June Street and Other Memories

It is Tuesday morning, and I am so glad to be at home. I spent a bittersweet day yesterday going to SC for the funeral of a childhood friend. The people I hugged at the funeral were people who were babies in the church nursery when I was, or took care of me when I was in the church nursery! I hugged so many people who helped shape my life, and I helped remember the life of a dear friend who mentored me like she did her own baby sister (who happened to be  my best friend in childhood).

After the funeral, guess where I went? Yep--you know it...

As you can see the picture is a bit fuzzy (and some of the others will be as well) but, as is often the case with me, there's a reason.

When I first turned off I-526 onto Paramount in my old neighborhood, I drove very slowly past the park that is immediately on your left. I had the window down and was snapping pictures of the the Welcome to Wando Woods sign.

I was vaguely aware as I snapped pics that someone was yelling. After the second picture, I realized the yelling was directed toward me! On the third picture, my mind and  senses all lined up and I realized that 3 young African American dads who were watching their kids on the playground, we yelling AT ME, "Hey--who you takin' pitchuhs of?!"  They thought I was taking pictures of their kids! I was so unnerved that none of my pictures turned out well!

I headed on down toward June Street and  truck was right behind me. The truck had seen me taking pics at the playground and it went ALL THE WAY DOWN (13 streets!) to June Street with me. I stopped at the June Street sign and took another picture. The truck stayed on my tail all the way down the street, and I was really worried that the guy in the truck was some sort of Community Patrol who was watching me! I was carrying yesterday, because I knew I would be driving alone late at night, so I had visions of getting pulled and having to explain why I was taking unauthorized photos at a playground with a loaded gun in my possession!

After a lap or two around the neighborhood, and  a ride down the "Big Dip"

(doesn't look so big now does it?!), the guy finally left me alone. I also rode down Flynn, which was our route to the river (remember?),

and I got a picture of June Street as I turned to head back toward my old house.

Do you all remember learning to ride your bikes here?

As I was ready to leave,  I got a very fuzzy picture of my old house. It has been sold again, and it is not in very good shape, even though it looks pretty good in the picture.

After Wando Woods, I scooted up to Columbia and got there just in time to take Will to supper as he got off work. That was so fun to see you, Will!

From Columbia, I drove to the Charlotte airport and picked up Vally who was just in from Omaha.

I decided that memory lane is sweet and fun to do every so often, but just seeing my family  and getting back to my own home is really what I love!

Schmells like Schitt

Pardon the title, but that is exactly what it smells like around here. Instead of the happy ice cream truck ding-a-linging its way past our house,

we get the poop schmeerer lumbering and spraying.

I don't care what you say, Chris Jr, it does not smell like money. It smells like a very large bathroom that needs a septic pumper's attention.

Remember how pristine it was Saturday?

Now check out that once-pristine view...

Black and getting blacker.

Even though it is horribly stinky and fun to make fun of, ultimately I don't mind it. It means we live in the country and we are on a farm. That I can live with.

Pappaw's 76th birthday dinner

 This year was Pappaw's 76th birthday. I have always thought of "old" as someone in their 80's, but it just occurred to me that 76 is almost 80! It is funny that though Pappaw's mind is deteriorating, he is still as strong as a bag of hammers! Built like one too!

The  usuals showed up for the get together. Grandma, Pappaw, and Jean, early. Tim., late.

Joel decided that 6:00 in the evening was just too late for him, so he went to bed. But Nettsie came (she can stay up later than 6:00), looking lovely, and your dad, Val, and I rounded out the guest list.

Grandma made me laugh with her choice of party attire. After all these months of making fun of Vally for wearing her pajama pants for every event except church and job interviews, Grandma showed up in flannel pajama pants for Pappaw's supper!

Pappaw was very funny as usual, with his random comments that really fit the moment. At one point, he sang another line that I had never heard to the song "She's got freckles on her BUT she's perty!" None of us can remember exactly how the line went, but it was something like, "And I saw her AS [pronounced ASS] she passed the window" and "I thought it was her BUT [read BUTT] it wasn't." Of course we all howled, and Grandma rolled her eyes!

Pappaw was very proud of himself for blowing out all 7 candles on his birthday cake in one breath.

 And unlike his offspring, he did not spit on the cake. We were all thankful!

