Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Spring is here ~ sorta.

LOL.

I love this city for more reasons that I have time to list and all y'all to read. We've had a few glorious days of early spring, aka mid 70's . This is precious to us since for the most part we tend to greet visitors with " Welcome to Singapore ." Hey...Dad thought it was funny .

Anyhoo..along with Mardi Gras, we have all of the trail riders that mount up for the rodeo. These guys and gals are amazing, it's a real trail ride y'all, not some whiny ass Yankee going , " What do you mean Ralph Lauren doesn't make the proper riding boots ?" Ahem...wrong gear, saddle, seat and party there bucko . And today , as usual, it's clouding up .

Bear in mind , in some ways this is a blessing in disguise for ol Pol here . When the weather first gets nice, the NG's and I get that look that SU fears. Eye's glazed over, we browse the garden center ads. Plotting out planting and calculating the actual precise amount of mulch we will all need. The answer to that by the way is more than we bought. Usually by this time of the year all of the crepes ( crepe myrtles to la touristas ) are pruned. The Biskits ( Hibiscus ) are leggy so they get immediate surgery and we wait on the roses since it is not unknown to get one last cold blast here . I have to be careful as I personally will go nuts and try to trim all of the roses in one weekend . Then Mr. Back Spasm pays a call. At the last count we are down to about 25 rose bushes , so I hope to get it done soon . Some have been replaced, some not .

Then there are the weeds.

Dear Lord, the weeds.

I can bear anything but the thrice damned Bermuda grass. It is the bane of my existence and I will prevail..wait and see. Maintaining the beds is not the issue. I can do that . I am good about deadheading and keeping all of the pots on the patio in good shape. It's just getting to that stage.

SU says that I am right on schedule..all of the catalogs are coming in the mail . and people wonder about my birthday gift choice , for example :

Him: " Honey , given any thought to your birthday gift?"

Me: " Um..nope."

Him : " Any ideas ?"

Me : " Yeah ."

Him: " Care to share ?"

Me : " Mulch."

Ah, the glamerous life of a homeowner.


We're half way through the week kids, have a safe and happy weekend.


You deserve it.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Monday, February 26, 2007

Enough is enough.

Sigh.

I never thought I'd hear the SU and I say this but.......

There is no freaking way that we are going to pay what they want for tickets to JB .

True or False :

1. We are die hard Parrotheads.

2. He hasn't been here in three or 4 years.

3. We never , ever , miss his show.

4. We have ALL the cd's.

5. SU remembers when he opened for Jerry Jeff Walker.

6. SU remembers when he played Liberty Hall.

7. Even Dad knew who he is.

All true.

That being said, he is coming here to perform April 21 at Minute Maid Park, aka the Ball Park. Yeah. The Ball Park. Now , in previous years he played at Little House with a Pavillion . We always bought hill side seats..have old quilt..will travel. If you have ever seen video of his concerts, yes, SU and I are among those on the hill sides dancing and singing our little brains out.

WE KNOW ALL THE WORDS Y'ALL .


According to the paper, tickets are either $86.00 or $126.00 PER TICKET.

You heard me.

And there is a limit of 8 tickets per sale. Lets do the math here . Eight of the cheap ones comes to ....$688.00 . Eight of the finest kind comes to ....$1,024.00.

Plus sales tax.

Plus service charges.

I know , I know, SU and I are only two people. So the cheap seats would set us back $172.00 .

Plus sales tax.

Plus service charges.

Better seats would be $252.00 .

Plus sales tax.

Plus service charges.

Minute Maid park is built for baseball.

Lather, rinse , repeat.

Baseball.

I can only imagine what the acoustics or lack thereof will sound like. Not to mention the visuals.
Bear in mind that SU and I are two middle aged old farts , so it is a given that we don't see really well. Blind as a bat comes to mind. If I am going to pay that sort of loot, I want to see the thrice damn'd stage. With our fabulous luck, we get the nose bleed seats where the free gift with purchase is oxygen and a mask .

Let's not even discuss the price of a beverage or munchies.

Believe it or not, when we would go to see Da man, I'd be the one not drinking, ....AT ALL. Anyone who knows me knows that I am the last person you want to see trying to make her way to the porta john............IN THE DARK . All of our friends know this and are used to it.



I don't have clue one what promoters are thinking . It's not that we cannot afford the tickets ....WE CAN.


I just simply refuse to pander to this form of being completely ripped off.

Even by you Jimmy....even by you.


Have a great week.


Ciao,

Aunty Pol.



Update:

According to this mornings paper, the ballpark is going to allow "tailgating " for the first time. Big Woop . Parrotheads will tailgate, allowed or not. The PT's have decided that they will sell parking spots for said gating. Each car spot is $50.00 or $75.00 a throw. If you have an RV , you gas hog you, a spot will set you back $75.00 per spot.

Yeesh.

Just another reason the SU and I are not only " No" but "HELL NO".

Friday, February 23, 2007

TGIF Y'all

Happy freaking Friday .

It's been an interesting day here . I always get such a chuckle out of " Go Texan Day" here in the city. It is time for the 75'th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo , so of course all sorts of OMG..he/she is actually wearing THAT >????????? goes without saying .

