Roller Coaster

Lots of things have been going on since Daddy had to go to the emergency room a few weeks ago. He ended up staying in the hospital all week. He was passing blood and they couldn't get it to stop. On Friday they ran a camera up his urethra and looked around. The urologist called after surgery and told me nothing looked cancerous, but the bleeding was at the prostate. He didn't know why. They sent Daddy home after that. 

That was a strange week. The hospital was almost like wandering through a rabbit hole. They are remodeling and adding on a wing or something and there are places partitioned off and you practically need a map to navigate the halls. 

Mama and I went with Daddy to surgery and it was like walking through a maze. A nurse showed us an exit that came out near the emergency room, close to the elevators when they took Daddy into surgery.  We would have never found our way back to Daddy's room the way we came. Mama and I made our way back to the room to wait for him to get out of surgery. 

They finally wheeled Daddy back to the room loaded up on morphine. Daddy said it really hurt. He has a narrow urethra which made it more difficult. I hope he doesn't have to go through that again.

I was afraid Mama wasn't going to make it. She had a hard time getting around the hospital because of bronchitis. Daddy made them get Mama a wheelchair so she wouldn't have to walk down the halls. She couldn't have made it on her own. She had to stop and rest every little bit. Whenever she has trouble breathing I am afraid blood clots are in her lungs again. 

When we came to the hospital to visit Daddy she wouldn't let me find her a wheelchair to ride in. She walked all the way. Daddy fussed at her. He said they had volunteers who just loved to push people around when they couldn't walk on their own. 

Mama is stubborn. So is Daddy. And you wonder where I get it from.

I offered to mow the yard Thursday but they didn't want me to mow that day. I told Daddy to call me and let me know if he wants the yard mowed anytime. He's getting over a surgical procedure and shouldn't push himself. They had to sedate him. Daddy had finally stopped bleeding when they let him go home but he got a wild hair and decided to mow the yard that Saturday. He  started bleeding again. 

I don't know what it is about men, or people in general, but they do some of the dumbest things. One time my grandfather had back surgery to fix his discs. It felt so good, he decided he could plow the garden not long after surgery. By the time he got off the tractor he had messed his back up so bad he had back pain for the rest of his life. I tried to help Daddy avoid the same mistake.

Daddy decided to try mowing the yard again a couple of weeks later. He only rode for a little while before he allowed Mama to finish mowing. He started bleeding as bad as he did when he went to the emergency room. Fortunately, he had an appointment with his urologist the next day. The urologist didn't want to do anything else until Daddy healed from the laparoscopy surgery.

I told you Daddy is stubborn. Maybe he will finally listen to me and let me know when he wants the yard mowed.

******

In other news, Colt's not working with Scout anymore. He missed a couple of Monday's and Bob took it upon himself to let Colt go. I got Colt to write a letter explaining he had missed those days because he was working on his final Capstone project and had to work on it and meet teachers and other students to work on it on days that they were available. I thought Bob knew Colt had a very important semester and his classwork came first. Colt wasn't laying out. Scout never did give the letter to Bob.

Bob told Colt he needed someone full time and said Colt wasn't fulfilling his needs. Scout said that Bob never fires anyone and his excuse didn't make any sense. 

Scout doesn't even work 40 hours a week. He's lucky if he gets to work four full days a week and half a day on Friday. Forget it if it rains unless they are lucky enough to be building a barn or something. 

Scout is considered "self employed". He doesn't have any benefits. That is why I think it is so important for everyone to have health care in America. His job is dangerous and demanding. Lots of men couldn't handle working with their hands and back all day. More than one person has quit working for Bob after they found out how hard the job really is.

Scout said the new guy Bob replaced Colt with wasn't doing very good. He said the boy couldn't hammer and just piddled around, wasting time. It looks like Bob didn't get such a bargain after all.

