Happy Easter

HAPPY EASTER

Hope the Easter Bunny left lots of eggs in your basket, preferably chocolate.

Come by tomorrow for a new story and more Aimless Ramblings.

Voices

I saved this from a FB post thinking it might come in handy someday, well today is the day.
Often when I'm asked to write a continuation to a story I comment that I will if they speak to me again. I'm really not kidding.   I have to get inspired.  There are times I sit with my fingers on the keyboard and have no ideas and all of a sudden I see my fingers moving across the keyboard.  Frequently, when I go back and read my stories weeks later I am amazed at what I have written - it's not something I would say or think. So it must be the voices in my head, right.   Does this happen to you?

I have to go now because I am getting a message and I am not even wearing my beanie with the aluminum foil antenna.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Squirrelly

I think somebody forgot to wake up Mother Nature from her winter hibernation. Is it warm anywhere?  Certainly not here - it was 28 degrees here Sunday nite and last nite was more of the same .  As someone said to me today, at least it's not snowing here.  That is good news - at least to me.

I hope the Easter Bunny has his fur coat on because the way it's going he will be needing it when he's hiding those eggs.

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See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.


                                         

It's All About You

It is Saturday night and I usually have a post already to go on Sunday morning.  Guess what, I don't and I have not a clue what to write about. So I found this in my files for just such a rainy day.

1) U are reading this

2) U are human.

3) U can't say the letter ''P'' without separating your lips

4) U just attempted to do it

6) U are laughing at yourself

7) U have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5

8) U just checked to see if there is a No. 5

9) U laugh at this because you feel like an idiot & know everyone else does it too.

10) U are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it

Hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend.  The weather seems to be terrible in most areas so hope you are having lots of indoor fun.  Tune in tomorrow for a new story and more Aimless Ramblings.

Cold and Hot

I am so glad spring is here.  I hope those of you still experiencing winter weather will get to enjoy the season soon.  It's not as warm here now as it was last year at this time and we are expecting more cold weather this weekend.  Very strange year.

We completed our journey to Texas.  I have to tell you I was so happy to see the green again.  The trees leafed out more each dayand with each mile.  Now the redbuds and forsythia are starting to bloom.  The allergens are in full bloom too making me come alive with the sound of achoos. But it is beautiful.

It was good seeing everyone and we made it to Babe's the first nite.  Babe's is a family style restaurant done in old rustic style and makes the best fried chicken.  It's a must as soon as we get here and right before we leave.  

We did some dancing the other day, or actually I did some dancing.  He took the initiative and laid the wooden paint stick next to where I was sitting.  We then went onto the tango portion of the date and the music was wonderful.

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  We are living the dream.  That's it for now.  See you later for more Aimless Ramblings

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Life Is Never Dull

If you would like to read the earlier stories of Erica and Scott Carsons life, click here

Erica invited all of the kids over for a barbecue.  After everyone was full and lulled into submission she told them she had something for them to watch.

“You’re not getting out the old movie camera footage, are you Mom? Asked Jack.   Sarah tried to hush him.

“No, it’s not the old movie camera footage.  I was cleaning out the attic and going through some photos. I decided to convert some of our old photos to dvd’s.”

She put Jack’s copy into the player and as they sat around watching, his wife Sarah remarked how lucky they were to have been able to travel so extensively.

Erica explained to Sarah that Scott traveled quite a bit for business early on and before the kids were in school they often made it a family affair. Once they got older it was more difficult unless the trips coincided with semester breaks or summer vacations so they didn’t do it as often.

“I just thought you all might enjoy reliving some of those vacations so I made one for each of you”

 After all the complaining, even Jack said he had enjoyed the trip down memory lane.  Erica started ruminating about how much she and Scott had enjoyed traveling and how much they didn’t do it as much any more.,  Even though they really didn’t have anything hold them back, life seemed to interfere and she, probably more than Scott, felt housebound.  They talked about selling the house and getting something smaller but she had been reluctant to do something so drastic at the time.  As she watched her children with their children she realized memories didn’t revolve around a physical place but in hearts and minds.  While it’s nice to think about memories in a particular place, you take them with you wherever you go.  Tonight I’m telling Scott I’m ready to put the house of the market tomorrow.

When they were snuggled in bed that evening Erica reminded him of their conversation of a couple of months ago.  She told him she was ready to move forward.  Scott, always being the steady level headed wonderful man she married, said it might be a good idea to think about where they wanted to go before they did something so drastic.

“We could be homeless if we do it without another place to land” he said.

