Some basketball news

Our local High School girls are winners. They are pretty good at basketball too. Last week they played in the Vernon (TX) Invitational Tournament, and came home with the second place trophy.

The girl with number 14 on her jersey is my great grand-daughter, Haley Hamersley. As you can probably tell, we are all very proud of her.

Short post, but short is better than none, right?

the procrastinating Grandma in the yellow house

Serenity Celebrates Earth Day

Serenity did celebrate Earth Day, in her own back yard, with Mom and Dad. She was dressed in her Indian style shirt, and with a braid at the side of her face.

She didn't plant any trees, but she did climb one (with Dad's help of course.)

After an energetic play time she decided to relax in the clover patch. I don't think she was as tired as the parents--just saying.

Grandma in the yellow house, who celebrated Earth Day by ignoring it.

Family news

It has been awhile since adding to the yellow house chronicles, we are seldom out and around to learn what is going on in our corner of the world. Here's a look at what the family has been doing lately.

Patti has been promoted to Director of Nursing at the nursing home in Hollis. She has gone from working weekends only to a regular Monday through Friday schedule. This is her "go to work car, a new Kia Soul. It may look like a box on wheels, but it is very economical, and rides comfortably. And there is lots of cargo room. She is very happy with it.

David is playing bass in a band now, called Southern Revolver. He says he does it for fun, and does not expect to get rich or famous. The guys play all over southwest Oklahoma, and are getting fairly well known. He is a show-off when it comes to playing that bass, holding it out in front awhile, and then behind his head. For a beginner with bass, he's pretty good. Don't mean to brag....well, yes I do....he and the drummer hold the music together.

Haley is a Junior in HS now and is taking a college class called micro-computer applications. Back in our day, you had to finish HS before going to college, just one of many changes in education over the years.

Summer seemed short, school started 3 weeks ago, and it is finally cooling off. Guess that means fall is just around the corner.

They are getting ready to pick this years apple crop in Illinois, and guess who wants Illinois apples....we do. Hope we can go get a bushel or so and bring them home with us.

Grandma in the yellow house, who is happy to see hot weather fading away.

Serenity's birthday party

June 27...Serenity had her second birthday....she has now officially entered the famous "terrible twos" stage of life. She already gives her Mom and Dad more exercise that they probably want. The party began at 6 p.m. with a cook-out-hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, deviled eggs, and chips followed with cake and ice cream. She had her own cake, the rest of us had to share.

She had several gifts to open, and we all liked that as much as she did. Lots of paper makes such a nice mess.

And there were two gifts unwrapped and waiting in the front yard for fun after supper. And a good time was had by all.

The photos I took were accidentally erased along with all the others that were stored in my camera, during a "Senior Moment" so these are courtesy of Granny Sharry. Those little cell phone cameras are so convenient....well, more like little miracles.

Grandma in the yellow house, who remembers when Serenity's Mom and Grandpa celebrated THEIR 2nd birthdays...

Haley in Amarillo

Haley spent the past two weeks in Amarillo at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch. Her Dad's cousin and her husband are house parents there, so Haley went to visit them. Charli used Haley for a model to practice her photography, and she took some absolutely beautiful photos of her. These are just a sample. She took dozens!

Haley has always been a camera ham. Even when she was very small, any time the camera came out she was right there with a big smile and ready to pose. Unlike her sister Harley, who tends to turn away from it if she has the chance.

Charli is a very talented photographer and I thank her for allowing me to use some of her photos. Sanders Photography may be famous one of these days, and we can brag that Haley was one of her first models.

Grandma in the yellow house, who is proud of all her grandkids and great-grandkids

Harley's Graduation

Friday evening Harley graduated from the 8th grade. She is now officially a high school student. The ceremony was impressive, as graduations always are, and Harley won awards in addition to being valedictorian. The whole family is so proud of her!

In the photo below Harley and Cierra Dennis presented the class history.

This is Harley with her Mother.

And Harley with her sister, Haley, and her Dad

Harley, all smiles after the program was over. She had a large group of family in attendance.

We are finished with graduations for 2 years now, until Haley graduates from high school.

Presented with pride,

Grandma in the yellow house

Birthday-Farrell David

Today is Uncle Farrell's (Doc) birthday--87 years old! He still gets around well for his age. He goes grocery shopping, walks to his mailbox every day, pushes his trash container to the street on pick up days, and still watches all the Cardinal baseball games.

