Wednesday, July 7, 2010

CHANGE CAN BE GOOD

7-5-10...CHANGE CAN BE GOOD

Life can be rough but it can also be wonderful. It really comes down to the way we handle all the fears, hurts, hopes, dreams, and everyday problems that we are sure to face. Just when things are smooth on the road you can be sure that there will be a bump up ahead that is totally going to wreck your cart and all the things that were good are going to come spilling out in a great big heap. What counts is how you handle the spill. You can scream and holler about all the injustices of your life and just leave it lying there, or you can stop, pick it up, and start over.
Many times I have just gone on and let it lay but I always had to come back and clean it up. It's always harder that way so I try to always clean up as I go. Mamma always told me that if I made a mess to clean it up as I go. That way when it is done, it is done.
NO one person will ever view things exactly the way I do, do the things I do, or think the things I think. I learned very early on that there is no way I can bend someone's will and change what the say, do, think, or what they want. We all all unique and different. I can't for the life of me why everyone in the world aren't scrambling for a big plate of fried Okra. I love it. It is delicious to me. I hate Summer and the intense miserable heat it brings and I love winter with it's beautiful snow and ice. I just can't comprehend anyone liking to get their brains baked in the hot summer sun.
God made us all different just the way he wanted each one to be. We all all special to Him. We are the very first High Tech Computers ever built with every part having it's own use in the scheme of things. We are what we are and none of us have a right to push our thoughts and beliefs on anyone else yet we all do try at times.
I've tried to change, I've tried to change others. It doesn't work. We need to be happy with who we are and where we are. Everyone has the same rights and chances that I do. I have accepted me and I have accepted that everyone else has that same right. It is a sad thing that we have to be older before we accept things. I guess we are like they say about fine wine, It's better with age.
I love God, family, friends, Fall, Winter, snow, and a nice warm fire to name a few. I hate liars, being lied to, being lied about, being called a liar, bullies, and summer. As long as I keep the love list longer than the hate list I figure I'm OK and I am satisfied.
My perspective on a lot of things has done a complete turn about. That fact in no way means that I am a different, a better, or a worse person. I'm still just a plain ol' Country girl who talks funny to some and likes Pinto beans, fried taters , okra. Red onions sour pickles, Cole slaw and cornbread. I'm just me and I'm still here. YEP!

