From Cowboy Poetry to Rosa Parks

This weekend a childhood friend of mine will be showing her wares at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. I was telling my husband that I would love to go. He asked why so I told him it sounds intriguing in a romantic old west sort of way. He says, "Will they have trains?" Which I can't answer because we've never done a thorough exploration of Elko.
So he says to me, "You know the trains are what determined whether you were a pioneer or not." I didn't know or remember this but President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Bill back in 1862. It appears that you weren't considered a pioneer if you took the train to get out west. As a descendant of Utah pioneers and a history major as well as former teacher of history I will give him that one.
Kent had been back to Washington DC last week where he got to go on tours and see some things such as the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. From our talk on railroads we went to Lincoln and then Dr. King, where we got on the topic of peaceful versus passive aggressive protests. I think that what Dr. King promoted was peaceful protests as opposed to the passive aggressive type which stop folks from getting to a certain place, or stops a business or clinic from doing what it does. Yes, it's a fine line, but he didn't promote anger, he tried to show the importance black people have in our society. He tried to equal the playing field so to speak for everyone.
And you can't talk about Dr. King without mentioning Rosa Parks and her bravery.

It's nice being married to a historian and all round smart fella! We have the most interesting conversations sometimes that lead from one trail to another.
I still want to go to Elko and see the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, so I can find my friend and her booth as well as checking out the food, art, and shows. If you are in Elko this weekend, look for the Calamity booth. Teri has some very fun and unique vintage cowgirl style jewelry and home decor. She weaves gorgeous saddle cinchas as well for all you horse owners out there.

Elephants in the Oatmeal.....

Dreams often feel so real and yet they can be total nonsense. We often dream of things that scare us or bother us, mixed with things we see on TV or on the internet. Maybe it's something we read, or heard about from someone else that conjured up images in our minds that return in the night. I wonder if snoring has an effect on what you dream or are the dreams caused by the snoring? As in the Christmas Carol as Scrooge is talking to the ghost of Christmas past he says, "You could be a bit of undigested roast beef, or mustard."
Last night and early this morning the windows rattled from the sound of my dear hubby's snoring as he dreamed of elephants in Utah. He lost his elephant and was out to find it, but ran into his wife (not me) who had been in a car accident and let the guy go even though it was his fault. Hubby says he reamed this woman out unlike anything he would do to me. Snoring, fajitas, or what?
So I tortured my hubby this morning was oatmeal and steel cut oats made with a smidge of peach preserves and a handful of walnuts. Topped with about a teaspoon of maple syrup and then low fat milk, it was actually quite good. Part of the heart healthy diet we are trying maintain for my husbands health. I thanked him for not being a brat about the oatmeal as it's not his favorite, and his comment was, "Thanks, my heart feels better already" ....lol. I'm glad he can find the humor in this, but then I get a call a moment ago where he tells me he will be stopping for a burger on his way home from meetings in town and I say no! He asks about a fish sandwich and of course I have to nix that, to which he says, "I will work it out". He was in a good humor, but I wonder how long that will last as I keep having to say no. He's trying though. We had chicken fajitas last night and he agreed to corn tortillas warmed up over a burner as opposed to flour tortillas. Tonight we will be having leftover Fajita stuff. I wonder if he will be dreaming of elephants in the oatmeal....