Chalk Pictures.... say I love you

Since Jase was big enough to sit up alone, I've had her drawing pictures with chalk. When she got big enough to ride tricycle we've had malls, Mickey D's , Walmart. etc where she could shop and drive on roads. Once Kane got big enough to join in the town roads became race tracks and had ramps and jumps with pretty pictures at the side of them. Now that the grandkids are older and rather be doing stuff (I've not figured out what this stuff is yet) the chalk doesn't see action every time they come. I think this spring days are bring back memories of when they were little. This entire weekend a garden of hearts and flowers and one chalk outline of a murdered monster greet me when I step outside. There is also little chalk people with big hearts that say "I love you Granny" That is a snapshot I will keep with me forever.

I feel so old... dang I AM old

Had a great day today with entire family present for lunch and to celebrate Jaselynn's 17th birthday. Seventeen years ago I discovered that grandchildren really are your reward for not killing your kids.

Lakelynn, Jase's sister will have a birthday the 25th of this month and will be 14 and Kane, my only grandson, will be 11 next Sunday. Ella, the baby, will be 9 on July 31st.

Every time the kids went on vacation to Gulf Shores in July we had a April baby. Must have been something in the water.

If the shoe fits... wear it

Here we go again with sayings. If the shoe fits, wear it.... well wouldn't that shoe belong to someone else and wouldn't that be stealing??
Walk a mile in their shoes... what if the shoe doesn't fit, wouldn't that be painful??

Now don't get me wrong, I understand what these saying are meant to express but it makes it so hard to travel to other states where they have regional sayings and understand what they are saying.

Do you want me to carry you to the store? I remember the editor's face when I asked her that... she was from Ohio.

As a writer, I have to be careful not to put slang or regional language in my writing.

My favorite southern saying is "Well bless your heart" which sounds sweet but really is saying... Hey get over it and shut up. I'm so proud of my Yankee blood because I say... "Hey get over it and shut up" and I rarely say "Well bless your heart"

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

My grandmother said that all the time... what does it mean anyway. Have you ever thought about all the unclear sayings we say???

Raining cats and dogs.
He looks like he's been rode hard and put up wet
Useless as teats on a boar pig
Nobody will ever notice it on a galloping horse
He's two bricks short of a load
He ain't got a pot to pee in Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
The guilty dog barks the loudest
That's finer than frog's hair
He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
She's about as useful as buttons on a dishrag
She slapped him like a red-headed stepchild
you can catch more files with honey than with vinegar
He's steal the bridle off a nightmare
He's tougher than a two dollar steak
He's as mad as a wet hen
Sober as a judge
That's as scarce as hen's teeth
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride

I'm a country girl

Alabama raised & proud! Where summer starts in April, front porches are wide & words are long. We don't have fireflies, we have lightning bugs, macaroni & cheese is a vegetable, pecan pie is a staple, y'all is a proper pronoun, chicken is fried, & biscuits come with gravy. Everything is darling & someone is always getting their heart blessed.

For National Poetry Month here is one of my not great but heart felt poems. Y'all have to remember I'm a fiction writer not a poet but I like to try.




The Barn

Smells assault the senses
Horses, manure, hay
A haven free of fences
Misunderstandings fade

Puppies run to greet me
Attack my laces, lick my face
Wanting to be fed
My horse blows and stomps

A blanket in the loft
I read of perfect worlds
Stroking my cat, so soft
Dreams spin and whirl

Years past, I’m now a Mom
Dropping by for a visit
My children go to the barn
Old dreams fade but new ones begin

Age, the barn must pay the cost
A dozer chews at rotten wood
As our haven is lost
My children and I sob

Metal beams and metal sides
Foundation of concrete
New dreams begin inside
The barn

I want to dance my way into Heaven

Call me old fashion or a romantic but I feel so loved when my husband has me in his arms, one hand cradling my back and the other holding my hand. Our heart together, me smelling his special scent and his breathe touching my cheek as he sings the songs to only me.

I had a wonderful time last night dancing with my husband. Great band, great company.

Yesterday was a good one from start to finish. Spent the day with partners in crime... writing that is...Jana and Sheila and got to see my great friend Irene. We all enjoyed the informative talk Ginger Rue gave at the Birmingham schmooze.

I might be blogging less since I'm starting a month of writing to reach projected goal with Jana and Sheila.

For my dear friend Irene, here is my poetry Friday try.

Kelsey told me this weekend that she had to write an “I am” poem and an “I too” poem for her high school English class. They had to be three stances long.

NEVER GOODBYE
I am wind
Soft on your cheek
I am rain
Hiding your tears
I am here
Never gone


MY PEOPLE

I too can hear
The whispers of ancient ones
I too dream
What has not been
I too sing
My tribal song