Back In Town

We had a wonderful weekend.  Eler Beth and I got to my Mom's house late Friday afternoon.  All of my sisters were there, and also a first cousin of ours who is like one of our sisters.  She and her brothers are double cousins of ours, because her mother was my mother's only sister, and her father was one of my father's brothers.   Her name is Sharon, and she actually calls my Mom "Mom" now, since both her parents are deceased.  My niece-in-law wasn't able to make it.

We. Ate. So. Much.

There was good stuff, like veggies, dip, and fruit.   And there was bad stuff, like chips, dips, cookies, pies, ice cream, cake, and rum balls.  The rum balls were soooo good! 

We stayed up until about 2:00 Saturday morning, watching movies and playing games.  We had sleeping bags and pillows all over my Mom's living room floor, just like a bunch of kids!  I think Mom actually stayed up until midnight, and that is very late for her.

Eler Beth learned how to play "jacks", the right way, and with the right kind of jacks and ball.  You should have seen all of us, 40-and 50-somethings, sitting cross legged on the floor, teaching a 10-year-old how to play jacks.

For those who have asked for pictures, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say "no".  A few pics were taken, but I have been ordered not to show or publish any of them!  After all, we were all in our pajamas and with no makeup on!

We told a lot of stories, and shared a lot of memories.  We finally turned in, as I said, around 2, but then we still talked until at least 3 a.m.  We were all up at about 8 on Saturday morning, too.  Dennice and Maxine took Mom shopping Saturday afternoon for a new coat and some other things.  The rest of us straightened the house, and Eler Beth and I were supposed to leave, so she could go to a tea party.  But she asked if she could, instead, stay and spend the night with "Mamaw".  So I called in her regrets to the tea party "hostess", and after Mom got back from shopping, I came on home, leaving Eler Beth to spend the night with my Mom, for the first time without me there.

Of course, she had a great time.  Then Sunday morning Thomas and I drove down, had lunch at Mom's, and visited all afternoon.  I was able to start the taped interview with Mom that I've wanted to do for so long.  Of course, it's just the beginning, but as I started interviewing her, all kinds of memories came to her, along with stories and family facts that I had never heard before.

For example, I knew that her father had been in the Cavalry in World War I, but I had never known that he had contracted the Spanish Flu and TB while he was in the service, and was, for a while, at the original Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville.  I will be writing more about him and some other things that my mother told us.  The interviews will continue, of course, because we've only just begun!

Gotta go for now, but more later....

Tags: Waverly Hills Sanatorium

We're off to Party Hearty!

I tried, but I just couldn't get to everyone's alerts and entries today.  So sorry, but I will get through them all tomorrow.  I've re-done how I read my favorite journals; it's much easier for me now, but not when I get behind.  And I'm behind!

Eler Beth and I are getting ready to leave to go to "Mamaw's House" for our sleepover.  Since you can't come along, we'll have enough fun for all of you, okay? 

I'll be back tomorrow and will get caught up with everyone.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Bye now!

Lori ~~

Pictures....

As you can see from this picture, Barbara was the only one of us born with black hair.  But her hair turned blonde and has stayed blonde. 1960

Barbara with "Bub", 1962

This is Barbara holding me, 1966.

This is Barb's fifth grade picture, 1971.

 

Meet My Sister, Barbara

 

Number six in the family is Barbara. Barbara is six years older than I am. All of the olders ones were two years or less apart, but there are four years between Lois and Barbara. Mom had a miscarriage two years after Lois was born; so Barbara was another planned baby, who really came right on time.

I love all of my siblings, each for different reasons, but I probably feel really the closest to Barbara.

In some ways, Barb is different from the rest of us. For one thing, she has an IQ of 165. Others of us have some artistic talents in the family, but Barbara is an artist. She paints in watercolor, oil, and acrylic; she does ink and pen sketches and charcoal drawings, portraits, landscapes, and caricatures; she loves working with textiles and makes beautiful wall hangings; she also makes unique pieces of jewelry; and she writes. Someday perphaps I'll get permission to share some of her writing here.

Barbara supports herself with her art. She, too, bought a mobile home when I was 14 and moved it onto the Northwest section of my parents' land; so she and Lois have stayed close to home all these years. About 12 years ago she built a house on that section of property. She also helps care for Mom and Alton; she and Lois divvy up the work, Barbara usually caring for the lawns and orchard.

Barbara is the other one of my sisters who almost always had a horse when I was younger; she's the one who taught me to ride. She and Lois taught me to swim in a swimming hole in a creek near our home, and Barbara is the one who taught me to read and write before I started school, to write in cursive by the time I was in the second grade, and to do multiplication and long division by the time I was in the third grade.

She is a very private person. She has never married and only rarely dated. Barbara is just usually slow to warm up to new people; she likes her privacy and does not like going out into crowds. As a matter of fact, Dennice and I have served as her representatives when she has had work in art galleries. She has actually gotten better in that area, though, and will often surprise us by interacting with strangers in ways she never used to. There is nothing timid about her or backward; she just prefers to be with family or alone. She is smart, well-read, well-spoken, funny, generous, and very deep.

