FUN MONDAY - A Wordy Story

The Host: Nurturing and sage Mommy Wisdom.

The Assignment: Is to write a story (true or made-up), poem, song, letter... whatever strikes you ABOUT one of the three themes. You must INCLUDE all 10 words. Wild cards words may be used in addition to or in place of the main 10 words.

Themes to choose from:

A visit by your mother in law

Bedtime Stories

Raising a Teenager

The words:

Ostrich, goosebumps, magazines, soup, cats, lethargic, noodles, tequila, doorknob, biscuit

Wild card words:

prehistoric, Jedi Knight, cactus, periscope, humor

It’s kind of humorous how memories work. Now I have been told the story over and over again how as a baby I had a yellow blanket that I carried everywhere. To wash it they would take it when I was sleeping and when I woke up I would go out and hold it as it dried on the line. Now I have no true memories of the yellow blanket, I do remember a cotton youth blanket with Winnie the Poo and as my make-believe friend I had an imaginary pet Ostrich, named Porthos - My brother thought the Three Musketeers was a perfectly acceptable bed time story for a three year old.

How my brother D became in charge of my bed time stories, I haven’t a clue. He was an excellent story tell he did voices, action, to the point I would get goosebumps. Some of the books he read where: “Three Musketeers“ as noted previous, but in my version Dartagan had a drinking problem, tequila was his drink of choose but it pronounced tokillya, in The Wizard of OZ with a witch was named Gertrude and she had a pride of lethargic cats , Pilgrim Progress with Jedi Knights a swamp with a submarine for up periscope, To Kill a Mocking Bird, I had a bit part as one of Scouts class mates, and Onion John”.

As I stated before memories work very strange and as a three year old it is skewed even more. For some odd reason both parents where gone, there was always one or the other of them at home so it had to be something important, like maybe their 35 class reunion. I don’t recall why they were going out, just that they where out. The only thing I remember is helping my Mother cover the shinny buttons to match the jump suit, she must have thought the gold button where grotesque so they were cover and I thought she was glorious where her hair done and makeup on. Brothe D was in charge of me. We had chicken with noodles soup and biscuits for dinner and then it was time for bed. I was looking forward to my bedtime story we were doing Onion John, and he was sitting in a bath tub, there were a lot of bath tubs in the story and funny thing happening due to all the bath tubs. But first I had to have my own bath, and we had to arrange Porthos’ bed , a nest in the corner of my room made of magazines by what I thought was a prehistoric cactus, it was just a really large mother in law tongue plant. And most important of all, we had to find the Orbious, Porthos’ egg. Porthos was a boy but he had an egg, and that made it all that more special. In reality the Orbious was nothing more than a crystal doorknob but it was essential that it be found and put in Porthos’ nest. The world could end if the Orbious was not in the nest at night. We were on the hunt for the mystical and magical Orbious , why Porthos hid the egg everyday and D and I would have to hunt for it every night I don’t know. But that Ostrich of mine did and it had to be found. It was doing the hunt when there was a knock to the door. Now D was only in his teens and small for his age, but to me he was a grown-up anyone over ten is a grown up to a three year old. But this was serious, no one knocked, and there were no parents in the house. Something was wrong something was very very wrong. There where men in suits and they where talking mean to D at the time I didn’t understand what they were saying, just that D didn’t agree with them and had ask them more than once to leave, they could return when his parents where home. They seem to insist on something, but I didn’t understand what was going on. I had found the egg but I felt my world was still coming to an end. I was afraid to go into the room yet I want to help by brother. Now at three I still didn’t talk, I had been an early walker but didn’t talk. Still something had to be done, and something had to be done fast. As quietly and quickly as I could I slipped outside in the dark and went and got the next door neighbor, some how or other convinced him that a gun was needed and that we needed to get back to our house. You need to remember I was only three, I think my brother is in real trouble, it is pitch dark outside and the neighbor lives close to half a mile away. But there we came like the some odd rescue crew, a 80 year old man with a shot gun and a three year old with a door knob, in footy pj's. I still recall Mr P words, “The boy said to GET! and I’m here to see that you GET!. D and I stayed up sitting and holding each other in Porthos’ nest till my parents came home and the world was whole again. He telling me over and over again that I can’t tell Mon and Dad because if I do the will never go out and have fun again. Who was he kidding I still didn’t talk so I was tell no one, but it was nice having him hold and comfort me.

