Provoking Thoughts

Being a middle child, I will fight if provoked. Toby says that this written on my forehead. My mom says that I am her easiest-going child, but I will fight,if provoked. Having a brother who is just one year older than me taught me early on that I should weigh my fights carefully. We may have been much the same size, but he was definitely stronger than I. Often times, we would be having a fairly normal sibling argument with our voices escalating, when my brother would switch back to a normal tone and say, "You're resorting to raising your voice. You are so immature." To which I usually replied, "You think this is immature? Wait to you see me resort to physical violence." It never failed to provoke me. And the fight was on.

Now my little brother was a different matter. I could take him on and with just a few words cut him up and make him mad. He would then resort to name calling, "You're a...a...rabbit, horse, donkey...plbbbth (spitting with tongue stuck out)."  It never failed to amuse me, which made my little brother all the crazier.

Such was life as a kid! I've mellowed much since then. I do pick my fights carefully. Laughing is much better for me.  Sometimes, though, someone says something that I just can't let it slide. I have to point out alternative thoughts.

The other day, I entered into what I thought was an intellectual conversation on a blog comment. The other commenter had made a disparaging comment to the blogger and Christians. In doing so, he made a generalization about Christianity (as if as an agnostic he was an expert on all religion). So, I just wanted to point out that not all Christians believed/lived his idea. Truly, I was not trying to fight. I just wanted to explain that there were other thoughts out there. He resorted in ugliness. Really? Why? So, I told him that I was not arguing, but just giving info - setting the record straight. He got really ugly then. It amused me much like my little brother when we were kids. If you resort to name calling, obviously it is because you are losing the fight.

  Now here is my thoughts: This guy does not know me. He does not know that I am a little old lady from Oklahoma. If we were face to face, in person, would he have said the same things. Would he call me names and say how stupid he thought I was? Does the internet give people a sense of power - that they can be rude and vulgar because they are hidden from real life/people? Or are people really so uncouth? Is the internet causing people to become unmannerly and boorish?

Anyway, I will not continue to converse with such a person. One funny thing was that at least three times the guy referred to John 14:6 (he did not quote the scripture, but only referred to it ambiguously). It reminded me of Princess Bride. I wanted to say, "Why do you keep saying that? I do not think you know what it means."  But I refrained from quoting Princess Bride thinking it might send him over the edge. My sense of humor would have been lost on such a person. See, I have mellowed.

Okie Weather

Weather can be crazy anywhere, but OK beats all. This was what we saw yesterday afternoon:

Since I live in Stephens County, we watched the weather pretty close yesterday. As the cold front blew in and wind changed from howling from the south to howling from the north, the warm air hit the cold air. There was a tornado sited north of Velma. Not too far from here, but not scary close, tampoco.  We got a good rain and some hail. The storm blew on through pretty quickly. Weather went from the 80's yesterday to the 50's today.  And the wind is still howling.

Weekend Stuff

I have fallen down on my job as a grandmother. Booboo has not been taking good grand-baby photos or photos of any kind lately.  I charged the battery in my camera and then forgot to take it to Jesse's award banquet - duh. Then today the GGs and Boy were over being ever so cute. Did I take any pictures of Mr T playing with the broom? No. Did I take any pictures of the GGs trying to get the miniature pony into the horse pasture? No. What kind of grandma am I? Lazy? Crippled? Brainless? Even when Jesse got out her camera, I used her as an excuse not to get mine. Hopefully she will post some pics on FB, and I will steal them.

The temps turned warm the last few days. I could live with temps in the 80's, but the wind has been blowing like crazy. Makes me crazy. On the days when it would be nice to open a window, the wind will blow stuff everywhere. I think we may have to go straight to the air conditioner. Funny thang is, tomorrow it is only suppose to get into the 60's. I can live with that, too.

