Early Spring?

I hope so.  The cold weather has been a hindrance.  After 3 days of 31-36 temps and some freezing mist along with strong winds we have great weather this Monday Morning.  Time to start getting things ready for Spring.  I need fertilizer for the garden.  I use an organic fertilizer only, think mostly manure.  The particular brand I have had the best luck with is hard to find.  Home Depot is supposed to carry it but none is on hand.  Amazon has it but it's 38.99 for a 40# bag, are you kidding me?  HD is 29.99.  I don't remember it being that high before.  I could say something about inflation and the manure that comes out of DC but I need the real stuff.  I have an inquiry in with the local feed store but I doubt that will be any cheaper and probably higher.

Yesterday I hit 69.  I had kept it quiet but there were so many folks at church that somehow knew.  I guess I should be happy I get this far with my health issues over the last few years.  So I am being positive about it.  It could certainly be much worse.  And my Mother actually remembered it was my birthday, first time in a while.

I had my evaluation for cataract surgery.  My insurance pays the basic surgery.  I am getting upgrades to the point I will not need glasses other than some readers.  Way more than I expected but so worth it from the description the doctor gave.  Mid March is the right eye, two weeks later the left.

Not sure what to make of the Ukraine war with Russia.  I know there is a ton of propaganda going on.  I see videos and photos and some just don't make sense.  One of young girl chastising a supposedly Russian invader, yet I could tell the video looked odd.  Desert landscape, girl wearing a tank top.  It's the deepest part of winter in a very cold part of the earth.  Turns out it was a Palestinian accosting an Israeli soldier.  And there have been others.  Twitter is going nuts too.  The sides are divided almost evenly on who they support but most agree something strange is going on there.  I don't know what to make of it.  I just hope the innocent are spared as much as possible.  

Happy Trails

Family Tree Photo Project

 I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with this family tree photo thing we are trying to do.  I found more old photos that I had forgotten about.  It also included some 'K' was looking for from her family.  They are all different sizes and conditions.  My idea was to make B/W copies of all of them and then place them on the wall.  I was doing this to preserve the originals and not expose them to the environment more than they need to be and deteriorate even more.  I do like the idea of having all different size photos instead of all the same.  We have determined we have to use only direct lineage i.e. parents, grandparents, great grand parents etc.  We do not have room to add all the uncles, aunts cousins or even our siblings and their families, even when the photos may be great.  There has to be a limit/guideline.  Now how we place then on the wall is an issue.  Almost none of these 60-70 photos we have identified have a frame.  I would love if they weren't framed and some how stuck to the wall in a way they would not curl up on the edges like they do.  Currently we are at one photo per person or family group so this eliminates a lot of excellent photos that I love.  Getting frames all the same size would be easiest but not really what we want.  Oh, and we want to try making them all B/W except for those still living.  We are certainly open to ideas if you have any or how you handled something similar.  We have eliminated collage frames and one where you hang them by clips on a line just not what we want.  

I have not ruled out some sort of family history.  It is just a bunch of random info of various persons and it is in no fashion organized.  I just have to figure out the how to.

I am anxious to get outside and start on the yard work.  Cleaning up all the damaged plants, trimming shrubs and getting the garden ready.  I need garden soil, I could also use compost on my half acre of yard.  I have no truck to haul it in any more.  I figure 8 yards is what I need for the lawn.  Too much for a pickup.  I paid 26$ for half yard of garden mix I hauled myself 4 years ago.  I'm guessing around 1k to have it hauled.  Then I need to hire someone to spread it, ugh.  I think it can wait and I will concentrate on the garden this year.  I have a water heater going out and the plumbers are coming this Tuesday.  So that would more than take up what I would spend on the yard.  Momma likes her hot water bath and showers.  

