She Said He Said

 

Jennifer Marimacho

“You look reptilian with that green eye shadow” Kay laughed, then she pushed me down the steps to the gym and I twisted my ankle. Both hurt but both were accidents. The comment about my make up was blurted out as an honest opinion and the push was just a way of speeding me up, so we wouldn’t be late to class. We were freshman in high school and she was my best friend. I got out of gym class for a week, so I watched Kay do her jumping jacks while I sat on the bench and put on purple eye shadow and white lipstick. This was fun until the 3rd day when our classmate,  Jennifer (her real name) joined me on the bench, opting out of the work out because of a really big pimple on her nose. She really did suffer, as attested by her nasal voice, but not near as much as those around her. She is best remembered by her unique ability to recall any and every negative comment that was ever said about someone behind their back and repeat it to the person that it was directed towards. Amazing…..and annoying. Well, Jenny,I gotta tell you that Donavan told me  the song “Jennifer, Juniper” was not written about you, like you thought. Such a lame song, it could be about you after all.

Texas Ski Resort

 

Bearfire Resorts scheduled to open in the fall of 2009 has inspired us to plan a similar resort here. Our plans encompass a slightly smaller scale than the 527 acres in Fort Worth, Texas. The 22 story mountain of steel and concrete, because it is a structure, will be ranked as one of the largest buildings on the face of the earth. Mountain side cafes and bars, a 600 room hotel resembling  an alpine village as well as 50,000 square feet of retail space will add to the attraction of Bearfire. We are thinking more along the lines of sleeping bags on the screen porch. Sure, we are just dreaming, but just like everything else in Texas….we dream BIG. Located just 30 minutes south  of downtown San Antonio, our resort will have added attractions including sleigh rides pulled by our famous Longhorn steers. A petting zoo with penguins and pomeranians will attract families that have no intentions of skiing. Our mini Matterhorn may be more bare than Bearfire, but located just minutes from Floresville, the peanut capitol of the world, our Rockin’ P Ranch get away may just put Fairview, Texas on the map.

Bacon Bits

Pigs are smarter and cleaner than dogs, so the article said. Some are more affectionate than cats and make great house pets. Miss Piggy is an exception to that rule. Our pig is not a hugger but she does like to be read to. I  read an article to her  about the benefits to being single and I think all she heard was…blah,blah,blah…when you are single the leftovers are all yours!!!!. That’s when I got her attention. She did fall in love once or twice. The first time she saw a potential mate, she was desperate to get his attention. She first gave herself a mud bath and skipped to the chase by attacking “him”. He had the same physique as her, barrel shaped with tiny legs, although he appeared to be napping which is her second favorite hobby next to slopping. They already  had so much in common. It was better than on-line dating, she didn’t have to rely on an out dated photo retouched and manipulated beyond recognition…..Here he was a few feet in front of her. Not one to ever be called shy she launched herself on top of him, only to have him roll away from her as fast as she could stay mounted. This courtship went on for an hour. She was in the best shape of her life. If I had thought to strap on her pig-o-meter, I know she would have run a 10K during this whirlwind romance. She had no clue that Romeo was not interested. He was shallow and plastic, like so many pigs these days. Her heart break was short lived. We shared a gallon of ice cream and then I told her that she could learn a valuable lesson from this relationship. It’s what’s inside that counts. The good news was that he held the capacity to fulfill her dreams of a life time. He eventually flipped for her and she saw what I was trying to tell her. He was as fake as a mechanical bull, but she learned that when you fall you need to get back on and ride again. She could run and she could ride, this would prove valuable for her next major crush…..

