Mermaids and Santa Claus

I know you know this but - I have 5 girls.  The ways they are different astound me every day.  #5 is so different from the older four.  Arriving 10 years after the rest of the group, she has many quirks that just simply set her apart.

She loves getting her nails painted when I go to the salon.  Now - in fairness to the other girls who were tomboys ... They might have enjoyed a manicure as well, but it just wasn't a luxury I allowed myself when they were all young.  I didn't even have a dishwasher most of the time so worrying about nail polish just seemed unrealistic.

Piper, over the years of accompanying me on the trips for nail polish has developed an appreciation for the activity; to the point of downloading several nail art apps on my phone and she spends her time waiting on me to get done by designing her own nail art and saving all of the many pictures to my phone.

My Nail Lady has been a friend for decades ... When my #4 was little she played softball with Tracy's little girl and our husbands coached together.  She kind of  loves Piper and all of her quirks and looks forward to all of our visits.

Somewhere along the way Tracy missed the part that we don't celebrate Santa in the traditional way everyone else does.  Sure we leave cookies and there are gifts that say From: Santa but from the beginning our kids always know that Santa is us.  There's many reasons but they only really are necessary to us.  It's just how we've always done it.  So getting our nails painted the other night Piper goes first and Tracy is telling me this story about someone putting coal in their teenager's stocking ... Then you can see it come all over her and she begins to fumble.  She stutters and says "Piper - Santa would NEVER put coal in someone's stocking. - He loves All Children and ...."

Piper is giving her that smile like  "uh - huh" and being as polite as she can until she sees a moment and looks at me across the room and whispers "Can I tell her??????"   Grinning I nod "yes - go ahead"  and Piper says  "Tracy - I don't believe in Santa Claus."    We had a great giggle and teased our friend a little at how she was trying to cover such a mishap up!

We continue on with great conversation and Netflix playing some mermaid movie happily in the background.  Until Tracy says something about 'that silly Mermaid show' .....  when Piper stiffens that little backbone and gets that serious yet sarcastic look on her face and as honest as she can be says to my friend ....

"Well I DO believe in Mermaids."    No smile - just simple fact and sheesh what's wrong with her today attitude.  

I love her so much and her ability to keep everyone around her on their toes!  Mermaids People - It's where it's at!

Small Town America - Santa Lives Here!!

I love living in a small town.  Okay ... I actually live in the country now but I work in a REALLY small town.  The back roads I take to work?  They're only paved in spots lots of gravel, cattle guards, cattle roaming freely back and forth across the road, standing IN the road, and Maybe - Just maybe they will decide to move when you come up on them.  Road Rage takes on a whole new danger when you make one of Them angry! WHEW!

There are still some times however, that the small town can leave me speechless.  I'm never brave enough to take the picture but I got some from other people who actually took them and can prove my story!!

One day recently (the last week of AUGUST)  I was going to the post office and as I turned the corner, SANTA CLAUS stepped out onto the steps of this little house (let me qualify that by saying - if you live in a metropolis, you would not consider what I'm talking about as a house.  Sometimes in the South we are quite happy taking a couple storage sheds and sealing them together with tar or something sticky and parking a trailer next to it and connecting them all with plywood.  It's home and we are happy - don't knock it).  Full red coat, white beard to his chest, and black boots.  He stared at me as though it was the most normal thing ever.  As I turned the corner, with my mouth open wide I'm sure, Santa stared at me expressionless, raised his arm, saluted me, spun on his heel and went back inside.  As I continued my trip to the post office I wondered if I had just hallucinated that event maybe?  I posted it on FB and a friend posted this picture in the comments!  I'm not crazy!  Santa lives in a little house on the corner in Avant!

Today while on my drive to work - remember back roads and cows like this .... 

I come up on a very surreal situation, I'm going to use as many adjectives as I can so you can get a full picture.  Remember I love my country life and the people who make it almost indescribable but ya'll seriously ....

I come up the road to see a car - something like a PT Cruiser - not totally uncommon, but especially on the back roads Most of the vehicles you see are lifted and 4-wheel drive.  Beside this PT Cruiser stands a very skinny, pasty white young man.  He is barefoot, not wearing a shirt either, long stringy hair --- (there are some men who grow beautiful flowing locks that women are jealous over - not one woman is jealous here ... not one), his facial hair, however is so full there may be some men jealous of his ability to grow a beard.  Remember he is very skinny so the only clothing he has on, -- his shorts -- are cinched up tight with a belt.  There he stands in all his glory in the Oklahoma morning sun, so white I'm worried about a sunburn for him at 8am here, almost naked except his cargo shorts, eyes closed, hands folded as if in prayer at his chest and balancing on one foot in a very recognizable yoga pose!?!?

So there you go!  Here in the back woods of Oklahoma America we're getting civilized!  Santa lives here in the off-season, and the locals are bringing yoga to a cow pasture near you!!  Happy Friday everyone! 

Blessings for today ya'll -- we need them every day! 

Heather