CHANGE

Change. You either love it or you hate it.

We love it if it is our idea. We hate it when it's not our idea. And sometimes, we can't help but hate it even when it is our idea. The hard fact remains that change is the only thing in our life that stays the same. Everything around us and in us is in a constant state of change.

Planet Earth changes. The scientists study it, the scholars write about it, the Chicken Little’s warn us about The End coming any day now. They chronicle earthquakes and volcanic explosions with great alarm, like this was the first time EVER this has happened, and are genuinely shocked that it does, and “what can we do to stop this terrible thing”. Droughts come and go, as do rainy seasons. Rivers flood, change paths, and dry up completely. Pretty much the only thing that stays the same on this planet is the wind blowing in the Panhandle of Texas, but even then the dirt it is blowing in changes--sometimes it is Colorado dirt, sometimes it is New Mexico dirt. (Insert theme song from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in your mind here.) Fact is, this planet is in constant flux and always has been, always will be. It is a growing, changing, expanding piece of the galaxy, and there is speculation that in a few hundred million years our Sun will implode and Earth will forever be gone. As much as I try to watch my health, I don’t think I will be around to see it, so I am not concerning myself too much with this fact.

Technology changes. I deal daily with computers. They are truly both a blessing and a curse—love them when they work, hate ‘em when they don’t. The software constantly needs updating, and then you can’t find a stinking thing on your desktop anymore, and there are all new symbols and a jillion new options, most of which you will never have the time to learn to use...all part of the culture. However, for all their pitfalls, I would never go back to the “old way” of doing things, and quite honestly don’t think anyone else wants to, either. Notebooks, ledgers, typewriters, adding machines, snail mail…no thanks. But please, let’s all stop reminiscing about how easy Windows XP was to use and move on. Everything is stored in the cloud now, you can access anything from anywhere—the convenience this brings has quickly advanced our culture and lives. Can it be a pain in the butt? Absolutely, but only if you allow it to. 

Jobs change. If you are one of the bazillion of us out here who make up the working sector, you know the challenge of change in the workplace. New programs, new equipment, new insurance, new employees, new owners, new brand of toilet paper in the restroom—the list of “new” goes on and on. I have never understood why people will leave a job they know well and have done for years because of changes within the company, and go to a completely new job. The fact is, there is more change involved in that move than there is in tweaking the job they have! But it goes back to my first line—if it is not our idea to change, we are usually going to resist it. If we choose to change jobs, it is a choice we make, and therefore embrace it. Aren’t we humans funny?

Our bodies change. They grow, evolve and age. First we grow from a child to an adult, then revert in many ways to being childlike again. We gain weight, and we lose weight. We get “in shape”, and we get “out of shape”. Our hair changes color, either with help or on it’s own. Parts get wrinkled and saggy, joints quit working like they used to, and some of our "innards" do too, even on a healthy body. We can fight these physical changes, but they come on steady and sure. There are a plethora of solutions from creams, to supplements, to surgery, but at the end of the day, I am all for improvement!

Our minds change. And no, I don't mean that whimsical "I changed my mind about what shoes to wear" kind of change. Our thoughts and opinions mature through the years, with accumulated experiences and attitude affecting change. Well, most of us do anyway.  There are those who are so unsure of themselves that they refuse to grow and increase their knowledge and experiences because they feel safe doing things the same way they always have--change frightens them.  Some of us expand ourselves, sometimes learning from the past, sometimes learning from repeating it.  Our perception of the world and those around us changes with every life experience.  A choice few embrace change, loving the challenge new ideas bring, excited to step out into the unknown and gain new knowledge. People are born, people die, disasters happen. Our spirits can go from the dungeon to the stars in an instant. Every day changes us—more on some days than others. It’s what life was meant to be.

