ask grandma j

2009-11-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

Remembering Those That Served

Today is Veterans Day, and right here in Killeen Texas it has taken on a whole new meaning lately. I don't think there is a person living here who isn't either an active duty soldier, retired soldier of related to one. The whole town has a Military mindset. Walmart's walls are lined from floor to ceiling with pictures of soldiers....thousands of them. Most business have a United States flag. Billboards express gratitude for the soldiers of Ft. Hood. Everyone knows when the 1st Cavalry or 4th Infantry Division deploy or return.

While my family has a long history of military service going back to the Revolutionary War (yes, I'm a DAR), I want to especially honor the soldiers of today.

You all Know 1SG John (acting Sgt Major yeah!), who is on his third deployment in Iraq.

But do you know who this soldier is? The cute female with Borat ~~when he was in the Russian army~~? OK, so she's no longer on active duty.....and I can't find a picture in her camo uniform.......and sometimes I forget to thank her for her service.

Here's a not so subtle hint. She's my daughter and Sgt John's wife...and JJ's mommy.

Even though she has to work today, I want to thank her for her service to our country.

2009-11-10T12:38:00.001-06:00

All Is Right.....
....once again

I missed this guy so much, and I think he missed me.

Or maybe it was his official position as SEÑOR SENTRY....ever so vigilante looking for bad guys.

Of course riding shotgun with his sister is the best thing ever. And I definitely agree....and it's nice to be home.

2009-11-09T17:18:00.001-06:00

A to Z Monday

Brought to you by the letter

For Indecision

So, you ask....what kind of Indecision is Grandma J talking about?

These beautiful trees in my daughter's Southern California neighborhood can't decide whether they want to turn colors from green...to red, then brown....or not.

Half of the tree says, No, No, No!

and the other half says yes.....I'm ready for four seasons!

In the meantime, Grandma J just loved enjoying the Indecision of it all.

Visit some of the other i words at A to Z Mondays.

2009-11-08T15:06:00.002-06:00

Delusional

or as some may insist….Phase I

So with that little tidbit in mind, Grandma J is jumping back on the blogging bandwagon and back in to the fold.

what's hanging from your rear view mirror!

The 2,058 mile road trip back to Texas was not as exciting as the one leaving Texas for California…..two different routes, diets, and body temperatures. But for now, Grandma J would like to give you a smidgen of what to expect in the coming days as she takes you inside her ~~disturbing hallucinogenic mind~~ trip.

Unfortunately, as you know, Grandma J picked up an annoying bug somewhere between the Comanche Nation and the California shore, home of the Juananos.

While she didn’t feel up to par, and certainly felt bad about limiting her exposure to family, she did participate in some exciting events……or maybe it was the drugs? You decide.

Right off the bat there was a birthday dinner for a beautiful 21 year old. Grandma J swears the yellow tinge had nothing to do with high fevers or hot jalapenos.

No, the yellow tinge had to do with too much Corona….that’s what it does to your skin.

On another day, Grandma J jumped out of bed just in time to say, good-bye, and have a nice day at school to her Grandson………….

……..and his sister. Could Grandma J's fever be spiking? Maybe eating a box of Little Debbie cakes at 3 a.m. isn't a good idea.....or is this what happens when someone takes too much Nighttime Nyquil?

On the morning Grandma J drove off into the desert, heading for Tucson, she joined Andrew, Beauty and Little One for their traditional Saturday morning breakfast with Dad at McDonald’s. A wonderful gift to HSH if I do say so myself.

Beauty got all decked out as usual….

Little One is too much of a diva to care….just throw on some shades and no one will notice the pj’s and hair. I swear she’s a Texan.

And this my friends is a Javelina…..the State bird of Arizona.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grandma J is still nursing something…and had to cancel her doctors appointment last Thursday due to the horrific terrorist attack at Fort Hood, which is smack in her home town of Killeen. The whole area was on lockdown…cell phones went dead, and lines were jammed. Nothing in the world mattered except the care and recovery of the wounded soldiers and civilians. Grandma J attended a candlelight vigil Friday night, and a memorial mass Today. Please pray for the families of the fallen soldiers….and all of our armed forces. They are all volunteers and need our support. November 11 is Veteran’s Day…..find one… thank them!

2009-11-04T10:55:00.000-06:00

Beep....Beep!

Just me, Phillip Johnny Bob and Crusty tootling down the road back home.....

