annie blog

M – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – hump back – hump back – I

So, since this blog is basically a tool to help me remember as much as it is anything else, I wanted to cover the Mississippi portion of our recent Tour de South.

It is sad, but we never, ever seem to be able to spend enough time with any of our relatives. That is just where our lives are right now, I’m afraid, and so we do marathon trips where we jam in visiting and driving and wishing that we could stay longer and finish up feeling like we have jet lag even though there were no airplanes involved.

But we did so enjoy our time in Mississippi, however short it was.

Did you know that stuff really grows well in Mississippi? Yes, it does. And I think that things grow particularly well for my in-laws. They just have that gift. And, of course, it helps that they basically live in a sub-tropical zone.

Just look at these beautiful blueberries.

We were fortunate enough to come home with many quarts of these. I am having blueberry visions right now. I just don’t know what to make first.

Aren’t these cute little cabbages?

It is fun to shoot your gun in Mississippi.

Of course, you know, two guns are always better than one.

Did I mention that my in-laws can grow anything? When they moved into their current house, it looked like the building had been built on a field or golf course. There were few if any trees.

It doesn’t look like that now.

The slip-n-sliding was great fun.

And slip-n-sliding should always be followed by popsicles. I think that might be a law. Yes? By the way, isn’t this picture funny? I don’t think that my great-niece knew what to think of her crazy boy relative. He is quirky, I’ll admit it. Or maybe she’s expecting him to get naked and run around again like he did earlier. You never know.

Yummola. My mother-in-law and my 9-year-old made this delectable pie. Just looking at it makes my mouth water. Add some vanilla ice cream and it is perfection on a plate.

Jon likes to take pictures of creepy critters, sometimes.

Yik. Okay, to get that image out of my head, I will instead think of this:

Did you know that some day lilies look like they have glitter on the petals? (Click on the above picture and then click again to zoom in.)

Amazing.

Beautiful.

M – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – hump back – hump back – I

So, since this blog is basically a tool to help me remember as much as it is anything else, I wanted to cover the Mississippi portion of our recent Tour de South.

It is sad, but we never, ever seem to be able to spend enough time with any of our relatives. That is just where our lives are right now, I’m afraid, and so we do marathon trips where we jam in visiting and driving and wishing that we could stay longer and finish up feeling like we have jet lag even though there were no airplanes involved.

But we did so enjoy our time in Mississippi, however short it was.

Did you know that stuff really grows well in Mississippi? Yes, it does. And I think that things grow particularly well for my in-laws. They just have that gift. And, of course, it helps that they basically live in a sub-tropical zone.

Just look at these beautiful blueberries.

We were fortunate enough to come home with many quarts of these. I am having blueberry visions right now. I just don’t know what to make first.

Aren’t these cute little cabbages?

It is fun to shoot your gun in Mississippi.

Of course, you know, two guns are always better than one.

Did I mention that my in-laws can grow anything? When they moved into their current house, it looked like the building had been built on a field or golf course. There were few if any trees.

It doesn’t look like that now.

The slip-n-sliding was great fun.

And slip-n-sliding should always be followed by popsicles. I think that might be a law. Yes? By the way, isn’t this picture funny? I don’t think that my great-niece knew what to think of her crazy boy relative. He is quirky, I’ll admit it. Or maybe she’s expecting him to get naked and run around again like he did earlier. You never know.

Yummola. My mother-in-law and my 9-year-old made this delectable pie. Just looking at it makes my mouth water. Add some vanilla ice cream and it is perfection on a plate.

Jon likes to take pictures of creepy critters, sometimes.

Yik. Okay, to get that image out of my head, I will instead think of this:

Did you know that some day lilies look like they have glitter on the petals? (Click on the above picture and then click again to zoom in.)

Amazing.

Beautiful.

M – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – crooked letter – crooked letter – I – hump back – hump back – I

So, since this blog is basically a tool to help me remember as much as it is anything else, I wanted to cover the Mississippi portion of our recent Tour de South.

It is sad, but we never, ever seem to be able to spend enough time with any of our relatives. That is just where our lives are right now, I’m afraid, and so we do marathon trips where we jam in visiting and driving and wishing that we could stay longer and finish up feeling like we have jet lag even though there were no airplanes involved.

But we did so enjoy our time in Mississippi, however short it was.

Did you know that stuff really grows well in Mississippi? Yes, it does. And I think that things grow particularly well for my in-laws. They just have that gift. And, of course, it helps that they basically live in a sub-tropical zone.

Just look at these beautiful blueberries.