“I don’t care.  I feel if we don’t do it now it may never happen.  We could always rent an apartment if the house sold before we found another place” Erica said.

“Erica, think about this.  We have been in this house forever.  Our piles have piles.  We have to clean out and pare down.  People could get lost going through our attic and basement.

“But I want to feel like we have taken the first step”.

“How about this weekend we tackle the basement?  The bottom is a good place to start and we can work our way up.   Speaking of bottoms, I noticed you’re wearing my favorite attire” Scott said with a grin.

“I’m not wearing anything”, Erica replied.

“Exactly” as he  started massaging her tush.   One act led to another and the vocal part of their evening was over.  The dancing had begun.

Three days later Scott got a call from his neighbor.  The first thing Guy said was “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were selling the house?  One of my clients has always admired your place and I am sure we could have worked out something thus eliminating the commission”

Scott sputtered.  “How the hell did you find out we were selling?”.

“There is a real estate sign out front”.  Guy answered. Silence on the other end.

 “Are you still there”?

Scott replied,  “Yes, I’m sorry.  My secretary was just handing me a message. 

Anyways, it’s something Erica and I talked about.  I guess I didn’t realize the sign would be going up so quickly.” He was hoping he had covered up his surprise at knowing his own house was up for sale.

 “It’s too late now but I will let them know it’s on the market” 

 “Thanks Guy and I’m sorry I didn’t give you a heads up.  Tell Sue I said hello and maybe we could get together for some golf one of these weekends.”

 “That would be great”  Guy replied and hung up

When Scott put down the phone, he told his secretary he was leaving and probably wouldn’t be back the rest of the day. He was surprised she didn’t remark about the steam coming out of his ears. He thought of calling Erica but figured the drive home would help him to calm down.  He didn’t want to confront her while he was angry because he planned on giving her a long hard spanking and didn’t want to be angry when he took her across his lap.

When he pulled around the corner, there was another car in the drive.  He debated whether to go in or just wait until the other car left.  While he was debating another car pulled up and a couple got out.  That made his decision easy.  He was going in and wanted to watch Erica squirm as she tried to get around this.  He knew she had probably already worked out a plan, not that she would lie,  there would be some version of the truth to her story.

He followed the couple to the front door.  They looked at him strangely but he didn’t say a word. When the realtor opened the door and greeted them she recognized the third person.

“Hello, Scott.  As first I thought you were here to see the house” and gave a short hmpff.

“I guess you could say that.  It’s good to see you” and extended his hand. He turned to the couple with his hand extended and introduced himself.  He told Maddy to show them the house and he went off to find Erica.

He figured she would be out in the yard somewhere trying to stay out of the way.  She was bending over the flower bed when he came up behind her and gave her a swat to get her attention.  She stood up and turned around swinging.  When she saw it was him the look on her face went from anger to that deer in headlights stare.  Her arm came down as it began to register that she was probably in trouble.

“What are you doing home so early? She stammered.

“I live here, remember, at least for the present” he replied.  She could hear the controlled anger in his voice.

“I can explain”

“I’m sure you can and I can’t wait to hear what you have to say. You can talk all you want once I’m finished, until then I expect silence.  If it weren’t for those people in the house you would already be getting your tush toasted.  

You’re lucky, this way I have more time to calm down.”

“But Scott”

“No buts but your butt.  We talked about this the other day and agreed to wait until we cleared out some of our stuff and found another place to live before we listed”  he said. He left her standing there and went over and sat down on the patio. 

As soon as the realtor and the couple left, Scott told Erica to meet him in the bedroom.  He made sure the door was locked before heading upstairs.   He didn’t say a word, just sat down on the bed and told Erica to come to him.  She was very nervous now, he was usually lecturing her by this point.  She did as she was told.  When she lowered herself over his lap, he lowered her capris but left her thong in place.  It wasn’t going to hinder what he had in store for that beautiful bum.  He spanked first her left cheek, then her right, then left, then right.  He established a rhythm and with each spank the strength intensified.  By the twentieth spank she was beginning to settle in when he changed the pace.  Now the spanks were coming fast and furious all over her bottom and the tops of her thighs.  She was squirming like a drop of water in a hot skillet.  She began begging him to stop but he continued the spanking.  When he felt she had enough he stopped.  She wanted to jump up and rub her stinging tush but he wouldn’t allow it.

“It’s been a long while since you I’ve given you such a hard spanking” he said.

She didn’t answer.  He slapped her tush and repeated the question.  She nodded her head yes.

