The Happiest Days of My Life

The blog idea came from AryanaAryana but it was just, "The happiest day of my life." But that's a hard one. I have had so many of them. A few in particular stand out but at different times in my life different things made me happy. So I think I'll try a top 10 list.

1. The day I got married. It turned out to be really special even though we eloped. We asked at least 5 different ministers to marry us before we found one that would and he told us he was busy so come back in a few hours. (haha) I remember standing at the pulpit surprised at how pretty that little country church was and happy to be joining my life partner and best friend for life.

2. I take joy in each spring day and spend as much time as possible outside appreciating the joy and beauty of nature around me.

3. I was on my 35 acres. It was a perfect day. I had just set up my pool and was lounging in it while smoking a big scoober. I remember thinking,"it doesn't get any better than this. Something has to happen to mess it up." I had my 2 white German Shepherds, my lab mix, my Yorkie and Chinese crested and Maltese and a couple of cats. Oh and 2 chickens named Louise and Eloise. I was well on my way to building "Pam's Park".

Well something did happen. My brother murdered his wife a week later on the same day that my aunt kicked me out of the house, no less! I was also surprised at how weak I was when I was moving. It was the first sign that I had heart disease but I didn't know it.

4. I had a happy childhood. Most kids would be lucky to spend it like I did.

5. Each anniversary with my ex husband. We celebrated the 4th. of July more than our wedding anniversary because that was the day we met.

6. All the days raising my first litter of greyhound puppies

7. Time spent with Eddie. He showed me that maybe I wasn't dying even though I was very sick. He has also been the source of great misery. But I have actually enjoyed the downs as much as the ups because I was too sick to feel anything for a few years.

8. My ex husband and I were professional tourists. We would throw on crazy tourist clothes and go to some attraction in Florida and play up the crazy hillbilly couple thing and get all kinds of perks. LOL

9. My high school graduation. I remember thinking how special it was at the time. The same feeling I had at my wedding. I was able to recognize I was experiencing a once in a lifetime event while I was in the midst of it. The same feeling I had at my wedding.

10, I have basically had a very happy life. The last few years have been tough but I made it through them. I was surprised to learn when I joined the real world (as opposed to my life as a greyhound trainer) that most people slog it out most everyday of their lives and many have never even had a vacation. I just can't imagine living that way. I have always been able to plan something special many times with no money. A lot of living life is in your attitude. It can make all the difference in the world.

I Flew a Plane Once

When I was at Ohio State I became interested in Aviation. I completed the written part of the pilots exam which means that I had 2 years to get my flight time in and become a licensed pilot. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control at the time, I didn't get the flight time in.

I did, however, get one hour of flight time in. My dad paid for it to show me what a waste of time it would be for me to be a pilot. (My parents wanted me to be a veterinarian) The lesson originated from the local airport in Logan, WV, in a place called Taplin. It was an interesting lesson because Taplin airport was a narrow flat space alongside the Guyandotte river right between two very steep mountains. The takeoff went smoothly as I glided along with the pilots help and then lifted up to climb over the mountain (it was either that or crash into the side of it).

I got to fly over my house at 1200 feet. I was surprised to see how small the house was in comparison to the church next door. I had no idea that the church was bigger than our house. We also flew over the park and the town of Logan and just generally spent an hour flying over the mountains of West Virginia. It was one of the most relaxing and exhilarating things I have ever done. (yes, I experienced both emotions at the same time).

Then I turned the plane back toward the airport to go home. Yes, I was flying it by myself. It's kind of like being a student driver, you have to drive, it's just that somebody is there supervising your every move. When we got back to the airport I assumed that the pilot would take over but he told me that I had done fine and he proceeded to explain how tricky the landing was going to be.

To land the plane you had to skim down the side of the mountain just barely over the tops of the trees. That was the only angle there was to land in the field. Since it was a short runway you had to start braking immediately once you landed. We started down the side of the mountain and he IMMEDIATELY took over. Apparently I would have killed us, he said. He was not laughing either.

I told him I was glad he was there. To be honest I was surprised that he wanted me to try the landing that soon anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed that lesson, but I never made it back for another one.

Life happens you know.

Check Out This Bowl of Fat

I made homemade barbeque last night. I got tired and decided to turn off the burner and finish cooking it this morning. I put the kettle containing an almost shredded pork roast in the refrigerator for the night. When I got it out this morning It had a layer of fat on top that filled up this bowl!

Just think, I would have eaten all that fat if I hadn't decided to finish cooking it today. That is at least a thousand calories of pure saturated pork fat that would have been in that kettle. It will make at least 10 to 15 barbeques. That is probably a savings of around 100 calories for every barbeque. I think that this will be the way I make my barbeque in the future. I have always heard that you could get a lot of fat out of food this way but I didn't realize THERE WAS SO MUCH OF IT!

