Oh, my!!! LOL
Oh, where to start?!...there have been far too many over far too many years. I suppose, like most things, a good place to start is in the beginning. That means starting with Jody. He's gonna love this! NOT! LOL
When Jody was born I was 17 months old. Mother said I sounded like a little German when I said some words. Wash rag....foshtag. Deo-dle...deodorant. I forget the rest. Anyhoo, Jody learned to talk listening to me talk which was probably not the best learning experience he could have. LOL So, when he began to try and call me by name...Debra became Derwayne. Don't ask me, I haven't the first clue, but there you have it.
Unkind children at school took notice of my "unfortunate" hair at some point, and for a time, specifically at Halls Ferry Road Elementary School, some of those unkind children, mostly boys, called me MopHead. I'm not sure I'm over it to this day, the hair OR the name!!! Offenders, and I remember who you are, shall remain nameless. But I DO remember!! Be very afraid. Bwahahahahh!!! LOL
Back in the 1950s and '60s my Momma was a young/cute HOT thang!!..with the shape to prove it. I always envied her that shape. I have pictures, ask me about 'em some time. LOL Anyhoo!..she had the nickname "Wiggles". Some time down the road a piece when one of my first boyfriends needed what he thought was a good nick for me, and he called her Momma Wiggles, and me, Shaky Pudding. Those of you who were alive/watching movies all that time ago will remember Burt Reynolds, when he had hair, but before he had the mustache, in a movie called "Gator". Yep, THAT movie!!..and THAT nickname!! Google it. You'll find it funny to watch now. We're all so old and jaded. LOL
I don't think I had a nick after that for a long time, unless it was while I was in USAF. John Blaine called me "Ma" for some odd reason. We shared a 3-bedroom apartment in Tucson, and I was the only chick so I guess I was the "mom" by default. It was the 1970s....that should explain it a bit. But Crowl and BigJohn/Bergman didn't call me that. I worked out with them at the gym on base. They helped me get to the point where I could lift my own toolbox. LOL Those suckers were HEAVY, and I wasn't in any shape to do that for myself, so they put me into their version of a training program. Part of their "program" included playing basketball, and I had one hell of a hook shot back then. They called me Hooker.....LONG before William Shatner was a cop named TJ on a POS TV series.
I changed my name about twenty years ago, and while I won't go into the whys/wherefores, I will say that it had less to do with my birth circumstances and issues than it did to do with my desire to be separate and apart from a failed marriage and too, with being somewhat covert in my lifestyle outside that marriage. So, I "became" Dannon Ettinger Barrett. I picked that name for myself with the intention of using the nick "Dani", and too, because I could use my monogram/initials and still retain the "DEB" part of my identity. That part didn't go over particularly well with my family but they haven't had to live with the decision, and I have. So, for the past twenty years, mostly I've been called Dani....except for a small town in Mississippi where everyone knows you by your name...and your people. LOL "DEB!!!". There ain't no runnin' from it. LOL
About six years ago, I came to Columbia, South Carolina to learn how to be a sober person. I went thru a program of treatment for alcoholism at The Salvation Army here. Six months after that, I became employed there as well. I continued to live "on campus" there until I moved out about two years ago. During that time, alot of people like me, lost in some way or another, came thru the different programs offered there. I worked in the Welcome Center, that also functioned as the "mail room". I was exposed to nearly all the residents at one time or another. Most of the residents, and nearly NONE of the staff could say "Dannon", so Ms. D. I became, to most of them, or Dani, to those who could wrap their mouths around that part. Except for ONE guy that came thru, and he shall remain nameless, who's chief concern during his first 30 days was "so..what's the story with the old blonde?!". LOL I thought he should be more concerned with his recovery at that point, but that's just me, I guess.
'Nuf sed...supper's ready, and this old blond has SLAVED in the kitchen this day. Quiche/florentine.....Chicken/filet biscuits....I'm DONE with this part of it. Onto the end of this day. There must be SOME game out there I haven't played yet. LOL
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Day Seventeen - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.
Oh, wow! SO many choices!!! LOL
I can't say I'd go along with Kelly on this one. Man/candy just scares me these days. LOL I think it's the heart attack thing. The printed visual is enough for me, now.
I think I would like to be Donald Trump for one day and have access to all his resources for just a minute/day. LOL Can you IMAGINE the places/people/causes to be helped?!?! I'd be like a fox in a hen house!! Bwahahahahha!!! LOL
Or Maya Angelou! Yeah, she's so seriously together/cool/blessed. I've enjoyed her for years and look forward to hearing from her daily on her radio show now that it's online. Neat, huh? But then again, she's a hard act to follow/live with, and I wouldn't wanna screw it up!! LOL
So, just for today, I'll just be me, flawed/faulted/frail, and made in the image of a loving creatorGod, and Nanny. LOL
I can't say I'd go along with Kelly on this one. Man/candy just scares me these days. LOL I think it's the heart attack thing. The printed visual is enough for me, now.