                                                                        

Our daily life changes. Our reluctance to change really becomes apparent when it comes to our "stuff". I can move the furniture and paint the walls, and the hubby will be like, "Wow. You changed things. OK, I will get used to this." But move the man's remote control to another drawer and watch what happens. Switch his sock drawer with his underwear drawer, and stand back, it can be drama for days--because his "stuff" isn't where he is used to it being. Now, I have to admit, I wouldn't like him moving my "stuff" around either, but let's face it, sometimes re-organizing is necessary--no matter how traumatic. And yes, I am that person who will look for something "where I used to keep it" 10 times before the change sticks. But then sometimes I think I could hide my own Easter eggs, so that isn't new.

Change. The bottom line is, you can make it EASY or you can make it HARD. It’s all up to you. But if you stop and consider for one moment that the main thing God asks of us is to trust in His plan for us, what really is the big deal? Why do we let our egos get "too big for their britches" and have all control? In the Bible, it was called "pride", and was a block to entering God's kingdom. I have a sweet friend whose father has had some serious ongoing medical problems, and her mother uses the phrase in her updates, "I am holding on to the hem of His garment in faith" to describe her trust in God concerning her husband's recovery. What a perfect description of what we all do when we trust our faith! Whatever change is handed us, is always manageable with faith--all we have to do is hang on.

So now,  I guess we need to make another "change" to our thinking, because here "hanging on"  really means "letting go" doesn't it?  

Peace, friends.

(Want to listen to the theme song to the movie, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"?  Listen here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4 )

Flying

As a child I dreamt I could fly 

Soar at dawn across the sky 

Gazing down on the houses below 

Seeing things I couldn't possibly know 

The fading street lights, the shadowed yards 

The old dirt school yard where I played so hard 

The tiny churches where I learned to pray 

Never thinking I'd grow up some day 

Above the elevator, I'd fly so high 

With no fear that I might fall from the sky 

The dusty old fields, the tractors at rest 

As for dreams, this one was the best 

Again and again it would come in the night 

And while I slept I would take flight 

I'd awake in the morning, wishing it wouldn't end 

But I never told anyone, not even a friend 

"They'll think I'm crazy" is what I always thought 

But the freedom of that dream was constantly sought 

I wish I could dream it again to this day 

But I grew up somewhere along the way 

I still believe one day my soul will take flight 

And fly again over those houses at night 

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When the Stars Go to Sleep

I love early mornings, it's my favorite time of day

When it's cool and dark, before the sky begins to grey

From the sun coming up to illuminate this globe

But you have to have the constitution of Job

To make yourself calm down, clear out your head

The night before, and just get your butt into bed

So you can breathe fresh air early, when you arise

And get out and enjoy all your daily exercise

I love being out there, by myself, all alone

To sort out my thoughts about work, life, and home

But there is something magic that happens each morning

I try to watch for it, it comes without warning

The stars go to sleep, but I never seem to catch them

When they close their eyes, and I've tried to see when

They twinkle out, it seems they are VERY sneaky

Like they are shy, don't want me peeking

One minute it's dark, and they are shining brightly

Next minute they are gone, and they do it again nightly

I swear, they are here, and then they are gone

Hidden by the glory of the breaking dawn

My morning date, with the stars I will keep

And keep trying to catch them when they go to sleep

Food, Glorious Food

I am a foodie. Love to cook it, love to eat it, love to talk about it. I am a walking, talking officially certified foodie. Food is such an interesting, broad subject, and I find that most people are fairly opinionated about their food. We all know food is a very personal connection we have to home, family, and our childhood.  Our likes and dislikes all started when we took that first nibble of gooey rice baby cereal. The ensuing personal path we each chose differs from person to person. Some kids use food as a tool in a power game with their parents; others sometimes don’t eat at all. Apparently my brothers and I "bellied up to the table" every time we were called, regardless of what was served. There was none of this nonsense that if we did not like the meal, a better option would appear; there were no options. Eat what was here and be grateful for it, or leave the table. 

Growing up during the 1960's, our house was served typical country food—fried chicken, meatloaf, ham, roast, potatoes with gravy, green beans, corn, lettuce salad—basic menus.  Oh, and that ever-present pot of pinto beans. Growing up with limited resources for my parents meant you boiled that little smoked ham hock in with your pinto beans, and served it with a heap of homemade chow chow, chopped onion and crispy scratch made cornbread. (Pintos are not my favorite bean, so I always piled on the chow chow and ate lots of cornbread.) There was rarely steak and never fish. We seldom ate at a restaurant, and when we did it might be a burger at Myrtle Armstrong’s café or The “Y” cafe. A “fancy” meal out would be at Meyer’s Fried Chicken in Amarillo. I always wanted to eat something exotic like pizza or Chinese food, but never got to.  (I have to say however, I would kill right now for some of that yellow gravy from Meyer’s over some mashed taters….)

See? Just thinking about those times at the dinner table as a kid has taken me back to that very moment when I could dig into my mother’s fantastic cooking. Mmmmm. But I have come to realize that every person has their own version of that memory. My husband’s family never ate black-eyed peas in Iowa, so he does not share my fond memories of a big, steaming bowl of those things cooked with salt pork and served with a big slab of cornbread. (And that was after I spent the morning picking them and the afternoon with a newspaper in my lap shelling those little boogers.) Like my dad’s biscuits and bacon gravy for breakfast and epic Thanksgiving dressing, every household has their family food legacies. I have some Hispanic friends who get all swoony talking about their mother’s menudo. (Gag, gag, shudder.) Or the friend who talks about her family’s traditional Russian meals with names that I don’t understand.  And even the friends whose mothers did not cook remember the pancakes or bacon-egg sandwich that their dads used to make.

When I think back to those days, Hartley had a tiny grocery that had a small meat market, and a few rows of staples. We did not have these massive grocery stores that we enjoy now. Our grocery trips were pretty simple, because at our house we had the four basic food groups: Miracle Whip, Velveeta, Spam and the garden. We had huge gardens and canned almost everything imaginable. My grandmother had a good two acre plot full of fruit trees and we planted that to vegetables too. My mother made jellies, relishes, pickles, canned green beans and tomatoes, froze corn and fruit. That is when I honed my sous-chef skills peeling, chopping, seeding, shelling and dicing.

My mother always had a plan for her meals—she said you needed a meat, a vegetable, and a starch at every meal. Desserts were for special occasions.  We always had a slice of bread and butter with our meal.  Various salads were common—carrot-raisin, waldorf, cabbage-apple, and at least a thousand variations of Jello salads containing fruit or vegetables. You could always count on knowing what the holiday meals were going to consist of. 

Thanksgiving: Turkey, Daddy’s dressing, mashed potatoes and giblet gravy, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, a cranberry Jello salad and cranberry jelly, and a huge relish tray and homemade bread. Pumpkin chiffon pie with Cool Whip or fresh pecan pie followed. 

Christmas and Easter:  ham, mashed potatoes, ham gravy, candied sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, a fruit salad, a jello salad, rolls, and that ever-present relish tray and loaves of delicious freshly baked bread. Dessert was usually homemade pecan pie, apple pie, and occasionally a chess pie. 

If everyone was home, they would have both ham and turkey, with all the above. Occasionally, she might make baked beans instead of potatoes to have with the ham, or occasionally throw in a broccoli rice casserole. The amount of food was ridiculous--we ate on platters instead of plates.  But we were young, and usually all "made a hand" at this table of plenty.

When I walk the grocery aisles now, I can get overwhelmed by the thousands of products available.  All of that pre-cooked, ready-to-eat stuff contains ingredients that have more letters than the VIN number on my car. I can avoid whole aisles, as they don’t have anything we eat on them. I don’t cook anything remotely like the way my mother did these days as it is not prudent for our health. (Mother’s food was usually delicious thanks to butter, salt, bacon/bacon grease, or sugar.) These days I just throw a piece of meat, chicken or fish on the grill, roast some fresh vegetables in the oven, chop up a salad, and call it. I really look forward to having company to cook for, as most recipes make more than a party of two can eat. That is when I might make a good chicken fried steak and potatoes or huevos rancheros for breakfast. I have my mother’s recipe book with all her wacky hand-written recipes on napkins, waitress tickets, grocery receipts, and more. I love my old Hartley Cookbook, and the Dalhart Community Cookbook, and my Beta Sigma Phi cookbooks.  Donna Bryant’s “Thumbprint Cookies” recipe, and Karen Brown’s “Chicketti Cassarole” recipe from the Hartley Cookbook are both favorites.  Helen Summerour’s “Snickerdoodle” cookie recipe from the Dalhart Community Cookbook is the best ones I have found. I have adopted Opal Baker's oatmeal coconut cookies recipe as my own.  It is kind of sad that I have most of my recipes on the computer or pulled from online these days, cookbooks may soon be a thing of the past—heck, at the rate we seem to going, COOKING may be a thing of the past!

