Crawdads and Dead Things

When we go to Cleveland, Mississippi, to visit Chuck's family, we always eat at Crawdad's.  It's a restaurant in the next town over...Merigold.  The place looks like a hunting lodge....wooden beams, mounted heads, and lots of camouflaged dressed men.  They are known for their steaks and crawdads,  but my favorite thing they serve is the butter-soaked, grilled Texas Toast.  yum.  Nothing like bread drenched in butter then grilled on an old greasy grill. 

Crawdad's has nothing to hide.  The kitchen is behind glass, right as you walk in. 

Ex-employees?  Or tonight's meal?  Just some mounted heads.

This is a little creepy to me....but I'm not from a hunting family.

  There are plenty of hunters in this part of the country, and this is eye candy to them. 

The best snake is a dead snake. 

And the more dead snakes the better off we all are. 

This is our niece who played with me while we were waiting on our food. 

There were 16 of us, so the wait was long.  This girl knows how to act like she's sceered.

And she can act like she's been to the taxidermist.

M.M.H. 

More mounted heads.

It looks like they are on a drill team.  Look left, look right.

An antler chandelier.....Biggy Sized.

I took several shots of the group at the table...but they were all blurred. 

 However, it was much like the dinner. 

The band was playing and the wait was long....

so by this time of the evening, things were getting a bit blurred.

  Another wine?  Don't mind if I do.

The kids were all freezing from drinking 15 glasses of iced tea and cold cokes.

The cousins. 

Youngest to oldest....left to right.

My middle child, Cameron, was the only one missing. 

Texas A&M doesn't observe Labor Day as a day off.

So class was in session for her.

We missed her....it would have been more fun and a lot louder.

Chris, the new son-in-law, is now a cousin to all these kids. 

 He's been to Mississippi and eaten at Crawdad's.....initiation over.

Not a cousin.

The Middle Place

We just got back from a four day trip to Cleveland, Mississippi.....home of Chuck, the boy.  Jordan and her new husband flew to Houston from Phoenix on Thursday evening.  We got in the car on Friday, drove up Highway 59 to Nacogdoches, picked up Will and headed east to Mississippi.  Five of us in a car built for four....comfortably.  The ride was a little stressful for those who are 6 foot and over and those who are 50 or over and those who just plain don't have patience.  I just kept feeling like there were too many arms and legs in the car.  I sat in the middle seat behind the passenger seat....with my legs curled up.  I'm happy to report they are beginning to unfold. 

It was a relaxing weekend with lots of eating, card playing and cousin visiting.  We even drove up to Memphis on Sunday to see some of Chuck's cousins and second cousins and new babies. We did a drive-by Graceland and then a walk-by the Mississippi River near downtown Memphis. 

Elvis had left the building.  But you can't imagine how many people were there looking for him.

I wasn't an extreme Elvis fan....but of course, I love his music and remember where I was the day I heard on the radio that he had died (in my Mustang on 59 near the 610 loop)....but just being so close to Graceland was a little sobering. You can't help but feel how great he was, how many fans he had, the talent....and the loss.

I'll post some pictures of what little we saw...later.  We didn't take the official tour ($68. per avid fan) but we could see enough to "feel" like we had been there. ( $0.00 for us)

Jordan brought a couple of her latest reads to pass on to me.  I picked up one and started reading it in the car on Friday.  You know it's a good book when you are anxious for bedtime so you can pick it back up.  I finished the book at about hour 3 of a 10 hour drive today.  I was so sad to finish it because it was such a good book and I had 7 hours to go in the car.

I took lots of cousin pictures this weekend which won't really be fun for anyone but those cousins....so I wanted to recommend this book for some good reading....NOW. 

The subject matter is the big C....and at first, I put it down and told Jordan I didn't really want to read a book that was sad.  She said, "Well....it's a little sad...but she's here....she wrote the book.  Read it."

So glad I did. Kelly Corrigan writes like she's talking to you...and she is very real about her bout with cancer, her anxiety, her anger, her treatments......and believe it or not....because of her honesty and humor, I wanted to read more.  Can't wait for you to read it so we can discuss. 

The Middle Place

by Kelly Corrigan

Two for the Price of One

We have a new principal this year....and she is real.  And good.  Real good.  One must understand that as a paraprofessional....long word for aide.....I am at the bottom of the Educational Totem Pole.  The bottom is okay with me....because it means I get to be with kids all day and go home at 4:00 with no worries. 

The prinicipal is at the top.  She also gets to be with kids all day...but she has to worry about all the children as well as satisfy the parents of those 1000 children.... and the staff of about 100 (98 of those women) has to be kept in line and catered to......so that has to equal a lot of worries.  But our new principal is first and foremost an advocate for children and I love that about her. 

Today Mrs. Principal was in the staff lunch room while I was and she shared a story with me.......about me. 

Setting: Mrs. Principal was standing in the front hall by the entrance door; I was coming in from car rider duty; and a young boy passing me had seen me.

Him:  Hey, I know her!  She goes to my school!

Principal:  Her?  That's Mrs. Hackney.

Him:  I know....she goes to my SCHOOL!

I love that she sees the sweet innocence of their world...

and that she took the time to relay the story to me.

And then a conversation between me

 and the line leader leaving music today. 

 I'm changing the name to protect the innocent.

Me:  What's your name?

Him:  George.

Me:  What's your last name?

Him:  George Louis Smith, the THIRD.

Me:  Oh.  The Third.  What does your Daddy go by?

Him:  Well, he goes by the Montessori school,

 except today... he's on a trip.

Me:  (smile, warm heart, love my job)

***************

Have you heard of the 5 Rule?

If they're 5 years old, you have 5 minutes of their attention (if that)

and their world is 5 feet around them at any given moment.

So I can see where they look up and see me in the hall and remember my face......and make a connection that I go to their school.....but haven't quite made the connection that they are in the same place.  Their world will get bigger soon enough but I love that for now it's rather small....they're rather innocent....and I'm part of their world.  Well, as long as I'm within 5 feet of them.