A Secret Last Minute Night away. It had gotten busy and crazy and so we just slipped out of town for one night to ourselves. And it was a good time! I won $400…don’t ask me how much I spent! Ha!
A year or two ago we went down to Natchez, Mississippi and took a biscuit making class with Regina, The Biscuit Queen. We loved them so much that we make four batches at a time and put them in the freezer to use almost every morning. They are delicious. Rudy is really amazing at rolling out the biscuits, as his ALWAYS turn out fluffier and tastier than mine. But we do this together. It’s really always a fun night together, plus we get to reap the benefits.
Woo Pig Sooie!!! Labor Day weekend was a blast cheering on the hogs and visiting my mom. Oh and to win a game!!! A great start to a great season!!!
Our second home game was another win! Not just because the hogs won the game, but also because Daisy joined us up at Mamaw’s. Plus, we got to see Michelle and Saint. It was a good time all around. We stopped on the way at Wiederkher Weinkeller Restaurant and Winery, which is a family tradition. Also, at the end of the game, we got to watch the press conference and just happened to get to meet Coach Pitman and the athletic director. Coach Pitman was really nice. Another great weekend!
Our third home game was a welcome break from the heat, as it was a night game. We played again Missouri State with Petrino as coach. You could see the neck braces all in the audience. Well, we won, thank goodness, as we were staying at Mamaw’s and I didn’t think she’d let us back in the house if Petrino won. She is not a fan of him, and she loves her hogs. I also got to meet a former Razorback basketball player and he was super nice and let me take my picture with him. And we went to Pancho’s for supper in Goshen, our favorite restaurant when we are in town, as it’s so close to my mom’s house, is always good food and good service.
We went back to my old stomping grounds for a fun camping experience at DamSite in Heber Springs, Arkansas. We had a great visit from Dean earlier in the week, so we dropped him off on Saturday morning at the El Dorado “International” Airport. Then we hitched up the camper and headed north, dropping Daisy off to help her college roommate celebrate her 21st birthday. Then we turned further north and pitched camp. Our friends Jon and Cathy, and their dog Buster, met us up there for one night. They live just 30 mintues away, so it was a perfect pop over camp night for them. We stayed until Monday. While there we went and saw all sorts of my memories. We went by the house my grandparents built, I got a photo on the fence that my grandfather built with his own hands and we would walk on the top of it. It’s a favorite memory. I also got a photo of the house and our old home, but have chosen not to post them as they are other people’s current residences. We also went over to some bluffs not far from where my grandparents used to live that I swam at on occasion. Everyone knows about them now. There were quite a few people. Also, I got a photo at the top of the tallest bluff on the lake- Amphitheater Bluff. When I was a teen, I jumped off it a few times. It’s around 65 feet tall, if I remember right. They don’t allow anyone to jump off it anymore, but that’s okay I’m not young and dumb anymore. Okay…not young. Anyway, it’s still a beautiful view. We also checked out downtown and ate at a couple of restaurants and grilled on the campfire. And my favorite part was swimming in the lake. Greers Ferry Lake is my favorite lake in the whole wide world. It’s clear on the weekdays, seeing down twenty feet. It churns on the weekends due to the traffic. But, the water temperature is really good for most of the year for swimming. And it is so very calming. Little dragonflies will land on your arms and head as you float on the water on your rafts. I always feel complete peace and at home in that water. It was good to go back after 15 years. I didn’t realize I had missed it.
We had a great weekend going to see Kevin Hart in North Little Rock. He puts on a fantastic show!!! I highly recommend seeing him. His opening acts, there were three, were all really funny. And then Mr. Hart came out and had us all laughing until their were tears in our eyes. I laughed the entire time, from start to finish. It was seriously the funniest comedy show I had ever seen and I will use it as the bar to top, which I feel will be quite difficult to achieve. It was great! Also, everyone in the audience was super nice and fun to be around. I think partly was the venue required everyone to seal up their phones in these pouches throughout the show. So, everyone seemed to chit chat and were just genuinely happy to be there. Kevin Hart audiences are great and Kevin Hart is the BEST! Go see his show, if you get a chance.
Although the Kevin Hart Show was my Christmas gift to Rudy. My man treated me! We stayed at The Capital Hotel in Little Rock. This is the hotel we stayed at on part of our honeymoon. It’s a fantastic place to stay if you ever get the chance!!! That night we dined in the hotel restaurant and bar. That picture is of me and my tiramisu. It was simply delightful. And the following morning we had brunch in the other hotel restaurant. I had a poached egg with hollandaise sauce over smoked salmon. Oh my, it was good. And… Bloody Mary’s! If you follow along, you might know by now that we try out bloody mary’s at various places along our travels. This one you can taste the citrus and spice it up hot, if desired. We did. It was spicy…and good.