I wonder about parents now, feeding their kiddos fast food meals and fruit drinks that aren’t really fruit, all the while complaining about the GMO foods, and demanding free range chicken. Some kids eat more meals in the back seat of the car than they ever do at a table. They don’t consider that all our non-GMO vegetables were bathed in pesticides to be able to make a crop, and  I wonder how people would react if they knew that “organic” veggies and fruits they are eating were probably fertilized with cow or chicken poop. I am sure there would be an outcry, spreading poop on the fields would be outlawed, and we would be left with mountains of poop sitting around to deal with. 

The bigger picture is that the only real bonding time for a busy family is often at mealtime. We always turned the TV off and sat at the table to eat. Even until my girls were grown and left home, we tried to eat together at least once a day. With school and sports, at times it was just a rushed lunch--but it was a little window to talk with each other. It really doesn’t matter so much what the food is, it’s about the love and connections we make while eating it. What are some of your favorite family food traditions? Are you continuing your family traditions? Leave me a comment below.

Peace friends--

Life is a Rock, But the Radio Rolled Me

I was pretty young when I figured out that music was something that would be a constant in my life. I remember learning how to do “The Twist” as a very young girl, and moving to the music of the 1960’s. I was too young to faint for Elvis or scream for The Beatles, but they still drove the evolution in music that I became immersed in.

The music of the 60’s went from the chorale sounding groups like Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons (Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, My Eyes Adore You), the Shangr-Las (Leader of the Pack), into a blues-driven sound of the Isley Brothers (Who’s That Lady, It’s Your Thing) and Wilson Pickett (Mustang Sally). Some of my favorites from that era:

         Incense And Peppermints---Strawberry Alarm Clock

         Venus---Shocking Blue

         Time of the Season---The Zombies

         Lightenin’ Strikes---Lou Christie

         Sounds of Silence---Simon and Garfunkel

         To Sir, With Love---Lulu

         Dizzy---Tommy Roe

         We Gotta Get Out of This Place---The Animals

         Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In---5^th Dimension

         Crimson and Clover---Tommy James and the Shondells

The socially conscious era of the Vietnam War and changes here at home had begun to surface in music. Many groups addressed the political and social unrest of that decade through music, creating some of the most powerful songs to date:

         War---Edwin Starr

         Ohio---Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

         Paint It Black---The Rolling Stones

The 1970’s moved us into even more of a rock mode. The heavy hitters of the early 70’s were still influenced by the evolving technology of recording. The 60’s were dominated by vinyl records, but there was a new chick in town—the multi-track tape recording.  The 60’s had moved us from 4-track to 8 track recording. Our first car audio system was a 4-track, installed by my brother. It was not long until it progressed to 8-track, and I lugged those cases of tapes all over the country.  I was one of the few who had a quadraphonic stereo at home that simulated surround sound, after purchasing that specific type of 8-track tape.

A few of my 70’s favorite singles:

