Friday Free Fallin'

Countdown List

10 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:

Learn to play guitar

Play a song I love in a public place

Take the family white water rafting

see the Grand Canyon with my family

Go to DisneyWorld

Devote time to genealogy

Become a better artist

See my children happily married

Have a Library built in our town

Be able to enjoy my grandchildren

9 Places I Last Spent Money:

Local market

Sonic

Shell station

Scholastic Book warehouse

Library conference

Lunch money for the kids

Kathy Griffin tickets

Scrapshare retreat

books at half price books

8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House:

Mama

Can I be excused?

What is for supper?

Laughter

door slam

dishwasher

typing on the keyboard

snoring

7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out:

Tai-Pei x2

La Madeline

Macaroni's x2

Pericos

Los Barrios

6 Things I've Recently Scratched Off My To-Do List:

Mop

Work on Library project

get to the eye doctor

cookbook orders

set date for Joel's birthday

see memaw

5 People I Don't Know by would Like to Hang Out With:

Carrie

Martha

Amy

Goodie

Benita

4 Songs That Make Me Happy:

Brand New Key

I've never been to me

Mango story/song

Any Abba song

3 Things I Hate To Do:

fold clothes

unload the dishwasher

wake up

2 Things I'm Really Good At:

Laughing

talking

1 Bad Habit:

being lazy

This blog challenge is from 2 years ago when I first started my blog.....and not a soul read it (except my sow and some random guy). I haven't looked at it but I thought I would re-post the list from 2006.

10 Things I Wanna Do Before I Die:

1. Learn to play the guitar 2. Sing one of my favorite songs (while playing the guitar) in public. 3. Go to Disney World. 4. See the Grand Canyon. 5. Take the whole family on a white water rafting trip. 6. Take a vacation withmy husband - just the two of us. 7. See my children happily married. 8. Get through my brick wall in my genealogy. 9. Find a sport that I love. 10. Go to Belgium and drink beer and eat chocolate.

9 Places I Last Spent Money:1. Best Buy (Seinfeld Season 6 was on sale for $19) 2. HEB 3. Subway 4. CostCo5. Blockbuster 6. HEB 7. Hobby Lobby 8. Sonic 9. Target

8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House:1. "Mama come get the baby" 2. Mama mama mama mama 3. Classical Music (Samuel)4. XM Kids & 70's 5. Kids acting out whatever show is their current favorite.6. The cleaning CD (a mix of Great 70's songs) 7. Reality TV (in the evening)8. tooting & snoring.

7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out:1. Tom's Ribs 2. La Madeleine 3. Piatti's 4. Piatti's 5. Piatti's 6. PeiWei 7. Johnny Carino's

6 Things I've Recently Scratched Off My To-Do List:1. Mail Cards 2. Go to Bank 3. Go to CostCo 4. Develope film 5. Scrapbook6. Call Dream Dinners

5 People I Don't Know by would Like to Hang Out With:1. Biscuit Scraps (Carol) 2. Cheery Bunny (Amy) 3. Pauline Howard (Artist I met years ago - I took some pictures she used to create a poster). 4. Mrs. Van Blarecome, my first grade teacher. 5. Candice Olsen (Interior Designer -she has her own show on HGTV)

4 Songs That Make Me Happy:1. Brand New Key 2. I Feel Lucky 3. Mango story/song 4. Blow em away 5. Top of the World

3 Things I Hate To Do:1. Unload the dishwasher 2. Wake up 3. Fold the laundry

2 Things I'm Really Good At: 1. I am a good cook. 2. I am good with kids.

1 Bad Habit:1. pick my face (zits)

Poetry

As some of you may know I live in a very small town in Texas.

Our town is growing, we are experiencing a boom of sorts.

Last Spring, I was moved to start a Friends of the Library group in hopes of establishing a BIG and BEAUTIFUL Public Library for all to use and enjoy.

It is a big dream for someone with zero experience with libraries, except spending a lot of time in them.

I have been working with the elementary school librarian, who has created the perfect atmosphere for children to love, enjoy, and look forward to being in the library.

Last week, this librarian suggested I attend the Texas Library Roundup with her.

I wasn't sure what to expect, or if it would even be helpful at this early stage, but I went anyway.

I attended 4 different session and they were all enjoyable but there was a standout among them.

A session on poetry given by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Let me say that I am intimidated by poetry. I don't get it.

