Fun With My Brother

Do you ever get to just "hang" with your sibling?

Forty miles separate Scott, my little brother, and I. Since he's hopped back into the oilpatch, we get to see each other more (his office is in Midland), and talk way more frequently. It is fun, I tell you, (even when I blow up his Kawasaki Mule), fun!

Last week, I called him to see if he was available for lunch, and he was. We met, sat down to visit, and, BAM...one of my friends taps me on the shoulder. He and his business partner sit down and join us. We all visited. It was still a fun time, and we just rolled with it, traded customer info, and sales tips. We all learn from times like those, so the time wasn't wasted.

Scott had to go out in the field, and I was nosy enough to ask where, and who it was he was going to visit. (Big Sisters have rights, you know.) Turns out it was a customer I was wanting to meet, so we teamed up and went out there to location. It was really fun going on a sales call together, but most of all, it was great just hanging with my brother.

One of those little "special" times. Love ya, Scott!! Thanks for letting me tag along.

Zanna The Eccentric

Sunday night, ThatManILove and I were lounging on each end of the couch - he with his remote, me with my computer.

Zanna the Wonderpup jumps up on the couch between us, and starts burrowing behind the pillows. Hard. Like she's on a mission. Once she has all of the pillows off, she looks at me, like, "Well?"

So, like a good dog-parent, I start feeling down in the cushions for a bone, or whatever she may have "hidden" this time. She starts pawing my arm. Finally, I quit looking, and just sit back. She give me one more disgusted look, and then lays longways between us.

I guess that was all she wanted. She is so weird - and so dang cute.

Rain and God

I love the rain. We live in the desert, so rain isn't something I take for granted.

What do I like most about the rain? I see it as a gift from God. Though I know it's not just for me, I consider it a washing, blessing time from Him, and I always feel refreshed. It's a cleansing time, and He knows the timing of that, just when I need it most. One of my favorite songs..."Let it rain, rain, rain, rain." I sing it anytime I see the faintest whisper of what might be a rain cloud.

Thanks, Lord.

Random Things...Again

So much for my great promise to "write".

Random stuff of late:

*We spent the weekend in San Antonio, celebrating the 21st birthday of Younger Son. Vodka Mom would have been proud of the amount of liquor imbibed.

*I remained the designated walker.

*It is HOT in San Antonio. And yes, I whined. A lot. It didn't help at all.

*When we gather all our chicks plus their friends, the walkway on The Riverwalk isn't wide enough for all of us to walk abreast.

*We had enough rooms at the Westin Riverwalk to get a group discount. Did they give us one? Not on your best day.

*The waitstaff at Dick's Last Resort can be (pardon me for this) dicks. (And, due to the atmosphere, they think they have the right to be - I disagree, and I'm NO prude, as y'all well know.) They were rude, crude and lewd. And our waiter actually pulled Emily's hair when she asked a question. I was thankful none of the men in my group saw it go down - Elder Son might have opened a can of whup-a** on them. I won't go back.

* We trekked out of San Antonio Sunday night and flew to Albuquerque to visit friends. We had a huge time.

*We arrived home at 11 p.m. Monday night to a clean house, our dogs bedded down, and wonder of wonders, someone had mulched the flowerbeds. They look beautiful. If I think about it, I'll post pix.

*I have to go. The alarm belonging to ThatManILove is going off and obviously, he's oblivious. It's time to get ready for work.

Oilfield Follies

ThatManILove is on a workover, out in the field. It’s been a doozie of a job, one little complication after another. At 5:15 p.m., he called me and told me he’d probably be leaving location and heading towards home in an hour. At 7:38 p.m., I sent him the following message:

"Hi. This is your wife.

This is your wife who's a little worried because you're not answering your phone.

This is your wife who remembers you telling her at 5:15pm that you would be heading home in an hour which was more than 2 hrs ago.

This is your wife who ACTUALLY (believe it!) Cooked Supper based on her husband's time table so eloquently described above.

This.

Is.

Your.

Wife.

The subsequent text message will be from your dogs. I suggest you communicate prior to that transmission. It could get ugly."

He's usually the best communicator. I knew he was on location, and I was a little worried that something serious had happened. He finally called me en route home from location at 9:02 pm - they had run into some problems. I told him of my concern, and he apologized. The dogs greeted him like a long lost friend, beating me to the back door - they are SUCH traitors and suckups.

ThatManILove loved supper, by the way - and my text message!

Apology and Helping Hands...

It’s been a very stressful month.

First, my employer wanted us to relocate to DFW. All good…I would still handle this area, still keeping my fingers in the Permian Basin pie, still cover the Western US. Then, in the middle of that negotiation, WHILE we’re looking at houses in the Fort Worth area, my employer called and said, “How about moving to Pennsylvania, instead?” After a couple of discussions with ThatManILove, and much prayer and thought, we started investigating Pennsylvania. We'd love to be up there, it's booming, and beautiful - what a way to finish up our careers - how exciting it would be! And I'd get to be close to Vodka Mom and all the great northeast bloggers, which would be a bonus in itself!

In the end, we decided against the move – the houses are some 100% higher, and we’d have to go into debt. And that, we just can’t do. After all the times I've advised people to never turn down a move within a company, I just did it.

All that to tell you why I’ve not been blogging. Hopefully, I’ll get my drive back now and get back to it! Thanks for your patience and not leaving me during this time! And speaking of people, well, here’s yet another way to connect.

Bloggers are amazing people. Bloggers rally together when a friend is in need. Joanie is spending a lot of time out of town at the hospital with John, ThatManSheLoves! John is having chemo treatments, and as you know, hanging out in another town, to be near the hospital and support one you love, well, it’s never cheap.

So we're Paypal-ing to help out Joanie and John. And just this once, if you have $5, $10, $20 or a hundred to spare, you can go to Braja's place and throw some bucks in the Paypal account to help Joanie and John. and make Joanie's days a little easier. Every cent will reach Joanie and be so appreciated. If you’d care to help financially, go on...do it. Please. That's what friends are for...

Have I told you lately that you rock?? Well, you ROCK! And I've missed you all.

Flash of Brilliance

As you know, last Sunday was brother Scott’s birthday. The Big 5-0.

Yup. We had a good time at Scott’s house, eating spaghetti, talking, messing with the beautiful and talented grandkiddo McKenzie Bree, and laughing at her antics.

Scott recently got a new Canon digital camera, and he’s been enjoying it greatly. (Don't even think you'll beat me at photography, Scott...shooting guns or photos, I'm gonna win!) At the past graduations of his sons, he figured out his flash wasn’t quite as far-reaching as he needed. And someone in this house noticed his dilemma. (I am so very astute!)

Big Sister to the rescue! On his birthday, we presented him with a new Canon Speedlight Flash.

Today, he called me at the office.

Scott: Hey, Sister.

Me: Hey, you!

Scott: Thanks so much for coming over, and making the spaghetti sauce, and everything. We had so much fun! I love my flash!

Me: Yeah?

Scott: Yeah. I've been playing with it! This flash can do amazing things! It can turn this way, and that, and flip up, and down.

Me: I’m glad you like it!

Scott: Oh, I do! It’s so smart, it’s going to fix all my problems.

Me: Really?

Scott: Yup. Next, I’m going to point the flash at my house and see if it will rebrick it!

He cracks me up.