This photo is of Uncle Farrell at about age 4, taken probably in 1927.

Farrell served in the U.S. Army near the end of WW II, but spent most of his life on the farm, helping first his father and then brother Virgil with the farm chores and field work, and also helping his mother with the gardening, the chickens, and the household chores.

We had German chocolate cake to celebrate, but no candles.

Hoping he will have more happy days

Grandma in the yellow house

the Birthday Party

Our great granddaughter is now 16 years old. Her birthday was the 28th, but the party was last night at her Uncle's farm. It began with a big barbecue, followed by dancing with live music provided by a local band.

The surprise birthday gift, a 1999 Ford Ranger. She was hoping for a new truck, but alas, the finances did not stretch that far, even with both parents working. I could have told her I did not get a vehicle until after I was married, but I am very sure she would not have appreciated that information. Is it obvious that she comes from a redneck family by wanting a truck rather than a convertible sports car?

Haley , third from left, with some of her friends who were at the party. They all had a good time.

This is Haley dancing with one of her nephews. They call him Little Bubba, another redneck tradition. They start dancing at a very young age here.

All the adults and teens enjoyed the dancing. I can see Haley way back on the left, just in front of the band, being whirled around the floor.

I did not stay long at the party, but put in my obligatory appearance, and wished Haley a happy 16th, then came home to put my feet up.

Grandma in the yellow house, who only dances in her living room these days. When no one is watching......

The Killer Tomatoes and Harley

This is Harley now, at almost 14, but I remember when she was about 6, she was fascinated with the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. I know we watched it more than a dozen times.

The movie was made in the 1970's, with the really weird fashions in clothing and hairstyles, and it has been voted one of the 7 worst movies of all time, also voted one of the best movie titles of all time.

Harley was not the first child in the family to be fascinated with this movie. I remember her Uncle Jack (Powers) watching with big eyes riveted to the screen. He was probably about 5 years old at the time.

I also remember both of them giving sideways, wary looks at the tomatoes in the kitchen after seeing those "killer tomatoes" chasing people down the streets and attacking them in their homes.

We lived in Jacksonville (IL) when Jack saw the movie, and I was in the habit of taking him and Sunshine for walks around the neighborhood. We always passed a home with a big garden near the street, and when the tomatoes were getting ripe Jack noticed them, moved to my side away from them, and grabbed my hand, and whispered, "Grandma, let's get out of here quick!" Next time we went for a walk, he did not want to go down that street.

We still own a copy of this movie, and I can't help but wonder if the next generation, D'Anna and Serenity, will be as spellbound with it as their folks were.

grandma in the yellow house, movie lover from way back.

Ridin' with Haley

Yes, I rode with Haley yesterday, but there was good reason. She had to go to the orthodontist at Mangum, there was no other driver to take her, so Grandma in the yellow house was drafted. She is still a few days away from 16 when she will officially be old enough for that coveted piece of plastic (driver's license), but does have the permit to drive when accompanied by a licensed driver--which would be me. She seemed a little surprised when I handed her the keys, guess she doesn't realize what a brave person I am. We made the trip with no cause for panic attack. She is actually a very good driver, and with more experience she will improve even more.

The photo was taken while Haley was on spring break, spending a few days at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch at Amarillo where her cousin Charli along with husband Chris are houseparents.

She said she enjoyed her visit there.

I did enjoy the trip with her, it was the first time in quite awhile I had spent one on one time with her. She has grown up so fast, she is already making plans for college and planning to be an orthodontist. We are wondering if she might be a pod child. (Remember the old movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"

Grandma in the yellow house, who is proud of all her grandchildren

Fishin' Weekend

Sunshine got 3 days off this past weekend, and we have photos to show how she spent her time. Harley helped, but Haley had other "fish to fry." Pun intended.

These were caught at Quartz Mountain State Park, and they were so heavy "uncle Jackie" had to carry them up the hill to the parking lot. Jackie is Sunshine's brother-in-law, and Harley's uncle.

I asked Sunshine when the fish fry will be and she made it plain she does not clean or cook, she just catches them. I may be waiting for a long time for a bite of fresh fish.

Grandma in the yellow house, who does not go fishing, or clean them, but is willing to cook.

