and Karen have lived in Waynesville for over a little over 25 years. They are moving to Minneola Kansas. Virgil will be the minister at the Christian Church in Minneola.
What can I say- Virgil is Vernie Whites son. He had all kinds of stuff - but we did get it all in the trailer. It is amazing what one collects after a few years. One of the guys that was helping load up stuff ask if there was no scrap metal in Kansas. Virgil had everything organized and it did not take long to get things packed, tied, secured, and locked down. We left the next morning and so now I think that I am home for a while now. What is left to see is if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Country Gal

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept. 12, 2006
When I was a little girl, my mom read to me the story of the town mouse and the country mouse. I always thought that being the town mouse was really cool. I have always been happy being a country mouse but I could see the advantages of the city life. I thought that having neighbors living close to you would be ideal as you would never be lonely having someone so close that you could visit with often. How nice it would be to call your neighbor to come over for coffee and they could be there in a matter of a couple minutes. That thought just made me feel good. When I was five, I went to visit my Aunt Claudia in a suburb of Los Angeles. She had a neighbor who was very near to her home. Mom had brought farm eggs out from home and I thought it would be a good idea to share with her. Now this woman was somewhat cranky, I took that as a challenge and thought that she must be lonely and that was the reason for her moods. Actually, I found out later she was just cranky. I tried so hard to make her like me; I would go over to her home and visit nearly every day. I bet that was a long week for her. But now I know that sometimes when you live in a town, (and this happens in the country too) people have forgotten about what is important.
In the perfect world, which is where I would like to live it would be nice if everyone would just play nice.
Dad found a saying that sums all of this up. Live well- Love Much and Laugh Often.


Country Gal by Vanita Blundell Sept 19, 2006
By now, you probably know that I am out of the country. I have gone to cook for hunters in New Mexico. My first two camps will be on the Floyd Lee Ranch north of Grants, New Mexico. I think that this will be an interesting experience. I am a little worried about being bear food. I have gained enough weight that a bear could hibernate long into the summer if he had me for lunch. I am hoping that the bears will be sleeping by this time. Probably not- Since I am the cook I will be where the food is- I hope that I do not have to guard the food with my life. I was told by a friend that it is mostly small black bears that live around there and they do not eat all that much. So, why don’t I feel better? I think that if a bear is going to eat part of me he might as well finish me off.
The other place that I will be going is in the Gila Wilderness the closest town is Apache Creek. The altitude is around 10,000 feet so it will be a little cool. One of the best parts of the whole thing is that I get to see Dan and Linda Winter, Jerry Ferrin, my Aunt Hazel Barker, and several cousins that I have not seen in a few years. I will also get to visit Vickie and Randy along with her family. I always love going to see their families.
Vickie has a thrift store that she operates for their church. That is how they get money for their benevolence fund. People give all kinds of things to her store and she does quite well. She calls it-People Helping People. I love to shop there, I got a great deal on a copier that I use often and it was in new condition.
I hope to send you updates on my adventures but in the meantime, Mom will write a column or two. Well- wish me luck and I will see you when I get back.

Country Gal

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 8-29-06
The City Wide Garage Sale gave Jims brother, John and his boys a good excuse to come see us. After the shopping the kids, Jeff, Jennifer and Jason started to talking about what they used to do while we were out of the house. Johns oldest son, Jason and Jeff are close to the same age. So when they came to visit the two boys found all kinds of things to do.
Jennifer was the oldest by five years and she watched out for the boys. I was unaware that she had been running interference for them. She went around and fix what they broke and did not always rat them out if she thought what they were doing was not life threatening. There were a few times that she did tell on them. For instance- they had found some old shot gun shells and they thought that it would be fun to hit the brass ends with hammers. They did not want the adults to know what they were doing so the carried the shells and hammers out under an old tree and was pounding on the ammo. Jennifer did come and tell me what they were doing and we quickly put a stop to that. The old shells were some shells that the previous tenants had left behind and we had no idea that the ammunition was even there. They talked about how they tried to fly by using trash sacks-plywood- boards and paper. It was never successful. And all of the holes they dug in the pasture in their attempt to find China. They dug such big holes that Jennifer had to get a rope to pull them out. She made them fill the holes in as she knew that if we found out about the deep pits the boys would be in big trouble.
Since I was a stay at home mom I thought that I knew most everything that went on in my house. That kind of thinking always gets you into trouble. Did I have a rude awakening! Sometimes we would go to town and leave the kids home for a little while. I found out this weekend that Jeff had broken a lot of my figurines. I had always told my kids that if something got broken it would be alright just tell me and clean up the mess. I knew that accidents would happen. What I did not have any tolerance for was just doing things for no purpose. Such as swinging a bat in the house and hitting balls just to see where they might land. These are the things that Jeff did while we were away. Jennifer would glue the broken objects back together in hopes that I would never notice them. Jim had known that some things had been broken but he thought that I had glued them back together again. I had never noticed them until the kids showed me the cracks. I must say that Jennifer is a darn’ good gluer. Her only defense was that if I knew what she knew, Jeff might not have survived my wrath. And she might have been right.

Country Gal- Vanita Blundell---5-03-05

This was for sure a memorable week. We had the privilege of helping Daryl Schiff and The Barber County Historical Society with the Martina McBride show that was held in the new Community Center in Medicine Lodge. I made cookies and donated a few white elephants for their auction. Jim helped finish up the parking markers and helped direct traffic for the shows. We also helped in the concessions while the auction and Celebrity Auction was going on, which was a good idea so I would not even be tempted. Then I was the emcee for the two shows at1:00 and 7:00. It was an honor to be asked to introduce Martina McBride, Marty Schiff, Miss Kansas, Miss Micah Thom, Daryl Schiff and Gene Winter.
What was so impressive was all of the volunteers that were there to help with the playground, in Medicine Lodge, that was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award. They came from all over the United States to help with the playground and anything else that needed to be done. I think that the Show and Auction was Jeanne Schiff’s ‘brain child’ and she put her energy into getting everything done just right. The Medicine Lodge people were in full force with the organization and the ‘know how’ to make it a great success.
Martina and all of her family were gracious and kind to everyone. She put on a wonderful show. It is nice to see families work and play together, not only the Schiff’s but there were other families involved as well.
Seeing Martina and her dad sing together could not help but make me a little envious. I can remember Vickie and Dad singing together, and how much they enjoyed that connection. Most of us girls have that special bond with there dads.
I think that people working together can accomplish great things. Nothing is impossible to do if you can keep focused. You may not think that you do anything, but if you are pleasant to people and try to overlook the faults of others you will be an inspiration and nothing is out of reach. I guess the older I get I can see how negative thoughts and actions can be so destructive. Which brings me back to a little verse in Proverbs Dad liked to say ‘A merry heart doth like a medicine, but a broken spirit dryth up the bones’.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 8-22-06

Do you remember the sad song they sang on Hee-Haw: “Gloom-despair and agony on me- deep dark depression excessive misery- if it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all- Gloom, despair, and agony on me”. This has been a sad week- I have decided that I am not a very good nanny. The one and only puppy that I had did not make it. I know that people say that animals are dumb and that they do not have the capacity to reason. I do not think that is true. The mamma dog has mourned her loss, even Jake, who is not the brightest crayon in the box, knows that something is not right. It has been a little depressing around here.
Jennifer and Giz are anxious to get settled. They have been living in our basement and we love having them, but I think that they are wanting to get on with their lives. We have been looking for homes for them. It is sad to see where all of the old homesteads used to be. You know, that in those empty yards their was a lot of happiness that occurred there. Little boys chasing their sisters with frogs and bugs. A young lady’s first kiss on the porch, the tire swing in the tree, if you were lucky enough to have a tree in the yard. Kids anxiously awaiting their dad to come home from a hard days work. There are some large homes that are now beyond repair but at one time they were quite a show place. I can not imagine how people kept up the yards with everything else that they had to do with out the modern conveniences, such as gas powered lawn mowers and electric hedge trimmers and edgers. At my house I would just as soon turn the horses out and let them graze in the back yard, not to mention, I just like to see them. The horses not only mow they also trim and fertilize all at the same time. When I was little when dad mowed the yard it was a scary thing to watch. Mom would make sure that I was in the house and away from the windows. Our mower was open all the way around the bottom and rocks, wire, twigs, dirt flew in all directions. Even when I saw that grass eating- stick throwing machine in the barn or garage I would keep a safe distance from it, I did not want to take any chances. With my luck something strange might happen and Dad would have said, “Who would have thought that would happen?”.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 8-15-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 8-15-06
It RAINED!!! I hope every one of you remembered to thank the Good Lord for the moisture. I have had a theory- the Lord gives us a little rain to see if we are thankful then he decides if he will gives us any more. Just a theory mind you- just a theory.
Friday we went to Tulsa to see Jim’s mom. She is still having Chemo-treatments one day- every other week. On the way home we stopped and bought a damaged wading pool. This is for the up coming puppies that Josie is to have. I got it just in time as she went into labor Saturday evening. Being the vet that I am not, this was a very long and drawn out ordeal. I have come to one conclusion I would rather help a cow calve than to watch a dog give birth. Or I feel more confident in what should happen next or at least what things look like. I could get in more detail but I think you get the idea. Why is it that things like this always happen on the weekends and in the evenings?
Since I (really it was Jim) did not want Josie to have the puppies in the house we took the wading pool with blankets out on the deck and we waited. As Josie was trying to do her thing, poor Jake was the nervous daddy-to- be- he just paced back and forth and side to side. I thought that I should get him to boil water to keep him busy- but what would a dog do with boiling water? I made a pallet and slept on the deck with her all night long. No puppy- We went to Sunday school and Church came home- no puppy - then we had company so Josie had more alone time and some peace still no puppy. I thought that she had lost her babies and I was in for a vet bill. When the kids were getting ready for bed they heard an odd squealing sound outside their window and sure enough there was one little black puppy.
