~Photo & A Little Story!~ :-)

Well another Sunday Nite.. and a day I did absolutely not ONE

Thing.. well yes i did too.. I did some email..and I played with

photos again..I have the best time with this..but I end up with them

all over my desktop and then I have to sort them all out as to what

goes where..This is a BIG job!!! but I love looking at these OLD

things lol.. The picture up top is me of course..keeping my sunday

promise of a photo..lol..well you KNEW I would..:-) this was taken

Christmas when I was in the hellhome in 2001.. If you look closely you

see my chair..I had just had my left leg amputated and then that

January, the 11th I escaped from there.. But you can see how skinny

I was..and for having that raging infection..I still was ready to get out

of there.I had the 2nd amputation in November, the month before..

I have been talking about Gardens.. And I found some old photos of

My dad and mom that I think are really cute.. That one is in the spring

as you can see by the flowers..tulips and all..If you look closely at my

dads hands..you will see he is holding 2 fish..I am KNOW he probly

caught them ... He would get up before daylight to go fishing and still

be back in time to open his garage at 7 am every day..and since its

spring..maybe opening fishing season or something..Some great

fish up there...You see the plants in the garden are just coming up...

This one is my mom & dad, preparing the garden.. My dad is diligently

digging and raking as you can see..and my mom is standing there

watching to make sure he does it right..well you KNOW how men are!!

lol..They both loved the garden..If you look over to the left you see the

huge garden that Mom used to have has been reduced to a bush lol..

the big tree is gone and so is the flower bed underneath. Many changes

over the years.. That garden gave them and ME LOTS of good food...

This is one of my favorite photos.. Mom is saying "Ralph, are you SURE

this will be ok?" Dad, as you can see, is assuring her its well dug out

and all will be fine..I can tell by mom having a jacket on it must be cool

and dad working lol. hes hot, with No jacket and sleeves up ..lol...You

can tell by looking at the shadow up by the hedge that the sun is in the

west..so its got to be after supper..I also know that its fall.. I can tell by

the next photo...

Dad is still digging..but see the pile of wood? that means its not yet

been winter..he is prepared for it..waiting..If you look closely just to the

right of the woodpile you will see another one just behind it. He loved

to go out with his trailer and jeep and cut wood. the building just behind

the wood pile there at the end of the garden was Dads garage.. There

is a little door see under the 2 windows? its a cubby hole type storage

space.. kept screens etc under there.. Well.. I probably shouldnt tell on

my bad self..But..The first pack of cigarettes, I paid 25 cents for at a

local grocery store..just a few blocks away.. I went in to Mrs Cavadias

and lied..YES!! LIED..said "My Uncle Ernie sent me to get him a pack

of cigarettes..he's visiting and didn't feel like coming so I said I would"

all innocent looking.. I HAD to be specific- remember..this is a VERY

small town..and everyone KNOWS everyone.. So she handed me the

pack...welllllllllllllllllllllll..

That little cubbyhole .. is where I smoked..well put the smoke in my

mouth lets say, when I was about..hmm 14? for the VERY first time.

I went in the house. got some matches, and crawled under there,

closed the door and proceeded to light up one of those ciggies.. I

didnt know HOW to do any of that crap..kept going out. So I knew

Mom would be home soon..Daddy was gone to get a part.... I

put the ciggies and matches up on a ledge..they had no reason

to come underneath here so I figured they would be safe..:-)

Well I went in and helped Mom with supper, we ate..did dishes..

and after, I went outside back under the back porch in thru the

cubby hole.. I stayed out there I bet for an hour till I just got fed

up trying to SMOKE..and they just kept going out.. Oh, I got the

old ciggies, Lucky Strike, that are so strong they can almost walk.

Well I coughed a few times and was afraid they would hear me so

I went off to play somewhere. Other kids were out I could hear

them so I left, crawled out..secured the door and I was gone...

A few hours later I came home. walked in the door and noticed

as I walked thru the kitchen was a kleenex on top of the radio

with something underneath.. I picked up the kleenex and OMG

there were MY ciggies and MATCHES!! ohoh.. I KNEW I was

in big trouble and I would need to think up a good story and

fast or I was really gonna be grounded and that would be awful

not to go to the dance on friday or something.. Well as I'm

standing there my Dad walks thru the kitchen and says "Lois-

I found those under the porch in the cubby hole" I just gave him

a blank look like "oh? ok"..all innocent.. He said "I know they

are yours..what are you doing with them?" I know i had to have

turned about 6 shades of green and I just blurted out... " Dad,

I went and bought them and said Uncle Ernie sent me and I tried

to smoke them and they made me sick and I wont NEVER do it

again" and hung my head down and looked SO sad. My Dad just

stood for a moment, and looked at me..said "I'm glad your

telling me the truth, but I knew you would.. didn't like them much

did you?" he smiled at me..and I thought 'ahhh maybe' ... BUT...

then he added "you also know there is no dance for you friday nite?"

I knew that the 2nd I lifted that kleenex ..I did NOT go to the dance..

Later when I was an adult..I asked my Dad.."how did you know I

was under there?" he said "I was in the garage.and happened to

see you slowly open that door and look around to see if anyone

was watching you and then go inside and close the door after you.

When ever you went in there before you ALWAYS kept that door

open so you could see better and you didnt like the dark under

there so I knew something was up, and I looked after you left. "

I waited all these years to ask..I did NOT know he was out there..

I didnt start smoking though not until I was 18.. until I quit in 2000

well I did quit once for 3 years..but started back again, wonder if

I had NOT started smoking..would I be sitting here like this now?

Well i shared some photos with you as promised..hope you like the

little story ...was important one since its about smoking and see

what it did to me.. I have NOT eaten again today..but I am hungry

of course..lol...i just have NO idea what I want.. I may just order a

pizza but every time i do i get more and then it costs me $ 20.oo

lol.. I eat it all but still..oink oink oink :-D ok..im off and rolling

to the kitchen..done for today.. gonna say AMEN ?? lol..

The boys are headed that way..they know..I still havent figgured

out how they know lol.. Nitey nite...

Y'all have a good one now Y'hear? LUV YA!! and Thanks!!

Always, Lois****

May God Bless you today,

I'm so honored to call you friend,

I pray the Lord will keep you safe,

Until I write again...