Hodgepodge

This is Steve's knife collection -- not just any knives, but stag, horn, bone, pearl, etc. He's been collecting these for several years and is very proud of them.


Steve decided to do a little Halloween decorating today which was fun. He gets into Halloween as much as he does Christmas!

This is one of the little cupboards I put together a few years ago for Halloween.
Steve did this model of the Munsters living room that he got for next to nothing when he was working at Big Lots.


Thursday I tried a new recipe for peanut butter and jelly cookies and they were really good. They definitely didn't last very long!


Yesterday we drove Brent to his doctor's appointment at the V.A. Clinic and after that we went to a very unusual Oriental store in Holiday. Later Brent went with me to my doctor's office, and right after that we picked up Hyler at school since it was raining.

Brent and Hyler kept us company for awhile today which is always fun.

Steve's Pride and Joy

Steve made a number of items in the SW-that-is-now-W-room, but his favorite thing to make was a Wild Bill Hickok plaque. He got the idea after looking at similar items on the Web, and decided that since they're so costly, he'd just make one himself.
It started with his finding an unfinished piece of wood in a thrift shop, not knowing if or when he'd ever find a use for it.

Then he found an exact replica of Hickok's 1851 Navy Colt 36 caliber on the Web; the pistol grips were ivory. Then we found some antique poker chips, replica handcuffs, a replica of Hickok's badge as Marshall of Abilene, where he served for one year. He was the only person to wear his guns criss-cross without holsters.

The dice are made from 50 caliber lead balls that have holes pierced into them. He has some keys that go back to the early 1900's; also the only known photo of Hickok with his Navy Colts. The Bowie knife in the picture, he tells me, was just a prop for the photo. He made 36 lead shot from fishing sinkers and used an original 1881 Morgan silver dollar. He made a frame from twigs around the photo. The poker hand is known as the "dead man's hand" -- Jack McCall shot Hickok (age 39 at the time) in the back of the head in Deadwood as he held that hand. To this day, the value of the hold card is unknown.

The reason he got into Hickok was because he was quite a flamboyant character in history. He was known to have killed one man in self defense, and one accidentally who was a deputy. Hickok went on to do a Wild West Show but was bored with it. He was an expert trapper, scout; he also scouted for Custer.

He's known for a pistol shot of 75 yards through a man's heart.

The SW Room that turned out only W!

The stones here were part of a bracelet I had that I never wore because it was too heavy!











Yup, I remember when we first came to look at this apartment, and we both decided to decorate the second bedroom in a Southwestern theme. Shortly thereafter, I bought a ceramic gecko for part of the decor, and Steve started looking for all things cowboy! He'd been thinking Western when I was envisioning sombreros, Aztec prints, Native American blankets, etc., and after it became obvious that he'd be more saddened by NOT having his W room, I was okay with not having a SW room, so now it's just W. The best of it is that it gave Steve a huge project to complete it.

Steve's put a lot of work into this room, including making a bow and arrows from tree branches outside our building! He found Old West Wanted Posters on the internet, and photos of outlaws and gunslingers; we found a fake suede valence for the window; an oak coat rack on LastMinuteAuction, candles, picture frames, etc. all with a Western theme. We also found lots of cool stuff at flea markets and occasionally thrift shops too and now there's barely room for anything else! My late Dad's cowboy hat and bolo tie are hanging on the coat rack with some replica Old West guns and holsters Steve found. We had a great time putting it all together and I truly believe it was a fun experience.




This is a powderhorn that is a replica of an 1890 black powder holder for a musket, courtesy Ebay.

Replica Civil War handcuffs via Ebay that even came rusted and with a key!

The Beach followed by Errand Day

We figured we'd better take advantage of what remains of beach days, so Friday we headed out. The water temperature was a bit lower, but there were only 12 people on the beach! It's great to have the kids back at school!

This section on the beach says "Environmentally Sensitive Area Do Not Enter" and we found out why -- there are gorgeous families of blue herons in these woods! It was almost as cool as the one we got that Dad carved!



Today was errand day and we went to the post office to return Netflix movies, the Entemann's Outlet Bakery (always a favorite among pastry lovers), and our favorite produce place on Main St. in New Port Richey. The owner bought this old house and made it into a produce and craft store. We got all kinds of produce, shrimp and grouper for dinner tonight and it was wonderful!!! And actually healthy!!!

Woman vs. Man Poetry

----- A WOMAN'S POEM:

Before I lay me down to sleep,
I pray for a man who's not a creep,

One who's handsome, smart and strong.
One who loves to listen long,

One who thinks before he speaks,
One who'll call, not wait for weeks.

I pray he's rich and self-employed,
And when I spend, won't be annoyed.

Pull out my chair and hold my hand.
Massage my feet and help me stand..

Oh send a king to make me queen.
A man who loves to cook and clean.

I pray this man will love no other.
And relish visits with my mother.

vs.

A MAN'S POEM:

I pray for a deaf-mute gymnast nymphomaniac with big tits who owns a
bar on a golf course, and loves to send me fishing and drinking.

This doesn't rhyme and I don't give a shit.

Addendum to GF Trip

Here are two of my six nieces, Laura and Jules. Hard to believe they're nearly 20 years apart in age. It was great seeing them.

Here's Alex, Renee, Jules and Mom at Tufte Manor.

The only one missing was Mom when the rest of us dined at Paradiso. I had a wonderful seafood enchilada and barely left a crumb on the plate!!!



Jules stayed with her long-time friend, Brenda, and Brenda has one of the greenest thumbs I've ever seen! Her yard is a spectacle of gorgeous plants and flowers! She has a beautiful blue-eyed dog among other beasts too!




Of course I made my requisite visit to Cabela's and Widman's to pick up some goodies for Steve. Got him a Moose Muffin, a Cow Pie, and a few other items at Widman's -- they were really good...uhh...I mean he TOLD me they were really good. I found some maple ham jerky at Cabela's that he really likes.

Famiy and Friends (cont'd)

Here's Mom and I'm happy to say she's alive and doing quite well at 88 years of age. Her memory is no worse than mine and she still enjoys visiting, reading, crocheting, doing puzzles, watching the Twins play, or catching up on the national news in the evening. She was the primary reason for this trip, as well as seeing the rest of the family since we live all over the country now.

We invariably laugh a lot when we're together, as well as still learning something about one another with each visit.

Mom has survived breast cancer and cardiac bypass surgery, as well as alcoholism, and we're all really proud of her. I really can't imagine my life without her in it someday, but I'm sure she felt that way about her parents too. I couldn't possibly love her any more than I already do.