One thing led to another....

We went to Braum's the other night...there was a man in a snake skin suit. I kept thinking about that suit...and one thing led to another....

The Boy in the Alligator Suit

The sun was high
The day was hot
“Ice Cream” I thought…
“Would hit the spot!”

I went on down
To the ice cream store
Where I waited in line
Twenty minutes or more…

I was standing there
Minding my own
When along came a woman
With a Ruby cell phone

She talked and gabbed
At the top of her voice
I heard every word
I had no choice…

Next in line
I kid you not…
Was a pink haired lady
With an Ocelot.

That cat was the strangest
I ever did see…
He growled and purred,
And winked at me.

It wasn’t long
Till the line grew more
Wrapped around the corner
To the antique store…

From down the block
Came a jolly round man
Out of his elbow
Grew an extra hand.

It flopped around
bouncing to and fro
Then it waved at me
Wouldn’t you know!

The line was moving
Slowly though…
When added to our numbers
Was a checkered buffalo…

Now, the odd thing was…
The saddle she wore…
On it sat a gnome…
In a yellow pinafore.

The sights and sounds
Seemed strange to be…
Then I realized
they were staring …at me!

“What…” I asked,
Perplexed at best…
“Well…” said the gnome,
“It’s the way you’re dressed!”

They were gawking…
From my hat to my boots…
“We’ve never seen a boy,
… in an alligator suit!


Copyright©2006 by VSchoonover. All rights reserved.


Be Well!

Long day...

It's been a long Monday. I'm afraid the rest of the week will follow suit! I have been thinking about grandma for several days...I really miss her! So...this is for her!

Grandma’s House

Grandma's house is a magical place
A place I love to be
Inside grandma's wrinkly skin
Is a little girl just like me.

There's a big, round mirror
In grandma's room
And an ivory vanity
Where rose bud's bloom.

We sit right there
Like two best friends
On the pretty pink chair
And we pretend...

We adorn ourselves
With all manner of things
Pearls, and brooches,
Beads, bangles and rings.

We put on hats
And fancy, high-heeled shoes
And capes and shawls
In reds and blues.

When we're done
Dressed to the nines
Away we go...
With the queen to dine!

Chocolate milk
In a fine tea cup
On peaches and cream
We soon sup!

To the parlor then
And the big old chair
Alice In Wonderland
Waits for us there.

Copyright©2005 by VSchoonover. All rights reserved.

Be Well!

Sunday....

It's been a good day overall. We got up not feeling well, but after just taking it easy most of the day, we are both feeling fine again. We missed church this morning...and I do mean missed church! It's been a while since I could actually say that I missed being in a service, but I really enjoy this church. Especially the music!

I inflicted my cooking on Marvin twice today...so it's really a miracle that he is feeling better rather than worse! :) Ham and eggs and biscuits for breakfast, then baked chicken and hashbrowns and carrots (I was out of peas) for lunch. Late in the afternoon, I got ready to go for a walk, but Marvin was convinced that my cold would worsen if I went...so I stretched out on the couch and fell asleep for about two hours. It was great! I don't normally do the nap thing...I have enough trouble sleeping when I am dead tired! But today it really felt good! He woke me up about 6:30 and suggested that for supper, we ride over to Braums for a frozen yogurt cone! That too was fabulous!

Both Shane, and Chas as well as Candy were under the weather today, I hope everyone recovers as quickly as we did! Although, Shane has already had this stuff since Thursday. I will be so glad when warm breezes, and sunshine are here again and all of this cold and flu stuff can be only a memory!

Be Well!

Party on!!

Started the day off by sleeping in...(8:30), then headed to Ponca for the birthday of our niece, Ashlee. Marvin, Chas, and I went, Shane wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home today. After cake, ice cream, and a couple hours of cuddling the new baby, we headed for Brace bookstore, then went to visit Mom and Bill, ate dinner at Green Door, then back to Wichita. We arrived back at Chas's about 7:30 or so, went in to see the wood work that Marvin put in this week (very nice) and the ceiling that he repaired, then went to Shane's for a bit, to visit and see how he was doing. Arrived back at our house around 9:00, only to find that TV really sucks tonight!

