Ramblin' Man (and Woman, to be PC)

Happy Monday! While I've been most busy buzzing around here at the Monogram abode, it's also been somewhat boring. Aside from our daily sunning and playing at the pool, summer camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays, not too much else has been going on around here (and I don't' need to tell you how much summer tv stinks). Well, I take that back. Since I was flying through so many books this summer, I did decide to start back into my needlepoint. I used to do lots of cross stitch and embroidery and needlepoint, and decided now was as good a time as any to get back into it. So far I haven't regretted my decision, but I am starting to resemble my BFF's mom by carrying around my needlepoint in my little monogrammed tote everywhere we go (yes, EVERYWHERE I go) in case I can steal a few stitches here or there.

Thanks to Lisagh for enduring my questions and refreshers since I decided to jump back into it by doing a belt for Mr. Monogram and since I'm not using a printed canvas but rather, doing it by scratch, I had a few questions that she was kind enough to answer. I'm happy to report I should be completely finished with the belt in another week or so before I send it off to be "finished" (and here I was worried it wouldn't be finished in time for football season-HA!).

Anyway, this weekend we decided to get really *wild* and hit up the rodeo that'd come to town (and by town I mean 40 miles away). You see what has happened to me since moving to this place? I must entertain myself by watching a bunch of cowboys and cowgirls ride bulls and rope cattle. Talk about big belt buckles, big hats, and even bigger hair (again, I remind you that is pronounced "har" here in the South). Yee-Haw!

Mr. Monogram was able to find an appropriate "costume" for the evening consisting of some camouflage hat he found in his closet (seriously? How on earth this hat ever made it through our front door and past my eyes without me tossing it in the trash is still a mystery to me), an "Old Dixie" t-shirt complete with Confederate Flags (again, where did this come from???), and bootleg jeans. Me? Not so much in costume. The best I could do to attempt to fit in for the evening was a pair of dark denim cropped jeans w/ a large frayed rolled cuff, a yellow polo, my Three Chickadees Madras Sash, matching watch, brown leather flip-flops, and brown Dooney & Bourke backpack/purse (you know, to hold the important camera and kid things for the evening). And there you have it. I pretty much fit in like Ozzy Ozborne at a local PTA meeting (that is, if his kids ever finished school which they didn't, btw). Good times, Good times.

Anyhow, the night was super fun. Much as I joke about it, we all had a really great time. We went with some friends and pretty much the only bad thing about the whole evening was the emcee. He thought he was a lot funnier than he actually was so I personally could have done with a lot less talk and a lot more barrel racing. Too, I must add, that it made for some GREAT people watching as you can probably imagine. So the moral of the story is, if the rodeo comes to town, make sure you pick yerself and yer yungin's up some big 'ol cowboy hats and sit front and center (but sit down low on the bleachers in case big har Betty sits in front of you) and enjoy the show!

It was a full house, no doubt, and the scenery and mountains around us were beautiful. There were probably close to two thousand people at this Quarterhorse farm to see the Rodeo. Big fun on a Saturday night in the country!

Look to the far right. Do you see those legs sticking up in the air? Yeah, he was slightly injured from that fall.

The poor guy on this horse didn't even have a chance. He is off in the mud, curled up in the fetal position after being bucked off this crazy horse.

Run! Run little Calf! Run!!
(He wasn't so lucky in case you were wondering)

It's amazing how quickly they rope these little calfs!

Sunset in the background