Pages

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Our Dear Aunt Fredia.

With my Mommy having been in the hospital we have been
blessed with many visits from family that love her.
Her brother, Our Uncle Luke who is 94 and his daughters,
Chris and Liz visited as well as his son, Mark coming
the day after. We also always love the visits we get from
my "Aunt" Jerry. She is not my aunt, she is really my cousin,
my aunt Ora Lee's daughter but because she was grown and
had kiddies the same age as my Mommy, we always
called her Aunt Jerry. She brings along with her visit
her famous tea cookies. She brings many as it is my Mommy's
favorite but us sisters love them too.
Aunt Jerry shares that is our Aunt Fredia's recipe and this
brings out many stories about Aunt Fredia.
This morning a friend posted this picture below, and
right away it reminds me of Aunt Fredia.

You see, she was this kind of woman. An old Cajun lady
who wore dresses with aprons over them always.
She had this build because she cooked constantly and ate
what she cooked, Her son, Randolph owned the famous
restaurant in Golden Meadow called none other than
Randolph's. Aunt Fredia did lots of the cooking for the
star restaurant. I share with our visitors that day one of 
my very favorite memories of this dear lady.
As I walked home from Golden Meadow Jr. High each afternoon,
I would pass by the restaurant and the window in the kitchen
where Aunt Fredia sat. She sat on a high stool looking out the
window always. She  could be found cutting vegetables for 
whatever gumbo/soup that was being prepared.
There was no food processor for our Aunt.
She cut em' up manually. 
I would run into the restaurant to see my Mommy who
worked there as a waitress for many, many years.
I would hug and kiss the Momma and plant a kiss on the
cheek of this fine lady and usually she had something
to fuss me about. Usually it was because I
always had an ulterior motive to be there and
it was for Olives. I would grab a handful of those babies and
put them into the pocket of my GMJH red sweater.
That pocket always had the sour smell of olives.
'Little girl, get you dirty hands out of those olives
and go on home"
She didn't mean it, said it with her head turned from me
and I could always see the corners of her mouth turned up.
She adored me, she adored all of us.
Such wonderful memories of such a wonderful woman.
(The real Aunt Fredia)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

When the Pain stays the same...

I cry when I read friend, Billy's post yesterday
explaining how a wonderful day with his family ended
with him in tears realizing everyone was there except his
beautiful and only daughter, Sloane.
Us friends, people who love he and CeeCee would love
to know the perfect day ended the same way it
began and yet,
I know that never again will a day be perfect for them.
This morning I awaken with them on my mind and I am 
filled with things I want to say to him and this blog comes
to mind, something he can go to on every day he struggles.
I want to tell him what my Mom has always told us,
"It is not natural for a parent to bury a child"
I want to tell him that the day we told my Momma that
my brother Larry had passed is the day we noticed dementia
in her. Having always being sharp as a whip before,
on that day she began to show signs of forgetting.
Today, there are days she does not know he has passed.
I want to tell him, that in my home hangs the famous
picture of my daddy and his brother that I have blogged
about before. In the picture, on the right side, is a big blur,
a blur where the sister who died had been wiped out.
The only way his mother could go on living having lost her
eleven year old daughter, the only way she could continue
to raise the many children she still had with her
was to wipe her out of every picture and pretend
she never existed. She could not mourn the loss of her 
precious child so she had her removed from every picture,
had her things taken away and pretended she never existed.
This seems extreme, but it proves that the loss of a child 
is the most terrible tragedy a parent can live through.

With all of this to share with my dear friend, Billy and
his wife, CeeCee, I blog of them.
In their life, neither of the first two options are right for them.
One, they are still so young and to wipe her out of their lives
would be harder than having buried her.
They have her legacy, her precious little boy left
to them to raise. They have to remember all about Sloane so 
that they can assure this child knows all about his mother.
to erase her from their memory would be to kill the part
in their lives where she lived, the part of their heart 
will she continues to live. 
They have me watching them so proud that I am a small part
of their lives. They are showing so many others the way you go on.
They do not lie about how painful it is, rather they show us
that you will smile again but you will never, ever be the same again.
They show us how you are thankful for the time you had
understanding the good Lord only loans us these children.
They show me how they have to find some happiness not to raise her
son with two parents who are always sad.
I love you, Billy, I love you CeeCee
and want you both to know I watch you guys with a
heart full of pride.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Mommee post