There have been times when she and I have been in sync in our thoughts and opinions, so much so that we can catch one another's eyes and have a perfect, immediate understanding. That has happened between all of us, but for me it happens moreso with her than with the others.  We often finish one anothers' sentences or voice one anothers' thoughts.  Barbara is the one who can play guitar, bass viol, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, bodran, panpipe, flute and autoharp. She writes beautiful pieces of music, as well.

So now, you have "met" all of my siblings. Now when I tell family stories or mention them, perhaps you'll be better able to put a personality and some characteristics behind the names.

And I have lots of stories!

Because she is such a private person, I hesitate to post pictures of her. If I do, they will be from when she was very young.

It's Party Time!

              Well, Eler Beth and I are off this afternoon to my Mom's house, where we will join Mom, all of my sisters, and a niece-in-law for a pajama party!  Mom has made Bourbon Balls and Mulled Cider, P.J. is bringing a snack tray with summer sausages, cheeses and crackers, and I don't know what everyone else is bringing.  I don't know what I'm taking yet, either!  What goodie should I make/buy?  Any ideas?

It will be fun.  Maxine got in yesterday from Florida.  She flew in and then rented a car, and will not leave until around noon on Monday.  It's raining, and is supposed to be raining probably the whole time she's in.  At least she's been able to see some of the Fall colors.  P.J. says she's bringing make-up and nail stuff if anyone wants to play!  Of course Eler Beth said, "I do!"  The food and the company and seeing my daughter having so much fun will be great.  And we always have fun when we get together.  I'm really looking forward to it.

                                                        

Then, we'll have to get home before too late tomorrow, because Eler Beth has been invited to a tea party at the home of one of her friends.  Great fun for a rainy, cold weekend!

                              

Still More Pictures....

At Lois' third birthday party, 1959.  Around her, left to right, Maxine, Alton, Dennice and P.J.  According to the caption with this photo, "P.J. blew out her candles"!

The caption Mom has on this one is, "P.J. and Lois, dragging their dolls down the front walk."

   4th Grade, 1965

  Above, 11th grade, 1973; at left, as Maid of Honor in my wedding, 1987.

Meet My Sister, Lois....

Graphic by Donna

Number five in the family is Lois, almost exactly 10 years older than I. Lois was a surprise baby, coming 16 months after P.J. Consequently she and P.J. grew up almost as twins. There is a story that my father made a remark to one of his sisters, after Lois was born, about her being a surprise (not planned). This aunt told my dad, "She'll be the one to care for you in your old age." And, in a lot of ways, this has proved true.

Lois has never married, and has no desire to do so. (She used to date regularly, though, and I can remember spying on her and her boyfriend when I was about 7 years old!) Lois likes her freedom. She works for a local lake resort, and spends a lot of her time, along with Barbara, caring for my Mom, my brother, and Mom's home. Lois moved out when I was 14 and she was 24 (so at 24 she lived at home the longest of all of us). But she didn't move far! She bought a mobile home and Daddy gave her a piece of land on the Southwest corner of the property. She lived there until Dad died, at which time she moved into the house with Mom and Alton. We did not want mom, at that time 78 years old, alone in the house except for Alton, who still needs to have someone nearby.  But it was Lois' decision to move in. 

She did play a big role in caring for Dad before he died as well, taking him to appointments, seeing that he took his medication, and so on. She is the main chauffeur for Mom and Alton as well, taking them to doctor's appointments and on other errands. She does the heavy housecleaning at Mom's and some of the cooking. Lois never cooked when she lived at home, or at least, very rarely. But when she first moved out, she asked Mom if she could make Saturday night dinner every week. Doing that she became a very good cook, and we got to sample all her early attempts!! It was fun experiencing firsthand her evolution into a good cook.

When she was home she couldn't grow anything! If she tried taking care of a houseplant it inevitably died. The only plant she was ever able to keep alive was an air fern; and a friend of mine killed that one day, when, helping me along with my Saturday chores while visiting, this friend decided she'd water all the plants -- including the air fern! But after she moved out, Lois started keeping houseplants alive, started planting flowers, shrubs and trees in her yard and eventually took over the garden from Mom.  (Oh, I forgot!  She did grow a horseweed when she was a little girl, tending it and keeping it alive for weeks!  But that's another story....)

Lois has a mischievous streak. She likes to tease, and she likes to pout. We call her the "real" baby of the family, but she doesn't seem to mind. In my young years I thought she was the prettiest of my sisters, and I liked to raid her makeup box while she was away from home. In my teenage years she became one of my best friends, and she was my Maid-Of-Honor in our wedding. All of us are blondes, except Lois. She was blonde when she was little, but her hair darkened into brunette, like our mother's. Also, like our mother, she started getting gray in her early thirties, which changed to a salt and pepper in her forties. Now, like our mother, I expect she'll get that beautiful silver hair in a few years. She does not color her hair. I can remember Mom ironing her hair when she was in high school because it was the style in the early seventies to have long, straight hair, and Lois' tended to curl. Then in the late seventies she gave up and cut it into a shag style, and the curls, finally unleashed to run riot, took over. She had the prettiest, naturally curly hair! And of course, like the perverse things we women are, she was never satisfied with the curls that most of us would kill or pay a fortune for! She's gotten used to them now, though, and lets her hair do what it wants.  (Actually, I used to cut and style her hair when I was still at home, and I can attest to the fact that it will pretty much do what it wants anyway!)

