Happy Fourth But Even a Happier Fifth

Happy Fourth of July!  Independence Day!  Let Freedom Ring!  It is a wonderful holiday and when I was much younger I liked to celebrate the fact that my birthday was just one month away.  Roy and I started the day right by having the most important meal of the day, breakfast, at Black Walnut Cafe.  We headed over to Target and Home Goods afterwards and topped off the trip with Route 44 drinks from Sonic.  Shopping early on a holiday is the way to go.  Normally, I would have made the Target and Home Good run yesterday while Chris is here cleaning.  I was doing a much more fun thing, having lunch with my friend Beth.  Beth and I have known each other since the sixth grade.  We went to different junior highs but we met up again in high school.  I have written before of our fun, adventures and laughter.  As we've grown up over the years we still laugh, we still have fun but now we have great discussions and conversations.  Back before social media our letters to one another were long, filled with questions and our observations on the seasons of our life.  Beth has had a profound influence on my life.  I wish I could have been more like her in her approach to and free spirited life.  We met for lunch in the land of sugar at BJ's Brew House.  No brews but delicious salad and cobbler.  We closed the lunch crowd down which seems to have become a habit in lunching patterns of late.  She is here helping her parents unpack boxes in their new home.  Kind of sad knowing I have had my last visit to Beth's growing up house.  It was one of my favorite places to be.  We leaned on the bar and talked non stop to Beth's mom.  She laughed with and at us.  When Beth's parents traveled I would go over to their house and stay with her and I think her brother but I am fuzzy on those details.  I am thrilled that tomorrow night Beth, Mimi (Friend I had lunch with several weeks ago after 40 years) and Karolyn are coming to the house.  I haven't seen Karolyn in probably oh, let's see, forty years.  We just need Marty to join us and we might try to do face time with her.  We are going to go to dinner and then come back here.  I can hardly wait!  Tuesday I wasted my whole afternoon looking at FB sites of my junior and senior high schools.  Lots of fun pictures, lots of people I don't remember and the sad listings of those who have passed away. 

This picture brought back memories and probably the reason I am not very domestic minded.  The teacher on the left, Miss Watson hated me.  I can think of no reason why she felt this way.  No wait...it's coming back to me...never mind.  Anyway, there was some rule about putting on make up in the Home EC room and I got caught.  Miss Watson confiscated my silvery, glittery eyeliner and told me I could have it back at the end of the semester.  I responded, oh that's ok keep it.  I will just ask my mom to buy me more.  I promise, at the time, I was not trying to be a smart alec.  It was one of those times I said out loud what I was thinking only to realize, yes, I just said that OUT LOUD.  Miss Watson was not amused with me and sent me down to the Vice Principal's office, yep down to the office of the woman I called Mrs. Pickle Butt.  I am so glad I didn't say that out loud while being punished and my mother called to report in on my sassiness.  Thus, Miss Watson and I did not get off to the best start and later in the year in the sewing component, my mom made a B on the dress I was making.  I got the mumps, missed a week of school and Miss Watson gave me one night to complete my dress or get a F.  I forgot to bring home the arm hole facing and that's why my mother made a B instead of an A.  She cut the facing out of the extra fabric in the hem but in doing that we, like I really helped, made the hem be less than the three inches required.   My mother was a gifted seamstress.  Looking back I thought Miss Watson was so old but she was probably in her twenties by the look of the picture.  Thus, here is the picture of the teacher who caused me to loathe the kitchen and the sewing room.  I am happy to report that I stopped wearing the silver eyeliner after this incident.  I think I went onto some kind of shocking blue.  Miss Watson and I would really get along now because pretty much I put on make up in the morning and there is not much re-touching after that during the day.  There are those women who "fix their face" at the table after eating.  My mom told me that it is rude to do that and I guess Miss Watson took 'at the table' and made it into in the Home EC room. 

It is now the morning of the fifth.  The picture below is from Peggy's lake.  We went over there for a little bit late yesterday afternoon into evening.  Such fun seeing everyone.  We came on home and watered the plants in the front yard.  We only did that because the breeze was so nice and cool.  I had a headache almost all afternoon and it was continuing into the evening.   While we were out there I took a picture of the flag.  There is a guy in Rancho De Five that charges $50.00 a year for the six major kind of flag holidays.  He puts up and takes down the flag each time.  The little flag is from a Realtor.  Nice touch.