Three for Thursday!

"Good nature is worth more than knowledge, more than money, more than honor, to the persons who possess it." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

"Talent is like a faucet; while it is open you have to write. Inspiration? A hoax fabricated by poets for their self-importance." ~ Jean Anouilh

"Even when poetry has a meaning, as it usually has, it may be inadvisable to draw it out... Perfect understanding will sometimes almost extinguish pleasure."
~ A. E. Housman

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~ Doesn't this spot look nice and cool.. Edisto River has a few of these beautiful spots.. I would love to have been right here in this magical spot today... Instead I was here at home.. where it is hotter than a hornets sting.. Man it's hot here.. I walked the dogs a few minutes ago and we were all panting before we made one circle around the place.. they kept pulling me back towards the house and I kept telling them to hurry up and find a spot.. finally I decided to head back inside.. we can always walk again in the moonlight later.. the heat index today was 107*.. I think the actual temperature was 99*.. Too hot.. too hot to work in the yard.. too hot to cook.. too hot to even walk the poor dogs.. very nearly too hot to write... and where is that thunderstorm the newsman threatened us with?.. I would welcome it... I spent part of the day thinking about the long hot days years ago when my kids were babies and we lived crammed in between others in cramped and crappy little trailer in one of the very worst trailer parks.. But as bad as it was we did have a wonderful slipping slide.. the neighbor kids called it the slippdy slippdy slippdy slide.. Anthony.. David and Phoebe... Beth .. Beckie and Andy.. Melissa.. Krystal and Brian.. and so many other children.. would gather there every morning to run and fall down in the cold water laced with cheap dish washing liquid.. I must admit that I wasn't the same nice person then that I am now.. I was mean and wouldn't let some kids play.. but eventually they did wear me down and I allowed them to join us .. of course they did first have to accomplished all of the goals I set for them to do.... It was hard to be mean when they sat just on the outside of my string fenced yard and sweat.. pitifully.. sadly.. dirtily.. even now I can still remember the absolute joy that ricocheted around the trailer park the afternoon that we opened the slippdy slippdy slippdy slide to all of the kids in the neighborhood... it and some cool-aid Popsicles were the talk of the town.. the next morning kids from the next trailer park up the road were sitting outside my string fence before I even opened my door.. the rumor had spread like wildfire.. there must have been a hundred of them waiting .. hoping that Miss Meany would let them slide.. I know I'm old and yes.. maybe even fat.. But I wonder what my fine neighbor folks would think If I put on some old shorts and spread out a roll of heavy duty plastic.. doused it with some dish washing liquid... and lay a garden hose on it weighted down with a red brick.. and got me a good running start.. and flopped right down in the freezing water.. and slid out across the field.. I'm thinking I could go almost all the way to the road.. don't big people go farther?.. I know Mason would love it.. I bet the dogs would even give it a try... I guess maybe it would be a bit too much ... But I did enjoy the memories.. they didn't really make things any cooler but I did laugh and that helped some.. I thank you for visiting my blog today on this super hot Thursday... I have shared some haiku with you today.. Feel free to comment.. Have a wonderful day!
Patsy





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A Piercing Morsel

buzzing bumblebee
fat with sweet summer nectar
the lizards head swells

Written BY: Patricia Sawyer
10-22-2009


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Fermented

drunken waxwings spill
yellow belly stained crimson
with wild cherry wine

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
10-22-2009


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Finally Summer

sitting on the steps
counting flashes of fireflies
we welcome summer


Written By: Patricia Sawyer
6-2-2010





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It's Thursday! Today you get three!

"Never insult an alligator until after you have crossed the river." ~ Cordell Hull

"He who postpones the hour of living is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses." ~ Horace, 65 - 8 BC

"In rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes; so with present time." ~ Leonardo da Vinci

1:) ~ a thought~ a memory~~~ Happy Thursday! At least I hope today brought you happiness. It has been extremely hot here today. You know that sweltering kind of hot that makes you want to find a slow moving; deep; Icy cold river and jump in head first. Then after a loud squeal that says.." Man this water is cold!!!"... Just relax and float along with the current for a while until you cool off. You will need a few things to do this though.. an inner tube if you can't swim... something to drink.. a six pack of coke ties just fine to the inner tube... something to eat if you plan to stay very long or if you are bringing the young uns. You might want some towels too and in some cases even a change of clothes. It Pays to have at least one Gator watcher.. That is the guy that stands on the shore and watches to be sure no alligators come your way...