THE RABBIT HUNT

7-4-10...THE RABBIT HUNT

As I have aged things have changed with me. I no longer dream of the future and all the great things I'm going to achieve. I am happy with the way things are most of the time. My perspective on most things has done a complete turn about.
My resistance to things like, problems, adversities, feelings, indeed my body does not respond to pain the way it always did. My feelings are much more easy to hurt and I'm finding the least thing and I go on a crying pity party. You would think that I'd have developed a shell hard as nails and not petratable by no but no I'm very vulnerable to everything and I detest that.
My Parents taught me to get up dust off my britches and keep on keeping on no matter how far my face was pushed in to the mud. I thought I would always do that and I built a wall between me and things that wanted to harm me. Somewhere or someone along the way tore my wall down and I became weak and mellow as a kitten. My fire is gone it seems. It was such a subtle thing that I didn't notice it. Getting older and losing resilience was kinda like getting fat, someone had to point it out to me.
When I get in this mode and seem to lose my fight all I need to do is start using my ability to go on back there in my child-hood and reminiscence about things. That'll do it every time but because of my slower reflexes it takes me a bit longer now.
My Grandpa (Pappa) Thomas was an honery old cuss and never a bore to be around. He told us many things that were less than the truth just for fun. Mamma didn't like it one bit but we had fun with him. He told us things like a brown cow gives chocolate milk and the moon was made of cheese and we had to have it proved to us that Pappa was just funning with us. When he told us that if we sprinkled salt on a rabbits tail we could catch it he very nearly got everyone in a bunch of trouble.
One day Brenda and I decided we would catch us a pet rabbit by golly and we knew just how to do it. We were afraid Mamma would miss her salt shaker so we just took the box and off we went. It didn't take long to find a rabbit and if you are familiar with their actions you will know that you can walk almost up to the rabbit before it hops away. I think they kind of sniff out what you are up to doing by instinct or they just like to play tag.
Here we went through the pasture chasing that critter with it staying just a bit ahead of us. The salt was flying through the air. We sneaked, it hopped. When we ran out of salt and gave up we started back home. But wait a darn minute here, which way is back? We hadn't been watching where we were going and though things looked familiar we had gone without watching and we didn't know which way was back home. We had gone a whole bunch farther than we ever had before and there was two 6 year old's lost as two gooses in a fox den. As was typical with Brenda she started hanging on to me, ripping my clothes, and we both wet our britches.
"Brenda turn loose of me you are pinching my arm", but she just dug in deeper. I was never quiet as brave as I acted but Brenda brought out something in me that made me dig in my heels. (I need some of that heel digging right now.) I said "Brenda start screaming, maybe they'll hear us". They heard us all right but the one who heard us was the old ragged man who lived in a haunted house way down in the woods by the tracks. Pappa had told us all about him. Sure He Had! and there wasn't a scrap of truth to it. Pappa always said he was gonna toughen us up and between his stories and my protectiveness of Brenda it did toughen me up.
At least when the old man came up to us we had some sense of where we were. "Run Brenda" I hollered. Well heck fire Brenda was holding on to my arm in a death grip and I was dragging her. I stopped abruptly and of course it had a sling shot affect on Brenda. She went flying past me and now she was dragging me. I mean that girl was moving on now. "Brenda, you're going the wrong way, stop". She stopped and this time I was in the sling shot smack dab in to that old man. We all went down. "Well Brenda you done it this time. He's got us now".
Poor old man had the wind knocked out of him but he was trying to laugh. That just scared us worse. He said "You girls get up off me and I'm gonna to take you home". It took some convincing on his part but we finally figured out he was a good old man even if he did stink and live in a shack. Heck his house wasn't haunted either he said. He led us up to where we could see Brenda's house, patted our backs and he was on his way.
Now we hadn't been gone long but Mamma was looking for us. We told her our story (by the way Brenda still had a vice grip on my arm). We got in trouble for taking her salt, after all a box of salt cost 10 cents and money didn't grow on trees she said.
Next time Pappa came for a visit he was told in no uncertain terms to stop lying to her kids. Pappa really thought it was funny but he knew Mamma meant business so he didn't argue with her at all. I'm not sure if he told us any more of his tales but if he did I don't remember any more run-a-ways because of it. Shoot fire, we didn't even catch that rabbit!!!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

TYPICAL 50'S? NOPE!

6-23-10...TYPICAL 50's? NOPE!

We keep hearing and seeing things about the 50's right now because of the Boomers. I watch things on TV from that era if I can find them because almost all I see on TV or in the movies is just plain trash to my way of thinking. I watch , Andy Griffith, The Waltons, and Little House on The Prairie ,to name a few, and hear them say that was typical of that time. I was watching Leave it To Beaver at the time and I thought, “Typical”? HUH? You gotta be kidding me. Beavers Mother was wearing high heels, beautiful dress, & jewelry as she busied herself in her neat little kitchen with all the modern conveniences, some of which were definitely not typical. When Father comes home she calls up the stairs, where for some reason the writers thought kids stayed in their rooms all the time, “Boys dinner's ready”. Now she has Dinner ready just as the Father comes in the door and on the table. She goes walking like a fashion model over to him as he comes in the door and says, “Hello dear dinners ready. How was your day?” He kisses her and says,”Very good and how was your day dear.” Right about now I think I might puke when the boys come in to the kitchen, kiss mom on the cheek and say ,”Looks good Mom, Can I do anything to help? Then when Dinner is over Beaver and Wally say “May I be excused Mom, I'm finished”? Oh Good Grief! A typical evening was no where near that in my home or in any body's home that I knew of. I'm thinking some imbecile is writing this. Even The Waltons and Little house were too sugar coated but a little closer to the way it really was.

