More Manic Musings ...

hey y'all,

why can't i be like that sweet, adorable little lamb without a care in the world?! you can just tell he's got nothing but bubbles of air floating around in his sweet li'l noggin. instead, i feel like screaming and running around in circles with my hands over my ears ... because my brain is so overwhelmed with thoughts and worries and projects and more worries. aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!

whew. okay, now that that's off my chest, i'll try to pretend i'm a sane person just blogging away a ccccccold february afternoon.

went FAGGing the last TWO weekends!! how much FUN can a girl have?! maybe i'm a little overstimulated from all my junkin' treasures (including that precious lamb, above), good food (little white donuts are a must when we go out) and all the laughs we shared in the FAG-mobile.

i have the movie citizen kane on in the background. i watched the first hour or so because it's always listed as one of (if not THE) best movies in history ... always in close competition with my beloved gone with the wind.

well, let me tell you. meh ... it was alright. but it's no GWTW. i had to get up because i couldn't hack it anymore. maybe i'm missing something, or my tastes are skewed.

but i digress. perhaps i need to number my thoughts. that always seems to help me focus what i'm writing. so here goes.

1. i got a haircut/color/style last week!! this is the first professional salon 'do that i've ever had in my almost 50 years! which is probably why i decided to do it. the big 5-0 is coming soon.

it's a big change (for me) and i'm pleased with it. so is everyone else who's dared to comment on it. ;)

2. found a GREAT new junking haunt! i don't normally release this top secret information to just anyone. but since there are so few who actually read this mess of a blog, i thought i'd share. it's called the annunciation maternity home thrift shop and it's open only on the first and third fri/sat of each month.

it's located in a warehouse type building just off of state hwy 195, south of killeen/florence. turn right onto shell road just before you reach I35 and the maternity home is on the left.

they have TONS of items and terrific prices! and all proceeds go to a wonderful cause.

all they ask is that you DON'T drive over 17 mph. huh. i hate odd numbers.
3. i received my blog prize from vintagesue. a box of sweet vintage loveliness ... pieces that she knew i'd love, meant just for me! thanks soooo much sue!

sue, i hope you received the email with my effusive thanks for this lovely box o' treasures!!
4. was driving around, junkin' solo one day last week and drove past a white wicker daybed (!!!!!!!) sitting waaaay out close to the street. it was meant to draw attention, as it happened to be at a mini-flea market thingy. i nearly broke my neck gawking at it as i flew past (it was on a business highway).

without hesitation, i performed a quick (and slightly illegal) u-turn and pulled in right next to it.

a guy named fred met me before i even got out of my car. geez. like stink on a dog. he spoke broken english (meaning, not much better than me, heheh) but enough to communicate that the daybed went with the dresser sitting next to it, for a total of $175.

ouch. not my price range. plus, i didn't want or need the dresser. i've been in search of a daybed for my daughter's vacant room which is now my craft room/guest room.

anyhow, i told fred that was more than i could pay and he quickly informed me that i needed to speak to maria, the head-honcho lady. sadly, her english was worse than fred's so all i got from her was a lot of "no, no, no!" and violent head gestures.

ummm, methinks she no like my offer. but she did finally agree to split up the set and sell me the daybed after some serious and frustrating negotiations, with fred in the middle performing translation duties. poor guy. he earned his money that day, which i suspect isn't much with maria as his boss. yikes.

BUT, i am now the v. happy owner of an adorable white wicker daybed, complete with a serta mattress.

can't wait to get it moved into its new home and gussied up with chenille and pillows and lace and such.

5. saw my primary (doctor, that is) yesterday. hate going, mainly because i'm not a patient patient. which is to say, i don't like to wait 2 hours for my scheduled appointment time. i know it all boils down to the healthcare crisis, managed care, insurance companies and HMOs running the show. so "small business" doctors like mine, feel the need to make up for the loss of $$ by overbooking. i know this because i've been on the inside of the system. triple booking (scheduling 3 people for a 2:00 appointment) is a reality.