It's Just So Byootiful

Sometimes I forget just how byootiful it is here at our house. Saturday was one of those really, really pretty days. All week the forecast had predicted thunderstorms all day Saturday. Instead we had gorgeous blue skies. I would say Carolina blue skies, but that smacks of treason. I took this picture from the zipline platform looking South, toward Robert's land.

And this picture...

looking North toward Chris Jr's old food plot and the back of the trucking company. I wish I were a better photographer so the pics could do the view justice.

Here's one last one...

 

~*Happy sigh.*~

The Zip Line

The zip line is now about 182 times safer now than it was a couple of weeks ago! Woo-hoo! Your daddy and Michael worked all day Saturday to get the platform nailed down, and they even got a couple of the notched posts for the side rails in place as well. They were some tired cowboys when they finished.

 Lynette and I walked down to admire the work and to take a zip line ride--her second and my first--Saturday night. Lynette said it was a lot more fun not having to hang out over nothing to get started. I actually wasn't scared like I thought I would be. There was a split second of insane fear when my feet left the platform, and then there was quite of bit of terror as the last tree came up fast! I was fixated so hard on the tree, that the crazy strap whacked me right across the nose and forehead as I jerked to a stop. I had a perfect imprint of the strap on my face for the rest of the evening! [stop laughing, Chris Jr.!]

Getting back up on the platform when the 4-wheeler pulls you back up is a bit tough if you are 47 and have a 50 lb. sack of feed masquerading as your butt. Michael and Lynette very graciously hauled my arse back up on the platform without laughing. I applaud them.

Now all we need is more cool weather so y'all can come camp and zip with your friends! We love friends!

The Belove-ded Annual Garage Sale

Yesterday, Saturday, was the annual (semiannual, biennial? Something) y-rad sale at the Bittermans. Lynda E.started the whole thing with wanting to sell her couch. It was starting to have trouble with the springs and she decided it had to go. She also decided the two armchairs, coffee table, and HUGE, ugly, hideous lamps had to go as well. Basically her whole living room! Val really needed to make some money, so she collected and sold junk from me and Grandma. Christine E. brought stuff as well.

Friday was the day where we really had to work to get ready (as y'all well know!). Lists, signs,

makeshift tables,

carting stuff out of the house, arranging junk,

 shooing the cat off the tables, making lots of iced tea--all had their place.


Saturday we were out on on the carport at 6:30 and we pretty much had steady customers all morning. Between the 3 families, we made around $600! And the crazy couch that started it all did NOT get sold, because Lynda suddenly decided she still liked it!

We had a few characters to come through as usual, but no real creepers or anything. The only real negative to the day was Christine E. had a very expensive pair of prescription sunglasses stolen. Annoying! The sweet thing about the day was that Lynda E. was so happy. I have not seen her like that in a long long time. It actually made me cry with happiness as I thought back on how truly happy she was on Saturday.

Now for the really funny thing. OK. Grandma L. cleaned out a few shelves in her basement and gave Val the junk to sell. She had about 8 copies of our Aunt Bertha's  torrid self-published "novel" (it is really a thinly veiled autobiography of herself, with all sorts of fanciful, fictional details added) about a country gal's love affair with the local doctor. The crazy thing is she uses actual names of the real people in the book, and on her dedication page, she dedicates the book to the doctor that she had the affair with! Yep--she was one looney lady!

Well, a lady at the yard sale picked one up and asked us about it. Grandma L. was out there and she and I tried to respond politely about the book. The lady actually bought one! We all got to laughing about it, and scarfed up all the other copies, and flipped through them. Val started reading it out-loud and we howled at the "steamy," racy stuff Bertha had written. It was hilarious and embarrassing! Check out everybody digging into this racy read:

Your dad and Michael spent the day working on the zip-line platform. Smart guys to stay away from the crazy garage sale people and the racy novels written by relatives!

My first one!

Hey Nettsie, Mikey Ben, Sebbie, Will-bill, and Val-louise,

Guess what? This is my first blog! I know you're impressed. It occurred to me the other day that I am constantly composing notes in my head to y'all about what is going on around here, but they seldom make it to the computer. I thought maybe a blog would help me to get those thoughts actually typed out and shared, and it would keep y'all in the news loop.  With all of y'all moving to far flung places, I thought this blog would be a fun way to think about home.

That's all! I hope this is fun and not dumpty!