Slow progress painting the house

Progress is slow painting only when you have the time. In this case, it is a process, not an event.

The first two pictures are of Devin's room. He chose the lovely color (???) of white duck. He worked so hard on it, the only thing he will hang on the walls is his tapestry and his Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calender.

The third room is my living room, painted utterly tan with a second darker color to make the fireplace pop. We also painted the mantel. We didn't want to but paint dripped all over it. I personally think it looks better than what it did.

The fourth picture is my dining room. It and the kitchen will be a very pale blue. It has not been painted yet. I just thought I would share it because Snowball looked so cute trying to help with the preparation. If I absolutely love the color blue. It is a good thing there are other opinions to consider. I would truly get carried away and paint the entire house different shades of blue. I find it calming.

The fifth picture is our extra bedroom, painted a color we created from some oops paint mixed with white. It is tan as well with a bit more of a gold hue in comparison to the living room.

I can't wait until it is complete. We will lay ceramic tile in the entry way and possibly in the kitchen next. Maybe we will do laminent in the kitchen. I will have to wait and see how easy or difficult laminent is to lay from Shell and Ron.... But that will be another long drawn out project. I haven't visited the blogisphere as often as I had been. I have been spending most of my spare time painting.

Chou think your bad?

Way back when, I lived in Phoenix (Glendale), AZ. I had been there about a week. My friend Chris and I decided to go for a ride. Chris and I were new to Phoenix and had no idea about the Glendale element. Chris had a beautiful blue Harley Davidson Panhead chopper. It was a bad ass bike. It was all chrome, springer front end, hard tail, pulled back ape hanger handle bars, with a tall sissy bar. It was your classic, old school chopper.

We stopped a QT to get some ciggies. A low rider Chevy pulls in. The young man in the car was glaring at us. He was looking all gang banger with his blue bandanna-doo rag on his head.
He got out of his car and walked towards us. He was wanting a fight. He approached us and asked in a very strong Chicano street accent, “Sooo, chou think your pretty bad on your on harleydavisonmotorcycle, DON'T chou?

Chris and I turned and looked at each other and just started laughing our a$$e$ off. I don't know if it was the accent, the way the guy carried himself, or what. It was just funny. Hell, it was hilarious. The guy gave us a very confused look and just walked away with his tail between his legs, got in his car, and left. Chris and I were still laughing as he pulled out.

Right after I moved to Phoenix

Oh, the Phoenix night life... We were new to Arizona. One night, my buddy Chris and I went out to have a beer. We arrived at this little dive and headed in. We ordered a pitcher and began watching the people. The clientele were mainly bikers. They would enter, their long hair, braids, beards, leathers, and guns. Yes, guns. At the front door was a gun rack. You see, it is legal in Arizona to carry a gun as long as it's not concealed. They would check their guns and sit down, order, and party.

I was sitting at our table thinking, "Hmmm, if I'm going to live here, am I going to need one of those?" So's anyways, I'm drinking, watching, and realizing how much crazier the bikers are in Arizona than Kansas. Drinking beer...I had to pee. "Chris, I'll be right back."

I go in the bathroom, lock the door, and I'm doing my business. Suddenly, I hear chairs and tables being overturned out in the bar and what sounded like a man grunting and growling. Alarmed, I'm thinking, "What in the hell is going on out there?" Suddenly and abruptly, the bathroom door is kicked open. A large, scraggly, bearded, dark haired man, rushes into the bathroom. There I am, sitting there in shock with my pants around my ankles. He comes right up to me, bends over and nose to nose he growls, "You're lucky you're not her." His nose was touching mine, while I was peeing! I would have peed my panties if I didn't already have them pulled down. I said, "Er um, yea". With that, he exited the bathroom and then the bar.

I came out of the bathroom a little shaken. The bar tender was out picking up the chairs and tables. Most everyone was standing up except those at the bar. Many were acting as if it was nothing and most of them were laughing...Well except for Chris. As I was coming out of the bathroom he was running back to me. "It all happened so fast. Are you alright?", he asked. I said, "You know what that guy did?" Of course, I told him, "I was peeing...nose to nose...he said... yadda, yadda, yadda" ... He was trying to keep a straight face, and then we just busted out laughing. I mean, come on, he didn't hurt me. I didn't feel victimized. It was just extraordinarily odd and extremely uncomfortable. What do you do when you feel weird and uncomfortable? Well, I'll tell you. You laugh.

We finished our pitcher and left.

Yours, mine, and ours, and, and....

The Family Dynasty for Jo


Ruth Elvira and Otto Laverne – birthed Grandma Martha who married Grandpa Isaac

Martha Lucille and Isaac Henry – birthed Mom Sharon

Sharon and 1st husband Charles – birthed Pam
Sharon and 2nd husband Dutch – birthed Bill
Sharon and boyfriend Michael – birthed Lori

My dad Jim and 1st wife Verna – birthed Mike and Marian - Verna died after giving birth to Marian

Sharon and 3rd husband (my dad) Jim – birthed Becky, Crystal, Tom, and adopted Judy

Sharon and 4th husband Larry – birthed Brian
Sharon and 5th common-law husband Dick - thank God, no children
Sharon and 6th husband Ted – birthed Kelly
Sharon and 7th husband JD – thank God to old to have children
Sharon and 8th common-law husband Duffy- thank God to old to have children

All brothers and sisters: Mike, Marian, Judy, Pam, Bill, Lori, Becky, Crystal, Tom, Brian, and Kelly.