~Dave and used to take turns pulling Gator watching duty when the kids were little. We'd pack up the kids and the fishing poles and a lunch... That was usually some sandwiches and what ever we had to drink in the fridge.. we might have some cheese puffs and some home made cookies or even a pound cake to take along too. The guys would dig bait out by the barn while me and Jenny got the food together.. Her job was to empty all the ice trays into the big old cooler while I poured cool-aid into empty drink bottles... We'd make everyone a couple of sandwiches and pack up towels for everyone.. Emily would get cold and shiver till her teeth chattered so she also had to have dry clothes and a shirt with long sleeves..


Pulling in to Little Hell I always scanned the crowd. We knew most of the folks there. They had all been there since sometime the night before.. Some even stayed down there almost every week-end during the summer... they even left their tents up the whole week sometimes... Lots of times someone would offer us a meal down there... I ate the best catfish stew I ever tasted down there on the bank of little hell..

~ But back to where I scanned the crowd ~ I was always on the look out for someone that was just a little too drunk or maybe a tiny bit ticked off. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt.. I had kids with me... Me and Dave almost always had at least one kid along.. They all loved Little Hell.... We would pick us out a spot and set the cooler down.. I would set myself down with some crochet and take the first watch for Gators. Dave would swim out to tread water under the big tree.. He would wait there under that big old leaning tree treading water and standing ( or treading) Gator watch while our children joined in the long line waiting to take their turn on the rope... Cooper was always the first to go... he'd walk up the tree trunk as far out as he could and then reach way out with his skinny little arms and swing and sway out over the water hanging on for dear life.. sometimes he would make three swings over Dave before he would let go.. he was always way out in the river and Dave would swim out and meet him as Cooper swam to him.. Emily was next and she would yell for Dave on her way down.. It was almost as if she just jumped from the tree... she would let go of the rope and yell "DAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE" as soon as her feet left the board nailed to the jumping off point! David would make a decent swing.. He didn't need Dave he told us once but we didn't listen and Dave was always there when he fell into the water.. Jenny would swing a few times and then come and sit by me.. I remember the day I realized she was growing up.. and yes... even away from me and her Daddy.... I think she was about thirteen then and so pretty....

I reckon it's the sweltering heat that makes one remember things like swimming in the river.. drinking from the flowing well there and not even caring if the icy water is clean.... I hope my children realize how lucky they were that we carried them to the river and that they had me watching for snakes and Gators and Dave there to catch them all as they fell... I realize that he and I were also Lucky to have them to share it with.. If not for them we might have been one of the ones people steered clear of.. the ones I looked for when I scanned the crowd.... The ones the Gators wouldn't eat... I am thankful for those times.. I might pack me up some cool-aid and a baloney sandwich and head down to the river any day now!

2:) a Haiku~ read carefully and think.. let me know what you think is going on in this haiku...
and No a Shepherd does not carry a WHITE CANE!

Summer Storm

white cane thump; thumping
he tries to outrun the rain~
I roll up my hose

written By: Patricia Sawyer
6-4-2009


3:) A Picture that I love!!!
























As I walked along behind Dave and His Only Aunt.... Aunt Ruth... I couldn't help but think how wonderfully Lucky I am to have a big family.. Dave hadn't seen Aunt Ruth in many many years and yet just look how alike they are.. Both with their hands shoved down in their pockets... walking in step.. talking quietly together as I tagged along behind them making secret pictures..

There ya go three things I have shared with you today.. three for Thursday! I hope you have enjoyed today's blog! I hope you had a great Thursday! Blessings to all!
Patsy