Thanksgiving 2010

2010 is a unique Thanksgiving for my son. He will be eighteen in February and this holiday season he has been reminding me this will be his "last Thanksgiving and Christmas as a child." Yes, the magical number eighteen, as a teenager you dream how your life will suddenly change as you become an "adult."
Thanksgiving is my sons least favorite holiday. He does not like the food that is served on this day. When he was seven he sat down for Thanksgiving and looked at the spread and said "we had this last year!" I laughed and said "this what you eat every year on Thanksgiving." he looked at me in disbelief. When you think about what is eaten on Thanksgiving do you ever question the choice?
Turkey is dry and really not a good meat. I eat turkey only once a year and generally it is a very small piece. Dressing or stuffing I have never found this in my grocery basket, pantry or grocery list if it is not November. Cranberry sauce, that is another item I never eat. The only way the turkey is eatable is smothered in cranberry sauce. Another staple on my Thanksgiving menu is pea salad. Pea Salad is the one dish I actually like. I am not sure if I really think it is tasty or if it reminds me of my grandmother and it reminds me of how much I loved her. Pumpkin pie, is not even sweet and does not taste like a desert, but rather a thick, creamy mass that has to be choked down with every bite.
Thanksgiving dinner is not an appetizing meal but rather a menu you endure once a year, surrounded by the love of friends and family. When my son asked me why we eat this every year I did not have an answer for him at seven, but at seventeen I do. I will tell him this year as he is on the cusp of adulthood this meal is served so we can remember that for 26 years before he even existed my grandmother made me pea salad and gave me a hug. When he was one year old he had chicken pox and slept through thanksgiving dinner. His 5th Thanksgiving was spent with his cousin and the neighborhood boys pushing wagons around the circle drive. When his sister was five she was "thankful for being pretty." On his 10th thanksgiving he found $5o dollars in the street while playing with his best friend. On his 14th Thanksgiving we had the worst tasting green bean casserole ever made, but it was made with such love and planning every last drop was eaten. On his 16th thanksgiving a 20 minute trip to the grocery store turned into a 2 hour walk in search of pre-made broccoli and rice casserole. His 17th thanksgiving was spent on a blowup bed in his uncles living room playing "sense-around" video games .
Thanksgiving is not about the meal. but about the the memories. Maybe that is why we serve the same thing every year so we can go back in time if it is only for one day.

Midland Bulldog Football

My son has played football since he was 8 years-old. He started playing flag football through the Y & in the 3rd grade he started playing GMFL Football. He played in junior high and his freshman & sophomore year. He lived and breathed football.
From the time he was a little boy his dream was to be a Dallas Cowboy! WOW! As his mom I have been so proud! He is a good boy. He has always been my laid back "surfer baby." Never gets too excited and not much bothers him. In other words he is "good natured" and pretty much the perfect child!
He had his 16th birthday in February and on March 5th he told me "I quit football!" WHAT! He decided he did not want to play anymore because it is "no longer fun" and he is tired of "hurting 4 hours a day."
Being a hands-on parent I called his coach, emailed his counselor, called his friends, called his friend's mom's, took his cell phone, took his car keys,
tried bribery and begging! 5 days later his mind still did not change.
I have resolved myself to the fact that his mind is made up and as my husband pointed out "if he doesn't want to play you cnat make him!" I finally gave him back his keys and said "here are your keys. I want you to know I do not support your decision, I do not want you to quit and I am disappointed." He stood up, gave me a huge hug and said "Mommy I love you. Give me some nummies (his word for hugs and kisses when he was a little boy) and Mom I promise I won't do drugs!"
I suppose if he is intelligent enough to have a drivers license, mature enough to oppose the use of drugs and wise enough to know his body was hurting form the wear and tear of being a lineman I can be wise enough to support his choices even if I do not agree with them!
He spent this afternoon looking for a job and this evening working on a biology project. I am lucky to have such a great kid and I guess I wont' die if he doesn't play football! But hey I grew up in Oklahoma and live in Midland in other words "without football what is there?"

Octuplets

I have been thinking about the woman in California that was blessed with 8 babies that appear to be doing very well. I think each child is a blessing and a gift from God. When i was a little girl I use to lay in bed a t night and wonder what my name would be when I grew up. I did not think "Lisa" sounded like an adult person's name. This may be where my name obsession came from.
I had 100 names picked out for my children when I was growing up. Thank goodness I met and married a very reasonable man that insisted on normal names for my children.
My mother use to tease me that I was going to name my child Jenny and spell it Gyne or some bizarre way because not only did I like usual names i liked unusual spellings. I loved the children's books Flicka, Ricka, & Dicka and Snip, Snap, Snur because of the tricky names of the characters.

Naming 8 children at one time would be quit a task. I would go for simplicity such as
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & January or Winter.