THE FM PLAYERS

Next weeks Host - Irish Coffeehouse

THIS WEEKS FUN MONDAY PLAYERS

From The Planet Of Janet
Lisa's Chaos
Olive
aoj & the lurchers
alison - RDH Mom
Hootin' Anni
Arkansas' Songbird - Quarter Notes
Swampangel65 - A Florida Journal
i Post - Nine Acres: 20 miles North of Nowhere
Mama Rehema
Swampwitch - Anecdotes
Grand life
Susan's musings - A Slice of Life
Peter - Holtie's House
Molly - Return of the White Robin
Chrisb - Mscellania
The Food Snob
Ari 1965 - Beyond My Slab
Melanie - Our Happy Happenings
Hula girl at heart - Growing Older But Not Up
Sayre - SayreSmiles
Jan - The Prytz Family
Jo Beaufoix
Karisma - Karisma and kids
Equoni
Gattina - Writer Cramps
Irish Coffeehouse (Next Week's Gracious Host)
Tiggerlane
Robin - Pensieve
Heather - Heather's Recipes
Sandy - Myanderings-Myanderings

Faye - Summit Musings
Storyteller - Small Reflections
IamwhoIam - dungareesablaze
Keith - Becoming a warrior

Mary - Mary's writing nook

http://blogs.chron.com/mamadrama/ (thanks to Irish Coffee house)

mamalang

My 4 Kids

~Feel Free to Join in I post you name just drop a line ~

This week assignment: Let's hear about your favorite “Birthday”, it needn’t be your actual birthday just a "birthday" celebration. You can use one you planned, one you attended, one you crashed, just a fun time for this FUN MONDAY

FUN MONDAY - Today's Your Birthday

It’s FUN MONDAY time again are our host, that Symphonic IamwhoIam Oh wait that’s me so sorry.

The Assignment - Let’s hear about your favorite “Birthday”, it needn’t be your actual birthday just a "birthday" celebration. You can use one you planned, one you attended, one you crashed, just a fun time for this FUN MONDAY.

Well I remember my last B’day - I spent the whole day out with some really good friends, the type of friends that you know they have your back and would do anything for you. Not the type that would bail you out of jail, but the type that would be in the cell with you. We went out to the islands off the coast of Florida and hiked around the trails, (I got to see a naked gay man it was too funny). After lunch we spent some time exploring an excluded beach. We ended the day with a lovely late night dinner, that shortly after dessert I puke up. (NO I Don’t have an eating disorder I just can’t eat too much or too fast and I ate way too much way too fast). But still it was one of my better Birthdays. Chris and Ana I love you guys, you to Sue even if you could come down and play that day.

As a kid we didn’t celebrate B’days much there would be a cake, and the tin of used candles would be brought out and the B’day boy/girl could blow out the candles. As for gifts Mom would often get you a little gift and say it was for your birthday, like a new pair of shorts in June, my Birthday is in Nov. but that was no importance the shorts in June were for my Birthday.
There are a few Birthday our family celebrates, your 7th. No idea why. You have a big party with all your friends. I still remember bits and pieces of it, like the marzipan berries that my Mother and sister made for the day, they were too pretty to eat, but they were so very good once you did. One berry was place on each of the cupcakes. There were games and more goodies, and everyone who attended got a little gift bag to take home, it was a good but buzy day and I was tired of being a host long before everyone left.

