Hi Ho Cherry-O and other Hits I remember

On the porch with Maylee

We eat ice cream cones just about every evening on the porch after dinner.    

Here I am in Houston 10 days now and I am enjoying the grandkids and the exhausting cycle of a preschooler's day.  Hi Ho Cherry-O is a hit with Emma Kate, but Maylee just likes to mix up the fruit into the baskets.  I remember my Hi Ho Cherry-O had wooden cherries that were much bigger than these tiny plastic pieces of fruit.  Things just aren't what they used to be.......
 Other fun stuff I introduced to the girls: "Mother May I?" and Slap Jack.  I remember liking both of those, but not so much now.  Slap Jack is ......just so....boring.  But Emma Kate gets such a kick out of it, it is hard to say no when she wants to play the millionth time. And I totally forgot that you are completely at the whim of the "Mother" in MMI.  It is she and she alone who determines if you are a winner or a loser.  Emma Kate caught on to that pretty quickly.  

I have noticed that the family dynamic has changed since I was a parent of small kids.  Here is what I see:
1. not as much TV around here as I exposed my kids to--we watched "Today's Special", "Bozo the Clown", "The Electric Company", "Sesame Street", "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" and anything else I thought was worth viewing.  Hmmmmm......maybe I overdid it on the TV watching???
2. Almost everybody is "plugged in" to the computer or iphone at one time or another for very long periods of time.  Sometimes at night I stare at FB or google something random, because everyone else is googling, reading, working, or watching a movie on the computer.  So what I see is the internet is taking the place of TV BIG TIME.  at this house anyway.  Even the 2 year old and the 4 year old enjoy the family videos and games that the iphone or computer offer.  
This is by no means a criticism.  Just an observation.   
One thing, however, seems to have remained constant:
The kids rule.
So, some things never change.  

Hold the Onions

G.K., a longtime friend of mine, posted on my FB page that she was thinking of me in the "sandwich" season I am in right now.  A couple of days after Mama's surgery, Katie, who is 19 weeks pregnant, called me from California where she and Adam and the girls were attending Adam's cousin's wedding.  She said she had some complications, so they went to an ER close to where they were staying.  She consulted an OB and they were cleared to fly a day after they were scheduled to come home.  She is now home and on bed rest until further notice.  I am headed out there this week, after Mama goes home on Tuesday.  
It is a huge blessing to have my parents and my children and grandchildren.  I am so glad that I am able to help on both ends.  I haven't experienced wanting to be two places at once, though,  and it is frustrating.  Mama goes home Tuesday, and after that, I will head to Texas to help Katie with the girls.  I am praying that everyone will be just fine---it will just take time for both of these girls that are so important to me.  I will go to Texas armed with Hi Ho Cherry-O and a few princess surprises.  Mama is going home with terrific ladies who have been helping us in the  hospital and at Rehab. ......  and I wondered what I would be doing once I got to Memphis!  The house renovation has taken a back seat but I have a great contractor and Clark to fill in the gaps.  I did make a huge boo boo on one of the paint colors and didn't notice it until the room was painted a gosh awful aqua. 
So as far as the sandwich, I am enjoying it most of the time---just don't want anymore onions, that you.  

I Keep Reliving It

2:00 in the morning. Just getting home from ER. Got everything you need?Silly, I've been here before.Hid the throw rug under the bed.Ensure in the cooler.Sure you have everything? Forgot toothbrush.No worries I've got extra.New tube of Crest.Time to get in bed.Love you love you too.So tired.One more check.Brushing her teeth. Climbed into bed.Pillow feels so good.Heard something.Faint bumps.Go back to sleep.Not time to get up yet.Clark making coffee.Can't find your mother! Ran to the kitchen.Heard the moans.Tiny little body crumpled at the bottom.Clark already there.These are so steep.No, don't move her!Holding her hand.Mama, lie still.Don't try to get up. It sounded crispy like Cheerios.I think it's my hip.Try not to move.911.What is your emergency?How many stairs?About 25 feet.Spell what?T-I S-H-O-M-I-N....Clark, here, finish 911.I need to be with her.How long have you been here?OMG.This doesn't seem real.I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry.Terror.Don't show it.You'll be OK You'll be OK.They're here.So many big men with boards and red straps.How far did she fall?Can't get her out.Little body scrunched up against the door.Jammed against the first step.Door opens in.Nowhere to go.Get her out.Try not to cry.Stay calm.Take off your pjs.Put on some clothes.Grab your purse and hers.Running.Riding in the ambulance.Siren.Every bump a moan.Why did he drive down Poplar?No traffic on Walnut Grove.Don't throw up.Keep it together.We're almost there, Mom.Just a few more minutes.You're doing great,Mama.Good morning.What is your mother's social? 

Beach Trips and a City House for a Country Mouse

I realized that I have not been here for over a month. I have been on the road and have put about 2000 miles on my car in the last six weeks: a trip to Austin to see Leah and the boys, a trip to Naples, FL to meet with nine college friends, a trip to Rosemary Beach, FL with Katie, Adam and the girls, a trip to Houston for Emma Kate's ballet recital,  and several trips to Tupelo with Clark to prepare Sara's house for sale. In the meantime, we have purchased a house here in Memphis that we are really excited about.  We are tired of our "flat" and not having a home that belongs to us. The house we just bought is a 1938 home in an older part of Memphis.  It needs a bit of updating which we were not expecting, but we think it might be fun to redo the kitchen and the master bath before we move in.  Since we are renting, we can stay here over the summer until our lease runs out and hopefully we can get the renovation completed before we move out of here. (I wonder if that will actually happen)  
Anyway, it might be fun to take some "before" and "after"  pictures and maybe you could even weigh in on some ideas---I'm open to suggestions.  I will post pictures of the house after we close so that I won't jinx the process. The lady we bought it from has owned it since 1947 and is experiencing seller's remorse.  So we are holding our breath in case she finds a way to back out of the contract.  I understand it is hard to let go of the home you lived in for 64 years, but you could still be nice to the potential buyers.  Or not.  