I think I would like to be Donald Trump for one day and have access to all his resources for just a minute/day. LOL Can you IMAGINE the places/people/causes to be helped?!?! I'd be like a fox in a hen house!! Bwahahahahha!!! LOL
Or Maya Angelou! Yeah, she's so seriously together/cool/blessed. I've enjoyed her for years and look forward to hearing from her daily on her radio show now that it's online. Neat, huh? But then again, she's a hard act to follow/live with, and I wouldn't wanna screw it up!! LOL
So, just for today, I'll just be me, flawed/faulted/frail, and made in the image of a loving creatorGod, and Nanny. LOL
Day 16: Another Picture of Yourself
Why do you do this to me?!?! LOL You KNOW I hate pictures of me. Particularly pictures that show how broke down and pitiful I can be! LOL Let's stick with the OTHER thing I was talking about. Purpose Driven. Maybe I'll find some inspiration from it today. Is the rest of the world even awake yet?!?! Dang it's early! For me, anyway.
Day 15: Put Your iPod On Shuffle: First 10 Songs That Play
Okay, I get to get out of this one. I don't OWN an iPod Shuffle...and I don't know how to make my iPhone into one. LOL
It's a lame excuse, I know. But there you have it.
It's a lame excuse, I know. But there you have it.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I missed Day 10: Songs you listen to when you're mad, happy, bored, sad
Oh, dear...LOL This is gonna need a separate blog all unto itself. I was on the phone with Leah this AM and she reminded me of some seriously oldie/moldy/goldies that we shared WAY back when.
She said how listening to Bob Segar always reminds her of me. I can understand that. When we started this relationship 30+ years ago, I had Bob Segar on vinyl. It was that, or cassettes. 8-tracks were LONG out the window....kinda. I think Jody still had Ted Nugent on 8-track somewhere. LOL Anyhoo!!!...lemme try to remember.
Bob Segar..right. I was never a huge fan of his until I saw him in concert in the early 80s!? But Leah and I listened to those records, yes vinyl, all those years ago while trying to get her two children asleep. Yeah, they were rockers from an EARLY age!! LOL I'm sure that's my fault, too.
Def Leppard...oh, my. That's driving-into-Raleigh music for me, now. Years ago, when I would travel back/forth to Raleigh alot I had the CD of some of their earlier works, and then Meg bought Vault/Greatest Hits for me. Almost without fail, when we took a left off of I-95 onto I-40, that meant we were closer to Raleigh, and nearly done with the driving for the day, Meg would reach over and put that music in for me to drive that last few miles. It re-energized me enough to get me off the road safely for the day. I don't listen to it as much these days, but I did take time to watch/listen to the Crossroads episode with Taylor Swift/Def Leppard. It was a good show and I enjoyed seeing all them again.
Canon-in-D...ahhhh....LOL That's all that music is to me, aaahhhhh. Slow down...breathe...let your mind relax. There are nine goZILLION meditation musics out there, and none of them work as well as this one does for me. The rise and fall of it are without equal, for me, anyway. I'm sure it would bored some others people to tears, but it's truly my fav.
I don't think I listen to music when I'm sad....or when I'm bored. When I'm sad, I try to find my way OUT of the sadness. Sometimes that's not possible and I have to chant/litany my way out of it. That usually works better for me. When I'm bored, I find something to do. I got ALOT to do!!! There never seem to be enough hours in the day for me.
Don't get me wrong. I got a buttLOAD of music saved to YouTube....I mean a LOAD!!! LOL But I also have some episodes of favorite TV shows....and some movies. Music speaks to the eclectic in me, though. I like alot of it, some of it I purely detest, and some of it I can take or leave. I get that from Momma and Daddy, I think. I know music has always been a huge part of our lives, forever and ever, it seems.
Whew...that's alot of writing so far today. I think I'll take a break from this, and phone calls/MADD...and bake at least a quiche, and maybe an apple pie, who knows?! LOL
She said how listening to Bob Segar always reminds her of me. I can understand that. When we started this relationship 30+ years ago, I had Bob Segar on vinyl. It was that, or cassettes. 8-tracks were LONG out the window....kinda. I think Jody still had Ted Nugent on 8-track somewhere. LOL Anyhoo!!!...lemme try to remember.
Bob Segar..right. I was never a huge fan of his until I saw him in concert in the early 80s!? But Leah and I listened to those records, yes vinyl, all those years ago while trying to get her two children asleep. Yeah, they were rockers from an EARLY age!! LOL I'm sure that's my fault, too.
