hauntedliving

I had just started seventh grade and I looked like a long haired boy. All my friends were wearing bras and filling them up.  I had nothing to put in a bra.  Even though I had no figure at all I still begged Mama to buy me a bra.  Along with my school clothes Mama bought me two training bras.

The next year I begged Mama for a real bra.  Once again Mama came through for me.  She bought me two AA bras for school with my school clothes.  They sat over empty air like little white tents.  One of my friends and told me she stuffed her bra with tissue so I thought if she can do I can too.  I grabbed two handfuls of tissue and it in my cups.  I gazed at myself in the mirror and liked the difference the new bra made in my figure.

I grabbed my books and caught the bus for school.

Later on that day I went to the school store.  I stood in the long lines and waited my turn.  Finally it was my turn bet before I could tell Mrs. Jackson what I wanted she asked if I had a cold. Feeling confused I stammered “no, why?”  She nodded her head at my chest and said “well you’re carrying your tissues in your bra.”  During the day the tissue had rode up and was partly sticking out.  All the kids standing behind me were laughing. I was so embarrassed that I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me.  I never stuffed my bra again. 

Around the house I wear flip flops or cheap lace up canvas shoes.  Until this year I bought them at Walmart for $5.00.  They would come in blue, white, or black.  I always bought the white ones.  This year Walmart did not have any regular canvas shoes.  What they were selling looked more like ballet shoes with almost no sole on them.  I bought a pair and wore them for about an hour.  They were so uncomfortable that I tossed them back into the closet and that’s where they have been ever since.  I went back to wearing my old pair of regular canvas shoes I bought last year.  They are more brown than white, the laces are frayed, the toes have holes in them, and my toes stick through the holes. 

This morning I had to take the three dogs out and clean the house before going shopping.  I went ahead and got dressed for shopping but put my old shoes on. I didn’t want to take a chance on stepping in poop in my good shoes.  I walked the dogs then got busy on the house work.  I then put on my makeup, grabbed my purse and headed out.

My first stop was at Walmart for dog supplies, vitamins, and bug spray.  While standing in the checkout line I looked over the gossip magazines.  Just then I had the feeling I was being watched.  Looking around I saw a woman intently staring at my feet.  When I looked down at my feet I realized I was still wearing my old shoes.  Two of my pink polished toes looked back at me.  My face flamed with embarrassment until the lady behind me, who had also noticed my shoes told me” don’t feel bad. It has happened to me too. Except for me it was house shoes.”

Instead of driving twenty miles back home to change shoes I went on to Kroger and did my grocery shopping.  I was still embarrassed but at least I was comfortable.

My husband and I just recently returned from a trip to Panama City Beach.  The trip was relaxing but plagued with bad luck. It was small stuff but upsetting none the less. 

I woke the morning we were due to leave with something wrong with my right eye.  It hurt though nothing was in my eye.  My vision in that eye was blurry and it constantly ran tears.  As I am the one who needs to read the driving directions I was worried I would not be any help to my husband.  But by the time we were ready to leave the tears and blurriness were gone.

The next sign of bad luck came in Dolton, Alabama when a man pulled his pickup Truck out into our path as we were traveling at about 50 miles per hour.  It was raining and water had pooled on the roads. My husband hit the brakes and turned the wheel.  We slid but my husband managed to direct the car into a small area off the street.  We missed the truck by inches.

We have made the trip to Panama City Beach for years and most of the time much later in September.  We always visit Alvin’s Island to see the birds, pick out gifts for the family members who baby-sit our dogs, and play the quarter machines in back.  This year the birds were gone and the machines shut down.  Even though Alvin’s had an 85 percent off sale we walked out of the store empty handed too.  No one is our family wants an alligator head.  Alvin’s used to have beautiful gifts for a reasonable price but not anymore.

We also look forward to visiting the local Walmart Super Store where they usually have a large selection of Halloween Décor and a large selection of dog toys.  This year they had no Halloween decorations and only a small section of dog toys.

One night for dinner we had planned to eat at Margaritaville in the new Pier Park.  We went into what we thought was the entrance, were greeted and seated.  We had already placed out drink order when we realized our mistake.  We had mistakenly entered The Back Porch restaurant instead.  We didn’t want to be rude so we went ahead and ordered.  That was a mistake for the food was nasty to both my husband and me.

I didn’t get much sleep the last night there because the people who rented the room next to us kept yelling all night.  Our TV went out and had to be replaced.  The replacement TV would shut off on us.  Overall it was a great trip and I am glad we went but next time I hope for better luck.

When the news came on TV about a husband and wife who were killed in North Georgia by dogs it brought back some frightening memories for me.  My brother and I could have suffered the same fate as the couple in North Georgia.

