This weekend we went down south a bit to a 50th Anniversary gathering. The groom's mother was in attendance, and i am still awed by what it must feel like to attend your son's Fiftieth Anniversary.
When asked what the secret was to lasting that long, the bride replied, "Hang in there." When the groom was asked, he said, "Don't p*** off the cook." Am thinking they are both right on the mark.
Boo and his bride drove up for the day, as well as my favorite uncle, Uncle Willard, and his lovely companion. They missed the reunion last month, so i was extra glad to see them.
I got to sit in on Paul Adeen and Uncle Willard reminiscing about their youth. They told stories about living in a house in which Bonnie and Clyde had held a hostage, and about their dad helping pull B&C's car out of the Sabine. Uncle Willard remembered seeing the train come through carrying John Dillinger's car on a flatbed, and the ag teacher taking them on a tour of the prison in Huntsville, and how much of an impression the electric chair made on him. They talked of the sense of community that they felt, and how people looked after and took care of each other. Their mother, a widow raising eight boys, nursed the sick and dieing, and then neighbors would share whatever they had with her to help feed all those boys. They talked of the neighbor with a truck picking everyone up and taking them to the town square on Saturday, and how they "operated out of the back of the truck" all day, going to the movie for a nickel, then having an ice cream cone for a nickel. Except for their brother Randy, who would spend a nickel on himself, then go to the 5&10 and spend the other nickel on a present for their mother. These boys are now 74 and 81, and they STILL call him a suck-up. I treasure those moments, and feel blessed to have witnessed them, and hope they don't mind me sharing.
I would have taken pictures for y'all, but first thing Paul Adeen said to me when i got to town was, "Sure hope you left your camera at home." Seems Paul had been unaware that Boo had been sizing him up for the "oversized load" banner, so Paul got surprised and Boo got busted. Several comments were made in agreement with my take on things (except that the sarcophagus is growing on Paul,) and no one took me up on my offer to remove pictures and/or stories, but i decided to reign it in this time anyway. I guess we are all okay with ourselves, we just don't want any evidence. (Note to Paul and Boo: In retrospect, i am feeling much less guilt about the "oversized load" picture. Am considering it payback for years of "square boozie" torture.)
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