Def Leppard...oh, my. That's driving-into-Raleigh music for me, now. Years ago, when I would travel back/forth to Raleigh alot I had the CD of some of their earlier works, and then Meg bought Vault/Greatest Hits for me. Almost without fail, when we took a left off of I-95 onto I-40, that meant we were closer to Raleigh, and nearly done with the driving for the day, Meg would reach over and put that music in for me to drive that last few miles. It re-energized me enough to get me off the road safely for the day. I don't listen to it as much these days, but I did take time to watch/listen to the Crossroads episode with Taylor Swift/Def Leppard. It was a good show and I enjoyed seeing all them again.
Canon-in-D...ahhhh....LOL That's all that music is to me, aaahhhhh. Slow down...breathe...let your mind relax. There are nine goZILLION meditation musics out there, and none of them work as well as this one does for me. The rise and fall of it are without equal, for me, anyway. I'm sure it would bored some others people to tears, but it's truly my fav.
I don't think I listen to music when I'm sad....or when I'm bored. When I'm sad, I try to find my way OUT of the sadness. Sometimes that's not possible and I have to chant/litany my way out of it. That usually works better for me. When I'm bored, I find something to do. I got ALOT to do!!! There never seem to be enough hours in the day for me.
Don't get me wrong. I got a buttLOAD of music saved to YouTube....I mean a LOAD!!! LOL But I also have some episodes of favorite TV shows....and some movies. Music speaks to the eclectic in me, though. I like alot of it, some of it I purely detest, and some of it I can take or leave. I get that from Momma and Daddy, I think. I know music has always been a huge part of our lives, forever and ever, it seems.
Whew...that's alot of writing so far today. I think I'll take a break from this, and phone calls/MADD...and bake at least a quiche, and maybe an apple pie, who knows?! LOL
I missed Day 13:
A letter to someone who has hurt you recently...Oh, OUCH! That's gonna need it's own/separate post too!! Lemme make a note...this could get grimey.
I don't want to do this. Period.
I don't want to do this. Period.
Now we've missed two more!!! LOL
Kelly stopped by on her way back home from picking up Garrett last night. I was surprised that she had Neil along with her and got to enjoy his company as well. I got to know Garrett like I never have before. All I've ever known about this child was the sad story involving his sister and the crash that killed her. It was nice to see the other side of him and share some of MY toys with him. He's a neat kid. I miss having little boy energy around me. Yesterday was Walker's 10th birthday, and, once again, I didn't get to celebrate his birth with anyone. But then there was Garrett, and I was able to make nice with him, and enjoy his company for a few minutes, and it somehow made my heart easier. He doesn't and won't replace the longing I have for Walker, but it was nice to have the little boy energy for a few minutes again.
NOW, onto other things. Kelly mentioned, while she was here, that she and I neither one have been writing the past two days. And we were already behind!!! This blows. SO!!!!...I'm gonna have to find something to prompt me everyday to write when I don't get prompted by other people.
I just HAPPEN to have a copy of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, audio, from the library. And I've wanted to work with/study this again for sometime now. I think that's where I'll start, actually.
So, I think I'll end up posting some of it to the feed on FaceBook...it seems easier for me to keep up with, but then again, I suspect SOMEbody is gonna think I'm talking out the side of my mouth, and proselytizing....and I'm not big on that. So, maybe just here. I'll think about it more today as I have time. Today I'll have alot more time with Cliff being out of the house/working for the first time in nearly two months.
FREEDOM!!!! LOL Cliff was making himself more nuts than he made me recently. It's hard for him to be home and not have work to do. He's good about doing stuff around the house...I mean REALLY good!!! LOL But there's only so much laundry he can do, and just so many floors he can sweep/mop until he just gets bored to tears with himself, and bothersome.
I'm rambling, and I LIKE it!! LOL
'Nuf sed.
NOW, onto other things. Kelly mentioned, while she was here, that she and I neither one have been writing the past two days. And we were already behind!!! This blows. SO!!!!...I'm gonna have to find something to prompt me everyday to write when I don't get prompted by other people.
I just HAPPEN to have a copy of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, audio, from the library. And I've wanted to work with/study this again for sometime now. I think that's where I'll start, actually.
So, I think I'll end up posting some of it to the feed on FaceBook...it seems easier for me to keep up with, but then again, I suspect SOMEbody is gonna think I'm talking out the side of my mouth, and proselytizing....and I'm not big on that. So, maybe just here. I'll think about it more today as I have time. Today I'll have alot more time with Cliff being out of the house/working for the first time in nearly two months.
