There once was a rooster named Mary
To many, he seemed a bit scary
There once was a rooster named Mary
To many, he seemed a bit scary
It has long been my dream to write and illustrate a series of children’s books. Several years ago, I even took a watercolor class so I could learn how paint hummingbirds or other critters for the books. I quickly learned that I’m no artist but I did enjoy the process of mixing beautiful colors to make other beautiful colors. Then life got really busy…..I became a mom, my job became more demanding and time-consuming and frankly, I just didn’t have the energy to work on it.
Yesterday, we made our weekly trip to the sale Barn. It’s truly one of the highlights of my week. It’s so busy here on the farm. We are working harder than we ever have. I used to think I worked a lot…and I did, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as this lifestyle we have right now. I’m not complaining ….at all. I’m glad for the work. Those shirts or bumper stickers you see that say, “If you ate today, thank a farmer” make a heckuva lot more sense now.
When I was little, I remember our family driving down the road and my mom would say, “Albert, did you see all those blackberries? Go back…let’s get some.” And my dad would always turn around. We’d find a sack or something in the car to take the berries home in and then we’d be on our merry way, with our contraband blackberries, juice running down our necks and stained hands. Those days almost always ended with a blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream.
Over the past couple weeks (and the last ten years), I’ve started cataloging advice….lessons….whatever you want to call it. I know this isn’t a comprehensive list and I am confident that I will continue to add to it but for now, here’s a start that I hope will be helpful for any teenage girl.
So here goes……
Don’t let anyone tell you your dream. You decide what you want and fight like hell for it.
Marry the guy you want to marry. Or don’t…..you decide what works for you.
Go after the job you really want….even if it means you’ll have to eat ramen noodles and mac & cheese. Do what you love. You spend more hours at work than anywhere else. Make sure it’s where you want to be.
Don’t take ibuprofen on an empty stomach.
As I sat on the edge of the waterbed, the disc jockey for KSSN announced news that changed my world. Time stopped for a few minutes and I cried while sitting there on the edge of the bed. Keith Whitley was dead at the age of 33 years old from an apparent alcohol overdose.