My Giveaway Entry Is Officially CLOSED!

Do you remember that giveaway I told you about? Well, I've decided the time has come to say "when" on the entries. As of the time this post is published, there were 235 comments on my first 50 posts. No additional comments from this point forward will count toward the giveaway. I put all this into a spreadsheet and balanced it in both directions to make sure that no comment was left out and that my spreadsheet matched the number of comments Blogger showed for each post. Then I used data sort and... Oh, it doesn't matter! Suffice to say I was careful to do it right!

Following is a list of those wonderful people who are responsible for those 235 comments with the number of comments each of them made listed next to their name. Click on a name and visit their blog (or profile in those cases of people who don't have blogs).

Primitiques'n Poetry, 44
Cher, 39
thedomesticfringe, 28
trash talk, 25
ALVN of WhisperWood Cottage, 19
ME!, 19
Beth@playinwiththepaulsens!, 16
summersundays-jw, 6
Tracy, 5
Phyllis, 4
Hi! I'm Cindy, 4
Margo, 3
Tim, 2
deb did it, 2
cheryls fascinatingfinds, 2
The Hat Chick, 1
2L3Bs World, 1
Antiques and More Blog, 1
THE VERANDA, 1
MuseSwings, 1
jen, 1
bella shabby, 1
delighted heart, 1
time-worn interiors, 1
Shannon @ Silver Trappings, 1
Moonlight Hollow Musings, 1
Janera, 1
philben5, 1
Stonefox (otherwise known as Heidi), 1
Garden Antqs Vintage, 1
Sie, 1
Debi, 1

All I know to say is, "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!"

I listed everyone in order from highest number of comments to lowest. Those people who left the same number of comments are in no particular order. Mindy's 44 comments and my 19 comments will NOT count toward the giveaway. Every other comment will be entered, a total of 172 chances to win.

As an example, you can see that, other than Mindy, Cher has left the most comments with 39. That means she has 39 times better chance of being drawn as someone who only left one comment. You get the idea. There will be more than one prize. Once someone is drawn once, they will not be eligible for additional prizes. I will just draw again until someone is drawn who has not previously won.

Oh, one other thing I probably should just go ahead and mention. I will not ship outside the United States. I know that at least one person is in China, for instance. If they happen to win, maybe they have a friend or family member in the U.S. that they would like to designate as the recipient of their prize. Sorry about that, but I hope everyone understands the need for this limitation.

Soooo... The stage is set and that's all I'm saying for now! Stay tuned for more details!

Ooops! Almost forgot to share a picture.



How about this one of an Arctic Ground Squirrel that I took in Alaska?

:-)

Wacky Wednesday - Love Your Job

ALWAYS FINISH
Anonymous

If a task is once begun,
Never leave it till it's done.
Be the labor great or small,
Do it well or not at all.

I hope today's post helps you to greater appreciate your job! I borrowed the idea for the cartoon, but created it myself. Incidentally, this is my 50th post! As Mindy says, "Yee haw!"

:-)

Happy Wednesday!

The Campfire

Around the Campfire, originally uploaded by Snakelover61.

It had been warm for February, but the night brought with it a chill that seemed perfectly suited for a cozy campfire. The sky was clear of clouds and we were far enough from the city with all its extraneous light to be able to see not only the constellations, but also all the tiny little stars that so often go unnoticed. I am not well versed on the constellations, but I do have my favorites. There was the Big Dipper near the horizon. And almost overhead was Orion's Belt. I have always thought his bow looks more like the tail of a scorpion and his belt, the scorpion's body. But I am not the namer of constellations and I accept my place in the galaxy.

As I looked to the sky, I marveled at the vastness of the universe and at the magnificence of its (and my) Creator. I suddenly felt very, very small. And my troubles felt even smaller. This was good for my soul and it had been a long time in coming. I needed this more than I had realized.

The fire ring was simply stones gathered and arranged in a circle. It had seen many fires before this one. Earlier I had carefully shoveled out the old ashes, which had been compacted by past rains. I had gathered the wood, mostly fallen cedar and mesquite, but also a few pieces of live oak. The pieces were stacked neatly a short distance from the fire.

I had arranged the starting pieces. First kindling that surrounded a large clump of "fire starter" that I had collected from the lint trap of my clothes drier. Over top of that, I had placed progressively larger pieces. When I lit the lint, it burned quickly and I remember wondering if I would need to find the charcoal starter fluid. But I was in luck and the kindling caught. The flames slowly engulfed the rest of the wood. Yes, this campfire was well planned and executed. And now here I sat in the fire's glow, enjoying the fruits of my labor of love.

