Miss Lana's Anything Page
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Long Time Gone
Hey, I hadn't been to this page in awhile. I can't believe it's been almost five months since I've written "anything" here. This year has flown by, and I've been busier than a one armed paper hanger! Since my last posting, I have moved to some beautiful property in Anna, so I am now officially "Miss Lana from Anna". It's not easy moving when you're a pack rat like me (see previous posting below for more about the pack rat issue). I have spent the last four months sorting through boxes of trinkets, trash, mementos and treasures from the past. I have relived memories of my son as a child, my husband as a child, me as a child, and then, of course, other memories throughout the years, including wonderful memories of music festivals shared with close friends, vacation trips with our best friends, Rhonda and Bob. It's been a nostalgic trip down memory lane and it's been fun looking at old pictures, cards, notes, etc. on where I've been these past few years. I have been blessed.
Anyway, my real job has really been kicking my butt lately, too, but we won't go into that. It's a long boring story about going to a new computer system that works globally for a company that runs two completely different businesses in the industry. The last two months have certainly been a big challenge for me in this arena, but it's beginning to look like I may have survived "Probe live", which is the name of the project. Enough on that.
You know, life in the corporate world is...a lot of things, but it's very diverse these days. We have people from several nations that work in our building and it's been interesting. One thing I don't understand are the "Starbuck yuppies". Those that come in every morning with their "Starbuck" cup in hand, proudly displaying the fact they had been to Starbucks. It's some kind of cult, I think...or something. Personally,
I'm not fond of their coffee. It's too strong for my taste. I just wonder what all the fuss is about here. Just a trendy fad? I guess time will tell.
I think it's going to take us awhile to really get settled in our new place, which we are enjoying when we actually get to be there. Now that we won't be working as much, we are looking forward to seeing old friends at some upcoming festivals around our great state. The blue bonnets are in full bloom now, and they are gorgeous this year! If you have time to take a drive to the hill country, this would be a beautiful time for it. Also, Dewitt County boasts about having the most beautiful wildflowers, and they do have a beautiful variety of them! We hope we can enjoy a little of the spring time between our other projects, and we hope to see you soon! Happy trails, y'all until we meet again!
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Texas Proud - What Makes Us That Way
Texans seem to be prouder of their home state than any other state in the USA. I say this because it's true. I don't hear non-Texans brag about their states like Texans do, and they do it on a regular basis. It's like part of their routine. When I went to Vermont last summer, I don't remember seeing one state flag in any of the three states we went through. Not one! In Texas, there are state flags flying everywhere, at almost all businesses and at a lot of homes, too. They're everywhere. Many businesses take on some sign of Texas in their company logo or name. It's just part of being in Texas.
I have concluded that the main reason for this is because it's tradition, handed down through generations of family members who taught their children to learn about and respect their home state and what it stands for. We were all taught Texas History as a subject in junior high school. I wonder if they still teach Texas History in our schools? I would certainly hope so! I tell my granddaughter how lucky she is to be a Texan all the time. She may not understand it all right now (at age 9), but she will....she will. At age two, she could do the "Hook 'em Horns" sign on request. She's been brought up in the tradition just like I was.
A couple of years ago, I went to WalMart and ordered a cake that I wanted decorated like a Texas flag. The "bakery person" didn't know what the Texas flag looked like and asked to me to draw her a picture, so I did...complete with the what colors should be where, etc. I was a little taken aback with this request, because I was under the impression that everyone that lived in Texas knew what her flag looked like. Obviously, that person wasn't a native Texan, and I don't think she was even a native American, for that matter.
At any rate, I am proud to be a part of these Texans that think they live in the best state in the Union and have no qualms about telling others about it. I tend to brag about it myself from time to time, and after all, I do drive a van that is painted like the Texas flag. Viva la Texas!!
Monday, July 07, 2003
Summer Time in Texas...Summer is definitely getting into full swing here in North Texas. When you start hearing the locusts sing, you know summer has arrived. I always kind of liked that sound...not sure why. Maybe just because it's a sound that most Texans grow up hearing so it is kind of comforting. Like seeing fireflies zipping through the dark of night...it's a sure sign of summer in Texas. Of course, we also have other bugs that remind us it's summer and it's HOT! Like grasshoppers, who eat everything and anything they can find. I'm not real fond of those, but they make good bait. So please use grasshoppers for fishing bait and help the farmers out.
