Transported

I took a bite into a Macintosh apple today and I was instantly taken back…

…to fall days playing in the backyard.
…to the smell of fall so crisp in the air.
…to playing football with my dad and brothers.
…to climbing our apple tree in the yard to pick apples (were they even Macintosh's? I don’t remember)
…to playing with friends outdoors savoring the last of it we could before winter stung the air.
…to new jackets being worn.
…to raking leaves.
…to jumping in piles of raked leaves.
…to raking leaves all over again.
…to stone and leave ‘soup’ made in our wagon.
…to planning Halloween costumes (that were sometimes worn under jackets)
…to school starting.
…to the excitement of new friends and teachers.
…to playing ‘don’t step on a crack’ while walking there.
…to popping popcorn with my dad for movie nights.
…to making caramel apples with my mom.
…to the sun setting sooner.
…to the days getting cooler.

I love those memories & I love the fall.

What are your favorite memories of this beautiful time of year?

Power Pellets

I was suddenly transported through time last week. One bite into a fresh from the vine grape and I was gone.

I was 8 years old in the backyard of the house I grew up in. Its early fall and you can smell that crisp air every time you breathe deeply, almost tasting it. The sun is high in the sky with white fluffy clouds. It's a perfect early fall day. The grass is still green and the trees are starting to turn colors. The apples on the tree are just starting to ripen, making promises of yummy pies to come. I can still hear the sounds of lawn mowers trimming grass one last time until spring, kids playing in their yards... My mom would be in the house, maybe cooking dinner or tidying up the house, or just watching us. She would spend several minutes at a time looking out of our large window that overlooked the yard. And what did she watch? The most talented football players she had ever seen! Or we thought we were, anyway...

You see, my dad and I were one team and my brothers the other. I learned to throw a football that way. Pickup football games with my family. Some of my fondest memories... Dad hiking me the ball and us trying to run it past my 12 and 14 year old brothers. The sounds of the football sailing through the air and into someones hands (or the ground!) There was no talking, no conversation, just the sounds of laughter during the very serious game going on between the four of us. And every now and then we'd fall and sometimes we'd start to tire and when we did, my dad would say, "You need a power pellet to give you some energy! It will make you feel great!" And that's when we would turn from our game and run to the grape vine...

Those power pellets always did the trick...

2nd Annual Memorial Day Weekend at the Dancing Dog B&B take 2

I forgot something in my list of memories that deserves mention...

Elk Horn it up, baby!!!!

Here are a couple of pics from the weekend...

2nd Annual Memorial Day Weekend at the Dancing Dog B&B

Here are some thoughts for the days...

Friday:
*Hi Ho.... Bye Ho...
*On your brochure, you promised free overnight loving in the garage, but when we got there it was full...
*Rest your lips against a pillow.
*El Mariachi's punch! Is it papaya? guava? mango?? How good is your palate??
*When in Arkadelphia, be sure to visit Aaron's college campus for the chance to see the Flippen-Perrin and Mabee Fine Arts buildings!
*Enchanted (while I actually almost called this movie enchanting, I realized how very dumb I sounded but thought I'd let you make fun of me anyway) let's just say... "eeett's goood"

Saturday:
*Aaron makes very yummy pancakes!
*Petanque would have been even more fun if not for the humidity in the morning (doh!)
*Barat's and Bereta (YES! Family Values!!) & Home Star Runner followed by Aaron's iTunes and some dancing
*Who gets competitive playing Rumikube??
*27 Dresses. I have to write a little something here... I love this movie! Benny and the Jets, she's got electric boobs... It's hysterical!! But I think my favorite part of watching it this weekend, was watching everyone else watch it for the first time (except RubyRed; she'd seen it before)! Knowing what was coming up and hearing RachelBaby, Aligato, Aaron and Papa John laugh loudly at the same time! Loved it!

Sunday:
*Strip Mall Baptist was fantastic. Aaron really found a great place to worship!
*Instead of going out to eat, we cooked with/for each other. I think everyone helped in some way and it was really good! Props for the slightly spicy homemade mac-n-cheese goes to RubyRed. I think we all had seconds!
*Ali kicked our "tay's" (guessing at the spelling) at Attack Uno
*Donnie and Lori joined us in the evening for grilling in and games.
*The boys winning at Battle of the Sexes
*Aaron almost beating all the rest of us at Battle of the Sexes (if we hadn't gotten a "go to the end" wildcard, he would have!)
*Having what I'm told is referred to as a 'sanging' after Donnie and Lori left. It all started with *"God of Earth and Outer Space" and turned into a great time of true worship. Thanks for starting it Aaron (you need to post the lyrics to your favorite hymn!)

Monday:
*Back on the road again... to jobs and homes and things that needed our attention. Thanks' so much Aaron, for opening up the Dancing Dog B&B for a weekend of relaxation. And, on a personal note, thanks for the 'Becky Dip' Burgers... it was nice of you to think of it...

My Grandma...

Lately more then ever, I seem to think about my grandma. She passed away when I was 14 and was my only grandparent still alive at the time; which means in November I will have lived half of my life without a grandparent. Today I was talking with a coworker and somehow we got on the topic of grandparents and I was telling her about how sassy my grandma was. It reminded me of something in my past. I was maybe around 12 and I had asked my grandma if she and my grandpa had a song. She said they had and when I asked her what it was, she said it's 'I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You'. We laughed about it, but I always wondered if it was really a song or if she was being funny.

So today, I google'd it.

It's a song. Here are the lyrics:


I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You

I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!
When you dead in your grave, No more women will you crave.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

I trust you in my home, you rascal, you.
I trust you in my home, you rascal, you.
I trust you in my home, You wouldn't leave my wife alone.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

I fed you since last fall, you rascal, you.
I fed you since last fall, you rascal, you.
I fed you since last fall, Then you got your ashes hauled.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

You asked my wife to wash your clothes, you rascal, you.
You asked my wife to wash your clothes, you rascal, you.
You asked my wife to wash your clothes And something else I suppose.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

You know you done me wrong, you rascal, you.
You know you done me wrong, you rascal, you.
You know you done me wrong, You done stole my wife and gone.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

You asked my wife for a meal, you rascal, you!
You asked my wife for a meal, you rascal, you!
You asked my wife for a meal, And something else you tried to steal.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

Please don't me find you, rascal, you.
Please don't let me find you, rascal, you!
Please don't let me find you 'Cause you'll leave this world behind you.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

Ain't no use to run, you rascal, you.
Ain't no use to run, you rascal, you.
Ain't no use to run, I done bought a Gatling gun,
And you still having your fun, you rascal, you!

I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal, you!
I'm gonna kill you just for fun, you rascal, you!
I'm gonna kill you just for fun; The buzzards gonna have you when I'm done.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

You done messed with my wife, you rascal, you!
You done messed with my wife, you rascal, you!
You done messed with my wife, And I'm gonna take your life.
I'll be glad when you dead, you rascal, you!

************************

I found a couple of clips of it on youtube, but they're not very clear... but Louis Armstrong sang it as well as a couple of others, so if I can find it somewhere I'll post it.