“I felt you deserved it.  You went ahead and did exactly what you wanted even though you knew how I felt.  Well now I did exactly what I wanted to do.  Is there anything you would like to tell me?”

“I know you want me to say I’m sorry, but I’m not.  It’s something we were going to do anyway and when I saw Maddy at the store the other day I told her we were going to put the house on the market.  She said it was the perfect time and she had a lot of buyers that were interested in our neighborhood.  I explained we weren’t ready but she said we didn’t have anything to lose so I went ahead and agreed to give her the listing”

“Are you sure you didn’t call Maddy?” he asked.

“No, I didn’t call her” Erica said, she didn’t look directly at him so he knew there was something that she was holding back.  He was sure she didn’t call but there was more to this story but it didn’t matter now.  The house was on the market and that was that.

He let her up and sat her on his lap.  She winced as her bum hit his thighs. 

“You really spanked me hard” she said. “It still hurts”

“You had it coming.  I was really upset when I found out from our neighbor about the house being up for sale.  I felt like an idiot.  By the way, Guy said he had someone that would have been interested in the house and it wouldn’t have cost us a real estate commission”

“Oh” she said quietly.

“It is done now.  I forgive you but I’m not sorry I spanked you.  How do you want to handle this going forward?  Are we going to look for a place to live or are we just going to wait until we are homeless?”

“I had a great idea that I think is the perfect solution”, she told him.

“Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to torture you to get the answer? He said as he tickled her.

“ Stop tickling me.  I’ll tell if you let me. Don’t react right away.  Think about it first”.

“First, I have to know what I am not supposed to react to right away, sweetie.”

“I think we should buy one of those big motor homes and travel around the country” she said.

He didn’t react but he was speechless.  Is that a reaction? One thing he had known from the beginning, with Erica life was never dull.

Hell Hath No Fury

A friend of mine had this posted on FB the other day, I couldn't pass it up.

• After 37 years of marriage. Jake dumped his wife for his young secretary.
  
  His new girlfriend demanded  they live in Jake and Edith's multi-million dollar home and since the man's lawyers were a little better,  he prevailed.
  
  He gave Edith, his now ex-wife,  just 3 days to move out. She spent the 1st day packing her belongings into boxes crates and suitcases.
  
  On the 2nd day she had to movers come and collect her things.
  
  On the 3rd day she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candlelight put on some soft background music and feasted on a pound of shrimp a jar. of caviar and a bottle of Chardonnay.
  
  When she had finished she went into each and every room and stuffed half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of all of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.
  
  When the husband returned with his new girlfriend all was bliss for the first few days.
  
  Then slowly the house began to smell. They tried everything cleaning,  mopping and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even replaced the expensive wool carpeting. NOTHING WORKED.
  
  People stopped coming over to visit. Repairman refused to work in the house. The Maid quit.
  
  Finally they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.
  
  A month later even though they had cut their price in half they could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
  
  The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.
  
  Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.
  
  A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home.
  
  INCLUDING THE CURTAIN RODS.:)
  
  When you finish laughing it should be remembered that the moral of this story is to never underestimate the power and fury of a woman scorned.  See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.
  
  

Junk and Stuff

 The other day I swtiched stuff out of the motor home and into the storage unit.  Then I moved some stuff from the storage unit to the Goodwill pile.

How  much do you want to bet I am going to have to replace one of those items very soon.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

ANSWERS

Seriously, here are the answers to questions posed to me in the Q & A blog I posted on Sunday.

Bas inquired about our RV plans.  We plan on doing this for at least another year.  Doubt that it will be longer than that but you never know.  We haven't found a place yet that we would like to settle for the long run.  We keep searching for a place to call out to us and when it does that's when we will settle in.  I think we will always keep the RV though and use it as long as we are able.

SirQmslb asked what physical attribute I liked most about myself.  I have great hair and my husband has great legs.  The emotional attributes I like most about myself is that I have empathy and my husband is an incurable romantic.  He thinks I'm smart and a softie at heart and I pretty much think the same of him (maybe not quite as soft).

Terps asked about our next journey.  We plan on traveling to Texas later this week. The rest is fluid at the moment.

Ami asked how and if we manage to get away from each other given the closeness of the RV.  Truly, Ami, I am amazed we haven't done each other in but it seems like the closer the quarters the better we seem to get along.  But we do have different interests.  I can get lost in a book or on the computer and tune out the world.  He loves the outdoors and is a putterer and always manages to find something to keep him busy.  Either one of us can always retire to the bedroom if the outdoors isn't available.  Also, we're lucky enough to have friends/family in many of the places we've visited so we can go off w/o each other. 

