horncottontales: Recent Episodes
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Over the Thanksgiving break, we learned something…puzzling. We learned that puzzles, while we knew they were entertaining, and we’ve loved doing them at our home, there’s a system to picking the right puzzle to appease all the family members during holiday gatherings. Credit to Uncle Dick. The best puzzles we’ve (Uncle Dick) found are the … Continue reading "Puzzling Times"
Billy Zane said it best in the movie Zoolander, “it’s a walk-off… it’s a walk-off”. But it was a dance-off last night. Challenge accepted, little bear. “Dad, put on ‘Soy Yo’ over the Sonos,” she says. It’s a song from the movie Sing 2. The pan flute comes sounding through the kitchen. And the hip-hop … Continue reading "“It’s a Walk-Off”"
My cursing needs work when I step on the toys left out upstairs in EK’s playroom as I traverse up there in the dark. As the Barbie’s digits digs into my foot in the waning hours of the morning, I’m reminded of the movie Home Alone and all the follies of the burglars with marbles … Continue reading "“Santa Atlanta Sana Ana!”"
I’ve written hundreds of blogs in my head that have never made it online. Lots of reasons for that. Whether those reasons are the commute timing, content-inappropriate subjects, or just stories too long to write a book on these tales of love in this life, as the blog title suggests. When my mom passed, Jess … Continue reading "Cooking Fish"
One of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen of my wife was taken last year. It sits on the right-side bedside table in our home. I was away in Spain when it was taken. I missed that moment, and I also missed one of our family traditions at that same time – the Nutcracker … Continue reading "Meerkats, Polar Bears and Nutcrackers"
Christmas ornaments history… no, I’m not going to exhaust you with that. If you want to look it up that’s your prerogative. It’s Germanic in origin, which always reminds me a of a great man I know who likes to reference himself as “Hornstein”. No doubt Germanic roots. No sauerkraut, schnitzel, pretzels or currywurst go … Continue reading "Baking Clay"
Sitting in an uncomfortable chair at a long, white table in the middle of Texas, looking at the ceiling where there was a bullet hole circled in red to remind the hunters of the danger of guns at our hunting lease, I’m reminded of SMU in Dallas. The Southwest Conference was the talk of the … Continue reading "“Smmyou”"
Six Flags Over Texas was promised… and delivered. From Disney World to the State Fair of Texas, we owed our little bear an amusement park adventure. And we went just before Halloween. El Diablo is a favorite, but I think our family memory from this occasion will be the Superman: Tower of Power. We exhausted … Continue reading "Five + One Flags"
Just follow the recipe. It’s easy. No. No, it’s not easy. There’s a reason that these baking shows exist. The best one, in our opinion, is the Great British Baking Show. The contestants all support each other to the end, and it doesn’t feel like a competition of foes; rather it’s a meeting of like-minded … Continue reading "Baking Shows"
Mickey Mouse’s gang, Big Tex and the DC comic characters dominated our thrill ride-loving EK over the past several months. Disney World, The State Fair of Texas and Six Flags. We’ll get to the latter later. It’s hard to match the magic that is Disney World in Florida. And, of course, I broke my left … Continue reading "Disney World, Abbreviated"
As we’re preparing for DisneyWold and dad can’t really do much with immobility, Jess went to run errands as I laid on the couch watching college football. To most men I imagine that’s a great day, but I have this dutiful nature that just makes me want to help in all things. I needed something … Continue reading "Art Challenge"
Remember playing “army” as kids? Or hide-and-go-seek? Sardines? Or having to run home after a full day of shenanigans with your friends as the summer dusk fell for curfew? All of those things (and more) were made better with walkie-talkies. The original “walkie-talkie” was invented in 1937, if you can believe that. Why do I … Continue reading "Walkie-Talkies & Handles"
The common expression you tell an actor before a big performance being “break a leg” is meant to bring them good luck. And for some reason saying “good luck” is actually bad luck. I didn’t get told “break a leg” this week. But I certainly broke something. It’s called a fifth metatarsal fracture. Essentially your … Continue reading "Break a Leg"
Rain, rain, go away. No, wait! Come back… Drought season was upon us in north TX, and then we had torrential rain in East Dallas over a 24-hour period. And, although it was rough on a lot of folks around here, we made lemonade out of lemons, as the saying goes. As the rain started, … Continue reading "Rapids"
Bought some new shoes trying to keep up with EK’s plethora of zapatos. Wanted to try them out this morning before church since they arrived over the weekend. As the girls & the cat slumbered, I donned my fresh new kicks and gently walked out the door. I assuredly woke up everyone, of course, as … Continue reading "Two New Shoes / Four Old Carts"
There are almost 600 Dairy Queens in TX. There are about 1,800 towns in TX. Do that math. As we’d reenter TX from LA on our way back from “The Farm”, there are several DQ’s on I-20 to Dallas. We’ve always stopped at one for years. “The Texas Stop Sign”. A blizzard treat for all. … Continue reading "Dairy Queen: “The Texas Stop Sign”"
I did not read The New Yorker’s “Ten Thousand Hours” article, admittedly. I think I may have a few friends that did though. Ten thousand hours of practice it what it’s about. Approximately 417 days. Of practice. Allen Iverson is probably laughing. The point is to put in the work. Effort. Today would’ve been my … Continue reading "10,000 Hours"
We fancy our household as plant people. We have all sorts of arrangements, species and test flowers about our garden. Never planted cattails, though. No one wants hotdogs on the end of a green stick unless you’re at the fair. And I’m not sure we live in a climate that’d support cattails. Now this cat … Continue reading "Cattails or Cat Tails"
Goats are basically the clowns of the animal world. They are silly. And as many people would attest, I just laugh when I encounter one. Hysterically. I love goats. My sister sent me this picture, which may explain my love for goats as she was rummaging through the attic of our parents treasure-trove. EK loves … Continue reading "Goats & Bears & Lizards"
An herb that has almost no flavor, parsley. I believe it holds vitamin K; I’m not a nutritionist. It’s a garnish at best. I think this household is out on this particular plant. “Parsley” is also a guinea pig that followed us home from the American Girl store with a price tag. And Parsley went … Continue reading "Parsley"
As a good (decent) banker, we love to shorten terms to acronyms. I’m not sure “SKRanch” will ever take, but our chef friend tried “T-Can” for trash can, so I feel his pain. The EEKS + 1 were bunk-mates at Sky Ranch. Each cabin has their own name. This year was called, “Baby Ruth”. And … Continue reading "SKRanch"
American Girl dolls are a thing…? Apparently so, fathers. Luckily the Galleria store has a retro-arcade machine that features Galaga. A favorite for me. So as the little ones and the moms traverse the store looking to buy over-priced accessories, the other husband and myself destroy high scores. Well, okay. We didn’t actually beat the … Continue reading "Recounting a Whirlwind: Part 3"
Is it “hide-and-go-seek” or just “hide-and-seek”? A great mystery of life. What I know about this game is that you never know when someone might be playing without your knowledge. These videos might explain my confusion as I returned from taking out the recycling. Wasn’t the first time EK pulled this prank, but it was … Continue reading "Hide-and-Go-Seek"
Aquarium done. We needed to get some lunch, so we opted for something healthy. Original ChopShop. The couple we were with joked that it either sounded like a steakhouse where we’re getting a 32 oz. steak, or a place where we’d take a stolen vehicle to get some money for nefarious items. It’s actually just … Continue reading "Recounting a Whirlwind: Part 2"
