Shifting Gears

Do you remember the first time you drove a stick shift?  I do!!  We jumped and died and all kinds of stuff!!  My Dad didn't have a lot of time to spend out on the road with me so I practiced in the driveway.  I taught all my kids to drive a stick so that they wouldn't be limited to vehicles with an automatic transmission.

The oldest caught on quickly, my daughter scared me silly, and the youngest got help from both his siblings and it was no problem for him.  Now it's time to teach the oldest grandchild and his dad is doing a great job.  It won't be long until he'll be able to successful go up and down the road in anything he chooses to drive.

Decoration Day

I can remember when we were growing up that Decoration Day was a big deal.  For those of you who don't know, Decoration Day is a time honored tradition of the South.  It's a day that is spent taking care of a loved ones grave.  Before perpetual care at cemeteries grave sites were taken care of by family.

We usually got new clothes for Easter and we couldn't wear them again until after Decoration.  Most of the time it was a time for the family to gather from both near and far to do something out of respect as well as visit.  It was usually the one time of year that you saw distant kin folks.

We usually went to three different cemeteries.  Two of them were where my grandparents were buried and the other was where my Dad's brother was buried.  I remember like yesterday the first time I ever saw my Dad shed a tear.  He had been searching for where his brother was buried and when we found it, the grave was all grown up with saplings and weeds.  I watched as he took out his pocket knife and started to cut away all that he could.  I saw each tear fall to the ground as he promised that would never happen again.

I had not been to that cemetery in years until last Sunday.  My oldest sister and I went to all three of those cemeteries when we got off work.  Finding our Grandparents graves was easy, but since it had been so long since either of us had been to our Uncle's grave site, it was a challenge.  I tried looking it up on the computer, but didn't have any luck.  Then I called the local funeral home and they gave me directions.  Even though we found the cemetery we couldn't locate the tombstone.  I was beside myself, to think something might have happened to it, how would we ever find the right grave!  I decided to go back and look again, this time I found it. 

A lot can be said for traditions and family.  Honor old ones, make some new ones. 

Red Jelly

Today is Mother's Day, which made me reflect on some of my favorite memories of my Mom.  I miss her so much, even though it has been six years since her death it seems like only yesterday we were sitting at the kitchen table  at our house talking and watching the birds. 

Several years ago my oldest son had three business of his own.  One of which was a twenty-four hour gym.  I used to go over and work out a couple of days a week. I would always call my Mom before I started home to see if she wanted me to pick up anything, and on this particular day she requested that I bring home some of that rice stuff with the red jelly.  You see next to that gym was a great little Chinese Restaurant.  One of our favorites was Chicken Fried Rice, with sweet and sour sauce.  The serving size on the to go order was always so large that I would eat some while I was at the gym and then Mama and I would finish it off when I got home, and by the time I got home the sauce would be more like jelly. 

Reflect on you love and memories for you my call many women Mom you truly have only one.  Sometimes it"s not the woman who gave you birth, but the woman who gave you love and guidance as you grew up.

Cubby

It was like yesterday that I was watching as a toddler of two was walking a very special puppy/cub.  You see my youngest son had just brought home a wolf/husky mix and we were so creative with her name, we decided to call her Cubby.  My son went out of state to work and she stayed with us so my grandson who was there a lot helped us take care of her.  Then when I remarried, I moved and Cubby went to live with my oldest son.  Then when my grandson's mom settled down in Tennessee, she had a big fenced back yard and Cubby went to live with them.  When my grandson moved here to my oldest son's two years ago Cubby came home with him.

She shared a lot of hard times and good times with my grandson.  She hadn't been doing to well lately.  She has always gone through spells of not eating or hiding her food.  This time it was different.  We noticed she wasn't eating the scraps that Dustin was taking her and that she was losing a lot of weight. Both James and I started buying her canned food and both the boys and I paid closed attention to her eating.  She seemed to be doing much better until last Sunday and something about her just didn't seem right.  Her beautiful blue eyes had lost their brilliance.  I told the boys I didn't think she was going to make it that old age had taken it's tole.  She was 14 in people years.  We tried to make her as comfortable as we could and Dustin got her to drink some gator aide and late Monday night I was able to get her to eat a small can of tuna by hand feeding her.  Dustin stayed outside with her as late as he could.  He got up early Tuesday so he could check on her before he went to school.  He ask me if I would go with him and of course I did.  I felt so sorry for him when he found her, I think I have cried more than anyone, not just over the loss of a loved pet, but because I know the deep loss it was for my grandson.

They buried her in a special place on a small bank that runs down the side yard.  She will be surrounded by flowers and Dustin covered her grave in rocks so that her remains would be safe.