Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Catch and Release


This is our ten year old neighbor, he lives on the other side of the lake.
He loves to fish.
He loves to fish with David.
He caught this 7 pound monster bass yesterday.
Catch and release.
I used to want David to clean some of his catch and have a fish supper, until one of my Gdaughters threw a dead mouse in the lake and a bass jumped up and ate him as soon as he hit the water.
Hmmmm catch and release.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Duck Print


I have been looking for this print for years. Do you hear me, years. I bought this print or maybe something very similar for ten cents when I was in the 3rd grade. I ran up on it in a flea market when we went to Hattiesburg MS to visit my son. But it was sixty five dollars!! And with the way things are now days, I just could not make myself buy it. In the old days, that is before the economic turn down, I would not have hesitated, but now I try to show more restraint.
I bought two prints that year, one with kittens playing with hats and pearls and this one, because Mama said it reminded her of daddy, since he loved to duck hunt and trained bird dogs. I still have the one with the kittens and it is framed and now hangs in the powder room.
Since I couldn't buy it, I did the next best thing, I took a picture and maybe I can crop it and maybe make a small print or something.
I am on a quest to buy back my childhood one piece at at time.
What would yawl have done? Would you have bought it?

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Random Things To Tell You About This Weekend

We kept Gkids #s 4 and 5 Friday night and most of Saturday...they are a handful.
I watched their Mama play tennis Friday night. Her game started around 9PM and it was still hot as blue blazes. The players were drenched in sweat. She and her partner lost their game. Amber is pretty good. She played on her Junior College tennis team. But she played on a hurt ankle, despite warnings not to do so.
When I got home the Gkids had worked David's nerves--but he would never ever admit it.
David and the Gkids went to watch her play Saturday. It was too hot and they only stayed a little while. They lost those games too I think.
I did a major house cleaning Saturday. But I can bet by Tuesday you won't even know it. Why is that? Along with the heat you get major dust and dirt.
I waited till around nine thirty Saturday night to straighten up the garage. I had bought a giant storage box to coral all the shoes and boots that are scattered everywhere, plus I wanted to sweep it out and straighten it up just a little. I was out there for about 5 minutes and decided that it looked just fine and could wait till fall if necessary to be cleaned up. It was like an oven in there, even at nine thirty at night!!
Today took me hours to balance check books, pay bills etc. It is always something I procrastinate about.
Now the weekend is almost over and Monday is only a few hours away.
I'll leave you with this late night conversation with #4.
This is the scene, we are in the bed, it's late, I'm very sleepy and she is wound up as usual and fighting sleep. During these times I will say almost anything to hush her up so she will go to sleep. And I have no idea where her thoughts on this came from...just out of the blue:
#4: Nonna am I going to get all your dolls when you die?
Me: Yes.
#4: When you die and go to Heaven are you going to take your night gowns with you?
Me: Yes.
#4: Are you going to take your make-up?
Me: I don't know, maybe, but I probably won't need it.
#4: Okay good, because I want the mascara.
Morelater..........

Friday, June 26, 2009

We Use Dog Hair For Accent


Dog hair is a constant battle here at our house. I swear I don't remember it being this bad at our old house. Maybe this house is more open with more windows and I just see it more.
Each day between the two of their fuzzy selves they shed enough hair to make another one just like them.
I do something each day--sweep, vacuum, damp mop....just to keep the hair under control. Right now I'm typing this with dog hair on my laptop.
I am excited about this new product. It really gets the hair up from upholstery and of course from the bed...'cause you know we sleep with them.
If you want to try it you can get a $2.00 off coupon here.
Notice I said we sleep with them. Well maybe not, they do make their snuggy bug places after we are settled in.
I wonder if their shedding will slow down when the weather cools.
I welcome any advice and opinions.
Oh and I have started brushing them every other day. I know I know, I should have been doing this all along, but they are so spoiled and they hate it......

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Puppies of Mass Destruction





I don't think David has noticed the chew marks on the new coffee table. I have "sanded" it with my emery board and have bought a touch up pen. I'll let you know how it turns out.
But you may have noticed--I'm not complaining. I love them more than any mess they can make, any new coverlet or coffee table they can destroy.

