MORE CHRISTMAS-GOING TO THE DOGS...

Christmas morning was pretty exciting at my house. The Muse family arrived around 9:00 a.m. to enjoy a ham, eggs, gravy and biscuit breakfast. There was some excitement because of Sheyanne's new dog, Polly.

Tuff was not happy at all to have Miss Polly in his house. Looking at the pictures you can see that at no time were his ears up. He didn't feel well and certainly didn't want to share the attention with the new dog.

After breakfast we enjoyed exchanging gifts. The girls still insist on having a search gift. This year I had a gag gift and they were so disappointed at the end of their search. They were then given their final clue and the better gift had to be found. I keep thinking that one day they will out grow this tradition but each year they make sure that their big gift is a search gift. (I have ten clues hidden all over the house and they must search for clues until they find their gift.)

We had a great Christmas. There is nothing like sharing good food, exchanging gifts and enjoying each others company to have a great Christmas.

CHRISTMAS -2010

Tuff is still sick. He has tick fever and his Christmas was partly spent in the hospital. He is taking strong meds but continues to feel bad.

This is me and my precious daughter, Suzanne. She continues to brighten my life since she entered it in 1969.

This is Christmas night. Sheyanne is having so much fun trying to get all of us into the picture. Goofy bunch but oh, how I love them.

My two granddaughters really light up my life. They make me feel so special. I am so thankful to have these two lovely young ladies as my granddaughters.

These ladies are my sister-in-laws. I think my brothers did a great job of selecting wives. Jo is Ronnie's wife, Jeanna is Richard's wife, Jacque is Danny's wife and Paula is Tom's wife. (We lost Danny and Tom a few years back.)

These are the great-grand-kids of my mom and dad. Eight are missing because of previous arrangements. (Halton didn't want to corporate in the picture taking.)

These are the grandchildren of my mom and dad. Four were not able to attend the festivities.

This is my remaining two brothers. Ronnie is very ill and just today I received word that he is in intensive care with congestive heart problems.

We had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. I regret that everyone didn't get to attend the festivities because everything was so nice. Sonia and Kevin served as our host this year and everything turned out just great.

It seems that the season has brought with it so many health problems. Ronnie just can't seem to get to doing better and I worry so about him.

One of my very dear friends, Hariol, just got a very serious diagnosis and will be undergoing some major treatments in the near future. Hariol was one of the people that helped me the most when my husband was so sick. He was truly a life saver! Edna, his wife is a dear friend and has always been there for me.

Another dear friend, Helen, is suffering greatly with the health of her daughter. She has left her home to assist with the care of her daughter. My prayers are with her each day for the struggles this family is experiencing.

We have so much to be thankful for even with the sickness and heartache surrounding us. This time of the year brings back all of those lovely memories of times past. We remember those loved ones that have gone on before us but we also look forward to what the future holds for us in the coming year.

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN...

Madasan and Suzanne

Sheyanne and Casey

I planned to put a picture of my midget tree on here but decided to wait for that and show you a picture of Shey and her new friend, Casey. She had several good pictures but this one was my favorite.

Sonia plans to have the Howards over for Christmas. Our family continues to grow and when we are all present we have a humongous crowd. We pretty well fill up a house. It can get pretty exciting with all of the little ones and all of the old ones...oh, that would be me. I forget that I am now the old one among our number.

I have my little midget tree up and all of my presents wrapped. The girls just about flipped when they saw that I had down sized my tree this year. They threatened to drag out the old one but I informed them that it went out with the trash after Christmas last year. When the gifts started piling up around the little tree they gradually decided it looked pretty good.

My dog, Tuff, is back in the hospital. This is his second round since being diagnosed with tick fever. He has been one sick dog and doesn't seem to be getting much better. The vet called today and said he was not showing much improvement but was eating a little better. It imazes me that I miss him. I fuss about him and then when he gets sick I worry about him. He has been sick off and on for the past three months. I fear that he will not make it because nothing seems to work with him. Dr. B. thinks steroid shots might do the trick but we will see.

I am rambling again tonight. I do that sometimes...especially when I don't have much to tell you. I did do one thing tonight. I went down the road to see my neighbor's decorations. If you are out searching for Christmas lights you don't want to miss the Harvill's place. They really did a fantastic job of decorating their place. It is worth the four mile drive to see all of their work. Beautiful!

I hope that all of you that check in on my world have the best Christmas ever. May the coming year bring you and yours much happiness and good health. Merry Christmas to all...

MADASAN IN ACTION

Madasan has swollen knees, bumps on her head, a swollen elbow, etc., etc. She gives it everything she has plus some. She comes out of the game all beat up but she loves it.

