July in Review.......................

I've managed to read 4½ books this month, which is about average for me since I went back to a full-time job.

The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
This is the story of four friends in Washington, D.C. who have been meeting once a week for 10 years. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the ladies. They call themselves "The Saving Graces," after a dog they once hit with a car and then nursed back to health. The "Graces" share their lives, dreams and heartbreaks with each other.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts, which was our GRINS Book Club selection for July.
I enjoy Lett's writing and this was no exception. The book had a strange mix of characters; Caney Paxton, a Vietnam vet who had not set foot out of his cafe in 12 years, his waitress and substitute mom, Molly O, who had been married 4 times and had a wayward, Country music singing daughter, a beautiful young Crow Indian drifter, Vena Takes Horse, who starts working at the Honk and Holler as a car hop, her 3 legged dog, a Vietnamese refugee Bui Khanh, who also went to work at the cafe as a cook and handyman, and several other quirky characters. There was never a dull moment in this book.

Crazy Ladies by Michael Lee West
This book tells the story of several generations of ladies in a family from 1932 to 1972. The title of the book is very fitting. It was a fun read and I would recommend it.

Envy by Sandra Brown
This was my first book by Brown and I was a little disappointed. It was predictable and now that it's been a week since I finished it, I find it hard to remember what it was about. I guess that says it all for this book.

Now for the ½
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Very different subject matter, but interesting. I have a feeling that the second half will be better than the first. Anyway, I will finish this book in August and will include my review at the end of the month.

Another book that I am very excited about is South of the Guadalupe: A History of Nixon and Southern Gonzales County by Donald Hoffman. I have the draft of this book which is due out in a couple of months to coincide with Nixon's Centennial Celebration. I have skimmed through it and read a few pages. It's history, but written very interestingly. I am looking forward to reading the entire book. I am also designing a webpage for the author so that the books can be bought online. I'll post the web address as soon as it is up and running.

I hope that if you have read any of my July books, or have read any good books lately and would like to make a comment, that you will click on the "comment" button and fire away! Yes, I really want to hear from you!

A Divine Sisterhood

I can't imagine life without my YaYa friends. We shared our childhood with each other. We laughed, learned, cried and grew together. Then we all went our separate ways. It's a testament to our love and friendship that we are still enjoying that special bond with each other.

Some of the YaYa's met at the Taco Ranch on July 19th to visit and enjoy lunch together. Gloria's and Cathy's moms were also there but, I'm sorry to say, we didn't get pictures of them.
Ellen, Joyce, Gloria, Cathy, Elaine, Patsy and MaryAnn

Then we rode out to Gloria's Mom's house to visit some more. And one more picture.

Patsy, Gloria, Elaine, Cathy

Joyce, Ellen, MaryAnn

Got Wieners?

Last November Jesse and I and 3 of our friends rode to Monclova, MX to the Ruta Del Desierta Rally. What an experience! We met some of the nicest people while in Mexico and we were treated like royalty! Monclova is such a lovely town with great hotels and restaurants. We hope to go back to the rally this September. If anyone reading this would like to ride along with us just let me know and I'll give you all the details.

I have a new appreciation for George Strait's song, Cowboys Like Us.
I take off time to time
With those crazy friends of mine
Head out on steel horses
With wheels and we ride
We burn up that road
To old Mexico
Blend in with the desert
Just we amigos
And we roll

We entered the Weenie Bite contest. It's not as easy as it looks!

Yep, we lost. But at least they didn't drown the weiner in mustard like they do at some rallys. Yuk!

Are You Superstitious?

Are you superstitious?

I think most of us are a little bit. It may be something that you've heard about all your life and so you don't really pay much attention to it, such as:

• a black cat crossing your path being bad luck
• find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck
• if your ear is burning, someone is talking about you.
• if you break a mirror you will have 7 years of bad luck
• don't wash clothes on New Year's Day, or somebody in your family will pass away
• an itchy nose means you are going to have company
• an itchy palm means you are going to handle money (I've recently read that if you scratch your palm then you won't get that money. I guess that's my problem. I'll have to remember that the next time I get a palm itch!)
• A cricket in the house brings luck
• And of course you have to eat blackeyed peas on New Year's Day, even if you hate them like I do.

I could go on and on and on.........
What brings me to the reason that I'm thinking about superstitions is a coffee mug. I was recently talking to one of my very good friends about the fact that I am funny about what mug I drink my coffee out of. I have lots of mugs and cups in my kitchen, but I always drink out of the same mug. If I pick up a different mug I always think that something bad will happen to me, or at least my day won't go as good as it should. I have no idea why that comes to my mind. It's not something that I learned from my parents or anyone else. It's just something I feel.
I was telling my friend that I used to have a coffee cup that I loved. It had a sign on it that said "Boneless Chicken Ranch" and there were chickens laying all around. They couldn't stand or walk because they were boneless. I had to drink my coffee out of that cup every morning. Even when it got a hair-line crack in it, I still continued to use it. Finally my precious cup was dropped, broken into many pieces, and had to be thrown away. This all happened in the 1980's and I still think about and miss that mug! Now is that crazy or what?

Last night my friend, Lisa, called me to tell me that she had found my mug on Ebay! So this morning I bid on and won that auction. Paid for it using PayPal and now I'm waiting patiently (or maybe not too patiently) for my boneless chicken mug to arrive.

Okay, I promise, I'm a very normal person. I think we all have little bizarre things about us that we normally don't tell others. I've told mine, well at least one of mine. Now I want to know yours.

Welcome to my Blog!

Well, I'm here and wondering what took me so long. Lately I've been reading several blogs that have inspired me, and then on Sunday I watched a tv program about the interest in blogging and the fact that over 70 new blogs are created every minute! Can you imagine that? Suddenly my whole way of thinking has changed! I can't be left behind. I must join the world of blogging!
Now I'm imagining all kinds of things to blog about - motorcycle riding, the wonderful world of computers, the joy of reading a good book, and oh yes, there's my most awesome friends, my quirky friends and my down-right crazy friends - I should never run out of stories to write about!

Thanks to all of you who find your way here to read my journals. My wish for all of you is -

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...I hope you dance