I Am Bat Woman!!

Earlier this year before my BFF Tam decided to move in with my children and me, we would talk on the phone constantly and most always at bed time.  All I had was a cell phone and out here in the boonies (another name for country)  those things don't work too well.  Most of the time at my previous house I would have to sit on the front porch to have a phone conversation.  Let me add a little info.... I just purchased a cell phone booster and we can actually talk on the cell phones in parts of the house now!!  Anyway, back to my story Tam lived not too far down the road from me with her Dad and would ride her bike over on a regular basis (I'm talking bicycle.... not a cool scooter like we have now).  Don't ask why she didn't have a vehicle..... that's an entirely different story.   I've joked with her for a couple years now about looking like the witch from Wizard of Oz when she is peddling that bicycle (which is retired by the way).  That long black hair and her serious look when she is peddling just reminds me of the scene in Wizard of Oz. lol  So, back to my story..... we are talking and at the end of the conversation I tell Tam I'm about to go into my cave and go to sleep.  She tells me when I wake up the next morning to flash her the BAT SYMBOL and she will ride on over.  I laughed and said if I'm bat woman then she is cat woman!!

We hit the Limestone Flea Market that weekend and I'll be darned if I didn't see a belt buckle in pink with the batman symbol on it.  I immediately purchase it and while I'm putting on my new belt I spot a pink cat buckle.  I bought it for Tam and told her we are officially Bat woman and Cat woman!!  The remainder of our visit at the flea market I'm going squeak squeak and Tam is responding with meow!!  We haven't purchased our black jumpsuits yet, but we will real soon.

Quite frequently we go to WalMart in Alabama instead of TN just for a change of scenery.  If you start hearing squeaks and meows we are in the store.  Just follow the sound!!  Oh, every once in a while we forget our new names and do the hoot owl call (like Gomer Pyle in Andy Griffith), so if you hear crazy chicks hooting  like an owl in a store that's us too!!  We won't hurt you, I promise!!
 
If you do hear squeaking, meowing, or hoot owls in a store please don't report us to security because Target already has me on tape. A couple of years ago I was walking out the front door with my daughter and trying to open my umbrella at the same time... stepped a little too far to the right and caught my foot on the hand rail.  In order to keep from falling I guess I stepped over with my left foot and was somehow hovering over the rail while trying to get my daughters attention to help me.  All I could think about was falling the rest of the way and breaking my teeth.  Couldn't think straight enough to drop my purse and umbrella so I could grab the rail and steady myself.  My daughter was digging in her purse for the car keys and actually looked up and saw what was happening with me and quickly went back to digging in her purse.  I could have choked her for not helping me.  She said she was so horrified by the look of me "humping" the rail and the bystanders watching that she just couldn't acknowledge knowing me!!  Jeez, thanks fruit of my womb!!!!  When I finally steadied myself and got off the rail I had quite an audience.  I simply straightened my clothing (humping messes up your clothes), picked up my purse and umbrella, smiled and walked on to the car!!

It's a good thing I didn't have my Bat Woman status back then or it would have made the news headlines...... Bat Woman Humps Rail at Target.  That would have been embarrassing!!

I FEEL LIKE A ROCK STAR!!!

I just arrived home from my class reunion!!  Talk about feeling special.... I feel special!!   The moment I arrived they  told me how earlier they were discussing that once I arrived the fun would begin.  I honestly never realized my classmates thought that of me and I am so very touched!!  I took my BFF with me and on the ride back home she told me that several of my classmates talked to her about me and shared with her what a great person I have always been.  One of them said that no matter what is going on when I arrive  the atmosphere instantly changes into a fun and bubbly affair!! Another person told my BFF that I always treated everyone the same no matter who they were or where they came from.

Did they look older?  I don't know because all I saw was the smiling faces of the family we formed at East Limestone School back in the 70's.  Many of us went to school together from 1st grade on and others joined us along the way.  No matter what the Class of 1979 is my family and I love each and everyone of them.  Priscilla brought our Senior Yearbook and we flipped through it and asked about everyone that wasn't in attendance to see if anyone knew where they are in life.  We laughed and joked about some of our teachers.  I did an impersonation of one of our teachers (won't say which one) and they instantly knew who it was. The boys cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for us and they were delicious! Denise brought  a card for us all to sign to send to another classmate who has cancer and couldn't be with us today.  We talked about our beloved classmate, Mark Jackson, who died earlier this month to Pancreatic Cancer.... that was our most somber moment..

