Are they coming back?

Yesterday we saw a "horny toad" aka Texas horned lizard.......

for the first time in quite a while. I was walking with the dogs in the early morning and noticed RA stopped along our fence line- out of the truck- looking under the truck. I thought he had snagged a piece of fence wire under his truck and was trying to untangle it. But when I got to him he said he had seen a horny toad and was afraid it had run under the pickup. RA is notorious for spotting horny toads while driving down the road- I am always amazed. Just about the time we had decided it had moved on to the other side of the fence, RA looked down and it was at the tip of his boot.

I hope this is a good sign that they are increasing in numbers here at our place.

sweet basil ideas???

My sweet basil is thriving, but it is going to seed. I cut off over half of the stalks and leaves and I'm drying them in the dehydrator. Any other suggestions on what to do with so much basil at one time??? A. Lee-Lee would say " put them on a tomato and mayo sandwich".

The Valley of the Jolly (H0-Ho-Ho) Green Giant

The past month I have been watching the progress of these three century plant blooms. They are in the yard of friends- Rusty and Caroline. It just so happens their yard is just across the street from the parking lot I drive from each afternoon and these "giant asparagus" have been silhouetted against the sky.

Last week I finally stopped to visit with Rusty about how large these three plants have become. He said they are about 6 years old. He has no idea why they are growing so large. Several others around the community are also putting on large blooms.

Another teacher ( and friend), Elizabeth, also came over to talk about the plants. This week's addition to the blooming were all of the smaller blooms coming off of the "pups". Rusty estimated the blooms on the large plants to be about 30 feet high. Supposedly, the century plant dies after it has bloomed. If that is true, there will be a big bald spot in the middle of all of that cluster of plants.

The Gardening Bug

Like so many postings I have read recently, we too have been bitten by the "gardening bug". Now, this isn't anything new to us. I remember when we first moved to this place, we used to garden a huge vegetable garden, probably 15 X 30 feet, maybe more. RA would take the tractor and plow to the flat part of the pasture (off of the hill, east of the house) and plow it first so it wouldn't be so hard to work the soil. Then we would run water lines from the pump. It was quite an operation. It has been years since we gardened on that scale, but we have always had a small garden outside the yard fence- with mostly tomatoes and squash. This year the tomatoes are growing like crazy- lots of small green tomatoes forming. I also have two kinds of bell peppers, oregano, basil, and a beautiful grapevine starting.


I'm also adding flowering plants this year- in hopes of enticing more butterflies and hummingbirds. My additions include Esperanza, agapanthus and firebush. I had never seen agapanthus before yesterday when I stopped at a nursery near Bulverde. Then I stopped at another outstandng nursery on I-10 just outside Boerne. Here are examples of what I bought:

AGAPANTHUS

MEXICAN FIREBUSH

Not knowing the name of this plant, I used it as an illustration when I was talking about the "burning bush" with my pre-school Sunday school class. In the summer the yellow butterflies are attracted to it. With the red blooms and yellow butterflies it looks like the bush is on fire!!

YELLOW ESPERANZA

These are just about the brightest yellow flower in this part of the country. And with a name like "Hope", I just had to have one. Once again, it will attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Variegated White African violet

The nursery I visited in Boerne bills itself as an African violet nursery, something you don't see very often around here. Well, let me tell you, it's a whole lot more than just African violets. They had at least 10 long green houses open to the public as well as an acre, if not two, of plants outside on the grounds. I have always loved raising African violets and had been looking for a white one. Grandmother Smylie had a beautiful white violet on her kitchen table for years. I had never seen the variegated leaves before, so I am excited to try to grow this one. It is a small starter plant, only 5 leaves with two blooms. It may be a challenge.

Some time this week I will go outside and take pictures of Ray's beautiful tomato plants. He's very proud of them this year.

A Great Evening

For those who were with me this evening........ It was a great evening. The friends, the food, the funny stories...... and then the land where we will all gather again in 4 weeks. Here is the recipe for the Sopapilla Cheesecake so many of you asked for. And then Big Al's Margaritas.