The other big Birthday is the big 30. I was working in Albuquerque, NM on mine, one of the few times I was working in the office and not in the field. I wasn’t thinking much about my B’day, just another day at the office. First along come the Florist, I think nothing of it “one of the clerks getting flowers from a Boyfriend“ - nope Flower for me, by lunch I had close to a dozen bouquets. The Family had also arrange for a cake and lunch for the entire office. Now all this attention isn’t really to my taste but you see the family was excited. On my Dad’s side of the family you either die by some strange accident before your 30 or you live for what seams like for ever, and as the youngest it was a day of celebration that I had now joined the group that would most likely now see my 80th, 90th and possibility 100th , despite my best efforts in my youth. My Farther is celebrating his 90th and he has still has one aunt alive, and his farther live till he was 80.

Side note I do believe if asked my age I will say around 55 - it isn't quite a lie just depends on how you round, and this way they will say dang you look good for 55.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY and I hope you enjoyed your FM
Please visit the other you can get list of other players at the post above.

FUN MONDAY - Those were the days

This week’s FUN MONDAY HOST is the effervescent Molly - from Retunofthewhiterobin.

The ASSIGNMENT - to describe a happy memory from your childhood. If possible, include pictures with your reminiscing. Perhaps, for some us remembering the past may bring back some unhappy times too. But, for today, let us remember the good times.



All in all me young childhood was pretty happy - while I come from a large family I was the last of the litter and many years after the rest in someway like being an only child with absentee parents. We all know that while there are hundreds of pictures of the first child, and some of the second child, the third child only with the other two. By the time I show up we are down to group photos at school, camp or those taken by the neighbors took of their ones or twos. But the assignment was happy memories. Almost every memory I have for my Grandfather is happy. Having sweet hot tea with a cracker in a saucer at the kitchen table, walking around the woods, building stuff, play in the garden. I spent so much time with that old man, I was know as “Jake’s Shadow”

Below is a photo of my Grandfather, with my Dad back when Daddy first went off to the Army, This photo was taken just a little before WWII almost twenty years before I was even a gleam in his eye. But it is Gandpa that I want you to notice.

Did you notice the flowers in his right hand? In my memories Grandpa was tall (he was 6’ tall so I guess my memories were right) and thin and always wore a white shirt - suite and tie on Sunday, for church. In my eyes he was wonderful, and he made me feel as if I was extraordinary. We had a special relationship that only kids and Grandparents can.
In his younger days his was a grounds keeper for a local high school and when we retired he came and lived with us. We were always either out in the woods or out playing in dirt. He was the unofficial grounds keeper of the neighborhood. We would weed gardens, trim bushes, prune trees and we sometime would add flower, shrub, or tree to a neighbor's yard and on occasion transplant plants from one neighbors yard to another. I recall a day when we took clipping from a particular (snotty) neighbor’s bush and propagated it to another neighbor yard. Well the said neighbor got all upset and inform Grandpa in not so kind words that he did not appreciate him giving the other neighbors his special exotic plants. Well Grandpa just smile and said he understood what he was saying and he herd what he said. As soon as he left we took three more clippings. I looked at him and he told me sometime you have to do what you think is right. The bush was going to die where he planted it, and it wasn’t some exotic plant, it is was native to the area and at one time there were lots of them around. Man is his hurry to build bigger houses killed most of them off in there rush. We needed to restore the balance. He didn’t lie he never said he wasn't going to take any more clipping he only said he heard and understood what he was saying. He wasn’t deaf and he has a pretty good grasp on the English languish. Yep Grandpa was a character.

Thanks for Stopping By for my humble offering.
You can see other FM post form over at Retunofthewhiterobin.

FUN MONDAY - Collecting collections

THIS WEEK'S FUN MONDAY HOST: The every popular Mariposa's Tales

~THE ASSIGMENT ~So on Monday, I want to see your collection. If you don't have or don't want or CAN'T (wink) show us a picture, then tell us what the collection is in 10 words or less. Then tell us why you started collecting it.

Collections:

• Well there is that my assortment of assorted Tupperware, gladware, cool whip container, etc lids. Not the bowls just the lid lots and lots lids. Sadly my sister keeps thinking that the lid is of no use and keep thinning up my collection. Picture after a recent weeding of matchless lids.