At my house, my Daddy came dragging in, worn out from a days hard labor with a pittance of pay. Mamma is getting 'Supper' on the table. That doesn't take long because we don't have a big table full of fancy food. Just some beans and potatoes and corn-bread usually. . There is always someone there to eat with us. Whether Family or stranger there was always someone else there in our house. Norman and I are certainly not up in our 'Rooms' we go there to sleep, we are outside playing or in the front room doing something with our hands and our minds because there wasn't a TV to be parked in front of. Mamma is usually bare foot and wearing an old house dress that has worn so thin she figures it will disintegrate when it is washed again. Mamma hollers, “You kids wash your hands and get to the table”. We all assemble at the table and we are very thankful for what we have. Sometimes we'd like something else but we don't stress out over not having it. And we wouldn't dare say anything like, I don't like this stuff. Give me something else cause I'm not eating this like I heard someone say recently. Heck no. If we were to act that way we'd be whacked a time or two and told to apologize to Mamma for our rudeness.. Norman or I always spilled something ALWAYS, and it was usually ol' butterfingers me. When we all got to the table and got our plates filled the chattering starts and we have good Family time. Now how in the world could any one believe that the Beaver Show was typical is beyond me cause honey it aint nowhere close to typical in the real world I grew up in. NOPE!!!!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

BRENDA AND CLYDENE

6-21-10...BRENDA

A lot of you probably feel like you know my Cousin Brenda because I write about her a lot. We are only 7 months a part in age and grew up side by side almost. Our homes were in hollerin' distance. Really I think of her as my Sister and she feels the same way. We are probably closer than a lot of real Sisters
We had fun and laughter together with our Brothers Norman and Paul when we were kids. As we grew and aged and became teenagers, Adults, and now senior citizens our closeness just got stronger.
Brenda got married a lot younger than I did and moved 350 miles away with her husband. At the time I could have cheerfully choked the life out of her husband and later I had good reason not to like him. I missed her so very bad and I was so lost without her for a while that I actually grieved like she was no longer living. Of course I pulled out of that but when Brenda started having problems with her abusive Husband I was there for her just as she was for me later when I had the same problems. First sign of trouble for either of us and we gravitated to each other like a homing pigeon. We could even feel in our hearts when the other one was in trouble and here we'd go like ol' sittin' hens to right what was wrong. It was always that way and it was the one sure and steady thing in our lives for many years.
We are both older and ill now. Not able to travel but we always could talk over the phone. Brenda doesn't tell me but I know her and I know she is more than ill because most times she doesn't even feel like talking on the phone. Her Brother has been to visit her and he said she is not doing well at all. Neither of us are able to travel the 350 miles to visit so that is the way it is.
I'm sure you have all been there when everything comes falling in on your head at the same time. That is where I am. I need Brenda and Brenda needs me and there is not a darn thing we can do about it. Brenda knows I love her and I know she loves me so that will have to be enough. I don't think over all these 66 years we ever once thought about what this time would mean to us. I wrote Brenda a long letter letting her know that I will always be there in my heart for her.




Saturday, June 19, 2010

I CAME FROM GOOD STOCK

6-19-10...I CAME FROM GOOD STOCK

My life has not been easy, it has been tough to say the least. I've had more than my share of hard knocks. I don't have the corner market on that I know. Many people have had that kind of life. Mamma always told me that no matter how bad things were I could always look around and find someone in worse condition. I know that is true but that don't make my situation any better by knowing that fact.
My one Ace in the hole has always been to always get up no matter how hard I am knocked down and I've always done that. But don't everyone have the right to stay down and rest a spell now and then? Nope, I don't think that is the way it goes. I have gotten up when I thought it was impossible but I am tired now. You'd think that in those Golden Years they always talk about things would get easier. Not the case. So if you are younger and still out there working just don't think Retirement will be like you've read about or seen on TV. Could be it will for a few but I've not seen many my age who will brag about their leisure days of retirement. I do know some. In fact some I know right here on The Hill. I'm envious of them sometimes and Mamma taught me not to be that way either. Mamma had a beautiful peaceful smile right up to the day she passed in to Heaven even though her pain was enormous. Wow, What an inspiration that Lady was for me. I try to maintain a smile and a happy word for everyone because that was the way my Mamma taught me but it is getting harder and harder.
I miss my Daddy and Mamma so bad it hurts deep in my heart sometimes. Daddy was my inspiration also. He started ploughing fields young. Pappy took him out of school when he was in the second grade and he never got to go back. Daddy worked hard from then on and was never able to let up for a minute so why should I think I have that right now? Daddy was old before his time and his heart stopped when he was only 68 years old. I'm just a little over two years younger than that right now.
My smile is faded for a while but I have no doubt I will have it back soon. I came from good stock and life wont keep me down for long. That is my encouragement at the moment. Yep, I came from good stock by golly and I aint gonna forget that as long as I've got a mind with some limited capacity. NOPE!!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

MAD AS HECK

6-8-10...I'm MAD AS HECK!!