Comfort food rules…..once again

Gang Related

It pays to be a member of a diverse group of friends. We consider them like family and who better to call on than someone who has shared trials and tribulations and understands what it’s like to lose a pet. Unless you’ve loved and lost a treasured tarantula  or a vivacious vulture you wouldn’t know how it feels. We decided not to call on Sheriff Tate to help us reclaim our goat, but we knew who we could turn to, although it was going to cost us…..It was worth a lot to get Mamacita back. Our first contact was with “Speed”. He had a reputation as a motorcycle super star of questionable ethics that would prove valuable. He traveled with his two cousins “Stitch” and “Bones” who could pilot a helicopter in rugged terrain, if need be. While I was negotiating a price with the mod squad, Tom was leaning towards a badge of authority. We really needed some credibility being that we were the ones that were the law abiding citizens seeking justice, not the slimy goat grabber.He was able to snag the dynamic duo,” Fish and Chips” Fish could swim and wrestle an alligator with one paw and Chips could blow an ear piercing whistle and pop wheelies over the cement wall of the goat napper’s hide a way. Another confidence builder was the addition of a Search And Rescue dog. Highly skilled, we knew that Bear would be an asset to our team.  He would have to perform double duty, because his blonde twin, Yella was involved in another important case as a body guard for Brittney Spears. With the final addition of “The Cleaver” we had a means to gain access to the property. 

The Cleaver with his patented tool seen on the set of Ocean’s Thirteen

Better call The Sheriff

We stopped by Pete’s Pub on our way to the covered dish social. The whole group we called La Prensa was there. We were in luck, they had a few beers and were more than willing to share what they had learned about Mrs. Ladrona, our suspected goat thief. She had been seen on several occasions all over town. Bart from the hardware store had sold her several bags of concrete. Normally her foreman, Soy Matadera would purchase the supplies, but he had left, as several others before him, without a word and she was in the middle of building a cement pond behind the house.”Mor’in likely around the whole house with one a them drawbridges judgin’ from all the damn concrete she bought”. Larry from the feed store had filled a special order of some large reptile feed and delivered it to her house. Seeing the place again, he recalled that her family was originally from Elmendorf and her grandfather had owned a successful construction company supplemented by a bootlegging operation. Tom and I were trying to listen to two conversations at once. “Did you say concrete BOOT business?” Tom asked. We were corrected by Charlie who added that they operated a saloon in addition to a petting zoo/meat market. The grandfather had trouble keeping steady help in the way of bar maids and to add to his misfortune his wife disappeared. Two wives in fact. The saloon had long since closed down. “Read it all in Texas Monthly back in ‘02″ Charlie said solemnly through glazed eyes and then added “Better give Sheriff Tate a call”

Family history wasn’t my concern at this point. I didn’t see what this had to do with my current problem of getting my goat back.  I did learn that Mrs. Ladrona’s maiden name had been Ball and she was named Joe Ann, after her grandfather, Joe. It would be helpful to know her first name when I  interrogated her later that evening. I wasn’t about to bother the sheriff about a goat. What we needed was the Animal Cops.

(Photo at Pete’s Pub)

 

We had decided to drop our covered dish offering and hastily find the woman that was our reason for being there. I finally spotted the suspect in the church hall mashing up something that looked like hamburger helper. I couldn’t think of what to say and either could she by the look on her face. Looking down at her hands kneading through the mixture, I blurted out “Soy burgers? Sorry to hear about your care taker” At this point, Tom bailed me out. “We have been wanting to find out about our goat” he said diplomatically. “Is she bred and ready to come home?” This seemed to set her off. She grabbed a butcher knife and started chopping up tomatoes vigorously as she glared at us “You’ll never get her back. She’s MY Mamacita de cabrito” That’s when we back tracked down the hall way and decided that maybe we should come up with a plan to get our goat back. A plan that involved calling the sheriff. We decided to mull it over at Rosario’s restaurant, but first I had to change into my shirt that RCP had given me……

 

                                                                         LIMIT ONE MARGARITA

The Shutter Clicked But The Film Did Not Go ‘Round

Take a train to a bus,

and then into the air

If I had wings I’d follow you up there

Hell you know I hate to see you go

But the sunlight follows you right down the road

(By: Nada Surf CD:Lucky Song:The Film Did Not Go ‘Round)

I forgot some of the words, but when I listen to this song, it reminds me of how hard it was to wait until the film was processed and printed. Even with the drive through Fotomat kiosks, it was an overnight wait. Too late….. Nothing could improve an image if it wasn’t there. I remember getting the call. “I’m so sorry, you will have to leave the country immediately. It appears that the shutter clicked….but the film did not go ’round” I offered to buy another cake and pay for the wedding party to fly in for a retake, “No thanks, we would feel better if you were dead”  Then there was the risk that the film would be lost or eaten. My friend Lynda had spent all day on a portrait photo shoot and left the film on her dining room table. Forgetting to push the chairs far away before she left, she came home to see that her dachshund, Clyde had unraveled all six rolls of Vericolor 220. We still laugh about this. The photos could be retaken, but if Clyde the wonder dog had hurt himself or swallowed the film we wouldn’t be laughing. Digital cameras have replaced film and Match.com has replaced the covered dish social get togethers. I might be tempted to shoot weddings again, but even a digital file can be eaten or destroyed. Too risky when you have chupacabras coming in and out of the computer room. The scary part is that one of them is related to Clyde !!!

Ranch Dogs For Sale

Mom is a Pomeranian with champion trick rider bloodlines. Ability to herd goats, sheep,cattle and cats from the back of a horse.

Dad is a Dachshund descending from the famous Clyde pedigree, who actually prefers Australian Shepherds. 

Puppies due around Labor day. No serious inquiries please. Price negotiable to dysfunctional  homes only.

Party Crashers

My friend K called me yesterday to tell me that she wasn’t invited to Delbert’s party tonight. Should we drive by and slash the birthday boy’s tires? Great idea, he shouldn’t be driving anyway. I knew the food would be awesome, we could call and ask if we could bring home a doggy bag. “We could wear costumes” K suggested. They probably already had a magician and a belly dancer. Delbert goes all out every year. “You could be Noah” K was brightening at the thought of joining in the party. I liked that idea. She agreed to help me decorate the ark and I got the animals ready to load. Two by two into the living room we would go and leave our presents behind. She will not be forgotten next year.

In The Words Of The Veggie Tales

Larry the Cucmber says:

Everybody’s got a water buffalo

Yours is fast but mine is slow

O where do you get them I don’t know

But everybody’s got a water buffalo

Not everybody has a water buffalo, Archie says,  but

We did have a water beefalo…….

My beefalo jumped into the pool

The chlorine made him start to drool

The water slowly turned to brown

I’m just so glad she didn’t drown.

She belonged to our neighbor. Her mama was a Longhorn and her daddy was a buffalo that had jumped the fence on the ranch where she lived before. I guess she got her athletic ability from him. I thought he was kidding when I heard this story from her owner, Pat, but I found out that this is a popular cross. The meat has less cholesterol,less saturated fat,less total fat and fewer calories. I also read that unlike cattle, they sweat. No wonder she wanted to take a dip in the pool to cool off. “Take a picture” Tom said. Then I remembered another bit of info about her. She is MEAN! We called off the dogs as she ambled out and backed away to hop on our horses and grab our cell phone to call the pool cleaning crew. We closed the gate where she had gotten in before the whole herd joined her. 

 

Hungry Hungry Hippo

  I pictured every conceivable beast splashing around in the water. The article in Texas Monthly about the alligator pit located not far from us was fresh in my mind, but hadn’t  I  just seen them safely contained behind a concrete wall at the Zoo? A local resident had captured an alligator recently. I saw his picture in the Wilson County News  with duck tape around his jaw…..but we didn’t pack any duck tape with us.  

The scents at the zoo are so mingled together, I had no idea what an alligator smelled like. Or a hippopotamus. The pink flamingos here by the pool were plastic, I was pretty sure. The dogs were still yapping and running around the pool, but the horses were calm and started grazing the minute we let them loose. Wow! Our bomb proofing session had worked after all! Not so much for me, though, I dreaded entering  the splash zone to see whatever it was that smelled like…….