• Than there is the shopping bag collection, but than again then are just recycled as doggie dodo pickuper, or trash bags so does that count as a collection. Besides the goal is to never have more than twenty. And the canvas bag is use for shopping.
  
• There are all those dry pens and broken pencils. Oh yea my sister trade them out 10 for 1 and took them all away for a pack on new ones. I told here the new ones had no character and I was planning an art project with all those old writing implements. She said “liar liar pants on fire”, and took them away.
  
• So that leave my miss matched socks, the sister hasn’t found them yet, beside I only get one type and color of socks so the mate of one pretty much match another. What can I say, my socks are swingers.



• Only items left are my single ear rings, I have lots and lots of single ear rings, but they are still in a box from my last move so no picture of my lovely single ear ring tree.
  
  ElGene

Thanks for stopping by - >=^)
Please, take a minute and visit the rest of the players over at Maripsoa's Tales .

FUN MONDAY - HEROs

~THIS WEEK'S FUN MONDAY HOST: The sweeten and spunky KITTEN .

~THE ASSIGMENT ~Tell me about the Super Hero in your life. Not from TV, but anyone that has been or is in your life that you have really looked up to or has made a impact on your life. It can one or many. You can share pictures if you like. Just have fun with it.

My Hero

Just funning

While I would have love to take my time
And write to you all lovely rhyme
Of the man who means the world to me
And thought me not by words but by deed
The measure of a man is not how he handles sunshine
But how he handles the rain
This story will have to wait
Till some night when it is not quite so late.
ElGene

Thanks for stopping by -

if you have the time please visit the rest of the players

FUN MONDAY - WALKABOUT

~THIS WEEK'S FUN MONDAY HOST: The Lurchers

~THE ASSIGMENT ~To take them on your favourite walk. In words or pictures. Or Both of course! Tell them why it’s your favourite and point out things of intrest on the way.

With my knee still looking like a bruised grapefruit, the almost daily rain shower’s, 14 hour work days , family obligations, and the endless string of chores my walks have pretty much been limited to the back yard. So here is a few pics.

Big THANKS to The Lurchers for take on hosting
Thanks to all for stopping by be sure to visit the rest of the

Participants: Ragracers ChrisB Mama Drama - Min Mama Drama - Stephanie Southern Doll Gattina Kitten Lil Mouse Sayres Smiles From the Planet of Janet The Food Snob Beckie Sauntering Soul Happy Happenings Carrie & The Koehmstedts RDH Mom Dreaming What Ifs Jientje Swampangel Jan - the Prytz Family La Vie en Rose Are we there yet Mom? Summit Musings Olive Nikkie EllenB Mama Speak Karisma LordH's Seaside Notes Lisa's Chaos Holties House Karina My4Kids Hootin' Anni The Dust Will Wait Jo Beaufoix Swampy Patience Please Dust Bunny Hostage Rainy Day Diamonds

FUN MONDAY - What's In your Bucket

FUN MONDAY

~THIS WEEK'S FUN MONDAY HOST: Southern Doll

~THE ASSIGMENT IF WE CHOOSE TO EXCEPT IT IS ~To list the things in your live that where worth doing. Those moment in our life that will pass though your mind when time comes. This doesn't necessarily have to be items for the Bucket List, it can be those small moments that made us smile, or the time you got that huge promotion we deserved, or the first time the baby smiled at you out of pure joy. The Southern Doll wants to know all the moments, big and small, that make life sweet! If you don't already have a running list of these in your mind, you should! These moments help you remember how much your life is worth living, and we all deserve to enjoy it.

Now I have done some of the normals - Jumped out a perfectly good airplane, had my feet in both oceans, seen the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Florida Everglades, Zion, Carlsbad Caverns, Mesa Verde, Arches, and a few other national parks, been up in a hot air balloon, blooded on a boar hunt, and tried my hand at noodling. I have eaten at a four star restaurant, and have eaten road kill (but I still can’t stomach bustle sprouts) Been to prison, been to the Whitehouse, been tattooed, been on a movie set (ended on the cutting room floor but such is life) and lastly been in love (that one ended in disaster). I’m out of debt, and own my own home, have a college degree but none of this would not make my top 5.

