Tags

Day Valentine, Green Acres, Holidays, Louisiana, North Carolina, Social anxiety, Truck, Valentine

This week has been a much slower paced week than last week. It was nice to have days when I wasn’t expected to be somewhere at a certain time.

I’ve discovered that not only am I an introvert (always known this) but I also suffer from social anxiety. I had been researching the topic (don’t you just love when people self-diagnose themselves!) and when I mentioned it to my best friend, she laughed and said I didn’t need to take a test or to tell her that – she already knew. Ummm…I think she should have shared that with me! I guess there are things we just need to discover for ourselves. We’ve attended writer’s conferences together and we joke about the social hour. That is normally the time we cut out. We discovered that we only talked to each other and we could socialize on the drive home instead of standing around feeling awkward and conversing with each other.

I actually ventured out of my very small comfort zone and attended the social after the conference this year because another friend wanted to introduce me to someone. I sent in a proposal to be a speaker next year – no the social anxiety doesn’t bother me so much there – and I needed to be introduced so the orchestrators of the event could put a face with a name. That part was awkward. This is normally me: “Hi. It is so nice to meet you.” Then silence. I have nothing else. That’s it. I am not a good conversationalist unless you let me rattle on about a topic I enjoy and know a lot about. Then, just try to shut me up. You may need to call out the Calvary at that point. Personalities are strange things. We react quite differently in different situations. I have always been extremely fascinated by personalities so I can go on and on, on this particular subject – and most people eventually end up wanting to fall asleep!

Our driveway is lined with beautiful crepe myrtles – the tree of the South. Hubby calls it the Tunnel of Love in Valentine, Louisiana (where we live.) For some reason he declares every day in Valentine, Valentine’s Day. You should hear him on Valentine’s Day! With spring coming into its own here in the South, the trees have begun to leaf and you couldn’t drive down the driveway without getting battered by them, especially with my new truck. Notice how I say “my truck.” Hubby has a truck too and we recently sold the Suburban and purchased a four-door truck for me – you have seen the two little horses (dogs) I own? They were getting almost too big to both hop into the back of the car so I thought a truck would be our best purchase. Only thing, I have to heft them into the back and that’s no small feat. They each weigh about 80 pounds now! It’s not easy hoisting up 80 pounds of dead weight onto the bed of a truck where the tailgate is more than waist-high. Hubby is going to make a ramp so they can walk up. German Shepherds are known to have hip problems and I don’t want to put their health at risk as Ryka has already been battling some stiffness at 6.5 years. Calypso is 3.5 and I want to ensure that she doesn’t develop the same problems too early.

Getting back to the myrtles, it was trimming time. The first thought that came to mind was having Hubby ride in the back of the truck (mine is quite high) and trim as we drove. That way, we’d know the amount to trim. We ended up just walking and cutting. Once they bloom, there will be a little more trimming as the weight of the blooms weigh down the branches and we’ll be getting whacked again. I’ve had this happen before and unfortunately I had the windows down on the suburban; not a fun thing when you have to clean all the flowers out that found their way in. Also, if you read this story –

Green Acres is the place to be…Tuesdays with Donna, A Little Southern Comfort

you’ll find that the last time I had to fetch him from the back when the tractor quit, I sort of got a little close to the trees and it was like playing Whack-a-Mole with Hubby as the target. For some reason, he doesn’t trust me.

My best friend was recently nominated for and one Teacher of the Year at the high school where she teaches. She then received the honor of winning High School Teacher of the Year in our parish (we live in Louisiana.) The awards banquet was yesterday and I had the privilege of attending where she received her awards.

She and I have been best friends for a very long time. We always joke that because we’ve surpassed the “seven-year-itch” we will be friends forever. I hope that everyone has a chance in their lifetime to have a best friend like Jessica. I tend to forget some dates and one was when we actually crossed over from just being neighbors to becoming fast friends. She reminded me of the date as she told the people we were sitting with. It was the day her son was born and he is now twelve (on his way to being 13) years old. I remember the day quite well as she helped out with a gathering we had at our home that day.

We’ve been through thick and thin as the saying goes, seen each other through good times and some really bad times. We push each other to the limit and cross lines that others know never to cross. We tell each other what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. Congratulations to Jessica, a truly deserving teacher.

Going back to Friday night, my stepson played music at a bar not too far from here and we try to and listen when he plays close by. There were a number of other events in the area and attendance was not heavy – which made for a nice quiet night – and I say that laughing because I wear ear plugs! The band concentrates mostly on 90s music, but takes requests. Friday night, someone requested a french song and Josh motioned to his dad to join him on stage. I hope you enjoy the show. It was a great moment that the two of them will remember. It is always nice to make memories with your children – no matter how old they are. As soon as the video loads to YouTube I will share it. My phone shows it there, but I can’t find it on the computer. Technology! Can drive you crazy sometimes.

I found it – on the wrong channel. Oh well. lol

Enjoy a little Cajun music: