Wow, we really are getting to be a BIG town, huh?  Somewhere deep in my comments, I said, they SHOULD add a flight to Denver from Bakersfield, but that'll probably not ever happen.  Ah, did my reverse psychology work?

The flight will be operated out of United.    If I'm not mistaken, I heard it leaves, at 6A.

This opens so much possibilites, especially for me with family in MN and IL.  I just hope the fares are fair.  But I still bet flying out of LA will be cheaper, even if y ou include the Airport Bus.

And don't think they won't pull these flights, if there's not enough people buying seats too!

Anyone else as excited as I am?.  I know some of you were pleaseed with the flight to San Diego.

!

Tom Sizemore has a masters in theater, yet he can't stay away from the nations most dangerous drug, methamphetamine.

Bakersfield.com reported his arraignment today.  He wants to get underway right away,  too bad Tom, it's back to the klink for you. 

He's not the kind of guy I'd be an autograph hound for, but he's been in some good movies.  Some include Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor.

He's just a big lug dud.  Hope he gets the help he needs.  Only he can do it.  Or maybe the court system will do it for him this time.  Then he'll get out and do it again, because he won't be rehabilitated.  Just guessing!?!

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing my dad.  He looked real good and we we're all glad to see him.  It's the healthiest I've seen him look in a long time.  There's only one thing, he's not the man I remember and he's getting worse. 

A few years back he had a brain stroke, I nearly lost him.  He was in the hospital for weeks.  My husband and I were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in Vegas when I got the call.  I had to fly out of there to Texas to come and say goodbye.   

I remember hearing him say outloud in the hospital:  I just want to die.  I said, WHAT?!  He didn't know I was there, and he paused and said, I'd like a drink of water please.  He didn't want me to know how bad he felt.  That was a bad day. 

But, he pulled through and he was allowed to go home.  He was on all kinds of meds for a very long time.  Blood thinners, meds for vasculitis,  steroids, etc.  Now he's down to just down to a couple.

Now his short term memory is shot.  Then again, he can't remember being married to my mother either.  But that I can understand....anyone would want to forget her.  And it was a very long time ago. 

He does remember the days on the farm in Mankato, Minnesota and he remembers the best times of his life, the Air Force.  He was a reconnassaince pilot and later an instructor.  He retired a Lt. Colonel in '72 

My husband said, he's just taking up space.  He doesn't start conversations, but he will respond if you engage him.  And, I asked him if he wanted a sandwich, and he said, I'm trying to find an article about that in this magazine. 

He would head to the closet to try and find the bathroom and he'd head out to the garage to find his room.  Yeah, I know this is normal, getting turned around in someone else's house, shoot, I'd do that too if I was in a new home.  But he's been in this house a bunch of times.

The worst I witnessed, was when we were sitting on our patio and he thought the powerlines where holding my trees up in the backyard.  I told him they were high wire telephone lines, and he said I know, but they are wrapped around your trees.

He'll be 76 this year.  He really looks great.  He's in the best of health now. It's sad. 

His new wife seems nice, but I'm a cynic.   They got married when he was 70 and she was about 65, six years ago.  Why get married to someone that late in life, except for companionship and for her, money?  Shortly after that is when he had the stroke.  She's feeling pinched with his memory loss.  She told me she feels like she's taking care of a child.

I'm worried she's gonna take him for all he's got.  But once again, I'm a cynic.  I don't know this lady very well, and half of me says, he made his bed, and she has too.  They knew what they were getting into.  Dad wanted someone to cook and do laundry.  She wanted someone to take her on vacations.

They've recently done their wills and I feel he just did "what he was told" and I wonder what's going on there.  I've told him in the past I don't want anything, but if there was going to be anything laid out for me, it should be for my kids.  Apparently this has been done.  Because she told him it had been.  This is a touchy subject, I know.  I don't care about the money, except, I don't want her to steal my dad blind.

Anyway, my biggest concern is, it sounds like she's getting tired of "taking care" of him.   It's not time for a nursing home yet, and I've offered to step up to the plate and take care of my dad.  That's what family does.     

I was so drained by dropping my dad off at the airport Saturday, before the blooger thingy, that when I showed up there, I had a migraine.  I left early because I wasn't feeling like good company.  I wish he could stay so I could take care of him.

Later, come to find out, he was delayed at Phoenix Airport on the way home.   Mechanical problems.  They had to bring a new plane in from Yuma, apparently.  He got stuck for HOURS.  His flight left here at 12:30p.  He didn't get home till after midnight.

We were all so worried about him being stuck there.  I had added an "assistance" from gate to gate in Phoenix and added a note he has Alzheimers (though that's probably not what it is, it's gotta be somekind of vascular dimentia).   Apparently the gate agents took care of him.

He was so disoriented he thought he was on a military flight and the pilot was trying to "log" some night time flying hours, and that's why it took so long. 

I just feel helpless, I'm hearing things, and I don't know what to do. I really can't do anything.  I've offered what I can and it's up to his wife now to decide if she can continue to deal with this.  (yes she's a religious women, but so was the mafia).  I can't help but wonder what's next.

Haha, I just looked up religious mafia on google, and the first one to come up was "Christian Mafia", and Scientology came up after that, hahaha! 

I've got my best girlfriend, back in Chicago, that tells me, "you know you're lucky, I can't even hear my parents voices, they're both gone".  I tell her I know I'm lucky, but I feel so sad for him.

Old age is cruel.  It takes the wisdom of the years away from you sometimes.

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Most of us bloggin' here (not all, I know) have been around the block a few times.  And I bet we've had many cars. 

Don't know why I started thinking about old cars, maybe it was because the Big Woof got the VW Ghia running a couple of weeks ago.  And although it's not my favorite car of all time, it's got a spot in my heart as the first coolest car that I can remember.

Back in the 60's, we lived on an Air Force Base in west Texas.  Great community, or so I thought when I was a kid.  My best friend lived next door.  We play outside till way after dark.   It was safe, kind of like a gated community.  Shoot, you had the Air Police guarding the only two gates leading on to the base.  There was no terrorism on American soil, but they always looked like they were ready for it. 

This was during the Vietnam war.  My best friend's dad (he's in the front row, the kind of heavyset guy) and my dad, on the weekends would cut the grass together.  Then one of them would take the clipping to the dump, and we'd go to get an ICEEs at 7-11.  I always liked to go with them because her dad had a VW Ghia.  I thought  it was the coolest car.  Can you imagine putting yard clippings in the trunk of a Ghia?  It's in the front of the car!

The story finishes not so good this time.  Major Gerald Helmich (my best friends dad) was MIA.  I remember going to Minnesota for summer, as we did every year, and coming back to find their family gone from the base after he was listed as missing.

Later come to find out, he was shot down over Laos.  Shhhh, we weren't suppose to be there. 

I've been to Washington to visit his name at the wall.  But, I never saw my best friend again.  Her name was Jerilyn.  I called her Sissy.

The coolest thing about the Ghia we have now, is it still has an Air Force sticker on the front bumper, from back in the day.  That was how you got waved on base.  It's amazing how that little sticker brought back a lot of memories.

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There is one man that I've seen in concert countless times, and I'm not even a big country and western fan.  He's been on the road forever.  Living on it, literally.  It's easy to guess it's Willie Nelson.   

I've seen his shows since the 70's.  I've seen him with Waylon Jennings, BB King, and I actually went to the very first Farm Aid in September '85.  Which is the closest  to a Woodstock as I've ever gotten. 

I really don't know what keeps me going back to see this man.  Well, maybe it's because he was one of my first earliest influences in music.  Don't get me wrong, I'm an old time rock n roll girl who has also seen MANY rock concerts....ok, here see my myspace, check the music list for all the concerts I've seen.

Let's get back to THIS story.....I knew Willie was gonna be at Eagle Mountain Casino yesterday.  Hubby said go.  I said I would go, but just to try and catch a glimpse of him, but I'm not gonna buy a ticket.  Funny thing is, I don't gamble either.

I head up there yesterday morning.  When I get to the casino I ask the guard if  Willie was there.  She said no, he's at the Best Western in Porterville.  So I head back down the mountain and sure enough the buses are there.  The driver told me Willie was sleeping.  So, I go  to the bathroom in the hotel and come out and the buses are gone.   I scared them away, LOL....I must look like a stalker, LOL!

On the road back up to the casino again (what a waste of expensive gas, but I really don't get out that much), I pass the buses, and now I'm leading them up there.   I park and seem them head to the back by the concert stage.  Some of the guys get off the bus and head into the casino.  I go through another door and head in that general direction.  I run into Jody Payne (Willie's guitar man) wandering around looking for the buffet....men, they won't stop and ask for directions....so I do....I said hey, guys, the buffet is this way. 