         Holdin’ On to Yesterday---Ambrosia

         A Horse With No Name---America

         In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida---Iron Butterfly

         Mama Told Me Not To Come---Three Dog NIght

         Dream Weaver---Gary Wright

         Never Been Any Reason---Head East

        The Rapper---Jaggerz

         My Sharona---The Knack

         Bad Motor Scooter---Montrose

         Rock N Roll Hoochie Koo---Rick Derringer

         Reelin’ In the Years---Steely Dan

         Lady---Styx

         Roundabout---Yes

         Ride Captain Ride---Blues Image

         Come and Get It---Badfinger

         Hooked on a Feeling---Blue Suede

Also, I want to thank pretty much all the biggies: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kiss, Bad Company, Led Zepplin, The Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Boston, The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Elton John, The Guess Who, Heart, Jethro Tull, Queen, Seals and Crofts, Rush, Steve Miller Band, and ZZ Top, just to name a few. I knew the words to every song on every album , and you made it heaven on earth for me. Disco made a short visit, and while I loved me some BeeGees and Donna Summer, it was not altogether my favorite. I went to bed listening to KIXZ, Amarillo TX, or KOMA, Oklahoma City, OK. I woke up to the same thing. In Hartley, TX , those two radio stations were the only musical influence I had.

But the world was about to change again. Those big bulky 8-tracks were about to be replaced with slim little cassettes. I actually still have my first cassette tape—“American Pie” by Don McLean. This meant those huge tape carriers could be replaced by a much smaller version, and might even fit under the seat. And, I had a little portable player I could cart around! 

As we slid out of the 70’s into the 80’s, things really began to change. August 1, 1981 the way we look at music as well as TV was altered forever. A little channel called MTV (Music Television) debuted with a video of the song, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles, and the era of the music video was born.  Oh my goodness, this time period was the heyday for magnificently hokey videos. The special effects were not special, the themes were ridiculous, and I loved every second of it. The hair was big, the pants were tight, the sets were crappy, but the music was awesome!  For the first time you had a visual to go with the music. I still remember so many of the videos—they did not really have to have anything to do with the song, but they always made you remember it! I can still hear my girls, at four or five years old singing "The Warrior" by Scandal, and "Sara" by Jefferson Starship.

Some favs:

         Take On Me---A-HA

         Girls Just Wanna Have Fun---Cindy Lauper

         Karma Chamelion---Culture Club

         How Will I Know---Whitney Houston

         Cradle of Love---Billy Idol

         Pour Some Sugar On Me---Def Leppard

         Sweet Dreams---Eurythmics

         I Want A New Drug---Huey Lewis and the News

         Like a Virgin---Madonna

         Beat It---Michael Jackson

         She Drives Me Crazy---Fine Young Cannibals

         We Got the Beat---The Go-Go’s     

         Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go---Wham

Who can forget Tawny Kitean writhing around on the hood of that car in the video for “Is This Love?” by Whitesnake? Or what ridiculously good dancers Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson were? Or any of Madonna’s or Michael Jackson’s outfits?  How about those gorgeous models in black dresses in Robert Palmer’s video “Addicted to Love”?   Or the chicken dancing in “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel? How about the Thompson Twins’ goofy haircuts?  Was it only me, or were all of Duran Duran and The Car’s videos really odd? 

And then there was Rick Springfield. Oh. My. Goodness.

I still love to watch those old videos.  Somewhere things went awry with the video channels- they started adding regular shows and movies, then reality TV, and then it was no longer about music. I can’t quite figure it out, we have more artists out there now than ever before, but they lost a great platform when MTV and VH1 stopped music video programming 24/7. Youtube is great, but you have to be looking for that particular artist. And let’s face it, the videos today are just not the same. There is not a sequined glove or mullet in sight. No weird costumes, fake space ships, or over-stretched spandex.  No Walking on Sunshine, Dancing in the Dark, Bette Davis Eyes or Sunglasses At Night. 

I have found a couple of Youtube channels that have some good videos. Here is the link for the 70’s one- since videos were not that popular yet, a lot of them are from TV shows, which are just as good-some are just still photos. Either way, it will stir a memory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VQX2Xn7tI&list=PL8EEE4E6334D89726

If you are lonesome for the 80’s, go check out this video on Youtube. It is 5 hours of 80’s videos in one link. Take a look and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoXu6QmxpJE&list=PL262A90780F1C836F

If you don't recall these songs I listed above, check them out. They are the building blocks of pop culture for the last 30 years! And, in case you don't remember the song I pulled the title of this post from, listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15wq1Yg_Ac4


Please comment about the cool bands that were your favorites!  I love remembering good music!
Peace friends!  Rock on!