FREEDOM!!!! LOL Cliff was making himself more nuts than he made me recently. It's hard for him to be home and not have work to do. He's good about doing stuff around the house...I mean REALLY good!!! LOL But there's only so much laundry he can do, and just so many floors he can sweep/mop until he just gets bored to tears with himself, and bothersome.
I'm rambling, and I LIKE it!! LOL
'Nuf sed.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Day 14: Seven days of catching up to blogs!! LOL
Okay..JUMP from last week sometime, to Day 14. Yikes!! I got some writing to do, don't I?!?! So, I THINK!!!...a good place to start is with catching up. Yeah..that's the ticket!!! LOL
I missed Day 8: Short terms goals for this month, and why. Well, damn. LOL Okay, this month I would like to continue to have the bills paid up/in full...and get my "work" life more organized. It's starting to get ahead of me and if I don't get on top of it now, I won't have time to make jewelry next month in anticipation of visiting family down south the month after that. Yeah, I need to get on top of it NOW!! So, there are my short terms goals...kinda.
I missed Day 10: Songs you listen to when you're mad, happy, bored, sad. Oh, dear...LOL This is gonna need a separate blog all unto itself. I was on the phone with Leah this AM and she reminded me of some seriously oldie/moldy/goldies that we shared WAY back when. LOL So, Day 10 is gonna be a thang all by its OWNself!!!
I missed Day 11: We've TALKED about this, Kelly!!! LOL I hate pictures of me, generally. My family...that's another story. I'll see what I have in archives. I got archives for DAYS!!!! LOL
I missed Day 12: How you found out about "Blogger" and why you have one. Well, DER!!!, Kelly!! LOL I started this because you ROPED me into it...and have continued it because Leah said she enjoyed it, and that I have some skills here. So, write I will...just because I LOVE you two, like I do!!! Leah said this AM on the phone that it gives her insight into some things she didn't know about me. After thirty years, you'd think there's nothing she DOESN'T know about me!!! LOL
I missed Day 13: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently...Oh, OUCH! That's gonna need it's own/separate post too!! Lemme make a note...this could get grimey. LOL
So, today is Day 14: I'm ignoring you Kelly. LOL See you tonite, though, on your way back from delivery/upstate.
I missed Day 8: Short terms goals for this month, and why. Well, damn. LOL Okay, this month I would like to continue to have the bills paid up/in full...and get my "work" life more organized. It's starting to get ahead of me and if I don't get on top of it now, I won't have time to make jewelry next month in anticipation of visiting family down south the month after that. Yeah, I need to get on top of it NOW!! So, there are my short terms goals...kinda.
I missed Day 10: Songs you listen to when you're mad, happy, bored, sad. Oh, dear...LOL This is gonna need a separate blog all unto itself. I was on the phone with Leah this AM and she reminded me of some seriously oldie/moldy/goldies that we shared WAY back when. LOL So, Day 10 is gonna be a thang all by its OWNself!!!
I missed Day 11: We've TALKED about this, Kelly!!! LOL I hate pictures of me, generally. My family...that's another story. I'll see what I have in archives. I got archives for DAYS!!!! LOL
I missed Day 12: How you found out about "Blogger" and why you have one. Well, DER!!!, Kelly!! LOL I started this because you ROPED me into it...and have continued it because Leah said she enjoyed it, and that I have some skills here. So, write I will...just because I LOVE you two, like I do!!! Leah said this AM on the phone that it gives her insight into some things she didn't know about me. After thirty years, you'd think there's nothing she DOESN'T know about me!!! LOL
I missed Day 13: A letter to someone who has hurt you recently...Oh, OUCH! That's gonna need it's own/separate post too!! Lemme make a note...this could get grimey. LOL
So, today is Day 14: I'm ignoring you Kelly. LOL See you tonite, though, on your way back from delivery/upstate.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Day 9: Something I'm Proud Of In The Past Few Days
Oh, my. LOL Has anyone noticed, that's nearly the first thing I say on here everyday. "Oh, my"...."Oh, dear"...something to that effect.
Anyhoo!!...I'm not sure I've done anything to brag about the last few days....besides work for MADD, and blog....my days have been filled with those things, mostly. And I've not killed anyone, despite my initial/knee jerk reactions to the contrary. Thus far, they're all still breathing, those people that have somehow managed to get in my way, or just seriously honk me off. LOL
My hair.....it's a struggle to make it presentable on a daily basis. But then again, I get this hair from my grandmother, Nanny...and she was one terrific lady. Nanny didn't have it easy. She was a divorced woman with children in a time when being divorced AND Catholic in a small town in Mississippi was simple unheard of. She raised those two sons, remarried and raised a daughter, and then went on to raise half the town from one of the first "nurseries" in her home there. She fought...and fought hard....for a better and more fulfilled life than she had had in the past. And she left us with that lesson when she left us. Fight...fight hard...and then fight some more. So, "just for today" when I fight with my hair, I remember Nanny...and I have pride in the fact that I have her "unfortunate" hair. LOL Dammit!