Some of us let loose and talked about the crazy things that have happened in our lives.  One of our classmates admitted to changing their sexual preference (let me add that it was a very entertaining discussion).  Patrick has a 3 year old which I think makes him very brave (or insane) since my 13 year old may be the death of me!!  Of course, my five marriages was a big hoo haa for everyone!!  We exchanged notes about children, grandchildren, spouses, ex-spouses, parents and so many other things.  Oh, and I got permission from a couple of classmates to tell stories about them in my blog.... so be on the lookout!!

If we had gone to school together in New York or Washington State I don't think we would have all been together today.  I think here in the South we tend to develop more of a closeness, we actually become a family of sorts.  I know for a fact that you don't have to be born into a family to become family!!  I feel like I just spent a wonderful day with family!

To my classmates I spent the day with..... all of you made me feel very special.  It brings tears to my eyes as I am writing this because of the love you shared with me today!!  I walked away from that reunion today feeling like a ROCK STAR.  I love each and everyone of you and hope we all get together again very soon!!

What Would the Neighbors Think?

 Last night on face book one of my friends posted Leave the drama at the door, I don't have time for it!! I live the way I live and if you don't like me, then frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn:)  Another friend posted this as a response: It has taken me a long time, Donna, to get to where I am, but I think you have reached the spot earlier in life than I did ! You can't live your life for others.....if others don't make you happy........distance yourself from them !  Well, this really hit home with me and I posted next....YES! YES! YES! It was so beat into my head growing up "What would the neighbors think?" I've lived most of my life worried about what everyone else thought about me and what I was doing!! I no longer give a damn and I am going to enjoy the 2nd half of my life.... no matter what anyone else thinks!! Even when it takes removing yourself from loved ones you have to do it!!  Immediately started writing this blog last night as this was all going on!

WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBORS THINK?  Did anyone else grow up having those 5 words preached to you and beat into your head?  If my parents said it one time they said it a million.  I can remember when I was about 13 or 14 and someone at school was having a party.  I actually think it was Denise Barksdale.  I'll never forget when I asked for permission to go to the party that's all I heard WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBORS THINK.  I can vividly remember thinking to myself that the neighbors would think it perfectly normal because their kids would probably be going to the party.

You had better believe I let my daughter have a party at that age and she had my permission to go to parties.  I always made sure I knew the parents and this, that, and the other, but I was not going to mentally warp my kid like my parents did to me.  Maybe my parents did to me what was done to them as children.... my father? maybe, but I know my mother wasn't raised like that!  Maybe that mentality was a sign of the times and everyone else worried constantly what the neighbors, family, and the rest of the community  thought about them and their kids, and hey even their dogs!!

I can say without a doubt that having that beat into my head my entire childhood had a huge effect on me mentally and emotionally.  I've worried myself to death throughout my life trying to do everything right and not make the neighbors think badly of me.  I was in property management for 16 years and every homeowners association I worked for I jumped through hoops wanting to please them 100%.  My 1st divorce I was worried sick about what everyone was going to think of me.  Even my 4th divorce I was worried about what others would think.  Let me add that my parents disowned me for a period of time when I divorced the first time!!  I wasn't allowed to see my younger siblings, either.  Was that the right thing to do?  Not in my opinion!!  My children could murder someone in cold blood and it would never make me turn my back on them.  If I love you, then I love you good or bad!
 
At this point in life I could care less what anyone thinks of me and the decisions I have made in life!!  I have learned to joke about my sideline career of getting married and divorced.  Yes, that is still am embarrassment to me, but not to the point that it makes me worry when I should be sleeping. 

I do not pass judgment on how my friends, neighbors, or anyone else lives their lives, spends their money, or raises their kids.  I refuse to pass judgment on others and if they want to pass judgment on me then they can kiss my butt!!  Everything I have in life I have earned myself.  My mistakes have been my own and my accomplishments have been earned by ME!!