My question to you is why you keep torturing me with all those great recipes?

Ronnie asked about the first time I met hubby and if I knew he was the one.  A friend of mine was his secretary and that is how I met him.  I didn't like him and vice versa.  I seem to give off the bitch vibe since I've heard this from many men.  One man told me it was probably because I was strong and very independent.  We met again a couple of years later under different circumstances and within three weeks I knew he was the one. Guess he liked "bitches" lol

Cat asked what are the  best and worst things of living in the RV.  I like the flexibility of being able to spend lots of time in places that we usually visited for only a week or two at a time, i.e. our daughter.  The worst, it can be confining sometimes and your storage space is limited.  Everything has to fit and it can be frustrating.

English Rose We currently don't plan on visiting other countries in the RV. There's much here we've yet to see.  We been to lots of islands because we like beaches and sand but we've done that by plane or by ship.

Christine asked about how I got the name Sunny Girl.When I started blogging I had to come up with a name, so Sunny Girl was reborn in human form.  It was actually the name of our little sheltie, she was my first avatar and much sunnier than me.  I always said she was the child that didn't leave home.  So it has nothing to do with me or my personality but thank you for the compliment. (See above answer to Ronnie)

The second question was about career paths.  I worked in for-profit corporations for the first part of my life. It was very interesting in that a lot of it had to do with the entertainment industry and that was a definite eye opener. When I returned to work after our daughter was grown I went to work for non profits.  Now that was an eye opener at the other end of the spectrum. Both had good and bad points but the difference was like night and day.  I've been retired for years now though.

The third question was about what I would do if money, time or consequences weren't involved.  Truth be told Christine I can't think of a thing I have done or would do differently.  I've lead a pretty charmed life and although there may be things I haven't yet done, it doesn't mean I wouldn't in the future. At the moment I can't think of a thing.

Roz asked the favorite place we've visited so far.  That's a hard one because there have been so many beautiful places and not so beautiful places but beautiful people in those places.  I think I would have to say the most beautiful place we stayed was at Lake Dardanelle in Arkansas.  It's a state park and we were parked on a strip of land jutting into the lake so we had a water view on three sides.  It was beautiful and we were there at the perfect time of year - hardly any humidity and no bugs which can be a problem in Arkansas.


Thanks to abby, Minelle and Smiling Belle who also stopped by to let me know they visited and commented on that little paper we used to use as kids which apparently are still around.

Since March is not even half over there may be additional questions so feel free to ask here or send me an email.  See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

Gemma's Lucky Find

When Gemma was a little girl she was always saving her nickels and dimes.  She planned to use the money to send her parents on a trip to Ireland.  He mum and da had migrated to America when they were very young and always talked about going back to Ireland to visit their parents and their many siblings who still resided there.

When she was twelve she had saved up $265 and presented it to them on their anniversary.  She was so proud of herself that she was giving them a present they had always talked about.  Her mum and da cried when she gave it to them.  Obviously, $265 was not going to go far in getting that trip to Ireland but they didn’t discourage her by telling her so.  They just never went and after that no longer talked about it either.  Not that she knew it then, but the money went into her college fund. 

After college, Gemma enjoyed a successful career as a financial planner.  She never forgot her parents wish to return to Ireland and on their 35^th anniversary she presented them with tickets. She knew if she just gave them the money they would use it for everything but the trip they had so desired for years.  She also knew they would never accept the money needed to enjoy a great time so she made arrangements for hotels, tours, etc.  She also decided it would be a perfect time to get to know her relatives too so she would travel along with them for part of the time.  They were overwhelmed and were more excited than she had seen them in years.

Upon arrival, they were whisked away to Galway by her Aunt Ciara and Uncle Sean.  It was wonderful getting to know everyone and hearing about their lives.  Before she knew it her portion of the trip was ending and she would be flying back to America. 

During the trip, one of her cousins, Connor, introduced her to Shamus O’Malley.  He had gone to university with him and although Shamus was an American he often traveled to Ireland on business.  He always managed to get in touch with Connor on these trips and they would raise cain with the best of them.  Gemma really liked Shamus and when she found out he also lived in the Boston area suggested they get together when they were both back in America.

“That’s a little forward for an Irish lass, isn’t it? He asked

“Is it ?, she answered coyly. “Don’t forget I am an American Irish Lass”

“I am an American Irish Lad, but I’m an old fashioned guy.  Just teasing though.”

