Tuesday Catch-Up

You remember those old Almond Joy / Mounds Bar commercials? “Some times you feel like a nut, some times you don’t!” Well, that’s what it’s like for me with blogging. I am torn because I want to develop and then retain a good readership base, and I know the #1 key to that is consistent posting. But, like the jingle says, “some times you feel [like posting], some times you don’t”! And, few people write well when they’re pressured into it (even self-pressure), so there ya have it!

It’s been a busy, busy few weeks. First, we had dear friends who hit a bit of a bump in their marriage. No, that would be an understatement: ‘full-out ten car pile-up’ would be more accurate. So, Tom was spending extra time with him, and I was (and several other women were) spending time with her. Circling the proverbial wagons and all that . . . as so often happens in these situations. But, I think it will all come out for the better for them in the end, and I think they’ll have a stronger relationship and a clearer understanding of each other because of it.

And, I guess it should be no surprise, but the struggles that our friends were (are) going thru brought some things to the forefront for Tom and me, too. Nothing big, but, in situations like that, you find yourself saying, “Wow. There, but for the grace of [insert deity of your choice], go I!”

Then (I feel like such a gossip, but I do have a point), “fringe friends” who we hope to get to know better just had the misfortune of having their marital issues displayed in the local newspaper.

Apparently, the husband returned home late one evening (unexpected?) to find a man “visiting” his wife. Obviously, either Hubby was greeted by more than a simple, platonic “visit” when he walked in the door OR he jumped to the wrong conclusion. At any rate, he (ah-hem) “detained” the gentleman in question AND his wife (okay, so the paper called it kidnapping) for the next 8 ½ hours, tying them both up with duct tape and, reportedly, threatening them with “weapons”. When the man was released in the AM, he went straight to the cops (no big surprise). But, here comes the unfortunate part.

After all three people gave their interviews, they mutually agreed to go their separate ways (again, this is ALL according to the newspaper – I know nothing first-hand). EXCEPT, once the man had reported what had happened, some portion of the “crime” (once made known), HAD to be followed up on by the county attorney! (Weird, huh?!) This is what the county attorney (also a friend) said, “The decision to press charges is not left up to the victim, but to the prosecutor. If there is evidence of a crime, the state is obligated to pursue charges.”

So, it’s a shame that the domestic situation had to come to this. And, here’s my point, unless there was bodily harm done to anyone and assuming there was actually some “funny business” going on between the wife & the visitor, I think Husband did exactly what ANYONE would have WANTED to do, if put in that situation. And, it’s exactly what would have been done (and MUCH worse) 100 years ago with NO ONE batting an eye but only saying, “Well, they got what they deserved!”

Anyway, it was all very interesting to hear about. And, lest anyone jump down my throat, I AM against any physical violence, so, if that happened, then Husband has every right to be prosecuted. (And, of course, the same goes if he was WRONG about the situation.) But otherwise? Well, I guess I’d be hard-pressed to say that he did anything “wrong”.

Same with the 3 mistresses and one wife who lured that idiot Wisconsin guy to a motel room and then ALL confronted him! Ha! Oh, to have been a fly on that wall! And THEY’RE being charged with a crime? Pu-leeze.

Well, I certainly did get off my usual Life on the Homestead tangent this AM, didn’t I? ;)

The house, both inside and out, is a disaster and has been all summer. Why? Because, by my figuring, it should only be the beginning of June . . . instead of the beginning of August! I mean, seriously, people: August?! Is ANYONE ready for it?

Last Sunday - or was it the weekend before? - Tom took his VERY FIRST opportunity to sit out on the deck to enjoy the newspaper. First it was the bugs that prevented him, then the rain, and, winding through all those hindrances, our schedule. You can see that we've not even gotten all the deck furniture out, much less any DECORATING done out there (beautiful flower pots, anyone?). It's all just so ridiculous. Obviously, I'm too busy to DO IT ALL, but which things do I cut out? THAT is the question!

I did squeeze in the time (okay, so I made it a priority) to make us a yummy cocktail that same afternoon. I threw in a little bit of this and little bit of that and called them Sunday Sunbursts. Fitting, no?

Finally, as those of you who watch the videos I post know, I got an old-fashioned wheelbarrow for my birthday! Thanks, Mom & Dad! I LOVE it, and I want to get another right away so I'm NEVER without! :) Tom assembled it for me and says that it's so well made that he can't figure out why "modern ones" were ever invented!

At any rate, I put it to work that first day he had it together, and barely a day goes by that I don't find the time to pull some weeds and then deliver them to the chickens, listening to the gentle rattle of the wood & steel wheel on the gravel driveway . . . projecting to the day I might have a team of horses to pull a wooden wagon down our road! ;)

(Don't worry, Honey, I think that one really WILL be a pipe dream . . . but I'm still gettin' that cow!!!)

Lastly, I saw something . . . strange . . . on my drive home Sunday. When I told Tom about it, he said, "You SAW it?!" Apparently, it's been sighted a few times, and now I'm one of the lucky few who can claim first-hand knowledge! So, what does it sound like to you? A black bear, except a skinny one . . . with a long, black tail that almost touched the ground behind it. Yup, a black panther. I remember my folks telling of one that was still in the area when they moved here 35+ years ago . . . and now I saw this one in pretty much the exact same area. Cool! (Although I wouldn't necessarily want to be walking alone in those woods at night right now!)