Was anyone else raised like this?  Have any of you lived your adult lives worried about what everyone else thinks of you?  I would like to hear your stories!!

Thanks,
Nanette
The Crow's Nest

P.S.  I've always tried to conduct myself as a prim and proper Southern Belle in life and business. I've tried to be everything my parents expected!! Now that I am retired and can no longer work I am actually living for the first time just for myself and my kids.  I have a little nose piercing.  I have a red, white and blue star tattooed on my right lower back.  I have a beautiful fairy tattooed on my right shoulder blade.  And this past year after being disowned, once again, by my parents I had a Crow and crescent moon tattooed on the inside of my right wrist!!  I am rocking on with my life!!

I Made that Wedding Cake!! One of my Proudest Moments as a Sixteen Year Old

Day before yesterday I took a moment to chat on Facebook with my niece, Lacy ,  about her life and new baby.  While we were chatting I had a message pop up from an old high school friend, Rachel Wooldrige (can't remember her married last name) and we ended up chatting for a bit... catching up on our lives since high school.  It was just like talking to the Rachel I knew back in 1978.  I told her that I have actually mention her numerous times throughout the years and that I always tell everyone how I made her wedding cake the summer between my junior and senior year of high school.  Mama took a cake decorating class when I was 11 or 12 and of course, I had to learn it all too.  I used to love to decorate cakes and was so excited back in the day when Rachel asked me to make her 3 tiered wedding cake.   I enlisted the help of my beloved Home Economics teacher, Connie Barksdale and I'm pretty sure we did the decorating in the Home Ec building at East Limestone even though school was out for the summer.  I remember how excited I was and how I felt it was a great accomplishment to have created such a beautiful cake.  I was scared to death when it was time for Rachels family to transport the cake from the Home Ec building to the site of the wedding.  In the heat of the summer you have to get the air conditioning really cold in your vehicle in order to transport a big cake to keep it from melting and looking droopy.  I'll never forget how proud I felt at the wedding reception when Rachel told her guest I had made the cake.  In reality I probably couldn't have done such a cake without Ms. Barksdale and her knowledge.

Throughout the years when having discussions with various people in the crafting world  I have always proudly told about my accomplishment of making Rachel's big wedding cake.  I continued to decorate cakes and always made my step-daughter's birthday cakes.  At some point in time I realized it exhausted me to do this and made a huge mess in the kitchen.  Also, WalMart and now Publix makes beautiful cakes that are quite tasty.  I don't think I've ever made Enola or Jordan's birthday cakes because it was so much easier to order them.  When my Antebellum home burned in Dec. '05 that was the end of any thoughts or desires to decorate cakes.  All my supplies and books burned and I've never had the desire to go out and buy new supplies.

It's was such a great thing to go to school with the same kids from 1st to 12th grade.  We all pretty much knew everyone in school, knew the names of the younger and older siblings, knew who was related and knew where most everyone lived.  I don't think students form as close of a  bond as we did back in the 70's and early 80's  because the schools are split up. 

I plan on getting together with Rachel in the very near future and I know for a fact that the 33 years since our last real time together will seem to not even exist.

I feel that it is only in the South where students form such close bonds and can go for years without seeing or talking to each other and instantly reconnect as adults as if the years in between don't exist.

If you have a story or comment I would love for you to share it with me!!
Nanette
The Crow's Nest

P.S.  Rachel and I both had to get offline to go and hang out the laundry lol!!  Read my post from this past Wednesday about hanging out laundry growing up!!  I hated it!! lol

Have a Come Apart??? What is That??

After battling the "new school clothes" shopping on Monday I was exhausted.  Jordan has spent his entire summer either at the Boys and  Girls Club or church camp with his friend next door.  Easiest summer I can remember in quite a few years.  I am a very young 50 year old, but with my medical problems and chronic pain some days I just get overloaded!  Ha, that's probably most days!! 