Our dear Mommy has not been feeling well and
yesterday, having to go back to the emergency room
with her all night, we finally got the answers to
why she has had chest pains and shortness of breath.
Blood clots in the lungs, known in the medical world
as Pulmonary Emboli.
Poor Mommy.
We all know that she is 92 and our time with her is limited.
It's the suffering we can't see without our hearts hurting.
The good news is, she can overcome this.
As the Heparin does its trick,
thinning her blood and helping the body to absorb
the clots, we are showering her with the love and
attention our Mommy deserves from having done
the same to each of us many times in our lives.
Her dementia makes this illness a tad bit harder
as she knows she feels terrible but continues
to forget why she feels bad. It's almost like
she is aggravated that she feels terrible.
We just keep reminding her how sick she is and
that she will feel better soon.
that is our hope. That she still has good days ahead.
Yet whatever she needs, she will have.
We will be there for our dear Mommy until she
takes her last breath. When her time comes,
she will not die alone.
We are now making plans to change our life schedules around
to assure she is no longer by herself at the hospital or
the Manor. She will have us to love up on her,
spoil her with baths, back rubs, kisses and hugs
until the good Lord takes her from us.
When this time happens we will all let go
knowing that the best mother in the world
has all she needs from the children she bore, loved,
nurtured. Pray for our family please.
With much love to my siblings, this remains
a lilbit of my world.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Beasts of the Southern Wild

On Super Soul Sunday yesterday on OWN channel,
there was a rerun about the low budget movie called
BEAST OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
I had seen this episode before but had forgotten to watch
the movie. After watching the interviews with
the director/writer Benh Zietlin and the
actor, Dwight Henry and the little
star actress who was only 5 at the time of shooting,
Quvenzhane Wallis, I knew last night I would watch it.
OMG! Such an awesome story and to watch this little girl
act in ways a 5 year old should not understand  was great.
Oprah interviews the director on the movie
that was filmed in New Orleans he speaks of
how cheap it was to film because it was like being
10 years old making a puppet show in his backyard.
He had his best friends and family help him.
The father, known as "Wink" in the movie
was chosen for the part because he owned the bakery 
where the production crew ate breakfast.
They knew he would be perfect for the part but
they had trouble convincing him to leave his
bakery he owned in New Orleans to pursue this acting.
No one could have done it better than this man,
he lived it, why not star in it.
Then there is the little dynamite known as "Hushpuppy"
in the movie. She is a little girl from Houma.
I don't want to give the movie away but this little girl
is so great in this movie and you fall in love right away.
She is the narrator voice of the whole movie and
there are so many insights of our area and the way we live.
You have got to watch it! I rented it on my ipad and
know now that I will have to buy this dvd.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

K & B engagement party

Last night was a wonderful celebration.
The beginning of the season of Katie and Brent's wedding.
The engagement party was beautiful, as was Katie.
The wind had just about died down so even though it
was cold, it was bearable and the crowd was awesome.
I have to think that everyone Katie invited came out to share
in this celebration. She deserves that.
From the crowd that gathered, you can tell just how special this couple
is to so many others.
As I told her parents last night, I, being close to her, know that
this child is different from most, I don't think the Big Man makes
many like her. Brent is one lucky man and I hope he never forgets that.
The first picture is Brent, watching Katie taking pictures with her friends.
The look on his face shows the pride he has that this woman
will become his wife. He will never have to worry about cheating,
laziness, unkindness with Katie at his side.

The second picture is of the couple with their brothers.
The four siblings who through a marriage will become one family.


 Third, Katie with her girls, those who will stand by her
on the altar. Each of these girls can attest to what kind of 
friend Katie is, has been. Once a friend, always a friend
with Katie.
The rest are photos of the crowd that came out as well as the 
beautiful home of Katie's boss and her husband.
Ms. Lisa, as Katie calls her, was insistent on having an
engagement party at her beautiful home.
It is a showpiece.
The food was wonderful and well set up for self service.


The outdoor area is so beautiful, that fireplace something that
anyone would love to have. People congregated around the
fireplace and it was just like an extension of the home.
I would love to have a fireplace like this outside my home and
the backyard I have could sport one very well.


 "Mrs. Lisa had the home decked out in the manner of my taste, of Katie's taste
and I was so proud to have been invited and a part of a wonderful celebration.
I got many decorating ideas from viewing this home.