“Here’s my info, do with it what you want but I’d love to hear from you.” She told him.

Unbeknownst to them until they met at the airport, they were both booked on the same flight back to Boston.  Shamus  managed to coerce her seat partner to switch seats so they spent the trip getting to know one another.

Shamus was a striking man.  Not a handsome pretty boy but a rugged, good looking type.  He was not quite six feet tall, with the bluest eyes that just glinted with mischief and lots of black hair with a few silver strands here and there.  It curled just at his neck and ears and Gemma had the greatest urge to wet it and tamp it down.   He was stockily built and reeked masculinity.  He had little crinkly lines around his eyes and mouth that she attributed to his love of life and laughter. 

By the time the plane landed in Boston, they had made plans for the next three weeks.  That was fine with Gemma.  Although she had been in a few relationships none of them were with men she thought she could be happy with beyond a couple of months.  In one way or another, none of them had measured up to what she considered “keepers”.  She had the feeling Shamus would be different but time would tell.

For their second date, Shamus had scored tickets to the Boston Symphony and invited Gemma to join him. She was to meet him at the ticket counter at 7:30 pm on the day of the event. Gemma got involved in a project and lost track of the time.  She called Shamus and told him she was running a little late.  Unfortunately,  she got stuck in traffic and didn’t get their until 8:15pm.  She did not call him again and when she arrived Shamus was upset and expressed his displeasure.

“You should have called me to tell me you were stuck.  It wouldn’t have made a difference for the performance but I wouldn’t have worried as much.  I could have left the ticket for you at will call and you could have come in to join me when you arrived.  It is something I would have suggested if you had called me.  But you didn’t and so we both missed the first half hour of the performance” Shamus lectured.

“I’m sorry, I told you I was running late. I didn’t think I had to call you again”

“Courtesy dictates you should have done so.  There was a performance time involved and it made a difference”

“As I said, I’m sorry.  If that’s not enough I don’t know what to tell you, maybe you should spank me” she said jokingly.

“Maybe I will” he said.

She didn’t say a word.  They walked into the theatre and an usher directed them to their seats.  Gemma continued to think about the conversation during the performance.  Did he really mean he would spank her?  He had told her in Ireland he was an old-fashioned man, did that mean he believed in disciplining his female companions?  She wasn’t sure how she felt about that and she would just have to wait and see.  She decided not to make any preconceived judgments because she had noticed just a tiny tingle in her female parts when he mentioned spanking.  Over the years, she had read romance novels that had the damsel spanked by her boyfriend, lover, husband and she always thought it terribly romantic.
Would this be the case with Shamus?

After the performance, they walked over to a small bistro and had some appetizers and drinks.  They talked about the wonderful performance.  Shamus did not say anything about her late arrival other than he wished they had been able to see the whole performance. Once again she apologized.  He told her she was forgiven but to please not make the same mistake again or he would have to spank her – just as she had expressed.

There were those tinglies again in her nether regions.

After the three weeks of dates they had planned on their return trip, they were falling in love.  He could see it in her and she felt it in him.  The following weekend he invited her to a St. Patrick’s Day party his folks were giving.  All of his siblings would be there and he wanted to introduce her to them.  She was thrilled.  He had already met her parents and they couldn’t have been happier that she was involved with someone of Irish descent, and someone the Irish portion of her family had known a long time.  That was like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

She was a little apprehensive but just knew his family would be as lovely as Shamus and she was looking forward to meeting them.  When they arrived everybody greeted them with open arms.  Once they found out that she was a cousin of  Connor O’Brien’s it was even better.  One of Shamus’ sister-in-laws, Caitlin, pulled her aside and asked if she knew what she was getting into?

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“All of them are spanko’s.  They live and breathe domestic discipline.  I’m pretty sure their Da has preached this their entire lives.  Their mum has never said a word but I’ve noticed things a time or two.”

“Are you telling me that you get spanked?”

“Yep, and so does Colleen, Mary and Siobhan.  Like I said I’m pretty sure Mum  has spent time over his dad’s knee too”

“Why do you put up with it?  It must be so humiliating being treated like a child when you’re a grown woman” Gemma said.

“I used to think that way and then I realized it was nice having someone else take the responsibility for decisions I didn’t want to make.  Paddy had the duty and getting a spanking once in a while when I didn’t measure up didn’t seem so bad. Actually, in addition to the correction spankings there are also good girl spankings that just send me to another place.  And the sex – well that makes any of the discomfort of a punishment spanking worth it;  at least to me.  I can’t say it any clearer than that, but that’s your decision to make if you are going to stay with Shamus because I just can’t see him being any different than his brothers.

