Brenda's Mum

Last Summer I Attended The Woodard Reunion With My Son Bobby. When I Asked Him If He Wanted To Go He Said Turn Down A Free Meal? He Enjoyed Going With Me. During The Business Meeting My Parents And Siblings Were Presented With A Mum In Memory Of Our Sister, Brenda Who Passed Away On July 4th. It Was A Touching Moment.
A Couple Days Later Bobby Planted The Mum In The Front Yard. I Told Him Rarely Does A Mum Survive That Are Planted In The Fall. Mums Are Suppose To Be Planted In The Spring. People See Them In The Store, All Beautiful And Hearty. They Are One Of The Last Plants To Die By Winters Wrath. Mums Are Planted In The Early Spring So They Can Take Root And Become A Permanent Plant In The Ground. Planting Them In The Fall Doesn't Allow Them To Root Before The Ground Freezes, Thus Killing The Plant. Bobby Placed A Memory Stone Of Brenda Into The Ground Beside The Plant.
Bobby Was No Longer With Us To See The Results Of His Planting. Come Springtime The Plant Appeared Dead And Broke Off At The Ground Level When I Inspected It. I Told Billie And We Were Saddened The Flowers Didn't Survive The Winter.
A Couple Weeks Later I Was Mowing The Front Yard. I Saw A Little Life In The Area Where The Mum Was At. I Have Allowed It To Come Up And I Am Hoping For Blooms, Representing Life. I Will Cherish This Mum And Nurture It So It Will Remind Me Of My Sister. It Is My Hopes I Will Be Presented With Another Mum In Memory Of Bobby. I Will Plant It Next To Brenda With A Memory Stone From Bobby's Funeral. I Pray It Will Survive Next Winter So It Will Grow Beside Each Other From Now On.
If I Don't Receive One At The Reunion I Will Purchase One From The Store. Either Way I Get Enjoyment With Having A Story About A Tree, A Shrub, Or Flower. It Gives You Another Reason To Smile.

Dog Days Of Summer

Yep, It's July Alright. Temperature Have Sky Rocketed The Past Few Days. Forecast Call For Temps In The High 90's Until The End Of This Week. I Have Yet To Ever Cancel A Sale Due To The Heat. I Have Cancelled This Friday.
If We Were Just Dealing With High Temperatures It Would Not Be So Bad. There Is A Lot Of Humidity In The Air. Heat Index Figures Are Estimated To Be 110-115 Degrees.
Maybe In My Younger Years I Would Deal With It And Continue On As If It Were Any Normal Summer Day. No Way Would I Enjoy Life In Texas Or Arizona.
I Can't Imagine Not Having Air Condition. I Didn't Have The Privilege Of Having One When I Was A Youngster Growing Up.
Yesterday I Went Through Three Shirts I Was Wearing Outside In This Humidity. I Had To Peel Them Off. I Was Drenched In Sweat. I Pray This Humidity Will Be Gone Soon.
In The Meantime If You Don't Have To Go Out, Don't.

Facts Of Life

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE -
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning!"

My mother taught me RELIGION -
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL -
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me LOGIC -
"Because I said so, that's why."

My Mother taught me more LOGIC -
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT -
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me IRONY -
"Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS -
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONIST -
"Will you "look" at the dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA -
"You'll sit there 'till all that spinach is finished."

My mother taught me about WEATHER -
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."

My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS -
"If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you; would you listen THEN?"

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY -
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times - Don't Exaggerate!!!"

My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE -
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION -
"Stop acting like your father!"

My mother taught me about ENVY -
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!"

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION -
"Just wait until we get home."

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING -
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE -
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me to THINK AHEAD -
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

My Mother taught me ESP -
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you're cold?"

My mother taught me HUMOR -
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT -
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My Mother taught me about GENETICS -
"You're just like your father."

My Mother taught me about my ROOTS -
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My Mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE -
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

And my all time favorite... JUSTICE -
"One day you'll have kids ... and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Let's Grow Old Together...