Friday morning. We allowed EK to stay home from her summer day camp as we wanted her to deliver VNA Meals on Wheels with us. Ten deliveries in various places; in and out of the vehicle multiple times. A good thing that Jess and I enjoy, but ask a 7.5 year old, and it sounds … Continue reading "Recounting a Whirlwind: Part 1"
The roller skating rink is apparently popular again. We had a play date at one yesterday. In my youth, I had a birthday party at Skate Ranch in Lubbock (I think that’s the name) once with a Charlotte Hornets-themed birthday cake. I really liked Grandmama at that time. Rolling skating rinks are still the same. … Continue reading "Backwards Skate"
There is a song called “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)”. And it’s hilarious especially watching the music video. Ylvis created it in 2013. EK wasn’t even born yet. Yesterday, EK asked us, “what does the fox say?”. Hmm. She’d somehow heard this song at summer camp. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything worse; I’ll take … Continue reading "Foxy"
In 8th grade my friend who I typically refer to these days as “the chef” made fun of me. I drew a horse in a book that we were presenting and reading to some younger students in a different school. Admittedly the horse looked like a giant, dark and sad dog. Guess I missed the … Continue reading "Art Thief"
Our wedding anniversary is the 22nd. We’re not big gift-givers to each other; we prefer to take trips that will last in our memories over tangible goods. Just how we’ve decided to do things over our nine years. Although my briefcase for my birthday still makes me happy. This year will be a big, expensive … Continue reading "N9ne"
EK is hiding in a box. Owning some hide-and-seek skills, as she giggles under the cardboard. She’s somewhat easy to find… Yesterday we went to the Bayside apartments in Rowlett, TX where my cousin’s daughter (not sure the nomenclature there) was moving in as she was hired by a large church in Rockwall, TX after … Continue reading "Trophy Room"
Girbaud jeans. Ralph Lauren Polo shirts. No Fear t-shirts. Oh, growing up. Judith, my wonderful mother, always wanted to keep me in the latest clothing fashion despite my resistance. My sister wanted me to wear Metallica t-shirts and have a mullet. I had a rat-tail haircut, and my favorite shorts were leopard print. Guess who … Continue reading "Branded"
Today is a federal holiday, so both Jess and I have the day off. Yard day, duh… Our bushes are getting thick. Guess we’re good stewards of plants (mainly Jess) other than the dahlia that I pulled thinking it was a weed. I owe Jess big-time on that one. But the bushes are thriving in … Continue reading "“Fell off the Jetway Again.”"
For he’s a jolly good fellow, which nobody can deny. I know I’ve posted about Father’s Day here before because Jess and EK both try to make today about me. They’re both very sweet. Until I get confetti-bombed. I care not for confetti or glitter, as well noted. All over everywhere. Said it before. I … Continue reading "Father’s Day 2022"
Couples dinner. As both wives rolled their eyes while the husbands discussed across the four-top dinner table at Sister all things business, economics and personality types, I was reminded of something. We didn’t have our children with us! So there wasn’t a constant, “hey, stop doing that,” or even, “will you please eat your dinner … Continue reading "Dinner & Babysitters"
This one is for your future, EK. Your beautiful heart makes me so happy. I see it daily. Something I’ve noticed in you is that you don’t wait for it; you deliver it. Love. To everyone. From me to you: never give up because you’re too strong, EK. Keep your happy heart and happy soul. … Continue reading "Don’t Wait For It; Deliver It"
Yes, I just titled this post after a quote from “Anchor Man: The Legend of Ron Burgundy“. “It’s Science.” Well let’s explore science. Today was that exploration. Hypothesis: Can you actually cook an egg on the pavement in that crazy Texas heat? EK, please note that proper punctuation in my day was two spaces after … Continue reading "It’s Science"
