The Crab Chronicles

Hasty Family Luncheon

On my mother's side of the family, I am part Hasty. Mother's father was a Hasty. The Hasty family has lived in North Georgia [Cherokee County and Cobb County] for more than 200 years.

There is the Hasty Elementary School. There is a Hasty building on the campus of Reinhardt College. There is Hasty Road. There's a Hasty Acres subdivision in neighboring Cobb County. One of my cousins has a law firm, Hasty Pope, up in Canton.

Hasty men have fought in every American war since the revolution. We have discharge papers from Marcus Hasty, who fought in the war of 1812, and we believe he was with Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. One of my other cousins is a reenactor and has done a lot of research about the Vicksburg campaign where my great-great grandfather John T. Hasty and his son fought and were captured in the Civil War.John was the son of Marcus.

Hasty [and Hastie, Hastey, Hastings, etc.] folks hailed from Ireland and Scotland several hundred years ago. A posting on one of the geneaology websites I peruse occasionally indicated there was a Hastie who fought at the battle of Falkirk in Scotland, which is exciting. [Remember Braveheart, the movie?!? Why d'ya ken it's one of me favorite films, aye?!]

So needless to say I am proud to be a Hasty.

Today was the first Hasty cousins' luncheon in many years, and it was a great success. We had tried to have it last weekend but the ice and snow made it impossible. So this weekend my cousin Jan drove up and we got together the folks that we could. Jan is our historian. She is amazing. She keeps track of all the different branches of the family.

So we got up and I got the kids scurrying around and we got the house cleaned up and the casserole cooking, and we got it done.

One thing is for sure - Hastys know how to cook and how to eat.

I made a chicken casserole which is basically chicken, noodles, a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, a cup of sour cream, and topped with Ritz crackers and poppyseeds with butter. I also heated up some Allen's green beans. Jan brought homemade coleslaw and rolls. Warren and Kim brought squash casserole and a pound cake. Norman brought a chocolate cheese cake. Talk about YUMMY.

We had a wonderful visit.

The nice thing about meeting in someone's home is that you can just sit around and talk and visit, and there's no restaurant folks wanting to shoo you out.

Warren was also kind enough to go outside before lunch and throw the baseball with Michael. Warren has coached baseball and was giving Michael some pointers, which was wonderful of him. I wish I had gotten a photo of them.

There were several cousins who couldn't make it to the luncheon, which was unfortunate, because I was looking forward to seeing them. Hopefully we can get together soon.

Here's most everyone except the kids. From left to right: Jan, Mother, Kim, Warren, me, Norman [my double cousin], Caroline [Norm's wife].

Here's everyone in the dining room, enjoying the delicious desserts. In the lower right corner is a little grey cloud, which has no relation to Mother's hair [cough cough].

Alesia and her granny, and my Hasty family scrapbook.

 

 

Making Friends the Facebook Way

I am in a weird mood today. I have a lot of things I need to be doing around the house, but I so far, motivating myself to accomplish those tasks has been tough.

I cleaned up the kitchen, cleaned out the fridge, and shopped for food for the luncheon tomorrow. Oh, and took a shower. Those are the major accomplishments so far.

Facebook never ceases to amaze me. I got a friend request from a French guy I've never heard of, and just sort of shrugged and friended him. He only had two other friends. I then was online and he started a chat. He has no idea who I am either. It was an awkward chat, to say the least. He has since friended several of my friends. They are all pretty ladies. I clearly don't fit that description. I am wondering if he thinks I am a guy?! "Dee" is an unknown name anywhere but here, so can sound ambiguous, and I have short hair and rarely wear makeup. I can see him making the mistake.

I was once pulled over by a cop and given a ticket for speeding and he thought I was a young man the whole time, I am sure. I had on overalls, short hair, no makeup. He was really harsh.

As a small child my mother kept my hair cut short [in a "pixie"] to save the hassle of barrettes and hair ribbons and such. So people sometimes thought I was a boy.

I have always thought it was funny when people made the mistake of thinking me male.

As I mentioned, I am in a weird mood. So I have sent Friend requests to a number of folks on Facebook who do not like me. It's sort of an experiment. I want to see if any of them approve the requests.

I even sent a Friend request to a woman who has hated my guts since sixth grade. I also sent one to someone who used to be a friend but decided about ten years ago she doesn't like me.

I seriously doubt either one of them will confirm the Friend Request, but who knows? Maybe they've had a lot of medication since they started despising me and it's killed some memory cells.

After about 7th grade I quit ever trying to purposely piss anyone off. So I'm always amazed now when someone decides they don't like me, because it's not over anything I did deliberately.