I know this leaves you begging for a story....Oh, no, I don't want to go there. So, I'm referring you to a post Lori wrote back on 07/28/05. One thing Lori left out is our adopted sister Judy. Jim and Sharon adopted her when she was 15. Judy's mother committed suicide and she had no where to go. She was Marian's friend and Mom and dad legally adopted her so she would not be sent to a foster home. She lived with us until she was married at 17. The second thing she left out was Mom's drunk common-law husband Duffy (yes, he was the last one).

Click on the link below for the sorted story.

http://fineartist.blogspot.com/2005/07/m-is-for-mother.html

Christmas Morning

I am sooo happy Christmas is over. I'll be even happier when this year is over.

I was so bah humbug this Christmas, I put off buying stocking stuffers until Christmas Eve day. Well....We had some unexpected company that day. I didn't get to the store until 6:00PM. Everything was closed. Can you believe it? This had never happened to me before. I've always gotten great stocking stuffers. Damn it to hell, what was a poor girl to do?

So, a little light bulb came on in my head and I borrowed an idea from Pickles. (Yes, writer mom's Pickles.) http://writermotherwifeme.blogspot.com/2006/12/elves-and-not-orlando-bloom-kind.html
I went through the kitchen and gathered macaroni and cheese, instant oatmeal, Carnation Instant Breakfast, some cookies, and coffee pods and stuffed all of our stockings. You should have seen the look on Devin's face when he pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese out of his stocking. We all laughed our a$$e$ off.

The animals had better stocking stuffers than us.

I added this picture of my favorite gift this year. Devin made it for me in shop class. It is a paper towell and napkin holder. We had a nice Christmas. I hope all of you did as well.

Thanks for the idea Pickles!

Back to work

Sorry for not posting...I've started back to work last Monday and am having problems with readjusting my time management skills.

I went back to work and it is just as if I never left. I was proud of myself. I remembered everyone's names and how to do my job! Whoo woo. I missed all of my co-workers so much. Today, my employer celebrated my 10th year anniversary with the company with a dessert bar for all. They printed up a nice little pamphlet with all of the news worthy events, popular TV series, movies, and music from 1996. It was cute. All employees came and congratulated me and enjoyed cheese cake and strawberry shortcake. It was nice to see all of them. I was allowed 1 ½ hours free from my responsibilities to enjoy.

I'm still in the process of catching up with all of the company's upcoming changes and all workplace gossip. Let's see... Starting in January we are going to get paid bi-weekly. Our co-pays on our insurance for all doctor appointments are going from $10 to $20. Our prescription co-pays will double as well. We are moving to a new location in February. And...many, many more. When we move, I'll be working in the same building as my sister Judy. I can't wait. We have a gym there and Judy and I will be doing an aerobics class twice a week. It will be absolutely wonderful working with her again.

I'll post again when I have more time. In the meantime, hugs and Happy Holidays to all!

My Road to a Happy Hysterectomy

See my newest post at the Grumpy Old Bitches website.

http://g-o-b-shite.blogspot.com/

I've been busy

Thursday the 16th, I went to the dentist to get my permanent caps; my canine, the tooth behind it, and the tooth behind that one. Ya know, after I got rid of utie and the girls, I've been a little moody. It's kinda like my sensor is broken. Normally, we sensor our thoughts before spewing them out. So anyways... The dentist put in my new crowns and asked me what I thought. I spewed, "They look like like crap." (A few months back I would have said, "Ya know, I'm not happy with these, can we modify them somehow?") The dentist then pulled out a tongue depressor and started showing me how even and perfect they were. I look again, my canine crown was huge and was kind of crooked and lapped over the front tooth, I spewed again. "I don't like them. I have to look at this crap every day for the rest of my life. I liked the temporary crowns. They looked great. "He again explains how perfect they are. I said, "Fine just leave them in then. "The dentist said, "Okay, we'll take the crap out of there then. I'll send them back and match them to your temporaries. Now, I'm going to go see the woman in the room next to you. She's nice!" (Truly, he said all of this in a joking manner and I did apologize for my lack of filtering abilities.)

He had me set an appointment for the next day at noon.....They did a rush job and and my crowns back the next morning. They called me at 9:00AM on Friday the 17th, and asked if I could come in. I'll tell ya, I was there in a flash. There was another woman in the waiting room when I arrived. I'm pretty sure I took her appointment time. The dentist came out and explained to the woman that I was mean, and he would have to see me first.....
Damned skippy I'm mean, but I have some nice lookin' teeth!