The annual tradition, father/daughter new backpack for school day.
We got her all moved in! She is ready for a fantastic Senior Year. We cannot wait to see all she will create and do this year!
This past August, one afternoon Rudy says, “Let’s go to UCAPS and get a new cat.” Well, of course, I’m on board! Rudy, Daisy and I went to the UCAPS Adoption Center. They allowed us to see around 20 of their 65 adoptable cats. Well, we cruised and cruised the room, petting and holding every cat allowed. There was this one cat that hid under a blanket the entire time we were in the room. I dismissed this cat thinking, “we are not a timid cat family.” Well, Daisy – the cat whisperer, got ole Agnes to come out from under the blanket and she purred like a kitten once picked up and passed around, family member to family member. The lady at the shelter went and got other shelter workers to “Come look at this! She’s been here for a year and no one has been able to pick her up!” I feel that might have been a bit of a ploy to seal the deal, but it worked. We made our selection, or preferably she made hers. At the shelter she had been named Xena, perhaps this is why she hid under the blanket for so long. I would have, too. By the time we made it to the car, a new more apt name of Agnes Sundae Bright was made. Although, we did not get to take Agnes home that day. We had to be vetted, and she had to be vetted. We had paperwork and they had to check to make sure we were a good home. Agnes actually had to go to the vet to be looked over. Well, we waited days with no call from the shelter. I finally started calling. Agnes had been taken to the vet, but had to stay the night. They let us know a tooth had to be pulled, but on further investigation it turned out all her top teeth from canine to canine had to be removed. We use the same veterinarian so we knew that if he had to pull all those teeth then she must have really needed it. But, I must say it was a shock. I’m so glad she came to our home where she will be able to live a long life.
Now, the saga only just began. We picked up Agnes from the vet, I went to the shelter to pay for her. We didn’t want to traumatize her anymore by being sent back and then onto our home. Well, here we get this toothless, scaredy cat home and she is terrified. She hides behind furniture; we pet her; she hides some more. The vet said we needed to feed her wet food; we put it out; she doesn’t eat it. So proceeds the first day. We have a couple of days of this; she starts moving around the house. She is so quiet, never making a sound. Our cat Snow and Agnes are unsure of each other, hissing when they see each other and then running out of the room. We are trying to help Agnes acclimate. A cat poops in Dean’s bed. I don’t know which one, but I have my suspensions. This all goes on for a day or two. Then the night comes. She disappears. We wake up the next morning and she is no where to be found. Oh, no. A new toothless cat who feels unwell, no where to be found. I mean, nowhere. We look in every room, behind every piece of furniture. Okay, she will come out eventually. She doesn’t. A night passes. Then a day. We search and search. Another night. Rudy has left town. It’s just Daisy and I. We do a room to room search. I lift furniture; Daisy looks under. I pull out drawers; Daisy looks behind shelves. We are thorough with each room. In every room, we put out a plate of wet cat food, cat treats and cat nip. We shut the door and cover the crack with a pillow, just in case she’s able to flatten her body and push her way through. The trap is laid, we check in the morning for signs of nighttime wildlife. We awaken the next morning and check room to room. Nothing in here, all looks the same. Nothing in here. Nothing. We call Rudy. I think she’s gone. Probably hidden in a wall or somewhere and trapped and cannot get out. Our poor, poor new kitty, dying in our walls. We will find her in due time, but that’s really not how I want to find her. Did I mention we even checked the fireplace chimney? We looked everywhere. No cat to be seen.
That was until the fourth night of Agnes Sundae Bright’s sneaky excursion. You see, Daisy is a college student that was home for the summer. Her sleep schedule is different from ours, as all her friends are up and online from midnight on, thus she is, too. So, Miss Daisy was up in the kitchen along about 2:00 a.m. when she looks over from the sun porch red faux leather swivel chairs to see the pantry door crack open and a black shadow streak past. It was Agnes! We never thought that little, tiny, sickly cat could push open a big heavy door. She could. And she did. And that is where we found her next morning, under the pantry shelves in the laundry room with the big heavy swinging pantry door that Agnes could push open.
