If I Call You For Bail Money

Imagine waking up at 6 AM to a text that says "If I call you for bail money, please call your brother Mark."  Of course the next thing I did was reach for my glasses so that I could read what was going on.  

My friend Kent, who is hilarious and unpredictable on any given day, has texted me.  Apparently, he was sound asleep at 4 AM; like most people in the quiet town of Hickory, NC.  When the sound of someone talking outside his bedroom window awakens him, he peers outside and is shocked to see a guy in his son Alex's truck.  He takes off...grabs a gun, runs down the hall, yells to Alex, and out the back door he goes.  A guy wearing a black hoodie and tan pants, jumps out of Alex's truck and runs to a waiting car at the driveway. 

I know the sight of a butt-naked man, pointing a gun, and yelling profanities has scared the bejesus out of this would-be thief.  Kent gets even madder because he can't get the gun to fire!  It's Alex's gun and Kent's not familiar with the safety mechanism.  He's mad-as-Hell, standing in his backyard, butt-naked, and looking disgusted at the gun, as the would-be thieves escape down the street.  After a few minutes to calm down, return to the house and put on a pair of shorts, he calls the police. 

For most people the story would end after the police officer takes the report.  But no, not for Kent.  He believes he knows who has targeted Alex's truck for a break in and wants to make sure they don't come back.  Once the police are gone, he tells Alex to stay in the house and cranks up the truck to go in search of the suspects.  Alex decides he's not leaving without him and hops in on the passenger's side.  Both are geared up like it's the Wild, Wild, West and headed North to the house, of who they suspect was wearing the black hoodie and tan pants. 

At 6:30 AM Kent's knocking on the front door of the dad of the suspect, recounting what has happened, and questioning the whereabouts of this man's son.  Thankfully, for my piece of mind, nothing of consequence happens, as the dad is holding a riffle and listening to them tell their story with their guns holstered. Surprisingly, the dad doesn't seem shocked by this early morning encounter.  Neither, does he know the whereabouts of his son, who is reportedly strung out on methamphetamines.  After this rather cordial conversation, considering the topic, they leave the man's front porch. They drive around the area for a little while, looking for the suspect's get-away car.  Eventually, they decide to end the search and head back to Hickory for some much needed breakfast.

Warning to would-be thieves and strung out meth-heads, steer clear and don't try to steal anything from Wild, Wild, West Kent.

Birthday Wishes

Gray clouds, misty rain, and cooler weather.  You wouldn't think of this as a good start to a birthday but it was perfect.  What better time to spend a day relaxing around a heated indoor pool, getting a water jet back massage in the hot tub, feeling the pressure of cascading water rush through your hair while standing under a water fall, sweating in the eucalyptus steam room, and receiving the most relaxing facial and shoulder massage.  Those who know me have already guessed that I spent the day at Rock Barn Spa.

Glenda and Kindra joined me for my special day and surprised me with the creamiest and most decadent cupcakes to cap off the day of relaxing around the pool.  As I get older I'm more thankful for the intangible things in life...the camaraderie of friends, the support and encouragement of family, good health, and the blessings of a sound mind.

This evening, after spending time with Chase, laughing at a movie, I logged onto Facebook to see if anyone else had remembered my birthday.  Even though most of us are reminded by birthdays by looking in the upper right hand corner of our Facebook Page, it still brings a smile to read the "Happy Birthday" wishes.  The outpouring of such well wishes could be a little overwhelming in person but on Facebook that simple act of kindness connects us and broadens our circle of friends.  Social media may have its drawbacks but it also has its advantages. I know for the next few days, I'll check the upper right hand corner of my Facebook Page and take a few minutes out of my busy day to wish family and friends a "Happy Birthday".  I'll think of it as paying happiness forward.

Thank you to all those who sent cards, left messages on my voicemail, sang the "Happy Birthday" song to me, or posted on my Facebook Page.  You made me feel special and loved on my birthday.

Happy Birthday Janet from Google

Hansie Solomon 41st Annual Family Reunion

Hansie Solomon Family Reunion

On Wednesday, July 10th, I packed my little Prius and headed south to Charleston, SC to help with the Hansie Solomon 41st Family Reunion. In this day and age when families are spread out and are more disconnected from each other, it's a treat to witness generations gather from all over the United States to reconnect, share stories, dine on fantastic food, meet new additions to the family, remember those who have passed on, hug, laugh, dance, and celebrate each other.

This reunion was bittersweet in that it honored my late husband, Keith Littman.  It was his dream to host the 41st Reunion and his family was determined to make that dream a reality.  The NC/SC Chapter and entire family worked for two years to make this reunion the best in remembrance of him.