Everytime we go back to Ark City, Winfield, or Ponca...I realize how much slower life is only 50 miles South! Nothing ever really changes where we came from. It is amazing to me how time stands still in small towns! The exceptions on this trip were -

1 - Brace bookstore - it used to be a small non-descript bookstore, nice, but unremarkable. It has expanded to include a coffee shop, gourmet foods, some wonderful kitchen gadgets, jewelry, scarves, handbags etc. It was great!!

2 - The crazy guy who lives on the edge of Newkirk, whose lawn always sported signs proclaiming everything from the 'end of the world is coming' to commentary on various government activities, has apparently either died or been ousted. Kind of sad really...it was always fun to drive by and see what was 'eating' him on that particular day!

Calling it a day now! Night all!!

Be Well!

Sorry!

The links on the blog below are bogus! I apologize...still learning!

Stolen from Chas and Shane...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. The Lions Den
2. 166 Grill
3. Dairy Queen
4. F.U.S.S.

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. It’s A Wonderful Life
2. Elf
3.
4.

Four places you have lived:
1. Arkansas City
2. Winfield
3. Oklahoma City
4. Park City

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Seinfeld
2. Lost
3. Everybody Loves Raymond
4. Commander In Chief

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Orlando, Florida
2. Los Angeles, California
3. Jacksonville, Florida
4. St Augustine, Florida

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Blogger
2. Yahoo
3. Rapture Ready
4. MSNBC

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Chocolate
2. Cheesecake
3. Potatoes
4. Bread Pudding with caramel sauce

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Lying on a beach
2. Depositing my billion dollar check
3. Lying on a beach
4. Depositing my billion dollar check

Four stores you shop at most:
1. Wal-Mart
2. Dillon's
3. Victoria’s Secret (lotion and perfume :)
4. Target

Four most dialed numbers:
1. Shane
2. Chas
3. Mom and Bill
4. Dad and Becky

Four most used phrases in my vocabulary:
1. "Holy crap..."
2. "Fine…"
3. "Cool beans!”
4. "Excuse me...?"

Be Well!

Thursday through and through....

Thursday is a strange day...with a category all its own. It's not irritating and rude like Monday, or a drudge like Tuesday. It isn't full of hope...like Wednesday, when the end of the week is just within our grasp, and it isn't exhilarating like Friday...when the week is finally done. Thursday is like a step child of sorts...it doesn't really belong..doesn't quite fit. It is a stop-gap day...one that we could easily do without. Just imagine...a week with no Thursday...would we miss it? Of course not...except for those tea towels and underwear with the days of the week on them...and of course...the calendars...and pill boxes divided up neatly into 7 little squares.

I say...we abolish Thursday altogether. It is useless...we don't need it...in fact, it clutters up our lives needlessly. Serving only to prolong the agony between weekends. I think I'll write my congressman...maybe the governor...maybe the president. Or maybe I'll simply address my request to 'the administration' and they can let the president know when it is a done deal...that's how it works...right?

Be Well!

What is he thinking???????????????????????????

Okay...I haven't been following the news lately...I've had other things on my mind. Not that the world situation isn't worthy of attention...I usually keep track of things. This whole 'turning our ports over to the United Arab Emirates' situation has just come to my attention since this morning...I am not amused! Now, I read that President Bush was actually "unaware of the pending sale" until it had been approved by the administration...?? What the heck is that?? How can he be in a position to reassure this nation of the safety of such a ridiculously stupid move...if he didn't even know about it until it hit the fan??? I voted for this president...but I am NOT in support of this garbage! I can't even find the words for the "awful taste this leaves in my mouth"!!

Be Well!

Fattening dreams...

This is the time of my work day that I enjoy…everyone leaves for lunch and I can finally catch my breath! Some days this doesn’t happen…the insanity continues non-stop, no one goes anywhere…and all of a sudden we realize that it is 4:00. I know this is only a brief respite…so I try to check my email, blogs, and take my glasses off for a few minutes.

Last night was one of those ‘wiped out’ nights. I got home, ate dinner, went for a brief walk (just long enough to realize that it was too cold to be out walking), went home and finished my walk on the treadmill, showered, then fell asleep on the couch.

