This Old House....

It's funny, the stories we hear from past residents of this 70 year old house. The saltbox structure was built by George L. Charlton, a prominent Judge in Tomball, Texas. The history and original hardwood floors were what sold us!
Not so much the hideous green tile bathroom and the stories of haunting!!!
Added onto in the late 60’s, It has had a few owners, most with children or teens having big imaginations…but the tales never cease and they are always interesting,,,
Some tell stories of lights mysteriously shutting off upstairs, a tall underwear clad gentleman appearing nightly in the study, and most recently, a comment that a little lady spirit sits in my front living area…as long as she doesn't get my chair, I'm fine with that! HHMMM,What to believe???
Well, I never put much store in this kind of thing, but as we live near a community museum which has had stories published about being haunted, I guess they could be visiting ghostly neighbors!
So far, no poltergeist experiences by the Shaw household and that is after 9 years of mostly peaceful habitation; not withstanding the frigged air of an old home in winter, the creaking floors or an occasional strange noise. Oh yes, the thought of the house being haunted, does make us look at every unexplained happening with question and there have been a few, but so far-so good…. IF there are ghosts, they must be closely related to Casper!

Or maybe it’s just that this home is filled with blessing enough and most of the time, JOY! After all, teenagers do still live here….
And because of that; rest has finally come to 400 Epps St.!

Joy of Chords & Rhythm

My Joy, Cameron on the Piano....& 89 lbs of Awesomeness (Garrison)on a dance floor!
I am loving the fact that my middle child, Cameron, loves his mother and music enough, to humor her by playing the piano each evening after hours at band practice, blowing his chops on the trumpet and marching in the sweltering heat! No time for lessons anymore, he is now teaching himself "Tennessee" from the soundtrack of the movie "Pearl Harbor". (now playing) Living vicariously, I always wanted to play! I sit and tear up just listening to him. The JOY of Chords!
I keep telling him the way to a girl's heart is a song. Watch out girls!

And then there is 89 lbs of Awesomeness (he's gained a few), as he has been known to introduce himself or Garrison as we know him...The rhythm in that boy makes me smile, reminds me of myself when I entered the "twist" contest at my Dad's company picnic when I was maybe 10. He got that rhythm from somewhere, I'm claimin' it. Well some of it; I never even thought of moving like he does and that was with years of training and practice. He's a natural. An actor at heart (dramatic by nature, not claimin' that), he drums, he plays alto-sax, but it's the rhythm in those bones that gets me every time! The JOY of Rhythm!
Watch out girls, this boy can dance!

Just thankin' of blessings! b

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Of a Different Color

Dear Father by Neil Diamond
Dear Father
We dream
We dream
We dream
While we may
Who are we to need,
We need
We need
While we wait,
While we wait....

I was given this book long ago by a very special person, someone I admired, and respected a great deal. When I picked it up the other day to reread it almost 35 years later, I questioned a couple of things about the book and the giver.

First what it was about the book that made it special to the person who gave it to me.... I never asked!

And what was it that he hoped I would learn or feel from reading it?

The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with the daily squabbles over food. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself, learning everything he can about flying, until finally his unwillingness to conform results in his expulsion from his flock. An outcast, he continues to learn, becoming increasingly pleased with his abilities as he leads an idyllic life, he thinks!!!! But what he eventually learns is that love, deserved respect, and forgiveness all seem to be equally important to freedom.

AND DREAMS LIVED AND THINGS LEARNED ARE TO SHARE!

I loved the book when I read it as a young naive 17 year old with great dreams and much hope for the future. Now as I look back at its underlying meaning, I am sure of one thing, we see things differently when we are older and hopefully wiser. As I am always open to new possibilities and still have dreams for the future (yes, even at 52), it is what I have learned to this point that I can share with others to help them realize their dreams! Maybe that is what he was trying to share????

Dreaming of a new place to soar, a new opportunity and a JOYFUL new path for my family! Just a dream at present, but could become a reality! And yes I am a Seagull of a different Color! In more ways than one!

Precious Peter Pan

(aka Jackson Everett Abbott)

What to be or not to be, that is the question???
A person runs out of ideas for

Halloween, or as we know it, Fall Festival costumes for boys! It has become somewhat of a forte’ of mine. So after last year’s green velvet hit, Oh he looked so precious in his Peter Pan creation by GramB & Mom, how can we top it!
We’re looking for inspiration. Got any ideas??
I can only name a few of the costumes I have created in my time, let’s see, it started with "PETER PAN'S DAD", my oldest son’s 2 year old costume, a Peter Pan Peanut Butter Jar, peanut hat and all; his best friend went as Welch’s Grape Jelly! Next came, Michael Jackson, green satin jacket, black yarn wig and of course the must have white sequined glove, what was i thinking??? After a couple of back braking stints at the sewing machine, ending in a body suit with cotton stuffed muscles (Hulk Hogan), we just went for the all impressive store bought scary mask and appropriate clothes from the closet….It's all about the candy anyway, right? Then came the second round of boys, at least there was a little breather in between! I’ve done Bible Man, a sparkly alien, Harry Potter, various pirates, Lord of the Rings “Aragon & Legolas”, you name it, you saw it in a magical movie, I was all over it! And just when I thought I was done….I have the delight of creation for grandchildren. And it really is a blessing, just to be ask to participate in some small way in the process of deciding, what to be??!! I’m thankful for the fact that my Mom sewed, so now I sew and pass the tradition of sewing on to the Mom of my grandchildren with JOY.
Happy Halloween, oops…Fall Festival Month! b