I feel duty bound to include a few of the things I failed to include about your respective fathers. Some I, being their mother, though to cute. Other, being their mother, I saw no humor in!
When Randy was very small (here in Sunray) Paw Paw led singing. I sat on the second pew so he could help me. Randy was small enough to stand beside me. I heard some – a lot! – of checkles that the sermon didn’t merit. Randy was facing the congregation blowing gigantic spit bubbles, one after another! He always led singing from his eat. He put the song book on the seat, faced everyone and directed with all his might! I didn’t stop him from doing that.
He always took his bath at night. Mother (Alice Hale is my grandmother: Jamey) decided he needed one on Sunday morning. He was appalled! She managed to get him in the tub, but not to sit down. She began trying to wash him starting at the top. The neighbors could hear him screaming, “You got my arm wet, you got my arm wet!” He wasn’t Mother’s favorite grandchild for some time. Mother had a cantankerous parakeet at one time. She put him on the window box on the screened in back porch to sun. We were having coffee in the living room. Everyone but Randy. We heard a commotion you wouldn’t believe. Randy had turned on the hose, and was giving the poor bird a shower bath through the screen!
That child wore out more shoes than ten kids could, on the inside. We went to Dumas every Saturday and bought him a new pair of shoes and a foot long hot dog. He wouldn’t have it cut. We had to hold one end while he at the other!
He hated to go shopping. We were shopping in Dumas once, and he started crying. A policeman, likely suspecting abuse, stopped to ask if anything was wrong. Randy stuck his tongue out at him. Only time Iever remember his doing that. I hope his timing has improved!
He loved his first record player – primitive though it was. It had two sets of needles, one loud and the other louder. The louder one got lost somehow. He had a French version of Brother John. He thought they were singing “Brother Chocolate, Brother Chocolate, Johnny Poo, Johnny Poo, Rabbit has a peanut, Rabbit has a peanut, Ding Dong Ding. He might remember “Little Fir Tree” and “Toot Toot Toddles The Tug Boat” – I sure do.
When Jamey was about 10 months old, I set him beside me on the pew with the diaper bag as a prop on the other side. Becoming briefly distracted by the sermon, I heard a lot of dreaded giggles behind me. When I looked down, the contents of the diaper bad were flying everywhere. He was emptying the bag with both hands, having a great time!
A little later on another Sunday, he was playing with a vitamin bottle, and somehow managed to throw a big league outfielder would have been proud of. The bottle sailed over the heads of those in three pews in front of us, and clattered all the way to the front of the auditorium. Needless to say, the service was disrupted by belly laughs. The preacher quieted everyone and said, “Now, he didn’t mean to do that.” Paw Paw, Randy, and I knew that was exactly what he meant to do!
We were visiting with Jack and Ann Roach (Jack was one of my Dads’ running buddies in High School: Jamey) in Shamrock one night. Ann wasn’t confident about her cooking, and was self-conscious about it. She had chocolate pie for desert. When Jamey finished his, he told her it was really good – he really likes soggy crust! Despite his help we remained friends. Oh, Mercy!
A short time after painting his room, I found a vast mural of crayola drawing spread across one wall. II made it pretty clear to him that my appreciation of art didn’t include that! I learned a year or so ago that I just didn’t understand that he had drawn a weather map like on TV. That certainly would have made a difference.
Bessie and H.A. Phillips (long time family friends: Jamey) were spending the night with us in Boise City. H.A. had pushed back the recliner and taken off his shoes and socks – so relaxed. Jamey’s head came about even with H.A.’s feet. When he toddled by and eyed them, I knew wha he was going to do, but couldn’t do a thing about it. He stopped in front of the chair, opened his mouth, and bit H.A.’s big toe! H.A. and Bessie have never let him forget it. He had never bitten anyone before and never did again. We were all so startled and ticked that we weren’t able to reprimand him much.
The first time Bill and Betty Osborne (He was the preacher) were in Spearman is the only time he couldn’t go to his class –at all. Screamed. Not a happy mother, I dragged him into class with me and sat by Betty. She smiled at him, and he glared at her, making a noise that could only be a growl. Ryan used to make that noise. She was impressed. A few years later he always walked to the back with Bill after the services to help him greet everyone. He still does that. I may have mentioned that later. If so, don’t tell me.
We were excited that Glinda was coming to meet us. Though she and Randy were engaged, we hadn’t met yet. However, some of us were more excited than others. A friend was taking Jamey to the show – planned before. He didn’t change his plans. She said, “Hello” and he explained that he was going to the show – more emphatically than really necessary, I thought. That was his welcome to our family! It was hardly anytime at all that she was one of his most favorite people.
He endeared himself even more at their rehearsal dinner. We had just met Lloyd and Louise (Glinda’s parents: Jamey). The Dean of the college was there as he was to perform the ceremony. It was a special time and everyone was pretty much on their good behavior – except Jamey. There were scoops of sour cream in small dishes for potatoes. When the waitress served ice cream, Jamey switched the ice cream and sour cream of the groomsman beside him. The boy took a big bite expecting ice cream – spit, sputtered and managed to swallow. I’m just glad it wasn’t the Dean. The party did liven up.
Each of them tell me I’ve always liked the other one better than him. You can understand why I finally told them that I had never really liked either one of them! – and why I have to sing this –
Your Poor Old Grey Haired Grandmother