Apparently, the boys have decided they are finished with the club for the summer so, they are spending their last week of summer break here at the house.  They are sleeping next door, but arriving here early in the mornings and staying here till 4:00 or so when my neighbors get home from work.  Let me add at this point that we have the most fantastic neighbors.  Jordan and his friend are nearly inseparable and I think Jordan has adopted the parents next door as his new Dad and Step-Mom (my husband passed away 3 years ago).  I keep thinking they are going to hit me up for child support any day now!! lol    

Yesterday morning my BFF (who lives here with us) got up early and  took Old Bob (2001 Ford Explorer)  to her Dad's house to haul off a bunch of old electronics and junk for him.  When she got home she was so excited because the recycling place gave her $27.  She was telling the boys the pool at her Dad's house looked really nice and if they were good this week she would take them swimming when she went to get her next load of junk from his place. I could tell she was exhausted from being in the heat and loading all that crap by herself.  I am bad about remembering to take my pain and anxiety meds until the pain makes me sick or my heart starts beating out of my chest and I feel like I am going to faint!!  Also, I guess I was still a little ragged from our shopping expedition on Monday.  Anyway, the boys kept running through here and jumping around and being boys.  I was cool, collected and completely under control and kept making numerous suggestions of things they could do.  None of it sounded interesting to them when all of a sudden Tam says, "hey, boys, get your swimsuits and we'll go get another load from Dads and you two can swim"!   I'm secretly thinking, oh thank you Tam, thank you!! lol  I get busy and throw in a load of clothes and hang them on the line.  I spent an hour or so talking on facebook chat with a couple of people and moved a small fraction of clothing from the mud room  to my bedroom.  Honestly, I accomplished very little other than fooling around on the computer.  Next thing I know they are back (it was actually about 3 hours) and all excited.  First of all the boys had fun swimming and going off the diving board.  Second they were all excited because the 2nd load to the recycling center netted $51.  Tam took the boys to Dollar General and let them spend half of it on SUGAR and the other half on groceries.  Thankfully, the boys left shortly after that to go on a bike ride with the parents next door.

Now, I was thinking I had handled two days of dealing with boys in a very good  way until...... Tam informed me today that she saw my eye start to tic and twitch yesterday while I was making suggestions to the boys on things to do (that would get them out of my hair).  She said she can't stand it when I have a "come apart" or panic attack and she felt it was very important to remove the boys from my sight (what, what, I don't understand).  I seriously just don't know what she was referring to when she said "come apart".  Maybe she is confusing me with someone else.... it has to be that!! lol   I understand panic attack, but COME APART.... that has to be a mistake on her part!

As a kid my summers were so busy with working in that stinking garden and doing housework that I didn't know the feeling of boredom!!  If I had a free moment I sure as heck would not have sat in the same room (or house) as my parents because they would have found something for me to do.

Maybe I have raised my son in the wrong way...!!???  Maybe I should have insisted he be my little slave and do all the things I had to do as a child... lol  Hey my parents wouldn't let me work fast food after I turned 16.  Daddy said I would have to work enough once I became an adult!!  BS, they just wanted me at home for slave labor!! lol

How have the rest of you raised your kids or how are they being raised?  Do they help in the garden and hang out laundry?  Do they sit inside and play video games while you mow the lawn?  I would really like to know!!



Thanks,
Nanette
Head Crow in my nest!!! lol lol lol

P.S.  Tam also told me that she is only afraid of two people in this world..... my daughter, Enola, and ME!!!  I seriously just don't get it!!

How Are We Going to Wash the Dishes????

As a child of the 60s and 70s I was expected to help with anything and everything around the house and outside too.  I washed dishes every single night unless I was sick and nearly dead.  I can remember coming home from my Friday and/or Saturday night dates and the dishes would be waiting on me to be washed the next morning.  I hated washing dishes, I mean really hated it!!  Other people had dishwashers and I would from time to time suggest we get one and my parents would say they didn't need one because that was my job.  I think the first month after I left home in 1980 they bought a dishwasher! lol  As an adult I've always had a dishwasher and didn't hesitate to use it, but there were times when I just preferred to do the dishes by hand.  The 1900 Victorian I  bought back in April has a broken dishwasher.  You would think I would replace it.... right?  I replaced a perfectly good stove and refrigerator.   No, I use the dishwasher to store the toaster and other things I don't want sitting on the kitchen counter.  We wash dishes by hand!!  It's just too funny when company is here and they want to help clear the table and open the dishwasher and find a toaster and other small appliances!!  Isn't that better than throwing it out on the front porch for the world to view as they pass by?