Spent the night in Ft. Stockton, home of UFO's hijacked by armadillos. Now it's off for the final leg of my road trip home....still hacking and coughing, but dying to get home and see the Texas grandkids and JJ!

I have loads of pictures and stuff to share with all my blisters and blogsters.

2009-10-26T00:46:00.000-05:00

A to Z Mondays....

Brought to you by the letter

This week K is for Kicking it to the Kurb.

That would be what Grandma J is in the process of doing with her cold.

Resting and lounging around and letting the kids wait on her...that's the Kure.

She could also kick herself for being MIA in the blogosphere...but for now the internet access is minimal...even if the sunshine is abundant.

2009-10-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

QUESTION:

Grandma J is on a major road trip and vacationing in Southern California. She has all but deserted her blog and loyal blogging friends and lurkers. Can you guess why?

1. She's like super busy with her grandkids splashing in the surf in 80 degree weather.

2. She found a rich boyfriend in the OC and is hanging out on the Newport Penninsula

3. She joined a bunch of Hari Krishna's and she's banging her tamborine at LAX.

4. Are you kidding me? She's still in Laughlin trying to win a jackpot at Harrah's.

5. She swam to Catalina Island

6. She met up with an unsavory character who took her breath away.

So do you think you know what's happened to Grandma J...or is she just a flake?

Well, let's just say she's doing plenty of this....which means #6 is the closest answer!

And taking plenty of this......

And these guys are hanging around outside her bedroom window!!!

How come Grandma J can spend two and a half years in Texas and suffer nothing more than a little heat exhaustion in the summer and frost nip in the winter?

2009-10-20T12:30:00.001-05:00

Procrastination

Never a good idea. And not something you want to take too much time thinking about.

Because you might miss the boat

2009-10-19T01:21:00.002-05:00

A to Z Monday

Brought to you by the letter ...

L is for Love, Laugh, Little Ones, and Leave....as in I'm on leave...or if it were V week...vacation.

Since I no longer live close to my California grandkids, I take them to a hotel for a sleepover. This is the third time going to the local Fairfield Inn.

They get settled in and watch a bit of TV, and play on the beds...with Crusty and PJB.

Beauty showed Little One the view from our room's window. Ummm, yeah, it looks like Little One is going commando!

We went out dinner at Carl's Junior because it was next door....then we headed for the swimming pool.

Andrew, who, by the way is nine years old today.....is quite a good swimmer, and has so many ribbons and metals from competing.

Beauty is a competitive fish in her own right. I love watching then glide through the water.

Little One is loving the water too.....a little more practice and she should be on her way to a spot on the Ladera Liquids too.

A favorite at the Fairfield Inn is the breakfast buffet. Andrew made blueberry waffles. Beauty had raisin bran, chocolate donut and orange juice. Little One had Cheerios, chocolate donut, banana, and orange juice.

Then we packed up and headed home....I love these memories!

stop by and see more letter L posts at A to Z Monday.

2009-10-17T12:07:00.001-05:00

Hanging Out in South County

That's what Grandma J has been doing......back and forth to schools, dance classes, car washes and laundry.

Then the Saturday morning tradition is a visit to McD's for Dad and the kids. Isn't this a happy bunch of loons?

They all have their specialties.....eggs for Little One.

Pancakes for Beauty

And ditto for Andrew.

Dad gets the works.

Now, we are off to a day of ~~bickering and whining~~ frolicking and tickle sessions.

Just so no one gets totally ~~ticked off~~ bored, here is a question for you......

Should Grandma J buy JJ a Snuggie? Would you buy your dog one..if you have a dog?

2009-10-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

Come Join Me...

........for several doses of boring, a, splash of water, some KFC and a burst of Hollywood!!

Let's get down to brass tacks and do the exciting stuff first, shall we?

When Grandma J posted last, she was in Las Vegas New Mexico....anticipating an early morning departure to Albuquerque to meet up with her favorite person in the entire state of New Mexico.

Now I get why the call New Mexico The Land of Enchantment! HOLLYWOOD!!

I have been trying to rendezvous with this beautiful lady for eons. Last year I was planning a road trip to Denver via Albuquerque, but it fell through. I was so disappointed, and Hollywood was ~~breathing a sigh of relief~~ too.

We had a nice meet up at Starbucks. It was a perfect morning to sit out on the patio and get to know each other. Well, I think Hollywood had Grandma J's number ages ago, but Grandma J found Hollywood to be very bright, funny and witty.