As for my list -

• 
  Jesse’s smiling face with that small silver ring waiting for my answer, (I wore that ring for what seamed like a life time, sadly I lost it and Jesse).
• 
  Getting Joneser his CD cert (Companion Dog Certificate). I have a pension, for foundlings, pound puppies, or just your good old mutt. The Joneser was an Alaskan Malamute that we found wondering the streets of San Antonio (thou I tried, never could found his original home ,so he stay with me for close to 17 years). When we started classes, I was told there was no way he would every get his CD. The instructor had been training for 20 years and never had a Malamute pass the test. The Joneser and I worked every night, practiced and played and practiced some more. The trick to training, is to make it fun for the dog. The night of the exam the stars were shinning on us. That Malamute of mine choose to do just as I asked. At the end of the night we were in a show-down with a golden Again Joneser did what ever I ask, than they were put on a sit stay and the human half of the team was ask to leave the room. Even with distraction neither dog budged, after 30 minutes on sit stay, where was this thud. Yep, Joneser fell asleep and fell over, he woke up shook himself and sat back down like no one would notice, it was just so funny. We took second in the class. We got our CD and that is what was important anyway. Joneser worked as a therapy dog for a short while but neither of us really enjoy it so we gave that up.

The Joneser

• 
  Being given a five year AA chip (hard to get when you’ve never gone to AA meeting and while I have my addictions alcohol isn’t one of them.)

• 
  The feeling the first time you wash you hair after donating you locks, ( you know how you kinda of go on auto pilot) You get into a pattern of using a set about of shampoo, well after you have over 20 inches cut off, you have way too much shampoo and it is such a guilty luxury. You are alone and no one tell how you look or asking if you donated you hair, just the great feeling of too much shampoo and you own thought.
• 
  And lastly actually fling a booger at someone. PS - Swampangle now you know why that post was way too funny.

Thanks for stopping by. Now be nice and visit other FUN MONDAY players.

};-) Penny

FUN MONDAY - Celebrity Crush

The Strange and magnificent Jo Beaufoix is our host for this weeks hostess for this weeks FUN MONDAY. The task:

I want to know about your first ‘celebrity’ crush. You know, the one you fancied from that band, or that film, or who read the news, or who won Gold at the Olympics

This assignment proved to be difficult. No poster or pin-up no celebrity crushes. The bedroom décor was darn near that of a monastic cell. A world map on the back of the door and a picture of Jesus.
Can’t remember when it first started but:
1. Actors are nothing more the very pretty professional liars. Isn’t it a PLAY that they put on.
2. Athletes are nothing more than over grown kids that PLAY a game.
3. And Musicians while there is talent, again they PLAY for a living.
All of these thing are activates you do for entertainment, not something to be admired or adored it is PLAY. The gavaging of celerity sicken me. So no celebrity crushes. Sorry for being sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dull.
Thanks for Stopping by
Be sure to visit Jo's place for this week's complete Fun Monday participant listing, their blogs have to be better than mine.

FUN MONDAY - Tuna Surprise

Nikki has set us this task for St Patrick's Day! She would like to know What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining! OR/AND In honor of St. Paddy's Day, please share your worst green beer story!'


