It was the greatest thing

That title is a quote from Hunter and Chase's Procrastination Rap that they laugh at because as you can tell it was improv and many of the lines didn't rhyme.

Well, I have been going through a bunch of old letters I have saved from many years ago and got this great idea to write a few excerpts from some of them.

This one is from a letter Grandmother Hunter wrote to me in October of 1983. I had been married for about 6 months.

She wrote: (October '83)
"How sweet of you to say such nice things about getting old. Actually it doesn't bother me that I am getting older. In fact I sort of welcome it. For a long time, it was a very irritating fact to me that someone was always making a comment such as 'You don't look old enough to have a 12 year old son!' Or, 'You look young enough to be her sister.' And I got the feeling that I must look like a very raw, inexperienced girl who didn't have brains enough to have children, much less look after them and train them. So I looked forward to the day when I 'looked' old enough to be a mother, then a grandmother and now a great grandmother. Now they say 'Oh you don't look like a great grandmother!' So I am getting the same old tune! However, no matter how I look, I know I have brains enough to do a good job with my children (just look at your mother!) and they are brainy enough to do a good job with my grandchildren (just look at you!),
and they are clever enough to do a good job with my great grandchildren (just look at Bonnie!) so I look them straight in the eye and say, 'Well I am and proud of it!"

And here is one from Mom: (August '83)
"How do you like my one-armed typing....I had to go back to the doctor yesterday and he put a cast on my arm. Yes, a full cast....Tag is cutting the grass by himself to earn money. It is so hot that he must cut only during early morn hours or late evening but he is doing well. I can hear him out there now. whoops, the mower stalled and here he comes to get cooled off. Bless it!"

And from Tag: (November '82, although when you read this one you'll think it should have been written about the same time as mom's above)
"How ya doin'? I am soooooooo sooooorry I haven't written yet. How's Asheville? Have you sold my train table yet? I'm reading The Jungle Book. It's very interesting. Did you know I'm mowing lawns now? I've earned $16 so far.....How's Lee? have you gotten to the green belt in karate yet? I can't wait till you do....What do you want for Intercalary? I hope we can all get together for it. Here's my plans: Me, Mary, Dad, Mom, You, Lee, Bonnie, Jeff and Andy, get together, go to Disney world, then come home and open presents! It might cost $110, but we can all chip in! I don't know why, but I don't have much more to say. I love you and I guess I'll go now."

And from Mary: (December '82)
"Hi! Sorry I haven't written in a long time....I'm trying to write fast. (I know you read fast.) What's the weather like up there? It is hot down here. I really don't have much to say....Do you have a green belt in karate yet? What comes after it? How are you and Lee doing? I don't have any boyfriends. No guys like me. I wish they did....What do you want for Intercalary? I'll give it to you when you come down....I hope Lee can come, too....Well, I guess I'll go now. I love you and miss you a lot. Tell Lee I love him, too." S. W. A. B. K.

And here is an excerpt from one of Bonnie's letters: (August '84)
"The other day I made tuna fish for Andy and he said 'Put salad in it like Aunt Lynn does.' I think salad means celery, but I didn't have any so I put pickles and it suited him fine. Then today I made some and didn't put pickles and he wouldn't eat it until I put salad in it like Aunt Lynn's. Also we went in the grocery store and he just started saying 'Uncle Lee and Aunt Lynn' over and over again."

And from 3 letters of Willy Light:
Letter 1) Lynn, How's it goin babe!? I miss you lots! this is just a quick note to say hi! and let you know I've been thinking 'bout you. How's Bonnie and hubby and the new coming addition. Sorry I didn't make it to the wedding, I know it had to be beautiful for Bonnie is.....
Letter 2) I'm living at Carolina beach working at a waterslide...we have a nice place on the beach. I'm real happy. the beach is beautiful. so what's happenin in Candler how's Bonnie and her kid write me please and let me know. I miss you a lot and please take care. I'm always thinkin bout you.....
Letter or birthday card 3) Tell all hello especially Bonnie and Andy. Have a wonderful 20th birthday. I did. Thinking of you always....
Letter 4 was a hholiday card addressed on the inside to Tag, Mary, Bonnie, Fran and Wayne---not me interestingly) I miss all of you. Especially Bonnie. I love all of you.

