DAY 50: HISPANIC GIRL

I thought this little girl was beautiful.

Her family used to live here in Marion County.

I am not sure where they are now.

DAY 49: OLD PECKERWOOD

My husband and I made wine one year. Part was used at our wedding and part we gave away.

I ran across one of the labels I made for one of the bottles - I had forgotten this! It's my old buddy, Peckerwood, pictured playing my guitar. Sure wish I had the original pic of him instead of just this copy from the label.

It made for a great label, but he didn't care much for the wine. Peckerwood was a confirmed Thunderbird man.

Front Label:      

Back Label:

                        c        

DAY 48: Wonders

What's not to love about a little boy and his frog?

This is my cousin's youngest son. What a sweet, beautiful child! He absolutely captured my heart ---- AND this tiny frog.

He and the other kids at a family reunion - type meeting at the Sportsmans Club in St. Francis, KY were surprised --- and overjoyed ---- at all the frogs they found there! And their excitement was contagious!

I never believed the old tale that frogs cause warts. That saying was probably started by someone trying to scare people off from handling their special frogs.

I have seen many of these tiny frogs in my lifetime - but most when I was a little girl. So it was fun for me to see they are still around in some places.

The most rare frog sighting I ever had was of a "tree frog" - and wow! - how exciting that was for me! His little feet were like suction cups. I found him in the red bud tree in our front yard in Loretto after a rain. Happy day! Of course, I was so excited about it that word of my find quickly got around and it was promptly removed from my admiring possession - by the older kids.

My second best frog memory is going frog gigging when I was about 15 or so. I'd never been invited to frog gig before, so I was pumped. The technique involved stealthy maneuvers in the dark of night in unfamiliar terrain while carrying a dangerous weapon (the "gig" - a long stick with sharp prongs on the end). The goal was for someone to shine a flash light into the eyes of the frog and temporarily blind it, causing it to "freeze"/become immobile --  and then we gig-carriers could spear the discombobulated amphibian. I spoiled the whole frog hunt because I kept walking in front of the light because I was having a hard time walking in the dark. It's hard to say how many frog lives were spared that night. I never was invited to go frog gigging again after that.

With this background, I could relate to how excited all the children were when so many little frogs were hopping about everywhere that day we gathered at St. Francis. I was excited too!

 

 Above: Container of Frogs

Below: Little Joe shows his frog to my Mom

 

 

DAY 47: FAT TUESDAY!

DAY 47:  FAT TUESDAY

Here we are…the day before Ash Wednesday. Some call this day FAT TUESDAY. I think that is the literal translation from the French “Mardi Gras”. 

This is the day where no holds are barred…the day we traditionally eat and drink with abandon before embarking on forty days of desert-like soul-searching and self improvement.  It’s the one day above all others that we celebrate our excesses– our last hurrah before plunging our psyches into forty whole days of Lenten ashes and sacrifice and self-examination, hoping we’ll arise from those ashes a better person on Easter Sunday.

If you do anything consistently for forty days, you have formed a habit. You’ve transcended an addiction, or made a selfless work a regular part of your life. Forty days of a well-spent and thoughtful Lenten season can be life changing.

But let’s not get the cart before the horse, here! Lent will come soon enough; THIS, my friends, is the night for excess and celebration!

In that vein, I will find for you some celebratory pictures…with a Mardi Gras theme…

 

"Something for Everyone"! The first in our celebration is a photo of a group of young people in the middle of the night, parading down the streets of Lebanon in the oddest clothing they could yank from my closet in like five minutes.  The underwear on the head…the scarves…well, all of it was a spontaneous bit of fun! Can’t do that during Lent. But you CAN do that on FAT TUESDAY! I think of this parade as the Marion County version of Mardi Gras!

___

Of course, after midnight fun in the Leb is not complete without the ceremonial tossing of the undies in the Farmer's Bank fountain...

If you are younger...like about 5, you might choose to celebrate your excess by going head first down a long flight of stairs. Ahhh! Go head first down those stairs tonight, girl! Then give up your biggest vice: CANDY!!! (Oh - those were the days!)

Just a few months before Katrina hit New Orleans - home of the Mardi Gras - we visited there. Here we are at Commander's Palace, one of the best restaurants in the city, with Lallie, an owner of the establishment, in their kitchen. When Katrina hit, they had to close for several months. They lost a lot of the employees they had when we visited - I felt a connection with that place, so I would look in on a group for communication among the Commanders Palace employees. They were all leaving and desperately seeking work, though I believe Commanders kept paying them all for quite some time even though they were forced to close for quite awhile because of the disaster and the subsequent renovations.

 

 Me - at the cemetery gate near Commander's Palace. Did I make this haunting enough? Mardi Gras is nearly over now. It is time for Lent.

Hopefully, this Lenten season wil be the death of some of my vices and a renewal of some of the good things in my life!

I thought I would post more celebratory pictures here, but...though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. I am going to BED!!! Good night, all.

DAY 46: SECURITY

DAY 46:  SECURITY

I used to the see this guy occasionally, walking down the street here in Lebanon. I didn’t know a lot about him, but from his appearance – with the long hair, the hat, the occasional chains/bad biker motif thing going on – I formed an impression of him...I thought of him as a “tough guy” and someone somewhere way on the other side of approachable.

 That impression was completely revised the day I saw him with this sweet little girl. I’m not sure now, but I think she is his niece. They had walked to the neighborhood store together to buy some treats.

 It was obvious the little girl adored him and trusted him. AND he looked directly into the camera when I took their picture – with kind eyes.

That chance encounter with them caused me to see “biker dude” in a whole new light. And isn’t it rather serendipitous that the day this happened he was wearing a shirt that screamed “SECURITY”?!

I got the message.

Life is so interesting.