Not a Friend

I've heard some people call their parent a "friend."

My mother was not my friend.

She was my mentor - not my friend.
She was my confidant - not my friend.
She was my biggest cheerleader - not my friend.
She was my role model - not my friend.
She taught me how to be a good mother - she was not my friend.
She showed me how to love God - she was not my friend.

She was more than a friend.

She was my mother...so much more than just a friend.

Today

Junior, Billy, Joey, and I - along with our families - will go to the funeral home today then to the cemetery for the final services before Mama is buried.

Just a Note

I noticed that someone from the Midlothian area found my blog while searching for my mother. Please comment and let me know who you are...

A New Grandson

Colt and I welcome his new baby brother and my new grandson into this world!
Cain Martin
Born Friday March 30 at 9:03 a.m.
7 pounds 9 ounces

Talking About Daddy

Or at least his trucks - on Facebook.

Daddy started out driving an ice delivery truck when he was still really just a kid. For you young 'uns out there - I'm talking about blocks of ice to go in the ice box. Not refrigerators. This was before electricity. He told me about knocking on the screen door of a kitchen one time and the black lady telling him to "come right on in, son"... Big woman. Taking a bath in the wash tub in the kitchen. Of course, Daddy did tell some tales.

He worked for Red River Army Depot, but Mama said he'd work awhile...they'd lay him off...they'd call him back. It just wasn't steady work. Daddy, Mama, and Jr. moved to Grand Prairie, Texas. They came back so that the same doctor at St. Michael's in Texarkana could deliver me. Then we moved back. BJ was born in Dallas.

Daddy went to work for Lone Star Boat Company in Grand Prairie. It sold out to Chrysler Boats.
http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Lone_Star

Wasn't he a handsome man?!Can you imagine driving trucks like this coast-to-coast? summer and winter? He told another story about J. C. Jackson and him driving their two trucks in California one summer. They were driving through orange orchards and saw a sign "All The Orange Juice You Can Drink - 5 Cents." Well they pulled over and threw their nickels down. Gulped a glass each and said, "More." Gulped that down. "More." Next time, she said, "No." Neither one of those men were much for being told "No." "Whaddya mean, 'No'? The sign says ALL you can drink." They were told real quick that they'd drank all they could drink at that stand. LOL

Someone on Facebook asked about Daddy's 1949 Ford. Baby brother Joey had it last. He sold it quite awhile back...20 years or so???

Then the old red B-Model Mack was mentioned. Daddy bought it to play with. He sold it to Chrisman's in/near Coal Hill, Arkansas. Joey had worked for them when he owned the '49 Ford. They totally refurbished it. They even found the original bill of sale in the door panel! Joey was supposed to get some information about Daddy to them and they were going to put a plaque in the truck dedicated to him. I hope they did.

Lost and Found

I lost my Swiffer duster. Quite awhile back, actually. You know...before Thanksgiving. YES! I have dusted since. At least a swipe here and a swipe there with my old fuzzy acrylic dust scatterer. I know that I probably got interrupted while dusting and just dropped it behind something. For the last two weeks I've been looking behind knick-knacks, photos, books, what-have-you. Alas, no Swiffer duster. I'm thinking perhaps the monster dust bunnies absconded with it. But no ransom note has been forthcoming.I turned the stereo on over the weekend. Put on my Christmas present for my stocking from me Darius Rucker CD and sang and danced and looked up. Dang it! Found the blasted thing. Now, I've really got to dust in earnest - but not while Darius Rucker is singing "It Won't Be Like This For Long."

What about these bluebonnets?!

Don't you just love the red in the centers?!

My Mother's 77th Birthday was Yesterday

Wasn't she such a cute baby!! For years and years she had a standing appointment at the beauty salon for this hairdo. :D I've posted this photo before of Mama and me standing in front of a Blocker family quilt - yep as in Dan Blocker aka Hoss Cartwright. His dad and my great grandmother were brother and sister. A bed laden with nostalgia. Looking for these (except the moccasins) to loan to Colt......wonder why I saved the boot box too? Heart still goes thu-thump...thu-thump...one of the smoothest voices in country music!