 The outdoor kitchen was phenomenal! I would cook outside
more than inside had I had one such as this one.

 Thank you, Katie and Brent for allowing me to be a part
of this special night.
Both sets of parents are lucky.
Warren and Donna, Katie's parents, beam with pride 
when speaking of their baby girl. 
Warren shares with me last night, how easy it has been
to be her daddy and all he wants for her is to be happy
and cared for. He feels that Brent is the one who can
make her future all she deserves.
I warned him...
wait when the grandbabies come, you will never be the same.
He laughs at this because he knows I am speaking from
experience. I mean I moved an hour away just to be close
to my little grand baby.
A beautiful night with a beautiful couple 
filled with family and friends who prove just
how special they are to so many.
Looking forward to all the events to come between
here and July 5th when the wedding will begin
the establishment of a new family.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

A Valentines Day I will never forget

I have a dear friend, Marlo who has equally dear little 
girls; Abby who will be nine in March and Chloe' who 
will be seven this month.
These little girls, being so young, is what makes this blog
even more sweet and special.
Below, in red is the explanation that sets up the pictures
that follow the paragraph.

Our Valentine's date compliments of our sweet girls! They did a great job! We had leftovers from the fridge, wine from my recent trip to wine country, candlelight, romantic music by One Direction (Abby's pick), desert, dancing for entertainment by Chloe (a little sprinkler, booty shaking, hoola dancing and doogie) and quite the service! The dinner was complete with... and they did the dishes (which was redone by me)! Now we are all snuggled on the couch watching Wall-E! It has been an amazing Valentine's Day! I hope each of yours were as memorable! Lovey girls!
Marlo also explains that the girls also told her
she had to "wear a pretty dress"
The above menu was filled with choices the girls found
in their refrigerator. So touching that these girls would
think to make a date night for their parents.
Not just a date night, but from the
photo of the wine, the choice of the music
as well as assuring dancing would take place, romantic also.
 Here are the cuties putting together the feast to die for.
 The supper ended with their mothers favorite, a cupcake,
chocolate of course, with a Valentine love note stick.
 I thanks Marlo yesterday via text, thanking for sharing the story
and pictures as well as permission to blog of her special little girls
on this here blog. She gives me the permission needed and I am
so happy she did. You see, here is another reason that if you
are married with children, both the two partners need to do
all they can do to not only keep the marriage together but
to show their children romance.
The young age of the Barbera girls also remind me of
all children have two wishes. One, to have their parents together
and two, to feel the security that those two parents love each other.
Chloe and Abby are filled with estrogen that all young ladies possess.
The boys in their future better get ready because these two will
demand not only to be"wined and dined" but romance will be
on their list of things to look for in a husband.
I love my friend, miss her and wish I could see her often as in the days
when we both worked at TES and also shared many times sharing
our favorite hobby, scrapbooking.
I text to her, she is very blessed. So is her hubby.
I didn't have to tell her this, she knows.
However, this is another case that parents deserve to know
that others see the specialness in their children, that someone
watches from the sidelines and admires the job they are doing in
raising their children. That others are patting them on the back, knowing
that this job of raising the future is not easy but there are these
glimpses you get of what kind of adults you are molding.
May the Barbera girls also bask in the love and romance of their
parents, that age will not get in the way of doing these types
of things for their parents.
Thanks to Marlo for sharing her beautiful children with others.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Just a small post to make you laugh

You probably know that I do not read many forwards.
Yet when my friends Stacy or Lindsey send them I usually
read them because they have a tendency to make me laugh,
make my day. This one from Stacy was one of those.
Thought I would share and it also saves me from
having to write a deep, thought provoking blog....lol
Happy Friday to all!
MURPHY'S OTHER FIFTEEN LAWS
1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
2. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
3. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
4. A day without sunshine is like, well… night.
5. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
6. Those that live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
7. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
8. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
9. It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end-to-end, someone from California would be stupid enough to try to pass them.
10. If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.
11. The things that come to those who wait, may be the things left by those who got there first.
12. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day, drinking beer.
13. Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.
14. God gave you toes as a device for finding furniture in the dark.
15. When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Every once in a while...

