Cars

Yes, I was a “car crazy cutie'. Actually, not sure how cute I was, but I was car crazy. My daddy gave me a 1974 Mercury Capri. This is when they were made in Germany, before they were just stamped copies of the Ford Mustang. That little car could skit! But it started before then. It started in our yard on Cooks Road as a 7 year old girl, beside the hood of Daddy's baby blue F150 pickup. Daddy was setting the tappets (lifters) and he had me listening for him...for them to sound like a sewing machine.

I always loved the smell of gasoline, grease, oil. So, I had the Capri and Daddy was dead and gone. I read Motor Trend and Hot Rod Magazine faithfully. I changed my own oil. Changed my own sparkplugs. Cleaned my battery posts and did other maintenance on that little car.

I seriously thought (wanted) to go to mechanics school after high school. But I knew I didn't want to live in a big city. And I was pretty sure that in a small town, the young girl mechanic would be nothing more than a local joke. So, I tucked those dreams aside and tried going to SFA for accounting.

As as senior in high school I was working for my uncle's local Ford dealership. I had my eye on the new 79 Mustangs. While the turbo charged version was a joke in the magazines, the 302 5.0 with the four speed manual transmission was getting rave reviews. Mom and I approached Uncle Lenox and he let me order one at $200 over dealer cost. I paid FMCO $95.00 a month for three years for the privilege of driving and owning one of the best mustangs ever made.

Uncle Lenox had told mama he just hoped I didn't kill myself in it. That baby saved my life on numerous occasions! It had the most responsive steering system made that year. That awesome four speed could go up to 90mph in 3^rd gear without sweating the red line OR you could shift down from 4^th gear at 45-60 and the torch would stick you to the road no matter the rain or the water.

It was the highlight of my teens and twenties. It suffered a blow that bent the frame when bubba was a baby and he was crying and I was half sick. It stayed parked for years. Pete, bubba and the nephews drug it out of the woods and played with it here on the hill. Skippy's big foot finally threw a rod. It's still here, tucked back out of sight. Probably finally headed for scrap metal soon. But only Alzheimers can take those memories from me.

So, it's fitting I married an oil field hand who was so into mechanics and cars. That smelt of oil and grease and gasoline. Some of my happiest times with my man have been sitting outside with him as he breathed life into an engine. Handing him tools. (Because I actually know which one is which.) And sometimes surprising him with an idea or a diagnosis that is right on the money.

Don't tell me I'm the only girl/woman out there that has this passion? How do you feel about cars? Share your favorite “car” memory with me! 

Bedroom

Yes, I have definite views about bedrooms. Not to say I get my way about it. I believe that a bedroom shouldn't have a TV set in it. A radio or CD player might be okay for those special times, but I don't care for any music when it's time to go to sleep.

Bedrooms should be cool or on the cold side. Light should not actually shine into the bedroom, but you should have at least one view outside. Lamps are okay, but overhead lighting is a no-no, unless you are in there to clean. Candles are great when its time for quiet talks or a little sex.

To me a bedroom is a place to be quiet and still with your spouse. A place to let the day fall off and the two of you to reconnect. And when it's time to go nighty-nite, I want it dark with a fan running or a window unit humming to drown out outside interference.

I have found going to sleep on my stomach with my knees into the mattress does wonders to “quiet” my sometimes restless legs. I love a nice cool pillowcase under my face and will flip my pillow over for that cool side any time I wake up any at all.

I think I have to have a sheet over my body...no matter what. And I like some kind of blanket or quilt up to my buttocks at least. The weight makes me feel tucked in and secure.

While I adore a chance to cuddle and snuggle before slipping off to dream land, I find it almost impossible to go to sleep tangled up with someone else. I need my space, my spot.

Maybe you disagree with me. You may have other ideas or favorite habits, rituals, settings for your bedroom or bedtime. Please share them!  

Attitude

A long time ago, I realized that attitude is half the battle in most anything you do or encounter in life. Internally and externally. Let me give you some life examples.

Externally: Project the attitude that I belong here and I know what I am doing.

I could walk the halls at school, go wherever I wanted and never be questioned by teachers and staff I passed because I wasn't giving off the scared rabbit vibe or the sulking bad girl vibe.

Externally: Project confidence and defiance when needed.

I worked with a young woman 25 years ago that came running into the office out of the warehouse in tears because a warehouse worker said “I'd love to get me some of that .” ,when she walked by. She was shaken. I couldn't grasp where she was coming from. Usually no one ever said anything like that to me or within my earshot. But on the rare occasions when they did, I either met their gaze with a face of stone or I casually called over my shoulder, “in your dreams!” Depending where it happened, who they were, who else might be around and such. I never had the thought for even a minute that I should crumple and cry or shriek like a rabbit and run.

Internally: Tell yourself you are tired, lazy, sick, etc.

You'll get nothing accomplished and later or tomorrow feel even worse because things have stacked up and you feel overwhelmed and still tired, sick, lazy, etc.

Tell yourself I've got to get my butt moving, I want this done, it's a beautiful day for this, etc.

You'll be surprised how much you actually do get done before you quit for the day. The next day, there's a little less to do and you actually do feel better because of it.