The night was quiet except for the popping and crackling of the campfire and the occasional yapping of coyotes. It was a good campfire and now it had been burning long enough to produce the beautiful glowing coals in its center. My eyes were focused on them. I watched the colors and shapes slowly changing, mesmerized in an almost trance-like meditation. My thoughts wondered freely from one thing to another. But mostly I thought of nothing at all. Beautiful peace.

The fire's glow lit up the faces of friends gathered around. Occasionally, we would talk about the events of the day or share stories from long ago. And at times the cool night air would be filled with laughter. At other times, we would just sit silently, sharing the moment and enjoying the magic. Yes, there is something very special about a campfire. And it's even better when shared.

Just then a figure stepped out of the darkness. Was it another friend coming to join us perhaps? That would be wonderful. The more, the merrier. But this new person did not take a seat. Instead, they just stood there on the edge of the darkness. My eyes strained to see if I could recognize a familiar face. Who was this new arrival?

And then I heard it. There was no mistaking the distinctive sound of a stream of water landing on the hot coals below. The coals sizzled and sputtered and a small cloud of steam rose up. In my shock and disbelief, it took me a moment to realize what was happening. Could it be? Yes! Someone was peeing on my campfire!

But why would someone do such a thing? Have I offended you in some way? Have you never known the joy of a campfire of your own? Or shared in the warmth of another's fire? Has life been cruel or love unkind? Was your campfire of hope extinguished by another? The questions raced through my mind. But then, just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone.

I picked up another stick of wood from the stack and used it to stir the coals. Then I threw it on the fire and watched it blaze up. And I knew that all was well. For mere urine is no match for a well built campfire.

Man Dip

Today I want to share with you a very simple recipe that I got from fellow blogger, Beth at Playinwiththepaulsens. One of the reasons I enjoy Beth's blog is because she shares the adventures of her two sons, Russ and Jedd. Now, these two are real he-man types who kill ducks and shrug off broken noses! So when Russ requested "Man Dip" during a little down time, I knew it must be the real deal!

Just mix four ingredients... very simple.

4 or 5 green onions
2-1/2 cups mayo
Two 3 oz packages of Oscar Meyer bacon bits
1 lb finely shredded sharp cheddar



Chopped green onions...



Mix in the mayo and the bacon bits...



Mix in the cheese and dig in!



This goes great on crackers...



But I've already found out it also makes a great topper for hamburgers! And, although I haven't tried it yet, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be wonderful on baked potatoes!

I deviated slightly from Beth's recipe only because Oscar Meyer is apparently packaging their bacon bits in smaller sizes now.

Here is Beth's original post on Man Dip.

Giveaway Goodies Received!

I received a goody box in the mail yesterday from Debbie at Talking Trash! You may recall that I won the grand prize for her 100th post giveaway. The prize included a JUNK NECKLACE by Laurie of 2Chippys and Debbie wanted me to have my picture taken in it before giving it to my love, Mindy.

I must confess I did make one small modification. I lengthened the necklace with a rubber band. Without it, it fit my neck very tight and, frankly, it looked ridiculous! Or perhaps I should say MORE ridiculous! On me, that is. The necklace is great and will look fabulous on Mindy! But on me... not so much! Oh well.

The box contained other goodies as well...

A book called "Bedrooms." Lots of pictures in here. Now, I thought I knew my way around the bedroom. But this book contains a lot of tricks I haven't seen before. I'm talking about decorating, people! I will probably share this with Mindy. Maybe.

An Elvis Presley DVD called "GI Blues." Definitely a prize fit for a king, so I think I'll keep that.

A bottle of scented shimmer body spray called "Sexy." I sprayed one little spritz of this on my left arm. Let me tell you it shimmered and it smelled... uhmmm... let's just say very feminine! It says it's "alluring and sensual." I would tend to agree with that description. I then tried to wash it off and I can report that it has quite a lot of staying power as well! I might be smelling pretty sweet for a while, but this is definitely going to Mindy!

A bar of bath soap called "Morning Glory." At least I think it's bath soap. It might be facial cleanser. Who knows about these things? It's girlie. Mindy's. Nuff said!

A box of floral tea called "Tea Forte" and a fancy little ceramic tea bag holder. Now this I will be keeping for myself. I do enjoy a good cup of tea!

A terry lined leopard skin shower cap. I don't even know what to say about this! Do people really wear shower caps? I have no knowledge of this. I will look to Mindy for guidance!

And, last but not least, a personalized note card from Debbie. In her own handwriting. This is the place where she wrote, "Be sure and post a photo of you wearing it or I'll take it back!" As requested, dear. Thank you so much! You ROCK!

Winner winner, chicken dinner! Valentine's weekend to remember!