I was watching the news this morning and saw something that just broke my heart. It made me physically sick to my stomach.
They were showing a video of a little three year old girl doing a “Dance?” to a Lady Ga Ga song. I had never even heard of this Lady Ga Ga until I started seeing little girls imitate her. The Mother was being interviewed and she thought this it was perfectly fine for all the sickos of the world to watch her precious little three year old daughter all painted up and dancing suggestively. Now I may be called a nerd or whatever it is they call us now but I'm Proud I've earned that title.
What has happened to Parents who protected their kids boy or girl? I just can't comprehend where their minds could be. Don't they realize what could happen to these beautiful little girls? Didn't they learn anything from Jon Benet Ramsey? It is the parents who enjoy this stuff not the kids. It is the parents that push their kids in to this stuff like beauty contests where babies are dressed to look like floosies. The kids don't want to do it. Parents even make their kids go on diets so their bodies can look “Sexy” or whatever it is they are trying to achieve. What kind of people will these little precious kids become when their parents take their innocence away from them like that? They shouldn't even see things like that at their age.
I appreciate my Parents and the way they raised me more every day. I was never exposed to anything like this and though I was called square in my youth and didn't like it then I love it now. I'm a square still and I shudder to think what is going to happen to these little innocent, beautiful children. It makes me more than sick to my stomach it makes me madder than I have ever been in my life. It makes me want to knock some sense in to those knuckle headed parents.
There I got that off my chest!!!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

FLIP FLOP FIZZ FIZZ

5-31-10...FLOP FLOP FIZZ FIZZ

I was in a store yesterday evening getting some things we needed bread being the main thing I was a little tiffed because Don waited till I got home from Church before he told me we needed bread. “Why didn't you tell me sooner?” And he starts this condescending tone that ruffles my feathers fast and says “Now how was I going to tell you when you were not here”. Oh good grief I do have a cell phone with me at all times. It wouldn't have rang in Church but a simple messages would have cause me a lot less hassle. I just let that go and headed back out in the hot day. I thought to myself that I'd just take my time and look around since it was a Dollar General and has everything. It being a holiday weekend there weren't many stirring. Just me and two others in the store.
I wandered around a spell, got bread and a bunch of other stuff, and sauntered on up to the check out. Now there were only three shoppers in the store and one check out girl. Shouldn't be a problem. RIGHT? Well heck all three of us decided to leave at the same time. I was second in line, with a man behind me, and a lady in front of me. I started smelling a stinch. Now I had already observed that the man had been out working in the hot day and he was dirty and sweaty so I tried to just hold my breath. I mean, after all the poor feller couldn't help sweating and that stinks after a while. I can't really blame the poor guy for that. But when I heard a loud succession of “Flop Flop, Flop, Flooop and a big sigh from the guy I knew that warn't no sweat stinch. Heck fire that guy was ______ Well you know. I was thinking ,Oh hurry little girl and get us checked out of here.
The lady in front of me looked back at me. I thought Oh My Gosh, that woman thinks I did That!!! How in the heck do I convince her otherwise. I used my eyes to let her know the man behind me was the culprit not me. Then out of the deep dark recesses of my warped mind the words of that Alka-Seltzer jingle came up in my mind and I said “Flop Flop Fizz Fizz Oh what a relief it is. OH good lord Why in the world did I say that. Oh My, What if he follows me out of the store and throttles me?
The Lady in front of me looked back again and the look on her face set me off in a giggle fit. She was checked out and she took off like all the demons in hell were after her. I had several things in my cart I told the check out girl I was sorry (Or some such thing) and put my stuff up there. She seemed to hurry. Probably was afraid I was going to get us all in trouble because I could see she was trying to hide a full blown smile.
I never looked back but I almost ran out of there with my purchases and left the store as fast as I could. I mean this ol' gal got out of Dodge. Yep!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