My body image/big butt! LOL Yep, I've gained weight since I've been out of work/unemployed and too, since I started taking nine million pills in response to heart attacks, and leg surgeries, and yada yada. But then again, this is a similar thing that happened to Momma when she was on nine million pills since she was 35 years old or so, after her myriad of medical/physical difficulties....and she didn't turn out so badly, to hear my daughter talk. Andi described Momma as graceful awhile back. I may not exactly be graceful yet...but I'm working on it, and too, I don't have 70 years of experiences under my belt yet either. So, yeah..I have pride in the fact that some of what I'm becoming is heading in the same direction as Momma, and "just for today" I can be okay with that. I'll be graceful later. LOL
I think that's enough pride for one day. LOL I'll work on more/better reason tomorrow....or not!!
Anyhoo!!...I'm not sure I've done anything to brag about the last few days....besides work for MADD, and blog....my days have been filled with those things, mostly. And I've not killed anyone, despite my initial/knee jerk reactions to the contrary. Thus far, they're all still breathing, those people that have somehow managed to get in my way, or just seriously honk me off. LOL
My hair.....it's a struggle to make it presentable on a daily basis. But then again, I get this hair from my grandmother, Nanny...and she was one terrific lady. Nanny didn't have it easy. She was a divorced woman with children in a time when being divorced AND Catholic in a small town in Mississippi was simple unheard of. She raised those two sons, remarried and raised a daughter, and then went on to raise half the town from one of the first "nurseries" in her home there. She fought...and fought hard....for a better and more fulfilled life than she had had in the past. And she left us with that lesson when she left us. Fight...fight hard...and then fight some more. So, "just for today" when I fight with my hair, I remember Nanny...and I have pride in the fact that I have her "unfortunate" hair. LOL Dammit!
My body image/big butt! LOL Yep, I've gained weight since I've been out of work/unemployed and too, since I started taking nine million pills in response to heart attacks, and leg surgeries, and yada yada. But then again, this is a similar thing that happened to Momma when she was on nine million pills since she was 35 years old or so, after her myriad of medical/physical difficulties....and she didn't turn out so badly, to hear my daughter talk. Andi described Momma as graceful awhile back. I may not exactly be graceful yet...but I'm working on it, and too, I don't have 70 years of experiences under my belt yet either. So, yeah..I have pride in the fact that some of what I'm becoming is heading in the same direction as Momma, and "just for today" I can be okay with that. I'll be graceful later. LOL
I think that's enough pride for one day. LOL I'll work on more/better reason tomorrow....or not!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Oh, dear...this could get lengthy/messy/wordy. Could, my ass. There's no doubt in my mind it's gonna completely go there. LOL Here we go!!!
BigMother, aka, Elise Carroll Barrett
BigMother was what my name for her implies. She was my "big" mother, as opposed to Momma, who's my belly-button mother, or LittleMother, I suppose. My Momma was born late to BigMother anyway, and then was a young mother herself. BigMother had been married since 1916, having given birth to 12 other children since then, nine of whom survived to adulthood, and then came Momma. Blond, beautiful, and cherished among all the barely older brothers who were more near her birth order/age. I wish I had known BigMother then. I'm sure she would have had wonderful lessons and experiences to share. By the time I came along, she was 60 years old...and retired from working at the Valley Department Store in Vicksburg, MS. It would be many years more before she and I would become "buddies". I wasn't popular among my peers as a child, or pretty...or cool. LOL I was, however, the resident grandchild to the resident FAVORED child...and in THAT, was great power to my little heart and mind. BigMother and I "did" together, kinda like Mason "does" with Momma now. We went to Sunday School at Crawford St. Methodist Church.....I went to her classroom, not my own. From the time I got out from school on Friday afternoons, my one thought was how to parlay the weekend into an overnight opportunity with BigMother so that we could cook "breakfast for supper"...and we won't even BEGIN to talk about the Senior Citizens Meetings every week. LOL The look on Benny's face on those evening when "we" cooked was priceless!!! "Oh, no..not again!!!" I never was sure if he meant the meal, or me!!! LOL She died when I was barely human and certainly not old enough to undertand the value of "those who have gone before". I miss her to this day, and talk to her, sometimes out loud, when life gets just a bit more than I think I can bear. I miss her more than I have words.....and I got ALOT of words!!!
