run on sentences

This is a picture of my grandma and grandpa Maxfield - my mom's parents. Grandma was probably in her late 50's at this time. Grandpa was sitting there looking at her with such love in his eyes - he with his quart of beer and she with her coffee - always served with a saucer. We could go to the bar and get beer for grandpa when we were kids with no questions asked. They knew it was for him. It cost 50 cents for a quart. If anyone came to visit him, he would place the bottle on the floor by his chair so he didn't have to share it. Grandma and Grandpa had a hard life. Their first child - a baby boy died at about 11 months of age. He had a bad heart, my mom said. Grandma said he ate well that morning and she put him to sleep and he died. She went on to have 7 more kids - giving birth to all of them at home except for the last one - born in a hospital. Only her firstborn died before she did. Grandpa was a heavy drinker. He worked in the mines and I guess he wasn't always ni...

For the rest of my life? Happy Birthday to my "soul mate" that I didn't even have to go hiking in the Appalachians (or Argentina) to find. All I had to do was go for a long bike ride with you on a Saturday morning in May, 32 years ago, on a balloon tired bomber that I borrowed from a friend, and the deal was set. Where did the time go and how did it go so fast? How can we be this old when we are this young inside? Whatever it is, it is good, and I will grow old(er) with you cause when I met you, you knew about "The Point" by Harry Neilson, you didn't care about fancy things and I am pretty sure you will still love me if I get an apron. Besides, I know all the words! Happy Birthday my love!

One of my favorite Dan stories happened when he was around 7 or 8. He told me in a rather matter of fact way that he was going to jump off the roof. It is a lucky thing I was listening because I might have just said "That's nice, dear" - and he probably would have gone ahead and jumped. Instead I said "Why would you want to do that?" His answer was, "I want to have a near death experience. I want to find out what happens when you die. I think it would be pretty boring to just be buried in the ground and lie there and heaven might be boring too". He had heard about near death experiences, apparently. He also was getting pressure from the Mormon kids in the neighborhood because we didn't go to church. Just like when I was a kid and the Catholic kids told me I was going to go to this place called Limbo when I died because I wasn't baptized and wasn't Catholic. Maybe Limbo is what Dan was worried about too. I am sure glad the Catholics decided ...

This catchy title came from something my sister Barbara Jean said in a dream, to a cook in the restaurant where she, my mom and I used to work years ago. My sister, my mom and I always had weird dreams, and we always shared them with each other. Since my mom's death, Barb and I have been waiting to hear from my mom in our dreams. So far, Barb has not, but a sparrow keeps coming into her yard and letting her pet it, so that must be some sort of a sign. My sister's weird dreams differ from mine in that she often has phrases that make no sense in the dream and she remembers them. My favorite one, which is written in magic marker on my old bedroom wall back in the caving in and dying old house. It says "Did you step in my reffing jet needle service?" We have never figured that one out and I don't think we ever will. I have had dreams of my mom, but she mostly doesn't talk to me. The most recent dream involved both my parents. My dad was sitting with his head on th...

.... and Ferris wheels, the dizzy-dancing way you feel. When every fairy tale come real, I've looked at life that way..... I love the month of June. It is the hump month of the season, just like Wednesday is the hump day of the week - but not like Wednesday's child ,who is full of woe. June is still spring, and not yet summer. The days are still getting lighter and the air smells allergy good and the flowers are blossoming. We can keep the windows open at night and hear the somewhat irritating chimes that were given to me to remember my mom by every time they jangled. June is the lull before summer kicks in with it's heat and the celebrations of July and the back to school preparations of August. On June 21st, the first day of summer and also my third fatherless father's day, the days will be begin getting seconds, then minutes shorter. But for now, Jack and I can get up at 5:05 to wait for Becky and I can wear T-shirts and shorts instead of jackets and tights. It is l...

Last weekend, Dan graduated from Tulane for a second time- this time from grad school. We are getting to be old hands at this! And since Billy will be going there this fall for his graduate degree, we will get another family trip - hopefully everyone, as scattered around the country as they are, will be able to make it. Ellen Degeneres spoke at the graduation. She is probably more comfortable with herself then anyone I know. The graduation ceremony was as they should be....a celebration complete with a New Orleans Jazz band, and fireworks. We never went on any formal vacations when the kids were little. Maybe because Bruce and I didn't as kids either. More likely cause we couldn't afford it. Everyone grew up fine without the trips to Disneyland, or wherever else people seem to think their kids need to go to be well rounded. Our kids didn't even get to go to daycare, the poor things! An acquaintance of mine once commented to me (she isn't really gifted in the art of ta...

Last night I had a dream that I got a tattoo on my right thigh. It was just the word "unpredictable". The word had a funny symbol above one of the letters, which my daughter was concerned about. She said the symbol was in the wrong place. She didn't seemed alarmed or curious about the tattoo or what it meant. I have no idea what it meant. I have no idea why I dream the things I dream either. Like the tattoo, it is all unpredictable, which is maybe what it meant after all.