High Mileage

My car is 11 years old with 198,000 miles, so it is understandable that is has a few quirks. Like the engine running after I take the key out. I can drive down the highway at 60 miles an hour, pull the key out of the ignition, and it just keeps running. Problems arise when I stop the car and don't fully turn it off before taking the key out. As I open the door, the warning bell dings reminding me to turn the car fully off.

This morning I thought my 11 year old car had finally incurred permanent brain damage. I parked at work, turned off the car and pulled out the key. When I opened the door, I heard the telltale "ding ding ding." The running lights were on. I reinserted the key and turned the car fully off. Rather, I attempted to turn the car fully off. Repeatedly. After 5 attempts I called my husband, Marty. "Find the fuse for the lights and pull it out," he advised. I grabbed my owner's manual and headed into my office to research the location of the fuses.

"Your lights are on," one coworker informed me. "Yes, I know. The ignition is broken and I can't turn the car off," I explained. "I can drive you to the repair shop," he offered. "Thanks," I said, "I might need a ride."

I continued to my office. Before I could read the owner's manual, another coworker suggested that I ask our resident car expert, Andy, for help. Andy popped out of his chair and hurried to the parking lot when I told him my problem. I explained the history of the broken ignition switch while the car dinged. He inserted the keys and turned a few knobs. The car stopped dinging. "How did you do that?" I demanded. "I turned your lights off," he said.

Perhaps the high mileage individual with the brain damage, is not my car.

Merry Christmas, 2010!

For the Hobsons, 2010 has been a year of tightening our belts and counting our blessings. My employment situation changed a year ago from full time to contract. That means my hourly salary is higher, but I have no benefits. My contracts have run from 3 to 6 months. Our situation has been less secure this year, but Marty and I decided that we would thank God and enjoy our lives anyway. Twice this year our income dropped as I had to take unpaid breaks between contracts. But Marty and I decided to see it as a blessing and used the time for vacation.

In March, we returned to Disney World. We last visited there in June, 2009. Marty began a family tradition of trying on funny hats. I took pictures of him in a Viking hat, a pirate hat, and a cowboy hat. But my favorite picture is of Marty in a princess hat.

During my November employment break, we took a vacation through the hill country of Texas. We visited Gruene, New Braunfels, and Fredericksburg. In Gruene we admired the rushing river and dined at the Gristmill. In New Braunfels, we attended a Lutheran church and ate barbecue at the New Braunfels Smokehouse. In Fredricksburg, we toured the shops and ate real German sausage. Our sightseeing gave me an appreciation not only for the contributions of German immigrants to Texas history but also an appreciation for my own German heritage.

Another of the blessings in our lives, are our good friends and family. One of those is my friend, Romie, who has been an adoptive mother to me since my mom died. This year Romie wrote a book about her life growing up on a farm in Gatesville, Texas. Our friend, Sarah, typed and edited the book and I inserted Romie’s pictures and molded it into book form. Romie debuted the book at her Wicker family reunion. Sarah and I attended the reunion and were thrilled to be inducted as honorary Wicker women.

This year has had its losses and gains. In May, my sister-in-law, Bonnie Junge, passed away after a battle with cancer. Just a few weeks later, we rejoiced as my niece, Jennifer Junge, married her longtime sweetheart, Bo.

In April, we mourned the death of our 14 year old dog, Rusty. In November, we thought we were going to lose another dog, but Marty medicated and hand fed our Chihuahua and Pancho came back strong.

Marty has continued to study and experiment with internet marketing. He discovered his niche and we are both very excited about his new business plan. He is now offering internet marketing to local businesses.

I hope whatever trials come your way in the New Year, you are able to find the blessings that are hidden in them.

Merry Christmas!


Veronica and Marty Hobson

Merry Christmas 2009!

♫ It’s a sign of the times. ♫
Remember that 1966 Petula Clark song? Well the sign of our times, is job loss and our family has definitely seen that this year. In February, Marty got laid off of his job and in November, I got laid off of my job. My son, Adam, even went through two layoffs this year. The good news is that everyone is working now, even if not in conventional ways.