Scout and Colt's friend, Allan, is also working for Bob. One day Scout said they had been working all day long and Allan said he had to stop and get something to eat because he was feeling sick. Bob brushed them off and said they had a couple more trailers to get up first. They were baling hay.

Allan has severe diabetes and has gone into a coma several times. Allan went to the truck and found a honey bun to eat. Scout was very upset with Bob for ignoring Allan and not giving them a lunch break. Allan wasn't able to work on Friday because he was sick.

Allan had to go to two hospitals over the weekend because of his sugar diabetes. Since Allan hasn't been working long, and he doesn't have any insurance, he can't afford his insulin. Allan is a young man. He's the same age as Scout. Every time his body goes into a coma it damages his organs. It makes me furious because people like Allan have to do without insulin to help them control their diabetes through no fault of their own. 

I can't understand how anybody would turn their backs on people who don't have insurance, or any money for health care. There's something wrong with a country that thinks it's okay as long as they get theirs but to hell with other people because they don't "deserve" health care. It especially makes me mad to think that our elected politicians feel that way.

*******

Autumn leaves are falling and the light isn't quite as bright. I'm sorry to see another summer ending but I'm excited to see what lies ahead. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Moving Ain't Easy

Scout had to move his little metal building after he came back home. Scout and Bob, his boss, got the little building one day when it was dry enough to move it from Sugar Valley to Resaca. It has been raining, off and on, for weeks and the ground was a little soggy.

It was exciting to see Bob's big red truck pull into the driveway with a long trailer behind it, carrying Scout's little metal building and a big green tractor on back.

The little building was easy to move because of the sturdy floor underneath it that Scout built. He didn't even have to empty the building before moving it.

Bob's tractor backed through the gate and lifted the building up over the top of the fence. It was impressive. Don and Scout watched Bob work.

Scout and Bob are such a good team working together that it didn't take long at all for them to get the little building set up.

Bob sat the little building beside the barn and then they leveled it. Colt helped. Now Scout has a place to keep his things.

It's good to have friends who help you when you need them. Bob really came through for Scout. We're all grateful. Thanks Bob. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

AUGUST

Ah, sweet mystery of life . . . August is my favorite month. The sun is high, the days are long, and the temperatures are really hot. As long as I can find a shady place, or an air conditioned room, with a cool drink I'm happy. At least, I'm lucky. I can go inside where it is cool when I want to. People who work outside don't have that advantage in this heat. People across the world who don't have those luxuries don't have a choice at all.

Last week Scout had some kind of bug and was sick all week. Colt had to work without him. Colt said he and Bob dug 14 post holes by hand one day. Bob dug a few near some underground power lines and Colt dug the rest. Colt said the soil was rocky and hard to dig. It took all day. He came in from work looking beat, covered in dirt, and dog tired. 

I was in the front yard hanging a new bird feeder under my Magnolia tree one day when Colt's friend, Brent, came to visit. He watched me wrap a metal coated coat hanger around a limb to hang my feeder on it. Brent remarked how he couldn't understand how I could stand being in the heat. I didn't think it was too hot. I'm used to it. We were in the shade under the Magnolia trees. It's like being under a gigantic umbrella. 

We use air conditioning in the house but I don't ever turn my A/C on in my car. I like riding with the windows down, soaking up the sounds and the smells around me. I like smelling fresh cut grass in the evenings and listening to the frogs and crickets as they begin their evening orchestration, don't you?

Living through the heat of summer is what makes us who we are in the south. If you can suffer the heat of a southern summer you can just about endure anything. Ain't that right, sugar?

Anyway, we had a couple of extremely hot weeks where temperatures hovered around 100 degrees and then it started to rain off and on for a few weeks. Anybody that's lived in the south knows that causes a summer sauna as the steam rises from the ground and engulfs you in it's hot, humid embrace. I don't know if the weather is extreme because of global warming but I certainly can believe it. It's rained so much we haven't been able to use our little swimming pool. I was just beginning to enjoy it.

