Husband took two days off from work..  which turned out to be only a day and a half ...  so we made a long weekend trip away.  We stopped Thursday night to visit with our son;  took him out to dinner at a mall I had been wanting to visit.  Loved the huge Barnes and Noble store and wished we had more time to really browse there.  On our way to the car, the rain started.  Woo hoo!  It was lovely, but made driving tricky.

 

We took the doggies out for their evening constitutional and got soaked ....  my hair was dripping and little Chi Bella was shivering and looking at me with her huge eyes nearly popping out of her head!  Thankfully son has a garage with a side door to the yard and that is where we dried off all three dogs.  Beau, our bodacious 45 lb mutt, loved the rain and running in Bubba's big yard.  Pug Buddy wanted back indoors fast and would not budge from under the pic nic table. 

 

It was wonderful to experience so much rain.  It has barely rained this summer in this sparkling little city by the sea we call home.  Because it was raining so hard, we hesitated making the 70 plus mile drive to our casita .   Son invited us to spend the night...  dogs and all.  Said son really doesn't like my sweet Beau who thinks he is a cute, lap dog whom everyone adores. 

 

Friday morning we were up early at 6:30 or was it 6? walked the doggies and took son to breakfast.  My husband loves Mexican breakfast taquitos and when he doesn't have his taquito, he gets grumpy.  Egg and bacon on a "homemade" corn tortilla and lots of iced tea is hubby's breakfast of choice.  I swear he drove 10 miles to a little restaurant he had found on previous trips when he was helping son get his house ready for the move-in.

 

By 9:30 we were on the road to our next stop.   My daddy lives in our casita and its wonderful to spend time visiting with him; to fix him meals and just knowing that he is well.  Daddy worked as a cemetery caretaker and at 82 was not ready to retire, but two and a half years ago he was finally convinced he should after a particularly bad bout with the flu.  It took him nearly two years to adjust to not only not working but also living in a different house on the opposite end of town.  The town is about 3 or 4  miles long.  His bank and supermarket are within walking distance and the little corner market is just down the street.  He can easily walk there for his Bud and twice weekly newspaper.

 

My niece and her daughters spent time with us.  We took the three g-nieces to McDonalds a couple of times.  Even the 2 and a half year old  asks me on the phone when I am coming to Mempo's and taking her to McDonalds.  The two youngest wanted to spend the night Friday and Saturday, but niece is not ready to allow her baby to spend the night.

 

Saturday morning, early, we loaded up the dogs and drove to Garner Park where Beau had so much fun retrieving and swimming in the Frio.  Chi Bella nosed at the edge and Pug Buddy stayed as far as he could from the river's edge.  We had had a short shower Friday night so the morning was cooler.  Lovely.

 

As we approached our lovely little city by the bay last night, we saw lightening in the far distance.  Beautiful!   Could it be raining?  Would it rain in our neighborhood?  Twenty miles from our house, it started raining, lessening the closer we got to home.  Only big fat scattered drops were falling as we pulled into our driveway.  Finished unloading just in time.  It rained enough to water my plants and lawn.  Hoorah!

 

Nap time. 

A FB friend posted a photo of his elementary class and I commented "ah the lovely days of segregation ...." 

 

When I started first grade in the little old town of Brackettville TX,  the year was 1959.  There were two first grade classrooms at Jones Elementary.  One was all white/Caucasian children and the other was all brown/Mexican/half-Mexican.  The children who were colored/African American had their own school.  Yes, even though I was only seven years old (my birthday is after September 1st and I was not allowed to start school until the next year)  I noticed this difference.  I told my parents about it and asked why.  I think there answer was "that is just the way it is".

 

I remember later that year, a drawing was held and I won.  I wanted the brand new doll in its box.  I was told "no" and the school secretary had to come and talk to me in Spanish (as if I didn't understand English) that I had to take the used doll, with one eye half-closed.

 

I remember playing on the merry-go-round after school one day when report cards were given out.  A girl from the other first grade class wanted to see my report card.  I remember she got angry when she saw my grades and said something that puzzled me and I told my parents about it.  I remember them looking at each other, sighing, and giving me some none answer.

 

That summer we moved to Uvalde where my mother's family lived.  We walked to downtown to shop and on the way home wanted to go inside a tiny little shack that sold ice cream, cokes and snacks.  We were not allowed to go inside, but had to order at the window.  Even at that age, I didn't want to buy from them after they would not let us inside.

 

I was considered an odd child.  I remember my mother whispering about me with her sisters.

 

I remember not being selected to participate in the town wide spelling bee although I was always the last person to miss a word in the class.  I was told the girl selected had the better handwriting.  Yes, she did.  I wondered what that had to do with being able to spell.  That was in fourth grade.

 

In 5th grade all the town's elementary schools came together under one roof.  About half my former classmates were no longer in my class, but  we met at recess and lunch.  I remember being pretty much friendless in 6th grade, but don't remember why.   Oh..I remember;  in 6th grade all of my friends had been placed in another class.  There were 2 boys that I knew from 3rd and 4th grade and that was it.  I was a shy girl and had started to wear glasses and my friends were talking about boys and movie stars.  I thought they were silly.

