Rhonda

This is my sister, Rhonda. I think this is her senior picture. We used to make fun of her because my parents bought her a DISCO machine (it was really cool) when she was in the ninth grade.

WE NEVER SAW HER AGAIN. We would go to her door and beg her to come out and play but she was always busy hibernating. (that's what we came to call it)

I don't know who this is

Maybe somebody in my family will come along and identify this picture someday.

One Year Old

That's Me! My mom is still so proud of that "sugar curl". (yes, she made it with real sugar.)

On the back of the picture it says "please send this one back". My mom got it back about 6 months ago. I am 46 years old.

She says they didn't have money to buy pictures for everybody so she would mail the picture to family so they could see me and then they would mail it back.

My Aunt Edna just didn't mail it back - she gave it back in person 45 years later!

"Momcollage"

I made this collage for my mom a few years ago.

(top left)my Granny Farley and Mary Ann standing with my cousins, Toni, Little Man and Bunky in front of my cousin's house.

(2nd. top) Mommy beside of her house plant. She loved that plant. (plastic) She gave it to me when I left home.

(3rd. top) Mommy beside of car the time we went swimming with my cousins in Gilbert.

(4th. top) My Aunt Edna and Mommy on the front porch of Edna's house. That is Toni holding the puppy on the stairs.

(bottom left) Beautiful Housewife Pose

(bottom middle) All of us kids playing with puppies. I don't know whose adult bottom that is?

(bottom right) Picnic in Gilbert. Edna and Mommy. I am sure my dad or Don took that picture to embarrass them. They are fixing sandwiches for us out of the trunk.

Logan High School 1980

I was going to save the world.

I am proud to say I did save a minute portion of it.

My Great Grandmother Salyers and her brother Jimmy

The only thing I ever heard my Granny say when she looked at this picture (and I heard her say it many times) is...

"Mommy had such a hard life. Her Mommy tried to smother her with a pillow when she was little. That is her brother, Jimmy, beside her."

I can't imagine what would go through somebody's head to try to smother something that looks so precious as these kids. Of course, I have always said, "I can't be the only sane one in my family!"

The Black Stallion

When I was a girl to say I was a bookworm would be an understatement. I made it my mission in life to read a book a day. A goal that I accomplished frequently. Of all the books I read (some of them over and over) my absolute favorites were the Black Stallion Series by Walter Farley. Later in the series there was even a book called The Black Stallion and the Girl. Her name was Pam and she had long blonde hair. She actually rode the Black and I just knew that the book was written for me.

I spent many days reading in the formosa tree in the churchyard next door. It was my own private fairyland. Even better was the apple tree - but the neighbors cut it down.

I saved all my books into adulthood, but when we decided to move to Florida I had a yardsale and I sold many of them. ( I regret selling those books to this day) I had all my Black Stallion books in the same box and I heard a little girl excitedly calling her mom over when she saw them. She was in tears (of happiness) as she poured over each book in the box. It was obvious that she loved the Black Stallion as much as I did. She looked like a child on Christmas morning.

I knew her mom and I knew she couldn't afford those books even at yardsale prices. I was drawn to the little girl and we sat down and talked - ignoring everybody at the yardsale. She loved that horse as much as I did and when I showed her the Black Stallion and the Girl she thought it was the ultimate that the girls name was Pam too. When we finished talking I handed her the whole box of books. The gift took her breath and she told me her mommy couldn't afford those books.

I told her that I didn't want money that she had given me a gift that nobody else could give me. My books were going to be loved by someone as much as I had loved them. I told her that the only thing I wanted from her was that if she ever decided she didn't want the books anymore to pass them on to some other little girl. She assurred me that would never happen and I knew she was telling me the truth. I have never regreted what happenned to those books.

THIS WAS TOO FUNNY

The funniest thing that ever happenned at the beach was my 12 year old nephew had come down from West Virginia and we took him to the beach for the first time. He was so scared that he wouldn't even let the foam from the waves touch his toes.

Anyway a fat old man wearing a thong walked by and believe me he had no business wearing such a thing! Dwayne laid down in the sand laughing so hard he was hysterical and pointing at the man. I desperately tried to no avail to stop him from such a public display of mirth because I was afraid the man would hurt us (even though he deserved the laughter).

Anyway the man walked past us at first but then he turned around and started back toward us. It was obvious that he was pissed! I desperately tried to shut Dwayne up (the poor child had never seen anything like it). I was so grateful when the man got about 15 feet from us and I guess he saw how desperately I was trying to control the situation because he turned around!

I was relieved beyond words.