So I am happy to report that I am the proud owner of one, just one, puppy so far. It was like Josie had one and she said that was enough- I can not say that I blame her- this is the noisiest pup I have ever heard. I would like to have had at least two but I will take what I can get. Jake, was one of sixteen puppies- I do not think that I want sixteen puppies to contend with the first time out of the gate. But one pup will be hard not to get attached to since I have every intention of selling this one.
At our house this week looks like it will be a ‘dogs life’ whatever that means.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 8-08-06

It is that time of year again-it is the time of year that puts fear and excitement down deep in your bones. School is getting ready to start. I never was fond of school. I would have preferred to stay at home and helped Dad but mom did not think that was a good idea. I went to Wilmore Grade School and I had a great first grade teacher- Lila Miller- she was wonderful. She taught first and second together. We had a large class there were 17 or 18 of first and second graders Mrs. Miller played the piano and we sang “Jumbo Elephant” among others and a good morning song we sang each morning before we started our school day. She also made sure that we washed our hands before we went to lunch and we prayed before we ate. Mrs. Miller sat at the head of the table at lunch to make sure we used our table manners and also showed us the proper way to hold a fork and a spoon. I can remember looking at the head of the table and it made me feel secure, kind of like being at home. I can not remember her ever yelling at us, I am sure that she must have - if we did not mind she was so disappointed and that made us feel bad.
The school bus was something that we moaned over, but that is where I learned to play cards- pitch-crazy 8’s- war and gin-rummy. We had great drivers- Wade and Ernestine Ziegler and Irma Downing. One year the school let the senior boys drive the little vans (this was before suburbans. I can not imagine that happening now. So Zearl Ziegler was our driver. One time we got stuck in the mud out in the pastures and he radioed his mom, Ernestine, and asked her pull us out and bring us food. She came and got us pulled out and brought us cookies and apples. What a great lady!! Every time from then on we were not worried about getting stuck because we thought that we just might get something great from Ernestine’s kitchen. We really had a good time on the bus. We kept track of the antelope in Gregg’s pasture and watched for other things out of the ordinary. When it was extremely muddy the driver would have all of us sit in the very back to give him more traction in the rear, either that or he was trying to get us as far away from his seat as he could. One time two boys were picking on each other and Wade got tired of it and he stopped the bus and had them get out and fight to get it out of their system. When they got out they decided that they did not want to fight anymore. It was very quite the rest of the way home.
My brother never got one school year without having a sister on the bus. That was cruel and unusual punishment. Vickie was probably better than I was, Virgil would pay me a nickel to not tell on him- I took the nickel and sometimes rat him out anyway. That really proves that I had a good brother, he probably should have pounded me a time or two and I would have thought twice about squealing on him. But he never did. I really do not remember him doing anything that would have gotten him in trouble but at the time it must have seemed important.
I can remember that when I got on the bus or went to school that the bus driver and the teacher could have ended my life at any time. I knew that I had to behave or else. School is where you learn to tell your folks what happened before someone else would tell them their version. I found that it was always better to fess up and let them know what was going on and why you did what you did. What is the saying better to be forewarned than forearmed?
The neat thing about starting school was school shopping. That was one of my favorite memories with my mom. We would take a whole day to shop for school and Mom would let me pick where we would eat. It was wonderful. My mom can spot a sale rack in a store across the street. She is a wonderful bargain hunter. We would check all the $5.00 racks and try on clothes all day. I always got new shoes and new gym shoes. Buying two pair of shoes was not a common occurrence. And a buying a new note book was exciting. Sometimes Mom would tell that I could use the year before notebook and I was horrified that everyone would know that I did not get a new notebook. We always got new crayons I thought that I should get the big box of crayons. Then when I would break the first one it was disturbing.
Remember taking an apple or candy to the teacher is not a bad way to begin the new year.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell---- 8-01-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell---- 8-01-06
The old saying that you can never go back home. This is so true even if you do not go far away. When I was a kid we had a tree about ¾ of a mile from the house, by a small creek that we called the ‘picnic tree’. I would take a walk or go on horseback with a small picnic- I packed Miracle Whip with green olives sandwiches and if I was lucky I would have a Pepsi. My favorite time to go was after a rain and the water would run down the gyp and make little waterfalls. I thought it was just beautiful just like the waterfalls in Colorado. Actually, it was nothing like the falls in Colorado. But I had never been there so I had nothing to compare it to. But it was still pretty and unique. Under the tree it was gyp and very little grass. I would spread out a cloth and sit down and open my sack to see what Mom had put in it. I thought that I was really living. Sometimes if I walked Mom would go with me and we would look at the creek and collect some rocks. Now the ‘picnic tree’ is gone and the creek is almost dried up. There is a little water but not much. Now I am going to have to move the cattle out or start hauling water. This pasture is a little rugged and you can see large pieces of rock that have fallen off the overhangs it is mostly gyp. I always wondered if it fell all at once or if it fell slowly and how much noise did it make. Kind of like the saying, if a tree fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it does it still make a sound? Jim and I were out checking things out and there was this huge rock that we both thought would be neat to have I our back yard. The trick would be to get it loaded and hauled home. The boulder is probably better off where it is. You can look and see how the pastures are continually changing.
