Took a Long Drive - And Ended Up On Memory Lane
The cadet's high school career final regular season wrestling match yesterday took place at a school that was, by all standards, pretty far away. They are the only other school in our conference for wrestling - but are located south and (far) west of Fort Wayne.
To get there, you seemingly go south until you smell it and then west until you step in it.
It is around a 90 mile trip each way, which makes for lots of driving for the Cadet's Momma - but as the "superfan" of Wildcat Wrestling (aka - usually the only one there to cheer all the boys on at away meets), I made the trek with the Kingsomewhat grumblingly cheerfully. .And took the King along for the ride.
About 1 mile south of Columbia City, and with around 35-40 miles to go, I had tired of playing various trivia games with the King. You can only answer "how old were you in 1974, 76, 68, 93 et al" for so long, and we had already played "What is ____ + ___' and "What is ____-___" for about 45 minutes. So I decided to turn on the radio. Of course, my local stations were no longer in tune, so began a "Seek" process.
The first station had Melissa Manchester closing out "Don't Cry Out Loud", and since I am a sucker, for stupid sappy songs....I left the station there for a moment. The DJ came on, then said "Now, perhaps one of the greatest songs of all times. Written by Hoagey Carmichael, Arranged by Gordon Jenkins. The opening strains will raise the hair on your arms. This is Nat King Cole and (pause by the DJ)......Stardust.
Yeah. Like I am going to change the station now. Seriously.
Amazingly, the King sat quietly through the song without prattling. Me? I enjoyed the smooth sounds of Nat...there really is no singer today with the types of voices that he and his compatriots ever had. Of course, I was also musing on my mother - since it was her favorite song of course - and it also brought to mind my second mother Dorothy (whom I believe counts this as the favorite too!). Fortythree cough cough years rambled through my mind.
Thoughts of my Mom, while running loads of laundry, begging my big sis CP to play Stardust on the piano. Thoughts of the Cadet and his elder cousins hanging out at 4730. Memories flew on and on.
At the end of the song, the King (in his infinite wisdom) said "That was a pretty song Mommy". And I told him of his Grandma Faison. How it was her favorite song. How Grandma Dorothy loves it too. How he met Grandma F in heaven. How Grandma Dorothy met him when he was just a week old. He asked how old Grandma Dorothy was. I told him 30. (Hey..I am only 20 to him). He asked how old my Mommy was. I told him 29 and holding. He smiled sweetly and said "I love Grandma Faison and Grandma Dorothy".
Me too King. Me too.
To get there, you seemingly go south until you smell it and then west until you step in it.
It is around a 90 mile trip each way, which makes for lots of driving for the Cadet's Momma - but as the "superfan" of Wildcat Wrestling (aka - usually the only one there to cheer all the boys on at away meets), I made the trek with the King
About 1 mile south of Columbia City, and with around 35-40 miles to go, I had tired of playing various trivia games with the King. You can only answer "how old were you in 1974, 76, 68, 93 et al" for so long, and we had already played "What is ____ + ___' and "What is ____-___" for about 45 minutes. So I decided to turn on the radio. Of course, my local stations were no longer in tune, so began a "Seek" process.
The first station had Melissa Manchester closing out "Don't Cry Out Loud", and since I am a sucker, for stupid sappy songs....I left the station there for a moment. The DJ came on, then said "Now, perhaps one of the greatest songs of all times. Written by Hoagey Carmichael, Arranged by Gordon Jenkins. The opening strains will raise the hair on your arms. This is Nat King Cole and (pause by the DJ)......Stardust.
Yeah. Like I am going to change the station now. Seriously.
Amazingly, the King sat quietly through the song without prattling. Me? I enjoyed the smooth sounds of Nat...there really is no singer today with the types of voices that he and his compatriots ever had. Of course, I was also musing on my mother - since it was her favorite song of course - and it also brought to mind my second mother Dorothy (whom I believe counts this as the favorite too!). Forty
Thoughts of my Mom, while running loads of laundry, begging my big sis CP to play Stardust on the piano. Thoughts of the Cadet and his elder cousins hanging out at 4730. Memories flew on and on.
At the end of the song, the King (in his infinite wisdom) said "That was a pretty song Mommy". And I told him of his Grandma Faison. How it was her favorite song. How Grandma Dorothy loves it too. How he met Grandma F in heaven. How Grandma Dorothy met him when he was just a week old. He asked how old Grandma Dorothy was. I told him 30. (Hey..I am only 20 to him). He asked how old my Mommy was. I told him 29 and holding. He smiled sweetly and said "I love Grandma Faison and Grandma Dorothy".
Me too King. Me too.
Comments