Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall

I Think I Need to Rest

I don’t think I’ve just done nothing since last Wednesday. I’m so glad to be sitting in my living room in Austin with Anita, with my honeysuckle whiskey. Not in a meeting.

Today I was still in Cameron, so I met with Lee and Kathleen about Hearts Homes and Hands. The dogs helped. There I found out my office is the old storage room. That will be fun.

I ran from there to move the horses back to their usual pasture, since I got home too late from the hospital last night (my sister is recovering just fine).

Next I met with Mandi about our little event venue, since it’s now getting bookings. Then I worked a while. Then a meeting with a coworker that happens weekly. Then met with our contractor on the Pope residence. That was fun.

I got home, exhausted. Looked at email. Oh…there’s a Friends of LLL board meeting. There, I volunteered to be secretary since we only have four members temporarily.

By the way, the Christmas branch is now a Valentine branch.

Hooray. I then got to drive like crazy to Austin to get to my visit with the ole therapist where I said I’m fine but too busy. After that I tried to buy sheets for our weird Sleep Number Bed that raises up. Nope. Went to the wrong one of 800 mattress stores in Austin.

While I was writing this, three people needed me on Messenger. I am a failed Hermit. And my eyes are tired.

Tomorrow? Ha! Two stressful meetings and one lovely chiropractor appointment. And time to walk at lunch. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have meetings in the evening. I think next Sunday will be my next day of rest.

I hope the fog dies off by then. It was foggy almost all day today! And honest, I enjoy everything I do!

What are YOU up to? Get some rest.

Health Care. Does Anyone Actually Care?

If you are healthy the US health care system works just great, because you don’t have to deal with any insurance or bureaucrats.

If you are sick, your doctor is not in charge of your care. Oh no. Some company is going to second guess them, delay your authorization, or deny you.

And if you are on Medicare, good luck. Even if you go to the hospital ahead of time, meet with the people, schedule your necessary procedure, etc., you can end up just sitting around hoping your heart doesn’t give out before you are graciously granted your authorization.

That’s where I am now. Waiting with my sister, who foolishly believed she had an appointment this morning. The numerous agencies that have to communicate about it seems to have missed talking to each other. Argh.

Really. The woman needs her procedure. We all wouldn’t have driven to Temple and camped out at a hospital full of germs if it weren’t necessary.

I don’t get it how anyone thinks the system where huge insurance companies control the lives of innocent people and you have to pay a third of your salary for the privilege.

Doctors don’t like it either. Nurses don’t like it. They’d love to actually help people with health issues rather than coding and paperwork.

Rant over. I just want my sister to get treated, not get apologies about how badly the new system works. I know it’s hard to disappoint people. I don’t blame the staff.

Well. It turned out “someone” had sent her info to the wrong third-party processor. I do believe the hospital figured out they messed up, because approval came only a half hour later.

I’m all confident now, because the medical team seems great. We will have a healthier and happier family member soon!

Can’t Be Too Busy to Exercise

Why, hello! I’m Alfred! Thank you for dropping in!

There’s so much going on here at the ranch on weekends, that on days like today and yesterday, I realize that, whoops, I’m not getting my exercise numbers. And I really, really want to hit those movement goals and get at least 20 minutes (preferably 30) of aerobic exercise a day. I just want to be healthy.

So, I admit that last night I walked around and around the house until I hit my goal. I guess I’m motivated by keeping that 124-day streak up.

Today, even though I was extra busy keeping up with all the business blogs and web pages, and I had to go pick up my chicken food bin, I felt no guilt about dropping everything to go ride the horses with Sara. Wow, the equines were antsy. Spice was bucking and jumping and being all jumpy. In fact, she insisted on jumping over any obstacle that she could easily have walked over. That was not great for Sara’s back, which was hurt last time Spice bucked her off.

Last night I HAD to close that movement ring. I was okay not getting exercise; it was dang cold.

