I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Category: family life

  • Texas Spike, Carolina Charly and the new pool liner

    Texas Spike, Carolina Charly and the new pool liner


    Spike came to us on Worsham Street in Texas courtesy of neighbors Dana, Carol, Becky and Lisa who found him cowering in the street, managed to get him into our front yard with an original plan to find his owner, and luckily for us became a part of our family since that rescue in 2012. We had four other dogs back then, but Spike settled into the pack without struggles or discord. Pretty and I wonder together sometimes how in the world we had five dogs at once, but usually three of them stayed with me in Texas and two stayed with Pretty in South Carolina until we sold the Worsham Street home in 2014. Everyone hunkered down together then at Casa de Canterbury, selected their own best buddies in the pack, and mourned later losses as they went down the valley one by one.

    Old Man Spike slower but maintains patrol duties

    Charly was saved from a kill shelter in Columbia by Pawmetto Lifeline in the spring of 2016, turned in by owners not interested in trying to take care of her and her seven puppies. When we decided we needed another dog to keep Spike company (he was the last survivor of our five and did not like being the only dog), we went to Pawmetto Lifeline and were told all of her puppies had been adopted but she wasn’t. We took her home that day – I wouldn’t know how to act without her staying stuck to my side like glue 24/7. We think she’s probably 10 years old, still feisty, still barking at anyone who dares to come for a visit.

    Finally, for everyone who asked about our new swimming pool liner (fewer than I can count on two hands), we are pleased to announce the pool has been restored, renewed and ready for swims in two days.

    where did summer go?

    *************

    Two students and two teachers were killed yesterday in a high school in Winder, Georgia with eight more students hospitalized. Words like senseless, tragic, mind-numbing pain, sorrow mix with anger, futility, anger, frustration, anger, and fear in a battle of jumbled thoughts in my mind. None of the words adequately describe my feelings when I saw the 14-year-old alleged killer and his father this morning in court. A child who studied mass school shootings? Neither do I have adequate words for the families and friends of the deceased who sat in the courtroom to confront them. The unimaginable became the unthinkable.

  • Hallelujah, Hope is Making a Comeback!

    Hallelujah, Hope is Making a Comeback!


    Thanks to former First Lady Michelle Obama for reminding me at the Democratic National Convention this week of our mutual feelings sixteen years ago when a young Senator from Illinois, her husband Barack Obama, was nominated to become President of the United States. President Obama became the champion of “hope” in my mind forever because he believed in the possibility of positive change in a nation I sensed we both loved. I’ve missed them both.

    We choose hope over fear. We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort. We reject fatalism or cynicism when it comes to human affairs; we choose to work for the world as it should be, as our children deserve it to be. (President Obama to the United Nations General Assembly, September 24, 2014)

    four-year-old Ella on board the Harris/Walz JOY Campaign Train in playhouse at the zoo yesterday while two-year-old Molly hoped for height

    My hope is we will choose to work together for the world as it should be, as all children deserve it to be.

    Onward.

  • Happy Birthday to our own Millenials

    Happy Birthday to our own Millenials


    Last night we celebrated our son Drew’s birthday with dinner at Dee’s Wings for his favorite ribs in town (mine, too) plus another all-time favorite of his (and everyone else at the table): the brownie sundae dessert. I asked Drew at dinner what words of wisdom he had when he considered his life on his thirty-ninth birthday. He looked thoughtful and said I’ve learned family is the most important thing in life. I believe he’s right.

    This morning I searched my archives and found we celebrated another birthday dinner five years ago in 2019 with our own favorite Millenials. Enjoy!

    Number One Son and Pretty Too

    This week Pretty and I had dinner with our Number One Son (Drew) and his wife Pretty Too (Caroline) to begin the celebration of their August birthdays. They are our very own Millenials and we love them dearly.

    This picture was taken recently by a friend of theirs – they are all smiles because next year they hope to be holding one Ella Elisabeth James, their daughter who is expected in October.

    Pretty and I are all smiles, too! Our children and grandchildren are our hope for not only our family but also for our country. May the promises of America become a reality in their lifetimes.

    ***************

    Two new little girls have been added to the family courtesy of our two Millenials since that birthday celebration in 2019, and last night after dessert we walked outside to visit a local street fair where a woman brought smiles to all by making balloon art and princess headbands. 

    Ella Elisabeth James was, indeed, born October 01, 2019, and younger sister Molly followed on January 26, 2022. Pretty happily morphed into Nana when Ella started talking, and I became Naynay. We’ve never looked back.

    Molly looking for Birthday Daddy

    (who was resting in the car to let brownie sundae settle)

    Stay tuned.

  • laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see

    laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see


    Today was house cleaning day at our place, and I made a poor decision by choosing to do laundry for one of my chores plus cleaning two bathrooms for the other one while Pretty wisely opted for changing sheets on our bed and vacuum duties. I had forgotten how many piles of laundry were scattered around the house, but I got an early start to tackle the job, took breaks whenever I needed to walk Carl outside to make sure he stayed away from the empty chasm that was our pool a mere two days ago. We needed a new pool liner which is not accomplished by waving a magic wand.

    Pretty still smiling, thank goodness, in the midst of pool chaos

    (must be her new hairdo!)

    I miss the little Cat that kept me company, made me laugh

    laundry, laundry, everywhere – and not a Cat to see

  • between the lines, outside the lines – who defines the lines?

    between the lines, outside the lines – who defines the lines?


    Hurricane Debby’s destructive force slowly zigzagged across Georgia and the Carolinas this week following its first landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast; bringing tornadoes, flooding rains, and swollen rivers along its path toward a final destination in the Northeast. At least eight deaths have been recorded from the hurricane according to PBS. While our Midlands area in South Carolina was spared the deadliest blows, the rains started early this week and reminded me of the biblical tales of Noah’s Ark. I felt like it had been raining forty days and forty nights when it was only Tuesday.

    Yesterday the granddaughters’ summer day camp was closed because of the hurricane which meant four-year-old Ella and two-year-old Molly had to stay inside at home while Mama Caroline worked from home. Nana and Naynay joyfully reported for duty to help, bringing french fries from Rush’s.

    both girls happy to see fries

    Naynay encourages sharing while Nana takes pictures

    Molly had show and tell for her antibiotic –

    Ella worked on vision therapy

    As if by magic, Ella learned to color lines and inside the lines this summer so our morning activities included extensive coloring by both girls. I told Ella her Naynay had always colored between the lines which made Pretty LOL while she reassured Molly not everyone colored inside the lines all the time. That Pretty, always the rebel.

    Rivers not far from our home continue to rise from the heavy rains, neighbors and friends struggle to remove downed trees, to have power restored, to clear debris from roads, to begin the long recovery process from Debby’s disastrous forces.

    We give thanks not only for our safety but for all the first responders who continue working to expedite the recovery process. I hope our followers in cyberspace will join us as Pretty and I remember the families of those who lost lives, homes, everything they held dear.

    Meanwhile, our granddaughters returned to their summer camp today. I believe Ella will color between the lines, but trust me. She will question who created the lines.