I'm trying to be reserved, quiet, and just tell them how much I appreciate all the years of music.  (Man they're getting old and looking it).  I asked where they played last night, and they said they didn't know.  WOW, I guess that's what it's like. 

Next I bump into Paul English, the drummer while we're in line at the buffet....he's one of my favs.  I said, Paul?  He said, yeah.  Well, my quiet reserve went out the window.  I'm pulling my camera out of my purse and asking to get a pic with me and Paul.  Well frigg 'em all, guess what, my damn batteries are dead on my camera.  ARRRGGGHH!

Paul asks if I'm going to the concert..  I tell him I don't have a ticket, he says why not?   I told him I'm so broke I can't pay attention.  He laughed and headed into the VIP area for his lunch.  I sit down and have something to eat.  I really wasn't hungry I was too excited.  I was more thirsty than anything.  But I had some salad, and a little fried okra....something I haven't had since I was a kid in Texas.

After lunch Paul comes out of the VIP lunchroom and says give me your name, I'll see what I can do about getting you a ticket to the show.  HOT DAMN!  Only thing is, it's not even noon, and the concert isn't till 7:30pm. And, again, I don't gamble, what am I gonna do?  Plus the place smells like one big cigarette.  Though, I think they have a non-smoking area....like that helps.

I call my hubby and tell him my tale, and he says hang out.  Till 7:30P, I said?  He  says go to town and get yourself some batteries for that camera (the gift shop didn't have any) and go shopping if you want.  So I burn some time heading down the mountain AGAIN, by heading to Springdale for a look see.  Then back to Porterville for the batteries.  Now I call my man again, and say maybe I should just come home, it's only an hour away.  He said, get a room.  If your getting a ticket for free, you can stay at a Motel 6 or something, it's cheap, gas is not...so that's what I did.  I check in and took a nap. 

About 5:30 I get myself together and head back up there, wondering if there would really BE a ticket for me waiting at will-call.  Sure enough, there it was.  So, I headed out back where I can see the buses.  And out comes Paul English again.  I thank him profusely.  He gives me a hug and I get the pic that I missed the first time around.  I asked if there was any chance on meeting  ole Willie. He said nobody meets Willie

The concert was great, what a mix of people and I had a great time talking to other fans.  Some ladies, quite older than me, follow Willie's tours around.  They're retired and plan on headin' to Washington State this year where Willie has announced his 4th of July picnic.  I was surprised, as far as I've ever known, he's always had it in Texas. 

Call me adventurous, or call me a nut.  I thank my husband for letting me be me.  I love having the freedom to do what I want, just sometimes, because most of the timel I'm a mom to two beautiful girls, and that's more important than anything.  It was so nice to cut loose for a day.  I gotta say this was the best early Mother's Day gift EVER!  Thank you HONEY (and Paul English)!

I'd like to add Willie's buses are run on renewable energy  Bio-Diesel. Check out this LINK for more information   There needs to be a change in our fuel consumption NOW.

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When I saw in the Bakersfield Californian there was gonna be a renaissance fair & jousting tourney, I told the family, LET'S GO!  Well, it was not the kind of  faire I remember, like the one in Kenosha Wisc.  called the Bristol Faire.  But I wasn't expecting that anyway.  This was a Jousting Tournament with some craft vendors and some food thrown in for fun.  By the way, the English Bangers were to die for. 

I really just wanted to get out of the house and enjoy some time outside with the kids.  What better place to do that, than in the mountains at Frazier Park.  Plus, it was pretty cheap to get in to have a nice day.   

It opened around 11a, but we didn't even leave the house till way after that. I had checked the weather and it was going to be in the upper 60's...PERFECT...told the kids put on long sleeves and make sure you wear socks.  (I've been out to these dusty  places before)

Anyway, I think, as you can see by the pics, that we enjoyed the animals they had there more than anything else.  First we saw the Alpacas, a couple brought three of them out to probably market their fleece.  Plus, some gentleman kept bringing out quite the hoard of exotic animals.  Got some great shots, huh?

The jousting tournament didn't start till way after 4:30. So unfortunately the walking I had already done (my dogs were howling---my feet really) made us leave before that was in full swing.  We had lawn chairs, but I had just overdone the walking (remember I'm due for a revision of my ankle fusion) so sitting really didn't help.

I hope the next one would have more vendors of arts and crafts.  There didn't seem to be enough.  But all in all, we had a good time except poor hubby got badly sunburned (he wore a short sleeve shirt and no hat).

Plus, would you believe, I saw a fellow blogger there???

Here's the LINK for the next one in June.