My birthday is in August. I've decided to thaw out the frozen turkey in my freezer and fix myself a feast for my birthday. I love turkey and dressing but nobody seems to want to cook it in the summertime. I'm going to fix deviled eggs and potato salad and invite my family over to share it with me. I have two reasons to fix turkey and dressing for my birthday. First, and foremost, it's my birthday and I can do what I want, and second, I need to make room in the freezer for all the food I've been putting up out of our garden this summer. I already filled up one shelf and need room for more.

I have broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens, tomatoes, and okra, among other things. Right now we are getting plenty of tomatoes and okra so I am stocking up for winter. I found out that fresh frozen food is better than canned food. It's also lots easier to freeze food than it is to can it, although I have plenty of experience canning food. I have a huge pressure canner and lots of jars that I can use if I run out of room in the freezer. I sound like Suzy Homemaker, don't I, but I'm not really.

The green beans we planted didn't do as well as we hoped so we didn't have many of those to put up but I found out that frozen beans from the grocery store are delicious and a great addition to my food supply.

A couple of years ago I decided to use my freezer more wisely in order to save money on my food bill and to decrease waste. I don't like buying canned goods because after they are opened, you tend to have so much waste to carry off. After I started eating more frozen food and found out it tasted better than canned food, I was hooked.

Everyone should learn to put up their own fruits and vegetables so that they can eat healthier and be assured of their food being put up under the best conditions. I hope you will consider joining me in my quest to cut down on waste and garbage. And remember, a mulch pile is a good place to throw out your scraps and it makes a wonderful worm bed. Talk about recycling!

Maybe I really am Suzy Homemaker . . .  Nah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Tommie Lyn, Pat, Pam, Myra, Nancy, Nancy, Brenda, Chris, Randy, 
Jonnie Bell, Glo, Blake, Bob, Justin, Cole, Jerry

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Susan and Bob

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Grooving

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing special really happened, but really a lot of special things happened? I spent part of this week chauffeuring my son around. The old Mercury has been acting up, so he got me to take him to work and take him home every day. I had to get up before daylight and drive through the dark to pick him up. He'd usually make me wait a little while before we loaded up the car and blasted off to Bob's. By then, daylight made it possible to see.

The other day, I picked Scout up in Sugar Valley, and we headed on back to Resaca. The sky was blue, and everything was clear around us. We drove east past the river down highway 136 and turned right to cut across the backroads to Bob's house in Red Bud. Gordon county is a particularly beautiful place. There are farms along the way. It is hilly and pastoral. We ran into blankets of fog as far as the eye could see all the way to Bob's. I wonder if that is what the hills of Scotland look like in the morning.

Bob's driveway had hay strewn all over it. Scout explained it had fallen off as they brought hay to the farm. There was a huge stack of big round hay bales covered with a giant tarp. Scout pointed out a stack of rafters Bob had for his new barn. His other barn had burned down. That's why all the hay is under the tarp.

I usually pulled up close to the house and let Scout unload the car. Every day he carried a coat and a square pink Igloo cooler*, compliments of me, and his lunch. Scout doesn't usually eat out but he eats outside. They aren't usually close to any restaurants. They were putting up a fence in Murray county this week. Scout said he had fun putting a fence across a creek. I don't know if he was serious or not. He got his boots wet so that probably wasn't comfortable. 

This morning I dropped Scout off for work and headed back home. When I got to Resaca, instead of turning right to go home, I hung a left at highway 41 and drove the extra mile or so down the road, past the new Gordon County jail, to Hardee's for one of my favorite breakfasts. That's a treat.

Only, this time, I noticed they were awfully skimpy on the bacon and egg. It was mostly biscuit, and I sure didn't need that. I get plenty of starch daily, thank you very much. When I fork over money for food, I'd like to have some sustenance. Ya know what I mean? Anyway, I brought breakfast home for me and my baby. Baby, being the operative word.