Another thing I hated was hanging out clothes.  Actually, hanging them out wasn't so bad.... it was the bringing them in and folding them I hated.  I couldn't stand the fact we had a perfectly good clothes dryer in the house, yet I had to hang out laundry.  When I bought my first old house in '99 I purchased a clothes line and sometimes hung out laundry.  As soon as I moved into this old house I went out and bought a rotary clothes line.  Everyday that it's not raining you will see me outside either hanging out laundry or folding it and putting it into my basket!!  Hey the dryer runs up the electricity bill! lol  I think my parents were on to something there.... lol
I always hated when it was time to plant the garden.  It was a family affair.... we all helped in the garden. There was NO BEING EXCUSED FROM THE GARDEN!  It wasn't  enough to have to sweat out there everyday in that garden but, when the vegetables started coming in we had to can and freeze EVERYTHING.  Jeez that was hot and messy work.  Oh, by the way my tomatoes are nearly ripe enough to eat and we are run over with peppers!! lol  I need to get to canning!!
I know my parents taught me these things because that was the way of life back then.  I tried to teach my children, but let's face it in today's world of easy come... easy go... they have no interest in these things.  My Daddy has been saying for several years now that times are going to get really bad and folks who don't know how to live off the land and have big mortgage payments are going to be in trouble.  Will we ever see such times in our life?  I certainly hope not, but if we do I can survive!  I sometimes fear that I have done my children a disservice by not forcing them to get their butts in that garden and learn how to do it.

P.S.  I still don't wash dishes.... my best friend, who lives here with my son and me does all the dishes!! lol    But, I do all the laundry and I actually enjoy it!!

No, Son, You Can't Pee Behind SubWay!!

I can hardly believe my 13 year old son has to start back to school next Monday.  The summers are so much shorter than when I was in junior high school.  Now, I am remembering all the things I needed to get done before he starts back to school.... a physical, a dental cleaning, and several other little things.  Jeez, why did I wait until the last week...???  Because I thought the summer was longer!!

Today we decided to do his "back to school" clothes shopping.  I handed him $160 and told him if he shopped smart he could purchase quite a few pieces of clothing.  I'm always picking him up clothes when I see them on sale, so honestly he doesn't need clothing. I was thinking to myself that he really hasn't grown much and he has several pairs of nice shoes his older brother bought him over the last 6 months or so.  His older sister just bought him a new pair of Sperry boat shoes so, I felt he was good in the shoes department.  First thing he tells me is he's doing all his shopping at Hibbets and he wants a $40 Nike backpack and $85 Nike Shoes.  I go into the speech about how ridiculous it is to spend $40 on a backpack when he has several already, two of which are Under Armour brand.  He decides he'll just get another Under Armour because they are only about $10, he says.

We live in a very rural area in Tennessee and he wants to go to Hibbets in Athens, Alabama (not a big city, but a city).  We all load up..... my son, his friend from next door, my best friend, Tam and of course, me.  We get to Hibbets and the boys go rushing in ahead of us. I'm already getting a headache and regretting making this shopping expedition on a Monday.  My little man found a couple of pairs of shoes on sale in the $50 range, but he just had to have the $85 ones (hey that's cheaper than what his brother buys him).  Then he moves on to clothes and picks out one outfit (I mean just sports shorts and a shirt) that is $60 and then decides he wants a pair of $32 Nike sandals.  I just look at him and tell him he needs to add up and see that he doesn't have enough money and I refuse to buy the sandals when he received a pair of Under Armour ones in his Easter basket (yes, I still do Easter baskets for my kids).  He tries on clothes and makes his final decision and goes to check out and he's about $30 short and still NEEDS a backpack (it's $20 not $10)..... so, what do I do??!!  I send him out of the store add a cheap pair of shorts for myself, another pair for him and that darned $20 backpack.  I ended up spending $260 for 1 pair of shoes, 3 shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, a backpack and my cheap sale shorts that were $4.95.  I have lost my mind! If he kept up with all his clothes it wouldn't be so ridiculous on my part!  What happened to the little boy who was happy with WalMart brand basketball shorts??  