We did it Keith!

Speedy-Swift-Fast

Where has the time gone and where is that little boy?  I remember Chase at 4 years old and his excitement in getting his first pet; a goldfish.  I can still hear the squeals and laughter as he tried to catch that goldfish, in the pet store, as it zoomed around in the tank.  After a little jumping up and down and some splashed water we exit the store with "Speedy-Swift-Fast" in a plastic bag.  What a funny name for a fish!  Chase was all smiles carrying his new best friend.

Goldfish from OpenClipArt.org

A year later, the goldfish is belly up in its tank and I'm trying to figure out how to ease the bad news to Chase.  The Cosby Show episode with the Huxtable family burying Rudy's goldfish in the backyard flashes through my mind. While I'm thinking of plans for a fish funeral, here stumbles in a sleepy Chase to feed his pet.  With a solemn voice I explain that Speedy-Swift-Fast died.  This is also when I discovered that boys think differently than girls.  With his sweet face looking up at me, a flicker of sadness in his green eyes, I'm bracing myself to answer his questions.  There's a moment of silence as he's thinking then he exclaims in his baby voice with a touch of excitement "can we flush it."  Definitely not what I was expecting.

I now understand the nursery rhyme "What are little boys made of?  Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails."

Don't Chew Tobacco On A Carnival Ride

I was listening to Sirus XM Radio Comedy and Bill Cosby was joking about when he was little and his first experience chewing tobacco.  It bought back a memory of my cousin Jonathan, "Jomp" for short.

My family which included my sister and her kids, my brother, and a few of my cousins were at the North Carolina State Fair. Jomp had been chewing tobacco and I had been fussing that he needed to stop because it wasn't good for him.  Of course he paid me no attention and continued to chew and spit tobacco. Yuck! A little while later we decided to ride a spinning ride; named the Hurricane or Cyclone.

You have to understand the ride to appreciate the story.  It's a huge round barrel shaped ride that spins around-and-around.  We walked single file into the ride and when everyone was in, we leaned back against the wall of the ride onto individual boards with wheels. It was back in the day, so I don't remember strapping in the ride with a harness or belt.  Once everyone was in place, the ride started to spin around.  It got faster and faster until the board which we were now pressed against started to roll up the wall with us on it.  The force of spinning kept us pressed against the board.  As I'm screaming, crying, and laughing all at the same time, I look beside me at Jomp.  At that moment he takes a big gulp and starts to turn a pale green color. He's just swallowed that yucky chunk of tobacco! Eew! I start to laugh even harder until he looks like he's going to blow.  Oh, no! It's still funny but not so much since I envision him throwing up with us all spinning around. Thankfully, after a few more minutes of spinning the ride finally slows down, and we glide down from the top on our boards.  All I can do is laugh and try not to wet my pants as we stumble drunkenly out of the ride. The rest of the family are waiting outside and asking how we enjoyed the ride.  I'm bent over laughing and wiping tears from my eyes as Jomp bolts to the nearest trash can to throw up.

The moral of this story is not only don't chew tobacco but definitely don't chew it on a carnival ride.

Day 1 Yet Again

Who knew that I would wake up one morning and say, "I'll create a blog"?

It's a typical day for me.  When I can sleep in, I rise at 7 a.m. but when I have to go to work, I snooze my iPhone alarm and turn over to sleep some more. Today, I sat at my computer and started my blog.  It took me 15 minutes to come up with the title "Life and Laughter with JDL", then another 10 trying to find a blog URL that wasn't taken.  After almost 30 minutes, "Here I am!"  I hope that I have something to say and that it's worthwhile to read. My life experiences are many, happy, tragic, and simply what you face as you grow older and hopefully wiser.

My challenge today is to start my diet over yet again.  I can't count how many times I've recorded "Day 1" on my planner.  Breakfast is easy, lunch is so-so, but the kicker is dinner and late night snacking.  My goal is to eat cleaner.  For me that means more organic foods where possible and less meat.  With a 17 year old son whose favorite food is meat, I'm not going vegan any time soon, but I can try to purchase hormone free meats to cook.

Some insight into my struggle: I was raised by my grandparents and we didn't have a lot of money.  When reminiscing, I joke that we were so poor that we could only afford half the letters so that made us "po". Growing up "po" you ate everything on your plate.  My son doesn't have the same food experiences so when he's full he stops eating.  Me on the other hand, I think I have to finish my plate.

Day 1 of my blog and "yet again" diet. Off to see what the day holds for me.