Texas is hot in the summer, there's no bones about it. But it could be worse. I would rather spend summer in Texas than winter in Wisconsin. I guess that is true for a lot of people from Wisconsin who now live in Texas. When we have rain in the summer here, it's usually associated with a storm, which is always unpredictable but appreciated, because we need the rain. As long as it's not one of those really bad storms that spawns tornadoes and hail, we are okay with it.
A friend of mine recently visited Wisconsin for their annual "summer fest". She talked of how beautiful it is...rolling green hills with neat little farms sprinkled throughout and the chain of lakes that is so breathtaking. I'm sure it's very lovely in the spring and summer. Winter would be beautiful, too, a winter wonderland....but I wouldn't want to deal with it personally.
Guess that's why people who can afford more than one house usually have a "summer house" up north somewhere and a winter home down south somewhere. I guess I'll be staying in Texas until I can afford to do that. That's not a bad thing....as long as air conditioning exists!
Hope you are having a great summer wherever you are!
Thursday, April 17, 2003
And Life Goes On....
I haven't posted anything here in over two months. Since my last writing, The USA and its allies declared war on Iraq and won in what has to be the shortest major war in history. The live coverage of this war by the media was absolutely amazing, and the war coverage as a whole showed me just how far technology has come in the past few years. But the live coverage and photos still portrayed the tragedies that war brings....injured and frightened children, soldiers in trouble, Iraqui civilians caught up in the fiery battles that changed some families' lives forever. I'm glad it was short and fatalities were minimal, although any loss of life is too much. Somehow, though, I think the toughest part of this endeavor is yet to come...the rebuilding of Iraq. Maybe not the toughest (nothing harder than losing lives), but will take much longer than getting the Sadam regime out of Iraq.
Now the major event since the war has been declared "practically over" is the fate of American Airlines. Still to be determined...
It will be interesting to see what happens with oil prices in the next few months now that the war is "over".
Good thing, too, since Lockheed Martin's employees are on strike.
And there is a local election taking place May 3rd. My friend, Dana Jones, is running for Trustee of the Princeton Independent School District. She has three children going to that school. She would be a great asset to that board. She already spends most of her time at school substitute teaching, taking goodies to her kid's classes for special occasions and just helping out where she can. Good luck, Dana! You go, girl! I'm proud of you for doing something you believe in.
Lost a couple of important people in my life the past couple of months, too. I've been to three funerals this year already!
So a lot has happened in the world the last couple of months. You never know what tomorrow may bring...tell your loved ones you love them...spend more time with those that bring you happiness...spend every day like it's your last...you gotta dance like nobody's watchin....
Sunday, February 09, 2003
Where No Concrete Spoils The Land
A borrowed lyric from Ed Burleson's "Wide Open Spaces" that fits perfectly for today's article. I have about a 40 minute drive to work and back everyday. I drive through Allen and Plano, two of the fastest growing suburbs in the metromess. Actually, Allen is called a suburb of Plano now, which is another story.
It never ceases to amaze me how these real estate developers find a plot of land, maybe five or ten acres, they dig a bar ditch around it or a stock pond in one corner, and then build all these half a million dollar homes on that acreage. They name it something fancy like "Parker Lake Estates" or "Woodbridge on the Creek" and advertise the subdivision as having its own private lake or on the creek. That is NOT a creek, it's a bar ditch! That is NOT a lake, it's a damn stock tank! Come on people! These fancy homes are built side by side, zero lot! Cuts down on the yard work, I guess. Personally, I would not want to live that close to anyone, fancy home or not.
My point is that we have very little "wide open spaces" left and no one seems to care. They just keep cutting down the trees and building new homes. And they sell them surprisingly fast. Where are all these people coming from? When is someone going to say, "Enough is enough!" The wild animal life in this area is being run out of their grassy fields they called home. Coyotes can be heard howling behind the building where I work. They come up to the building at night looking for food. The hawks have no place to hunt anymore. I see them flying around looking for a field in which to hunt; those are hard to find anymore. I keep thinking that someone will wake up and smell the roses and say, "No more building, leave some land for green and beauty and for the animals", but that is not going to happen. These money-hungry developers are going to use every inch of land possible if they think it will make them a buck.