I had asked Marvin to get some cookies when he went shopping yesterday. I wasn’t particular…I told him any kind would do. I was just really hungry for a cookie. He bought chocolate chip and nutter butters…the two best kinds on the planet! I vowed to have one of EACH while I watched TV…alas…as my head hit the pillow…I realized that I had slept the evening away on the couch and missed my cookies! My disappointment was profound! As I lay there in the dark debating on whether or not to go to the kitchen and eat a cookie, over the sink, in the dark (which I honestly never do)…it dawned on me how ridiculous I was! I chuckled at my silliness…and did NOT go have a clandestine cookie. However, visions of a land filled with cookie clouds and peanut butter streams, chocolate chip boulders, and fudge cottages filled my dreams! Maybe I should have eaten just one….

Be Well!

Where did the weekend go...

The truck started yesterday afternoon, the bathroom is almost finished (still needs one piece of trim and a coat of sealant on the grout), Shane and Rich are both safely home from their trip, Chas has a new treadmill, and I am back at work. It was a very short ‘long’ weekend! I can’t believe how quickly they pass!

I am pondering a new/old piece to write/revise. I have been working on if for some time now, but I can’t quite get it right. I always thought that if I lived through my childhood, I would write a book about it. I have written many chapters…but…oddly enough…it’s the beginning and perspective that I can’t get. I thought about taking it to my last writer’s group meeting for their input, but…part of me isn’t sure just how much of it I am ready to share. I think that once I get it completed…I can let it go…but I have to get it right first. I begin to write about events, and the next thing I know…I am remembering other events…words and faces…things long ago buried. I know that the sensible thing to do would be to just move ahead and leave it buried…but it’s like an itch that I can’t scratch…I can’t get putting it on paper out of my head. I will work on it.

Marvin may have a job offer by three o’clock this afternoon! It is at a place that he really would like to work and I know he will do well at it! But, I am so absolutely fried right now that it is unreal! Apparently, when this place called LBC to speak to them about his references…they spoke to the female (NOT A LADY) who was put in charge of his department two days before they let him go. This particular woman is a horrible person and every single person she comes in contact with has trouble with her (bar none)! No one will work with her…vendors have even refused to do business with her. I worked at LBC for 4 years and I have seen this for myself. She is abrasive, unethical, a habitual liar, extremely combative, and the worst ‘know it all’ on the planet. When they called LBC, she did not speak kindly of Marvin, and told them that he ‘likes to butt heads with people’. Thank heavens they decided that they liked his initial interview and resume enough that they wanted to ask him, first hand, about the comments that she made, and he feels that he was able to set their minds at ease! I would soooooooo much enjoy going over there and ‘slapping her backwards’! Not only were her comments out of line and untrue, but they came from someone who has achieved her own status in the company through questionable avenues as she stepped ON every one else to get there. Oh what a world we live in!!!!

Be Well!

Good day...

This has been a good day. We needed one! We started the morning at our old church. The interim pastor was ill, so they asked Marvin to fill the pulpit. His sermon was really good, the faces were familiar and friendly, and it just plain felt nice to be there. Afterwards, we went to Applebees with Chas for lunch, then over to the house to show her the new floor.

After Chas left, we channel hopped for a bit, then watched/dozed through a few hours of TV. Just a slow, lazy afternoon! I checked my email/blogs, checked the movies at the Warren, chatted for a few minutes with Carolyn, then we went to see "Firewall" with Harrison Ford (an excellent movie).

The truck still won't start, so tomorrow we will figure out who to call to have it towed somewhere for repairs, we will also deliver Marvin's signed severance papers to Love Box Company in order for him to receive his severance pay. I will probably wait in the car...I am still angry enough at them that my mouth is sure to take right off without my brain...!

I know (in my brain) that this whole downsizing thing is 'just business' and really not personal...but (in my heart) it feels so wrong to treat human beings that way after years of loyal service. I would love to give them a piece of my mind...unfortunately, I don't have a lot to spare right now!

Time heals all wounds...it also wounds all heals!! Does that sound too vindictive??

Be Well!

Saturday night...