Keeping the changing of the pastures in mind I, have some family who think that they know where some buried treasure might be. It was in the late 1800’s that a gold shipment was lost and some think that they might know where it is. I do not think that after over 100 years that the landmarks are even close to being the same. The land has changed not only in looks but with owners as well. But it might be fun to look for it.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-25-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-25-06
I do not know about you- but where is the summer going? I have had a busy week just like the rest of you. I know that the Chili Peppers were on duty. I was honored to be asked to emcee the Mini Relay for Life at the Heritage Park, Saturday evening. The Chili Peppers were serving ice cream sundaes along with organizing the Relay. That is an enormous responsibility to under take. I hope that they do it next year and that more people come out to see just what they are all about. The thing is - Cancer is no respecter of person- it can rear its ugly head and affect anyone and their families.
I am not sure everyone is aware of all the work these gals do. It is not just the ladies - they include their husbands and families to help them accomplish their mission. They put a lot of hard work on making and selling over 250 luminaries. The luminaries are just a small part of what they do to raise money for the American Cancer Society. These 12 ladies have been very diligent in their quest to help stamp out Cancer. I do know that if you hear that The Chili Peppers are serving a meal or concessions or whatever- it will be done in the best possible way. It could very well be the some of the very best cooks in the county that are involved.
This weekend we got to meet Jims great Aunt Dorothy Smart (not just everyone can say that they have a Smart side). We did not have a lot of information on Jim’s side of the family. She has a wealth of stories and history on Jim’s grandmother’s side. Jims Uncle Larry and Aunt Pasty Blundell brought her out to our home. They were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary by taking a vacation to Nashville, Tenn. They stopped at our home going and coming back.
We have completed the deck construction. I need to paint or stain the railing yet, but we got to enjoy it with the family. I think that the deck was a great idea. The dogs just love it in the late mornings and afternoon they get under it and in the evenings they stretch out on top of it.
One young lady told me that it is a good idea to seal off the underneath part as they had armadillos living under theirs. So we might need to do that.
Now I am going to have to paint the trim of the house now. It is just one thing after another.
I thought that I would leave you with this one thought- Aunt Patsy brought me a little sign to hang in my house that read- A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to unravel. Does she know us or what?

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell July 18, 2006

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-18-06
When I asked my kids in Sunday School what exciting thing they were going to do this week. One little boy said the Ice Cream Social was one of his favorite things to do. I can remember when I was a kid the Ice Cream Social was almost as exciting as a holiday. We were curious what kind of ice cream would be there. I do not know why I was so excited -I always had chocolate and it usually was my moms. I could have had it at home but it always was better to eat it with my friends. Mom had her own milk and cream as most everyone else did, too. The kicker was ice- We would get the ice on Sunday after church from the locker. No, the locker was not open on Sunday- they had a coin operated vending machine. It was really neat when you could get this huge block of ice- I think it was 50 pound block- Dad would wrap in burlap and put it in the trunk of the car and hurry home. We must have put it in the freezer until time to use it. Dad would come in early and put the ice in the burlap sack and smash it to smithereens so we could put in the ice cream freezer. When we no longer had our own milk and cream Mom froze our own ice in gallon milk cartons. We always kept our ice cream bucket in the horse tank year around. It was not very desirable to look at since it was all mossy and - now that I think about it- it was really gross looking. After all that of that we still had to crank the ice cream- this was before electric freezers. I sat on the freezer and Dad would crank. Most of the time I had as much ice on me as there was in the freezer. I knew I was growing up when I could help Mom crank the ice cream. That way Dad could stay in the field a little longer. Mom and I would take turns cranking. She would do 50 turns then me - then as it got harder we would crank 25 turns - then 10 -then hopefully Dad would be in to see if it was hard enough to take the paddle out and repack the freezer so the ice cream could ripen. The most memorable ice cream social that I remember was the year that Dad had just gotten a different pick-up- bright orange. Mom and Dad put me in the back to keep the ice cream from turning over. Usually this time of year was very busy for us. We were trying to get the wheat ground worked and the feed planted. So Dad was not in an extremely good mood to start with. Mom was worried that we were going to be late and so Dad was not wasting anytime. When we got to the bridge by Dales the County was putting in a new bridge and the road was closed. Mom said she thought that we should turn around and go back just a little ways and take another route to town. Dad explained to her (in a tone that one never argued with but once) that they always put road closed but it really was not. Mom told me to hang on and Dad backed up and got a good run at the huge ditch where the bridge was to be and we went down at a fast rate of speed and went up bouncing and throwing dirt, dust and rocks everywhere. Keeping the ice cream freezer upright was a trick but I managed it somehow. After we got back on the road we just went on in to town just as if everything was just fine and dandy. Mom was a little frazzled and I was just that much closer to God. This was another experience that improved my prayer life.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-11-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-11-06
Music has been a big part of my life as I was growing up. I think that you can tell a lot about the times that we live in by the music that is written. Take the roaring 20’s it was a time that America was happy and the music showed it. The 20’s had the flappers and the music was lively. In the 30’s during the depression the blues were inspired. They sang of the hardships of the times. During war times songs like “Don’t Sit under the Apple Tree” were popular. The fifties were exciting with the sock hops. I remember some of Woodstock - the Beatles - Elvis- Porter Wagner- Buck Owens- Loretta Lynn - Alice Cooper -Pink Floyd (I thought I was a rebel for a while).