Colt comes home on the weekend so 'momma' can do his laundry and give him a little tender loving care like nobody but momma can do. Ain't I right, ladies?

On a similar note I was talking to my cousin the other day and mentioned that I saw Scout with a roll of my paper towels under his arm as he was getting ready to leave. She said, "Yeah, isn't it nice when they come shopping like it's Walmart?" Yeah, really! Now the shoe is on the other foot, I understand what a nuisance I was when I was young.

Nothing much else happened except Donny's birthday was this week. Now we will be the same age for half a year. That always makes me smile a little.

In closing, all I can say is ...

AS ALWAYS

PIO

* I think the pink cooler adds a degree of  joie de vivre to the day.

JANUARY

Now that 2011 is over I wonder what 2012 will bring. The internet is abuzz about the Mayan calendar ending on December 21st. I'm waiting with bated breath. I bet the survivalists are preparing. It will probably be Y2K all over again. 

I ain't scared.
*******

We got two loads of gravel for the drive way after Christmas. The driver was a woman. She did a great job spreading the gravel but she left a few hills of gravel in places. She had to avoid the electric wires and magnolia trees. Donny and Colt raked the gravel until Scout borrowed Bob's tractor to scrape it down. I almost want it to come a pouring rain. I said, almost. I get tired of living in a mud puddle.

Scout is on the tractor.*

Donny is supervising.

Don, Scout, and Colt are checking out the job.

Looking good.

Now we have plenty of parking.

*Thanks to Bob DeGraan of  Fencing Unlimited  for the use of the tractor. 
1-706-625-8848 office 
1-706-506-4284 cell
Owens Gin Road
Calhoun Georgia
Thanks to Scout Strickland for his invaluable help.

Last year was a hard one for some of my family. One cousin died, another cousin lost her significant other, and today another cousin's husband passed away. My heart goes out to you all. I can only hope that your pain is mingled with beautiful memories of your loved ones.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Roy, Rhonda, Amanda, Evelyn, Ann, Frankie, Angie, Sue, Norma, Joey, Donna, Valerie, Angela, Jacob, Mika, Brenda, and Teresa

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Donny & Pam

RIP

Jimmy Hutson, Sam Burchfield, Lela Smith, Beulah Burchfield

AS ALWAYS
PIO

More Car Trouble

Scout's Ford broke down so he asked our neighbor, Richard, to help him figure out what was wrong with the car. Richard and his son, Todd, are very good mechanics. Richard used to work for the Ford dealership in Dalton and he taught Todd how to fix cars. Richard said the car needed an ignition module.

Since Scout didn't have a car I've been taking him to work every morning and picking him up after work and taking him to the auto parts stores looking for parts every afternoon. It's throwing a monkey wrench in my usual lackadaisical morning routine. It took a couple of days for the module to come in and, in the mean time, Scout told me the module wasn't like a regular module. It was built to conform to California standards. It was hard to find parts to match. In other words, it costs more.

Todd told Scout he needed a new rotary cap and wires. Scout found a cap but couldn't find the wires to fit it. We ran around looking for parts in the stifling heat every afternoon. The new rotary cap has a screw in the middle that is broke loose. Now he will have to reorder one. That's the Strickland luck, for you. That's why I don't believe in gambling. We're not conducive to good luck.

I did enjoy spending time with Scout and taking him to work and back. My favorite part was driving down long ribbons of winding roads, with grazing cattle, and fields of golden crops, over rivers, and through shady lanes, soaking in the day. One day I think I saw a fawn colored fox but I couldn't get close enough before it was gone, lickidysplit! 

Bob's farm is in Red Bud, but Scout goes east on highway 136 from Sugar Valley, through Resaca, to a road that runs all the way to Bob's house. I turn right on the first road past Polecat Creek, (can't remember the name) and cross two bridges, a couple of stop signs, one at highway 225, traveling through picturesque scenery. From one end to the other I feel like I've been riding an amazing roller coaster ride. 