In the unlikely event that any of the folks who really don't like me send me a rude or ugly message, I will know they have not matured any over the years. One can then only pity them. I might quote them here, though, just for fun [but I won't reveal their real names for fear of litigation..]

In scrolling through the Friend lists of my friends, trolling for people who don't like me, I have noticed several things of interest.

- The more money a woman has, the more likely she will have three names. Us poor folks just use two names, and we don't care about monograms.

- There are an astonishing number of men who have what I call Barney Rubble necks.

- I have to wonder about the mental health of people who use their dog's head, or cat's head, as a profile picture.

- In the south, people with money usually give their children last names as first names - for example Anderson, Greer, Knox, etc. My mother's accountant for years had "Bates" for a first name. I always figured he probably had a rough childhood.

- If you ever see a person's name and wonder where they're from, here's a hint - if the first name is Bo, Bubba, or Trey, they're probably southern.

Oh, if you're reading this thinking, "I got a Friend Request from Dee today but I didn't know we were enemies!" - don't sweat it. I sent a number of requests to non-enemies, too, just for the heck of it.

Italy 1951

During his army leaves my dad traveled a lot around Italy, and here's photographic proof. Somewhere in the garage, in an old trunk, are handwritten letters to his mother, but I recall reading them some years ago and they weren't too enlightening. They said things like "Italy was hot. We ate a lot of spaghetti." A man of few words.

So, some of these are a mystery to me, but a few are obvious. Even I, who have never been to Italy, recognized the Roman Colosseum.

This one is a mystery but I think it might be Florence...?

The shot below is a statue of David but it's in Florence. I debated about whether or not to publish it here, but it looks like his, uh, package, is covered up somewhat, so I said to heck with it. It looks like poor David has some sort of fungi or mold growing there though...

 

I like the shot above, because it's the Riviera, [and yes, I know it's France, but whatever] a place I love to look at in photos, but if I'm going to the beach to relax, that won't be the place. The wide sandy beaches of Georgia and South Carolina suit me just fine.

I would love for someone to tell me where the shot below was taken. Took me a while to figure out the pointy thing is called an obelisk, but after looking at 500 photos of them on Google images and not finding this one I said stick a fork in me, I'm done. Hopefully somebody who knows Italy can enlighten me about this place.

I was very happy after looking at relatively few images on the web to find out that the shot below was made at the Piazza Navona in Rome. That link gives you a better shot than the one below and it's fun reading.

[above, shots of Dad during his travels] Below is a shot of my uncle Lewis Thompson, Dad's older brother, who was a wonderful artist and taught at Hollins College in Virginia for more than 35 years. I wish he was still alive because he lived in Italy several times over the years, on sabbatical, and knew it well.

A few years later, Dad met Mama and the rest is history...

More Europe Photos

I thought I'd post some more of my dad's photos from Europe, circa 1952. Some of them the quality isn't so hot, but I fear the slides may have deteriorated in the fifty odd years since they were taken.You mainly see it in the sky, black blotches.

I have no idea where this is, but my guess is probably Italy. Maybe Rome?

The shot below looks like Venice.

Not sure where this is...

The King of the Lollygaggers

I need to go downstairs and finish dinner, so this will just be a quick update on what's going on in my world.

The snow is almost gone, which is great. I was getting very tired of snow, slush, and ice, especially when I was trying to drive. Looks like even with all the ice my pansies made it through. Yay!

Tomorrow the high is 56. THAT's more normal for a January day here.

Saturday will be an exciting day. We have invited a number of my Hasty cousins in the area to come over for a potluck luncheon. My cousin Jan has located Norm Hasty, who is a double cousin - his great grandparents connect to me twice, as his great granny was the sister of my great grandmother, Ginny McMillan.I used to have a great interest in genealogy. Not so much now, but it's still interesting to me, somewhat.

Below are Papa's parents. You can see a strong resemblance between Papa and his dad, but they were very different in temperament. Papa was a very gentle man, more like Ginny, his mother. He always said I look like her.

We are all having to get used to a new routine in the morning. I get up earlier [6:45] and wake Alesia. I try to leave the house at 7:30 so I can ferry her to school. I don't want her waiting on a city bus in the dark. That means Michael has to get up and get in the shower at 7:30 - no lollygagging. This is hard for him. He is The King of Lollygaggers. [One of my all-time favorite movie scenes is the lollygag speech from Bull Durham]

Alesia is pretty morose these days. Huge changes in her life. She is having to get used to college classes. She did two days worth of homework last night, not thinking about the fact she wouldn't have English again for two days.