Enjoy-


Sopapilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 (8oz) pkgs. Cream cheese
2(8oz) pkgs. Refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 c. sugar
1 tskp. Vanilla extract or almond extract
½ c. margarine or butter melted
½ c cinnamon sugar (combine about ½ c. sugar with 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)

1) Using a 9 X 13 baking pan, unroll one package of refrigerated crescent rolls in the bottom of the pan.
2) Flatten. (spread them out with your fingers- don’t separate)
3) Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and extract.
4) Spread over the crescent rolls.
5) Unroll the other can of rolls and place them on top of the cream cheese mixture.
6) Pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with the ½ cup of cinnamon sugar mixture.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 12-20 servings…….. very rich!!!!


Big Al's Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade concentrate (12 oz makes a pitcher)
1 can tequila
1/2 can triple sec
Add water to the strength you want..... usually 2-3 cans.

Salt the rim of your favorite margarita glass. Add ice and margarita.

Drink cautiously..... the taste can be deceiving.


YUMMMMMM

latest remodel

Ever start a project because it absolutely had to be done then only to find out it meant starting another project you hadn't planned to start?????? That's what this quasi-porch is all about. We needed to repair a poorly planned seam in our metal roof. A leak had started and the ceiling on the enclosed porch was suffering. So, repair the roof........ but if we ever wanted to extend another porch, we needed to do it now, so that the metal on the roof would be extended in one piece, not several. So, the extension has happened. What we are going to do to finish it out, I'm not sure. Rock or slab or tile or brick for the floor. Probably beadboard for the ceiling. It's much larger that either of us anticipated. Should be a great place to winter my potted plants. Will keep updating as anything else changes.

Big Snake Story #2

This time I was an eye witness. R A was working on rebuilding the picnic table ( the wrecking crew from Austin had worked it over a few weeks ago) and heard BW (the cat) making noises. The dogs were in the yard with him and he teasingly told Plata to "get the cat". As soon as she got to the cat on the other side of the yard, R A said he could hear the snake start rattling. He ran into the house (with the dogs) and grabbed his 20 ga. shotgun. The snake was just outside the fence- just as before, coiled and ready to strike. When R A shot it, I saw BW jump and take off away from the house. I haven't seen him since...... might be next week before we see him again.

The best part of the afternoon......

Ray's Big Snake Story

You will have to ask Ray about the story........ I do know there were a few more inches and a head before Walter Ray shot this one with a shotgun.

Ray thinks this is the biggest one we have seen here.

COWGIRL, FIX MY BLOG!!!!!

Please....................... I tried to add another blog to my list of favorite blogs and managed to lose all of them. Do you know where the went???? Are they just hiding behind a tree or did they poof and go away???? Help!!! You are my ER of the blogging world.

