Well, I made it. I drove the whole way down from Ringle to Waco - about 1,260 miles (give or take a few). I wanted to do this as part of my "50 things to do before I'm 50." I will admit, my route by passed St. Louis and Dallas. I decided on a more scenic route - some roads were actually only 2 lanes. I am so happy we did too, as we found some interesting places to stop and met some really nice people.
The picture above is actually the cock pit of a plane that was a restaurant in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. One of the roadside oddities we stopped at.
I thought Missouri was the prettiest. We drove through the south east corner on a twisty, curvy road with lots of views. However, Texas is more my speed....fast...the speed limit is 75 on most roads - even the 2 lanes. Well, they are 2 lanes, but have a wide shoulder of the road that people drive on too. I tend to have a lead foot - so, I was in my element.
Today, we happened upon the day before an absolutely huge flea market in Canton, Texas - First Monday Market. However, the market starts on Thursday before the first Monday...confused?? Us too, but we drove in and shopped. We found some great items. We were a few of the early birds. We had to unload and reload the van to make room for all our treasures.
All in all, we are having fun. Tomorrow we are going to Magnolia Market and Silos. We also have a few other spots see in Waco too.
Well, thanks for following along.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I looked under roadside oddities when planning our Waco trip. Did you know that Paris, Texas has their own eiffel tower? It will probably be the only eiffel tower I will see. We were advised that night views are the best.
When we arrived at the tower, there was a car full of girls hanging around and under it. I asked them if they planned to be long...they said "yes, ma'am."(how polite!) I told them I drove all the way from Wisconsin and made a stop in Paris, Texas just to take a picture of their eiffel tower. Oh, were they excited..."really?!?"
So, they were more than happy to take my picture. I asked them where we could get some ice cream. They chatted with me a bit. As I turned to leave one of the girls said..."excuse me ma'am...but, can I ask one more question? Do, I have an accent?" I just laughed and said, "oh, yes, you do." She said "so do you." We laughed. They told us to try a "water burger." I said "what is a water burger"(Texas is known for beef)...after a few of them were trying to say it...one girl said "no, a Watta Burger" (she was spelling it out with her finger). I said "you mean, what a burger?" Oh, they all laughed. I have a hard time understanding accents, I guess they do too.
Lord willing we don't have too many storms tonight...we will be headed to Waco tomorrow.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
My friends, Lisa and Jackie and I are leaving this morning for a trip to Waco, Texas. Like many other HGTV fans, we are headed to Magnolia Farms. Fixer Upper's, Chip and JoAnna Gaines along with their children, have captured many a fan's heart. We have no reservations, no concrete plans - just driving the roughly 1,260 miles. On the way down, we will be taking more back roads, hitting a few roadside attractions along the way. If you wish to follow along, check out my instagram account. It is a bar link in the header of my blog page. Well, we are off...I will post along the trail. I will be crossing off many of my "50 things to do before I'm 50" on this trip.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
A customer at the estate sale this past weekend came up to me and said, "Oh, this is so sad to see someone's "life" be sold off like this." I quickly corrected the customer by saying, "Ron and Ruth were blessed! They worked hard, had a beautiful home, were surrounded by their sons and grandchildren - these items are just things - that reflect a life well lived."
It had me wondering, why is it, some people seem to find the "silver lining" and others the "black cloud" in situations. Is optimism learned or inherited? So, what did I do, I googled it.
This is what WebMD has to say: http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20110916/optimism-partly-in-your-genes
"Researchers have zeroed in on a possible genetic basis for optimism, self-esteem and mastery (the belief that you have control over your own life and destiny). It's rooted in the hormone oxytocin, also known as the love or cuddle hormone."
This little bit of extra genetic material on the oxytocin receptor gene may influence personality traits. The lack of it or combination of this genetic material may also determine our tendency to be the opposite even depressed.
"Genes predict behavior, but they are not the be-all, end-all. There is a lot of room for environmental variations, like how you were raised and the life experiences that you have had."
"There are genes that influence the way you process emotional information, and this gene affects the way you see the world. But that doesn't mean you can't change the way you look at the world."
I love that last quote from the article!
Using my siblings as examples, I can come to a bit of a conclusion myself. I am a firm believer in birth order in relationship to personality traits as well. The 6 of us were raised in a Christian, loving home by the same dad and mom. Each of us came at different "life stages" for our parents - which I do believe affects our individual life experiences. I was the last and there is 7 years between me and my sister, Lori. My parents were older and wiser in their parenting by the time I came along. However, the basic moral compass we were parented with, was the same.
I've noticed that the individual reaction to the same situation is different from each of my siblings. The effect of or resolution, often times brings about a different response from each of us as well. This leads me to believe that the gene receptor theory is true.
Have you ever been told by the doctor, "you have a chemical imbalance" when prescribed anti-depression or anxiety medicine? This must be the lack of or combination of optimism (oxytosin) gene. Or that is my conclusion at least.
The article on WebMD leads me to believe we are all "prone" to be optimistic based on our genetic makeup. We also can choose to be optimistic. I know I've posted this over and over, but; each day we experience things that gives us a choice - choice to be happy or sad, bitter or glad - choices.
As I was writing this post, my phone rang. It was a friend who said..."good morning sunshine." I laughed and she said, "Jacky, you are the most upbeat person I know, even at the flea market and all those people are pestering you...you always smile." What a confirmation of my writing this post.
Now, I may not always be willing to be upbeat, but it is my choice. It is yours as well.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
My hens have been laying about 8-12 eggs a day. I thought I would take a few dozen to the estate sale we had yesterday and sell some.
I brought in the extras and put them in the refrigerator with an envelope...help yourself kinda thing...$2 a dozen. My brood is a mix of banty breeds. They lay cute, brown and beige eggs. I saw these 2 older ladies looking in the refrigerator. I went over to assist them. One of them asked me to open up the carton so she could see the eggs. She looked at her friend and said, "well, those are too small for $2, I get big brown ones for $3." She turns to me and says the same thing - only with a pinched up look on her face.
If you follow along regularly, you know I've posted about "staying sassy and how I want to be 'bad'." This statement really shocked me..."your eggs are too small...really?!" People are so rude - if you don't like something, just say "no thank you." But, "your eggs are too small" and stood there waiting for me to say..."well, you can have them for $1."
I just closed the carton and put them back in refrigerator and walked outside. I told Lisa and Tessa what she said. Oh, Lisa had a good come back...I wish I would have thought of it! Lisa said "well, lady, I'll talk to my hens about it."
So, last night when I gathered the eggs, I announced to my brood in the coop..."ladies, your eggs are too small..." Boy, you should have heard the all the cluckin about that. Oh, they replied to the lady alright! "Cluck You, we'll keep our eggs." (Well, with that said, I can cross "being bad" off my list.)
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