There are a myriad of other people who have, for one reason or the next, had a profound impact on my life over the years. Some I can't name, but others live in what memory I have of them from years gone by, and I can name...
Benny, my grandfather, husband of BigMother, aka, Benjamin Lafayette Barrett - the rock, the foundation, the pillar against which we all fling ourselves in comparison. And a simple man of simple love and affections. They just don't make 'em like him anymore.
Paul Ellis Nunnally Barrett, aka, Nunky, my Uncle, my daddy when I didn't have a daddy, and before I had a real Daddy.
Freddy Groome, aka, my first boyfriend. He was nearly thirty, I was five. I think we married Freddy about the same time we married Daddy. I think they came as a set. LOL
Dorothy Ellen Smith Ettinger Kenworthy, aka, Nanny. She was my memory and the face I saw in the mirror, until she simply laid down one night, and finally rested.
Sheldon Walker Kenworthy, aka, GranShell and Connecticut Yankee. LOL He was the largest thing in a small and incomplete life. Having come from an incomplete life himself, he knew how to NOT do it. That was his best advice.
And always and forever amen, amen, amen....my children. You know who you are....and I love you more than my own breath.
SEE!!!, told you it would get lengthy/messy/wordy. LOL
BigMother, aka, Elise Carroll Barrett
BigMother was what my name for her implies. She was my "big" mother, as opposed to Momma, who's my belly-button mother, or LittleMother, I suppose. My Momma was born late to BigMother anyway, and then was a young mother herself. BigMother had been married since 1916, having given birth to 12 other children since then, nine of whom survived to adulthood, and then came Momma. Blond, beautiful, and cherished among all the barely older brothers who were more near her birth order/age. I wish I had known BigMother then. I'm sure she would have had wonderful lessons and experiences to share. By the time I came along, she was 60 years old...and retired from working at the Valley Department Store in Vicksburg, MS. It would be many years more before she and I would become "buddies". I wasn't popular among my peers as a child, or pretty...or cool. LOL I was, however, the resident grandchild to the resident FAVORED child...and in THAT, was great power to my little heart and mind. BigMother and I "did" together, kinda like Mason "does" with Momma now. We went to Sunday School at Crawford St. Methodist Church.....I went to her classroom, not my own. From the time I got out from school on Friday afternoons, my one thought was how to parlay the weekend into an overnight opportunity with BigMother so that we could cook "breakfast for supper"...and we won't even BEGIN to talk about the Senior Citizens Meetings every week. LOL The look on Benny's face on those evening when "we" cooked was priceless!!! "Oh, no..not again!!!" I never was sure if he meant the meal, or me!!! LOL She died when I was barely human and certainly not old enough to undertand the value of "those who have gone before". I miss her to this day, and talk to her, sometimes out loud, when life gets just a bit more than I think I can bear. I miss her more than I have words.....and I got ALOT of words!!!
There are a myriad of other people who have, for one reason or the next, had a profound impact on my life over the years. Some I can't name, but others live in what memory I have of them from years gone by, and I can name...
Benny, my grandfather, husband of BigMother, aka, Benjamin Lafayette Barrett - the rock, the foundation, the pillar against which we all fling ourselves in comparison. And a simple man of simple love and affections. They just don't make 'em like him anymore.
Paul Ellis Nunnally Barrett, aka, Nunky, my Uncle, my daddy when I didn't have a daddy, and before I had a real Daddy.
Freddy Groome, aka, my first boyfriend. He was nearly thirty, I was five. I think we married Freddy about the same time we married Daddy. I think they came as a set. LOL
Dorothy Ellen Smith Ettinger Kenworthy, aka, Nanny. She was my memory and the face I saw in the mirror, until she simply laid down one night, and finally rested.
Sheldon Walker Kenworthy, aka, GranShell and Connecticut Yankee. LOL He was the largest thing in a small and incomplete life. Having come from an incomplete life himself, he knew how to NOT do it. That was his best advice.
And always and forever amen, amen, amen....my children. You know who you are....and I love you more than my own breath.
SEE!!!, told you it would get lengthy/messy/wordy. LOL
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day 6: Favorite Superhero and Why
I'm not sure about this anymore. There just seem to be too many choices. And too, the ones that I grew up with have changed ALOT since I was a kid a million years ago. LOL
I LOVE IronMan more recently, but that's just a product of having seen both of the movies...and think Robert Downey, Jr. may have finally gotten his stuff in one sock. Now, having said that, he'll inevitably screw this up too...and again! LOL
My brother Charles is one HELL of an artist...and does some stuff that slays me. I'm talking GENIUS level artistry...and I'm a bit of a fan, can you tell?! LOL So, he's a MONSTER fan of Green Lantern, and seeing as how it comes across SO obviously on FaceBook (yeah, I hang there sometimes! LOL), I thought I'd google it. And you all KNOW how it ends with me googling things. I now know MORE than the average bear with respect to Green Lanterns, their parents, their parents parents, and those nasty little kids of theirs. Yep..I'll be waiting for the movies to come out, and googling the crap out of them online so that I don't have to pay for theatre tickets.