I didn't even mind getting out early since I was helping my son. It was better than letting him have my car and drive the crap out of it. I've seen him drive and I don't need the shocks falling off the car. You can't push the Buick. She doesn't respond well. Besides, I'm just now getting comfortable with having my car back. I didn't have it for a while when the heater core was being fixed. I'm anal retentive about my ride. But, I have my reasons!

You know what F-O-R-D stands for don't you? Fix or repair daily! Well, that's the price of driving antiques, I guess. We aren't motor-heads, we're just rednecks. You gotta love it. Either that, or admit defeat. I choose to embrace my redneck roots. Thank you Jeff Foxworthy. O we are all worthy! If you're southern you're bound to be a little bit redneck. Don't you think? 

Scout finally got his car running so he went to Dalton the other day. I got a call from him telling me that the Ford broke down in town. He said the police came and were going to make him have it towed by a Dalton wrecker service. Scout wanted to call Kim's family instead because they have a wrecker service. 

Scout said one cop took mercy on him and said he would help Scout push his car out of the road. Scout laughed and said the policeman told him, "Wait a minute until I lock my doors." Scout asked him if Dalton was really that bad and the officer said "Yeah." I don't know if he was kidding or just had to go by procedure and lock his doors before stepping away from his car, but I thought that was funny and sweet. Scout told me the other two cops acted abrupt and unfriendly. It's nice to know there are some nice cops out there.

Reeves Wrecker brought Scout's car to the house and dropped it off in the driveway. You know what that means, don't you? He got Kim to take him to work and would call me to get a ride home after work.

Scout put a new distributor cap on the car this afternoon after he got off work.  I hope that fixes it. He's replaced just about everything he can.

I cooked a rack of ribs I've had since last year for my birthday. Moma got sick about that time and we postponed my birthday dinner so I've been saving them. I decided today was the day I was going to cook them. Kim's birthday is tomorrow so I asked Scout to call her to see if she and Layla would come over to eat with us. We had ribs and cream corn from the garden and potatoes and fried okra. It wasn't a fancy party but any time you don't have to cook, or clean up, I figure that's a pretty good present.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Back To School

It's that time of year again. Time for Colt to head back to school. This year is going to be a little different; Colt and his roommate, Bob, moved off-campus. 

We rounded up some furniture and helped Colt take it down to Marietta over the past couple of weeks. Bob's parents were there the first time helping him put his furniture together. Bob got the big bedroom since he got there first. He brought some nice tables and lamps for the living room. Colt's contribution was a dining room table, couch and big TV. We took his bed and chairs and the rest of his necessities last weekend. The apartment looks nice. 

Colt headed back to Marietta today to begin another semester at the university. He kept coming back. I would tell him 'bye' and then go inside. He made it out of the driveway and pulled back in the other one. He said he forgot something. Next time he got down the road a little piece before he turned around for something else. He finally got gone on the third try.

I bet Colt will be so happy to be away from me and in his own apartment for a while. I'm going to miss him so much even though he's hardly ever here. He hangs out with his buddy Justin, after work. He is the boy who thought Colt was a Jew. Although he's a knucklehead, Justin is a real good friend and a likable fellow.

Scout got Colt a job with him this summer. Scout works for Bob DeGraan. Bob owns Fencing Unlimited. Fencing must really be unlimited because Scout has had steady work all throughout this recession. They work all over north Georgia. Scout's even worked in Tennessee. 

Fencing has been a learning experience for Colt. Or maybe it has been an endurance experience because Colt has worked his tail off. He and Scout look like they've been rolling in the dust by the time they get home. Colt showed me scratches and regaled me with stories of wrestling huge rolls of barb wire; trying to unwind them among the brambles, and the bushes, sometimes dragging them uphill. Scout enjoyed working with Colt and showing him that he could outwork him. 

