9/30/11

Where Buffalo's Wallowed

I tell Ya'll what...It's getting harder and harder to get a 'Pink Saturday Feature Photo'.  
It's darn near impossible to get any body buggy to pose for a closeup. 
What's with this ducking behind the nearest bush leaf.

And you thought I wouldn't stand on my head for a Pink Saturday Shot!
Don't forget....I'm now a Pink Photo Maniac!

If you believe I'm going to Stand on My Head
 in the Bushes in Snake Slitherin' Season in the Middle of Nowhere....
then I've got some Ocean Front Property in Arizona I'll sell ya!

Did ya ever see something so ugly and beautiful at the same time?
I have to tell ya'll that I was really really CLOSE to this Bug and by the time I
Zoom Zoom Zoomed

It looked Really Really Scary and Hairy!!!!

So there I was hanging out over Buffalo Wallow
...that's the name of the Pond...and Yes...Buffalo's Wallowed there once upon a time...
anyway, there I was
shooting the underside of this Pink Bush, worried about Slitherin' Thingys
and Silently Screaming
at the BugEyed ScaryHairy
thinking I was
All Alone!!

Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound!
And As Always...
Thanks Beverly for Making Saturday Pink!

9/27/11

Fall Foto Focus One

Texas Frontier Town at Buffalo Gap, Texas
Abilene State Park
Photos by CollectInTexas Gal
(all rights reserved)

9/25/11

Falling For Fall




"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."- Albert Camus

9/24/11

Sick In The Head? There's A Pink Cure!

"A lady who has been troubled with the neuralgia in her head, used a bag of hot oats at night as a pillow.  She says: "heat the oats in a kettle over the fire, or in a pan in your oven.  I have never been troubled with neuralgia any place but in my head so I cannot say how beneficial it would be for neuralgia in other parts of the body."  Another cure is drinking hot lemonade."
{An Army Wife's Cookbook with Household Hints and Home Remedies}

Yes, I was an Army wife, and some might have said I was 'Sick in the Head', but a couple of Tylenol sure worked better than a 'Bag of Oats Pillow'.  Sure makes me glad I was a 20th Century Army Wife and not a 19th Century Frontier Army Wife.

You might be wondering what 'Sick In The Head' has to do with my Pink Saturday Post about Valerian!  Well, I found this stand of Valerian growing in The Frontier Army Wife...Mrs. Alice Grierson's Herb Garden.

The Herb Garden is located just out the back door of Mrs. Grierson's Frontier Fort Kitchen...see post below.  Alice Kirk Grierson was the wife of Commander Benjamin Grierson who organized the 10th U.S. Cavalry, one of two mounted regiments composed of black enlisted men and white officers, called the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis, Texas.  

HiHoney and I visited the National Historic Site of Fort Davis, and of course I had to find a bit of Pink to share for Pink Saturday.

Little did I know that this bit of Pink was one of Alice's Home Remedy Herbs.  I was just so amazed it had survived the Boots of the Buffalo Soliders, the Comanches, the summer of  1875, and this summer's wildfires which burned thousands of acres in the Davis Mountains and came very near Old Fort Davis.

Okay...back to 'The Pink Cure'... here you see a pan of dried Valerian on the kitchen counter, and although Alice didn't include the Valerian Neuralgia Cure Recipe in her Cookbook, I'm sure it was grown and used for that purpose or perhaps for her Homemade Perfume.

That's right Ya'll...Homemade Perfume...one whiff would 'Cure Ya or Kill Ya"!
It is said that the 'Root of Valerian' produces an Oil that attracts Cats and Rats!
What a versatile Herb
...headache, perfume, catnip and rat trap bait...
no wonder Alice grew it in her garden.

You will notice, though, that it was not grown in the same part of the Herb Garden
 as the Lavender, Sage, Parsley and Lemon Balm.
So there ya have it...A touch of Pink from the Wild West Frontier!

Be sure and stop by Beverly's
and get a
Whiff of her Pink Roses!

And As Always...Thanks Beverly for
Making Saturdays Pink!

9/22/11

Frontier Wife's Kitchen

Frontier Fort and Commander Benjamin Grierson's wife Alice K. Grierson
On the Web History:

The Kitchen...located behind the home and staffed with a cook/servant.

Mrs. Grierson's Buckmaster White Bread
Recipe in her Cookbook

Mrs. Grierson's cookbook was donated to the National Park Service at Fort Davis National Historic Site.
The recipes are written as she wrote them...listed ingredients and a brief preparation statement.
Ladies of the Southwest Region have tested and written modern adaptations and methods of preparation.
Also included are her Household Hints and Home Remedies.

