At Large 1652 days "His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free." That was a sad, sad football game for the University of Texas fans. But it was a good ball game. I do however question the wisdom of letting a "helicopter" parent into the locker room. In many ways the decision not to play McCoy was very similar to the treatment coach Leach received for being a meany to the James kid. If I was a pro football scout McCoy's inability to answer the bell after that hit on the fifth play from scrimmage would make me question his toughness to play pro football. Every one of the pro defensive players are as big or bigger than the one that hit him and they all are faster. Fragile is fragile. I don't think he could have kept Alabama from winning but I do think the score would have been closer. While blundering around the house today, cursing the cold, I found a printout that had a URL on it. The address was for the on-line edition of the Round Top Register. I typed in the address and found an article that the newspaper claims was written by Uncle Sack who is 191 years old. "Men are good at some things. They are mostly bigger and stronger. If you was to get in a fight (somethin’ I ain’t done in 140 years), some men is better at your back than a woman. Men is better at belchin’ and passing wind and gettin’ drunk and loud. They is better at startin’ wars and bullyin’ people around. I mean, they got their specialties...but mostly, women are just a better job. That’s why the Lord cooked up this marriage thing. You see, a man is like a mule. A good one will pull a plow all day long but if he don’t have a steady hand on the reign, he will drag that rig all over the field. Next thing you know he’ll have it wrapped around a tree and be standin’ there braying for somebody to come unhitch him." To read the whole article click HERE. One thing led to another and I wasted several hours reading pieces from the Round Top Register. I laughed until my stomach hurt while reading "Paradise Lost" by Chris Travis. He describes several places I have visited and seen on my bus trips to Oregon and the memorable trip to Oregon with my Senior daughter and her son. I have signed up for a writing class in hope that I can learn to write with the same skill and humor as Chris Travis. Round Top is about 10 miles from Burton which is about half way between Houston and Austin. I think that is nearly a perfect area to live. I recommend the Brenham area often to my grannie friends that live far north in the snow country. But they, like we, are trapped in our places because of children, grandchildren, and TRADITION. Each year as winter (well we call it winter) sets in I begin to talk of moving us much further south. Sometimes if I get cold enough I even mention Brazil, right on the equator. I have been doing this for the last 20 years, as I remember them, and we are still here. The look in roomie's eyes and the steely edge to her voice have stopped that plaint dead every time. I do realize that I could not live so far from my family and my familiar world. Still I would like just one winter where the temperature did not get below 85 and my feet were planted in warm sugar white sand and I had gallon sized pitcher of "bad pop" being served by lithe tanned young women with steel drum sounds echoed in their voices. I really doubted that Houston would get as cold as the weather screamers predicted. Apparently they were close to right. The Philodendron, from my father funeral, planted over the Koi pond 28 years ago looks, this afternoon, as if it suffered from the cold. I hope the damage is not irreversible. I could find no way to cover the thing since it was so large and surrounded on two sides by open lattice and the Koi pond on the other two sides. Even the Impatience plant I moved into "orange kitty's" heated are looks damaged. Some idiot set off a long string of aerial burst rockets this morning about 3 am. I rushed to the front door and threw it open in time to see 6 rockets streak skyward and explode with thunderous racket. It looked like they were launched from the town homes two blocks east of us. I called the cops and the woman told me they had already received 3 other calls. Tomorrow my church is hosting a "Life Skills Retreat" for the women from Santa Maria. We were anticipating women from Bonita House but the PTB there decided to skip the even because of the weather. Bonita House administrators always put a roadblock up against any help for their "clients". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01/06: Dear Jesus, give us the strength we need for today. With your help, we will trust you for the strength we need for all our tomorrows. Amen. 01/07: Dear God, help us to commit ourselves to listening to you and learning from your word. Amen. 01/08: Lord, thank you for the blessings you have given each of us. Let us open our hearts and turn to our neighbors, passing along the blessings you have given us. We give glory to you, Lord Jesus and pray as you taught us, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."* -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had not realized just how blessed we are until I started driving the church van to bring these Santa Maria women and the residents of Turning Point and Independent Living to Terrace United Methodist Church. Please click on a PRAYER LISTfor the women of Santa Maria and Bonita House for the week of January 4, 2010. Click the picture for comic strips on-line. ORANGE SLICE CAKE 1 c. margarine 2 c. sugar 4 eggs 2 Tbsp. grated orange rind 4 c. flour 2 c. nuts (pecans) 1 c. buttermilk 1 tsp. soda 1 (8 oz.) pkg. dates 1 (16 oz.) pkg. orange slices 2 c. coconut Cut orange slices in small pieces, also dates. Cream together margarine and sugar; add eggs. Beat well and add orange rind. Mix soda with buttermilk. Next add flour, dates, pecans and orange slices. Bake in greased and floured pan for 40 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Check with toothpick. While still hot, pour orange syrup over cake. Orange Syrup: 2 c. sugar 1 c. orange juice Heat slowly until sugar is melted. Let come to a boil. Pour over cake; pull cake from edges of pan and pour over hot cake. Thank you Sammy for another wonderful recipe. Someday I am going to update your recipe pages at http://lyn1937.tripod.com/recip/Sammy/index.html. The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. Thomas Jefferson