We lived over 20 miles from town so we had lots of time in the car going back and forth and we spent a lot of that time singing like ‘Found a Peanut’- ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’ -‘White Coral Bells’. Mom taught me how to sing a round. Dad sang a lot also. When Dad would rock me to sleep he would sing the Fly song. Dad sang on horseback often. When he lived with and worked for Mr. and Mrs. S.A, Delair - Mrs. Delair taught him the song ‘the Unfortunate Man’. It was funny and fit Dad. I have never heard the song other than when Dad sang it, I don’t know if it was something that she wrote or something that she had learned as a child and passed it along to Dad. He liked to sing songs that would make me cry-like ‘Poor Charley’ and ‘The Baggage Coach Ahead’. He thought that it was so funny to see me bawling my eyes out about poor ol’ Charley dying and not being able to see his mother when the work is done this fall. Or about the poor baby crying on the train and the dad not being able to comfort the child because the mother was in the baggage coach in a coffin. I never could handle the song ‘Shep’. As I got older I heard the song the ‘‘The Letter Edged in Black’ - that song broke my heart, too. I got to thinking the other day Life is made up of music- When you are young you hear a song and think that you would like to have that sung at your birthday party then you hear a song when you are dating and you have your song then you hear a song that is just perfect for your wedding, After that you hear a song and think that you would like to have that song sung at your 50th wedding anniversary- years past and you hear a song that is near and dear to your heart and you think that is what I want sung at my funeral.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-4-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 7-4-06
This week I am getting all decked out. I have been wanting a deck since we built our home over ten years ago. I decided that it was time so I got on the internet and looked at a deck or two. We decided what kind of deck that we wanted and so we started to make out plans. I did not trust Jims drawings and Jim did not think I ideas were quite right - I called Home Lumber- and Mike saved the day- maybe even my marriage or possibly kept one of us from homicidal actions. Since Jim has the lumber from the old Grade School we are gong to put it to use. We looked at some plans for a deck and in big letters it said buy on Friday - build on Saturday - enjoy on Sunday. Well- that was a bold face lie. I was hoping to have it completed by the 4th but did not happen, but it should be done by the 7th. I am anxious to see what it will look like.
We had a great 4th of July. We had family and friends over for the evening. Jim and Jeff had gotten fireworks for the night show. The fireworks were pretty and it makes you wonder how any one thought to make a roman candle or any type of firework for that matter. I am guessing that it happened by accident. I can imagine that someone had some gunpowder and whatever else it takes and very nearly blew something up and it ended up becoming what we now call fireworks. This is one holiday that my sister does not come home for. She had too many incidents with firecrackers and she prefers to stay at home where she is safe and sound. In fact, she lives in a National Forest and no fireworks of any kind are allowed which makes her happy. Towards the end of our fireworks display we noticed that God was having one of his own. When lightening lit up the sky it made our fireworks look puny. It was nice to be reminded that He is still in control.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-27-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-27-06
We had moisture!! I hope everyone remembered to thank the Good Lord for the rain. It bothers me to hear people say it was not enough to help. I think any thing beats the hot wind and dry air. We had 3 nice showers and it gave us a little over 3 inches in the past two weeks. I am certainly grateful.