She has played with her team for several years. They started out in the Pee Wee program and have developed a great relationship. The only difference is changing coaches. Sometimes that can be a pretty difficult adjustment but Madasan seems to adjust pretty well.

When I go to the games I refuse to sit with my daughter and oldest granddaughter because they get a tad tooooo involved in the refereeing and coaching to suit me. I threaten to get them a whistle on occasions but it doesn't slow them down. Madasan also has the ability to tune them out and gets on with her game plan. (Ain't love grand???)

(Thanks to team moms for the excellent photos.)

HOWARD THANKSGIVING...

Thirty-three Howards had a Thanksgiving Feast at Jacque's home. Seven from our number was missing. (I stole the first three pictures from FB since I failed to get good group pictures.

Ace, Morgan and Asher were absent today. They were in Houston. (Danny's son.)

Tela and Russell (Danny's daughter)

Jon, Jana, Eli, Kelli, Clair and Josh (Danny's oldest son.)

Ronnie and Jacque (Danny's wife)

Ronnie's daughter, Dana and granddaughter

Michael, Wes, Jon and Russell

Richard, Ayden, Alicia, Anna, Jeanna

BASKETBALL FUN...

Basketball practice can be rough...

Pep talk during Nashville game.

Miss Madasan during Nashville game.

Two of Mad's favorite friends.

BEAUTIFUL ARKANSAS/DEER SEASON

Sheyanne and her eight point buck.

Madasan and her nine point buck.

If you live in my part of the world you take so many things for granted. For example Mother Nature got carried away with her paint brush this year. I am amazed at the beautiful colors of fall. Recently one of our local nature photographers (Greg M.) had several beautiful pictures of the Albert Pike and Cossatot Area on Facebook. I couldn’t resist letting other bloggers enjoy them. (Thanks Greg for the beautiful pictures.)

November always bring about another BIG event in Arkansas. DEER SEASON! This is one of the biggest happening around here. In anticipation of the coming season, energetic hunters put out food plots to entice the deer into certain areas. On the big day mothers, fathers, kids, etc., get out the orange and hit the woods. Some use dogs and others just sit and wait, often in elaborate tree stands, hoping to get the big one.

My two granddaughters have been seeing several deer on our property so their method is to sit and wait. Sheyanne got her eight point buck early in the morning and Madasan got her 9 point buck in the afternoon. As you can see from their pictures they were all smile.

This is one experience I have had in my life since the beginning. My father loved to hunt with dogs. Since this was his favorite method of hunting, his nick name was

“Driver”. I have listened to his stories and then after the boys got into the game the big hunt pretty well dominated the conversation at all gatherings. For some strange reason I didn’t catch the bug. I didn’t think it would be much fun to kill Bamba.

All of you that talk about Arkansas with all of our bugs, snakes, ticks, chiggers, etc., need to take a look at some of the beauty that completely outweighs those little critters.

BEAUTFIUL ARKANSAS

MADASAN'S BASKETBALL SEASON STARTS

Madasan's first basketball game for the 2010-11 season was with Cutter Morning Star.

Madasan and Taryn bring the ball down.

The DHS Junior Lady Outlaws won their first game against Cutter Morning Star on Tuesday night but lost the game tonight to Acorn. The Acorn game was a real heart breaker. The girls had a pretty good lead in the first half but two or three got in foul trouble and they seemed to fall apart. They were ahead until the last few seconds and Acorn beat them one point. Despite the loss they played a really good game.

The Junior Outlaws boys had their first win of the season tonight.

I didn't stay for the high school games. Gray's was calling me...

GIRL'S NIGHT OUT TO SEE WICKED

When I was invited on this trip I declined the offer but was persuaded that I could handle it. In making that decision I ran across a quote by Mark Twain that motivated me to get on with life and do what I could while I could. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream, Discover.” I know I will not be around twenty years from now but my age and my health seem to be my bowlines that often keep me from doing some of the things I would like to do. So I decided to accept the challenge and go with the girls to see Wicked*. I’m so proud I did!!

Fifteen of us ended up going on this adventure. It was an outstanding performance. It was very uptown for a group of country girls.

Julia got this group together. Five of us traveled from Dierks and met ten others for the great outing.

We had supper at Mimi’s in Little Rock. The place was packed with hungry customers and our food was late so the rush was on. We left our befuzzled waiter, John, a generous tip but by passed his slow delivery of our checks and hurriedly departed the place in an effort to arrive at Robinson Auditorium by 8:00 p.m. Julia let us out at the front and she parked the vehicle. We made it just in time…

After the show we coaxed an innocent bystander to snap a few shots of our group. (While at Mimi’s we also met a nice lady that happily snapped a few photos of our group.)