We were fortunate enough to come home with many quarts of these. I am having blueberry visions right now. I just don’t know what to make first.

Aren’t these cute little cabbages?

It is fun to shoot your gun in Mississippi.

Of course, you know, two guns are always better than one.

Did I mention that my in-laws can grow anything? When they moved into their current house, it looked like the building had been built on a field or golf course. There were few if any trees.

It doesn’t look like that now.

The slip-n-sliding was great fun.

And slip-n-sliding should always be followed by popsicles. I think that might be a law. Yes? By the way, isn’t this picture funny? I don’t think that my great-niece knew what to think of her crazy boy relative. He is quirky, I’ll admit it. Or maybe she’s expecting him to get naked and run around again like he did earlier. You never know.

Yummola. My mother-in-law and my 9-year-old made this delectable pie. Just looking at it makes my mouth water. Add some vanilla ice cream and it is perfection on a plate.

Jon likes to take pictures of creepy critters, sometimes.

Yik. Okay, to get that image out of my head, I will instead think of this:

Did you know that some day lilies look like they have glitter on the petals? (Click on the above picture and then click again to zoom in.)

Amazing.

Beautiful.

Tour de South
Last week, we joined Mama Susie and Papa Joe at the beach for some fun. Aunt Deana and Neffy-poo got to come, too. Neffy-poo has taken to calling me Aunt Anniebelle. I love it!

Here all of the boys were revved up with excitement. This was their first time at the beach in the summertime because usually we go at Christmas. You can see Papa Joe’s feet there in the picture. He had plans to drink a beer and read the paper. Smart man.

The beach was very pretty and we enjoyed excellent weather.

There was a sandbar and that made the waves extra fun.

One afternoon, my 2nd oldest son and I made our way out to the sandbar and were pummeled by the waves for an hour. And when I say pummeled I mean really, really thrown around. I was frightened that my bathing suit might part company with my body and we all know how embarrassing that would be. Incidentally, after the wave washes over the sandbar, you are only left with about a foot and a half of water — not enough for major bathing suit adjustments. I don’t know what would be worse, losing your bathing suit or having to ask your 10-year-old to retrieve it for you.

Good thing I didn’t have to find that one out.

A good time was had by all…..

as this smile will attest. I just love this little face.

Mama Susie’s oldest grandson is as big as she is. The buster will have caught me, next.

Aren’t my guys cute. We were all happy because we were on our way to eat some yummy fried food.

The last day, we went to Alligator Alley. I highly recommend it to you — should y’all ever be in the vicinity.

Here we are, awaiting our gator talk and feeding.

The gator keeper was very knowledgeable and a little bit wary — as was right, I’m sure.

And, those gators seemed really hungry.

Seeing gators eat was kind of thrilling.

But the Suz and I decided that we wouldn’t be having chicken for lunch, all the same.

There was baby gator holding, as well.

After the baby gator holding, you walk down a boardwalk into a cypress swamp.

It was beautiful, big time.

We were on our way to see this guy.

He was something. A whopper with a taste for labrador retrievers — according to our guide. Yikes.

Do we like alligators?

These faces tell the whole story. We are gator-lovers.

Tour de South
Last week, we joined Mama Susie and Papa Joe at the beach for some fun. Aunt Deana and Neffy-poo got to come, too. Neffy-poo has taken to calling me Aunt Anniebelle. I love it!

Here all of the boys were revved up with excitement. This was their first time at the beach in the summertime because usually we go at Christmas. You can see Papa Joe’s feet there in the picture. He had plans to drink a beer and read the paper. Smart man.

The beach was very pretty and we enjoyed excellent weather.

There was a sandbar and that made the waves extra fun.

One afternoon, my 2nd oldest son and I made our way out to the sandbar and were pummeled by the waves for an hour. And when I say pummeled I mean really, really thrown around. I was frightened that my bathing suit might part company with my body and we all know how embarrassing that would be. Incidentally, after the wave washes over the sandbar, you are only left with about a foot and a half of water — not enough for major bathing suit adjustments. I don’t know what would be worse, losing your bathing suit or having to ask your 10-year-old to retrieve it for you.

Good thing I didn’t have to find that one out.

A good time was had by all…..

as this smile will attest. I just love this little face.

Mama Susie’s oldest grandson is as big as she is. The buster will have caught me, next.

Aren’t my guys cute. We were all happy because we were on our way to eat some yummy fried food.

The last day, we went to Alligator Alley. I highly recommend it to you — should y’all ever be in the vicinity.

Here we are, awaiting our gator talk and feeding.