Yesterday, as I get out of church in the rainy weather,
sporting my very thick cross of ashes on my forehead, and
I realize my car is blocked. So what do I do, what do we all do,
when finding ourselves with a few seconds of time?
Well, we check our social networks of course.
Okay, not all of us, but lots of us.
I love Instagram for the people it keeps me in touch with.
One being my dear, sweet nephew, Darcy.
Today, this blog is dedicated to this more than special teenager.
He is the middle child of HOBL's uncle Jack and Cindy.
I sit there in my car, checking Instagram and there I see this post
from "Darcy the greater"
Once again, as he has done many times in his life,
this child has floored me with just how special he is.
First, how many teens can live without their social networks.
We live in a world where kids only know texting and facebook,
they live for instagram and tweeting yet here is a sophomore in 
high school not only giving it all up for lent but explains
in words wise beyond his years, why.
Another point is, he is a boy, how many boys that age "get"
what social media is doing to our relationships.
In one paragraph, Darcy explains his reasons for it.
He also adds that his phone number is on his bio but
he would rather you come to him at school and have
a conversation with him rather than calling and texting.
This is only one way that this child has surprised not only me
but his mother in just how mature he is in his teenage body.
I don't know many adults who can give up their social media.
Shoot, I can't do it and I am all about bonding with those you love.
This child is special. He has been special since he was very young.
He walks in the shadow of an older brother who is only one
year older than him. It is hard to be different from your brother, 
walking behind, tracing his footsteps and being so different from him.
I could write paragraph after paragraph on other things this child has
done that puts you in an awe state.
He is a teen who, not only speaks to adults and can carry 
a conversation with people of all ages but he shows that he
actually enjoys it. His family means the world to him,
wanting the peace a full family gives him.
After I dry my eyes from the ash Wednesday tears that Darcy's
post caused me I just have to call his mother. Because his
daddy works a lot and has been gone most of his growing up years,
it is Cindy who has mostly raised the three kids. She deserves
to know just how I feel about this middle son of hers.
When a child does bad, all are there to complain of them
but when a child, like Darcy, shines in a positive light,
people forget to brag to their parents. I know Cindy will be touched
by his post so I call her and share with her just how special he is.
She knows that he has given up his social media for lent but
because she does not have instagram, she did not know just 
how special his post was. She cries with the knowledge of this news.
She is an awesome mother but does not want the credit for the 
specialness in Darcy.
(old picture of the Lafont family, darcy is the boy in the middle)


She shares with me a story I did not know.
When Darcy was just a year old, Cindy, Jrew and he were involved in
the tornado that passed in Cut Off.
Cindy was just coming in from grocery shopping and had brought
three year old, Jrew in the house but had left Darcy in the car seat 
because he was sleeping and figured she would bring all the groceries in 
first before attempting to wake him. while unpacking groceries, she stratled
Jrew in the home while the tornado picked up her house, just like
on "OZ" and dropped it down. The whole time she was worried
sick knowing the baby was still in the car.
Once things settled down, she ran outside and could not find her car.
The tornado had taken her car with her baby still in it and
moved it many feet away. She was terrified as she went to the car.
She did not hear him cry, she knew for sure he was dead,
Wouldn't a baby be crying having been picked up and moved in a storm?
Fearfully she peers into the car, with blown out glass, and there
was Darcy, still in his carseat, wide eyed just staring at her, not crying.
We all knew this had been a miracle and was so, so, happy with 
the fact that this could have been tragic. In many ways, it was,
they were out of a home and a vehicle but her babies were alive and safe
and so was she. The story she shares with me yesterday I did not know.
Weeks after the storm, she brought the boys to visit
our elderly "Taunt" Anna Mae who was dying.
While there a priest was visiting. In her broken English, Taunt
tells the priest "That is the baby who survived the tornado in the car"
at the time, everyone knew and had heard the story of 
"the baby in the car"
Cindy shares that as the priest laid his hands on Darcy to pray
he ended with words something like,
"God did not take you because he has something special planned for you"
We, his family, those who love him, know
how right this priest was. This teen is always doing things that
makes us beam with pride.
 Darcy is one of a kind and as I told his
Mother and him also, because yesterday evening I ironically,
run into he and his mother at the mall and am happy to be able to tell
him in person, he is a special child.
As we talk in the store of JC Penny I brag on him,
tell him all the things I had shared with his mother.
He blushes a little and shrugs his shoulders, not seeing just
how what he did is such a big deal. 
I tell him, I tell his Mother, and now, I tell all my followers here
on Instagram, I am so, so, so honored....
That he calls me Aunt Lil.
Yes, my dear "Darcy the greater"
you are special, you are great and I love you dearly.
The priest was right, there is something great you will do for the world.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013


