Book 'em Danno (I know another bad pun)

I just received a text from the Zula B Wylie Public Library in Cedar Hill. It reads as follows:

Your library registration will expire in 10 days.  Please contact the library to renew your registration.

What is so humorous is that if I apply for renewal at this library I will be denied if I have to show residence identification. My zip code is shared by the City of Glenn Heights which is two miles from my house. Glenn Heights is in the boundaries of the Zula B Wylie library and there is a better selection of YA books than my city's library--although my library has a fantastic genealogy department. To borrow from another city's library I'd need a TexShare permission card from my local library.

The reason for my fib is simple. In order to get a Tex-Share card, I'd have to wait ninety (90) days. OMG... we'd just moved to Texas and I could get a gun permit faster than I could check out a freakin' book. My full monologue rant is in a post on Thursday, July 4th, 2013. Currently, I am in good standing with my local library (though I may not be after posting this entry) so I will be able to get a temporary TexShare card that must be renewed every ninety days--what an unnecessary hassle.

Come on Texas Legislature... a concealed gun permit is renewed every four years. I kid you not: Here is the statute:

GC §411.183. EXPIRATION. (a) A license issued under this subchapter expires on the first birthday of the license holder occurring after the fourth anniversary of the date of issuance.

I'd love to have someone comment on this subject if your state or country's library rules are just as lame.

Little Jenny Lynn...

My niece Jenny Lynn--the little three year old I'd would sing Once Upon a Dream from Disney's Sleeping Beauty--is all grown up with a little princess of her own.

                 

Meet Sophia Ann Walker

Six lbs, six oz/18" long

Born Tuesday, June 6, 2014

A Dog's Life...

 Right after lunch.

                            Five minutes of play.   

Seven minutes after lunch... 

                             After a five minute nap.

Preserving What's Right (I know... bad pun at jelly humor)

I realize the world changes, but sometimes I don't think big conglomerates understand the meaning of tradition. Let me explain.

One of my favorite theme parks growing up was Knott's Berry Farm located in Buena Park, California. Since I don't have full knowledge of the original owner's history, here is a great link if your interested: Knott's Berry Farm History .

On to my beef... Last year the company sold its jam and jelly rights to Smucker's. I found this sad fact last year when I could no longer purchase the preservers at Costco, so I began to order the product directly from the park itself.

Then, when a friend visited the park this year, he brought me some of my favorite jam. What a huge disappointment. How ugly is the new packaging? Am I right? I haven't opened my new jar, but when I do there will be hell to pay if they changed the recipe. I might even write them a letter (probably not).

From this... to this ... 

Also, at every grocery store in my area, I case the shelves of the Smucker's section and the company doesn't even offer a  Boysenberry jam. 

Everything's coming up Texas...

I've never seen a place as "Staterotic" as the Lone Star State. Maybe, coming from California, my ideas would seem foreign to citizens here, but sometimes I feel like I'm on a whole different planet--don't get me started on open carry gun demonstrations on street corners. The Second Amendment is a topic for another blog post.

The point I'm trying to stress is the fact that Texans come first in Texas, which is the reason why my husband's company opened an office in this grand ole' state. People here support Texan products. Companies stamp the Texas logo or a Lone Star on everything. Here is an example:

Advertisers specifically mention Texas in television commercials.Even Dairy Queen ends their commercials with a jingle that says, "Dairy Queen... that's what I love about Texas."

News broadcasts throw in any correlation to the state in their stories. For example, CBS Station's President was at the Final Four basketball game when the announcement was released that Steven Colbert would replace David Letterman on Late Night.

The funny thing is "Statiortisim" is contagious. I'm starting to realize that I'm becoming contaminated with Texan pride, especially when I watched Matthew McConaughey give his Oscar acceptance speech for the Dallas Buyers Club.

Waffles at the Best Western 

Texas Drought...

Texas is experiencing another drought year, which makes it the third in a row. Our water troubles can't even compare to California's woes; although this is no laughing matter, Jimmy Kimmel had a funny bit a few monhts ago about the rain.  Jimmy Kimmel on first California Rain. 

But the water shortage effects us, too. In a town Northwest of our home, the city has a water recycling plant that filters their water, including black water waste--yes, poop--back into drinking water.

This morning there was a thunderstorm down pour for about two hours. Eventually, Lorne and I would like to purchase some barrels for rain collection to water our garden, but until then we are making do. During the storm I collected the sixteen, three gallon sized bottles of rain water.

 Twelve gallons from back porch.

Front porch water collection  

Front porch has eighteen additional gallons, and Lucy's old toy bin for collection. 

The collected water will bath our veggies for a week or two.

Oh Christmas Tree

 As was our tradition in our California home, we planted our 2013 potted Christmas Tree--the first Christmas tree in our Texas home. Only, I planted the pine to soon and a wicked cold snap in February nearly killed the poor thing. I pleaded with God to save the little booger and, low and behold, new life grows green from the once brown, frozen branches. 

When we moved from our California house, we had to say good by to two 25+ ft plus trees planted in our yard twenty years earlier, along with several other pine trees from Christmas pasts. So, pray for our little Tannenbaum to grow strong and proud.

There are photos of our old trees in a prior blog.