Last year I made the plunge and moved to the country. But with the growth in the cities, it is making more people move further out of the city in an effort to escape the hassles of the city. So we have more and more people moving in this area as well. My little plot of land is small but it's in its natural state with high grass and trees and animals roaming throughout. I see rabbits, possums, skunks (yeah, not my favorite), coyotes, and we even have a bob cat around, not to mention all the bird life.
Sometimes I wish Texas wasn't so attractive. We Texans tend to do a lot of bragging about our fair state, and we can't help that. We were born that way...proud to be a Texan and all that stuff. Maybe we need to start saying that Texas is full now and we cannot handle any more immigrants from nothern states. They don't like where they're living (or can't make a living there), so they move to Texas and change everything here to the way it was where they used to live. Doesn't make sense to me.
When I'm driving and see another housing development going up, I just shake my head and think, "Lord, why do good things always have to end?"
On that note, here are the lyrics to "Wide Open Spaces" by Ed Burleson:
"I dream of wide open spaces,
Far away places where a man can be a man
I dream of looking out my window
Out where the grass grows
where no concrete spoils the land.
What are we coming to,
What are we gonna do
when all the things that are good are gone?
Have we all forgotten
the things that make life worth livin
Like Texas, family and home.
I think of all the times I've spent
Sitting under an oak tree
and smellin the fresh air, Lord
and feeling the breeze
I think of all the people living
always taking, never giving
with no care for their brother, man or his needs.
What are we comin to
What are we gonna do
when all the things that are good are gone
Have we all forgotten
the things that make life worth livin
Like Texas, family and home
Now the hills hold the highways
Planes fill the skyways
Seems that everything's been touched by man's progress
Yeah, progress is what they call it
and that's what it is, I guess
But all in all, it seems to me
Just a big ole mess!
What are we coming to
What are we gonna do
when all the things that are good are gone
Have we all forgotten
the things that make life worth livin
Like Texas, family and home."
God bless Eddie Burleson
Sunday, January 26, 2003
On the Net
I continue to be amazed by how much the Texas music scene has grown over the past three years. There are many factors that lead to this growth, a major factor being the internet, in my opinion. But there are also other factors that enter into this growth, like more radio stations playing Americana formats. This posting will focus more with the internet factor, since that is where I see most of the exposure. There are so many new artists out there now, it's almost mind boggling. I remember three years ago when I first started doing a music calendar, it was a challenge for me to find listings for live Texas music. Now I find it a challenge to get them all listed. We have Danni Leigh (who is a female) and Devin Leigh (who is a male), we have Damon Carroll and Jason Carrell, Brent Blaha and Brent Mitchell, Brett Watts and Bret Graham. Don't confuse Eric Blakely and Mike Blakely...or Greg Brown, Junior Brown and Roger Brown. How about Dub Miller, T-Roy Miller, Scott Miller, Buddy and Julie Miller, and then there's Joe Miller. We have Dale Waston, Aaron Watson and Gene Watson...Larry Joe Taylor, Jackson Taylor and Chip Taylor...Geronimo Trevino and Justin Trevino...then you have Guy Forsyth and and Buddy Forsythe (with an e on the end). There's Heather Morgan, Heather Myles, Heather Ellis and also Heather Clickard. We have Tom Russell and Shake Russell...Terri Hendrix and Opie Hendrix...Brian Burns, Brian Raider and Brian Houser...I could go on but I think you get the point. As with the growth of anything worth growing, there are pros and cons. What is being done on the internet to promote Texas music IS working! Yea!! But with that still comes the cons...
When you're involved in the music like I am, you read and hear a lot of stories about things that have happened. Some are good and some not so good. Some are true, some partially true, and some couldn't be further from the truth. Funny thing about the internet...it's kind of like a gossip circle. You must take everything you read with a grain of salt...and consider the source as well. Things are easily misconstrued because there is no "tone of voice" in what you write. With all the e-mail list serves for Texas artists popping up, I've seen many feelings hurt over a misconstrued e-mail. I've also seen a malicious side where some write lies and say things to intentionally hurt someone. I've seen accusations made that seem to have intentions to tear down the integrity of a certain person or a group. It's sad that some people abuse such a great privlege as the internet, but it happens. And it happens every day.