Thanks!!! Yo- Momma

A Long Day

Today started very early. I had to be at John Knox Ranch by 9:00 am for a Camp, Conference, and Retreat Committee meeting. It is 150 miles (this is beginning to sound like a statement problem in math!!!) and it always takes me 3 hours to get there....... maybe 2.75 if I take very quick stops and there is no traffic. To get there in time I had to leave by 6:15 am- which is still totally dark... not even a hint of daylight. Well, for me to be driving out of the driveway by 6:15, I have to wake up at 5:15am.... and that is WAAAAYYYYYY too early. The wonderful part about driving that early in that direction is that it takes me through some beautiful Texas hill country. My drive was east to Hondo, north to Bandera, east to Boerne, north and east to Canyon Lake, and then north again to John Knox Ranch. Take a look at each of the charming little southwest Texas towns. Hondo is on a railroad line that runs from San Antonio to El Paso. Between Uvalde and San Antonio are small towns that are 15-25 miles apart from each other. My understanding is that the distances had to do with how far you could travel by wagon each day. And I know there were more towns, but the ones the railroad went to survived. Many others didn't. Hondo still has its original train depot and is a stop for Amtrak. Bandera is becoming known as the "Branson of Texas". It plays up its cowboy/western heritage with dude ranches and rustic store fronts. It is on the Medina River and some of my early memories include going with my father to Bandera Wool and Mohair when he was a wool buyer. The same building is now an Antique mall. Boerne has embraced its rustic German heritage and is becoming a "place to go" for antiquers and those who enjoy a weekend at a B&B. The townsfolk will describe Boerne as a "bedroom" community since a large number of those who live there commute to San Antonio to work. Canyon Lake is a town I have yet to explore at length. My turn to John Knox Ranch skirts around the north edge of the town of Canyon Lake. The lake itself is the result of Canyon Dam on the Guadalupe River. The town seems to be the result of people wanting to have "lake homes" and is spread across several hills in the area. I hope to spend more time discovering this community in the future. And then there is John Knox Ranch...my attachment to JKR goes waaaayyyyyy back. I was a camper at JKR in the 2nd year it was open for camping. (1965) It is in a cedar rich hill country setting. The camp itself sits on only a small portion of a ranch bought by Mission Presbytery in 1962. The total ranch acreage is now 300 acres. The committee I serve on works to be good stewards of the assets this camp/retreat center has to offer. Summer camps are typical church camps as well as day camps for local children. We also have bereavement camps for kids, environmental camp for school districts, adventure camps at the coast and backpack camps to the mountains, private requests by both church and non-church related groups, high and low ropes courses with staff to assist, the list goes on and on. But one of the most unique things about JKR is that it is still a bit "primitive", "rustic", "natural", and yet it can be very accomodating for those who don't want to rough-it. I have one more year on this rotation. At that time I will have served the Presbytery on this committee for 10 years. Every minute has been worth it........ but give me my recliner once I'm home!!!

Bible Study-

Tonight was the first meeting of this year's PW bible study. Our study is the book of Luke and about his Gospel for the Poor. It started some very good discussion about issues of being "poor" as in being on the outside of the mainstream. Three of the members in the group are new to our town and they talked about their different experiences of feeling accepted or feeling "outside". Two are single with no family connections here. One is married and her husband has lived in this area for quite a while. One of the two single ladies found it difficult to feel accepted and find friends. The other two did not. It was uplifting to hear how our small church gave them a connection and a feeling of belonging. That is as it should be.

Four Pounds of Hamburger, 16 hotdogs

This evening we hosted our church youth group for a swim and supper. We had 6 boys and 2 girls along with 5 adults. Ray cooked 4 pounds of hamburgers and 16 hotdogs. We served chips, sodas and cookies and fruit. At the end of the evening we had no hamburgers, 3 hotdogs, 10 cookies and no fruit left. AMAZING!!! I think we have forgotten just how much high school athletes have to consume to keep going. They spent about an hour in the tank swimming (our equivalent of the "cement pond" on the Beverly Hillbillies!!) and playing either Marco Polo or Sharks and ??????? It was great. The sky was clear. Temps in the low 90s. Light breeze from the southeast. It was wonderful. If any of you has some fun ideas of things to do with a combined Junior High/High School church youth group, please let me know. We are going to have some activities with the youth of another church in town. We also have two weekend retreats in the plans and a trip through the Corn Maze outside a nearby town. Any other ideas???

We're on a roll

Uvalde 21
Fredericksburg 7

It was an exciting and energetic night.

Week 2 ends

The beginning of this school year has been such a total opposite from last year. The staff and kids are upbeat. Discipline seems so much simpler. On the most part, my students seem to be genuinely excited about class. Students are arriving with supplies. This is good. I hope it will continue.
Last week's pep rally and football game were outstanding. The student body was involved and having fun. Even at the game, they were on their feet the entire game doing chants and dances and generally supporting the Coyotes. We won over Carrizo Spgs 38-0. Tonight we will be watching the Coyotes play against the Fredericksburg Billies. They are usually a much bigger team than we are. Hopefully we will be faster and wylier than they. We will see. Our pep rally this week was sponsored by Wal Mart and held as a community pep rally last night. It wasn't as well attended as during school. I dildn't get a good sense at school that the student body was as enthusiastic as they were last week, but I am hoping I will see differently tonight.

I will let you know how the Coyotes did when I get back to my computer later.

Back to School

My first day back with my new students went very well. Tomorrow I will meet the other classes. I hope they go as smoothly.