Bunch of birthdays this month.  Mine, K's, Granddaughter #1 same day as K's, Granddaughter #2, Grandson, and Son #1.  It's like a second smaller Christmas for the kids and a small Christmas bill for the parents lol.  Son #1 has the same issue with the in-laws.  Ugh

Happy Trails

Super Bowl

Nope, didn't watch a second of the super bowl.  Did you watch?  Thoughts?  Too woke for me.  Actually I have not watched the nfl for at least 14 years, it may be more.  Actually I don't watch any pro sports.  I don't want someone else's politics/beliefs/wokeness shoved down my throat.  They have gotten away from their true customer base, the sports fan.  I assume they are caving to their employees views and want to get into other forms of entertainment.  I certainly don't want to see the vulgar crotch grabbing of the halftime garbage.  (I read about it)

Same for the Olympics.  Used to be an avid viewer up until the last couple.  Same thing is happening there.  It is not anywhere near what I enjoyed in the past. 

I still watch college football but not as much as before, along with some college baseball.  Now with the NIL stuff and the transfer portal it isn't what it used to be.  Yes, there has all ways been the buying of players and not it is out in the open.  Maybe they o deserve to be paid to play, I really don't know and don't care to know, but when the money gets thrown around like it is now, it will ruin what I once enjoyed.  So what if my team is the beneficiary because they have the deepest pockets?  It just loses the appeal for me.  It has a taint to it.  I won't worry about it too much though.  As I have aged I have certainly lost a lot of interest in sports on any level.  Even hunting has little to no appeal to me anymore.  I would never have guessed that would ever happen.  I haven't fished in years either but I do think about getting the fly rod out and hitting the neighborhood lake.  So there is hope lol.

The ancestor photo project is stalled.  The Granddaughter tends to stall things here when she comes.  But that's OK.  Maybe I will get started on it again this week, but the weather seem to be getting really nice and the yard work is calling my name due to all the cold weather damage and the garden needs to be prepped.

Happy Trails

Texian Ancestors

I am in the process of collecting old photographs for a display on a wall in our house.  It will be a family tree type of thing.  I am also scanning a lot of them and then editing them, i.e. cropping, changing color to black and white.  Most of the color ones have faded so badly over the years.  It will include direct linage ancestry only.  I have plenty of collateral related ancestors I would love to add but space is limited.  This will include 'K's' family as well but we are not in possession of as many photos of her family as mine.  Apparently we had a lot of photographers.  My Dad's father was a prolific amateur photagrapher.  I think I have posted some of his old photos in Dehaviland D-4 biplanes on here in the past.  All he had was an old Kodak box camera you held at your waist and looked down into the small view finder.  I am amazed at the quality of some of those old photos.  

A lot of this collection is due to my passing interest in genealogy but also my sentimentality.  I know that when I am gone, all those old photos will go into the trash sadly.  No one else shares my interest, so it will stop with me.  Same with the genealogy.  Zero interest.  But I have always had an interest in the past, in history, my roots.  I'm the lone ranger as far as that is concerned.  It even showed in my television and movie choices.  Westerns are still my favorite.  

I have a lot of information in my head that I have learned about my ancestors that no one else knows.  One of the things I found in my genealogy searches is the photo on the header.  I was stomping around and old cemetery trying to track down dates on ancestors and I found that marker on my 3xGreat Grandfather's grave and his wife's.  The Daughters of the Republic of Texas has used my photo.  There were other grave there with that marker.  It's part of my bonifides of being a Texian and not a Texan, 7th Generation from what I can trace.  Please don't use Texican, that is something the movies came up with and has been in use since.

I had been queried by an Aunt a while back and I related some information she had no knowledge of.  This was about our common ancestor's service in the War Between the States.  She said I should write our family history down for our family.  Unfortunately I would be the only one that would probably read it.  I really don't even know how to proceed and not sure I have that interest.  My attention span wanders way too much.  I sometimes wonder if I have ADD.  It would explain a lot of things.