It's important that Colt learns manual labor if he is going to be in charge of construction management when he graduates. There is nothing worse than a boss who doesn't understand his employees because he has never worked. Book learning is good and important, but understanding every aspect of a job is invaluable. The best way to learn how something works is to learn to do the job. You can't learn everything in books. 

Donny complains about some designs the draftsmen give him because they don't work. Sometimes the blueprints are wrong and the draftsmen have to redraw them. He thinks, if they had to help build the machines, they would understand their designs better. Some designs won't work. If the blueprints are wrong they have to tear down whatever they just built and redo it. That's not easy when you have to cut metal with a blowtorch. 

I believe Colt will be a better boss and understand his job better if he learns good, honest, hard work. That's why I encourage Colt to work with Scout when he can.

We pick on Colt and give him a hard time but we are so proud of him. He's a fine young man and lots of fun to be around. That's why I'm going to miss him so much.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

That's A Downer

Hey Man, don't ya  just hate it when something or someone brings you down? Like the young folks used to say, "Chill out, Man!"

I hate the feeling of anger. It can consume you. I don't like that red hot feeling that comes over me when I am angry. I become enraged and want to lash out. I have tried to learn to contain and control my anger for a very long time. I am sorry to say that I have been so angry at times that I have made a total ass of myself in front of others. I can't do anything about my behavior in the past but I can try to control myself and learn not to overreact when I become upset.

I was probably a horrible mother when the kids were young. I would lose control and harangue them when they incurred my wrath. I had to work very hard to learn to control my temper and not become a total bitch. I practiced tough love with the boys and demanded they obey me. I whipped them and grounded them and watched them like a hawk. I tried to make sure I knew where the boys were at all times. It didn't endear me to the children but I did love them. I told them I loved them often. Don't think I was a heartless mother. I just wanted to keep them safe and thought it was my responsibility to keep them out of trouble. They still did things that drove me nuts. I couldn't watch them 24-7. You can't hold your child's hand forever. They're bound to make mistakes. That's how you learn. Right?

I used to tell Scout and Colt and their buddies that if anyone got hurt I wasn't going to take them to the hospital. I told them I would just throw them over the fence into the woods and let the coyotes deal with them. Scout's buddy Allan started calling it Edgewood Insurance. I recited the rules to them often, especially when they were doing something dangerous or stupid like boys are prone to do.

Scout said that Allan wanted to have a pine cone battle one day and Scout told him it would be okay as long as nobody got their eye knocked out. (Another one of my oft repeated chants to my sons.) He said Allan threw a pine cone and missed him but when Scout threw his pine cone he hit Allan in the eye. He thought "Oh oh, Pam's right."

Colt told me that he knocked his shoulder out of socket one time when he was skateboarding. He was so afraid to tell me that he fell back hard on the ground to knock his arm back in place. He said it hurt like the devil but he didn't want to come home and face me with his injury. I would tell them they better not get hurt or sick because we couldn't afford to go to the doctor.  I had no clue they were that afraid of me.

Scout began to test me when he was a teenager. I was always ordering him to do this or that or the other thing. One day Donny said something about Scout growing up and his comment caused me to have an epiphany about my son. My eyes were opened and I realized that if I didn't do something to change my relationship with my sons they might not love me when they were grown. I realized I didn't want that.

I still bitched and moaned but I learned to take it down a notch. I finally found Flylady's website and started hearing her soothing voice in my head. I gradually began to change my thinking. I tried to look on the bright side instead of focusing on the negative. I started feeling happier. Getting older and learning that life isn't fair and if everything is good you should thank your lucky stars and not let anger take over you, also helped.

One of the few times I got anything out of pitching a fit was when the electric company came down and pruned my Magnolia trees without my permission. The tree was not interfering with the wires. The tree cutters were quite nice to me until I started being nice, then oddly, that was the last I saw of them. We got some mulch out of them.

