Random Thoughts

How’u feel’n... How often are we ask this simple question? Probably more often as we age. There are a couple of routes I like to go with this one. One is to tell the asker all my aches and pains if I really want to be ornery. At which time if you watch close there may be a rolling of their eyes or several glances at their watch as if to say, “why did I even ask” … Great fun. The other is to simply say “I feel more like I do now, than I did awhile ago”. This also may have them shaking their heads, but it is an up to the minute answer. … Think about it

Xworkerb

I came across this old wheel on one of my morning walks. It sits in a field a short distance from my home. If this old wheel were able to talk I wonder what stories it would tell. Was it used in the early settlement of Oklahoma? Did it roll down dusty roads on the way to the nearest town to get supplies? Did it do its part to carry a family to church or other community gatherings? The metal spokes would seem to indicate it was made to carry heavy loads and last a long time.

Xworkerb

Random Thoughts

Cereal Stage... There are several stages to ones lifetime. We all go thru them. Some are enjoyable (when children are small) and some are endured (when children are teenagers). I have reached the cereal stage or what I call the RICE CRISPY era. Most every time I get up from a chair, sofa or any other device that I must rise from I hear Snap, Crackle and Pop.

Xworkerb

Crawdad hole… When I was a kid growing up in Oklahoma my cousins and I use to spend countless hours at a pool of water such as in the above photo. We would get a piece of string and some bacon fat from our mothers or from Grandma (Grandmas always have what kids need). Then it was off to the crawdad hole for a day of crawdad fish’n. We would sit by that hole of muddy water just waiting for a tug on the string that signaled a crawdad was try to steal the bacon fat. A quick jerk of the line and you might end up with an unhappy crawdad ready to do battle. Now if you happen to pull out one that had red claws you had to be extra careful, because these were known as red pinchers and they were a fierce lot to deal with. After a day of crawdad fish`n we would have several in the bucket to tote home. Our moms were never very impressed, but Grandma always told us was a fine day’s catch we had, although I can never remember using the crawdads for anything. After a few days in the bucket the crawdads would begin to have a terrible odor and we would be forced to get rid of our prize catch. But before long we were ready to go try our luck again. … What good times we had!

Xworkerb

Random Thoughts

Murphy’s’ Law... Have you noticed that Murphy’s Law (that which can go wrong will go wrong) will always be applied at the most in-opportune time? … Is there an opportune time? My case in point is, the other morning Miss Sophie and I were out for our morning walk with no threat of rain per the weather wizards. We had just reached our turning back point, approximately ½ mile from home, when sure enough it starts to rain. Could it have started as we stepped off the front porch? Yes! Did it? No! (Murphy’s Law being applied) So here we are about ½ mile from home, the rain is steady and Miss Sophie is not the fastest of walkers, which could be due to her 5 inch legs, but you would think she would also want to stay dry. Not so, not so. I believe if we had walked any slower we would have been backing up. When we finally arrived home Miss Sophie got wrapped in a warm towel and dried. As you may have guessed, there was NO warm towel waiting for me.

Xworkerb

In my neck of the woods when the Wild Dogwood trees start to bloom its time to go Crappie (pronounced Crop-e) fish`n. So dusts off your lite weight tackle, tie a small jig or spinner bait onto your line and I’ll be by in a bit. Let’s go catch a mess.

Xworkerb

The sun, the pond and Redbuds in bloom. What a combination for a photo opportunity.

Xworkerb

Random Thoughts

Perspective... A couple of days ago I was involved in a minor mishap while working on a yard project. I was laying brick for a new flower bed and accidentally SMASHED my thumb with the rubber mallet I was using to set the brick. I was telling Mema how it all came about and that I had thought about using my steel head hammer, but decided it would most likely break the brick. She explained to me how “fortunate” I was concerning my SMASHED thumb. If I had used the steel hammer it would probably have split my thumb open. Now I know there is logic to her thinking, but with my SMASHED thumb throbbing with each heart beat, it was somewhat hard to comprehend logic at the time. Soon the SMASHED thumb, which is being housed inside my normal thumb, will vanish and all will return to normal. But until that comes about, I will continue to have difficulty putting my good fortune into perspective.

Xworkerb

Redbud

The colorful Redbud tree abounds in the State of Oklahoma. So much so that it has been designated the State Tree of Oklahoma. This time of year the woods are vibrant with its bright flowering blooms soon to be replaced with deep green heart shaped leaves. Should you ever desire to retrieve one from the woods for your yard, be aware that they have a root system almost as deep as the tree is tall. I speak from experience. My advise is to think small, it will grow.

Xworkerb

Tulip

What the heck is this you ask? Well, it’s a photo of the inside of a Tulip in our yard. I thought it would be fun to do some editing on the colors. Adjusted the saturation of colors, lighter or darker and tone, warmer or cooler. The specks you see are bits of pollen. When you play around with a photo you may get a result that really pleases you.

Xworkerb

Random Thoughts

Coffee Mug .. A lot of folks are like me and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Recently Mema stated she thought it was time for me to get a new coffee mug. I use the same plastic mug everyday that I purchased at a Circle K several years ago. As anyone who is a connoisseur of the finer things in life knows, it takes a good deal of time to season a coffee mug. Now there are things you can do that will keep your coffee mug in service for a long time. At the top of the list is .. Never, never wash the mug with soap and water. A simple quick rinse is sufficient. You need that layer of dark stain buildup inside the mug so that the flavor of the coffee is not compromised. Should I stop by sometime with coffee mug in hand don’t be shocked by the looks of it, because its just starting to get broke in. I shall continue to resist her unreasonable demand to replace my mug.

Xworkerb

Bradford Pear

This incredible specimen of Mother Natures’ handy work is a Bradford Pear tree. Though it bares no fruit, the tree more than makes up for it with a dazzling white blossom display in the Spring and a myriad of vibrant multi-colored leaves in the Fall. This beauty is just down the road from our home.

Xworkerb

Happy Easter on this most Special Day

Mema & Xworkerb

Random Thoughts

Why, oh why, do I do it … Folks, last evening Mema and I ate some of the best fried catfish I have ever eaten. The place is called Bandanna Red’s (cool name) and they serve an all you can eat fried catfish dinner Friday evenings. The first serving is more than enough, but being from the old school and it’s all you can eat (I like to get my monies worth), I had to have a second serving. .. Mistake, Mistake, Mistake .. Self inflected discomfort .. As soon as we arrived home it was into the comfy stretch pants ASAP. Never again will I over indulge (I may have said that before). Well, at least not until we go back to Bandanna Red’s.

Xworkerb

Crucifixion

This photo is one of my favorites. I took this photo while on a day trip with several friends. The day was cool and overcast with the Sun doing its best to shine thru. We were visiting the Sacred Heart Parish in Konawa, Oklahoma. The Parish had its beginning in 1877 and is considered the Birthplace of the Catholic Church in what is now the State of Oklahoma. This Cross is located in one of the two cemeteries on the old Mission grounds.

Xworkerb

Country Lane

If you enjoy getting outside, there is nothing much more enjoyable than an early morning walk down a country lane. The warm sun, sunshine filtering thru trees creating shadows of various shapes and not knowing what you might encounter just around the bend can create a special time and memory. There are a lot of simple pleasures in the great outdoors.
Now turn off your PC, get off your butt and get out there.

Xworkerb