Next we go to Dollar Tree and knowing he has no money left I give him a few dollars.  He tries on sunglasses and can't decide between two pairs, so, he buys both.  Just had to spend all his money!!

I'm ragged by this time and so is Tam from all the noise and confusion of shopping with two little boys!!  We went to Subway to eat and when we get inside my little guy insists he needs a foot long sandwich.  I just roll my eyes and tell him to get whatever he wants.  I'm secretly thinking I just want to feed these monsters and get back to my home in the country! To my amazement he ate the entire sandwich along with a bag of chips and root beer.  My 13 year old only weighs 74 pounds and he's only 4foot 4inches tall.  I am astonished at the amount of food he can consume.

As we are leaving we decide to stand outside and have a smoke (just Tam and me).  I don't smoke in my vehicle and never around my son because he has asthma.  While Tam and I are smoking my son looks at me and starts to walk to the back of the building while saying "I have to pee"!!  Horrified, I tell him he can't pee behind the subway building because we are in town.  He argues for a few moments and finally goes inside to use the facilities!! lol


Rural life really is different because you can pee in the yard if you want to and chances are no one is going to see you.  I've recently done it myself lol..... we had a really bad rain storm that knocked out the electricity one night.  At this particular time we had removed the kitchen and dining room floors and joist because they were termite ridden.  I had to go really, really bad in the middle of the night and couldn't find a flashlight.  No way was I walking down that long dark foyer, stepping down two feet to nothing but dirt (where there might be things that could grab me) to cross the dining room to get to the bathroom.  I had a real problem on my hands because I really had to go.  I looked out the front door and saw the solar lights shining bright!!  I walked out to my big long porch, felt my way around the dining room table and chairs (remember, no floor in the dining room), got to the end of the porch, held on to a porch post and did my business!!  YES I TRULY DID THIS JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO!  Hey, when you live in the rural south you can get by with popping a squat in the dark at the end of your front porch!!

The Graduating Class of 1979

                                  
Since I got up the nerve to post my first blog it's almost all I've been able to think about!!  All these thoughts keep running through my mind...... what should I blog about next..... should I tell a funny story about living in the South or talk about one of my many creative and crafty creations??!!!    Or, should I talk about my 1900 Victorian home I'm slowly restoring? Or, should I talk about my new love of karaoke singing??? Maybe I should talk about the joy of raising two children in the South?  I have so much I want to blog about, so where do I start?  

The main thing on my mind right now is my big 32 year class reunion coming up Saturday!!!  Holy cow, have we really been out of high school 32 years?  I must have miscalculated!!  I keep reminding myself that I do have memory loss due to critical spinal cord surgery, so maybe I have forgotten what year I graduated high school.  Well, I am pretty sure it was 1979 and I'm pretty sure that was 32 years ago this past May.  I've calculated and recalculated and it is definitely 32 years ago.  Also, I just turned 50 (yes the big five O) so it has to be true!  Now, I am obsessing over the weight I have gained since surgery and what on earth am I going to wear??!!  I've noticed on facebook that my classmates are looking pretty good.  Are they as ridiculous as me..... worrying about how they look and what to wear?  What if I get there and can't remember names?  Jeez, this is becoming more and more stressful!  I actually thought, as I was watering the flowers and plants earlier, that if I go without eating all week I will look better by Saturday!!  Yes, this is ridiculous and I must stop this thought proceess.