I went from being a full time employee of my company to being a contract worker. I was actually out of work for 3 weeks. I am now back writing assembly procedures for R&D and I love it. Adam has also gone on to a job that he enjoys. He is operating a laser cutting machine for Owen Oil Tools.

Marty is pursuing the path less taken. After looking for conventional work, he decided to pursue internet marketing. It is like starting your own small business. He has spent most of this year learning about subjects like search engine optimization and latent semantic indexing. We are excited about the things he has discovered. Although he has not yet developed a money making business, we feel he is getting very close. I plan to help him by writing for the business in my spare time.

Besides Adam going on to bigger and better things, two of our other children have passed milestones this year. Fallon, Adam’s wife, graduated in May with an Associate’s degree. She is already taking more courses toward her next degree. Marty’s daughter, Carmen, went to school and got her Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) license. We are very proud of both of our graduates.

Marty and I were very blessed to get to take a vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida this year. We went to the wedding of Chris and Brooke Woodrow in Atlanta and decided to just keep going to Florida. Disney World was great. Even though it was my fourth trip to Disney, I got to see the electric light parade for the first time. Marty got to meet his hero, Buzz Lightyear.

On our trip, we also got to stop in Lexington, South Carolina and see many dear friends I hadn’t seen since I moved away in 1999. They in turn got to meet my wonderful husband. How many prayers were said over my 8 years as a single, that God would bring a good man in my life? The mind boggles. But God is good and my SC friends could see proof of answered prayer.

Marty had a victory early this year. His picture of neon lights in Haltom Plaza won for the category Haltom City Scenes. It appears in the 2010 Haltom City calendar which is available for free at the HC library.

This year I got to carry on a family tradition of making Christmas cookies with the kids. My grandson, Addison, and my sister, Delia, joined me for some messy, but fun cookie making. Maybe next year, more of the grandkids can come.

My goal with my Christmas letter is to go mostly to an online version. This blog version has more pictures than my printed letter and you can click on the links. Marty’s latest website is BuyAdultDiapers.net and this is my new Arlington Barbecue Restaurants Examiner column. If you prefer to receive a paper letter next year, send me a note with "paper letter" in the subject.

We hope that you will have a heartwarming Christmas spent with your family and loved ones and we wish you increased health and prosperity in the New Year.

Love,

Veronica & Marty Hobson

Give It the Gas

My Sprint Instinct phone is amazing. It is one of those phone/internet/camera/TV/GPS combinations. Last year when we went to Illinois on vacation, the GPS function was invaluable for finding our hotel, local sights and our nearest favorite restaurant. Last week my husband, Marty, reminded me that it has a function to tell you the station with the cheapest gas nearby. Today on my way home from work, I decided to give it a try.

I stopped on the corner where I usually buy gas. I like this station because it is right on my way home. No detours to get there. I don’t even have to make a left turn. But today, I was going to be a smart gasoline shopper, so I pulled out my phone. I just punched the button for “Gas by Price.” It showed that 2 miles away, Kroger had gas for $1.91. I don’t usually go to Kroger. It’s a little out of the way. I looked over at my favorite station. Gas was $2.06 there. Wow! For 15¢ per gallon, it was worth the extra 2 miles.

I headed to Kroger. Should I go the North route or the South route? The North route is shorter, but it involves turning left into the gas station just as I enter the Kroger parking lot. There are usually cars lined up waiting to get out, so it is difficult to turn. If I went to the South, it was further, but I could slip in from the back side and not worry about those left turners clogging up my path. I chose the South route.

As I approached Kroger’s lot from the South, I noticed cars lined up toward me. Then I remembered from the previous night’s grocery shopping that construction was under way on the South route. No problem. I spotted an opening in the turn lane and I shot into the parking lot. After I arrived there, I realized that I had turned too soon. I was not in the Kroger lot, but the Avante Day Spa parking lot. Not desiring a makeover, I looked for an escape route. A cruise to the back of the lot revealed that it did not connect to Kroger’s lot. I drove back to the entrance and faced the prospect of turning left onto the street under construction which was backed up past my entrance. I decided to turn right.

I chose not to get upset. I would just retrace the two miles that I had veered off my path and take the Northern route instead of the Southern one. Yes, I was making the trip twice as long, but it would be worth it. I was going to save 15¢ a gallon. As I made the right turn onto the North route, my favorite station laid a tenth of a mile back to the left. I was not tempted. They were selling overpriced gas and I would have none of it.