Happy Trails

Slow Monday Start

I'm really slow getting to the blog today.  It's almost noon here and I really haven't accomplished much.  Nothing on the schedule for today as usual just the routine things I always do.  Managed to get out pretty early for our walk, Snickers and me.  It was pretty crisp, 42 and a wind that was more evident than when I started.  It was nice to get out and moving again.  The weather is supposed be nice here for the whole week so I am hoping to get back into the exercise routine.  

We uncovered our plants yesterday.  Ugh, what a mess.  I had forgotten my usual heat lights and there is a lot of damage to the potted plants and the variegated ginger.  I think the roots were undamaged just wasn't cold enough for that.  The pot plants may be another story.  Looks like we will spend some time at the local nurseries this year.  I had planned to add a few new things to add some color anyway plus getting the vegetable garden going again. 

The family and a couple friends came out to the house Saturday to celebrate Kaylee's 3rd birthday with a little party.  She has been talking about her party for a couple weeks.  As soon as she walked in the first thing out of her mouth, 'where's the party?' that cracked us all up of course.  Even her other Grandparents made a flight from Phoenix for her party.  She seemed to have a great time.  

I haven't wasted a second of my time watching any of the Olympics.  Other than not wanting to support anything regarding the chicoms, I have lost much interest in sports over the years for various reasons.  Most of it being the politics getting involved and all the woke crap that gets spewed.  I had been an avid Olympics watcher in years past but also noticed my interest waning over time.  They just aren't like they were in the years past with the video of the skiier crashing and the words 'agony of defeat' coming over the speaker.  Who was the main guy back then, Curt Gowdy?  Back in those days I watched nearly every second.  It may have something to do with how they are presented now.  Sorry, just musing to myself.

I have got bread to make, or English muffins.  I made some last week and they turned out pretty good and 'K' wants more.  So....

Happy Trails

Before the Arctic Blast

We have been hearing quite a bit about the cold front due to hit our area tonight.  It's not supposed to be above freezing all day tomorrow and into Friday.  This is not a common occurrence here since we are so far South but it does happen.  So I told 'K' if she wanted to go anywhere, today is her last chance for a couple days.  I had forgotten she just came back from visiting my Mom and helping her with some things.  But she said she was thinking about going to the grocery store for a few things. Not what I had in mind at all.  I told her if she was really going she needed to go within the next 30 minutes and hope for the best.  She went.  Surprisingly the shelves were full and about as busy as a normal day.  That means it was busier than usual since she went before 9AM.  She heard on the radio that one HEB was so crowded they had no baskets to use.  I'm sure that was probably yesterday and may well be like that later.  The hordes will descend on the groceries in the next 18 hours.  Not me, I would gladly just do without than deal with those crowds.  People just lose all their sense and have blinders on.  They are totally unconcerned about what they are doing and how they behave and it is even worse when it is this type situation.  'K' got home unscathed lol.

Fair warning, politics;

I am a grass roots conservative when it comes to my politics.  I have been pretty disgusted with our current Governor, Greg Abbott.  With this latest arctic blast that is coming, the power grid here in Texas is in the crosshairs.  Three months ago our RINO governor promised that the 'light would stay on' this winter and that the power grid was safe.  Yesterday he says, 'no one can promise' there would not be a 'load shed,' meaning rolling blackouts.  So he was lying when he said it three months ago.  He was gambling since statewide arctic weather is rare here.  Now he sees this one coming may bite him.  But he knows the voter memory is short or his is.  I know he is loved here in Texas, but most of those folks only listen to his sound bites.  They don't know that  he never follows through.  Well how do I know?  I subscribe to grassroots emails/newsletters.  If you want to keep up with a quick easy to read news of Texas politics, I recommend you sign up for a free news email (daily).  Go here:  Texas Scorecard.  You'll learn more about what's going on in Texas Gov't. than you ever have.  No I wasn't asked to do this, I just think this is a good source of info.  They have information on candidates running for office you would never know otherwise.  It is eye opening.  There are a couple others, if you want links to them hit me up in the comments.

Happy Trails