A little over a week ago one of our classmates, Mark, died from Pancreatic Cancer.  It hit me hard and I cried even though I've probably not seen Mark in 10 or 15 years.  It made me realize that the people I went to school with, many of us 1st through 12th grade at East Limestone are a lot like family even though most of us don't talk on a regular basis and most of us haven't seen each other in years.  You know how you have family that you only see every so many years when there is a big family reunion.  They are still family even though you don't talk or see them on a regular basis

I have to tell a funny story (well it wasn' t funny at the time) about my Mama and her class reunion(she was class of 1957).  It was a special thing planned for all the graduating classes at East Limestone.  This was probably around 1977 or so because I was still in high school.  Mama was so excited and she had been on the phone talking to people and had her outfit all picked out.  The morning of the reunion she broke her front tooth.  Yes, her very front tooth!!!  She couldn't get a dentist to fix it that very day so she had to miss her big reunion!  No way was Mama going to a reunion without her front tooth, lol (maybe that is why I am so obsessed with my teeth) I remember how terribly disappointed she was to miss seeing all her classmates.  At home we were relieved when the dentist capped that front tooth and she once again looked like Mama instead of some freak from the swamps!

Hopefully, I will not follow in Mama's footsteps and break my tooth Saturday morning and not be able to go see my classmates!!!  I look forward to seeing all my wonderful friends from all those years ago.

If anyone has good class reunion stories please put them in the comment box for us all to share!!  It would be great if some of my classmates would write in the comment box what they are thinking and feeling about the upcoming reunion.  Please tell me I am not the only crazy one trying to figure out what to wear!! hahahaha
Nanette

P.S.  I haven't forgotten at our 10 year class reunion some of you boys (class of '79)  told me my nickname was secretly Miss Goody Two Shoes all those years agol!!!  Trust me I am living this second half of my life so that nickname no longer fits my feet!! lol

Growing up in Rural Alabama

I grew up in rural Alabama.  My Grandparents were farmers and had a hundred head or so of Black Angus Cattle.  It tickles me now to see all the advertisements for "Black Angus" hamburgers, steaks, or whatever.  I was eating nothing but Black Angus my entire life until I moved out on my own in the early 80's.  When I was a baby my parents built a home about 4 miles from my Grandparents.  I can remember my younger brother and me walking the distance down the gravel road to my Grandparents when we were about 8 and 4.  Now would I have dared let my children walk that far by themselves..... heck no!!!  Times are so different and of course, when my daughter was that age we lived in the city!!

When I was about 12 years old my Grandparents gave my parents the "Old Home Place" and 20 acres for Christmas.  I loved that old house and still do to this day.  My Grandmother apparently had wanted a new home for years so they built one less than a couple of miles away, as the crow flies.  What that means is we could walk through Pa Crouch's cow pasture and cross the highway to get to their new home!! Even though I loved that old house as I came into my teenage years I began to realize not everyone lived without central heating and cooling.  My bedroom was at the front of the house which was shut off from the rest of the house during the winter.  I did have a small space heater in my bathroom to use in the mornings.  I told myself that when I grew up I was leaving the country and NEVER LIVING IN AN OLD HOUSE!!! Never, never, never!!  Well, what did I do????  I fell in love with a beautiful historical home in Tennessee and moved back to the country in 1999.  Oh, I even planted huge gardens and canned and froze vegetables just like a good southern women does!!  My beautiful old home was heated with propane heaters and cooled with window units and that was just fine with me.  When family would come to visit they never stayed long because it was just too hot or too cold for them!! lol  Didn't bother me one bit because I loved my old house.  Now, I will admit that first winter I thought I was going to freeze to death, but once I got used to it I was perfectly comfortable in my old home!!  Unfortunately that homed burned December 5, 2005 and I was devastated!  I truly believe I was almost in a trance for nearly 5 years after the loss of that home.  It was a total loss and the only thing saved was our precious little dogs crated in the living room of the home.  I toyed with the idea of leaving the country life completely and even tried it for about a year.  Apparently you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!!

This past April I purchased another old home in a different county in Tennessee built in 1900.  Now, I just turned 50 so, I decided the convenience of a central heating and cooling system would be a smart idea.  First week I was here I made arrangements for my neighbors company to install two units.  One for upstairs and one for downstairs.  Didn't really have time to get a garden planted but we have tomato and peppers plant in with the flowers.!!  Next year there will definitely be a huge garden.

I'm only 15 minutes from where I grew up in Alabama, so I haven't gone far.  Back when I was 18 or 19 I would have sworn I would never live in the country again.  I can't imagine spending the remainder of my life anywhere but in the Rural South!!