“Unfortunately, I think you are right about that and that is something I am going to have to think about accepting” Gemma said.

“Good luck and I hope I didn’t scare you off, I think we could become great friends” Caitlyn said.

When the evening was over and Shamus and Gemma were heading home he asked her what she thought.  She told him she loved his family but told him what Caitlin had told her.

“She was right, Gemma.  I see that it works for my brother’s and I don’t plan on doing anything different.  I told you when we first met I was an old-fashioned guy and I plan on being the authority in my household.  Is this something you think would be acceptable to you?  I know you are a strong independent woman and I would not want you to change.  I will always listen to what you have to say and will always respect your opinions but I will make the final decisions.  My word is law and if “my wife” steps over that line she will find herself over my knee”

“Yes, that’s pretty much what Caitlin said – but she seemed fine with it and said there were such things as good girl spankings and that the sex was wonderful.  Maybe we should experiment with a good girl spanking” she said laughingly.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. I love experiments and I’ve been thinking about spanking that cute bottom of yours for sometime”

He stepped on the gas as they sped toward her place to do some lab work.

Q and A

I am joining the fray and participating in March question and answer month here in blogland.  Since I didn't have any questions for anyone, I can't imagine getting any questions here but you never know.  I will do my best to provide answers even if they may be a little off track.

REMEMBER THESE?

Have a good day everyone and tune in tomorrow for story day and more Aimless Ramblings.

Loving Life

Hubby, maybe I should give him a name.  Everyone seems to be naming their husbands.  Maybe I'll ask him what he wants to be called.  

At any rate, he pointed out that we are leaving for Texas this year on the same day as last year.  Looking forward to going but it will not be the same.  Last year, our families were whole, this year there is a hole.  Granted by the time we left last year, the hole already existed but our feelings were so raw and she was so very much present emotionally and spiritually, if not physically, that it didn't seem real. This year it will be very real.  I now understand why my sibling has such a difficult time going "home". It has to be so hard to go home to emptiness after thirty-seven years because it feels strange to me knowing she won't be there.  It's coming up to a year of firsts, her birthday, their anniversary, his birthday.  We'll be there through them all and relive all the memories and toast to all the good times spent together.

Hubby distracted me.  He's getting ready to go out and just watching him gave me that little tingle.  What is it.  Lillie, posted about it last month, the clitoral tug it's called.  How does he have that power after so much time? Don't know, really don't care, just glad it's still there.

Some more aimless rambling, was just distracted again by Mrs. Hummingbird. Short attention span today, actually I suffer from the shiny penny syndrome. We have a eucalyptus tree just outside our door and a couple of weeks ago we noticed a lot of hummingbird activity.  Our eyes followed her to this beautiful nest in the tree.  It is a work of art, at least from the ground.  She is a vigilant mother, not leaving for more than a few minutes at a time.  Last week there were some cold temps and  horrible winds and I really feared for them but although a large protecting branch fell, she and the nest are still there.  I hope they hatch before we leave. It would be something to see.  They are small but mighty creatures.  

Today, hubby, there it is no name again, was sweeping the floor and I went into the bedroom to get out of the way and I feel whap, whap, whap with the broom on my backside.  He informed me the target was too good to pass up.  Gotta love him.

We have friends visiting this weekend. They are fellow RVr's and we have a great time whenever we are together.  So even though the weather is supposed to be not the best we will have lots of fun and laughter.  Life is good. 

Well I've gone on and on and said nothing.  We are enjoying the rest of our time here with our friends, going to baseball games and just living life - hoping you are doing the same.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.

As March Winds Blow

She cozied up to her husband as they snuggled into their warm bed.  It was freezing cold outside and they had just come in from bedding down all of the animals.  There was a blizzard forecast and they didn’t want their animals to be caught without food if the blizzard struck as predicted. When they first married Josh used to tease her that she would be out there putting blankets on all the animals if she had her way.  After ten years together, it wasn't as bad as that but all of their animals were always brought into the barn on nights like this.  He was just lucky she limited her concerns to their animals.   She felt bad for all of God’s creatures living in the wild; it took him a while to convince her that Mother Nature had a system that had been working since time began and although we may not like it, she knew what she was doing. As he laid there, taking in her scent, he went back to their beginnings.