Of all of us, Lois is the only one who does not play a musical instrument, but she has a very good singing voice.  I love singing with all of my sisters, but she and I seem to have voices that blend especially well together.

I guess I'll stop here and post some pics of her. I could go on and on about this sister that I knew so well while I was growing up. At least now when I mention her, you'll know who I'm talking about.

To be continued....

Adorable Betty!

* This may be a rather long entry, but I hope you read it anyway.

Well, it's time I weighed in on Ugly Betty.

I like the show.  I've taped and watched all four episodes; actually, I've watched each one twice, and I've watched them objectively.  I like it. 

Here's why:

Betty is an intelligent, witty, educated young lady from Queens, who is of hispanic descent.  She is determined to someday own a magazine.  In order to get her foot in the door of the industry, she accepts a position with a magazine owned by a publishing company that she considers the cream of the crop.  It, unfortunately, is a fashion magazine, and the owner of the publishing company who owns that magazine has an ulterior motive in hiring her.

Now Betty truly does have no sense of fashion.  She is NOT ugly.  She has braces, wears glasses, is not stick-thin and does not know how to dress or wear her hair.  But she knows her job, and she takes iniative to get things done.  She makes friends at her new job, but, unfortunately, she inadvertantly makes some very powerful enemies as well.  Her boss, the editor-in-chief of the magazine (and also the son of the owner), who starts out appalled that he is being "forced" to hire her, tries what he can do to make her quit.  Forty minutes into the show, her prime enemy, a photographer who has a score to settle with her because of a perceived insult to him, talks her boss into getting her into a very embarrassing situation, sure that it will make her quit. 

This is a very painful scene to watch.

I have been the victim of bullying as a child, and also as an adult.  I know that that scene was very painful in a very personal way to many viewers.  But look past that, if you can.  What happens?  She puts on the skimpy costume, allows herself to be placed between two tall, thin models, and strikes outlandish poses (as a stand-in for a missing model).  Laughter erupts.  Her boss?  We see conscience coming to the fore.  We see sympathy and shame.  He tries to stop the photographer.  He commands him to stop!  Betty, red-faced, runs from the building.  He follows.  She quits.  She knows that's what he wanted, anyway. 

Her boss finds out that this photographer has conspired with his own arch enemy to bring about his downfall; that he has been duped and embarrassed, just like Betty, only not in such a personal way.  An important account is about to be lost.  He finds a proposal that Betty wrote that is very good.  If he can get her to come back and if they can convince their client to give them another chance he is sure that Betty's idea will sell. 

In the meantime, Betty is still feeling her anger.  Using that ,she tears into the "hoochie mama" neighbor that her boyfriend dumped her for at the beginning of the show.  Good for her!

Boss man comes to her house to beg her to come back; to tell her how brilliant her idea is.  Here is the conversation:

Daniel: Betty, I am so sorry........You didn't deserve what I put you through......I.....I listened to all the wrong people about a lot of things.  I have no one to blame but myself.

Betty:  Well, I appreciate that, Daniel.  (pause)  But you're going to leave here, and you're going to take your town car back to your Soho loft, and I'm still going to be here, out of work and dealing with problems that you'll never understand.

Daniel:  Try me!  Betty, come on, we've all got problems.

Betty:  And what are yours, Daniel?  What restaurant you're going to eat at?  Which model you're going to sleep with?  Try spending the day on the phone with some crappy HMO, getting  them to cover your dad's prescriptions, or try lining up a job, any job, 'cause you've got to help pay the rent next month.

Daniel:  (pause) I lost a brother a while back......He was the good one in our family......and I've never quite measured up.  But I'm trying.  (pause)  Betty, my problems could never compare to yours, but they're mine. (pause and smile)  I saw the layout you made for Fabia. 

Betty:  (pause) You did?

Daniel:  I thought it was very smart.  And beautiful.

Of course, she ends up helping him.  The presentation is a hit.  The client approves it.  Daniel tries to give her the credit with his father, the owner, but she diverts it back to him, telling him that next time she'll take the credit.

That was just the first episode.  It gets better with each one.  We also discover that there is some mystery about Betty's father, and there is another mystery about Daniel's father. 

The actors have been cast very well in all the main roles.  Really, everything is exaggerated and over-the-top.  I mean, Betty is made up to be more unattractive than I can imagine someone of her intelligence being.  The snotty people who work at the company are Uber-snotty.  The characters of the receptionist and the assistant to the Creative Editor are over-the-top shallow, mean, conscienceless creatures, (and funny as all get-out) and Betty comes out on top when they tangle.  Her nephew is a fashion-whiz!!  Even the fictional television "Fashion" network is exaggeratedly, hilariously, over-the-top.  And throughout the episodes we get little snippets of a Spanish Telenovella (featuring Salma Hayak!), that, of course, is soap-opera at it's most over-the-top.

I was not offended by the show, because in my opinion it is not glorifying or putting a good face on bullying or on handling bullying.  I didn't think the show made fun of Betty's character or asked us to do so.  I believe the show actually asks us to embrace Betty, the Bettys we all know, the Betty that is inside of each of us.  I believe the show asks us to cheer for Betty and stand beside her as she faces some of the same things we face or have faced.  And I actually get a nice, satisfied, good feeling when I watch the show.

The second episode is my favorite so far, where we meet a down-to-earth, "beautiful-people" client of the magazine, who really is more comfortable with Betty than with anyone else at the magazine.  And in the third episode we meet an artist that the magazine is wooing, who just happens to be from Betty's Queens neighborhood, and who can handle the snooty magazine people without compromising his own integrity or trying to be what he is not. 

Betty does not try to fit in.  Actually she started to try at one point, discovered that it was not the smartest thing to do, and then informed her nay-sayers that she was there to stay, and they'd better just get used to her as she is.  I hope that if you've never given the show a try, that you will approach it with an open mind and then decide.  If you have watched it and find it offensive or painful, then I want you to know that I understand and respect that, and hope that I have not offended anyone.

I do want to quote my 10 year-old daughter after she watched the first episode:  "You know, I don't think Betty is ugly at all.  And if people treated me like that, I'd just go ahead and be myself anyway, just like Betty.  She's smart!"

Natalie asked what her readers' opinions were of the show, and this is part of the comment I left her:  "She's got 'cahones'! Lots of spunk and drive to be able to do what she wants to do, and when the going gets really rough, and she is taking a lot off of the "bullies" she has to deal with, she shows that she can kick butt intelligently and capably without having to come down to their level."

Tags: Ugly Betty

Change is in the air....

           And I'm not just talking about the leaves!

Thomas is getting ready to change jobs.  It's been coming for a long time, but it took a while for him to make a definite decision.  Four years ago he quit a company where he'd worked for 11 years.  There were good reasons for doing so at the time, and, as it turned out, it's a very good thing that he did.  About two years ago the company was bought and taken over by new management, and ever since then he's had lures thrown out to him to come back.

He resisted for some time, but things have slowed down at the job he has now, and there has been some trouble in certain quarters that has had him stressed out.  By early summer we knew it was time for him to make a move.

So he contacted his former supervisor who has been luring him "to the dark side", lol, all this time, and told him that by October or November he'd be ready to come back.  This particular supervisor has a lot of pull and wants Thomas working in his own department where he would be able to work day shift and have all the overtime he wants. 

Here's where my story takes a sappy turn; my precious husband does not want me to have to go back to work after the first of the year, and that's the main reason he's going back to this company!  (Can you say, "Awww......"?)  If I wanted to go back to work, that would be fine, but he and I both have seen what a difference it has made to both the kids to have me home again, and we'd really like to have that continue if at all possible.  The overtime and the regular pay that this company offers could make it happen.  The benefits are a little better than what he has now, as well.

We may have to re-budget a few things and be careful to keep our savings in place, but we've found before that quite often, when you aren't making as much money, you don't spend as much money.  And I could maybe look for something part time if the need arose.  But actually, if he works as much as he expects to, my salary won't be missed by too much, anyway. 

He's done his application, background check, drug testing, strength testing, interviews, and orientation.  They've made him an offer, he's just waiting to make sure that they're putting him in the department and on the shift that he wants.  This morning I typed up his letter of resignation for him, that he'll turn in on Friday, if he gets the good word that  he's set to go.  

Things have been busy and a little stressful around here, as all of this has been going on.  He really likes the company where he is right now and so many of the people he works with.  But, as I said, things are changing there, so once everything started rolling for him to change jobs, he started relaxing and coming to terms with his decision.

I've been busy with things at the kids' schools, and just haven't felt much like journaling lately.  I think you get that way, once in a while.  My sister, Maxine, is coming up to visit for a few days at my Mom's, and Friday night, all of us girls are going to spend the night at our Mom's, sort of a "sleepover".  Eler Beth is coming with me, too, and she is really looking forward to it.  She's so much like my sisters, anyway, and she thinks it will be fun to have a grownup pajama party.  I was on the phone with my sister, Barbara, for over an hour this morning, so I think I must be needing a little dose of my sisters' company.  It should be a hoot! 

Well, hope everyone is enjoying this Wednesday (cloudy, chilly, and looking like rain, here!), and I'll probably be back later today!

Friday Catch Up

I'm trying to catch up on alerts today.  I've just been too busy to spend much time at the computer for the past couple of days; but for the life of me, I don't know what I've been busy doing!  The kids were out of school yesterday and today, and I thought they would want to go somewhere and do something, but they've actually been happy just to sleep in, play video games and watch movies.  Fine with me!  They've gotten along and Andrew actually condescended to play some games with Eler Beth, so she's in heaven!

I did make a "sibling" entry last night, but I just didn't feel up to doing more than that.  It is finally really feeling like Fall here.  The temp right now is 48, but according to The Weather Channel it feels like 44.  Leaves are falling; it quit raining Wednesday morning, only to start up again Wednesday night.  It rained all day yesterday and into last night.  I'm finally seeing a few more maples and oaks turning color, but our maples out front are still green, or dropping green leaves.  Eler Beth wants all the leaves to fall so she can rake them up.  It's so nice having an industrious kid!

Well, I'm off to check in with more journals.  I just saw the Vivi nominations list, so I have some work ahead of me, deciding on who I'll vote for.  Congratulations to everyone who received a nomination!

Some More Pictures...

P.J. in 1955.  Our uncle told her to make a "piggy" face.  He's the same uncle who started calling her by her initials.