When I Was Just A Snot Nose Kid The Thought Of Growing Old Never Crossed My Mind. Anyone Who Was My Parents Age Or Older Were Old. The Kids I Grew Up With Appear Older And I Am Sure They Feel The Same About Me. My Beard Is Almost All Gray. My Hair Is Half Brown And Half Gray. The Middle Aged Spread Has Taken Over My Body. I'm Not Bothered By My Aging Process.
I Know I Have Lived Most Of My Life. Looking Back It Doesn't Seem That Long. I Can Remember Back When I Was Around Five Years Old. Sometimes I Wonder Where All The Years Have Gone.
When I Was Forced Into Early Retirement My Life Changed Dramatically. I Wasn't Prepared Mentally Or Financially. The 401 K Is An Amazing Financial Security, Yet The Amount Of Idle Time To Fill The Void Was My Biggest Concern. The Warmer Months Bring Me Joy. It Allows Me To Be Active In The Community And Try To Make A Difference.
Recently I Have Had Some More Health Concerns. I Am Hoping That A Simple Change Of Dosage Or Change Of Medication Will Better The Condition. In The Meantime I Am Committed By What I Do With My Life.
So Many Families In The Community I Live Have Been Facing Hardships Due To Loss Of Employment Or Other Factors. Whatever The Reason The Need Is Still There And I Want To Help If I Can.
The Biggest Significant Positive Change For Me Was When I Was Qualified To Have Those Who Must Serve Public Service Hours Help Me With My Cause. I Found As I Get Older I Am Not Able To Do The Things I Use To Do. By Having These People Help, It Allows Me To Continue This Mission. One Day The Time Will Arrive When I No Longer Can Continue. It Was My Hopes My Son Would Take Over. Since He Is No Longer With Us I Will Consider Grooming A Person To Replace Me Whenever That Day Arrives.
In The Meantime I Will Continue What I Do But In A Limited Capacity. The Services We Offer Will Never Be Effected No Matter What Happens To Me. The Mission Will Live On.

Bobby

The Calm Before The Storm?

Tomorrow The 13Th Of July Would Have Been Bobby's 30Th Birthday. No Matter How Hard I Try To Ignore The Approaching Date, Nerves Begin To Unravel. Not That I Would Ignore This Special Day, But The Days Leading Up To It I Was Not Expecting.
This Afternoon I Purchased A Rose Of Sharon Shrubbery. It's Beautiful! It Doesn't Have Any Blooms On It Just Yet And It May Not The First Year Planting. It Was Not A Tough Decision In What I Wanted To Plant. A Few Years Ago I Saw One And Fell In Love With It. I Wanted To Get The Multi Colored One But I Was Told They Are Rare And The Photo In A Flower Book Are More Plentiful. Anyhow I Decided On Pink. That's Not My Color, But Bobby's. Bobby Has Commented More Than Once That Real Men Wear Pink.
On July 13, 1981 At 2:32 PM Bobby Joe Miller Was Born To Greg & Billie Jo Miller. Precisely At 2:32 Tomorrow I Will Put Bobby's Shrub Into The Ground. I Am Sure There Will Be Emotions Flowing, But That's To Be Expected.
I Cannot Ignore This Day. If I Did Not Acknowledge His Birth Then No Reason To Celebrate His Life. I Had 29 1/2 Years With Him. I Thank God Today For That Gift.

People

I Am Amazed With People. Everybody Is Different. I Tend To Blend In A Crowd And In Most Cases Get Along With Most Everybody. I Don't Consider Myself Demanding Nor Rude Toward Others. However As A Person I Can Sit Back And Observe Others Without Them Even Knowing It. Apparently Some People Think Others Are Either Stupid Or Ni-Eve.
There Are Times In Our Lives We Make Choices And Make Sacrifices For The Sake Of Harmony.
I Have Always Considered Myself A "People Watcher". I Will Always Be Because I Find Watching Others Actions Amusing And Interesting.
Once A Person Establishes Themselves In My Eyes, It's Been Established In My Memory. It May Seem I Never Noticed. I Did And Never Let On.
I Don't Need To Have A Heart Attack TO Remind Me How Precious Life Is. I Got My Wake Up Reminder This Past December When I Heard The Dreadful News Of The Death On My Son.
This Coming Week Will Be A Reminder Of My Loving Son. He Would Have Celebrated His 30Th Birthday This Next Wednesday The 13Th. On This Day I Am Making Plans On What I Will Do Special. I Will Share This In Another Blog.
Tomorrow Is One Of Our Family Reunions. Bobby's Absence Will Be Noticeable For Me. He Loved Fellowship And Good Food. He Attended Both Reunions Last Summer. I Miss Has Laughter. I Will Never Forget What Family Meant To Him. It Was Everything.
Tomorrow Will Be A Reminder What Family Is Suppose To Be. We All Assume We Will See One Another Again Next Year. How Do We Know? We Don't. We Don't Know What Tomorrow Holds.
I Will Continue To People Watch. Unfortunatly There Are People Who Would Prefer Gossiping About Others. You Know Who They Are. No Relation To The Table Takers Or By The Book Bill. I Find Much Humor By Just Observing.
I Have Reached A Point In Time Where Peoples Opinion About Me Is Almost Meaningless. I Try To Be A Good Person. I Try To Be A Good Trusting Friend. I Cannot Accomplish 100% Friendship With All That I Meet. Realistically You Don't Like Everybody You Have Met. It Would Be Unrealistic If You Thought You Would.
When I Get Up In The Morning The First Thing I Do Is Look In The Mirror. I Tell Myself To Behave. Then I Wink...

