Thursday Thirteen

I've thought all week about getting our life in Chaoticville back to normal. What better way than to do my long lost Thursday Thirteen list...What to do? You got me. But I was having flashbacks of our vacation while sending hubby pics online and came across a picture of my favorite uncle. Uncle Joe. My immediate thoughts were of an innocent, genuine happy time in an uncertain, scary transition through puberty.

What sweet, loving memories I have of childhood summer vacations and going to his farm while my single, hard-working mother took a much needed vacation. Of course as we all do...I grew up and lost interest. But I have alot of heart-warming thoughts I can share...

1... The rides on his truck tail-gate while looking for the cows in the back pasture, waiting for their squares bales of hay. I about broke my tail-bone once which ended the fun. I bounced out when he hit a huge crevice and went flying high and came down hard on a rock. Once I got my breath back into my body I turned around only to realize he had kept going. I still don't know if he did it on purpose but the smile on his face as he asked if I was ok made me think he was probably taking his time stopping because he was laughing so hard at my long skinny limbs flying through the air like trampoline acrobats.


2... Rides with my aunt on the old, rusty but running tractor to the pond. I outgrew fishing in the pond for the elusive granddaddy blue catfish my uncle swore was bigger than his beloved tackle box.

3... In the transition to a snarky, know-it-all teen, I forgot about how I always anticipated the walk across fifty acres to the weathered, collapsing two-story farmhouse next to the pond where my imagination ran wild about the families that had lived, loved and carried on as life happened.


4... A house built by hand without the luxury of a power drill or night-lights to guide the way to the outhouse. No matter how many times I visited, I could always construct a family-tree and history for the story exploding in my head.


5... I don't miss the black snake that fell out of the bedroom light fixture as I sat playing in the floor with my cousin's baby. As she panicked and ran from the room, I calmly picked up the baby and watched my step as I closed the store. I handed her the baby and began stacking books along the bottom crack between the door and carpet so Uncle Joe could have a better chance at finding and removing the slick invader.


6... I don't miss finding the scorpions in the kitchen sink as I was preparing the dishes to wash. It didn't matter that I was visiting or on vacation. I was a part of the family and helped with chores.


7... I remember the Oklahoma hot air blowing the red dirt in my face as I walked down the long dirt drive to check the mailbox for my Nanny. She lived in a house next-door to my aunt and uncle.



8... I remember cracking my chin on her coffee table as my cousin and I ran from my Nanny. I still have a dent. She was chasing us with a wooden yardstick she used for her sewing because we were fighting and pinching each other and refused to quit when she threatened to take action.

9... Even though she was Irish, dainty and fragile...she could pop a good knot with that stupid yardstick.

10... I loved it when the whole family descended on a hot, summer day and we got all the kids together to play tag football and horseshoes until the mosquitoes drove us inside.

11... But not before we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. With sticky fingers and mouths we chased fireflies and caught them in old Mason canning jars. Uncle Joe punched holes in the top so they could have fresh-air. I always wondered how they escaped the holes and the jar was empty in the morning. Uncle Joe went to work before first light...


12... The stars were humongous out in the wide-open farm fields and seemed close enough to touch.


13... And last, only because I've run out of space, the quiet chorus of crickets and locusts when we sat out on the big front porch. The only other sound echoing against the dark was the squeak from the chain on the old wooden porch swing.

THE PURPOSE BEHIND THE THURSDAY THIRTEEN:The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. What do you do? Write Thirteen things about yourself, summarize your week in one entry, make it easy for other bloggers to get to know you on a weekly basis. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well!