Ugh. Speedy. Our love for EK runs deep, clearly. Every “stuffy” has a name. Sometimes they change, and we adjust. Then we were confronted with a challenge. Speedy. We don’t really do allowance, but we just kind of give her money at certain times. “Pocket change” as it was once was called. Piggy bank, purse … Continue reading "Speedy"
Ben Howard wrote the song “Rivers in Your Mouth”. My favorite lyric is water takes the shape of all that it surrounds. Family is important. Surrounding yourself with that water will make you happier. And we’re thrilled to host Aunt Sonya and Aunt Michelle this weekend. Having the “EEKS” and Aunts around reminds me of … Continue reading "“EEKS” & Aunts"
I’ll try pretty much any food you put in front of me, and I used to clean my plate all the time. Guess that’s the motto of the previous generation that raised us. Yesterday, I was presented with this masterpiece from the “EEKS”. I’ve been to Vietnam and eaten all manners of food. I’ve eaten … Continue reading "Culinary Artists"
Hazing is not okay, EK. Let’s be clear there. Now let’s talk about hazing. Coming back to my “mom’s bank” brings back a lot of memories. Here’s one that was pretty funny. We were in junior high, and the bank was always in the 4th of July Parade in Lubbock with a themed-float. A few … Continue reading "The Walrus Dress"
Third Day isn’t just a Christian band, but also a function of time. My time at the new bank today was my third day though I’m not creating miracles. A great thing about new jobs is training. It’s also tedious at times, I’ll admit. Maybe I feel like I know everything already, but I’ll also … Continue reading "Third Day"
Safe deposit boxes will likely go away at some point when all documents become digital, EK. You’ll likely never have one. Aside, I’ve called them “safety” instead of “safe” for almost my entire bank career, which makes me feel like I’ve learned nothing in the deposit-world of banking even though I’ve spent days upon days … Continue reading "International Spies"
There are songs that get stuck in my head. “Ear worms,” I believe is the typical phrase, which sounds frightening. I thought I was only afraid of sharks. I digress. As EK has grown up, more and more of those songs stuck in my head are from Disney Junior or the like. I grew up … Continue reading "Diwali & Holi"
Jess is amazing at volunteering. Our church is better for her willingness to serve in a superb way. Whether it’s in the nursery, elementary or just our random things, she freely puts in the time. And sometimes I get roped in too. Today was our pastor’s last day at our church. His family leaves Dallas … Continue reading "Tearing Down"
In college I wrote a different blog. I erased it when I applied to the FBI. That story is for another time. One of those posts on that blog was about glitter. Glitter seemingly never goes away. Make a poster for your 4th grade elementary class project and bring it to school in the back … Continue reading "Confetti Attacks"
Summer camp again this morning. So thankful for that endeavor for EK. New friends, new adventures. This morning was a later wakeup for me. Maybe 5:40 AM I rolled out of bed to feed Millie, which isn’t what she is accustomed to. Typically that’s 5:20 AM-ish. Poor, sweet Millie. From Millie, to EK. Strawberries are … Continue reading "Grape Bowling"
Jess and I love to joke about spaghetti dinners with friends. The punchline is that we will bore you enough to fall asleep in your spaghetti bowl. I reminisce on the “Beetlejuice” scene of “DayOh”. And hopefully, we’re not haunted. Let me explain… We both work for banks, so if we’re not talking about our … Continue reading "Spaghetti"
As I approach my next chapter in my career, our next chapter in our lives, I measure things. Wild horses will not keep EK down. That fact is more and more apparent. Her strong will is my father, uncle, Jess’s father, grandmother, uncles and a slew of others. Just strong souls in our family. Being … Continue reading "Finally Measuring"