MAD BANANA CAKE

5-29-10...MAD BANANA CAKE

Did you ever get out of bed mad? I mean rip roarin, teeth gnashing, skin tearin', jaw boxing mad! That was me this very morning. I have no idea why either. Don't remember a dream last night or anything yesterday that might have triggered this. But I was/am Mad. Not angry but mad.
I made my mind up that this was not going to ruin my day. I was going to go about my day as usual and try to be calm and serene. Well that was the first mistake. Get real Clydene, You aint ever calm and serene.
I don't know if I was just looking for something or not but I wouldn't have had to look very far. I discovered that someone I had known and loved and trusted with my very life had betrayed me. Usually I would have been deeply hurt over that but I already had a mad going so why switch in mid stream. Heck Might as well stay mad.
I could always work out a mad by doing something I love doing which is baking. I had some very ripe bananas in the kitchen so I decided a banana nut cake was in order. I do things in stages lately since I can't stand or walk for very long at a time so I started assembling my ingredients, pans, mixer and getting it all set out in order on the kitchen counter. As I was doing this Don came in the kitchen and asked me what I was doing. Irritated me that he would ask when he should be able to see what I was going to do. “I'm cooking”, was my short answer. He said “Well you need to use those banana's before they ruin first. No use in wasting stuff”. HUH?
What!? What did he say? How dare he accuse me of wasting. I was spluttering and almost foaming at the mouth by now and he must have caught on because he said, “Do what you want to do, don't matter to me”. That just added fuel to my fire but I did my best not to grab his skinny little neck and twist it backwards for him.
Don escaped the kitchen in a hurry and sat down in the Dining room right off the kitchen. I sat down in my chair in my room with a cup of coffee and a book because my legs were getting numb which they always do.
OK! I've had my rest and my nice cup of buggered nerves coffee so I'm ready to begin to get the cake mixed and baked. I'm going along great until I start to sit the mixer down to add more flour mixture. I did turn it off first but when I tried to set it down on the counter it started tipping over, I grabbed for it, dropped it again, snatched it up before it fell off the counter and accidentally turned the dang thing on. Oh My God, Good grief. Batter was flying everywhere as the mixer scooted and watusied across the counter top with me in close pursuit. Batter was covering my glasses and I couldn't see so I hollered (might have screeched) “DOOOONNN”. To which he replied, “Quiten down”. WHAT DID HE SAY? Hey Did he tell me to quiten down? Did he really say that when I'm needing help? HOW DARE HE, Why I'll take this bowl in there and pour it right over his head. I didn't do that. I got very calm, You know the calm before the storm. I finally got the mixer stopped and turned off. Got myself and the counter, microwave, toaster, bottom of cabinets, and the floor cleaned up all the time on a slow burn.
I hoped there was enough batter left for the cake. All there was left to put in was the mashed bananas which I proceeded to do. As I was folding the bananas in I was spluttering under my breath. “How dare he I'll show him. Tell ME to quiten down. I'll show him. I'll get that sucker back if it is the last thing I do. I can't believe he had the nerve to tell me to quiten down, Why the very idea.” On and on and on. Once he said, “What'd you say” and that set my mutterings off again.
I smell my cake baking as I write and I'm beginning to calm a bit. Just a tad bit but it will come. Should I let Don eat a piece of cake later? Don't know. Might Might not.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