I then went to help Randy's family clean an apartment that some crack heads finally moved out of. The place was trashed! This is not the first time doing this in the apartment building Randy's sister insisted the company purchase because it was a good investment... Usually when we clean and paint we start at about 9-10 in the morning. My sister-in-law always comes strolling in around 1-2 in the afternoon. It never fails. So, she did her usual... "Okay, I'm here, what do you want me to do? "My sensor being broken and all, I spew, "Where have you been? We're almost finished now. "Defensively, she claims she has been doing paperwork all morning. Now, I know for a fact she doesn't get out of bed before 11 or 12. Randy then pulls her into the other room and apologizes for me and explains to her how it's just my hormones talking...like I can't hear him... I spewed, "I'm just being honest. "He then comes to me and whispers, "Be nice." Whatever! All of his family had been dogging her all morning before she got there. They always complain about how she does not pull her weight and spends way too much money on supposed business expences. None of them have the cahonies to say a word. Wussies, I get so tired of walking on egg shells around Miss sensitive/selfish. Hell, somebody needs to tell her. I usually don't say anything about the family business because I don't feel it's my place to. After working my ass off all day, I felt I had the right. The last few days, my father-in-law has been calling her on her bullsh*t. Yeah!!!! Hopefully it has been caught in time before the business is bankrupt.

Damned skippy I'm mean, but I speak the truth.

Saturday the 18th...My friend and I went to a Soldiers' Angels meeting and packed 650 gift bags for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan filled with candy, apple cider, hot chocolate, chap stick, instant oatmeal, and mugs....I then went out of town to take care of my younger sister because she had a hysterectomy. I'll tell that story at another time.

My Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is really helping. However, I think we may have to tweak it a bit. I go in on the 29th to determine how we will do that. My panic attacks, hot flashes, night sweats, migraines, and all the other symptoms have been reduced. We will definitely be working on the irratability. I have been keeping a daily log and will post my results for women who are seeking FREE info about my personal experience with a hysterectomy and HRT. I will offer no advise, just my experience.

In between all the doctor's appointments and other things, this mean ol' girl has been busy.

Toys for Tots Motorcycle Run

My man and I went on a motorcycle run today; Toys for Tots. It was great to get out for a good cause. The sun was shining. It was a perfect clear, crisp 55 degree day. It felt good to get the wind in my hair and my knees in the breeze.


The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. http://www.toysfortots.org/about_toys_for_tots/toys_for_tots_program/default.asp



We had a police escort which completely shut down a highway for a ten mile ride. We left the Harley Shop and ended up at The Woodlands Horse and Dog Race Track. On the way, there were people standing on the side of the highway waving. I waved back with my biker-princess wave. (I cuss to much to be any other kind of princess.) When we got there, we gave our toys to the nice Marines who loaded 'em in a truck for all of the boys and girls.

There was probably about 300 bikes and about 50 hot rod and classic cars as well. I even ran into the motorcycle cop who taught my motorcycle safety class. What a sweetie, he let me take his picture. In class he wasn't as sweet, he was more like a drill sergeant. I guess he needed to be. What he taught me was invaluable.















We ate some chili, had a coke and went home. A good time was had by all.

The Third in the Series of Hauntings

This is dedicated to my Sassy...BOO HA HA


All the small occurrences kept happening; at that point, scary yes, but not terrifying. Everyone in the house had witnessed these occurrences except for my step dad Pops. He thought we were all crazy. He even thought it was funny. So, Mr. Funny decides he is going to scare the hell out of us. As you may have heard, Mom and Pops had dabbled in the witchcraft. Pops finds a book on witchcraft and a tape recorder. He picks some scary incantation out of the book and records it. He then leaves to work at the bar that evening and calls us. "Hey, I've taped something on the recorder I want you to hear," he says laughing. Tommy and Brian, tucked away in bed, me, Mom, and Crystal were awake. We didn't know, so we played the tape. Over the recorder, the incantation started. In a low pitched, methodical voice, Pops' voice was heard. I don't even remember what he recited. I don't even think it was in English. All that I remember was hearing the word "Beelzebub (devil)" mentioned two or three times. Oh yes, it scared us. A chill came over all three of us. All of us looked at each other in dismay and couldn't believe he did this. I thought it was sick and twisted. To this day, I feel this opened some door and invited God only knows what kind of evil into our home.

We all went to bed and all was quiet. Then, Pops came home after the bar closed. He was in his bedroom getting ready for bed when all hell broke loose. It woke us all from a sound sleep. All paranormal activity was taking place on the second floor. I woke up to the shutters on the windows rattling and banging loudly. It sounded like bowling balls were being rolled across the floor. When you looked out the windows on the second floor, it was raining and storming outside. The noises were deafening and violent. We all came out of our rooms terrified. Pops? What was he doing? He came jaunting out of his bedroom in his underwear waving his 357 around trying to find something to aim at and shoot. I remember Mom asking him, "What in the hell are you going to do, kill it?" We all went downstairs. It was the strangest thing, it wasn't storming outside on the first floor. The night was calm....back upstairs, storming....down stairs, calm. Quite frankly, I do not recall how the night ended or when everything quieted. I think we all ended up sleeping in the same room.

