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Loading ...Archive for July, 2008
The cousins! The cousins!
Back Row (l-r) Hannah (12) and Lois (14); Sarah; Rachel (17) holding James (18 months) Middle Row: MIriam (11) and Joshua (13) Front Row: Laura (4) and Julia (8). We rarely get to see Josh and Miriam, so the weekend was extra-special.
Judy, Sarah and Me – Producers of most of those good-lookin’ chilluns. Our genetic mojo must be very, very strong.
I always loved being with my cousins, most of whom still live in Indiana. I ate my frist McDonalds hamburger with Kathy and Kevin. Dick slammed my still-deformed thumb in a car door as we played “Cops & Robbers.” Barb got us tickets to ELO – but then darn if we didn’t misread the concert date on the tickets (it was the night before.) Sue played piano at our wedding. Terry and I got so badly sunburned at Galveston that she was counted AWOL at Ft. Sam Houston. Julie snags us the deals on Vera Bradley, and nobody makes us feel more welcome than Joyce.
1959 – Kathy (stockbroker); Sue (music teacher); Kevin (entrepreneur); Terry (medical admin); Me (AT&T droid). Can’t wait to see what this next generation does.
I love it that Sarah invites my girls to spend a week with her each summer, and that they are so eager to accept. When my little muffin James holds wiggles his arms for some Rachel smooches or Lois snuggling – I can’t help but smile. When Laura and Julia start fighting, I remember Aunt Nevada whipping around from the front seat commanding, “Girls! Stop it!” At least once a month, my Hannah Marie finds something at Costco or Target she thinks her cousin Laura Marie needs for membership in “The Marie Club,” which includes Aunt Judy (Marie.)
Having cousins is a ball!
Tonight, we’re all split up again. – Judy’s family back to Houston; Josh and Miriam on their way to their grandmother’s house out-of-state.
I hope sometime soon Julia asks, “When are the cousins coming back?” My answer will be, “Whenever they want to.”
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View from My Monopod
Our church celebrated its 50th anniversary last Sunday. What a happy, happy day. When Shearer Hills people say “church family” – it’s for real. Naturally, I had to take a few pictures of such an occassion. And threw in a 4-minute slide show, too, which I think turned out well. So here it is.
Yes, I know, I agree, Rachel could have done better. But she was in Houston. So I was on my own.
Hello from Sandy Cheeks
We’ve just returned home from a week at the beach – always the highlight of our summer. This is Julia’s third time for a real vacation, so she knew what to request (sugared cereal), what to bring (crackers for the ferry ride) and what to expect (lots of uninterrupted family time.)
The ferry ride from Galveston to Bolivar is part of the whole experience. We have driven the long way’round to Crystal Beach via I-10 when we’ve had to do so – but it’s sure not as much fun as spotting dolphins and feeding the sea gulls.
Our neighbors just returned from a cruise out of Galveston, and we passed a huge Carnival ship. Julia ran to the front of the ferry to get a better view. Gulls can only be fed from the back of the ship to prevent aerial decorations on the dozens of cars.
That last handful of chipotle cashews – ummm – not so wise.
Julia’s not spoiled. Really.
We’ve caught hundreds of “herminy crabs” in a day on past trips, but this year, the most we ever contained in a sand zoo was 11. Hannah prefers to hunt in the traditional squatting method, while Rachel gets on her elbows. Julia runs them to shore.
Sarah brought Laura (in her lap) and Sweet Baby James down to splash. Hannah and Julia are spending this week with her family, wihch proves Sarah is brave as well as beautiful.
Rachel and Keith usually swim out pretty deep. This year Rachel met a jellyfish, just below both of her knees. Recommended treatment: Poured vinegar, followed by vinegar compresses (phew!) and leg shaving.
The home of the friend in which we stayed is part of an absolutely gorgeous beach front neighborhood, separated from the gulf by a gated walkway. This smelly, rusting trailer was parked just outside the walkway on the public beach. As the girls and I watched from the water, a muscle-shirted guy with plenty’o'tats and drooping cigarette pulled up and pasted a notice to the door. (Rachel named him “John Jimminy Bing Bang.”) As soon as he pulled away, Rachel and I dashed to read it. “To the County of Galveston – DIBS!!! If this is an anbandoned trailer, I’d like to claim it. Please call…..” Rachel and I dared to peek inside. A torn up counter – empty booze boxes – a tiny radio with aluminum foil on the antenna. And disgusting smells. “DIBS???” We were having trouble picturing exactly what “DIBS” would get you. After lunch and naps, we were back in the water when John Jimminy and a few of his tatt’ed friends arrived with a bigger truck to haul it away. Watch for it to reappear in a trailer park near you. Say “howdy” to John Jimminy for us, ya hear?
Just trying to help Julia get ahead.
Quotes from the dunes:
Lois, explaining why I had to be her biological mother: “I’m so much like Dad, and you’re the only woman who could stand to be with him.”
Rachel, commenting on Julia’s tears shed over some injustice: “Ohhh, they’re salty! Too much beach!”
Lois, with a hearty sigh that no one was endorsing her suggestions for games to play: “My leadership skills are going to waste.”
Rachel, noting that we did not stay long when we dropped her off at the Edwards’ Pearland home to visit this week: “You know, you could have just kicked me out of the car and not said anything. Like the baby Moses policy.”