Further Adventures of Serenity

Serenity came for lunch today(along with her Mom, Dad, and Grandpa) and as usual she had an adventure.

Of course she had to taste it to see if it was good to eat.

And check over her handiwork.

It did make a nice pile on the floor. And when she was finished she helped pick it all up and put it back in the tub. That was fun too.

Grandma in the yellow house, who has decided she is no longer able to keep up with an almost 2 year old.

Census Scams

I found this information on a yahoo group this afternoon, with a link to the Emergency Email and Wireless Network.
The Census Bureau does NOT conduct the census on the internet.
The Census Bureau does NOT send emails about taking part in the census.
The Census Bureau never:
1 Asks for your full social security number.
2 Asks for a donation.
3 Sends requests on behalf of a political party.
4 Requests PIN codes, passwords, or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.
Go to http://www.emergencyemail.org/ for more information.

We just cannot be too careful, right?
Grandma in the yellow house

Spaghetti

Serenity was here for dinner yesterday-Sunday-and we had spaghetti and meatballs, with tossed salad. She sat on her Mama's lap to eat, and Jessica did not get much salad or spaghetti!

I know it looks like Serenity got more on the outside than in, but not so. She finished off the salad, then went for the spaghetti (no meatballs-she is not a meat eater) and finished that off too. A handful of grapes, and she was ready for a nap, after getting her face and hands washed of course.

At least she doesn't fall asleep head in plate like her Grandpa David did when he was her age.

grandma in the yellow house, who also likes her spaghetti

Basketball Champs

They did it!!!! Our high school girls won the district championship! We are so proud of them. Now they are movin' on up to the regional tournaments.

Our great-granddaughter, Haley is second from the left (still the smallest girl in her class, all the way through school)

These girls have done a great job for such a small school. They deserve all their success.

Published with pride,

Grandma in the yellow house

Surviving the Ice Storm

Scene from our front yard>>>>>>>>

The storm is over, at least for now, although some of the folks living out in rural areas are still without power. We were out for a full 7 days-no tv for Harold, no computer for me, but we managed to survive quite well. We have a gas space heater in the dining room that kept 6 rooms comfortable, we were able to cook on the gas stove top (no oven, though), made coffee in an old-fashioned stove-top percolator, and cooked several meals in the cast iron dutch oven.

We had oil for the lamps, and managed to get kerosene for the old Aladdin lamp, which belonged to my mother, so we had light in the evenings. Mom bought that lamp about 1942 and we are still able to get the mantles for it. We also had plenty of flashlights and batteries, but now we will have to replenish the battery supply.

Our hand crank radio worked just as it was supposed to do, so we were able to keep up with weather reports and progress of the power companies as they worked to get us all back in service.

David brought a generator to hook up our freezer, and save all the food supply for us. Some we stored out in the storage shed where it stayed frozen at highs of 25 degrees. The only food I had to toss was 1/3 jar of mayo. It may have been ok, but afraid to trust it.

Uncle Farrell had no heat or power, so he spent his time here with us. Many folks around town had no heat, and there were others who were happy to take them for a few days. Small towns are great that way, always willing to help one another out in emergencies.

Neighborhood scene>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is the honeysuckle vine that grows at the corner of

our front porch. How can something so beautiful be so destructive?

The ice is all gone now, but the clean-up is still on-going. It will take more than a few days.

One thing we learned--we are capable of survival in difficult circumstances, and self-reliance is a good feeling.

Feeling blessed and secure,

Grandma in the yellow house

After Christmas

Haley got new Lariat boots for Christmas, just what she wanted. Her Dad thought she should wear the jeans on the outside, but she informed him they are skinny jeans, and won't fit on the outside. They have a cross on the front, very beautiful. The kids are all back in school so I am wondering if she wears them to classes every day. I'll have to ask.

Harley got what she wanted also, an electronic Bible with the whole 9 yards. It looks up verses, chapters, highlights, and even has a sketch screen with stylus for taking notes, (or doodling.) She is very proud of it.

The best part of Christmas, as always, was the family get-together and dinner, the laughter and hugs, the joy of all being together. Sunshine and Michael hosted the party, and did a great job. Thanks to you both. We all love you.

Another year passed away into memory.
Grandma in the yellow house who is now relaxing.