 Dressed as an indian, 1955.  I'm not sure what the stick is supposed to be.  Notice the band-aid on her chin.

 Midge and P.J. 1960.

  Freshman picture 1968.

With her firstborn in 1971.

Meet My Sister, P.J.

           Graphic by Donna

Number 4 of the family is P.J. She is just under 12 years older than I, and I can actually remember her living at home; which I really can't for the older three. As a matter of fact, the earliest memory I have is of getting up one snowy, winter morning, going into the living room and sitting in my little red rocking chair in front of the big picture window and watching the three sisters closest to me in age getting on the bus.

P.J. married at 16, and she and her husband stayed married for over 20 years. They divorced then, and I won't go into any details there. She is now married to a wonderful man who fits into the family like a glove. P.J. is a tax preparer.

I was always just a little bit in awe of P.J. when I was little. I always thought she was so pretty, and I learned a lot about how to put on makeup from watching her and Lois.

P.J. is smart and funny. She has always had a way with animals, and that's how I think of her when I remember her younger years. She always had at least one horse; she took in every stray or wounded animal she found, and she helped the wounded ones get back on their feet. She and her first husband quite often "broke" horses for other people. I can remember her coming in with little green snakes or black snakes, and letting me pet them. Once I told my father a long, involved tale about how P.J. had taken me for a walk in the woods and let me pet a fox. I was about 2 years old. "They can lick!" I told my dad. I must have been convincing, and that, combined with his knowledge of P.J., made him believe me! P.J. was about to get into some trouble until Mom convinced him that it was just a story I had made up.

Once P.J. took a little green snake to high school with her, and during one of their breaks while she was walking down the main hall at the school, the snake raised its head up out of her pocket; the crowd of students in the hall parted like the Red Sea.

Animals weren't the only things that followed P.J. home. I actually remember an afternoon when the girls got off the bus, followed by one of P.J.'s fellow 8th graders who had, uninvited, followed her home. He was a very shy, quiet kid, who simply decided he was going to go home with her.  P.J.was mortified and totally avoided him. She had never had anything to do with him. But he was so smitten with her! Mom and Dad were very nice to him, let him stay for supper, and then Dad took him home. I don't think P.J. said even one word to him! I was about 4 at the time, and I was VERY impressed!

When Alton had his stroke, P.J. is the one who came to our door to tell me in person; and when our father died about 2 hours after we had left his side to go back home, she is the one who called me to let me know. She's the one who sat up with me the night before he died; when, after I had taken my turn sitting with Dad, I found I couldn't sleep. She and I talked about everything in the world, and I think we comforted one another. She told me stories about my maternal grandmother whom I had never known; stories I'd never heard. She and I are the ones who suffer from anxiety attacks and depression. She is the one who realized I was having a migraine at age 8, and told my mother what to do for it. (Mom just knew them as sick headaches, but P.J. used to have to go to the emergency room for shots whenever she got one.)

I could go on and on, I suppose, but I guess I'll save some things for later.

To be continued....

Finally, No Rain

P> 

The Oaks and Maples are still slow to change, but at least we have a little bit of color.

The rain finally stopped this morning, and the temps rose, but I'm not fooled.  I know it's going to be cooler in a few days. 

"She's A Lady...Whoa, whoa, whoa, She's A Lady...."

At least 76% one, anyway!

 

You Are 76% Lady

Overall, you are a refined lady with excellent manners. But you also know when to relax and not get too serious about etiquette

Are You A Lady?

Wednesday Morning 3 a.m. (Which is the name of a Simon and Garfunkel song, btw)

                                         

I haven't taken the time to write much since Saturday night.  Sunday was a busy day; we went to some friends' for dinner, which was very nice.  Monday and Tuesday I was busy doing some work at Eler Beth's school and here at home.  It has been raining steadily since Monday morning, but at least the temperatures have been mild.  I think that's about to change.  I've been up early and going hard all day long, so last night I conked out early.  As a result, I woke up early this morning.  (Read: middle of the night!)

That's okay, though.  I don't have much planned for today, and can nap if I want to.  I just had a craving for a cup of coffee, so I'm brewing some.  I'll probably be sitting here sipping my coffee and clicking away on the computer when Thomas gets up at 4:00.

I received a comment in my other journal from someone who reads this journal, and that has put me in the mood to write in that journal, which I've sadly neglected lately.  I hope to do some posting there today.  I also need to finish writing about my sisters.  I have three left, you know.  That has been really fun, introducing them to my readers and flipping through my memory files.  So sometime today I will introduce everyone to P.J., number four in the family.

Today is the last day of school for this week.  Thursday and Friday the kids are out on Fall Break.  I don't have anything planned for them, but I think they're looking forward to just sleeping in and playing video games; something they are not allowed to do on school nights.  We'll do something together, I just haven't decided what yet.

My sister Dee let me know that the teacher who requested postcards has been receiving quite a few.  I'm not sure how many she has yet, but I think close to 40.  I'd like to think that a lot of them are from you guys, and thank you again for sending one if you did.  She's supposed to find out for me if she's getting a wide variety of states.

Well, I'll be back later.                   

