Rumors of My Demise Might Not Be Rumors........

I haven't blogged in so long that I forgot how to get to my blog.  That's pretty bad.  Someone (a few someones actually) have asked me why I don't blog as much anymore.  Or why I don't go off on shit like I used to.  Well, because people bitch about it to my husband and then he bitches to me :)  I push people's buttons and instead of not reading my blog, they keep reading it and then gripe.  So....I guess the reason I don't go off like I used to is because I get tired of listening to Sheriff Gary.  Hell, he even had someone bitch at him because I DIDN'T mention their name in my blog.&nbs Yeah....I'm just going to leave that dumpster fire alone.   So hey....if you want me to entertain you, QUIT TATTLING ON ME......LOL!!!!!

In the month since I blogged, two of our dogs died and we closed T&B.  Wow - what a FANTASTIC end to 2012!!  Gary came home one afternoon and found Wyatt, our bloodhound, dead in the backyard.  Completely shocking - completely unexpected.  We buried him behind their fenced area and it was just so surreal.  It didn't seem like we really grieved because we were so shocked by it.  The next Thursday, Gary left for the deer lease and Fred got in his doghouse and didn't come back out.  I kept feeding him and putting water in his doghouse, but he was not the least bit interested.  I even tried to get him out of the doghouse - I was afraid that he just couldn't get up - not that he didn't want to get up.  No luck.  Gary got home Sunday night and took the top off of his doghouse to see if he could get him out and he wouldn't budge.  So, we made him super comfortable, made sure he had food and water and Gary stayed with him outside Saturday night.  We really thought he was going to pass away during the night, but he was still fighting Sunday morning.  It wasn't until Sunday night that Fred passed, and we both laid there with him and stroked his head and told him to let go.  You could tell he was so tired, but he just wouldn't stop fighting.  It was so sad, but I'm glad that Gary and I were there with him.  Hell, even little douchebag Eddie laid under the blanket with him at the end - he knew it was his time.  We buried Fred next to Wyatt and it's been very quiet in the backyard ever since.  Blue, Molly and Tucker have taken over the back patio and believe me, they make plenty of noise, but it just seems weird not to have lockdown in the evenings while Wyatt and the hounds are eating.  Or to not have to hide the bread if it's out on the counter and Fred is in the house.  Waylon has had to get used to the big dogs being up on the back porch when he goes outside.  He's a little brat - all bark and no bite!  Now he goes out there and shows them all his muff :)

The end of 2012 also saw the Paige Brignon math issue come to a head.  Gary and I followed up with the diagnostic testing request made by Paige's teacher and principal.  We took all of her test scores, report cards and schoolwork over to the committee at Travis Elementary in Ennis that had been formed to help us do what was best for Paige.  After five minutes of discussion and the committee personnel looking over P's work, it was determined that a 78 in math is not grounds for diagnostic testing (no shit, St. Joseph).  So, we talked some about options and other issues and then followed up on the committee's suggestion - force St. Joseph to tutor Paige.  So, we met with the teacher and principal and got a few things straight - and made sure that they would be tutoring Paige.  I told them that there is nothing wrong with my child and that I don't pay tuition to that school for them to make her someone else's problem just because she needs extra time to comprehend a subject.  I was ready to pull her out and put her in public school for the second semester but we've left her there until the end of the school year.  The new principal is just terrible.  I know that doesn't sound fair, and I'm sure I'm going to piss off some educators by saying that, but the environment at St. Joseph has just become toxic.  This past Monday they discontinued the hot lunch program.  Yes, that hot lunch program and THAT lunch lady.  Do you know what kind of notice was given?  And email from the lunch lady.  All we got from Timmermann was a blurb in the announcement sheet that goes out each week.  "No more hot lunch.  Lunch lady wasn't making any money.  Until we find someone else, send your kids with a lunch."  No, we've already got something in the works; hey parents - got any suggestions.  Nothing.  I'm just really disgusted with St. Joseph.  I don't want to send Paige to Ennis - way too big.  Palmer is a really good school district and it's small - same student teacher ratio as St Joseph.  There is a Catholic school in Corsicana that she can go to, or we can drive her to one in Dallas every day.  At any rate, this is her last year at St. Joe's.  We've talked to her about it and she didn't freak out like I thought she would - she's kind of excited actually.  I think a change will be good.

Paige went to the deer lease for the first time last week.  I was making sure she had packed and she said yes, she had her clothes, pj's and a pair of panties since she'd only be gone a few days :)  Oh, it gets better.  She had an accident.  I'm not telling this to be mean...I swear.  Poor baby - she didn't want to get out of the deer stand with her daddy, so she thought she could hold it, but she wasn't able to.  When I was getting her cleaned up, that's when I discovered she didn't bring any undies........

So, we made it through that dilemma and the other night after she got out of the shower and got her pj's on, I asked her if she had put clean undies on.  She informed me that she put on the panties she put on a few days ago when she was clean.  And if she was clean when she put them on, then......

Yep, we're back to that.....LOL!!!

Gary and I are going to Amarillo this weekend for Tri State Open.  We haven't cooked there since I won and Gary got 2nd in 2009.  Paige also won the junior cook off there....maybe Gary and I'll be able to at least place this weekend!!  Weekend after I'm going to cook in Irving, then we'll take a break until Minden and then we'll have our Gingerbread House CCO a few weeks after that.  I'm going to squeeze in a SOTF trip to Jefferson after Minden and then one to Coffee Creek the beginning of March.  I'm really ready to hook up my little trailer and get the hell outta town for a bit :)

We still haven't used our free airline tickets, and we have until the end of March.  I'm hoping to hijack Gary's birthday and go to New Orleans.  We didn't go back for our anniversary and I really can't take it much longer!  I want to smell the trashy, smelly French Quarter!  I want to sit at Acme Oyster Bar and eat oysters full of horseradish and Tabasco until I can't move!  I want to just wander around the French Quarter and Jackson Square and lose myself.  I love that place and I love being there with Gary.  So yeah....I'm going to hijack Gary's birthday...hahahaha!!

I'm going to sign off for now.  I don't think I'll promise to blog soon because I can't seem to stay on track.  I have a whole slew of opinions that I'd love to share, but I might not have a spice business by the time I finished.  So in the interest of keeping a roof over my head and food on the table, I'll just keep biting my tongue til the damn thing bleeds.

Spreading kindness, joy and the beauty of silence.....

The Cadillac Cowgirl