One last look...

Here are some pictures from a neighbor's branding that my Dad took.  I am copying what he had written on the back of these old pictures, and I cannot swear to the spelling  of Ward Haislett's name, because Dad was a worse speller than I am, but he always got the facts straight.  Picture #1:  "Tom Hovland branding at Joe Clark's.  Ritter and Coty Meserve holding.  Ward Haislett going over to cut one held down behind Tom.  Donald Weeding roping."
Picture #2:  "John Hooker and Gene Riley holding the calf.  Bill Dutton with the K.R.S."

  I copied my Dad's writing from the back of this last picture; here is what it says, just in case you can't read it.  Irv (Pollard) coming with the vaccine, Hooker and Gene Riley holding, Haislett cutting, Tom Hovland branding, and Billy (Dutton) standing by with the K.R.S. June 8, '57.  

Tom Hovland was an interesting character.  He was born Tobias Hovland on June 20, 1890 somewhere in Norway.  He came to the US in 1907, herded sheep and then homesteaded near Brusett.  He married May Hage and they lived about a mile up the creek from us along with her son Miles Phalen.  When he was old  he got Lou Gehrig's disease.  It was a terrible thing, and Geri took him back to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on the train.  He was already suffering a good bit of  paralysis, and couldn't get around very well at all.  Geri had a terrible time trying to get him where they needed to go, and to make matters worse the railroad people were rude, abusive, and disrespectful to them.  This was in the 60s before any disability acts had been passed, so I suppose even if  they had a wheelchair there would have been very few ramps to use.  Geri took care of Tom at the house as long as she could, but eventually she had to take him to Miles City.  The day they were to leave for Miles, she called my Dad to drive them in to town.  So, they all loaded up in the Buick, and took off.  On the way out Tom asked if Dad could turn the car around so he could have one last look at the place.  From the hill, he could see their white house, the white garage, hay bottoms, and tall cottonwood trees growing along the Big Dry, and remember the good times he had there.   Tom died February 24, 1967 in Miles City, Montana. 

SPRING IS HERE...WANTED!!!!

I love winter flowers!  The paper whites and amaryllis are a relief from the barren branches and bare dirt  we have at this time of year.  I think spring is here, though, because the wind is blowing (I can hear the dirt hitting the window), and it is warming up; the little cardinal birds are here on their way to a summer spot.  I heard a meadow lark the other day, but he won't be here for long, because very soon he will fly all the way to Montana!  Our neighbor, Tom Hovland, always wanted to be the first one to hear the meadow lark sing.  It was an undeclared contest between him and my Dad. 

WANTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want this book!  If you ever go to a library sale or a garage sale, grab it for me, or if you have it, and are cleaning house, let me know.  It is out of print now, and these two authors are the best in the art of pattern making.  Right now, I am riding herd on some girls who are supposed to design something to wear in the business world for a state technology contest.  I do have my flat pattern design manual from Tech, but am drooling over this one by Hillhouse and Mansfield.  Right now, we are coming up with a design, and believe me it is not easy to keep them from wanting something appropriate for a tattoo parlor or for a salesgirl in Abercrombie.  I am not sure they are ready for all the work it entails either, but I will keep you posted!  In the meantime, keep your eyes open for this book. 

Flying High

Here she is packed and rearing to go back to the tundra of Montana!  After two months of being away from home, and her cats, Mom was ready to get back, and there really isn't anything better than your own little bed, and home.  I am sure she will miss the weather down here; it was nearly 70 today, and I need to spray winter weeds.  I miss her, and hope she will make the trip again next year.  I do regret that Maya Angelou got sick and canceled her appearance at UTPB, but Mom was not sorry at all.  Everytime I go to the airport I feel like throwing a fit over the condition of our country.  Sending someone home is so sterilized, now.  You might be able to stand there and watch them take their shoes off, then go through the scanner, then they disappear.  I liked it better in the old days when you could follow them to the boarding gate, hug and kiss, and say good-bye.  I started flying back in the 60s, because the parents were smart enough to keep me from having a car, and I had to fly back and forth from Lubbock to Billings.  I shudder when I think of the first time I flew from Lubbock.  I knew nothing, and it didn't help that the speaker system at the Lubbock airport was worse than the speakers at Sonic.  I was walking around in that tiny airport, and suddenly realized that garbled message coming over the intercom was my flight!  They were about to taxi to the runway, so I went running out on to the tarmac waving my ticket and yelling at them to wait.  Luckily the pilot was awake and saw me, so they let the steps down and I climbed aboard (Roberto, you would have been proud of me).  When I moved off campus to go to grad school, my Dad gave me a .38 to put under my pillow, and of course, I tucked it neatly in my purse when I flew back and forth. Well, don't worry about grad students packing heat on the plane nowdays.  No siree!  Today, you are totally safe in a plane, unless there is a terrorist aboard who has a bomb in a private place! My goodness, haven't we come a long way. 

Cupids, The Tin Man, and Little Mr.

First of all, happy Valentine's Day.  Bob sent me roses on Friday!  It's always a delightful surprise to get flowers, and it was a perfect way to end the week. 

Then, that evening Mom and I went to Midland, and I got Roberto to take her to see Wizard of Oz at the Midland Theater.  I think she liked it, however, I am not too sure about Roberto.  All he said was the Tin Man wore silver tights and had a wedgie!  I stayed with Marina and little Mr., and it was all fun.

Today, after church, we went to UTPB in Odessa to get tickets to see Maya Angelou.  The tickets are free, but everyone had to appear in person to get them.  Dr. Angelou will speak on Wednesday night in the gym there at the university, so off we will go again.  Then bright and early, about 6:00 am, on Saturday morning, we will tear off to the airport so Mom can wing her way back to Montana, and wade through the snow drifts while she waits for a chinook.  I will crash, momentarily, and then find things to do to fill the void she will leave.  It has been  good having her here for two months.  I just hope she wasn't too bored, and that she will come back for another extended stay.