I followed my route and found the clogged entrance to Kroger that I had expected. I just circled around and approached from the back. I noticed a lot of cars around the gas station. I guess I wasn’t the only one who got wind of their low gas prices. As I got closer, I saw that there were no available pumps. I circled looking for an opening. Finally, I spotted a lady pulling out on the other side.

I rushed around and was able to drive up to the available pump. I looked over and realized that the pump was on the right of my car and my gas tank was on the left. I tried the hose to see if it could reach over my car to the gas tank. It was about a foot too short. I re-entered my car, reversed it in a small circle and pulled back in. This time the gas tank and the pump were both on the left side of my car.

“Don’t forget,” I said to myself. To get the best gas price, “use your Kroger card.” I fished in my purse, found my debit card and my Kroger card. I scanned them both in. As I started to make my gas selection, I glanced at the price. “With an extra 3¢ off, this should be good.” The price was $2.02. I looked at the sign out by the street. Without the Kroger card discount, their price was $2.05, one penny different from my favorite station. My favorite station that is on my path home. My favorite station that only requires a right turn. My favorite station that never has a line at the pumps. My favorite station that I was next to 5 miles earlier on my odometer. I wonder if Sprint owns any stock in Kroger.

My Clunker Brain

My mind is starting to go. It used to work just fine, but a few months ago it began working like an old car that occasionally gets stuck in neutral. My husband, Marty, tries to help me get it started. Sometimes if he gives me a mental push, I can get back on the road again.

Me to Marty: I got a call from this guy today.
Yeah. Who was it?
I get a pained expression.
He’s tall, has a lot of tatoos. Likes to take pictures.
Oh, your son, Adam.
That’s him.
What did he say?
He wanted to know what to buy.
What to buy? Was he going to the grocery store?
No he’s buying something for an occasion.
What kind of an occasion?
It’s for a holiday that’s a month or two away.
Memorial Day?
No.
Fourth of July?
No.
What is he buying for a holiday? Does he need some decorations?
No, it’s for me. He wants to buy something for me.
For you? On what occasion would your son want to buy you something? Oh no, Honey! Did I forget your birthday?
No. No. No. My birthday isn’t until January.
Are you sure he wanted to buy something for you?
Yes. Yes. Oh now I remember. My son asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day.
Oh, that’s nice.
Yes, it is. I guess remembering people’s special occasions just sort of runs in the family.

To Do or Not To Do

I am a recovering perfectionist. I used to keep a running TO DO list. I never let anything drop off of it. Every few months, the page of my Big Chief tablet would get full. (If you know what a Big Chief tablet is, I wager you’re over 40.) I would tear off the top page and rewrite my list on the next page. I would omit the items that I had completed and crossed off. But I never deleted any other items. I just carried every little thing that I ever thought of to do, forward with me month after month. I never deleted an incomplete item. It was like carrying around Santa Claus’s pack. Unlike Santa Claus whose load gets lighter with every house he visits, my list got longer with every month that passed.

No item was too old to continue nagging at me. This actually has a good side. It explains why I got my engineering license 21 years after I graduated from college and why I finished my son’s quilt 12 years after I started it. (See http://veronicajungehobson.blogspot.com/2009/02/stitch-in-time.html.) But the bad side is the weight of all those incomplete tasks dragged me down. No matter how many tasks I completed, if there were items still on the list, I felt like a failure.

I finally decided to reform. I threw away my To Do list. No more carrying around tasks that were years old. I made a fresh start. If I felt that I had to make a list, it was only for one week or one day. The next day, I started all over with blank paper, nothing carried over from the past.

I continue recovering. I still have trouble allowing myself time to do fun things, but I’m learning. Having my husband, Marty, as a companion to watch tv, go out to dinner or see movies with helps me take time to enjoy life. Sometimes I relapse and I start to feel guilty for not accomplishing more things. I complain to Marty. “Well, honey, just do what I always do,” he says brightly. I look toward my love with hope in my eyes until he says, “Just make yourself a list.”

