Pretty Pink Flowers...

When I was a very little girl I knew very little of what my father's job entailed.  I knew he farmed and farmed a crop that caused him a lot of trouble.  He'd come home and talk of the suckers and clay dirt and I would think he was talking of candy and play-dough.

Turns out he was talking about tobacco.  The crop that in a very few short years I would grow very familiar with-- tobacco. 

It grows green from a very small seed that will result in a baby plant that has to be transplanted by hand from a greenhouse to the field.

The plant itself, depending on what type of soil it matures in and weather conditions, can grow to be almost taller than myself. And once it matures it shoots out this beautiful pink flower, right out the top.

As a little girl I couldn't understand why in the world would anyone want those beautiful pink flowers out of the plant.  I remember one afternoon my parents pulling into a field of tobacco and walking down the rows popping out the tops, those beautiful pink flowers, and throwing them on the ground.  I walked behind them, my sister and I, and picked up the bunches and made wedding bouquets.

How pretty they were! 

They were very pretty until it was time to go.  When I put them down, I discovered sticky hands.  My greatest fear!  I hate sticky and still do to this day.  The tar and the gum wouldn't come off by wiping my hands on my shorts.  It would take a good washing in hot water and Lava soap to rid them of that sticky residue.  I was throughly disgusted by the pretty pink flowers...

I later learned that the pretty pink flowers take away nutrients from the plant and cause the tobacco leaf to weigh less.  Since you sell tobacco by the pound, you want the leaf to have more weight, therefore the pink flowers have to come out... along with the suckers that grow between the leaf and the stalk.

a picture of a sucker on a trash pile of tobacco

To think, once, I thought that my daddy grew candy and had mountains of play dough that he wouldn't share with me!

There is a Man in India that Thinks I'm Crazy...

"Can you read?" a very rude and very heavy Indian accent flooded the end of my phone receiver.  Indigently, I replied that I could so read.  The reason for such a question was because earlier last week the Starter Pool's pump died.  And because of its demise, I was forced to call the company that makes the starter pool which evidently outsources its customer service overseas. 

I was already in a bad mood when I called because, even though the pool is still under warranty, we threw away the pump manual and no longer had the serial number that would ensure us a completely new and free pool pump.  So I wasn't happy.  And even though I wasn't overly friendly, as I generally try to be when calling a customer service hot line, I wasn't being rude either.  So I was quite gotten away with when the grumpy little voice on the other end of the line asked me if I was capable of reading!

Of course he needed the model number off the pool's pump-- which was when all the trouble started.... 
I couldn't see the number-- even though he said it was after the word "CAUTION".  I told him I could see the word CAUTION but I couldn't see a number.  The word after CAUTION was not a number and to be more specific-- the character after the word CAUTION was a colon, not a word-- but I figured that would really tick him off and so I just started reading the entire sentence after the colon to the grumpy man in India who asked if I could read.   Apparently we were experiencing a language barrier.  He should have said "under" instead of "after" because when I looked down a few lines, there was indeed a model number.

The problem was taken care of and now that the pump as arrived, all will be forgotten-- eventually.

It's that Time Again...

June was unbearably hot-- which resulted in us buying the Starter Pool.  July is upon us and at least it has brought some much needed rain along with the heat and humidity.  Summer is in full swing and that means vacations are just around the corner.

Every year we go for a couple of days with my in-laws to Myrtle Beach around the end of July.  My in-laws are the type of people that love to entertain with activities.  When we come down for a few days we end up sight-seeing, eating at very crowded chain style restaurants and shop-shop-shopping until we are literally about to drop dead-- except we still have to visit long-lost relatives that happen to live near by.  It's fun.  But it's not relaxing in the least. 

Luckily, at the beginning of August we also take a tiny break and head to Emerald Isle with my family who vacation in the most opposite fashion.  Relaxing by the pool with a drink in your hand... laying on the beach with a good book... waking up to a giant breakfasts' prepared especially for you... eating a large fabulous meal each and every night in the comfort of your PJ's... it's just the most relaxing vacation you'll ever take with a group of people.

My Uncle-- who is fabulous and owns a couple restaurants (which explains the food mentioned above)-- always rents a place for a week or so and we all go down.  This year he's rented the Anna Victoria.  We stayed across the road from it last year and lusted after it's massiveness.  He said that if we all came down for a couple of days, he'd rent it for us.

