Signs of the times...

Stearman Pt-17 Kaydets flying over Red Bluff

Though a small country town we have our share of thieves, druggies, and ne'er-do-wells.  Actually a higher percentage than the average small town, because this is the county seat.

Most of my neighbors have those little warning signs for security companies that will alert someone (too far away to save you or your stuff) stuck around their yards. 
 

Most of them have realized this is money down the drain, and cancelled the security company services long ago.  They have left the signs and window stickers out as a hopeful deterrent. 

Now, there are enough ol Marines, retired & active duty LEO's around this end of town to keep most of the baddies away.  That said, on our end of the neighborhood I'm surrounded by techies, retired techies, a doctor, a couple professors, a government pencil pusher, and one bat crazy retired government psychiatrist. They believe in their little signs.  They believe their little signs will save them, and I hope that is true.  So, in the name of esprit de corps and with Dad's permission I have posted signs around our property. 

    

Boomer...

The birthday present is home at last. I haven't gotten to take it to the range yet. We are still having hot weather, and Dad is not fond of getting up early at this point in his life. I really want to take him along as he instigated this & ponied up half the cost.

The guys at my local shop put a hi vis front bead on it, gave me some choke options, and a couple boxes of shells.

 

He ain't pretty, but he's mine and I am anxious to start sporting clays, among other things.  (I have enough of my puck biscuits saved up to practice for quite some time.) Any tips you care to share are welcomed, can't promise I will implement, but I am willing to listen and learn.

I realized this evening as I was outside whacking the brush into some rough semblance of a hedge, that all I had wished for was a shot gun for my birthday.  I could have wished for a lot of other things; like a new dress, or new boots, or some great new lingerie.  Those things never even crossed my mind, what is it with that, I like those things.  I guess I thought the shot gun was more practical. 

Stories...

photo via CWS

Everybody has a story, and I seem to be one of those people they want to tell it to.  It sometimes starts out quite simply because of my curiosity, a question asked, and the story just pours out.  At times they are sad, most times they are funny, or a happy memory.

They seem to feel drawn to tell me things that are meaningful to them. It has been this way for as far back as I can remember, my curiosity, their story.

Now this may seem trivial, and it is, but what started out as my wee bit of rebellion from the same hair style as a lot of other women, has become my little experiment. 

I wear my hair in a long bob. Have for years, it works with my lack of desire to do much with it. There are a lot of ladies with the same style, a lot.  Last fall I decided to take one small piece high on the side, twist it tightly, and flat iron it. It stays tightly twisted without any band or clip.

The interesting thing to me, is all the stories that have been told to me because of that twisted piece of hair. If my smile isn't bright enough to get them started the twisty hair is. And it isn't just women, Dad noticed and he likes it. His comment turned into a bow hunting story! My grown nephews, this summer at the family reunion, gave me hugs, held me back a bit, and said "how the heck did you do that auntie, it's cool!" Followed by a story about a girl friend or wife. 

Women my age have walked up to me in a store, and said "that twist of hair is great, what keeps it like that?" and as I start to tell them how... out comes their story. 

Today, as a nurse and I were helping Dad into the lift to take him down to the room for a CAT scan, the nurse turned to me and said "that is one perky piece of hair, I love it." And out came a story that she continued til we reached the room. Where she hugged me and with a big smile said, "you and that perky piece of hair have a great day!"

Does this happen to you?  Have you been told great stories because of something about you?

Looks like...

I have been trying, ever since the old power wagon carcass was parked next to the bunkhouse, to get Colt to fix it up. He had it given to him by a neighboring farmer, but he says it would take too much money and time. I think time is the biggest hold up, he flat out works that kid, and when he isn't working on the family farming operations, he's helping friends & neighbors with their operations.

Cody, Colt, Marymine, Ali

Had a great lunch with Marymine and three of the grandkids at Sierra Nevada Brewery to celebrate my birthday. Lauren couldn't come as it was the first day of school for her. 
Son, Sean and his crew had all ready messaged the heck out of me with birthday wishes from Vancouver.

Lunch with part of my crew & getting the details of what everyone has been doing was the best present. Cody starts community college soon to pickup some classes before heading off to med school. Colt is farming with his dad, Ali is working full time for a big chem company, and Marymine is juggling the whole shebang.

 As we were finishing hugging goodbye I patted the awesome cowcatcher that Colt made for his big Dodge Ram, and said "I think Hank needs one of these."  

"Who is Hank?" Colt asked. 

"My pickup," I said,  and out the pics came, like any proud granny would show...  Colt listened as I told the story of Hank, then grabbed me in his famous bear hug, and said, "Nanny, you got a shotgun for your birthday, and you drive a pickup, you are The Coolest granny ever." 

Meanwhile, back at the home, Dad got bored and decided to carve a mallard in the stock of what was supposedly my old Ithaca 12ga. Guess he decided that it was his again, since I was getting a R 870 boomstick for my birthday. 
 "Are you sure you want to do this, it has really nice mallards engraved on the receiver already?"
"Yep,  go out to the shop and get me this list of stuff, I'm going to do it on the kitchen table. I have a pattern I got off my computer."
"OK, what brought this on?"
"When I was up at your brother's he showed me the beautiful stock carvings some guy did on his best shotgun."
"Ah, that explains it!"

When he was done he looked at it, looked at me, looked at it... and said, "looks like shit doesn't it, sis!"

"Ah, it has character Dad, and it's one of a kind that's for sure!"
Dad laughed and said, "Yep, looks like shit!" 

      

Seventy...

There is so much yet to do, to learn, to experience... looking forward from 70. One day into this journey, it doesn't feel like 70, what ever that is supposed to feel like. 
I am blessed with great family, good friends, and good health. I am just me.

So as I sat at mass I had one prayer...

and one question...

I can hardly wait...

He's coming home, after eight years of active duty as a Navy Corpsman (nearly all of it down range with the Marines). The oldest grandson is out of the Navy and driving home from Bethesda, Maryland.

 Marymine flew back east to share the journey home. They have been stopping along the way and taking lots of great photos. So, I'm sharing a few of my favorites from those taken by Marymine...

Spring Grove Cemetery, Ohio 

 

Omaha, Nebraska Zoo

Rocky Mt Park, Colorado

Green River, Utah

Narrows, Utah

Marymine & Cody after 7 mi trek in the Virgin River, Utah

She is her mother's daughter...

They are only a few days out... I can hardly wait.