We Bring Rayburn Gossip

Jim and I headed back to Rayburn Park this weekend. Check out these sunsets:


Once again, we were all by ourselves in the park, except for the hosts who are getting ready for the season. It was cold and there was a fishing tournament on the lake (when is there not on Rayburn?) which causes multitudes of fishermen to race 80 mph across the lake at 6:00 a.m every morning twirling their "engines", but it is so nice to have the peninsula to ourselves. Janet (one of the hosts) and I got to comparing notes on hobbies and she and I have lots in common, except she is from Michigan and I'm from Houston, TX. She talks fast, I talk slow.

I'm working on learning Corel Draw and Paint (trying to learn graphics and digital photography, watched a couple of movies, cooked excellent steaks with Jim, rode our bikes and totally relaxed.

I'm so grateful for our many blessings and my good fortune to have a job I mostly like, a son I adore, a dog who is aloof yet alive, and a husband that I love, although he snores like a freight train. Can I have a clothespin here?

Come on spring...Dammit!

Al Gore could not have a greater fan...I just thought global warming was a ruse. Please Algore, please bring more global warming to my little world. This ice packing, polar bear sucking, bone chilling, never ending frost absolutely sucks. I actually left the house to go to the office in 45 degree weather without a coat or a sweater today. A mere three miles...What possessed me? Optimism? It usually warms up to 70 degrees on a normal day. I have a fairly new GMC Sierra half ton. I cranked the temperature up to 90 degrees and still could not get warm. And I have remote start...

You have to understand, Louisiana does not get cold. The mosquitoes just buy sweaters. The spiders spin sleeping bag webs. No insects die-off. We all climatize. In the great war to come, the Chinese may kill all of the Northerners with axe handles but we Southerners are confident in death by roaches, fire ants and mosquitoes.

I say this only because we are to have our second snow event in less than a month after at least a ten year drought. Effing off old man winter...

Jim and I went to our hideaway at Lake Sam Rayburn this weekend. We were one of a few in the rec area. Take a look. It's a 120,000 acre lake and there was a couple of fishing tournaments but our little slice of heaven was still deserted.

And the sunsets at Rayburn Park on Lake Sam Rayburn are awe inspiring, God events.

I'm so ready for summer and ok, a brief spring. The boat, my float, screw the coat...

What is this? Update

As you can see, God blessed us southern hicks a little more overnight.

What is this?

Well it's official, hell has frozen over. It snowed in Mansfield, LA today. The apocalypse must be coming because it never snows here. Houston gets snow, Baton Rouge gets snow. Mansfield never gets snow. And my pictures are liable to make everyone north of us laugh.

The snow for our yard is stuck up in the pine trees. The Colwick's have no trees in their front yard.

My truck had enough snow on the windshield to make one good snowball and throw it at Mr. Ruffin. He was not amused.

Mrs. Bickham's magnolia tree got a good dusting.

"This" happened coincidentally while I was making our yearly reservations at Lake Sam Rayburn. Channeling boat rides on the lake and swimming. Thank goodness March is only eighteen days away.

Think I'll go put another log on the fire.

Ruffinism for the day: Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, and I'm happy to state that I finally won out over it. - Elwood P. Dowd

WHO DAT...WHO?

What a fabulous football game. Who would have believed it before it was over. The Colts were favored for two weeks. But Louisiana showed them this year. When Tracy Porter from Port Allen, LA made that interception at the end, the roof litterally lifted from Bill and Karen's house where we were watching the game. Eight adults and one Chico dog screamed loud enough to register on the Richter scale. I'm still reliving it.

The New Orleans Saints are no longer the "aints".

The only hiccup in the whole game was the halftime show. Now I realize they were doing a takeoff on the Who Dat theme by bring in The Who, but really folks, there are so many acts that could have included the whole crowd. Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend are as old as...well not quite me. I went to see them in concert when I was 17. Believe me their voices were much better then. These were two old guys, one with a curly blond haircut more suited to a 20 year old and the other one literally looked like Popeye Doyle (played by Gene Hackman) in the French Connection. Don't you think Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill and Tug McGraw, Harry Connick, Jr., hell Barney the purple dinosaur would have been a better choice?

Don't bother me I'm channeling Frank Shekarski or perhaps Carey Lindley...

On the way home from the party Clif and Megan called from I-10 in between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to inform us that they were headed to Bourbon Street and going to spend the night in New Orleans and by the way, would we transfer money to his account when we got home to cover the hotel room and meals for today? (All you folks with little kids, let this be a heads up.)

Ruffinism for the day: We are the Champions, my friends. - Queen