So, duh... we all agreed that we'd come down for a little bit. 

I'm not sure I'm going to want to leave!

Dressed-Down Sort of Dressed-Up...

I have a closet in my house that holds nothing but dresses. Beautiful dresses that may or may not have ever been worn.  Some were worn to parties and weddings while others have only been to work or church.  And then there are the few that have the tag still on and have never been worn nowhere.  I've got a bad habit of buying dresses with no place to wear them. 

This week I ordered a pretty little dress from Urban Outfitters.  I had a code to get 15% off and when I saw the little strapless number with the ruffles down the front and read that it was made from vintage material-- I had to get it.

It came yesterday and now I'm dying to wear it.  Tonight, I'm pretty sure that we will be going to one of our 'regular' places... Mucho Mexico.  It is not a fancy place-- just a cheap and fun place to hang out at... drink a beer and have a taco sort of place... and I want to wear this dress.

But I know when I do-- I'll hear the groans from the Hubster-- "Why are you wearing a dress?"  I'll hear the "Oh.  You dressed up" from my sister when we arrive at the restaurant--late of course.  And then I'll have to be all like, "no, this is a casual dress" and no one will understand. 

If I wore pants... or shorts... or even a skirt-- I'd not hear "Oh!  You dressed up."  But the moment you put on a dress-- you've dressed up.

And then there is men... Why is it that men wear the same thing, over and over and no one cares?  The Hubster wears the same type polo shirt over the same type chino shorts with the same type of boat shoe every where we go and no one ever cares! He's even worn this same type outfit to sort of fancy parties and no one cares because all his friends dress this way-- it's like a club or something! 

Oh the pressures of being a woman!

Pool Update...

The pool is fun.  By Friday I had achieved perfect pool chemistry and I'm pleased to report that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the Hubster and I enjoyed the cool waters of the Starter Pool.

Also, on a somewhat related note-- the relation being happy news-- my sister and her long-time boyfriend became engaged atop a lighthouse off the North Carolina Coast Saturday night... the Black Lab puppy that took up residence at our house has now found a new home with my brother-in-law... and finally, my mother's lab reports came back normal!

I think I'll go and enjoy the pool now!

The Starter Pool...

I've been home on summer vacation for about nine days now.  In these nine days-- I've been back to work three times.  The first two days were for interviews.  Today I had to briefly stop in to sign a paper that my boss had to refile.  In the last nine days I've also cleaned my house-- cooked a few delightful meals-- and pretended to be a housewife.  Yesterday I helped put up corn from Grandma's garden and tried to find the owner of the little puppy that has taken up at our house. 

In these nine days the Hubster and I have also became the proud owner of a starter pool.  You know, some young couples purchase starter homes.  Not us, we bought a pool.  And rather on impulse, I might add.

The weather had something to do with it.  I don't know about how your weather has been lately-- but 'round these parts... well, it has been horribly h-o-t.  And humid.  And rainless.  So on Sunday, after we'd done the Father's day thing at my house and at his house, we found ourselves in the Mount Olive Wal-Mart talking to the Sales Person about pools.

After a few embarrassing comments from the Sales Person about how our kids will just love this pool and us informing her it was for us-- that we have no kids-- we were the proud new owners of a 1,500 gallon 3 foot blow-up pool and an $8 dollar blow-up raft.

The box read:  Easy set-up!  Be relaxing in the pool in 14 minutes! 

Liar.

It took hours.  Days!

As of today, we've yet to even dip our toes in the water. 

In the five days that we've had this pool, I've made two trips to the pool store for supplies.  Trip #1 consided of buying chlorine tabs and testers.  Trip # 2 was a fact finding mission where I found out the heat is what is making my pool water look a little greenish.  I also found out that I needed to add more chemicals-- stuff to balance the pH and something else that I can't figure out how to spell along with Shock.

The Pool Guy told me that I'd have to Shock my pool at least twice a week to keep that green tint from coming back.  He also told me that since we used well water to fill the pool, the Shock might also make the water green because there could be copper or iron in my water.  If the water turns greener, then I'll make trip # 3 for a Pool Magnet.

