“But I have no desire for fame and power anymore. I crawled out of the swamp and I’m not crawling back in.”
Yesterday was chilly. Today will be much warmer. The high is supposed to reach 70˚. I’ll pack away my flannel shirt again.
Hanging in my bathroom is a picture of my eight grade class. It is a graduation picture. I am wearing a frilly dress. Trust me. I am not the frilly type. As to why the bathroom, it is decorated with school stuff like an old school bag, a chalk board, some Ding Dong School artifacts and old school books. The picture is hung over the sink so I give it a look when I’m brushing my teeth. I know the names of many of my classmates. Some I don’t remember at all. That makes sense as it was sixty years ago. I think that was the last time I wore a puffy dress.
The school principal was Sister Eileen Marie. That wasn’t her real name. That was her nun name. Her office was just across the hall from my class. I was a class officer. We, the other officers and I, were summoned to the principal’s office. One of us would be picked to crown the Mary statue during the May procession. I was the one. My aunt Mary, my favorite aunt, told me she had also crowned. That made it a family tradition, one which ended with me.
My wanderings were all over town mostly on my bike, but one of my favorite places was a short walk from my house. I walked there so many times I can close my eyes and see it. Below the houses was a huge field, my grasshopper hunting grounds. On one side was a dead tree with its biggest branch still attached but on the ground. The other side was wooded. Once my brother and I found a tiny shack in the wooded side. It was made of boards, poorly made, as there were holes. We went inside. There was a pile of magazines, the sort you hide. We figured the guy who made it wanted a private place where his mother wouldn’t go.
Just up the path was the swamp. Just at the water’s edge was sand. The swamp was a wonder to me. I could watch tadpoles grow into frogs, skate on it and work my way through trees and undergrowth and branches to get where the swamp ended. In the winter it was easy as I could walk on the ice. I remember under the ice was perfectly clear. I could see plants and twigs. It was a marvel.
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October 2, 2021 at 8:18 pm
Hi Kat,
Today turned out beautiful. The sky turned out partly cloudy with a pleasant high temperature in the low 80s. Today we ventured to out to visit Jacksboro and Graham Texas. In Jacksboro we toured Ft. Richardson which is located in the state park. Not all of the buildings are preserved as it was from 1867 through 1878. Some of the restored buildings was the hospital, the morgue, the bakery and the commanding officer’s quarters. On the way home we drove through Ft. Worth to our favorite Chinese restaurant in Haltom City, First Chinese Barbecue. One can’t go through an entire weekend without authentic Chinese cuisine. 🙂
My Cajun friends tell me there are two kinds of people, swamp people and everybody else. Those swamp folks know how to do two things extremely well, cook fantastic food and party. One of my favorite cities in the world is New Orleans Louisiana. AKA, “The big easy”. All of southwest Louisiana is Cajun country.
October 2, 2021 at 10:47 pm
Hi Bob,
It was also beautiful here. We even had an outdoor uke concert. I think it reached 72˚. Tomorrow should be the same. Fall is my favorite time of year here on the cape.
I love touring Boston for the same reasons you enjoy your touring. Boston is such fun to visit. The Paul Revere House is the oldest house in the city. It was built in 1680. IO have been there a couple of times.
I haven’t had Chinese in a while. I almost ordered it for delivery the other day, but I didn’t so maybe I’ll rethink that. I do love Chinese food.
I haven’t ever been to New Orleans, but I’d love to visit. I’d go from restaurant to restaurant eating that wonderful food.