Chocolate Gravy, and a Fantastic Saturday!!

I have been looking forward to Saturday all week, and counting Weight Watcher points, ignoring hunger, just so I could have chocolate gravy and biscuits.  It was worth the wait.  Mom managed to make it through one serving , and said it was just too "different;" she  wanted no more, and so ended her experience with a true Southern dish.  Some people in Texas, and the South grew up on this, but a lot didn't.  My mother-in-law never mentioned it, and I never heard of it until I was teaching in Welch, Texas.  One of the dad's brought my class chocolate gravy and the kids did the biscuits.  I am not going to put the recipe here, because all you have to do is go to The Homesick Texan blog and download hers.  This is one of the blogs I follow, and find a lot of interesting things to cook.  She suggested adding a little cayenne pepper to it, and that sounds good, but I haven't tried it.  I do recommend the chopped pecans, though. 

The highlight of Saturday was Roberto, Marina, and Rhys here for dinner and football.  Great Grandma got to hold him.

After dinner, we went to Crane to watch the Alumni Football game between Rankin and Wink, old time rivals.  Little Rhys watched, and then tried to sleep.  Just about the time he relaxed, and started into a deep sleep, the crowd broke out in yelling and screaming, and he would jolt back awake. 

Here are just some of the football players, and as you can see they range in age, some with salt and pepper hair, even.  All are former Red Devil football players, and proud of it.  Spring has not really arrived!  Crane has new artificial turf, and it looks good doesn't it?

After the game I got to keep little grandbaby while Mom and Dad went to a party for the Alumni.  I loved it, so my advice is make some biscuits, chocolate gravy, and play with the kids.  Have a blessed week. 

Texas in a Thousand Pieces, and Lemon Curd

  Mom got her puzzle put together--all 1000 pieces.  It looked impossible when I dumped all them out on the card table, but it is amazing how a person can gradually find pieces that fit.  Down toward the last I swore some of the pieces had to have been lost, because there was no way the rest could fit.   

I had Saturday School for boys who had missed too many days.  Six hours of solid teaching with a 30 minute break at lunch, wore me out, and I only managed to try out one new recipe--Lemon Curd.  I have never sampled it, not even when I had a chance way back in the day.  One of the Home Demonstration members made me a batch, and foolish me I was too picky to try it.  She was English and from Canada, and Lemon Curd was a family favorite of hers, and I know it was good.    All you need is sugar, egg yolks, fresh lemons, and butter, of course. I think one tablespoon is worth two Weight Watcher points.  I didn't think it would ever thicken up, but it does very quickly.  I cooked mine too much to suit me, so, remember, it sets up when it cools, and if it is going in the refrigerator, it sets up even more.  This is really good in tarts, or on slices of pound cake--anything that goes with a good lemon sauce.

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This is the make-shift double boiler I had to use, because I have yet to see one in the stores I prowl on a regular basis.  Here is the recipe.   

 Lemon Curd   

5 egg yolks

1 Cup sugar

pinch of salt

4 lemons, zested and juiced to make 1/3 C.

1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Method of Preparation

1.  Add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about an inch up the side of the pan.  Bring to a simmer over mdium-high heat.

2.  While the water is heating, mix the yolks, salt, and sugar with a whisk until smooth.

3.  Add the 1/3 cup juice (you can add water if there isn't enough juice in the lemons).  Whisk until smooth.

4.  Put the mixture in the top of a double boiler, or an oven proof bowl.  Do not allow the bowl to touch the water.

5.  Whisk while cooking, for about 8 minutes or until thickened.  

6.  Add the pats of butter one at a time and whisk until each pat is blended.  

7.  Pour into a clean container, and put a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd.  This can be refrigerated for 2 weeks.                                                                              

One of My Favorite Authors...

is Mark Twain.  At the moment I am reading Innocents Abroad to my home bound student, and there are times I am laughing so much reading is impossible.  Twain is so politically incorrect that he is just plain refreshing, and his descriptions of people and the things they do are hilarious.   So far the group of Americans have landed in Tangier, and traveled to Paris.  Everywhere he goes he studies people and comes to his own conclusions.  He made this comment about the Moors in North Africa.  "Spain is the only nation the Moors fear.  The reason is that Spain sends her heaviest ships of war and her loudest guns to astonish these Muslims, while America and other nations send only a little contemptible tub of a gunboat occasionally.  The Moors, like other savages, learn by what they see, not what they hear or read."  Hmmmm, maybe I need to send a copy of this book to our dear president.  While Twain and his side kicks were in Paris they had a chance to watch Napoleon III and Abdul Aziz, lord of the Ottoman Empire, in a parade.  After his observation, Twain had the nerve to write this comment.  "Napoleon III, the representative of the highest modern civilization, progress, and refinement; Abdul-Aziz, the representative of a people by nature and training filthy, brutish, ignorant, unprogressive, superstitious--and a government whose Three Graces are Tyranny, Rapacity, Blood."  I do believe if Abdul's name had been left off I would think someone on the left was trying to describe George Bush.
I just finished Borderline by Nevada Barr, and it was her best.  Blind Descent is a close second.  Borderline was about murder and intrigue in Big Bend and Terlingua while Blind Descent  all happened in a deep cavern near Carlsbad.  I was nearly claustrophobic reading parts of it.  If you like outdoor thrillers, I recommend these two because you won't be able to put them down.  More about Innocents Abroad later; it's time for bed, because tomorrow is Friday.