A Challenging Puzzle

Kathy, at Onestrangecat, posted a puzzle that she got in an email on Monday.  It was very challenging, and took me around two hours total to do it, but I actually found all 30.  I couldn't find the "bonus" answer, though, and am still searching.  Go take a look and see what you can do!  I told Kathy I'd send her what I found in an email if she wanted, but I don't think the answers should be posted.  It was hard, and it took some diligent combing. Let me know what you find.

Directory of Journals

Kate at An Analysis of Life is taking on a monumental task of setting up a new, Alphebetized Journals Directory.  Please go to the link below and leave the name of your journal and its entire URL in the appropriate comments section.

The link for the Index is: http://journals.aol.co.uk/bobandkate/20062007-journal-index/

Sorry. One More.

You Should Drive a DeLorean

You don't take yourself too seriously, and you prefer a fun, unusual car... like this Back to the Future gem!

What Sports Car Should You Drive?

 

Now, this I'll buy.  And besides it reminds me of a funny story.  When Back To The Future came out I went to see it with my sister Lois.  Remember at the beginning when Doc Brown is showing what's-his-name, Michael J. Fox's character, the car for the first time and he shows him how he sets the date?  Well the date they set the car to was the actual date that we were in the theater watching the movie!  Month, date and year.  Funny, huh?

 

A week later we talked our Mom into going to see it with us, and I think we took some other people as well.  I can't remember.  Anyway, remember when the Libyans come to the parking lot and start shooting at Doc Brown, and Fox's character gets in the DeLorean, starts it up and takes off?  Remember when the car disappears and all that's left are some tracks marks and smoke?  And it's silent on the screen for about 10 seconds?  Well in that 10 seconds, when all was silent in the theater, my mother very audibly said, "Well, my goodness!"

 

Everyone in the theater laughed!

The Last One. I Think.

You Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, you take life at a slow pace. You are very consistent - both in emotions and actions. You tend to absorb set backs easily. You are cool and collected. It is difficult to offend you. You can remain composed and unemotional. You are a great friend and lover. You don't demand much of others. While you are quiet, you have a subtle wit that your friends know well. At your worst, you are lazy and unwilling to work at anything. You often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams. You can get too dependent on others, setting yourself up for abandonment.

What Temperment Are You?

 

Well, I like this one.  I don't think I agree with the "too dependent on others" part, because actually I tend sometimes to be too independent.  I like the subtle wit part, though! lol

Should I stop?

You Have Your Sarcastic Moments

While you're not sarcastic at all times, you definitely have a cynical edge. In your opinion, not all people are annoying. Some are dead! And although you do have your genuine moments, you can't help getting your zingers in. Some people might be a little hurt by your sarcasm, but it's more likely they think you're hilarious.

How Sarcastic Are You?

 

I think this one got it about right!

How Do I Drive?

Your Driving Is is: 57% Male, 43% Female

According to studies, you drive both like a guy and a girl. This means you're a pretty average driver, with typical quirks. Occasionally you're frustrated and or a little reckless, but that's the exception - not the norm.

Do You Drive Like a Guy or a Girl?

 

I'm not sure, but I think I may be insulted!  Is it saying that I should be happy that I'm more male driver than female driver?  I'll have it know that I'm a very good driver. 

 

This one was hard to take because of how they worded the questions.  They used the word "never" in some of the questions, and you really had to think it through to make sure you were answering correctly. 

 

I'm overthinking this, aren't I?

My Left Side, Actually...........

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational. You are also giving and kind - a great friend. You are easy going and trusting. However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games.

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

 

Well, of course I am!

I just fall for Blog games.

Tags: Blogthings

My Left Side, Actually...........

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational. You are also giving and kind - a great friend. You are easy going and trusting. However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games.

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

 

Well, of course I am!

I just fall for Blog games.

Dum De Dum....

I can't sleep.

I've tried.

Too much tea this evening.

Five Factors

Well, this is interesting.

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is medium. You are generally broad minded when it come to new things. But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it. You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

 

Isn't it neat how we can find out so much about ourselves??  Who needs therapists with these little quizzes around!

How many of me?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 45 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Just 45?  Ah, but there is only one Me!

What Pattern Is My Brain?

Hmmm.  This is my brain pattern? 

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Still More Pictures.....

  Maxine with Mom's brother, Carl, 1953

 Dee, Alton and Maxine 1959

  On Easter Sunday 1960

    

With her soon-to-be-husband, 1967

 

 Here she is in 1968, holding Yours Truly; I was two in this pic.

All kids really want to be Jedi, don't they?

I read a journal entry yesterday that really tickled me, so I'm going to pimp it here.  Please check out this entry on Disneyland by nzforme.  The latter half of the entry is about an attraction in Tomorrowland called The Jedi Training Academy. Made me wish I were still a kid!  It's cute even if you don't know anything about Star Wars, but even funnier if you know something about Jedi (and Jedi "mind" control -- {{waving my hand slowly in front of you}} "You WILL read this entry."  And now you answer me and say, "I WILL read this entry.")

So go on, already.

Meet My Sister, Maxine

 Graphic by Donna

 

Maxine was 14 when I was born. She is a teacher and has taught for around 25 years now. She has taught kindergarten, first, second and fourth grades, but for the past 12 years or so, she's stuck with first grade. She's a very good teacher, lots of fun and very creative; but she is really looking forward to retiring in a few years! We need more teachers like her, and they should be paid more.

