Indulgent Daydreams Blog

little kitten nose -
tiny whiskers and pink toes…
furry feline friend

it is so good, no?
I say yes, not no. Yes, yes!
for sure yes, not no

oh haiku, lowku -
where’d ya get that word? wahoo! …
everybody sing!

2009/07/31

a nose on his knee -
three fingers on his elbow…
magician’s surprise!

I was 8 years old

My parents were taking a day trip to Wichita Falls

for reasons unknown to me

I was to stay with my aunt and uncle

After school, I walked to my father’s store

My aunt was employed there

I sat at the table and watch her work

while she carried the conversation

We had many conversations at that table

over our years together

Some very deep

Some very light-hearted

At closing time we drove to her house in the country

My uncle was waiting there for us

wearing his overalls and lace-up boots

He was a funny man

I loved to hear his stories

They had no children of their own

so I think they enjoyed having me there

and treated me in grand style

I helped prepare dinner as best I could

thinking it was more fun than work

My uncle sat, drinking his room temperature canned iced tea

(now known to me as beer!)

at the white iron kitchen table

entertaining us with song while we worked

He loved to sing about Aunt Myrtle, who wore a girdle,

and had a turtle

because it made me laugh

I had never heard quite a song!

I listened wide-eyed

We all laughed

After dinner, we made popcorn balls

My aunt was the BEST at popcorn balls

Of course we would eat several over the course of the evening!

I loved being at their house

It was such an adventure

There were so many things there so different from home

A BB gun with glass bottles to shoot,

a windmill that you could get water from

and drink from a metal dipper,

a party-line phone,

horse saddles, a new litter of kittens,

a player piano,

a screened-in sleeping porch

It was such a wonderful place to explore

You could weave all kinds of stories in your head

A daydreamer’s world

As night went on,

we settled in to watch some TV

and wait for my parents to return

My aunt and uncle had the first color TV in the family

It was very exciting to see color

where only black and white had been

I had a wonderful visit

But as twilight fell

so did my spirits

I was very attached to my parents

and couldn’t stand to be away from them for long

especially after dark

As we sat and watched TV

and time lingered

my eyes welled with tears

wondering how much longer

Where were they?

Why so long?

Before anyone could see my tears

we heard my parents drive up

RELIEF!

They came in carrying a box for me

A surprise!

I sat on the couch and slowly opened the box

New shoes!

(yes… I was a shoe addict even as a child!)

But, new shoes were not that frequent as a child

And mostly they were either black or white

depending on the season

So, this was a very special treat

I will never forget how they smelled

and felt

soft suede

that you could draw designs in with your finger

They were the most spectacular shoes I had ever seen

multi-colored patches of bright pastel suede

neatly sectioned off

And a crowning jewel… a shiny silver octagonal buckle

We gathered our things and drove home

me smiling, holding my box of treasure

Colorful song

Color TV

Shoes with Color

It was a very good day

2009/07/30

arroz con leche -
he and she like the pudding -
they sit, eat, and smile

2009/7/26

My mother sang this song to me:

Oh little playmate

Come out and play with me

Bring out your dollies three

Climb up my apple tree

Look down my rain barrel

Slide down my cellar door

And we’ll be jolly friends

For ever more.

……………….

Oh little playmate

I can’t come play with you

My dolly has the flu

Boo hoo  boo hoo  boo hoo

Don’t have a rain barrel

Don’t have a cellar door

But we’ll be jolly friends

For ever more!

I think my mother sang, or mostly hummed, most all of the time.  Maybe that is why I don’t like for it to be quiet.  She was always producing some pleasant (to me anyway) melody that floated through the house like a gentle breeze.  It was very comforting.  I think that is one of the things I miss most about her.  I felt very secure hearing her voice.  I knew I would be safe if she was near.

Mother had some very funny songs she sang… crazy ones actually!  She kept us entertained on many a long car trip singing to us.

Here’s one of the crazy ones she learned at camp one time (probably around 1935):

As I was walking down the street

a billboard met my eye

and what was written on it

would make you laugh… or cry!

the wind and rain had come that night

and washed the paint away

and what was left for me to read

would make that billboard say:

Come smoke a Coca-Cola,

Drink Ketchup Cigarettes,

See Mary Pickford wrestle

with a box of castanets.

Pork-n-beans are out tonight

for their finish fight,

and Mutt and Jeff are lecturing on

suppolio tonight.

Bay Rum is good for horses

it is the best in town.

Castoria cures the measles

if you pay five dollars down.

Teeth extracted without pain

little at a time,

And overcoats are selling at

the price of half a dime!

………………

Now you understand one thing that led me to be as strange as I am!  :-)