Monday, March 24, 2008

My Kingdom for a PEEP

Until today peeps were only good for putting them in the microwave and watching them mutate into big blobs of yellow (for traditionalists) marshmallow. And then I found this:

Oh my god! Have to start thinking right now for next year!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Memories

RI sister responded to my last post, sharing her memories of that X-files moment:

What a memory that brought back....wasn't that fun!!!! His name was Ralph Watkins. I remember his last name because, Grandma used to call Dad and say it was "Mama Watkins".....lol.....I think he married her only because he had electricty and a TV.....Remember we went up there to get the beagle puppies for David and Cece and one of them kept getting car sick and threw up all over me. Oh the memories........

Another thing I remember about this man was finding out he died. A few years after this eventful trip, we received a letter from Mama Watkins at Christmas time. My father read it outloud to us. It said something like:

Well, I hope this letter finds you all healthy and happy at Christmas. - then it went on for a few pages about family and just plain old life. The last line was: OH and by the way Ralph died last month!

I hear Johnny Mathis in the background (another reference to the X-files Peacock episode)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

WTF???

You just have to ask yourself - WTF?

Who in their right mind would keep this around? I would really be suspect of the family that took the pictures next to their own kid.

Although it does remind me of a story (but then what doesn't?). When I was about 12 my sister and I went to Georgia to visit my father's family. We met our grandmother for the first time and she was on the prowl for husband number 4. I think his name was Roy? Anyway, at his house, some crazy farm house in the backwoods, picture the house from The Peacock episode of X-Files. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but no electricity, no indoor plumbing, spooky. Roy was also in search of a new spouse, number 5 for him. And we kind of met the previous 4 Mrs. Roys, because he had pictures of them IN THEIR COFFINS lining the staircase. Lovely!

Caught up

Have you ever read a book and become so caught up in the story? Well, it happens to me sometimes and I just finished a series of books that have reached out and transported me back in time.

My friend, Calendar Girl, has been at me for a couple of years to read a book called The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Well, I finally gave in and bought it to read on the plane to Paris. That was the first week of February and last night I finished the last of the six book (so far) series.

Outlander is the story of and English woman, Claire and starts around 1948. She and her husband have been separated for six years by the war and go to Scotland for a second honeymoon and to get to know each other again. While Frank is chatting with someone, Claire goes back to a circle of stones that they saw the day before. She walks thru a break in a stone and is still in Scotland, but in 1742. The remainder of the 6000+ pages, with more to come, is the story of what happens to her and those she loves.

Is it a romance novel? Kind of. It is a love story, but so much more. I am drawn in and feel sad that I have to wait until next year to find out more. How does this happen? What is the difference in a book that draws you in (or at least me) like this and one that does not? Many stories are great stories, but what is it in a great story reaches out and touches one? What is it about some books that allow you to let go of your hold on reality and believe the story?

So read the books, but you can't borrow mine.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Hmm

Somedays there is just nothing I want to blog about and then there are days like today. So much in just 3 minutes of cruising the web.

Check it out:

When being fat is a good thing - kind of.

Ever felt like just not going out, read this story.

And then I do want to be buried in Paris, but I'd like whoever is in charge of me at the time to figure out a different way to get me there.

Geez, somedays the world is just full of wacky stuff!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Weird Reminders

I was at Long's today and I saw a little man. I mean it, he was little. Tiny even. He was dressed very nicely in kakhi both top and bottom and he was pulling a shopping cart around the store. He reminded me of something, but I could not remember what until just now. One of my favorite e.e. cummings poems:

in just-

in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee