Lazy Me. ~Corncribs and Rats...

Lazy Me. ~Corncribs and Rats...

This teeny tiny pizzaburger at Planeview Restaurant in Oshkosh was almost $7.00-
An extra .49 for the fried onions I'd asked for too...
And I think it is still sitting hard in my tummy...

Good Afternoon All;
My apologies for being near to invisible lately. Between the computer (and its dragbutt persona), and my silly inability to find a comfortable position; it is proving a bit hard to stay focused.

How about that earthquake? The New Madrid Fault is generally so inactive for so long that we have a tendency to forget that it is even there.
Did I feel it?
No.
But I do believe that this is what woke my dogs.
Punk, asleep on the couch, awoke with a start ...and began to growl.
A few seconds later, I heard Mama Milly bark a bit too.
Quickly then, Punkin found herself comfortably insinuated down by my feet. Snuggled down for the count.
I figured there might have been a thunderstorm somewhere; not giving it another thought, until the news came across my homepage.
I am happy that we were nowhere south of here when it happened.

A picture of Casey and Punk when we arrived in Milwaukee...
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Both are pretty much tuckered out...

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On the way down...

to have traffic come to a standstill near the Slinger exit

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A straight truck flipped, twisted...

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The front end almost nonexistent anymore.
There were probably about 10 firetrucks too.

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I tried to watch the Milwaukee news then on Tuesday night. But saw nothing on there about it.
The photos do not do it justice either. I would be amazed to hear that the driver lived through it too. Miracles do happen everyday though.
It was windy... Perhaps he was caught in those high winds.
Perhaps he was cut off.
Whatever the reason, I am thinking that there is one person who went to work that morning that didn't make it home at night.
The kind of accident you come upon that makes you say a prayer for the family too.

Uncomfortable as it was to drive with my back, I saw a scene that reminded me of "home" too.
As most of you know, I bought the homeplace from Mama's estate when she passed. And even though it is my home now, back then it took on a different feel of "home".

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Two old corncribs...

The one on the right the oldest- wood.

The one on the left, metal, concrete base, with aerating, drying core....

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Back when, we had both types of corn cribs too. Just not at the same time.
We also had a part collie, part golden, and mostly lover of a dog, name of Teddy.
(Actually his full name was Theodore Scotland Octavian Murphy)...
Teddy was our protector.
Teddy was our herder.
Teddy was even kind to the cats too.
All that, and he didn't chase cars or dig up mama's flowers either!
We had gotten him from the pound. ... $5.00 in those days.

Back to the corn crib(s)...

One year Pa had taken down the wooden bracketed corn crib.
Not being able to burn it as it stood, (too close to the old garage), it had to be moved before being torched.
In order to move it, he had simply attached it by chain to the old Oliver tractor we had, and let the clutch out. The rickety old crib groaned a bit and left its concrete block base.
Pulling it off its base, there were literally 100's of displaced rats!
They ran everywhere! Mostly towards the woods, and their water supply in the river...

Teddy thought his job for the day was to catch every one of these monsters.
Overwhelmed at first, he began to grab them.
The first few, ("beginners luck" I believe), he simply caught in his teeth, crunched their backs and dropped.
About the third one he bit wrong, grabbing it by its rear end. This rat turned on him, swiftly removing a chunk of his nose. Until the day he died, Teddy was missing this aspirin~sized piece of his nose.
After that single yelp~and~release, he grabbed those vermin by their heads. A few swift tosses of his neck, then to drop them and let them die where they fell. This scene went on and on as those rats made tracks straight back to the woods... (Not a short race when your legs are so short)!
...But a scene that I haven't forgotten either.

About a week later, our new corncrib had arrived. Daddy had already poured the cement foundation. Pa, Bob Hamilton, and Pepper Martin put it up.
By using the front end bucket on the old WD Allis Chalmers (and the grain elevator) for height, slowly but surely we had our new corn crib. It was the last one we ever had too. Daddy retired while I was a junior in high school.

So enough of memory lane for today.

I have a bezillion and 40 things that need to be done. (And with my fractured back these things are NOT getting done any time soon either).

BethieBaby sent me a quote from Erma Bombeck this morning. I believe I shall have to LIVE by this creed for now:

" My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you? "

Great thought right?
(Rest in peace Sweet Erma... You are still very much missed)!

And with that, I believe it is high time for me to get in the shower and try to find something that is easy(er) on my back than sitting, or standing, or laying down, or breathing...

Love to all!

XOXO,
Anne

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Originally posted to my Y!360, Friday April 18, 2008 - 01:11pm (CDT) 3