CANTALOUPE FESTIVAL.

AW HELLS BELLS!
Everybody was gathering at Windmill Square behind the museum to watch the dancers and a big rainstorm came and it just poured for about 30 minutes.
That was the reason I went...to see the little ballerinas, tiny cowboys-n-girls and the folklorico dancers.
What a mess.
It was funny and sad.
The dance floor got slick, there was a lightening issue and the music wouldn't play.
So, no dancing.
The color guard never even got to present the flags.

Gene and Alonzo are trash guys for the night. Gene did it with George last year and they had a golf cart to drive around and pick up full trash bags and then they put out new ones. Today there was a golf tournament and their golf cart never showed up. But they are still doing their civic duty and hoofing it. Bet they'll be really tired by midnight!

Ya know, nothing says "small town festival" like corn dogs and funnel cakes. Funnel cakes: ALWAYS makes me think of Jamey...she loves them so.
And in the end folks...we DO have some cantaloupes in town...from Coyanosa and they are GOOD...juicy and very sweet.
We just don't have any to ship....no Blue Bell Cantaloupe ice cream this year....boo.

Check out photo #6...the lis. plate say "1917 REO Speedwagon".

I came home to change clothes my we clothes and I guess I'll head back down there.
Uh-oh....I see another tiny but severe storm on the radar....heading straight for us.
Maybe it'll change it's mind.

Love, Mary

Chickens, a Skunk and Stuff.

Last Thursday I brought Sheila's daughter over and showed her how to make a bottlecap snake. Her name is Hartley...she is 11 years old and she LOVES to make crafts. Sheila is my dog groomer. They live about 45 miles north of here at Red Bluff Lake. Hartley can RIDE that tractor seat!!!

Gene and I went to have a Bar-B-Que lunch with Sheila and her husband Tommy and son Dakotah and Hartley on Saturday at their place at the lake.

You probably can't see it...but this cowboy is working under his Jeep just up the block from us. Only in Pecos will ya see cowboy boots plus spurs stickin' out from under a vehicle!

If you watch the teevee show "BLACK GOLD" you'll understand photo #3...if not...nevermind. This picture was taken about 12 miles north of Pecos on the way to Red Bluff Lake.

I FOUND ONE!!!
A cantaloupe that is...my neighbor Regina brought us 2....not sure exactly where they were grown..probably Coyanosa....but of course...from this area....they are good 'uns.

In our alley, out back...there is a salt cedar tree right by the dumpster...there is a hen under that tree with her 5 or 6 darling baby chicks. Bennie wants to eat them. He went in....She came out fightin'....it happens everyday when Gene takes the dogs out in the alley for their afternoon run.

We have a skunk in our neighborhood. We saw him hurrying across the intersection the other night.

RADIO HOTLINE:
Wanted: maracas and mexican hats.

GENE RE-APPLIED FOR HIS JOB TODAY.

They interviewed 17 teachers, 3 teacher's assistants and 2 secretaries.
He should hear if he keeps his job by next mon., tues., or wed.
Back ground check?!
Dunno.

love, mary
P.S. It's raining and it rained last night.

WE CONTINUE TO LIVE IN LIMBO & OTHER SUNDRY NEWS.

Last year our neighbor Laura was cleaning out her garage and gave us an old, rusty tractor seat. Gene's friend Alonzo cleaned it up...painted it John Deere green and then welded it onto this spring that he found at the dump. Not sure where he got the "donut" spare tire...probably at the dump also...but we are highly amused that it says: "FOR TEMPORARY USE ONLY".
That's for sure, because the durn thing is quite dangerous to sit on...that's why it's placed next to a patio pole to hang onto ya see. That darlin' Alonzo is a teacher at WTSS and is handy doing everything construction like and can weld to boot. He'll have no trouble making a living if things turn out badly at The West Texas State School in Pyote.