The time line of when things happened is fuzzy from here...Maybe two days later, we were all going out to dinner. We were in the first floor living room waiting to leave. Pops came walking out of the first floor bathroom in his green leisure suit. He didn't make eye contact or even speak to any of us. He just walked to the front door, opened it, and walked out. We all looked at each other oddly and Mom said, "Okay, I guess we're leaving." We got up and followed. Out the front door we went. We looked around and no one was there. Where did he go? He was nowhere to be found outside. Suddenly, we heard something inside and it was Pops coming down the stairs. "Are you guys ready to go?"......What do you do? How do you react? All of us afraid in our own home, of what? What was it? How did it do that? Why did it do that?

Crystal and I slept with Tommy in his room after that. All of the bedroom doors on the second floor were louvered doors. You could hear everything going on out in the house. Nothing ever happened in the bedrooms. We never saw any apparitions after the first sighting Crystal and I had witnessed. Everything after was noises, moving objects, sensations of cold, and a sense of the presence of evil. I can remember going to bed at night scared to death. We would close the bedroom door and it would start. You would hear the attic door open, foot steps coming down the stairs and then horrible noises. Books being thrown from the book case, the sounds of bowling balls going across the floor, shutters rattling. You would work up the courage to open the bedroom door and look out, and everything would be perfectly in its place.

Maybe a few more days went by and Crystal and I devised a plan of escape. I called the bus station, found out how much the tickets were back to Kansas City. We stole the exact amount out of Pops' billfold and moved in with our Dad. We just could not deal with the uncertainty of our life, sanity, and safety in that house.

There will be one more story after this one that will be based on the story my Mother tells of what happened before they finally moved. I did not witness any of it. Things escalated beyond belief. Until then.....Happy Halloween.

The I'm falling apart rant

The other day, I'm eating one of my favorite snacks; pickles and cream cheese wrapped in ham. Mmmm. Suddenly, I bite into something extremely crunchy. Mmmm, no not really. I think, “Oh gross, what in the flippin hell was in the ham?” I realize, it is my tooth. Not the tooth behind my canine, but the next one. Sh*t!

I call my dentist's office. I talk to John, my wonderful gay friend receptionist there, I love him, and he sets me up an emergency appointment. I go in to find I need a root canal and crown. Not only that, but my canine is dying and I need a root canal and crown for it as well. Wait, that's not all. I have two molars that are cracked and need crowns for those before they need root canals. Ahhh, the cost, $2,300. I immediately start complaining about the amount of money I'm going to have to shit. My dentist informs me, “I need some bling bling for my thing thing, homie. And you're about to help me out.” Yeh, I know, he's kinda funny, but I will not be able to get any bling bling for myself for a long time. But wait, that's not all.

I guess I'm going to HAVE get some bling bling after all. The next day, I glance down at my wedding band in admiration, you know, like we girls do from time to time, and realize I'm missing a diamond! I drop the “F” bomb. My symbol of love for my husband looks like shit. I looked everywhere. Could not find the diamond. Hmmm, decisions, decisions....Should I go without toofers or the diamond from my wedding band?

D*mn it, I will not go without either! Lets see...which credit card can I use? Okay, another $370.

But wait....not only do you receive two root canals, four crowns, and a new diamond for your ring...I get up this morning and I'm freezing my tataas off. It's 60 degrees in my house. The furnace is just blowing air. Thank Jod! My 25 year old heater only needed a thermo coupling.

Tooth repair, $2300, ring repair, $370, thermo coupling, $5.99, paid for with cash; priceless!

Needless to say, I will be able to keep my toofers, my wedding band, and my tataas. We may not have a Christmas, but with these repairs, I will be happy, and I'll have the peace of mind that my husband will not trade me in on a newer model.

The 2nd in the series - The little freaky things

Four different occurrences...

Mom, Crystal, and I got back from the grocery store. Mom's friend was at the house baby sitting Brian. Crystal and I never told anyone about the ghost. Mom felt compelled to tell everyone. As we were putting the groceries away, Mom started telling her friend (can't even remember her name) all about our ghost. The woman replied by saying she hadn't seen anything. Just then, the diapers levitated off the table and sailed about two feet over and fell to the floor. The woman was speechless and considered the possibility....

My mother has a step brother Russell. Two of his sons were over visiting. They were about me and Crystal's age. Of course, Mom starts telling them all about the ghost. Crystal and I was so embarrassed. They thought it was the biggest line of bullsh*t they had ever heard. They were soo tough, they weren't scared. Regardless, Crystal, me, and my step cousins, went up to the third floor to sneak a smoke. We opened the two windows on the east side of the room to let the smoke out. One of my step cousins said, "If there is a ghost, why doesn't he show himself?" Right then, simultaneously, both windows SLAMMED shut! You should have seen those boys run for their lives. I have to say, it was the only time the ghost made Crystal and I laugh.

One of Mom's friends, Donna came over to store her kids Christmas presents at our house. It seemed the place where the ghost resided, was in the attic room that Crystal and I used for a closet. Where did Mom tell her to put the items? Hmmm. Crystal and I helped her carry all of the presents up to the third floor. We were approaching the attic door... the handle on the door turned and the door opened wide. Donna dropped all the presents and yelled, "Beat feet!" We all ran down the stairs.