In all fairness, the HLSR does a hell of a lot in the way of providing monies for scholarships to deserving kids in FFA and such groups . These kids pour blood , sweat and tears into raising and showing their animals for this one event. These kids are all good kids, dedicated to the responsibility of caring for their animals and bust their lil butts in the process. Besides, the baby animals in the pens and the petting areas are just soooo damn...." Awwwwww", that you can't help it.

On the other hand, wild herds of Buckle Bunnies are in their annual migration and so without further ado, I give you Aunty Pol's PSA .

" Be on the alert for the wild Buckle Bunny. This migratory nocturnal creature moves in small numbers in seemingly random patterns . Do not let their hap hazzard movement create a sense of false security. Once they have spotted and marked their prey they will risk life and solar/acrylic nail to bring down their chosen target . They choose their protective coloring with great care and may be identified by their distinctive bedazzled patterns. These patterns may serve as a method of blinding their victims. This tactic is commonly known as either being " Beer Goggled " or more commonly , " Bambi In The Headlights ".

Consider Yourselves Warned.



Have a great weekend...you deserve it.

Ciao and Adios

Aunty Pol.

Monday, February 19, 2007

New Grandma

Woo Hoo .

I just got in touch with my oldest and dearest gal pal and found out they are grandparents.

OMG.

Girl, it's official .

We are middle-aged.

LOL .

She and I go way the hell back, to 8'th grade biology class actually . Hard to believe it's almost 40 years .

Sigh.


More to follow.


Have a great week , we all deserve it.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Viewer Alert..Stoopid Bowl Sunday

If any of you are like Aunty Pol and couldn't give a rats ass about the Stoopid Bowl except for the commercials....Reminder:

Check your local listings for the Animal Planet Schedule. That's right...It's time for Puppy Bowl and the Kitten Half Time Show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wheeeee


Now that's what I call entertainment !

Boo Yah !

Have a great weekend..I know you can do it if you try.


Aunty Pol

Adios Chica

One of the nicest gals I have ever known is flying the coop. She is a paragon and a paradox among her profession . An attorney with a heart, a soul and a sense of humor. I've been in this racket , oops " professional atmosphere " , for 25 years now which is more or less half of this old gal's life . Miss Wendy is that contradiction that is the rarest of rare, a nice gal . Too often in this elitist mens club they call the Law, you are doomed to toil away for those who must retain their power at the expense of others. The petty , the vain, the arrogant and completely abusive . It is the nature of the beast and the sooner you accept that the better off you are. Wishing for a brighter day or justice or a voice of reason is a complete and utter waste of time. The powers that be are just that and you ain't them , not by a long shot.

And yet....


There are those who value the quality of their life as opposed to the quanity of their posessions . They see that a kind word has value on it's own, that most folks are decent sorts given half a chance and that helping others is an obligation ...not a punishment . She is one of those . She has chosen to go to where the Bluebonnets are going to bloom, where the pace is less manic and where the quiet of a spring day is as glorious as any music ever recorded.

You will be missed more than you know my sister .

Be as happy as you can be, you will always be one of the good guys ..or gals as it were.

Adios Mi Amiga

Aunty Pol

Requiem For A Rabblerouser

A personal heroine of mine passed away yesterday. I personally think she would have cared less about my use of the feminine in referring to her , as opposed to the more plebeian hero . I , on the other hand think it is underused and more than appropriate . I have always used the phrase ," I am easily seduced by a clever phrase," and she was one of my major flirts. She never used a five dollar word when simplicity accomplished the same result, and yet her wit was razor sharp to the end . Her public courage in the face of her illness was both heartbreaking and inspiring . She had little if any use for vanity and was fearless in showing the world the effects that her treatment bestowed upon her . Her theory was that of Cancer was going to try to kick her ass , she'd by Gawd kick back and take names . She claimed to have been born in " East Texas", and technically she would be stretching the truth . She was born in California but raised in River Oaks . River Oaks is to East Texas as Beverly Hills is to California. She couldn't have cared less about where a person was from, it was who they were and where they were headed that interested her more. She went to Smith as did her mother and yet never succumbed to the elite ideals that form the perfect Tri Delt or Alpha Phi . She understood that it was okay to be a liberal, to think out side the mainstream and was an advocate for pointing out the Emperor's lack of clothes when most would have demurred. Given the political climate and the gender bias of her early career, she is all the more remarkable for having stuck to her guns. Some politicians have permanent nicknames due to her and yet she had the grace and decency to always distinguish between the politician and the political office he or she held.

On a daily basis, somewhere where there are women gathered, someone is always designated the group's " Smart Ass", armed with a sharp tongue and a pithy reply. She is considered a Parton Saint of the " Smart Ass " , and shall be forever missed by this Smart Ass.

Rest In Peace Molly Ivins.

You may be assured that those who continue to call a dipstick a dipstick will always be there ready with a remark, a reply or a retort. We will call a spade a spade and a shrub a shrub . If those fail, we still have the cadre of cuss words in our verbal stockpile you were not above using when needed....even for the hell of it.

You have always been a heroine to me and shall continue to be one of my many " Gal's who made me laugh my ass off."

Say " Howdy" to Miss Ann when you see her.

Happy Trails


Aunty Pol