Alesia is also having to navigate the bus system in Atlanta. I make her ride the city bus in the afternoon. I am trying to get work done every day, from home, so I can't be taking her all over town.

We are hoping to find Alesia a part-time job soon so she can start saving money for a car.

I finally got my soaps from Goat Milk Stuff. I bought a Tea Tree bar for Mike to try on his face, and I got a moisturizing bar. Cannot wait to try them. They smell wonderful.

I wish I could raise goats. They are so cute. We could save a fortune in lawn mowing too, I bet. Mother won't go for it. Won't let me have chickens either. When the kids grow up I may just get me a double wide out in the country somewhere....

I bet I could get over my fear of chickens if I had some in the back yard. Then there is the tempting prospect of farm-fresh eggs - YUM. (I fear pretty much all farm animals, and kangaroos. I'll write about my weird fears sometime.)

Michael made terrific grades last semester - all A's and B's. His lowest grade was an 80. His highest grade was in English. He also got the results of his Iowa testing. ALL his Iowa scores are in the average or high percentiles. No low scores.

His highest score was in reading comprehension. Two years ago I was scared he would never improve in that area, but since we started reading every night he's doing great.

The fact that Michael makes good grades and does well in standardized testing is remarkable when you consider that he has only been here in America since May 2007!!

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My friend Cindy LaJoy expressed so beautifully on her blog all the emotions one experiences when raising a child that you adopted as an older child. I so admire her way with words.

If you haven't checked it out already, please take a look at 10 in 2010, my friend Stephanie's blog, and order a cool towel.

Gotta go finish dinner...

Do Some Good

Rarely do I think much of fundraiser items, but I found one I can totally endorse. I've been wracking my brain to try and think of a child who could use a hooded towel. Most of the "children" I know are teenagers, alas. But you seriously need to check out these cool towels. Look at my friend Stephanie's blog and check out the gorgeous hooded towels. Awesome gift idea.

Stephanie is trying to raise money to adopt 3 special needs siblings from Bulgaria. She and her hubby are just amazing people. They are my heroes. I love reading her blog.

This is Michael in 2007, a few short weeks after he came home from Kazakhstan. He was 10, nearly 11, and all my vacation bible school first graders were bigger than him. It was clear from the beginning though that he was an amazing and wonderful boy. There are SO MANY terrific little boys out there who just need a loving home. Please help Stephanie get another one home...

Photos from the 1950's, 60's

I love old photos, particularly of people in my family and/or folks I know. I was going through a box in my closet and found a bunch of old color slides my dad had made in the 1950's. I took them to Wolf Camera and had them scanned onto a CD-Rom. Some of them would only be of interest to my extended family, but some are just cool photos on their own merit.

Dad was like me - he loved to take photos but they often didn't come out so great.

It's been a really laid back day and I have nothing really to report, so I thought I'd share some of these.

This is the only shot with me in it and I'm just a little blur...

Ironic that only about 44 years later he was leading troops in Iraq...

Below, my mother holding Bruce as a baby, with my aunt Myrtle holding my cousin Robert. The little girl is my cousin Raye, who is now a grandmother. This was about 1960. Raye and I look rather alike, both blondes.

This is my dad, sometime in the 1950's. I first thought this was Ft. Sumter but now I am thinking it was perhaps Europe. The flag is unfamiliar... Dad was a huge history buff.

This is my dad [middle] and a couple of his buddies. He was stationed in Germany in 1951 and spent all his free time sightseeing all over Europe. I think this is the French Riviera, but I'm not sure.

I've got a bunch of shots of places in Europe, particularly, Italy, and I need some help identifying the places. I am going to do a post of those shots and see if some of y'all can help me out.

Below is my mom sometime in the late 1950's, I think. I think what she's holding is a swim cap. Remember those?!

Stay warm...

News of My World Sunday Edition

The world is thawing out, and the streets are alive with the sound of car tires hitting sand and kitty litter. Yes, as my daddy would say "you learn somethin' new every day" - kitty litter is awesome at melting snow and ice. Who knew. Obviously not me. I'm not rushing out to buy it, but next time I hear we might get ice I definitely will make the investment.

Michael and I made it to Sunday School, and didn't crash into anyone in the parking lot. Most of it was very clear but there was still some ice around. Mike's tennis coach was out there spreading around the kitty litter [his wife is the senior warden, a/k/a The Big Cheese amongst the laypeople for you non-Episcopalians] and he's the one who told me about its magical properties. He grew up in Virginia, where they actually get snow more than once a year for 10 minutes.