I was in the 2nd story bathroom getting ready for a date. The rest of the family were downstairs watching television. I was bent over with my hair flung over my head blow drying my hair. Do you remember those old pointy toed tennis shoes from the fifties? They were Keds with a pointed toe... No one in the house even owned a pair shoes like this... So, I'm blow drying away and an old, white, dirty, point toed tennis shoe somehow was tossed into the bathroom and hit me in the back of leg. It didn't hit me hard, but it hit me. I knew it had to be Pops. He didn't even believe any of us about the ghost. So he would mess with us from time to time. I came out of the bathroom. "Pops? I know you're up here. Where are you?" I looked every where including the bedrooms. No one was there. I went downstairs and everyone was watching TV. Pops came walking out of the 1st floor bathroom. I can remember thinking, WTF? How weird.

I'll tell some scarier stories later when I feel more creative, my hormone treatment therapy has had a few scary side effects. Hmmm, let's see... fatigue, insomnia, fuzzy thinking ( I can't remember words), a horrendous craving for sweets, migraines 3-4 times a week, night sweats, hot flashes, panic attacks, and last but not least, the runs. These are actually all symptoms of menopause. Yeah!!

I know, I know, too, too much information! I've called a hormone specialist, I'm waiting on a call back. We'll see...

The First In a Series of Hauntings

We had been in the house for maybe a week; no occurrences at this point...The school year was starting in St. Joe. It was the night before the first day of school, Crystal starting a new junior high and me at a new high school. We were excited to a certain degree, but mostly concerned about establishing new friends. This would be difficult because we had lived in the same neighborhood all our lives. We couldn't sleep. Mom, the baby (Brian), and Tommy were fast asleep. Pops was running the bar that night and would not be home until after closing.

Crystal and I, in our beds discussing the first day of school, were not able to sleep. Oh, did I mention our dog, Smokey? We had a black Labrador, a wonderful dog and my companion. Smokey would always sleep right next to my bed. Crystal had a small bedside lamp on. In an attempt to get to sleep, I asked Crystal to turn off the lamp; maybe this would help us. Crystal did not want to turn it off. Me, being the typical supportive older sister I was, called her a sissy. Crystal had already seen whatever it was. She was the first to witness the apparition. She knew better than tell me, I would have never believed her. She turned off the lamp. Crystal finally fell asleep. It was just me and Smokey.

I tossed and turned and tossed and turned. I was thinking, "If I could just get a cigarette from Pops, (who knew I smoked), it may help me sleep." Suddenly, I hear the car. Through my window, I saw the car lights, the car pull in, and Pops exiting it, heading to the back kitchen door. "Oh, thank God, a cigarette." Right about then, I started feeling a strange freaky feeling of apprehension. So I grabbed Smokey and made her go downstairs with me. This was unusual because I had to make her. She was never afraid on anything. She was making that little whistle through her nose, you know, a quiet whine. We forged ahead anyway. "Hmmm, where's Pops? I saw him entering the house?" I opened the back door, looked out, and there was no one there. WTF? NO Pops, NO car...I was shaken, confused, and a bit freaked out. I went back up to my bed.

At this point, I was scared. I laid down, closing my eyes. "Ahh, I can't sleep," I thought to myself, and opened my eyes. There, standing over me, a man or something!! He was there leaning over my bed, only about two feet away from my face. He almost looked like a Roman statue. He was wearing toga like apparel that draped his thin structure. His skin tone, very gray, he was bald, had a hook nose, and the saddest, big brown eyes I've ever seen. I could sense heartbreak or pain, ya know? He was gazing at me with a look as if I was his long lost daughter. (Now that I look back, he was probably thinking, mmm, a young girl to f**k with. Booo hahaha.) I closed my eyes, shook my head, opened them again, he was there. Closed my eyes, shook my head, opened them, he was STILL there. Again, STILL there. Closed my eyes, one more time. I was confused, scared to death, and questioning my sanity. I opened my eyes, and he was gone.

Immediately, I turned on the bedside lamp, shook the sh*t out of Crystal, and and started stammering and babbling what I had witnessed. She then admitted she had seen the same man by the balcony near the stairs. Simultaneously, we sprang from our beds, ran down to my Mom's room, and jumped in bed with her. Abruptly, Mom awoke wondering WTF her 12 and 15 year old girls were doing in her bed like small children. We spat out our stories with her looking at us as if we were crazy, while trying to sooth us at the same time. Shivering and shaken, we both snuggled up to her and finally was able to sleep.

I'm sure Mom was thinking it may have been a nightmare. But was it? How could we both have had a nightmare about the same man, thing, or whatever? There would be several more, except the following incidents would include the other family members as well.

My Haunted Experience

The Haunted House

I was fifteen. Mom and Grandma decided to become partners in a business. The bar business that is. Bluetown Tavern in St. Joseph. MO. Mike, Marian, Judy, Pam, Bill, and Lori, were already living on their own. My Mom, Pops (step dad), Crystal 12, Tommy 9, Brian (newborn), and myself, moved to the small city of St. Joe. Mom purchased a beautiful old three story Victorian home. I'm only guessing, but it must have been built around 1920 or before. The house was empty and ready to move in to. She got a great deal as far as real estate goes.

