Joanie tagged me with Ten Random Things, but I’m really not that interesting, so I may have to reach pretty far back for something worth reading. Unfortunately after 7 years of blogging I think you’ve been privy to all my secrets.

It’s all beneath the fold because… it’s over 1,000 words! Dang!

1) I’m a bull whisperer. Must be; the facts are all there. Growing up out in the Texas countryside, Gwen and I lived about 10 miles from each other but were practically inseparable… Either she was with us or I was with her family.

One afternoon when we were about… 10? …my family decided to drive over to the next county to my Uncle’s place. My father’s brother lived even further from civilization than we did, had more land and more cattle. While the grown ups chatted in the house Gwen and I were left to our own devices, which was the norm.
We meandered over to one of the pastures, but not too far away. I think we could still see the house pretty well. The homestead covered over 100 acres and half was prime hunting land, as it was heavily forested, but we knew to keep to the open areas.

Anyway, we were used to cattle and walked among the herd, petting and talking to them. I didn’t know Uncle RB’s bovine by name, so when we came upon the bull, he got the same treatment. He could have been Hereford or Brahman, but I remember he was gorgeous. We were as flies to him at first, but he did watch us intently.

Later we shocked my parents and especially my uncle by relating our journey… seems that was a new bull and he was known for his bad temper. Nobody could get near him or touch him without a fight. I thought my mother would faint from the news that I could have been lying in a bloody heap before a bellowing bull, but it blew over quickly. There were always plenty of chances to be lying bloody in the pasture without obsessing over one instance.

Ya know, maybe Gwen is the bull whisperer. Hmmm…..

2) When young my greatest joy was to saddle my horse and ride off into undiscovered territory for the day. Toffee had her quirks, but following a small path through the forest at a gallop was as much a joy for her as it was for me. Until she came to a body of water. Even the smallest stream would make her come to a full stop… nearly unseating me, of course.
The freedom of those days is unparalleled in my experiences.
I still dream about riding, all these years later and when I do, it’s either streaking through the woods on Toffee’s back… or jumping a stream.

3) I thank God every day that He, in His infinite wisdom, gave me to the two people He did. I don’t care who my birth parents may have been, Rose and John were my Mom and Dad. Loving, caring, flawed people just as we all are, they gave me a wonderful childhood that I dearly loved. In truth, I didn’t want to grow up and resent having to do so to this day.

4) I have only hated one person in my life and it lasted for a year. Unfortunately, it was my sister-in-law, the one I’m closest to, the one I lived near, the one that I was in ‘business’ with, the one I’m still close with. Of course it had everything to do with the ‘business’.

Ultimately, I had to give the hate up. It didn’t hurt her, but it was eating me up from the inside. Hate is viral and to kill it I needed to forgive her and myself. That only happened with a lot of prayer and Our Lady’s intervention.

5) I had brain surgery in 1982. I know you wondered why I am like this… Heh. A story for another time, unless everyone has heard it already.

6) I once bought a car with a manual transmission without driving it because I didn’t know how to drive a stick. So I called BFB and she drove it home and then taught me how to drive a stick. And do laundry.
It was a Subaru we christened George and we drove him to Omaha and back and all over southeast Texas. I used to do road trips. Before I grew up.

7) Truth or Dare: I married my first husband because:
a. I was bored.
b. I was trying to get someone else’s attention.
c. OK, two guys.
d. All of the above.

Thank God it was a civil ceremony. Hey, I never said I was perfect.

8) Our first Dachshund was a pound puppy named Blacky acquired when I was 4 or 5. Mom delighted in his devotion to her; he’d follow her around, even sitting outside the bathroom door when she was inside. Blacky was killed in a freak accident when I was about 8. My father and uncle were trying to put in a new septic tank when the unthinkable happened and Blacky was run over and died immediately. I still remember my Mom crying and running into the house because she just didn’t allow herself to cry that much.
After that she’d allow some dogs in the house but never really fully approved of it. Life is hard and sometimes you’ve got to protect yourself; I can understand that now.

9) I took my underage friend Kathy [just a couple years my junior] to see the R-rated Exorcist even though I knew her mother, a woman whom I admired and respected, would disapprove. Actually, we thought we’d get away with it, but though we laughed through the movie, K had nightmares for a couple weeks afterward and ended up telling her Mom.
Mom was very angry with me. And I was very sorry.

10) I drove a car with wings full of girls into a tree in a store parking lot. And tried to sound sober when I called my father.