Marsha was a city girl, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. They met at college in Boise. She was majoring in education and Josh was taking a couple of courses in Animal Husbandry. They dated off and on during the semester and when the semester was over Josh invited Marsha to spend a couple of weeks at his parents’ ranch in Montana.  She accepted. After two weeks of listening to the stories from Josh’s mother about ranching and the Montana winters, she was convinced this life wasn’t what she envisioned for her future. 

She went home to California for the rest of the summer.  Josh tried contacting her a couple of times but she told him how she felt about ranch life and thought it best to break it off now.  After that she never returned his calls.  That fall she was back in school she ran into a friend of his.  He explained Josh was working on a ranch in Idaho.  Chad asked if she wanted Josh’s number. He said she hemmed and hawed as Chad was writing it on a piece of paper, but he just wrote it down and gave it to her.

A couple of weeks later, she told him she came across the paper in her jacket pocket and decided to call after thinking long and hard about it.  The call went to voice mail so she left a message.  She wondered whether or not he would return the call.

He called back that evening.  They agreed to meet the next day for an early dinner at the local  Applebee’s. She told him she actually had butterflies in her stomach when she opened the door to the restaurant.  He saw her immediately and stood up and walked toward her.  He hugged her and ushered her to the booth he had been occupying. 

“I was so glad to get your message Marsha.  Chad told me you had run into each other and he had given you my number.  As hard as it was, I decided you would have to be the one that called” Josh said.

“ I wasn’t sure I should.  But when it came down to it, I’ve missed you and wanted to see you again” she replied.

After that it was like no time at all had elapsed since last they were together.  He explained he had taken an option to purchase the ranch in Idaho because he was in an experimental animal husbandry program and it was only available here because it was tied to the university. The land was owned by a family friend and the Grannet’s had not ranched in years and only used the house a couple of weeks in the summer. If the program was successful, Phil Grannet would hold the paper until Josh was able to purchase the ranch outright. 

She asked how his dad had taken this news.  He told her that his dad was getting ready to retire and turn over the running of the ranch to the next generation.  He, his dad and his brother Jed had worked out an agreement whereby each brother would be partners in both ranches if Josh decided to stay in Idaho.  Josh thought it was a win-win situation for all concerned.

When Marsha graduated from college the following year, she and Josh married and moved into the ranch house in Idaho.  The first couple of months were a learning experience for both of them. In addition to learning how to live as a couple, Marsha had to learn how to do the normal chores required of a ranch wife.  She had to learn to cook from scratch instead of opening a box or just picking up the phone and ordering in; how to live within a budget while learning to organize a kitchen and pantry so they didn’t run out of important items because the store was 40 miles away. She learned how to do laundry without the luxury of a dryer. But, by far, the hardest thing she learned was to listen to her husband. 

 Josh was used to living in isolated areas. He had the other ranch hands for camaraderie.  Marsha didn’t have that option and she was so lonely.  One day in early October she took the truck into town.  While there she overheard a conversation that the elementary school teacher had just up and quit and they were desperately trying to find a replacement.  She interrupted the conversation and introduced herself and told them she would be interested in applying for the position.  Marsha was given the name and number to call and two hours later she was employed as a teacher for the fourth grade.

It never even occurred to her to talk this over with Josh or that he would object. After all, she was alone all the time anyway and the additional income would be a boon to them. Josh didn’t see it that way and told her to call them and tell them she wouldn’t be accepting the position. 

“I most certainly will not, I’ve already accepted and will not go back on my word” she told him.

He said she had enough responsibilities at home and that with the winter coming up he didn’t like the idea of her commuting eighty miles each day.

“You got along without me here before we were married.  It will just go back to the way it was during the school year and I’ll be home during the summers when things are the busiest”

This argument went round and round until Marsha had enough.  She stomped her foot, turned and walked out of the room.  Josh told her to stop he was not finished.  She told him she was.  He was so worked up he went after her, grabbed her arm and told her if she didn’t call them he would.

  “You wouldn’t dare”.

“Oh but I would.  You are not taking that job”

“Oh, but I am and there is nothing you can do about it”

“I won’t allow you to take the truck” he told her.  “It’s needed here at the ranch”

“Fine, I’ll get my own car, all I have to do is call my parents and they will help me out”

“Marsha, I’ve made my decision.  I will give you until tomorrow morning to call the school and tell them to find someone else.  If you haven’t done so by 10:00, I will be making that call and then I will be taking you upstairs and baring your bottom to give you a good tanning. By the time I’m finished I think you will see things my way.  Do I make myself clear?” he asked.