I woke up this morning feeling pretty upbeat! After all, it's Saturday! So, right off the bat, the day went awry. After spending the night at Chas's house (while our new ceramic tile floor 'cured'), Marvin's truck wouldn't start. Probably the cold, but we will see (if it ever warms up). I headed out to my writer's group, which was a very good and productive meeting! I really enjoy hearing what other people are writing and getting feedback from them about what I am writing! Then, I went back to Chas's, to find that, despite ongoing efforts while I was gone, the truck still wouldn't start. So, we left it there and headed home to finish up the bathroom. In the process of installing the toilet, one of the bolts apparently didn't go in properly, we thought the situation was much worse than it turned out to be though... after several tries and some threatening language directed at the bolt...it finally complied! Shortly after that, Marvin ran a large splinter into his thumb, and a few minutes after the splinter was removed...he broke his watch. All of the above has only compounded the depression that he is already experiencing after not hearing from his latest job interview on Friday. The bathroom is finished now...but we have decided to stay in for the rest of the evening....after all...the way the day has been...why tempt fate??

On the upside...Shane and Rich both made it safely to St Louis and are having a great time! It sounds like a great friendship has been forged, and that is fabulous!

Tomorrow is another day...hopefully a smoother one!!

Be Well!

The times they are a changin...

This is an odd time in my life…sometimes I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel up…and down…and sideways. I never quite feel settled, yet I don’t know what it is I’m trying to do. Sometimes I feel like I can conquer the world…and other times, like I can’t even pick myself up. I know EXACTLY what I want…I think…maybe…or maybe not…! I have no trouble making decisions…well…sometimes I do…but not always…! I think there have been too many changes in our lives over the past few years…I am left with a distinct feeling of uncertainty. What will tomorrow bring…? Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a written plan of some sort…? No surprises…! On second thought…that would just be boring! Maybe the trick is to learn to ‘roll with it’ better. I heard a 113 year old woman say that the secrets to her longevity are “living a moral life, and NOT worrying too much about tomorrow…!” Words to live by.

Be Well!

Life isn't fair.....

Well, Thursday afternoon at 4:14 and I am absolutely beat! To top it off...Marvin and both kids are off tomorrow...and I have to work. Life is so unfair! I really NEED some time off...but it doesn't look like that's going to happen for a while. At least there is Monday! Shane is off to St Louis, Chas will probably sleep in, and I don't know Marvins plan yet...but it will be more fun than being here. At this point almost anything would be more fun than being here. I need some sunshine badly...and sand...and ocean waves...beaches....

Be well!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! In honor of this fabulous holiday, I will spare you my dribble tonight and post one of my all time favorite poems. I have no idea who wrote it, but I would love to know....can anyone tell me?

The Lane

"How far will you go with me, my love?
To the stile, or the bridge, or the great oak tree?
The lane is a lonely and fearsome place,
And there’s no one journeying there but me."
She smiled at the stile with a sweet disdain;
She scoffed at the bridge and the great oak-tree;
And looked me full in the eyes and said,
"I will go to the end of the lane with thee."
Then I loved her anew with a strange fierce love,
As high as the stars and as deep as the sea;
She would share my heaven and share my hell!
She would go to the end of the lane with me.

Be Well!!

Tired...

The end of another work day. They all seem to run together anymore! Every day is long and hard. Work is very busy and my mind and heart are full of other things. Trying to make decisions about possible changes in budget, and lifestyle, and so many things. By the end of the day...I want to just melt away somehow...but I don't. I turn the light off and search the dark for peace...

Be still the night.
Chase away
the daytime things...

Bestow upon my troubled soul
The peace...
that evening brings.

Be well!

Does this sound familiar...?