 

I remember one day in 6th grade when I was given Chip Bs paper to grade and I was honest and he made a very poor grade.  The other kids around me, whispered that I shouldn't do that; I should give him a better grade;  didn't I know who his father was?!   I remembered whispering back that I didn't care who his father was, that I was not going to change his grade.  Well, I never was given his paper to grade again.  

 

Uvalde's post office was recently renamed to honor Chip's father.  Will the town be next?

 

I remember freshman year at the local jr college, approaching one of my highschool friends and being rebuffed.  Pat was wearing an Afro and talking funny.  huh?  Was she ashamed to be seen talking to me?  

 

I remember our first Chemistry class test.  I was happy that I missed only one.  The instructor lit into the students pointing out my grade (I smiled proudly) and then saying they should not be allowing me to make a better grade than them.  It took me awhile to get his message.  He ranted for a bit.  The year was 1971.

 

Well, I grew up and am still odd.  My siblings find me odd.  Remember Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken ?  That poem spoke to me the first time I read it in highschool (freshman year, I think).  I decided then that I would be true to myself; not try to fit in.  So, I would not have a lot of friends and my mother would whisper with her sisters about my lack of boyfriend and how I was always reading, etc.

 

Along the way, I have found others who have become my friends, irregardless of  "race, color, or creed" and that includes the man I married  ;-)

 

Life;  fascinating; the more things change, the more they remain the same ...

The teens across the street started up their garage band again.  It has been quiet for weeks.  I just realized that 30 minutes later, I am still sitting here by the window which faces the street!  The music they are playing is actually quite mellow; quite musical and none of that banging, screeching stuff...yet. 

Just read the headline on MSN  "improve your marriage by not talking"  ...  had me chuckling.  Yep, my hubby would probably have something to say about this one.

 

I say that most of the talking in our marriage is done by my hubby.  I wonder what he would say? 

 

*yawn*  I feel so lazy.  Up before 6:30 AM, early enough to enjoy a bright moon and some planet  below it. 

 

Am thinking about the talking I do when with my hubby.  hmmmm....  not mindless chatter, I don't think.....

 

Probably, we need to do this or that;  check for holes in the mortar around the house;  the windows need re-grouting or whatever it is called;  the lawn has brown spots;  we need to enlarge that flower bed.  Wonder why my hubby doesn't notice the neighbor down the street's flower bed? 

 

He asks what about dinner when we have just left the movie theatre and consumed a ton of popcorn and soda.  My mind used to scramble madly with thoughts of what to fix.  Now, I simply say, "am too full to even think about dinner".

 

I say, 'the a/c filter needs changing'  He asks, 'do we have a new one?'   I think, "why don't you look?"  Instead, I say to him, "don't know".  I used to hop and go look to see if we have a new one.  I think, "why doesn't he remember about the a/c filter needing to be changed.  It is the middle of the month"

 

Maybe he wonders why I have allowed the study to accumulate all this stuff and why I unpacked son #2s mess and have not repacked it.  He cannot park his car in the garage because of it.

 

I better get off my duff and take care of some paperwork....  or not!  books to read, movies to watch...  should I fix an iced tea or go out for a mocha?  hmmmmm.....

Connecting with old highschool classmates is so much fun!  (you can see I don't get out much, huh? )   The latest has a 38 year old daughter.  good gosh..am I THAT old?!!  Old enough to have a daughter that old?!  I was a late bloomer.  My two sons are just in their mid-twenties.  This gal has a total of 12 grandchildren.  She is enjoying retirement and traveling around to visit her kids and grandkids. 

 

This morning I also chatted briefly on FB with another hsc.  She is single (again) and living in my other favorite city: Austin.  She is great with words.  She introduced me to a new author, Oscar Casares, a Texas native.  His book Amigoland came out this week.  I have checked out from the library his collection of short stories, Brownsville. 

 

Well..back to reading another of my favorite authors, Dorothy Cannell's Ellie Haskell mystery, She Shoots to Conquer. 

 

bliss

Second day of doing a 2 mile walk.  Yesterday we had a nice breeze, but today I was sopping wet by the time I got home and this was before 8 AM!  It is a hot, humid morning.

 

The Lanacane not only helped with the itching but also reduced the swelling substantially.  Yesterday morning when I went on my walk, I felt like I was carrying a small bag of fluid attached to my ankle.  Last night when I took Buddy for his around-the-block walk, not only was there no itch, there was also no "sloshing"!

 

How do I usually treat swelling cause by bug bites?  Ice and rest the foot and/or a poultice of vinegar and baking soda which also means immobility.

Read Carol Dee comment on how Lanacane helps her not only stop the itch but reduce the swelling caused by mosquito bites.  So, off to the local supermarket to buy Lanacane.  The itching stopped immediately. Nice.  Will see if it helps reduce the swelling also.

 

I remember how years ago when I broke out in hives, this is what I used.  The hives were gone in no time.

Am recovering from a week of the little g-nieces followed by four days at our casita when I dropped off the little ones.  At the casita I spent a lovely time visiting with my 80 plus yr old father, fixing meals, cleaning, taking him to visit his old hometown and folk there, a trip to Garner State Park with daddy and mutt, Beau, to dip our toes in the Frio River and I even mowed the lawn (mostly weeds and dirt) on my next to last day.

 

Now it is back to reading!  Which I keep falling asleep and haven't finished a book in the two days I've been back home.