Linking to

9/21/11

West Texas Frontier Fort Life...Enlisted Men

The United States of America Oath of  Enlistment and Allegiance.
God Bless Our Troops Then and Now
Dedicated to my Nephew David
United States Army
Serving in Afghanistan

9/19/11

HighO' Silverado

When in Rome Fort Stockton...do as the Romans Touristas!
Get in the Pickup Truck and head up to the Davis Mountains and see the
 Fort Davis National Historic Site.

We 'Saddled Up' Dolly Girl and climbed in HiHoney's Texas Edition Silverado.

Ya'll Come Back for the Photo Tour!

9/18/11

The Rain Came...Twice...So Nice

The Rain in Spain Tejas!!!

Bella Had a New Umbrella
Bella had a new umbrella,
Didn't want to lose it,
So when she walked out in the rain
She didn't ever use it.
Her nose went sniff,
Her shoes went squish,
Her socks grew soggy,
Her glasses got foggy,
Her pockets filled with water
And a little green froggy.
All she could speak was a weak kachoo!
But Bella's umbrella
Stayed nice and new.
Eve Merriam

9/16/11

An Attractive Feature

Since the creation of my New 'Pink PhotoManiac' Collection, 
I've been on the search for the
Unusual Uncommon Rare Unique Distinctive Peculiar Anomalous Bizarre
....oh okay...the really Weird!
So, here I am at the Junktique Mall and I spot this 'Shades of Pink Hat'.
Not terribly Unusual, but Different and it's Pink!
Now, the Thingy under the hat...Unique...with that
 stylized 'Roarin' 20's Look' and those pink cheek spots!
Purrrfeeect PhotoManiacal!!!


So  I Zoom in on 'The Spot'!  But NOT the PINK one!!!
The Black Spot!  I always wanted one of those! 
 I had one too...for a very short while.
My Daddy said, "Sue, go wash off that hussy lookin' makeup, and be sure and scrub off that
BlackSpot."
"But Daddy, it's a Freckle."
"I've been lookin' at you for 13 years and you do not have a black freckle on your face. Wash it off."
So much for having a Beauty Mark/Freckle!

A beauty mark or beauty spot is a euphemism for a type of dark facial mole, so named because such birthmarks are sometimes considered an attractive feature.   Medically, such "beauty marks" are generally known as melanocytic nevus...
OMG that sounds seriously scary.
Moles of this type may also be located elsewhere on the body, and may also be considered beauty marks if located on the shoulder, neck or breast.
....hmmmm I wish I'd known that....
I might could have gotten away with one on my boob....on second thought...that Training Bra would probably have hidden it or rubbed it off...flat surface and all.
False beauty marks are sometimes applied to the face as a form of makeup...{been there done that}.  Beauty marks were particularly highly regarded during the eighteenth century and creating false ones became common, often in fanciful shapes such as hearts or stars. They could be purchased as silk or velvet patches known as "mouches" (flies).....really?

In the twentieth century Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark generated a new vogue.
The Monroe Piercing has gained popularity in recent years as a flexible way of approximating a beauty mark, and I'm sure you are dying to know about that flexible way of approximating a beauty mark.  Afterall we women of the Twenty-First Century are all about Flexibility.

A Monroe Piercing is a lip piercing placed off-center, above the upper lip on the left hand side and is meant to resemble Marilyn Monroe's beauty spot. 
Neeevvveeer Mind.....not that Flexible!!!
Wouldn't Marilyn just Flip...the Lip...come on!!!
Oh...there's more...words like scar, infection, and pain.  There's also a mention of long-term damage to teeth and gums.  That'd be a messed up Marilyn smile for sure!  Anyway, if you are thinkin' about having a Marilyn Monroe New Wave Beauty Mark, you might want to read up on it HERE.
Coincidentally, there are others writing and photographing Marilyn these days.  Yep, she's back in the Movies and on the cover of Magazines...wearing a Pink dress and her famous 'Spot'.  HERE is OMG's online press release.

Ya'll know Beverly has a Beauty Spot!!!
It's PINK....Pink Saturday
on
I bet she'll let you borrow her PINK Marker!!!

As Always Thanks Beverly for
 Making Saturday's Pink!!!

PS...did you notice Beverly made Vogue, too.  It's right there by Marilyn's elbow.
PPS...the other thing that I always wanted like Marilyn....cleavage!


9/15/11

Talavera BlueBird Fiesta...Ole' Ya'll

Ole' Ya'll !!!  May the Talavera Blue Bird of Happiness Bless Your Day!!!
I've made my way back to Fort Stockton, Texas and Bella Terrazza!
Will be here for almost two weeks....so get ready for
Mucho Mas Colores de Posts!!!
(many more colorful posts...loosely translated)

It's getting close to time for a Big Pot of Chili con Queso!
I'll be making that and a Big Pot of Red Beans with Jalapeno Cornbread!

Oh...did I mention Margaritas?
Ya'll Come Back Soon!!!