Just A Branch On The Family Tree

For Years People Have Been Researching Their Family Tree. They Trace Their Ancestry As Far As They Can Go Back In Years. To Be Quite Honest About It I Have Not Had To Visit Court Houses Or Cemeteries. My Mother Done All Of This And Today I Give Thanks To Her. I'm Not Really Sure How Far Back She Has Gone In History.
Our Family Tree With All Of It's Branches, Stands Tall And Continues To Grow Throughout The Years. For Each Branch There Is A Name. Date Of Birth, Date Of Death. A Branch For Each Person. Most People Research It For Genetics Or Roots. In My Opinion Genetics Is Just An Obstacle For Truth. The Truth Of The Matter Is I Adopted A Little Girl. Back In The Early 1970's.
There Would Be A Time When The Family Tree Is Handed Down To The Next Generation. My Generation Is Forthcoming. After Researching The Rich History Of Notable Americans And Some Not So Notable. No Matter How You View It The Truth Lies Within It's Pages. A Child Born Out Of Wedlock. A Slave Has Given Birth To A Child Whose Father Is The Slave Owner. Just A Couple "For Instances" For The Record On The Family Tree. After Viewing These Tree's, I Have Come To This Conclusion. Few Of Them Contained Worthy Information That Would Change Anything Other Than Blood Line. Is This The True Purpose Of A Family Tree? I Prefer It To Be A Map Of Your Heritage.
My Sister Brenda Died One Year Ago Today. I Told Her Years Ago I Always Considered Her My Real Sister. Even Though Her Parents Were Not Mine, I Never Looked At Her Differently. Some Day The Torch Will Be Passed To Me. Once It Has, Let Me Declare The Listings Will Be Altered. The Purpose Of My Tree In My Life Comes Within My Heart. My Heart Says Toni Lynn, Daughter. It Will List Brenda Carol Miller Maring As A Daughter Born To Harvey & Shirley Rohrer Miller.
My Declaration To The Sister I Love And Lost, You Were Always Loved By Those Who Mattered. Some People Feel They Owe An Explanation In Order To Stay Politically Correct. In The End All Of That Never Mattered. The End Result Is Heritage. I Can't And Won't, Deny Heritage To The One I Love.
I Wish I Could Have Done This For Her A Couple Years Ago When She Would Have Appreciated It. I Knew Her Heart When It Came To Family. I Would Be Honored To Be On The Same Branch With Her On My Family Tree. This Is All I Can Give To Her So Her Legacy Will Live On.
Brenda Carol Maring-May 8, 1959-July 4, 2010.
I Love And Miss You Sis...

Boy, Is It Ever Hot..

