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I love my daughters very much, they’re ‘use by’ Nazis. When they come to my house, they will take stuff out of the pantry or fridge, look at the ‘use by’ date, and go berserk if they find any food that has expired. COMMON ‘USE BY’ DATES The USDA gives these examples...

Listen my children and you shall hear of the last mousecapades adventure of the year. Shortly after I bludgeoned the one trespassing creature in May 2022 and unceremoniously throwing his carcass out the door, his comrades rushed to back-fill his position. They were...

Last week I was cajoled into being a ghostbuster. Unpaid of course.  A ghostbuster is someone who locates and removes spirits, be it a ghost or apparition. I’ve been many things in my life–babysitter, camp counselor, mother, wife, Girl Scout leader, church choir...

Well, ya got trouble, my friend, right here,I say, trouble right here in Fayette County, Texas. Mousecapades 2022 has begun. Yep, I can’t believe it, but I seen it with my own eyes! Unfortunately. After returning from a weekend trip, my husband announced he saw a...

Most Americans can’t remember the first time they heard Yankee Doodle.  The song, a staple for the Fourth of July, has a rather strange history.  It actually started out as an insult to the colonists in America.  YANKEE DOODLE INSULT Legend holds that in 1755 British...

Country living brings me close and upfront to the cycle of death and rebirth. This month, I performed an assisted suicide for the most stubborn hardy injurious infuriating gigantic Agave americana aka century plant I have ever known.    BIRTH PHASE OF THE DEATH AND...

Lately, I’ve been stuck in underwear hell. Hope this isn’t TMI for you, but the issue has driven me to the soapbox. After losing a good deal of weight, my undies began drooping. First, I headed to a big box store and spent a good fifteen minutes searching for the...

Yellow jacket stings gave me a crude welcome last week.  I retaliated the first time by spraying the crap out of the nest on the door to my office.  Four days later, the same thing happened, this time from a house above the entrance.  Again, armed with long-stream...

Super Mario Bros. makes a game of smashing evil turtles named Koopa Troopas.   Smashing a turtle (a real one) two days in a row is not fun but upsetting.  Most people believe smashing a turtle to be difficult, but I have managed to do it two days in a row.  We’ve had...

I am proud to be an early adherent to the great reshuffling.  In 2003, I lost my job, became self-employed full time, and, tired of the Houston rat race, moved to my second home in rural central Texas.  (Something had to give.  I couldn’t afford both places.) ...

Last week my husband and I joined hordes of gambling seniors at a casino in Louisiana.  Frankly, I was stunned at the substantial number of gray hairs, wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters assembled.  Did you know that seniors make up fifty percent of casino visitors?...

In ninety-six hours, I will have full immunity from COVID thanks to two doses of the Moderna vaccine.  The twenty-five million of us to be fully vaccinated represent only seven percent of the U.S. population.  My fortune is astounding. Suddenly, the world is my...

For me, 2021 will be a year of transformation.  As those of you who follow my blog know, I am a bit rotund.  Before Christmas, I got tired of it and pledged to get down to what my doctor considers fighting weight.  I must lose forty-seven pounds.  I will still stick...

Boredom is a human condition.  The Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger complained about it around two thousand years ago. “How long the same things? Surely I will yawn, I will sleep, I will eat, I will be thirsty, I will be cold, I will be hot. Is...

For many of us, Christmas is a magical time full of nostalgia.   Providing our loved ones with a memorable holiday is paramount.  Unfortunately, trying to create the perfect Christmas often overwhelms us.  As a young mother, I sent Christmas cards to friends and baked...

Note:  This blog was first published on Patti Shene's Over 50 Writer's Blog on Veteran's Day, 2020. This Veteran’s Day I would like to pay tribute to a special veteran in my life, my dad, Second Lieutenant Albert Theodore Watson Senior (October 14, 1923 – December 2,...

At last, I have found an activity to take my mind off COVID.  Shredding with the tractor.  For my big-city friends, this means driving the tractor around the pasture and cutting the weeds, shrubs, and grass with a device attached to the back.  The bush hog will shred...