Friday, June 19, 2009

My Life In Cars III


Because I always lusted after the Trans Am and 81 was the last year for this body style...I traded the Grand Prix for this baby. Burgundy with T-tops.....I was still a speed demon, but since I had gone back to hospital work, and was not on the road all the time, my speeding tickets had significantly decreased.
I hadn't out run the MHP any more either. I had learned my lesson, although I had been tempted.
Now I'm not in any way advocating outrunning the cops, but I will advise you of this one thing, you must not hesitate, you must be prepared to put it in the wind the minute you see them. If you hesitate you are a goner.......and remember you can't outrun the radio.....oh let me hush.
I hope David (an ex-policeman) never reads this blog. We have only been married for 14 years and we don't talk about nor do we know anything about each others wild young days.
This car was a lot of fun to drive and when I kicked it down it felt like it would just hunker (a southern word) down and grab the road. It took the curves and anything I put it through. One of my favorite things to do was to get together with some of my BFFs to go over to another small town at night and sport around, pull up to guys and act all bad. Then when they pulled up next to me ready to whup my butt, it was fun to see the look on their faces when they realized that it was a girl who was harassing them.
If I was on the 4 lane and you pulled around to pass me, I would wait to you were just up next to me and speed up, not floor it, but just gradually speed up, and I would never look over at you. Never. If you wanted to pass me, you had to be prepared to suffer, sometimes I would let you in, but sometimes I just couldn't do it. I rarely backed down. I was fearless and stupid.
I loved to take the T tops out in the winter, turn the heat on high, hunker down in the seat and blow down the highway....especially on a starry night....or when it was lightly snowing.
Oh and one other thing, one time David was talking trash about my driving......you know----I couldn't drive blah blah blah. And one of my old running buddies spoke up and said, "well she sure could drive a Trans Am at one time."
David asked me later what he meant by that and I said...."oh nothing."

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

My Life In Cars II

This is my third car...a '79 Grand Prix SJ..... I think that I forgot to mention that my Camaro RS didn't have air conditioning!! Now I loved it so much, that it never occurred to me that not having a AC would be a problem. After all, we had never had a car with AC....so I didn't know better. Anyway after about 3 years, no AC was beginning to wear on me. I had also changed from hospital work to home health. Traveling dusty country roads in the summer in Mississippi was not much fun. So I bought this baby brand new off the show room floor in Memphis. This was really a beautiful car with a beautiful interior. It also had a 350 4 barrel V8 and it too would hustle.
Being on the road a lot, got me quite a few speeding tickets. My BFF Donna had a '78 Camero at that time and everywhere she went......she literally drove as fast as the Camero would hold the road. 100 miles an hour on twisty country roads.....and on the 4 lane forget it.
Now all that said I learned a lot from her....this is the car in which I out ran the Mississippi Highway Patrol!!!
Let me explain. I was of course speeding, and had 2 or 3 speeding tickets under my belt and my BFF had just told me how he had outrun the MHP......and well......... He clocked me at about 85 in a 55.....and it was a 2 lane road with a lot of hills......so when he caught me I didn't hesitate--I floored it and was out of sight before he could even turn around. I went down through a small town, took a turn and parked beside a garage.
I got away, except I got nervous and pulled out on a street and he caught me, he was backing up himself.....I remember he said "get out, you're going to jail."
He and the sheriff talked it over out of my earshot and probably decided that they didn't know what to do with me, so they took my license wrote me a ticket and let me go. I don't remember how much money I had to pay, but I didn't go to jail. I did have to appear before a judge and got a good sermon, which I deserved.
I have always thought that if I had just gotten out of the car, walked to some one's house and called my BFF, and then gone back and gotten my car after dark.........maybe I would have gotten away.
Crime just doesn't pay....but you know I have always thought that I could drive a getaway car.....
Now I'm in no way advocating out running the HP......and try to remember, I did this when I was in my 20's.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

My Life In Cars


These are not the actual pictures of my cars, they were googled and found on the 'net. It would take too long to go through the boxes and boxes of pictures that I have to find the actual pictures......so anyway...This is a 1969 VW Bug. My very first car. I got this car after I graduated from Nursing School in May of '75. I had Driver's ED in High School and knew how to drive, but I had never gotten my license. So after I bought this car, I took my driver's test within the next few days. Parallel parking was a breeze!! I had learned how to drive a manual shift on my Mama's car which was a '62 BelAir. This little car served me well, and after I took and passed boards, I began looking for a new car. When I bought my next car, my Mama picked up the payments which I think were $80.00 a month and drove it for many many years afterwards.