Having said all that, I'm still a huge fan of HerSELF!..the gal with the killer jewelry, and invisible airplane, WonderWoman. Admittedly, that waist line is unreal, and it ain't gonna happen on THIS watch, but you gotta admit, those bracelet/cuff things....to DIE for!!! I WANT!!!
Now, if I can only get Leah onboard with this thinking, I'll have the hookUP!!!! LOL
I LOVE IronMan more recently, but that's just a product of having seen both of the movies...and think Robert Downey, Jr. may have finally gotten his stuff in one sock. Now, having said that, he'll inevitably screw this up too...and again! LOL
My brother Charles is one HELL of an artist...and does some stuff that slays me. I'm talking GENIUS level artistry...and I'm a bit of a fan, can you tell?! LOL So, he's a MONSTER fan of Green Lantern, and seeing as how it comes across SO obviously on FaceBook (yeah, I hang there sometimes! LOL), I thought I'd google it. And you all KNOW how it ends with me googling things. I now know MORE than the average bear with respect to Green Lanterns, their parents, their parents parents, and those nasty little kids of theirs. Yep..I'll be waiting for the movies to come out, and googling the crap out of them online so that I don't have to pay for theatre tickets.
Having said all that, I'm still a huge fan of HerSELF!..the gal with the killer jewelry, and invisible airplane, WonderWoman. Admittedly, that waist line is unreal, and it ain't gonna happen on THIS watch, but you gotta admit, those bracelet/cuff things....to DIE for!!! I WANT!!!
Now, if I can only get Leah onboard with this thinking, I'll have the hookUP!!!! LOL
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day 4: A habit I wish I didn't have...
Okay, let's just take the old white-haired broad out back and beat the shit out of her. LOL I skipped a day somehow. Do NOT ask me how...this is my first/most serious attempt at blogging, and I don't have all the bells/whistles down quite yet.
As to the habit thing...smoking...without a doubt...that would be it. I have more than a dozen years clean from illegal/street drugs...and more than five years sober from alcohol. This nicotine thing has continued to kick my butt through all of that, and still. It's maddening.
As to the habit thing...smoking...without a doubt...that would be it. I have more than a dozen years clean from illegal/street drugs...and more than five years sober from alcohol. This nicotine thing has continued to kick my butt through all of that, and still. It's maddening.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Day 5: A Picture of Somewhere I've Been
Days gone by, for sure. Let's see if I can remember anything about this place, and my time there.
1978-1979 "we", the missile pneudraulic shop at the 390th MIMS supported the missile mission by providing periodic maintenance to the antennae on the mountain. The antennae themselves were housed in small bunker/silos that were "hard-sealed" against attack. The idea was, that after a nuclear attack, in order to stay operative, the antennae would pop up out of the ground/silo, and continue providing communication for the missiles and their crews in the area. Pneudraulics would go up onto the mountain, about once every six months/so, and cycle the antennae so as to assure the operational status. I mean, you wanted to make sure those suckers worked when we got into it with the Russians...right?!?! LOL
So, that's what we did on the mountain, and that's where I learned to love the area. During July one year, it was 113 degrees on the flight-line at Davis-Monthan AFB...and our shop was dead up against the flight line. That day, it was 76 degrees for a high, up on the mountain! I become an instant fan!!
So, there's Day Five, KellyDoneLostHerMind. xo, Dani
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Day Three, I will not pic, Sam-I-Am, I do not like green eggs and ham!!! LOL
Nope, not gonna do it, and I LOVE me some Kelly!!....but not even for her!!! LOL
So, onto day four....and THAT means, my darling, that I'm officially caught up!!!
xo,
Dani
So, onto day four....and THAT means, my darling, that I'm officially caught up!!!
xo,
Dani
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Day Two Topic - a'la Kelly, How did you get the name for your blog.....LOL
Come ON, Folks!!! Really?!?! LOL
In honor of HerSELF/Done Lost Her Mind....of course.
In honor of HerSELF/Done Lost Her Mind....of course.
Surely she's NUTS!??!!? LOL
Let's see...a recent picture. I'm not sure I have anything recently. Lemme look.
Okay, maybe not...seems I need to learn just a BIT more before that's gonna happen.