Crickett

Thinking about my Crickett and missing her so. Sometimes the thought of her still takes my breath away. If only Christmas miracles really did come true.

Crickett my baby girl, my friend....I love you!

Fiona Found Her Home

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi

"Is that dog still at our house?" Is a question I hear regularly from my husband & son. I am beginning to think I am a stray pet magnet. I view pets as family members and feel give a household peace and balance. When you stop and think about a pet's life they have it made. They are fed, loved, cared for, babied and treated with bacon flavored treats for performing. I go to work everyday while they lay around relaxing. I come home from work and feed them, not once have they had my dinner prepared, but if I am running late sometimes they do leave me unpleasant little presents. As the human in my home I sometimes wonder if they are my master!

We lost our precious Crickett two years ago in an unspeakable tragedy. She was our baby. Every morning she would run fast laps around the backyard then she would come back into the house, run to the hallway and sail four feet into the air landing perfectly into our bed. Crickett was the Houdini of pet escape. Every chance she has she would roam the neighborhood. When I think of her short life I know it was a life of adventure and she lived it to the fullest. Among the many things I miss her tiny feet, her big eyes and her warmth as I sleep.

We currently have four dogs. They understand English and follow our words as we ask "Are you hungry?" Do you want to go outside?" "Come in the house." " Where is your sister?" "Daddy's home." And if you stop and listen with your heart they do talk back.

When I see a lost animal my heart goes out to them. I know they miss their family. I know they are scared, hungry and lonely. I have been quit blessed in reuniting lost pets with their families. All it takes is a little perseverance, a few signs, an add in the newspaper and a visit to the pound.

I think I do this because to loose a pet is devastating. When the pets and owners are reunited they are so happy. Sometimes they cry, sometimes they laugh, but most times they just kiss and hug each other!

As an animal lover I have to remind myself that they are not people, then again maybe they are.

Automatic Chicken

In the days of go, go, go my husband thought it would be a great idea to get away for a long weekend. We headed to the heart of Texas, Utopia Texas, and surprised our three children, two of whom are teenagers, with a cabin stay on the Sabinal River.
We took a quick look around, the cabin was small, but easily slept six. The cabin was equipped with a kitchen and a fireplace. "Hey mom, where is the TV?" "Hey dad does your cell work? I don't have any reception." "Mom where is the microwave?" Welcome to Fox Fire Cabins a modern day Little House on the Prairie! Okay that is a little extreme, but we spent three days with no television, no cell phone, no text messaging, no warmed cans of soup and the kids had no contact with anyone other than each other. I must say it was quit nice.
We strolled through the paths of trees, wadded in the cool water and played
a few board games (not 'bored games" as my 10 year old pointed out). When a life of go, go, go isn't getting you anywhere, it is time to take a step back and stop.
I think our step back was just in time! When we arrived my 13 year old was so enthralled in her fast paced, electronic induced lifestyle, that when she spotted a chicken and it started to move she said "is that automatic?" It took her a few seconds to realize it was a live chicken and was free to roam the cabin site. She did not warm up to the chicken over the weekend, but she did survive a weekend without Myspace! My 15 year old son and 10 year old daughter bonded and he even taught her how to noodle (catch fish with your hands).
As Monday started another week of go, go , go, and we got back into the swing of things with work, school, and my second job as a unpaid chauffeur, I relished in my memories of my weekend with an automatic chicken.

Election 2008:Will it ever end?

It looks like John McCain will be the Republican nominee. He was not my first, second, third or even fourth choice. Politically and philosophically I agree most with Mitt Romney. Mike Huckabee was a very close second. I do not know why John McCain considers himself a republican this would be like me considering myself a liberal. I am disappointed that Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are not going to be the president and vice-president, but that is not why I am ready for this election to be over. Have you heard any issues from either party? Have you heard anyone discuss the situation in Iraq, the plague of illegal immigration, the failing US schools, the epidemic of school shootings that have now escalated to include college students? No one is discussing anything of merit this year. The topic of conversation for this election seems to be race and sex. Two things that really should not matter in life. Do the media outlets have to dwell on the fact that Barack Obama is black/half black or that Hillary Clinton is a woman? I really do not care what race or sex they are anymore than I care what race George W Bush happens to be. I do not ever recall him or any other candidate in the past being referred to as the male, white candidate. Instead this year we hear "Why does Barack Obama, the black candidate, no longer wear the American flag on his lapel?" Then in the next breath "Why does Hillary Clinton, the female senator from New York, select such bad clothing." Often times I feel like I am watching E-News and they are going to,flash photographs of them walking down the red carpet! We in the United States like to consider ourselves above racism and sexism but headlines in the nations newspapers, the media tickers that run across the television screen and the voices heard on the radio airwaves have proven that really is not the case. Why does Barack Obama have to be black and why Does Hillary Clinton have to be female? Why can't they just be candidates?