July Weekends- weekend 2

We have had an outstanding July- three of the four weekends we have been on adventures. The first weekend I have already posted about- the VHPA reunion. The second weekend came about spur-of-the-moment when on Thursday bro Walt called to see if we wanted to join them on a kayak trip down a section of the San Marcos River. Our response was a resounding YES and we were off. It just so happened to coincide with the girls' get-away (Char and Amy) to Austin and worked out to be a good time for Charla to return to Uvalde for a little visit time.

We arrived in Austin Friday evening just in time to join Walt and Carey at their church to watch Amazing Grace the movie. It is a great movie. Highly recommended by ME. It is the story of William Wilburforce, a member of the House of Commons who was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade in England after being influenced by John Weston, the writer of the original lyrics to Amazing Grace.

Saturday we had a great float on the San Marcos. It was about 1 hour longer than my body thought we should be there, but I wouldn't pass it up if it were offered again. On this trip we made 4 decisions:
1. My kayak is too short and high and wide- sell it.

2. My flotation vest is too big- sell it.

3. Ray's kayak seat needs more support for his back- sell it.

4. Ray wants a curved kayak paddle, his is straight- sell it.

Anyone want to buy????? I think I am going to try the San Antonio Craigslist...... anyone with suggestions???

Here are pictures of Ray taming my kayak.

Saturday night was a great grilled dinner. Needless to say, everyone was so tired we slept very well.

Sunday, after some coordinating with Charla and Amy, we were able to meet in Round Rock at the Hearthstone Rehab Center and visit with Aunt June. She is looking great and making very good progress in regaining her strength.

VHPA

Reading Charla and Amy's notes on working out motivated me to write about our weedend with VHPA.........no, that isn't Very Happy People Anonymous, even though I think that would be a fun organization to join. It's the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association








Ray has been a member for several years, but we had never attended one of their reunions. In 2004 we met up with his flight class in Washington, DC. for an awesome long weekend. To see a pic of that handsome man-o- mine while in flight class..... CLICK. (hint: bottom R.) Ray was in Vietnam in '72 and part of '73. He served in an Air-Cav unit whose primary assignment was to search and destroy. He was in country for about a year and traveled back to the states on one of the last airplanes bringing troops back. The tall fellow standing behind him in the pic is Mike G. Ray and Mike went through flight school together, flew to Vietnam together, roomed in Vietnam together, and returned on the same flight together. They have remained in contact throught the years and Mike and Linda were at the DC reunion.... I digress.


Back to the VHPA reunion. This year their get-together(25th) happened to be in San Antonio, so we decided it was so close to home we should attend. Ray registered for the reunion and booked rooms at the reunion hotel- Marriott Rivercenter- definitely a place I could hang out in the future. The reunion began with a reception for the first time attendees on Wednesday night. At registration I had a funny thing happen. Everyone registered with the reunion was given a name badge with a bright yellow lanyard. Our name badges were not in our registration packet, so we had to wait to have them printed. A nice young lady asked us our names, hometown, Ray's call sign (Sabre Spoon) ..... and when asking for my information wanted to know what my reference would be- First Wife or Second Wife or Original Wife or Trophy Wife.... I offhandedly said "Only Wife" and that was what she printed!!! Later when I was telling my mom about this, before I could tell her what I said she said exactly the same thing- ooooooohhhhhh that is scary!!! BAck to Wednesday evening, after registration and first time attendees reception, was a buffet dinner as the opening welcome for all of the reunion. We met several people that evening, but Ray didn't see anyone he flew with in Vietnam.


The agenda for Thursday and Friday included several "tours" of the San Antonio area, a golf tournament, the New Braunfels Fourth of July parade, mini-reunions of various outfits, a poker tournament....... all of which we chose to pass up and returned home Wednesday night after the opening buffet.