Another Mardi Gras has come and gone
and another Lenten season begins today with Ash Wednesday.
In the Catholic religion it is an important day,
where more Catholics make resolutions and keep them
than what is done at the new year.
We Catholics start our lenten season with the placement
of ashes and vow to either give something up for the 
next 40 days or do something for the same amount of time.
Some of us choose to stay away from meats today 
and each Friday during the season ending with Easter Sunday.
For me, I don't do it because I believe it is the only way
I can get to Heaven, I do it in Thanksgiving for all the
Big Man does for me and my family, sort of a thank you.
So today, before heading to Houma to spend the day with 
my besties and bestie babies, I will head to the small
church in Plaquemine known as St. Clement for 8:30
for the placement of ashes. 
I will start my lenten season in this way as a reminder
of the beginning of the penance I am choosing to do this year.
When I was younger, it was always Coke and chocolate
I gave up. Because I gave up chocolate for the year
(except when I went to movies) I will be giving up
all candies and cookies. This is going to be hard
as I would rather eat dessert rather than a meal.
Camille thought it was funny when she asked me
how I could give up chocolate for the year
and I replied,
"Simple I just replaced it with vanilla"
and really it is what I did. Have to stop that.
Whether Catholic or not, enjoy a most beautiful season
that we call Lenten but also falls during spring,
new things, fresh growth that spring brings us.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Nate Berkus

Most of you will know who Nate Berkus is.
The cutie-patootie who decorates on Oprah often.
I had been looking forward to Super Soul Sunday this
week to see her interview with Nate.
If I didn't love him before, I would love him now, for sure.
This book that he has written will be bought and
will be a part of my future library.
Not only is he pretty to look at but his story of
growing up gay and then loosing his partner,
Fernando in the Tsunami gives for a great story.
I had known about Fernando dying in the wave of 2004
but did not realize Nate was also there.
You cannot here his story and not shed a tear.
Well, maybe you can but then you may also be cold.
He speaks of his photographer partner and the loss of him.
He tells the story of before leaving for their vacation that
would take Fernando's life and change Nate's forever,
Fernando asked Nate what he would like as a gift for
their upcoming anniversary.  Nate answered that he would
want a photograph of two huge trees that Fernando had taken
and Nate had fallen in love with it.
His partner got very upset with him saying how could he
ask for something that he needed to sell?
How could he want something that was high demand for
thousands of dollars and to give it to Nate would have
meant a big cut in his finances.
Nate explains that he listened to all of this and
simply said to his love something to the effect of
"Don't ask me what I want if you don't want an honest answer.
Get me what ever you want but I'm not going to lie about what
I would love to have."
Days before they left for their vacation trip to Japan
Nate walked into their apartment to find the very same
photographs he had asked for hugely framed in 
their living room. He speaks of what an impact that was
in their relationship but didn't think of its significance until he 
returned from Japan without Fernando.
The Oprah interview is emotional and I love Nate more
now than ever. Watch Oprah's Super Soul Sunday.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Proof of Heaven

I have had so many blogs over the last years
that I don't remember what I have blogged about already and 
what I have not. My mind is always reeling about
ideas I want to blog and sometimes I think I already did that.
I am always reading a book or two and since finishing
Cajun Mariners, I am trying to finish all those books I 
have started and not finished.
There is always a book calling my name, jumping its
place on my "to read" list.
Last night, I begin again to try and read,
Proof Of Heaven by Eben Alexander, Md
I think somewhere I have already blogged about this book.
Today I just want to say that although I am intrigued
to read the book because he is a neurosurgeon who was
atheist until he had a near death experience and came
back to talk of life after this one.
I am not enjoying his type of writing.
I am loving the story behind his writing
and can get through the chapters when he speaks of his
family and how they handled the tragedy but
when he begins to write about the science part of 
his illness and trying to explain the technical aspects
of the experience it is quite boring.
I fell asleep on it a few times and I am not one
to fall asleep on a book unless very tired.
I am going to finish is as I always, always finish a book
I start but it will be one of those I am glad when I get 
to the end. Even with this said, I love the part
of him totally changing his beliefs about God
and Life after Death.
Faith is great but it is so good to have someone
go there and come back to explain it is not just a fairy tale.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Cajun Mariners by Woody Falgoux