These may not be the best examples of what I am talking about, but I think you get the idea. If you haven't tried it before, please give it ago! If you have, tell me how it went for you.

I'm ready, I'm in, I'm jazzed!

I've done four entries for the A-Z tonight.  Got them scheduled to post as planned.  Got my new look on the blog.  I'm ready and I'm still in!

What about you?  Are you ready?  To write, to read?  

And how do you like my new look?  Is it a keeper?  

Tell me all about it.

Am I up to the Challange?

The A-Z Challange that is.  Who knows!?  I've loved taking part in it the past two years.  And have been looking forward to it since January of this year.   I've had a list of topics for the past two months.  



BUT, since Charles foobared our server at work on January 21st, I've been working a lot of Saturdays.  Staying late.  And then there was Pete's hospital stay for Ground Hog Day.  I've been worn out, frazzled, frayed, abandoned and abused.  So, here I sit on March 29th with no entries written.

I had so looked forward to having most of them pre-written and scheduled so I could just sit back and enjoy blog hopping and reading, commenting and such.  

Well, I gave hubby forewarning tonight that I'm still in the mix.  I'm going forward.  The only thing working on my side this year is the new computer and the new high speed via Hughes Net. 

So, jump in with me, sign on, follow, like, share, comment, read, visit, tweet......the Good Lord willing, I'm going the distance!

See you on Tuesday, if not before.  

Barbara in Caneyhead

Thirty Years

Earlier this month, Pete & I had our Thirtieth Wedding Anniversary.  It was a Wednesday, so I had to work.  Often times, we don't even get each other a present.  We just acknowledge and mark another year under our belt.  But this year seemed special.

So, when I came in from work, I asked Pete "You want to exchange presents before or after church tonight?"  He told me that I wasn't getting his now.  So I asked if he minded if I went ahead and gave him his gift.  And he didn't.  So I did.  I got him a nice camera with some good ZOOM.  He loves to take pictures of birds, squirrels and everything else.  Hope I can get him interested in sharing some on a blog of his own.  He seemed tickled and pleased with his gift.

We got ready and went on to church.  Just so happened our anniversary fell on our church's Business Meeting and Birthday Social night.  We have the business meeting, then we sing Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to all who are celebrating that month and then adjurn to the fellowship hall for ice cream and cake.  

We're both happy to have our 30th fall on the very night.  When the business is concluded the pastor calls for the anniversaries to come forward.  There's about five couples total lined up in the front of the sanctuary.  Then the pastor says something about someone wants to say something before they sing to us.  And the next thing I know Pete is pulling a little blue velvet box out of his shirt pocket and opening it in front of me.  As he does this he is saying "for putting up with me all these years."  Inside is a simple and elegant white gold anniversary ring with a leave design on the top of the band with diamonds in every leaf and diamonds between each leaf!! 

People, my little redneck man done good!!  He made a memory I will cherish as long as and even after the beautiful ring.  

There I was,

all gung-ho and ready to proceed to post regularly and get a head start on my A-Z entries....and life happened.  

First my computer decided to start to have issues.  I thought it was going to sleep and not waking up.  Changed settings, rolled it back and finally it seemed to be working right.   

Then, the IT guy at work crashed our server on January 21st and we lost a month and a half of work.  That's when the overtime started.  

Next, hubby ended up in the hospital for Ground Hog day.  I'm really starting to think holidays make the man sick.  He was there this past 4th of July, then again for Labor Day.  Thankfully, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's didn't phase him.  Probably because those occurred in and near deer season.

Once again, computer issues at home.  One day the electricity quietly went out and when it came back on, the computer wouldn't. Ever since it had issues in January, we had left it on continually.  (Yes, in a surge protector.)  It would act like it was coming on, but it didn't.  It took me a few days to realize I had computer protection through my AOL membership.  I finally contacted them, they had me send it off.  The status came back, motherboard has died.  They emailed me info about a suggested new replacement PC.  I agreed it was a good one and low and behold they had it at my house the very next day!  We decided to go with broadband satellite instead of sticking with dial-up.  And now here I am.  

Still have a lot to catch up at work.  Funny, I finally reach the eight year mark, with three weeks vacation and right now I can't see a time when I can go on vacation.  In all these years, I've never taken more than 3 days consecutively off from work.  That was to make a 5 day weekend for us all to go visit our friend Jim a few years back for the 4th of July.

Hoping, since it is still early in March, and now I have high speed at home, I'll still get some A-Z entries done early and be ready to plunge into the fun with all fours when April 1st rolls around.

In the meantime, I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone to visit AOL and pick out a paid membership plan.  They have so many value added services for free! (Lifelock, Computer Protection, Tech Support, Priceline, Privite Wi-Fi, AARP, DataMask, Norton Online Backup....on and on and on.)  Host of choices for under $20 bucks a month.  And then, you have dial-up backup if you ever need it.  And as dial-up goes, theirs is fast & reliable.  I don't plug goods and services in my entries for any compensation.  And if I decided to, I'd say it was compensated.  So, when I recommend anything here, you know I truly do believe in it, like it and use it. 

Well, it's my one day off this week.  So, I'm going to go about catching up the laundry and cooking a good meal for my family.

See you round!