They prune the trees along the highway in stupid shapes. They call the cutting style the Shigo method but I called it the Shitgo method. The huge oak trees along the highway are shaped like goalposts or tuning forks with wires running through the cut out crown. Some trees are too close to the lines and would look better trimmed back to the trunk but I'm not an arborist so my opinion doesn't count.

My cousins teased me about being fat when I was young. I put up with the teasing from my cousins, Mike and Randy, because they were always teasing me about something. I was used to it even though I didn't like it.

Daddy and his brother, Bob, used to go camping together in the mountains when we were kids. Daddy and Bob loved trout fishing. It was very cold so there was always a campfire. Someone had been baking potatoes in the fire in tin foil. We were all playing and running around the fire.

Randy started calling me fatty and other names and Stevie started teasing me, too. I became furious. They were ganging up on me. I wanted to lash out at them but I didn't  know what to do. Eddie made the mistake of standing in my face and calling me fat. I thought Eddie was the sweet one! I grabbed one of the hot potatoes off of the picnic table and smashed it in his face. He screamed in pain. I was busted. Some of the grownups had seen what I had done. I was sorry that I had hurt Eddie. He was the baby boy. I really liked him. I don't know why I went ballistic on him, but I did. I just became angry, like the Hulk, only I saw red. I was ashamed to be that mad.

I hate being angry. Anger can cause you not to think clearly. Anger doesn't solve anything. Some people know how to deal with their anger and express their anger calmly and logically. I believe that anger begets anger. I wish I could shield myself against anger. It can't be good for you. It burns up too much psychic energy and can make people sick. Being angry depresses me.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Baby It's Cold Outside

 Today I'd like to reflect on this day 29 years ago when my oldest son was born. I had been Christmas shopping at the local Kmart the evening before I went into labor. I must have looked huge because somebody told me I looked like I was about to have my baby. Little did I know that I would be going into labor in a few hours. I felt pretty good about getting some shopping in before Christmas despite the stress of shopping with the fevered Christmas masses.

I stayed up late that night watching TV and piddling around. When I finally started to bed I felt something warm streaming down my leg. Crap! My water broke. There was no going back now. I woke poor Donny up and told him "it was time". He bundled me into the car and rushed me to the hospital as fast as he could go. I told him to "slow down". I wasn't in any hurry to get there. He was driving like a maniac. I was afraid we wouldn't get there alive. He must have been afraid I'd pop the baby out like a PEZ dispenser.

I hated being in labor. I was attached to all kinds of machines and they wouldn't let me go anywhere. Donny, at least, got to go out to the waiting room and talk to my family and let them know how I was coming along. I thought that was awfully unfair. I'd like to be able to get up and walk around, preferably right out to the parking lot and climb into my car and drive home. Did I tell yall I was scared to death? Whew. Well, I was.

After a while the nurses said that the baby's heart beat was slowing down and they were going to induce labor for the good of the baby. Well, alrighty then. Get that thing out of there and lets get this over with. I know that they had a big mirror angled at my nether regions. You would think that I would have seen everything and remembered this moment forever, but you'd be wrong. The only thing I remember was when someone said, "My, he has a head full of hair." and I looked up to see something disgustingly wet and cheesy with swirls of black hair. Yuck! If that's what it looked like, I'd pass, thank you very much.

The doctor let Donny cut the cord and the nurses cleaned the baby up a little bit and handed him to his daddy. Donny brought the baby over to me and laid him on top of me. Scout was mad as hell and didn't mind telling us. He had his face all scrunched up and was red and screaming. That's my boy.

I thought he was beautiful. He had hair. That was a bonus. I didn't want a bald baby. He and I had a little bit of trouble getting to know each other but after he figured out how to latch on and nurse he was okay. What was I going to do with a little boy baby? I didn't know anything about babies and I sure didn't know anything about little boy babies.

