A leftover day

That's the kind of day it was--leftover from rodeo, stock show, Joe T.'s, leftovers for supper, leftover work--plenty of the latter.
Nobody got moving quickly at this house. It was 9:30 before the gang from the apartment came in; meantime Sawyer and Ford asked every ten minutes when Jacob would come inside. I explained he sleeps later than they do--they're really early birds. I puttered and was ready for the day when everybody came in and Christian joined us. Big, lazy, late breakfast of eggs and bacon and, for some kids, chocolate chip waffles. By noon, they were all gone, kitchen was cleaned, house was picked up and I was at my desk.
Had lunch (?) about three--cottage cheese--a nap about four but couldn't sleep, so got up and took a much-needed shower and fed the dogs. Dinner was leftovers--two dabs of potato salad, one dab of egg salad, baked beans (cold), and, for some reason, hummus--an odd combination but good. For any out there who may be expecting Potluck with Judy on Sunday nights, I have decided that trying to post that every Wednesday and Sunday is too rigid. I don't always have a good food topic to write about, and sometimes there are other things to blog. I will post it sporadically, although I just now thought of a topic. I will always welcome contributions, so email me at j.alter@tcu.edu.
I have not heard much from my children in California except a bit second-hand from Brandon, Mel, and Christian when they talked to their spouses. The weekend went well and my kids had a good time, partied hard which they father would have applauded, had fun with their Califiornia sister. Today they spread their father's ashes on his land, as he requested, and Megan sent a picture of herself flinging some in the air. I know that was a significant occasion for them. Anxious to get fuller reports.
And a word about my "other adopted children," Lisa (who couldn't join us but wanted to), Brandon, Melanie, and Christian. I know they came for the stock show, but I feel incredibly blessed that with their spouses (my kids) out of town, they want to spend the weekend with me. It'a a  real tribute to the kind of people they are. And yes, as I lost my stamina (and therefore my balance) at the stock show, they took incredibly good care of me. I am blessed.

As a farewell to the annual stock show, here's Jacob with his dad and the cow he, his dad, and his mom created for his school project. I thought it was pretty cool. You can't tell from the picture, but it's three-dimensional. Kindergarten gets so complicated these days! Jacob is wearing the cowboy shirt that my good friend, his Aunt Betty, gave him. Christian has convinced me he wouldn't wear a cowboy hat if we got it.

The Alter family stock show day

The Alter family stock show day was a long day. There's  no other way to put it. It's become a tradition that we all tour the stock show grounds the day after the children and their families go to the rodeo--I have long since given it up, though I used to love it. This year, of course, we were missing my four children who are in Califoirnia for a memorial for their father. But the rest of us, mostly, remained undaunted. Colin's wife has a bronchial infection and didn't want to make the drive from Houtson with two kids. But Brandon and his boys came last night, and Mel and the girls arrived today after getting stuck in horrible traffic and spending two and a half hours in the car between Frisco and Fort Worth.
But about 1:30 we headed for the stock show--and we didn't get home until 5:15. That, my friends, is a long day on your feet. This being the last weekend of the show, our visit to the livesetock barns was fruitless--they were empty. We did tour the barn where the winning cattle were--hot, smelly, close atmosphere but interesting, and the kids loved the baby cattle. Then we headed for the midway. I have to be honest: the midway holds nothing but negative appeal for me except for watching my grandchildren have fun. I get tired, grouchy, and, today, cold as the sun faded and the wind picked up. It did have its high moments--Edie won two stuffed fish, and Jacob won a live goldfish; Maddie, Brandon and the Hudgeons boys rode the Ferris wheel, and Maddie and her mom rode The Big Kuhauna. Edie, it turns out, is her grandmother's child and doesn't like rides, though she did some fun and horror house things. Jacob loved some rides, didn't like the others so much. On one, called the Avalanche, people sit in a row and the whole backdrop rotates up and back--looked harmless, but Christian said it had a free fall sort of feeling and Jacob didn't like it at all. There were several most of the adults agreed we would never  try.

My reaction? Too much midway, not enough animals--we missed the FFA exhibit with the baby chicks and ducks and by the time we got back to it we were too tired. We missed the exhibits with western furniture, clothing, jewely, and TV kind of food and cooking products. All the parts I love best. Next year I'll rethink this. And next year: note to self, wear walking shoes, not tennis shoes.

We relaxed over dinner at Joe T. Garcia's, but even then three little boys, ages seven and five, can get into enormous mischief and trouble. So now we're all home. Mel, bless her, has taken all the kids out to the apartment, Christian didn't go to dinner with us--another party, which is a long story--but he came by and we re-hashed the day.
My house is quiet--hmm. That makes me a bit nervous. Guess I'll go investigate, but we are done, tired, sleepy, all those things.