The Time-Traveler's Daughter

My father has been dead 3 years today...and slowly but surely I am beginning to understand more about the man I've spent so much time being pissed at. 
Fred Henry "Hank" Williamson was a brilliant man...not much he couldn't do.  I'm a person of average intelligence who maxes it out.  It really pissed me off that he practically refused to do anything with all he had...He should have been the head of a Fortune 500 Company bare minimum...or so I always thought.  Instead he puttered about with Carpentry Projects & ran errands for my Mom & Grandmother.  He spent a lot of time just sitting at his kitchen table playing his guitar, reading, whittling, smoking his pipe and visiting with his various friends.  That's the way I like to remember my Dad...the life of the party, always doing something for his friends& family.  Constantly finding some new hobby to take on, some new infatuation...

Truth is, he  was ALWAYS at cross-purposes with someone...stayed a Hippy up until his death in that very Cheech & Chong sorta way...manipulated things to suit his own purposes and needs of the moment...and used alienation in a Brutal manner.  This is where the Anger came into the picture...

Although I did not realize it till I was a grown woman with kids of my own, my Dad was suffering from Mental Illness.  He spent a lot of time Severely Depressed and later in life suffered from Schizophrenia.   He was struggling to stay in the moment every day.  Much in the way that the Hero/Husband of "The Time Traveler's Wife" struggles to stay in the present, my Dad was struggling...and some days he succeeded and some days he failed and was Far out in the Universe...I could compare & contrast my Dad with that ill-fated Hero all day, but I will say this:  My Dad ALWAYS managed to keep his clothes on...and rarely popped up beaten & bloody...so it could have been worse...

So today I am reflecting back on the life that was my Dad's....and I don't feel quite so angry...after all, he put up a Hell of a Fight just to Stay in the Moment for his Family....It's hard to be Mad knowing that...so for now I'll just think of myself as "The Time Traveler's Daughter".

Baggage...Not the Pretty, Made for Vacation Type....

Today I had my relationship with my husband explained by someone who thinks they know us...perhaps they know us better than I know...perhaps not...that's not the issue.  

What they said: "Kelly just got lucky to find someone who had enough flaws that they had to put up with all her baggage..."

There can be no doubt that I brought baggage into our relationship...I am, after all HUMAN...and Humans have Baggage...and my husband brought flaws into our relationship...He too is HUMAN...

As I ponder this situation further, I've come to the conclusion that this is indeed what the basis for relationships is...FINDING PEOPLE IN THE UNIVERSE WHO CAN DEAL WITH YOUR BAGGAGE & FLAWS...and Dealing with their Baggage & Flaws in Return....

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MY FRIENDS....I LOVE YOU...Baggage, Flaws & All...

Pretty Women

"God Help the Man who Marries a Pretty Woman!" 
These words actually came out of my husband's mouth.  He went on to explain that a man who marries a Pretty Woman can expect to always be waiting...that they require Lotions & Potions, and Sooooo Many Accessories...that they are constantly changing something about themselves or their surroundings...that life is ONE BIG ROLLERCOASTER with a Pretty Woman.
"Someday's You know, a Man can actually find himself wishing he'd married a Mennonite Woman..."   
I happen to know that my husband hates Borscht...He'd never make it married to a Mennonite woman...and he's never been a big fan of the Knee sock & pumps look...so I'm pretty sure there's a very slim chance he'd ever replace me with a woman who thinks Navy is a Wild Color...

HOWEVER, I am fixated on the idea that: He Thinks I'm Pretty!

Leaving Home...And what we take with us

Watching my youngest son leave the nest and make his way into the world, I am reminded of my own journey from the nest.  My parents were the quintessential Hippies...Children of the Sun...and I was their Love Child...  Imagine their surprise when they gave birth to a REPUBLICAN...oh the horror...
My parents led a peaceful, loving existence filled with Music & Friends and Parties at the Drop of a Hat... There was often someone staying with us as they worked out the kinks in their "journey"....  They were happy with what they had, but as their child, I wanted more...  That's the Republican Mega-Consumer in me...
I grew up, had kids of my own, married, divorced, remarried and made a Rural Life for myself & my kids on a Cotton Farm & Ranch.  Our life has been filled with hard work, Football, & Agriculture...  Parties or Events are thrown together at the drop of a hat, we drive Pick-up's, SUV's, John Deere Tractors & Heavy Equipment.  I'm not afraid to fight hard for what I want...Often I've pushed my kids hard to excel at things and to take chances...But I still have an Affinity for Peace Signs and want us all to get along & Love One Another....
Which brings me to my own Son, who is going off to make a life that he hopes will be so different from mine....No Farm Life for Sky...he's off to see the world and make his mark...live in Big Cities and "do things"...Unlike his Mother (me) who is happy here on the farm and only journeys to the city for Provisions or Culture... 
Skyler takes with him more of me with him than he realizes...just as I took more of my parents than I realized...and I sincerely hope it's all the right stuff to make him a Success in his own eyes...