My leg is doing much better. I can walk with out limping, but it is slow going due to the fear of pain. I can sit without propping up my leg, although the backside of my thigh is still painful. And I would rather not drop anything and try to pick it up off the floor. Thanks to Gene and his grabber thangie, Toby got a grabber, too, and it is quite handy. Although, sometimes he grabs me with it.

Awards

Last night we went to WF for two big events. The first was Toby's mom turning 84. We had a bit of ice cream cake and visited with her and his sisters. Jesse joined us wearing a little black dress and looking drop dead gorgeous. The next event was a banquet honoring honor students at MSU. Jesse was the Art Department's honoree - hence the black dress.

The banquet was the usual huge room with lots of round tables full of people who don't know each other. The food was less than wonderful and the seats were hard on my sore bottom and leg. But it was worth it to be there and see Jesse get awarded for her hard work.  The other people at our table were the Accounting Honoree and her parents along with her professor and her husband. Jesse's professor had to sit at another table because there was no room for the four of us all together. Anyway, our table of folks were fun. The accounting honoree was very lovely and her dad very friendly and funny making the evening enjoyable.

As each person walked across the stage to receive their award, the emcee read out a list of accomplishments. Some of the lists were quite lengthy. Jesse laughed and said, "They asked me to write a resume, but I did not know what it was for." That is so Jesse - kind of an oblivion - and yet she could care less laughing at it. We laughed a lot - as usual. Quite enjoyable.

It was pretty obvious that many of these kids had planned and worked for these awards. Toby made the observation that when we went to college, our parents were not particularly helpful in sharing insights to college life. But more and more kids have parents who went to college - making them more competitive for such awards. Although both Toby and I are college grads, I'm not sure we were aware of such awards and therefore had no competitive spirit. We just urged our children to do good. Being homeschooled kids, they were use to studying and reading on their own. Bo graduated with honors and Jesse will too, although even that was not required or pushed for by us. I'm quite proud of her GPA, but I'm just as proud of her laughing, caring, fun  spirit.

Since MSU is my alma mater, lots of memories came flooding back while sitting in the same coliseum where I graduated.  Toby's memory was that at my graduation he was holding an eleven month old Jesse throughout the ceremony. By the time it was over, she had peed all over him and he was ready to go as soon as the ceremony was over. At my graduation I remember the guy sitting next to me saying, "See that guy over there? He graduated summa cum laude. And that guy over there graduated magna cum laude. And you and I graduated thank the laude."

Just so you know where Jesse and Bo got their smarts:  Toby and I got married in the summer of 77 and went back to Texas Tech - Toby to accounting and me to art. At the end of our first married semester, my uncle and aunt took us out to dinner along with their college-age son and daughter and her boyfriend. My uncle asked everyone how they had done that semester. We all had done so-so. The boyfriend had flunked out. When my uncle got to Toby, Toby quietly said he had made a 4.0. I remember the shocked looks on everyone's face. Yeah, I married well.

Brush Time

While sitting in my recliner with my leg up, I painted a little portrait. It got a bit muddy. One of these days I want to master watercolor portraits, so I keep trying. I don't think this is it, and I may redo this one. As my friend, Barb, says, "It was brush time." Brush time is always good for learning.

Update on the Hamstring

At this time last week I was in South East Texas and had pulled my hamstring. The trek back across Texas was painful, but made easier by ice packs and ibuprofen. Today, I am better, but it is slow going. Literally, I have to move pretty slow to make sure I don't do anything to cause severe pain.  The severe pain happens when I do something like reach for something or step wrong.  Most of the time the pain is like a dull constant. You know that pain you feel in exercise class when you are doing stretches and the instructor says "hold that stretch and breathe into it." Well, that is the type of pain I feel constantly. It is just uncomfortable. Ibuprofen does help. And it does seem to be getting better.

I did a bit of painting while sitting in my recliner - thanks to Jo for sending me that great little watercolor kit and paper.  I will get a photo later and post it. I guess there is a sliver-lining somewhere.