Late this afternoon, Alesia went over to spend the night with her friend Katie, and Mike has Colton over here to spend the night. They have been in Mike's room for hours playing games, only coming out long enough to eat some pizza.

I got a huge kick out of reading my buddy Judy's blog about her adventure at a tony new restaurant in L.A. I hate crowded restaurants that serve what I call foo-foo food - you know, the tiny pile of food in the center of the plate, about 4 bites worth and it costs $25. I went on the Eveleigh website and was amused to see the menu. I don't believe I've ever seen "pork belly" on any menu, anywhere, and frankly it's enough to make me a vegetarian. Then again, I think bacon is made form pork belly, and I love bacon... hmmm... Guess it was too ordinary to say "bacon and grits" so they said "pork belly and polenta".. The squid comes with "fall leaves" - um, hell to the NO, I don't want any leaves on the plate. What kind of wackiness is that?!

The desserts don't even tempt me. The chocolate cake is "warm bitter-chocolate cake." Ick.

 

My daughter is going through a phase where she thinks I am a total idiot and she is all-wise and all-knowing. Needless to say, I am having to constantly bite my tongue. I asked her today in the grocery store if she wanted to buy some Little Debbie Swiss Rolls for snacks, as I know she loves them. She picked up the box and then threw it back on the display "Well, I like these, but why bother buying them? They wouldn't last," she said, sneering at me, like I would of course eat them all within 5 minutes of getting home. I think I have eaten a total of two Swiss Rolls in the past 5 years. (Oatmeal pies are another story.)

Then again, if I had to choose between "warm bitter chocolate cake" and a Little Debbie Swiss Roll, guess what I'd choose?!

Overall, she has been pretty civil during the week of snow confinement, but every once in a while she lets fly some little comment like that and I have to refrain from slapping her. I don't want to hurt my hand...

Shameless

OK, at the risk of sounding utterly shameless, I need a favor. I know there oh, two or three of you out there who read my blog every day. If so, please nominate me for the Eleventh Annual Weblog Awards. It will only take a minute to go here and nominate me in Best Parenting Blog category - since probably most of what I write is related to parenting.

Or nominate me in the humor category, or whatever category you like.

I know I won't win. I just want the thrill of being nominated, OK?!?

IF you do nominate me, thanks.

True or False

We ventured out yet again this morning and ran some errands. The roads are mostly clear, but there are slushy patches and a few icy slush patches here and there where the road is shaded. No matter, it was just nice to be in the outside world.

We noticed there were a million cars at the mall and in the Kroger parking lot.

I am praying we will get some mail today. It's been a week since we got any mail. If I can get down my street the mail truck sure can!

Saw this below and thought it was interesting.

Can you guess which of the following are true and which are false?  Answers are below.  1 . Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. [don't tell Starbucks] 2. Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.. [did anyone ever see him without a shirt to verify this?! would anyone have wanted to see that?] 3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 years.  4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more. [especially when you'[re stuck inside with sick people] 5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart! [but then tinkling resumes right away, I know for a fact] 6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.  7. Forty people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute. [Mike asked me how anyone could prove this. I said "just ask a dog!"] 8. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old. [then they have to be replaced 50-60 years later. doesn't seem fair.] 9. The average person over 50 will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. [I would say this estimate is on the low side. I bet I've spent 3-4 years just in drive thru lines...] 10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498. [but the splinters kept it from being popular for a long time] 11. The average housefly lives for one month. [not in my house] 12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. [soon to be a tell-all book, WHEN TOILETS ATTACK!] 13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened. [who cares?] 14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute. [is that a lot?] 15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day. [my feet are bigger after I eat Chinese food. explain that.] 16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep. [protein and crunch. yum] 17. The REAL reason ostriches stick their head in the sand is to search for water.  18. The only two animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot.  [I'm already looking for the YouTube video proof on this] 19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in 'An Officer and a Gentleman' and 'Tootsie.' [he also thinks Scientology is cool. So much for his judgment abilities...] 20. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem. [now that he's dead, who owns them?] 21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk. [this should make vegans ecstatic, huh?!] 22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash. [I can't imagine why not; there are plenty of extra royals over there...] 23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor. [here in the south they still use tomato cans. so what?!] 24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are used in vein transplant surgery. [this takes gross to a whole new level. this is more yucko than spider eating in your sleep, IMHO] 25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins. [you can tell they looked alike, right around the eyes...] 26. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green. [I'd love to see that. what's wrong with green?!]   (Scroll down for answer.)    They are ALL true ...... Now go back and think about #16.