But I can't avoid the generals chicken. It's sooooo goooood!
Denise and I took dad to Dynasty Chinese Friday night, and the generals chicken and shrimp fried rice was wonderful, as usual. That egg roll ain't nothin' to sneeze at ether.
Mom had a tooth ache, so the girls night out between her and Denise had to be rescheduled. Until last year, mom was still goin' to Ft. Worth to visit her dentist every four months. He was the same guy we all saw regularly since the mid 1970s. She didn't want to stop goin', but my sister and I talked her into shifting to a guy down here. The Idea of my 79 year old mother driving up I-35 just to see a dentist, when we have perfectly good ones down here, drove my sis and I nuts.
When I could I'd usually try to fix it so I could drive them up (Dad would always go with her), but it became hard to arrange as my teaching schedule got full. So now she has a local guy, but he can't figure out why her tooth is giving her fits, so he's hooked her up with a specialist. I hope it all turns out to be something simple. I'd hate to see her suffer through a root canal, or some similar crap.
After dinner, we took my dad out to watch a high school football game. His old school at Academy wasn't playing Friday, so we went to the nearby town of Holland to watch the Bumble Bees play Texas Christian Academy. Holland is the town my Dads family lived in after he left to go to the Army in 1942. His parents and two of his brothers are buried there. He wanted to go by, so I took us out by the old cemetery.
It was about 7PM by the time we got there, and the sun was steadily going down over the hill to the west as we drove up. I know, from the memory of many thousands of visits, exactly where the family plot is. It's a nice place, and I like to go by and see the folks now and then.
I'll never forget the first time I saw my father cry. He'd been gone, half way across the world, when his father and mother had died. He went home for his fathers funeral in about 1964, but I can't remember if he'd been able to get to go home for his mothers burial or not. She lived long enough, her mind robbed by Alzheimer's, until I could get a chance to get old enough to remember her.
I have a vivid memory of standing in a circle around her, along with my father and his three brothers, with this tiny woman in the center of the group. She was not much taller than I was at the time, and looked up in wonder at all the guys towering over her. Dad said later that she didn't remember him, or any of his brothers, but that she always knew who her grandchildren were. She died in about 1968, while we were living in England.
So we stood there, much later, side by side, looking at the grave, as my father saw his mothers name on the headstone for the first time. I looked up at him and saw the emotion on his face. Men in those days didn't cry, so I hugged his waist and cried for him. We both cry much easier these days. I blubber like a fool at the drop of a hat.
The circle goes round and round, and now I'm about the age he was then, and I'm dealing with a few of the same issues he had to deal with. As we both get older, I see that his mind is steadily drifting into old fond memories. He's living in the shadow those memories more and more, but I won't have a son to remember him, and hug me when he goes.
I love to take him on these drives, to get to hear the same old stories again. I know that the day will soon come when he stands there with me in spirit only.
We went to the game, but dad wasn't really into it. Denise and I enjoyed the fun, watching TCA score lots of points on the Bees, but dad was drifting the whole time. He thinks about the days back when he played, and all the people who have passed on since then.
The football field was pretty nice, compared to the one he played in. The kids have much nicer gear, and the bands are much bigger. The Bees tried to hold it together, but TCA had a great little receiver who kept catching lots of good passes. By the time we left, at about half time, the score was pretty lop sided.
The sun went down, and the bugs came out. Dad told me he was ready to go any time I was, and so we hit the road. I took us over to Sam's to gas his car up, and then we headed back to Temple. We visited with mom for a while, and then Denise and I headed back to Killeen. We stopped at Blockbuster and rented a few flicks.
We watched "Perfume" Friday night. It's an interesting little period piece, about a guy born in pre-revolutionary France with a ridiculous sense of smell. You need to check it out, if you're into these gritty period things. I loved it, but the end it became a bit silly. Interesting concept, but silly in the end. We also rented "300", which we watched today. I'd seen it in the theater, but Denise hadn't. Love it, and I'll own it one day. I also rented "Pathfinder", which I've been dying to see since it came out. Rented the unrated version, so I should have some fun in store.
Well, we're going to a party tonight, and I need to get my ass off this thing and wash it. Gotta go powder my balls (inside joke), so I'm off. I hope all your Saturdays were as casual as mine has been so far. Cheers.
Denise and I took dad to Dynasty Chinese Friday night, and the generals chicken and shrimp fried rice was wonderful, as usual. That egg roll ain't nothin' to sneeze at ether.
Mom had a tooth ache, so the girls night out between her and Denise had to be rescheduled. Until last year, mom was still goin' to Ft. Worth to visit her dentist every four months. He was the same guy we all saw regularly since the mid 1970s. She didn't want to stop goin', but my sister and I talked her into shifting to a guy down here. The Idea of my 79 year old mother driving up I-35 just to see a dentist, when we have perfectly good ones down here, drove my sis and I nuts.