COUNTY FAIR

5-27-10...COUNTY FAIR

I was reading a book today and read something about riding a Ferris wheel. That reminded me of something that I hadn't thought of in years. I don't how I could have forgotten because it scared me so bad I shook.
Our County had a fair and carnival every year in September. My little school took the school bus and some teachers and parents as supervisors and all who wanted to could ride to the Carnival on Friday. It was half price day and was in Ozark not very far from our school. They also took us to the state fair in Little Rock when we were older. Rides were a dime and you could get a hamburger, fries, and coke for 15 cents with half price. Daddy always managed to give me a dollar for the day which seemed a humongous amount to us at the time. I could eat, ride, and maybe something else in a day and boy did I love it. This particular time was my very first time on the Ferris wheel and I was not in very much a hurry to do it. Probably wouldn't have if my friends hadn't been there and most of them didn't know how scared I was of heights. Well little miss brave britches me wasn't about to admit to them that I was afraid of anything
One of my friends and I decided to ride together. Now I knew Pat wasn't afraid so I felt a little more cumfy' with her. I stepped right up and got on that monstrosity like I had done it hundreds of times. Pat didn't even know it was my first time.
When it jerked as it took off my nightmare had begun. Scared the snot outta' me and I screamed. Pat thought I was having fun and excited so she started rocking the seat which was positively against the rules. Well I didn't know nothing about rules but I was petrified. Completely spaced out and undone. When we went around a complete circle the first time I thought 'Wow, this is over. I'm getting' off this thing and I'll never get back on one as long as I live'. Well I guess you know I didn't get off. That thing just kept going and 'Uppp' we went again. I held my breath as we went down again but it stopped half way to let more passengers on. By golly I thought that dang thing was stuck and I was a doomed girl for sure. I was so scared that all I could do was breathe hard and nary a sound came out of my mouth but by golly I was screaming loud in my mind for them to get me off of that thing this instant.
It went on around and this time it stopped when our seat was right on the top. I had gotten on there with cotton candy and Pat had a coke. I was hanging on tight to my cotton candy with one hand and the brace on the seat with the other hand.
When the seat lurched as it took off again I slung my arm out and hit Pats arm. The coke and the cotton candy went flying out over the crowd.
Pat said, “Clydene that stuff hit a man and a lady on the head and they looked up at us. If they see us when we get off we are in trouble”! I was too much in a hurry to get off that thing to be worrying about that so I just ignored Pat.
The next time around it stopped and they let us off. Pat grabbed me by the arm and said , “Come on Clydene we gotta hurry”. Well she sure as heck didn't have to tell me to hurry up cause I was moving on. I don't know if the ones we spilled on saw us or not but Pat was convinced they did. She finally convinced me to and we were both scared the rest of the day that those people were gonna' come get us and do something bad to us. I was so scared that I didn't enjoy the rest of the day.
When we got on the bus to go home that evening one of the girls said that she got sick on the ferris wheel and threw up on a lady down below.
When all was said and done we had no idea if it was the same lady we had spilled our stuff on but I'll bet the lady knew. I know I would rather have cotton candy and coke come down on me that a glop of puke!!! YUKKY!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

A SMILE

5-21-10...A SMILE, HUG, GIGGLE, BACK PAT, FRIEND

Every body has a smile. Some use it until they have wrinkles around their eyes. Some use it less often than others. I hate to say it but I know some who I just don't think they ever use their smile.
A smile doesn't cost a cent. You can give it away all day and have plenty more left over.
There is no one no matter how mighty or how rich that doesn't benefit from a smile.
No one can steal it or borrow it from you but if you give them one you have enriched their life beyond measure. Money can't buy one, power can't take one away but I can give millions away and never be the poorer for it. I might even heal a heart, dry a tear, or comfort a grieving soul with one quick smile. I know this is true because I've had many smiles given to me at just the right time to lift my spirits and make my heart soar!!! There was a time in my life that if someone had just smiled at me I know I'd have felt so much better.
Another thing that we all need is hugs. Nothing more therapeutic than to be down in the dumps , sad, or hurting emotionally, and have someone give you a big warm bear hug. I am a touching, hugging person. I have to be careful because I have ran across some people who don't like to be touched or hugged. All I can say is if you don't wanna be hugged stay outta' my way cause I can't help myself. Not very long ago I encountered a lady in the grocery store who I had gone to school with. I hadn't seen her in a very long time. I walked up to her with my arms wide open meaning to give her a big ol' hug and she dodged me big time. I mean to tell you she took off in the other way fast acting like she didn't see me. It took me a few minutes to figure it out but that lady didn't want a hug and she certainly DID' see me. I followed her all over the store trying to at least talk to her a bit. Finally I said, “Well forget it then. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole”. Good grief! I don't understand that at all. Especially since we used to be good friends.
Everyone needs a pat on the back now and then too and it don't hurt me a bit to do it. Heck a pat on the back doesn't even have to be a touch of any kind. You can tell someone they did a good job, they look nice, or sometimes they just need someone to say, It's Ok, It'll be fine, or just, Hang in there, I'm here for you. It only takes a few words to make someone's day better.
Now something that is good for us all is a good giggle or a full blown belly laugh. One of those tear falling ones that opens up and pours out all the pain, or fear. A good laugh washes all the gross stuff out of your mind and cleanses you all over. I love to laugh and I love it when I can help someone else laugh. That is another thing I missed for years.
I had a dog (Bo Jangles) for 16 years who was my life line almost. He loved me unconditionally. I used to cry a lot. Bo Jangles would get in my lap, look me in the eyes, and cry with me. He even licked the tears from my cheeks. Everyone needs someone or some thing like that. No one can make it in this old wicked world without, A Smile, A Hug, a pat on the back, A good Belly Laugh , and a Friend now and then and I plan to give as many of these out as I possibly can. So Honey Don't get around me if you don't want any of these things. OK?

