Hunting Season....Use Caution

When I got up this morning there was a little chill in the air when I let the dog out.  As I stood there I thought about all the cool mornings I had spent in a deer stand. I didn't hunt like most people.  My husband had built several shooting houses on our property. My favorite was just a short walk from the house. From there I had some nice shooting lanes and could enjoy the quiet still of an early morning.  There is nothing like being in the woods as the sun comes up and the creatures start coming to life.  I have enjoyed things some never see, like a buck with frost still on his back and the steam coming from his nostrils, what a magnificent site. I've also watched as a red tailed hawk swooped down and picked up a squirrel for his meal.  As these wonderful memories came flooding back I also remember just how dangerous it can be to hunt.

Early season bow hunters need to stay mindful of where they put there feet. There are still venomous snakes out.  Also in some areas you have to deal with feral hogs, please also carry your pistol. There is also the risk of running into bear! Most states have a bear season that runs concurrent with deer season just in case you run across on please have proper tags so you don't get in trouble if you kill him.   Use caution climbing in and out of your stands, remember bow hunters have died over careless handling of their equipment.  Be sure you tell someone where you are hunting and what time you will be back.  Yeah, I know you have a cell phone, but if you are hanging upside down and your phone is on the ground, what good is it.

  Be safe and have a great season!!

Life After Retirement

A work related injury forced me into early retirement in 2015.  It has been really hard to adjust. First it ruined my health then ruined my finances.  The adjustment from 600.00 dollars a week to 600.00 per month stinks!  Because of the delay in the settlement from the company I worked for I also had to file bankruptcy.  Life has been hard.  When they did finally settle it was just barley enough to cover paying off my house and car. I was able to put in a central air unit. I live in a mobile home so an air unit is mandatory! My car still needs repairs but my son has given me a better vehicle. My son and his family have been life savers in all this mess. I live one mile from him so we can help each other a lot.  My lawn mower died and I gave it to a boy to do some work around the house.  As usually he did half the work, got the mower and I haven't seen him since.  My son's mower has to have new blades before we can use it. My grass almost looks like a hay field.  I have a ton of repairs that need to be made before cold weather.  As we do those I will post them on my Backyard Critters blog.

I usually spend my days taking care of my granddaughter Charley aka Charlotte.  She is 5.  We play and she works on her tablet.  She can work the tablet better than I can. We work on the things she will need to go to school next year.  I will miss her.

On the dating front I have met someone and we are chatting.  Only time will tell.

1969 Ford Torino

It is amazing the little things that can trigger long forgotten memories.  I saw a post on Facebook that took me all the way  to high school.  I was one of the lucky ones to grow up with muscle cars when they were new.  When times were harder but easier.  There were no mass shootings at schools even though almost every car had a rifle or shotgun in it.   As a matter of fact on of the reasons I ran around with one of my friends was we both loved to hunt and we had the same caliber of rifle.  We even dated the same guy at the same time til we figured it out, then we made him take us out at the same time. I miss both of them! She moved back to Texas and he joined the Marines.  Her Dad is why I loved cars. He had a 55 Chevy that was awesome!  It had just the right sound and he could make it get rubber in all four gears!

Several  years later my husband traded for a '69 Torino GT,  I fell in love!! She had a 429 Cobra Jet engine with a holley 650 dual line double pump carb and she would fly.  My husband could make it bring the front wheels off the ground high enough to jump over an old time coke bottle. I out ran everything in two towns with the exception of one white and racing blue striped Shelby GT and we called it even.  That was because the local PD decided to chase us! He went after the Shelby, he didn't catch him either.  Then he went and told my husband if he didn't get rid of the car that his wife and son would wind up dead.  Yeah, I had my four year old son with me.  That might explain his love for fast cars too.  Today he owns a Mustang Saline. These days when Mama wants to go fast he takes me for a spin.

Easter Memories

I grew up poor. The only time we got new clothes were at the beginning of the school year and for Easter.  We only got to wear the new dress on Easter then it had to be put up until after Decoration.  Decoration is when you go to the grave yard and put fresh /new flowers on the graves in memory  of those you loved. Back then it was like a family reunion as most of the family would be there doing the same thing.  We would sometimes go to an Aunts house afterward for late lunch.

