The Birthday Cake, Mom gave to Carla and I on our 40th Birthday

This was the birthday cake that my mom got for Carla and I on our 40th Birthday.  It was actually about a week before our birthday.  I was going to leave town because of the practical jokes that Mom would play on special birthdays like the 40th.  I am one week older than Carla, we got this cake together.

I remember calling Mom and telling her that Chad Hudson's band was playing at the Little Wheel (think it was called something else by this time) and that we were going to go watch him.  Mom said, "Oh, okay but I don't know if we are going to go." 

The Little Wheel is only about 5 1/2 miles from our house so we were a little late getting there.  When we drove up, I saw the black ribbons flying from the posts outside.  I told Carla, we ought to go back home.  Well, when we got inside, there was a surprise birthday party waiting for us.  Lots of our friends and family were there.  The normal party stuff was there too.  "Over the hill" posters and Ben Gay.  I thought to myself, well this isn't so bad and started to relax and enjoy myself.  All of a sudden someone shows up with our Birthday Cake.  As you can see, it was a white sheet cake with a black padded potty seat on top of it.  In silver ink on the top, it said: "Happy Birthday, Mike and Carla".  You can see what happened when we raised the lid.  There is a white plastic bowl under the potty sead and those are either Baby Ruths or Butterfingers floating in beer.  Needless to say not many people ate any cake.  It stopped the show at the Little Wheel as people from everywhere were taking pictures.  Mom had gotten me again.

Well as the party went on Mom wanted me to dance with her.  I told her "No" because I didn't trust her at this time.  She kept on and on until I finally said "Yes".  I told her that she had to behave herself  while we were dancing or that I would just leave her on the dance floor.  Well we had danced a couple of times around the dance floor.  We got right up in front of the band.  Chad Hudson was about 6 feet away from us.  Mom started pulling tube socks out of her bra and was tossing them at Chad.  Well, that's what she was doing the last time I looked because I was high tailing it off of that dance floor. 

It was a good laugh and now a great memory.

Mother's Day

It’s hard to describe my Mom. She is a very loving person who is fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She made great efforts not to play favorites with us kids.
You know, you won’t appreciate that until later in life. I am close to my brother and sisters. We are all very close. Mom made sure that to this day that we call each other on birthdays. It’s a given. The goal is to be the first to call.

Mom did the discipline in our family. I will never forgive Jack LaLane for that plastic exercise strap that he sold back in the early 60’s. Mom and June Hill bought them to exercise with. Mom used it on my butt more than I want to think about. I always had the problem of wanting the last word. That last word usually cost me. I swear I don’t know what happened to that blue plastic whip. I wish I did.

Mom is a practical joker. Dad loved turnips, but we (kids) didn’t. Mom would fix potatoes and mix in a couple of turnips; just to watch us kids spit those turnips out. I can’t count the number of practical jokes that she played on family and friends.

Mom is there when you need her. When I was a sophomore in college, I had a serious reaction to an antibiotic. It nearly killed me. Mom was by my side for months while I recovered. I can’t thank her enough for that. But that was just Mom.

Mom is the family historian. She keeps up with the genealogy and tells us about our family history.

Mom is a great grandmother, her grandchildren adore her and so do her great grandchildren. She will get after you if she thinks you are doing something wrong. She speaks her mind.

Mom taught my brother and me how to treat women. Our wives have Mom to thank for that. She taught us to say, “Yes, Maim and No, Maim and Yes, Sir and No, Sir”. That comes automatic to us. Mom taught us to respect everyone.

One of the main things that I want to thank her for was not teaching us kids to be racist. While Mom was not perfect in that respect, she didn’t teach us to disrespect anyone. That was tough in the 60’s in South Austin.

Dad was the provider, but Mom was the teacher for us kids. She taught us about life and how to deal with life. She is a good teacher.

I don’t know what else to say, but thank you Mom. I have passed onto my daughter many of the things that you taught me and she is passing those values onto my grandkids. I think that is your legacy. Your teachings are passed onto another generation.

I love you Mom. Hope you have a great day.

Mike

Here's a fun video for you.

An Old Family Saying

I don’t know who came up with the saying, I think it was probably my brother, Larry, but it is so true.

Dad taught all of us kids how to use firearms. My brother and I hunted on the same deer lease with Dad for years while we were growing up.

My two sisters, Diana and Lisa, also knew how to shoot guns. Mom is a good shot. We always lived in a rural type setting and Mom was deadly with a pellet gun. She shot all types of varmints around the house.

My sister, Diana, is only two years younger than me. She took a real liking to firearms. She carries them with her. Diana was always a little paranoid of strangers coming up to her house. She and my brother in law, Guy, live in a rural setting.