More Drama at Lee Terrace

Apparently someone decided to punch one of the new residents in the face yesterday. I don't know the reasons around the attack but everyone ran to me to tell me because it immediately was classified as racial. They wanted me to know because Eddie is black and I am white. Even though we don't advertise our friendship it is common knowledge as is everything in this building.

A new couple has moved into the building. I don't know them except to say hello but they seem to be nice people. She is white. He is black. I was told a black woman walked up and punched the white woman in the face. This is factual. What isn't factual are the reasons why. For all I know it could be a boyfriend/girlfriend thing or maybe she just pissed somebody off..

All the drama queens wanted me to go on high alert....NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

While I am well aware of a certain animosity toward me from some black women in the building, they seem to get over it once they get to know me. Hell, I'm a pretty nice person after all. The ones that don't get over it well, it's their problem - not mine. The difference between me and the other woman is that she is a tiny little thing while I am, to put it politely, quite hefty. Not too many people are going to have the nerve to walk up and punch me and if they do, it better count because I am quite capable of defending myself.

Around these parts being nice is perceived as being weak. I have had to educate more than one person that this is not the case as far as I'm concerned. When someone lashes out at me I usually lash out quickly and more severely than most people do. I also admit to lashing back too quickly sometimes. But my reputation serves me well in this building.

So, even if it was racial, it really won't affect me. I hope it wasn't though.

Things My Dad Told Me When I Was A Kid

That is my dad's eye over the pyramid...

this is my dad's picture on the $50.00 bill

here's a fun story about my dad.

Every dad has played the money game with their kids at some point. You know the one where he says, "guess how much money I have in my hand and you can have it."

One day he had a big wad of cash in his hand and asked me to guess how much it was. I guess $863.00. He raised his eyebrow and looked at me hard. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out some change and said, "WRONG!"

We never played the money game again.

here's another money story.

One time somebody paid my dad for a car with 2000 brand new one dollar bills.
He brought them home because they were all stuck together and he wanted to crinkle them up so he could count them.
He hollered for Billy and Rhonda and I and when we walked into the bedroom he threw them all in the air and told us to have fun.
We had a first class money fight!
We were literally rollin' in the dough that day.

I Get It From My Mother

My mom taught us to be self reliant. She taught us to bounce back. When something bad happens you take a day or two to wallow in it then you get up and do something about or move on. Once again I am doing that. I quit my job yesterday. I didn't want to but it was for the best. I laid around all day and I even forgot a doctor's appointment. (hope I can fix that tomorrow. we'll see)

My mom taught us to everything around the house. All of us, including my brother, could clean anything in the house to perfection while we were still in grade school. She got us up every morning for school with the Mrs. Morningbird song and fixed us breakfast but we got ourselves dressed. When I went into the 7th. grade she handed me an alarm clock and told me to get up and catch the bus or find a way to school. And she meant it. The bus for junior high was an hour earlier than the bus for grade school.


We didn't miss too many buses. It was highly embarrassing to go to the neighbors to catch a ride to school when your mom was home and just plain old refused to do it on principle. She said they were going to work anyway, so.... But Rhonda and I were lucky. She made my brother hitchhike when he missed the bus. (this was back in the 70's when hitchhiking was still a common practice)

I started doing dishes when I was in the second grade. I would wash and my sister would rinse. We would turn a 3 minute hour glass over and try to get them done before it was finished. Then I would wipe down all the surfaces in the kitchen. Then it turned into my sister was allowed to let the dishes air dry and put them up later. My mom still complains that my sister can't clean the kitchen right. I told her it was because she never had to do it when I was home. She started when I left for college.

I remember the first time I asked to stay home by myself. I was in the third grade. My mom was hesitant but she allowed it. I remember bawling like a baby when she first pulled out of the driveway. That lasted all of about 3 minutes and then I had a blast. It wasn't long before she was leaving all three of us. We would fight and argue and tear the house all to hell while she was gone and then go into a cleaning frenzy to clean the mess before she got home and found it. We also always managed to end our torture sessions and forgive and forget before she got back home as well.

We were little hellions!

Anyway, I get my resilience from my mother. That's a good thing.

I'm Throroughly Disgusted With Myself

Last night I got caught in a sting. Apparently I sold a beer to a minor. The problem was I didn't know it was a beer. I thought it was an energy drink.

Over the years I have been one of the most conscientious people when it came to checking id's. They have me working on all the high risk holidays because they know I don't let the kids slip through. Last night I was busy talking to a coworker. I was so busy I didn't pay attention to my customer and I started to apologize to him for it but he was gone before I could say anything. I also almost told him about a sale on other energy drinks to try to save him some money but I was busy talking and he slipped through.