I don't know what order those letters came because they are not dated or in postmarked envelopes.

And I even have a letter from Grandaddy Eury:
Dear Lee and Lynn, I am going to try to write you a few lines this morning to say I am sorry I haven't written sooner (does anyone else see a theme in some of these letters?). We had a real nice time with you Thanksgiving. ......Boy another good ol turkey dinner would be good. Guess I'll have a hot dog for lunch and make like it is turkey.

And from Aunt Anne:
Dear Lynn, I thought you might be interested in placing some of your art work in my shop. I'm really impressed with your work and who knows--I might be able to help you make some money with it. Hope to see you and Lee soon. Come and visit if you can.

Anyway, I just thought that was some fun.

Hope you did, too.

video rap

At 10pm my two youngest sons are busy working on Chase's final exam project for Music Appreciation. He has procrastinated on this project for a week. It is due tomorrow. They are writing a rap about him procrastinating on the project and they filmed themselves doing some random things around the house and outside and made up a bunch of things that they supposedly did instead of working on the project. So they are making a rap music video as his final exam project. I hope it turns out well. Some of the dancing they did in the parking lot looks real funny slowed down or sped up. I am looking forward to this.

Now, you all saw the trailer for the movie Shoot Out that Chase and Hunter and friends were working on during all of Spring break,.....well it is finished now as it was part of Joshua's Senior exit project. He will be attending Savannah School of Art and Design this fall in the film making program. When he showed the video to the video production teacher, the teacher said it was beautiful and wanted permission to have a copy to use for teaching in future classes. Mr. Luther also said the writing and the plot was very good (Chase was responsible for most of that).
I hope to see that 20 minute movie soon. I think he will show it at his graduation party next Sunday.

If we can get copies we'll let you know. Otherwise it may show up on youtube, but the trailer was not good quality on there and the whole movie might not be either. We'll see.

I have volunteered to take on the task of putting a little garden on the north side of the Bahai Center. I have to round up some gravel, dirt and plants from people's yards and hopefully won't have to spend any money. I have a space to fill approximately 18 inches by 52 inches and about a foot or so deep.

Ok, so now it is 11pm and the video is done (very, very improv). They are trying to put it on youtube as I write. If successful I will embed here for your viewing pleasure.

weekend plans

I awoke at 6:45 this morning (have a hard time sleeping till 7:30 anymore), and began to fix a nice breakfast for Chase (who was not yet awake) before he goes to take his SAT: fresh organic strawberries, scrambled eggs and toast.

Checked email, deleted a zillion old emails from a year ago past relationship. Soooooo glad to finally feel like I can do that. Not only that I CAN do it, but I WANT to do it and it feels real good! E-Chatted with Beth about the Howard Street craft supply sale today where she will be selling gem stones she cannot use in her fair trade jewelry. Looking for some old Baha'i Children's class lesson plans for someone to use. Organizing my storage closet and bedroom stuff (more storage stuff as I don't have enough rooms for all the art supplies and books and misc. stuff I have).

Will vacuum after a while, will go for a walk somewhere-sometime. Will go to the craft supply sale. Will meet with a woman who is picking up something that Don is selling. if it needs it, I will cut the grass at the Bahai Center. Will babysit Lawson at my house overnight starting at 6pm. Hope to pick up a movie to watch tonight after she goes to sleep.

That's enough to keep me busy all weekend.........

The moral of the story

Well, many of you commented on my dream, and I replied to you individually with my own ending, but I had said I would post it here later, so that is what I am doing.

I saw it as the woman realized that she needed to have faith that things are as they are supposed to be. Her husband (the universe) would give her what she needed. Each time her cup would become empty she would be given another nut. The fact that she did not have many nuts meant she had less to carry. Her burden was lightened in that she only had to carry one nut at time. It felt like her husband was protecting her or helping her by not giving her too much at one time. He was carrying all the nuts and giving them as she needed them.
It was an incredible dream.

I thought I wanted to do an actual blog this morning, but this is all I can come up with for now.