My Name Is Sempronius

ITS RAINING
Louisburg Kansas

I love lying in bed early in the morning listening to the birds.  They are so loud and exuberant in their greeting of a new day.  Yet what makes it even more exciting is listening to the rumble of thunder.  At first I thought it was traffic but it kept increasing in loudness, creeping closer that I knew exactly what it was.  The birds and the thunder were my music for a brief period of time that morning.   Of course the birds heard what was coming and they quickly flew away to safer branches.   For a few minutes it was beautiful.

BTW Louisburg has a great place to visit; it is the Louisburg Cider Mill.  Awwww nectar of the gods.


RAIN RAIN GO AWAY
Quapaw OK

I was looking forward to rain and lots of it especially if it came with thunder and lightning.  I have experienced it and now I want it to go away.  I was hoping this week will find me by a lake, in a state park with hiking and biking trails.   Since it started raining we decided to drive to Quapaw and stay in a casino.  The rent is free and if we can stay away from the food and slot machines all is well.  I can hear my children chortling.   We are doing our Kansas trip backwards.  We are going to take Route 66 in parts of Missouri, go into Kansas (again) and drive up exploring.  That is unless it rains….  Then it will be free parking until it stops.


HONEY GET YOUR BAT
Quapaw Oklahoma

Dogs fear me…..  Or I’d like to believe that.  I had a neighbor that didn’t have a problem letting his midsize stocky dog run loose.   Normally if the conditions are right I don’t say a thing.  Dogs need to run and play without being tied to a leash.  It is called freedom.  My neighbor’s dog though ran across three RV lots to get to me and I managed to get inside before I was bit.  What infuriated me was the man watched this and probably with amusement.  So I picked up my bat and laid it by the door.  Someone asked me if I would actually hit a dog with it.  The answer is simple….  If it came down to my leg and trip to the hospital or a dog’s head I would definitely swing that bat.  “Swing batter batter swing batter batter swing batter batter swing”  Sorry to my dog loving friends.


ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Since our discovery of how to operate the DVD player mom and I have gone nuts with DVDs.  The best DVDs to buy are the ones with lots of movies or shows on it.   “More bang for your buck.”  We went through all of Shirley Temple’s movies, and shorts.  Now we are watching Alfred Hitchcock.  I only knew his American films; I never watched his English movies.  They are fantastic.  We have watched his silent films and now are on the talkies.   Also on this DVD is his TV shows and it all adds up to 26 hours of enjoyment.     My favorite movie so far is the “Farmer’s Wife.”   A widower is looking for a new wife; he makes a list of all the available women in his village and starts courting.  It is a typical “don’t look any further than your own home” movie and just as delightful.


BACK IN MISSOURI

Yesterday (April 25) we decided to journey back to Marshfield and stay at a little RV Park that we like, The RV Express.  You can imagine our surprise when we saw a note tacked on the door that the park offers only the basic amenities and payment is the honor system.  A sign of the times.  We did stay but won’t be back. 
Mom and I wanted to travel Route 66 from Springfield to Carthage, which we did today.  There isn’t anything left of the old road but there were a few old buildings and interesting sounding names for towns – Plew, Rescue, Albatross…

NAMES

During this week we visited two cemeteries and that got me to thinking how lucky my children are  I didn’t cemetery hop when I was younger or BK (before kids).  Since I started walking cemeteries I have noticed a lot of unusual names or names so old they are never heard in this day and age.  I love the older names; I don’t like “modern names.  I love names that are handed down with a story.   My daughter was given the name Hannah Jane Elizabeth; she was named after her great great grandmother Hannah Elizabeth Jane.   Hannah Elizabeth married her step brother at the age of 14 and moved from the hills of Tennessee to the hills of Kentucky.  I gave my daughter all of the pictures I had of Hannah Elizabeth.  It is a name to be proud of.  Hannah Elizabeth was a strong minded, strong willed hill woman.  My daughter is proving to be almost like her and I am so proud of her.   My boys…. They are lucky so very lucky.  They could have been called Sempronius or Elzorah, if I had walked cemeteries before they were born.   Scott was named after my father (Edward) and James was named after my first husband.   Hannah came close to being Theodocia Jane…. Another family name.

INTERNET FINALLY

This is the first time I had internet access in a week.  We are planning a couple days in the Joplin area before exploring Baxter Springs.    Tomorrow will be the historic square in Carthage and the cemetery.  Expect pictures.!!!

Click on the names below to view pictures

Marionville - Cemetery

Neosho Missouri

Quapaw OK

Twin Bridges