I'm a minion, you're a minion

Think back to the old Dr. Pepper jingle.  Now hold that thought.   Remember that catchy tune.    (And don't you dare tell me you are too young to remember!)    Now sing with me:

I'm a minion...




                   

You're a minion...

      (What?!?!!  You're not a minion?  Please say it isn't so!)

Wouldn't you like to be a minion too? 

I'm gonna be one of Stephen Tremp's minion's in the upcoming April A to Z Challenge.

How cool is that?!  I get to devise evil schemes, lurk in the shadows, laugh maniacally....

No, wait.  That's not right.  

Oh, I've got it!  I get to have a cool special badge in my sidebar! And when I visit the blogs in the challenge, I'll be doing it on behalf of the A to Z Challenge Team!

This will be my 4th year to participate in the Challenge, but my 1st time to help out.  

About time, right?

If you are a returning veteran of the Challenge, I urge you to volunteer as well.   Just get in touch with any of the co-hosts on their blog.  There is a complete list of co-hosts on the April A to Z Challenge Sign Up List for 2015.

You say you've never been in the Challenge?  Then this is definitely the year to start!

It's a great way to get more visitors to your blog, to find other bloggers you want to follow, and to have fun while doing it.  Just sign up at the link above.

Either way, I'll be watching.

  

Some graphics provided by Design Bolts.

I Saw it on Facebook

Yep, I've known my share of folks you could say this about.  This is a mighty small amount of gasoline, folks.  Most old school go-carts have two stroke engines.  An ant is incredibly small and two laps around a Cheerio?!  Wow, the hardest part would be not over filling the tank on that vehicle.

No story here.  I just adore the the statement.  I can imagine John Wayne uttering it.  Can you?  

Does Anyone Actually Blog Any More?

Definition of blog according Merriam-Webster:   a Web site

on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities,

 and experiences.

Now, my question is:   "Does anyone actually blog anymore?"  

Seriously.  When I started blogging back in 2005, I did so

after reading a blog about a military wife and the things she '

dealt with while hubby was deployed.  Loneliness, children,

broken things, etc.  Gave me the idea to use a blog to share 

experiences living the "redneck" life in the Piney Woods and

share my faith and offer encouragement to others, primarily

women.

Now, we have all done our share of memes, and I can see 

occasionally being so excited by or disappointed in a movie 

you saw or a book you read that you really wanted to share 

that experience, but now blog after blog is doing primarily '

that and they are not even "book review or movie review" 

blogs.
  

I have searched and searched to try to find new and exciting 

blogs to read that don't review anything, that don't try to tell

how to do anything, but instead just open up to me, with me.

But alas.  No matter what post I saw that got my attention, 

they all eventually disintegrate into slick drivel that is being 

shoveled out and expounded by the "experts" as the way to 

make the most of your blog.

There used be camaraderie, community, connection among

people in the blogosphere by their blogs and posts.  But I 

can't seem to find it any more except in a handful of blogs I 

follow that have existed since pre-2010 that still haven't 

swayed off course to follow some trend.

If you have a blog or read a blog that does still deal with real

life, personal feelings, thoughts, experiences and such, please 

leave me the link in the comments.

I Saw It on Facebook

Ain't that the truth!  Music can transport me to a whole 'nother time and place.  Can lift my mood or drag it down.  The only other thing that even comes close to evoking memories the way music can, is the sense of smell.  But the memories that spring from smells are more general feelings.  Music on the other hand can transport me back to a specific time and place with the original cast of characters right there, frozen in time and unchanged.  

That is why I have chosen to do this year's Blogging from A to Z Challenge on the theme "Musical Memories".  Each year, I have tried to center my entries around my own life, my own recollections.  I have participated three years in a row.  In 2012, my theme was "People and Places From My Life."  In 2013, I geared each post as if it were written directly to one or both of my children in hopes of preserving special memories, advice, etc. for them in the years to come. When April of 2014 rolled around I decided to do my posts around "Getting to Know Barbara".  Although this is a personal blog, I knew there was a lot about me, my beliefs, my thoughts that weren't elsewhere.  

I am super-uber excited about this year's theme and posts!  I want to see what song or singer you also like.  To know if you have any similar memories that revolve around the titles or the groups.  

I think it will be fascinating and fun!  April can hardly get here fast enough.  Please connect to me so you can be a part of the journey!  In my sidebar you can follow Caneyhead on Facebook, Twitter or Google Friend Connect.  Or sign up for email post alerts.  Just pick a way, sign up and get ready to revel in and share those memories come April. 

To Those I Commute With on Hwy 69/US 96 and the SHS Drop Off

I don't rant very often.  But this past week a couple of things have truly gotten under my skin.  Well, actually, they have been under my skin for quite a long time. I suppose I've finally decided to speak up about it.

Many mornings I drop Bug at SHS.  First, I want to say the people who designed things there were way too worried about aesthetics and not enough of functionality.  All the little twists and curves leading up to the drop off point is ridiculous. The fact that all these vehicles have to drive through the student parking lot to access the drop off and that students who drive to school have to hike up hill and cross the line of drop off cars to enter the school puts them all at some degree of risk.