Last year about this time I was busy planning adventures in my new RV, with the expectation of spending this summer on a road trip to Alaska, stopping at America’s numerous campgrounds. Today the dream is officially dead.  My home on wheels has been sold.  Right now,...

  Only A Pawn, the second book in the Warriors for Equal Rights trilogy, will be available for sale Friday, August 28, 2020 on Amazon. Click Here to preorder. I chose this date because it is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech....

I’ve been in a deep COVID funk lately. How about you? Apparently, I’m not the only one. Even Michelle Obama is depressed. A tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that a majority of Americans believe the pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health....

I have Quaker roots! This revelation was even more shocking than finding out I had Neanderthal DNA.  Who knew?  And I thought we only had deep roots in Methodism.  Last week Family Search notified me that they had found my eighth great grandmother on my father’s...

I thought jigsaw puzzles and sudoku on the internet were my ultimate timewasters during COVID.  But I was wrong. The absolute number one is dish scapes (channel 199). Several days ago, I returned to the house from my office next door. I stepped into a cacophony of...

In honor of releasing the second book in the trilogy Warriors for Equal Rights, I am giving away the first book, The Cause Lives, from July 20 through 24, 2020.    The saga continues in Only a Pawn. The release date is August 28, 2020, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther...

 After a blissful year without rodent sightings, my adversary returned.  And, unfortunately, brought some nasty friends with him.  It started several weeks ago when I saw what appeared to be sawdust on the floor outside my pantry door. The surrounding walls are cedar,...

Lately, I’ve been having a hard time remembering things. Today I went to my safety deposit box and, after rifling through it, promptly forgot to retrieve my key and exited the vault. Thankfully my bank is a small one and immediately called me to retrieve it. This...

The following practices improve the ability to thrive in a diverse environment:  Treating Others with Dignity and Respect  Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect because they are a member of the human race.  Listen and put yourself in their shoes. ...

No doubt most Americans want to work for--or own--a profitable company. Various groups have researched improving the bottom line. The results are unmistakable—diverse groups make better business decisions, and diverse companies are more profitable.  Professor Evan...

In the 1990s, while working for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), I had my first contact with a Nigerian.  Before this meeting, my slate was clear.  I had no opinions-- good or bad--about individuals from that country. Working on his failure to hire...

Genealogical research comes with unsettling insights about our ancestors. Case in point is documentation I have uncovered about my ancestor Francis Dorsett (my great-great-great-great-great grandfather) and his son John Dorsett (my direct descendent).   Francis was...

I became obsessed with genealogy this week.  My journey began when I received an email from familysearch.org, indicating they may have found one of my relatives.  I opened it up and, sure enough, my grandmother’s lineage on my mother’s side was laid out back to the...

I am suffering from shopping anxiety due to COVID. Just entering the grocery store raises my alarm. My mind has decided that the longer I’m in an enclosed space, the higher the risks. And, of course, with shortages, the process is more difficult. If your go-to brand...

While COVID has been devastating humans, Mother Nature is not skipping a beat in central Texas.  A sparrow has built her nest on my porch and is intently tending her eggs. New calves cavort through the pastures. And the wildflowers have been spectacular this year....

I must admit I am struggling to cope with COVID.  I know I’m not the only one.  My life actually turned upside down at the end of January 2020, when my husband broke his hip.  Because of the location of the break, the doctors decided to let it heal as you would a...

I know this COVID-19 thing is scary to you, it scares me, too.  Our lives have been disrupted.  If you’re like me, you’re angry about the change that has been forced on you.  I’m sad that I can’t give you a hug so we can comfort each other.  But I want to stay well so...

Satisfying your sweet tooth while in self-imposed isolation can be a formidable proposition.  Because my husband has a chronic lung condition, we have opted to limit our contact to the outside world. We ran out of cookies the other day, so, rather than braving the...

I hate to be such a complainer, but the raccoons are really driving me up the wall.  The devils have decided that my several hundred yards of walkways and pier are fair game for their scat.  Hey, we all have our bodily functions, and I don’t begrudge them a place to...

