Growing Pains
The kids stayed overnight on Saturday. Brody hung out with Papa, gathering wood for the wood pile, while Lilli spent the afternoon and evening at the barn with her Aunt Maddie. By the time they made their way in, I was ready with their dinner, and then corralled them for bath. Brody recently transitioned into a "big boy" bed at home, and after a few weeks of getting used to it, we were ready to implement the transition here. Up until now, he's been in a pack-n-play in the laundry room, while Lilli has occupied the top bunk of their bunk beds. Because he is very loud as he puts himself to sleep, doing this rocking thing that he's done since he was an infant, we decided to let Lilli...
On Answering
I love any and all shows having to do with history in a broad sense, or, more specifically, the stories of people's lives. I really love genealogy shows, for this reason, and was recently watching an episode of Finding Your Roots. While finding out her family's slavery background, African-American guest, Donna Brazile, recollected what her mother had told her as she was growing up in the volatile racial climate of the south. "Donna, you remember that it's not what they call you, it's what you answer to." Obviously, Donna headed her mother's advice, as she grew up to be the first African-American to manage a presidential campaign, and is now a veteran political strategist. While others may...
Memories of my Granny
I remember her sitting in her red chair, feet propped up on its ottoman, where she would beckon me to sit. She let me try on some of her nightgowns, and since she was often in some sort of lounge wear in her last years, we would sit together, matching, and she would talk to me in her quiet way. My grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Price, would be 119 years old today if she was celebrating her birthday on earth. Born in Denton, Texas in 1897, she was one of six children, three boys and three girls. She died when she was just 73, from a heart attack, following years of suffering with COPD and heart disease, leaving me with no memories of her walking, but always sitting in her chair. But I...
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
Target. For mommies (and grandmommies), it's the land of bright and cheery aisles, fun and affordable style, and the Dollar Aisle. For kiddos, it's the land of the free cookie. Well, at least for one kiddo I know. Brody likes to go to Target for that one reason. When I told him we were going to there to get some clearance winter barn wear to keep at my house (you know, for this frigid 70 degree weather we've been having), all he heard was "Target...cookie." So, of course, he was completely on board. I got him settled into their newest carts that don't rattle, squeal, or get off kilter, gliding along as if on air (yes, they're my favorite), and he immediately gazed longingly at the...
Obscurity
This weekend, I cleaned out two jam-packed closets, all of my bathroom drawers and cabinets, and my pantry. From them, I took out four big trash bags of garbage, and four more bags and a box for charity. It's so amazing to me how much stuff I let pile up. More amazing, though, is what I found beneath all the junk. There were things that had gone missing months (years?) ago. Yes, things that were actually good, with actual value, were hidden beneath stuff that had no business being in those storage spaces. Take my bathroom drawers, for instance. Underneath almost empty bottles of foundation, and hair clips with teeth missing, sat a my grandmother's copper brooch. I had looked all...