The house...It was painted a deep red with black trim, had a wrap around front porch, and a second story balcony. The house by my standards was huge. The 1st floor had a formal living room with fireplace, a formal dining room with a crystal chandelier and a bay window from floor to ceiling. The kitchen was large but warm and inviting, complete with a walk-in pantry and servants quarters. From the dining area was a bathroom and the basement. The basement door was located under the stairs to the 2nd floor. When going down the stairs into the basement, it was sooo dark and musty. It was scary as hell. I made it all the way down the stairs to the dirt floor only once. I never went all the way in. It was cold, dank, and it felt horribly eerie. A sense of dread, my gut wrenching intuition forced me to run up the stairs as fast as I could. It makes me shiver just thinking about it... The 2nd floor had a comfortable family room, shutters on all of the windows, three bedrooms, and another bathroom. If you looked up from the 2nd floor, the ceiling reached all the way to 3rd floor with another chandelier hanging. Up the stairs to the 3rd floor, a Victorian banister that went up and around and served as a railing to guard you from falling back down to the 2nd floor. You could look down on the family room. The 3rd floor room spaciously wrapped around the railing, with two tall windows to the left, one window at the top of the stairs on the right, and straight ahead, a door to the attic.

Mom, Pops, Tommy, and Brian slept on the 2nd floor. Crystal and I chose the third floor as our bedroom. We set up our two single beds under the two windows that looked out on an alleyway that lead to the driveway. From our driveway, you could enter the house through the kitchen door. The attic room served as our very large closet with three windows that looked out on the front lawn.

So many unexplainable occurrences took place in that house, I hardly know where to start. They were the most bazaar things that have ever happened in my life and quite frankly, something I don't like to remember, or talk about. Believe me, I've had a lot of bazaar things happen to me in life. However, never so bone chilling. Yes, I'm speaking of the supernatural, paranormal, apparitions, noises, sensations of cold, objects moving, and a sense of the presence of evil.

Crystal and I made it two weeks in St. Joe. We stole enough money for bus tickets back home and moved in with our Dad. The rest of my family made it 6 months before moving. None of the neighbors had ever spoke until the day my family was moving. The neighbor told my Mom she lived there longer than most.

Moving in with Dad?... another mucked up story....Or, would you rather hear the ghost stories?

It's all about me right now

Received a call last week from my little sister Crystal. She can't concentrate on anything but Crystal right now. She has been talking about how she wants HOT pictures of herself on her motorcycle for some time now. She is recently divorced and loving herself again. She has lost all of her marriage weight and is looking good.



Crystal---"Hi Becky, I'm so excited. I got my pictures taken professionally with my bike. I look sooo hot. I had the photographer put them on a disc for me. I'm over at Chris's now and he is uploading them to send to you. You can pick out the one you like and I will give it to you for Christmas."






Me ---- "Hi. BTW, I'm doing fine. "

Crystal -- "Oh yeh, You're doing alright, huh? I want you to send these pictures to Lori so she can paint my picture."










Me --- "Crystal, Lori has been, and is a little busy. Her Dad has been ill, she has been driving up here every weekend to see him and take care of some of his business. And with Rachie and all plus all her other projects, she is pretty overwhelmed."

Crystal --- "Oh, How's Rachie doing? Is she alright? Has Lori found out anything?"

Me thinking ---"Well, I guess it's not all about her with Rachie. She is genuinenly concerned"

Me --- "Rachie is doing better. But Lori is still waiting to find out more."






Crystal --- "I'm praying for her....Anyway, Lori can get to it when she has time. I want her to paint the picture of me riding down the road with Angels around me. Did you get them yet? Are you at your computer?"


Me --- "No, not yet."

Crystal --- "How about now? Chris, are you sure you sent them to the right email address? "

Chris --- "Crystal, there are 12 proofs. It may take a while."

Crystal --- "How about now? Did you get them? Well, call me when you get them."





Our Crystal is not always so tunnel visioned. If anyone is causing you pain in your life and you let her know...She will hunt them down and kick their ass! Oh, yes, Crystal can kick some serious ass. She is a tough little momma and is protective as hell. DON'T mess with HER family!!! I'm scared to death to tell her about the crazy lady that Lori is trying to get out of her Dad's house. Believe me, she would go over and drag that woman out kicking and screaming by the hair.

When we were younger, I never got into any fights. Yes, my LITTLE sister would get her crazy on and whup some ass or make it perfectly clear she would. All, would back off scared as hell.

I would do the same for her. Crystal and I have bond no one can break. We have been through hell together and survived, back to back, fighting, fending off all the evil that came to us when we were children and well into early adulthood. We graduated with honors from the school of hard knocks and are now strong, independent women that can handle almost any boulders or road blocks that get in our way...ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough.....

I love you Crissy... And sista, you DO look hot! Ride that motorcycle with your Angels above and around. Don't let anything get in your way. If they do, I GOT your back.

