Anyone who knows me even a little bit, knows how thankful I am for my precious family. Goodness knows, I write about all of them often enough. But recently, I’ve thought about other things for which I’m thankful.
BLUE. I am thankful for blue in all its tints and shades except pale, baby, blue. Yes, I’ve known people who are seemingly unaffected by colors . In my own mind, I think of those folks as, well, space taker uppers.
Then, there are the beige people. These come in two kinds. There are the ones who paint everything in their homes beige. They have beige furniture, beige floors, and beige on their windows. When I encounter one of the former, I assume they have either just bought their home or are fixing to sell it. You know, don’t want to offend anyone if money is involved, especially theirs.
The other beige people are fairly easy to spot if you just pay attention. They are usually attractive, blonde, kind of blonde, kind of thin, mostly female, and kind of rich. You don’t see many poor folks decked out in beautifully coordinated beige outfits. If you see a beige street person, think dirt.
MUSIC. So thankful for music. Now, I am speaking of real music, not so much just classical because some of it is awful, to my ear. No, I mean music with nice melodies that one can hum or sing. I know very little about music that became popular in the most recent years. I simply cannot understand grown women who think singers who sound like ten year old boys, with whiney voices, are sexy. Yes, I love to hear normal kids sing, but I do not want a man to sing like he has been neutered. Then others sound like it has been slammed in a dresser drawer, if you know what I mean.
Some of our older, so called, country music is the closest thing we have to American Folk Music. I’ve heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing some of the old songs, and they were lovely. The same goes for our patriotic music. I think children should be taught the words to the Star Spangled Banner and NO person should be elected to office unless they know those lyrics. When I was growing up and when I taught, we sang it every morning and said the pledge. We also read one of the Psalms and said The Lord’s Prayer. I’m not talking about just one school but, several – in two different states.
The South. I am not only thankful to be an American, I’m extremely thankful to be a Southerner. Yes, I could write a book about this but there is no need. As the saying goes, few people retire to the north or other parts of this country. Yes, it gets hot in the summer but my husband would have told you that the worst heat he ever encountered was in Chicago, one summer when he was taking yet another graduate course. The following year, he switched to Batan Rouge, Louisiana and got along fine.
However, the South is about lots more than the weather or its beauty. My dad was a good example of a true southerner. He had lived in or traveled to most parts of this country. He was strong in every way, even tough when he needed to be. Not only was he very intelligent, he was a gentle person who showed respect for others. Actually, that pretty much describes the other men in my immediate family and my husband.
Coffee and Sweet Tea. Oh my, just love both of them, especially when they are good and strong. My dad did not allow us to drink coffee until we were about grown but we drank sweet tea all our lives. I do have to say that Mother’s sweet tea was almost always sweetened with artificial sweetner, not sugar, and lots of fruit juice. I used to always travel with a small container of instant coffee in my cosmetic bag. No, I don’t especially like instant coffee but it is better than no coffee. Now days, I am thankful for Starbucks, robust blend or whatever they call it.
Dogs. I just love dogs. When Tony asked me to marry him, I told him I wanted at least four kids and I had no intention of living my life without a dog. If he couldn’t handle that, there were lots of tall, skinny, cat loving girls, just the opposite of me. Our Yorkie-Poo Coco is the first tiny dog we’ve owned. We’ve tended more toward Labs, German Shepherds, and hounds. I truly feel they have enriched my life.
FOODS: Coke, Chocolate, and Pecans. They just brighten any day, so thank you, Lord. Guess I could have added homemade hot biscuits but I have to stop somewhere.
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