SHOCK AND AWE

sweet Goddess on a Harley....it's raining.

Siiiiiiiiiiigh*...never mind..it quit.

STUMBLE, TRIP FALL

They finally made up!

JAMIE'S BRIDAL SHOWER

you can't tell, but the shoes are a deep eggplant color..matched
my top perfectly.
$5 fucking dollars.I was taking all the pictures and kept forgetting to get some one to take pictures of me and the girls with the camera I was using, so will have to wait till I get a copy of them.


these are the 2 green plastic thingies I had full of stuff, plus a huge bag that broke and they put it all in a black garbage bag with a big bow.

My two beautiful granddaughters..Jenny and Jamie.Jamie is the one that got married..Jenny is in no hurry to get married.



the Texas flag, so she'll have something to remind her of where she's from.
Jenny taking pictures.

my stuff for Jamie.
Jamie cutting her cake..this is an exact copy of the one we found on the internet..brown with blue..
the grooms cake was fantastic..chocolate with chocolate icing and chocolate covered strawberries on it..


pardon my crappy photographs.
Thom and Jamie.

Thom and Jenny.

The cakes, the food and the punch was really good.

MAJOR PANIC ATTACK

That's what this last back pain scare gave me..Fucking freaked me out. Seriously folks..it scared the shit out of me. I just knew I had really fucked it up and I was in for either another operation or major pain for the rest of my life. Because it was exactly like it was before my last operation. I even resorted to pain meds. and trust me, with my allergies to pain meds, it's not something I do easily. I am allergic to Demerol, dilaudid, morphine, codeine, percodine, and talwin.
When I say I'm allergic I mean that my throat closes up from swelling and I can't breath. My hands, feet and face swell up also. Plus I itch so bad I think I'll go crazy. Which means if I have major pain, I either take not enough and it doesn't do anything for the pain, or I take enough for the pain and worry about it shutting down my windpipe. Nice choice. Thank the Goddess for Babs who still had some darvocet from her cat bite episode. I took one 3 all together and then I discovered the heating pad, another idea from Babs. I think I was in such a panic, and not trying to show it that I just wasn't thinking, because these are all things I know. So have been sitting on the heating pad so much that I'm sure my ass looks like a bratwurst. But it works..I have taken all of the week off, and with the weekend off too, I will have 6 days of straight R&R and that seems to be helping. It still hurts but not like it did..I went out yesterday and walked to the garbage and mail box, went to library and Food Mart. By the time I got back I had to call Babs to come bring in my groceries. I knew I couldn't lift them with out more pain as I was already feeling the pull, pain and tug in my right butt cheek. Just carrying 3 library books and my purse was causing pain.
In case some of you don't know the origin of my back problems, in 1994 I worked at Hastings Book Store as the Book Department Manager. It was a new store and as manager I was responsible for the placement of each book section and each and every book. Setting up the book cases, end caps, promotions, waterfalls, etc. It was hard and strenuous work. But I loved it..It was my book department, form the front to the back magazine sections. After the store opened I was working late to organize and pick up the department when I stood on my tiptoes to put a book on the top of a 6 foot bookcase. I felt a 'pop' and tug in my right butt cheek..I actually heard the 'pop'...I sort of walked around and it didn't hurt any more so didn't think any more about it. Got up the next morning to go to work and fell right on my face. The pain was horrible. I had to work for 4 days with horrible pain because they kept stalling me about letting me go ..there was a big 'inspection' and they wanted me there for my department. It was getting worse and worse. Finally after almost 6 months or better I had my first operation. They said it was done, I was fine, do a little rehab, go back to work. I was still in pain, and ended up having a second operation in less than 6 months. More pain, more pills, different, stronger, and more, more more..It was the worse time of my life and I've had some bad times. Finally after nearly a year or better they sent me to the Back Institute of Texas in Plano, where I had one of the best back surgeons take me on. He's the one that discovered that the problem wasn't the deteriorating disc like the other Doctor's thought, it was the pinched sciatic nerve. When I had stood on my tiptoes, my spine had rocked forward, and when I stood back down my spine closed on the nerve..So the last operation was to remove the pinched nerve and then build a cage around my spine, going in front and flipping me over and going in the back. Which is what they did. Seven hours later they were done. Except my spine was so weak and had deteriorated so badly they couldn't find places to put the screws in to hold the cage. But basically that's it.. It took years of pain pills, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, therapy and my becoming addicted to the pain pills for me to finally just decide that I didn't want to live like that any more..So I started weaning myself off the pain pills, from about 30 a day to none..Cold turkey. I did it a pill at a time over about 6 months. Which is why, when I hurt my back again I freaked out ..
What I have learned, hopefully, is that I am a 64 year old woman with severe back problems and there are just certain things that I can't do any more..Case closed. Because I can tell you right now, there will be no more operations, no more pain pills and if I go back to work and it starts to hurt again, I will have to give the job up..Then I will be able to spend more time blogging about what an asswipe George W. Bush is and what a colossal mistake it would be for our country for anyone to vote for John "I was tortured, but it's ok to do it to anyone else" McCain.
I had to do this in shifts so I wouldn't spend so much time on the computer. Between Babs, Shady Lane, and Unokhan who have made it their job to stay on my ass about resting and taking care of myself, I am feeling much better, but still plan on continuing the program of resting and relaxing over the weekend..So someone go out and play for me..Kay?
fuckme till my spine rocks.

BACK PAIN

Monday I hurt my back at work...feels just like it did before when I had a pinched nerve..been off work Tuesday and tomorrow...Will post more when I'm able ..Don't call, it's too hard to get to the phone..Don't know what I'd do with out Babs...see ya..

chery's story about Aunt Leola

This is an article done by my cousin Cheryl about her mother and my Aunt and the old hardware store that she has worked at for many many years...She is 84 years old and still works about 20-30 hours a week, which makes me feel like such a wussy when I complained that I can't work 30 hours a week as I'm too old and decrepit(64 against her 84)...See her new red Mustang?...She has a gun in it so in case someone is thinking about jacking her car, think twice about it...'cause she'll shot you...

MARTIN HARWARE
When a "big box" hardware and home improvement store opened in northern Houston, only three and a half miles from Martin Hardware, local residents shook their heads and forecast the old store's closure. After all, how could a 67-year-old hardware in an old converted barn compete in pricing and advertising against such a Goliath?
Northern Houston is an elderly and established part of town with a slower pace of life, a large minority population, and lots of elbow room. Residential neighborhoods were built in the 1940s and 1950s, when all anybody ever needed was one bathroom and a one-car garage or carport protecting part of the driveway from falling pecans. Fences are chain-link, rose bushes were planted so long ago their boles are as thick as a man's wrist, and family members perform many of their own repairs and maintenance. It's a neighborhood with every reason to stretch every dollar, which is why many old-timers wondered if Martin Hardware could compete.
Besides, the store's founder, Cecil Martin, had recently passed on, and after managing her husband's legacy herself for several years, his widow sold it and retired. Some of the long-time employees decided to follow her example, and it seemed everything in the old store was changing or ending, which was sad.

Mr. Johnson and Mama Beeler.

Alberto Franco wanted his photo on the Internet, so here it is.

The crowded parking lot, showing some of the items for sale and a customer's car parked behind Mama's SEXY new Pony.
But something funny happened on the way to the pity party.
Martin Hardware defied the gloomy forecasts. On the Thursday before the Fourth of July, 2008, the parking lot was packed. One customer, recognizing an employee's car, took the liberty of parking behind it.
"Why am I shopping here instead of there?" demanded Mr. Terrence Johnson as he thumped a handful of PVC connectors and piping on the counter beside the cash register. "I did shop there, and as soon as I'm finished here, I'm going back there and return everything I bought."
He was in my face now, not threatening but venting, and around us heads nodded and smiles spread. Behind the counter, Mrs. Leola Beeler, 84, tapped keys on the old-fashioned paper-fed calculator to determine Texas' 8.25% sales tax, then tore off the curl of paper and stamped it with the store's name to serve as a receipt. The cash register with the little round buttons and swing handle finally died two years ago, but even its replacement dated from the days when humans were responsible for getting the figures right. Mrs. Beeler's husband worked at Martin Hardware for thirty years. When he died in 1979, she stepped into his shoes and sold plumbing supplies, even assembling parts for confused do-it-yourself homeowners, before settling behind the counter and womaning the cash register.
"They don't have nobody there to help you," Mr. Johnson continued. "And if they do, they don't know nothing. I go there and get all the wrong stuff, then I come here and find out about it. So I'm going back there."
Mama, as she's widely known, interrupted us here. (She's my mother, so she's allowed.) She told him the total and, while he dug through his wallet, she dropped the smaller items into a plastic bag, one of the most modern items in the store except for the Bluetooth on her ear and her sexy red 2008 Mustang parked out front. She's smiling, too.
"They got people only worked there for six months." Mr. Johnson handed over his money, including the three pennies, without missing a beat in his ventilation, then slid his wallet back into his plaid pants. "You can't learn this stuff in six months. If I'd come here first, I'd be done by now. I've been working on this since seven this morning. And when you've got a hot water problem, you don't want that."


