August Weekends

Busy weekends. I have had an interesting August. That’s a good thing because most of my life is not all that interesting. Each weekend was filled with unique joys. Here is a little summary of August.

Kings. What a beautiful crop of kids. We hung out with the most huggable, energetic, funny and entertaining kids for a weekend. Young Pastor and wife whom we have grown to love, moved to Wisconsin and we had them at our house so they could pack theirs without having 4 kids around under 6. under foot. Bill and I dedicated our weekend to just giving them a good time. I loved it, planned kiddie foods, swimming, movies, a nature hike.
We walked around the neighborhood looking for trucks. By the fourth one, we heard, “Wow! We saw a thousand trucks!” In the pool, the favorite words were “Do it again! Do it again!” (Motorboat, motorboat go so slow. Motorboat motor boat go so fast. Motorboat motorboat Step on the gas! And…around they flew through the water with squeals and splashes.)


Brother Kenny, For the first time ever, my brother Kenny spent a birthday with us. I couldn’t wait for him to come because I bought a special gift while I was in Hot Springs, Arkansas this spring, our hometown. Kenny had worked at Dryden Pottery as a high school kid. He worked with many of the glasses, and cups and bowls created by Mr. Dryden using our fathers glaze formulas. Many years later and many styles and designs beyond, the pottery pieces are now well-known collectables. I purchased a set of glasses and cups from the 1968-70 era, sold as antiques in the Dryden shop. Kenny probably glazed them, or fired them or
packaged them when they were new. What fun to give him a piece of his own history.

Wedding -Nephew Jordan – My mom and I took a flight to Nebraska for my nephew’s wedding. Which I already shared.

Max – My grand-dog. And grand he is – all 120 pounds of him. Our son and wife took a little vacation and we took the dog. He is Grandma’s boy. Scared to death of Ebbie the 20 pound mini Schnauzer. He has the softest ears of anything I have ever touched, softer than a horse’s shnoz.

Anna-May The foal I dream about. My sweet young Nadara – longtime friend, took me to see her foal today. Anna-May is almost 4 months old. She is so smart and mischievous. Her mama got her first ride since Anna-May was born. What fun. I want the dang horse now. Really – really want her!

And now - what will September bring??
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She Danced

She danced! Cane and all. It was worth the trip. In the midst of the busiest week a registrar can have (last day of fall registration), I took a day and flew with my 84-year-old mother to the wedding of my most affable nephew, Jordan and his beautiful bride, Melissa.

My mother was looking so forward to this one. Her last grandchild to get married. Melissa had been to Florida and mother loved her - as we all did. Not only that, we had the privilege of seeing Leon, the husband of Jordan's sister, Tessa. Leon is a war hero in our book and Tessa is a brave and good mom of precious Natalie.

Family is fun - and the celebration was great. I didn't know anyone but my few family, but I enjoyed their joy. I also enjoyed my dress. I bought a dress - probably my most favorite dress in years. Very plain and simple but I loved my dress. No one said it looked pretty or anything - but I didn't need it -because I love it! I bought for one reason only -

I wore my soft and striking cashmere wrap that my most talented daughter made me and the dress made the wrap look perfectly perfect!

But the best of the best, is Mom enjoyed herself. As we left, she walked right out in the middle of all the dancing 20-year-olds and did a little jig with her grandson. He was delighted and it made it all worth while!! Can I just say AHHHH!

Memory List

Something I heard – sss-whir-r-r-………s-s-s-swhir-r-r-r….a fan blowing as I lay down to nap –not because I am tired but because I am sick…It sent me to a crevice in my mind where memories are stored. Memories of things that sum up the times of my life. So I have decided to make a list of things I remember as a child. Go ahead – make your own list. Those crevices are covered over most of the time and you might not be able to pull it out again later.
1. I remember bazooka gum had a joke in the wrapper. I used to collect them.
2. I remember riding in the 1950 something station wagon with the back window down. We hopped back and forth across the back seat. There were no seatbelts
3. I remember the hot evenings in the heart of the Mississippi delta. The bed felt damp when you crawled in. The attic fan pulled the stale air out of the attic and the damp night air across my bed. I remember waking up in the morning with salty sticky sweat across the back of my hairline.
4. I remember getting a colored TV because the Texas Longhorns were playing in a bowl game.
5. I remember Simmons drug store and the wooden floors that creaked and clicked under my mother’s heels. The druggist sat high – behind a tall counter that made him look like a judge in a white coat.
6. I ran through the mosquito spray as the truck slowly sprayed the neighborhoods to rid the city of its most popular resident. It was like a cloud of poison that spread through yards. We chased the truck for blocks giggling with delight as we ran into each other in the fog.
7. I remember the floods – our neighbor used a row boat in the street when the floods came.
8. I remember walking the two miles to the pasture where my horse was kept. The tar in the road made impressions of my feet.
9. I remember when John F. Kennedy was shot. I was in Science class.
10. I remember when there were race riots. My mother came and got us from the movie theater. Danger was there – in our own town. None of it made sense to me.
11. I remember getting a packet of sunflowers at the movie theater when we saw the The Day of the Triffods.
12. I remember watching Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember the first time the Beatles were on the show too.
13. I got a poodle skirt and a crunch slip in the fourth grade. Unlike most girlie things, I liked wearing them.
14. I got the mumps. What in the world are the mumps and who named them?
15. I used to love chocola. It was a chocolate soda that puts Yahoo to shame. I loved Fizzies too.
16. I couldn’t wait for National Geographic to come each month. The stories of worlds beyond seemed a fantasy to me.
17. I used to think Troy Donahue was “keen”.
18. I remember wearing pedal pushers and learning the bop and practicing the hula-hoop.
19. I loved baseball – especially the New York Yankees. I collected trading cards even though I didn’t like the gum so much.
20. I loved my Davy Crockett hat. I used to listen to the Davy Crockett record and sing along while pretending to be going through the woods hunting bears in the living room. “Davy – Davy Crockett – King of the Wild Frontier!”
21. I had paper dolls, and paint by number kits, and a Lie Detector game, and a Chatty Cathy doll.

Well - now I could just keep going because there are TV shows like Superman and Dick Clark, and there were foods like Salmon patties every Friday at school, and 6 cent cokes, and there were sounds, like baseball games on the radio, and hi-fi's, but what do you remember about the times of your childhood?