The Rightness of Just Being Plain ol Wrong Sometimes...

Recently I asked a boy where his former girlfriend was, and he stated “I had to give her up…She was Always Right…It got annoying.”  He went on to say “She was a really Nice Girl and stuff, but I just couldn’t deal with it…”  Personally, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was wrong again, but Nice People don’t point out how wrong you are all the time!

One of my favorite people likes to quote things and attribute it to the wrong person; often with comical results…it is truly entertaining to me and our mutual friends.  Yes, we could point out the many errors to this fav person of ours, but the only thing it would accomplish would be to dampen their enthusiasm for life…what a bummer!!!  

I’ve thought a lot recently about being critical of others and how they do things, and feel as though I’ve been a bit hasty in my judgment at times…Yes, I do have impeccable taste and great business sense…but I haven’t put my money where my mouth is and tried to open a Dress Shop in Big Spring lately…so to those who have & failed, I am sorry I’ve judged you and felt I could do better…You deserve a lot of respect for trying!  For those who have done lots of things that I stated that I could surely have done better than that, I AM SORRY!  In the future, unless I am willing to get in there and do the same thing, or help you fix your mess, I will not comment out loud.

Science Fairs...

As I stood washing dishes this afternoon I began thinking about the current problems faced by our nation, and the events leading up to it.  And I decided it all boils down to one thing....Not enough participation in Science Fairs...
Anyone who has ever participated in a Science Fair can tell you that if you get an idea, ya have to prove it is right...there are steps...and in the end, even if you do everything right...you can sometimes still have your idea proven wrong...that's the way it works...Even the BEST IDEAS are sometimes proven to be the WRONG IDEAS...

Here's a little outline for those of you who skipped this part of childhood education:
Ask a Question
How Do We Provide Healthcare to Everyone?



Do Background Research
This should include things like how much does this cost, how do we pay for it, how will this effect the current system, and how can we avoid the pitfalls others who have tried this before have fallen into?

Construct a Hypothesis
This is where you have to stand up and state publically what you think is going to happen! 


Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
Do research, don't just take the word of your best buddy or listen to what industry leaders say....


Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
If you don't understand the data you gather from research, get help in analyzing it...from people who actually know what they are talking about...these should be people who have no vested interest in the outcome!  Regardless of whether you like what you find out or not...be brave enough to acknowledge the truth...


Communicate Your Results
Now tell people what you actually found out...not what is convienent...The Truth...folks, and only the TRUTH...

God is the Ultimate Boyfriend...

Note:  God's Voice sounds like John Wayne with a distinct West Texas Redneck Drawl in my version


As I stood in my kitchen this morning making Doughnuts for the family, I began thinking about how beautiful the sunrise was, and just how Awesome God's handiwork is.  (If you know me, you know I can't keep a straight train of thought, my thought path looks like a bowl of spaghetti noodles...) Somewhere along the way as I talked to my friend God, I began thinking....GOD IS THE ULTIMATE BOYFRIEND...

When riding along in my Envoy with God, he never changes the station on the radio just as I'm really getting into a song....

He REALLY Listens to what I have to say....and NEVER interrupts!!!

God has some serious staying power....He was with me when I came into the world, and despite our fights, my straying and disobedience...he's still hanging in there with me

He is an inspiring Artist...look around, His handiwork is everywhere....

The gifts he gives are always appropriate, even if we are unsure of how to use them...

God looks upon me with wonderment...despite the extra baggage, wrinkles, and no matter how I'm dressed, or where I'm at in life....He is excited and amazed over me....

Hope your day is good...I'm off to spend some time with my boyfriend....Did I mention that he's heavy into Real Estate????  He has houses in every city......