Flymageddon is here!  House flies are besieging us, and we are bravely fighting back.  About two weeks ago, the vermin began to swarm around my automobile.  Despite trying to quickly slip in and keep the pests at bay, they managed to join me on trips to town.  Rolling...

Today is Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birthday. Mr. Geisel is known to most of us by his pen name, Dr. Seuss.  Geisel (1904-1991) was born in Massachusetts.  While he published over sixty books, the Cat in the Hat stands out for me. This was the first book I read, taking me...

Yes, I realize I am getting older.  My aching knee reminds me daily.  The idea of an imminent demise did not cross my mind until we began to be bombarded with fliers inviting us to a free meal to discuss our final disposal. Offers of a complimentary dinner from...

For many of us, Presidents’ Day is just another excuse for a three-day holiday.  But let us pause to take stock of the day and remember past presidents who swore to defend the Constitution of the United States.  What better way than to ponder a few quotes from our...

  Until this year, I had no idea a National Read in the Bathtub Day (February 9th) existed.  That got me to thinking about when and where I read. And it is definitely not in the bathtub, mainly because I haven’t lived in a house with a tub since 2003.  I’m a...

If so, you’re not alone.  Cigna recently released its 2020 Loneliness Index.  The survey found: Three in five Americans (61%) report that they are lonely Loneliness has a larger impact on certain demographics Men are slightly lonelier than women Younger people (18-22)...

While writing the blog on Girl Scout cookies, a Scout friend told me her mother pushed a compelling sales tactic. My buddy would tell the prospective customer that she only had two boxes left. The sale succeeded more often than not.  We both had a good chuckle when...

Dr. Martin Luther King changed my life in profound ways. He galvanized people of all races and sexes to take action to make equality a reality. For this, I am genuinely grateful. As a woman, I was born into a society that denied me fundamental rights that we take for...

As a child, the refrain, “it’s Girl Scout cookie time,” filled me with dread. While I loved Scouting and stayed in the program for over twenty years, I absolutely hated selling cookies. My earliest memories are trudging the neighborhood with boxes of sandwich cookies...

Of all the New Year’s Eves I’ve celebrated, the most eclectic was the turn of the century; December 31, 1999. We’d just purchased our central Texas ranch and managed to put a camper on the premises. What a great place to hang out as we faced the unknown. After all,...

Unfortunately, as I age, I tend to forget that my possessions are also maturing. A case in point is my sewing machine. Not really a sewer, the contraption is reserved for making curtains, crafts, repairs, and other odds and ends. It's always done the job. My daughter...

Last week a head cold invaded my life. When ill, my general tendency is to work anyway and power through. However, I decided to give myself a break and watch television. This, in itself, is unusual, because I’m a reader. My weekly viewing habits are a short section of...

There was a time when I could walk into anyone’s house and answer the telephone, turn on the TV, operate the stove, and flush the toilet. Not anymore. Remember when you just picked up the telephone handset and said ‘hello’? Now it’s punching a button to talk and...

 Thanksgiving has become an afterthought, an impediment to retailers hoping to make a fortune during the Christmas season. Halloween will soon be gobbled up as well. Hints of red and green began to show at stores brazen enough to decorate before the trick or treaters...

  While sunsets can be gorgeous, I’ve always been a sunrise kind of girl. To me, dawn brings the excitement of a new beginning, the promise of surprising possibilities that await. My first recollection of the exhilaration of sunrise was in my teens during a trail...

Curious about my ancestors and not my predisposition to illnesses, I had my saliva tested by 23AndMe a number of years ago.   Imagine my surprise when the company recently shared thirty-four traits gleaned from my DNA. To think that they are able describe me from a...

Last week we upgraded our internet to fiber. After completion, the landline rang, and I saw the name of the caller flash across the phone screen. Shocked, I asked my husband what had happened. When moving to the area some fifteen years ago, we had declined caller-ID...

I spent the majority of my adult life in Houston doing jobs that involved working with people--hurt people, angry people, wronged people—seldom happy people. I was so stressed that sad movies were off-limits. Watching films like Steel Magnolias would throw me over the...