PJB and Crusty were both crying like banshees when Grandma J got back in the car because they didn't get to meet Hollywood.

Lets get to the boring, with little commentary because this wifi Grandma J is using cost by the hour! Did you know that anything that keeps you in your room isn't free when you're at a hotel with a casino? They no longer have coffee in the room either....it's free in the casino though.

This is what half of the 512 miles were like between Albuquerque and Laughlin NV.

Again, and just so we don't get confused, someone had a sign that said, "this is not paid for with stimulus dollars".

Here we are, crossing into Arizona, which looks like New Mexico

Flagstaff.....I love this place more than anywhere else. Going too fast to get a good pix.

Crossing the Colorado River, arriving in Laughlin Nevada.

Harrah's....where Grandma J ~~lost her arse~~ stayed.Now on to CA.

2009-10-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

Travel Day Two
The Road To Enchantment

Well, don't let the title of this post fool you. Grandma J and Co. had a whole lot of obstacles to keep them from occupied.

We can start with early morning rain on the I40 heading west in Oklahoma City. Grandma J especially loved all those funny grooves in the road. Every state has their own thing for run-off and traction.

And what's a long road trip without lots of fog?

Look at the red dirt! God knew that the Chickasaw Indians loved to ~~wear war paint~~ make pottery so he filled Oklahoma will red clay.

But would you looky here? We are back in Texas? Who woulda thought after driving a couple hundred miles Grandma J would be on her way to Amarillo!

Lordy, we are finally in New Mexico! Who are the people who get off the interstates at the visitor's center at state lines? Can Grandma J get a show of hands?

Here is one of many reasons why they call New Mexico the Land of Enchantment.

This Enchantment goes on and on forever!

Grandma J took a turn north on the I25 headed towards Las Vegas, New Mexico to spend the night at The Historical Plaza Hotel.

After settling in, Grandma J decided to trek on up the road to find the town of LeDoux....settled by and named after Antoine LeDoux, brother of Andre, her great-great grandfather.

She knew she wouldn't find much, because.....hello, she did her homework! click on photos to enlarge.

LeDoux is on the Santa Fe Trail, and up in the mountains on the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Grandma J found the LeDoux Fire Station. She was satisfied.

And, because it was after 7 pm, and the sun was setting, she decided to travel the 30 miles of narrow unlit roads back to Las Vegas and have dinner.

After dinner, Grandma J tucked Phil and Crusty in. Phil was a bit tiffed that Grandma J let Crusty have the remote for the night.

This morning, Grandma J is headed to Albuquerque to meet up with one of her blogger commentors. That's right, she's meeting Hollywood....and yes she is more than excited! Hollywood doesn't have a blog yet, but she's thinking about it.

2009-10-12T20:59:00.001-05:00

Going West....
....via Oklahoma

Today is day one of the mother of all road trips. It's not the longest road trip Grandma J ever took, but it's the longest one with no humans to sing in rounds with.

Eons ago, when Grandma J was just a child, she ventured out across the country from Rhode Island to California with her parents and siblings. Six humans crammed inside a '55 Ford wagon.

Grandma J still remembers hearing her father raise the roof everytime she opened the door in the back seat and Rita's pressure cooker would go flying out. They would sing in rounds, play twenty questions, and license plate games.

Then Grandma J's father would scare the dickens out of the kids by telling them people in California will think we talk funny, and we should practice speaking like all our friends on the Howdy Doody show....otherwise people might laugh at our accent. He was right!

Then there was the three week motorhome trip in the late 80's from CA to Niagra Falls and back. Much more fun, we had Nintendo and a TV, and played plenty of Yhatzee.

This trip is a bit different. Phil and Crusty are at odds, and Grandma J can't let Crusty out of her sight because he might be an instigator.....maybe.

On the way to Oklahoma, Grandma J drove right past The Texas Motor Speedway, in Denton Texas, and immediately thought about her dear Virgina friends Marlene and Hard Working Man.

When she pulled into the Comfort Inn in Oklahoma City, Grandma J told PJB he can be a Sentry and guard the car all night while Crusty and Grandma J stay in a hotel room. He's not too happy. But Crusty is!

Tomorrow it's on to Las Vegas New Mexico, and a night in a historical haunted hotel.

On a side note....join me in wishing my baby boy, Michael a happy 42nd birthday! He doesn't read Grandma J's blog, but just in case.... I love you, Michael.....see you soon!