I was eleven years old and my little brother, Barry, was six years old.  We wanted to go over and play with our cousins, Shannon and Jack, at their house which was only about a fourth of a mile (if that far) from our house.  To get to our cousins house we had to go past two houses next to our house and turn up a dirt road and go over two hills, one of which was steep, to reach their house.  It wasn’t far and we lived in a rural area that was very safe.

I decided to ride my bike there with Barry riding on the back of my bike.  We got to our cousin’s house that afternoon and played until our Aunt reminded us it was getting late.  Barry and I jumped on the bike and raced for home.  Just as we were riding down the steep hill a pack of dogs surrounded the bike.  The dogs snarled and snapped at us while I tried to drive though them.  Just when it looked as if we would be able to escape one of largest dogs grabbed my ankle and pulled.  The bike wrecked and Barry and I both went over the handle bars and onto the dirt road.  A quick thinking neighbor who had been watching grabbed his gun and fired into the air.  The gun shots scared the dogs who then ran into the woods.  We were lucky to live through our encounter with wild dogs.  Sadly the couple in North Georgia were not so lucky.

I was completely shocked when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s speech at the VMA’s .  I don’t know why I was so shocked.  I am seeing bad behavior more than ever these days.  It seems as if some people have forgotten the lessons of common courtesy. To speak your mind without caring how it hurts or embarrasses is now in style.  Kanye West has apologized twice but that does not erase the hurt of Taylor Swift.  Her big moment is ruined and nothing can every change that.  Some people need to use the Golden Rule in life.

 Rudeness is not the only problem in this country.  Have you noticed how many people on TV are using the word ass now?  When was the last time you watched TV for a whole week and did not see someone puke?  How about a whole week without seeing a near naked rear end on TV?  How about the Tylenol ad where all the people are naked?  Thank goodness the Pepto ads with the people shaking their butts in our face are gone. 

I understand Freedom of Speech but I just wish I had the freedom to not see or hear it on my own TV without hitting the off button.

What woman has not drooled over Patrick Swayze while watching Ghost or Dirty Dancing?  I have been a fan of Swayze for years.  Each time a rerun of Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Red Dawn, or Next of Kin is on TV I am right there with a bowl of popcorn.  I am guilty of buying the gossip magazines hoping for good news on his condition only to be sadly disappointed each and every time.  I never knew him personally yet I felt as if I did.  In my heart I gave him my courage, hugged him, and cried with him.  Now I will mourn for him. 

Patrick Swayze leaves us with memories of a wonderful, talented, courageous man who suffered with dignity.  

Each summer for the last three years I would wish for a vegetable garden.  The back yard consists of hard dirt (minus any topsoil), trees, sand, and red clay so growing any vegetables out there was out of the question.  Back in the day I would grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, etc… and I missed that.  Of coarse that was when we lived near a pasture and the runoff made for a wonderful garden. All of my family and friends know that I do not have a green thumb. I drooled over the thought of home grown tomatoes. The taste of a tomato bought in the store just can not compare to the taste of one grown on the vine at home.

This year I decided to try my hand at growing tomatoes in containers.  I did my research online then made a diagram of where to set the pots.   I purchased pots, potting soil, stakes, tomato plants, and fertilizer.  I soon had nine tomato plants sitting in a row of pots behind my house.

Each evening I would check on the plants, water them, and talk to them. They responded at first by wilting.  I then ordered them to grow.  They responded by wilting even more.  I then begged them to wake up and grow.  They just hung there silently.  When my son found me on my knees in front of the plants crying out to them; “why are you doing this to me?” he patted my back, dried my tears, and told me to go wash my face.  I went outside an hour later to find my son had made a planting bed out of an old dog house.  He had also moved it to where the plants would get more sun.  My oldest son had dug more dirt from the woods and added mulch.

Now the plants are proudly standing over two feet tall.  Tiny yellow blooms are popping out all over the plants along with quarter size green tomatoes.  I’m glad someone in this family has a green thumb.   

I was always afraid to go outside after dark at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  I had good reason to be afraid; Grandma would tell all the grandkids about BoBo.   BoBo was the Devil and roamed around at night just waiting for bad kids to venture outside.   I thought that I was a good girl but then again why take a chance.  I was never scared to go outside  at home after dark or any of the homes of other relatives.  For some reason I believed BoBo only hung out at Grandma’s house.  There were many nights I played hide and seek with my cousins in the pitch dark and never worried about BoBo. 

One winter night my little Sister, Beverly, little Brother, Barry, and I were spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandpa had gone out to collect firewood for the fireplace.  The rest of us were watching TV when we heard loud noises coming from the back porch.  My little brother yelled “its BoBo, he’s got Grandpa”.  Barry, Beverly, and I ran to the back door then waited for Grandma to rescue Grandpa.  We made sure to stand back from the door so BoBo would not be able to reach in and grab us.  When Grandma opened the door there lay Grandpa on his back with firewood scattered around.  With a sheepish look on his face Grandpa muttered “there was a darn mouse in the wood”.