And finally -
Rachel, after several minutes of sibling fighting in the car: “Dad is counting backwards from a million and Mom is singing hymns. We may have gone too far.”
Maybe. But the beach – ahhhh, the beach was just far enough.
A Member of the Family
My brother David said it best crunching a mouthful of popcorn during a rerun of Twilight Zone: “TV is a member of my family.” Oh sure, I wanted to immediately retort, “TV is just trash.” But I couldn’t quit spit the words out. Because reality was and is – I like some of that trash.
David with his favorite member of the familiy – our first color TV which I bought working at Remco TV Rental in college. For years, we snuck into the den on Friday nights to watch “The Midnight Special,” carefully avoiding the squeaky floor boards as I would slowly shut the pocket door, giving it a little palmed boost over the sticky spot. We held our breath as the tube fired up with that distinctive crackle. If Mom didn’t wake up for that – we were good. Wolfman Jack looked so much cooler in 25″ of glorious color.
One of my happiest childhood memories is of the 1965 evening Lost in Space debuted. My mother – who kept us on very short leashes – made our favorite dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. With chocolate chip ice cream for dessert – on a school night! And we got to eat in front of the TV for the first time ever.
Hearing “Danger, Will Robinson!” makes me taste bits of frozen chocolate swirling on my tongue in creamy goodness.
Sarah used to spend most Friday nights with me when I had an apartment. She and her friends got to eat what they wanted and watch what they wanted – as long as they didn’t wake me up.
Chicken noodle soup with Barney Fife – does it get any better? Today Sarah-Stay-At-Home-Mother-Of-Two is a fan of “Desperate Housewives.”
Fast forward to today. I don’t have much time to watch TV, which is ironic since AT&T U-verse provides our living. (And if you don’t have U-verse you should check your availabilty and ping me to order it right now. This instant. Hurry up.) So I’m picky about what I watch. HD – don’t really care. But I won’t watch commercials – we DVR most everything.
The girls and I curl up to watch The Office, which I know they will find even funnier if/when they join the lovefest that is Corporate America.
“The Dinner Party” is our favorite episode. Sometimes Rachel or Lois will just look at me and recite, “I don’t care what they say about me. I just want to eat. Which I know is a lot to ask. For a dinner party.” My favorite character is Stanley who said, “It’s like I used to tell my wife. I do not apologize unless I think I’m wrong. And if you don’t like it, you can leave. And I say the same thing to my current wife and I’ll say it to my next one, too.”
Rachel and I chase everyone younger out of the room when we’ve got a new Big Love recorded. We don’t have to chase Keith – he huffs out on his own, rightfully condemning it as pure trash. He’s so right. Yes, he is. As his first wife – I agree completely. With a bowed head. And a respectful nod.
No one should watch this filth. Absolutely not. Turn it up, Rachel. Ohhh, go back. Is that Barb? Give me the remote.
When Julia was so sick last fall, I commiserated to my friend Sharon – who got us watching House- that I wished we could take Julia to him.
We all like House. Watching it with Julia is challenging. “Why is that woman crying? Why does he take those pills? What happened? Who is that man?” Ummmm…..Jules. “Power Rangers” is on in the den, I’m sure.
Keith, Lois and I are anxiously awaiting new Heroes episodes. Hiro is a rush. But personally – Nicki’s whining and whipping hair gets on my nerves and I’m hoping Skylar sucks out her brain – what little there appears to be of it.
Save the Cheerleader!
Now Keith has me hooked on the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers.
We’ve got to find the first season to rent. There’s so much more I want to know about these bearded, speech-bleeped hulks. What about their families back home – and where is home? They cross themselves – are there any churches in these icy wastelands? What do they eat? And who cooks it? How do they get cell phone signals? And – morbidly – whose turn is it to plunge a rig below the ice?
A cool show in the hot summer, eh?
We don’t use programmable parental controls. The girls know what is and isn’t appropriate to watch. I promised them years ago that if I ever caught them watching something they weren’t supposed to, they lost the right to watch TV without me present. And I don’t watch My Super Sweet 16 or Degrassi.
Some of our favorite evenings as a family are what we call “Family Movie Night” – a junk food dinner in front of the TV with a movie we all want to see. Our last one was “Enchanted.” We chomp meatballs, egg rolls, pot stickers, queso, etc. in the den, plopping down on the furniture and girls’ Disney floor pillows. I usually spring for too-expensive diet root beer in bottles, which we all like to gulp. We do several of these evenings during the holidays when we unbox the Christmas movies,and at the end of the season, Family Movie Nights are often recounted as a highlight.
Family Movie Nights…eating in front of the TV – not good, I know. But somehow – I think even my mom would approve.
A few weeks after David died, I was struggling with a migraine, as well as mourning him deeply. I feel asleep in my recliner and experienced one of the most vivid dreams I’ve ever had. I dreamed I was half-asleep on Mom’s scratchy old couch, positioned, of course, in front of the TV. David did his flip-thing from the floor to the couch, gouging me in the ribs as he so often did. As I struggled to open my eyes, he smiled hugely at me and said, “Hey, what’s the matter with you? Why are you so sad? Bec – I’ve only changed channels.”
Maybe TV is a member of my family, too.