Is it all supposed to rhyme?

Shouldn't it have something deep and profound hidden in simple imagery?

Most of the time I can't figure it out, so I steer clear.

She spoke about how to expose and involve our children to poetry.

She shared examples of schools that read a poem daily over the intercom, have a lunch time "open mike" session where students write and share during that lunch period.

She read a poem by a 7 year old boy in Mexico that was beautiful.

She spoke of people of different cultures becoming more understanding of one another through poetry.

She sang us a song that was written with a group of school kids she met on one of her speaking engagements.

This one song brought me back to my first grade classroom. It returned to me all those feelings of love and wonder that I felt everytime I was in Mrs.Van's class. It brought a tear to my eye.

I have never purchased any poetry.

I did yesterday.

She was very kind as she signed my books.

My only regret was that my children were not there to hear her.

I still don't "get" poetry.

But I am at least willing to try now.

1940's

This week's blog challenge asks........If you couldn't live in current times, which past era would you most like to have been born into? and why?

I have had so much fun searching for images that I nearly forgot to actually post.

I love everything about the 1940's.......

Look at that hair! They are beautiful women, but almost anyone would look good in that do.

The clothes.....

The Cars.......

Who wouldn't enjoy driving around in a BEAUTIFUL machine like that?

I watch a lot of movies from the 1940's because they are just beautiful to look at as well as the fact that they have some great stories that I can watch and not worry if my children walk into the room.

I realize that the 1940's wasn't as romantic a time as we would like to characterize it. There was a war. It changed our country. There were difficult times. But I think that those folks who were adults during the 1940's had come through the great depression and were pretty strong folk. Furthermore, it seems that the war brought people together for a common good. Neighbors helped neighbors. People got involved in the war effort. I think it was a time when Americans showed their strength of character.

Besides, it was a time when manners and common courtesy still existed

and taught

and valued.

So despite the difficult war time, I would still opt to live in this decade.

Now, I am going to see if I can get my hair to do that.

Connectedness

I have a friend. Sometimes I think about our friendship and I find it odd that we are friends. From our first meeting, there has been this odd connectedness about our lives. My friend is a big hearted, open, genuine, spiritual, forever thinking person. I love the conversations we have.

She is religious, too. In a good way, if you know what I mean. She is prayerful and wants the best for humanity, and does not make me feel that her way is the only way. I am always moved by hearing her talk about feeling called to do this, or that, or she prayed for guidance and found it. It is amazing how it works in her life.

I have, at times, been open to and actively participating in that kind of faith. I seem to go through phases when it is more intense and then almost non-existent. I am not sure why but that is how it has been. As of late though, I have been trying to open my eye and my heart to find that connectedness not just through prayer but through everything.

Last week my friend was involved in a conversation/debate with a great mind. In part the conversation was about personal responsibility for our own health, doing the work needed for good health - spiritually, good eating habits, exercise. I was reading this conversation/debate and was struck that my friend had touched a nerve with the other person and the debate had a very different tone to it. I waited sometime before I made the following comment:

It seems that the OP touched a nerve with some. This thread seemed to go beyond debate and had a tone that left me uncomfortable.

My friend replied:

I think pretty much everyone felt that tension. I used to have a tendency to run from that line. Now, I've discovered that it's always, always, always....an indicator of a learning point for me for something....if I can get past the uncomfortable feeling far enough to look at it.

My first thought after reading my friend's comment was.......I always run from it. I wonder why/how she gets past that feeling and learns something?

Her comments stayed with me.

12 hours later, I picked up an out of date magazine that another friend passed on to me. It was a magazine purchased from a used book store......(can you feel the odd connection coming?)

While leafing through this magazine I stop on an article about Pema Chodron. She is a writer and the first American woman to become a fully ordained Buddhist nun.

Kind-of interesting.................so I read on...

She talks about the path that led her to Buddhism, the break-up of two marriages and the pain that goes with it. She looked for a way to learn something from the experience.

The interviewer asks the question:

Is that what you advise we do when things fall apart -- stay with it?

The answer: (and this stopped me cold)

Yes. The problem is that we have so little tolerance for uncomfortable feelings.

At this point I have to re-read the sentence a few times because I feel the connectedness and I want to be sure I am reading it correctly.