The gator keeper was very knowledgeable and a little bit wary — as was right, I’m sure.

And, those gators seemed really hungry.

Seeing gators eat was kind of thrilling.

But the Suz and I decided that we wouldn’t be having chicken for lunch, all the same.

There was baby gator holding, as well.

After the baby gator holding, you walk down a boardwalk into a cypress swamp.

It was beautiful, big time.

We were on our way to see this guy.

He was something. A whopper with a taste for labrador retrievers — according to our guide. Yikes.

Do we like alligators?

These faces tell the whole story. We are gator-lovers.

Tour de South
Last week, we joined Mama Susie and Papa Joe at the beach for some fun. Aunt Deana and Neffy-poo got to come, too. Neffy-poo has taken to calling me Aunt Anniebelle. I love it!

Here all of the boys were revved up with excitement. This was their first time at the beach in the summertime because usually we go at Christmas. You can see Papa Joe’s feet there in the picture. He had plans to drink a beer and read the paper. Smart man.

The beach was very pretty and we enjoyed excellent weather.

There was a sandbar and that made the waves extra fun.

One afternoon, my 2nd oldest son and I made our way out to the sandbar and were pummeled by the waves for an hour. And when I say pummeled I mean really, really thrown around. I was frightened that my bathing suit might part company with my body and we all know how embarrassing that would be. Incidentally, after the wave washes over the sandbar, you are only left with about a foot and a half of water — not enough for major bathing suit adjustments. I don’t know what would be worse, losing your bathing suit or having to ask your 10-year-old to retrieve it for you.

Good thing I didn’t have to find that one out.

A good time was had by all…..

as this smile will attest. I just love this little face.

Mama Susie’s oldest grandson is as big as she is. The buster will have caught me, next.

Aren’t my guys cute. We were all happy because we were on our way to eat some yummy fried food.

The last day, we went to Alligator Alley. I highly recommend it to you — should y’all ever be in the vicinity.

Here we are, awaiting our gator talk and feeding.

The gator keeper was very knowledgeable and a little bit wary — as was right, I’m sure.

And, those gators seemed really hungry.

Seeing gators eat was kind of thrilling.

But the Suz and I decided that we wouldn’t be having chicken for lunch, all the same.

There was baby gator holding, as well.

After the baby gator holding, you walk down a boardwalk into a cypress swamp.

It was beautiful, big time.

We were on our way to see this guy.

He was something. A whopper with a taste for labrador retrievers — according to our guide. Yikes.

Do we like alligators?

These faces tell the whole story. We are gator-lovers.

One Of My Favorite Things
My third son is very creative. He just sees the world in his own way. Beginning at age 4, he started drawing obsessively. Oh, the stacks and stacks of drawings that I have. This is one of my favorites. He did it years ago, and of all of my many possesions, it is one of the few that I am positive I will take with me to the nursing home someday — should I be so fortunate to live long enough to go there.

I call it my cooking eagle.

Isn’t it awesome?

One Of My Favorite Things
My third son is very creative. He just sees the world in his own way. Beginning at age 4, he started drawing obsessively. Oh, the stacks and stacks of drawings that I have. This is one of my favorites. He did it years ago, and of all of my many possesions, it is one of the few that I am positive I will take with me to the nursing home someday — should I be so fortunate to live long enough to go there.

I call it my cooking eagle.

Isn’t it awesome?

One Of My Favorite Things
My third son is very creative. He just sees the world in his own way. Beginning at age 4, he started drawing obsessively. Oh, the stacks and stacks of drawings that I have. This is one of my favorites. He did it years ago, and of all of my many possesions, it is one of the few that I am positive I will take with me to the nursing home someday — should I be so fortunate to live long enough to go there.

I call it my cooking eagle.

Isn’t it awesome?

Daddy Smith and the Beach
This is a photo of a watercolor that my mother had done of my grandfather and my sister and me on the beach. It hangs beside my computer and I therefore look at it daily.

It brings me happy thoughts and memories about my Daddy Smith and of times spent at the beach.

We just returned from a week of being at the beach with my family and then visiting Jon’s parents and some of our family in Mississippi.

We had a fabulous time. We ate lots of wonderful fried food. We saw alligators by the dozens. I nearly lost my swim suit amid crashing waves. Another two thousand freckles joined the others already in residence. We picked quart upon quart of blueberries. There was time for thought and contemplation and personal resolutions. There was some upside-seeking behavior.

Being back is hard but it is mitigated by the relief of being out of the car, finally.

Time to get a plan, Annie. Like, now.