Yeah, We Got a Great Big Convoy, Ain't She a Beautiful Sight...

“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” --George Carlin

I grew up in Hartley, a town with a couple of stop signs and a yellow blinking light. Then I moved to Dalhart, a town with several traffic lights and stop signs. I lived 4 blocks from work, and I would get irritated if I had to stop for more than 2 cars. Then I moved to San Marcos. Lawd help me. I had driven in many major cities across the country, but nothing can prepare you for the daily grind of interstate driving, especially that little bit of heaven known as “The Corridor”.  This is the area of IH-35 between Austin and San Antonio, and it is one interesting little stretch of blacktop. If it runs, it is on there. I have followed cars that the frame was so bent I could see both the front and back tires at once--AND they are going 80 mph!! I have seen cars missing the windshield. Duct tape is a common repair choice, and one of my favorites was a car with a flashlight duct taped to the bumper shining toward the license plate. I wonder how these cars pass inspection. (Haha, that's a good one! Inspection!)

When you drive down IH-35, you see all manner of scrapes, gouges, and skid marks on the road and concrete barriers, light poles sheared off, etc. I have always been curious about how these marks were made on roads. After a few years of driving here, I have a pretty good idea now.  I have seen texting, makeup application, eating, shaving, (faces, not legs—yet), and fighting.  You have the slow-pokes mixing it up with the speed demons. Add in trucks, buses, motorhomes, and some of the vehicles I mentioned above, and it is a recipe for disaster.

There are three lanes. Right hand lane is for getting off and on (60 mph), middle lane is for mid-speeds (70-75 mph), and the left lane is for passing (80++mph, just get the hell outta my way).  There are semis, buses, trucks, cars, trucks pulling cars…you get the idea. It’s like NASCAR, but there is no guarantee on their driving skills. Many times that C.W.McCall song “Convoy” comes to mind…

“Well we shot the line
And we went for broke
With a thousand screamin’ trucks
And eleven long-haired Friends of Jesus
In a chartreuse microbus…”

One thing I have learned: never trust that other guy’s knowledge about how to tie something down. I have seen some crazy stuff bouncing down the roadway! You will see a little of everything--furniture, tires, ladders, pallets, car seats, and the occasional bag of clothes or trash. But one of the most exciting ones was a laundry basket that appeared to be full of toiletries slid off the top of a load in a pickup—and they all just spread across the lanes like a wave. Deodorant, toilet paper, shampoo bottles…just fanned out in front of us. The other drivers just couldn’t seem to NOT try to avoid the stuff, and just begin to swerve like crazy! Running over the little tube of deodorant would do a lot less damage than hitting the car next to you, but it is just instinct to pull the wheel. My daughter Shana witnessed a couch landing right in front of her one day.  She was far enough back to avoid it, but she was surely excited when she got home. I have had many things flung at me, but one of the more memorable ones was a large chunk of asphalt-it luckily bounced off my windshield. Then, there are the really interesting things, like having the whole trailer come loose and go careening down the road, or dumping a full-sized tractor off the gooseneck. My last trip through Austin was the latter, took me 2 hours. Reducing three lanes to one, and feeding that off onto the shoulder tends to really cramp things up when you have the volume of vehicles that this interstate does. 

The plus side is I talk to Jesus a lot. I appreciate the drive on good traffic days. I appreciate the scenery on the bad traffic days. If the weather is good, I open the roof, turn up the music, and chill. If the weather is bad, I open the roof, turn on the a/c or heater, turn up the music and chill--because there is no use in getting your knickers in a knot. We manipulate our lives, pretending we are in control, and we ignore the fact that we really are not in control of a lot of things that happen. We can only control our response to it. As the old movie trailers used to tell us, “just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show”. 

"Cause we got a great big convoy 
Rockin' through the night. 
Yeah, we got a great big convoy, 
Ain't she a beautiful sight? 
Come on and join our convoy 
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way. 
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy 
'Cross the U-S-A.

Convoy" 

Yep, you'll be singing that one for a couple of hours. 

(hee hee hee)  

Peace, friends.