Something sweet to come home to.

When I came home Sunday (more about my Sabbatical later) I found a letter from Julia.  Remember her? I sent her my Barbie collection.   I'm thinking she used all her favorite colors in creating this lovely thank you note.

Can you read it?  It says:
Dear Mrs. Cruzan,
Thank you for giving me yore tee hee she's a pirate in the making Barbies.  Now I have twenty. I love them very much.
Thank you, thank you.  Love Julia

Awwww, she's so sweet.....

Go here to see the pictures of Julia and the Barbies.

Comings and goings.

We had a whole house full of people over last Saturday night.  No need for me to even attempt to play the bass. With 5 bass players in the living room, I stayed in the kitchen knitting.

About 2 months ago Jody sold one of his guitars to a guy and that guy and his girlfriend who has taken up the bass and doing quiet well now want to come over every weekend to 'jam' at our house.

With the daytime highs being up around 100 everyday, there isn't much excitement about going to the Square.  That's fine, we'll just have everyone over here.

Last Saturday one of Jody's long time friends came over to watch.  Tony was quiet impressed with the talent that had gathered.  Tony doesn't play an instrument so he and I sat back and watched and listened and talked about his newly acquired property in Costa Rica.  Mike and Dawn were on vacation in Michigan so I was glad that Tony came.  We also met a new player, AC.  She's a welcome addition to the group, she plays the bass and she knits!  Where most of the musicians are impressed with Jody's array of instruments, AC was astounded at the amount of yarn I had.  She's going to teach me to knit socks two at a time on circular needles!  

As I'd said, Dawn and Mike were on vacation for the past 10 days.  While they were gone, we were keeping their pet bird, Cesar.  Cesar talks.  Cesar talks quiet well!  Here he is listening to a recording of himself on Jody's phone.  This would really freak him out.  He'd walk around behind the phone to look for the other bird.

He would say things like "Cesar's a pretty bird."  "Here kitty kitty."  "Damn it!" "Travis is a butt head." and our favorite "Put on your seat belt."   He loved coming out of his cage and running around the house for a bit and then he'd just mosey back over to the cage and get back in when he was ready to go home.

Cesar went home last night.  It's already a bit quieter.  Not that he was loud or annoying or anything.  It was kind of fun having him here.


Something else that is beginning to leave is un-needed stuff and junk.  We have been in this house for 15 years this July.  It's amazing how much stuff you can start hanging on to when you don't move.  When we would get transferred or have a job re-location every 1-3 years we never kept this much CRAP.  So Jody and I are starting to clean out and throw away.  I sure hope the kids don't want any of this stuff.

One of the things I'm giving away is my collection of Native American Barbie Dolls.  I've had these for about 20 years.  They aren't worth much, because I tossed their original boxes long ago.  My good friend Marca collected Barbies and when I showed an interest in the one on the far right, she gave it to me for my birthday one year.  After that she just kept giving them to me and then I started buying them.  The last one I bought was the Eskimo on the left.

 Two of them have babies.

 Three of them went to the State Fair of Texas and received a ribbon.

It's time to give them away, they have spent too many years collecting dust on a shelf.  I'm sending them to Julia, the daughter of Jayne over on the Barefoot Kitchen Witch.  I had read in Jayne's blog about Julia chewing the hand of one of her Barbies just like Jolea had done to her first Barbie.  What is it about Barbie's tiny hands that make a 4 year old want to gnaw it like a badger?

Any way....  I'll pack up the girls and ship them out to Julia.  Jayne assures me that Julia is past the badger stage of her childhood.  I just have no idea what she'll do with them.  Do kids even play with Barbies any more?

I wonder what treasures we'll find in the attic.  I know there are BIG Tonka Trucks, Ninja Turtles and Legos.... lots and lots of Legos.