Apache just kept wanting to trot, but at least he walked over water hazards. I had him walk over branches and sticks, over and over, and by the end of the ride, he was fine. Actually, Spice was, too.

I WISH I could have gotten some pictures of Fiona, though. She was INSANE. Every time we went across a puddle or place that’s usually a stream when it’s wetter outside, she ran across it at least three times, braying away. Then she’d run up in front of me and Apache and beg us to chase her. Nope. None of this running and braying helped calm the horses down, but they are handling it way better than they did over the summer.

And it was exercise! So, we win.

I’m staying in Cameron for another couple of days, since my sister is having some work done on her innards, and she needs someone to hang around with her for a bit. Kathleen and I are totally up for that! That also means I’ll be able to fetch the chickens and install them in their new coop. We have everything ready now!

I’m your very cute friend, Carlton, saying goodbye until tomorrow!

Whirlwind of Winning

No doubt I’ve mentioned at some point on this here blog that winning and losing aren’t really important to my goals (which may surprise anyone who ever played board games with me in my past). But nonetheless, I declare today a win all around (other than my exercise routine, which has suffered due to too much sitting and chatting). And it’s all thanks to all my friends and contacts in little old Cameron, Texas.

First

I got to sleep in and then had a fine time getting beautiful new navy and sparkle nails. I wanted something wintry, and you know, dark blue matches every outfit I have, since I usually have on blue jeans. Still not sure why I like fun nails so much, but I just do.

It’s one of my girly things, I guess. That and all those rings, huh?

Second

We’re thinking the vultures were looking over at the Hermit Haus, thinking how dead its rentals were.

After lunch, Mandi and I stopped by the Central Avenue Bistro again, because Mandi craved their Caesar salad so much. I had a light soup, which was good, but not as spectacular as the white chicken chili yesterday, which was loaded with chicken. Anyway, that’s beside the point. The winning came when we followed up on yesterday’s conversation with my friend Jenecia, who said her husband really wanted to come see the Hermit Haus to potentially rent it. OH BOY.

With all the stuff going on with Hearts Homes and Hands, we’d had to let publicizing the Hermit Haus as an event venue slide, so all we have is a couple of board meetings and the Master Naturalist class going on. We really want to make enough money to cover the building’s expenses.

It Is a Brick…House

I’m pretty stoked about working on the 1905 Pope Residence in Cameron. When they said it was brick, none of us had a clue that it meant the brick is on interior walls as well as exterior walls! Every time the crew picks up a hammer to knock something else off, we find another treasure.

I’m not going to share all my photos today. If you want to read more about the house, check out Just a Few More Pope Residence Photos on my real estate blog or By Popular Request: More Old House Coolness on the Hearts Homes and Hands blog. Each is from a slightly different perspective, but they both have more pictures.

The door’s open because people are working in there! You certainly can’t tell what color the brick is from the exterior, since everything is tan, tan, tan.

Brickly Beauty

I’ve been loving the exposed brick on the house, though. You can’t see what it looks like from the outside, because it has all been painted, as you can see above. But inside is a different story. Here’s my favorite image:

This is the brick that is above what was once a back door on the house. There is a lovely arch above the door made by some very interesting bricks of a variety of colors and quite non-uniform size. Note that some of the bricks have glaze on the ends.

Above that are the regular bricks that made the walls of the house. They are certainly not uniform, either! Even at that time, bricks were made in uniform molds and imprented with manufacturer names, but I don’t see any of that here.

And it looks like some work will need to be done by a mason in some spots. As I gaze at these quirky pieces of clay that have held up this building a LONG time, I think about what it must have been like making bricks in the blazing hot Texas sun. Did they make them nearby or bring them in? I’m thinking I might be able to find out if I study the 1906 maps some more.

The window that goes out into the entry hallway.