The Second Day Of July And The Heat Of The Summer Is With Us. This Is Not The First Batch Of 90 Degree Temperatures This Summer. It Is My Hopes That The Hot Weather Starts The Season, Then Get's Cooler, And Stays Cool Until Fall. Today I Worked All Afternoon In My Hot Truck. Having No Air Conditioning Is Ok, But When I Get Out Of That Hot Truck And Work In The Back In The Big Box, It's Almost Intolerable. After I Am Finished My Clothes Are Soaked With Sweat.
I Remember As A Teen Some Friends Invited Me To Their Private Swimming Hole. They Had A Tire On A Rope That Swung Over The River. We Had A Blast! It Wasn't A Bad Fishing Hole Either.
I Remember Another Good Fishing Spot. It's Name Is Bryers Beach. Recently A Friend Mentioned Bryers Beach To My Surprise. Only A Handful Of People Knew Where It Was. It Had To Be The Best Fishing Hole I Can Ever Remember. My Uncle Introduced It To Me When He Worked For A Golf Course. You Had To Go Through Nearly Seven Holes To Reach The Spot. My Grandpa And Uncle Rick Taught Me To Be The Very Best Carp Fisherman. It Took Me Awhile, Along With Some Experimenting, But It All Worked Out. We Always Talked About Landing Big Bertha One Day. In My Opinion We Caught A Few Big Bertha's Over A Number Of Years. Never Ate The Carp. I Sold A Few When I Was A Teenager. My Grandpa Said If You Can Land A Carp You Could Land Anything.
It's Been Awhile Since I Last Fished. I Think I Need To Find The Time To Go Fishing Again. Last Time I Went I Got A Ticket For Having No Fishing License. Good Grief, It Was A Lot More Enjoyable Being A Kid. Someday I Wish I Could Go Back And Relive Those Days Again. Memories Are All I Have Left Of Those Good Times I Shared With My Friends. Is It Normal To Do So Much Reminiscing? Some People Call It Day Dreaming But I Find Myself Going Back In Time Often. Maybe Because That Is My Comfort Zone. I Go Back To A Period Of Time When I Felt Good About Life.
I Really Do Hope This Is Normal. It Comforts Me, So It Really Doesn't Matter If It's Considered Not Normal.
I Hear Firecrackers Going Off. That Reminds You Another 4Th Of July Is Approaching. Unfortunately I Don't Enjoy It As I Had In Years Past. I Never Thought A Year Ago I Would Dislike The Month Of July. There Are A Couple Dates That Stir The Emotions.
I Know It Will Be Difficult For Me, But I Will Get Through It.

What Tomorrow Holds

My Dad And I Talked In The Car While Watching It Rain This Friday Morning. He Shared With Me What His Childhood Years Were Like. I Thought Of Something I Wanted To Ask Him But Forgot. I Wanted To Know As A Child Did He Ever Wonder If Life Would Get Better. I'm Not Necessarily Saying His Life But Life As He Knew It Back In The 1930 & 40's. He Told Me About The 2 Room House He Lived In With A Pot Belly Stove For Heat. When It Was Bedtime It Was Warm, But He Piled On The Quilts And Blankets Because By Morning The Temperature Would Be As Cold As Outside. Having To Scrape Away The Snow From The Seat Of The Out House. This Blog Is Not About Poverty. It's About What Life Was Like Back In The 30's & 40's. Did They Wonder If The Automobile Would Get Faster Or More Luxurious. Did They Wonder About Space Travel Or Television?
Even Though The Great Babe Ruth Ended His Career When My Father Was Just A Tot, In His Young Mind There Probably Would Be Nobody Who Would Be A Better Baseball Player.
Today As We Sit At Our Computers Try To Imagine For A Moment What Life Will Be Like In 100 Years. I Predict Mass Air Space For Travel. The Roadways As We Know Them Will Someday Be Just A Memory. Of Course Only The Ones Who Could Afford It Would Be The Wealthy. However It Won't Be That Way For Long. Look At New Things In Our Past. New Inventions Of All Start Out With A Hefty Price Tag. It Eventually Levels Out Where It Will Be Affordable For All. No More Tax Money To Create Or Fix Roadways. Going To Grandma's House On Sunday In The Family's Flight Car. Kind Of Way Out There Eh? How Much Imagination Was Used Back In The Day? The Year Of 1911. Were There Dreamers One Hundred Years Ago? Dreamers Who Knew Man Would One Day Step Foot On The Moon. I Was 14 When That Happened. I Always Knew We As A Civilized World Can Become Better And Do Better.
How About The 2020 Cadillac People Laugh About When The Recall The Last Car That Traveled On Roadway. The Only Vehicles Using The Ground Are For Farm And Those Are Rare When Farmland Was Being Worked By Robotics.
You Can Continue Your Dreaming But Keep In Mind Dreams Can Become Reality. So Tell Me, What Do You Think Life Will Be Like In 100 Years?
While My Dad Was Using That Outhouse, Did He Give A Thought They Would Bring The Outhouse Inside Your Home?
Just A Thought.