Maxine and I are the only two of the kids who don't live in Kentucky. She is coming up for a visit, as a matter of fact, in just a couple of weeks. She used to come in once a year, then twice a year, and nowadays we never know just when she might be popping in! I think she misses us (mostly Mom) more than she used to. But her kids and grandkids are in Florida with her, so she won't be making a move anytime soon.

Maxine was (and still is) the one that you didn't want to dare to do anything, because she'd usually do it. From as far back as I can remember her she was married and she and her husband were sort of in the light of fairy godparents to me, because every time they'd come to visit they'd bring me a present. They called me "Baby" (because I was the baby, of course), until their son was born, that is; boy was I jealous of him! Once they came to visit and brought me one of those little plastic pools. I was so excited! My brother-in-law filled it up, then promptly ran and jumped in it, just being funny. Well, he totally busted the little pool. He was so chagrined that he immediately went out and got me another one!

Writing to Maxine was how I learned to write letters. Whenever Mom would write her I'd scribble lines on a piece of paper and Mom would send it along with her letter. Then Maxine would write me back and comment on all my "news" just as if I'd actually written something. Then when I did start writing, I used to drive my mother nuts asking her how to spell things. I think she finally got irritated and told me to ask Barbara or figure it out for myself. Thus, Maxine has a few samples ofmy early writing endeavors, phonetic spelling and all. The very first poem that I ever wrote, or at least the first one that we have documented evidence of, was written to Maxine and included in one of my letters to her. She still has it and my mother has a copy of it. I can still recite it. I can recite it correctly, and I can recite it the way I spelled (or shall we say, misspelled) it. Would you like to hear it? Maybe I'll honor you with a recitation sometime.

Dennice, Alton and Maxine were the three that I really don't remember much about from my early years, except that they would come to see me. Dennice got married the month after I was born, Alton moved out to stay with an uncle and aunt where he was working at the time, by the time I was about 1-1/2 years old, and Maxine married at the age of 15. So they were kind of mysterious to me until I was about three years old. (By the way, Maxine married at 15, but finished school, and she and her husband didn't have any children until she was 18. And they were married until he died in 1996.)

Maxine is funny, talented, and musically inclined as well, playing guitar and a little banjo. She is a wonderful aunt. All the grandkids and great-grandkids love her. She is currently helping Eler Beth build her collection of "Princess" Barbies. Maxine's first husband died of a brain tumor ten years ago, and she remarried about six years ago, to a man originally from Germany, but a U.S. resident for more than 30 years. Maxine is the world traveler in the family, having done quite a bit of traveling before her second marriage, and even more since.

So now you've met number 3.

To be continued....

More Pictures

Alton in 1951; Alton and Dennice in 1952.

Senior year, 1966.

  Service picture 1970.

I have to add a little note here.  I can remember going with Mom and Alton's girlfriend (later wife) to Fort Knox to see him off.  His entire unit paraded in front of us, and I can remember holding Mom's hand and trying very hard to see my "Bubby".  They all looked the same to me!  Then they were dismissed and they broke ranks and ran to their loved ones, and all of a sudden this strange man in a uniform, with no hair was scooping up Mom, and then V (the girlfriend), and then me.  I was so shy with him.  He seemed like a stranger to me.

And I can remember watching the mail for those white envelopes with the red, white and blue trim to come, because it made Mom happy to get a letter from him; and he was a very faithful letter writer.  I remember Mom getting a letter once with a picture of him and his buddies standing next to their tank.  I still had a hard time telling which was Alton!  I'm glad he came home safely.

A few pictures....

Dennice in 1948 at our grandparents' farm.  Isn't her little dress sweet?

 

Senior year picture 1965.

This picture was taken in 1970.  I believe she had sent this one to her husband, who had been drafted that year and would be stationed in Germany for two years.  At the time of this picture, they had been married for 4 years, and had a one-year-old daughter.

 

I Think It's Cold

Yes, I do.

It is supposed to get down to 34 degrees tonight.  I brought some plants in yesterday, and we actually turned on the furnace right before bedtime, just to take the chill off the air.  Then I cut it back, because I don't want to see money burned while we're tucked up in our blankets!

In the morning I'll turn it up, so the kids will be warm getting ready for school, then it's back down again.  I've been dreading having to have the heat on.  At least the weekend is supposed to be in the sixties again during the day.

I enjoyed writing about Dennice and Alton, and will continue with my other sisters soon.  In the meantime, I thought I'd add a few pictures.  I don't think any of them would want me to post any current photos of them, but I don't think they'd mind if I posted some very old ones.  So I'll take a little trip through my photo albums and see what I can find.

Not much going on here.  I plan to visit a bunch of journals today, so if you haven't heard from me lately, today may be your lucky day!     

                                               

Meet My Brother, Alton

Graphic by Donna

My one and only brother was 16 when I was born, and he was so embarrassed about it! He's gotten over it, though!

Alton is a talented, funny guy who was drafted in 1970 and who spent two years fighting in Viet Nam. I was too young to appreciate it at the time, but when I got older I realized how that affected my quiet, peaceable brother. It was never easy for him to talk about the experience. Most of his adult working life was spent as either an over-the-road truck driver or working on family farms. In 1997 he suffered a stroke, and while being examined an aneurysm was found on his brain, and they operated immediately to clip it. I'll never forget the date of the operation because it was the same day that Princess Diana died, August 31, 1997.

