Our last chapter of Texas led us to Dallas, where construction was a mighty force.  From our motel near the airport, we could see several cranes. We had one free day left, so we chose to explore the Dallas zoo.  How pleased we were to find it was a lovely zoo, thoughtfully set up and with huge enclosures for...

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Bucket List Item # 2 for My Beloved was a bass fishing trip.  I'll let you know immediately, this went a lot better than the hog hunting. We had 2 days to get to the scheduled fishing date, which was perfect, as it was a 2 day drive.  A quick breakfast before leaving Gonzales was in order: trouble...

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My Beloved's Bucket List Item #1 was a boar hunt. His hope was to, if possible, take a big boar and have a really cool, snarling boar's head mounted for the motorcycle shop.  It seems there are few public lands in Texas for hunting: it is the norm that folks with land allow other people to hunt on their...

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My Beloved's 1st Bucket List adventure required me to lodge in the very small town of Gonzales, Texas.  I'd be thinking this town was indicative of many of the small towns in Texas, so will devote a post to it alone. Built around the classic town square (named, Confederate Square) Gonzales was rich with history and sad with...

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We wanted to see Texas; there are so many things to do and see in that state.  My Beloved asked me to make a list of possibilities: not that we wanted an agenda, but if we happened to be nearby.... Of course I obliged: we always have a great time on road trips.  No agenda? I was more than fine...

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My Beloved had been looking forward to going to Fort Bragg for months.  We'd planned the get away for his birthday and it seemed every week he'd ask: 'is it this weekend?' We left home on Sunday, packed up ourselves and our doggie, Maggie, who loves the beach.  It's a solid 5 hour drive due west from our town...

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As I was making breakfast this morning, my eyes fell upon the adorable chicken potholder a sweet friend made for me.   It always makes me smile, and I am so glad to have it hanging off a magnetic hook on the side of the fridge, where I can see it every time I cook. My life is decorated...

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We've been lucky (so far) this year: the deer haven't touched the tomato plants.  The past 3 years, due to the drought, the deer have munched the tomatoes plants quite thoroughly.  This shocked me, as tomatoes are part of the nightshade family, and the leaves and stems are poisonous. They've done  much, much less damage to the flower...

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As we are down to 8 fluffy butted Girls, My Beloved thought it be a good time to add a few young ones to augment our flock. I thought so too: I mean, really....   who can pass up on a chance for babies? First things first though: as the new Littles have to be kept separate from the...

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Where do we women get our ideas of what married love should be like?  There are so many books, movies and TV shows that set up expectations.  Pre-holidays, the jewelry ads barrage us, the flower shops promote what has turned into expected gifts.  And, while I'm at it, have you noticed that the  Mother's Day ads promote luxurious...

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The day I found my mother's body was one of those desperately garish, cheerless grey days right before Christmas. My mom and I didn't see eye to eye on many things, but we both had come to despair over Christmas. Since her health declined, the very press of what her expectations were made family gatherings took more effort...

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It is April, and it rained all day Saturday, so I got all the indoor chores done.  Was so looking forward to spending my Sunday getting back into sewing, before heading back to work on Monday. Well.... My Beloved had other ideas, it seemed.  When he was measuring the fence line we have to repair and said 'let's...

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