Sugar and Spice

Little girls are so sweet. Their mothers adorn them in frilly, lacy dresses. Precious little girl smiles beam from their faces. Beautiful, flowing hair graces their heads. They are so feminine and cute.

We got to spend time with Marty’s youngest granddaughter, Julianna, this past Sunday. Carmen, Shane and Julianna traveled with Marty and me to Paris, Texas for the confirmation of Marty’s grandson, John.

We arrived at church almost an hour early. Carmen had dressed Julianna in a precious little blue and white dress. She had on white tights and dainty little white shoes. The only flaw I had noticed was that her bangs were hanging in her eyes. I decided to tie them back with a rubber band. I grabbed Julianna and began brushing her hair. She started crying. I persisted in brushing. She went limp and collapsed to the floor. I returned her to my lap and squeezed her between my legs. I started putting in the rubber band. She threw her head from side to side. I made a few more twists in the rubber band. She escaped from my lap and I barely finished putting in the rubber band before she ran away.

When church began and we sat down, she was fussing mildly and rubbing her eyes. I took her to the nursery.
“I’ll get this kid to sleep in no time and I will be able to return to my seat with a sleeping child and enjoy the service.”
So, I thought.

In the nursery I stood and patted her. I sat and rocked her. I held her tight until my arms were aching and I was sweating. It was a long service. I chased her and wrestled with her for 2 hours during the church service. She finally got so rambunctious that I took her out to the car and strapped her into her car seat. I sat in the front seat for 20 minutes and read my book.

She sat in the back and drank her juice and fussed about being confined. She finally got quiet and I was able to devote myself to reading my book. A few minutes later, I heard her shoe striking the seat after she removed it and hurled it across the car. I saw no harm in her removing her shoe. In a minute I heard the other shoe as she dropped it to the floor. Now she could relax since her feet were no longer confined. She seemed content and all was quiet for about 5 minutes. Then I heard this slurping noise coming from the back seat. It sounded as if she was sucking on a lollipop. I turned around to view a strange sight.

She had obviously been busy for the last 5 minutes. I could see that she had pulled on the tights on her right foot. She yanked on the tights until the heel was at her toe. She tugged some more until the area for her knee was down at her foot. Then she gave the tights a final stretch until she reached her goal. When I turned around, she had the toe of her tights in her mouth and she was happily sucking away. I decided it was time to put her feminine little shoes back on.

Later at Aunt Taunya’s house in the country, she was excited to check out the many amusements available to her. Mommy changed her from her frilly dress and white shoes to jeans and sandals. She ran in the grass in the big yard. She pulled on the gate to the back pasture. Her hair (bangs amazingly still in the rubber band) flew behind her as she rode through the air in the swing. Her mommy, Carmen, took her for a walk in the back lot to see the baby ducks. The ducks were in a pen. Aunt Taunya said they would soon be big enough to be released into the yard where they could enjoy the duck pond. The pond was an oval just 6 feet wide and only 1 foot deep. Even though it was small, the previous flock of ducks had gotten maximum enjoyment out of the few gallons of water in the pool.

Julianna and Mommy returned to the main yard and Julianna kept Mommy and Pa Paw and me busy monitoring her whereabouts. She opened the gate and escaped 20 feet into the back pasture before I caught her and hauled her back. She roamed about the yard, petted the dog, chased the kittens and looked for an escape route through the front gate. We felt safe when she became interested in a ball in the middle of the yard. We all sat down to rest and watch her from the comfort of our chairs. She stopped in front of the duck pond. We all watched as she gazed into the water. Then without warning, she walked right into the pond. Her jeans were soaked to the knees. Mommy took her inside and put her into a pair of dry shorts. Fortunately, the sandals just required shaking out. (I don’t know if the toes of sandals are as tasty as the toes of tights. Perhaps not. I didn’t see her sampling them.)

Later there was chocolate cake that I used to lure her once again away from the back gate. Aunt Taunya even provided an Easter egg hunt and Juli picked up six eggs. Finally at 4:30 pm it was time to go. We all loaded into the car: Marty, Carmen, Shane, Julianna and me. We got about 10 minutes down the road and Carmen said,
“Julianna is asleep.”
I turned around so I could see her. She looked so cute and feminine. When she was asleep.