Flowers & Vortexes

I ordered a little artsy magazine called Flowers & Vortexes. I was inclined to do so because Lori turned me on to a fellow blogger's website. The Endless Saga. Welcome to a world of poetry, creative nonfiction, and occasional fiction as told by James Eric Watkins. http://endlesssaga.blogspot.com// I checked it out and found some the most mesmerizing poetry I've ever read. I haven't really been into poetry since college. I have discovered a renewed interest in it. So, I ask James, via his blog, if he has been published. He directed me to a website where I purchased the magazine. It was awesome. A collection of poetry and photography. Erin Monahan http://poetic-acceptance.blogspot.com/ even had a poem published in the magazine.

I can't sleep tonight, so I turn to one of my only forms of entertainment; the computer. I revisited the website, Promise of Light Publications http://www.promiseoflight.org/flowersvortexes.htm. There were options to click on located on the right side of the page. Once again, I was entertained. I clicked on the options, “Fluent” and "Below Morning's Edge” to find audio poems by Erin. Erin happens to be the co-editor. There were audio poems by James, the creator and editor, and others. It put me in a mindset of a beatnik coffee shop listening to artists reciting their poetry... Well, minus the coffee and bongo drums. It was very cool. They even have merchandise with the designs created by Erin. The stuff was really groovy.

You guys have to check it out.

Sos anyways...I've been entertained for the night. I think if I lay my head down, I'll be able to sleep now. Good night.

Me me me me - My things list

Zilla tagged me. Sorry it took so long Z. Here goes...

1. Things that scare me

*public speaking (my biggest fear)
*heights
*falling down stairs
*spiders
*snakes
*walking around with a booger hanging out my nose
*walking around with something stuck in my teeth
*toilet paper stuck to my shoe

2.People who make me laugh

*Lori
*Holly
*My son
*My husband
*My friends at work
*Oh hell, I laugh all the time, it gets me through

3.Things I hate the most

*Mean people
*bigots
*bitchy people who take it out on others (mean people)
*rules that are stupid
*pee on a toilet seat
*doing dishes
*dusting

4.Things I don't understand

*Suicide
*mean people
*religious fanatics
*murder
*people who do the same stupid things over and over expecting different results and whining about it
*people with pointless agendas
*the stock market

5.Things I'm doing right now

*Typing
*smoking
*drinking a coke
*thinking about taking a pain pill
*wondering what the hell to write

6.Things I want to do before I die

*Have a grand baby
*Go to Europe
*win the lottery
*retire
*lose 30 pounds
*quit smoking
*exercise regularly
*learn how to belly dance

7. Things I can do

*Ride a motorcycle
*talk to the animals
*raise hell
*have fun
*multi task
*pop my hips in and out of joint
*love and laugh
*I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan

8.Ways to describe my personality

*Over bearing
*anal
*obsessive
*bitchy
*frickin' sweet and don't you forget it!
*Loving
*bleeding heart liberal
*fun
* a little crazy

9.Things I can't do

*Change the oil in my car
*sing
*lie
*keep my mouth shut
*crafts

10.Things I think you should listen to

*A storm
*your kids
*all laughter
*jokes
*stories
*advice (take it or leave it)
*Rock
*The Blues

11.Things you should never listen to

*Country music
*drunks
*drug addicts asking for money
*Rush Limbaugh (spelling?)
*Religious fanatics
*Jehovah's Witnesses

12.Things I'd like to learn

*knitting
*landscaping
*how to back a trailer
*patience
*belly dancing
*the stock market

13.Favorite foods

*All vegetables except hominy
*Chinese
*Mexican

14.Beverages I drink regularly

*Water
*Coke
*Coffee
*Vodka and cranberry juice (maybe once a week)

15.Shows I watched as a kid

*Dark Shadows
*The Sixth Sense
*Scooby Doo (love Scooby, he makes me smile)
*Gilligan's Island
*The Munsters
*The Partridge Family
*The Brady Bunch
*All in the Family

On a scale of 1 to 10, was this mildly entertaining?

I tag, Ariel, Pearl, and Kelley Bell

No work until October 17th, rest, relaxation, and recuperation

I had surgery 09/05/06 to have Utie and the girls removed. Before I went under the knife, Randy and I and our friends, Doug and Leann rode our bikes down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was a beautiful ride. There were rolling hills, hollers, forests, rivers, lakes, treacherous roads, curves, and the best shopping ever. Utie and the girls never did me any good anyway, but I took them out for their last ride and adventure anyhow.

While Leann and I were shopping, we really bonded. We got henna tattoos together in the park from a local artist. Leann got a tribal design and I got a cheesy sailor tattoo of a heart with a ribbon that read Randy. I also got a corset. (You know I got lucky that night with the tattoo and corset and all.) The tattoo was supposed to last for a week. It only lasted three days from all the hot tubbing. Oh yes, we had a hot tub in our room. It was very romantic. (Watch out, I'm on drugs and giving waaay too much info.)