ANYways, i don't like it one bit. the wait, that is. when i'm in the waiting room with all the other poor souls, i have to play nice. but once i'm alllll alone in that exam room, it's game ON. nothing is sacred. latex gloves, the exam table, instruments, brochures, posters on the wall. anything i can access is fair game for my personal entertainment. why read a book when i can do this?!

perform a self-tonsil exam. don't try this at home, kiddies. i'm a professional. heh

make-believe you're teaching a health class: take notice, class ... if your liver is on the outside of your purple dress, something is amiss. consult your physician immediately. good luck.
6. tomorrow is groundhog's day. just sayin'.

y'all stay safe and warm. it's cold everywhere ... even in central texas! brrrrrrrrr.

love and hugs,
terry lee

ps. for your irreverant amusement, i conclude with the following:

spotted this little angel at the expo center recently. couldn't resist taking her picture ... in a not-so-angelic pose. if you know what i mean. and yes, i'm going straight to the devil for it.

Belton on a Benjamin

hey y'all,

here we are on a lovely sunny monday! it's like a sauna outside but will i complain?! i. shall. not.

because after all that rain and flooding, it is sooooo wonderful to see the sun shining again. don't care for the humidity. hate it, in fact. but as i said, no complaints. oh hell. who am i kidding?! what's the use in TALKING about the weather if one can't complain about it?!

so ... saturday was a beautiful day for junking. and believe it or not, it was the first time in ages that all three of us (my junking pals) went out for a grand junking adventure.

first things first. we made a quick pre-stop at chick-fil-a drive-through for a bite of breakfast. here's the exciting video of that little experience.




first stop: cindy of chipped to perfection so kindly and sweetly invited us to rummage through her collection of junk ... er ... treasures in her garage. she'd just bought out the end of a yard sale and also had loot she'd purchased while on the world's longest yard sale trail.



we spent a couple of hours with her ... digging, laughing, sweating, digging some more. whew! she had LOTS of boxes with LOTS of goodies stuffed inside them! as she said in her blog, it's great fun to be around other junkers. because they. get. it. kindred spirits. thanks again for inviting us. we had a blast, cindy!







our next stop: an estate sale in belton. lovely house. shady yard and street.



not much inside. slim pickings. i guess the sale had been on for a couple of days.



but i did spy this sweetie sitting on the floor:



she's so sweet and pretty and precious. why was she still there?! i don't know! but i'm glad she was. because now she's mine.

while in search of another sale, we just happened to pass this cool old chevy.



what the what?! naturally, we had to stop and make a huge production. because that's. what. we. do.

i pulled up into the driveway (brazen, i know) and parked right next to the chevy. we hopped out and started clicking away with our iphones and cameras.

"over here! take a picture of me with the car!"



"okay, now take one of us pretending to get in the car!"



"now take one at this angle!!"



"let's get IN the car and take some pictures," the foolish one said (i'm not naming names on my pals).

"NO. way! the police are probably on their way right now!" said the voice of reason (that would be me).

we kept looking toward the owner's house, thinking that surely they were growing weary of us gawping at their antique car.

sure enough, the owners came out to greet us. no baseball bats. no guns to shoo us away. no police call either. instead, they had big ol' grins on their faces as they walked toward us.

as it happens, they get this (crazy women making ga-ga over their car?!) all the time, so says owner mark pittman. he's so proud of his collection (yes, COLLECTION) of antique cars that he showed us another one in his garage.



his wife valeria assured me that mark was thrilled to show off his cars. he even unlocked his aqua baby and let us play inside for a bit ... and took pictures of us as well! what a great sport!









thanks again to mark and valeria pittman of belton for allowing us to enjoy and share your passion for vintage cars. you made our day!

mark and valeria pittman pose with their 1954 bel-air turquoise chevy ... thanks guys!

last stop: another sweet couple, mark oler of belton upholstery) and his wife, who used to own hosanna house in belton were having a sale. they've closed the store but were selling out the last of their inventory ... half off.



i picked up a couple of vintage pearl strands and earrings. but my big purchase of the day was this gorgeous antique piece of wood. not sure what to call it because it used to be a bench in a train station (location and further history on it is being investigated).



according to mark oler, a dealer in salado bought it for $300 and promptly whacked the legs off and made it into a huge mantel piece. so i suppose that's what it is now. however, i'm happy with my current mantel (or am i? hadn't really thought of it) so i'll be using it elsewhere. am thinking above my dining room windows OR above my large, long sofa.



this baby is huge. and heavy. someone who knows something about hanging heavy things will have to help me. naturally, i plan to paint it. nice and shabby. then i'll have this awesome large shelf to put a bunch of my shite on! woohoo!!



so, how much did i pay for this yummy hunk of vintage oak? first correct guess (in comment form) wins a prize. for reals!