A few years ago, on our trip to Alaska, baby boy
brought this book, Cajun Mariners as his reading material.
Until then, although I knew Woody Fagoux as he was our lawyer
and we owned a copy of his first book about football,
I had not heard about this book.
Each day, BB would explain a little about the book he was reading
and every night he went to bed saying things like,
"Well, let me go see what Bobby and Minor are doing tonight"
He often said I needed to read it. 
He had a hard copy that he had purchased himself and last year,
when Woody gave me this paperback signed copy, I actually
had the hard covered book on my nightstand and was reading it.
However, it has taken me until now to complete it because 
sometimes it was hard for me to grasp it as sometimes
when I saw dates I had to figure out how old I was at that time.
You see, being raised in the little towns of Golden Meadow, Galliano,
Cut Off and Larose, you are connected in some way.
As I read, I realized that each of these men and their families had
been a part of my life in one way or another.
For each negative story that is told, I had a wonderful story to
tell. On more than one night that Mr. Bobby returned from
a business trip, I had been an overnight guest in his home
having been friends with his daughter, Ann. 
I remember on one such trip, Mr. Bobby came in at the wee hours
of the morning from a far away place. Each of his children
and his wonderful, Myrtle would awaken as he opened his
suitcase and handed out the gifts to each of them.
He told the story of the gift and why he had purchased that
for each child. I was in awe of this man
I had never been in a home where the father bought gifts on his 
own for his children. My daddy had never traveled or bought
me gifts from far away lands. 
I had nights where we laid around the Orgeron home, 
hung out in Lee's room as Tammy, his girlfriend at the time,
visited and we watched tv.
Then to have grown up and my children having been friends with 
Mr. Bobby's grandchildren there was that tie also.
To say what Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Myrtle did for HOBL and I
when he first sobered up, well it would go on for days.
That man did more for the younger generations of addicts
than anyone would ever know.
Then there is Mr. Minor and his son M.J. 
HOBL and I actually bought MJ and Susan's home in 
Tarpon Heights and raised our own children in the home
he had built for his own children. My baby boy
slept under the model planes that once belonged to Tony Cheramie,
MJ's son. My daughter loved the red carpet that was Lacy's 
bedroom growing up. Although I did not know Mr. Minor personally
I knew Ms. Lou. When the book spoke of his accountant, 
Mr. Woody Terrebonne I knew him as I was raised
with his daughter, Theresa having been a good friend of mine.
The Theriot's, we went to school with the children and
both my sisters, Celena and Veronica have worked under
the Nolty Theriot legacy.
My sister, Celena, because of what working for this empire taught
her is now the president of a boat company today.
Chippy Turnage was a cousin to HOBL.
So many entertwined connections to most everyone mentioned
in the book.
Yes, it took me some time to read the book.
I also knew some of these people having nursed them or 
some of their family members throughout the years the book speaks of.
The book became personal to me and I cannot thank
Mr. Woody Falgoux enough for the wonderful and well
written book that sometimes was emotional for me.
As the book reminds the reader at the time, the part that
really was the staple of each of these men were the women
that stood behind them. It would have been easy for any of these
women to leave these men.
Yet, Having known Mrs. Myrtle as a child and then again
as an adult... well, to know her was to love her.
Her quiet strong personality was the standing force to Mr. Bobby 
and his children. We, all of us, have lots to learn from the kind of
woman Mrs. Myrtle was. She stood behind Mr. Bobby and he,
as all the other men, came to find the love he always had with her.
 These women, well they were the true heroes as even through
the turmoils of the big oil industry they held their heads high,
helped others less fortunate and "Stood by their Man"
If you are from the bayou, this is a must read.
You will find, just as I have, the pride in
having been raised in the area we call
down the bayou.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

9 years ago today....


How can I post anymore than I have on the subject
of Baby boy and his sobriety?
So many posts have been about this part of our lives.
Yet, I cannot let today go by without celebrating the
fact that my baby boy has been sober for 9 years.
Nine years, that's a long time and some times it seems like
it was just yesterday. The pain we all were suffering and then
that day, the day we once again had hope that our son could
be sober and beat the dreaded disease of drug addiction.
Drug addiction is a family disease, the whole family
is affected, the immediate family as well as the extended family.
My baby boy, he did hard work to get where he was and
now all the promises of AA have been given to him.
A beautiful wife, a precious child, a wonderful home
and the security of a family that loves him as well
as an extended in-law family that have embraced him 
and love him as their own.
No longer do I refer to him as my "beautiful disaster"
Happy sobriety birthday my son.
So happy that your little girl will never have
to live the life of chaos that addiction brings to the family.
You, my dear, are my hero.

