Sunday, September 27, 2009

My "take it easy" weekend...

Okay, I'm all relaxed and comfy in my recliner. Time to add a little text to the photos I posted earlier about my way-too-busy weekend. I'm supposed to be "taking it easy" these days...

...but Marty's only gonna turn 40 once...and Belva made the yummiest margaritas...


...and there's no way I could skip the Memory Walk!
(Even if they wouldn't let me walk and put me at the Forget-Me-Nots volunteer table, instead.)

So these WONDERFUL young men from the AHS football team helped run the Forget-Me-Nots, each with the name of a loved one with Alzheimer's, to six locations all around the zoo. As walkers passed the stations, they would see the name of the loved one they held in the air during the Opening Ceremony.

Can you see Lea Emma's forget-me-not? Later, Karen planted her forget-me-not right beside this one. (Oh, and we found her red tribute flag along the walk...upside down! Trust our red-headed grandmother, Lea Emma Fowler, to be different!)

I love the bonding going on in this picture...both sets!

Then, after the walk, TEXAS AUTHOR KATHI APPELT signed the Madison library copy of her award-winning book, The Underneath, right before the Books and Boots Luncheon where she received the A.C. Greene award!

For Renee and me, this was like meeting a ROCK STAR!


Marty and Mike Renfro, the author of Shine On: 100 Years of Shiner Beer. Kirsten is going to take her brother to the brewery this Christmas...and if I'm lucky, I'll get to come, too! (Until then, I'll just have to wait until Dan lends me the *signed copy* Kirsten bought him...)

There is no entertainment like the Hardin-Simmons Cowboy Band.
Period.
Let's hope they come back every year!

Oh, and did I mention that this weekend is also the Balloon Festival? (Also known as "Our Dogs' 48-Hour Freakout.")

These photos are taken from our YARD Saturday afternoon. People in the hot air balloons, including one of my students, hollered greetings down at me and the traumatized canines.


And then, to make up for all the calories consumed at Belva's house and the Books & Boots Luncheon (catered by Harold's Barbecue, y'all!), here was my dinner Saturday night.
(Well, veggies and a "diet" mojito...so not entirely innocent.)

What a great weekend! I don't know how Kirsten avoided getting her photo taken...I was armed with the school camera this weekend, and clicked anything that moved! We both enjoyed all of the luncheon's speeches, especially the ones about Shiner and crusty old LBJ.

UPDATE: I just looked at this blog and realized that I'm HUGE compared to Ms. Appelt and Renee. I look like some kind of freaky Steroid Librarian, fixin' to stomp my way through the Hall of Authors like Godzilla, leaving a trail of splintered destruction in my path...

4 comments:

Melanie said...

ONE QUESTION.... What is on your corn & asparagas??? Would that be black pepper? That picture just launched me into a flashback of elementary school! LOL Remember the beef stew? (I really liked it.. it was thick & had lots of potatoes, carrots & beef chunks!) anyways... I remember eating lunch with you many times and watching you POUR many, many little packets of black pepper all over your bowl... AND THEN YOU'D EAT IT!! I should have known back then, the Texan in you LIKES IT HOT! LOL

mad4books said...

Yes, Melanie!! It *was* pepper on the corn, and a German spice concoction called Krauterlinge on the asparagus.

I still love PEPPER!!!! (Can't get enough!! Wow, do you have a great memory about those little pepper packets--I used to tear them open three at a time!) Karen and I have often joked that we should have packed Tabasco in our school backpacks to make that plain cafeteria food more appealing...

Good thing I live in Texas...where we can get jalapenos and serranos from the mounded BINS OF PEPPERS at the local grocery store. Eat 'til you sweat, baby!

Bluebonnetgirl said...

I see why your tummy was hurtin' last night! You really DID have a busy weekend! Grandma Fowler would be so proud of you, Darlin'!

Melanie would find it amusing to know that I bought Tabasco sauce today--a 12-ounce bottle of it! If I could find it in gallon-size bottles, I'd buy it. You're a chip off the old block! As Karen once said, "I LIKE too much pepper!"

Melanie said...

You are TOOO FUNNY! You'll be glad to know that ONE of my kids likes it hot too! :)
Austin LOVES to add the spice to his food! I actually found him a bottle of 100% Pain for Christmas last year.... I think it actually too hot for him though! He puts tobasco on his mashed potatoes & rice.... uses it for a dipping sauce for his meat and likes it on pizza! I don't mind a LITTLE heat on pizza w/chicken and served with blue cheese dressing but I have to admit I like MILD (probably tasteless to you guys!)for salsa etc. :) Austin actually brings home tabasco sauce & hot sauce when he goes to Honduras!