Yesterday when we came home from Woodward I noticed that Billy- Mom’s dog- was all muddy and Mutt looked extra tired and the two Danes were out of the back yard. The Danes had lifted the back gate off its hinges and since the gate was tied at the opening it was hanging all whopper-jawed. I was wondering what mischief they had been up to. This morning I found out- I have never seen one of these up close-but by the look of Billy he got a real good look. Anyway, by the horse tank there laid a very dead beaver. You maybe wondering why a beaver was this close to the house -I would like to know that as well. I have no ponds close or running water, except for the water that runs over the tank. And I do not think that it is enough water to make a beaver think he could have a nice home and raise a family. But maybe he was an underachiever, whatever the reason it was not a good one. I am sure that the beaver came to our house, because if the dogs ventured out and brought him home he would have been at the front door instead of leaving him by the tank. And I am not sure if they could have carried him as he looked like he weighed quite a bit. I found him interesting looking with that big flat tail and those large front teeth and those very sharp claws. I do not how the dogs got him without serious injury. When I first saw him I thought that it was a coon, then I thought that it was a porcupine I would have never guessed it was a beaver. Things like this make me realize how much I miss Dad. He would have been amused and enjoyed looking over this strange creature that God had made. When we would ride out in the pastures he would always comment how God had a beautiful paint brush and imagination. He liked the wildflowers and the birds especially.
Thinking of the beavers- I had a neighbor once who declared war on the beavers and blew up their dams. It was an ongoing battle. The neighbor won a a lot of battles but I am afraid that he lost the war as where he used to try to keep the beavers out they are back and building one dam after the other. But at the Blundell household the score is Blundells 1- Beavers 0.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-20-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-20-06
It makes you wonder how dogs have survived as long as they have. My dogs seem to be --delicate-- sensitive -- allergy ridden--. Most of you know that I am in the process of raising Great Danes dogs. I am not convinced that pure bred dogs are as healthy as a plain ol’ mutt. I think that it must be the money. As I was growing up we had just plain ol’ dogs who seem to get along just fine- Well, that is not entirely true. I think that since they were either strays or give a ways and we always knew there were more where they come from. We did lose many dogs but I remember my growing up years by what dog we had. We did have a few pure-bred dogs we had a cocker spaniel, rat terrier, and border collies. Dad had a habit of naming any animal we had after the people that we got them from unless we could come up with a better name. Sometimes we named them by the way they were colored or marked- like Dottie, Blackie, Bobbi- we had one solid black border collie that Dad named- but because that name is something we do not say anymore as it is offensive to a particular group of people.
We had several cows that Dad had bought from Homer Reynolds and we called all of them Homer.
My earliest memory of a dog was a little rat terrier. We got her from Boz Richardson- we named her Pinkie because you could see her pink skin through her hair. We lost her when she came home with three punctures in her sides- we guessed it was a hawk or other predatory bird. I was heart-broken when she died. I had my singing debut the first and only time I sang at a funeral. The funeral was attended by only Dad and I. Dad dug a hole to bury her and put her little body in a wheel barrow and I followed behind singing ‘Where Oh Where has my Little Dog Gone’. I sang and Dad and I both cried as he plopped her in the hole and covered her up. That was my first experience with death that I remember. I have always felt that it is good for kids to have pets so they can have some idea of death. I would hate to think that the first time I knew of a fatality would have been a dear friend or a family member.
We had one dog that took up with the milk cow and preferred her company to ours. He would go out every morning and come in every evening with her, and he slept right by the cow in the barn every night until one fateful day he did not come in one evening.
We had several dogs that met their demise by chasing cars and trucks. We had a wonderful border collie named Happy who got ran over the County Gravel truck. I think that is was John Black who was the driver and he stopped and told us he was so sorry. We felt bad that he felt bad. It was a sad day, but if dogs insist on chasing vehicles it is more than likely that is what is going to happen. We lost a couple of dogs that way.
But the dog I grew up with was a little mutt Vickie brought home to me. I named him Snoopy- he lived until after I left home. He survived many difficulties- He chased and killed chickens which was and still is, a bad, bad thing for a farm dog to do. My brother Virgil and my cousin, Johnny caught him in the act of killing a hen they spanked him and threw him over the fence and broke his leg. Mom, Dad and I were not at home at the time. Virgil felt so awful about hurting the little chicken killer that they gave up their evening to take Snoop to Doc Allen and had his leg set. It was not long until Snoopy pulled the cast off and he healed up just fine, anyway- Ok so - he might have healed at little crooked but it never seemed to bother him. But he never chased another chicken again.
Dad got a dog from Carl Keesee it was a black lab cross. Dad ran over him with the pick up and horse trailer. If that was not bad enough the trailer was loaded with cattle at the time. It should have killed him but he lived-without a Vet bill. However, life was not the same for Blackie.
