MAY 2016

MONDAY

Today was one of those days. I had a dentist appointment but was late because I realized our goat, Bonnie, was out and I had to go looking for her before I left. Thank goodness our neighbor caught her and was bringing her home when I started looking. He probably heard me yelling for her.

After my dental appointment I had to rush home to make sure Bonnie was still in the pen. I shut the door so she couldn't escape again. I didn't have time to look for the hole in the fence. 

I ran to the electric company to pay my bill that I had forgot all about until the other night. I was happy I got it paid within the grace period and didn't owe a late fee but when I went back to my truck to leave it wouldn't start. Oh great! This day was turning out to be a doozie. I called the mechanic and then Scout and Donny, just in case I needed them later. 

I wasted about an hour trying to get my truck to start.

Donny finally told me to mash the doohickey that Scout pushed when it wouldn't start the last time. I looked around under the hood. To say I'm inept is a compliment. I took some cover off of something and then had to put it back on because I didn't see anything there to push. I finally realized the doodad was right in front of me but I couldn't reach it. No problem. I got my trusty old back scratcher I carry in my truck and used the handlike stick to push the spring a couple of times then I tried to crank my truck and, by golly, it worked! That was a relief. 

I'm just glad to finally be home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY

Well, today was another day. I thought, "what the heck, I'll do some running around" clearly ignoring my precarious predicament from yesterday. I convinced my buddy, Joann, to go riding around with me and we ended up at Burger's Market in Carbondale. 

Lo and behold, the truck bowed up on me and wouldn't start. Who'd a knew? Well, we called in the cavalry and waited. It was a long hot wait. Joann and I got comfy with a sun shade and ice cold water compliments of the lady from Burger's Market. 

Joann was rescued by her friend, Nancy, who came down to Carbondale to pick Joann up. My son, Scout, came by after work to see if he could help. Nothing we did worked. He gave me the number for the wrecker service and left. 

It wasn't very long before Donny arrived from work and tried to start the truck. No such luck. We finally gave up and called Dalton Wrecker and had them haul my Ford to the mechanic in Resaca. We've become such reliable customers we've built sort of a bond. I hope he won't mind coming to get the keys to my truck in the morning when I call. Crap! I wasted a couple of hours today because I didn't take the truck to the garage the first thing today like I should have. I should have known better.

Oh lord, help me through Wednesday. It looks like it's going to be a fun-filled week.

It was the fuel pump.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rachel, Steve, Connie, Maranda, Nita, Junior, and Madison

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

REMEMBER

RIP

Edwadene McAllister, Grampaw Carter, Ev Chastain

 Vivian

AS ALWAYS

PIO

MAY

Whew! Nobody told me getting older was going to be so hard. If they had of told me I'd have tried harder not to get old. 

It's always something. Right now I am transitioning from constant caregiver to part-time homebody. I get so distracted when I'm not on my own schedule that I forget to keep up with my bills and laundry. Needless to say, I get behind.

Things have "flipped" again, in my life. My baby boy, the Coltman, has flown the coop. He moved out on his own. Yeah, now Donny and I are empty-nesters. Colt is working in Atlanta full time now. What to do, what to do?

*******

Between running up to Dalton every day to check on Momma or Bennett I don't have much time to do everything that needs to be done around here. I have literally a mountain of junk piled in Scout's room that I've accumulated since he's been gone. Now I'm sorting through Colt's room moving stuff around trying to figure out what I should do in there. It's a mess.

I think I am psychosomatic. I probably suffer from ablutophobia or possibly disposophobia. I collect things. Things ordinary people would trash. For example, I have an overabundance of plastic meat containers with lids that sandwich meat comes in. I took a stack of them to the Christmas dinner with Donny's family so everyone could get leftovers to take home last year. It impressed my sisters-in-law. I don't know why I haven't thought of using them like that and depleting my reserves before. 

*****

I promised to keep Mamma's yard mowed and, between Scout and me, it's looking pretty good. I went to mow Saturday. Colt was loading the truck up with spare furniture he salvaged from Momma to take to his trailer.

Jason and Hanna were there with their little boy, Tristan. Jason is Scout and Colt's oldest friend. He and Hanna are expecting their second child soon. They're having a little girl. Tristan is a doll so I know the baby will be, too.

Another white car was sitting in the driveway when I drove up but I didn't pay attention. I finally heard Katie say something about Joann and asked her what she was talking about. She said, "Joann is over there," pointing at the white car. I had totally blown by her and didn't even notice.

To tell the truth, I really didn't think about Joann being there. She's not supposed to drive and I never thought about her getting her friends to bring her by the house.

She said they rode by my house, but figured I was sleeping and didn't stop. Mind you, it was going on noon by the time I got to Mamma's house. Oh Joann sure is a kidder. 

She had Nancy and her friend Sandra with her. Sandra is a truck driver. She's about my age. 

We had a full house Saturday. Not only were Jason and Joann there but my aunt Mary was visiting with my momma. She had been visiting for a while. Mary lives in Savannah with her son now. We love it when her daughter-in-law, Tonia, brings her for a visit. Mary went back home on Sunday.

I was hoping Momma and Mary and I could do some things together but Momma didn't want to socialize. Mary kept herself entertained reading a paperback and chain smoking. 

Thankfully, Mamma's church family fixed them several meals and brought them to Mamma's house. They are excellent cooks, especially Shirley, the preacher's wife. They're good people.

*****

Burger's Market is open again this season so I got a beautiful tri-colored pink mandevilla plant and gave it to Momma for Mother's Day. I bought myself two different kinds of ferns. I love them. They give any house a southern vibe.

Poor Donny has to tend to our yard alone. Nobody else is ever around to help him. I've started doing my part by tying the goat out so she can eat some of our overgrown spots. Bonnie acts like she's always starving so it's a win-win for all of us. Well, all of us except Buddy. He got off on the wrong foot with the goat and she doesn't like him at all.

Now Buddy cowers in fear when the goat gets on a tear and decides she wants to butt him. Oh well. Live and learn, I always say. Maybe next time he'll be a little nicer when he meets a goat.

*****

I'm becoming cautiously optimist that this might turn out to be an awesome summer. Here's hoping. 

Bless you all as you go about your daily struggles. We all have our crosses to bear. Just think "this, too, shall pass" and carry on. I love you all, even when I'm being a bitch sometimes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rachel, Steve, Connie, Maranda, Nita, Junior, and Madison

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

REMEMBER

Edwadene McAllister, Grampaw Carter, Ev Chastain

RIP

Vivian

AS ALWAYS

PIO

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