On the flip side, I've also seen and experienced for myself the friendships that have developed through the music from communicating on the internet. Some of my closest friends are friends that I initially met through an e-mail, or a post on a message board, etc. Most of the people I have met through the music via the internet are the nicest and coolest people I've ever met. In fact, these people consider the music community they're involved in as "family" and would help out like a family member would in a heartbeat. I've never had a circle of friends like the one I have now. This is one of the things that makes our kind of music so special...so worth it...so different than most.
I just read an e-mail a few minutes ago from a friend who attended a house concert last night where Brian Burns performed. In addition to talking about the wonderful music she heard, her e-mail also expounded on the old friends she saw and some new ones she met. "I've seen that name on the list, and now I finally got to meet them", she wrote (not an exact quote, but close). This happens frequently when I go to a concert. I meet someone that I've seen only by name on the net in the past. How cool is that?
I'm a little laid up at the moment so I'm not going out much. I miss it, too. I hate that I missed the concert last night and the friends that were there. I hate that I missed another great night of Brian's music. I know it would have made me feel better to have spent the night in an intimate setting with my music family listening to the best music in the world. It soothes the soul and refreshes the heart, and we can all use some of that!
With all that's going on in today's world, music and friends can play an important part in your well being. It certainly does mine. I'm truly lucky to have my music and my Texas music family. I hope you have a music family to lean on, too.
It's almost time for the SuperBowl! Go Bucs!!!
Thursday, January 09, 2003
Bird Watching
Since I have been living in the country, I have been enjoying the wildlife around Cuervo Acres, especially the birds. I have a bird feeder strategically placed in one of the trees in my front yard. After Christmas, I decided to take my Christmas tree outside and hang some of those inexpensive seed bells and a basket of suet feed on the tree to see if that would attract more birds. I just did that last Sunday.
This morning I was at home and happened to look out the window. Not only did I have birds in my original feeder but I had birds eating the seed bells off the Christmas tree. There was even a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker woodpecker (probably a female) in my old Mesquite tree pecking away. One of my Christmas gifts was a pair of binoculars and a book called "A Field Guide to Birds of Texas". It has been fun trying to identify the different birds that come to feed. I have lots of white-crowned sparrows, lark sparrows, black throated sparrows, cardinals (both male and female) and other varieties yet to be identified. I am truly amazed at the different birds I see. Living close to a lake also makes for frequent sightings of various water birds; terns and grey herons are plentiful. Of course, I've also seen hawks, crows and the common birds seen in the city as well.
I am a nature lover as well as a bird lover. I enjoy watching animals in their natural environment and seeing what their habits entail. I learn a lot just by watching them. I now know what a cardinal sounds like. I have a bird that hangs around that sounds like a squeaky wheel...still don't know what bird it is but I will keep trying. This book I have not only describes the bird, but the birds' calls as well. It also shows which birds are most common within the regions of Texas. I am amazed at the number of birds that come through Texas. We have so many different terrains and climates that it makes our state very conducive to birds requiring different climates.
When I lived in the city, I had lots of doves. They would build nests in my planter boxes on my terrace every spring. With all the building going on, it's tough for birds to find nesting places so they have resorted to borrowing planter boxes, roof eaves, and window ledges. I have watched several doves build nests, lay eggs and raise their young. It
is quite an eye-opening experience. The best part is watching them teach their young to fly. They are very patient and persistent. It amazes me how they communicate to and teach their young. Of course, I've seen the worst happen, too. They have many elements to fight and the odds aren't very good. Baby doves drowned after a hard Texas rain storm and the mother dove still sitting on the dead babies, wet and distraught that her body wasn't enough to shield the rain and protect her young. I've seen eggs fall out of nests, nests fall out of trees and roof eaves, and watched the pair start over and rebuild. It's nature, and it's amazing.
Maybe someday I will do some travelling and some bird watching in other areas of Texas to see some different varieties. For now I am quite content sitting at Cuervo Acres in my own yard watching my own birds. They are quite entertaining even though they don't mean to be. I always thought I'd be a bird if I could choose an animal I'd like to be. The thought of flying and the freedom that it represents appeals to me.
