A MORNING DTB, COFFEE WITH THE BRUD-IN-LAW

I am home for the weekend, that being DTB, (down the Bayou).

My besties, Laurie, Ann and I spent the afternoon decorating for 

The baby shower for Laurie’s first grandchild. 

When I stay DTB I mean home, down the bayou.

I don’t visit as much as I should, time seems to slip away from me

As I do artist work, help with grandgirl, and spend time

With “da boo’ all so important yet this visiting is equally important. 

When I return to my hometown, more often than not,

I sleep at my niece, Tiffany’s apartment connected to my sis’s

Home. All of this writing gives a background for my story;

My Brud-in-law has been in my life since I was three.

He began dating my sis, Veronica when they were in high school.

Back then, aside from my immediate family

I was very shy of people yet, this handsome young man would try anything

To get the ‘little sister’ to like him. 

That day was a huge lollipop and it worked. 

One of my favorite things about sleeping DTB is

Morning coffee with Brud-in-law.

We are both early birds so we find ourselves each morning

spent here drinking coffee together and bullshitting.

The conversations are always so very good.

However, this man is one of the sweetest caring men I know. 

Since his retirement, He does a lot to help my sis.

Some mornings, it is as simple as this:

 he makes his coffee and then fixes the Keurig for his wife.

On this morning as I sit here drinking coffee he is folding clothes. 

They are leaving early to head to Mississippi to watch one of

Their grandchildren perform.

He is not merely folding clothes, though. 

“I woke up at 2:30am and remembered Veronica didn’t have enough

white clothes for our weekend so I washed, dried and am now folding so she can pack.”

This is one of many facets of my Brud-in-law I love. 

He was not asked or told what needed to be done, 

He just did it. I know so many that could benefit from learning

From this gentle soul who I am privileged to call

BRUD-IN-LAW.

Beauty is not what you see in the mirror

This morning, on Facebook, a friend of mine

posted this from another site.

Says so much, so much that I would want my grandgirls

to know, believe.

Yesterday having spent a few hours with JOJO,

the sweetest, most complimentary 4-year-old

I know, I have no doubt she will

be "that girl"

It also reminded me of something I used to tell my

own babies when they were growing up,

being hard on themselves because of maybe

a bad grade or being grounded.

"When your time comes to meet the Big Man

after this life, he will not ask you

What grades did you make, were you pretty?

Instead, he will ask, were you good and kind,

did you take opportunities to be good to others?"

Truthfully, it is in those ways that make you 

more beautiful than 'the others in the room'.

As I grow older, more wrinkles in site,

discoloration of my once even skin tone,

I still feel prettier than I ever have in the past.

Why? I think it has to do with living a peaceful, happy life.

Content is where I am and always trying to be the

best person I can be. To pay it forward whenever

I can. To do for others, help others when the opportunity

arises and always try to leave someone with some type

of positive comment. 

I am far from perfect, forget and often get stuck inside my own life.

 However, one day with JOJO and she will

 remind me of just how important compliments can be.

"Oh Mumsie, I love this kitchen"

"Mumsie, I love you so much"

"Mumsie you are so pretty even with your wrinkles"

(have I said she is honest as well.....)

I say to others if you ever having trouble with self-confidence,

spend a day with JOJO and your 

confidence will be restored.

Beware, she loves to talk, like her Mumsie

but the things that come from her little heart and soul 

are worth hearing all she has to say.

Go forth and "be pretty"

Our Bean turns 8!

Our Jillian Grace turns 8 today, 8!!!!!!

Seems like just yesterday that we were blessed with her.

Above, her baby pics and one of her and my Mom on

their first visit. Mom lived another two years after this photo was taken

these two with her parents who were smitten with their first born.

What do I want to say to my first Grandgirl on her 8th birthday...

So much that my thoughts are jumbled.

Jillian came to us at a time that I needed a distraction

from the marriage, I was in and that was not good.

She was a pleasure to us all and it was because

of her I found myself wanting to be in Plaquemine all the time.

Our bond is a lovely one. She loves the Cottage, having

been the one to name it.

As we drove near it the first time I showed it to her she exclaimed,

"Mumsie, it looks just like the cottage on Goldilocks and

the three bears!" and Mumsie's Cottage was born.

I am biased so excuse me while I brag on my oldest grandgirl:

She is beautiful and sweet,

dramatic (like her Mumsie lol)

smart, understanding things not many 2nd graders understand.

She is a teachers dream, following the rules, never

getting in trouble. Loves her family especially her baby sisters.

Loves all her grandparents and is affectionate to us all.

Sometimes I think, because she was the first, around mostly adults

for the first two years of her life

has an adult vocabulary but still a child when it comes to playing.

She loves crafts, painting, miniatures,

all those things I adore.

In a few weeks, she and her friends, who will be staying at her

house for a sleepover will come to the cottage for a

Mumsie's Cottage craft as she is just so proud of 

what I do. I could go on and on about this child

of ours. Yet, I don't want to bore followers while

singing her praises.

