My Day

I am so grateful for my family. I was an only child so I don't have any brothers or sisters to lean on. That is why my parents, and my husband, and my sons are so important to me. They are my closest relatives on this earth. They love me and help me whenever I need them. I am so proud of them.

Colt and Don and I took the pickup truck to Scout's to get a tiller. I thought the tiller was heavier than it really was or Colt and I could have gotten it ourselves. 

On the way home we stopped at the truck stop so Colt could get a corn dog and a drink. We were across from Burger's Market on highway 136 so Don got Colt to drive across the road to pick up some boiled peanuts. I bought bell peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce. I love Burger's Market. They sell fresh fruits and vegetables and honey and relish.

At the crossroads of highway 41 and highway 136 construction is going on. Rumor has it that a Dollar General Market is coming to town. What little I know about it describes it as a Dollar General store and a grocery market combined. I hope that doesn't cut into Burger Market's business. I'm afraid it will.

Colt had to pick up his tag for his car today and go to Marietta to pay his electric bill. His birthday is next week. 

I went to the Tractor Supply store in Calhoun to buy chicken feed, and to look for hoses for an above ground pool. Scout and Kim gave us their old one when they got another one. 

I went to Home Depot, a pool store, and Walmart looking for pool hoses. I found a hose set at Walmart. A lady told me she had seen some pool ducks that hold chlorine at Kmart so I swung by there and bought the ducks and chlorine and shock before coming home. I have a feeling this little bitty pool is going to be expensive.

My parents used to have an in-ground swimming pool but they didn't really like it. Momma and Daddy can't swim and they didn't get in it very often. The only time anyone swam in their pool was when company came. The pool was a lot of trouble and Momma didn't like cleaning it. 


One time I invited several girls I knew from school. That was a disaster because one girl slathered herself in suntan oil which coated the walls of the pool which had to be wiped down at the water line. It made a ring around the pool. We never wore anything that would come off in the water. I quit inviting anyone over because I didn't want to repeat the experience. Some people don't have good pool etiquette. I should have spoke up when the girl put the oil on but I was trying to be nice. Most of the girls had never been to my house before. 

I think I've spent most of my life being the watchdog when something goes wrong. I always have to speak up. I can remember having to follow a couple of little girls when I was a little girl because they were horrible kids who rifled through my parents belongings, opening drawers and closets, and getting into everything. I would have to say, "Don't do that." or "Don't touch that."

Momma couldn't stand it when they started snooping in everything and pulling things out they had no business touching. I hated having to watch them. I didn't like being the 'manner police' but I guess that's why I'm not afraid to speak my mind today.

Momma would take me to visit their house and I had to sit still on the couch beside Momma and couldn't play with them. I couldn't get down, or look at anything. Momma wanted me to set a good example for them and impressed on me the importance of minding and not getting into anything. I knew better than to cross her.

I never did like those little girls because I had to go around correcting them. One time they dropped my big beautiful piggy bank and busted it when I was out of my room. It broke my heart. I wanted to fill it up before it was busted. Thanks to them I would never have that chance.

I used to feel so old when I was a kid. I think that is a drawback to being an only child. It's not easy being funny and silly when you have to always be on your best behavior. The only time I remember acting like a silly kid was when I would be alone watching TV in the evening while my parents were sleeping before they had to go to work.

I loved watching old movies and musicals. My favorite memory was watching Esther Williams movies. She was a famous competitive swimmer. Her underwater ballets were beautiful. I would stand on the couch and pretend I was diving onto the floor and then 'swim' over to the chair to resume my imaginary underwater ballet. I went from chair to chair to couch and back again. You would think anyone that enamored of water ballet would have learned to swim but I was terrified of water. I didn't learn to swim until I was a grown woman, even then, I could only dog paddle.

Sometimes I would wake my parents up because they heard me jumping around. I had to learn to play quietly and not 'shake the house down'.

I don't think I'll be doing very much diving in our 30" pool but I can lay in the pool and pretend I am a mermaid after we get it set up. Maybe we should have a pool party. We can take turns sitting in it. Did I tell you it's small?

I really love this warm weather. I've already got broccoli and cauliflower out of the garden and the tomatoes and squash are growing. I really, really love summer, even if it is only spring, it feels like summer to me. That's why we need a pool. It's going to be a long hot summer and I need to cool off.


Just don't mess with me or my family. We'll be chilling in the pool.

AS ALWAYS

PIO