Friday, February 8, 2013

80 years and going


On my long trips I love my talk radio.
Yesterday on my trek DTB, CSN tells me 
of the oldest married couple, married for 80 years, 80 YEARS!!!
Their interview is the sweetest and makes 
me long for the type of relationship that is built over
many years together. HOBL and I, too many times,
when living with the way of the world, sometimes
we are a little short tempered with each other,
our tone of voice is not alway loving.
Life sometimes gets in the way of reminding us 
that we are to be kind to those we love the most
and yet it is those people that we have less patience with.
The older we get, the nicer we are to each other.
We are comfortable and actually enjoy our time spent
doing not much.
We remind each other when we forget to speak nicely to each other.
I listen to the interview with this couple who are now in 
their late 90's and the husband shares,
"She has always worked hard but never outside the home.
Her job was to cook and clean for our family.
she was a good mother..."
He pauses and then says again,
"A very good mother."
All of us women, we will not say it but we long
to hear our spouses admit these types of things.
That the acknowledge those things we did well,
or that we are now doing well. We don't need
to hear it aloud but when we do, it makes us love
our spouse so much more. To hear the man you love,
or even the woman in your life, brag about the job 
you are doing is special and yet, we don't do it often enough.
As they interview the woman, a quiet squeeky little voice,
they ask her what is the secret and she says one sentence,
"he always has his hand on my knee,
He cannot keep his hands off of me."
So special, so, so special! 
May we all make our good relationships even better,
for those not in a relationship, find someone who
will love you in this way.
Happy Friday to all!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

reality tv, honey...

There is Teen moms and Dance Moms.
There is Real housewives of many places 
and there is swamp people.
There is the Duggers and Little People
then there is, in a category of their own....
HONEY BOO BOO
yep, I watch it, and yes, I even laugh at them.
Sometimes I roll my eyes thinking they have gone a 
little too far but all in all,
they are the more "real life" reality show of all the ones out there.
They get a lot of flack in the media,
I hear on serous radio so many saying they should
be removed from TV or the parents should be reported
for child abuse, but lets be honest,
I know more people like the honey booboo family 
than I do the Housewives of all places.
Why is it when those rich ladies get richer by 
showing their spending ways and cat fights,
people watch and there is little talk of removing it from the air,
but when a poor redneck family cashes in on their
piece of the reality TV pie, so many want to criticize.
Having been born and raised in a small community known as
down the bayou or rather, DTB,
I know this family. Well, not this one in particular
but some just as strange and bazaar, some as uneducated as the
redneckonize clan here. I know, as I get older, that there 
are many different people that makes this world spin and
I believe honey boo boo is loved, loved more than
some children I have seen as a school nurse.
Why should they not cash in on the wave of reality TV.
Secretly, we can admit, many of our own families will
do some of the things they do on camera.
Difference is, when we pass gas loudly to shock the family,
there is not a tv camera to capture the memory.
I say, let them get their money and let them be able
to afford things they had not been able to do 
prior to the extra attention from reality Tv.
I watch, not religiously but I watch enough
to know it's okay to laugh and be entertained by a family
that reminds me of many families I have met in my life.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Always a funny story

I can never come back from my Mommy's and 
not have some kind of funny story to share.
Last night was no different.
To share a dining table with Mommy, Mr. C. and
Ms. M. is a trip. No one is more confused
than our Mommy so it is very funny to hear her
complain of the confusion of others.
Here comes Ms. M...
Mom says,
"Ugh, here she comes, watch she is going to ask the 
same questions over and over"
Sure enough, "What time they serve us supper?"
I answer 5:30 and she also asks the same questions she
always asks me, who are you?
Mommy explains I am her baby girl.
"What time is supper?"
5:30.
I think I am going to go take a nap well.
She walks down the hall and Mommy explains she
asks that question every night,  "you would think after all 
this time, she would know the answer, but she does that
all the time, asks the same things over and over."
Mommy continues,
"Not everyone is as lucky as I am though"
Then I kid you not, not even 5 minutes pass and she asks me,
"What time do they serve supper?"
HAHAHAHAHa nothing like a night at the Manor!
(picture has nothing to do with this blog but I love it,
Mom and baby boy back in the day)