I’d come home from high school, and I’d often walk in to Motown blaring in the basement, and there she’d be, dancing away. Often doing the Mash Potatoe, or some other complicated thing I could never really master. My gawd, could that woman kick it. Tomorrow is the anniversary of her death. All Hallows Eve, when the veil thins, is a time of year that … Continue reading My Momma Liked To Dance
When my sister and I were growing up, every few years we’d go down and visit our Dad’s family – Grandma & GrandpaN, CousinC & UncleN, and AuntJ, supported by a whole cast of other characters and cousins. It was quite the experience to journey down into the heart of the Old South. There is a vibrancy & simplicity in many areas of Eastern North Carolina. … Continue reading Honouring the Mud Duck with a Roast
“GREGORY: Did you ever notice how we don’t tell family stories anymore? MONA: What do you mean? GREGORY: Families used to be made up of stories – their history – and those stories were told down through the generations. It’s where a family got its identity, the same way a neighborhood or even a country did. Now stories we share we get from television and … Continue reading Things My Mother Said
In 1909, three brothers got together (one of them my 4th or something Great Grandfather), and decided to have a picnic. The next year, 1910, there is a photograph of the Clan all gathered. In that year it went from a simple picnic, to a Reunion. I guess they had so much fun at the first, they decided to make it an annual event. And … Continue reading The 104th Clan Picnic
My Dad, what can I say about my Dad. He’s from the south – born in North Carolina. He came up to Canada in the mid-1960’s to work in Tobacco for the summer, met Mom, and as they say “the rest is history”. I’m not going to write some post about how horrible my Dad is, cause that’s not it at all. He’s good at … Continue reading Why I hate Father’s Day Cards
Well, now, I almost hate to say it, but I swear these girls are just wrecking soccer for me. I mean, I am not one for sports. Really. However, I will watch Hockey, like a Leaf’s game and every now and again the Stanley Cup games. Tim and I actually watched the whole series the year Boston won in 2011 (and I had to go … Continue reading Why I Am Not Watching My Niece Play Soccer Tonight
Those boards have heard many a tale. I have sat here, cried here, said goodbye here. On that porch we all stood looking up at that gigantic full moon, ringed with a golden halo, the night Mom died. All silently lost in thought, gazing up at that moon. Remembering, and feeling like she was almost standing there with us. For this was her porch. It … Continue reading This Old Porch
Great Aunt Helen was Grandma’s younger sister, and a world traveler. In her 90 years she managed to criss-cross quite a bit of this planet. She had been to China & Russia a couple of times, all over England, Scotland, Ireland, and most of Europe. She traveled to Africa, parts of South America and all over North America. Born in 1913 in rural Ontario, the … Continue reading A Postcard from Russia
Now sometimes front row seating is peaceful, calming. While at other times it’s just plain more fun to be right there up close to the action. Yet …occasionally being too up close and personal is just a wee bit constraining. Case in point: the ol’sister and I were up last night a little later than normal, and we {that being the royal we} discussed perspective. … Continue reading Lessons learned at the Homestead – Week 13
May 14, 1974 Well here it is 9:30PM & Paula has just gone to bed to-nite for the 3rd time. Hates going to bed. Just like her mother was & is. Even tho’ she eats a good supper now always has to have something before she can go to bed. Never goes without getting up 3 or 4 times. Afraid she’s going to miss something. … Continue reading from The Red Duo-Tang: Me at 7
Yes, this is our May Long Weekend up here in the Great White North. A weekend dedicated to gardening, camping, campfires, neighbourhood bbq’s, etc. Tis the Queens birthday, and being what we are {and WHERE we are}, May 2 4 is really a celebration of the days getting longer and warmer. Usually though it’s god awful. We partook of the campfire, bbq and beer with … Continue reading Blessed Be May 2 4 Weekend
HICK – A derogatory slang term for lower class whites raised in rural areas, usually within trailer parks or hog farms. Generally used more for Midwesterners than Southerners (see: redneck) When Dad and our Step-Mom, MsB, were up from North Carolina last month for a visit, we all decided one night to go out to dinner at Swiss Chalet. All of us as in Lex … Continue reading Out For Dinner With Hicks
WIKIPEDIA – Cork (material) is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the Cork Oak), which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance, and because of its impermeability, buoyancy, elasticity, and fire resistance, it is used in a variety of products, the most common … Continue reading Corky Design § The Great Room
by PaulaB 