I miss these days. Darn pandemic. We kept our membership to the YMCA out of duty. Yesterday, we go a little pool time. Met some new friends. Used the pool torpedoes, which were quickly confiscated by the other children. The father was named Ryan, just in case I needed to track him down to find … Continue reading "First Pool Day"
It’s been a long time since school for me. Graduated with my master’s degree in early 2006, if I remember correctly. Back then grades were A, B, C, D or F. No E’s for whatever reason. These days at EK’s school the grade scales are EE, P, NI and NP. Don’t ask me. I don’t … Continue reading "EE’s for EK"
Jess is the scheduler of our home, and I’m thankful for that because nothing would be done otherwise if I was in charge. Sundays are church days; that’s set in stone. Today, we were lucky to be joined by the Allens after church for lunch. They have three awesome daughters that we love to be … Continue reading "Cartier"
EK has a fake rat. I’m fairly sure it glows in the dark, although I’ve never witnessed it myself. It’s name is Isla said like ‘eye-lah’. The asks for her own pet are getting pretty frequent. We had to buy our Millie some dry food yesterday at the local pet store during our errand-run, and … Continue reading "The Rat"
“The Wanderer” by Dion isn’t a song about meandering around, but it does remind me of my day today. I wandered around Dallas quite a bit on foot. I wander often. The exercise and sunshine-providing vitamin d does me well, I’ve found. Reminded me of a story. My mom used to take me to soccer … Continue reading "Get Lost"
Dad lead this one, admittedly. I think about how important it is to just let our children be bored or better to lead them into creating things. Today was a dad-lead thing. Jess bought these beautiful flowers that shed their petals quickly. So we turned them into art to present to her 1st grade teacher … Continue reading "Flower Petals Turned into Art"
English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Heard this statement a long time ago, and I thought how’s that? Then I took time to think over it. And yes, there are so many words in English that are basically the same, but they’re spelled differently. “Would” or “wood”, for instance. As EK loves … Continue reading "Gray or Grey?"
Winnie the Pooh wasn’t something I watched as a child, but “The Backson” is definitely a favorite movie of EK. We go on walks in the alley, which sounds very unsafe in the Big D as I type that out. But it’s really not. We discovered the Backson Tunnel, according to EK. We went to … Continue reading "The “Backson” Tunnel"
One of my favorite songs. Three Little Birds. “Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be alright.” Oh, the birds around our home. We live in a house that has single pane windows built in 1924. During my time off, I’ve noted certain things in the early hours. The first airplane … Continue reading "Three Little Birds"
Probably too young to teach her, but we had a keyboard lesson the other day. QWERTY keyboard configurations. Why? As EK went through the keyboard and asked me the “why” question, I didn’t really know. It’s just how we were taught. Deal with it. But, I did get curious. I had to look that reasoning … Continue reading "qwerty"
I mentioned to her that I was going to write for a moment. EK said, “I want to tell a story,” and she said this… “First schools always are fun. But some schools don’t turn out fun. From Highland Park to HCA or all the way down to that fun Geneva Heights. You can story … Continue reading "An EK Lead Story…"
I enjoy a fan when I sleep; Jess does not. My childhood ceiling fan was like an industrial fan that could blow people out of the room. I have a friend named Zane who could attest during sleepovers when we were kids. There are sleepless nights when I find a need for that fan, so … Continue reading "The Kitty Food Bandit"
We don’t have a pool at our house although we wish we did. But the water features at the Dallas Arboretum do suffice. It certainly makes someone happy. EK was soaked, and loved it. Joined by grandparents (who did not get wet). We had a good Saturday.