It isn’t so much what is we say but the meaning behind it. Fist you will need a little background, the family is large and spread over more than two decades. Large is relative, my Mother was one of twelve and she had a couple of brothers that had twelve kids each, so our family wouldn’t be considered large. But in a neighborhood of only children or families with just two kids, our tribe seem massive, loud, and always in motion. Add to it that there was usually a cousin or three added to the mix and a friend for each of us (often one of them onlys). There was almost always a gang at our house, yes we were the house with all the kids around . My Farther made an ok income, and My Mother worked up until John, the third of us bunch of hooligans was born. This was back in the early forties when married woman didn’t work, but Mother did as she please and was emancipated long before woman’s liberation ever came along. Sorry I digressed. But Daddy-boy make an ok income, and it would have been plenty for a house hold of one or even two children but for are large brood and our penchant to collect sheepskins, the family budget was tight. Mother was frugal and nothing was thrown away that could have any possible real use. No, we did not collect little pieces of string and the like, but those little pieces of soap where put in a large jug under the station tubs and she melted then down to form new bars or concocted into soft soap. We by no means ever went hungry, or didn’t have some thing we needed. However clothing were hand me downs, and food was NEVER thrown away. Cooking is where my Mother genius shown throw, no she was not what one would say was a good cook but she was creative. Leftover hamburgers were turn into meat sauce that was later turned into chili, and that was a tame progression. One day she started out making icing for a cake and we ended up with two cakes. I was in school before I realized that not everyone used old cereal in their cookies and that recipes were more than suggestions. We learned two very important thing with my Mother’s cooking one just because it looked like pumpkin pie did mean it was, this was, this was true for just about anything (lesson only take a small portion on the fist passing until your sure you like it) Food was not wasted if you took it you ate it. Second don’t complain. If some reason you choked out “Oh my God this taste like burnt cat S#!&” My Mother did not hear this what she heard was “Oh Mother dear , I would just love to clear the table and do the dishes.” and would sweetly remind you that the floor could use mopping as well, when you done with the dishes. (lesson Don't complain thing could be worse). Most of the time the meals were pretty editable. Every Thursday we would have Tuna Surprise. It was pretty much a family tradition and I am sure if the Queen herself was coming over to dinner, we would still have Tuna Surprise. The game became to get someone new over for dinner on Thursday Night, for Tuna Surprise. You see some time during the meal they would ask why we called it tuna surprise. As if in one voice we would all say , “Surprise No Tuna” . Thursday was the day my Mother clean out the refrigerator, and anything left over was fair game to go into a concoction of her making. It could take many forms, casserole, pot pies, turn overs, pinwheels, sherpard pie, pancakes, pop up and most of the time pretty tasty. When I lived in New Mexico, I continue the same tradition and it wasn’t long before my roommates would invite guesses over. Then the next thing you know the neighbors were bring their leftover on Wednesday so they could come to dinner Thursday and see what they would become.
Our Family still use Tuna Surprise an a term for a dish made from.

FUN MONDAY - My Mother's Dish ;-)

This week, Mariposa’s Tales (she can be found at http://mariposatells.blogspot.com/) is the host of Fun Monday. She wants to know TWO things …...

“(1) Please share to us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can't wait to hear interesting funny stories!

(2) Please share to us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!SO easy right? ;)”

How the NAME of your BLOG was made? After spending hour upon hour contemplating the proper name for this BLOG, I was out noodling at the local watering hole and snagged a 20lb catfish when the name just jump right up and grabbed me.

(in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!


This old brown weather bowl (My Mother’s Bowl) is my favorite dish and it is common. It is a Taylor Smith Taylor bowl made in the U.S.A. I know little of it’s manufactory or even how we got this bowl, can’t even tell you how it was cracked. The bowl just always was, my guess it is older than myself but than again there are a lot of item in this house/home that meet that quality. Why is this bowl my favorite because it has served my family well. Year after year, week after week, day after day it has been used: for the start of homemade bread and cookies; to serve potatoes, from salad, mashed, whipped, scalloped, buttered to my favorite creamed; to dole out vegetables; to supply salads; and even pressed into use as a gravy boat for those large family gathering. It has also seen it’s share of sweets such as pudding, including my mother bread pudding, and on those rare times homemade ice cream. It is not the most beautiful or largest yet it serves on, it was at one time new with gold trim, shapely edges, and someone must have thought it was lovely. But now even after it was creaked this humble brown bowl serves us. I find it’s beauty in it’s mars and scars and I love it for the memories that it bring to me of my family and friend setting around the table sharing a meal and of my beloved Mother. The bowl no long is needed daily, as the family has set out to form families of their own, and their children have set out to form their own families.