When the policeman came back in and set the beer on the counter I even told him that it wasn't a beer, it was an energy drink and that is when he pointed out the alcohol content on the bottom of the can. He also pointed out that there was a prompt for a birthdate on the register which I ignored. And I did. I was so busy talking I didn't even really see it. The kid that bought the beer looked so young that I wouldn't have sold him a pack of cigarettes without Id. If he had bought "normal beer" he wouldn't have gotten by with that either. I did not know that I was selling a beer. I didn't bag it when he left. I didn't do any of the normal stuff you do when you sell beer which I have done so much that it is second nature to me.

So now I will be expected to pay about a $500 fine. I will be quitting my job because I only make about $50 a week and I can't see risking a huge fine for such a small payoff. I have never wanted to live on my disability but that is exactly what is going to happen now because if I am not competent to sell alcohol without racking up huge fines then I have no business at a job that basically any idiot can do.

I have several times over the years even called the police about fake Id's. Do you think they ever come out or do anything? No. Because they don't care. The only reason they run these stings is so they can rack up huge fines against people who don't make enough money to pay them. It is easy money in their pockets.

So, I'm about to join the ranks of the unemployed for my mistake which I own. But I as I said, " I thought it was an energy drink, not a beer."

Easter Memories

I used to look forward to the Easter Egg Hunt every year. The anticipation would build as we colored the eggs with my mom, My brother and sister and I decided which would be the "lucky egg". We always picked the ugliest one. You know the one that you didn't think was taking the dye so you would dip it it a bunch of different colors and it would end up looking like it came out of the sewer or something.

Anyway my dad would help the Easter Bunny hide the eggs. (The bunny was only there for the first round because he had to visit all the children of the world - just like Santa Claus you know.) Then we would half kill each other running out the door to see who could get the most eggs. I never did find the most eggs or the lucky egg for that matter. Even my little sister would find more eggs than me. I was just not a good egg hunter, but I kept plugging along year after year thinking this will be my year and I will win! We would hunt eggs all day long. They would be cracked and peeling and grass would be sticking to them but it didn't matter because it was what you did for Easter.

Our grandparents would go every year and pick out a colored chicken for us. Sometimes we would get ducks. We even got rabbits for a few years. They always died.

Of course we would tear apart our Easter Baskets first thing in the morning. We always tried to talk our mom into buying the pail and shovel baskets so we could use them at the beach. Of course going to the beach was only a dream but we still thought we needed the bucket and shovel.

By the time we would get ready to go to church in our brand new Easter Outfits (the only day of the year that we regularly went to church by the way) we would be sick from all the chocolate and candy. We would leave the house afraid to move lest we mess up our Easter Finery before we made it to one of the grandma's churches. There would be an egg hunt after church which was great.

After church we would go back to a proper Easter Feast prepared by Granny. There would be ham and turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and corn and half runners and 2 or 3 cakes and more pie and rolls and just generally so much food that it wouldn't fit on the table. The cousins would be running and playing with us. In my case the aunts and uncles would be playing too because they were not much older than we were. It was a great day!

Easter 2012

It was good. I relaxed at home. Went to Church. I didn't even bother to fix my dinner until around 8 in the evening. It was good and I didn't fix a lot. I had a small turkey breast that Eddie smoked for me and all the trimmings. I had made a lasagna earlier in the week and thawed in on Saturday so I munched on that most of the day.

My nephew gave me a wonderful gift that can't be repaid. I renewed a dialog with my niece. I spoke to my great niece for the first time ever on Skype. She is 7 years old. I also had a nice conversation with my mother.

I am fasting now. I have doctor appointment in about 2 hours. The first of many in a whirlwind of doctors this month. I hate doctors but since they are keeping me alive I do what must be done.

I guess that is why I am most thankful. I am HERE to be able to thank.

"Sumthin' 'Bout Jesus and Sick People"

One Easter many years ago I took my 5 year old nephew, Dwayne, to Church. He was reluctant to leave me to go to the Sunday School class for little ones but I assured him he would have a grand time and that it would be special for little boys just like him. So he grudgingly went to Sunday School while I stayed at the main church service.

After church was over there was an Easter Egg Hunt. Dwayne raced from his class to tell me excitedly that he was going to hunt eggs. I stopped him to ask him what he had learned in Sunday School. It was obvious that he didn't want to be bothered with such trivialities at such an important moment.

He figited long enough to tell me, "oh, sumthin' 'bout Jesus and Sick People!" Then he was gone for more important pursuits. I was glad he was having such a good time.

It was the same church where I used to hunt Easter Eggs with my grandparents. Even my pepaw, who doted on me, couldn't believe that I was such an unbelieveably bad Easter Egg hunter. I remember he would literally have to stand over top of the egg and point right at it for me to see it!