Gone Fishin…
Enjoy your Sunday…
Days Gone By
posted by Shelley
You’ve heard it said that the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. That’s true in most cases. My Grandmother was a pack-rat and so is my Mom. Not me! Clutter drives me crazy — unless you can’t see it — which is why you NEVER want to open a closet door at my house without a hardhat. If it’s hidden, it’s all good. So when it’s Mom, going through Nanny’s saved items to sort them out as to what’s important and what’s stuff that needs to be thrown away, that’s funny in itself.
Mom comes here from Nanny’s with a couple boxes of stuff for me to go through. Blah! Like I need more crap. But wait! What an awesome find!! A real leather handmade vest in white, with red homemade leather fringe! Woo woo! Talk about a trip a trip in the way-back machine — I can remember Nanny cutting that fringe so carefully, and how jealous everyone was of my awesome piece of clothing when I wore it in public! Now people weren’t just jealous because of the wonderful tailoring skills my Grandmother possessed — but this bad baby was autographed by tons of people!! I had it in like the 7th grade — and check it out! It still fits!
Most that signed this sexy vest also put their graduation date underneath their names, and many are accompanied by a peace sign. I will bet that good ole’ Curt Kovener barely remembers how he signed, “SQUID” back in those golden oldie days.
Some of the names I don’t remember — others bring a smile: Cathy Scifres, Pam Trisler, NaLona Deputy, Don Applegate, Velvia Brock, Teresa McIntosh, Tader, Tracy, Mike Brown, Barb Deaton, Cathy Curl, Tammy Donahue, Terry Seals, Pam Ackers, Julia Davis, Deb (?? Deb who?), Tammy Masters, Sandra Parrott, Jan Bell, Craig Horton, Monica Royalty, Drooper, Cynthia Breedlove, Don ?? (who says he is lonesome)…
…and of course I signed it — and so did Alisa Riley — right next to Jim Ed Brown. Cool stuff!
As I mentioned above, I’m not one that saves anything. I’m about to throw this wonderful heirloom in the burn barrel, but somehow I just can’t bring myself to do it! I’m sure I can find a nice spot for it in the closet. I’ll let Ben worry about it in a few decades. That’s why we have children in the first place, right??
I did what??
posted by Shelley
The other night in Wal-mart, I saw a kid that used ride my bus. He certainly wasn’t a kid anymore, but I recognized him right off. Now he wasn’t a problem child, but was a little mischievous in the day — he tested me and the rules quite often. Back then, he pretty much ignored me except when I’d had enough of the horseplay and my face turned red. Once the face was red EVERYONE turned into an instant angel.
As soon as this gentleman saw me in the canned goods aisle, he rushed up and gave me a big ole’ squeeze and said how good it was to see me again. We talked about a few of the other kids (mainly his relatives who also used to ride the bus and are spending their adulthood to date in jails across the country), and I asked him about his life now. It was fun stuff! About that time, the guy he was with rounded the corner with a cart and approached us. My old bus student exclaimed as he pointed at me with both arms in the air, “Right here is the best bus driver in the whole world!!”
I beamed with pride and under my breath I was probably saying something like, “Damn, I rock!” or “I am so awesome — I was a positive influence in this person’s life!” Oh yah, I was diggin’ it.
His next comment was, “SHE PLAYED AC/DC ON THE BUS!!!”
Whaaaaaaa? That’s what he remembered??
Guess that goes to show that the little things you do in life can have the greatest impact on others. People don’t always remember the big things. I had hoped to be remembered as the bus driver who purchased coats for the kids who didn’t have one (at a time when I didn’t have a ton of money myself), or the one who always asked about grades and encouraged successes, or even the bus driver who offered a cheerful good morning to each one of them by name when they stepped foot on the bus. Nope! I’m the one who played AC/DC over the speakers (and most likely sang along). Go me! It could be worse.