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A QUESTION OF THE MIND

5-20-10...QUESTION OF THE MIND

I'm sitting here this morning pondering on several things. First and foremost is,,, Are you ready for this? Where in the heck did my mind go? Good Grief, somewhere along the way my mind got loose and stayed behind. I know I didn't intentionally lose my mind it just happened. I was going along happy as a Mississippi squirrel minding my own business and somehow left a vital part of my anatomy by the wayside.
It took me a spell to even miss it too. I mean my goodness why would you miss something you didn't ever use, It was old and all rusted out anyway wasn't it?
I probably should have suspected something was amiss when I found my toothpaste in the freezer. Or even when I found my gallon of milk in the cabinets (finally). But I just toodled on about my business like I was Einstein or somebody, blissfully ignorant of my problem.
Every time I'd go in to another room to do something and forget what I went after I just thought, Oh Well It probably wasn't important anyway, What the Heck!
Then there was the day I had an appointment to get a haircut and came to my senses about the time I was getting out of the car at Moses' groomers I started wondering a tad bit.
But when I got out of bed one morning at three AM and proceeded to call my Aunt and wake her up because I thought it was three PM, Well, Then I kinda' sorta' got a clue that something was not right. YEP! Sumpthin' is definitely going on here. And Her asking me “Clydene Where is your mind” finally let the cat outta' the bag. My mind seems to be shrunk up a bit. Or could it be that I might find it someday like I did my toothpaste and milk? Nawww, I think that sucker is gone for good but that's OK, Now I don't have to worry about using it. What a relief!!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

MUD PIES

5-18-10...MAKING PIES

Brenda and I made lots and lots of mud pies. There was a perfectly delicious spot for this under the edge of the porch at Brenda's house. There was room enough for us to sit there cross legged as long as we desired. We made all kinds of pies in all kinds of molds. And yep we ate parts of what we cooked and were very indignant at those who didn't appreciate our efforts. We didn't need to wait for rain to make mud we made our own and we used all kinds of flavors. Milk was a good one it made a creamy kind of caramel color and didn't taste bad either. Auntie knew we were under there playing in the dirt but it took her a while to figure out that we were snitching ingredients and molds from her kitchen and making pie. Of course she “DID” find out in due time.

Someone milked their Cow Pet every morning and evening when she was fresh. The milk would be covered and left on the screened back porch until Auntie got around to straining it and putting it into gallon jars. We usually got at the milk in the evenings before Auntie took care of it.

This one time we got some and decided we didn't have enough so we went back for more. We already had mud on our hands. Trouble was Auntie already had it in jars and sitting in the Ice box. Well that made it harder but we were not thinking along those lines. We had to get a chair to get to the jars. Of course we couldn't get the jar open but we left mud evidence.

We got back under the house and got to thinking about the mud on the jar and decided we'd better get ourselves back in there and clean that off the jar before Auntie came in from the garden and discovered it. Back in there we went bent on covering our tracks. When we got there we discovered the mess was worse that we had thought. I mean to tell you mud was everywhere from the door to the jars and everywhere in between. Of course we were not thinking too clear or we would have washed our hands before attempting to clean. Good Grief!! We got a dishrag and started swiping around and were just making a bigger mess so we stood back and discussed it for a while.

I said, “Brenda what we have to do is take them jars out of there so we can clean them before we put em' back”. She agreed with me and here we went. Now let me tell you those gallon jars were a lot more than we could handle. I can't remember our age but we were not very big I do know that.