Years ago our dogs were lucky if they got vaccinated for rabies. Now we worry about every lump or bump they get. My dogs have gone to the Vet as much or more often than my kids went to the Doctor. I don’t know about you but maybe life really has gone to the dogs.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-13-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-13-06
On Sunday, June 11, I have hit another mile stone. I had my 47th birthday. It depends on where you are in life. If you are over 47 it is no big deal if you are a child, you might think that I am ancient. I never thought that I would survive my teenage years let alone my forties. But I can tell that I am not a spring chicken anymore. This had been a bitter pill to swallow. I always thought that I could do whatever Jim needed me to do- until- This past weekend we were moving twenty-five large poles that were at least 30 feet in length. They were stacked in a nice and tidy pile and in order to haul them we needed to cut them in half. This meant that we had to get them off the pile. Jim thought that we could man-handle them.( key word MAN- handle) This is where I explained to him that he should have married Olga the Magnificent. He sort of picked up his half and told me to pick up my half. Well, that was not going to happen - ever. Then he said that maybe we should get the tractor with the front-end loader on it. Gee, I didn’t I think about that? What a relief. Not only did it work great but it was very hot last Friday and it made quick work of it. I am not sure but think that the tractor might have saved my life.
Jim and I went to Woodward on Sunday. We noticed that the power company was doing some work on the power lines. They were replacing the wooden poles with metal poles. I have never seen them before. They are a lot taller than the ones they were replacing. I first thought that they were wooden poles covered with metal, but they are hollow inside. I find them very interesting. We discussed how the metal poles compared to the wooden poles. I have been told that the wood peckers cost the power companies an enormous amount of money each year. So the metal poles will an improvement- from our point of view- don’t think the wood peckers would agree.
We have certainly have seen changes along our roadsides. I know that my parents have seen different changes than I have. I my lifetime we always had telephone poles one side of the road and power poles on the other side. Now the telephone lines are buried along the road side. I am not sure what our electric company has in mind but if it is in our best interest to have metal poles I am sure we will get them.
Another change along the roadways is a roadside park with potties. Even though they were not too grand they were nice to have if you felt the need. Those are pretty much a thing of the past. I understand why they were removed but they did serve a purpose. When I came home from Ruidoso a while back I traveled from Ruidoso to Roswell to Portales. From about 20 miles out of Ruidoso there are NO restrooms till you get about 100 miles to a little town of Elida. It is a looonnng way to go especially if you take your time saying your good-byes and drink about a pot of coffee before you leave. I would have given a million dollars for a roadside park with facilities or a quick stop or a large tree (and I do mean a very large tree) or anything.
My kids have been giving me a hard time on aging. Anything that I do not do just right they remind me I am not getting any younger. I don’t care what my temperature is- It is never the same as anyone else. Jennifer tells me that it is to be expected. Well, it is not expected by me. Then she says, “There you go getting all emotional.” I guess I deserve it since I tease my mom about dropping food on her blouse when she eats. When Jim took me out for my birthday I somehow got my lunch all over my blouse. Jim just chuckled and said, “Welcome to 47 - this is just the beginning”. Isn’t he the sweetest thing?

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 05-30-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 05-30-06
Memorial Weekend has always been extra special to our family. I have a fear that my generation will not observe the tradition of decorating the graves of our loved ones. I can remember how my dad would take us to the cemetery to put flowers on his grandparents, parents and other friends and family graves. Dad would see some of his aunts, uncles and cousins and visit with them as long as he could. I liked to go with him, but as always, there is a down side. I never could remember which direction the grave was from the headstone. We would be wondering around and all of a sudden Dad would very nearly rip my arm out of its socket and tell me in a disgusted and disappointed voice to quit walking on the graves. He had a great respect for the dead and one just never - ever walked on top of someone. Even though I am all grown up with kids of my own I still wince just a little when I go to the cemetery and walk around.
When we would get done with the flowers and remembering those who have gone on before us we would go to the Veterans Building for the Alley Family Reunion. When I was a kid we had a large crowd. But now most of Alleys are now at Crown Hill. Even though our numbers are fewer we still have a great time together. I have some cousins who live in Greensburg, just 20 miles away and about the only time I get to see them is this weekend. It is not that we do not like each other; it’s just that we all have such a busy life. The reunion is a good time to catch up on every one. We get to hear how great grandchildren are and now this year I heard all about great-grandchildren. Some of you remember Jane and Gary Trummel; they are now great-grandparents. That makes their two sons, Mark and Kent granddaddies and their daughter Teresa, a grandma. I love to hear all of Jane’s stories of her grandbabies. Jane is not the only grandmother who has great stories, her sister Edith is a proud grandma, too. John and Linda Alley are a lot of fun as well. Edna May Riggs was here for the first time in several years it was good to see her. Edna May’s daughter Rhonda brought her to the reunion along with her daughter and two grandchildren. I think that their car ride from Pampa Texas was not dull; it looked like they were having a good time and making good memories.
I missed my brother and sister’s family not making it this year, but Virgil has gone to Wyoming to visit their daughter’ family. Pamela and David are expecting their second baby just any day now. And Vickie was here a couple of weeks ago.
The wonderful thing about the Alley Reunion is that the Alleys are great cooks or they married great cooks. We never go away hungry or usually without a new recipe to try. From what I have been told our Grandma Alley was a terrific cook among other things. I have heard stories about her and how tough she was but that is another story.
