Happy Places the Pepper Paul Edition

As I said before, I have a lot of happy places, but these are my happy places with Paul.

First one that comes to mind is the little house on Arch Street in Little Rock. It was the very first house I owned and where all the kids came after leaving the hospital. It's where Paul disappeared and I found him in the refrigerator eating peaches. It's where he took apart an outlet and told me that it bites.  It's where Beth and Paul had miniature John Deere tractors with carts and they would follow their dad around the yard when he mowed. 

Then there was the Scout Reservation outside of Damascus(my favorite speed trap). Paul and I went there for several years usually the third week of June. I watched him turn over a canoe on purpose and right it by himself. I watched him throw an ax with precision beyond his years.  I watched him wake up at dawn to practice swimming and build endurance so that later he could swim a mile. I swam it too just to make sure he was safe and then I had to sit in the pool until feeling returned to my legs so I could walk. I watched wonderful sunsets and amazing sunrises while watching my little boy turn into a caring young man.  It's where I crossed a bridge made of rope to prove I could.

The ballroom. Dancing with my son at cotillion. Him looking so spiffy in his suit and so patient with me and my two left feet. Watching my girls dance so elegantly in dresses with their done in something other than a pony tail. Watching Paul dance with girls and seeing them smile at him. 

Fenton Cave-it's in the mountains near me. It's unbelievably beautiful and going through the cave, you would have thought my son was the parent and not me. He was so worried about me. If I knew what would be expected of me to finish the trip through the cave, I would not have gone, but I'm glad I did. We had to brave frigid water, jump across a divide to continue the trail, fit through a needle's eye, and belly crawl the length of a foot ball field. Good times. 

My home in Jasper. That's right. Lots of happy times with my city kid. There's the dinners were he's arrived just a little bit late-and I've called to see where he's at-oh you know that place with the cows. Watching him take everything in stride. The numerous dogs that sneek into bed at night. The sounds of the country. It might be owls, whipporwills, or coyotes. He just takes it all in and makes everyone laugh.  Here's hoping Jasper can give him something else to laugh about on his 31st birthday.

Happy Places the Beefy Edition

A couple of days ago, Beth called me to share one of her "happy places"- a place she could visit that brought her happiness and it got me to thinking...

I have a lot of happy places.  

But this is about happy places with Beth and this goes back 32 years. There was a strawberry field-she was in a baby carrier and as I picked strawberries so did she. I don't even think she was walking yet.  My berries  went in a bucket and hers went in her mouth. The farmer kept telling me he was gonna weigh my kid before and after she left the field. I can't go back to that particular field, but every time I smell ripe strawberries I have to smile. I'm reminded of this every time she raids my pantry for strawberry jam.

Then there was the city of New Orleans. The sweet smell of fried pastries. The sound of jazz. The mystery of fortune tellers. My daughter explaining to the general population that it was ok to drop money in the open instrument cases for the musicians. I felt honored to work there after a hurricane. The people are amazing and very patient with little people. 

Can I just say "softball field"? The memories and locations could go on for quite a while. There's the wonderful feeling your rear gets when it goes numb, the heat and humidity, and the thrill of watching a very determined girl do what no one thought was possible. So thin and gangly, putting a ball into the outfield and loping the bases like it was no big deal. 

St. Edward's church-where all my children were baptized, made their first communion, and prayed. Watching Beth pray, made me proud. Yes, I know I was supposed to have my eyes closed, but there was an incident of bubble wrap in the pews for which my children were responsible. Watching them as altar servers-all three together-brought tears to my eyes. Such a proud mama moment. My eyes were too teary to focus so I'll always be grateful to my mom for capturing this on film. 

Cumberland Island. A beautiful place by the sea. The smell of salt in the air. The wild horses strolling on the beach.  The sea turtle nests. Watching my daughter enjoy the beauty of it all and knowing she loved the feel of the sun as much as I do. 

Hot Springs. Watching my kids jump in the water. Hearing their laughter. Watching Bowser the Bassett on the inner tube with his big ole years flapping in the wind. That crazy dog loving every minute of it. The feel of a winning horse. The smell of the racetrack. Later, watching Beth walk down the isle. Feeling so blessed to be among her bridesmaids. And on one of the most important days of her life, she has one of my favorite songs played for me. Never has "Ave Maria" sounded so good. I still get chill bumps on my arms remembering Danni's voice. That night watching Beavis and Lauren tear up the dance floor. Laughing with my favorite Aunt and sisters well into the night. 