Brenda got up in a chair and proceeded to hand the jars down to me. I reached up and she kinda' pushed the jar out. It hit right about my belly and down I went with Brenda right behind the jar. I had all the wind knocked out of me and was rendered as helpless as a kitten. I suspect Brenda was in almost the same shape cause' she wasn't doing anything but sorta snubbing. When Brenda and the jar rolled off me of course now the lid came off easy. Might have saved us a little bit of trouble if we could have gotten the lid off before.

Well I guess you know that was when Auntie came on the scene. There we were wallowing in milk and mud on the floor too winded to even defend ourselves and there she was standing in the door with pins and needles shootin' outta' her eyes. Oh my goodness were we in trouble now. We knew it but we couldn't even get up and run.

I don't remember the clean up at all but I suspect we didn't do it. What I do remember is the butt whackin' and the cleaning up of us. I'll tell you for sure that part wasn't very pleasant. Nope not pleasant at all!!!!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

BERTHA MAY HENRY DALTON PAGE

5-10-10...BERTHA MAY HENRY DALTON PAGE

Every family has at least one Aunt Bertha and every family has a bossy lady who tries to be the head of everything. My Great Aunt Bertha was both!
Aunt Bertha was married two times and never had any kids. Her first husband was Bob Dalton. If you are familiar with the Outlaw gang the Dalton Brothers he was the son of one of them. His picture is below along with Aunt Bertha. Also Aunt Bertha sitting on his car when they were dating. Aint she a sight?! at the time on his car. She was married very young to him then she married Bob Page (Yep another Bob) and he died after only 6 years. She lived the rest of her life alone and it couldn't have been easy then but she worked and bought her own home. If it needed repairs she did it. Roof or whatever it was. The house is still here in the town of Mulberry but it certainly doesn't look like it did then.
You talk about feisty, Good Grief That don't begin to describe Aunt Bertha. A dare devil in her younger years, a holy terror in her later years. Not rude or brash just straight and to the point. Don't try any nonsense with my Aunt Bertha cause' she'd get you fast.
Aunt Bertha was my Grandma's sister and thought she was the only one in the family who had enough sense to make any kind of intelligent decision. She bought a whole set of Dr's books used in their schooling at that time and by golly she thought she was a Dr and knew more than any Dr of that time. To tell the truth she did know more than some of them.
She was a little 5 ft. lady that weighed 90 lbs soaking wet but man was she wired and loaded for bear.
There was a loving gentle side to Aunt Bertha as well and that is the side I saw most often. She'd work cutting spinach or picking cotton all day and always gave us a nickle out of her earnings. She bought material and sent it to my grandma so grandma could make my Mamma and her two sisters a dress to wear to school. They didn't have a dress at the time and were wearing a bloomer type thing that grandma made out of a toe sack.
Aunt Bertha is the one who named me when I was born. I told her often that she could have chosen a prettier name. TEE HEE
As you see in the photo she had curly and unruly hair like mine. My Grandma always said I looked like Aunt Bertha and my Daddy said I acted like her sometimes. HMMMM! Guess I got a lot from my Aunt Bertha. HUH?




LEARNING IS HARD

5-9-10...LEARNING CAN BE HARD

We learn by, seeing, doing, hearing, watching, listening, etc.
We grow by what we learn, what we are taught, by example of those around us who are wise, and most of all by experience. We survive on grit, determination, trying, and never giving up. We face our heartaches, hardships, disappointments, adversities, enemies, and downfalls. We get up, dust our britches and go on no matter what because if we don't someone will most certainly kick us while we are down. Even if that does happen and we are beaten down we don't have to stay down unless we choose to. We keep going, pushing, and facing problems and get up every time we are down. I know all this, I was taught all this, and I put all this in practice all my life. But I am tired today and don't want to face any of it so I chose not to. Like I said it is our choice and there is no way we can stay on top all the time.
Today I sit and feel so sorry for myself that I am ashamed. I can't face things or people today even if I hurt their feelings. I just absolutely can not. Does that mean that tomorrow will be the same way? I can't really answer that right now but I'm hoping that it will not. I will strive for a better day tomorrow when today is gone and just a bad memory because I don't choose to dwell on bad memories. I know they will come creeping in again sometimes when my defenses are down but tomorrow I intend to laugh at my foolishness. Tomorrow I intend to raise my face to the first light and say, “Watch out world. Clydene is back”!