Yes. The problem is that we have so little tolerance for uncomfortable feelings. I'm not even talking about unpleasant outer circumstances, but that feeling in your stomach of I don't want this to be happening. You try to escape it in some way, but if somehow you could stay present and touch the rawness of the experience, you can really learn something.

The rest of the article goes on to talk about the connectedness of our health and well being and how it is all connected with the ability to have true empathy and compassion....

From the debate about our spiritual connection to good health, to my own uncomfortable feelings with the debate, to my friend's comment about that uncomfortable feeling being a moment to embrace and learn from, to a Buddhist nun repeating my friend's message.........but also adding more of a personal message that I know within my heart of hearts I need to heed.

I am learning to listen to the tap, tap, tap.

THE First Date

I had just been promoted to a newly created position at UPS. It required some assistance from TSG before I could perform all of my duties fully.
I was told I needed to see a guy named Mark, but he was on vacation.
The following Tuesday, Mark returns from vacation so I go looking for him. I walked into a center to find a nice looking guy dressed in black pants, white dress shirt, and the craziest tie I had ever seen. He was kicked back in a chair crackin a joke- or at least that is what I assumed since the whole room was laughing.
Mark helped me with the computer and we made some small talk.
Turns out he is a Texas boy.
He was surprised to find another Texan in our building in San Diego.
Over the next few days he would pop into our center and we would exchange wisecracking banter.
On Friday, Mark enters the office and tells me that a few of the folks from TSG are getting together for Happy Hour, and asked if I would like to join them.
Not too certain about spending an evening with folks I don't know well, I called a friend and made a back up plan.
I head out following Tom (a married guy from TSG) and Mark to El Torito for Happy Hour.
We walk in, and I am expecting to see 2 or 3 others, but nope.........it is just the three of us.
I figure I can have a drink, make small talk and then bug out.
Drinks come and the conversation flows.
Hey, I am enjoying myself.
Tom leaves.
Now it is just Mark and I.
We end up going to another place near by that has a great beer selection.
The conversation gets deeper. It is at this point that I realize this guy is someone special.
Time passes and I realize that it is getting later and I should get back to my car and drive the 45 minutes back home.
On the drive back to my car, we started talking about Las Vegas. I told Mark that when I worked for Southwest Airlines I would take the last flight in, gamble all night, and take the first flight home in the morning, but I hadn't been to Vegas in years.
Mark then takes a wrong turn on the freeway.
He isn't headed back to my car but to Vegas. He reasoned that we didn't have any Saturday plans, and we both loved Vegas, so why not?
My brain is racing.......................I don't do things like this, not even with people I know well, let alone a guy I met on Tuesday.
For whatever reason, I didn't say no.
I told him that if we were going we were going to stop at my house and he was going to meet my parents and I was going to grab a change of clothes.
As we were walking to my front door I told him to tuck in his shirt.
We came in and I introduced Mark to my step-father and told him that we were going to Vegas.
He was not amused and said very little.
My mom on the other hand was excited and exchanging gambling stories with Mark. As I was grabbing a few things, my mom starts giving Mark some silver dollars to put in a slot for her.
I was a bit thrown that mom was not even slightly concerned with her daughter running off to Vegas late Friday night.
I had Mark write down his licence plate/make/model of his car and give mom his drivers licence # too.
And so the adventure began.
On the drive, Mark kept asking for his first kiss.
I kept saying no.
At the Nevada state line I agreed to give him a smooch.
We pulled over on the side of the road and were just about to kiss when a big spotlight and tap on the drivers side window stopped our activity.
State trooper.
We told him our story and he laughed and told us to go on our way.
We arrived in Vegas and enter the casino.......it is very exciting. I was looking forward to fun and more conversation.
I head for the nickle slots (because I don't really like to gamble but enjoy the atmosphere). Mark plays the machine next to me for about 5 minutes and says he is going over to the poker machines and we will meet back in an hour.
Okay.
An hour passes.
90 min.
Two hours..........I start walking around looking for poker machines.
When I can't find him, my mind starts racing........this was some cruel joke and he has left me in Vegas...........this is why I never do things like this............I am stuck in Vegas.......what am I going to do?.......................this is my inner dialog.
Go look for the car.
Now, I am in the parking lot looking for his car. I can't remember where I parked at the grocery store. How am I going to remember where he parked in this huge casino?????
Now I am crying.
and crying and walking the parking lot.
Eventually, I go in the casino and we find each other. It is now the wee hours of the morning and we head to Denny's for a bite to eat.
He has a friend in Vegas that we are going to get a bit of sleep at his house.
After Denny's we go to the friend's house but Mark doesn't want to wake up his friend so he says we are going to sleep in the car.
WHAT? (I am screaming in my head)
He proceeds to put the back seat down and crawl into the trunk/backseat.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? (still screaming in my head)
No he wasn't kidding. He went to sleep.
An hour or two later he calls his buddy and we have real shelter.
I took a shower, changed clothes, and took a nap on the sofa.
The rest of our time together was just good time. We went back to the casino for a few hours in the afternoon and then made the drive back to San Diego.
He dropped me at my car at El Torito, where I had left 27 hours earlier.
What I remember about our goodbye that evening was that he called me sunshine. Which made my heart flutter.
When I got home, my mom came in my room and said, "I know you are tired and we can talk later but, does he have P?"
P was code for potential. Something mom asked almost every time I went out with someone new.
This time I told her, "Yes, this one has potential"