It took some time, but Alton recovered a lot of what we thought was going to be lost forever. He can care for his own personal needs, and most of the time his memory is as sharp as ever. But he cannot live alone. His balance is still not good, he is on a lot of medication, and he has suffered a few seizures since the operation. But basically he is still the same big brother who helped me learn to play guitar, and I am still "Little Thumb" to him. (When he counts off his sisters he starts with his left thumb for Dee, and when he gets to me, number six, he is on his right thumb, which happens to be smaller than his left one -- therefore, I am Little Thumb.) He can still get aggravated with his sisters and he especially loves to tease and torment Lois.

As I said, most of the time his memory is good, but once in a while he'll get a little confused. At least he isn't hallucinating anymore! A few weeks after he was able to leave the rehabilitation facility, he was sitting at my mother's kitchen table, where he could see the clothes dryer. One of my sisters walked by and he said loudly, "Humph!" Lois said, "What is it?" Alton said, "A little Frenchman just climbed into the dryer." Lois looked at him for several seconds, then walked to the dryer and opened the door and looked in. "Well," she said, "there's no one in there, now." "Well, I saw him climb in," Alton said. "How do you know he was a Frenchman?" she asked, unable to help herself. "Because he was speaking French!" he answered.

He has never had another hallucination, as far as I know, but to this day, he remembers that and will swear that he saw a little Frenchman climb into the dryer!

The thing that I miss the most, that he has not recovered, is his amazing musical talents. Almost all of us can play at least one instrument, and we all sing, but he could play anything with strings or keys. He was self taught, and simply amazing on the guitar. He played a Chet Atkins version of Under The Double Eagle that you'd swear was Chet himself playing. He still has the knowledge to play, but not the same dexterity. And although his guitar sits in his bedroom, he rarely picks it up. For some reason I don't really think he misses it, though; we're the ones who mourn for the days when all seven of us got together to sing to Alton's accompanying guitar. He actually seems very happy and content, and when his grandkids come to visit he's in heaven!

Growing up the only boy in a family of six girls could be thought to be a bad thing, but I think he was always pretty much waited on by the older girls. And he had plenty of male cousins to run around with, so that it wasn't just him and the older girls when they were young. My mother has always maintained that she raised seven individuals and that she loved them each for who they were and no one more than the other. She has certainly never given us any reason to disbelieve her. But how could she not have a special spot in her heart for her only son? During the months that he was in the hospital and during rehabilitation before he was allowed to move back home, she stayed with him practically day and night. Since I was the one who lived near Louisville, near the hospital and the rehab center where he was, she stayed with me for weeks at a time, and every day I would take her over to spend the day with Alton. She sat with him, talked with him, and went through all of his various recuperative therapies with him. Even when another of us was there to spend the day, or when we took turns spending the nights with him at the hospital, she was still there most of the time.

Well, I kind of went off on a little tangent there, didn't I?

Anyway, I have Alton stories I could tell, too, so I wanted to give him a proper introduction.

To be continued....

Meet My Sister, Dee

  Graphic by Donna

I have at times in this journal quoted bits from emails or letters that I've received from my sisters. Well, my sister P.J. recently sent an email that had me chuckling most of the day after receiving it. I wanted to write about it in here, but first I thought I'd introduce everyone to my sisters and brother, mainly because some explanations will be due if I do share that email.

I've mentioned before that I am the youngest of 7 children. There are 18 years between my eldest sister and me. Dennice is a Speech and Language Pathologist who works in a school system and who also takes private clients. The rest of us thought it was rather ironic when she decided to become a Speech Pathologist because, of all of us, Dee is known as the "talker". She also has a very country/Southern accent that none of the rest of us have, even though we all grew up in the same county in Kentucky. Dee never fails to put her foot in her mouth and then proceed to make matters worse by trying to explain herself out of the situation. And although now, in her later years, she doesn't get into quite as many physical scrapes as she did when she was younger, she is still known as the one who could fall up a set of stairs, and the one who once backed into a parked school bus -- among other things. Oh, the stories I could tell!

Dennice is smart, and blunt, and funny. She is artistic, plays guitar, sings, is almost as good a seamstress as our mother, and there isn't a lazy bone in her body. She has a heart of gold and a quick temper. Sometimes she tends to look on the dark side of things, but there have been times when her scepticism has come in handy. She is a whiz with dealing with beaurocrats and no one is going to get anything over on her if she has anything to say about it. While growing up I've had many a battle royale with this eldest sister; I believe because we're both alike in ways that made us rub against one another at times. But when I came out of my teens we became very close, and there have been times when it's been eerie how closely our thoughts and actions have mirrored one another's.

When our brother had his stroke, it was Dee and I who coordinated the family, dealt with the medical people and kept the family informed. It is always she and I who plan any family function, and the ones the others come to for help communicating by phone or letter to any type of professional organization or society. It is her daughter, three years younger than I, who was one of my closest friends while growing up, and it is her granddaughter who IMs me every weekend.

Well, I could go on and on, but that gives you a basic introduction to Dee.

To be continued....