Peek-a-boo

Last weekend, Baby Ruth spent the night with Mawmaw and PawPaw so the kids could go out for the evening.  I had picked her up on my way home from work and we had all had a good evening together.  We'd ate pizza, built blocks, read books, played Cookie Jam, watched a Disney movie.  Baby Ruth had her bath and was in her little zip up footie pajamas.  Snug as a bug, cute as pie.

It was now a little after nine and I'm watching Blue Bloods.  Bug is reading.  PawPaw is in bed and Baby Ruth is playing quietly on the floor of the living room.  She has an old baby towel she is playing with.  At one point she stands up, puts it over her head and engages me in a round of peek-a-boo.  Then Aunt Bug takes a turn.  We have several rounds of the standard "Where is so & so?" - "There she is!" peek-a-boo.

Now Baby Ruth does it again, only this time when I say, "Where is Hazil?", we hear a deep, throaty growl come out from under the towel.  I think, "Oh, she's using her imagination and changing the game.  Mawmaw will play along with her."  

So, I say, "Bug, did you hear that?!  What is it?!" very theatrically.  Then Bug responds with, "Yes, I don't know what it is."  And I go on with "Oh, my, what could it be?!  I'm scared."  

Next thing I know, Hazil Ruth, standing in front of me, throws the towel back and with a trembling lip, and in a low whispery voice says, "Mawmaw, I scared."

My heart melts and breaks at the same time.  I throw my arms open and she runs into them.  I scoop her up in my lap and she nestles her head on my shoulder.  We stay like that about 10 minutes and the poor little thing is out like a light.  I go lay her down by PawPaw were nothing can hurt her or scare her. 

Never knew Bug and My's acting was so convincing.  

I Saw it on Facebook...

A couple of weeks back I did a post that originated from something I saw on Facebook.  I intend to make this a regular feature for the near future here at Life & Faith in Caneyhead.  Today's entry was inspired by the following:

There is a world of truth here!  Monday thru Friday, I come in from work, hit the bedroom kicking my shoes off, then on to the bathroom to toss my clothes in the dirty hamper and I don a gown.  I wear my gown for the rest of the evening.  Cook in it.  Eat in it.  Go outside in it.  (A benefit of being in the woods).

And on weekends...i stay in a gown 99% of the time.  Don't bother with makeup, bras or shoes.  If I must go to a store, I'll slip my old shoes on and some ratty stretch pants and a t-shirt.  The only things that will get me in makeup, my bra and regular clothes on the weekend are:

1.  Church services.

2.  Pete takes me somewhere other than immediate family.

3.  Someone wants to take me out to eat.

And there you have it.  Another strange factoid about Barbara In Caneyhead. 

Fathoms of Fall

Fall.  For most of my life fall has far and away been my  most favorite time of year.  Even though I suffer greatly from all the ragweed that blooms.  I love the chill in the air, the smell of leaves, the crunch of them under your feet.  The wind makes me feel alive. 

Around here, fall means time to get ready for deer season for many folks.  I have hunted and enjoyed it.  I have hunted and been nothing but miserable.  When we lived on the side of the highway and I worked answering phones all day for Fuller Oil, I loved escaping to deer camp on the weekends.  For the solitude.  No phone.  No electricity.  Just family and friends who'd stop by for coffee or a game of 42.  Coal oil lamps and fires to warm us and cook over.  Now that we live right next to the Baygall, I feel no need to "get away" somewhere.  I am away, as soon as I get home. 

And then there is Halloween.  In my childhood, Halloween was one of the happiest times of the year.  Even in my teens.  But by the time I had Bubba, things were changing and now I really don't care a flip for it.  Why you ask?

When I was a child, nine out of ten homes on any street would have their porch light on and give out candy.  You could trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood.  On foot, on bikes, whatever.  It seemed everyone did it from toddler to junior high.  On a warm Halloween, there'd be water balloon fights in the dark.

Our little church would have a Halloween on the sidewalk in front of the Sunday School building.  There'd be booths with actual creepy, scary stuff.  Stick your hand in this bowl and feel the eye balls (peeled grapes).  Or in this one and feel the intestines (cold pasta).  

Churches, family or friends would often have a party that included roasting wieners, making smores, dunking for apples, and hay rides.  Nothing like a hay ride.  Out in the night under the stars.  Adventurous for the little ones, romantic for the pre-teens.

Occasionally the hayride would go down Bragg Road. The trees close in on either side of you as you drive down this dirt road.  Part of the era of the railroad.  The story that was told to us as we traveled the road, was that in a tragic accident, an engineer lost his head and the Bragg Light that appears, is him carrying his gas lantern, searching for his head.

In my later teens, me and friend Michele would dress up for Halloween and cruise Silsbee.  One year we were gypsies.  Another one we wore togas.  We had a blast. 

In college at SFA, one year me and my roommate dressed up as hookers and went to a Rusty Wier concert at a little club by campus. 

When Pete & I married, I'd buy candy and turn our light on.  The first year we had quite a few.  Then next year less and then less.  By the time Bubba was born in 1989, almost no one turned on their porch light anymore.  Due to dwindling numbers of treaters and a trend to pile the kids in cars and descend upon residential cul-de-sacs in mass.  Churches opted for the more politically correct "fall festival" which was fun, but no where near the same.  It was harder and harder to get a group together for a good party.  And many adults seem to have taken over Halloween for themselves. 

Our church does a "Trunk or Treat" for Halloween now.  I've been to help,  Pete and his friend Robert take turns being a head on a table.  One year I dressed as the wicked queen off of Snow White.  Left my dentures out and tried to offer the children a fake apple.  

But other than that, I'm overall pretty down on Halloween.  Disappointed it's not the same.  But even as I type this, I think perhaps it's time we try to recreate some of the past for   Hannah Bug and her friends and Baby Ruth.   

The idea for this entry came from the BESociety October 2014 Blogging Challenge.

What is fall to you?  

I Saw it on Facebook...

This is the first of posts in a new series I plan to use titled "I Saw it on Facebook."  In these posts I will display what I saw on Facebook and then expound upon it.  Sometimes it may be a rant, sometimes a memory and other times humorous thoughts.  Tonight, I give you this: 

That sums me up rather well.  I have strong feelings about music and strong attachments and repulsions to it.  My taste ranges from Etta James to Hank Williams, Sr.  From Magic! to the Andrews Sisters.  From Gary Stewart to Cookie and the Cupcakes.  From 38 Special to Frankie Valley.  All I ask of music is that I like the music, that the song touch me in some way, and I enjoy listening to the artist on that song.  There are very few people or groups I could listen to a whole album of.  A few off the top of my head:  George Strait, CCR, or the Eagles.

Music brings back memories to me unlike anything except perhaps for smell.  That's why next April I plan to do my Challenge entries based on the theme "Musical Memories".  

April is a long way off.  So until then, if you want to see if your taste and mine meet anywhere, you can check out my Spotify playlists. 

So what is your favorite type of music?  An artist you can't get enough of?  

Pondering: They don't make 'em like that anymore.

I've never made any secret of the fact that my mind runs off in unusual tangents at times.  And sometimes purely for my amusement.  I view this as pondering.  Looking at something from a new or skewed perspective.  

Today at work, our production manager had come thru the office and for some reason it seemed appropriate to comment that "they don't make 'em like that anymore."

There is where my mental tailspin started.  I thought, who makes 'em?  Well, God of course!  Then I imagined God in Heaven conversing with one of his angels.  The angel asking how about making one similar that?  And God saying we don't make 'em like that any more.  That's model 958675246123.  It was discontinued in 1946.  What was tenacity was perceived as stubbornness.  Concern was misconstrued as being hard nosed.  The humor ran entirely too dry for the masses to understand.  Folks were insulted instead of amused.  It's a shame though.  I liked that model. That model served his nation.  That model didn't give a fig about political correctness.  If he truly liked someone, he'd bend over backwards to help them.  He also never asked anyone to do anything he wasn't willing to do himself. Yep, there was some really good qualities packed in that model, but no one would understand it today.  

What sort of things do you ponder? 

Have you known any model #958675246123's in your time? 

Swept Away By Summer

I abandoned the road trip.  Had good intentions to keep up those regular posts that the A to Z Challenge got me to making.  But then, summer came on in all it's glory.  Caneyhead became rich and green.  There were so many evenings outside.  Dips in the pool to enjoy. Bubba and his little family making regular visits to our house.  Times reading with Baby Ruth or watching movies with her.  

There was a "get away" weekend for my sister and two of my nieces at Edna's river camp.  So great to visit and catch up and even be silly together.

The annual trip to Artesian Springs with the church was another enjoyable, happy day.  Tucked away in the woods of East Texas near Newton.  

Life just too rich and mellow and easy to put aside to come and visit and read and write.  Now September is around the corner, and I know that as we turn that corner, the days will shorten, eventually it will be too cool to swim and the soft glow of the computer screen will beckon me back.  But for now, I'm drinking the last dregs of a splendid summer from life's cup. 

Become a VFW Advocate Today

Do you have a heart for Veterans?  Did a family member serve, or are they serving now?  A friend or a neighbor?  Maybe, you personally don't know anyone who served or has served.  But do you like sleeping safe at night?  Do you think those that secure that privilege for you deserve the best our country can give them?  

Then, please, go today and get involved in the VFW Action Corps!  It costs nothing.  You can see the issues they face through their eyes and contact our leaders on their behalf.  You can spread the word on issues through Twitter and Facebook and other social media.  

Two issues currently ripped from the headlines is that of the Marine Andrew Tahmooressi, who is currently locked in a Mexican jail for getting lost on the Interstate with all of his worldly goods in his truck, including some guns.  

And there is the issue of Senate bill S.2450 to improve the quality of health care for veterans.  Have you not seen the insanely long wait times in the news?!  This bill will help to remedy that.

You can choose which issues to join in on.  Veterans have done so much for us, can't we at least do this for them?!