FRIDAY EVENING(4th of July). This was the only evening the reunion did not have an official function, giving the pilots a chance to get out and try local cuisine. Ray continued to "look" for pilots he knew. Do you know how hard it is to recognize someone after 35 years??? It is even harder to read name badges that hang on a lanyard at your navel!!! After an hour of sitting in the lobby/bar we decided to go to the Riverwalk This is really the heart of San Antonio tourism. Ray had made reservations at Boudro's - one of our favorite restaurants on the Riverwalk. Unfortunately they were for 9:30pm and it was only 4:00 when we started our walk along the river. About 4:30 the skies started getting very dark and by 4:45 we were running for cover at Casa Ole- of course they don't want you to just sit and take up room- which "required" us to order a margaritaontherockswithsalt while we waited for the rain to let up. Casa Ole is just across the river from Boudro's, so once the rain let up, we decided to see if maybe they had openings any earlier for dinner. Fortunately they were able to seat us right then- so dinner was at 5:30 instead of 9:30. Several groups from VHPA came into Boudro's while we were there. Obviously many of the pilots have made this reunion their summer vacations, bringing their families and making plans with other pilots to meet every year. For the newbies, the groups were not yet formed. And Ray continued to look for names or faces he knew, to no avail. After a while, he realized Saturday afternoon was going to be his chance to see others from the 1/9th Air Cav- F Troop when they had their mini-reunion. So Friday night became our official "Anniversary dinner on the Riverwalk". By 7:00 we were on the Riverwalk again. We headed back to the hotel and (here is where my story connects to my opening line) of all things, decided to go to the hotel's fitness center. Ray had never been on a treadmill or eliptical or even used weight machines before. He was totally intrigued. We got on the treadmill and walk/jogged for 30 minutes, varying the incline and speeds. Then I showed him how to use several of the weight machines. The Marriott has an incredible fitness center as well as an indoor/outdoor pool with hot tub and sauna. Like I said, I could easily live here. After the workout, we went outside the pool on a beautiful deck (4th floor overlooking downtown- lights- cabana bar- fire tables..... you get the ambiance) for a nightcap. It was a great evening.

SATURDAY JULY 5TH
Ray's morning was spent in the VHPA General Meeting. I went to a new Mexican Art museum, about 15 blocks from the hotel- at the mercado. On my way back to the hotel I rummaged around a Goodwill store (no great finds) and stopped by San Fernando Cathedral -the very center of San Antonio- a point in the floor under the dome of the church is where all mileage from San Antonio is taken. I once stood at that point with Monsignor Stuebben and sang to my students to demonstrate the amazing acoustics in the cathedral- not bad for a small town protestant girl- especially one that doesn't sing very well. Once again I digress.....


Now here is a CRAZY story. One of the couples we visited with was due to an unexpected meeting on the elevator. Saturday morning we were on our way to breakfast on a semi-full elevator. One of the people to get on with us was a lady about our age wearing a VHPA name badge. She looked at Ray's badge and said "oh, you are from Uvalde". My response "You must be from Texas because you know how to say Uvalde." She laughed and said "One of my best friends' mother lives in Uvalde. I don't know her last name, but her first name is Annie Lee." I asked "Could it be DuBose". "Yes, that's it"....... She was amazed when Ray said, "She's my aunt- my mother's sister". Seems that she lived across the street from Charlotte E. in Roswell and her kids grew up with Mikey. She and Charlotte helped each other through divorces and she(Jan) and her husband(Ron) introduced Charlotte to Luis (the pilot connection- also, Ron is Luis' CPA in San Angelo). What a small world. I think Ray enjoyed his visit with Ron as much as I did my visit with Jan. She is a social worker who now specializes in VA work. She has been a production ceramist when she had to support her family before she started her social work. We had LOTS to talk about!! I hope we can see them again in the future.

Our Saturday afternoon was in a meeting listening to discussion about VA benefits, Ray's mini-reunion, and a nap before the evening gala.


The evening gala was great..... if you don't talk about the food. The Marriott's food service for the large events left much to be desired. And at $45 (Wed.) and $75 (Sat.) per plate, we really expected better quality. That said- the opportunity to visit with other heli pilots and wives was priceless. The evening opened with a tribute to the missing men after the posting of colors. The Missing Man table was set and the emcee read a tribute to thos who didn't return-










I tried to record the Missing Man tribute, but wasn't successful. Here is one interpretation you can read(the one read to us was adapted to fit specifically helicopter pilots)- each part of the the table setting has meaning, the salt, the lemon, the rose vase, the helmet, shoes, flight vest, upside down glass..... A very moving tribute- one that many of the pilots had a hard time getting through.