Scout was the first grandchild in my family so he was spoiled and adored by his grandparents. Although my parents spoiled him, he wasn't a spoiled child. Know what I mean?

Scout always loved working with his hands. He was always building things and using his imagination when he was a kid. After he got out of school he went to work as a framer for a contractor. He did that for a few years until Donald went out of business. He got a job putting up fencing and has been doing that ever since. He has also helped Bob build barns and gazebos and sheds. He likes working outdoors, summer and winter.

Donny's moma told me one time that she though I didn't love my children by the way I would talk to them. Sometimes I would tell them I was going to "whup your little ass" if they wouldn't mind me. I wasn't Susy Sunshine with them. Later, she realized that although I talked tough to them, I really loved them.

I guess that's why I am so amazed that Scout grew up to be such a good young man. He works hard, loves his family and friends, and is unpretentious and funny.

Happy Birthday Son!

AS ALWAYS

PIO

That's Shocking!

Back when I was growing up we didn't have much to play with. I had the most toys since I was an only child but when me and my cousins all got together we didn't need any stinking toys. We knew how to have a good time and we didn't have to have any store bought toys to while away the time.

We could always walk up and down the creek looking for rocks or minnows or we could run through the plowed fields searching for arrowheads. We would troupe through the woods hunting snakes or blackberries. Sometimes we even snuck up to the top of the hill to sit and smoke rabbit tobacco where we could see all around and make quick our escape in case we were ever spotted. Fortunately we never were.

The most dangerous and the most fascinating game we ever devised was when someone told us about the electric fence and how you could touch it. At first we would take turns running up to the fence with one eye on the fence charger and the red light which showed when the power was on. We would try to touch it before the electric current came back on. After tiring of such game sport we decided there had to be more fun to it than that.

I have to explain that the group consisted of me and my couisins: Randy, Debbie, Stevie and Eddie. Stevie and Eddie were Debbie's little brothers. We usually picked on Stevie and Eddie because they were the youngest and the dumbest in the bunch so we devised a new strategy. We had been taught that the current could run through anything touching it and into the ground. That's why it was our job to go around making sure that there wasn't any grass or weeds touching the fence and grounding it. The electric fence ran around the pasture that was used to keep the cattle in and was only a couple of feet high.

I don't know who got the brilliant idea of making a human chain but I bet it was Randy because he was always coming up with some bright idea. We all stood in a line and joined hands and swore not to break the chain. After a few tries we decided it would be best to put Stevie and Eddie on each end of the line. The one on the end of the line would grab a 55 gallon metal drum used for burning  garbage. The first one on the line would grab the electric fence. The current would come on and pulsate through us all and then flash back off.

While our hands were joined it was hard to break the current so we immediately began fighting and squirming to let go when the power was off. We wanted to get loose before the second jolt of electricity struck us. If the chain was ever broken the last kid standing who was in the line got the full force of the electricity running through them directly into the ground. We never let go if we could help it. You should have felt our sweaty hands and smelled the fear. We were in heaven!

We didn't just play with the electric fence one time and forget it. Each and every time we all got together we made sure to show our courage and sense of adventure by testing our strength and daring with the electric fence. We were united in blood and bonded by our bravery. We were invincible! We were kids.

I still treasure my memories of those times we so foolhardily risked electrocution although I know that the current couldn't kill us now. At the time I thought we were risking our lives. I still wonder who the heck gave us the bright idea of shocking ourselves. It seems to me it was PawPaw or Daddy or my uncle, Bob. Maybe all three. I just don't remember. And I wonder what their bright idea really was. Was it designed to intentionally kill us? Now that I have kids of my own, I wonder. Humm . . .

Debbie reminded me that we also put Stevie and Eddie up to peeing on the electric fence. She said that was the best part. No wonder I though little boys looked like Vienne-Wienies. I guess anybody would if they were being electrocuted.                



PIO