Now, in this picture you see the bricks from farther away. You can see how they did the window frames, too. Note that there is a border a few feet up from the floor. That goes all around the house. Was it decorative or functional? Do I have to go find a book about bricks? I love how irregular the bricks are and how there are a whole bunch of dark brown ones in one spot. (By the way, those are original floors, too, and Cody has a source for similar wood to fix areas that are damaged! Wow!)

Oooh, aah. All the prettiness in one spot.

Though the brickwork is irregular, they made all these beautiful arches throughout the house. We’re also going to whip that stained glass back into shape!

I think it’s interesting that these two doors are not beautiful arches, but are instead normally sized doors. I could just look at all these different brick shapes and textures all day. Hmm, if I’m lucky maybe the room that will be MY future office will end up this good, too.

We can’t be sure if we can take all the walls down to brick. If we find a lot of damage, we might have to plaster it again. That’s just one more thing to discover as we renovate this place!

PS: don’t worry, I’ll have more things to write “deep thoughts” about later. I’ve been so busy working and attending meetings that there’s no time to think.

Who Wants Dog News?

Of course, YOU want dog news (especially if you are Don L., the dogs’ biggest fan).

The three Cameron house dogs do just fine together. Wow, the bedroom is a wreck (it has been cleaned and the bed made since then.)

I’m here to share that the battle between Vlassic and Penney is finally settling down. We haven’t had even the slightest grr sound from either of them in a few weeks now.

They run and play outside like the best of buddies, and last week BOTH of them sat on the same bench with me for at least five minutes. That warmed my heart.

Both have been managing to sleep in the same bed, as long as they aren’t touching each other, too. But what really warmed my heart was to see the two of them playing with each other in the bed. They were pawing, licking, and tussling in a most friendly way, much to my relief.

The only thing that’s left will be for Penney to allow Vlassic to spend time in the family room sitting on my lap, which is what he really loves to do when I’m at the Austin house, and what he used to do in Cameron before Penney came along.

Speaking of Penney

If you want a dog very much like her, Penney’s sister is at the Cameron Dog Pound, just looking for a forever family. She’s got a curlier tail but is just as soft and sweet as Penney.

Also, Sandy has a browner nose then Penney. They were from a litter of TEN, which explains why I met another sister of hers last November!

Sandy’s a cute red dog, not too big, not too small.

I Want to Show You This Historical Beauty!

While this is my personal and ranch blog, I just can’t resist sharing something we are doing in one of our businesses, Hearts Homes and Hands, which is a personal assistance service for Milam and surrounding counties.

We just opened the business, and are currently sharing the lovely old church building where we run a real estate business and host meetings/events. It’s fine, but not terribly accessible for people dealing with physical handicaps, and we’re a bit cramped.

The old Pope residence, most recently the Taylor residence.

So, we were pretty excited when we were finally able to close on this amazing old house with a cool history. We’d bought it from a really great family that was having trouble keeping up with the payments, due to family illnesses and other issues. We were happy to help out and even more happy to finally own the first brick home built in the city of Cameron, in 1905.

Here’s where the Pope family are buried, in the old part of Cameron’s main cemetery. Mandi and I searched for this last year.

The house was originally owned by a doctor Pope and his family, who were beloved in the city’s early years. Their piano-teacher daughter lived there until the late 1950s, using the bottom floor as a boarding house for income.

Many changes had happened to the house over 115 years, and when we got it, there was a lot of paneling, wallpaper, and interesting interior changes. The biggest change was when the previous owners hired a contractor to install a staircase. It wasn’t exactly safe. (The house had an exterior staircase, since the upstairs started out as a home and the downstairs a doctor’s office, then a boarding house for many years.)

Passive Aggressive Facebook Posts Are for Doofuses and Doofi

Gee, Suna, what are you going to rant about today? Maybe you can complain about something, and by doing so, do the thing you are complaining about. We used to have a word for that in linguistics, but never mind. At least you are presenting both alternative pluralizations of doofus, to please your friends.