When I could I'd usually try to fix it so I could drive them up (Dad would always go with her), but it became hard to arrange as my teaching schedule got full. So now she has a local guy, but he can't figure out why her tooth is giving her fits, so he's hooked her up with a specialist. I hope it all turns out to be something simple. I'd hate to see her suffer through a root canal, or some similar crap.
After dinner, we took my dad out to watch a high school football game. His old school at Academy wasn't playing Friday, so we went to the nearby town of Holland to watch the Bumble Bees play Texas Christian Academy. Holland is the town my Dads family lived in after he left to go to the Army in 1942. His parents and two of his brothers are buried there. He wanted to go by, so I took us out by the old cemetery.
It was about 7PM by the time we got there, and the sun was steadily going down over the hill to the west as we drove up. I know, from the memory of many thousands of visits, exactly where the family plot is. It's a nice place, and I like to go by and see the folks now and then.
I'll never forget the first time I saw my father cry. He'd been gone, half way across the world, when his father and mother had died. He went home for his fathers funeral in about 1964, but I can't remember if he'd been able to get to go home for his mothers burial or not. She lived long enough, her mind robbed by Alzheimer's, until I could get a chance to get old enough to remember her.
I have a vivid memory of standing in a circle around her, along with my father and his three brothers, with this tiny woman in the center of the group. She was not much taller than I was at the time, and looked up in wonder at all the guys towering over her. Dad said later that she didn't remember him, or any of his brothers, but that she always knew who her grandchildren were. She died in about 1968, while we were living in England.
So we stood there, much later, side by side, looking at the grave, as my father saw his mothers name on the headstone for the first time. I looked up at him and saw the emotion on his face. Men in those days didn't cry, so I hugged his waist and cried for him. We both cry much easier these days. I blubber like a fool at the drop of a hat.
The circle goes round and round, and now I'm about the age he was then, and I'm dealing with a few of the same issues he had to deal with. As we both get older, I see that his mind is steadily drifting into old fond memories. He's living in the shadow those memories more and more, but I won't have a son to remember him, and hug me when he goes.
I love to take him on these drives, to get to hear the same old stories again. I know that the day will soon come when he stands there with me in spirit only.
We went to the game, but dad wasn't really into it. Denise and I enjoyed the fun, watching TCA score lots of points on the Bees, but dad was drifting the whole time. He thinks about the days back when he played, and all the people who have passed on since then.
The football field was pretty nice, compared to the one he played in. The kids have much nicer gear, and the bands are much bigger. The Bees tried to hold it together, but TCA had a great little receiver who kept catching lots of good passes. By the time we left, at about half time, the score was pretty lop sided.
The sun went down, and the bugs came out. Dad told me he was ready to go any time I was, and so we hit the road. I took us over to Sam's to gas his car up, and then we headed back to Temple. We visited with mom for a while, and then Denise and I headed back to Killeen. We stopped at Blockbuster and rented a few flicks.
We watched "Perfume" Friday night. It's an interesting little period piece, about a guy born in pre-revolutionary France with a ridiculous sense of smell. You need to check it out, if you're into these gritty period things. I loved it, but the end it became a bit silly. Interesting concept, but silly in the end. We also rented "300", which we watched today. I'd seen it in the theater, but Denise hadn't. Love it, and I'll own it one day. I also rented "Pathfinder", which I've been dying to see since it came out. Rented the unrated version, so I should have some fun in store.
Well, we're going to a party tonight, and I need to get my ass off this thing and wash it. Gotta go powder my balls (inside joke), so I'm off. I hope all your Saturdays were as casual as mine has been so far. Cheers.
9 comments:
sounds like a great time.
Excellent photos my man! Love the graveyard and the football shots! Couldn't be any better!
The first time I ever saw my dad cry was when his mother died.
Maybe it's just me, but have you ever noticed that none of the Asian wait staff ever eats the food at the Chinese Resturant? I've never seen one of them eat a thing. Hmmmm...
i never saw my father cry. and the egg roll looks really really good!
smiles, bee
Same here, never used to cry in public. Now I don't care who sees that I have feelings. Might be growing up and growing older and wiser.
I'd die for one of those egg rolls right about now!
I like the General's chicken myself along with some flied lice..but the stuff is tough on a diabetic diet and I only splurge on it about once a year..and the time is nearing...
OK, at least you've got the pictures pretty much fine-tuned---they at least LOOK relatively edible, now! I'm tellin' ya' dude, some of those earlier pics were scary enough, without the MSG!!!
Aww, I can't rag you too hard---I'm still not above eatin' straight out of a cold can, even today!
(But when the wife's home, I get more "civilized"---I put it on a paper plate---COLD...!)
how ironic that I brought home 'perfume' today...been trying to read the book just dont have the time..
I used to moan when my dad reminisced about past events, I dont anymore as who else would tell me. These are moments to cherish in a family besides my son loves hearing about the good old days. We'll certainly miss hearing them when he's gone. A time to treasure!
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