It was around 11:30 when we got out of the building and loaded into our car for the trip home. With five ladies in the car you can expect the necessity of a bathroom break before we got very far. We also made a late night visit to Krispy Kream. The Krispy Kream put the finishing touch on an exciting adventure.

Being the oldest in the group should make me feel old and decrepit but with this group of ladies I always come home rejuvenated. I sailed away from the safe harbor and believe me I caught the trade winds in my sails and soared. It was a great night!

*Wicked captivated our little group. It was the Wizard of Oz prequel story about a green woman coming of age in Oz. It was a moving tale of two witches and a dazzling green themed spectacle.

OUTLAW HORSE

All of you old Outlaw students and fans know what this big black horse represents in our community. Only an Outlaw know that this fierce horse represents the qualities that our mighty Outlaws try to exhibit in their love of sports.

Many years ago different names were suggested but the strength of an Outlaw horse is what was decided upon. Mrs. Mattie Mae told me that there was a big conflict over the selection of our mascot and the school colors. She said one suggestion was Lumber Jacks and green and yellow because we were a lumber town. Along the way purple and gold and the Outlaw horse was selected. Back in the late 50's or early 60's the colors were changed to blue and white. I remember one coach wanted to change because purple faded so badly.

For years other school would visit our campus and have outlaws hanging from the goal post like real shoot 'em up outlaws. An early story did exist that said we our coach would pick up young men working at the mill and out of school to fill in when the team could not suit up enough students. They were often called a pack of outlaws. Many, many stories exist about the early teams but finally in the 70's our Student Council decided to order a large black horse to stand guard at the entrance to our school and represent the Outlaw Spirit that exist among our students.

I remember the day the big package arrived and how excited we were. My Student Council and I had to decide where we wanted to put our horse. Some wanted to put a fence around him to keep people from being able to deface him but the big discussion was you can't fence in an Outlaw so the fence was out. We decided to put him down by the gym so as students drove up the hill to school they would see him and people could see him from the highway. He stood there until the new high school was build and then he was moved to the new school.

Through the years he has been defaced by opposing teams but never nothing very drastic. I remember the very first time he was defaced was by someone that used white spray paint to spray his private manhood parts. The Outlaws got very angry and won the next few games.

As his body gave in to the many years of weather he started deteriorating. He received many coats of paint and finally he was resurfaced with plastic but still his body was becoming brittle and finally his right foot broke off.

Years after I had retired I got a call wanting to know where I ordered the horse from. I couldn't remember but I did remember hanging on to the literature as long as I was at school but had destroyed it instead of handing it along to someone else. I think they found a company that made another horse or repaired the original and he looks great.

As you can see from the photo some students from Mineral Springs decided he needed to be decorated so they spray painted and toilet papered him. I fear that this will bring some retaliation by our students. I'm not sure about taking out their revenge on the field because we have had a pretty bad season. But let me assure you that most Outlaw fans don't take messing with their mascot lightly.

This little poem was on the wall of the old field house and I would almost guarantee that is has found its place in the new one. A former student wrote it and all Outlaw football players are aware of its existence.

TO BE A CHAMPION

Cost hours of hard work,
Gallons of seat, drops of blood
A mile of dedication, a ton of heart,
A chest full of courage, a body
Racked in pain, and a mind overflowing
with perseverance.

WILL YOU PAY YOUR DUES?

This is what it takes to be an Outlaw,
Because inside every true OUTLAW beats
The heart of a Champion!!*

*I'm not sure of the author but I think he is related to the Icken howers. (Icenhowers)

SHEYANNE'S NEW FRIEND

Sheyanne and Casey

Sheyanne is on the Rodeo Team at CCCUA and plans to get her degree in Ag Business. Casey is from Oklahoma, works and is a bareback rider. He just finished second in the finals at Ft. Smith.

TIM

HALLOWEEN BUNCO COSTUME PARTY

Rachel won the best costume. She put on quite a show...

Iris and Donna

Julia

Mary and Sue

Kelly, Nancy, Suzanne, Madasan

Maxine

Betsy, Jo Ann

The Sixteen Bunco Babes

Back in 2005 we had our first Halloween Costume Bunco Party. Suzanne and I decided it was time for another night of fun so five years later we did it again. As you can see from the pictures we had a ball. It doesn't take much to entertain this bunch.

Several great costumes were recognized but Rachel got the vote for BEST COSTUME.
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