And the best part about my happy places with Beth? They're not over.

Fuzzy Butt

 

For Mother's Day this year, I told the kids I wanted a memory and I may have mentioned that I want to see twelve new waterfalls this year. They indulged me and we headed off to Fuzzy Butt Falls. The waterfall was beautiful and the hike was just a little over a mile. They also got to see Falling Water Falls and Six Finger Falls.  After everyone was pretty well spent, they got to experience Hill Billy Slim's  in the big town of Witts Springs. A wonderful day spent making wonderful memories. 

Productive morning time

 During the work week, my alarm goes off at 4 am. I start getting ready for work at 5 am and leave by 5:30, so that gives me sixty minutes to get some stuff done. I usually wash dishes, fold some clothes (both done this morning) and try to tackle some sort of cleaning or try to sew for thirty minutes after I enjoy half a cup of coffee. When I drink that wonderful half cup of coffee, I sit down and I might look at my phone or just pet the dogs in my lap. This morning I was petting the dogs and looking at my face book and on my feed is a post from a dear friend. She's grieving over the loss of her dacshund of thirteen years. So many cute pictures and so many memories and thirteen years just doesn't seem long enough. Then, I look at the wiggle butts in my lap and I put down my phone and I snuggle, scratch behind ears, and pat tummies . We play fetch and absolutely nothing else gets done. But I laugh and they wag their little tails and that's probably a lot more productive than vacuuming or dusting. Excuse the mess, we're making memories.

Trying not to think about it

 We're closing in on the end of April. This month only has 30 days and yet mass shootings number 28 so far. And I'm trying not to think about having one mass shooting per day.

And I'm trying not to think about the latest shooting at a FedEx Ground facility last night. Eight people have lost their lives and their next of kin have not been notified because the area is still a crime scene. It's pretty complicated because that hub employed over 4,500 people. It could have been much, much worse but that's no consolation to those that have just had their worlds torn apart. I can't imagine waiting and not knowing. I'm trying not to think about it.

I'm trying not to think about a world where people don't feel safe or loved because it's a world I know nothing of. 

I feel safe in my little paradise on the mountain. I feel loved when I unexpectedly receive a "snap chat" , a phone call, a visit, a hug, or a kiss. I thank God every day for the blessings He's given me and I pray for those that need them...

and I try not to think about hurting, being scared, and receiving bad news. 

High Expectations for the weekend

 Made it! Made it to Friday. Starting off the week end with my second covid shot. Then, we'll pick up some furniture that I bought without the hubby's blessing. Hopefully, I can plant the naked lady bulbs that I bought last weekend while I fill the hot tub. Gonna need that hot tub after the furniture moving. Then, I'm gonna keep my promise to my boy Harley. Every day he's given me puppy dog eyes when I've made him get out of bed. Every day. I've been promising him that we'll sleep late Saturday and I sure intend on keeping that promise. Move over little dog, big dog's coming in. 

Times change

 Times change-they really do. At least twice a year, there's day light savings. Now it's almost sunrise when I head to work and there's a couple of hours of day light when I get home. The best thing? Watching the sun set on the front porch or from my bed (don't judge occasionally bed time comes early for this ol'girl). I love the spring. Planting more flowers. I'm so excited. I got a great deal on some naked lady bulbs and now have two huge bags to plant. My lavender seeds have sprouted and that dream of having a row of lavender is closer to becoming a reality. I didn't kill the peony when I separated it last year so now I have three bushes coming up. The butterfly bush is blooming a magnificent purple. The dog woods are blooming. There's violets through out the yard. My pansies(planted last fall) are going crazy and are the most obnoxious yellow I have ever seen, but I love it. I love all of it. I love watching Dwight head to the garden in his overalls. He's planted cabbage, radishes, carrots, and sugar snap peas so far. I've planted gourds and pumpkins. Lots more to plant and while we're at it- we might want to get the hot tub up and running. Much easier to work harder with that thing around.