Whew, what a weekend! I spent Friday night wrapping up the final details of my Valentine's Day surprises and didn't have as much time as I would have liked to keep up with all the details of Debbie's big 100th post party. Luckily, I had started a post earlier in the day that included my margarita recipe. I took a picture of Chuck the Buck and joined the party kind of late. Lo and behold, I woke up Saturday to find that I was the winner winner of an awesome junk necklace made by 2 Chippys!

I want to extend a big public THANK YOU to Debbie of Talking Trash for throwing such a fabulous party and for the generous give-away! I will take a picture before Mindy gets her hands on that necklace! And then I'll take some more pictures because I know she will look lovely in it! Thank you so much, Deb!

I spent most of Saturday working on Mindy's floor. Oh my gosh, did I ever bite off a big project! Suffice to say all has NOT gone according to plan! But I think I'm getting through it and I still have high hopes of the final result looking fabulous!

Then we came back to my house and cooked a couple of beer can chickens on the grill. That's where the chicken dinner comes in! We had baked potatos too. It all tasted great! Mindy and I also exchanged our Valentine's cards and presents. She gave me a very nice set of Sony headphones for exercising on the elliptical! And a VERY sweet and romantic card! She melts my heart!

My "card" to her was a custom Shutterfly photo book that I titled "What I Love About You." With 54 pages, 216 photographs and a whole lot of heart-felt writing about specific things that I love about her, I think I just may have hit the Valentine's Day grand slam!



I've been so excited about this! I'd been working on it for a month, so I think I earned every one of those sentimental tears in Mindy's eyes! Yeah, I did GOOD!

After dinner, I took a quick minute to comment a word of thanks on Debbie's blog. And then it was off to the Meyerson Symphony Center for the Valentine's Day concert of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra! And that was, of course, a lot of fun! I had a wonderful Valentine's Day with the woman of my dreams!

I spent some more time this morning working on Mindy's floor and putting the chain saw to some fallen trees that needed to be cut up in her back yard.

Quite a weekend! It was a lot of fun, but I can't wait to get back to the office so I can get some REST!

Frozen Margaritas

By now, everyone knows about the big 100th Post Celebration that Debbie of Talking Trash is throwing! It is the party of all parties! I hate to show up for a party empty handed. But what hostess gift to bring? One thing that every Texas party needs is a great frozen margarita! So today, in Debbie's honor, I share with you my very easy margarita recipe. For your convenience, I have created a PDF file that you can download and print by clicking here.



Frozen Margaritas

These are real easy, refreshing and not overly sweet. This recipe makes about four pretty good sized margaritas like the one pictured above. I recommend just using the cardboard can from the frozen limeade to measure everything else.

Mix the following in a pitcher:
One 6 ounce can of frozen limeade.
6 ounces 7-up or Sprite
6 ounces of high quality tequila. My favorites are Cabo Wabo or Tarantula Azul.
3 ounces Cointreau. You can use Grand Marnier in a pinch.

If you’re making them in the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction maker, use the above for the concentrate and you can make them one, two or three glasses at a time. If you’re making them in a blender, fill the blender with crushed ice and then pour the above mixture over the top and blend.

Dress it up with fresh limes. For two drinks, I like to slice a lime crossways in four slices. I use the two heels to wet the rim of the glasses so that the salt will stick. The two center slices are used to garnish the edge of the glass. Positive presentation is key!

Enjoy!

OK, back to the party!!

I looked around my house to find something I could dress up for the party. I decided to follow Cher's lead and use a critter. This guy seemed like the best candidate. He has a big neck!



Does he look like he's ready to party? He's not a great dancer... four left hooves! And he doesn't have a name like George Cooney or Squirrelly MacLaine. Maybe you could help me come up with one? Any suggestions?

Naturally, I'll be spending most of my evening with the love of my life.


And after seeing her smile...Can you blame me?!!!!

Blast from the Past - Memories of the Hunt

Today's "Blast from the Past" photo is from 1975. This is my dad, Raymond, and his best bird dog, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Fritz. In his right hand is his trusty Remington 1100, which I now own. The cowboy hat was a constant. He came by it naturally, working the McAlester Stockyards as a teen. And I am a very good horseman because of him, but that is another story.


(Click here or on photo to go large.)

About the only time he wasn't wearing cowboy boots was when he was hunting. Then it was wool socks and Redwings. A plaid wool shirt over white insulated underwear because, by golly, it gets cold this time of year. And red coveralls because hunter orange was not yet in vogue. And his ensemble is rounded out with a shell vest and a nail apron because there is much to carry.


This photos brings up many memories for me. My dad introduced me to hunting very early in life. At the time this photo was taken, I was 13 and already quite a veteran of quail hunting. I really wish I knew exactly what age I was when I started hunting, but I don't. I just remember that before Fritz, there was Judd and Lady, American Pointers. And there was also Gent, a German Shorthaired puppy of my own.

