When I was a kid, life was so simple. I'd spend time at my grandparents' farm during the summer. I'd get up in the morning and feed calves, have breakfast, then the day was mine. Open fields with cattle....ponds loaded with frogs...the creek in the holler....the haybarn. Adventure possibilities were endless. No one worried that I was going to be kidnapped or brutally murdered. It was a good, wholesome time. My love for nature was nurished. I'm thankful for that time.

So I went back home over Easter. Headed down 24 to 62 to 60...Ozark, Missouri bound. Why is it the last 30 minutes of a trip seem an eternity??

Anyway..I pull in the drive I have pulled in a million times and entered "home." The home of my childhood. My nephew, Wyatt, was there and I don't think that boy stopped talking the entire 5 days I was there. He has a lot to say for a 3 year old and he loves his Aunt Cindy!

To keep this posting from stretching on for miles, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version....Lots of visiting....family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, dad, sis and her husband. And....MY KIDS! More visiting....my 3 best friends back home...Melissa, Andra and Anita. Lots of laughter....loads of it. Lots of good country cooking. Beans & cornbread and fried potatoes for starters. Have mercy!

I really had a wonderful time and was very sad when it was time to leave. I always smile when I pull into that driveway, and I always have tears when I leave.Ozark is a lot like Murfreesboro in some respects...it was a small town when I was growing up...but it has boomed. The high school that once seemed so very large to me, has now been demoted to Jr. High and a new High School the size of a hospital has been built on the hillside. I wonder if kids still cruise the square on Friday and Saturday nights. All I have to say is thank God gas was cheap back in the day. I put a lot of miles on the car driving around in a circle and back and forth to the Foodland to talk with friends.

It goes without saying....I enjoyed myself on my 5 day escape :)

Here's a pic of Jesika, Kylie and Wyatt...are they beautiful or what?

That would be MY kid...#9

I had a wonderful weekend. Kylie played in the crossover tournament in Decatur, AL. I had forgotten how much fun it was to be a college kid. There was never a dull moment. And Doc, the bus driver kept me in stitches. She says what's on her mind, which I greatly appreciate.

I am heading back to Ozark on Thursday and can't wait. I need to get my "family" fix. The girls will be coming up too. Everyone needs a break from work from time to time. And I haven't been back home since October. I should have lots of Wyatt stories to share upon my return :)

Why is it some people insist upon being assholes at other's expense? My best friend called me very upset last night. Long story short, a representative from a table of men informed him that they didn't want any "fags" sitting at their table and he was to find somewhere else to sit. My friend, though aware of the assholes of this world, was nonetheless hurt.

Represtatives of all groups that make up this world get targeted....the handicapped, blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Asians, women, obese, short, tall...and the list goes on and on. My theory is that somehow the "offender" is threatened on some level by the party he/she's belittling. In this case, maybe it was his masculinity that was in question, therefore he had to display his asshole skills to gain stature among his friends, who no doubt possessed the same asshole tendencies.

Believe it or not, folks are folks. We're all created through the same process. So get over it and start enjoying your fellow man instead of berating someone who might possibly teach you a thing or two.

My drive to work yesterday was a nightmare. It was for many others as well. You see, some idiot (and I am being oh so nice) decided that he was in such a damned hurry that he decided to drive between the concrete retaining wall and the HOV lane. An SUV that was in the HOV lane swerved to avoid hitting the AO (anal orifice) and flipped his vehicle numerous times. This 25 year old kid had to be life flighted to Vanderbilt and is in serious condition. The AO was apprehended later at his home.

Why are people always in such a hurry? What happened to a relaxing drive, enjoying the beauty around you? I just don't get it. We're only on this Earth for a brief time. Take in the gifts around you. The trees that are budding, the flowers that are emerging from winter hibernation. Even if you're traveling on an interstate, there are still interests around you. I pass 2 buffalo every day while driving on Highway 65. I look forward to see if they're at the pond or stretched out basking in the sun. It's the little things that give pleasure in this life time. So slow your butt down and enjoy them!

Well, trying to add my pic so you know who's doing the rambling!

Another day, another fifty cents! It is so incredibly beautiful out today. The sun is shining and the air is so fresh in the aftermath off those nasty storms.

I have a buttload of stuff to do today, so this post is short. Back at ya tomorrow!