2009-10-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

Being Sunday, and being our last real morning home before hitting the road, Phillip Johnny Bob ~~took it upon himself~~ begged me to let him fix brunch.

It warmed my heart to see him working so diligently in the kitchen....

Grandma J could smell pancakes cooking.....and boy was her mouth watering....

But she was ~~horrified~~ shocked when PJB plopped her plate down in front of her! Instead of ~~beating the holy crap~~ chastizing Phil, she faked heartburn and asked for cereal instead.

And this is what Phil brought her! We need to have a talk!

2009-10-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

Shopping For Shoes
to go stepping out Saturday Night

OUCH!

2009-10-09T18:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to The Hotel Oklahoma.....
...and New Mexico, Nevada, and California

Grandma J has been surfing the internet via Hotels.com, Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, ~~and Free.Credit.Report.com~~ to find the best price for hotel rooms in four states.

There are certain things that are not negotiable. Grandma J will not stay anywhere that has outside entries to the guest rooms. If someone's gonna bang on her door, they have to get past the ~~cocktail lounge~~ lobby and weight room.

Other necessities are free in-room coffee, internet, and unlimited little bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

This task took all day and the night before....with two bathroom breaks. Can anyone guess who gave her the best price?

Ok, I can't keep a secret......American Airlines had the best price on three......before Grandma J entered her FFM number. The fourth was booked directly with the hotel.

Two days down and counting..........

2009-10-08T16:21:00.001-05:00

Surprise, Sweet Surprise!

I received a package the other day from a fellow blogger, and couldn't imagine what it was, but I ripped into that parcel like there was no tomorrow,because really, who knows?

Inside was a ~~bunch of that clingy annoying packing popcorn~~ nice card from My Metabolic Rate is Stuck that jolted my memory. I had won a contest! A name that baby contest! Oh wait, I didn't name the baby....but I did submit the closest date and time that the baby would be born.

Baby Eliza June was born exactly when Grandma J said she would....almost exactly.

Guess what else was in that box?

Some homemade preserves! And a pretty Halloween kitchen towel! Did I die and go to heaven or what??

Well, Grandma J was even more overwhelmed by Eliza's Gramma's generosity when she found the $25 cash in the card!

Feeling more than blessed, and so happy that Eliza was born healthy and happy into a loving home, Grandma J decided to pay it forward.

She donated the money to her grandson Andrew's Alex's Lemonade Stand for pediatric cancer research in baby Eliza June's name...oh yeah, and Maggs!

Thank you again, Cheryl for the nice surprise and tasty preserves! God bless beautiful baby Eliza!

2009-10-07T09:37:00.001-05:00

Put Another ~~Liver Snap~~ Candle on the Birthday Cake... ...........she's another year old today

I love to read my old home town paper every day to see if any of my friends or relatives ~~need to be bailed out~~ do something interesting or heroic. Ok, it's not a small hometown paper, but one that covers all of Orange County, CA and the rest of the world.

Every once in a while, they run a story that really isn't news, but just kind of ~~nutso~~ cute, which is right up my alley.

So, over the weekend, while watching football and counting lightning strikes outside my window, I came across this story about Penny Lane's second annual birthday party in the park. Here's Penny, being the Hostess with the Mostest, greeted all her pals with doggie level excitement.

Yeah, Penny Lane is a dog. I always wanted to have a party for my late dog Charlie, in fact I probably did....more than once. But nothing like Penny Lane's!

Penny's owner had a Dogsicle that's made of chicken and turkey broth and maybe some liver juice, carrots and other stuff. Some balls and other toys are hidden in there too!
Don't you just get the urge to nuzzle right in there and take a lick?

There were cut-outs for the dogs to stick their heads in for photos.....

This is Penny Lane frolicking with her BF Toby. It's obvious to Grandma J that Toby doesn't hold a candle to JJ!

This bash cost Penny Lane's "mother" several hundred dollars!

What do you do for your dog or cats' birthday? Please share some of your favorite doggie celebration ideas....JJ's birthday is right around the corner.

2009-10-06T08:47:00.002-05:00

He's A Ladies' Man

That's right, there is no doubt and no second guessing.....JJ loves the ladies, and the ladies love him.

Remember when Grandma J fired the chain store groomers who charged her $70+ for JJ's super cut and fragrance spray? And, remember how she found a new groomer run by men, and how JJ cried like a banshee?