I hope that you had a good Memorial weekend with your friends and family.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-06-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 6-06-06
Most people have memories of their grandparents’ home. At my grandma and granddads home they had a garden water tank. The windmill pumped water into a 55 gallon barrel then into a horse tank. This was called the garden tank as they could connect a garden hose to and water would trickle out for grandmas’ garden. From the top of garden tank there was a pipe that ran about 2 foot above the ground it went into the stock tank. In the garden tank grandma had a couple of goldfish. They are the only thing that I have been able to maintain. And do I have goldfish! They are not the original fish but I think that I got some fish from Shala Unruh. If I remember correctly she had got them from her Dads horse tanks. He apparently had an over abundance of fish and they needed to thin out a few. I still have the garden tank, but no garden, and the other stock tank is still connected to the garden tank. The goldfish were in the garden tank and now the smaller fish have gone thru the pipe and into the stock tank below. Now I must thin out some fish I have several other tank that I can put them in. I just need the ‘want to’ to do it.
One summer Robert Beatty was spending quite a bit of time out at the grandparents’ farm. He is the son on Mildred Klingensmith Beatty, his grandmother was Bessie Klingensmith. He was about two years older than I was. It was terribly hot out and he decided that we needed to hop in the garden tank to cool off. Grandma said that we had to clean it out first. It took us the better part of the day but we got the worst of it. Then we jumped in the nice cold water. We thought we were pretty clever. After thinking on this for a while - We must not have cleaned the tank too good, as we had tadpoles swimming around us along with the goldfish. That was the first and last time I ever played in a tank.
When the kids were small I thought that I would be a good mother a get a little wading pool for them. I bought the water toys and told the kids how much fun they were going to have splashing around. I got the pool filled the pool with water in the morning so it would warm up by the afternoon. The kids were excited about playing in the water. They jumped in and then ‘they’ came. The wasps, yellow jackets, dragonflies and mosquitoes came in droves. They were swarming around the kids, dipping the water and just being a nuisance. Jeff hating anything with wings, this was not a good thing. They started to yell and cry and then it was over. So at our house a wading pool was not the thing to do. I see several people with the above ground pools and once in awhile you will see a horse tank in someone’s back yard. I sure hope that they have better luck than we did.
I might say that the tanks that I am talking about are metal tanks, not a hole in the ground. When I lived in Texas I heard people talk about those who had drowned in stock tank. I found this odd. Even though I have heard of children who had fallen in horse tanks and drown, but never grown adults. They were telling about a man who had met his demise in a stock tank, being curious I asked how tall he was, when I was told that the man was average height, I was confused. Then I asked if there was a reason why he could not just stand up. After a strange awkward silence I was told that a stock tank in Texas is what we call a pond. Sometimes I would look a lot more intelligent if I just kept my mouth shut.

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 5-16-06

Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 5-16-06
Our community has been stunned of the death of Rocky Green. He will be missed by so many. He had a positive affect on all those that knew him. He was a wonderful coach and teacher. He was a pleasure to visit with always had a smile and had a good word to say about anyone or anything. During football season, Rocky’s parents would come thru the admission gate that I worked at and sometimes Rocky’s Mom would give us a bag of cookies. I do not think they ever missed game he coached. You could tell that they were so proud of him. Our hearts and thoughts are with his wife, Jamie and his family.
We were sad to hear that Virgil Cummins passed away. I always liked to talk with Virgil he had a kind heart. Virgil loved auctions about as much as I do. When the School had sold walls and things out of the old grade school, Virgil and Jim bought quite a bit of the interior. They decided to join forces and work together. Virgil and Jim worked many hours together knocking down walls and pulling nails. He was entertaining and we enjoyed his company. We will miss him, too.
Years ago in a ‘Blondie and Dagwood’ comic strip- Dagwood was confused about all the strange things that happened while he was away at work. While I have been away, I have wondered about some incidents. Once Jim and I had a Great Dane, named Josh and when we would leave home, we made sure that the dog was outside. One day we had been in town and when we got back, the dog was inside the house and the panel of the storm door was lying on the floor. We had a few ideas what had transpired while we were away but nothing that we could prove. Would just like to know exactly what really did go on.
Another thing I would like to know-Down home the house was rearranged and messed up. It is hard to tell whether the damage was done by man or be beast. We know that part of the damage is beast as they have left their calling cards, if you know what I mean.
Here is one more thing that I would just love to know what happened. We have a windmill by the road and in the past few months the pipe spout has come unscrewed and the water then just pumps on the ground. Once the pipe had been set upright on the outside of the mill the other times the pipe is just laying in the ground. These kinds of things are enough to make you go “HUH”.
I have thought that it would be fun to put up a camera to see what does happen while we are away. Perhaps we if we put up cameras around our pastures and empty homes and barns we could see just what is going on. If nothing else we might be able to answer the age-old question- If tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it fall does it make a noise?