We married one year to the day later.
He is the sweetest, kindest, funniest guy I have ever known. He makes me want to be a better person.

Wordless Wednesday

GREEN

Okay, this might not be a shock to most of you, but my favorite color is green.

The why, may be more difficult to answer......

Green is soothing....

Green makes me feel alive....

....green grass, tall green trees, mountains...

...wide open fields......

.....fresh, and calming.

I LOVE green.

Meet Mary

She was born somewhere in Texas. (Aug 1849)
She had an older brother and an older sister.
I think she was their half-sibling. I think her brother, Samuel, and her sister, Susanna's, mother died some time after Samuel was born. Mary's mother was Winnie.
She spent her early years in South Central Texas, in and around Medina County.
At the age of 18 (1867)
she married a man about 13 years older, William Parrish.
I don't know much about William J. Parrish. I have lots of theories but zero factual knowledge.
10 months after they married,
Mary and William welcomed a baby boy, James E. Parrish. (Oct 1868)
They lived in Kinney County, Texas. A few years later, another boy arrived Thomas Walker Parrish. (1871)
I am uncertain about what happened to this family of four during the next 9 years but I do know it must have been one heck of a tough time.
Nine years after Thomas arrived this family is now living at Uncle Samuel's house without dad and Mary has re-married and the new husband Lawrence Hagarty has fled to Mexico without a trace. (1880)
Poor Mary.
She is 31, two children, two husbands- but none around for support.
I lost track of Mary around this time and don't meet up with her for another 20 years.
She is 51 (1900)
(but she fibs about her age). She has remarried -been married 18 years now to a man named Calvin M Slator. They have two children, Clara who is 16 and Joseph who is 8. They are living in north Texas by this time. Not sure what brought them there but seems they liked it.
I like to think this was a good time in Mary's life.
When next I hear from Mary, some 10 years have past. She is living in New Mexico with her son Joseph. She has lost Calvin. She is 61. (1910)
By 71, (1920)
she is living in Los Angeles........I am not clear what brings Mary out west. I suspect that her daughter Clara, has married and is settled near by with her own family. I like to think she was looked in on and visited often.
At 81, (1930)
Mary is back in Texas living with Thomas in San Antonio. Thomas has raised his family, lost his wife, remarried and adopted an orphan child.
Mary dies soon after.
What a life she led.

Mary E. Hutchison Parrish Hagarty Slater -she was the daughter of William Hutchison (born about 1805) they say he was some sort of doctor -but it is hard to say.
Her eldest child, James E Parrish was my great grandfather. He abandoned his family after the death of his wife. My grandfather Carroll Henry Parrish was raised by his maternal grandparents in the tiny town of D'Hanis, Medina county, Texas.

A few years ago, I got an e-mail from the Hagarty family in Ireland. They were looking for information on Lawrence Hagarty. Seems Lawrence had sent many letters home to his mother in Ireland. He also ran into so legal trouble and is said to have fled to Mexico. Imagine my thrill when the Hagarty family said they had a picture of Mary. They sent it to me. What a moment it was, when I first laid eyes on my great great grandmother.

Much of what I have learned has been from census records. I haven't found any great grandchildren.

She and Thomas (her other son) are buried in unmarked graves in a San Antonio cemetery.

Go back and highlight the spaces after Mary's ages....the corresponding year is typed in white type.

Blog Challenge #29 Wordless Post