Ever met a guy in your alley? I have. During all this time off, I ran into a guy named Ron. He stopped and said hello. He goes to our church, which I didn’t know at the time. He commented on the wildflowers we have in the side alley (yes, we have a side and … Continue reading "Running with Ron"
EK asked me if she could draw on her socks. Some white crew socks that she wears often. I said, “no, ma’am, isn’t there something else we could do?” Reached back into the memory of how many times I should’ve said, “thank you,” to Mrs. Dunn, Coach Hutchins, Mrs. Wollfe, etc. It’s so important to … Continue reading "Teacher Appreciation Week"
We found this old pair of sunglasses that my mom wore back in the 70’s or 80’s. Couldn’t believe they were still intact. EK probably has 8 different pair of sunglasses that she doesn’t wear for very long. They’re shucked away to the floor of the car or on the restaurant table. They’re rarely worn … Continue reading "My Mom’s Sunglasses"
Lubbockites likely all know this place. A restaurant with a huge arcade (where I first found Mortal Kombat, by the way), and you’d put your quarters or tokens on the machine to show “you’re next” to play as you ran off to eat. A myriad of other games as well; it was so much fun. … Continue reading "50th Street Caboose"
We don’t actually have a second daughter. Or an adopted one. As I’ve said many times, we just collect children from church. That’s incredibly rewarding. EK is a leader of children in a lot of ways, and I’ve enjoyed watching these children grow up. Her best friend is ES. Awesome girl from great parents. Same … Continue reading "Zoo Day Off"
EK has been in this dance class at school weekly for a short while now. Yesterday was their performance. I was on duty to go video it. I, amongst other parents, went inside the school and saw them doing their thing in the hallway. My understanding was this wasn’t a big production, so I just … Continue reading "Such a “Dad Thing”"
We watch a lot of bull riding in our house. Why? I have no idea, but it’s entertaining to say the least. Might be a Ronnie Moore influence. PBR’s Unleash the Beast is set to record on our YouTube TV and they’re on every week. Jess is a fan and has made me a fan. … Continue reading "Bull Ridin’"
In the year 1988, a movie was released that would change my life. No, not really. “Purple People Eater” was a movie I saw a few times as a kid around Halloween time. Seven year-olds sure do sponge a bunch of information. Anyhow, as we selected a kid’s Halloween playlist a few years ago to … Continue reading "One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flyin’ Purple People Eater"
There was maybe a time I was guilty of teaching EK a thing-or-two. Sometimes they’re good things (usually that’s mom’s job) and sometimes things go awry. As a joke, I would exaggerate how to wink. I’m certainly not the first person who’s ever done this, nor shall I be the last. But when your child … Continue reading "Who Taught You How to Wink?"
Now, as veterans of the concert series, we knew the Scalini’s pizza (ham only this time) was the way to go. Although our little bear ordered pasta with butter sauce and ate very little of it. Parent fail…? Jess forgot to get me ranch for the pizza (yeah, I’m that guy), but luckily we had … Continue reading "Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden: Concert Series Week 3"
A Four Seasons Tribute. Or Frankie Vallie. Or the Jersey Boys movie (never seen). So, better prepared this go-round, or were we? We decided to go food trucks to give the local businesses… business. Not sure about that grammar. We arrived a little later than the previous week, chose a different spot a little more … Continue reading "Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden: Concert Series Week 2"
The excitement leading up to Thursday was palpable. Jess bought season tickets to the Arboretum’s “Cool Thursdays Concert Series” for the three of us. EK was so ready to go. On Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. Then finally we made it to Thursday. Essentially every Thursday the Arboretum opens at 6 PM for the concert-goers … Continue reading "Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden: Concert Series Week 1"
I remember the first time Jess and I discussed the American Girl store together for some strange reason, which was maybe a year before EK was born. We had gone to the Galleria, maybe just driven by it, and there was a line out the door to get in. I just assumed it was a … Continue reading "Another First: American Girl"
I’m not sure I knew what “chapter books” were as a kid. I don’t know if that’s a new term or just something my very naive younger self was unaware of at the time. Trying to figure out if that was the term in the late 80’s in TX or LA or not… would love … Continue reading "Moving up to Chapter Books"
The three of us went to Austin long ago, maybe when EK was 2 and a half, to visit some friends. In fact, one of those friends would be the reason Jessica and I are married today – Ashton. So, Ashton and Scott (or as I refer to him as “Dr. Scott”), were gracious enough … Continue reading "“Tedds” – A Journeyer of a Bear"
The backstory… Jessica, when she was younger, found a Halloween costume in a magazine or some other form of media from the early 90’s. But her grandmother, Nana, has a talent for sewing some amazing things. Dresses, costumes, etc. So she put this skill to work and created a work of art. And these items … Continue reading "Who Wants to Dance the Flamenco?"