When I was a little girl, we had a pool.  A rather large above-ground and I remember it being such a pain for my parents that it didn't last but a few weeks.  My parents instead bought a share to the neighborhood pool and that's where we went up until my sister and I got old enough to be too embarassed to wear a bathing suit in public (and for two completely different reasons-- she was pleasantly plump and I had no boobs).  But the Hubster and I are thinking that we'd like an in-ground pool after we get the dream house built, so this will be our starter pool.

I think it is time to test again-- I'm afraid to find out what is wrong now!  Judging by the way it's looking, I might need to make that third trip for a pool magnet.  Oh, starter pool-- you make me want to purchase a pool share from the local neighborhood pool.

Some Friendly, Unsolicited Wedding Advice-- Series One...

Our anniversary was Wednesday.  We didn't do anything too special for it though.  I had gone for my yearly physical earlier in the day and I was still not over the "physical" part of the phyiscal.  I was unlucky enough to get "handled" by a student doctor who gave me the most painful PAP smear of my life and one of the most uncomfortable examinations I ever hope to encounter while my doctor watched me uncomfortably react. Sounds a little sadistic doesnt' it?   I'm not sure I'm over it yet.  I close my eyes and suddenly I'm transported back to that very long and uncomfortable experience.  I still feel like I have been violated.  But don't feel too bad for us-- the Hubster and me-- we aren't all that into celebrations anyway.  Hopefully this Fall, when things are less stressful, we'll take a little weekend trip to celebrate. (maybe-- I always say that's what we'll do and we never do!)

But I digress.  Thinking back to my wedding, I'd like to offer some friendly, unsolicited wedding advice to any of you in the process of planning a wedding yourself.  I'll call this series one:

It is important that all brides get that "silly" idea out of their heads.  The silly idea I speak of, you ask?  Well, that idea that your wedding day is your day.  As much as it is your day, it is also several other's people's day as well.  Your parents, his parents, your bridal party and most importantly, your invitied guests are spending a great deal of time and money on your wedding and you should treat them well because of that. 

When you take away the ceremony, which truly is for you and your groom, the reception is what is left and it really is a time to treat your guests and bridal party.  It is a time to give back while expressing your style as a couple for the first time.

It is in poor taste when a newly married couple will not allow guests to enter the buffett line before they arrive at the reception because they want to be the first in line.  A few years ago I was invited to my cousin's wedding.  Her parent's had put on a huge spread and had really spared no expense.  When the ceremony ended we were directed a few miles down the road to their home for the reception.  They had the hot DJ of the moment playing soft "cocktail hour" type music and guests were filling in the reception area, except there was no cocktail hour.  Thirty minutes went by and people were milling about... another thirty minutes went by and people were growing a tad restless... another thirty minutes went by and people were hungry and looking for food, but because the bride and groom were not quite finished with the photographer, we were trapped like starving animals in this large reception area with nothing to do.

I remember being angry as I watched that newly married couple start the line for the buffett-- like those eager young kids always do at the family reunion...it was simply tacky. I remember being annoyed and I left shortly after.  Later, a few month after the ceremony I heard my cousin's mom remarking that she couldn't understand why more people hadn't stayed longer.  I knew why-- they were hungry and didn't want to wait any longer for old shrimp cocktail and crab puffs.

If you aren't going to have a cocktail hour-- then start the buffett as soon as possible and don't think that you have to be the first in line.  The reception is a time for you to talk to guests, mingle-- pose for the camera and get complimented on your style and grace. 

Most importantly, being a bride is not just about putting on the white dress and veil.  It is about being a gracious host.  So treat your guests and make them feel comfortable.  If food is your thing-- have the caterers set aside plates for your and your new husband.  This way you will be able to still eat the food you picked out, but won't have to make 200 of your nearest and dearest wait for you to finish other tasks-- like getting your wedding pictures made-- something you are going to not want to skimp on because you will look back at the pictures-- I don't know that you will the food.

So as you start to plan, remember to take out that idea-- that your wedding day is all about you.  In actuallity, it is largely about you and the choices you made for this event.  However, do you want people's first impression of you as a married person to be that of a selfish and spoiled primadonna?

Better yet, show your guests-- your nearest and dearest-- how greatful you and your new husband are to have them celebrate your love and your new status as a married couple.  You want people to leave your wedding thinking, "WOW" and feeling like they were a part of the moment and simply not spectators to the "ME, ME, ME" show.

Series Two :  DJ vs. Band-- Is one really better than the other?