Well, we bought Agnes a collar and a bell, because she is so quiet. And she has become quite acclimated to the house now, sitting on laps, claiming cardboard boxes with blankets for her own, snacking on treats. She still is afraid of Snow and hisses at her and then runs out of the room, but only when they lock eyes after sitting in the same room for hours. Snow now could not be bothered, unless she wants up in the lap that Agnes is sitting in, then she just sits below on the ground looking at Agnes and not saying a word, until Agnes panics and leaves.
Also, I’d like to throw in that the idea was to get this cat so that I would have a cat and Rudy would have a cat. Rudy now has two cats that prefer his lap to mine. I secretly am okay with that.
Daisy was back to cooking and what a treat to come home to a bowl of Asian-inspired rice bowl with shrimp and cucumbers paired with the new Arkansas wine we picked up on our recent trip. Snow even was up in her seat waiting for a bite! Daisy has been a working with her internship and staying busy.
This was my 20th year to volunteer for Vacation Bible School in some capacity at various churches throughout the years. This year they gave me a super easy job: check-in, and I appreciated it! I also took a day and drove over to Arkadelphia and got my hair colored. I loved the new hair color and am excited as this will be my before photo, as I’m about to get hair extensions. So, be on the lookout for a new do, coming in a few weeks! Also, I’ve always loved driving under this railroad bridge; it’s neat.
And we headed back to the arts center for the opening of Momma Mia! the summer musical. It was great! I highly recommend it. In fact, I went back and ushered on Sunday and will be going back to see it with some of my friends. At the end you get to sing along with the songs of Abba, so much fun!!!
What a fun night! Good friends and good food! We enjoyed an evening for dinner over at Amy & Tracy’s house – Rudy, Daisy and I; Amy and Tracy and Blair; and Renee and David. The table setting was lovely and the first course was Renee’s wedge salad. Amy said she always requests Renee’s wedge salad and now I know why, because it’s one of the best I’ve ever had! In addition to the wedge salad, we had: thick cut steaks that were buttery deliciousness; creamed shallots and spinach, which I never had before but may have been my favorite part of the meal; scratch-made Alfredo and fettuccine topped with a grilled garlic-lemon-butter shrimp and roasted potatoes. We were so full, but somehow able to enjoy cheesecake with fresh cut strawberries and whipped topping. Amy said the cheese cake came from Mac’s Fresh Market in the frozen food section. I seriously thought it was homemade; it was so very good. So, we had just the most delightful time with friends and a fantastic meal. A good night!
A little Wildlife: This mockingbird was chilling on the roof of my car after work. He really liked it up there and wasn’t took keen on moving, but he eventually did. Also, this cute baby turtle was hanging out on the back patio on my way to work. He was so cute.
Friday night we went out and saw our friend and a fantastic musician Chris Loggins playing at Main Street Pizza and got to hang out with some good friends. We had a wonderful night together!
Saturday was a really nice day. We started the day fresh with a visit to the MAD Farmer’s market. Rudy and Daisy got fancy coffee from the coffee cart. We bought a really cool inlaid wood charcuterie board, canned dill pickles, and a hoppin’ john hot sauce for our black-eyed peas that I haven’t seen since I was a kid, so I cannot wait to try it! After we went to Off the Rail for brunch. This place never disappoints! And we got to visit with the couple outside on the patio who brings their big green parrot River every so often out. Afterwards, we strolled around the square and hit up most of the shops and made a few purchases. We headed home and took a break. That evening Rudy and I went to the pool at the club. The first time all summer. It was hot out of the pool and warm it in, but it was one of the coolest things we could do on one of the hottest days of the year. Plus, they make cool drinks and it was fun catching up with some friends. After we drove our golf cart home, and cleaned up and popped in the car and all went to the South Arkansas Arts Center’s Juried Art Show reception. We caught the last thirty minutes. We loved all the art that the judge Taylor Jasper from The Momentary selected. It was really a cool and well done show, especially if you enjoy Contemporary and Modern art. I was impressed. We bought a piece from Marla Tomlinson, whom I have admired for a couple of years. It has lightening bolts on it, so Rudy is the one who really loved it and selected the piece. We are excited. We also picked up our Razorback piece from the last show. After the reception, we drove out to Fernando’s and had supper. We ran into our friends from the night before, which was a neat coincidence. The food was good and so was the day!
MAD Farmer’s Market
Four Points Coffee Co.
Off The Rail
Southern Threads
Martha’s On the Square
Mina Rhea’s Antiques
The Perfects
El Dorado Golf & Country Club
South Arkansas Arts Center
Fernando’s
Cherie's Sayings 