One time she opened the door with a loaded 357 to greet the UPS man. Scared the hell out of him. She just didn’t know who was at the door. Well, my mom lives next door to her and I would often go up to her house to see her. I would always call her on the phone and tell her I was coming and when I got to her house, I would stand beside the door and knock and start yelling, “Diana, it’s me, Mike” at the top of my lungs. Needless to say, I didn’t want to look down the barrel of that 357.

Here’s the old family saying. Lisa is the best shot of the girls in my family, Mom is the next best shot, but Diana is the one most likely to shoot you.
Diana, don’t shoot me for posting this. I have attached a video that I think is appropriate, "Gimme Three Steps".

Mom and Dad's Anniversary

This is a really tough day for me. I know it is for you, Mom. Today is not only my Mom and Dad’s Anniversary, it would have been their 60th anniversary.

I don’t really have much to say today. Mom, I know that you miss Dad. I can’t begin to understand the pain that you have there. Tomorrow is Carla and I’s 33rd anniversary and I know how much she means to me.

Mom, just know that I love you. I tried to think of something else to do, but all I can think about is the great song that you had played at Dad’s funeral. I think I just want to listen to Vince Gill sing that song today. I can know that Dad is in a better place. In the intro to the song, Vince encourages everyone to sing along. Mom, I'm singing.

I love you, Mom.

Mike



Mom,
I was going to post the next video tomorrow for Carla, but I really felt Dad talking to me.



Coming Tomorrow: Carla and I celebrate 33 years of marriage.

David Hill, Family Member

You know, I don’t remember not knowing David Hill and his family. His mom was one of, if not the best friend my mom had. David’s parents lived across the street from us when I was very small. David’s parents were June and Wilbur Hill. I actually don’t remember them living there. But the friendship that developed between June and my mom lasted for a lifetime. I consider the Hill family to be a part of my family.

Both June and Wilbur are now deceased, but I have great memories of both of them. June was an Avon Manager and Wilbur worked for the Texas Department of Transportation. Wilbur hunted on the deer lease with my dad. My brother and I also hunted there. Spent many hours with Wilbur. Wilbur loved to hunt and I think he loved hunting the turkeys as much as he loved hunting the deer. Mom and dad loved to go country dancing with June and Wilbur. June was a red head and everything that you expect from redheads was true about June. David was a redhead before he started turning Santa Clause white. See the picture above. He makes a great Santa.

June and Wilbur had 3 children, David, Cindy and Julie. David and Cindy are a little older than me. Julie was in my high school class. Cindy passed away a couple of years ago.

David is the one that I have been the closest to. When I was a teenager, David is the only guy that I actually remember that went to Viet Nam. It scared the hell out of me.
The only thing that I remember about his Viet Nam tour was that he was a radio man. That was one of the most dangerous jobs. I know he had many close calls. He has suffered most of the rest of his life with complications due to exposure to Agent Orange.
But David never complains, he is always the one laughing and keeping everyone else up.
My mom sent letters and packages every week to David when he was in Viet Nam. She sent all kinds of things to help him remember home. I can’t remember a week going by without mom sending something to him. It was her contribution, but more importantly, she loved David. You see, he was part of the family.

Another thing that I remember about David is that he took off and became a Mountain Man for several years. He lived up the the mountains out west and survived on his on. Tough guy.

I just want to thank David for being in our lives. When dad was in the hospital before he died, David was there to be with us. I can’t tell him how much that meant to me.

You know, I email with David all the time, mostly jokes and things. But I want to take this opportunity to thank David for all that he and his family has meant to my family.

David, we love you.

I want to close with a tribute to you and your buddies that served in Viet Nam. God Bless You. Listen to the song: Knocking on Heaven's Door, and please watch the video. This type of war footage was what we saw on the evening news every night back in the late 60's. I remember it well.




Coming Tomorrow, April 9th, Mom and Dad's Anniversary

The Dreaded Flip Flop

Plop, plop,plop,plop. While I was lying in my bed, snuggled up against the cold morning, those were the sounds that I woke up to. I could hear those plopping sounds coming down the hallway. Not again today, not the dreaded flip flops.

I just recalled something from my childhood. The house that we lived in had a long hall to the bedrooms. My brother and I shared the bedroom that was at the end of the hall on the left.

I can remember mornings and waking up and having to get ready to go to school. Mom was always up real early. She fixed breakfast for dad and us and got everything ready for us to go to school. I remember lying in bed in the mornings not wanting to get up. Just wanting to lie there for a few more minutes.

My mom always wore flip-flops. I am not sure but I think she did this on purpose to wake us kids up. She would walk down the halls and make the most popping sound with those flip-flops. I could hear her coming from the kitchen. Those flip-flops were an everyday sound in my childhood. As irritating as they were then, I kind of miss them now.

It’s funny how you somehow remember a memory that you thought that you had forgotten. Great memory.

Coming Tomorrow, David Hill, Family Member