We rode through some of the most remote areas, Beaver Lake and Hobb's Wildlife Reserve. We even went to an old working flour mill, built in 1838 (War Eagle Mill) that is powered by the War Eagle River. It had a huge water wheel that powered the large stone grinding wheels.


Downtown Eureka Springs was built in the late 1800s. There are shops, restaurants, artists and musicians on the street corners. Very artsy fartsy. The homes and buildings were beautiful.

The only bummer of our trip is we received tickets outside of town for excessive noise. Some redneck-bastard cop said our pipes were too loud. We just got into town. Randy, Leann and I went to the hotel and waited for Doug. He got stuck behind traffic. We waited about 5 minutes. Randy hopped on my bike to see where Doug was. We were worried. Doug had been pulled over. The cop said when Doug rode by, the sound of his pipes scared him. He said if he was an old lady it would have scared her so bad she would have wrecked. He then went onto say, “The local residents don't like “ you people” in their town. He added, there were going to be a lot of “you people” in town this weekend and there would be a lot of tickets written.”... Come on, Doug is 56 years old, he wasn't even rapping his pipes, he was just riding. I swear this prick just pulled him over at random. Anyways... Randy sees him and pulls into the restaurant parking lot. Doug explained to the idiot, his friend was just coming back to check on him. The officer walked to Randy and demanded his paperwork. He told Randy his bike was too loud and issued him a ticket for exhaust noise as well. Again, come on, Randy just pulled into the parking lot. The punk officer then lectured them both on modified exhaust systems. He then closed by telling them if we were staying in town we could be ticketed again, so if we did ride be sure to “just putt around”. The ticket will cost us $125.

We did tell several business owners what happened. They said a large percentage of their customers were bikers and they would bring it up a the city counsel meeting. We have written a letter to the police chief also. Hey, ya can't blame us for tryin'.

We didn't let it spoil our vacation. We had a blast.

Of course, blogger will not upload pix...

Ok, sat for too long, abdomen, pain, more pain pills...gotta go....

Patriot Gaurd Riders mission pix

Patriot Gaurd Riders, riding in.



I love this guy.

Protesters/fuckwads, whatever.

Another PGR Funeral Ride

Randy and I went to another funeral of a fallen soldier with the PGR (Patriot Guard Riders http://patriotguard.org/ ). He was 31 years old. He had a wife, a three year old son, and an nine year old daughter. There were 150 of us. We formed a human barrier around the funeral home with our 3'x5' American flags on 8 foot tall poles. And yes, the Westboro Baptist Church and their infamous leader, Reverend Phelps, were there. They were not protesting the war, only the fact that our government is tolerant of homosexuality in the armed forces. The new law is, they must stay 500 feet away and can only protest the funeral 1 hour before it starts and 1 hour after it starts. All businesses surrounding the funeral home had security to block the crazies from protesting on their property.

They stayed there on a median in the street for the full 2 hours. There were about 15 of them. Men, women, and children holding their signs that read, “GOD HATES FAGS, FAGS HATE GOD, AIDS CURES FAGS, THANK GOD FOR AIDS, FAGS BURN IN HELL, FAGS ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE FAGS UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR FAGS”, and a new one, “SOLDIERS ARE FAGS.” It broke my heart. The adults stand in the center with the children surrounding them. They were singing a song to the melody of “As the Casons (spelling?) Go Rolling Along”. I can't remember all the words, but they were singing words like, as the fag soldiers' arms, legs are thrown in the air from explosions...I don't know, I had to go to another place in my head to block them out. The guard pulled 30 of us to form 3 lines deep about 50 feet in front of them so the family could not see them. We totally blocked them from their view. Vehicles were driving by flipping the protesters off, laying scratch in front of them and so on. They finally left.

We all road to the grave sight and gathered in a U shape around the tent. There was a 21 gun solute and the ritual of the folding of the flag. The soldiers, men and women, as soldiers do, stood strong with complete emotionless faces at attention. I know they had to go somewhere else in their head as I did. I was standing way to close to the family. The mother and her daughter were sobbing. I was standing there trying to hold back tears. I looked at the trees, the clouds, tried to think of other things. I held my flag in front of my face hoping no one would notice the tears that finally came rolling down my face. I finally composed myself when the 9 year old daughter came a shook our hands and thanked us for being there. It took everything I had not to let go the pain and empathy I felt. I will never stand so close again. However, after it was all over, I felt as if I did a good thing. I enjoyed the ride and all of my fellow riders.

A phenomenal poet and fellow blogger, Sir James E. Watkins wrote a poem that truly fit the entire experience, the war, the protesters... A poem called “Listen”. He posted it on 08/04/06. Check it out. It helped me through... http://endlesssaga.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_endlesssaga_archive.html

Now, on a lighter note....There was a business close by. The building was probably about 15 stories tall. Apparently the president of the company watched everything from his window. He came over and invited all of us to his employee cafeteria for lunch. Randy arrived late because he was one of the riders who escorted the mourning family to a restaurant they were all meeting. He also escorted the hearst to the grave sight. My husband exudes strength. He is always chosen to do special duty.

I only took a few photos at the staging area before the ride...If they don't upload, I will post them later.