She looked at him as if he had grown horns. She walked out the door, got in the truck and drove off. She didn’t know where she was going but she knew she had to cool down and think this whole thing over.  Would he really do what he said?  She couldn’t believe he was being so unreasonable.  She was so busy thinking about her dilemma she wasn’t paying attention to the road and all of a sudden she felt a thump, the truck veered to the right and she found herself in a ditch. It was a miserable day and now she was stuck out here.  She could either sit here and wait until someone came along or start walking.  The problem was she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was driving and she didn’t know where she was.  She started crying and couldn’t stop. She must have cried herself to sleep because she woke when she heard a door slam.  At first she was scared but then she recognized the easy gait of the cowboy coming toward her.  He opened the door and pulled her into his arms.

“I was so worried about you, I’ve been driving the roads for an hour.  How did you manage to get way out here”, he asked.

“I don’t know.  I was just angry and needed to calm down and just drove.  Then something happened and I wound up in the ditch.  I didn’t know where I was or what to do” the words just tumbled out and she just started crying all over again.

“It’s okay now.  We’ll worry about the truck in the morning.  When she went to get in the truck, Josh told their dog, Mose, to get in the back.  Mose just sat still.

“I can’t get anyone to listen to me today” Josh said.   “C’mon Mose get in the back now”.

“He can sit up here with us.  It’s too cold for him to get in the back”, Marsha said. Mose must have understood what she said because he laid back down and settled in between them with his head resting on her lap.

“Too cold, he’s a ranch dog, Marsha. He’s tough.”

This wasn't his first encounter with her soft-hearted ideas about animals. They drove back to the house and Mose followed them into the house.  Josh wasn’t in the mood to argue so he just went upstairs and turned on the shower.  Both he and Marsha stayed there until the water began to run cold.  After toweling off, they went into the kitchen to heat some soup for dinner.

The next morning at breakfast Josh handed the phone to Marsha.  She was shaking her head no.

“It’s your choice Marsha.  You know what will happen if you don’t call.”

“Can’t we come to some kind of compromise?  I get so lonely.  You’re gone most of the time and once the chores are done I still have too much time on my hands.  I miss having friends around”

Josh listened and understood but said the idea of her having to travel so far every day bothered him.  He reminded her of what had happened yesterday and that was in good weather.  She had no comeback but still told him she couldn’t make that call.

“Suit yourself, Marsha, but you have until 10:00.

When Josh came back to the house if was sometime after 10:00.  One look at Marsha told him what he needed to know.  He went over and called information for the number to the school.  When he got the principal on the phone he told them he was Marsha Talbot’s husband and she would not be taking the teaching job.  As soon as Marsha heard him dial the phone she went into the bedroom.  She didn’t want to be a witness to the conversation.  She was so embarrassed she didn’t think she would ever show her face in town again.

Some time later she heard his footfalls on the stairs.  He walked into the room and came over to her and took her in his arms.

“You know how much I love you, don’t you”  He released her and saw her head nod.

“I’m sorry you think I’m being pig headed about this, but it’s for the best.  I talked with Mr. Thompkins and explained the situation.  We reached a compromise. Instead of teaching every day you will be listed as a tutor and substitute teacher.  If you’re needed on bad weather days, he will make arrangements for you to travel back and forth on the school bus.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  She hugged him so hard.

“Thank you so much.  I can’t believe you did this for me.  I am so sorry I was so stubborn.”

“I know you don’t believe it but I only have your well being in mind.  This way we both win but we still have a matter to take care of.  I always keep my word and I know this is going to be hard for both of us”. 

He took her by the hand and led her over to the bed.  He sat down and pulled her over his lap. He pulled down her jeans while he lectured her about her honoring his decisions.  The first smack was almost a caress to her right cheek, then another to her left.  The third smack was a little harder, the fourth one a little harder yet.  By the tenth smack, he had picked up the rhythm and the intensity and by the twentieth smack her bottom was a lovely shade of pink.  He bared her bottom then and the last ten smacks were the hardest yet.  When he was done held her in his lap and rubbed her back and comforted her until her sobs stopped. She buried her head into his chest.

“It’s over now Mrs. Talbot.  We have to go get that truck out of the ditch if you’re going to go to school in the morning for your first day of teaching”.

He never forgot the look on her face and her words to him that morning so long ago.  She thanked him for his love, his understanding, his foregiveness and even for the spanking.

As the winds began to blow, he cuddled her a little closer and thanked God for this woman .