And then once you get up the hill and onto flat ground to drop your student, idiocracy takes over.  Parent after parent comes to a complete stop to let their student out just as soon as their car is on the flat surface.  Never mind that 3 to 4 vehicles could be on the flat surface and dropping theirs at the same time.  Oh, no.  I suppose their child is special.  Or lazy.  Because they  can't pull up far enough to allow others to disembark at the same time.  Get over yourself already, move up and let the flow, flow!

The second part of my rant involves 80% of the drivers on the road into Beaumont in the morning and coming out in the evening.  (I'll proceed this rant to say that I'd rather be on the road with you guys then on the road with the 9am-3pm crowd who has no clue what they are doing.  As a whole, your driving skills set is to be commended.) But I have this one thing against the majority of you:  you follow to closely all the time!  At every speed! In every road condition!  This is absolutely not necessary and will get you no where any quicker.  It sets the stage to be involved in an accident that was TOTALLY avoidable!

There is an oh-so-easy and simple solution.  Whatever speed you are traveling it works!  When stopped in traffic, leave a car length between the car in front of you and your front end.  That way, if you are rear-ended by someone when your foot is slack on the break you will have time to react and avoid being pushed into the vehicle in front of you. 

While moving, as you adjust your speed and traffic moves in and out in front of you, do this simple count.  Pick a line on the road or sign post on the side as the car in front approaches it.  Then as the back bumper of the car in front of you passes that mark start to count "one thousand one, one thousand two."  If your front end reaches that mark before you finish counting:  You are too close!  Back off, pick another spot and try again.  With minor adjustment for wet/icy roads, or carrying a heavy load this will allow you to come to a complete stop if necessary without "slamming" on your brakes, skidding or taking other evasive actions.  Again, it works with every speed.  It is a staple part of defensive driving and it saves lives.  Use it!

And now a word to the 1% I travel with.   Zig-zagging through traffic with the throttle down is a hazard to every life around you.  The road is not yours!  You may be late, but what good is this doing you if you don't arrive because your are dead!  You getting there on time or being in front is not worth sacrificing a human life of someone just trying to get to their job and make a living.  Someones daddy or mother.  Someones son or daughter.   Get over yourself already and start leaving earlier.  

I'm all done ranting now.  Please share this everywhere!  Save a life, it might be your own.

I Saw It on Facebook

Exactly!  What on earth does "acting one's age" even truly mean.  After all, you're only as old as you feel.  

And I saw on the news the other day that having an attitude that you are old, that you "can't" do certain things any more can actually "age" your body!  

Think of some of the oldest people you know.  Most of them either still are physically active or were just as long as their bodies could go.  And many have stayed mentally active by enjoying things that stimulate their brains. 

The other evening I was playing cards with my girls and I told them I never want to be in any home, be it theirs or  some facility, if someone is going to try to restrict me in what I can or can't do or tell me what I can and can't have.  I'd rather live on my own no matter how well I managed or didn't.  

The other day I took a test on the website of my health insurance.  According to the results, my current life expectancy is into my early to mid 70's.  My doctor says it is reasonable now to aim for a life expectancy of 90.  While 90 would be awesome, if I made it to 74 I'd be thrilled.  I would have outlived both my parents by 10+ years.  I'd see Baby Ruth grow up.  I could expect to see Bug grow up, get married and have enough time with her kids for them to have clear memories of me.  That would be enough to satisfy me.  And that would be more time with me for my children than I ever had with my parent's -- 25 years more for Bubba and 15 years more for Bug.

But the bottom line, pure and simple, is that my life is in God's hands...not mine or any doctor's.  I might be on my way before this year is out, or I may end up being some 120+ year old woman everyone is amazed is still going.  Either way, knowing I'm in His hands is the best thing I do know.  Do you?

I Saw it on Facebook

While I am sure that all the people in your life appreciates every little thing you do, perhaps, like mine, they seldom if ever give any indication that they do.

Sometimes it is actually hilarious, like the old joke about the little four year old boy who had never spoken a word.  One morning, his mother served him his breakfast and his toast was burnt.  He began complaining, whining and cursing.  Whole strings of words and sentences.  His parents were shocked and thrilled.  He could talk!  When the excitement calmed down, they asked him, "Son, why have you never spoken before?"  He said plainly, "Up until this morning, everything has been fine."

Other times, when you are tired or sick or feeling overloaded it can be downright depressing.  You can begin to feel used or bitter or resentful.  And that can in turn make you feel guilty or petty...after all the people and the home you do these things for, you care about very deeply.

Many years ago, when I was going through feeling that way because it was up to me to feed all the animals that we had at the time, God heard my complaints.  And he reminded me that in reality those animals were His, not Pete's.  "Do it for Me, and I will see and I will remember.", His Holy Spirit seemed to say to me.

Then several years ago, I was going through another down spell of feeling totally unappreciated.  I was moping, crying and complaining.  Once again, God seemed to say, "There, there now.  I know and I see.  You are doing the best you can and I appreciate it.  The very fact that they can take you for granted, proves you are doing a good job."

I'm not going to say it never upsets me when they ignore the things I've done and point out what I haven't done.  But nowadays, when it starts to turn my thoughts dark, I know inside that they'd be lost if I wasn't here doing what I do.  How hard life would seem.  And I thank God I'm still here and around to do those things for them.  And I pray he'll let me be here and able for many years to come.