Which brings me to my vent.
If you are a regular blog reader here or a family member etc. you've heard for months about the possible and probable take over of the WTSS Education Dept. by the Iraan Independent School District.
Well, the contracts have been signed so they will take over Aug. 1st...or Aug. 18th or sometime in Aug.
Now, everyone was at first reassured that all the teachers would keep their jobs but that Iraan was going to bring their own administrators.
Now we hear that the teaching staff will be reduced by half since the student population has gotten alot smaller...and will remain so.
All of Gene's co-workers have been telling him he doesn't need to worry because he's the "only kid on the block" in the P.E. Dept. since Ms. Knight must retire in less than 6 months.
But HELL'S BELLS....they could hire TWO new P.E. teachers for the same money that Gene is making. He's making more than some of the administrators...including the principle....or is it principal?
The new people could just say:"Oh sorry Coach Poole...you're too expensive...hit the road."
CRAP!!! We have lived here for more than TWO YEARS under some threat or other of possible laying off, closing or firing.
First it was that Gene wasn't qualified to teach Science...that went on a year.
Then there was the combination of the ongoing possibility of a complete closing of the school.
That went on forever.
Now this shit.
Maybe we should just sell bottlecap snakes at craft shows for hot dog money.
I try not to worry but that's easy to say...and hard to do.
I JUST WANT TO GO HOME NOW!!!
Just cut our losses and go back to central Texas.
We sold our house and moved 400 miles away from friends and family after living there for 33 years...and it's been REAL hard to adjust to Pecos and a totally different life.
I wish Gene could just retire.

That's enough of that.

We've had bits and tenths of inches of rain here and there for about 2 weeks and it's been great for the yard. I guess my flowers don't seem like much to ya'll...but they are great to me. At least the colors are pretty, no?
It made the flies increase...they hadn't been too bad...not like last summer...and the mosquitoes are here now too. Up till now we'd had none. It doesn't take much moisture here to get the mosquitoes...VAMPIRES...they're real big 'uns!
Willie is liking it...see him a-rollin' in th' grass?
I had Sheila (his groomer) shave him down big time....I've never seen Willie with no long hair on his ears. He looks a bit like a pug. He looked funny before but looks really funny now.
He has at least six kinds of dog in him I think.

Gene took his prison softball team all the way up to Vernon, Texas last Thursday and returned Friday night. They swept the tournament! It was just a teeny tournament...but they won all their games. Too bad the trip was ruined by the negative A-hole superintendent. He bitched at the kids the WHOLE time about every tiny thing until they didn't care about winning. I'm just glad it's over. It was an amazing amount of paperwork and other getting ready stuff for Gene...it took weeks!

We went to the Pecos Social Lodge (AKA PSL) last Saturday night. They're only open Saturdays every 2nd Sat. of the month. It was a pot luck thing. There were only about 10 folks there but it was a good time and something to do. It used to be The Pecos Elk's Lodge until about 2000 when the Elk's Lodge disbanded. We made a bottlecap snake for the bar. People we pretty impressed by it.

I found an interesting blurb in the Wikipedia regarding Pecos. It said:
In the 1960's and early 70's Pecos was notorious for arresting "hippie" hitch hikers and having their long hair cut before releasing them.
YIKES! Gene had a ponytail then.

Guess I've babbled more than usual.
That's all bloggers.
Love, Mary

FT. DAVIS JULY 5, 2008

We went to Ft. Davis market days across from the fort and then downtown to the square where they had arts-n-crafts, food and a cheezy shootout....at least the guns were LOUD...even if their script was bad.

Stopped in Balmorhea at their flea market and of course got jerky. I wonder how many pictures I've taken of this jerky stand with various visitors?

George and his visiting friend Dale followed us on their motorcycles.
On the way home they went to Balmorhea pool to swim and we dropped Jamey off there and she rode home on the back of Dale's motorcycle.