 I guess my point to this memory is that in today's world children don't appreciate the hard work and sacrifices that their parents make. They think they have to new clothes all the time and if they don't get the newest phone they throw fits or talk to their parents like they are awful people.  Maybe it's time for parents to take a step back and evaluate what is truly important.  I would rather live in a cheap house, drive a used car, and only have the necessities and have the luxury of being able to go ball games or just spend time with my family.  We have gotten so caught up in having "things" we have forgotten that the most important things in life are God, Family, and Country.  We have allowed the few to gain ground in taking away a lot of the freedoms that we enjoy here in this country.  Like the song says "You have to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything." Please don't be complainant reclaim your family.

I hope you have a wonderful day, go out and make some memories with your family!

Gun Control

Most of the people advocating for more gun control have absolutely no idea what laws are already on the books.  Most don't even have a clue that the AR in AR 15 does not stand for Assault Rifle.  They are being used as a tool to try to disarm the American population.  The only way we can prevent this is by staying informed on everything they are trying to pass in our cities, counties and states. 

Ask yourself why are these shootings happening at schools and concerts? Because they are soft targets just like military bases and recruiting centers.   I don't care where a member of our military is they should be armed. Our schools need to enclose walkways and have one door going inside and all other doors should only open from the inside.  Clear or Kevlar backpacks should be the only backpacks that are allowed.  Students should be issued a vest at the beginning of school according to grade and that vest must be turned in at the end of school or if a student moves or is expelled the vest must be accounted for.  This would be cheaper than school uniforms and it would help administrators and law enforcement identify students.  We have to make schools hard targets.

Americans will never give up their right to bear arms without a real war.  Keep in mind that it won't be our soldiers that come for our guns it will be UN forces from other countries. 

Romance Scams

A couple of months ago I posted a comment on Facebook and a man said I agree with you and I would like to talk to you. I thought it was harmless enough so I talked to him for a few days only to find out he was impersonating a soldier. I blocked him and was telling a friend of mine about it and she said it was common for people to do that. Then we got to joking around about dating sites. Keep in mind that I have been married three times once to a young man who was in the army and had just came home from Vietnam, had I know then what i know now that would have been the only time I got married. Then I married a very abusive man, after that divorce I stayed single until all my children were grown with families of their own.  Then I married a man who had served in Vietnam in the Marine Corps. We were married for several years but our priorities of life were just to different for things to work.  As I was once told I am stubborn, hard headed, opinionated and the list goes on to be married.  My point is that I am no stranger to the military and how parts of it work.

Armed with this knowledge and my friends helpful hints on how to spot a scammer I signed up on a dating site.  Oh my goodness!  The first man I talked to was another military impostor  I am not going to tell you how I figured it out because scammers also surf the web looking for ways to improve their skills.  I will tell you to ask smart little questions that any red blooded American should know. Watch how their grammar goes together, only so much can be attributed to spell check.  Over the last few weeks most of the men I chatted with were impostors. The last one who was impersonating a solider was really good. he almost had me.  Then he made some mistakes that a lifer wouldn't make. You also need to install reverse image on your device. Some of these people steal photo's from real soldiers. They even use photo's from magazine covers. Using reverse imaging helps to eliminate some of those. I even talked to a few locals, what a joke all they had on their mind was sex.  Also keep in mind that if you are talking to some of these people they should not be asking you for money for any reason.  Trust me he isn't on a secrete mission and needing money.  A real soldier isn't going to tell you he is on a secrete mission even if he is. Please be careful I have removed my profile and am glad I did!

My Life In A Nutshell

Someone ask me how I would summarize my life, so here we go.  I was born the daughter of a sharecropper who barley could write his name, and a mamma who only had a third grade education.  I was truly blessed to have them as parents.  They worked really hard to provide for us and see that we all had an education.  Since I was the baby I was my daddy's little tom boy and my mamma was the most special woman in the world.

I have been married and divorced three times.  We'll just call them irreconcilable differences.  My first husband and I had a son and my second husband and I have a daughter and a son.  I have a total of 9 grandchildren. I am very family oriented and spent most of my life as a  single mom.  Several years after the death of my dad, and my divorce from my second husband my Mom moved in with us.
She lived with us and helped me raise my children. She was more than just my Mom she was my best friend.

I was forced into an early retirement because of a fall that I took at work.  I am by no means a wealthy woman.  I have a had a good life with all the challenges and accomplishments that go along with it.  I love to do a variety of things and my taste in music ranges from Aldean to ZZ Top.

I currently live in a 2 bedroom mobile home along with a cat, dog, and occasional grandchild. I am one mile from my oldest son.

So there you have it,  me in a nutshell.