I have to add, that for everything that makes her special

to us, there is another thing that reminds us that she

is a typical child as well. 

She, being ours makes her that "special" I speak of.

All the grandgirls have that influence on us all.

I will close with one last thing:

When the boo built the lemonade stand for her and her sisters,

she began to brainstorm a name. Because Boo worked for 

a company called double J, she thought Triple J would

be proper as she and her sisters' names are all J's.

Hence the name of the stand. However, she has carried

this name through all aspects of their lives,

calling themselves the Triple J's.

A few weekends ago, all three of the grandgirls spent the whole

night. That next morning on my chalkboard, I was happy 

to see she had made changes to her earlier writing

from "Two of the Triple J's were here"

to

"ALL THE TRIPLE J'S WERE HERE"

That is our Bean.

Happy 8th year on Earth my sweet girl,

we are the lucky ones!

Mardi Gras 2019

"Wanna go to a parade?"

"Nah, I am not much into parades."

"I have a friend on the parade route in NOLA"

"New friends, Heck Yeah!"

This was a conversation between myself and the boo.

The fact about Mardi Gras is, growing up in Golden Meadow,

Mardi Gras and parades were a big deal as we lived

on the parade route.  My Dad was not much of a holiday celebrater

but when it came to Mardi Gras, he pulled out all the hospitality.

Cooked the biggest batch of homemade chili,

even the bathroom received a shining.

Everyone was invited to the Collins homestead.

Open door policy where there were times we were sure

people we didn't even know came for hot dogs and chili.

When we heard the sirens, our spot in front of Randolph's Restaraunt

                                    was blocked off and we all walked to Highway 1 to watch

the parade. Beautiful memories.

Then, when I was 20, my Daddy died.

Mardi Gras for me was never the same. 

I lost my love for the parade.

However, meeting friends of the boo and learning

about their lives, I am all over that!

Hence, the parades of 2019,  celebrated at the Bergeron home.

I had met Ralph at Boo's Mom's memorial.

He greeted us at the door with his 100-pound pup, Appolo.

Soon I met the rest of the family, 

Cheryl, his wife, and his two adult daughters

Val and Claire. Such a laid back family.

The conversation was great as we shared our lives.

We walked to the parade after a lunch of

grilled burgers and hot dogs.

As we waited for the parades I monitored the crowd.

I noticed a family oriented spot, many families,

some with little ones who seemed like special needs children.

As the Parade Of Argus passed, I also was aware of each

the floats had special needs children and adults.

Having been a school nurse for 11 years I was impressed and

curious. I just had to find out about Argus and the crowds.

I picked a Daddy who had been holding his little son

who I could tell was also special needs at the age of approximately four.

" Do you know anything about the parade of Argus?"

He explains that his little son has Autism and his daughter

is deaf, this parade is the one they always come to as

it supports the needs of special children like his own.

I watch the parade with open eyes, sharing my catches with

this sweet little boy. I am now an Argus Fan.

After the parades that lasted over an hour,

three right after the other, I danced and held my hand up

for beads just like the rest of them.

I have to say, after so many years since my last parade,

I have not had that much fun since I was a child.

We then walked back to the Boo's friends home where

we sat on the porch to watch the crowds disperse and

walk to their cars. Oh, the memories of yesterdays come flooding back.

Sitting in front of our street watching the traffic on Highway 1.

The Bergeron's not only were friendly and laid back,

but I felt like we had been friends for a long time.

We spent another few hours in their most beautiful home

sharing stories and I had a new audience and yes, 

my "diarrhea of the mouth" was in full swing, telling

one life story after the other. So much so that my cheeks hurt.

Yet,  my new friend, Ralph was a fellow storyteller,

going all out to tell a story of going to Chauvin for fishing

with his girls. Where some may just say,

"Yes we go fishing in Chauvin"

Ralph made a story explaining start to finish, even with Cajun

accents the story of their trips, leaving nothing out.

I am enamored by the way he tells his stories.

Cheryl, his wife is also such a wonderful host.

She is a curious listener, asking questions and looking up things

we speak of on her phone, truly interested in things I share

about down the bayou, what I still call home.

The boo, a quiet but great partner to my stories

as he has heard them all yet he never stops me, allows

me to share with my new friends.

I never go to someone's home empty-handed.

That morning Boo and I made a boo-yee cake and they not 

only enjoy it but want to find out about its name, etc.

Dusk is settling when the Boo and I decide it is time to leave

 our friends. Friends we now are, having also become

friends on Facebook. We are not home yet when I receive a text

from Cheryl thanking us for coming, for all the interesting

conversation and looking forward to meeting us for brunch

one Sunday soon.

When you meet new friends who make you feel so welcomed

you must consider yourself blessed.

I am so thankful that Boo gave me the chance to attend this

parade which led me to the Bergeron's.

Because of this and the hospitality of this family I have

a newly found love for parades.

It will be a friendship that I can see will become long lasting.

Looking forward to our next outing celebrating

the friendship with the Bergeron's.