We drove over to the local walmart area on the 4th to watch fireworks.
I wasn't sure if they'd have many since gas is so high and so is food...thought maybe the local folks wouldn't spend as much on fireworks.
WELL, THEY SHORE DID!!!
Gene always bills this event as "Little Vietnam".
PECOS LOVES FIREWORKS!
We sat there for over an hour and there were about 100 people setting off lots of big 'uns, little 'uns and in betwixt ones.
George had never been and was just sitting in his lawn chair laughing out loud.
Jamey was impressed with this home grown effort.

We had almost 2 tenths of an inch of rain t'other day.

This first picture is under the IH 10 overpass in Balmorhea...it's a buncha swallow's nests.
Buying jerky, popcorn, sweet potato butter.
The Fam....think my hat is big enough?
Shootout pictures below.



I forgot to say that last week on the way home from Marathon...after that big rain there were quite a few tarantulas crossing the road. Not the big brown ones. These were smaller black ones. Wish I'd stopped and gotten a picture. Gene said that they had had some come into the gym in Pyote....the kids wanted to kill 'em cos they were afraid of them. Gene just instructed them to sweep them outside.

I asked around about the cantaloupes....or lack of them. Both Debbie at the museum and my boss Peggy said that they don't remember not ever having any!!! How are we sposed to have the cantaloupe festival in 2 weeks with no "loupes"?

Misspellings from the radio hotline:
For Sale:
a message chair.
a gilding.
Reading these online cracks me up.
It's funnier than listening to the actual call ins on the radio.
Other Hotline Items:
For Sale:
chicharone pot. (which is of course for frying up your pig skins.)
Wanted:
old roadrunner. (like the bird? Naw....but it still looks funny.)

My back and neck are getting some relief after 3 appts. with the chiropractor.

Gene will be home around midnight tonight from Vernon from his prison softball games.
We'll both be glad to see that crap over with!!!!
The paperwork alone took 2 weeks or more and caused many headaches.

That's all.
Love, Mare

IMAGES OF MARATHON TRIP.

Photo #1. Cool Bird Sculptures.
#2.& #3. What is that??? My guess is a smokehouse...but it looks like a huge safe.
#5. & #6. YEAH! A BIG SCARY STORM WE WENT THRU!!!
#7. Church Doors.
#8 & #9. Inside the Gage Hotel.

NEWS IN A NUTSHELL #140

Refer to Parade Post: The farm implement behind the tractor in photo #7 is a MANURE SPREADER.

The weather has been such a blessing.
Rodeo on Fri. and Sat. night was cloudy, breezy and cool...made it sooo much more enjoyable.
Then Monday we got almost 2" of rain over 12 hours...a miracle!!

Two funny first names of rodeo cowboys: Windmill and Spud. I've noticed that the younger guys don't have amusing names...just mostly the old timers.

There were a husband and wife charro team performing at the rodeo...see pictures...and their cute 4 year old son. They are 4 time champions.

There was a guy making spiral potatoes and fryin' them and doing a bang up business. See photo.

Check out my earrings in photo #1...I only wear 'em for rodeo...they're heavy.
HEY! There's guy in the forground of photo #7 with no cowboy hat on...who let him in?

F.Y.I....I much prefer...and my favorite horses are the GRAY ones?
What do YOU like?

We have no cantaloupes at all...nada...NONE! I am so bummed. Pecos didn't plant any due to no pickers and rising fuel costs. We hoped to bring some in from Coyanosa about 30 miles away...but theirs got ruined by hail a couple of weeks ago. CRAP!! I look forward to the melons every summer...Double crap!!!

Gene and Jamey went to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico yesterday and had a great time. Jamey and I are headed to Marathon today...population 600...elevation 4,000 ft...it should be nice and cool...twice as high as us...but it's not bad here either today.

RADIO HOTLINE:
For Sale:
bus ticket from Pecos to Odessa.
Wanted:
Stuff. (Huh?)
Harness to pull a buggy. (only in Pecos during rodeo folks.)

That's all...gotta get on the road.
Love, Mary