Red Tails

Very good movie!

In talking with others, you will either really like it...or really hate it. I honestly think part of that would depend on - well - how racist you are. I heard two older men talking about "rewriting history" ... "The Tuskegee Airmen were just escorts." I knew these men and asked, "Oh. And if the Germans started shooting on the air convoy, these fighter pilots just ignored them? Interesting."

Let's give credit where credit is due. Yes, the movie is "based" on true events. No, every word uttered on screen is not historically accurate. IT'S A MOVIE PEOPLE!

However, The Tuskegee Airmen had a fight with the US military going in strictly because of their color. But look what they accomplished!!!

From Wikipedia:

In all, 996 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946, approximately 445 were deployed overseas, and 150 Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat. The casualty toll included 66 pilots killed in action or accidents, and 32 fallen into captivity as prisoners of war.

The Tuskegee Airmen were credited by higher commands with the following accomplishments:

• 15,533 combat sorties, 311 missions
• 112 German aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground
• 950 railcars, trucks and other motor vehicles destroyed
• One destroyer sunk
• A good record of protecting U.S. bombers, losing only 25 on hundreds of missions.

Awards and decorations awarded for valor and performance included:

• Three Distinguished Unite Citations
  • 99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for the capture of Pantelleria, Italy
  • 99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy
  • 332d Fighter Group: 24 March 1945: for the longest bomber escort mission of World War II
• At least one Silver Star
• An estimated one hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses
  
• 14 Bronze Stars
• 744 Air Medals
• Eight Purple Hearts
  

In 2007, President George W. Bush and Congress presented the surviving 300 men with the Congressional Medal of Honor. President Bush saluted them to help atone for the slights they received while they were serving their county.

But remember - they were ONLY escorts. Riiiiighttttt!

Let's NOT rewrite history. But please report it completely and honestly.

The Grey

I like Liam Neeson so went to see "The Grey" tonight. If I ever unwind, I'll go to bed.

Two problems with the movie:
1. Really, REALLY bad closeups of the fake wolf heads. If they weren't going to get a closeup of some real wolves, why not go the computer generated route? Some of that work can be so realistic that you can't tell the fake from the real thing.

2. When someone falls into frigid water in the middle of winter in Alaska when temps are well below freezing...if they don't get those clothes off, they will freeze to death!

Sheesh. Somebody out there thinks movie goers are idiots.

Next week I'll go see "Red Tails" - about the Tuskegee airmen.

Moving Day

Over the weekend we helped Colt and his parents move to their new home. A moving company moved most of the stuff. Erin had quite a bit packed up, but there she is 8 months pregnant with a 15 1/2 month old toddler. Oh...and John had to work Saturday until mid-afternoon...so she was by herself.

We got there about mid-morning and I took over the best job - keeping Colt occupied while Sam went with Erin to what he could do in the "keep her from lifting anything heavy" job.

As you can tell, Colt worked hard. I rocked him on the couch and when he conked out, I placed him on the couch. Then - arggghhh! What if he rolls off? I put a bolster on the outside edge and held it in place with his high chair. Decided that wasn't good enough so scooted the big living room chair over against it. Then I went into the kitchen and wrapped dishes while I kept my eye on him. He slept two hours! And that was with the movers talking giving each other directions, running in and out of the house, doors opening, left open and closing - loudly. LOL He stayed in this pajamas all day.

When we got to the new house, Erin sent Sam, Colt, and me out for lunch. Colt was so good! His nap was late. His lunch was late. By the time we got some fried chicken down him it was 3 p.m.! This was our first just the three of us and we all did so great!

At the new house, he had to have some Cheerios for a snack and shared with PawPaw.
Then...he inspected his new digs. Yes. He is trying to crawl in the drawer! LOL