 Tuesday, July 30, 2019, I said goodbye to the love of my life, my 2016 fully loaded fire-engine- red Jeep Renegade.    Of all the cars I’ve ever owned, this is the only one I dreamed about, researched, and planned for.   It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve never...

Mandarin-language robocalls are back!  They first appeared in 2018, but now have become a staple on my personal cell phone.  I have a Houston area code, and their sizeable Chinese population is apparently fertile ground for the scam.  According to the FBI, the...

I received a notice recently about first responder training being offered in my community sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.  The course, AWR 147: Rail Car Incident Response, is an eight-hour, awareness level course developed to educate rural emergency...

Measles does have consequences.  I should know.  It happened to me.  The memories of my childhood are faded but some things you never forget.  The year was 1960 and I was in the third grade. I remember my mother being on the telephone and me crying; I had a headache...

Recently I made a quick trip to Houston for a doctor’s appointment.  And, while I much prefer country living, I miss the food diversity of the Bayou City.  After a little arm twisting, my husband took me to a Vietnamese noodle house. I relished in spring rolls and my...

Compassion, according to Merriam-Webster, refers to both an understanding of another’s pain and the desire to somehow mitigate that pain.A recent review of medical research determined that doctors who treated patients compassionately improved the patients’ outcome. ...

Over the last several months, I have watched our local Walmart expand its self-checkout units exponentially. These days, only a few of the checkout lines are manned by humans during the busiest shopping hours. Because our community tends to be older, the queues are...

 For the last fifteen years, my husband and I have had weekly breakfast outings to our preferred taqueria.  Most mornings our favorite table is available, but recently someone was occupying it.  I found myself with a strong compulsion to scream “Get out.  That’s...

“Sweatworking”, networking while working out, is in; golf and happy hour are out.   Apparently, golf doesn’t burn enough calories and takes too long while happy hour makes you fat and susceptible to saying things you shouldn’t.  This latest craze is even pushing out...

I’ve lived in the country for fifteen years. And, yes, spiders are always with us. However, this year they have invaded my space! I can’t walk in my yard or to my car without running into several tightly woven webs. I even drove to town the other day only to open the...

 Many times, when we have a problem, we latch onto the first solution we uncover.  I found myself in that situation recently when icy weather hit.  I had gone up the steps of my office, which are Austin limestone, with no problem but later, when I was ready to leave,...

Do you have something you’ve just gotta have this holiday season?  I had fun thinking about my obsessions from the past.  The first one I remember is a Shetland pony.  Fortunately, my parents were in control and the equine never materialized.  We lived in the suburbs...

After three shows at the Round Top/Warrenton Antique Festival, Mr. Rickety, the table, had not been sold.  The problem was he had a hole in the top and he was, well, rickety.  My friend told me it wouldn’t hurt her feelings if Mr. Rickety found his way to my burn...

Worried about being killed in an ISIS-inspired attack? Think again. You are more likely to be killed on the job.  An average of 700 employees are killed in the United States workplace annually. Additionally, over two million employees are affected by some form of...

Recently I had my ancestral DNA processed.  The big surprise was that I am 4% Neanderthal!  Of all the individuals tested by 23andme, I am in the 96% percentile; the average American is 2%.  One of the characteristics of Neanderthals is full and straight hair, of...

Early Thursday morning my husband and I watched 30 years of my life go up in flames.  It took me several days to amass the huge pile of investigative files, training materials, client documents, tax returns, and other papers I was reluctant to recycle.  As I cleaned,...

Experts say that for you to be more successful at keeping your new year’s resolutions you should be realistic and talk about them.  So this year I’m taking losing weight off the table. Instead I’ve chosen the following: Be positive. Give back. Learn new things. Write...

IMPROVING YOUR CREATIVITY Part III   Hopefully you have now mastered Part 2 of improving your creativity.  I will now explore the last suggestions from Human Relations 4th Ed. By Dalton, Hoyle, and Watts. 10. Have a sense of humor and learn to laugh easily. Humor...