Today started off on a tired note, (I didn’t sleep much last night) . Sometimes when I get really tired…I get punchy…and strange things happen. I had been fairly busy all day, although, not overloaded by any means. As the afternoon wore on, I really began to feel the lack of sleep. About 3:45 or so, my co-worker (who talks pretty much continuously), stood up in her cubicle and began to talk to me over the wall. In my head, I was thinking…"please, don’t talk any more today…” of course, I couldn't say that, so... I turned my head in her direction and tried to appear interested. She was droning on about taxes of some sort…and while her voice was bouncing off the walls all around me, not one single word registered in my brain. I sat in my chair staring at her as she babbled…I could feel my eyes crossing as they glazed over…and she talked, and she talked, and she talked. Finally, from a distance…I heard the sound of Silence. My vision came back into focus and she was standing there looking at me…obviously awaiting some sort of response. I didn’t have a clue in Hades what she had been saying, and I began to panic. My stomach knotted up, my hands felt cold, and I searched desperately for something…ANYTHING…to say.
“Ohhhh really….so, uh where in the world did you hear that?” I heard myself ask. BIG MISTAKE! She (of course) had to tell me where she had heard whatever it was that she had been saying (I still don’t know what that was). She droned on, unabated until 4:30. At 4:30, we picked up our bags and headed for the elevator (she was still talking). We stepped inside, the doors closed and as we passed each floor on the way down, I began to hope against hope that someone else would get on. Preferably someone with two heads, or four legs…or maybe a huge gaping wound…anything to shift her attention from me. In the eternity that followed, I imagined the elevator suddenly free falling to the ground…even in this ‘wide awake nightmare’, she kept talking right up to impact. As I pulled my broken, bleeding body toward the door, which had been knocked partially open by the crash, I looked back…her disembodied head whirled around, and she began to recount the history of the elevator…

Be Well!

End of the day...

It is 4:12...almost time to go home. The office is quiet except for the humming of the central heat, and the peck of the keyboard. Today has been very busy and I have had that 'bad' feeling since I got up this morning. A little after 3:00 pm the reason for the feeling became apparent. After almost 11 years at LBC...Marvin was terminated in a downsizing move. I am very angry right now...even though we have been afraid of this very thing since Pratt bought LBC a few months ago...it feels very bad. Marvin hasn't been without a job for even 24 hours since I married him 32 years ago...and like most people, it won't take long for funds to run out and life to be drastically different. We have started over a couple of times during our marriage, due to illness and financial set backs...but neither of us are anxious to do it again so late. I know we will weather this storm, God will take us to the other side, but it is terrifying to imagine what tomorrow brings. I especially feel horrible for Marvin...I know he is crushed and his self esteem has taken a major hit. He is a good man though...not just good, but the best...and I tell myself again...it will be okay. I am blinking back tears of sorrow, anger, and fear...it will be okay.

Graceful geese...

I went for a walk this evening...right after I got home. The temperature was great, the wind was calm, and the sky was a masterpiece!! As usual, I walked around the pond across the way, and I was not disappointed! There...on the water, was what I suppose technically was a 'gaggle' of geese. They were spectacular!! As I walked around the pond, they turned, in unison. All thirty or so of them caressing the curves of the bank gently, silently keeping pace with me...

I watched them glide
Majestic, feathered ships
Across the shimmering
Expanse of ebony glass…

Bold, proud,
Graceful to a fault
Not blinking, never veering
They stayed the course…

In unison, they shifted
Silently slicing the surface
Their fowl ballet
Captured my mind’s eye…

I imagined them
Swooning…deftly
Chaine’,Bourree’,
Web footed Danseur’s.
Copyright©2006by VSchoonover. All rights reserved.


Tomorrow is Friday!! You can't see me...but I'm doing the happy dance!!

Be well!

External pooh???

Tomorrow is Thursday!! Yea!! ALMOST FRIDAY!!! I am sooooo ready for this week to be over! I spent most of today disbursing money to people all over the place (from their accounts at the brokerage). It amazes me sometimes how much, so few have!! The irony is that the more business we do...the cheaper management gets! We have cut expenses in every conceivable place at work! From restricting paper usage, to using those blasted file folders that you have to punch the holes in and insert the paper clamps yourself, to not buying napkins anymore for the breakroom (paper towels are cheaper)! It sure would be nice if some of these 'savings' would filter back to my paycheck...but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Oh well...as long as they don't try to recycle the toilet paper I guess we can live with it.

This has been a sleepless week. I finally wimped out last night and took some Excedrin P.M. All it really did was cause me to wake up groggy and feel drug out all morning. I guess when the time is right...I will sleep all night long!! What a wonderful thought!! :)

Okay...this is too funny not to comment on! I just ran spell check on this blog (I know...I'm anal). It wants me to replace some words with some very odd stuff!!!
Here is the sentence it suggested for the one in bold..."I finally humped out and took some External Pooh."

Alrighty then!!

Be well!