I was happy with my VW Bug until I saw this baby sitting on the lot and I had to have her. I think she was somewhere around 5K. I bought her in February of 76, right after I heard from boards. 350 4 barrel V8, now I know that is not a whole lot of muscle, but enough for me. I thought that I was the bomb in this car. I would ride through town and look at myself in the glass windows. I could never get enough of the thought of me, a little poor country girl in this sporty hot car. This car always turned heads. And I drove it wide open. In fact one time I was passing everything on the highway when a "off duty MHP" (or so he said) pulled me over--he had a blue light on his dash. I can't remember if he showed me any credentials but he proceeded to chew me out and told me that if he wasn't in a hurry, he would radio for a back up MHP to come and give me a ticket for speeding, reckless driving etc. etc. His back was turned to the highway and I held my breath as I saw a MHP heading toward us. But he never saw the highway patrolman, and I have wondered why the MHP didn't stop to see what was going on. Looking back, the guy was probably somebody jerking me around. I remember he asked me how old I was---I think he was looking at my license too--and I said 19. He said "well Miss Jacks you and your little Camaro aren't going to live to be 21 if you keep driving like this." But I did.
More of my life in cars tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

God Bless America





Sometime within the next few weeks our son will deploy for his second trip to Iraq. Today David, David Jr.'s wife and I attended the Farewell Ceremony at Camp Shelby Mississippi.
It was an awesome experience--3000 or so troops on a parade field over which hangs a gigantic American flag, a speech by the governor, the Star Spangled Banner sung by Miss Mississippi, a fly over by Apache helicopters---and of course most of all the feeling that because of these men and women, most of which are only in their early twenties, I have the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth.
Because of the sacrifices made by the American soldiers since the inception of this country, I can....sleep in my comfortable bed tonight while they are on watch, enjoy my family while they are away from theirs, and be safe while they are in harms way.
To every veteran and to every soldier serving now, I want to say, Thank you for serving my country.
God Bless the American Soldier and God Bless America.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Wednesday Nite


#4 gchild spent the night. We are in the bed, GinGin is on my right, #4 is on my left up under my arm and she is holding CiCi on her lap. The conversation follows.
#4: Nona, how old is CiCi?
Me: She is 3.
#4:3?
Me:yes 3.
#4:How old is GinGin?
Me:She is 1.
#4:1?
Me:Yes 1.
#4:And I'm 5, you are 100 and PapPaw is 10.
Me:Yeah, now good night.

One hundred year old turtle

Monday, June 1, 2009

Cruel Shoes

Okay, I have not read the book of short stories "Cruel Shoes" by Steve Martin, but it is a very apt title for this blog. Do these shoes look like torture devices? No, they look pretty innocent don't they? Looks can be so deceiving.
See here's the story. I got all gussied up for Keetha's wedding. I spent a while on my hair and makeup--I pulled out all the stops, I even wore false eyelashes. Okay? Okay. The only thing, after I had my clothes on I remembered that I had forgotten to contour my face...you know to make your cheek bones stand out and straighten and narrow your nose.........anyway I digress.
I was looking good. And instead of wearing some comfortable/sensible shoes I put these babies on. I hadn't worn them in awhile and I guess my memory for pain is like the surgeries I have had, I just don't remember the pain. And after all Billy Crystal channeling Fernando Lamas said "It is better to look good than to feel good."
You know you have to suffer a little for beauty....
Anyway, I put these little torture devices on and began to regret it the minute I walked on the sidewalk and hobbled up the stairs to the church. Fortunately I was seated quickly and after the beautiful wedding was able to hobble over to the building where the reception was held only on a 7 on the pain scale. But by the end of the reception I was on a 9. After we threw the rice and I hobbled back up the steps to say my goodbyes, I stood on the veranda thinking that if I could just make it to the sidewalk, I would pull them babies off and walk barefooted to the car. I didn't care what anybody was thinking, after all I bet 1 our of 3 of every female's feet were hurting if the truth be known.
So that's just what I did, I made it to the the sidewalk, slipped them off and walked barefooted to my car. I swear if there had been a garbage can anywhere between that side walk and my car, they would have never made it home to the closet.
Now what should I do with them?
Should they get a stay of execution? Will I tolerate them any better next time? No. So they are going in the Salvation Army box. But I feel guilty about that, is it fair to pass them on to some poor unsuspecting soul? (no pun intended) Maybe they won't hurt somebody else's feet as bad as they hurt mine.........maybe I don't remember them hurting mine that bad 'cause I've gained a little weight......maybe.........