The earlier memories come in pieces. Sometimes fragmented and disassociated from each other. I remember a 12 gauge Remington autoloader. Dad cut the barrel down to the minimum legal length and added an adjustable poly-choke that was always set to Improved Cylinder. He also cut down the stock and custom shaped a recoil pad to fit it. Now, most grade schoolers don't shoot 12 gauge! But dad wasn't going to put me at the disadvantage of shooting quail with a 410, which he considered woefully inadequate. And I shot the same high brass extended range shells that dad shot. That gun knocked me to the ground on more than one occasion. But a lot of quail were knocked to the ground too!

The gun fit me well and I had the fast reflexes of youth on my side. I remember the admiration of my dad and and his friends when I would occasionally knock down a surprise flushed quail almost before they even knew what was happening. A kid lives for moments like that!

I remember being woken up in the "middle of the night." Sleepily getting dressed and falling asleep again in the truck. I remember being woken up at a little cafe. It was still dark as we ate our hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits. Then back in the truck for a few more minutes. We would arrive at our destination at dawn and by the time the sun actually broke the horizon, we were in the field.

Sometimes dad would bring a friend or two; sometimes it was just the two of us. We would walk all day. In sometimes very rough terrain of rocks and cactus. My legs were short, my boots and gun heavy. Thankfully, I carried only my own shells and downed birds in my vest. Dad carried all the extras; our lunch, water and candy bars. It was sometimes very cold, especially early in the morning. My toes and fingertips would ache.

I remember walking back to the truck at the end of the day, leg and shoulder muscles aching and throbbing. Wondering where I would find the power to take another step. Sometimes we wouldn't time it right and it would get dark. I remember walking single file in the darkness, dad leading the way. The dogs would walk behind me, exhausted and content to just follow in our footsteps. We would all sleep very hard tonight. And I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Last Weekend's Quail Hunt

I know a lot of you probably aren't that interested in hunting, but I thought I would give you a quick rundown of a trip I took last weekend. I took a couple of friends to my deer lease in west Texas for some quail hunting. We did it last year too and we'd been looking forward to this year's hunt. It works out well for all of us because they have dogs and I don't. And I have a lease with lots of quail and they don't.

Of course, deer season is over, so this makes the perfect time to chase quail. My lease is about 80% Bobwhite Quail and about 20% Scaled Quail. Among quail hunters, Bobwhites are called "Bobs" for short and Scaled Quail are more commonly called Blue Quail or just "Blues."

Because I know my target audience, I will start the pictures with some junk to help hold your attention. This is an old piece of farm equipment abandoned in the field. I don't know why I like taking pictures of rust, I just do.



My hunting companions, Kevin...



... and Paul...



They brought five dogs, but I only got photographs of three. This is Kevin's Brittany Spaniel, Daisy. She is on the go constantly. The only reason I was able to take this picture is because Kevin told her, "Whoa!"



This is Paul's Brittany, Max. He's an old fella with a great nose.



This is another one of Kevin's dogs, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Drake.



We had a great time, but to tell you the truth, the conditions weren't ideal. It was just so dry and windy that the dogs couldn't smell the birds nearly as well as they did last year. But we still managed to get into about one covey per hour because there are just so many quail there. Unfortunately, the birds were flushing really early. And they were hitting the ground running. Oh well, such is hunting. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It was still a lot of fun.

Here's a picture of a real solid point. After we turned right toward camp, we realized Max wasn't with us. We looked back over our left shoulders and saw him on point. He had continued a little further in the direction we had been heading and found a nice covey. Good boy!



As we walked up to Max, Drake and Daisy went on point as well. You can see Drake in the picture. This was our last covey of the day on Friday as we were walking back to camp.

Friday night we had grilled ribeyes and baked potatos. Ever notice how much better food tastes when cooked and eaten outdoors? Especially after an afternoon in the field. I had started marinating the steaks the night before and they were grilled to perfection if I do say so myself!

I didn't get a group photo this year, but here's the one from last year. From left to right, Paul and his dog, Max. Kevin with his dogs, Daisy and Jake. And, of course, me.



And because you've all been so nice to read this far, I'll throw in one more rusty old piece of junk for your viewing pleasure!



This wagon is apparently still in use because every time I see it, it's in a different location.

I do believe my next post with be a "Blast from the Past" that will kind of loosely relate to this one. Cher, you won't want to miss it. There will be a cowboy involved!

To see the rest of this Flickr photo set, click here.

Posterized Pair

Cher's blog has a link to a poster making website. If you want to find out more, you'll have to visit her blog here. I decided to try my hand at it and here are the results...




Let's see... one, two, three.... Yep, I'm pretty sure all my chins are accounted for!