Now, as to these fifteen things...I'm not sure they're of much interest to other folks....but we'll see 'cause everyone seems to have their own opinion as to what's interesting, and what's not. Here goes...
1. I have three cups of coffee each morning while I'm working on stuff. No more, no less. It's one of my efforts toward self-control/discipline. Once upon a time, I slugged caffeine all day long, espresso, mostly. Now I confine myself to regular old coffee/coffee...but allow myself ONE espresso/special a month. Unless I'm traveling and then it's GAME ON!!! LOL Hush, Andi. LOL
2. I need a three bedroom house, just for me, never mind a spouse/husband person. LOL Actually, I could make do with two. One for a craft room, where I put the nine thousand miles of stuff I tinker with, another for an "office" where all the actual work goes on for me. I'll sleep in the living room. LOL
3. I'm a better mommy to my cats than I ever was to my children. That's growth...right?!! LOL
4. Homeless snakes have nasty little bacteria-ridden mouths. I wonder if that goes for all snake, homeless and otherwise?!! Thanks for that input, JB.
5. My Bi-Polar disorder/mania comes in real handy when doing research, sometimes. LOL I tend to beat a path to death until I've reached a stopping point that satisfies my need...and that usually means hitting the end of the information highway. LOL
6. LOL...I do that alot....did you notice?!?! LOL
7. I will google a bag of DIRT!!! LOL So sayeth Leah.
8. It takes me longer to define and compose my notes, even to myself, than it does to actually publish them online. Lame, huh? I'm discovering this about myself today. Thanks, Kelly. LOL
9. I don't waste time on what I consider lost causes.....broken keyboards, at the moment. LOL
10. My name is Dani, and I'm a tea snob. LOL It's true. I'll bet there's a 12-step program out there for it, somewhere. LOL
11. I have too many irons in the fire for even me, sometimes...and I'm GREAT at this multi-tasking thing!!! LOL Again, the mania of it all.
12. Just for today, I can acknowledge the fact that I have limits. Not that I don't push myself beyond them...just that I have them. LOL
13. I should bless myself with a non-working day at least twice a week. I have accomplished nealry NOthing for work today, in my little pea-brain, anyway.
14. I have the best family, faulted/flawed, made in the image of the creator, and mine/all mine. LOL
15. I'm not sure I was meant to be married. I think I'm far too selfish.
Okay, maybe not...seems I need to learn just a BIT more before that's gonna happen.
Now, as to these fifteen things...I'm not sure they're of much interest to other folks....but we'll see 'cause everyone seems to have their own opinion as to what's interesting, and what's not. Here goes...
1. I have three cups of coffee each morning while I'm working on stuff. No more, no less. It's one of my efforts toward self-control/discipline. Once upon a time, I slugged caffeine all day long, espresso, mostly. Now I confine myself to regular old coffee/coffee...but allow myself ONE espresso/special a month. Unless I'm traveling and then it's GAME ON!!! LOL Hush, Andi. LOL
2. I need a three bedroom house, just for me, never mind a spouse/husband person. LOL Actually, I could make do with two. One for a craft room, where I put the nine thousand miles of stuff I tinker with, another for an "office" where all the actual work goes on for me. I'll sleep in the living room. LOL
3. I'm a better mommy to my cats than I ever was to my children. That's growth...right?!! LOL
4. Homeless snakes have nasty little bacteria-ridden mouths. I wonder if that goes for all snake, homeless and otherwise?!! Thanks for that input, JB.
5. My Bi-Polar disorder/mania comes in real handy when doing research, sometimes. LOL I tend to beat a path to death until I've reached a stopping point that satisfies my need...and that usually means hitting the end of the information highway. LOL
6. LOL...I do that alot....did you notice?!?! LOL
7. I will google a bag of DIRT!!! LOL So sayeth Leah.
8. It takes me longer to define and compose my notes, even to myself, than it does to actually publish them online. Lame, huh? I'm discovering this about myself today. Thanks, Kelly. LOL
9. I don't waste time on what I consider lost causes.....broken keyboards, at the moment. LOL
10. My name is Dani, and I'm a tea snob. LOL It's true. I'll bet there's a 12-step program out there for it, somewhere. LOL
11. I have too many irons in the fire for even me, sometimes...and I'm GREAT at this multi-tasking thing!!! LOL Again, the mania of it all.
12. Just for today, I can acknowledge the fact that I have limits. Not that I don't push myself beyond them...just that I have them. LOL
13. I should bless myself with a non-working day at least twice a week. I have accomplished nealry NOthing for work today, in my little pea-brain, anyway.
14. I have the best family, faulted/flawed, made in the image of the creator, and mine/all mine. LOL
15. I'm not sure I was meant to be married. I think I'm far too selfish.
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