Mama and I behind the old counter. Mr. Terrence Johnson, on the far right, tucks a section of hot water piping beneath his arm.

The old part of the store. Note the metal sheeting on the floor and the cramped walkway.

Jaime Franco between the paint brushes and the insecticides. You really can find anything there, usually all in the same aisle.
Narrow aisles packed with goods purchased at clearance auctions were part of the Martin family's legacy. The tactic stocked shelves and saved money for the owners and their customers, especially during the recession in the early 1980s. But the new owners, members of the Franco family, have a different vision for the store. Counters are being rearranged for more light, more room, better organization. Dark and cramped storage areas to one side of the main sales floor have been opened up for better access and a roomier feel, and bins for plumbing joints now line the far wall. Efrain Franco, 14 years old, sits near the always-open front door selling cold sodas and chips for fifty cents each and Gatorade for a dollar. There's a smile on his face, too.
"And he sells a lot," said Mama. She only works part time now and usually sits behind the counter to watch the register, her bent and arthritic fingers nevertheless nimble on the adding-machine keys. But sometimes, while someone else serves as guard, she still ventures onto the sales floor to assemble plumbing and pipes for her favorite customers, who always reward her with a hug.
"Everybody knows this store is here," said another customer who preferred not to become famous on the Internet. "We come here because we know this store and these people, and they know us. Why go all the way over there? That ain't worth it."
Along the back wall, nails are still sold by the pound and the scale hangs from the ceiling. A hand-drawn sign states that the minimum sale of screws is thirty-five cents. The original wooden floor has been repaired in spots with metal sheeting, but cracks remain that swallow dropped coins on a regular basis. Out front, the walkway is lined with recycled home necessities ranging from attic stairs to the kitchen sink and the bathroom throne, with rolls of hardware cloth and buckets of grout between them.

This was the old storage area, now widened and brightened. The bins along the far wall contain plumbing components.

Martin Hardware's new look.

Behind the counter. Can you see the roll of paper on the old adding machine?

What they promise, they deliver.
Jaime Franco, Efrain's father, handed two freshly-cut keys to another client, who pulled out a fat roll of bills and waited for the total. "A hundred dollars," said Mr. Franco, a smile tugging his cheeks. When brown eyes cut his way, he smiled wider and corrected his total.
Another long-time employee, Bobby, hurried about the store waiting on customers and helping them find what they needed. He was never still, as the sweat dripping from his face testified. "Don't take my picture," he begged me, so I didn't. But I thought such hard work justified a mention nevertheless, especially as he never quit smiling despite the sweat.
That's customer service in the real world. That's how a 67-year-old mom-and-pop shop in an elderly neighborhood is thriving despite the big bad box store.

Efrain Franco's successful summer job.















CherylTheWriter
From:
Humble, Texas (the ultimate oxymoron)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T.J.

Friday, the 4th I worked my 4 hours and I thought we were pretty busy, but Tom said not...Some times I think Tom doesn't want me to know if I do good, or have a good day. Think he wants to keep me eager, not knowing the more you pat me on the head the more I will do ..But another day for bosses who don't know how to motivate..on to the birthday party..Remember me telling you about the gay couple that owns Strickly Country Bar?...Merle and T. J.?...Well, T.J.'s birthday is the 4th of July and this Friday he turned 65 years old. Plus Chainsaw's birthday was some time in July too so they had a big blow out birthday party with Josie and the Boys playing..considering that Josie is about 83 years old and plays drums along with a couple of other old farts and a young guy doing the singing..they were pretty good..If you like country music..They played a lot of old country so that was ok with me..not that anyone cared..I got off work at 1pm and went home and opened up a 1-gallon can of jalapenos and stuffed them with sausage, some with cream cheese, some with sausage and cream cheese then dipped them in flour, then eggs then seasoned bread crumbs and deep fried them..Then I stuffed some with cream cheese wrapped them in bacon and grilled them in the oven.. They kicked ass...I took them to the bar and actually stayed for 3 hours..Saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen in 15 years or better..Dennis and Cheryl Porter who look exactly the same...Beer is a preservative..
When I first got there everyone was more excited to see the peppers than they were me..The first 3 people that ate them had different reactions.. Bimbo hand grabbed one and stuffed it in his mouth and had a coughing fit for about 5 minutes. I laughed so hard..He said one was enough and would rather just hug me..Cheryl ate about 3 of them and then drank a six-pack..Told Merle he should have me make them all the time, they would sell a lot more beer that way. The third person that ate them is still sweating..It took less than 30 minutes for them all to be eaten..The bacon wrapped ones were really popular..I gave some to Babs and she said Holy Jalapenos, they were fucking hot, but very good..I took a ton of pictures but took them on my toss away camera so will have to wait till next Friday when I go to the House of Satan to have them developed. Merle and T.J. are also celebrating their 28th anniversary..We discussed gay marriages and they both said, it doesn't matter if gays got married until they got equal rights for Social Security, Insurance etc..I agreed..This is probably the most we have talked about gay issues as they are not comfortable talking about it with most folks as even though they are totally excepted and loved by all, it's only them they are approved of, not 'other' gays..The town doesn't care if they are gay or not as it's Merle and T.J. but other people ...that's a different story..But T.J. cracked me up when he said he would never own a gay bar...he said he didn't like gays all that much and he liked his straight friends..These are the 2 straightest looking gays you have ever seen..T.J. looks like Gene Autry, jeans, boots cowboy hat. Merle wears cowboy shirts with pearl buttons...They have been my friends for all of the 28 years and hope it's another 28...I played 3 games of pool and even though I did ok, the young set kicked my ass..They laughed at me when I put up 50 cents on the table...it's 75cents now...I laughed and said I remember when it was 25cents and getting pissed when they changed it to 35cents..They were like wow, that must have been a looooong time ago...assholes..I reminded Bimbo of the Maryjo story when she was little and said she thought he would be much bigger (from all the Bimbo Hand kicking ass stories) and he said he got thrown into jail once and someone asked him what his name was and he said Bimbo Hand, and the guy said I thought you would be bigger and he said "Have you been talking to Maryjo?"
Now that's funny...I ran into so many people that I hadn't seen in so long...It was really great...and they all said I looked better now than I did then. Of course, that's what 17 years of no drinking will do for you..
Patsy was there with her boyfriend Andy...She had one of them busy days at work too, everyone getting all their 4th of July stuff at the last minute and she was just beat. She said she told Andy to come get her early and take her home so she could wash under her arms, change blouse and take her to get drunk. He said aren't you going to wash the little squirrel?..She said hell no, I'll be too drunk to fuck you tonight, no sense in wasting soap...I cracked up..Vince the mechanic was there too..with a date..I wore my old Strickly Country tshirt...it's got to be at least 20 years old..No one could believe that I still have it or have one at all..I told them the only thing I ever throw away is x-husbands and boyfriends..
I have had a great weekend..Watched the Williams sisters give a great preformance...wanted them both to win...They are so wonderful to watch...Now I'm watching the Men's final and boy do I want Federer to win...I passed up a lot of invites to go to the Lake, but it's just to fecking hot...I'd rather run around the house buck nekkid and watch tv..Watched the last Dexter of series 2 last night...Holy shit..If you haven't seen that show...yafta..*you have to*..and just finished the last of the 3 Dexter books..and you know what?...The books are so much better..
well, going to finish watching the match..I will do a post about the bridal shower in a day or two..It was fun..Jamie got a shit load of stuff and I got to be an asshole to my son and imacuntthedaughterinlaw..life is good...

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=21689194


I'm such a wussy...this made me weep...Happy 4th of July

KINKY FRIEDMAN RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR again?

Only this time he's running as a Democrat..or at least that is the buzz....He has said that he's thinking about it and if he does, this time he'll run as a Democrat. After reading this article I'd be tempted to vote for Good Hair Perry first.

KINKY GIVES PROPS TO O'REILLY

Kinky Friedman, who's become a regular on the Bill O'Reilly Factor, writes about his new friend Bill in the Texas Monthly:

"For my money, in spite of his sometimes (sometimes?...fucking sometimes?...) obnoxious style, Bill is one of the two best interviewers on TV today (the other Don Imus). The job of a journalist is not to be totally, antiseptically objective:it involves the sacred task of getting at the truth. When you're dealing with politics and politicians, this can be a tedious and daunting endeavor. My heart has always been with the truth-tellers"(oh sweet Goddess, fucking kill me now)

and the people who can detect bull, the Kinkster says.(Dear Kinky, your bullshit detector is broke, send it to me for repairs, I will also help you remove your head, hat and cigar from your ass, at no extra charge)"I believe Bill scores highly in all these categories."( I believe your a fucking dumb-ass)....

I don't care how many dogs lives he saves at his rescue ranch, that dumb sunsabitch ain't getting MY vote. Besides after listening to him 'talk'..I'm pretty sure he's one of them blue dog democrats and they might as well be fucking republicans.