The end of the evening was a dance with an incredible group from Austin playing, The Reunion Band, who taylored their sets to 50s-70s music.... just our era. Lots of swing and jive and movin' around going on. Some of those old geezers were using moves they hadn't used in years. I know my old geezer got up Sunday morning complaining about how sore he was..... between the treadmill and the dancefloor we started a new workout regimen for him!!

Ray's only disappointment of the weekend was that he saw only one pilot he flew with in Vietnam. Paul L. was a few years older, a Captain, who flew Cobras. Ray said "I ran into one guy who was in my Air Cav Unit and that I flew front seat for a number of times in a Cobra. He was very crazy back then, but I guess I was a little also. I wasn’t rated in Cobras, but we were short of gun jocks so when I wasn’t flying Hueys, I was gunner/copilot in a snake. Not too smart for longevity but very exciting for a 24 year old. "

The VHPA reunion had some good things to offer as far as VA connections and national lobbyists that are important to keep in contact with. But, I think the comraderie of the smaller flight class reunions and the Bullwhip Squadron gatherings are where Ray has had more personal contacts and enjoyed reliving his Vietnam experience with others who were there with him.

It was a good weekend.

A New Recipe

Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breasts- one inch cube 12 pts.

4 chicken bouillion cubes 0 pts.

1 beef bouillion cube 0 pts.

5 cups of water 0 pts.

1 tsp cumin 0 pts.

1 Tbsp. olive oil 4 pts.

1 chopped onion 1 pt.

1 chopped bell pepper 0 pts.

Fresh garlic to taste 0 pts.

1 can of Rotel tomatoes 0 pts.

1 can of Beef Consumme Soup

(or Beef Broth) 1 pts.

1 7 oz. can of green chilis 0 pts.

1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes 2 pts.

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce 2 pts.

corn tortillas per serving 2 pts.

(cut in strips and fried in Olive or Canola Oil)

2% Shredded Mexican blend

or Cheddar Cheese 1/4 c. 2 pts.

Saute onions and bell peppers in olive oil and garlic until golden. Combine first 4 items in a pot and cook until chicken is tender. Combine chicken, onion mixture and remaining ingredients. Let cook for 1 hour.

For extra kick add fried tortillas. Use with soup. You can add up to 1/4 cup cheese also.

1 cup serving is approximately 1.5 pts per cup without cheese and tortillas.

We ate this for almost a week and never got tired of it. I know some people like to add sliced avocado as well. Don't know their point value.

Enjoy.

Friday in Summer

I'm a teacher. It's Friday in summer. I'm in my pjs. It is noon. I've baked cookies to send to Will. I've written a Session summary for the church newsletter. I've talked on the phone.

Did I say..... I've thanked God for being so blessed. Life is definitely good for this teacher on this Friday of my summer break.

Happy Anniversary!

Our engagement picture

June 1977

Ray made the comment this morning that we had been married more years than we were single. That is true for him. As for me, that milestone hit a few years ago. Amazing!!! We have a quiet anniversary evening planned- going to one of our favorite restaurants on the Frio River House Pasture Cattle Company, in Concan. They make a mean margarita and the food is delicious. We like to sit outside on the patio. Next time you are here, we'll take you.

We have a big time planned in San Antonio next week attending the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association national convention. We have a room at the Marriott Rivercenter, where the convention is taking place. I have hopes of spending some time at the San Antonio museums- there are some new exhibits and new construction I haven't seen yet. It should be a fun four days. We will be in San Antonio for July 4th. That evening is the open night of the convention. I think that is because many of the people who will be attending are either active or retired military, so many of them will go to the area military bases for celebrations. The city of San Antonio has some sort of big thing on the Riverwalk that night- If we are lucky we may be able to watch from the hotel without getting out in the crowds.

So, Happy Anniversary to us!!!!