Pictures of the fun I've been blessed to have lately:

                     Love my  grandbabies.              

My buddies from Ole Miss days

The Ozarks

The first memories of family vacations that I have are the ones at Bull Shoals, Arkansas.  We went just about every summer until my parents divorced in the 60s.  There was a Resort called Crow-Barnes that sat right on the lake, complete with a pool and horse back riding.  I think it is probably not there anymore, but it was a bit of heaven for me in my elementary school years.   

Toler Buchanan, father of one of my best buddies, taught me how to water ski on Norfork Lake, which is located adjacent to Bull Shoals. Carol and I double skied as early as the second grade and progressed to slaloms pretty soon after that.  We would ski all day and would beg Mr. Buchanan to keep the boat out until the last light at dusk.  That's when the water became smooth as glass.  I can still remember riding in the back seat of the Buchanan's car smelling Mrs. Buchanan's chocolate chip cookies and anticipating the fun we were going to have as we traveled the 4 hours to Lake Norfork.   I loved this area so much, I sent my two girls to Camp Soaring Hawk for years and years in Purdy, Missouri, not too far from where we are today.  So I have wonderful memories of this area.  

 Clark and I are back in the Ozarks this weekend for a little trout fishing and hiking.  But I elected not to fish today.  We are at PJ's Lodge right on the White River, and Ellie and I are going to take a walk in just a bit.   Hopefully I will get to take a few pics without freaking her out.  It is such a pretty spot, and it is not too cold for a  March in the mountains of Arkansas.   

So Ellie and I just got back from our adventures and it was pretty uneventful until......the huge German Shepard came barreling out of nowhere to eat us both alive.  I was frozen with fright but Ellie girl represented.  She gave him a good ole growl that only a girl can give a guy when he's coming on too strong, and he turned and walked away.  Awesome, Ellie.  
We did see a guy in overalls way back on the gravel road looking very hillbillyish, but when he looked my way, I decided not to take his picture.  He was headed out to his chicken yard with something ominous in his hands. 
 Here are the pictures I did snap:

Shouldn't that be Rio Blanco?

First Sign of Spring.

The bull did not like Ellie.

Ellie did not like the bull.

Rompin on the White River.

From Magnets to Ballet

I have just come home from an exhausting and exhilarating Texas trip to see my two girls and their sweet families.  I drove from Memphis to Austin in one day, stayed about a week, then drove to Houston for a couple of days and drove home.  I am so blessed to have such great kids and grandkids.  They were a much needed reminder of new little lives after the past few weeks.  The boys are so much fun, and Henry asks the cutest questions.  It is so fun to see what they are interested in ---right about now, Henry is into magnets, so we went to the toy store and got him a horseshoe magnet.  I loved watching him discover what items have the right amounts of iron and nickel and the other metals that stick.  Milo is into watching Henry, laughing and climbing a lot.  He has such a cute little personality.                      

Houston was all about girly girls.  I brought Emma Kate and Maylee new swimsuits and loved watching them try them on and watched Emma Kate practice for her first dance recital.  Maylee and I were in each other's arms a good bit of the time.                

It is so hard to leave my girls and their babies.  I never leave without wondering what it would be like to live closer.  

Talk about Treasures!

While going through Sara's belongings in the last few weeks, Clark and I discovered some fantastic family treasures that were outside in the storage room.  We were surprised to find them there, and carefully brought them into the house in the torn up box they were in for who knows how long, and began to look through them. I am not talking about money or jewelry or antiques; I am talking about Sara's keepsakes: wedding pictures, photographs from her childhood, her Tri Delta group photo from Ole Miss circa 1935, and  beautiful portraits of her at age 18 to name a few.  We were just sick about finding these priceless items in the same room off the garage that houses the used flower pots, garden tools, step ladders, empty jars, and multiple spider webs--not to mention the mold.  But there they were in the corner on the shelf.  We even found one of the straw hats worn by the bride's maids in Sara and Cy's wedding.  And it was adorable.  I usually do not give unsolicited advice on this blog, (I do enough of that with my family) but sometimes someone else's experiences help others, and I hope that this is one of those times.  So here's what I want to express:
How fun and meaningful it would have been for Sara and for us if we had gotten out all of these items while she was alive.  She could have given us details of who was who in some of the photographs, and I know she would have enjoyed us being interested.  And we could have told her how beautiful her photographs are.  I don't know anyone who doesn't want to hear something good about themselves!  We just didn't know they were out there. And there aren't too many family members or friends left to help us figure out who everyone is in some of the photos.  So, if you still have your parents or grandparents, or any family member who would enjoy discussing their past with you, I encourage you to get out the photo albums with all the little triangular black photo holders that are falling apart and take a walk down memory lane with them.  You will be so glad you did. 
I think the reason Sara didn't do that with us is that she either forgot about them, or she just didn't think we'd be all that interested.  And there was probably a time when Clark was younger and not intrigued by his mother's old photographs and letters.  But he is now, and I know he wishes he had had the chance to spend an afternoon with his mom learning things about her he might not ever know.  We are grateful for her wonderful keepsakes, and rest in the knowledge that she would be happy that we will be cleaning, refurbishing, and preserving those things she kept in that torn up box for so long.