Story Land Jamboree

 I love it when I meet someone with whom I relate.  There is a lady at the church where I attend. I don't know if she would want me to mention her publicly so I will simply call her "V." She has the sharpest wit. She is always there to help with church projects, even when she is moving slowly with her cane.  There are days when I can tell she's in pain but she just smiles and keeps on trucking with her humor intact. Recently, we had a church event and we're all rushing around and she had volunteered for a couple of duties that I knew would be taxing for her.  "How are you making it, V?" I asked her.  "Thank God for pain medicine. That's all I can say," she replied, dryly.  "Amen, Sister."  I was eating a quick breakfast and had brought my own meds to take and was spilling them onto the table before the event began.  "If your bringing drugs, you had better have brought enough to share," she joked.  I just love her. She...

Good morning, Tribe.  I hope you have begun your first weekend in 2014 with style and enjoying the things you love. Cap'n K and I (Cap'n K is my husband Keith) began with our Saturday morning tradition. We like to start the day slowly as we enjoy a cup a coffee together -- sitting up in bed -- quietly chatting about whatever feels important. We do this before our own interests separate us for the day, but we always come back together and regroup in the evening. Today, I plan to go to see the art exhibit of a good friend of mine. In preparing material for today's blog, I realized two equally amusing ideas were converging in my mind.  1. My mom's rain of custard. 2.  I have decided God is getting me back.   First, you need some background: There are people who think I'm reasonably intelligent. (I KNOW it's hard to believe, but it's true.) However, just when they begin to expect great things from me ... well, then I'll go and do -- or say -- somet...

Greetings to the Tribe!  I hope everyone is enjoying a great holiday season. (I'm sorry if holiday greetings sound trite or overused to some people, BUT kiss my fanny, I really mean it, anyway!)  In my local area, a few years ago, I used to have a weekly humorist-style column in the local newspaper that became rather popular. It was known as "The Story Hour." I have decided to get in my often amusing stories about my family -- and/or my own self-involved neuroses -- right here at the Storyland Jamboree blog. So .... if ya'll are game, then so am I. Today I may post more than one just to get us started. This blog started off as a writing inspiration blog and now I have decided that the best way to get myself writing is to do what comes most natural to me -- making fun of myself and those that I love.  To get us started, let me introduce you to my husband, Keith. See Keith? This IS his happy face, by the way.  I told the following story on Facebook a few mo...

She was a just a baby herself. In love, and looking to get away from a domineering mother, she saw her future in marriage at the age of 16. She had her first child -- a daughter (me) -- at the age of 18. Three more daughters followed later. My mother is an extraordinary woman. She is far more extraordinary than she knows. She has always had self-esteem issues. (Sometimes I see a lot of myself in her, in that regard.) She constantly underestimates her value in the eyes of those who love her. She gave up her youth for her girls. However, she did not give up her dreams. She was intelligent and had a love of medicine and science. When I was in high school, she got a grant to go to school to be a nurse. I remember when she got the news of her grant. She stood in our small kitchen area and told us the news with tears in her eyes. It was the fulfillment of a dream and the beginning of a fabulous nursing career. Even though she is now retired, I still run into people who recognize her name...