You know how you ignore things and ignore things, then one day your tolerance dips or something, and you suddenly get really annoyed? Today that happened. I saw just one too many vague, passive aggressive Facebook meme about how “some people” just don’t do the right thing. I just shouted aloud in the parking garage, “If you have a problem with someone, TELL THEM.”

I then ran off and found a fine article to back up what I was feeling: How Facebook is a Weapon for Passive-Aggressive Destruction, by Alex Miles. Three years ago, she was also getting sick and tired of people who would rather fire off vaguely worded barbs at “someone” than talk to whoever it is about what’s bugging them. “Someone” is just supposed to KNOW the barb is about them, and learn from the helpful advice and turn their lives around. HA. Nope.

Myles points out:

The classic method of passively displaying aggression on social media is via quotes and memes that say something, often seemingly politely, gracefully or even cryptically, but the intent behind the message is condescending, patronizing and deliberately posted to make a definite point. There is a degree of separation in this method as the person sharing them is not the one who wrote the words originally.
How Facebook is a Weapon for Passive-Aggressive Destruction

This one stabbed me right in my highly sensitive soul. And who among us has not dealt with this:

…if the passive-aggressive one is confronted and questioned they may downplay the situation by reverting to denial and manipulation. They might even send smiley emoticons to make it seem as though they are perfectly at peace and then turn everything around to make the person questioning them appear over-sensitive, paranoid and as though they are overanalyzing or imagining things.
Same source

Or need some good old-fashioned therapy, a thing you do not obtain on Facebook.

Go ahead and read the article, which does provide some insight into how people end up doing this stuff, and ideas about how to nip it in the bud. I give Myles credit for thinking people just might be able to actually talk to others about their behavior, discuss whatever brought it on, and come to a mutual understanding and trusting relationship. That sure would be nice!

Am I wise or what?

My favorite solution for doofuses or doofi I know who engage in this behavior is to ignore it, and then send some invisible love rays out to them, because they obviously need it. Doesn’t that make me seem saintly.

Do I Have a Right to Say Anything on This Subject?

Hey, Suna, what subject might that be, I hear the chorus asking. Well, that subject is sort of two things, but both ways of thinking about the world that sadden me, because they eliminate so much potential people AND they are self perpetuating: the poverty mindset and entitlement.

Mandi is celebrating a birthday. She looks like someone who’s doing good.

My friend Mandi has loads of personal experience in this area, and I’m happy to let her speak. She spent much of her life in a “poverty mindset” when it came to finances, especially, and she’s seen what people who feel they are entitled to a good living just because they exist. Check out these three posts she wrote over where she blogs, our Hermit Haus Redevelopment site:

In her first post, Mandi shared this:

As I have pointed out before, I am not super wealthy person. I am overcoming the poverty mindset myself. I read a great article, found here that states, “38% of American households making $40,000-$100,000 per year could not cover $400 for an emergency without going into debt.”
Hermit Haus Redevelopment blog, December 5, 2020

Scary, huh? She doesn’t want to be one of those people anymore.

Name Calling Is for Doofuses

Look at that. I called people doofuses. Shame on me. That’s about the worst thing I like to fling around, though.

In our current troubled times, I see (and read) a lot of nasty name-calling going on. I know it’s not new, because I’ve read some doozies in old letters to the editor, which were at least more creative than some of the 2020 ones. I read something on Facebook today, written by J., a minister friend of mine, too, that got me going:

People don’t have to agree with me politically to remain my Facebook friends. People may also criticize people whom I like and won’t get deleted. However, calling me or anyone else a snowflake or a libtard seems to make me press delete every time. Lack of kindness, not content, is what I gauge.

I just don’t like name calling. One thing I’m proud of in my child-rearing is that my kids didn’t call each other names or engage in derogatory name calling toward other kids. I admire them both for their adult selves staying that way, too (as far as I know).