Well, the problem is solved.   Last Friday, after her movie matinee, Grandma J did some groomer screening and interviewed the ladies at Pouncing Paws before making an appointment to have JJ groomed there.

Grandma J:   I'd like to make an appointment  to have JJ groomed sometime between now and Monday. Do you think that's possible?

Groomer: Ummm, lady, this is Friday afternoon!

Grandma J: Oh boy, that's right! Where did the week go?   Here's the problem, JJ's daddy is coming home on R and R Monday and he's gonna die if he sees his dog so scruffy.

Groomer:   Awe....well, if you can bring JJ in at 7 a.m., we will squeeze him in.

Grandma J:   Also, would it be OK for JJ to have a complimentary Doggie Day Care visit while he's here?   I'd hate to sign him up for a package deal if he had issues with the other dogs.

Groomer:   Sure, no problem.

The end result? JJ love it there, and he loved the ladies!   They didn't have to muzzle him like the last place, and he loved all the dogs at Doggie Day Care.

He was so handsome and happy on the ride home.

He leaned over and kissed Grandma J to show his gratitude. And just so you know, Grandma J was at a redlight when she conveniently caught JJ kissing her with her camera.

At home, JJ did his usual "get this smell off of me dance"
Why don't that make doggie fufu that dogs like?

Then he chilled.....

Waiting for his daddy to come home.

When 1SG John arrived, JJ was over the moon, and piddled....and no one got mad!

2009-10-05T00:16:00.002-05:00

A to Z Mondays

brought to you this week by the letter

And that cute little creature is a Narwhal. A Narwhal is a whale with a tusk or sometimes two.

This is an illustration showing the size of a Narwhal compared to a grown man.

Here are two Narwhal's tusking.   You can read all about Narwhals here...if you want more info because today is a super busy special day here in Central Texas.

First, 1SG John is coming home today for two weeks R and R.   Grandma J has been baking goodies all weekend to bring over to their house. She's also taking her granddaughter to school bright and early in this morning and then...

And then she's taking JJ to the groomers to get all fuu fuu'd up for his daddy.

JJ is also going for a trial run at Doggie Day Care!   That's right....Grandma J knows that JJ likes it when she comes over to play, but he's really going to go bananas when he goes to Doggie Day Care to play with other dogs and take naps and stuff.

Please check out the other A to Z Monday posts. We are making our way back to A, so why not join us?

2009-10-03T11:31:00.000-05:00

If I Tickle You.....
.....will you giggle?

Ok, so instead, I'll share a cute joke someone sent me......

The first day of school, the children brought gifts for their teacher.

The florist's son brought the teacher a bouquet of flowers.

The candy-store owner's daughter gave the teacher a pretty box of candy.

Then the liquor-store owner's son brought up a big, heavy box.The teacher lifted it up and noticed that it was leaking a little bit.She touched a drop of the liquid with her finger and tasted it.

"Is it wine?" she guessed.

"No," the boy replied.

She tasted another drop and asked, "Champagne?"

"No," said the little boy........
. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

"It's a puppy"

OK....all together........EWWWWWWW!

2009-10-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

Friday's Movie Review

The Invention of Lying

Mark (Ricky Gervais) lives in a world where no one has developed the ability to lie yet. Mark is a screen writer for a large film company, relegated to writing 13th century scripts.

His coworkers and superiors all find him boring, ugly and not too talented....in other words, a Loser.

Of course since no one has the ability to lie, Mark is not surprised at how he is perceived, and he knows he's getting fired. Everyone does....and he does.

His Personal life isn't any sweeter. Women don't find him attractive, and of course they don't pretend to be kind about it.

When Mark doesn't have enough money to pay his rent, he decides to take out the little bit of money he does have out of the bank to help pay his moving out expenses. The bank teller tells him she can't close his account out because the system is down, but she will give him his money if he tells her how much he has in his account. Mark tells his first lie.....and gets enough money to pay his rent...no questions asked!

He lies his way to wealth and fame, telling really ridiculous lies.

As his mother lay dying, he takes away her fears with lies about dying.

He cheers up the depressed residents of the old folks home with lies.

As expected things spiral out of control as his lies start to snowball. His biggest dilema is trying to get beautiful Anna (Jennifer Garner) to fall in love with him instead of the conceited, handsome character played by Rob Lowe.

