Cinnamon Man!

This was taken on the trip to the beach in Crescent city. I am on the bottom kneeling with pony tails. My aunt Kim is next to me, and my mom is standing behind us with my sister, Jessica, on her shoulder's! I look at this picture and it makes me absolutely nervous.

Sinner Man

o sinnerman where will you run to
sinnerman where will you run to
sinnerman where will you run to
all on that day

run to the mountain
the mountain wont hide you
run to the sea
the sea will not have you
and run to your grave
your grave will not hold you
all on that day

see sinnerman
mountains are falling
sinnerman
the sea it rages
sinnerman
the grave will not hold you
all on that day
run to the lord
lord please hide me
run to the lord

sinnerman
sinnerman
sinnerman

where you gonna run to
all on that day
run to the mountain
the mountain wont hide you
and run to the sea
the sea will not hold you
and run to your grave
the grave will not hide you
all on that day

sinnerman
the mountain is falling
and sinnerman
the sea it rages
and sinnerman
sinnerman
sinnerman
where will you run to
all on that day

the mountain wont hide you
the sea wont have you
and the grave will not hold you
all on that day

When I was about 5 yrs old, my family took a visit to see my Grandma B.J. (short for Bennie Jo, my moms mom) in Crescent City where she lived for a short time with one of my aunt's, Kimmy (whom I also adored and looked up to), who is two years older than I am. When we were little, nothing pleased her more than to tell me the truths about life's little mysteries... like there isn't a Santa, or Easter Bunny just to name a few.

On one of our many road trips together, we loved to sing songs. We'd sing some favorite childhood songs like "The ants go marching one by one, Hurrah! Hurrah!", "There's a hole in the bucket!", and "This old man." We would sing them with a lot of drama and with much enthusiasm. Another song that we would sing was called "Sinnerman,"(also a favorite). Instead of "Sinnerman," I thought it was "Cinnamon Man," but would say "Cinna man." I loved cinnamon toast, and thought 'okay, why not, there is a 'muffin man.' In my mind, this was all okay, songs didn't always have to make sense... Humpty Dumpty (an egg) sat on a wall and had a great fall. Our family was on our way to the beach, where we were going to spend the day. Well, I remember singing this song at the top of our lungs in the back of an old station wagon, with my aunt Kimmy sitting next to me. Next thing I knew she stopped singing and just looked pleased to tell me I was singing it wrong... "it's not cinnamon man! It's Sinner man!" I said "No it's not! It's cinnamon man!" She then crossed her arms and demanded that I ask my mom. "Humph!" I said "I will! Mom! Is it Cinnamon man or what did you say Kimmy?" She said, "Sinner man!" I said, "Yeah, that Mom! Sinner man?" My Mom gave her little sister a look, and then looked at me with apologetic eyes.. "Yes, honey. It is sinnerman." That song took on a whole new meaning for me. As we sang it... the drama and enthusiasm were gone. I had so many questions and was asking them as we sang each line. I needed to understand WHO was the sinnerman and WHY was he hiding. Needless to say, when we sang that song it gave me the chills. It also gave me a reverent fear and I'd always try to be good, even at that young age. It wasn't because of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny either.

**NOTE** Dear readers, In regards to my aunt Kimmy. In all fairness, she grew up, and actually helped me with a LOT of life's little mysteries, was one of my biggest cheer leaders and defenders and I do not know what I would have done without her! But, she was a stinker when we were little! My aunt Kimmy would be the first to admit it and adding some stories about me no doubt. *wink

On one of my walks...

I am trying to start my day off with good healthy choices... like cottage cheese and fresh peaches with some Jasmine Green Tea my boss wanted me to try. On the wrapper it was written, "I shall be a cloud, you the moon, and this is our tea." I am also getting out my pretty treasured dishes and using it for myself.


I am taking a walk...


A white rose reaching for the sky


Always look up and see the detail in things


I love how God has put so much detail in each flower and has made them all so different even though they are the same.... like us.


And make sure you look down, you never know what will greet you.


Brilliant


Sweet fragrance


My Sophie enjoying herself too! She is always up for a good walk.


Some good ol' H2O when I got home

~May you hear the tune that sings in your soul~

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without
the words
And never stops at all.

~ Emily Dickinson

Buried Treasure

My Niece Alexis, who just turned 4

This started about a month ago. With all the craze of the Pirates of the Caribbean, my niece, Alexis, just knew that Nana (my mom) had a pirate's chest buried in her backyard. She would go over and without fail ask my mom to help her DIG for this pirate's chest. She would hand her a garden trowel, look up with pleading eyes and say, "Please." Well what could she do? What any self deserving Nana would. I mean she had to protect her image. DIG! DIG! DIG! Knowing all the while there was not a buried chest. As she got up from digging, ever so slowly, (her knees can take just so much) for the umpteenth time. My mom said to herself, "This ole Nana is going to fix this!" and busied herself. Low and behold she found a small treasure chest (jewelry box) and quickly filled it with some old looking jewelry and coins. She buried it in a spot that she knew was one of their spots to dig and waited. Sure enough the day came and Alexis came over and said "Please dig with me; I just know there is a chest out there!" She stared digging and found it. She was so excited. She kept saying, "Nana look!" She opened it and could not believe the treasure she found inside! She called her Mom and Dad and told them. After about five minutes, she had calmed down, and while holding her chest she looked up at my mom and asked very seriously, "Nana, will the pirate be mad at me for taking his treasure chest?" My mom said, "Ohhhhh noooo honey! This is a very nice pirate. He's funny too. Can't you just see the look on his face when he goes and digs and digs and there won't be any chest!" Although my mom was smiling all the while, she could tell that Alexis wasn't convinced. That night Alexis asked if she could keep the chest in my mom's closet. She was spending the night over there. She checked on her pirates chest first thing the next morning when she woke up. She said, "Nana, look the pirate didn't find the chest!"

Who could resist those brown eyes and that smile?

I am trying to...

Enjoy my surroundings.


Appreciate the beautiful gifts nature has to give.


Drink more water. As time goes by, I understand how precious it is.


Eat healthier. This is vanilla yogurt with black berries that Darlene's husband grew in their back yard.

School's out for... Summer!

Woo Hoo!

Empties

EMPTIES COMING BACK

have you ever sat by the railroad track
and watched the emptys cuming back?
lumbering along with a groan and a whine,-
smoke strung out in a long gray line
belched from the panting injun's stack
- just emptys cuming back.

i have-and to me the emptys seem
like dreams i sometimes dream-
of a girl-or munney-or maybe fame-
my dreams have all returned the same,
swinging along the homebound track
-just emptys cuming back.

ANGELO DE PONCIANO

*note~ I was driving along the train tracks and noticed the graffiti painted on the empty cars. With my love for mermaids, I had to snap a picture .