other than the Lunch Situation, it was a perfect day. in a nutshell, we had to bail on a mexican restaurant because the chips were tasteless, the salsa (salsa salsa salsa!) was incredibly inedible and the queso was cold and lumpy (ack!). when the server came to take our order, i (being the head FAG) had to break the news to her that we were leaving.

we paid for the drinks (but NOT the queso) and took our leave. fortunately, we had spotted a nearby mr. gatti's and had our fill of pizza, salad and waaaay too many sweet cinnamon breadsticks.

so all's well that ends well ...

fantastic friends, terrific treasures and magical memories to last a lifetime. or at least until i forget ... heh heh.

love and hugs,
terry lee

Bluebonnets on My Mind

hey y'all,

yesterday afternoon i ventured out by myself for a little P&Q (peace and quiet), in hopes of finding The Perfect Field of Bluebonnets.

not sure if i found it or not, but maybe something close:

a sea of blue!

each year around my birthday i make a special trip (usually to the gorgeous texas hill country) in search of bluebonnets. i didn't get that accomplished this year, so i sliced out a couple of hours yesterday for myself ... and used them wisely.

with chick fil-a (#5 combo meal, diet dr. pepper) in the seat next to me, i rolled onto a country backroad, toward salado. no, that's not the hill country (for those texans who know the area). i didn't have the luxury of a full day get-away. but there are plenty of fields and hills and valleys ... countryside ... where i'd likely find just what i was looking for.

without waxing too philosophical or sentimental or even maudlin, bluebonnets are very special to me. sure, you'd expect a native texas gal to say something like that.

but there's more to it. something that i've never quite been able to explain. each year i feel the need, not just the desire, to go and see the bluebonnets. maybe it's because they're blooming, in all their glory, on my birthday each year ... that i feel a connection to them.



but it goes deeper than that because i never quite feel satisfied, emotionally, until i've schlepped out into a field full of bluebonnets (and chiggers), breathed in that wonderful bonnet-scented country air as deep as i can ... and taken as many pictures as my heart desires. i guess i'm trying to capture the elusive beauties (in photos and in my soul) because i know all too well that soon, they'll be gone.

until next year, that is.

some years it's quite the production, trekking out to the hill country and making a day of it. or staying overnight in a charming town such as fredericksburg. other years, i'm lucky to spy the beautiful blue creatures along the busy highway as i traipse back and forth to doctor appointments.

so anytime i can actually take a drive, with the single purpose of bluebonnet spotting and photo-taking, i'm grateful.

grateful. but forgetful.

was cruising along the curvy backroad, almost to the scary loooong Narrow Bridge over stillhouse lake when i suddenly realized ... I ... DO ... NOT ... HAVE ... MY ... CAMERA!!!!

can you say CRAP?! i did. okay, i might've said something else. just maybe.

well, first things first. i had to navigate that damn Narrow Bridge. when i say narrow, i mean NAAAAAARRRRROOOWWW. it's a long two-laner with no shoulders and it's high above the lake. ack!! just perfect for someone like me: claustrophobic, agoraphobic, acrophobic, aquaphobic ... and i can't swim! i think that about covers it.

okay, at the last minute, i googled an image for you. this is THE actual bridge. can't believe i found a pic of it! see what i mean?!

so i white-knuckled it across the bridge (thank GOD i didn't meet anyone so i could drive right down the middle stripe, thereby protecting myself from falling off either side).

calm down, terry lee. you made it across the bridge. and you DO have your iphone camera ... i told myself.

yeah, but the iphone camera quality stinks, i retorted.

well, you're this far out here, just make the best of it, crybaby (was really getting annoyed with my smartass self by then).

so, i apologize for the quality of the photos. i may have to take another bluebonnet trip with the real camera. we'll see. but for now, here are the best ones. i'm no professional photographer, but it's almost impossible to screw up a bluebonnet. almost, i said.

enjoy!

love and hugs,
terry lee

this is one of my favorite shots. love that rough old tree trunk juxtaposed with the blue beauties.



see how it looks like solid blue grass or water back against the fence line? looooove it!!

this is the direct result of going on the hunt for bluebonnets solo.

another favorite, i think. love getting bluebonnets with old fences.

yes, i realize this is a horse, of course. but as i was driving along, i couldn't help but stop when i saw him. v. pretty, eh? there are a few bluebonnets near him, but they're difficult to see.





sweet mix of bluebonnets with white thingies. love the church as a backdrop ... sorry 'bout that ugly pole right in the center!