The movie loses some of it's comic appeal, and gets mushy and sentimental.

I loved the premise but thought Ricky Gervais fell short of his comic potential.

I give the movie 3 stars.

2009-10-01T23:18:00.001-05:00

Yes indeedy, it's Friday Matinee time again. And you may be asking yourself, "how the heck does she know that?". Ummmm, because ~~I'm psychic~~ it's Friday!!

Grandma J had a special request to see a movie she hadn't even heard of, so she did a little research. By research, she checked the movie listings for new releases starting this Friday....and low and behold, there it was!

It's a comedy that seems a bit different. But it was a special request from Caution Flag at The Human Race 600, and since she Asked Grandma J, how could I refuse? Of course it doesn't hurt that it was something I'd probably go see anyway.

The movie is, THE INVENTION OF LYING.

Check back Friday evening for my review....and while you're waiting, you might check out The Human Race 600.

2009-09-30T13:13:00.002-05:00

Welcome to a new feature on Ask Grandma J! By new feature, she's talking about a recent attempt at domestic ~~violence~~ training here at the weed infested ghost town known as the Spa.

Grandma J was looking at her old Cutco cooking utensils, and realized she's schlepped these sturdy reliable tools across rivers, valleys and state lines. She bought these tools as a young bride from a door to door salesman, ~~who was her husband~~ as she sat drinking Folger's instant coffee with her neighbor Wilma. The year was 1965.

Grandma J has had several ~~hundred~~ sets of spatulas, ricers and masher stuff over the years, hey where's the masher? like the plastic stuff in that container. Nothing has lasted and served her as well as the Cutco utensils.

Lately, Phillip Johnny Bob has been hanging around and showing some interest when Grandma J ~~nukes popcorn~~ cooks, so she thought she'd broaden his horizons in the kitchen.

Grandma J handed PJB her old cookbook, that served as her bible for many years.

Phil started thumbing through it.......

But found it ~~disgusting~~ hard to figure out with all the references to measurments and foreign phrases like filet and ala carte.

So, Grandma J thought she'd try the hooked on phonics for cooking method of teaching PJB. Or, simply put....hands on!

Oh, for crab's sake! Crusty has his eye on Grandma J's spoon rest! Could it be possible that Crusty thinks it's an aquamarine friend from the Chesapeake Bay?

Phillip Johnny Bob decides to take matters into his own hands and put Crusty in his place. Thank goodness Grandma J was there to save Crusty....and try to salvage the family unit and go back to square one with the cooking lessons....by eliminating the seafood section of the old cookbook.

2009-09-29T00:00:00.004-05:00

Name That ~~Tune~~ Bloom

****Update****

Thank you all for your input on my mystery ~~weed~~ flower....which turns out to be a weed afterall. While it really is a weed, and an invasive one that's hard to get rid of....according to many of you, it is a distant relative of the Morning glory. If there were a prize to be given out, it would go to Jen who sent me a link with pictures of all five zillion weedy wildflowers in Texas.

This is the photo that won...the flowering weed is Purple Bindweed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you know, there aren't too many ~~old farts~~ tennants living here at the Spa yet. So when Grandma J goes walking down through the far end of the property....she sees a bunch of weeds and other wild stuff growing all over the place. It is like a ghost town down there except the ghosts haven't found it yet.

It's not just a matter of vacancies....it seems construction pulled out with most of these buildings unfinished on the inside. Money problems? Who knows, but the landscaping isn't in and anything growing isn't something that was intentional by design.

There is this flowering stuff growing like crazy across concrete walkways and driveways. I think it's kind of pretty...and of course it's very drought resistant since we don't get rain around here

Thel blossoms are a nice shade of purple, or would that be lavender. If there is a fragrance, I wouldn't know because I don't get close enough to smell them. If this is a poisonous flowering vine, I don't want to find out the hard way.

I have looked high and low for some answers. High being glancing towards the heavens for a divine answer, and low....well, low would be the anals of the internet. I've searched the following: Texas flowering vines, wild Texas flowering vines, poisonous Texas vines, pretty Texas weeds. I've scrutinized the bazillion photos that pop up but nothing looks like this vine of mine. I made that part up because it rhymned.

My question is this. What you ask? You didn't know there was a question? Yea, there is. So, who amonst the three of you can tell me what this is? Can I touch it, will it make me sick? Should I take some home and plant it in a pot? Maybe chop it up to put in my soup? Who knows?